Welcome to Christianity Oasis Purity Publications. This E-book is titled End Time Revelation written by Author Lilly A. Starnes. Christianity Oasis in association with Purity Publications proudly presents you with this End Time Revelation E-Book free of charge for your enjoyment.
Introduction
Days Of Darkness Are Swiftly Approaching
We are living in the most crucial hours of time that
planet earth has ever known.
Light is being extinguished, and darkness is being ushered in.
Throughout the Bible, both the minor prophets and the major prophets
foretell of a time in the latter days when God will pour out His
judgment upon a wicked and a rebellious world, and will recompense them
for their sin and their rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ. In their
refusing to accept Jesus, the Light of the world, mankind is bringing
darkness and God's judgment upon himself.
There are three abominable acts that are being perpetrated in the earth
today that are very swiftly ushering in these days of gloominess, thick
clouds, and darkness, spoken of by the prophets Joel, Amos, and Isaiah.
These three acts of abomination are the taking away of the Ten
Commandments, the law of God, and the nullifying of the name and Sonship
of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; and the blatant refusal to
acknowledge prayer, our communication with God. Through prayer we, as
true believers, have access to the throne of God, and may come boldly
before that throne to make our petition known unto Him, and receive His
grace and mercy.
Night and darkness are surely upon us!
The time of "Woe" has come!
The words of the prophets of old echo throughout all the earth; they
are words of warning and alarm for all the inhabitants of the earth.
Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a
destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and
every man's heart shall melt:
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed
one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners
thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations
thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his
going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their
iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will
lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isa. 13:6-11
What does the Bible tell us concerning the last days?
What is God's plan for the earth, and those who inhabit it?
Why is judgment due, and how shall it come?
Are you ready for what lies ahead?
Will you be numbered among the righteous, or the unrighteous? Where will
you spend eternity?
For the answers to these questions, please continue.
* * *
We are living in the days of God's final judgment. The
time foretold of called the "Day of The Lord."
Chapter One
The Day Of Revelation
Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a
destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Joel 1:15
Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for
you? the day of the Lord is darkness and not light.
As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the
house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very
dark, and no brightness in it? Amos 5:18-20
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm
in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for
the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a
strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more
after it, even to the years of many generations. Joel 2:1-2
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction
cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not
escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you
as a thief, ye are all the children of light, and the children of the
day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
1 Thess. 5:2-6
What will be the extent of God's judgment?
What can we expect as the end of time draws closer? What Bible
prophecies have yet to be fulfilled?
We are living in the days of revelation; a time of the fulfilling of
the prophecies concerning the last days. This is the day when the book of
Revelation is being revealed; and not only revealed, but lived. And this
generation shall not pass away until all things are fulfilled.
We have heard for many years the teaching that the coming of the Lord
will take place before the time of great tribulation upon the earth. Yet
the Word of God tells us that the revelation of the end time was sealed
up (secured, confined, or cannot be revealed) until the day and time
that is spoken of approaches.
And the vision of the evening and the morning
which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall
be for many days. Dan. 8:26
But thou, O Daniel,shut up the words, and seal
the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and
knowledge shall be increased. Dan. 12:4
And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words
are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Dan. 12:9
And the vision of all is become unto you as the
words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is
learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it
is sealed:
And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this,
I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Isa. 29:11-12
We, as God's people, should seek to understand the book of Revelation
in these last days, and to be aware of the things that are coming upon
the earth; for we are not the children of darkness, but we are children
of the light. God doesn't want His people to be in darkness concerning
the events that are going to take place in the last days; that's why He
has given us the revelation of the end time in the Word of God.
The children of God have a way of escape prepared for them when it comes
time for the "Wrath of God" to be poured out: but during the time of
"Tribulation" God sets a seal upon his people that will keep them from
the destruction that will be taking place during the sounding of the
seven trumpets.
But whoso hearkeneth unto
me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. Pro. 1:33
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and
then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the
Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other. Matt. 24:29-31
Here in this scripture we are told that
Christ sends His angels to gather together His people after the days
of tribulation. The word "tribulation" means a time of great
trouble; this is not the time of the pouring out of God's wrath. The
saints of God are taken from the earth after the time of great
tribulation, but before the time of the pouring out of God's wrath upon
the wicked and the unbeliever.
When studying the book of Revelation we should remember that God's
Word is an eternal, unbroken circle: there is no end to God, nor His
Word. Those things which are written in the book of Revelation, at the
end of the Bible, are linked to the Old Testament, at the beginning of
the Bible. The Word of God is eternal and unbroken: the end refers back
to the beginning. The Old Testament is the door to understanding the
book of Revelation; and the Spirit of God is the key that unlocks that
door. So don't base your belief on an interpretation of the book of
Revelation that does not have a foundation built on Bible Scripture and
the Old Testament.
The truth that God is revealing in these last days, and the truth that
God would have his people to know is that the Church will remain upon
the earth until after the time of the "Great Tribulation;" but it will
be caught away by Jesus Christ before the "Wrath" of God is poured out
upon the wicked who are left. But there will be nothing for God's people
to fear, for Jesus is our Ark of safety when the storm begins to rage.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow
that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor
for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;
but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold
and see the reward of the wicked. Psalm 91:5-8
In the seventh chapter of the book of Revelation we see that God's
people are sealed in their foreheads with God's seal so that none of the
plagues and those destructive forces sent from God can harm them. Why
would God tell the four angels not to hurt the earth, neither the sea,
nor the trees, until His servants were sealed in their foreheads if He
was going to take them out of the destruction to come? There would be no
need for a seal of protection if we were not going to be in the midst of
great trouble.
God kept the children of Israel safe in the land of Goshen while the
rest of Egypt suffered plagues and death all about them; and although
they remained in Egypt God's children were not touched by the plagues
and the destruction experienced by the Egyptians.
Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth
in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the
head of the wicked. The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he
have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in
the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. Jer. 23:19-20
It is important that God's people know the truth about events to take
place during the end time, for where there is knowledge and assurance of
the Word of God, there is faith and power to stand. God will make a way
of escape for his people: His seal upon their foreheads will be as the
blood upon the doorpost in the days of Moses when the death angel passed
over Egypt. The plagues and destruction will pass over those who are
marked by the blood of the Lamb.
Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth,
which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it
may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger. Zeph. 2:3
In the fifth chapter of Revelation the book held in the right hand of
God is written within, and on the backside, and is sealed with seven
seals. This book represents the written revelation of God's judgment in
the end time. The first manifestation of God's Word was written: even so
is the first manifestation, or evidence, of His judgment also written.
The loosening of the seven seals by the Lamb of God symbolizes the time
of revealing, or knowledge being given. It is time for the book and the
words that were sealed in the days of Daniel to be opened and revealed,
for the written judgment of God is being made known unto man.
A book similar in content, to this book with the seven seals, was given
unto Ezekiel (Eze. 2:9-10), that he might read it to Israel; and it
contained prophecy and warning from God to a rebellious, impudent, and
hardhearted people. If the rebellious house of Israel was found worthy
of God's judgment and His recompense, how much more is an unfaithful
world today worthy of His judgment.
Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall
he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and
hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an
unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? Heb. 10:29
For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written
may be fulfilled. Luke 21:22
End Time Revelation
Chapter 2
The Signs Of His Coming
There are several events recorded in the Bible that must take place
before the day of Christ, and our meeting with Him in the air.
Comprehension of the Scriptures will enable God's people to put the
catching away of the saints in the right perspective, and to be prepared
for what lies ahead. Jesus, himself, tells us in the 24th chapter of St.
Matthew that his coming is preceded by the days of tribulation.
These unusual and possibly catastrophic events are revealed in the book
of Revelation when the sixth seal is opened from the book that is sealed
with the seven seals. Again, this book is the written revelation of
God's judgment upon the earth in the end time. The earth does not
actually experience these phenomenon until the sounding of the fourth
trumpet in Rev. 8:12. Then shall the third part of the sun, the moon,
and the stars be smitten; and a third part of the day and the night will
be darkened.
Paul reveals a mystery to us concerning the catching away of the saints
that most people are inclined to misconstrue, or just ignore. But, the
fact remains that he tells us when the dead shall be raised, and when we
shall be changed, and our corruptible bodies put on incorruption. This
all happens at the sounding of the last trump; and the last trump is the
seventh trumpet.
Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1Cor.
15:51-53
This time of the dead that Paul foretells of to take place at the
sounding of the last trumpet is revealed in the eleventh chapter of
Revelation. I know that most of the teaching of today is that the
Church, the Bride of Christ, will already be gone when the seventh
trumpet sounds; but how can that be when we are told here in these
Scriptures that the time of the raising of the dead takes place at the
sounding of the seventh trumpet.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord,
and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats,
fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks,
O lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come: because thou
hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward
unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear
thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the
earth. Rev. 11:15-18
Paul gives us another account of the Lord's coming, and of our being
gathered unto him in 2Thess. 2:1-4. Paul explains to us that the Lord
shall not come until the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition;
who will exalt himself above God, and even presume to take the place of
God. This "Wicked One" shall cause the world to follow after him with
his deceit and lying wonders. And in 2Thess. 2:9-12 the Bible tells us
of the strong delusion that is sent from God, which will cause all who
follow after him to be damned, because they chose to believe a lie, and
live in unrighteousness, rather than the truth and the ways of God.
Another notable sign of the Lord's coming is the mystery of God being
finished, and the firstfruits of the harvest (Israel) being made ready.
In Rev. 10:7 the Bible tells us that when the time comes for the seventh
angel to sound his trumpet, then the mystery of God shall be finished
(brought to an end, completed, terminated). In the Scripture references
below we find that the mystery of God is, God in Christ, and Christ in
man. This means that the plan of salvation shall be brought to a close
through the bringing in of the nation of Israel, the Jews, God's chosen
among the nations, and God's chosen people.
Now to him that is of power to stablish you
according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to
the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world
began. But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets,
according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all
nations for the obedience of faith. Rom. 16:25-26
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Col. 1:26-27
There are many Scriptures that reveal to us that Israel must first
enter into the kingdom of God, and become a part of the Body of Christ
before Jesus returns for his Bride.
Another representation of the coming of Christ to gather together His
elect is symbolized by a great harvest which takes place in the end
time. God symbolizes the gathering of His people according to the
natural harvest procedure upon the earth; and in the course of an actual
harvest season of any particular crop the primary, or first, fruits to
be gathered are called the firstfruits. And Israel is the first-fruits
of God, and of the Lamb of God.
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat
like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his
hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap; for the time
is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the
earth was reaped.
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also
having a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire:
and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the
earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine
of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
Rev. 14:14-19
This is the time of the event that the Church realm calls the
"Rapture;" this is the time of the harvest of the earth: those who are
righteous are gathered together to meet the Lord in the air, but the
unrighteous are gathered together for the time of the pouring out of
God's wrath upon a rebellious and wicked world that refused to adhere to
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Israel, the firstfruits of God, are the hundred and forty and four
thousand that are the first to be numbered and sealed in the seventh
chapter of Revelation. They are numbered because they are a remnant; and
only a remnant, or that small portion that remains, shall be saved in
Israel. But the Gentiles are the great multitude which no man can
number.
Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, though
the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a
remnant shall be saved. Rom. 9:27
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall
call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and
in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the
remnant whom the Lord shall call. Joel 2:32
The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty
God. Isa. 10:21
Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the
firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil
shall come upon them, saith the Lord. Jer. 2:3
Not only is the nation of Israel the firstfruits of God, and of the
Lamb of God, but they will also be the first to receive their reward at
the last day; for they are the first that shall be last, and the last
that shall be first.
Who will render to every man according to his
deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory
and honor and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are
contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man
that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also the Gentile; but glory,
honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and
also to the Gentile. Rom. 2:6-10
So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his
steward, call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from
the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the
eleventh hour, they received a penny.
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received
more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had
received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying,
These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto
us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst
not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way:
I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me
to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but
few chosen. Matt. 20:8-16
The Jewish people are the few in number that are called the chosen of
God (a remnant); and the Gentiles are the many that are the called of
God (the number that no man can number).
Christ's coming is very near, but let us look for the signs that prolaim
the very season of his coming. For although we will not know the day,
nor the hour, if Christ's coming, we can know the season.
And these signs will make known unto us the season for which we wait.
