Summary of Bible references on the Rapture
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The warning is to flee from the shores of America. This is what I have said, you should be at least 50 miles away from the coast and probably 100 miles.
Russia has poseidon torpedos that can create 500 foot tsunamis that are radioactive. That would wipe out the shoreline a mile or two inland. That in turn would cause chaos to our coastline where 65% of Americans live and they would become refugees moving inland. You can walk 25 miles a day, some may be able to do 30 miles or more. Some will flee on bicycle and if you are not trained you will probably have trouble doing more than 50 miles a day and will be very sore the second day. My point is that refugees will be showing up a day or two after this catastrophe. However a lot of these people in the cities will not be able to flee as refugees, they will kill each other, loot, riot and get sick after a few weeks. The area fifty miles from the coast will be inundated. 100 miles in will probably be able to defend themselves but for how long? If you are more than five hundred miles from the coast, a place like Cincinnati, it will be a good place for a Christian revival.
They will not have cars and trucks. The power will go out and without power you wont be able to pump gas. A car with a full tank might have 400+ mile range. Most cars will be abandoned within that 400 mile range and probably quite a few in the first 200 miles.
Bicycles would be the best mode of transportation but you would be extremely vulnerable. So this only works in the first two weeks before you get the full Mad Max effect.
Opening the title Deed that made Jesus Lord of All
Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
The description of this book is of a title deed that you would receive as an inheritance. To understand this chapter you must consider this with the book of Ephesians where Paul told us we had obtained an inheritance. He also said the Holy Spirit we received on Pentecost was the earnest of that inheritance. Paul also prayed that we would know the glory of the riches of this inheritance.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
In Ephesians we are also told of the mighty power in Christ Jesus, that He has been set at God's right hand in the heavenlies, and that all things have been put under His feet. In this chapter we are seeing Jesus right after ascending to the heavens, taking the title deed, opening it because He is worthy, that He looks just like a lamb that had been slain, etc. The evidence is overwhelming that what we are seeing in this chapter is what Paul saw and wrote about in Ephesians.
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
All of this was true at the very start of the church age after Jesus died and rose from the dead and then ascended to heaven. I understand that people want to relate the opening of the seals to the tribulation, but doing that only makes sense if you see the church age as having "bookends". Jesus ascends to the throne and opens the title deed to the earth at the start of the church age but that is only made known to the Holy apostles and prophets who then write the New Testament, which is the inheritance. There is absolutely no basis to say that Jesus has waited two thousand years to open these seals, however, opening them in the spirit is then followed up two thousand years later by opening them up in the flesh so that all could see. First seal is the white horse -- some interpret this as the gospel going throughout the entire earth. Others interpret this as the counterfeit gospel going throughout the whole earth. However, no one will have a counterfeit dollar bill unless there is first a real dollar bill. You can't have a counterfeit Christ without a real Christ, you can't have a counterfeit gospel without a real gospel. This seal was opened at the beginning of the age. After that was the spiritual warfare, and then feeding those who were starving for the word of God and then healing those who had been slaves of sin and finally we see those martyred for the word of God. Will there be martyrs during the tribulation? Yes. But clearly the martyrs began with Stephen and James in the book of Acts.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Peter told us in his epistle that we were made kings and priests. The idea that we need to wait two thousand years for this to be opened is absurd. John, Paul and Peter all saw this at the start of the church age. If you are not in the spiritual reality of this then it is very probable that you won't be raptured. In order to be a Christian who has made themselves ready it seems absolutely essential that all this is your experience.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
On the other hand if we can have those in Thyatira who do not know the deep things of Satan, well perhaps you will have 100 million believers (the approximate number here) who are the bride of Christ while the 144,000 are the warriors.
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
The Lord is moving in many ways, a multitude of ways. Some of us are serving in one capacity, others are serving in another capacity. In the end each one of us answers to the Lord. Just as in a large family you have the elderly, the children, the babies, and the women, not all are warriors, so it is doubtful that all believers would be warriors.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
The description of this book is of a title deed that you would receive as an inheritance. To understand this chapter you must consider this with the book of Ephesians where Paul told us we had obtained an inheritance. He also said the Holy Spirit we received on Pentecost was the earnest of that inheritance. Paul also prayed that we would know the glory of the riches of this inheritance.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
In Ephesians we are also told of the mighty power in Christ Jesus, that He has been set at God's right hand in the heavenlies, and that all things have been put under His feet. In this chapter we are seeing Jesus right after ascending to the heavens, taking the title deed, opening it because He is worthy, that He looks just like a lamb that had been slain, etc. The evidence is overwhelming that what we are seeing in this chapter is what Paul saw and wrote about in Ephesians.
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
All of this was true at the very start of the church age after Jesus died and rose from the dead and then ascended to heaven. I understand that people want to relate the opening of the seals to the tribulation, but doing that only makes sense if you see the church age as having "bookends". Jesus ascends to the throne and opens the title deed to the earth at the start of the church age but that is only made known to the Holy apostles and prophets who then write the New Testament, which is the inheritance. There is absolutely no basis to say that Jesus has waited two thousand years to open these seals, however, opening them in the spirit is then followed up two thousand years later by opening them up in the flesh so that all could see. First seal is the white horse -- some interpret this as the gospel going throughout the entire earth. Others interpret this as the counterfeit gospel going throughout the whole earth. However, no one will have a counterfeit dollar bill unless there is first a real dollar bill. You can't have a counterfeit Christ without a real Christ, you can't have a counterfeit gospel without a real gospel. This seal was opened at the beginning of the age. After that was the spiritual warfare, and then feeding those who were starving for the word of God and then healing those who had been slaves of sin and finally we see those martyred for the word of God. Will there be martyrs during the tribulation? Yes. But clearly the martyrs began with Stephen and James in the book of Acts.
