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REVELATION CHAPTER 7 - 9 KJV WEB See previous page Rev 7,1-17 (50d) Judgmen t >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Jews lead the world into revival >> Leading the harvest at the end of the age – A Jewish revival is coming, and it will be an ingathering of souls in numbers like sand on the seashore. The sin that God will take away is unbelief, and disobedience will disappear with it. In these last days God is about to call His chosen race back to faith in Jesus, calling them to initialize a Great Endtime Revival involving the gentiles. This has been God’s plan for Israel from the very beginning, and God will write His truth in their hearts on a clean slate. For this reason we believing gentiles need to recognize ourselves as spiritual Jews, so when we hear the call of the Jewish people to repentance and faith in Christ, and when they disseminate the true doctrines of the faith to a waiting gentile Church, we may follow their lead and be saved from this present evil age to a kingdom that is about to appear on the earth. See also: Great Endtime Revival; 228g (228g) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God is working in you to place you in His will >> To lead you in His purpose – We are talking about millions of people being saved in the last days, yet the gentile Church has not accounted for a revival, but have completely overlooked it as a result of their Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory. They figure they will be raptured, so it doesn’t matter to them that there is a revival. They interpret this multitude in verse 9 as those who were left behind and later got saved. The generation that sees the coming of the Lord will be part of this revival, but if we are not looking for it, our religiosity might blind our eyes to the truth and leave us unprepared for Christ's second coming, just as Israel was unprepared at Jesus' first coming. This will happen to many who consider themselves Christians: they will reject this revival when it comes, which is God's plan of salvation in the last days from the antichrist. They will witness the seals being fulfilled, and they will see the antichrist coming to power, yet they will hold to their Pre-Tribulation Rapture theory, because they are too proud and stubborn to admit they were wrong. This scenario will fulfill itself in a lot of people, but there will be many who will acknowledge they are witnessing a holy move of God, being that signs and wonders will accompany this revival. People will wake up and abandon their previous beliefs, and God will add countless millions of souls to the Church. As the four horsemen of the apocalypse are ravaging the earth, people will see this revival in its early stages and clamor to it, seeing that it offers hope and deliverance. Unity will form among its members greater even than the early church. Many millions will be saved, but the rest will be hardened. So, this revival will have the effect of drawing a line between the righteous and the wicked, requiring everyone in the world to decide which side they stand, and riding the fence will not be an option. See also: Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7,1-8; 210i Rev 7,1-8 (50g) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> Sealing the 144,000 Jews (210i) Salvation >> Jews and gentiles are being saved >> Salvation is from the Jews >> Jews are believers >> Gospel belongs to the Jew first – John the revelator takes the time to make it clear that there will be 144,000 Jewish witnesses, twelve thousand from each tribes of Israel. Obviously, they have kept records of their genealogy throughout the entire age of grace, otherwise they would not have known their tribe, or that they were even Jews. What Jew has kept track of their heritage all these centuries, but the orthodox Jew? They are the ones who are still zealous for the ancient promises to the patriarchs, and they are the ones whom God would seem least likely to choose to do His will, but then so was Paul. God will choose those who have been following their Jewish roots from the beginning, who hold to the beliefs of antiquity, who still consider them significant to this day. God is about spinning an unbroken thread throughout the course of man for anyone to trace and discover its origins in the faith of Abraham. God has told us that He chooses, “…the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1Cor 1,27-29). God did not get His way with the Jewish people in the early days of the Church, but turned to the gentiles and offered them the administration of the gospel, who have held that office to this day. However, God always gets His way, particularly in the last days when He restores the Jewish race to fulfill the promises made to the fathers. The faith the gentiles have in Christ they have borrowed from the Jews. God intends to restore the Jews to their rightful place in the last days as leaders of things pertaining to God ( Romans 11). See also: Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7,1-3; 111j (219b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> Man is not in control of God’s calling – The vast majority of gentiles today interpret this last day’s Jewish enlightenment as occurring just prior to Christ’s return, too late to conduct any kind of ministry toward the gentiles, suggesting that the gentiles don’t want the Jews to rule over their faith. Rev 7,1-3 (15i) Servant >> Angels execute Judgment >> For the sake of the Church (111j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the judgment of God – Far as we know there is no judgment in the book of Revelation that involves wind; so the four angels holding back the four winds from the earth, if it doesn’t pertain to judgment, then what does it mean? We know that Jesus equated the activity of the Holy Spirit with wind, saying, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn 3-8). These angels who are holding back the four winds indicate a lull before the storm. The next chapter has a period of silence too, "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Rev 8-1). These two periods of silence are back-to-back, the first a silence on earth, and the second a silence in heaven. People who have reported being victims of a tornado say that before it came the air became eerily calm, not a leaf shuddered or grass swayed in alarming silence. In the last days just before all hell breaks loose a deep quietness will envelop the earth, and heaven itself will be quiet. There was a fifth angel that ascended from the rising of the sun, suggesting that the day will come unexpectedly early, and the angel had a message for the four angels who were holding back the wind; he told them not to harm the earth or the sea until they have sealed the bondservants on their foreheads. They will be sealed before the rising of the sun, and when the angels finally release the wind, it will blow salvation upon the earth. The special event of God sealing His Jewish witnesses occurs in total silence, why? Go back to the Old Testament where God sent to Elijah a strong wind, an earthquake, fire and at last a gentle breeze, and God was in the gentle breeze (1King 19,11-14). Peace that passes all understanding will be the seal of the 144,000, and their countenance will reflect this. They will use peace to war against the antichrist. See also: Great Endtime Revival; 148k / Silence; Rev 7-1; 250f (148k) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Obligation to preach the gospel >> Consumed by the desire to do it – All 144,000 Jewish witnesses will have experiences similar to Paul, who had an encounter of Jesus Christ along the road to Damascus. This experience seared the truth into Paul, permanently sealing it into him, and from that day he was a changed man, whose passion for God was redirected into the ways of truth. These Jewish ministers will preach the gospel, first in Jerusalem, then to all the surrounding areas, even to the remotest parts of the earth, just as the early apostles did. God used twelve apostles then, but in the last days He will use 144,000; that’s twelve thousand ministers of fire for every early apostle, twelve thousand times the manpower, all endowed with an anointing similar to Paul, who never personally met Jesus in the flesh, but in the Spirit, and his encounter enabled him to change the world (Act 17-6). See also: Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7-1; 250f Rev 7-1 (250f) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> Natural then the spiritual (obedience then anointing) – This absence of wind is indicative of silence. A hush came over the earth, like the silence that comes over an area just before to a tornado comes and levels everything. This is verse one, and in the very next chapter (verse one) it speaks again of “silence in heaven for about half an hour.” The earth gave a moment of silence as God bestowed His grace and mercy on the 144,000, but in chapter eight there was a moment of silence in heaven because of the hell that God was about to unleash on the earth. “However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual” (1Cor 15-46). This is a pattern we often see in Scripture. The earthly silence is one, and the heavenly silence is another, suggesting a difference in judgment: one is judging the Church from the earth’s standpoint, while the other is judging the world from heaven’s standpoint. There was silence on the earth while the angels sealed the bondservants of God on their foreheads, and after they had sealed them, there was silence in heaven for about a half-hour. “After this” (v1) came after chapter six that spoke about martyrdom, so we cannot misconstrue the sequence of events; that is, we cannot have a revival without martyrs. Therefore, just as we must be obedient before we can receive an anointing, so the Church must be obedient until death (Rev 6,9-11) before God will seal His 144,000, who will lead the saints that remain to victory over the beast. If there were no resurrection, this scenario would prove that God hates sin more than He loves His children, but there is a resurrection, proving that God loves us as much as He hates sin. This is a notable point in that God is trying to teach us about Himself, and He wants to use us to judge the world, and for that He will reward His martyrs with a better resurrection (Heb 11-35). See also: Martyrdom; Rev 7-2; 112h / Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7,2-8; 71k / Silence; Rev 8-1,2; 224g KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 7,2-8 (71k) Authority >> Ordained by God >> We have His seal – The book of Revelation refers to three kinds of seals. It refers to the seven seals of God’s judgment; it refers to the seal of the 144,000, and it refers to the seal of Satan’s mark. This seal of the 144,000 is an anointing that God will bestow on His Jewish bondservants. The seal is applied to the forehead, a seal of knowledge, acting as certification, giving reason for the gentiles to trust them with their lives, and giving them a Revelation of Jesus Christ, which is the title and theme of this book. The gentiles will inherit the seal when they believe in the Jewish doctrines and their ministry, and when they obey the truth that God put in their mouths and walk in their commandments. The seal will immune them to the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments that God intends to unleash on the world, while the woman and her children flee into the wilderness, similar to the days of Moses and the Israelites who were immune to God’s judgments against the Egyptians while they remained in the land of Goshen. The first seal of the early apostles came with a mighty wind at