“MY” TWO WITNESSES - MOSES & ELIJAH

Continuing our stroll through Revelation, we come to the point where we are introduced to two witnesses that are empowered by the LORD to serve with supernatural power and protection during the first half of the seven-year tribulation period.

Revelation 11:1–2 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

John is given a measuring stick and told to measure the temple of God, the altar and those that worship there.  The fact that John is told to measure certain things seems to indicate that these items, or what they represent, are treasured by the LORD.  The temple was first established to represent God’s presence among His people, His desire to fellowship with them.  The altar represents the great sacrifice that He was willing to make to redeem those He loves from sin.  The worshippers represent those that have chosen to accept His sacrifice on their behalf and who desire intimate fellowship with Him.  Though the physical temple will be desecrated and the sacrifice of Jesus scorned by the Antichrist and those that follow Him, those that worship Him will emerge victorious when He returns to establish His earthly kingdom and build a new and glorious temple.

John was specifically instructed not to measure the outer court because it had been given to the Gentiles for 42 months—3.5 years, the last half of the tribulation period. It’s like John is being told that although the Gentiles will be in control for that period of time, Jesus will preserve that which is holy and separate to Him—including the worshippers.  This seems to infer that Israel is in control during the first 3.5 years, since the antichrist takes control the second 3.5 years.  This understanding is supported by the prophet Daniel.

Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease….”

            Reminder:  one week = seven years

Once the temple is rebuilt, it will be a place of worship to God once again during the first 3.5 years.  This will be a time of opportunity for the Jews to turn back to God in faith.  After the first 3.5 years Antichrist will step in to desecrate the holy place.  Paul talks about this in his letter to the Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 2:3–4 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”

Note that the angel identifies the two witnesses as representing Him; I believe this identifies the mighty angel as Jesus.  The whole purpose of these witnesses is to witness to the truth of God’s word and the salvation that is available to all through Jesus.  They will not be politically correct.  They will identify sin and man’s need for deliverance from that sin.  Their message will cause people to hate them and desire to get rid of them.

Revelation 11:4-6 “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”

The two witnesses are identified as “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks” that stand before God.  I believe these are the same to olive trees spoken of by the prophet Zechariah.

Zechariah 4:2-3 & 11-14 “And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof….Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?  And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?  And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.  Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

In Zechariah the immediate application would seem to be to Joshua and Zerubbabel, but I am sure that the primary application is to these two future witnesses to “the whole earth.”   Just as Joshua and Zerubbabel were standing as God’s spirit-filled representatives to Judah at the time of Zechariah’s ministry, these two witnesses will be standing as God’s spirit-filled representatives to the whole earth during the first part of that tribulation period.  I believe the Spirit will be ministering on earth during the tribulation or 70^th week, just as He did during the first 69 weeks of that time prophesied by Daniel. 

That we are talking about two special individuals is clear from the context of the passage. The word for witness includes the implication of being a martyr—which will be true of them as we find out in the following verses.  They will prophesy (foretell and tell forth) the truth of God for 1,260 days or 3.5 years (v3).  They will wear the traditional “sackcloth” identified with the Old Testament prophets. 

Since they are not specifically identified by Jesus, we can only speculate as to their identity.  I used to believe that it would be Enoch and Elijah since they are the two men that scripture reveals never saw physical death.  Scripture tells us in Hebrews 9:27 that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”  This is, of course, excluding the generation that will “not sleep” as identified by Paul.

1Corinthians 15:51 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed….”

However, I believe the writer to the Hebrews provides further insight.

Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

Remember, Enoch was not a Jew.  God’s primary focus during the 70^th week is upon the people of Israel.  It makes better sense that the witnesses in Jerusalem be Jewish.  I believe that Enoch is a type of the raptured body of believers who are rescued from the outpouring of God’s wrath that will occur basically concurrent with the tribulation period. 

We are told in Malachi that Elijah will be sent before the Lord Jesus returns, and I believe that identifies him as one of the witnesses.

Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.”

I tend to agree with many others that believe that the other witness will be Moses because the powers demonstrated by these two men are very similar to those that Moses and Elijah demonstrated during their time as prophets.  The fact that they appeared with Jesus when the three disciples were allowed to witness the glorified Jesus also seems to set them apart as special servants of God.

(to be continued…)

A MIGHTY ANGEL WITH A MESSAGE BOTH SWEET AND BITTER

With this post we encounter another one of those parenthetical inserts that give us foundational information for better understanding of God’s actions as events continue to unfold (similar to what was done in chapters 4-5).  We are paused between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, between the second and third warning woes announced by the angel.

