Category: Revelation at a Glance Page 2 of 5

Revelation at a Glance – Day 39

On July 18, 2022

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

By Kate Plourde

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:

First Vial: Poured upon the people on earth who took the mark of the beast and worshipped his image
Second Vial: Poured upon the sea
Third Vial: Poured upon the rivers and fountains
Fourth Vial: Poured upon the sun
Fifth Vial: Poured upon the seat of the beast and his kingdom
Sixth Vial: Poured upon the Euphrates River.
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

By Kate Plourde

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

By Kate Plourde

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:

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.
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.
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)
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.
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!

Revelation at a Glance – Day 35

By Kate Plourde

On July 8, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 15:1-8 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. (2) And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. (3) And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. (4) Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (5) And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: (6) And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. (7) And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. (8) And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Have you ever wondered just how much worse it can get before the Tribulation begins? Good morning, reader! I know this thought has crossed my mind countless times. I’ve believed we were in the end times since 1980! So much the more do I believe that now. Actually, reader, if you are born again and looking forward to the Lord’s coming for us in the clouds to rapture us away, then you know for yourself that we are close! You have to know if you are reading the Bible at all.

Daniel 9:27 tells us that the Antichrist will sign a covenant with Israel for one week (which is seven years). In order for him to do this, logically speaking, it would mean that there must be war prior to the signing. Today, we are actually seeing and hearing about wars and rumors of wars with Russia and Ukraine. This may very well be the time where countries will come together to create a war which will culminate into the great war of Armageddon!

Today’s post deals with Revelation Chapter 15 and we see that it is a “preview” of Chapter 16. It is an introduction to the seven Vial Judgments. These particular events occur in Heaven and the Apostle John sees seven angels who have the seven last plagues, which have God’s wrath filled in them. Did you know that the number seven is used eight times in this chapter alone?! As you know, the number seven signifies completion or perfection. The Greek term for “completion” is the same as the term in John 19:30 when Jesus says “It is finished:”! Yes, the sacrificial lamb of the Law was no longer needed as this sacrifice was pointing to the Perfect sacrifice to come. The Perfect Lamb’s shed blood was not only perfect but complete … ONCE for ALL for the forgiveness of sin. From that point, no more daily sacrifices at the altar were needed nor are they needed today! That includes the “sacrifice” of the Catholic mass is needed to be offered in order for sins to be forgiven. Jesus paid it all! All we have to do now is to rejoice that we have salvation through Him and through His sacrifice on the cross! Praise the Lord!

Next we read in Revelation 15:2-3 that John sees a sea of glass mingled with fire. When the word “sea” is used in Scripture, it sometimes refers to the sea of humanity; this is what is meant here. This sea of humanity has victory over the beast but have lost their lives for the Gospel! These are Christians from all over singing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Exodus 15:1-21). What a beautiful song it is indeed! In Revelation 15:3-4, we read that this song is about God’s marvellous works, His just and true ways and His worth: He is holy for all nations and His salvation is for all!

In this exciting chapter, we see in verses 5-7 that the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony was opened in Heaven. The seven angels come out of this temple and they were given the last seven golden vials full of God’s wrath. (On a side note, did you know that there are seven golden vials in the Temple for the Jewish priests? I find that interesting 😊.) No one will enter the temple until these seven plagues are fulfilled.

Our next post will reveal these last seven plagues which will be unleashed upon the earth. I’m so thankful that I will not be a part of this. 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 34

By Kate Plourde

On July 6, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 14:14-20 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. (15) And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. (16) And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. (17) And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (18) And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. (19) And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. (20) And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Good morning! Today we will be thinking like farmers 😁! It helps to put ourselves in that mindset as we read about the Great Harvests about to come during the Tribulation. I’m praying you are ready, dear Reader. I’m praying that you have Christ living within you and that you are truly born again.

We begin today’s study with Revelation 14:14. In my Bible, this segment is entitled the Harvest of the Earth. This verse references the Son of man (Revelation 1:13 and Daniel 7:13) sitting on a cloud, having a crown of gold and a sharp sickle in his hand. We know that this is Jesus because He has a golden crown. The angels do not have crowns. Here Jesus is going to be the harvester of the earth and will harvest both believers and unbelievers.

Notice that Jesus comes:

seated on a white cloud, which indicates His purity
wearing a golden crown, which indicates His victory, and
holding a sharp sickle, which indicates His authority where He separates the sheep from the goats.