The days of tribulation that will take place during the sounding of the
first six trumpets; and then the time of the sounding of the seventh
trumpet will be the season of the Lord's coming. And again, the changes
that are recorded to take place in the sun, the moon, and the stars. And
the Anti-Christ, the son of perdition, leading the world astray with his
deceit and damnable lie. And Israel, the firstfruits, receiving the
covenant of grace through the blood of Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of
God.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 3
The Beginning Of Sorrows
We are given a thorough description and account of the beginning of
sorrows in the opening of the seven seals in the book of Revelation,
chapter 6:1 through chapter 8:5. The book sealed with the seven seals
represents the written judgment of God for the last days. The opening of
these seven seals prepare the way for the time of tribulation, and God's
judgment and recompense. The opening of the seals upon the book is the
unveiling of those things which were sealed in the days of Daniel, those
things which were closed up, and hidden until the day that was spoken of
approaches.
* Rev. 6:1-2 *
And I saw when the Lamb
opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder,
one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a
white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given
unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
First, let's establish that the horses that go forth when the first
four seals are opened symbolize spirits that go forth to manifest
themselves in the earth. If you will read the sixth chapter of Zechariah
you will find that four chariots of similar horses were sent forth upon
the earth; and the angel of the Lord declared that they were spirits.
The white horse that goes forth when the first seal is opened symbolizes
the Spirit of Christ and his righteousness, and not the Anti-christ. How
could we recognize and speak of all the spirits that are in the earth in
these last days, and not recognize that the Spirit of Jesus Christ is in
the earth today to conquer and to defeat the works of Satan. Christ's
gospel is today being manifested in a greater magnitude than ever before
on the face of the earth. Every continent, and every nation has the
gospel being demonstrated in some ministerial form. And although the
fullness of Christ's gospel is not always brought forth, still Jesus is
made known to the world.
Some people interpret the bow that the rider of the horse holds in his
hand to be a rainbow: but I do not; I believe it to represent a weapon,
a spiritual weapon, used in a spiritual warfare against Satan and his
realm. Jesus, himself, was a spiritual bow, or weapon, ordained and used
by God to destroy the power of Satan, and to bring man's deliverance.
His words were, and still are, arrows that pierce the hearts of men.
Elisha used an arrow to symbolize the Lord's deliverance in 2Kings
13:17. And in Psalm 7:12-13 the Scripture tells us of God's bow that is
made ready to be used against the wicked; and He ordained arrows to be
used against the persecutors. Below are three more Scriptures that also
reveal to us that the bow in the hand of the rider on the white horse
represents a spiritual weapon.
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty,
with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously
because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand
shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of
the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Psalm 45:3-5
But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be
wounded. Psalm 64:7
And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his
arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the
trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. Zech. 9:14
The rider on the white horse, holding the bow, is also given a crown.
This means that glory, honour, and authority are given unto him. Surely
Jesus, and none other, holds this position. And he that has the bow and
the crown goes forth conquering, and to conquer. No greater conqueror
has the world ever known, than Jesus Christ. For He certainly did
overcome, and subdue, and surmount every obstacle for us. And had he not
conquered sin, Satan, and death, where would we be today? The Word of
God tells us that we, too, are more than conquerors through Him that
loved us.
* Rev. 6:3-4 *
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard
the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse
that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace
from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was
given unto him a great sword.
The Scripture says, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
This red horse, or spirit, is also given power to take peace from the
earth; therefore it represents a spirit of war and iniquity. It is
through this spirit that God will judge the nations in the end time; and
this spirit even now encompasses the whole earth.
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye
people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all
things that come forth out of it. For the indignation of the Lord is
upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly
destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be
rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the
leaf falleth off from the vine,
and as a falling fig from the fig tree. Isa. 34:1-5
A noise shall come even to the ends of the
earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, and he will
plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword,
saith the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to
nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the
earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of
the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be
lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be as dung upon the
ground. Jer. 25:31-33
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a
great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold
every one on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up
against the hand of his neighbor. Zech. 14:13
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars:
see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but
the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matt. 24:6-8
* Rev. 6:5-6 *
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard
the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse;
and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a
voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a
penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not
the oil and the wine.
The black horse symbolizes the spirit of deceit and unjust measures,
or a false balance. Wickedness upon the earth has always far outweighed
righteousness: but never more than it shall in the latter days. The
heaviness of sin and abominations in the earth shall cause the balances
to fall in the direction of God's judgment and wrath.
Divers weights and divers measures, both of
them are alike abomination to the Lord. Prov. 20:10
Divers weights are an abomination unto the
Lord; and a false balance is not good. Prov. 20:23
Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the
land to fail, saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell
corn? And the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah
(measure) small, and the shekel (cost) great, and falsifying the
balances by deceit? That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy
for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? Amos 8:4-6
The oil and the wine in verse six represents joy and gladness that man
has perverted, and misassociated abominably; especially in the latter
days. In early bible days the time of harvesting, and of treading the
fruit for making oil and wine were days of joy and of celebration; it
was a time of being thankful to God for his bounty, and his blessings.
But in the latter days wickedness shall run rampant, and the inhabitants
of the earth will not heed the commandments of God: neither will they be
thankful unto Him. So in the last days God shall cause joy and gladness
to cease in the earth.
Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in
the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?
Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of
deceitful weights?
For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants
thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee
desolate because of thy sins.
Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in
the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but not deliver; and that
which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.
Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives,
but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not
drink wine. Micah 6:10-15
And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the
plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither
shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their
presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease. Isa. 16:10
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants
thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance,
broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the
earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the
inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry hearted do
sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice
endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to
them that drink it. The city of confusion is broken down: every house is
shut up, that no man may come in. There is crying for wine in the
streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. Isa.
24:5-11
The vine is dried up, and the fig tree
languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple
tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is
withered away from the sons of men. Joel 1:12
* Rev. 6:7-8 *
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard
the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was
death, and hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over
the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and
with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
This pale horse symbolizes the spirit of death and destruction,
working through war, famine, and the beasts of the earth; and one fourth
of the population of the earth shall be destroyed. There are already
thousands being killed every year through war and violence; and unrest
of some kind can be found in almost every nation upon the earth.
Millions have died in the past few decades: and millions more are
predicted to die from hunger in Africa, Ethiopia, India, and other
nations around the world. So we can see that these four spirits,
symbolized by the four horses, are being manifested today, and their
work has already begun.
* Rev. 6:9-11 *
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw
under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God,
and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice,
saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And white robes were given to every one of them: and it was said unto
them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their
fellowservants also and their brethren, that they should be killed as
they were, should be fullfilled.
There will be a spirit of persecution at work during the end time
that will come against the Church and the righteous. Most Christians do
not want to believe this, that there will be a time of trial, even for
them, in the latter days; but how are we to be overcomers if there are
no obstacles to overcome?
Jesus told us in the seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation
chapters two through three) that the Church must be an overcomer. In
these letters to the seven churches we find three things revealed.
First, we see a complete revelation of Jesus; second, the fullness of
Christ's Church; and third, the fullness of God's judgment. The last
thing that Jesus has to say to each of the seven churches is, "To he
that overcometh------." And in each instance He gives a promise to the
overcomer. To be an overcomer means to defeat, or to conquer the
oppressor,
or adversary. Christ was an overcomer: and he has given us power to
overcome.
1. To he that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life in
the midst of the paradise of God.
2. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
3. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and
will give him a white stone, and a new name.
4. He that overcometh, to him will I give power over the nations.
5. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will
confess his name before my Father.
6. To him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God:
I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my
God, New Jerusalem.
7. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Remember the word that I said unto you, the
servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they
will also persecute you; if they kept my saying, they will keep yours
also. John 15:20
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword?
As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us. Rom. 8:35-37
* Rev. 6:12-17 *
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon
became as blood;
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth
her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and
every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The events described in the opening of the sixth seal is the written
revelation of God's judgment upon the earth at it's utmost extent. Here
we see a sign of the intensity of His retribution for the disobedience
and sin of man, and the flagrant disregard of his commandments.
God shakes not only the earth, and the nations therein, but also the
heavens. This great shaking begins to come to pass during the sounding
of the fourth trumpet (Rev. 8:12); but the crucial, and final outpouring
of this dispensation of God's judgment is fulfilled during the pouring
out of the seventh vial of wrath (Rev. 16:17), after the Church has been
caught away by Christ. These signs that take place in the sun, the moon,
and the stars are recorded in many of the Scriptures in relationship to
the coming of Jesus.
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both
with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall
destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine.
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of
her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his
fierce anger. Isa. 13:9-10 & 13
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun
and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very
great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord
is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Joel 2:10-11
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.
Matt. 24:29-31 & Mark 13:24-27
End Time Revelation
Chapter 4
The Days Of Tribulation
The sounding of the seven trumpets, which represents the days of
"Great Tribulation" that the Church will also go through, and the
pouring out of the seven vials of the "Wrath of God," which is destined
only for the wicked and the unbelieving that are left after the Church
is taken away, are comparable in relationship to the events that take
place. But the extremity of the plagues and events that happen during
the sounding of the seven trumpets have only one third the severity as
does the events that take place during the pouring out of the seven
vials of wrath.
The sounding of the trumpet in the Old Testament served a two-fold
purpose; it was blown as a sound of warning in time of danger, and in
time of battle. The trumpet was also blown to announce the time of
assembly.
Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole
piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of
the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you,
then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be
remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your
enemies. Num. 10:2 & 9
Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to
the children of thy people, and say unto them, when I bring the sword
upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and
set him for their watchman:
If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and
warn the people;
Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning;
if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own
head.
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall
be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. Eze.
33:1-5
I believe that the sounding of the seven trumpets in the book of
Revelation also have a dual purpose. When each trumpet sounds they are
sending forth a warning of approaching danger, and of inevitable battle;
and they also sound a call for the righteous to assemble them- selves
together, and make ready for their redemption. And, as in the Old
Testament days, those who hear the sound of the trumpet, and take
warning, shall deliver his own soul; but those who will not heed the
warning, shall suffer the wrath of God, and eternal destruction.
The Bible speaks of the seven trumpets "sounding," but we will not hear
the literal sound of a trumpet; but we shall perceive their sounding,
and we shall observe the inevitable result of their sounding.
* Rev. 8:6-11 *
And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves
to sound.
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with
blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees
was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning
with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became
blood;
And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life,
died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven,
burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the
rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the
waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they
were made bitter.
In Jeremiah 9:13-15 the Bible tells us that the waters being made
bitter with wormwood is a punishment from God upon a people who have
forsaken his law, and have walked after the imagination of their own
heart. This is surely a picture of the people upon the earth today.
* Rev. 8:12 *
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third
part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the
third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and
the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Again, this is a notable sign that Jesus told us we would see before
His coming in Matt. 24:29-31 and in Mark 13:24-26. And in the Old
Testament the prophets, Isaiah and Joel, both prophesied of these events
to take place in the last days.
All these Scriptures were covered in the third chapter entitled "The
Beginning Of Sorrows."
* Rev. 9:1-2 *
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto
the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the
pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Satan is the star that fell from heaven unto the earth, and he is
given the key to the bottomless pit, which is hell. The opening of the
bottomless pit, and the smoke rising up out of it symbolizes the rising
up of wickedness that will darken the earth in the latter days.
During the sounding of the fifth trumpet there will be a spirit of
persecution at work, which was revealed, and loosed during the opening
of the fifth seal in chapter six, verse nine, of the book of Revelation.
As all manner of evil is loosed from the pit, and rises up as smoke to
darken the land, so shall the judgment of God cover the land: and He,
too, shall bring darkness upon the wicked and the unbelieving.
Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and
rush, in one day. The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the
prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led
of them are destroyed.
Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall
have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for everyone is an hypocrite
and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger
is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and
thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall
mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
Through the wrath of the Lord is the land darkened, and the people shall
be as fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. Isa. 9:14-19
* Rev. 9:3-11 *
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them
was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the
earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men
which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they
should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of
a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall
desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto
battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their
faces were as the faces of men.
And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the
teeth of lions.
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the
sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running
to battle.
And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their
tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit,
whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath
his name Apollyon.
In Nahum 3:17 the crowned of the earth, which are the leaders and
ones in authority, are compared to locusts; and as locusts in flight,
and in great number, cause the light of the sun to be darkened, so shall
these men in their association with Satan cause the earth to be in
darkness.
These men having the power to torment as a scorpion would torment when
it strikes means that they will inflict pain and poison. And this pain
and poison will be inflicted by way of their baneful, destructive,
influence, and their tyrannical leadership.
During this time one nation, or one controlling power of more than one
nation, will rise up and cause great pain and sorrow upon the earth. It
will be a great nation whose strength is compared to that of a lion; and
it's power to ravage and to tear apart compared to that of the teeth of
a lion.
The appearance of the locusts resembling that of horses prepared for
battle means that they will be engaged in warfare: and they shall wage
war around the globe.
