Maranatha - Awaiting Christ's Return

1 Cor. 15:52  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.

Author: Kate Plourde Page 36 of 59

Revelation at a Glance – Day 45

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On August 1, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 20:1-6  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  (2)  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  (3)  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.  (4)  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment 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.  (5)  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  (6)  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Good morning! It’s a beautiful but hot day in Culpeper, Virginia! I love starting my day with the Lord and gleaning from His Word! There’s nothing like it! When do you do your Bible reading? Some like to end the day, some read segments throughout the day. I’d love for you to share what your schedule is for your devotional time.

Today we are going to cover the Millennium Reign of Jesus! How exciting is this topic!! Did you know that there are three common beliefs of His Millennial reign?

  1. Amillennial is the concept there won’t be a literal reign. The thousand years are symbolic and they believe Satan is currently bound. How can Satan be bound at this moment? Look at all the bizarre evil works occurring right now!??? Saint Augustine held to this view, and so does the Roman Catholic Church, and even some Baptists. We know that Satan is definitely not bound today because of: 1Pe 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: So exactly where does it say in Scripture that Satan is bound? We will see this at the beginning of the Millennium in Revelation 20:1-3!
  2. Postmillennial is the belief that Christ returns after the Millennium. There’s a problem with this belief, however: 1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; and Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. The Bible teaches a great apostasy and falling away before His return, despite the fact that technology currently contributes to the spreading of the gospel! The Millennium is to be a thousand years of peace with Jesus ruling. How can He return afterwards if He is already on earth?
  3. Premillennial is the belief that Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation before the thousand year Millennial period. I believe this view is accurately depicted in the Bible.

In today’s Scriptures, John sees an angel come down from heaven to bind Satan for 1,000 years. Have you noticed that the word bottomless pit is used a total of eight times in the Bible? (Luke 8:31, and seven times in Revelation: Rev 9:1-2, Rev 9:11, Rev 11:7, Rev 17:8, Rev 20:1 and Rev 20:3.) Luke 8:31 calls it the deep and all the verses in Revelation call it bottomless pit; but the same Greek word is used, which is abussos, for all eight verses.) Jude 1:6 speaks of angels which rebelled with Lucifer against God (one third in Heaven). Not all angels are chained. It appears that only the worse of them are. Note that the demons in Luke 8:31 were afraid to go to the abyss.

We see in Revelation 20:2 that God wants us to know He is most certainly speaking about Satan here. He calls him “that old serpent” from Genesis 3. He will be bound and sealed in the bottomless pit for a thousand years and released for a little season. Why!!!??? We see in Revelation 20:7 that Satan will go out and deceive “the nations” from all four corners of the world! This will be Armageddon 2.0! Stay tuned for more of this on your next visit.

Jesus will rule from Jerusalem. The judgment of those surviving the Tribulation will take place; the saved will be placed on His right hand and the unsaved will be placed on his left hand. (Matthew 25:31-34). The saved will be welcomed into Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom. The unsaved, however, will be judged and sent to everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41-46).

Revelation 20:4 reveals to us that John is seeing thrones and those who sit upon them giving judgment. The saints will be judging the world, according to 1Cor 6:2. We will be understudies, if you will, of King Jesus and He will be our example of how to rule and reign. The second group John sees are those who died during the Tribulation. If you recall, Revelation 15:2 describes this group as a sea of glass with fire, having harps of God; they are rejoicing around the throne of God! Revelation 20:5 states that the rest of the dead (the unsaved) lived not again until the thousand years were finished. John shows us that this is the first resurrection. Those who died in Christ (were born again) have the first resurrection and the second death has no power. Rev 1:5-6  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,  (6)  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. and Rev 5:9-10  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  (10)  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. We shall reign on earth with Christ.

When we enter the Millennium, there will be survivors from the Tribulation. The only difference will be that there won’t be anymore political powers. We will have One Great Monarch, King Jesus! With Satan being bound, his sinful influence won’t be present. However, people will still have a sin nature, despite all the perfection they will be experiencing! The Bible teaches us in Hebrews 9:27 that men will receive judgment after they die. Can you believe that people will actually be choosing to sin despite living in a world of peace and harmony under the Lord’s reign?! We also read that during the Millennium, the animals will be tame, as seen in Isaiah 11:1-10. The Prince of Peace’s influence will be so penetrating that even the animals will be peaceful. I look forward to hugging a lion around the neck 🥰 It will also be a time of longevity according to Isaiah 65:19-25. As well, it will be a time of worship according to Zechariah 14:16-21. There is a return of the Feasts for Israel where they will be looking back to their Messiah and what He has done for them. This will be similar to what communion is to us: a time of remembrance and contemplation.

So, again, why release Satan at the end of the Millennium? Even though people will be living in a perfect world, they will have a sinful nature (Jer 17:9). They will still have a choice between right and wrong; whether to serve the Lord or Satan. You have to realize that with Satan out of the picture, mankind really has only one choice of whom they will serve during the Millennium. Although Satan’s massive evil influence is not present, the wicked heart is still within the unsaved who are born during this timeframe. King Jesus is right there amongst them but yet they will choose to sin. It always boils down to choice. This will result in nations which will be ready to turn against King Jesus and follow Satan when he is released. We will cover more of this in our next post.

Philippians 2:10 says that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Friend, you either bend your knee now and go to Heaven or on that day of His Second Coming, which will take you to Hell. It’s up to you; it’s your choice! So with that in mind, I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 44

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On July 29, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

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.  (12)  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.  (13)  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  (14)  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  (15)  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.  (16)  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.  (17)  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;  (18)  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.  (19)  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.  (20)  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.  (21)  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.

Oh dear reader, we have reached the point where we will read about Christ’s Second Coming!! \o/ Every believer is looking forward to this day. Yes, the Rapture is important to us as well but the Lord’s Second Coming will mean that His Millennial Kingdom is about to begin! Praise the Lord!! Let’s buckle in and get underway! 🙂

This is the event when Jesus actually comes back to earth with His Saints (born again believers) where we have been with Him in Heaven up until that point. If you recall, the sounds that John heard were in Heaven (see Revelation 19:1-10). Today we will be looking at what John sees will be happening on earth, including the punishment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

Citizenship in America is only as long as we live in that country or death takes us. But citizenship in heaven is eternal. We are born with a physical body and an eternal one, our soul. Your soul will spend eternity somewhere. From the moment of salvation, we become a heavenly citizen. Our bodies die but our souls are eternal. Once Adam and Eve sinned, their bodies lost that wonderful gift but their souls remained eternal. This was their choice, not God’s. God gave them eternal bodies and a beautiful place, the Garden of Eden, in which to live. But Adam and Eve chose Satan rather than what they already had experienced with God, which was perfection!

The situation for you now is where will your soul spend eternity? Unless you are born-again and you are alive to experience the Rapture, your body will die but your soul will go to one of two places. What place are you a citizen of: Heaven or Hell?

As we read in Revelation 19:11, John sees the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the “Faithful and True” sitting on a white horse. His first coming was as a sufferer and he rode a colt or donkey; while during the Second Coming, He will come with power as a warrior and will ride a white horse! Do you recall Revelation 3:14 in the letter to the Laodicean church? He used the same title “Faithful and True” there. Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings will come in righteousness and power, ready to judge!