During the first part of the harvest of the earth, we see this is a harvest of separation between the saved and the unsaved. This is the in-gathering of believers (Revelation 14:15-16). During the second part of the harvest, we see the harvest of the earth’s vine (Revelation 14:18) and these are the grapes, which is the harvest of destruction – the judgment of non believers (Revelation 14:17-20). This is referred to in Matthew 13:36-43 where Jesus talks about the tares and wheat. God will use angels as part of this harvesting process. Toward the end of the Tribulation, they will separate the righteous (the wheat and the sheep) from the unrighteous(the tares and the goats). It amazes me still how God’s Word is knit together within its beautiful pages!

Friend, God has called us to be salt and light to the earth. Use your time wisely! There are people out there that claim to be Christians but are not. The Bible says you will know them by their fruit! (Matthew 7:15-20) You cannot call yourself a car just because you are standing in the garage. Nor can you call yourself a Christian just because you are standing in a church. Dear reader, PLEASE, I beg you. Don’t be satisfied with a mediocre faith. One who is born again has been given the spark of life in his spirit – a new life in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This verse does not say that a few things are become new! It says all things are become new!. Don’t fool yourself. I know for certain that I am born again and am going to Heaven because my heart literally changed in a split second! The desire to curse God and live a worldly life style immediately disappeared. Yes, the desire was the there but His Holy Spirit’s power within me helped me to defeat the my flesh and its temptations.

Revelation at a Glance – Day 33

By Kate Plourde

On July 4, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 14:6-13 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, (7) Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (8) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. (9) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (11) And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (12) Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (13) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

How I love coming to my desk in the mornings to spend time in the Word and with the Word! The Lord Jesus Christ reveals Himself through the Scriptures and teaches me about the upcoming events. How thrilling it is to be able to share these things with you, dear Reader!

So let’s get on with our series! 😀 Today, we see three angels appearing on the scene. These angels each have a mission to complete. The first angel’s mission shows us the Lord’s great mercy! How can I say this when the worse judgment ever is coming to earth and its inhabitants? I can say this because God is giving every soul an opportunity to be saved before the rest of His judgments are dispersed! That is true mercy!! The first angel role is to (Revelation 14:6-7):

proclaim the gospel to all the earth
exhort people to fear God and to worship Him
warn of God’s judgment
declare God as Creator

The second angel (Revelation 14:8) announces the fall of Babylon the Great. This Babylon will have the same foundation as the original Babylon. Original Babylon was known for being the seat of the occult and sexual immorality. We see this behavior in today’s society and it will be all the more prevalent during the Tribulation. Notice that all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication! Noah Webster’s 1828 Diction defines fornication below. If we take his definition literally, the Tribulation Babylon will reveal people who cannot contain themselves sexually; notice it includes incest! Not only will Babylon be sexually perverted but she will forsake God and worship idols! That idol is none other than the Tribulation idol, the Antichrist!

FORNICA’TION, n. [L. fornicatio.]
The incontinence or lewdness of unmarried persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with an unmarried woman.
Adultery. Mat 5.
Incest. 1 Cor 5.
Idolatry; a forsaking of the true God, and worshipping of idols. 2 Chr 21. Rev 19.

Now we take a look at the third angel (Revelation 14:9-11) and he reveals the upcoming judgment:

warns of God’s judgment coming upon the inhabitants of the earth who have worshipped the beast and his image and received the mark of the beast.
their torment is eternal (see Revelation 20:10 and Mark 9:48)

As we look into these three angels and their message, we see that the first one shows God’s grace despite the turmoil on the planet. This invitation to accept the Gospel of Christ is unique in that God will be using an angel to preach the Gospel. This has always been entrusted to people up until this point. Now that the church has been removed, the 144,000 are gone, the Two Witnesses are gone, who is left? In these verses, we see that God calls upon an angel to fly in mid air (atmosphere) proclaiming the Gospel to every nation, tongue and tribe! How will they do this? Again, the Internet may play a huge role in this. Everyone will hear the Gospel in his own language! If you recall the previous posts covering global population up to this point, four billion people have died from the judgments! The five plus billion that remain have spiritually hardened hearts and they would rather follow the Antichrist than hear about God!