For a nation is come up upon my land, strong,
and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the
cheek teeth of a great lion. Joel 1:6
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let
all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh,
for it is nigh at hand;
A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a
strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more
after it, even to the years of many generations.
A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land
is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate
wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen,
so shall they run.
Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap,
like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a
strong people set in battle array.
Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall
gather blackness.
They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of
war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not
break their ranks:
Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path:
and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall,
they shall climb upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows
like a thief.
The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun
and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very
great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord
is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? Joel 2:1-11
Symbolically speaking the hair of the locusts being as the hair of
women, in verse eight, denotes their being under subjection to another
head, or authority, other than their own. Paul relates this to us in the
11th chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians. These scriptures tell us that
the head of the woman is the man; and the outward sign of this
subjection of the woman to the man is her head being covered, or her
hair being longer than the man's.
The locusts are under subjection to Satan; and this is verified in the
11th verse when we read that the king over them is the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, which means
"destruction," and in the Greek tongue his name is Apollyon, which means
"the destroyer."
The breastplates of iron that the locusts have symbolize their
indestructability. They will have the power to do what ever they set
their mind to do; and nothing shall be able to stop them, nor stand in
their way. And their tails being like the tails of scorpions designates
their power to inflict poison: and this poison will more than likely be
administered through those who stand in a spiritual place of leadership.
I believe this to be true because we just read in Isaiah 9:15 that the
ancient and honourable is the head, and the false prophet that teaches
lies is the tail. Jesus told us in His Word that the rising up of false
prophets would be a sign of the latter days that would come to pass
before His return to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
For there shall arise false christs, and prophets, and shall show
great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect.
Matt. 24:24, Mark 13:22, and Luke 21:8
Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the
prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision
of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, ye shall
have peace; and they say to everyone that walketh after the imagination
of his own heart, no evil shall come upon you.
For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and
heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous
whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
And the anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and
till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye
shall consider it perfectly.
I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them,
yet they prophesied.
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my
words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from
the evil of their doings. Jer. 23:16-22
* Rev. 9:13-21 *
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns
of the golden altar which is before God,
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels
which are bound in the great River Euphrates.
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a
day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand
thousand: and I heard the number of them.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them,
having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the
heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths
issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the
smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails
were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet
repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship
devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood:
which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk.
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of
their fornication, nor of their thefts.
An angel is a spiritual being that not only carries messages, but
also executes the commands and the judgment of God. When the four angels
that are bound in the Euphrates River are loosed, they shall execute the
judgment of God in the territory that the Euphrates River bounds, or
encloses.
God has always used the Euphrates River as a northern boundary to mark
the extent of the land promised by Him to Israel, to be possessed by
Israel.
In the same day the Lord made a covenant with
Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of
Egypt unto the great river, the River Euphrates. Gen. 15:18
Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the
mount of the Amorites, unto all the places nigh thereunto, and in the
plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea
side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great
river, the River Euphrates.
Deut. 1:7
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I
given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the
River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea
toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. Joshua 1:3-4
A land of promise and blessing was what God intended for Israel: but
they always missed God's blessing because of sin and unbelief. So now,
in the latter days, the River Euphrates symbolizes the boundary of God's
recompense, and his chastisement upon a people who would not receive His
promise and blessing. There are four nations that are bound (bordered or
enclosed) by the Euphrates River; and they are Turkey (biblical Lydia),
Syria, Iraq (biblical Babylon), and also Arabia.

According
to the scriptures that we just read in Revelation 9:15 these nations
will play a big part in the end time warfare that will claim the lives
of one third of the earth's population.
For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a
day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the
sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their
blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country
by the River Euphrates. Jer. 46:10
These four nations along with several other Arab nations, and
possibly nations that are today located in the same area once occupied
by the ancient Roman Empire, will play their roll in the last world
empire that will dominate the earth in the last days. They will make up
the kingdoms of the north and the south, spoken of by Daniel, that will
join themselves together in the latter days. But in time the king of the
north will subdue the king of the south, and will then rule the empire
alone.
Syria, Iraq, and Arabia are only three of the Arab nations that may very
well play a part in the end time warfare. Some of the other Arab nations
that may be involved, either by alliance or repression, are Jordan,
Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia,
Bahrein, Yemen, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Somalia, Palestine,
Mauritania, and Djibouti.
In verse eighteen we are told that out of the mouths of this army shall
come forth fire, and smoke, and brimstone; and that by these three the
third part of men will be killed. The fire that comes forth out of their
mouths represents their judgment, and their ungodly decisions. The smoke
represents the wickedness that shall come forth from these men. And the
brimstone represents the destruction that will ultimately come forth
because of their unrighteous judgment, and because of their wickedness.
In verse nineteen the Scripture tells us that their power is in their
mouth, and in their tails. Again, this represents the power of the
leaders and the false prophets: for the mouth of a nation is it's king
or leader; and the tail of a nation is it's prophet, or spiritual
leader, who leads contrary to the Word of God.
And as grievous as the days will be at that time, even to the
annihilation of a third of the population of the earth, men will still
not turn to God, but will continue on in their unrighteous ways.
*Rev. 10:1-11*
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a
cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the
sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot
upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had
cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to
write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, seal up those
things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted
up his hand to heaven,
And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and
the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein
are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be
time no longer:
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin
to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to
his servants the prophets.
And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said,
Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which
standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book.
And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly
bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and
it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my
belly was bitter.
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and
nations, and tongues, and kings.
In verse one the angel coming down from heaven being clothed with a
cloud represents a time when God's influence and guidance will again be
sent forth into the earth. The rainbow upon his head represents God's
covenant and promise being in foremost position. His face shining as the
sun symbolizes God's glory. His feet appearing as pillars of fire
represent his going forth with the power and authority of the gospel.
God at one time led the children of Israel by a cloud by day, and a
pillar of fire by night. His presence and his guidance were made known
by these two manifestations.
In the angel's hand he holds a little book that is open; this means that
he has something to reveal, and to declare. His having one foot upon the
sea, and one foot upon the earth means that he has come to conquer.
When the angel is told to seal up those things which the seven thunders
uttered, and told to write them not, it is made known that a mystery
exists.
The angel proclaims, in verse six, that there should be time no longer.
This means that some things are going to be brought to an end. It is
time for three dispensations to be brought to a close.
1. The dispensation of the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles to be
completed.
2. Time for the fall and the blindness of Israel to be brought to an
end.
3. Time for God's mercy and grace to come to an end, and time for his
wrath and judgment to begin.
Rom. 11:12 & 25-27 ( Scripture reference for # 1 and 2 )
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the
diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their
fulness? Rom. 11:12
For I would not, Brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out
of Sion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Rom. 11:25-27
Zeph. 1:14-18 ( Scripture reference for # 3 )
The great day of the Lord is near, it is near,
and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty
man shall cry there bitterly.
That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of
clouds and thick darkness.
A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against
the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall
walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and
their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the
day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the
fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all
them that dwell in the land. Zeph. 1:14-18
In verse seven it is revealed that when the seventh angel begins to
sound the mystery of God shall be finished. This mystery was made known
among the Gentiles because it was rejected by the Jews.
Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations,
but now is made manifest to his saints: to whom God would make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles;
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Col. 1:26-27
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached
unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1
Tim. 3:16
From the birth and death of Jesus until this day the nation of Israel
has not accepted Christ as their Saviour. But when the seventh trumpet
begins to sound, the mystery of God shall be made known among the Jews.
The promise and the covenant that the angel bears upon his head, or in
foremost position, in verse one, shall be presented once again to
Israel. And the Spirit and the presence of God shall lead man unto
salvation, and to victory over Satan, once again.
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for
an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest
shall be glorious.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand
again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall
be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush,
and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of
the sea. Isa. 11:10-11
The seventh verse of this chapter tells us that when the seventh
angel begins to sound his trumpet the mystery of God shall be finished.
We have just read in the Scriptures that the mystery of God is the plan
of salvation ordained by God, and wrought by his Son, Jesus; God in
Christ, and Christ in man.
When the mystery of God is finished it is brought to an end, it is
terminated, it is completed. This will close the dispensation of grace,
and usher in the beginning of the time of God's wrath.
John is told in verse nine to take the little book which is open from
the hand of the angel; he is then told to eat the book which will be in
his mouth sweet as honey: but it shall make his belly bitter. When the
book is eaten this symbolizes knowledge being given for the purpose of
prophecy. Then shall the gospel of Christ be carried forth in one final
dispensation before the end shall come.
During the days of the sounding of the seventh trumpet there will be
several significant prophecies come to pass. One is the salvation of the
remnant of Israel, for their time of blindness will be over. Another
prophecy to be fulfilled during this time period is the rise and reign
of the Anti-Christ, as revealed in the 13th chapter of Revelation, and
in the book of Daniel, chapters seven, eight, and eleven. And last of
all at the close of the time of the sounding of the seventh trumpet
Christ shall send his angels to gather together his elect from the four
corners of the earth, for it will be the day of their deliverance. Then
shall only the wicked be left, who are destined for the wrath of God.
Remember that the seventh angel, or trumpet, has not yet sounded: the
angel is merely revealing to John some of the events that will take
place when the seventh trumpet does begin to sound. The days of the
sounding of the seven trumpets will be the days of the Great
Tribulation; and they will be days of perplexity and distress, and days
of great darkness. But those who put their faith and trust in God, and
who are covered by the blood of the Lamb, shall have no fear, for Christ
is their haven of rest when God begins to shake the earth.
So far we have covered the sounding of six of the seven trumpets. There
remains the seventh, and final, trumpet yet to sound. During it's
sounding the aforementioned prophecies will be brought to pass, and the
days of the pouring out of God's wrath will draw nigh.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 5
The Two Great Witnesses
The eleventh chapter of Revelation is a very complex and
controversial chapter of Scripture. It relates to the two witnesses that
will prophecy in the latter days. I have heard many theories on who the
two witnesses will be; but that's just what they are, theories (a theory
is a proposed but unverified explanation ).
The question is not, "Who will the two witnesses be?" But the question
is, "Who are the two witnesses?" For the two great witnesses are not
forth-coming, but they are already here: and they have been here for two
thousand years. A witness is someone who can testify, or give evidence,
because he sees or knows by personal presence.
No living man has ever seen God face to face, and no man knows God
except by the Spirit of God, and through Jesus, the Son of God.
Therefore man cannot be a witness for God because he has never stood in
the personal presence of God, and the carnal man knows nothing of God.
Only when the Spirit of God is manifested through us can we be an
effective witness for God.
With these thoughts in mind let us read the eleventh chapter of
Revelation and let the Word of God give explanation for the Word of God.
The answer to every question we have concerning the Scriptures will be
found in the Scriptures themselves.
* Rev. 11:1-19 *
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood,
saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them
that worship therein.
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not;
for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread
under foot forty and two months.
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a
thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before
the God of the earth.
And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and
devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this
manner be killed.
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their
prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite
the earth with plagues, as often as they will.
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that
ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and
shall overcome them, and kill them.
And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was
crucified.
And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see
their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their
dead bodies to be put in graves.
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make
merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets
tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered
into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them
which saw them.
And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up
hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies
beheld them.
And the same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of
the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand:
and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord,
and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats,
fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks,
O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou
hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward
unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear
thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the
earth.
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his
temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices,
and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
In the first verse John is given a reed and told to measure the
temple of God. The temple that is measured is not a natural building,
but a spiritual one: it is Christ's Church; for since Jesus came into
the world the temple of God has been in man. In Christians as
individuals, and as a whole, we are the temple of God. The reference
made here to the Old Testament temple is merely symbolism, using the
natural to interpret the spiritual.
Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: we have such
an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the
majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. Heb. 8:1-2
But Christ being an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of
this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us. Heb. 9:11-12
In the Old Testament both Ezekiel (Eze. 40:2-4) and Zechariah (Zech.
2:1-5) saw the temple of God being measured. It was measured because
prophecy was being sent forth unto man, telling him to repent, and make
ready the temple for God's presence. When the temple is measured it is
time for God to know the extent and the fullness of his Church. He will
know the length, and the breadth, and all that is within it: for it's
time for his temple to be made complete.
In the second verse the outer court of the temple is left out and not
measured for it is given unto the Gentiles. At this time God will
already know the measure of the outer court, for the Gentile
dispensation will be over. But it's time for the inner court of the
temple to be measured: and it is given unto the Jews.