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Peter told us in his epistle that we were made kings and priests. The idea that we need to wait two thousand years for this to be opened is absurd. John, Paul and Peter all saw this at the start of the church age. If you are not in the spiritual reality of this then it is very probable that you won't be raptured. In order to be a Christian who has made themselves ready it seems absolutely essential that all this is your experience.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
On the other hand if we can have those in Thyatira who do not know the deep things of Satan, well perhaps you will have 100 million believers (the approximate number here) who are the bride of Christ while the 144,000 are the warriors.
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
The Lord is moving in many ways, a multitude of ways. Some of us are serving in one capacity, others are serving in another capacity. In the end each one of us answers to the Lord. Just as in a large family you have the elderly, the children, the babies, and the women, not all are warriors, so it is doubtful that all believers would be warriors.
14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Have you seen the Lion yet?
Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
So then, is this the gospel or is this the Antichrist or is this both? Jesus and the gospel went forth conquering and to conquer. The gospel was sent out throughout the entire earth. You could argue that the church age has been a horse race to bring the gospel to the four corners of the earth. On the other hand this crown was "given to him", it is the kind of crown you get at the Olympics, so think of Barak Obama simply being given the Nobel Peace Prize for being elected president, it is as though the crown was simply given to him. Antichrist will be given a short period of time to conquer. He has a bow, which many assume refers to a bow and arrows, but it could instead refer to the rainbow. Antichrist has been given the rainbow, as in the rainbow coalition of the alphabet community of LGBTQ+. But here is the thing, prior to this being sealed no one could know what was in the seal. John saw the seal being removed and saw what was in it. The book of Revelation lets us see things that are and the things that will be. I am arguing that this seal was opened in the spiritual realm at the time of Peter, Paul and John, and it will be opened in the physical realm at the time of Antichrist. During the church age the holy apostles and prophets had these things revealed to them and shared them with us, but at the time of the great tribulation all will see this, not just those who are in the spirit.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
War was released. Are we talking about the spiritual warfare in the heavens that has been taking place for the entire church age, or are we talking about physical war with nuclear bombs and EMPs and all the devices they have? Paul told us we could take up the sword of the Spirit. We are told it is a sharp two edged sword, which is the word of God. Surely the word of God is a great sword. Jesus said these same words in the gospel that He had come to take peace away from the world and that instead of peace a sword. In the spiritual warfare we are not warring according to the flesh, rather we are warring against principalities and powers. However, if this applies then in the spiritual warfare you can most certainly "kill one another". We can bind, we can loose. Our words have the power of life and death. I heard Tucker Carlson make an interesting comment about WW1, he said that no one can come up with a valid reason for it unless you consider that there is a spiritual realm and a spiritual warfare. I heard an interesting fact about the Apaches. They were superior warriors and knew they could kill their enemies but they also knew that if they did kill them there would be a lot of bloodshed, it would go back and forth, and in the final analysis it would cause more harm than good. So instead they chose a different strategy, to steal horses and other important items right out from under the nose of their enemies to let them know that they were superior warriors and that they could have killed them. The purpose was to tell their enemies that they are not able to fight them and that they should back off. What I found interesting about this is that it proves that war is illogical, we all have known this, people are not going to war because of some logical goal. Coming up with a logical explanation for something that is illogical is simply foolish. However, in the Bible we are told that Satan is our enemy and hates us. It is perfectly logical that he is the one provoking war with the goal of people killing each other.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
During a famine food is scarce and it is an inelastic commodity. People have to have food. They don't need jewelry or luxury cars or swimming pools. But they do need food. This is the picture here. Now is the Bible only talking about physical food or is this also a reference to when Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep? For two thousand years we have seen the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand as being both physical and spiritual. Why now, during the conclusion of the New Testament is this word all of a sudden seen as only being a reference to something physical. The Old Testament prophesied of a famine for the word of God. Pentecost we are told the believers were drinking new wine, concerning the bridegroom taking the bride we are told that we need our vessels filled with oil. Everyone understands wind and oil in those verses as being spiritual, but now, at the conclusion to the Bible it can only refer to a physical famine during the last seven years? I don't buy that and I feel that those who teach this are harming people by not giving them the whole story. Does this apply to the tribulation? Yes. But it also applies to the entire church age, and the reality is that all believers go through tribulation, not just those left behind for the last seven years. Every grain of wheat must go through death and burial. All the grapes must be crushed to make wine, same with the olives to make oil.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
A fourth part of the earth? Is this a reference to what we call "the third world"? The third world has been plagued with disease for the entire church age and it is associated with wars, famines, gangs, and warlords. People who do not know the Lord Jesus will descend into hell. In the gospel we warn of hell, but people need to see that it is real. With the fourth part of the earth you can point to this area and say "there but for the grace of God go I". Think of the AIDS epidemic, it did not affect everyone, only "the fourth part of the earth". Think of Malaria and all the mosquito born diseases, they don't affect everyone, only a fourth part of the earth. But this is not simply during the seven year tribulation. We have had this issue for the entire two thousand years of the church age.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Think how foolish this doctrine is. According to those that teach these seals get opened at the start of the tribulation they are saying we cannot see those who are slain for the word of God and for their testimony until the tribulation starts and the Antichrist is revealed. No doubt once the Antichrist is revealed you will see this, even if you have been blind to it before. But if you are in the word of God you know about Stephen, you know about James, you know about Paul being martyred and Peter being martyred and you know about Christians across the globe being killed for the word of God and for their testimony. How foolish to say that you can't see this now, you would have to be willfully blind. Instead I consider the martyrdom of someone like Charlie Kirk to be the footprints of the Antichrist. It is like walking along the trail and seeing evidence of a kill. You can see the tracks of the lion and you can see the evidence of the lion, you just haven't seen the lion yet.
Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
So then, is this the gospel or is this the Antichrist or is this both? Jesus and the gospel went forth conquering and to conquer. The gospel was sent out throughout the entire earth. You could argue that the church age has been a horse race to bring the gospel to the four corners of the earth. On the other hand this crown was "given to him", it is the kind of crown you get at the Olympics, so think of Barak Obama simply being given the Nobel Peace Prize for being elected president, it is as though the crown was simply given to him. Antichrist will be given a short period of time to conquer. He has a bow, which many assume refers to a bow and arrows, but it could instead refer to the rainbow. Antichrist has been given the rainbow, as in the rainbow coalition of the alphabet community of LGBTQ+. But here is the thing, prior to this being sealed no one could know what was in the seal. John saw the seal being removed and saw what was in it. The book of Revelation lets us see things that are and the things that will be. I am arguing that this seal was opened in the spiritual realm at the time of Peter, Paul and John, and it will be opened in the physical realm at the time of Antichrist. During the church age the holy apostles and prophets had these things revealed to them and shared them with us, but at the time of the great tribulation all will see this, not just those who are in the spirit.
3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
War was released. Are we talking about the spiritual warfare in the heavens that has been taking place for the entire church age, or are we talking about physical war with nuclear bombs and EMPs and all the devices they have? Paul told us we could take up the sword of the Spirit. We are told it is a sharp two edged sword, which is the word of God. Surely the word of God is a great sword. Jesus said these same words in the gospel that He had come to take peace away from the world and that instead of peace a sword. In the spiritual warfare we are not warring according to the flesh, rather we are warring against principalities and powers. However, if this applies then in the spiritual warfare you can most certainly "kill one another". We can bind, we can loose. Our words have the power of life and death. I heard Tucker Carlson make an interesting comment about WW1, he said that no one can come up with a valid reason for it unless you consider that there is a spiritual realm and a spiritual warfare. I heard an interesting fact about the Apaches. They were superior warriors and knew they could kill their enemies but they also knew that if they did kill them there would be a lot of bloodshed, it would go back and forth, and in the final analysis it would cause more harm than good. So instead they chose a different strategy, to steal horses and other important items right out from under the nose of their enemies to let them know that they were superior warriors and that they could have killed them. The purpose was to tell their enemies that they are not able to fight them and that they should back off. What I found interesting about this is that it proves that war is illogical, we all have known this, people are not going to war because of some logical goal. Coming up with a logical explanation for something that is illogical is simply foolish. However, in the Bible we are told that Satan is our enemy and hates us. It is perfectly logical that he is the one provoking war with the goal of people killing each other.
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
During a famine food is scarce and it is an inelastic commodity. People have to have food. They don't need jewelry or luxury cars or swimming pools. But they do need food. This is the picture here. Now is the Bible only talking about physical food or is this also a reference to when Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep? For two thousand years we have seen the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand as being both physical and spiritual. Why now, during the conclusion of the New Testament is this word all of a sudden seen as only being a reference to something physical. The Old Testament prophesied of a famine for the word of God. Pentecost we are told the believers were drinking new wine, concerning the bridegroom taking the bride we are told that we need our vessels filled with oil. Everyone understands wind and oil in those verses as being spiritual, but now, at the conclusion to the Bible it can only refer to a physical famine during the last seven years? I don't buy that and I feel that those who teach this are harming people by not giving them the whole story. Does this apply to the tribulation? Yes. But it also applies to the entire church age, and the reality is that all believers go through tribulation, not just those left behind for the last seven years. Every grain of wheat must go through death and burial. All the grapes must be crushed to make wine, same with the olives to make oil.
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
A fourth part of the earth? Is this a reference to what we call "the third world"? The third world has been plagued with disease for the entire church age and it is associated with wars, famines, gangs, and warlords. People who do not know the Lord Jesus will descend into hell. In the gospel we warn of hell, but people need to see that it is real. With the fourth part of the earth you can point to this area and say "there but for the grace of God go I". Think of the AIDS epidemic, it did not affect everyone, only "the fourth part of the earth". Think of Malaria and all the mosquito born diseases, they don't affect everyone, only a fourth part of the earth. But this is not simply during the seven year tribulation. We have had this issue for the entire two thousand years of the church age.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Think how foolish this doctrine is. According to those that teach these seals get opened at the start of the tribulation they are saying we cannot see those who are slain for the word of God and for their testimony until the tribulation starts and the Antichrist is revealed. No doubt once the Antichrist is revealed you will see this, even if you have been blind to it before. But if you are in the word of God you know about Stephen, you know about James, you know about Paul being martyred and Peter being martyred and you know about Christians across the globe being killed for the word of God and for their testimony. How foolish to say that you can't see this now, you would have to be willfully blind. Instead I consider the martyrdom of someone like Charlie Kirk to be the footprints of the Antichrist. It is like walking along the trail and seeing evidence of a kill. You can see the tracks of the lion and you can see the evidence of the lion, you just haven't seen the lion yet.
they are all talking about Jesus Christ, the lamb of God.
Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Now this is a reference to the seven year tribulation. Yes, we have seen many, many Christians being martyred across this globe for the entire two thousand years but especially during this last one hundred years. The main stream news ignores this. We all know that story told about the holocaust. When they came for this group I ignored it because they weren't coming for me, and when they came for that group I ignored it, and when they finally came for me there wasn't anyone left to help me. This is what Jesus is saying, they aren't paying attention to when those who are restraining evil are killed, so when the restrainer is gone there won't be anyone to help them when they get killed.