We see an odd description of Jesus in Revelation 19:12. He has eyes of fire, which signifies justice. We also see that He wears many crowns. The Greek word for crown is diadem, while the Antichrist’s was just a laurel wreath. Jesus is portrayed as Kingly with majesty and power. His written name, no man knows but Jesus Himself. I wonder what it will be, don’t you?

The next verse, Revelation 19:13, says His garment is dipped in blood and His name is The Word of God. Jesus’ blood was shed on the people below His cross during His first visit. But this time, the people’s blood will be on His garment! The Word of God is an important title for the Lord Jesus. The Greek word for “Word” is logos. It specifically means “Divine Expression.” Jesus is the Divine Expression of God Himself. John also used it in John 1:1. Here we see that God’s “Divine Expression” came prior to all creation and existed from the beginning! Glory!

Revelation 19:14 gives us a picture of who will actually be accompanying Jesus when He returns at the end of the Tribulation. Some believe that He returns with His angels. However, these are not angels. Look at Revelation 19:6-8. They are arrayed in white fine linen and are so arrayed here in verse 14. This is the Church and we’ll be riding white horses as well 🙂 I am not very good at riding a horse but I suppose I will be at that time! 🙂

The next verse is quite interesting. Revelation 19:15 says that out of His mouth is a sharp sword. He will judge by the sword of His Word. (Hebrews 4:12) He will also judge the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:27) that gathered against Him at Armageddon. This is a picture of the Messianic rule, Psalm 2:7-9. We also see a winepress of fierceness (treading the grapes); Isaiah 63:1-6 reveals to us that they will be crushed like grapes and it comes to fruition in Revelation 19:15. The Lord’s garments will be stained with their blood.

Jesus will reveal that He is the only King of Kings and Lord of Lords! It will be written on His thigh for all to see. Then John sees a second vision in verses 17-18. This is the second time we see “supper” in Revelation. However, this one is the supper of the Great God! John sees an angel as the brightness of the sun who cries with a loud voice; the birds will feast on the carcass of the fallen. Look at Revelation 19:18 for a moment. The word flesh is used five times in this verse alone! Judgment comes to all who are not saved, who are not born again. They will suffer the consequences for their sin.

John’s last vision in Revelation 19:19-21 is where we finally read about the punishment of the Antichrist (the Beast) and the False Prophet. They made war against Jesus and the saints and now will receive their just desserts. They are cast alive into the Lake of Fire – their role is over – their work for Satan is paid with punishment of burning and pain for eternity. However, the rest of the nations will be killed with the sword. The devil isn’t cast into the Lake of Fire until chapter 20. Did you know that the Lake of Fire is different from Hell? Hell is where unbelievers go to when they die. Once the Great White Throne Judgment comes in Chapter 20, they will then be cast into the Lake of Fire (which is their second death). Every soul has to live somewhere – they are not annihilated as some believe. It’s just a question of where the soul will be – perpetual suffering for all eternity – never ending burning, darkness and pain.

Philippians 2:10 says that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Friend, you either bend your knee now and go to Heaven or on that day of His Second Coming, which will take you to Hell. It’s up to you; it’s your choice! So with that in mind, I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 43

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On July 27, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 19:6-10  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.  (7)  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.  (8)  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.  (9)  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.  (10)  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Good morning to all! I’m currently listening to calming guitar music with a thunderstorm in its background. Being outside and in nature is one of my favorite places to be. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I love camping so much. Another reason is because my father introduced me to camping and it was where I felt the closest to my Dad. Now that he is gone, I love being a part of nature; it draws me away from the cares of this world and keeps me focused on my Heavenly Father, Abba!

So as we move on with our study in Revelation 19, I wanted to pause to give you a beautiful depiction of what we can expect of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. In many ways, the Word of God gives an account to teach us something. For example, the whole marriage topic can be seen a different light when you know the culture and history behind the topic. The Jewish wedding of the Old Testament, along with the New Testament wedding banquet, is divided into three parts:

  1. Betrothal period: This involved a marriage contract. The father of the groom would pay a dowry to the father of the bride. Marriages were arranged in those days and the bride and groom could be as young as two years old! Mary, Jesus’ mother, was probably around 15 years old, according to some historians. So how does this fit into the bride of Christ? Our bride price, the dowry, was Jesus’ own shed blood. The marriage itself was not yet consummated but they were considered husband and wife. Then the groom would go to his father’s house and work on adding an addition for he and his bride. This was called the betrothal period and would last for one year. Did you know that three to four generations lived in the same “house”? Each had their own addition. Also, Levitical law had a provision that a man would not go into military duty during this time.
  2. Groom returns for his bride: Matthew 25:1-13 gives us the Parable of the Ten Virgins. The bridesmaids were responsible to watch for the groom’s return. When they saw the groom approaching, they would take their lanterns and go meet the groom to illuminate the groom back to his bride. Of the ten, only five had oil. Jesus said there would be those who won’t be reading; they would not be watching (Mark 13:35). They asked the five who did have the oil to give some to them but were told no. You can’t get to Jesus on borrowed faith. It has to be your own. You can’t buy your way to Heaven. It is a personal choice for each individual.
  3. Wedding Banquet – The guests would hoist the bride onto a banner and lift her up; taking her to the father’s house for the banquet. The banquet was a great seven-day celebration with the invited guests. The couple would then consummate their marriage.

So what is the parallel with Christ Jesus? Jesus came to pay the dowry for His bride. The bride’s price was purchased by Him with His shed blood. We entered into a covenant with Jesus at the moment of our salvation! The bridegroom then returned to his father’s house to prepare a place for His bride. We see this “marital language” in John 14:1-3. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house. He’s gone for a time, which makes the time between His resurrection and His return at the Rapture the “betrothal period.” We have to be ready for the Groom’s return, people! We must be watching for Him. We must be busy doing the Father’s business and that is to lead as many to Christ as possible!

We see in Revelation 19:6-10 that the banquet is about to happen. Christ returns to celebrate this feast with the Saints, the Church for the Millennium! Praise the Lord!! Are you ready, Reader? Are you ready for the Marriage Supper? Are you one of the five virgins who has oil in her lamp? The oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirit and He only dwells in born-again believers. Or will you be one of the five virgins who didn’t have oil? Don’t be caught unawares!

So with that in mind, I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 42

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On July 25, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 19:1-10  And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:  (2)  For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.  (3)  And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.  (4)  And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.  (5)  And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.  (6)  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.  (7)  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.  (8)  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.  (9)  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.  (10)  And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

It’s a new day and I thank the Lord for His many blessings on this daughter’s life! I lack nothing and praise Him from whom all blessings flow! How about you, Reader? Is their joy in your heart because your sins have been forgiven? There is nothing like it! The Lord removes the guilt and weight of our sins and replaces it with joy!

Oh what great joy is about to be experienced as we cover this next chapter! After all the death and destruction from the judgments, it is time for rejoicing! There’s a whole of that happening here! We see in Revelation 19:1-5 that the time has come for this evil world to be judged and the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour is about to be established!