Pentecost that blew the gospel into the age of grace that would last 2,000 years, while the second sealing of the apostles came with angels holding back the wind, signifying the conclusion of this age. See also: Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7-9; 218j Rev 7-2,3 (8i) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God's cause >> Preparing for Judgment – The angels of God will place His seal on the foreheads of His chosen saints, like He ordered Israel to place blood on the doorpost of their houses on the first Passover in ancient times during their rescue from Pharaoh in the land of Egypt. This act will also prove the well known ‘Mark of the Beast’ to be a counterfeit of God's seal, illustrating once again Satan's total lack of creativity. In fact, in order for the devil to imitate God’s seal on the saints, the Mark of the Beast must come after sealing the 1444,000, giving the sequence of events that unfold in the fulfillment of endtime prophecy. Also see: Sequence of Revelation. (101f) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> Fulfill your calling with zeal (132d) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a pledge >> His Spirit is a seal Rev 7-2 (112h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light exposes sin >> Light reveals hidden deeds – It was still night when the angel beat the sunrise to the day. Man thought he had more time to live out his life of sin and unbelief, like vampires calculating to the minute when the sun would rise before daylight interrupted their deeds of darkness, and they hibernated in their coffins by day. However, this time God caught them in their sins. The Church waited 2000 years for the return of Christ, and when He finally came, the time was cut short. Things happened so fast, those unprepared could not race against the events that were transpiring in rapid succession. The wicked suffered great horror and torment, while discovering a sense of peace all around them after martyring the saints, and they didn’t know what to make of it. This was when God was sealing His bondservants on their foreheads, putting His mark on them, a countenance of peace, but what followed the wicked was absolute terror that hunted them like dogs, the same fate they had recently afflicted on the saints. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 7-9; 218j Rev 7-3 (12h) Servant >> Bond servant >> Their indifference to the world (80b) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word in spiritual warfare >> To deliver yourself from bondage Rev 7,9-17 (50j) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> Seventh trumpet - Rapture of the Church KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 7,9-12 (50h) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The saints flee into the wilderness - Spiritual warfare (pre-rapture ascension) (224l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The throne room of heaven – Worshipping God is what happens in heaven; it sounds boring to the unregenerate, but to those who are bought by the blood of the Lamb, nothing is more lovely and appropriate. Heaven is more than this, though. What John is describing is an event that calls for celebration and worship. We won’t stand around the throne and worship Him forever; God will give us things to do, and then we will return to His throne and worship Him some more. There will be festivals, celebrations and ceremonies like what John is describing where we will all come together and worship God, giving thanks and praise to Him and rejoice in our salvation. (237j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Citizens of heaven – The subject of the Church being transferred to the kingdom is in reference to the ascension, speaking in future tense that one day we will be with the Lord in heaven and in the presence of God the Father, seated with Jesus at His right-hand, who is seated at His Father’s right-hand. This is the authority we will have in eternity. This multitude is saved from the great tribulation. These are the Rapture saints. It sounds as through they suddenly appeared, but these are the children of the 144,000, gentile Christians saved through their Jewish ministry, participants of the Rapture that will take place, marking the end of the tribulation. What are they doing in heaven before the time? The Bible teaches that prior to the Rapture, the Church will experience a spiritual ascension, so whether we go to heaven or heaven comes down to us, we are with the Lord. See also: Ascension; Rev 7-9; 218j (252h) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God for who He is >> Worship God for being God Rev 7-9,10 (252a) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship Jesus (Because He is equal with God) >> Jesus is worthy of our worship >> Worship Jesus for His inherent worthiness Rev 7-9 (113c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Clothe yourself with good works -- This verse goes with verses 13-15 (149d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Compel them to come in >> Forceful persuasion (218j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> Reaping the harvest in eternity -- This verse goes with verses 13&14. This “great multitude, which no one could count” are obviously gentiles, since they are “from every nation.” Keep in mind that the previous chapter spoke of martyrs. It stands to reason that this Jewish ministry is responsible for the great multitude in heaven, since they were mentioned immediately after introducing the 144,000. They will direct a global revival that is happening as a result of the four horsemen of the apocalypse ravaging the human population, creating hell on earth as the antichrist comes to power. This Jewish ministry is God’s answer to the martyrdom of the saints, mentioned in chapter six, suggesting that their purpose is to guide and protect the gentile Church from the antichrist, who is seeking to destroy them. This scene of a multitude standing in heaven does not indicate that the Rapture occurs at this time, for the rapture doesn't occur until the end of the Tribulation at the last Trumpet. Rather, this multitude refers to a little-known concept called the spiritual ascension that could be described as the rapture of our spirit, while our flesh remains on earth. It says that palm branches were in their hands. Remember the triumphal entry written in Luke 19,28-40, the people rejoiced and spread their coats on the road with palm branches in their hands, celebrating what they "supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately" (Lk 19-11). This scene is a depiction of that actual event! The 144,000 will protect the gentile church by multiplying their numbers into the millions and leading them into the wilderness, where they will set up various camps throughout the world. Unity will become a threat to the antichrist, along with signs, wonders and miracles performed by the Two Witnesses, stationed in Jerusalem. We see revival transpiring parallel with Satan rising to power through the atrocities of the apocalypse and in the midst of Christian martyrdom. The Church will obey Jesus Christ and develop the courage and boldness in their God to grow in power, affluence and numbers, right under the nose of the antichrist, while he is trying to destroy them. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 7,13-15; 4f / Ascension; Rev 7-13,14; 218j / Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7-14; 115l Rev 7-11 (15g) Servant >> Angels >> The presence of angels denotes authority Rev 7-12 (82h) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> Thankfulness >> Giving thanks for His mercy (89j) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Jesus is the wisdom of God (244b) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to his increase >> The Father is eternally glorified KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 7,13-17 (32f) Gift of God >> Father will honor you if you die to self >> In His service – His tabernacle refers to the New Jerusalem. It is an expandable edifice to accommodate its inhabitants. The New Jerusalem will be a 1500-mile cube, and God’s throne is in the center of it. What does God need or want from us but worship? We will worship God in heaven like we worship Him on earth, in everything we do. We dedicate our lives for the purpose of worshipping God, and if we will become His worshippers, He will honor us. (39e) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Victory >> Jesus overcame the world (98g) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> (Faith à Suffering à Glory of Christ) >> The resurrection (102k) Thy kingdom come >> Loyalty (Faithfulness) >> Tried and true >> Loyal (119i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Curse of sin is broken >> Curse of death is broken (224f) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> We shall always be with the Lord Rev 7,13-15 (4f) Responsibility >> Responsible to advocate God’s cause >> From him who has shall much be required – Paul said that the Rapture will occur at the last trumpet (1Cor 15-52), mentioned in Rev 11-15. This means that God's people will remain on the earth throughout the seals of Satan’s wrath and throughout the trumpets of God’s judgment with the Rapture occurring at the end of the trumpets. Although Satan will have martyred a large number of Christians ( Rev 6,9-11), being the reason for God’s trumpet judgments, their numbers will not be as great as this throng of people mentioned in Rev 7-9 that speaks of a multitude too great to number. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 7-14; 115l / Rapture (Last trumpet); Rev 10,1-11; 50i (5f) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> God tests your faith through hardship (113c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Clothe yourself with good works -- These verses go with verse 9. We wash our good works in the righteousness of Christ, making them white in the blood of the lamb, denoting the concept of Working the Grace of God, which is a subject still ahead in later topics of this study. The Lord has furnished His blood that we use to wash our robes. Clothes refer to our good works; they were dirty and we washed them in His blood, that we may continue doing the good works of His calling. Unbelievers have robes made of a material weaved in sin, and if they tried to wash them, their clothes would disintegrate, and they would be found naked and unable to live in heaven, because they have no good works to clothe their nakedness. There are two kinds of good works: our righteousness, which are the good works that God has prepared for us, and His righteousness in the blood of Christ. Together these two make up our heavenly attire. His righteousness without our righteousness is sanctimonious (hypocritically pious or devout: Merriam Webster Dictionary); whereas our righteousness without His righteousness is legalistic. Neither of these cases has saved anyone, nor do they lead to heaven. See also: Working the grace of God (God has called us to work with him); Mat 24-24; 219h Rev 7-13,14 (218j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> Reaping the harvest in eternity -- These verses go with verse 9. People from every corner of the globe will be part of this great throng. Verse 9 says they are “a great multitude which no one could count;” their numbers range in the millions. They are in heaven, and they are Rapture saints, but before the rapture there will be a spiritual ascension, where the saints are spiritually caught-up to God and to His throne before they are physically raptured. They are not from a pre-tribulation Rapture, for they are considered tribulation saints. Some say these are Christians