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
This is a direct reference to prophesies about the rapture. The rapture begins with the dead in Christ rising first. Every time in the Bible when the dead rise out of the grave there is a great earthquake. We have prophesies that when this happens the sun will be black as sackcloth and the moon as blood. People have tried to relate those prophecies to solar eclipse and lunar eclipse. But you would never have the two at the same time. Also for the sun to become black like sackcoth of hair is like looking at the sun with a sack of hair over your head. We don't have sacks of hair, but we do have sweaters made out of hair. Put a wool sweater over your head and look at the sun, that is the description. If this great earthquake is accompanied by great volcanic eruptions then the air will be filled with dust. That is the description here. A huge earthquake leveling all kinds of things like the 3 Gorges dam, skyscrapers, etc. Also, super volcanoes have erupted. The sky is filled with dust and for the next three years you will not have a summer and crops will not grow.
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
For the longest time I could not understand this. The bottom line is there are going to be things taking place we do not understand. We see this 3I/Atlas comet that is being accompanied by a fleet of comets. Perhaps they are what fall to earth. Vicky Goforth Parnell just had a dream/vision about fallen angels taking power from the sun and stars, perhaps that is what it is talking about. My guess is we will know it when we see it. Spiritually Satan fell from the sky like lightning, this is the physical manifestation of that event.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
We are talking about one very, very mighty earthquake.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
These are unbelievers. But even unbelievers know about the apocalypse and the day of the Lord. People claim "who are you supposed to believe, there are a lot of religions, a lot of gods". True, but when they say "the wrath of the lamb" their is only one "Lamb" that is on the throne. They are not talking about Buddhist or Hindu gods, they are not talking about Muslims, they are all referring to Jesus Christ, the lamb of God.
Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Now this is a reference to the seven year tribulation. Yes, we have seen many, many Christians being martyred across this globe for the entire two thousand years but especially during this last one hundred years. The main stream news ignores this. We all know that story told about the holocaust. When they came for this group I ignored it because they weren't coming for me, and when they came for that group I ignored it, and when they finally came for me there wasn't anyone left to help me. This is what Jesus is saying, they aren't paying attention to when those who are restraining evil are killed, so when the restrainer is gone there won't be anyone to help them when they get killed.
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
This is a direct reference to prophesies about the rapture. The rapture begins with the dead in Christ rising first. Every time in the Bible when the dead rise out of the grave there is a great earthquake. We have prophesies that when this happens the sun will be black as sackcloth and the moon as blood. People have tried to relate those prophecies to solar eclipse and lunar eclipse. But you would never have the two at the same time. Also for the sun to become black like sackcoth of hair is like looking at the sun with a sack of hair over your head. We don't have sacks of hair, but we do have sweaters made out of hair. Put a wool sweater over your head and look at the sun, that is the description. If this great earthquake is accompanied by great volcanic eruptions then the air will be filled with dust. That is the description here. A huge earthquake leveling all kinds of things like the 3 Gorges dam, skyscrapers, etc. Also, super volcanoes have erupted. The sky is filled with dust and for the next three years you will not have a summer and crops will not grow.
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
For the longest time I could not understand this. The bottom line is there are going to be things taking place we do not understand. We see this 3I/Atlas comet that is being accompanied by a fleet of comets. Perhaps they are what fall to earth. Vicky Goforth Parnell just had a dream/vision about fallen angels taking power from the sun and stars, perhaps that is what it is talking about. My guess is we will know it when we see it. Spiritually Satan fell from the sky like lightning, this is the physical manifestation of that event.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
We are talking about one very, very mighty earthquake.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
These are unbelievers. But even unbelievers know about the apocalypse and the day of the Lord. People claim "who are you supposed to believe, there are a lot of religions, a lot of gods". True, but when they say "the wrath of the lamb" their is only one "Lamb" that is on the throne. They are not talking about Buddhist or Hindu gods, they are not talking about Muslims, they are all referring to Jesus Christ, the lamb of God.
on the day of the rapture it gets revealed who has been with Jesus all this time and who hasn't.
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
This is my point, John heard the voice and was called up to the heavens, but all the Christians have been called up, risen with Christ.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Think of this as a sharp sword dividing soul from spirit. You have the Christians who are set their affection on things above and you have those who have set their affection on things of this earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Think how ridiculous it is that there are Christians teaching Revelation 6 who don't see this. Don't they realize that we died with Christ and we rose with Christ? Don't they know our life is hid with Christ in God and that He is seated in the heavenlies and we are with Him? They claim that since the Lampstand is seen in the heavens in Revelation 5 this is referring to after the rapture! Didn't they read that the church is with Jesus in the heavenlies? That is ever since Jesus ascended to the heavens, it is completely unscriptural to say that Jesus does not become Lord of all until the start of the seven year tribulation. Jesus became Lord of all when He opened the Title deed on the day He ascended to heaven.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
That is what is glorious, on the day of the rapture it gets revealed who has been with Jesus all this time and who hasn't. The rapture is us appearing together with Christ. For two thousand years the accuser of the brethren has been slandering us, but then when Jesus raptures those that are His Satan is exposed as a liar.
Colossians 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
This is my point, John heard the voice and was called up to the heavens, but all the Christians have been called up, risen with Christ.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Think of this as a sharp sword dividing soul from spirit. You have the Christians who are set their affection on things above and you have those who have set their affection on things of this earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Think how ridiculous it is that there are Christians teaching Revelation 6 who don't see this. Don't they realize that we died with Christ and we rose with Christ? Don't they know our life is hid with Christ in God and that He is seated in the heavenlies and we are with Him? They claim that since the Lampstand is seen in the heavens in Revelation 5 this is referring to after the rapture! Didn't they read that the church is with Jesus in the heavenlies? That is ever since Jesus ascended to the heavens, it is completely unscriptural to say that Jesus does not become Lord of all until the start of the seven year tribulation. Jesus became Lord of all when He opened the Title deed on the day He ascended to heaven.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
That is what is glorious, on the day of the rapture it gets revealed who has been with Jesus all this time and who hasn't. The rapture is us appearing together with Christ. For two thousand years the accuser of the brethren has been slandering us, but then when Jesus raptures those that are His Satan is exposed as a liar.