This goes to show you God’s mercy, amen? Once again, everyone will have an opportunity to hear the good news and they will all be without excuse when they stand before the Lord on judgment day. God will use trials and tribulation as a “last call” to draw people to salvation. He loves us so much that as a last ditch effort, He goes after His creation to give them another opportunity to hear. 1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. People, don’t you get it? God didn’t create Hell for you. He originally created it for the devil and the fallen angels. Instead, God created Eden for mankind. Eden was a perfect place providing Adam and Eve with everything they could possibly want! There was no sin – all the animals were docile and there was no death! But Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan as he tempted them and caused them to doubt God’s Word! The temptation Satan provided was but for a moment, but their choice was for eternity. They tried to cover their sin with a covering made by their own hands. But that did not work. They were kicked out of Eden for that one sin, Reader! After that point, they could not make up for that sin on their own. They could not cover it up nor could they erase it on their own. The shed blood of a spotless lamb was taught to them by God as a promise of what was to come. That is the whole purpose of Christ’s birth, death, burial and resurrection! Only His perfect shed blood could cover and erase that sin. (Titus 3:5-7)

Moving on to the second angel, he announces the fall of Babylon the Great (Revelation 14:8) which we will read about further in chapter 18. This declaration will bring an end of this system which caused all the nations to drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The word “fornication” is used twelve times in the Book of Revelation alone! As we read above, not only can this word mean sex outside of marriage, adultery and incest, but it can also mean idolatry. Idolatry is the forsaking of the One True God and worshipping idol. An idol is anything that consumes our thoughts and time instead of God. On a side note, we can spend our time doing all the right things in life, including philanthropic deeds, but if we neglect our salvation and living for the Lord, we have replaced God with an idol. We are at the point in this series where the false prophet has convinced the world to worship the Antichrist. Is it any wonder that this Babylon (a city which reflects the sins of the original Babylon) is going to fall because of God’s judgments?

The third angel (Revelation 14:9-11) warns of God’s upcoming judgments on the inhabitants of earth who have worshipped the beast and his image and have received his mark. He tells them they will be tormented for all eternity. Notice that Revelation 14:11 continues to say that this torment will give them no rest at all, day or night!

Our verses end with a blessing to those who are saved and keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus! Another blessing will be given to those who die from this point on that they may rest from their work for Christ on earth and this work will not be forgotten.

Friend, 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 32

By Kate Plourde

On July 1, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 14:1-5 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. (2) And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: (3) And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. (4) These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. (5) And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

It’s a new day and we have another opportunity to learn a bit more about what is to come upon the entire earth during the Tribulation period! The last time God judged the entire earth was with the Great Flood where Noah, his wife, three sons and their wives were saved from destruction. We also know that God promised not to destroy the whole earth by giving us the rainbow as His sign of that promise. However, He may not destroy the entire earth during His judgments during the Tribulation, but He will allow much death and destruction in order to waken the spiritually sleeping hearts!

As Christians in 2022, we can clearly see the demonic forces through the changes which have occurred in just the past two years. It is our responsibility to warn those in our circle of family and friends that the time is ever so near! Once the Rapture happens, the influence of the Holy Spirit will be removed and it will open the door to Satan and his minions. Their influence will now take over and if we think times have gotten bad now, wait and see! Christian’s possess the Holy Spirit and it is His influence within us that restrains the Antichrist from making his appearance to the world.

This chapter isn’t chronological but more parenthetical so we can see what happens in Heaven during the Antichrist’s reign. It’s as though the Apostle John wants to insert some ray of hope in the midst of God’s wrath. We know that the Lord is near to His child (Matthew 28:20). But these Tribulation Saints won’t possess the Holy Spirit as we do in the current Church age. The Spirit’s role will be as it was in the Old Testament, empowering some like Moses, David and others for their task at hand.

Tribulation Saints will need all the encouragement they can get from each other as they gather together in secret to worship God. If you don’t think this is possible, this has already happened in our own country and it can easily happen again! I used to go to church with an elderly lady whose grandmother was a slave in New Market, Virginia during the Civil War. Her grandmother told her many stories of her life growing up during this terrible time. Their entire family consisted of born again believers who had a few tattered pages from the Book of Psalms. They treasured these pages and hid them under the floor boards of their one room cabin. In order to worship God as a “church,” they would gather together in the woods in the middle of the night so they wouldn’t be seen. Each family brought whatever Bible pages they had and would share the Blessed Word with the others. They would quietly sing hymns and encourage one another in the Lord. Reader, this happened in our own country just a little over 160 years ago! We don’t hear about this on the liberal news but Christian persecution exists around the world today! Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. As of 2019, the top ten countries persecuting Christians in the world are:

1. North Korea, East Asia (Communist) – Population 25.4 million (1.7% Christian)
2. Afghanistan, South Central Asia (Islamic) – Population 31.6 million (99.7% Muslim)
3. Somalia, The Horn of Africa (Islamic) – Population 11 million (99.8% Muslim)
4. Libya, North Africa (Islamic) – Population 7.2 million (97% Muslim)
5. Pakistan, South Asia (Islamic) – Population 213 million (96% Muslim)
6. Eritrea, The Horn of Africa (Christian/Islamic) – Population 5 million (36% Muslim)
7. Yemen, Western Asia (Islamic) – Population 27.6 million (99.6% Muslim)
8. Iran, Western Asia (Islamic) – 81.6 million (99.5% Muslim)
9. Nigeria, Western Africa (Mixed) – 206.2 million (46.3% Christian)
10. India, South Asia (Hindu) – 1.35 billion (79.8% Hindu, 14.23% Muslim)

It will be much worse than this during the Tribulation! It won’t just be selected countries but the entire world will be against Christianity! Jesus said:

Mar 13:9-13 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. (10) And the gospel must first be published among all nations. (11) But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. (12) Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. (13) And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

During the Tribulation, Christian persecution will be so great that even children will turn in their parents and vice versa! When those in your own family betray you, that’s pretty bad!

The hope of these remaining Tribulation Saints is that they remain strong, not receiving the mark of the Beast, and live to see Christ’s return to earth to conquer Satan and his followers! As we saw in chapter 13, our planet is already headed toward a one world government and a one world economy. Author Allan Bloom said:

“The essential component to establishing globalism is to eliminate any system of absolutes.”
The Closing of the American Mind

This sets the stage for globalism. Everything becomes relative; it removes absolute truth. Today, it is said that “Your truth says this but my truth says that.” There aren’t two versions of the truth, friend. There is only one truth and the other is false. Jesus said in John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44) and his earthly reign is devoid of truth. He cannot speak the truth because his pride wants everything to revolve around him. He is the ultimate narcissist!

We are currently moving forward and are very close to this one world government. We hear more and more prominent leaders saying things like Nobel prize winning economist, Jan Tinbergen:

“Mankind’s problems can no longer be solved by national governments. What is needed is world government.”

As well, Hillary Clinton stated:

“My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere.”
Paid speech in 2013 at Brazil-based Banco Itau

The far left wing proponents want this one world government and are pouring vast amounts of money into achieving this very goal. The stage has been set and the mindset for globalism is currently at work through liberal leadership and the world’s most wealthy people. You can’t put your head in the sand and think this could never happen today! Friend, it is already happening! As the world lies asleep spiritually, mentally and intellectually, the powers that be are diligently working.

This will all come together with the Antichrist and false prophet to promote a one world religion. But God will still get His gospel out one way or another. As we look into chapter 14, note that it is divided into three parts:

Verse 1 – And I looked – Jesus’ return with the 144,000
Verse 6 – And I saw – Three angels to proclaim the Gospel and judge the world
Verse 14 – And I looked – Three angels to harvest the world by separating believers from unbelievers

In the first five verses, John sees a Lamb (Jesus), who is the ultimate atonement for all people for all time. He’s standing on Mount Zion, which is a preview of Christ in chapter 19. John also sees the 144,000 servants of God (also see Revelation 7:3-4) who were sealed on the foreheads with the Father’s name. This brought to mind the Tefillin, which looks like a little box that orthodox Jews put on their arm and forehead. It is a reminder to the orthodox Jew to think about the Torah (first five books of Moses in the Old Testament). I love that God would mark His servants on their forehead! These 144,000 are virgins (Revelation 14:4) which I believe describes to us the purity of their faith. They followed the Lamb wherever He went and they were redeemed by Him. This is the same truth applied to us in Jude 1:24. We stand in Christ’s righteousness and our sin is not held against us. We will stand faultless before the Throne and we will sing a new song! Praise Him!! \o/ I long for the day when we no longer have to fight sin in our flesh.

Revelation at a Glance – Day 31

By Kate Plourde

On June 29, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 13:11-18 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. (12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (13) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, (14) And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (15) And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

I’m happy to see that you have come back 😀 This series has stirred my heart and rekindled the fire in my spirit for the end times! As you’ve read before, this is the very topic that led me to Jesus and I have always had a desire to learn anything about this topic. It is easy for me to write about this because this is my testimony. The Lord revealed Himself to me through the Scriptures that revolved around the Rapture and the end times. Whatever your testimony is, reach out to the lost and let that testimony prick their hearts through the Holy Spirit. Tell them your story because no one knows it better than you!