There is a drastic difference between Christ’s first coming and His Second Coming! Let’s take a look:

First ComingSecond Coming
Gentle, riding on a donkey (Matt 21:5)Making war, riding on a white horse
(Rev 19:11)
Weeping (Luk 19:41)Eyes ablaze with fire (Rev 19:12)
Wearing a crown of thorns (Matt 27:29)Wearing many crowns (Rev 19:12)
Jesus’ blood on His enemies (Matt 27:25)His enemies’ blood on Jesus
(Rev 19:13-15)

What a stark difference, amen? The suffering Messiah will return and will be a conquering King!

This chapter is all about sight and sound. We see in the first ten verses there will be sounds of worship and rejoicing. These sounds describe events happening in Heaven. We’ll cover what the Apostle John sees in the second half of this chapter on the next post. The sights involve events that will happen on earth. Events will move from Heaven to earth and they will culminate into the Second Coming of King Jesus and the destruction of the Antichrist and False Prophet! \o/

But for now, let’s read about what he heard. It begins in Revelation 19:1 where John hears rejoicing in Heaven over the destruction of the great whore. In Revelation 19:6, we hear the rejoicing over the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

After the religious and economic/political destruction of Babylon in Chapters 17 and 18, John hears Alleluia! This word only appears four times in the entire Bible and found only in this chapter! What does that say to you? The time of God’s judgment has come to all inhabitants of earth and also to the Antichrist and the False Prophet! The time of judgment for Jeremiah’s question has come:

Jer 12:1-2  Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?  (2)  Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

The wicked will no longer prosper. Their time has come! Heaven is rejoicing and say Alleluia! The word is actually Hallelujah which in Greek is divided into two parts: Hallel meaning to worship and Jah which stands for God! Praise the Lord!!!

We will now see that the Lord Jesus Christ will avenge and vindicate! Justice has been a long time coming. We see in Psalm 73 how David wrestled with the sinfulness of men and how they did not get judged but yet he was punished. The wicked prospered but now God is coming with His judgment. Remember the souls of those under the altar in Revelation 6:9-10? Their blood is now avenged. Again, John hears rejoicing and voices saying Alleluia because Babylon has been destroyed and her smoke and ashes are rising. They can all say that justice is being served, finally!

Let’s take a look at Revelation 19:4: The 24 elders and the four beasts fall down and worship God saying, Amen; Alleluia. The Raptured saints and the four beasts fall down and say that God’s Word is trustworthy and firm. This is it – it’s the end of the devil’s reign of terror during the Tribulation and they worship and glorify the Lord God!

amēn
am-ane’
Of Hebrew origin [H543]; properly firm, that is, (figuratively) trustworthy; adverbially surely (often as interjection so be it): – amen, verily.

Strong’s Concordance

Next John tells us about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. This is what every born-again believer is looking forward to since Christ’s return to Heaven; as well as today, and after the Rapture! Glory! John hears a great multitude! To him it sounds like the “voice of many waters” and the voice of mighty thunderings, saying Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. I can almost hear Handel’s Messiah being sung, can’t you? I find it interesting that John compares it to the voice of many waters and mighty thunderings. I’ve entered a huge auditorium totally filled with people talking to one another. It almost sounded to me like the ocean’s roar. I can understand why John chose this wording! Countless born-again believers will be participating here. How do I know this? Revelation 19:8 says that she was arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. (also see 2 Cor 11:2) The New Testament church is pictured as a bride and Jesus as our Groom. Our Groom is also known as the Lamb. This is the Lord Jesus’ favorite term for Himself. He wants to be known as the redemptive Lamb of God. It is His redemptive power that gives us the wonderful opportunity to be saved from our sins!

In the last verse, Revelation 19:10, that we will be covering today, we see John being overwhelmed by the glory he is seeing! It is as though it is too much for him to take in. So much so, he bows down to worship the angel! The angel tells him not to do this because he is John’s fellowservant. The angel tells John to worship God. Even in his joy and exstacy, John’s “flesh” is evident here.

Friend, I cannot stress enough the importance of knowing Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Your eternal future is at stake if you are not 100% certain that you are going to Heaven. Once you are born-again, your eternal soul is bound for Heaven and is no longer destined for Hell. Please, I beg you, settle this matter once and for all … right now. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself, the Perfect Lamb of God whose shed blood is for all sin. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 41

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On July 22, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 18:9-24  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,  (10)  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.  (11)  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:  (12)  The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,  (13)  And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.  (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.  (15)  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,  (16)  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!  (17)  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,  (18)  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!  (19)  And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.  (20)  Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.  (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.  (22)  And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;  (23)  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.  (24)  And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

What a beautiful morning it is! There’s something about the sunrise and its promise of a new day! I love the smells of the outdoors; I love the chirping of birds; and I love the sun as it makes its appearance! As a born-again child of God, I know that should I not open my eyes here on earth, I most certain will open them in Heaven, forever to be with my Lord and Saviour! Oh how I long for the day where I may not taste death but will be wondrously raptured! Despite all the joy in heart, I also feel overwhelmed with grief knowing that there are some in my circle of friends and family who will not experience the Rapture. I’m not even sure if they will experience salvation during the Tribulation. This breaks my heart and it should break yours if you’re in the same boat that I am.

This post will be a tad long. To show you what will be in the heart of man during the Tribulation has to be prefaced by what is in their hearts today. Mankind has wandered so far away from God that his own pride blinds him from anything spiritual. We see it today in people’s attitudes! The Bible says in 2Timothy 3:1-7 that in the last days, people would display the following traits:

  • Lovers of their own selves – Social media has created a generation of self obsessed people! One only has to go on social media for a few minutes to see that this is a true statement. Because the internet didn’t exist before the early 1980’s, we didn’t hear about this type of behavior. But now, we see people with their noses in their phones.
  • covetous – As soon as the newest iPhone comes out or a new pair of sneakers, people line up and wait in line because they “just have to have it”! Even if they can’t afford it, they’ll charge it so they can have it right now!
  • boasters – Boasters want you to know everything about them and what they have accomplished. Their self pride comes through.
  • proud – As I wrote above, pride is prevalent in the end times. No more do we see humbleness. Man has to take credit for everything and no longer give glory to God. (1John 2:16 and Ps 10:4)
  • blasphemers – We are a world of blasphemers. Not only is God’s name blasphemed, but anything that is holy is blasphemed. The life of an unborn child, the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, Christ Jesus’ shed blood on the cross.
  • disobedient to parents – This one breaks my heart! Today’s children are so disrespectful and disobedient. It is not their fault, of course. It is the parents’ responsibility to teach them to be obedient and respectful. Adult children who criticize their parents will have children who will criticize them. I would never have thought to correct my parents or grandparents. I was taught to keep my opinions to myself and respect my elders. The Bible says to honour your parents (Eph 6:2-3). The Greek word for “honour” here is timao, which means to prize, that is, fix a valuation upon; by implication to revere: – honour, value. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with them or they do something wrong. They are to be honored and revered by the child. Why? the verses say so things will go well for the child and they can have long life! Let the Lord deal with your parents if you disagree. Just be obedient to the Lord. We are not each other’s personal “little holy spirits.” It is this disrespectful type of attitude that makes people think they have the “right” to do so.
  • unthankful – People make their demands known to God and expect to have their prayers answered. But do they thank Him for what He has blessed them with? It’s worse with the unsaved today! You have a party and receive gifts; but do you send out a thank you note or email? Do you take time to actually thank someone for the time they have spent helping you with a task? Do you keep in mind the kindness of those people when emotions run high? People are so ungrateful today and it will be worse in the next few years.
  • unholy – Oh my word, don’t even get me started. Think about this word for a moment; it is the total opposite of what is holy. Righteous living in one’s home, righteous speech, righteous actions in one’s own life is the opposite of unholy. Wicked people live wickedly in their homes, they speak wicked words and their actions are wicked. We see this even more so today. Cursing abounds today – troubled teens harm the weak – people mistreat others – commercials on television reveal the depravity in men’s hearts… I could go on and on.
  • Without natural affection – What do you think is meant by natural affection? Natural affection is what a husband and wife have for each other; also what a parent has for their child. Today, people don’t get married but live together instead. As well, women feel they have a right to abort their own baby!
  • trucebreakers – When a couple gets married, they sign a marriage contract. The divorce rate in the United States is said to be about 45%! That number has gone down over the years because people live together rather than get married. People sign contracts when they purchase a house yet they default on that contract and go bankrupt. And this is only a couple of examples!
  • false accusers – How many times have we seen lately of people wrongfully accusing law enforcement officers of crimes they did not do? Most were unsubstantiated but the media did not cover the fact they were exonerated. Even if they are exonerated, the damage has been done and all people remember is the bad publicity. The media dove right into the water with both feet and made a spectacle of them. It is not just with law enforcement, women who falsely accuse a man for raping them. There are countless stories of men serving prison time only to get out years later because it was proven they were not guilty. Well, friend, it will get much worse as we draw closer to the Tribulation.
  • incontinent – It used to be this word was only used for people who could not hold their bladder so it was said they were incontinent. However, the term originally meant “powerless, without self control.” Wow, are we ever experiencing that today! People do not have any self control in many aspects of their lives. They over eat, they are alcoholics, drug users, uncontrollable tempers, just to name a few!
  • fierce – This word is defined as “savage.” It was said in early America that the Natives were fierce and, therefore, were called “savages.” Today we see people acting like savages – angry and hot headed. They are not brave at all. In fact, they prey on the weak in order for them to feel “strong” about themselves. Remember a few years ago when New York City was experiencing teenage boys going around knocking out people? They would swarm upon an elderly lady and punch her in the face and knock her out; or any other person who was alone.
  • despisers of those that are good – Christians are ridiculed by Hollywood and the media today. It’s awful when a Christian is depicted in a movie or show, they are crazy, weak and silly. They are made fun of and ridiculed. We see the hatred for anything “holy” in today’s world – the secular church welcomes homosexuals without repentance – the world welcomes drag queens to read to their children! And when a person takes a stand for God’s Word in these matters, they are attacked!
  • traitors – There have been traitors since the Old Testament, but none like we see today. We’ve seen it with our recent Covid battle. Vaccinated people would turn against those who were not vaccinated. We saw this even within families! Scripture says that unsaved children will turn in their saved parents to authorities during the Tribulation. Today’s events are moving toward this for sure!
  • heady – Have you ever made a rash decision and regretted it later on? That’s the definition of “heady.” People jump in headlong into situations that they did not pray over, or seek advice from someone they trust and respect. They act now and think later; then they wished they had never bought that house or car; married that person, etc.
  • highminded – This is much like the sin of pride but even more so. Someone who is highminded has an inflated sense of self conceit. Nothing they do is wrong – they are always right. Life is all about them and not about others.
  • lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God – Well this is pretty self explanatory. People would rather stay home than go to church. People would rather indulge in things that bring them pleasure than to deprive themselves in order to help those in need.  
  • Having a form of godliness – I was raised in a religion where the hierarchy appears religious but they don’t read God’s Word nor do they practice it. This is a good example but it’s not just for religious leaders. It’s for all those who pretend they are Christians on Sunday morning and then they live in sin the rest of the time. Hypocrites in sheep’s clothing, practicing what appears good.

Is it any wonder that sin abounds during the Tribulation? Christians with Holy Spirit power have been removed during the Rapture and what is left behind is an unbelieving world where the devil’s influence is finally unleashed. Granted some will be saved because of God’s plenteous mercy but most will continue in their sin and their evil hearts will get all the more evil. If believers today stand disgusted what is good and the depravity of our beloved Country, can you imagine during those horrible seven years?

Today’s verses reveal the results of Babylon the Great’s fall. This city and its system comes to its downfall and it proves devastating to the entire world. Events occur all over the world today but they don’t affect the entire world. Revelation 18:9 says that Babylon’s fall will cause kings (and their kingdoms) to “bewail her, and lament for her.” Have you ever wailed in grief over the death of someone you love, Reader? This is what is going to happen here. These kings committed fornication with Babylon and lived deliciously with her. A kingdom usually goes the way of its leader. If the king is depraved, the people more than likely will be also. These were intimately involved with the sins of Babylon but now we see them coming to a realization that this is now over. It reminded me of Lot’s wife. Despite all the sinfulness of Sodom and Gomorrah, as they were escaping before its destruction, she turned back to look. The salt she should have had while living there (to cause others to want and receive her God) must not have caused others to thirst, so ironically God turns her into a pillar of salt. Why salt? I believe with all my heart it is so that people would learn from her sinful mistakes and thirst after the Lord and His Word!

Take a look at Revelation 18:11; it’s not only will the kings mourn Babylon’s fall but the merchants will also be mourning. Not because they have lost a loved one but because they are no longer able to sell their merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, etc.! Just read Revelation 18:12-14 and see just what they were selling! Their merchandise consists of every facet of life. Babylon comes to a dramatic end and everyone on earth is affected by it. Revelation 18:15-23 show the end results and we see that Babylon is not partially destroyed but entirely destroyed!

All has come to nothing (Revelation 18:15). All those “things” they had are now all destroyed. In just one hour, Babylon is made desolate! (Rev 18:19) They are not lamenting over God but, like Lot’s wife, over all their material things! God knocks down every idol in their lives and He destroys both their religious and economical systems!

I find it interesting that in the very next verse (Revelation 18:20), there is rejoicing going on in Heaven! It is such a polar opposite of what is going on here on earth. We see God’s avenging power on earth and all of Heaven is rejoicing. What they have been waiting for is now happening. The souls that were killed during the Tribulation are finally avenged:

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:  (10)  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?  (11)  And white robes were given unto 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 should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Wow! The time has finally come for these Tribulation martyrs! No wonder there’s rejoicing!

As we see in Revelation 18:23, “by thy sorceries were all the nations deceived.” The Greek word for sorceries is “pharmakeia,” which means drugs and witchcraft.

pharmakeia
far-mak-i’-ah
From G5332; medication (“pharmacy”), that is, (by extension) magic (literal or figurative): – sorcery, witchcraft.

Strong’s Concordance

Have you ever witnessed someone suffering from the effects of drugs? They literally appear as though they are possessed by demons! Drugs make an “entryway” for demons to enter and control a body. Drugs are also used in various forms of sorcery and witchcraft. All the nations were deceived by these “sorceries.” The chapter ends by telling us that because of Babylon, the blood of the prophets, saints and all that were killed upon the earth during this time, were found in her. This wicked, wicked system and city is finally destroyed! This means that the Second of Coming of Christ is just around the corner! We will be covering this in the next chapter so be prepared! It is what every believer alive during the Tribulation is waiting for with anticipation!