One of the most harmful doctrines concerning the end times
I get very upset when I hear people say that Israel must rebuild the temple. This doctrine is based on several verses in the Bible which say that the abomination of desolation (an idol) will be placed in "the temple". From that people infer the temple must be rebuilt. Not only so but it is stated clearly that in the middle of the tribulation the Antichrist will cause the oblations and sacrifices to cease. So, another piece of evidence that the temple will be here. The best lies are based on the truth. Yes, the oblations and sacrifices will be taking place and yes an idol will be placed in the temple. However, that word that we translate as "temple" is not the word for the building, it is the word for the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place. You do not have to rebuild the temple, you can also have the tabernacle of David.
This may sound trivial, but it isn't. First, there is a prophecy that the Tabernacle of David will be raised again, but there is no prophecy that a third temple will be built. On the Contrary the Messiah builds the third temple and Jesus is the Messiah and He said He would build His church and Ephesians tells us the Church is the temple of God.
Now let's look at the real harm in this teaching. When I heard that the Jews had to rebuild the temple before we could have the tribulation I thought that as soon as I see them restart the building that will be like the fire alarm. Many Christians think this, and so everyone has their eyes focused on the temple mount.
However, what they have missed is that a few months ago a certified red heifer was sacrificed in Shiloh and according to the Jews it was a "practice" that was done precisely according to the law of Moses. Well first of all they are not going to "practice" with a certified red heifer, they only have two of them, they are way too precious to do a practice run on. Second, before you can restart the oblations and sacrifices you must first sacrifice a red heifer. If you did it according to the law of Moses then you can use the ashes to sanctify the priests and utensils and you can begin the oblations and sacrifices. That is what they have done, the Temple Institute has collected those ashes. Finally, if they truly did follow the law of Moses they had to have raised the tabernacle of David because according to the law the sacrifice of the red heifer must be done in a spot where you can look into the sanctuary in the Tabernacle. So while everyone is looking over at the Temple mount waiting to see a sign, over in Shiloh they raised the tabernacle of David (fulfilling a prophecy) and they have set the stage to restart the oblations and sacrifices (fulfilling another prophecy).
I get very upset when I hear people say that Israel must rebuild the temple. This doctrine is based on several verses in the Bible which say that the abomination of desolation (an idol) will be placed in "the temple". From that people infer the temple must be rebuilt. Not only so but it is stated clearly that in the middle of the tribulation the Antichrist will cause the oblations and sacrifices to cease. So, another piece of evidence that the temple will be here. The best lies are based on the truth. Yes, the oblations and sacrifices will be taking place and yes an idol will be placed in the temple. However, that word that we translate as "temple" is not the word for the building, it is the word for the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place. You do not have to rebuild the temple, you can also have the tabernacle of David.
This may sound trivial, but it isn't. First, there is a prophecy that the Tabernacle of David will be raised again, but there is no prophecy that a third temple will be built. On the Contrary the Messiah builds the third temple and Jesus is the Messiah and He said He would build His church and Ephesians tells us the Church is the temple of God.
Now let's look at the real harm in this teaching. When I heard that the Jews had to rebuild the temple before we could have the tribulation I thought that as soon as I see them restart the building that will be like the fire alarm. Many Christians think this, and so everyone has their eyes focused on the temple mount.
However, what they have missed is that a few months ago a certified red heifer was sacrificed in Shiloh and according to the Jews it was a "practice" that was done precisely according to the law of Moses. Well first of all they are not going to "practice" with a certified red heifer, they only have two of them, they are way too precious to do a practice run on. Second, before you can restart the oblations and sacrifices you must first sacrifice a red heifer. If you did it according to the law of Moses then you can use the ashes to sanctify the priests and utensils and you can begin the oblations and sacrifices. That is what they have done, the Temple Institute has collected those ashes. Finally, if they truly did follow the law of Moses they had to have raised the tabernacle of David because according to the law the sacrifice of the red heifer must be done in a spot where you can look into the sanctuary in the Tabernacle. So while everyone is looking over at the Temple mount waiting to see a sign, over in Shiloh they raised the tabernacle of David (fulfilling a prophecy) and they have set the stage to restart the oblations and sacrifices (fulfilling another prophecy).
After the Rapture
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
After these things means after the opening of the six seals, and the sixth seal is the rapture. So this is what we see right after the rapture. Imagine no wind at all, a kind of stunned silence worldwide.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Given to them to hurt the earth indicates the tribulation. So after the rapture there is this pause prior to tribulation.
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
This is one of the big mysteries. The Sealing of the 144,000. They are a evangelistic ministry during the tribulation so they have to be sealed to make sure no one touches them. Therefore I don't think they are simply tribulation saints, that would make no sense. During the tribulation you have the left behind and you have those who are saved out of the tribulation. These are neither of those.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Because they are from the twelve tribes of Israel many interpreters think they are Jewish evangelists. However, because they were sealed I believe they are raptured believers who will return to the earth as an army to help those left behind. Yes, they are descended from the 12 tribes but the church is called the real Israel that is above, so there is no contradiction. I don't know if this is tied to DNA or simply spiritual, but what difference does it make? At this point none of us really knows where our DNA has come from or who we are descended from 3500 years ago.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
This multitude is the bride of Christ. They were also raptured. Jesus Christ is the greater David, that means He has his own mighty men, and I believe that is what the 144,000 are. However, it is simply a guess, with very little to confirm this. Every interpretation concerning the 144,000 is "an educated guess".