Today, we are introduced to the second beast (Revelation 13:11). We see here that this beast comes up out of the earth having two horns like a lamb but yet spoke as a dragon. This beast rises out of humanity and appears to be like a lamb indicating he will have the appearance of the one true Lamb, Jesus Christ. However, this lamb may look like the Messiah but will speak like a dragon. His words will be from the pits of Hell and he will promote the Antichrist – he will be the False Prophet.

The False Prophet will have an agenda like no other religious leader before! His sole purpose will be to convince the world that his religion (and that of the Antichrist) is what people need. Furthermore, his religion will be the only one allowed, a religious dictatorship if you will. If one doesn’t follow after this Tribulation religion, he will be martyred. Let’s take a look at what this False Prophet will be all about:

His purpose: His purpose is to promote the Antichrist and to cause all of earth’s inhabitants to worship him. (Revelation 13:12) Furthermore, it says that it will be done in the sight of men. In no time in history has this ever been possible until now. With internet availability practically world-wide, these events can be seen by everyone. His whole purpose will be to draw attention away from God and righteous living to the Antichrist and his sinful ways. To top it off, the False Prophet will encourage people to believe that the Antichrist is actually the Messiah and Saviour of the world! He will promote this with ways you and I could think up.
His power: He performs miracles and gives life to the beast after he is mortally wounded. This mimics Elijah, so this will fool the whole world, but especially the Jews. The Jews have been long awaiting their Messiah so when they start seeing miracles and signs, they will most certainly be deceived. The Apostle Paul said: 1Co 1:22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:. Of course, these will be counterfeit signs and wonders and they will deceive the entire world except for the Tribulation Saints. Remember, the devil is known as the angel of light so everything he will do will “mimic” God and people will believe that the Antichrist is God! (2Corinthians 7:14).
His plan: He will make earth’s inhabitants take the mark of the Beast on their right hand or forehead so that they cannot buy or sell without that mark. Just as the Lord seals on the foreheads of the 144,000 and those who get saved during the Tribulation, so will the Antichrist try to imitate this by having a number given on the forehead or the right hand. Why do you think the devil imitates God? Just as he deceived Adam and Eve, he will deceive those on earth. So at some point during the Tribulation, the ability to imprint the Antichrist’s number or code will go worldwide. I find it interesting that the Antichrist’s mark might go on the right hand. Man has always strived to “work” for their salvation, but it is not so with God (Ephesians 2:8-9). It would be like the Antichrist to want mankind to take his mark so they can’t work, buy or sell without it. Sweden already provides bionic banking on a chip which contains ID’s, wallets and keys! I couldn’t believe that we were actually at that point – take a look at this video here. As you can see, this technology has already arrived! When I was first saved in 1980, I could not imagine how the Antichrist would accomplish this. But I can now totally see how he will be using some form of it during the Tribulation.
His number: The Antichrist’s number is 666 but we cannot know for sure how that number will be used. Man was created on the sixth day, so it is known that the number six is the number for man. In the Antichrist’s case, it’s in triplicate which may be to signify Satan / Antichrist / False Prophet. For example, once the world is under a one-world government, I wonder if each person’s identifying numbers (like Social Security numbers) will begin with 666. How will that number be incorporated into tracking each person? We can see this ability has already entered as we read this article. Please take a few minutes to read the article and watch the video. It is mind boggling what has happened behind the scenes while the world is being distracted by pandemics, wars and rumors of wars! The Scriptures say that this is his number (666) so we can be sure that there will be some kind of number assigned to each human being which will track them. Christians won’t accept this mark and will either starve and/or be martyred for it. They will have to go underground and barter with other Christians in order to get what they need. But we don’t plan to be here for all of this, amen? The Scriptures encourage believers with these words:

1Th 5:4-11 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. (6) Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (7) For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. (8) But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (9) For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (10) Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. (11) Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Revelation at a Glance – Day 30

By Kate Plourde

On June 27, 2022

In Devotionals, Revelation at a Glance

Rev 13:1-10 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (2) And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (3) And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (4) And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (5) And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (6) And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (7) And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (8) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (9) If any man have an ear, let him hear. (10) He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Welcome back! Our study is coming along and we are currently smack dab in the middle of the Tribulation period. You know, reader, my heart is conflicted: I’m excited to be with the Lord but I am also grieved. I grieve because I still have lost family and friends who think that I am a religious nut. I would rather be known as a religious nut than the person who did not give them the gospel of Jesus Christ! If you want to get an idea of what will happen once you die, this little booklet is a minute read and is right on point!