Revelation 10:1–4 “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”

                                                                                       

John sees another (different) mighty angel/messenger come down from heaven that is clothed with a cloud; a rainbow is on his head, his face is as the sun, and his feet look like pillars of fire.  As you continue reading in this chapter and follow the pronouns, by the time you come to chapter 11:3, it seems to identify this angel as Jesus (“my two witnesses…”).  There are other places in the scripture where the pre-incarnate Jesus is referred to as the angel of the Lord:

When talking to Hagar – Genesis 16:10 “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”

When talking to Abraham re his willingness to sacrifice Isaac – Genesis 22:15-16 “And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.”

When appearing to Moses – Exodus 3:2 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”

In the angel’s hand is a little book that is open.  He sets His right foot on the sea and His left foot on the earth.  I would assume this to be a symbolic gesture indicating that what He is about to read from the book will affect the whole earth (land and sea).  He cries out with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth (cf Rev. 5:5), and when He cries out, 7 thunders speak.  John is forbidden—by a voice from heaven, not the angel—to write what he heard the 7 thunders say, so it is futile to speculate.  I tend to think that the crying out of the mighty angel and the expression of the 7 thunders were one and the same. 

   

There is an interesting cross-reference in Psalms re the voice of the Lord and thunder. 

Psalm 29:3-9 “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.  The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.  The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.  The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.  The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.  The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.”

“when he had cried” v3 – The Greek for when includes while as a possible choice, and I think it seems to be the better choice.

The picture seems to be of a voice that speaks with power, authority, force, and supernatural strength and knowledge—a voice that reverberates with divine power and truth.

Obvious question—Why would the Holy Spirit inspire John to write that he heard something and then not allow him to reveal what he heard?

Revelation 10:5–7 “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”

There are also other places in the scripture where God swore by Himself since there is nothing of more value or power to swear by.

Genesis 22:16 “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.”

Isaiah 45:23 “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

Jeremiah 22:5 “But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.”

Hebrews 6:13 “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself.”

What does He swear?  “…that there should be time no longer.”  God is outside the dimension of time.  The dimension of time belongs to man.  The meaning of this verse seems to tie directly to the next verse.  It is an indication that the mystery of God (His complete plan of redemption and the establishment of His kingdom on planet earth) should be finished, should come to pass, should unfold on the world scene just as He had foretold through His prophets.  This has been a mystery since the full truth could not be understood until the appropriate time in the ages of mankind had come.

Evidently, when the angel with the 7th trumpet begins to blow, this will usher in the “great tribulation.”  It is interesting that the word days (plural) is used to describe the voice of the 7th angel.  This supports the concept of the 7 vials as an ongoing result of the sounding of the 7th trumpet.

Revelation 10:8–11 “And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”

John doesn’t hesitate when he is told to go and take the book from the hand of the angel.  I keep reminding myself that John was the beloved disciple and had a special relationship to Jesus.  I also know that he would never have presumed to try and take the book had it not been for the authority from heaven directing him to do so.  John is instructed to eat the book when it is given to him.  He is warned that even though it may taste sweet, it will make him sick to his stomach as he begins to digest its contents.  The contents, I believe, spoke of God’s glorious victory and reign (sweet to the taste), but also of the terrible things that would have to happen on earth before He took His throne in Jerusalem (made the belly bitter).

This is not a new concept.  Ezekiel had a similar experience.

Ezekiel 3:1-4 “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel.  So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll.  And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.”

Obviously, asking John to eat the scroll is an expression telling him to absorb the contents.  Just as with Ezekiel, John is then told to go and share the message—Ezekiel with the people of Israel and John with many peoples, nations, tongues and kings.  John is still prophesying through the written word today.  This is as was intended from the beginning of the revelation.  He was commanded to write (Rev. 1:19) and then he was told what not to write (Rev. 10:4).  The whole purpose of the Revelation was to enlighten the churches and tribulation saints on a need to know basis as determined by the Father until Jesus returns as King.

(to be continued…)

THE SIXTH TRUMPET -- SATAN'S ARMY OF 200,000,000

In this post we have come to the sixth trumpet judgment—the second judgment pronounced as a special woe by the angel that gave warning preceding the final three trumpet judgments.

Revelation 9:12–19 “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.  And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

A voice of command comes from the golden altar before God ordering the release of the four angels bound in/at/upon the great river Euphrates.

Who are the 4 angels?  Why were they bound? 