You may be doubting that this is what lies ahead for those who are not born again. God’s Word WILL be fulfilled – every prophecy depicting what will happen during the Tribulation will come to be. No one can escape it. Isaiah said it best:

Isa 14:27  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

No one, no one, can stop what God ordained to happen during the Tribulation. You can doubt God’s Word all you want, but you won’t be able to stop His Word from moving forward.

Mat 24:34-35  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.  (35)  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by Jesus’ sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. One can only be redeemed by Christ’s blood when one repents (turns away) of his sin and accepts the saving grace of Jesus! It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 40

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On July 20, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 18:1-8  And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.  (2)  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.  (3)  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.  (4)  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.  (5)  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.  (6)  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.  (7)  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.  (8)  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.

Good morning! I don’t ever look forward to someone being punished, but I must admit that although I won’t be here for it, I’m looking forward to Babylon being destroyed! As I said in the last post, all but one reference to Babylon in the Scriptures are literal so it stands to reason that the Babylon of Revelation is literal as well! We saw spiritual Babylon (one-world religion) in the last chapter and we are now seeing the commercial Babylon (one-world government).

When something is repeated in Scripture, it is meant to stand out. We see in verse two that Babylon is fallen, is fallen! God is being emphatic in stating that Babylon will be destroyed. There’s no if’s and’s or but’s; Babylon will be destroyed. Furthermore, it is said that it is “the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” Not only is it destroyed, but look at what it’s made of!

We also see that all the nations become intoxicated with materialism and greed. Babylon has practiced corruption with the nations and all their merchants and they are consumed with its sinful ways. Notice the fact that the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her. Their dedication to Babylon is sinfully greedy. They do not meet the needs of the poor or those less fortunate. I realize that there’s a bit of greed and materialism in all of us but during the Tribulation, it will be far worse. We must remember that our identity is with the Lord, not with our “stuff,” amen? If people today are willing to pay $1,000 for a cellphone or $800 for a pair of sneakers, what do you think it will be like during the Tribulation? Today, people are murdered for these things!

Yet again, God calls out to the remnant to “Come out of her, my people”! There is always a remnant that follow the Lord and it will be no different during even the worse times of the Tribulation. The Lord remembers Babylon’s sins and those who partake in it. Those people will receive her plagues! We see in verse eight that the plagues will come in one day: death, mourning and famine! In one day! I love how the verse ends: “for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” Amen and amen! No matter how bad it gets, one must remember that the Lord God is strong and they will be judged!

We will end today’s post here. Don’t be the person who continues to doubt God’s Word. Absolutely everything ever predicted has come true or is about to come true. There will be no stone left unturned and every word of the Bible will be fulfilled: Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

There will be no second chances after you die. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Therefore, once you breathe your last breath, you walk from that spot into the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is there that He will check to see if your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 21:27). If you are not born again, your name won’t be found there and you will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). So be honest with yourself, Reader. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 39

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On July 18, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 17:1-18  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:  (2)  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.  (3)  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.  (4)  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:  (5)  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  (6)  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.  (7)  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.  (8)  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.  (9)  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.  (10)  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.  (11)  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.  (12)  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.  (13)  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.  (14)  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.  (15)  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.  (16)  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.  (17)  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.  (18)  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Good morning, dear Reader! I’m hoping that you are receiving a blessing from this series! I love that I have this medium in which to share with you what I have gleaned in this series. One can read after those who speculate what will happen during the Tribulation; there are so many out there. But I exhort you Christians to remember to line it up with the Scriptures, amen? If you don’t study it out for yourself, you will fall for any wind of doctrine. We take what is literal and compare it with Bible prophecy and what Revelation says. What appears to be symbolic, we do the same. Just as Ezekiel and Revelation line up with each other, so must the rest. Remember, this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and not the Apostle John’s. Christ is the Word of God and we can trust His Word to be truth! But don’t take my word on it, study it out for yourself! (2Timothy 2:15) (Ephesians 4:14)

Today, we are going to be in Chapter 17, which will introduce a woman on a beast. With each post I write, I attempt to place a graphic at the top of the post that depicts the post’s topic. However, I could not find one graphic where this woman wasn’t scantily dressed. How very sad is that! This particular woman is called a prostitute (a whore), but we see in verse 1, she is referred to as “the great whore.” If you recall, Christians are referred to as the Bride of Christ (Rev 21:9). It stands to reason that the antithesis of a pure chaste bride would be a great whore and that great whore would be used by Satan.

On her forehead (the mind being the seat of knowledge) is written Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth! We thought Jezebel was bad, this woman is far worse. This woman represents spiritual Babylon and comes into the picture riding on the back of the beast. This chapter also teaches us about the rise of the Antichrist and, therefore, must occur at the beginning of the Tribulation. Remember, Revelation is not in chronological order. This will be the “trinity” from the pits of Hell: the Antichrist, the Beast and the False Prophet!

For now, we will cover who that woman is and what she’s all about. This woman represents the False Prophet who will be the “spiritual leader” of the Tribulation. The False Prophet will be hostile toward God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles alike. Even in Jesus’ teachings, He warned us of:

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

This False Prophet will be like a wolf, though he will be dressed in sheep’s clothing. This is a good analogy of Christ, the Good Shepherd and the antithesis of Satan, the wolf dressed as a good shepherd. From today’s Scriptures, we see in the first five verses just what that great whore is all about:

  • Revelation 17:1: She “sitteth upon many waters” – She will influence the entire world.
  • Revelation 17:2: “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication” – Being a religious entity, this false religion will commit fornication; not in the literal sense but in the spiritual sense: adultery against God. Jesus wants His church, His bride, to be chaste and pure, made righteous by the Blood of Christ! Of course, Satan wants to destroy Jesus Christ so his attempts through the False Prophet will be to have a religion which mocks Jesus and leads to destruction, not salvation.
  • Revelation 17:3: “a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast” – She rode to prominence on the back (with) of the Antichrist. This beast is scarlet with the blood of martyrs. She also is full of names of blasphemy. These blasphemies will be against the Most High God and will be anything opposite of His Word!
  • Revelation 17:4: She is “arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls” – She is associated with wealth and royalty. Some believe that this represents the Roman Catholic Church. Although the Roman Catholic Church is the wealthiest state in the world, I believe we can’t pinpoint this false religion solely to the Roman Catholic Church. There’s no way on God’s green earth that Islam would approve of a Roman Catholic Church leader over them or any religion lifting up Jesus Christ as the Son of God. I personally think it’s much bigger than the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church may be at the root of the one world church’s beginning which will join religions together as the ecumenical movement’s goal is to do just that. It is this effort which will culminate into the one world religion and the False Prophet will rise will be at the head of it all.
  • Revelation 17:5: Her title “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” – As you know, Jezebel is introduced in 1Kings 16:31. She was the Queen to Jewish King Ahab. She is the total opposite of good. She did not worship God but worshipped Baal and ultimately drew her husband to Baal, as well as the citizens. She was raised in this; her father was a priest of Baal. Remember, Babel? This is where Baal worshipping began. Jezebel harassed and killed the prophets of her day and falsely charged and executed Naboth. It is written in God’s Word that she was destroyed in a horrific way. It’s no wonder that she would be mentioned in this manner in Revelation. However, her “spirit” is alive and well, especially in 2022! Today, there are pagans in the world who follow after her. They call her Queen Jezebel and believe her to be a hero of their faith; they claim she clung fiercely to her beliefs and is an empowering role model to modern women and pagans alike. If pagans believe this now, they will be all the more like Jezebel during the Tribulation. Satan will use this “spirit of Jezebel” in the great whore, the ultimate representative of Jezebel.
  • Revelation 17:6: She was “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:” – She achieves this through promoting violence against believers. Just as Jezebel had God’s prophets killed, the great whore will be in an all out war against prophets, witnesses and Christians, including the 122,000 and the Two Witnesses.
  • Revelation 17:9: She sits on seven mountains which are the seven heads. These heads are seven kings of kingdoms associated with a political system. Many believe that this is Rome because it is located on seven hills. However, all along, Babylon has been referred to as an actual city and not figuratively. Therefore, I believe it will not be Rome. The verse states the seven mountains are kings (kings have kingdoms). Remember, she comes in sitting on the Beast. So the Beast is the one in charge of these seven kingdoms. This is where you have to interpret Scripture with Scripture and not just assume that someone’s interpretation is correct. We cannot build a belief around a verse that says she’s clothed in purple and is located on seven hills; even though it seems to “fit” the Rome theory. One must read the whole chapter in context. I tend to think it is actual Babylon. Just as God saw to it that Israel be revived in 1948, I’m sure he can see to it that Babylon (the antithesis of Jerusalem) is revived as well.
  • Revelation 17:16-17: The ten horns will hate the whore and bring her to ruin. On a side note, remember what Paul wrote in 2Thessalonians 2:3-4. The Beast will put himself in the Temple in Jerusalem and will demand to be worshipped! Does this mean the one world religion is set aside and he will be the all-in-all of religion? It appears so, but I really don’t know for certain. But one thing I do know is that the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

We’re going to stop here for now. The next post will cover who the powers will be during the Tribulation. So with that in mind, I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 38

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On July 15, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

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.  (18)  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.  (19)  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.  (20)  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  (21)  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.

Good morning! This is it! We are nearing the end of God’s wrath upon the earth and mankind. We will see what happens during this final vial! I find it interesting to see what/where the vials were poured out. Let’s take a quick look:

  1. First Vial: Poured upon the people on earth who took the mark of the beast and worshipped his image
  2. Second Vial: Poured upon the sea
  3. Third Vial: Poured upon the rivers and fountains
  4. Fourth Vial: Poured upon the sun
  5. Fifth Vial: Poured upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom
  6. Sixth Vial: Poured upon the Euphrates River.
  7. Seventh Vial: Poured into the air

The first six vials were poured out on specific things, but this seventh one is poured into the air. This gives the connotation that everything that needs air will be affected by this vial. We see that once this vial is poured out, a voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, says, “It is done.” The wrath of God is finished as far as the Tribulation period is concerned. This last vial is quite violent, as we will see in the following verses.

We see in Revelation 17:18 that nature is going to go ballistic, to say the least. Mankind will experience thunders and lightnings and the most severe earthquake ever to happen on planet Earth. Just how severe will this earthquake be? Well, to date, the worse earthquake has been the one in Chile in 1960, which was a 9.5. I love how scientists say that a 10.0 is not possible because there isn’t a fault line long enough to support that theory. Well, the Bible says that with God all things are possible so I don’t doubt in the least that this last earthquake will be far greater than anyone can imagine. How do I know this? The last half of verse 18 says: “and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”  Furthermore, it will be so great that verse 19-20 states:

Revelation 16:19  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. (20)  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  

So we see from these two verses that the great city is divided into three parts. What is this great city? Babylon is mentioned 296 times (twice as Babel). Interestingly, six of those times in Revelation alone (six times mentioned in Matthew, Acts and 1 Peter). As well, 42 verses in Revelation speak of Babylon. This is the second most mentioned city, Jerusalem being the most mentioned. Jerusalem is found 814 times in the Scriptures. It amazes me that these two polar opposite cities depict good and evil. God created a beautiful Eden for mankind and a Lake of Fire for the devil. God is Truth, Satan is the father of lies. God’s city is Jerusalem, Satan’s city is Babylon (the birth place of the occult and all things demonically evil). I do believe that it is the great city of Babylon which will be destroyed, once and for all: Babylon, the physical city. In Chapter 17, we will see spiritual Babylon and chapter 19 will show us the world economic Babylon. All three equal a “demonic trinity,” if you will.

Babylon is more than just a city. It is located approximately 55 miles south of Baghdad along the Euphrates River in Iraq. In glory days, King Nebuchadnezzar had his hanging gardens there. This was known as one of the Seven Ancient Wonders. Babylon was representative of power and strength. The Greek historian, Heroditus, said the walls around it were 35 stories high and 87 feet thick! It was impenetrable, so the King thought. However, Jeremiah 51 and Isaiah prophesied in chapters 45-47 that it would fall, 150 years before it even fell. It was even foretold by name that King Cyrus would be the one to attack it and he did so in 539 BCE! It was conquered in a very unique manner. At the time, the Euphrates river was made to go around Babylon so it would be their “mote,” so to speak. As well, they channeled the water go below the city so they would have water within the city walls. Cyrus came up with the brilliant idea to damn up the river; it also caused the waters to no longer go under the city. On October 12, 539 BCE, Cyrus’ army walked right in beneath the city walls and seized it!! Brilliant! The same Bible that predicted its fall, predicts that it will be rebuilt and the Lord will destroy it in Revelation 16:19!

We also see in this verse that the cities of the nations will lay flat! Wow! That is a powerful earthquake! As if this isn’t enough, Revelation 16:20 says that every island and every mountain will disappear as the entire earth shakes! Can you imagine Mount Everest? Its height is 29,028 feet high 😮 and even this behemoth of a mountain will come down!

To top all of this, as if the above details aren’t enough, hail will come out of heaven weighing a talent! Depending on where you get your online information for the talent’s modern-day weight, it can range from 75-100 pounds! 😖😵 Either weight you look at, can you imagine being struck by one of these? It will mean certain death. The largest recorded hailstone was in Vivian, South Dakota in July 2010. It was about the size of a volleyball according to weather.com. This hailstone weight 1.9 lbs and was 8 inches in diameter!! It is said that the hailstones to come are going to weigh 75-100 lbs., which would make them approximately 29.8″ in diameter!!! Can you imagine how fast they will come down? According to NOAA:

For small hailstones (<1-inch in diameter), the expected fall speed is between 9 and 25 mph. For hailstones that one would typically see in a severe thunderstorm (1-inch to 1.75-inch in diameter), the expected fall speed is between 25 and 40 mph. In the strongest supercells that produce some of the largest hail one might expect to see (2-inches to 4-inches in diameter), the expected fall speed is between 44 and 72 mph. However, there is much uncertainty in these estimates due to variability in the hailstone’s shape, degree of melting, fall orientation, and the environmental conditions. However, it is possible for very large hailstones (diameters exceeding 4-inches) to fall at over 100 mph.

https://nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/hail/

If the hailstones of Revelation 16 will weigh 75-100 lbs., you can expect the speed of their rate of descent would be more than seven times greater than the one exceeding 4 inches! Either weight, Reader, you do NOT want to be here for that! I can’t even imagine this in my finite little brain!