The early temple had an outer court and an inner court. The outer court
was much larger than the inner court; but the inner court (given unto
Israel) is where the Lord will place his throne, and will dwell for
ever. Israel is the inner court that has not yet been measured. But when
the remnant of the Jews have entered into the tabernacle not made with
hands, then shall the inner court be measured, and the temple made
complete.
So the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and,
behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard him speaking
unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.
And he said unto me, son of man, the place of my throne, and the place
of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children
of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more
defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredoms, nor by the
carcases of their kings in their high places. Eze. 43:5-7
Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary
which looketh toward the east, and it was shut.
Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be
opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of
Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. Eze. 44:1-2
The last part of the second verse in the eleventh chapter of
Revelation tells us that the holy city shall be trodden under foot forty
and two months. Most people believe that the holy city mentioned in this
passage of Scripture is referring to Jerusalem. But I believe that the
Bible conveys to us that the holy city spoken of here is New Jerusalem,
which is the Church.
But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal. 4:26
But ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. Heb.
12:22
And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Rev. 21:2
The holy city being trodden under foot for three and ahalf years is
the revelation of a time of repression and persecution that the Church
will endure just before Christ's return. It was also revealed to Daniel
(Dan. 7:21-26) that the saints would be overcome by a horn, or a
governmental power, that will "prevail against them" for a short time.
The horn will "wear out the saints of the most High," and they shall be
"given into his hand" until a time and times and the dividing of time (3
1/2 years). And no where in the visions of John or Daniel do we see
Jesus returning for the saints before the time of tribulation and
persecution.
In the third verse of the eleventh chapter the two witnesses are given
power, and they prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days,
clothed in sackcloth. Their being clothed in sackcloth is a sign of
mourning for those who need deliverance. And again, this is revealing
the time of Israel's deliverance drawing nigh.
In verse four we have the revelation of who the two witnesses really
are. They are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing
before the God of the earth. As I said before a witness is someone who
sees or knows by personal presence. Jesus and the Holy Ghost are the
only true witnesses of God. Man is a witness for God only by the
manifestation of one of these working through him. Jesus and the Holy
Ghost receive the Spirit and power from God, and then they impart that
Spirit and power unto man.
Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees
upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive
branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of
themselves?
And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said,
No, my Lord.
Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of
the whole earth. Zech. 4:11-14
In verse five the Scripture says that if any man will hurt them, fire
shall come forth out of their mouth and devour their enemy. If we
understand the meaning of the words that are being used in this passage
of Scripture we can comprehend the spiritual revelation that is being
given. The word "hurt" here in verse five does not mean bodily injury,
but it means "to grieve," or "to distress." And this is surely what the
world is doing to the Spirit of God today; and it will wax worse as the
end time draws closer.
The fire that proceeds out of the mouth of the two witnesses is the
judgment that they shall speak against the wicked, and the unbelieving.
Not only does this judgment bring spiritual death, but also everlasting
damnation in the life hereafter.
One of the reasons that Christians do not readily acknowledge that these
two witnesses are Christ and the Holy Ghost is because in verse seven it
is written that the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall
make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. Again, we
have to understand the spiritual interpretation of what is being said to
get the real meaning.
"To make war against" means to cause strife and conflict. And Satan has
been wageing war against God and his saints since the beginning of time.
But the end time battle will be an over-whelming manifestation of evil
perpetrated by Satan.
When the two witnesses are "overcome" it means that they are
successfully resisted and opposed. When they are "killed" it means that
they, or in this instance their testimony and influence, are destroyed,
or nullified.
The gospel of Christ will be set at naught even as it was in the days of
the crucifixion; Jesus could not have been crucified if He had not first
been brought to naught (reduced to nothing) in the eyes of the world.
And in the days that are to come the great false prophet, known as the
Anti-Christ, could not set up his kingdom, and cause the unsuspecting
world to accept a lie, except the "Truth" be cast down and brought to
naught.
And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first and
restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he
must suffer many things, and be set at nought. Mark 9:12
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is
become the head of the corner. Acts 4:11
Apostle Paul revealed unto us that this falling away from the truth
would come to pass before Christ's return. A "falling away" means to
terminate, or to diminish, or decline.
Paul also wrote that there is something which withholds that Wicked One
from being revealed until his time has come. He cannot take his position
in the temple of God, showing himself to be God, until he who now
letteth will let, (he who now hindereth will hinder) until he be taken
out of the way. Then, and only then, can the great lie and delusion be
manifested.
Now we beseech you, Brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in
mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as
from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the
son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is
called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming. 2Thess. 2:1-8
This same revelation is opened up to us also in the book of Daniel in
several chapters when the "daily sacrifice is taken away." We will not
go into these Scriptures at this time, but will go into them in depth in
chapter eight entitled "The Daily Sacrifice Is Taken Away."
In verse eight the dead bodies of the two witnesses lie in the street of
the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also
our Lord was crucified. Now we know that these two witnesses are not
going to be killed, but their testimony will be set at naught and made
of none effect. Remember, this is true only as far as the world and the
false religions are concerned; for the true Church will be purged, made
white, and blameless, and will be looking for the coming of the King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords.
We also know that the dead bodies of the two witnesses will not
literally lie in the street; there will not even be literal bodies that
will die. The "dead bodies lying in the street" is a metaphorical
phrase, and we have to understand what is being implied by it. In the
Old Testament when a dead body was left in the street, unburied, it was
a sign of shame and reproach being brought against that person.
When the Scripture says that their dead bodies shall lie in the street,
it's referring to the time when a reproach is brought against the Church
and the "Truth," and a censorship is brought against the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love
of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2:9-12
In verse eight we read that the street where the bodies of the two
witnesses lie is in actuality a spiritual street, and it's called Sodom
and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. Now we know that Jesus was
crucified outside the city walls of Jerusalem at a place called
Golgotha. But spiritually it was indeed Sodom, a place of iniquity and
rebellion; and it was also spiritually Egypt, a place of bondage and
unbelief.
The world today is headed at full speed toward this spiritual Sodom and
Egypt, and the truth of Christ's gospel is failing in the world as
righteous judgment is turned away backward. The world does not want to
hear the name of Jesus, for his name offends many; and although Jesus is
the only way, the only door, to salvation and eternal life, multiple
thousands are thinking to enter in by another name and another way.
For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins
testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our
iniquities, we know them;
In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our
God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the
heart words of falsehood.
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar
off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh him-
self a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was
no judgment. Isa. 59:12-15
In chapter eleven of the book of Revelation, verse eleven, the Spirit
of life from God enters into the two witnesses, and they stand upon
their feet once again. This is a time of prophecy being fulfilled, and a
sign of life being given unto the dead. This event was foretold of by
Ezekiel in his vision of the valley of dry bones ( Eze. 37:1-14 ). Life
will be revived not only in the two witnesses, but through their
testimony the nation of Israel shall at last be raised from death unto
life when they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
When they ascend up to heaven in a cloud this symbolizes a time of
promise being fulfilled, and a time for the covenant and the Spirit of
God to be delivered unto man. The covenant of the New Testament and the
Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ will be sent once again to the nation of
Israel.
When Moses ascended upward unto Mt. Sinai the covenant of God was
delivered unto the children of Israel. Moses brought down with him the
ten commandments, which were given as a testimony and a covenant between
God and man.
There was another ascent upward in the Old Testament which symbolized a
time of promise being fulfilled and the Spirit of God being sent down
unto man. This was when Elijah ascended up to heaven in a cloud in the
presence of Elisha; and a double portion of the spirit of Elijah was
received by Elisha.
Many Gentiles refuse to believe that the nation of Israel will actually
receive salvation through the blood of Jesus, and the New Testament; but
the Bible tells us to let God be true, and every man a liar. There are
too many Scriptures pertaining to the salvation of Israel to list them
all, but I have listed a few of them.
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for
an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest
shall be glorious.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand
again the second time to recover the remnant of his people. Isa.
11:10-11
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from
transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; my Spirit that
is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not
depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of
the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from hence- forth and for
ever. Isa. 59:20-21
Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to
take out of them a people for his name.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After
this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which
is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set
it up. Acts 15:14-16
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy.
Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing
of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness?
For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the
Gentiles, I magnify mine office: if by any means I may provoke to
emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them.
For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what
shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Rom.11:11-15
For I would not, Brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,
lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out
of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungod- liness from Jacob: for
this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as
touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. Rom.
11:25-28
We resume again in the eleventh chapter of Revelation, in verse
fifteen. The time has finally come for the sounding of the last trump,
for the seventh angel sounds his trumpet. This is the day that the
saints of God of many ages have long waaited. At the sounding of the
last trumpet it will be time for the righteous dead, and all the saints
to receive their reward ( verse 18 ). And it's also written here that it
is time for the wrath of God to be poured out upon the wicked and the
unbelieving who have destroyed the earth.
In verse nineteen the temple of God is opened in heaven, and in his
temple is revealed the ark of his testament. This Scripture is further
confirmation that it's time for the salvation of Israel; for the temple
of God is the Church, and the ark of his testament, or covenant, is
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The temple being opened means that it becomes more visible, and more
accessible, with all obstructions removed, permitting passage for all
those who would enter in. For the time has come for Jesus to be
revealed, at last, to the chosen people of God, the nation of Israel.
And his covenant of the New Testament is made known among the Jews, who
are the firstfruits of all his increase.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 6
The Tabernacle Restored
{God's promise to Israel fulfilled.}
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen,
and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins. Amos
9: 11
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David,
which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I
will set it up.
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles,
upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Acts 15: 15-17
The restoration of Israel unto God, and the establishing of them in
the kingdom of God
is an occurance which the Bible records in many books of the Old and the
New Testaments. An event of such significant proportion must surely have
a place of unveiling in the book of Revelation; and I believe that the
twelfth chapter is a disclosure of this long awaited event.
The restoring of Israel to her first estate as God's chosen people is
the rebuilding of the tabernacle of David. Israel will once again have
that place of communion and fellowship with God that she once knew in
the beginning. And Israel will worship God in Spirit and in truth,
through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, whom they will accept as their
"Messiah."
* Rev. 12:1 *
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a
woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her
head a crown of twelve stars:
There are two women spoken of in the book of Revelation that are of
spiritual origin. One is the Bride of Christ, or the Church; the other
one is the "Great Whore" described in chapter 17 of Revelation. They are
referred to as women because they bring forth seed in their likeness;
and those who are brought up under their influence become as they are:
for they sustain and nurture their own seed.
Those who are born again by the Spirit of God are the seed of the free
woman, which is the Church; and they take on the likeness and the nature
of Jesus Christ, by manifesting the fruit of the Spirit. All others upon
the face of the earth are the seed of the bond woman, which is the great
Whore; and they manifest the nature and the fruit of the earth,
following after the ways of the world.
The woman seen here in verse one, clothed with the sun, is the Church
clothed with the righteousness of Jesus. And the moon under her feet
means that she has put the ruler of darkness, which is Satan, in a
defeated position (under her feet). The crown of twelve stars upon her
head symbolizes the nation of Israel being in foremost position.
When Israel accepts Jesus as Messiah and Lord, the Church is made
complete, and total victory is won. Satan will lose his long-time hold
on Israel as she receives deliverance through the blood of the Lamb,
Christ Jesus, by which Satan was defeated, and cannot come near.
* Rev. 12:2 *
And she being with child cried, travailing in
birth, and pained to be delivered.
Again, this is the new birth of Israel being revealed. When Jesus was
born of Mary two thousand years ago, Israel rejected that birth of the
Saviour. But in the latter days His birth will finally be accepted as
that of the Messiah and Saviour of Israel.
My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you. Gal. 4:19
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting.
Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth
hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto
the children of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty
of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he
be great unto the ends of the earth. Micah 5:2-4
* Rev. 12:3 *
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red
dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his
heads.
Satan is referred to here as the great red dragon because he will
come against Israel through war (red), and with malicious power
(dragon). He is seen with seven heads because he will have complete and
absolute authority in the seventh, and final, world power that will have
rule over the earth during this time. And this world power will be
composed of ten nations that are represented by the ten horns. We will
get into this seventh world empire in more detail in the next chapter
entitled "The Great Beast."
* Rev. 12:4 *
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast
them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready
to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
The dragon's tail casting a third part of the stars of heaven to the
earth is a sign unto us of the time period in which Israel will be
converted. It will be a time of darkness upon the earth; and a time of
the great falling away from the truth which is symbolized here by the
stars, or ministers of light, being swayed by Satan, and cast down to
his level.
God at one time in the days of Ezekiel, when evil and perversion were
prevalent in the midst of Jerusalem, gave a command to set a mark upon
the foreheads of all the righteous. Then the command was given to slay
all those who did not have the mark upon their forehead. And God also
said, "Begin at my sanctuary." God will once again judge his sanctuary;
and all those who are not rooted in Him will be shaken loose, and fall
to the earth.