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
It is easy for us to see "great tribulation" and assume this refers to the seven year tribulation. All believers must go through tribulation. We have had hundreds, most likely thousands of martyrs during the Church age. The 144,000 are sealed right after the rapture and right before the tribulation takes place. After they are sealed we see this large group by the throne. So from this chapter it does not appear that the "seven year tribulation" has begun, at least it is does not seem that the angels who are there to harm the earth have been released.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Look at the suffering they went through, it wasn't being beheaded because they refused the mark of the beast. It was being hungry, homeless, or sorrowing over loss.
Revelation 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
After these things means after the opening of the six seals, and the sixth seal is the rapture. So this is what we see right after the rapture. Imagine no wind at all, a kind of stunned silence worldwide.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Given to them to hurt the earth indicates the tribulation. So after the rapture there is this pause prior to tribulation.
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
This is one of the big mysteries. The Sealing of the 144,000. They are a evangelistic ministry during the tribulation so they have to be sealed to make sure no one touches them. Therefore I don't think they are simply tribulation saints, that would make no sense. During the tribulation you have the left behind and you have those who are saved out of the tribulation. These are neither of those.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Because they are from the twelve tribes of Israel many interpreters think they are Jewish evangelists. However, because they were sealed I believe they are raptured believers who will return to the earth as an army to help those left behind. Yes, they are descended from the 12 tribes but the church is called the real Israel that is above, so there is no contradiction. I don't know if this is tied to DNA or simply spiritual, but what difference does it make? At this point none of us really knows where our DNA has come from or who we are descended from 3500 years ago.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
This multitude is the bride of Christ. They were also raptured. Jesus Christ is the greater David, that means He has his own mighty men, and I believe that is what the 144,000 are. However, it is simply a guess, with very little to confirm this. Every interpretation concerning the 144,000 is "an educated guess".
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
It is easy for us to see "great tribulation" and assume this refers to the seven year tribulation. All believers must go through tribulation. We have had hundreds, most likely thousands of martyrs during the Church age. The 144,000 are sealed right after the rapture and right before the tribulation takes place. After they are sealed we see this large group by the throne. So from this chapter it does not appear that the "seven year tribulation" has begun, at least it is does not seem that the angels who are there to harm the earth have been released.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Look at the suffering they went through, it wasn't being beheaded because they refused the mark of the beast. It was being hungry, homeless, or sorrowing over loss.
Now it gets complicated
Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
This is further evidence that the opening of the sixth seal is the rapture. Now there are a number of errors that need to be addressed. First, these seals were opened already. Paul tells us this and John saw this. If these seals were not opened then the Holy Apostles and Prophets would not know the various things that are shared in the New Testament. One way that might make this easier to understand is "game film". Prior to a football game, particularly in the NFL the teams watch game film to understand what the other team is going to do. Tom Brady said this was his "superpower". He would study that film so precisely he knew their defense and he knew the play he wanted to run against that defense. So when he would line up the offense prior to the snap he would see what defense they were going to run, then call an audible to the play he wanted to run. Paul and John are giving us the game film, then during the tribulation it is "the game". Now granted for two thousand years we have been battling the spiritual warfare so we can consider this last seven years as the "Super Bowl" for the church age. Which leads to another error people make, "if I am going to be raptured prior to the opening of the seventh seal why do I need to know this stuff?" Again, there are 26 teams in the NFL (I think) and only two make it to the Super Bowl. There are going to be a lot more than 144,000 who get raptured, so making the cut for the 144,000 is like being on the team that makes it to the Super Bowl. So then, if your attitude is "why do I need to know this" and if there is a confirmation in the spirit, then maybe you don't? But I think it is clear that the 144,000 will not have that attitude. It is also clear that Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. So that said we now have a very confusing question, when does the seven year tribulation begin, is it with the opening of the first seal or the opening of the seventh? If the rapture is the sixth seal you would expect that the seventh seal is the seven year tribulation. On the other hand if the first thing that happens after the rapture is that the Antichrist is revealed you would think that refers to the 1st seal. My understanding is this, and granted I am probably one of the only ones that teaches this, so you will have to go to the Lord to discern.
The opening of the seven seals is the opening of the title deed to the earth on one hand and it is also the game plan for Jesus to be Lord. Think of this as a title fight. If you win the fight you get the title. Jesus rising from the dead and being ascended is His victory in the title fight but the two thousand year church age is Jesus leading many sons into glory. These seven seals are the game plan, this is what Satan and God will be doing in this battle. However, God will not come in with the seventh seal judgments until after all the believers are caught up. In chapter seven we saw two groups, the 144,000 and the vast multitude. That vast multitude includes everyone that is saved out of the tribulation. This is different from what I shared in chapter seven because the word of God is a two edged sword. Now 144,000 is a tiny number when compared to the population of the earth. It is like 1 out of 55,000. Imagine towns and villages with fewer than 55,000 might not have anyone taken if that were the number of those raptured. That is not the way the rapture is described, rather the entire earth is shaken. The description is of every family being affected. You might lose an infant, or a grandkid, etc. If only 144,000 were taken you would never be able to claim it was "the Christians" because the vast majority of them would be left. The estimate is that there are 2.6 billion Christians and my estimate is that one sixth of them will be taken. That is like 400 million. It has to be a number large enough that if you are left behind you feel the full weight of that rejection and also that there is no question that these are the Christians who were taken and this was the rapture.
However, over the first three and half years (42 months) of the tribulation all the Christians will be removed. That is the view from here, where we see the opening of the seventh seal, this is at the midpoint of the tribulation.