This last judgment is absolutely horrifying! I’m so thankful that I won’t be here, aren’t you? Reader, can you say the same? Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 37

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On July 13, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

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.  (13)  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.  (14)  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.  (15)  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.  (16)  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

A new day has dawned and another opportunity is given to us to reach others with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are quickly approaching the end of the Tribulation and will be able to see what will happen once the Lord Jesus defeats the terrible three: Satan, Antichrist and Beast! I love happy endings! But this is no fairytale, Reader! This is truth and every prophecy from the Bible has or will come true. I’ll prove this to you below. I especially love that we will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years! Now that’s a happy ending! 😀😀😀

Today’s post is longer than most, but please bear with me and read it through. There really was no place where I could stop and continue onto the next post, LOL! So now let’s move onto the most famous battle that will ever occur on this earth, and beginning with a little history and facts.

  • The Valley of Megiddo is also known as the Jezreel Valley. It is no small valley: in fact, it is 150 square miles! This valley is surrounded by mountains but they are not true mountains. Rather, the mountains are comprised of 15 layers of different cities which were destroyed; their ruins lie one on top of the other.
  • Megiddo is mentioned 11 times in the Old Testament, and referred to once in the New Testament as Armageddon. Did you know that the meaning of the number eleven can symbolize disorder, chaos and judgment? Interestingly, the number 10 (as in the Ten Commandments) represents the total opposite: the law and responsibility.
  • The Valley of Megiddo will play an important part in the war to end all wars. In fact, its size and topography intrigued Napoleon so much as he looked upon this valley, that he said it was the perfect place to gather armies together. It’s ironic that Har Megiddo, Hebrew for Hill of Megiddo, is translated as the Hill of Slaughter. When I think of slaughter, the first thought that comes to mind is the slaughter of the Jews during Word War II by Hitler. As it was during that war, antisemitism will be at its worse during the last half of the Tribulation, along with a hatred for Christians.

We also see in this Sixth Vial Judgment, that the Euphrates River will dry up. Just as the Red Sea was parted and the sea bed was dry so that God’s people could cross, so will it be with the Euphrates. How? I don’t really know, but when the Scriptures say it will happen, you can take that to the bank! In fact, today (2022) the Euphrates has dried up in some places, whether due to political reasons (damming it up) or climate, who knows. But during this period, the Bible says it will be dried up enough for Armies of the East to cross over. It’s scary to think about this, but demonic-inspired influences will overpower nations and cause them to unite and converge against Israel. How do I know they are demonic? Revelation 16:13-14 tells us that the “spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.” When I read the news today, wonder to myself what in the world could this government be thinking? Friend, we are living in a time where history is already being written. There is always a calm before the storm and that calm is upon us.

As many believe, the battle won’t necessarily take place in the valley of Armageddon. This was my thought as well, but I have since changed my view slightly. I don’t deny that the Valley of Megiddo is going to play an important part in the war to end all wars. But notice that Revelation 16:16 says that the Antichrist will gather his armies there. When Jesus comes to destroy those armies, He returns to Jerusalem because we read that He will be standing on the Mount of Olives.

Zec 14:1-4  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.  (2)  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  (3)  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  (4)  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

So it appears to me that Satan’s armies gather in the Valley of Megiddo, but the actual war itself will end in Jerusalem. I have never researched where Megiddo is located in reference to Jerusalem before today. I’ve discovered that Megiddo is only less than three hours away! So it is quite feasible that with modern-day military technology, missiles could be launched from the Valley of Megiddo with their course set toward Jerusalem. Who knows? No one knows this war’s strategies, but we know for a fact that Jesus returns to Jerusalem with His armies. There has to be a battle in Jerusalem or He wouldn’t be coming to that location with His armies, amen? Remember, the Antichrist has placed himself in the Temple, pretending to be God, which is where? It is in Jerusalem.

Old Testament prophets wrote about this great battle and some of their prophecies are revealed in Revelation. For example, Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 16 have quite a lot in common:

Ezekiel 38:19-22Revelation 16:18-21
God’s “wrath” vs. 19God’s “wrath” vs. 19
Great earthquake vs. 19Great earthquake vs. 18
Mountains shall be thrown down vs. 20Mountains were not found vs. 20
Pestilence vs. 22Plague vs. 21
Great hailstones vs. 22Great hailstones vs. 21

In making comparisons of both books, I noticed that Revelation 16:12 speaks of Kings of the east while Ezekiel 38:2-6 speaks of nations primarily north and west of Israel. That is why I believe that the Battle of Armageddon isn’t one entire battle, but one that begins before the Tribulation with the North and culminates into the end time battle with and/or including the East. We are seeing it today with Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. I believe that as this war progresses, more countries will align with Russia as it becomes a major force. At some point, they will also unite in turning against Israel. I also believe that the Antichrist is alive and well today, but he has not been revealed yet. There has to be some form of progression for him to come to power. He just won’t magically appear. I believe he is in the background at this very moment. If he is going to take over these countries, it’s possible the Antichrist will be a leader in one of these countries. This may be the very thing that will bring him into power. As I’ve said before, in order to need a peace treaty with Israel, one must conclude that there is an all out war against Israel. The Antichrist will sign that seven-year peace treaty with Israel and the people will rejoice over peace in the Middle East! This will be the very beginning of the Tribulation and one can start counting down seven years (360 Jewish days equal one year). Once the Antichrist has gotten everyone’s love, admiration and adoration, he will break that peace treaty after three and a half years. The armies of the east will then come on the scene and begin to form against Israel until we see that great Battle of Armageddon.

Why do I believe that everything the Book of Revelation states will happen? I believe the whole Bible; the fact that every single prophecy about Christ’s first coming to earth has been fulfilled leads me to believe that every single prophecy about the Tribulation and His Second Coming will happen! It is said that the odds of the 31 prophecies identifying the Messiah (a total of 365 Old Testament prophecies correctly fulfilled by His first coming) is:

The probability of 31 prophecies being fulfilled by Jesus Christ

Does that blow your mind? I read once that it is estimated that there were 250 million people alive in the world at the time that Jesus died (33AD). The following criteria would have to have been met by Jesus in order to “be the One true Messiah”!

  • One male (out of the 250 million people in A.D. 33) would have had to die by crucifixion,
  • That same male would have to have been of Jewish descent from King David
  • That same male would have to have been born in Bethlehem
  • That same male would have to have been a teacher using parables
  • That same male would have to have healed others and performed miracles
  • That same male would have to have ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey
  • That same male would have to have been rejected by the leaders
  • That same male would have had to have suffered no broken bones
  • That same male would have to have had pierced feet, hands and side
  • That same male would have to have died during absolute darkness
  • This same male would have had died during that one unique week – the predicted week.

Does this put it into perspective? Now if you were to do these same calculations for all 365 Old Testament prophecies, it would be a mind boggling number! Since the Messiah Jesus Christ fulfilled all these things, you can be certain He will fulfill all the prophecies in the Old and New Testaments. These are facts! You may be an intellect and, therefore, you should know that when one is proving out historical facts, one must consider all the facts. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies!