Satan set out to destroy Israel's chances for deliverance twice in the
past. When Moses was born Pharaoh had given the command to kill all the
male babies that were born to the Jewish people, for he feared Israel's
deliverance. But God had ordained that Moses would be His people's
deliverer, and so He made a way of escape for him.
Again, when Jesus was born, all male babies were being killed, by the
order of Herod, that he might destroy the man child which prophecy
declared would reign as king of the Jews. But once again Satan's plans
were thwarted, and the Christ child lived; and because He lives Israel
receives deliverance once again, and forever more.
* Rev. 12:5 *
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a
rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
It is recorded in the Bible several times that Christ and his saints
shall rule the nations with a rod of iron during the days of the
thousand year millennial reign. Three places in the Scriptures that you
will find this written are in Psa. 2:9, Rev. 2:27, and in Rev. 19:15.
Again, as we have already learned in the chapter entitled "The Two Great
Witnesses," the ascention upward into heaven by the man child symbolizes
a time for the promise of God to be sent down and fulfilled: as it was
in the days when Elijah ascended up into heaven in the whirlwind, and
Elisha received the promise of a double portion of the annointing of
Elijah; and again in the days when Jesus ascended up into heaven in a
cloud, and the promise of the Holy Ghost was sent down to man. In the
last days the promise of salvation and redemption will be sent down to
Israel.
* Rev. 12:6 *
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place
prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred
and threescore days.
If you will go back to the eleventh chapter of the book of
Revelation, and the third verse, you will find that the time given there
unto the two witnesses to prophesy, and the time that the woman here in
chapter twelve is fed in the wilderness, are the same. This is because
both Scriptures are describing the same event occuring during the same
time period. When the two witnesses prophesy unto Israel they are
feeding her the Word of God. And it's at this time that the nation of
Israel will receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.
* Rev. 12: 7-9 *
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Satan will surely fight with all his might and with all the evil
power at his command to keep such a blessed event from taking place; but
he shall fail: and it shall be a notable defeat.
God brings to remembrance the first time that Satan suffered defeat,
when he and his angelic cohorts were cast out of heaven. And he again
suffered a great defeat when Jesus rose from the dead; and this was an
even greater defeat because man was give power over Satan through the
death and resurrection of Jesus.
And now for the third time Satan's efforts are thwarted, and God is
given the glory as Israel becomes victorious, at last, through their
"Deliverer," Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
* Rev. 12:10-11 *
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for
the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God
day and night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Many Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled as Israel enters into the
kingdom of God through the blood of Jesus, and the power of his gospel.
The testimony of Israel had always been the Law, and the works of the
Law; but this will be the day of atonement and redemption for Israel
through the blood of the Lamb, and the New Testament. No longer will
their covenant with God, and their right standing with him be through
their works, the Old Covenant Law, but it will be through the Word of
their covenant, Christ Jesus, and His gospel.
The phrase "they loved not their lives unto the death" fulfills the
words of Jesus when He spoke of all those who would deny themselves, and
follow after him. The remnant of the Jews in Israel will give their
lives over to the gospel of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall
lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. Mark
8:35
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in
this world shall keep it unto life eternal. John 12:25
* Rev. 12:12-14 *
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the Devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short
time.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted
the woman which brought forth the man child.
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might
fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a
time, and times, and a half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Although there will be rejoicing in heaven over the salvation of
Israel, there will be great turmoil upon the earth, for Satan knows that
his days are numbered. Through many nations, and the Anti-Christ, Satan
will inflict great pain and persecution upon the inhabitants of planet
earth. But Israel and the Church, which have now been made one, will be
nourished and sustained by God until the day of deliverance.
The woman being given eagle's wings that she might fly into the
wilderness symbolizes God bearing the Church up to an exalted place in
Him. And although the wilderness is a barren waste land, it was often
times in the Old Testament a place of refuge, and a place of preparation
for things to come for God's people; where God proved himself to them by
feeding them and leading them, and making the wilderness a place where
his people could flourish.
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on
eagle's wings, and brought you unto myself.
Ex. 19:4
As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
Deut. 32:11-12
But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the
wilderness like a flock.
And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea
overwhelmed their enemies.
Psa. 78:52-53
* Rev. 12:15-17 *
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
In the last few verses of the twelfth chapter Satan is referred to as
a dragon, and as a serpent; as the dragon he will persecute and seek to
devour; as the serpent he will deceive. So the flood that he casts forth
out of his mouth will be an overwhelming attempt to destroy God's Church
through persecution and deceit. But the Church will be complete with the
entering in of Israel, and her strength and faith will be greater than
ever before.
As I said before, the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation is the
disclosing of the restoration of the tabernacle of David. Some people
believe that the tabernacle of David will be a literal building that
will be constructed in Jerusalem. Israel may indeed build another
temple, but it would not be the tabernacle of David. For although David
desired to build a temple for God, he was not allowed to, for he was a
man of war, and he had blood on his hands; so God told David that it
would be his son, Solomon, that would build the temple for God.
In 2nd Samuel, chapter seven, God promises to build a house for David,
not David building a house for God. And the tabernacle that God builds
in Israel will be the tabernacle not made with hands; and the chief
Corner Stone will be his Son, Jesus. And this tabernacle will be in the
midst of Israel for ever; and shall return Israel to her former position
as God's chosen, and his firstborn among the nations.
My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my
sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. Eze. 37:27-28
Israel is also the firstfruits of God, and of the lamb; so when the
firstfruits of the harvest are ready for reaping, then the day of
harvest and the day of redemption draweth nigh.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 7
The Great Beast
The vision that John is given here in the 13th chapter of the book of
Revelation is similar to the visions given unto Daniel in the 7th and
8th chapters of the book of Daniel. To understand the vision of John we
must go back and find the revelation disclosed in Daniel's visions. So
we will be researching the Scriptures in the book of Daniel as well as
in the book of Revelation.
* Rev. 13:1 *
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
The beast rising up out of the sea means that it will be a nation, or
world empire. It's having seven heads and ten horns means that it will
be the seventh world empire to rise up and control the earth; and it
will have ten nations lending to it their power and influence.
There have been six former heads, or world empires, that have already
risen and fallen; and they are the Babylonian, the Medio-Persian, the
Grecian, the Syrian, the Parthian, and the Roman Empires. The last world
empire to rise up in the latter days will be the seventh head.
The name of blasphemy upon the beast's seven heads means that the final
world empire will manifest the same spirit of blasphemy, and speaking
irreverently and evil of God that the empires before it did; and
especially manifesting the same blasphemous spirit that the Roman Empire
did.
* Rev. 13:2 *
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were
as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the
dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Now let's go to the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, and
compare the beast that John sees to the four great beasts that Daniel
saw in his vision.
* Dan. 7: 2-8 *
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the
four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
The four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the
wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and
made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up
itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it: and they
said unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the
back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and
dominion was given to it.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron
teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the
feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it;
and it had ten horns.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another
little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up
by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a
man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The four beasts rising up from the sea symbolizes the rising up of four
world empires. The first beast to rise up was like a lion, and it had
eagle's wings. This beast symbolizes the Babylonian Empire, ruled by
Nebuchadnezzar; and the eagle's wings represent the exalted state of
that kingdom.

It was told Nebuchadnezzar, by Daniel in Dan. 2:39, that the kingdom to
rise after his would be an inferior kingdom. This inferiority is
symbolized by the plucking of the eagle's wings from the lion.
The kingdom that conquered the Babylonian Empire was the Medio-Persian
Empire, ruled by the two kings of Media and Persia.
Now these two kings, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus the Persian, were most
humane: and granted the Jews the right to return to their homeland, and
rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. All that Nebuchadnezzar had taken away
into Babylon these two kings restored to the people of Israel; and
Daniel and and the nation of Israel prospered during the reign of the
Medio-Persian Empire. This humane treatment, and the restoration of
Israel by King Cyrus and King Darius is represented by the beast being
made to stand upon it's feet like a man, and then a man's heart being
given unto it.

For Bible references concerning this time in the lives of Daniel and the
Jews read from the book of Ezra chapters 1:1-11, and Ezra 9:9; also read
from the book of Daniel in Dan. 6:25-28.
The second beast that Daniel saw rise up out of the sea was like a bear,
and it raised itself up on one side, and it had three ribs in it's
mouth. This second beast symbolizes the Grecian Empire which was the
third world kingdom to rise up and rule. It took in all the same
territory that the Babylonian and the Medio-Persian Empires had ruled on
all sides except to the west. It raised itself up on one side by taking
in Greece to the west.

The three ribs in the mouth of the bear stand for the three countries of
Babylon, Media, and Persia; which being defeated by Alexander the Great,
king of Greece, became the controlled territory of the Grecian Empire
(devour much flesh).
Therefore, contrary to popular belief, the Roman Empire was the third
beast to rise up in Daniel's vision, and not the fourth. It is
symbolized by the leopard with the four wings of a fowl upon it's back,
and having four heads. The four wings of a fowl upon the leopard's back
represent it's ability to conquer territories that could only be reached
by traveling over water. The Roman Empire controlled all the territory
surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

The leopard having four heads means that it was the fourth world empire
to rule the earth. Two kingdoms did rise and fall before the Roman
Empire began to reign; and they were the Syrian and the Parthian
Empires. But these two empires were so short-lived, and their influence
and governing power did not warrant them being compared to beasts, so
they are referred to only as kings (Rev. 17:10). The leopard was also
the beast given dominion; this means that it was given authority, and
power to stand, undefeated. The Roman Empire was never conquered by
another nation or kingdom, but there was an end to it's reign. It was
the only world empire that was never conquered, the only one of which it
could be said that it was given dominion. The Roman Empire merely
dispersed to the north, south, east, and west: and it ceased to reign
and rule (fell).
Continuing with the visions of Daniel from the seventh chapter of the
book of Daniel; and the vision of John from the thirteenth chapter of
the book of Revelation. The fourth beast that Daniel saw rise up out of
the sea will be the final world empire, that is today being formed by
nations that are members of the United Nations. This beast will be
dreadful and terrible, and shall manifest an Anti-christ spirit more
powerful and unrestrained than any of the empires before it.
The fourth beast in Daniel's vision is also the same beast that John saw
in his vision. And John saw the beast to look like unto a leopard; which
means that it will have the appearance and the characteristics of the
Roman Empire, which was the leopard, the third beast, in Daniel's
vision. The most notable characteristics of the ancient Roman empire
were it's spirit of Anti-christ, and it's tyrannical and absolute
authority over all in it's domain.
The resemblance of the beast to the Roman Empire may also mean that some
of the nations that were once a part of the ancient Roman Empire will
also be among those that are numbered in the seventh and final world
empire.
The beast in John's vision in Rev. 13:2 also had feet as the feet of a
bear: this means that it will have the strength of the Grecian Empire,
which was the bear in Daniel's vision. And the same power to stamp upon
it's adversary, that was so characteristic of the Grecian Empire, will
also be present in the last great beast to rise up in the latter days.
This power of the Grecian Empire to stamp upon it's adversary was
prophesied of by Daniel in Dan. 8:5-7.
And John saw the beast to have a mouth as the mouth of a lion. The mouth
of a lion symbolizes the great roaring and ravaging, and power to tear
apart and carry away captive, that was so characteristic of the
Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar, which was the lion in Daniel's
vision. For King Nebuchadnezzar carried away every thing from the land
of Israel that had any value. And he took captive all the people who had
any wealth, status, talent or skill, and carried them away also into the
land of Babylon.
And so the great kingdom to rule the earth in the last days will do so
with all the tyranny, and Anti-christ persuasion that the Babylonion,
the Grecian, and the Roman Empires did.
Even Solomon with his descriptive words of wisdom spoke of such an
unmerciful rule in Proverbs 28:15, when he said, "As a roaring lion, and
a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people."
* Rev. 13:3 *
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded
to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered
after the beast.
This verse gives us further confirmation that the beast will resemble
the Roman Empire. Again, the Roman Empire was the sixth head, or
kingdom, to rule the earth; and it was never conquered, nor destroyed,
but just merely dispersed, and ceased to rule. So it is the head that
was wounded to death: but when it's deadly wound is healed the Roman
Empire will be revived, and come back to life after apparent death.
* Rev. 13:4-7 *
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is
able to make war with him?
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two
months.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name,
and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome
them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and
nations.