I had a thought that maybe the four angels were the main “principalities or powers” connected to the countries bordering the Euphrates—but my map only shows Iraq, Syria and Turkey.  It’s hard to tell from the maps I’ve seen, but it looks like one end of it is at the Iranian border where it connects with the Tigris and flows into the Persian Gulf, so maybe that could be number 4.  We know from Daniel that there are evil spiritual forces associated with nations.

Daniel 10:12–13 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”

These angels had been “prepared” (the Greek references internal fitness) for their actions at this specific point in time—“an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.”  They are eager to begin killing a third part of men on planet earth. 

So many people fall for the deceptions of the enemy.  False teachers and deceitful miracle workers are instruments of Satan and his forces of fallen angels and demons.   These evil spiritual powers also manifest as spirit guides and apparitions of Mary with deceitful messages that encourage people to trust them.   The truth is that though they may appear as angels of light, they only want to “steal, kill and destroy.”  They have a single-minded goal—to keep people from saving faith.

John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

When the four bound angels are let loose, they are able to gather an army that is 200,000,000 strong—I would assume from the territory in which they have been bound.  It would seem that Satan and his armies have a great stronghold over the people in that area, and I believe that to be the current day reality. 

As John tries to describe this army, it is obvious he is trying to describe something very unfamiliar.  This is definitely a section that could give speculation to his trying to describe modern day weaponry.  The connecting factor in the words used to describe the breastplates seems to be color and appearance.  John sees an army approaching with a vivid appearance (flaming, deep blue, lemon yellow).  The head of a lion would indicate danger and something to fear (not usually associated with the head of a horse).  Their mouths are not just biting; they are projecting fire (that looks like lightning), smoke and brimstone (flashing).  This could be representative of gunfire or explosions.  As John continues his description, he makes it clear that this “horse” can attack from his rear as well as head on.  These “horses” have tails with heads of their own that can inflict death as well.  There is obviously much room for speculation here, but I believe those that are searching the scripture during that time will have no problem connecting these verses with the reality.

Revelation 9:20-21 “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

It would appear to me that since these armies are coming by land and seem to originate around the Euphrates, the third of men slain by them would be in that broad general region.  The rest of men (left on the earth), the remaining 2/3, that were not killed still did not repent of their evil deeds.  This would even make more sense to me in that we tend to think—those things may happen in that part of the world, but that could never happen “here.” 

They continue to worship devils and false gods, idols of their own making.  These idols represent material wealth and they are available to every strata of society—from the wealthy to the poor (gold to wood).  These idols are lifeless and powerless and those that worship them are just like them, as so aptly described by the psalmist.

Psalms 135:15–18 “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.”

These unrepentant men continue to kill each other without guilt or conscience.  They continue to use drugs, magic, sorcery and witchcraft.  I believe that Satan and his demons will be empowering more and more people in this area as time goes by.  They continue in all kinds of sexual immorality thinking only of pleasing themselves.  They continue to take what they want, by theft if necessary.  The motto of these people seems to be, “Whatever makes me happy is OK,” or “It’s all about me.”

This of course brings to mind the verse concerning the days of Noah.

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

(to be continued…)

THE FIFTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT – LOCUSTS FROM THE BOTTOMLESS PIT

As we continue our stroll through John’s prophecy, we have come to the last three trumpet judgments.  These judgments are preceded by the special appearance of an angel crying out a warning to the people on planet earth.

Revelation 8:13 “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”

I believe this is an act of mercy urging men to gather their wits and realize that God is trying to get their attention to turn to Him for deliverance.  The three woes correspond to trumpets 5-7.

Revelation 9:1-6 “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”

When the fifth trumpet is sounded, John sees a “star” fall from heaven, and to “him” was given the key to the bottomless pit.  Note that right in the context of the scripture we are told that this “star” is a being that is performing an assigned duty;  “he” is given the key to the bottomless pit.  When we reach Revelation 12, John will use this same term in reference to the angels of God that chose to follow Satan in rebellion against God.

Revelation 12:3–4 & 9 “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth…. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

The bottomless pit (“abussos” in the Greek) is the place to which a legion of demons begged Jesus not to send them. 

Luke 8:30–31 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.

Since he falls to earth, I would assume the bottomless pit to be in the center of the earth, a sphere, a place with no “bottom.”

My notes indicate that the word “fall” is past tense in the original Greek.  Could this indicate that this fallen star is a reference to Satan or one of the other fallen angels?