Now some others taught something that could be seen as another way to look at this. They said the rapture was the first fruits, then during the tribulation you have the general harvest, this is followed by the gleanings. I would be equating the 144,000 to the first fruits and everyone else that is raptured to the general harvest. The gleanings have a very interesting teaching which this other brother has taught repeatedly, I have put links to his videos but I forget his channel name. Sorry, but anyone familiar with him will immediately recognize this as his teaching. If you steal something you must repay as much as seven fold. Satan is a thief. Therefore if he stole 1 million souls he would have to repay with 7 million souls. This would explain how Satan would be released for a short while after the thousand years. In other words a whole lot of people who were not saved must be released from Satan and not go to hell. However, many of those released will ultimately side with Satan. They were given a second chance and yet they still chose Satan.
Anyway, what we are looking at here is game film for the seven year tribulation and the only reason we would be shown this is if we might be able to play in this game. This is the "Super Bowl", like they said, you have to beat the champion to be the champion. Hence there is a blessing to reading, hearing and keeping these words. Yes, the tribulation will begin with the first seal being opened and the first half of the tribulation will conclude with the two witnesses being caught up. Both the pre tribulation rapture and that event in the middle of the tribulation will shake the earth to its core. For three and a half years they will lie about the rapture, that is the great deception, but when the two witnesses are caught up it will be a repeat with everyone crawling into their holes and trying to hide from the face of the lamb knowing that the Great day of His wrath has come and that now the Great tribulation will begin.
Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
This is further evidence that the opening of the sixth seal is the rapture. Now there are a number of errors that need to be addressed. First, these seals were opened already. Paul tells us this and John saw this. If these seals were not opened then the Holy Apostles and Prophets would not know the various things that are shared in the New Testament. One way that might make this easier to understand is "game film". Prior to a football game, particularly in the NFL the teams watch game film to understand what the other team is going to do. Tom Brady said this was his "superpower". He would study that film so precisely he knew their defense and he knew the play he wanted to run against that defense. So when he would line up the offense prior to the snap he would see what defense they were going to run, then call an audible to the play he wanted to run. Paul and John are giving us the game film, then during the tribulation it is "the game". Now granted for two thousand years we have been battling the spiritual warfare so we can consider this last seven years as the "Super Bowl" for the church age. Which leads to another error people make, "if I am going to be raptured prior to the opening of the seventh seal why do I need to know this stuff?" Again, there are 26 teams in the NFL (I think) and only two make it to the Super Bowl. There are going to be a lot more than 144,000 who get raptured, so making the cut for the 144,000 is like being on the team that makes it to the Super Bowl. So then, if your attitude is "why do I need to know this" and if there is a confirmation in the spirit, then maybe you don't? But I think it is clear that the 144,000 will not have that attitude. It is also clear that Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. So that said we now have a very confusing question, when does the seven year tribulation begin, is it with the opening of the first seal or the opening of the seventh? If the rapture is the sixth seal you would expect that the seventh seal is the seven year tribulation. On the other hand if the first thing that happens after the rapture is that the Antichrist is revealed you would think that refers to the 1st seal. My understanding is this, and granted I am probably one of the only ones that teaches this, so you will have to go to the Lord to discern.
The opening of the seven seals is the opening of the title deed to the earth on one hand and it is also the game plan for Jesus to be Lord. Think of this as a title fight. If you win the fight you get the title. Jesus rising from the dead and being ascended is His victory in the title fight but the two thousand year church age is Jesus leading many sons into glory. These seven seals are the game plan, this is what Satan and God will be doing in this battle. However, God will not come in with the seventh seal judgments until after all the believers are caught up. In chapter seven we saw two groups, the 144,000 and the vast multitude. That vast multitude includes everyone that is saved out of the tribulation. This is different from what I shared in chapter seven because the word of God is a two edged sword. Now 144,000 is a tiny number when compared to the population of the earth. It is like 1 out of 55,000. Imagine towns and villages with fewer than 55,000 might not have anyone taken if that were the number of those raptured. That is not the way the rapture is described, rather the entire earth is shaken. The description is of every family being affected. You might lose an infant, or a grandkid, etc. If only 144,000 were taken you would never be able to claim it was "the Christians" because the vast majority of them would be left. The estimate is that there are 2.6 billion Christians and my estimate is that one sixth of them will be taken. That is like 400 million. It has to be a number large enough that if you are left behind you feel the full weight of that rejection and also that there is no question that these are the Christians who were taken and this was the rapture.
However, over the first three and half years (42 months) of the tribulation all the Christians will be removed. That is the view from here, where we see the opening of the seventh seal, this is at the midpoint of the tribulation.
Now some others taught something that could be seen as another way to look at this. They said the rapture was the first fruits, then during the tribulation you have the general harvest, this is followed by the gleanings. I would be equating the 144,000 to the first fruits and everyone else that is raptured to the general harvest. The gleanings have a very interesting teaching which this other brother has taught repeatedly, I have put links to his videos but I forget his channel name. Sorry, but anyone familiar with him will immediately recognize this as his teaching. If you steal something you must repay as much as seven fold. Satan is a thief. Therefore if he stole 1 million souls he would have to repay with 7 million souls. This would explain how Satan would be released for a short while after the thousand years. In other words a whole lot of people who were not saved must be released from Satan and not go to hell. However, many of those released will ultimately side with Satan. They were given a second chance and yet they still chose Satan.
Anyway, what we are looking at here is game film for the seven year tribulation and the only reason we would be shown this is if we might be able to play in this game. This is the "Super Bowl", like they said, you have to beat the champion to be the champion. Hence there is a blessing to reading, hearing and keeping these words. Yes, the tribulation will begin with the first seal being opened and the first half of the tribulation will conclude with the two witnesses being caught up. Both the pre tribulation rapture and that event in the middle of the tribulation will shake the earth to its core. For three and a half years they will lie about the rapture, that is the great deception, but when the two witnesses are caught up it will be a repeat with everyone crawling into their holes and trying to hide from the face of the lamb knowing that the Great day of His wrath has come and that now the Great tribulation will begin.