Again, this vision that John had is very much similar to the vision
that Daniel had. In Daniel's vision of the fourth beast there's a little
horn that rises up among the first ten horns, and it too, has a mouth
speaking great things, and blasphemy against God. And it will also come
against the saints of God, and will be allowed to continue a reign of
oppression for a time and times and the dividing of time, which is forty
two months.
* Rev. 13:8-10 *
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are
not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.
If any man have an ear,
let him hear.
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth
with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and
the faith of the saints.
In the eighth verse we see that this will be a time of decision for
those upon the earth; for every one at this time must choose whom they
will worship, whether it will be God or the Beast. During this time
there will be no fences to ride, no luke warm Christians, and no median
for the procrastinator. It will be a day of the ultimate and final
decision; it will be an irrevocable choice for those who choose to take
the mark of the beast.
It will also be a day of retribution, a time of punishment for all the
past evils perpetrated by man. The nations shall receive recompense for
the centuries of evil done in them; for this is the day of God's
vengeance.
The patience and the faith of the saints speaks of a time of trial and
persecution for them; and their ability to overcome provocation and
persecution without losing their faith and confidence in God: but
standing steadfast, they'll trust in their Lord and Saviour to bring
deliverance.
Jesus forewarned us of these days of trial and persecution, and this
time of endurance for the saints in Luke 21:19. He said, "In your
patience possess ye your souls."
In other words, those who are patient and fully trusting in God will
obtain power to endure to the end, to the saving of their souls.
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt.
24:13
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall
endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Mark 13:13
* Rev. 13:11-14 *
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first
beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men,
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to
them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the
beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
This second beast coming up out of the earth instead of rising up out
of the sea means that it will be a man, not a nation.
His having two horns like a lamb means that he will have the appearance
and the place of authority of someone humble and submissive; but he will
also hold a place of authority and influence in the Beast, or world
power. He will speak words of blasphemy against God, but it will be in
such a way that most people will not realize that he is speaking lies
and deceit. He will be as a wolf in sheep's clothing, in that he will
look to be one thing, but will be something else entirely. He will be a
deceiver.
This will be the man called the Anti-Christ, the great false prophet:
and the man of sin, the son of perdition, spoken of by Paul in the book
of 2 Thessalonians. He will govern through deceit, and will cause the
world to admire him, and to marvel at his abilities, and his deceitful
acts.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition;
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God.
2 Thess. 2:3-4
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. Thess. 2:9-10
* Rev. 13:15-18 *
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the
image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the
name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred
threescore and six.
The image of the beast is it's resemblance to the ancient Roman
Empire, and the anti-christ spirit that it manifested. In the days of
the Roman Empire Paul and John both wrote that the spirit of iniquity
was already at work, and that the spirit of anti-christ was already in
the world. The spirit of anti-christ has been manifesting and engulfing
the world for over two thousand years.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now
letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2 Thess. 2:7
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof ye
have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
1 John 4:3
And so the second beast that John sees coming up out of the earth,
the Anti-Christ, the great false prophet, will give life, or existence,
to the first beast; and the Roman Empire that appeared to be dead will
live again. And this beast will exercise power over the inhabitants of
the earth as no man has ever done before him. All those who take his
mark will have their eternal destiny set, and their fate sealed with an
irrevocable seal for ever more.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 8
The Daily Sacrifice Is Taken Away
The prophet, Daniel, foretells of a time in the latter days when the
"daily sacrifice is taken away." It is believed by most Bible scholars
and theologians that when this happens a literal blood sacrifice of
animals will cease. But I believe that according to the Bible the daily
sacrifice being taken away is just further confirmation of Christ, and
His gospel, being set at naught.
First of all let's establish through the Scriptures just what the "daily
sacrifice" is. We find the answer to this in Exodus 29: 37-46, and in
the book of Ezekiel 46: 13-15. In these Scriptures God gives the command
for there to be a daily sacrifice of two lambs offered upon the altar.
One lamb is to be offered in the morning, and the other lamb offered in
the evening. And God said that it was to be a continual daily sacrifice,
offered throughout all generations at the door of the tabernacle.
Although when Jesus came into the world He freed us from the law, he did
not do away with the "daily sacrifice;" but instead Jesus became the
"Daily Sacrifice," which continues to be a perpetual sacrifice at the
door of the tabernacle. Jesus is the Lamb of God which was sacrificed
for the sins of man: He is also the Door through which everyone must
pass who enters into the tabernacle of God. The perpetual, never ending,
sacrifice of two lambs (Jesus and the Holy Ghost), sacrificed at the
door, (the way of entrance) of the tabernacle, (the Church), is still
being observed today through the plan of salvation.
The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1: 29
Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am
the door of the sheep. John 10: 7
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into
the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not
without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the
people:
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was
not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both
gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service
perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal
ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he
entered in once into the Holy place, having obtained eternal redemption
for us. Heb. 9: 6-12
I believe the second lamb which is offered in the evening symbolizes
the Holy Ghost, for He manifests the power of the Son of God in man. And
as we just read in Hebrews 9: 8 the Holy Ghost is the way into the
Holiest of all. He is also the Spirit of truth which testifies of Jesus.
And so it is these two, Jesus and the Holy Ghost, that are the "daily
sacrifice" in the world today. And when the daily sacrifice is taken
away the earth will enter into it's darkest hour. This will be the day
when the truth is cast down and stamped upon. Man will choose to believe
a lie rather than the truth, and will seek to enter into the kingdom of
God without going through the sacrificial Lamb, Christ Jesus, and being
redeemed by His blood.
In that day the daily sacrifice will be taken away and replaced by a
falsehood, which will be an abomination in the sight of God. And this
will be the abomination (detestable act or condition) that will bring
desolation (destruction) from Almighty God.
I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night
cometh, when no man can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world. John 9: 4-5
Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light,
lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not
whither he goeth. John 12: 35
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to them- selves teachers, having
itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables. 2 Tim. 4: 3-4
Now we will read some of the Scriptures from the book of Daniel
concerning the "daily sacrifice." I have inserted in parentheses the
definition to some of the words and phrases. I have also underlined the
portion of scripture referring to the daily sacrifice being taken away.
Dan. 8: 10-12
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some
of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him
the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary
(the sacred place where God and man meet, the Church) was cast down.
And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason
of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and
it practised, and prospered.
Dan. 9: 24-27
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,
to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street
shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (to
be made absent, not to be recognized), but not for himself: and the
people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end
of the war desolations are determined.
And he shall confirm (verify, establish more firmly, strengthen) the
covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (come to an
end), and for the over-spreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation (complete, perfect, finish), and
that determined shall be poured out upon the desolate (solitary, the
abandoned).
Dan. 11: 29-36
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but
it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
For the ships of Chittim (Cyprus) shall come against him: there- fore he
shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the
holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have
intelligence (knowing and understanding) with them that forsake
(renounce, refuse to acknowledge) the holy covenant.
And his arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute (defile,
descecrate, treat with sacrilege) the sanctuary of strength, and
shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place (set in
order or arrange) the abomination that maketh desolate (the detestable
act, or condition, that brings God's wrath, and ultimate destruction).
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt (pervert,
influence for evil) by flatteries: but the people that do know their God
shall be strong, and do exploits (notable achievements).
And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they
shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many
days.
And when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but
many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge,
and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet
for a time appointed.
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself,
and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till
the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined (decided,
ordained) shall be done.
In the book of Daniel we do not see God's people being taken out of
any of the tribulation experienced by the world until after the
abomination that brings desolation is set up. This is the sign that
Jesus told us to look for, that which would take place before His return
in Matt. 24:15.
When the great false prophet has set himself up as God, and blasphemes
the name of God, and replaces the truth of the gospel with a lie,
leading the world astray, then it will be accomplished that the "daily
sacrifice is taken away."
In the twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel we see that God's people
are delivered after all these things have come to pass.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same
time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that
shall be found written in the book.
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some
to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Dan.
12: 1-2
Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, t here stood other two, the one on
this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the
bank of the river.
And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of
the river, how long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the
river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and
sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times,
and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power
(the control or influence) of the holy people, all these things
shall be finished. Dan. 12:5-7
The daily sacrifice is not mentioned in 2 Thessalonians, the second
chapter, but we see a record of the same abominable act being
perpetrated in this portion of Scripture. I believe that both scriptures
are speaking of the very same time period, and the same oppressive, and
defiant acts against the Church, and the name and Sonship of Jesus.
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first (a decline, approach
termination), and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (one
who comes to utter ruin, and eternal damnation);
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
will let (hindereth, will hinder, and prevent from proceeding) until
he be taken out of the way (made absent, removed from his position).
And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming:
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness
in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth,
but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess. 2: 3-12
We can see the shadows of darkness approaching in the world today.
Those who use the gospel as a cloak to cover their sins are being
uncovered, and the shame of their nakedness is bringing disgrace upon
the Christian realm. It leaves Christian and sinner alike standing
aghast, and feeling a deep sense of disgust.
The fall of these stars (ministers) from their heavenly post plunges the
world into greater darkness, and draws closer that hour in time when the
"daily sacrifice is taken away." A time when Jesus is set at naught
(reduced to nothing in the eyes of the world) and man thinks to reach
God by another way (a false religion or doctrine); and by this
establishes the damnable lie that will allow the Anti-Christ, the great
false prophet, to exalt himself to stand in the place of mediator
between God and man: and even to stand in the place of God.
And we find more and more today that true holiness and the miracle
working power of God are being rejected. Those who believe in living a
Christ-like life make themselves a prey, and become the victims of scorn
and ridicule.
The world today is bewildered by the maze of doctrines spread out before
it; and this bewilderment prepares the way for an uncomplicated
conclusion to be reached. But this simplicity of doctrine will be a
distortion of truth and facts concerning the gospel of Christ,
perpetrated by Satan to deceive the unsuspecting world.
Beware of any doctrine that attempts to replace Jesus as the Christ,
as the Messiah, as Lord, as the Son of God, or as the mediator between
God and man.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 9
The Harvest Of The Earth
Time for "The Catching Away," or "The Rapture" of the saints of God.
This is the day that has long been awaited by Christians of all ages.
It is the day of the "Bridegroom's" coming for his "Bride." In the realm
of the Church it is called the day of the "Rapture." In 1 Thess. 4: 17
the Bible tells us that we shall be caught up together to meet the Lord
in the air; and from this Scripture comes the phrase, "the catching away
of the saints." In the fourteenth chapter of the book of Revelation it
is described as "the harvest of the earth."
* Rev. 14: 1-5 *
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the
mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his
Father's name written in their foreheads.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the
voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with
their harps:
And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the
four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the
hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.
These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the first- fruits unto God and to the
Lamb.
And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before
the throne of God.
We have already established in prior chapters that the hundred and
forty and four thousand are the remnant of Israel that shall receive
salvation through the blood of Jesus, and the New Testament. When they
are referred to as virgins it is further confirmation that they have
received salvation; for a virgin is undefiled by man, or the world. And
their carnal love is superseded by a spiritual and a godly love for the
Son of God, who has finally become their Messiah, Lord, and Saviour.
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused
you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2 Cor. 11:2
The remnant of Israel that receives Christ in the latter days shall
be the firstfruits of the great harvest: for always remember that the
firstfruits of any harvest are gathered first. And again, the remnant of
Israel are the first that shall be last, and the last that shall be
first. We already established this in chapter two entitled "The Signs Of
His Coming."
Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the firstfruits of his
increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them,
saith the Lord. Jer. 2:3
In verse five their being found with no guile in their mouth, and
being without fault before the throne of God, is still confirming their
salvation through the death and the blood of Jesus, and his
resurrection.
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither
shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed
and lie down, and none shall make them afraid. Zeph. 3:13
In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Col.1:22
* Rev. 14: 6-11 *
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour
of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth,
and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen,
that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication.
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man
worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead,
or in his hand,
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be
tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels,
and in the presence of the Lamb:
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they
have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and
whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
The angel with the gospel to preach to all that dwell upon the earth
is a sign unto us of the day and the hour in which these events will be
taking place; for in Matt. 24:14 Jesus tells us that when the gospel of
the kingdom is preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations,
then shall the end come, and usher in the day of God's judgment.
Babylon, referred to in verse eight, has from the very beginning of
nations upon the earth represented an enemy of God's people, always
standing in opposition to God, and to righteousness.
Babylon in the latter day judgment of God will not be one city or
nation, but it represents the entirety of man kind that have not
submitted themselves unto God; but rather have chosen to submit
themselves unto the Anti-Christ realm that will be ruling the world
during this time. Everyone will have to make the choice, to be of the
seed of Heavenly Jerusalem, the Church, or the seed of Babylon, the
Great Whore.