Remember, faith in God cannot be forced upon you. God created mankind with a free will. It is your choice whether or not to receive Christ as your Saviour (2Cor. 5:7 and Eph 2:8-9). This is the last call because His return is at the door. God is using a megaphone, if you will, to draw people to Him. People either run to Him or away from Him by the end of this chapter. Are you ready for all of this? Are you looking forward to the Rapture so we can be home with the Lord and not be subjected to God’s wrath upon this earth? I know I am!

Can you say the same, reader? Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 36

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On July 11, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 16:1-11  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.  (2)  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.  (3)  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.  (4)  And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.  (5)  And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.  (6)  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.  (7)  And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.  (8)  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.  (9)  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.  (10)  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,  (11)  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

It’s another beautiful day when Christ sits on the throne of your heart! If you are on your own throne, you are the one ruling your life and that means you are not submissive to the will of God, amen? Allowing God to rule in every area of your life is a continual, daily work in progress, I must admit. Yes, it is work. It takes dedication and a desire to give up our worldly desires and allow the Lord to replace those with His desires! It is then that you find sin less enticing and Christ’s love more enticing! The Christian is not sinless – but the Christian does sin less as he grows in Christ. This is the reason why I am so fervent in spreading the end time events and the Bible’s warnings about them. I want to put fire under you to give a spark your spirit! The Holy Spirit of God came down on the disciples as cloven tongues like as a fire (Acts 2:3). I find it interesting that God chose this phrase to describe the Holy Spirit’s appearance, don’t you? He puts a fire in our heart that gives us a love for the Lord like we never had before. Because of that love for Him, we desire to spread the good news about Jesus Christ and His salvation. If you’ve lost your flame and it is now just glowing embers, I pray that this blog will rekindle that fire and set it ablaze for the cause of Christ!

So on we go with our series on Revelation; we are entering the judgments of the Seven Vials of God’s Great Wrath. As you will see, these come quickly and some of the judgments are simultaneous with the others, as it is revealed to us with the first and fifth vials. Let’s unwrap each vial to see what’s in store for those remaining on earth:

  1. First vial – Ugly and painful sores break out on all who have the mark of the beast. We see later during the fifth vial that the pain from these sores was severe – so severe that the people literally chewed their tongues for pain! Can you think of a time when you were in that much pain? Moses performed a similar miracle with the sixth plague of boils in Exodus 9:8-12. However, during the Tribulation, all those who have the mark of the Beast (the Antichrist) will have these sores! Their sores will not be healed nor will they ever get saved. Revelation 19:20 plainly states that these people will be cast into the Lake of Fire. So who will repent then if they are all going to Hell? There will be unsaved people who will choose not to take the mark of the Beast. They will be people who recognize the Antichrist as a dictator and do not want to support him. These are the ones whose eyes will be opened concerning the Beast during the time where people are forced to take his mark.
  2. Second vial – The sea turns into blood and every living thing in the sea dies! I’m hypersensitive to smells so I can just imagine the stench as a result! We touched upon this on Day 21 and the consequences arising from this type of event. The exception to this plague is that now all the creatures in the seas will die, not just a third as we saw during the Second Trumpet! Now the whole world will be smelling the stench of death in its oceans. Not only this, but the whole world will be suffering from the repercussions of the loss of sea life, both in consumption as well as economically. No longer will fishermen have a job. No longer will merchants bring fish to market. Just as we saw a similar plague in Exodus 7:14-24, the Nile was the source of life for the Egyptians – it was one of their gods. But our God makes it clear that He is the source of life. Again, even so during the Tribulation, people will not see their need for God.
  3. Third vial – Rivers and streams become blood (fresh water) and drinking water will be polluted! Day 22 had the same plague but only one third of the fresh water was struck; that is not the case here. Now all the fresh waters on earth would be destroyed! No more fresh water fish; no more drinking water for the animals; no more fresh water seeping into the ground to nourish plants and trees living nearby. To top it off, no more drinking water! I find it interesting that Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water as well as Jer 17:13  O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. We also see that the Apostle John records in John 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. As well as John 4:11  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? And lastly, John says in John 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Why does God do this? We read the answer in verse 6: “They have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. Some will surely claim that God is not fair but verse 6 says they are worthy of this punishment; and verse 7 tells us that “true and righteous are thy judgments”! God would not punish a person if that person’s heart was right with Him. But the sin of rebellion in God’s eyes is like the sin of witchcraft, which He condemns! (1Sam 15:23, 2Chron 33:6 [speaking of Manasseh], and Gal 5:19-21)
  4. Fourth vial – People will be scorched by the intense heat from the sun and blaspheme God because of it and still will not repent! We know the heat comes from the sun because this angel poured his vial upon the sun. It is quite possible that our ozone layer will thin out by then and, as a result, the sun’s rays will be more intense. Whatever the case may be, the end result is that people will get the worse sun burn they’ve ever had. The Greek word καυματίζω kaumatizo means “to burn up.” Could it be that those located closer to the equator will literally be burned up? Or is it possible that the sun is so intense that the sun burn’s effects are like being burned with fire? Infection sets into the burned skin and people will die as a result. I have a friend who was in the hospital for a long time because she played with matches. She received 4th degree burns on her arm and it took months of care and fighting against infections. Either way you look at this judgment, people’s skin will be hurting and burning. I’m sure my friend can relate to the pain these people will suffer. I’m thankful that the Lord used her to lead me to Him! As vain as people have become today in the year 2022, think how much more vain they will be during the Tribulation when sin abounds! Their vanity will diminish when they have sores and burnt skin. Not to be funny, but I’m sure selfies will not be as popular during those days.
  5. Fifth vial – Darkness comes on the seat of the Antichrist and his kingdom will be full of darkness. The Bible says that they will gnaw at their tongues for pain. The Greek work is: μασσάομαι masaomai which means: bite, gnaw or chew. I find that unusual, don’t you? I’ve been in pain because of childbirth but I have never chewed my own tongue! Surely this pain is more than I can imagine! To top it all, they blasphemed God for their pains and their sores. Evidently, the sores from the first vial are still with them! Therefore, we can assume that these judgments are not only quick but they overlap each other! Moses’ ninth plague was very similar to the darkness which will come during this vial. (Exodus 10:21-23) This was the last plague before death came to the Egyptians’ doors! What saved the Israelites from experiencing the same thing? They painted their doorposts with the blood of a lamb. If the angel of death saw the blood, he would pass over the house. This is the whole purpose of Passover! What a beautiful picture of Christ’s blood covering us! \o/ What’s to save those Christians during the Tribulation? Prior to salvation, the human heart is in darkness but these saints are marked with a seal of God and not that of the Antichrist! Should they be put to death, they are home with the Lord. If they survive the Tribulation, they will see the glorious appearance of the Lord’s Second Coming! Their Saviour’s blood covers them and they will not see the second death!

We will cover the Sixth Vial in our next post as it introduces the Battle of Armageddon. These last judgments are absolutely horrifying! I get goosebumps when I read this. I’m so thankful that I won’t be here to experience them! Aren’t you? Can you say the same, reader? Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

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