who get saved after the Rapture, who were left behind and suddenly realized the Bible was true, but their numbers are too big to account for those who realize they made a mistake and repented of their unbelief after the Rapture. Their numbers will be few who have neither believed in Christ nor taken the Mark of the Beast, a mere remnant who will migrate to Jerusalem to await the Lord at His second coming during the Bowls of God's fierce wrath, and they will repopulate the earth during the thousand-year reign of Christ. See also: Ascension; Rev 8,1-5; 50h / Remnant of the Bowls will repopulate the earth; Rev 16-15; 4j Rev 7,14-17 (34g) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> He is generous with His spiritual blessings (228a) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Comforted >> God comforts you in times of adversity >> He comforts you in your suffering Rev 7-14,15 (91e) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Purpose (of God’s calling) >> God has a reason for the things that happen to us (98k) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> The salvation of God >> Endure to the end (103a) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> God’s cleansing power >> Blood of Jesus (140b) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> Worshipping God in His temple (189e) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyr >> Tested for faithfulness to the death Rev 7-14 (37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction (115l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through Good Works >> Works that God prepared for you – There will be a Great Tribulation, but what is less known is that there will also be a Great Endtime Revival at the same time, who have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, robes referring to good works. Their clothes are spotless, and they are holy to the Lord, and there are millions of them, and God will lead them through the Great Tribulation, though there will also be many martyrs. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8,1-7; 140d / Great Endtime Revival; Rev 7,1-17; 50d KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 7,15-17 (28h) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects His people (229c) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Kingdom grows by itself >> Growing in numbers corresponds with spiritual growth >> Kingdom grows in size – God commanded Moses to build Him a tabernacle of worship that they used throughout the old covenant. The original was made to be portable, since the children of Israel were traveling through the wilderness toward the promise land, and when they arrived, Solomon built Him a temple in 1000 BC. It was destroyed by the Chaldeans in 586 BC, and was later rebuilt and named Herod's Temple in 19 BC. The idea of spreading His tabernacle over them (NASB) gives an elastic property to His temple, as though it could stretch over His people to accommodate an expanding kingdom. The tabernacle refers to the heavenly city New Jerusalem, it is paradise, and it is a dynamic house, though it has a definite shape and size; God knows the dimensions it needs to accommodate His family. It won’t be crowded but have plenty of space for everyone. The New Jerusalem is our hometown, where we will live forever, and God’s throne is at the center of it, and Christ is our shepherd. See also: Old covenant; Rev 8,2-13; 15j (245a) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Literal manifestation of Jesus Christ >> Manifesting the body of Christ Rev 7-15 (81b) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> The priesthood >> Striving to please Christ (243m) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to His increase >> God's kingdom is Infinite >> God will create a new Adam and Eve – "Spread His tabernacle over them" suggests that the New Jerusalem is a dynamic city, meaning that it can expand, though it's physical dimensions remain the same, a fifteen hundred mile cube. What expands is its domain. God is saying that His city can accommodate any number of people who come under Christ's rule. (245n) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm superimposed upon the natural realm >> The spiritual manifesting into the natural Rev 7-17 (240a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Pastor (Shepherd) >> Jesus is the chief shepherd (254h) Trinity >> Holy Spirit’s relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Holy Spirit >> Holy Spirit is life >> Spirit of God is the life of Christ _________________________________ REVELATION CHAPTER 8 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 8,1-7 (140d) Temple >> Temple made without hands >> Hiding place >> Living in the spiritual revelation of the word – It says that the first trumpet involved hail and fire mixed with blood that burned up one third of the earth. The first four trumpets effected 1/3 of the land and sea, leaving two thirds of the earth and waters unharmed, allowing plenty of space for God to protect His Church from His judgments. He will target the larger cities of the world (Rev 18-4). As in the days of Israel's slavery to the Egyptians, God commanded His people to remain in the land of Goshen while He paid Egypt a visit with His many plagues. In the same way, God will direct the Church to remain within a Goshen-like area outside the boundaries of His plagues, leading the 144,000 and her children (gentile believers) into the wilderness, while he judges the cities of the world who were responsible for martyring the saints during the seals. When it says that one third of the earth was burned up, it indicates there will be a drought. It will not rain on one third of the earth for 3 ½ years, according to chapter 11, where it speaks of the two witnesses shutting off the rain on certain parts of the earth, and then calling down fire from heaven on the parched land, causing fires that cannot be extinguished. Things similar to this are happening in California as a microcosm of what is to come. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8,1-5; 50h Rev 8,1-6 (8i) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God's cause >> Preparing for Judgment – It says there were seven angels and seven trumpets were given to them, and then it says another angel, an eighth, was given incense to disperse among the saints, that it might fall to the earth like angel dust and rest on the saints as an anointing and on the ground as manna. When we think of all the sin and wars throughout the age of grace, hypocritically many of them were fought in the name of Christ, fiercer and bloodier than the wars before them. This shows the lack of dedication to the faith that the Church has shown the Lord throughout the age of grace. (84a) Thy kingdom come >> Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >> Stay awake – Prayer is how we prepare for revival. Since the Great Tribulation is such a tremendous event, God will give the Church a special anointing to pray, so they will have the strength, courage and wisdom to navigate through their hardships and land safely on the shores of His heavenly kingdom. The gentile church awakes at the First Trumpet, in reference to the parable of the Ten Virgins (Mat 25,1-13). Although they have been trying to revive themselves since the advent of antichrist rising to power, there is an awakening scheduled beyond any human effort for revival. This awakening refers to an anointing so great and powerful that it will daunt the awakening of first century's Pentecost. See also: Ten virgins; Rev 8-5; 104d / Prayer; 189a (189a) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> The smell of death >> Priestly anointing perfume of sacrifice – The Church will receive unction from God in a way that it has never known, far greater even than the early Church. He will grant them a prophetic anointing to seek the oracle of God, and without lifting a finger against their enemies they will conquer those who are trying to destroy them. Just as Daniel received understanding from the angel that ministered to him after spending weeks in prayer (Daniel chapters 9 and 10), so the Church in the last days will remain in a wilderness of prayer for a period of three and a half years from the incense that the angel threw to the earth. God gives power to his Two Witnesses to protect the Church and judge the world with fire, burning up her enemies as an animal sacrifice for the remission of sin, a pleasing aroma in the nostrils of God. See also: Daniel; Rev 8,1-5; 50h / Prayer; Rev 8,1-5; 50h Rev 8,1-5 (50h) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The saints flee into the wilderness - Spiritual warfare (pre-rapture ascension) – This will be God’s method of shaking the antichrist’s kingdom to its foundation in the last days: using the prayers of the saints. Their prayers will strengthen the angelic heavenly host to fight against the powers of Satan and his antichrist. The prayers of the saints will strengthen the Two Witnesses, while they defend the Church from the vantage point of Jerusalem. Whatever the Two Witnesses do locally to fend off their enemies, God will do globally to protect His people through the first four Trumpet judgments. So there will be massive spiritual warfare occurring between the angelic host of heaven and the forces of evil that hold the world in its spell, and the saints will be in the middle, working the grace of God, knowing they will win this war even if they must die as martyrs. Many Christians will die at the hands of wicked men in the coming days. Go back to the book of Daniel 10,10-13 and see the spiritual war that resulted from his prayers; Daniel represents the Church in the last days. The prince of Persia detained the angel and it wearied Daniel to the point of exhaustion. See also: Daniel; Rev 8,2-13; 15j / Martyrdom; Rev 8-1,2; 224g / Ascension; Rev 7,9-12; 237j / Prayer; Rev 8-1,2; 224g Rev 8-1,2 (224g) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> Rejoicing in heaven – The inhabitants of heaven stood in silence for the space of about half an hour in awe at the severity of God’s judgment, for He will judge the earth with the saints remaining on it. He will advocate for them during the Trumpets in answer to their prayers, who have been crying to Him day and night for justice. God will do a marvelous thing in the world for the sake of His people. Many Christians during the time of the seals were being martyred, and the antichrist had established a genocidal system of rounding up Christians into his concentration camps. His plan was to completely eradicate Christianity from the earth until no Bibles, believers or remnant of Christianity could be found. He will make it illegal to be a Christian and enforce it as the single-most infraction of his kingdom. These things will be in full operation at the time of the seals, and many Christians will lose their lives, and God's people will cry to Him, and the inhabitants of heaven will become somber at the judgments that are about to afflict their enemies. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8,2-6; 61a / Silence; Rev 7,1-3; 111j / Prayer; Rev 8-1; 250g Rev 8-1 (250g) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> Spiritual then the natural (heavenly then the earthly) – The prayers of the saints are for the purpose of spiritually destroying the principalities and powers that govern this world. God intends to tear down the satanic forces of wickedness before He sets foot on the earth, through the prayers of the saints. The earth belongs to man, and therefore man must play a part in the work that God is doing, and the prayers of the saints act to give God permission to invade this world to destroy the forces of evil that are destroying man. God wants to demonstrate to Satan once again that the weakness of human flesh is stronger than all the forces of wickedness when God stands behind His people and works through their prayers. He already proved this; “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Col 2-15). This shows how committed God is to teaching Satan (and the rest of creation) a lesson about the foolishness of rebellion, that it is useless to resist Him. Perhaps Satan has been thinking throughout the age of grace that God is helpless to do anything about his rampages on the earth, and in his great pride he continued to believed that he was bigger than God, though Christ had already defeated him at the cross. God allowed Satan to have his way through man's disobedience, who was just as much at fault as the devil for the wickedness that ensued, but the moment Christ stood from his glorious throne, everything came to a screeching halt. To allow sin demonstrates the wisdom of God and to stop it demonstrates His power, not by swords and clubs, and not be bombs and guns, “but by My Spirit says the Lord” (Zechariah 4-6), through prayer. See also: Prayer; Rev 8,2-13; 15j / Satan (Prince of the power of the air); Lk 8-12; 164f KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 8,2-13 (15j) Servant >> Angels execute Judgment >> In regard to the world – Daniel (chapters 9&10) acts as a microcosm of the Church, who is heavily in prayer. He goes through extraordinary measures to understand God’s plan for the last days. Daniel was a tremendous man of God with a profound anointing. He represents the Church in the last days, upon whom the fiery incense that the angel hurled to the earth and rested on each one (Act 2,1-3). If it was important for Daniel to know the plan of God then, how important is it for us to know His plan, who are living in the days in which these things will be fulfilled? After many weeks in fasting and prayer the angel Gabriel approached Daniel and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come” (Dan 10,12-14). This prince of Persia to which Gabriel referred was not a human prince, but a very powerful demon that had Persia as its domain, confirming Paul’s description of a satanic realm (Eph 2-1,2). See also: Old covenant; Rev 8,2-6; 104f / Daniel; Rev 8,1-6; 189a / Prayer; Rev 8,2-6; 104f Rev 8,2-6 (61a) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> Waiting for a savior—To come back spiritually / To come back physically – Why didn't Jesus return in the first or second century when the Church was faithful and was longing for Him? He will return only on the terms that His Kingdom has superceded all other kingdoms. Such a thing is possible only at the cost of many martyrs, as there will be in the last days. Had the Church conquered its demons, God would have established His kingdom in their generation, but God will not establish His kingdom for a Church that will not serve Him with a whole heart. We can say that about the Church all the way back to the First Century. People can say what they want about the first and second century; they can boast about their faithfulness (and they were faithful compared to us), but they were not faithful according to Christ’s standard. Obviously, there were some who were faithful, just as there are some who are faithful today, yet they gave up their faith to Catholicism, but God will bring it back to the Church and establish the truth among His people in the last days. The First Century Church lost the anointing by allowing its teachings and doctrines to slip. The anointing cannot stand on its own; it needs a platform of truth and acceptance, or people will shun it. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8,3-5; 81l / Anointing (Like a dove perched on our shoulder); Col 3-15; 136h (104f) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see the Father >> Being in the presence of God – The angel with the golden censer with much incense refers to the Golden Altar of Incense, which was a piece of furniture of the old covenant temple that symbolized prayer. This article of the Holy Place was positioned in front of the veil, though it was considered an item of the Most Holy Place (compare Exodus 30-6 with Heb 9-3,4). Its physical location in front of the curtain was for the purpose of daily maintaining the perpetual incense, indicating the transition from the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place. In other words, Prayer gives access to the presence of God (Heb 10-19,20), while the curtain provided visual separation. This passage says that the angel added incense to the prayers of the saints, like a company would pledge money to an employee trust fund, matching employee investments. How much the saints prayed, God pledged the same amount or more, so their prayers would compound and multiply in fervency and effect. Imagine how much help God will give His people to pray when He says much incense was added! The word "Much" means a lot when we're talking about God. He will give an anointing to pray, so hours will seem like minutes, and the effects of prayer will be multiplied. He will give this ability to the saints before and during the trumpet judgments. See also: Old covenant; Rev 8,3-5; 81l / Prayer; 116b / God answers prayer based on obedience; Jn 11-32,33; 252d (116b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> In prayer – Adding these three ingredients: the Holy Spirit, the word of God and the obedience of prayer is the concept of working the grace of God. The original apostles, lived this way, but the Church as a whole has always been miles from this level of faith. Such teachings the Church lost after the second century, and a satanically inspired teaching replaced it that considers man’s participation in God's grace to be blasphemous. Just about every Christian has quoted Isaiah 64-6, ‘All our righteous deeds are as filthy rags.’ This is true before we got saved, but afterward God has prepared a set of works for us to do (Eph 2-10). As saints of the Most High, our good works are holy to the Lord, and prayer is how we interact with Him. When we take the word of God into prayer, we bring together two of the three elements of the anointing. Then add obedience and our lamps will surely shine no matter how dark the world. See also: Prayer; Rev 8,3-5; 31i KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 8,3-5 (31i) Gift of God >> Grace >> Having the ability to respond to the word – 'Peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake' is mentioned three times in the book of Revelation, one at the end of the seals (Rev 8-5), one at the end of the Trumpets (Rev 11-19), and one at the end of the Bowls (Rev 16-18). The first earthquake signaled the end of God's patience for the world and the beginning of His judgments against the great whore for martyring His saints. When God begins to orchestrate His trumpet judgments, it says they will occur on one third of the earth, meaning two thirds of the earth will be left unharmed, so God will have plenty of room to hide His people, as it were in the land of Goshen. He will call them into the wilderness, where His judgments will not fall, far from large cities, assembling in groups called 'the Camp of the Saints'. Within these camps God will call His people to pray continually for 3½ years, during the Trumpet judgments, praying for God’s holy angels to subdue their enemies. The censor that the angel threw to the earth originating from the presence of God will give His Church a special anointing to pray. The more they pray, the more power they will give to the angels to protect them and to judge their enemies and fulfill the prophecies that were written centuries earlier. God will supply the needs of the people while they live in these camps, sending them manna as He did in the days of Moses. See also: Prayer; 81l / Great Endtime Revival (Camp of the saints); Rev 8-3,4; 187d / Mat 24-22; 219f (81l) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church >> Anointing to pray – Rev 3-8 says, “Behold, I have put before you an open door, which no one can shut.” They passed through this door enabling them to maintain vigilant prayer. When the Church crossed the threshold, they entered a higher spiritual plane for the purpose of prayer that calls down fire from heaven upon their enemies as Elijah did to the false prophets of his time (2Kings 1-10). “The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand” (v4), according to Leviticus 2-2; 6-15. God commanded the Levitical priesthood to maintain a perpetual burning of incense in the old covenant temple, alluding to the Royal Priesthood in the new covenant as the ministry of prayer. The result of burning the perpetual incense will be the burning of one third of the earth, reminiscent of the animal sacrifices of burnt offering for the remission of sin, required in the Old Testament. Ex 29:18 says, “Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.” In this case the burnt offering will be unbelievers who received the Mark of the Beast and subsequently took part in martyring the saints. See also: Old covenant; Rev 9,13-15; 220d / Martyrdom / Prayer; 82k (82k) Thy kingdom come >> Power of prayer >> Prayer prepares you to meet Jesus – God wants to get His people involved in what He is doing. For this reason there are five tiers to His judgment: there is God Himself who oversees everything; there are the seven angels dealing out retribution to the world for martyring the saints; there are the two witnesses handling things on the ground; there are the 144,000 Jews directing the gentile Church; and there is the gentile Church, whom God has given the duty of prayer. Knowing the main principle of God's kingdom: the least are greatest and the greatest are least, the Church appears to have the least important job, and so God will bestow "more abundant honor" on them (1Cor 12,22-27). If the Church doesn’t pray, then it halts the entire process of judgment, and her enemies will be free to continue enslaving and martyring them. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8-6,7; 50i / Prayer; Rev 8-3,4; 187d Rev 8-3,4 (187d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Die to self through prayer – The people of God will not be living in their own homes as they are today but will come together in various camps stationed in the wilderness. There is one camp of the saints referenced in Rev 20-9. The city of the saints is a temporary home where every person who was ever saved throughout the ages will live on the earth during the Millennium, but before that and during the tribulation, there will be many camps (number unknown), where gentile saints will go for protection from the antichrist. The prayers of the saints will be so powerful that people who are seeking to kill them will not be able to find these camps, for God will blind their eyes to them (2Kings 6,16-18), so long as the saints remain in these camps and in a perpetual state of prayer. See also: Prayer; Rev 8-5; 104d / Camp of the saints; Rev 8-12; 60c (228j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works in the garden of your heart Rev 8-5 (101d) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal does not count the cost >> Zeal of God has consumed me (104d) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by fire >> Purified through the fiery anointing – There are two forms of fire hurled to the earth: spiritual fire in the form of an anointing to pray given to the saints, and fire of retribution hurled at their enemies. These seven angels are the seven stars that Jesus held in His right hand in Rev 1-16,20, who were assigned to the seven churches. Note that they are not assigned to the world to judge the earth but assigned to the seven churches to protect them, and if the seven angels are still present, then so is the Church, meaning the Rapture has not yet occurred. These seven angels now hold seven trumpets and are about to sound them. Their purpose is to judge the world as a means of protecting the saints. At the end of the age, the Church will finally awaken from its delirium and the five wise virgins will trim their lamps (Mat 25,1-13). Jesus said there was a shout that announced the coming of the bridegroom, that the woman should prepare herself to meet Him; this shout was the first trumpet. Some human effort strove for revival prior to the first trumpet, since the Church had just gone through the seals of Satan’s wrath, but most gentile efforts to effect a spiritual awakening only rose to the level of floundering, compared to the revival that God will effect in His Two Witnesses. “Behold, I have put before you an open door” (Rev 3-8), availing them spiritual entrance into a heavenly anointing via the first trumpet, the sound of the angel’s voice, the shout that the ten virgins heard. Mat 25-6 says, “Behold the bridegroom, come out to meet Him.” There is a door in the parable of the ten virgins, just like there is a door in Rev 3,8-10, and they are one door, the doorway leads to spiritual unction that the gentile church sought on its own with no success, a domain that is off limits to the dragon and his constituents, a spiritual dominion defined in the natural realm as the wilderness. When the five wise virgins walk through this door, it will prepare them to meet their Maker. See also: Prayer; Rev 8-12; 60c / Last days ( Ten virgins); Rev 8,1-6; 84a / Rev 14-12,13; 156e / Door of Christ; Jn 10,9-11; 33j (117ga) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Vision >> Real-eyes God’s purpose for the Church >> Understand Jesus' subordinate position with the Father Rev 8-6,7 (50i) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> First trumpet - Fire mixed with blood – The first three trumpets involve fire falling from heaven, which is iconic to Satan’s fate at his initial rebellion against God according to Jesus testimony in Lk 10-18, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” This fire from heaven is God dropping the hint on mankind that people are forming their worldviews and behaviors around the perspective and mentality of fallen angels. The first trumpet described pebble-sized oxidized iron meteorites mixed with hail and blood falling to the earth, hail being characteristic of ominous weather patterns, and blood reminding mankind that they martyred the saints during the seals of Satan’s wrath. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8,7-13; 49c KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 8,7-13 (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed – Most of the trumpet judgments refer to blood, memorializing the martyrdom of many saints during the seals of Satan’s wrath. Observe that the two witnesses were able to call down fire from heaven, which essentially coins the first three trumpet judgments, which also call down fire from heaven, so the logical mind can see the correlation between them: the two witnesses pronounce judgment against their local enemies while the angels correspond their trumpet judgments against one third of the earth. This means the two witnesses are on the earth during the trumpets; in fact, they have been here since they were mentioned in the previous chapter. The two witnesses are two of the 144,000, engaged in ministry prior to the trumpets, leading the gentile Church into the true doctrines of the faith and into the wilderness to avoid the mark of the beast and God’s trumpet judgments. Following is a hint as to how we should read the book of Revelation; it is in chronological order, though some would disagree. It only appears to be out of order by the fact that John first tells what happened and then tells how it happened. It would therefore behoove us to read the book of Revelation in the following sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22. The reason for the chapters seemingly out of sequence is due to the fact that John did not want to interrupt his train of thought but finished his discourse regarding the seals and then went back to describe the great red dragon that was coming to power at that time. The world rejected correction from the Lord in the trumpet judgments for the same reason the pharaoh of Egypt rejected correction in the days of Moses, so God could further judge him. That is, God hardened his heart for the reason of the bowls, which was not designed as a lesson, but as a bloodbath. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8-8,9; 50i / Sequence of endtime events; Rev 19,17-21; 163k Rev 8-7,8 (104c) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by fire >> Purified through fiery judgment -- These verses go with verse 10&11. It says about the Two Witnesses that they are able to effect the same kind of plagues that proceed from the angels’ trumpets, suggesting they are working in concert with each other; so as the Two Witnesses call down fire on their local enemies, the first three angels blow their trumpets and call down fire on one third of the earth. The Two Witnesses were sent only to protect Jerusalem from total devastation, and the angels mimic the Two Witnesses in whatever they do to protect the Church in the world, who have fled into wilderness places to set up camps in various locations around the globe. (238h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Teachers "remind" their students >> Strong reminders Rev 8-8,9 (50i) Judgment >> Se quence of Revela tions >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> Second trumpet - Massive volcano erupts – The second trumpet described "something like a great mountain burning with fire fell into the sea." This is the description of a large volcano blowing its top, with a chunk of earth the size of a mountain falling into the sea and spewing smoke and ash that blocks out the sun, moon and stars for a third of the earth, which becomes the fourth Trumpet. The fact that the sea became like blood is proof that these judgments are God’s direct response to the martyrdom of the saints. The angel in charge of the third bowl ( Rev 16-5,6) said, “You are just in these judgments, ...for they have shed the blood of Your saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” When Mount Saint Helen blew its top in the state of Washington, it spewed red ash into the air as far as Wisconsin. We could see the red ash riding on the currents in the upper stratosphere and could draw a line through the red dust that collected on our white dodge! The volcano of the second Trumpet will be much bigger than Mount Saint Helen. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 8-12,13; 50i KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 8-10,11 (50i) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> Third trumpet - Asteroid hits the earth, poisoning the water – The second and third trumpet judgments are similar, suggesting they both have the same source, probably an erupting volcano, but possibly an asteroid or comet. The second trumpet describes its effect on the oceans, while the third trumpet describes its effect on streams and rivers. If it were an asteroid, one explanation is that before it made contact with the earth it burst in the upper atmosphere with a great explosion, and the fragments fell to the earth and poisoned a third of the streams and rivers. The name of the star was called wormwood; whatever its composition, probably sulfur, it made a third of the fresh waters bitter, being iconic to man’s hardened heart against God. Rivers by the moving waters kept the deadly contaminant suspended, and the springs are poisoned by the toxin leaching into the ground water, finding its way into the aquifers and returning to the surface. See also: Asteroid; 61e (53k) Paradox >> Opposites >> What I used to think >> I thought sinners liked bitterness (61e) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The water of baptism—God’s bitter revenge for sin fell on men and they died / God’s purifying vision fell on bitter men and they died to self – The star that fell from the sky could be describing a volcano that blew it top, or it could describe a burning asteroid that broke apart before it hit the earth, called an airburst. When this happens, the explosion occurs in the upper atmosphere, breaking into fragments and affecting a wider area, like a shotgun blast projecting bee bees. In this case, the asteroid affected one third of the earth, indicating a very large asteroid, spreading its toxic substance over a third of the earth’s surface, making the waters undrinkable. In the metal industry workers use a plasma torch to cut steel, which turns the metal into extremely fine particles of oxidized red dust, particles so small that they pass through all known filters, so once these particulates enter water it is impossible to remove them (except through evaporation). A metallic asteroid passing through the atmosphere at ten thousand miles per hour, superheated to thousands of degrees and then exploding in midair would make these colloidal particulates that would float on air currents to pollute one third of the earth as these verses depict. There are two implied meanings to this passage referring to baptism. In literal baptism, the symbolism of submerging in water to simulate drowning depicts dying to self; then we rise from the water as from the dead to a new life in Christ. This pertains to those who have repented and are faithful in Christ, but those who have rejected the purpose of God in the last days will be subjected to a baptism that will cause them to literally die, indicating God’s bitter vengeance on sin. See also: Asteroid; Rev 8-10; 104c (104c) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by fire >> Purified through fiery judgment -- This verse goes with verses 7&8. John called it a star, probably an asteroid, but it could also be a comet. Astronomers call comets dirty snowballs because they are mostly made of ice, but they also have other elements in their amalgam. It is anybody’s guess what toxicity it has in store for the earth, but based on the rest of Scripture, as more of these judgments are fulfilled, they take on the form of what unbelievers will experience in hell. The book of Revelation reads like hell has figuratively lost its patients waiting for its occupants to descend into its fiery lair and ascends to receive them before the time, whose names are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The comet could have sulfur deposits, which is involved in the composition of brimstone (Rev 9,14-18). Sulfur elicits a very pungent and nauseating odor, and it doesn’t take much to poison a person. See also: Hell seeks its inhabitants; Rev 9,1-12; 47f / Asteroid; Rev 9,1-21; 49c / Lake of fire; Mat 10-14,15; 47l Rev 8-10 (60c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End time revival -- This verse goes with verse 12. One third of the earth will be poisoned by a star that fell to the earth, suggesting that two thirds of the earth are unaffected. The Church will still be here during the Trumpet judgments, in disregard of the pre-tribulation Rapture delusion that teaches God will Rapture His Church before any judgments befall His people. However, in this case and throughout the Trumpets the saints can avoid God’s judgment until the Bowls that effect the entire globe; then God will Rapture His people at the last Trumpet, just as it says. This further suggests that God will call His people to migrate away from a certain side of the planet, the side that He intends to judge, nations have already heard the gospel of Christ and have since rejected it. We could draw an oval on a world-map representing a third of it that includes the United States and Europe, where most of God’s Trumpet judgments will fall. Consequently, Christ will call his people to migrate to third-world countries in wilderness places in preparation for His return. See also: Last days (Wilderness) Seek His calling; 1Pet 4,1-4; 8a (112h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Light exposes sin >> Light reveals hidden deeds – To the naked eye it appeared as a star for many weeks and possibly months, getting bigger and brighter with each passing evening until it lit up the sky like a torch. Back then people used the light of torches to see their way in the darkness. This comet lights up the entire sky and analogously exposes man’s sin. Fire flashes in the night sky and reveals the activities of men in their darkness, exposing the true condition of their hearts. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 8-12,13 (50i) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> Forth trumpet - Smoke from the volcano and asteroid block out the sun – These trumpet judgments affected a third of the earth, meaning two-thirds of the earth were untouched, so the trick is to live where these plagues are not happening. Most likely, the places where these plagues hit are where the most sin occurred that corrupted the planet and brought the antichrist to power. One thing is sure, there will be some places on the earth that will not be touched by the trumpet judgments, and those places will be where God will call His people to move. God has a plan to help the Church get through the tribulation so His people won’t have to suffer any of the judgments that He intended for those who have persecuted and martyred their fellow saints. Paul said in 1Cor 11-31,32, “But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.” See also: Martyrdom; Rev 9,1-21; 26h Rev 8-12 (60c) Paradox >> Two implied meanings >> The second coming / End time revival -- This verse goes with verse 10. God will set up camps in certain places in the world, where gentiles, who believe in Jesus, can go and be saved from the antichrist and from God's judgments during the trumpets, since they will effect only 1/3 of the earth. God Himself will protect His people where His judgment will not fall. These camps of the saints will be located in third world countries, among people who were not involved in corrupting the earth, instead were victims of corruption, and there they will live out the rest of our natural lives, awaiting the First Resurrection/Rapture. See also: Prayer; Rev 8,1-6; 84a / Camp of the saints; Rev 8-13; 51a (245m) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestations of the devil >> Manifestation of darkness Rev 8-13 (51a) Judgment >> World & church >> Warning of wrath >> Consequences of sin – This eagle-like creature was a Cherub preaching the gospel to the world, a colleague of Lucifer before he fell into sin, because the Church was no longer free to evangelize, lest they be discovered as followers of Jesus and killed. Most people in that day will not listen to the gospel, not even preached by angels, for their hearts will have turned to stone and have already made up their minds to serve Satan. The lines will have been drawn between the righteous and the wicked, whether they belong to Christ or to the antichrist. If we have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying, we will know that the Camp of the Saints is God’s plan of salvation, and we can choose to go there by faith, just as God called Abraham to leave his homeland and relatives and sojourn to a foreign people. See also: Camp of the saints; Rev 8,3-5; 31i _________________________________ REVELATION CHAPTER 9 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 9,1-21 (26h) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is the result of sin – The things that happen on earth during the tribulation will be unlike anything this world has ever seen or known, exceeding even the most imaginative horror/Sci-Fi movies. We will have already gone through the first six seals and seen the total collapse of the world economy, which brought poverty, rioting, anarchy, death, murder and war. Through starvation and disease a pandemic will ensue, and as these things run their course people will die by the millions, all this before the Trumpets. By the end of the seals one fourth of the world’s population will have died, and through this disorder the antichrist will set up his one-world government run by the Mark of the Beast, and he will be in the process of martyring undesirables, including and especially Christians. As a result, God will call His seven angels to blow their seven trumpets, and as we go through the trumpets we will see demonic creatures coming from the earth in an environment of "fire and smoke and brimstone," and they will sting those "who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads." This includes two groups: those who have received the Mark of the Beast and those who have received neither the devil's mark nor the Lord's seal (this goes for both the fifth and sixth trumpets). This suggests that there will be a large group who rejected both God's will and the devil's mark and have left themselves open to judgment. This means that in those days God will judge those who have rejected His salvation. These demonic locust creatures will mutate into horsemen and kill millions of people, so that those who were stung by locusts of the fifth trumpet and wished for death will receive their heart's desire at the sixth Trumpet. By the end of the trumpets one third of the earth’s population will have perished. Adding up the deaths from the seals 1/4 and from the trumpets 1/3 equal one half the worlds population. The same numbers are killed in both the seals and trumpets. If the world population is eight billion and 1/4 dies, it means two billion have died, leaving six billion; and those killed by the trumpets are 1/3 means 2 billion have died, leaving four billion, which is half the original world population. The world will have seen so many strange things by this time that everyone will know there is a God, but man will have hardened his heart against Him, taking repentance off the table for most of humanity, making them constituents of God's fierce wrath in the bowls. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 9,1-19; 15j / Mutation; Rev 9,1-12; 47f (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed– Chapter nine is a very dark and foreboding depiction of satanic activity on the earth. Stars in the book of Revelation represent angels, and the star that fell to the earth is none other than Satan. This star is also an asteroid falling to the earth, similar to Lucifer being cast to the earth after he sinned, and he will be cast to the earth a second time, not by God but by the Church, who has become faithful to the Lord in a state of unity. It is stated in Rev 12-9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth.” It says that the key to the bottomless pit was given to him. In contrast Rev 1-18 says, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Christ gave the key of hell to Satan, not to keep but to use for a short time, but he does not have authority to kill those who have God's seal on their foreheads. Satan's goal is to send as many people to hell as he can in the allotted time that he has been given. A definitive line has been drawn by the 144,000 witnesses, so that every person in the world is either for or against Christ, and there is no gray area. Essentially, the book of Revelation is a depiction of mankind siding with God and inheriting the Jewish seal on their foreheads, or siding with the devil and developing a reprobate mind, whom Satan has the authority to kill. See also: Asteroid; Rev 9,1-12; 64k Rev 9,1-19 (15j) Servant >> Angels execute Judgment >> In regard to the world – Demonic angels have unleashed these monsters on the world, having received authority from God, and they have the appearance of horses. Later in this chapter it talks about horses again, saying that there is an army of them, 200 million. John called them horsemen, meaning they have riders. There were locusts that looked like horses, but act like scorpions; there were horses that had teeth like lions showing their predator nature but did not bite, instead had scorpion-like tails and used them to sting those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They have no personal dignity, but they had divine authority to torment rebellious people like themselves. God is using them to judge the world’s disobedience and unbelief for their rejection of all that is good and right, and for receiving the Mark of the Beast, which acted as their vote to martyr the saints. These horse-like locusts have things in common with the lion-like horses mentioned later in this chapter. It says on the heads of the locusts they had, “as it were, crowns like gold.” They were not crowns of gold, but crowns like gold, meaning their crowns represent a false authority. It says they had faces like men, suggesting these horrible creatures were not so unlike the people they tormented. People in the last days have stooped to such a level as to resemble the creatures that tormented them, but they were unwilling to relate to God in whose image they were created. It says, “They had hair like the hair of women,” so not only can men relate to them, but also women. Although they had authority from God to torment mankind for five months, they lived by their own authority, and this is how mankind can relate to them. Again, as the locusts had breastplates, so did the horsemen. The sound of their wings are like the sound of chariots, so they can fly. Many people interpreting the book of Revelation have attributed these locusts to helicopters, but this description of the locusts does not fit their helicopter theory. See also: Interpreting Revelation; Rev 9,1-12; 47f / Martyrdom; Rev 9,1-12; 50i KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 9,1-12 (47f) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Hell is a place of torment – These monsters are described as locusts; they were not locusts but resembled scorpions. They were insects from hell, told not to hurt the grass or any green thing, only to hurt those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. Is it possible that these creatures actually exist in hell and sting people, making them long for death but cannot die because they are already dead? This is an illustration of hell anticipating a great influx of human souls, grows impatient to receive its occupants and reaches for them from the abyss and pulls them into their hellish lair. Unnatural, spiritual creatures will plague humanity as the end of the age approaches. 