The fall of Babylon is the decline or descending position of the earth's
status under the weight of God's anger, and his judgment. Impending
desolation and destruction are promised because of sin, and rejection of
God and his Son. The evil that befalls will catch the world unaware. But
the righteous will be watching and praying, for they know that they have
a way of escape prepared for them.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21: 28
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the
whole earth.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of man.
Luke 21: 35-36
* Rev. 14: 12-13 *
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
In Luke 21: 19 Jesus foretold of the days of persecution that would
come upon the righteous during the end time. And He said, "In your
patience possess ye your souls." He was letting us know that in the
latter days the time would come when the patience and the faith of the
saints would be tried. That time will be fulfilled under the tyranny of
the beast disclosed in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation.
Under the reign of the Anti-christ the world will be divided into two
distinct groups. One group will have their names written in the book of
life of the Lamb; the other group will receive the mark of the beast. In
Rev. 13:10 where the rising up of this beast is revealed it is written
there also, "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." But when
we read of the patience and the faith of the saints in Rev. 14:12, and
of their loyalty to God and his commandments, it is time for the saints
to receive their reward for their faith and patience.
And those who die in the Lord during this time of trial will rest from
their labor until the time of the harvest. Then they shall be the ones
to rise first to meet the Lord in the air, and then the earth will be
harvested.
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 1 Thess. 1:10
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first. 1Thess. 4:16
* Rev. 14:14-16 *
And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat
like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his
hand a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to
him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time
is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the
earth was reaped.
The day of redemption of all saints has come at this time, and the
harvest of the earth takes place as was promised. It is a day of
darkness and judgment for the world; but the start of a bright new, and
glorious day for the saints of God.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the
world; and the reapers are the angels. Matt. 13:39
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other.
Matt. 24:31
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:27-28
Notice in verse sixteen that the tool of the harvest, the sickle, is
thrust on the earth to gather the saints; but when the wicked and
the unbelieving are gathered for the great winepress of the wrath of
God, the sickle is thrust into the earth. This lets us know that
the saints of God have no roots in the earth, but their roots are in
Christ Jesus. The world has no permanent hold on the righteous of God,
for they know that they are merely on a pilgrimage through this land,
awaiting their deliverance. But the unrighteous have their roots and
their being within the earth, and the earth has it's hold on them.
* Rev. 14:17-20 *
And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also
having a sharp sickle.
And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire;
and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying,
Thrust in thy sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth;
for her grapes are fully ripe.
And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine
of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of
the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand
and six hundred furlongs.
Those who are left upon the earth after the righteous are taken away
are the clusters of the vine of the earth; and they are the ones who
will be trodden in the great winepress of the wrath of God. It is upon
them that the seven vials of wrath will be poured out. And in the seven
last plagues is filled up the wrath of God.
And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary
unto me;
Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will
chastise you seven times for your sins.
Lev. 26:27-28
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none
with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my
fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will
stain all my raiment.
For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed
is come. Isa. 63:3-4
* Rev. 15:1-4 *
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that
had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his
mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having
the harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty;
just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints.
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art
holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy
judgments are made manifest.
The sea of glass that the saints are seen standing upon, in the midst
of heaven, symbolizes the cleansing that they were made partakers of.
All the righteous saints of God were cleansed and purified by the blood
of the Lamb, before entering into the holy temple of God. Even in the
early temple there was a molten sea, which gave the appearance of glass,
that was used for the cleansing of the priests before they could enter
into the holy place to commune with God.
Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in
compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits
did compass it round about.
And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round
about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen
were cast, when it was cast.
It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three
looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three
looking toward the east: and the sea was set above them, and all their
hinder parts were inward.
And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the
work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and
held three thousand baths.
He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the
left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt
offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests
to wash in. 2 Chr. 4:2-6
This sea of glass that John sees the saints of God stand upon is
symbolic of the molten sea, which stood before the holiest of holies in
the early temple. Jesus is our molten sea today, and through him we are
cleansed and made ready for the temple of God. And also through Jesus
man is baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire: which purges man, and
gives him the power to overcome every obstacle; and to stand in the time
of trial.
Through this cleansing, and this fire the saints of God shall have the
victory. And the song of Moses which they sing is a song of deliverance;
for even as God delivered the children of Israel out of the land of
Egypt, so shall He deliver his people out of a sinful land in the day
that He will pour out his wrath upon a rebellious and a wicked and
unbelieving world.
Jesus said in Matthew, chapter 24, and in Luke, chapter 17, that as it
was in the days of Noah, so would it be in the day of the coming of the
Son of man. In the days before the flood they were eating and drinking,
and marrying and giving in marriage, until the very day that Noah
entered into the ark, and then the flood came and destroyed them all.
Likewise, also as it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the day
of the coming of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they bought,
they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went
out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed
them all.
Jesus also tells us that in the day of His coming there shall be two
standing together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
And as it was in the days of Noah, and of Lot, the righteous shall be
taken out, and the wicked shall be left. And those that are left behind
will suffer the wrath of God.
* Rev. 15:5-8 *
And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of
the testimony in heaven was opened:
And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues,
clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with
golden girdles.
And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials
full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his
power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven
plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
The temple of the tabernacle in heaven is opened as it was in Rev.
11:19; but in the previous Scripture it was opened, or made accessible
to, for the entering in of the remnant of Israel. Here in Rev. 15:5 the
temple is opened to reveal that at this time the temple has been filled.
And those who are left upon the earth at this time will be the ones who
refused to enter in, but rather chose to profane and desecrate the holy
place, which is the place of covenant between God and man. And because
of this desecration, out of the temple will come forth the seven plagues
of God's wrath.
And the temple of God will be filled with the smoke from His glory; and
no man can enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven
angels are fulfilled. In the early temple, when it was filled with smoke
from the glory of God, no man could enter in, and the priests could not
minister unto the people, until the glory of God was lifted up from the
temple.
This is the day when the Bridegroom has come, and the door is shut
(Matt. 25:10). And this is the day when the master of the house has
risen up, and hath shut the door (Luke 13:25-27); and all those who
stand without, and knock at the door shall be turned away. This is the
day when the Lord shall say, "I know you not whence ye are; depart from
me, all ye workers of iniquity."
Woe unto the people who are left upon the earth during the pouring out
of the wrath of God, for the days of mercy and grace are past, and the
day of His judgment and wrath are come.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 10
The Wrath Of God Poured Out
This is the day of vengeance and retribution: a world that refused to
be reconciled unto God will suffer the recompence of their wicked ways.
This is the day that was prophesied of by Jeremiah, the prophet; the
time in the latter days when a grievous whirlwind from the Lord will go
forth in fury: and it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
The righteous have finished their course, they have passed the test: and
they have been redeemed by their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The
Bridegroom has come for the Bride: and those that are left have no
wedding garments on; and so the chastisement for their nakedness will be
upon them.
* Rev. 16:1-2 *
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven
angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon
the earth.
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there
fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the
beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
The sixth plague that God poured out upon the Egyptians, in the days
of Moses, was a plague of grievous boils. The plague of that day, and
the plague of sores to come, were both destined for a rebellious people
who had hardened their hearts against God.
The people in the days of the latter plague will have the mark of the
beast upon them; and this mark will be a distinguishing symbol denoting
their being owned and influenced by Satan. Because of this the weight of
God's wrath will fall heavily upon them.
* Rev. 16:3-7 *
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became
as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of
waters; and they became blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord,
which art, and wast, and shall be, because thou hast judged thus.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given
them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty,
true and righteous are thy judgments.
As I have mentioned before the events, or plagues, that take place
during the pouring out of the seven vials of wrath are similiar to the
events that take place during the sounding of the seven trumpets. But
each occurence that takes place during the pouring out of the seven
vials of wrath will be three times as severe as was the events that took
place during the sounding of the seven trumpets.
The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as
blood: and everything that had life in the sea died. When the second
trumpet sounded in Rev. 8:8, the third part of the sea became as blood;
and one third of all life in the sea died; and the third part of the
ships were destroyed.
The third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of
waters; and they became blood. Because the nations have shed the blood
of the saints and prophets, God will give them blood to drink. God also
turned the rivers and waters in Egypt to blood during the days of Moses;
and because of the hardness of his heart, Pharaoh, and all the Egyptians
were given blood to drink.
During the sounding of the third trumpet in Rev. 8:10, the rivers and
fountains of waters were made bitter, and God gave them water of gall to
drink. That which made the water bitter is called "Wormwood." In
Jeremiah 9:15 God gave the people wormwood to drink as a punishment for
not obeying the voice of God; for instead of obeying God they walked
after the imagination of their own heart. So bitter water, and waters
being turned to blood is God's recompence upon man for not being
obedient, and for not keeping His commandments.
* Rev. 16:8-9 *
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was
given unto him to scorch men with fire.
And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of
God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give
him glory.
During the sounding of the fourth trumpet, in Rev. 8:12, the sun, the
moon, and the stars were all smitten, and the third part of them was
darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night
likewise. But during the pouring out of the fourth vial of wrath the sun
will scorch men with fire.
* Rev. 16:10-11 *
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;
and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for
pain,
And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores,
and repented not of their deeds.
During the sounding of the fifth trumpet, in Rev. 9:1, a nation will
rise up under the influence of a satanic and tyrannical leader: and this
nation will cause great pain and suffering upon the earth during that
time. And now, during the time of the pouring out of the fifth vial of
wrath, the righteous God of judgment will cause great pain and torment
to be experienced by the beast, and all those who took his mark.
* Rev. 16:12-16 *
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great River
Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings
of the east might be prepared.
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the
dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the
false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth
unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to
the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his
garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon.
During the sounding of the sixth trumpet in Rev. 9:14, the nations of
destiny begin to rise to power, and their inevitable place in the
unfolding of the great day of battle that is forthcoming. These nations
as the Scripture tells us, are bound, or enclosed by, the Euphrates
River. And these nations, along with other nations (possibly the same
nations that were a part of the ancient Roman Empire) will gather
themselves together, and prepare the world for the great battle of
Armageddon.
God brings to remembrance, in verse 15, the warning He gave to the world
to watch, and to keep their garments, lest they walk naked, and their
shame be seen. The righteousness of Christ is our covering, our garment;
and those who walk without Christ, walk uncovered before God. The world
chose not to heed God's warning and walk in righteousness; and so they
must bear in their flesh the chastisement of God upon them, for their
nakedness and their shame.
* Rev. 16:17-21 *
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there
came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying,
It is done.
And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a
great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so
mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give
unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about
the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of
the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Each plague or vial has, up to this time, been poured out upon a
particular area of the earth or heavens: but the seventh vial of wrath
is poured out into the air, or the atmosphere that envelops the entire
earth. And the angel says, "It is done." This is the time of utter
desolation and destruction, coming from an avengeful God, on a world
found guilty of evil, and all manner of ungodly abominations. This is
the day of devastation that was foretold of by Ezekiel, the prophet.
So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the
beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth,
and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my
presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places
shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains,
saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will
rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are
with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and
brimstone.
Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in
the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord. Eze.
38: 20-23
The pouring out of the seventh vial of wrath upon the earth will be a
time of termination and completion. So was the day of the sounding of
the seventh trumpet a time of termination and completion. If you will
recall we established in the fourth chapter entitled "The Days Of
Tribulation" that three dispensations will be brought to a close during
that time.
Again, they are, (1) the dispensation of the gospel of Christ will be
completed, (2) the fall and blindness of Israel will be ended, and (3)
the day of mercy and grace are brought to a close, that the day of God's
wrath may be ushered in.
When the seventh vial of wrath is poured out God brings to a final end
the authority and the rule of mankind upon the earth. Man's method of
government is terminated, and the day of the millenium, the time of
Christ's supreme reign, and peaceable kingdom draws nigh.
End Time Revelation
Chapter 11
Babylon, The Great Whore
*Rev. 17:1-5 *
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and
talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the
judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
With whom the kings of the earth have commited fornication, and the
inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her
fornication.
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a
woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand
full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great,
The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
Babylon, the great whore, is the second woman of mystery and
spiritual origin that is mentioned in the book of Revelation. The first
woman, in the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation, symbolizes the
Church. The origin of the Church came through Jesus, and His death and
resurrection. And through the works wrought by Jesus at Calvary the
mystery of God was made known unto man; and that mystery was God in
Christ, and Christ in man.
Even as the mystery of God is manifested throughout His kingdom, so will
the mystery of Satan and iniquity be manifested in the Anti-christ realm
that will be upon the earth in the latter days. The mystery of iniquity
is Satan's possession of, and influence over, the Anti-christ nation of
the latter days, and it's power to control the rest of the inhabitants
of the earth.