The angel evidently unlocks the pit, which implies that the beings in residence there have been deliberately imprisoned until this time.  When these beings escape from the pit, there are so many that they look like smoke coming from a big furnace.  There are so many that “the smoke” darkens the sun and the air. 

Creatures that John calls locusts emerge from the smoke.  The following verses will prove that these are obviously not normal locusts.  These locusts are given power to pierce and sting like a scorpion, but their power is limited.  They cannot hurt the grass of the earth, any green thing, or any tree.  They can only torture and inflict pain on those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.  They are not allowed to kill men; they are only allowed to torment them for five months.  Men will seek to die for relief from the pain, but they will not be allowed to die.  Again, this is another opportunity for men to turn to God in faith and obedience.

In my research I found this note in an article, “Iran in Bible Prophecy,” by Darrell Young of Focus on Jerusalem Prophecy Ministry.  It will reference Amos 7:1 (shown preceding quote).

Amos 7:1 “Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me; and, behold, he formed grasshoppers in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and, lo, it was the latter growth after the king’s mowings.”

“…an earlier translation of the Old Testament into Greek, known as the Septuagint, embodies a different rending of Amos 7:1, “thus the Lord showed me, and behold a swarm of locusts were coming and behold one of the young devastating locusts was Gog, the King.”

This fits in with my belief that these locusts are part of the legions of Satan.  It also connects the demon Gog referenced in Ezekiel 38-39 and Revelation 20 to Abaddon/Apollyon identified in the following verses as the king of the locusts. 

This brings up the question of the men with the seal of God in their foreheads.  Up to this point we have only been told of 144,000 that are sealed by God in their foreheads (Rev. 7:4).  The number of those sealed and the time of the sealing were specific.  You would like to think that anyone that turned to Jesus in faith during this terrible time would also be sealed, but I don’t think you can find proof for that in the revelation given to John. 

Who is giving power to the locusts?  Obviously, the one who is in control of the judgments befalling the inhabitants of earth—Jesus, the righteous Judge.

Revelation 9:7-11 “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”

John tries to describe these locusts.  They were shaped like horses prepared for battle.  On their heads was something that looked like a crown of gold.  Their faces resembled that of man.  They had long hair like a woman, and their teeth were similar to those of a lion.  They had breastplates that looked like they were made of iron.  The movement of their wings sounded like many chariots and horses running to battle.  Their tails looked like a scorpion’s and their sting came from their tail.  They had the power to hurt men for five months.

I believe this is a very specific group of demons that were imprisoned by God.  Maybe they are the angels that are referenced in Jude 6—“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”  Peter seems to confirm this to be the case.

2Peter 2:4 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment….”

The wording used by Jude and Peter is practically identical, and I am convinced they are referencing the same group of beings.  I believe these are the angels that cohabited with women to produce the “nephilim” or fallen ones that became giants in the earth preceding the time of the flood.  Their purpose was to try to contaminate humanity and prevent the birth of the “seed of the woman” promised in Genesis.

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

The “seed of the woman” was the first promise of the coming Messiah who would redeem mankind from sin and effect the final destruction of Satan and his legions.

It is hard to imagine that many fallen angels engaged in intimacy with the women and producing offspring that were not fully human.  Evidently, the numbers were huge if Noah was the only man who found grace in the eyes of the Lord and who was “perfect” in his generations.

Genesis 6:8-9 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”

The word for “perfect” means without blemish, complete, without spot, undefiled.  In other words, Satan almost succeeded in destroying the line of descent necessary for the Messiah by corrupting human DNA.  Isn’t it interesting that we are once again on the road to corrupting the DNA of man through genetic engineering?  It sort of casts a new light on Jesus’ statement comparing end times to the days of Noah.

Matthew 24:37 “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

John next informs us that these beings have a king whose name is Abaddon, Apollyon in Greek, both of which reference a destroyer, a fitting title of Satan and any who follow him.  This also affirms that these are not normal locusts since scripture informs us that they have no king.

Proverbs 30:27 “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands….”

The king is the undisputed ruler of these demons (which lends more credence to him being Satan).

I’ve printed out a portion of Joel 2 below to show the similarities between that passage and this one in Revelation.  There are enough similarities to make one try to tie them together, but I am still not sure that this is the right thing to do.  Verse 3 gives me the most problem in this respect.  The “locusts” in Revelation have as their purpose to harm men—not the land; they are only to harm—not destroy.

Joel 2:1-11 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, (cf 9:2) as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; (cf 9:7) and as horsemen, so shall they run.  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains  (cf 9:9) shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.  Before their face the people shall be much pained (cf 9:6):  all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.  The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:  (cf 9:2) And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

Note:  Verse 8 indicates that these beings are different from man as are the locusts from the bottomless pit with the phrase “when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.”