2Cor 11-14 says that demons are able to mutate their appearance, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light,” so the most fitting interpretation of these locusts are literally as John described them, demons that have mutated their appearance. Bill Wiese, the author of 23 Minutes in Hell (page 30) described creatures he saw in a vision of hell that God gave him, similar to what John described in this chapter. See also: Hell seeks its inhabitants; 50i / Interpreting Revelation; 239k / Mutation; 50i (50i) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> Fifth trumpet - Demonic insect-like creatures torment mankind – These will be hard times for Christians, but the fate of those who do not have God's seal on their foreheads is far worse; their end will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The Trumpet judgments sound strikingly similar to the the environment of hell, as though it is rising up and snatching its inhabitants before the time, and the smoke of their torment rises up forever and ever (Rev 19-4; 20,10-15). Persecution of the saints will purify God's people like gold, melted in a hot furnace, the dross floating to the surface to be skimmed off the top. As for the persecution of the saints, God will bring a solution, starting with the First Trumpet. He will create a diversion for the saints, so they can run to a place that God has prepared for them in the wilderness. During the trumpets hellish creatures will torment the world of the ungodly for martyring the saints and for the backlog of sins that accumulated since our Lord was crucified. God will communicate to the ungodly that if they want to worship demons, they can suffer the consequences. Demonic entities will emerge from the abyss and attack people who do not have God's seal on their foreheads and torment them, and the next trumpet will signal these demonic creatures to mutate their form and kill 1/3 of mankind. Martyrdom of the saints during the seals of Satan's wrath was a difficult time, but the tables have turned and God has brought relief to His people and has punished the wicked, who are condemned to the eternal fires of hell. It may not be easy to be a Christian in a world of evil, but it is infinitely worse to be an unbeliever in hell. If we remain faithful, we will inherit eternal life and God will reward us as martyrs, and He will append the reward to our resurrected body for all to see. See also: Hell seeks its inhabitants; Rev 9-11; 158a / Martyrdom; Rev 9-20,21; 181b / Mutation; Rev 9,13-19; 245ll (64k) Paradox >> Anomalies >> God helps Satan >> God’s judgments accomplish the devil’s will – An asteroid hit the earth, and look what proceeded from the plume of smoke it generated, insect-like monsters from hell! When it says they were not permitted to kill anyone, God gave them their orders. Through all the chaos, God is still in charge and calling the shots. He could end this whole endtime scenario; instead, He is the one behind it. He is using the devil to judge the world for choosing darkness over light, evil over good and Satan over Christ. See also: Asteroid; Rev 8-10,11; 50i (216k) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >> You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man is not in control of God’s gift – These were demonic entities that were given bodies and emerged from the earth and tormented mankind during the Trumpet judgments, yet this was not considered the activity of Satan, but divine judgment. God used Satan and the demons to judge mankind. God as though asked the world, ‘Do you want to worship demons? Then worship this!’ They stung men and made their victims wish they could die, and in the sixth trumpet they got their wish, only to awake in hell where these demonic, monstrous creatures originated! (239k) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Pursuing the knowledge of the kingdom >> Teachers >> Let not many of you become teachers >> Dividing accurately the word of truth – The description of these locusts has discredited the book of Revelation in the eyes of many, which cast a shadow on the entirety of Scripture in the minds of critics, who have launched attacks on the things we believe. It is a difficult passage, but Jesus said some difficult things too that He fully expected His disciples to believe, such as Jn 6-53, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of God and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.” Who was able to understand this statement at the time? Yet, later we have hindsight with the apostle Paul and others who explained these things to us, so it is not a stumbling block anymore. We run across passages like this and can’t see the possibility of a rational explanation and are tempted to dismiss the entire Bible. We don’t have hindsight, since these verses have not yet been fulfilled, and we don’t have anyone to explain how much symbolism we should assign and how much we should take literally. These locust-like creatures, what are they? Are they actual locusts? We could assign layer upon layer of symbolism to relate to such a description, and there is symbolism in the book of Revelation, but we need to be careful. When does the figurative end and literal begin? The rule of thumb for interpreting Scripture is, less is more. Some say that John was trying to describe the visions he saw that may be commonplace in the last days with all our gadgets and flying machines in our technological age but was completely foreign to John. Some say these locusts are helicopters. That would account for verse 9, but what do we say about verses 1-12? Explaining one verse in a dozen is not good enough. The book of Revelation and the Bible as a whole gives us reason to view these things as they are described; they are monsters from hell! See also: Interpreting Revelation; Rev 9,1-19; 15j Rev 9,1-6 (186j) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> God’s role in forming a reprobate >> Marked out for destruction – The fate that befalls the world in the words of this chapter pertain to those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. In the last days there will be two kinds of people in the world: those who take part in the Great Endtime Revival and those who develop a reprobate mind and reject the purpose of God for themselves who will persecute the Church and seek to destroy it. God will impose all His judgments on them that have accumulated since Jesus shed His blood on Calvary. For this reason His judgment will be extremely severe for worshipping the antichrist instead of receiving the Savior of the world. The most maniacal creatures imaginable will emerge from the bowels of the earth and torment mankind and kill the wicked, and after this, the bowls of God’s fierce wrath will begin, which will be so severe, there will be no place for God to hide His Church; hence the Rapture occurs before the Bowls. Only a remnant will see the second coming of Christ in the flesh; they are a much smaller third group who have not taken the Mark of the Beast, who were left behind at the advent of the Rapture. They will become the seed that God will use to replenish the earth during the Millennium. Rev 9,1-3 (245m) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestations of the devil >> Manifestation of darkness – Verses 1&2 is a reiteration of trumpets 3 and 4, and trumpets 5 and 6 emerge from them. In the last days the satanic kingdom of darkness will literally manifest to show: (1) mankind has been following demons, and (2) the leader of demons is a fallen angel. Trumpets five and six are plagues of demons being given bodies that torment for five months people who lack God's seal on their foreheads. That is, the book of Revelation depicts a literal manifestation of satanic alliance, after God has chosen His people from the world to be His worshipers, giving them His seal on their foreheads. The seal is a literal manifestation of their salvation, much more is the Rapture. So trumpets five and six depict a literal manifestation of demonic activity, suggesting that the book of Revelation is about literal manifestations, Satan’s kingdom of darkness pushed lower, while God's kingdom of light and righteousness exalted, until it blossoms into the natural realm and God’s millennial kingdom is established on the earth. Rev 9-1,2 (47h) God Judges the world >> Prison of the bottomless pit Rev 9-1 (112h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Light >> Light exposes sin >> Light reveals hidden deeds KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 9-4 (28h) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects His people (See: Psalm 91,5-10) (132d) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a pledge >> His Spirit is a seal Rev 9-6 (26c) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is separation from God’s presence Rev 9-11 (26g) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is Satan’s nature – God will instruct Satan to kill his own followers, and he will do it from absolute hatred for his followers, because of his own self-loathing, but God loves His followers, because He loves Himself. We think Satan would go after believers because of his hatred of God; instead, he kills his own followers. He doesn't touch God's anointed because he did not receive authority to do so, but why would that stop him since he is rebellious? God and the devil have a very complicated relationship. Going back to the example of Job, Satan knocking on God's door is a quandary, and God answering the door is another, much more that He would grant Satan's request at the expense of Job, his bondservant. We would think Satan and the demons would rebel against God and kill the saints in disregard of the command they received not to touch them, but they were unable to harm them, as though they were robots, programmed what to do and could not transgress His command. Unbelieving mankind has sacrificed everything to serve their malevolent ruler. They sacrificed the love of God and their inheritance of everlasting life that Jesus bought for them with His own blood, and for what? The afterlife will prove unbelievers to be insane, while it will prove the saints had their head on straight for serving Christ. These malevolent creatures originating from the abyss and their ruler, are more hateful than the most evil human dictator the world has ever known. He makes Hitler look like a naive schoolgirl. Anybody alive at this time will wish for death, and then they will get their wish; and after that they will wish they were never born. See also: God allows suffering and evil to test us l ike He tested Job; Rev 12,9-11; 9a (151i) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Creation is evidence of God >> No other source but God can explain the creation – People question the existence of Satan, in that confirming his existence is to concede that God exists too, since Satan is a spirit and so is God (Jn 4-24). Therefore, the knowledge of Satan confirms the existence of God. However, the devil is a poor evidence of God, in that he is devoid of His attributes, and he is devoted to refuting his own existence as proof that God doesn't exist either. Yet, the more people refute the existence of God through the spirit of antichrist, the more they prove Satan exists. (158a) Works of the devil >> Excerpts of the greatest verses of this chapter – This is one of the most relevant verses in the New Testament regarding the works of the devil. He is defined as the destroyer, named after the works of his hands. This king is coming, whom John described as the ruler of demons, reigns over locusts-like creatures that appear as horses prepared for battle. It says they have crowns, meaning they have received authority from the destroyer, who received authority from God. This malevolent angel reigns over creatures of his own kind, whose purpose is to destroy people who believe in them, instructed to kill those who do not have God's seal on their foreheads. Throughout the Trumpet judgments one third of mankind will die. It will literally be hell on earth for unbelievers in those days, because of these creatures that have ascended from the abyss, as though Hades lost its patience waiting for man to descend into it and reached up and snatched them before the time. If only they believed in Jesus, these creatures wouldn’t torture them, for the elect are off-limits. These monstrous creatures are like heat-seeking missiles that pursue unbelief to destroy it. They hate themselves, and they hate those who love them, but those who love God are above them and are thus untouchable. See also: Hell seeks its inhabitants; Rev 9,13-19; 245ll Rev 9,13-21 (50i) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The seventh seal - trumpets of God's judgment >> Sixth trumpet - Demons mutate from insects to horses KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 9,13-19 (245ll) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestations of the devil >> Manifestation of the spirit of murder – John is essentially describing fire-breathing horses. The riders wore breastplates of bright colors symbolic of the horses’ power. According to the description, these riders were an appendage of the horses. The riders had no power to harm or kill but apparently directed the horse to its victims. A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues: by fire, smoke and brimstone, which proceed from the horses’ mouths. All three of these ingredients are found in active volcanoes. It seems that hell is lusting for its human inhabitants and ascends to the realm of the living and pulls both men and women into its grave darkness of eternal damnation. It says that the scorpion-like locusts came from the bottomless pit, but it doesn’t mention the origin of the horses and their riders. However, it did say in the beginning of this chapter that when the lord of the abyss (Satan) opened the lid to the bottomless pit, smoke as of a great furnace ascended, blocking out the sun, suggesting that these horses are intrinsically associated with the bottomless pit. They also have a lot in common with the locusts, both having the appearance of lions (a top predator). Also, the locusts looked and sounded like horses prepared for battle. It says about the fifth trumpet that these creatures had breastplates and had stinging tails designed to hurt people, but not to kill. Later in this chapter it quotes the number, two hundred million and implies that this number refers to these horsemen, suggesting that the locusts and the horsemen are one and the same creatures that underwent a transmutation, maintaining many attributes of its previous form. Their purpose also underwent a transformation from hurting people to killing them. The smoke that exuded from the horses’ mouths alludes to the smoke that came from the bottomless from which the locusts emerged. People are being choked out and killed by fire, smoke and brimstone that wipes out a third of mankind. There is no apparent reason John would describe a volcano in these terms, so the only logical conclusion is to assume these horses and their riders will one day pay mankind a visit. If this is the case, we can say with confidence that life as we know it will one day become a very spiritual place, and in fact the book of Revelation is about the disclosure of spiritual entities of realms both evil and good. See also: Hell seeks its inhabitants; Rev 8-10; 104c / Mutation; Rev 9,1-21; 26h Rev 9,13-15 (8i) Responsibility >> Responsible to defend God's cause >> Preparing for Judgment (220d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Divine appointments – There is a one-to-one correlation between the four horns of the golden altar (v13) and the four angels bound at the river Euphrates. Horns refer to power and the golden altar refers to the old covenant temple upon which they sacrificed animals, annually draining their blood into a golden basin for the propitiation of sin, prior to Christ shedding His own blood for the same purpose. The golden altar resided outside the tabernacle within the outer court. The voice that spoke from the four horns of the golden altar is about to use His power to offer the sacrifice of human flesh as a means of satiating God’s anger for sins committed outside of repentance and thus outside the forgiveness of Christ’s blood sacrifice, for all sinners not under the blood of Christ must pay the penalty of sin themselves. These four angels that were released are cherubim (Genesis 3-23,24), who themselves release horse-like creatures that are actually demons, assigned to kill a third of mankind. These four angels have been bound since the beginning of time along the headwaters of the Euphrates River, the approximate location of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2,10-14). It says, “After God drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” These are probably the same angelic beings mentioned in Rev 9,13-15. It is ironic that the Garden of Eden was the origin of man and was once a habitat designed specifically for him, that they might be nurtured and protected from the outside world, but is now revealed to be the entrance of the underworld, suggesting that God placed the Garden of Eden over the mouth of hell. Therefore, in verse 2 when the angel (Satan) opened its portal, the Garden of Eden acted as its cover, and he was given authority to remove it. See also: Old covenant; Rev 7,15-17; 229c / Knowledge of evil; Lk 23,18-25; 168c Rev 9-14 (119h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Having freedom to minister KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 9-20,21 (18i) Sin >> Twisted thinking >> Unable to distinguish between good and evil >> God’s purpose is evil (25h) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Thief >> Stealing from some one (74i) Thy kingdom come >> Heart of man is sinful >> It is deceitful and desperately wicked (134k) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Sins of the body >> Immorality >> Sexual perversion >> Basic immorality – With the Israelites in the days of Moses an entire generation of unbelievers fell in the wilderness, and He used the next generation to accomplish His will. What happened after 400 years of enslavement to the Egyptians? They closed their hearts to God and gave up believing that He cared about them, giving up all hope of deliverance. God deliberately waited those 400 years to test His people, and they hardened their hearts against Him. This was to show the rest of mankind that no matter what happens, never give up hope on God, for doing so is to lose everything. When God finally revealed Himself to His people, they had already made up their minds and wanted nothing to do with Him, and they couldn't change, because their hearts had turned to stone. The same will happen in the last days; God will reveal Himself after man hardens his heart against Him. Many will come to Christ in the coming days, but most will not repent of their unbelief no matter what God does to prove Himself. See also: History of Israel (Passover); Jn 18-28; 176d (162g) Works of the devil >> Being a slave to the devil (Addictions) >> Bondage >> Addicted to sin >> Being a slave to the sinful nature (181b) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Rebellion >> Rebelling against God >> Rebelling against the witness of God – In the last days God intends to reveal Himself in judgment, grace and mercy, and He will not tolerate insubordination anymore than He tolerated it in Israel's time when He rescued them from the hand of Pharaoh. Over thousands of years of man’s reign on earth people have worshipped anything but God, and God tolerated it, until the time of their judgment, and then He judged a single generation for centuries of sin (Mat 23,34-36). God does not reveal Himself to every generation, but occasionally He does, and judgment has always accompanied His visitations because of those who have rebelled in the past. God will judge the idolatry of the world because He revealed Himself in His people and the world responded by martyring them. See also: Martyrdom; 195i (183a) Works of the devil >> The origin of lawlessness >> Spirit of Error (Anti-Christ / Anti-Semitism) >> Witchcraft >> Sin is the incubator of witchcraft >> Through rebellion (186h) Works of the devil >> The result of lawlessness >> The reprobate >> Man’s role in becoming a reprobate >> Being unable to repent (195i) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping other gods >> Worshipping other gods as a god yourself – The world has refused to repent of its worship of demons, and they refused to repent of its immorality, thefts and murders. Worshipping gold, silver, and brass, common forms of idolatry today, has turned the world into reprobates. The world does not innocently worship demons with their greed, lust and pride; they turned into murderers in their vote to martyr the saints by taking the Mark of the Beast, and their sorcery is expressed in drug addiction. These trumpets have effectively stopped martyrdom in its tracks, in that all the energy of the world is now spent in survival mode. The world’s functionality has been reduced to the inability to accomplish the most basic tasks, much less continuing to murder undesirables, and truth is ever-increasingly thrown in their faces with each blast of the trumpet. They must make a choice to become worshipers of God or worshipers of the very demons that are tormenting them. Since worshipping demons that are torturing them is irrational, rejecting Christ has become that much more of an offense. Rejecting God under those conditions is to say they would rather bend the knee to something that has proven to hate them, than to bend their knee to God who has proven to love them and desires to forgive them while His offer of eternal life remains on the table. See also: Martyrdom; Rev 7-1; 250f (196b) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping the devil – This passage separates idolatry into two classes: worshipping idols and worshipping our own flesh. In modern times people buy gold and silver to protect against a falling value of the dollar; otherwise people invest in the stock market or choose to hold their money in a bank account, and they view their financial reserves as the thing that will save them. America is very materialistic. Although we don’t see people bowing to idols these days, people no less worship money and prosperity. In ancient times people worshipped the Baals by literally bowing to images and statures and prayed to them for favors, such as a good harvest or the spring rains. They envisioned a god behind the Baals they worshipped, hoping it was listening and would respond favorably to them, but the gods behind the Baals were demons. The other class of idolatry was described in behavioral terms as worshipping the flesh. If they felt mad, they would kill somebody, and if they felt horny they would have sex with somebody; if they felt covetous, they would steal from somebody, so their emotions were their god. They obediently worshipped their flesh by doing whatever it dictated to them, and of course demons are equally involved in this form of idolatry, antagonizing them into various emotions that lead them to sin. What God hates about idolatry is worshipping demons. There has always been a private contest between God and Satan ever since he fell into sin, and the contest only intensified when man fell into sin. Although the Bible says that our idolatry provokes God to jealousy, it is not because He misses our attention. Rather, the nature of God is to subject His creation to His authority, and our idolatry defies Him, inciting Him to destroy those in rebellion against Him. In the last days God will act much the same with the world as He did with Israel in the days of Moses. The Egyptians defied His authority after God revealed Himself by the power He exerted to deliver His people from pharaoh's hand, even as He intends to reveal Himself to the world in the last days when He delivers His true worshippers from the antichrist. God teeters between His grace to bless His creation and His sovereignty to subject all things to Himself. (249i) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> World’s perception of wealth >> The world's wealth erodes good values >> Being a slave to wealth See next page