The scarlet colored beast that carries the woman, bears her up, and
gives her support. The beast has seven heads and ten horns, and is full
of names of blasphemy. The scarlet color of the beast represents it's
great sins; the names of blasphemy symbolizes it's reputation for being
irreverent, disrespectful, and speaking evil of God. The beast will have
an open and public manifestation of disrespect for the deity, high rank
and worthiness of God.
The seven heads and ten horns of the beast make known unto us that it
will be the seventh world empire, with absolute controlling power; and
it will have ten nations giving to it their support and power.
Babylon is called the "Great Whore" because from her beginning in the
days of Nebu- chadnezzar, she has lured and enticed other nations to
partake of her riches, her sins, and her abominations. Again, Babylon
does not represent one city or nation in the latter days, but the
entirety of mankind that have been drawn away from God by the lusts of
the flesh; for every man is either the seed of the righteous woman, the
Church: or they are the seed of the whore, Babylon. But the beast that
bears her up does represent a nation, or several nations, that make up
the last world empire.
Babylon is called "The Mother Of Harlots" because she is the mother of
all the unrighteous; and she brought forth seed in her likeness; and
then they, too, enticed, lured, and spread sin and evil.
In Galations 4:22-31 we are given an allegory of these two spiritual
women. Paul writes concerning Abraham and his two sons, the one born of
a bondwoman, and the other born of a freewoman. The first-born son,
Ishmael, that was born of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but
the second-born son, Isaac, born of the free-woman, was by promise. Paul
goes on to say that heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of the righteous,
and that her children will be less in number than those of the
bondwoman. And the bondwoman is Babylon, the mother of all the
unrighteous.
Babylon's origin, or beginning, is recorded in the fifth chapter of the
book of Zechariah. An angel reveals unto Zechariah a curse that will go
forth over the face of the whole earth. He is shown an ephah (that's a
measure which determines the extent, volume, or quantity of something)
that goes forth, and he is told that it is the resemblance of those that
are throughout all the earth.
Zechariah then sees a talent of lead, lifted up and dropped into the
midst of the ephah. The angel reveals to him that the talent of lead
represents a woman that sits in the midst of the ephah, and she is
wickedness.
In Zech. 5:10-11 the angel tells Zechariah that the ephah and the weight
of wickedness in the midst of it will be established in the land of
Shinar, which was Babylon. This means that wickedness, in reference to a
nation and it's power to influence other nations to partake of it's
evil, was first founded, and set up on a firm basis in Babylon.
* Rev. 17:6-11 *
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with
great admiration.
And the angel said unto me, wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell
thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which
hath the seven heads and ten horns.
And the beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of
the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the
earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was,
and is not, and yet is.
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is
not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the
seven, and goeth into perdition.
In verse seven we are told, again, that the beast with the seven
heads and the ten horns carries the woman (he bears her up, and supports
the weight of her burden and influence). And the beast, or controlling
world power, will bring to life the spirit of anti-christ in the woman,
and uphold her in it.
In verse eight the beast was and is not, and shall ascend out of the
bottomless pit, and go into perdition; and the beast was, and is not,
and yet is. This is another unveiling of the same revelation that was
disclosed in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation when John sees a beast
rise up out of the sea, having the resemblance of a leopard, the feet of
a bear, and the mouth of a lion. When John saw the beast come up out of
the sea it means that it will be a nation; it will also have the
political confederation of ten other nations, and will be the
reincarnate Roman Empire. The ancient Roman Empire at one time "was,"
but today it "is not," and yet in time it will be, "yet is."
The bottomless pit that the beast ascends from is hell; and the beast
going into perdition foretells of it's final and utter ruin, and eternal
damnation. And all those that dwell upon the earth shall wonder, whose
names were not written in the book of life, when they behold the beast.
I have underlined the words "were not" because I want you to notice the
difference in the way this phrase is written here, after the Church is
gone from the earth: and the way it is written in Rev. 13:8, before the
saints are taken out. Before the harvest of the earth the Scripture
reads, " And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship the beast,
whose names are not written in the book of life."
The Scripture tells us in verses ten and eleven that there are seven
kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come. And
the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the
seven, and goeth into perdition. The five kings that are fallen are the
five kingdoms that rose and fell before the Roman Empire; and they are
the Babylonian, the Medio-Persian, the Grecian, the Syrian or Selecid,
and the Parthian Empires.
The phrase "and one is" is referring to the ancient Roman Empire that
was in power at the time of John on the isle of Patmos. The king that is
to come is the seventh, and the final world empire, that today is in
existence, and has controlling power through the United Nations. The ten
nations (horns) are now gathered together, and the little horn will soon
be made known, and come to the forefront. The stage is set, just waiting
for the curtain to rise on the final scene of things to take place on
planet earth in the latter days.
The eighth king, which is also the beast that was, and is not, will be
the great Anti-christ, the false prophet, that will have unlimited
authority in the seventh world empire. He will be the second beast to
rise up out of the earth in John's vision in the thirteenth chapter of
Revelation. Again, the beast rising up out of the earth means that it
will be a man, and not a nation. He is also given the title of being
"the beast that was, and is not" because he will have the same
anti-christ spirit, and the same blasphemeous nature as did the rulers
over the ancient Roman Empire.
And so two beasts shall come forth in the latter days, one a nation, and
one a man, that will rule over the earth with absolute and irrevocable
power; for no man, nor nation, will have the power to over-throw Satan's
ultimate, evil work. Only the coming of Jesus as "King of Kings, and
Lord of Lords" to reign upon the earth will destroy the power and the
reign of the Anti-Christ and his kingdom.
*Rev. 17:12-18 *
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the
beast.
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the
beast.
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:
for he is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen, and faithful.
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore
sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the
whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh,
and burn her with fire.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and
give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled.
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over
the kings of the earth.
These last seven verses of chapter seventeen, and all of chapter
eighteen are very descriptive Scriptures of earth's final hours in a
state of estrangement, and alienation from God. A world that chose to
follow after man rather than God, and chose to adhere to the words of
man rather than the Word of God, will suffer agonizing loss and
bewilderment as God lays waste the whole sum of earth's glory in his
final retribution upon mankind.
Below I have listed some of the Scriptures from the eighteenth chapter
of Revelation, foretelling of Babylon's desolation and destruction
because of her sins. Babylon, that great city, which is the dwelling
place of the sum of earth's inhabitants in the very last days.
* Rev. 18:2-3 *
And he cried mightily with a strong voice,
saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the
habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of
every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the
merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her
delicacies.
* Rev. 18:8-10 *
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and
famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the
Lord God who judgeth her.
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornica- tion and lived
deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they
shall see the smoke of her burning,
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment
come.
* Rev. 18:14 *
And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are
departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are
departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
* Rev. 18:21 *
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great
millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall
that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at
all.
The great whore has been judged: and her judgment was grievous. The
mother of all unrighteousness and abominations, and all unholy
blasphemies against God and His saints, has received her just reward.
Her seed remained in the earth, and when the fruits of her wickedness
reached their fullness, the time of harvest came upon her. And because
her seed was without God and unrighteous, and her fruit tainted and
rotten, they were gathered, only to be cast out and trodden down by God
in his fury, and the pouring out of His wrath..
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth
from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh
up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the
windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do
shake.
The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the
earth is moved exceedingly.
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed
like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it;
and it shall fall, and not rise again.
Isa. 24:18-20
Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth
hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth
of it.
For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon
all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them
to the slaughter.
Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of
their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. Isa.
34:1-4
End Time Revelation
Chapter 12
Christ's Triumphant Return
In the very beginning of man's history, Enoch, the seventh from Adam,
prophesied of the Lord's coming; and of ten thousands of His saints
coming with Him to execute judgment upon all the sinners and the
unbelieving upon the earth (Jude 14-15).
* Rev. 19:7-9 *
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage
of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true
sayings of God.
Here in the nineteenth chapter of the book of Revelation we see the
triumphant return of Jesus to the earth as the "King of Kings, and Lord
of Lords." He will come in victory: and all His saints shall come with
Him, to subdue the beast and the false prophet, and all the wicked that
are left upon the earth.
The time has come for the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the Bride
returns to earth with the Bridegroom for the great celebration that will
take place. It will be the commencement of an everlasting, indissoluble,
marriage: Christ and His saints united throughout all eternity.
* Rev. 19:11-21 *
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat
upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called the Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather
yourselves together unto the supper of the great God.
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the
flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on
them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and
great.
And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and
against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the
mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were
cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the
horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were
filled with their flesh.
Jesus came to earth the first time as a babe, and in the spirit of
meekness and humility; but the second time He comes it will be in great
power, and majesty, and in fury. He will come with the armies of heaven
to make war against the beast and his followers.
When Jesus first came to earth as "The Word of God," He came to dispense
mercy and grace for the salvation of souls. But His second coming to the
earth as "The Word of God" will be to dispense judgment and wrath; and
He will make war against His enemies.
Only one side will suffer loss in that final battle, for all the
casualties will be numbered among those who chose to stand against "The
Faithful and True." And the slain in that day shall be very great: so
that the fowls of the air will be called upon to cleanse the land of all
the dead.
And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; speak unto every
feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves,
and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do
sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel,
that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes
of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all ot them
fatlings of Bashan.
And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be
drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.
Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with
mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.
And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see
my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon
them. Eze. 39:17-21
* Rev. 20:1-5 *
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil,
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season.
And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judg- ment was given
unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.
The time of Satan's deceiving, oppressing, and tormenting earth's
inhabitants has finally come to an end, at least for a thousand years.
And during the thousand years the earth will be at rest from Satan's
evil; and Christ's peaceable kingdom shall engulf the earth; and it will
be ruled over by Christ and His saints. And the promise that was given
to the ones to overcome, in Rev. 2:26, will be fulfilled as they are
given power over the nations, to rule them with a rod of iron.
In verse five the Scripture reads, "This is the first resurrection."
This phrase being recorded here confuses a lot of people. They ask, "Why
is the resurrection spoken of here if the saints have already been
resurrected?" The answer is really very simple; there are three steps to
each resurrection, both the resurrection of the righteous, and of the
unrighteous. And neither resurrection, or restoration of life, will be
complete until all three steps have been fulfilled.
The first step in each resurrection is the raising of the dead, and life
being restored unto them. The second step in each resurrection is
judgment; the works of man will be weighed and judged by Christ. The
third step in each resurrection is the receiving of their rewards.
The righteous are promised throughout the Bible a reward for their
faithfulness to God. And their resurrection from the dead would not be
complete without that sure reward promised to them from the beginning of
time.
For the son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his
angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Matt.16:27
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor.5:10
The wicked worketh a deceitful work: to him that soweth righteousness
shall be a sure reward.
Prov. 11:18
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous:
verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth. Psalm 58:11
So although the righteous are resurrected from the dead before the
wrath of God is poured out upon the earth, they do not see the promise
given unto them fulfilled, and do not receive their reward until they
return to earth with the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
The unrighteous dead remain in their graves until after the thousand
year reign of Christ upon the earth. Then Satan shall be loosed from the
pit, and shall be allowed to deceive the nations for a short time. And
he will gather them together to battle, to come against the saints and
the holy city: but the warfare will not even commence, for God will send
fire down from heaven to devour them.
Then it shall be time for the second resurrection, the resurrection of
the unrighteous dead. And the great white throne judgment will be set
up, where the books are opened. And the dead are judged according to
those things which are written in the books; according to their works
are they judged.
And at this time the sea, and death, and hell, all deliver up their
dead. Then shall every man give an account for the works done in his
life, while he sojourned upon the earth. And death and hell will then be
cast into the lake of fire, which is the promise of reward unto the
wicked.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matt. 25:41
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of
the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Thess. 1:7-9
But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept
in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition
of ungodly men. 2 Pet. 3:7
With the second resurrection, the resurrection of the damned, now
over, it's time for the new heaven and the new earth to be set up, and
eternity to begin. Old things will all be passed away, and all things
will be made new. There will be no more night, and no more sea; there
will be no more pain, nor death; and there will be no more tears, nor
sorrow. All will be blessing, joy, and peace for ever more.
The time of the end is at hand, and every man and woman on earth is
preparing for his or her judgment, and eternal reward, whether they
choose to believe it or not. The Word of God is a road map set out
before us, but the choice of roads is entirely up to each individual.
The guideposts given to us in the book of Revelation are clearly marked
for all who choose to read them. The highway of holiness will lead to
the resurrection of life; but the highway of unrighteousness will lead
to the resurrection of damnation.
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
John 5:28-29