(to be continued…)

THE TRUMPET JUDGMENTS BEGIN

Continuing our stroll through the book of Revelation, we have come to the second series of judgments.  Though there are some that teach that the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments are just one series of judgments presented different ways in more detail, I cannot accept that teaching.  Each series of judgments are unique and presented as impacting planet earth with increasing severity and devastation.

Revelation 8:6-12 “And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”

Although no time frame is given, the 7th seal and the first four trumpet judgments seem to be authorized and dispensed in fairly rapid succession, as did the first four seals. 

The first trumpet judgment results in a great hailstorm mixed with fire and blood.  The major impact to planet earth is to burn up a third of the trees and all the green grass.  This judgment clearly seems to be in reference to a worldwide impact.

The second trumpet judgment John has to describe the best he can.  It looks to him like a big mountain of fire is cast into the sea (a meteor?).  As a result, a third of the sea became blood; it doesn’t say as blood; it says blood.  A third of the created living things in the sea die, and a third of the ships in the sea are destroyed. 

When the third trumpet is blown, a great star that is burning like a lamp falls upon a third of the rivers and fountains of fresh waters.  This appears to refer to a specific section of planet earth.  The star is called Wormwood (calamity, bitterness).  Many men die because of the bitter, acrid waters that are evidently poisonous.  Could this be the time about which Jeremiah prophesied? 

Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

As I contemplate the possibility of meteors, it brings to mind the teaching of science that if a “great star” were to hit planet earth, it would pretty much destroy life as we know it.  Of course, we really don’t know the size of this “star” when it hits—just that it appears to be big as it is headed for earth.  Maybe God causes it to splinter into smaller, less devastating pieces that poison a third of the fresh waters on earth; that would represent a very large area of impact.

Once the fourth angel sounds his trumpet a third of the sun, the moon and the stars are darkened to the extent that there is absolutely no light for a third part of the day and a third part of the night.  In my mind this fits right in with the fact that darkness in scripture is connected to evil, and evil will be running rampant upon the earth at that time.

John 3:19-20 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

(to be continued…)

A DEAFENING SILENCE IN HEAVEN

With this post we will continue building on the foundation of information established in previous posts.  This post begins with the opening of the seventh seal.

Revelation 8:1 “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”

It would seem that after a time of praise and worship in heaven, the opening of the seventh seal causes all in heaven to become silent in anticipation of what will follow.  We are talking billions of angels and saints; that silence must be deafening.

Revelation 8:2-5 “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”

Either during or directly after that silence it seems that a special ceremony is conducted before God that is directly connected to the trumpet judgments to follow.  The seven angels that will authorize the next seven judgments are presented the trumpets they will blow to announce the dispensing of each judgment.  Another angel with a golden censer appears to offer incense along with the prayers of the saints on the golden altar before the throne.  The smoke that arises from the burning incense is directly related to the prayers of the saints that ascend to God. 

When I think of an altar, I think of sacrifice.  I believe that the incense being offered represents the sweet smell of obedience to the Lord, sacrifices that were made in obedience to God—especially the sacrifice of His Son.  We were told in Revelation 5:8 that the prayers of the saints were odours.  The word for odours is the same word for incense—thumiama.  Prayer is also a sweet smell of obedience to the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

The smoke from the incense ascends before God from the censer in the angel’s hand.  He then takes the censer and fills it with fire from the altar.  Sacrifices made at the altar were representative of judgment for sin.  Now the fire from the heavenly altar is being cast to the earth in approval of the judgment against sin that is to follow. 

Most of my life I have heard it taught that the seventh seal only served to introduce the seven trumpet judgments.  Actually, it also results in judgment on earth.  When it is opened, the people on earth experience:

·      Voices – noises, sounds, voices are all possibilities

·      Thunderings – to roar

·      Lightnings – lightning, glare, bright shining

·      an earthquake – a commotion, rock to and fro, agitation, shaking

Are the voices in some way associated with our prayers?  Are the voices understandable?  Where is the center of this activity?  Is it worldwide?  From my perspective, the thunderings and lightnings aren’t as frightening as the earthquake—but I’m not sure but what the voices would be the cause of greatest fear. 

The specific answers to my questions aren’t what are important.  What is important is that God is trying to get the attention of those on planet earth—to get as many to call on Him for deliverance as will. 

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

(to be continued…)