As we move on, this chapter introduces the diabolical duo. The first beast rises out of the sea and is known as the Antichrist, who is the devil incarnate. Just as Satan entered Judas to betray Jesus, Satan will enter the Antichrist and the Antichrist will do his bidding. He will be a global dictator and will work in concert with the second beast, who is the false prophet. The false prophet will be in charge of the one world religion and its religious leaders. They will team up to achieve Satan’s demonic agenda for the earth. Are you able to see that this one world religion is in its formative years? I surely can. By the time these two come on the scene, people will be ready – their hearts will be so entrapped in sin that makind will not want to hear about their sin or that they need to repent!

This Beast is none other than the man of sin and son of perdition referenced in 2Thessalonians 2:3. Zechariah prophesied of him in Zechariah 11:15-17 and says he is the idol shepherd. Daniel prophesied of him in Daniel 11:36-39. Wow … just wow! This timeframe is in the second half of the Tribulation because we see in Revelation 13:5 that the Beast “continues” for forty and two months. If you recall, the Antichrist comes into power with peace at the beginning of the Tribulation when he signs a peace treaty with Israel. In the middle of the Tribulation, he breaks that peace treaty. He continues to wage war and raises up two imposing figures. It isn’t till this second half of the Tribulation that they impose their power upon the earth. If you think Hitler was bad, history records that Stalin killed 30 million of his own people! The Antichrist will be even worse. He will have this type of evil power until the end of the Tribulation and King Jesus will put an end to that power.

Daniel prophesied (Daniel 11:36-39) that the Antichrist will speak blasphemies against God. This prophecy comes true in Revelation 13:6. Also, Daniel says (Daniel 11:37) the Antichrist will not “regard the God of his fathers” which leads us to believe he may be Jewish but won’t be following Judaism since he blasphemes “his tabernacle.” If he were a Gentile, he would have no need to blaspheme the tabernacle. The Antichrist’s reign will revolve around the following characteristics:

Wickedness – Revelation 13:1 – the definition for blasphemy reveals to us just how wicked he is. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines it as: vilification (especially against God): – blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.
Wounding – Revelation 13:3 – The injury sustained will result in healing and all will worship him because of it. He will be raised from the dead or will be healed which reveals that the Antichrist will be able to do counterfeit miracles. Remember, Zechariah 11:15-17 calls him an “idol shepherd,” which is a good choice of words!
Words of – Revelation 13:5-6 – He will speak great things. It reminds me of today’s preachers who don’t preach the Word of God but preach what people want to hear; words that will tickle their ears. (2Timothy 4:3) Just what is this tickling of the ears? Preaching sin does not tickle the ears, so it will be the total opposite! Today’s popular preachers are great orators and “life coaches,” but they do not preach from the Word of God; they love to speak of prosperity and the “love” gospel. Yes, God is love and He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. But God doesn’t stop there. Those who do not love His Son, Jesus, and are not born again will receive His judgment. These preachers do not talk about sin and God’s judgment for that sin. Be leary, reader, of whose teachings you sit under. The Antichrist will speak blasphemies and deceive earth’s inhabitants, so much so, they will be led to believe that he is God.
Warfare – Revelation 13:7 – We see war against the saints in this verse. But notice a very important word here: he overcomes them. This is yet more proof that today’s Church is not going through the Tribulation because these saints are martyred. We are not to go through God’s wrath: 1Thessalonians 1:10, 1Thessalonians 5:9, Romans 5:9.
Worship of – Revelation 13:4, Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 13:12 all speak of this first Beast, the Antichrist, receiving worship. Think about this for one moment: can you picture yourself bowing down and actually worshipping this being? It may seem farfetched but it won’t be during the Tribulation. Everyone will worship this Beast, except for the Tribulation saints. Their payment for denying to worship him will be death.

As you can see, the first Beast will be a furious and evil one. Don’t let the distractions of this world sidetrack you, reader. There is a judgment coming and you do not want to be a part of it. Settle this matter once and for all. Don’t delay as the Rapture can happen at any moment. (Matthew 24:36-42) 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!