The wait is over
Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Do you realize there is no mention of anything being given to the angels after the sixth seal. Rather they are sealing the 144,000. During the first half of the seven years the left behind Christians, the two witnesses and the 144,000 are the ones who are ministering. But now it is the angels of God who are given the trumpets. Only the saints have the privilege of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, so for the angels to get the trumpets, this indicates the gospel of grace is over.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
God has stored up the prayers of the saints. Remember all those who were martyred and their blood was under the altar asking how long before God would judge? That was when the fifth seal was opened. During the first part of the tribulation that would be when they behead anyone who doesn't take the mark of the beast. Well those questions are prayers. The Lord told them they needed to wait a little while, well here in chapter 8 the wait is over.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Every prayer is a voice. How long O Lord, Holy and True, will thou not judge. Imagine hearing that now! You just saw the two witnesses raised and caught up to heaven. You know that this meant their testimony was true and that Satan and the Antichrist have been lying to you and you know that now God is going to judge for all those people killed. If you are still alive you must have gone along with the Antichrist, you must have taken the mark. Some theorize that taking the mark will be similar to neuralink where your brain is hooked up to a giant computer server with AI in control. Imagine at this point God seizes control of that AI and is sending out all these voices into everyone's brain.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Angels do not preach the gospel of grace. They are messengers of God but we are the witnesses of the Lord's salvation. Fallen angels do not get saved so angels have no testimony of salvation. But they can trumpet that the Lord is coming, and they are messengers of God including God's righteous judgment.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Now we are coming to the great tribulation. When you see a video of the Palisades fire it is truly terrifying, but that is nothing compared to a third of all the trees on earth burning up in a fire.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
We have seen fish kills, where you see a whole bunch of dead fish floating on the water. It is a scary sight and you wonder what happened. But what we have seen is trivial compared to a third of all the creatures in the sea. That is a horror that we have never seen in all of human history. Jesus said that what is coming is a tribulation that is worse than anything man has ever seen, and so far, after the first two trumpets this is worse. Now both of these events do take place when asteroids hit the earth. When the dinosaurs were wiped out there was a great fire that swept the earth. A great mountain burning with fire that is cast into the sea describes an asteroid. Interestingly, if the seven years begins in 2025, the midpoint will be around Passover in 2029 and at that time there is a large asteroid that is predicted to fly very near the earth.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
We have also seen this, that sometimes when asteroids fly into the earth we see carbohydrates fall to the earth in flames. Think of burning fuel falling onto the land, the lakes and rivers.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
We see this when there is a super volcano, all the ash put into the air can dim the sun so that there is very little sunlight. When Krakatoa exploded the earth went without a summer because of the dust and ash in the air. A huge asteroid hitting the earth would cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
So these first four trumpets seem to be the result of a large asteroid hitting the earth which coincidentally many have said may happen in April of 2029.
Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Do you realize there is no mention of anything being given to the angels after the sixth seal. Rather they are sealing the 144,000. During the first half of the seven years the left behind Christians, the two witnesses and the 144,000 are the ones who are ministering. But now it is the angels of God who are given the trumpets. Only the saints have the privilege of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, so for the angels to get the trumpets, this indicates the gospel of grace is over.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
God has stored up the prayers of the saints. Remember all those who were martyred and their blood was under the altar asking how long before God would judge? That was when the fifth seal was opened. During the first part of the tribulation that would be when they behead anyone who doesn't take the mark of the beast. Well those questions are prayers. The Lord told them they needed to wait a little while, well here in chapter 8 the wait is over.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Every prayer is a voice. How long O Lord, Holy and True, will thou not judge. Imagine hearing that now! You just saw the two witnesses raised and caught up to heaven. You know that this meant their testimony was true and that Satan and the Antichrist have been lying to you and you know that now God is going to judge for all those people killed. If you are still alive you must have gone along with the Antichrist, you must have taken the mark. Some theorize that taking the mark will be similar to neuralink where your brain is hooked up to a giant computer server with AI in control. Imagine at this point God seizes control of that AI and is sending out all these voices into everyone's brain.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
Angels do not preach the gospel of grace. They are messengers of God but we are the witnesses of the Lord's salvation. Fallen angels do not get saved so angels have no testimony of salvation. But they can trumpet that the Lord is coming, and they are messengers of God including God's righteous judgment.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Now we are coming to the great tribulation. When you see a video of the Palisades fire it is truly terrifying, but that is nothing compared to a third of all the trees on earth burning up in a fire.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
We have seen fish kills, where you see a whole bunch of dead fish floating on the water. It is a scary sight and you wonder what happened. But what we have seen is trivial compared to a third of all the creatures in the sea. That is a horror that we have never seen in all of human history. Jesus said that what is coming is a tribulation that is worse than anything man has ever seen, and so far, after the first two trumpets this is worse. Now both of these events do take place when asteroids hit the earth. When the dinosaurs were wiped out there was a great fire that swept the earth. A great mountain burning with fire that is cast into the sea describes an asteroid. Interestingly, if the seven years begins in 2025, the midpoint will be around Passover in 2029 and at that time there is a large asteroid that is predicted to fly very near the earth.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
We have also seen this, that sometimes when asteroids fly into the earth we see carbohydrates fall to the earth in flames. Think of burning fuel falling onto the land, the lakes and rivers.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
We see this when there is a super volcano, all the ash put into the air can dim the sun so that there is very little sunlight. When Krakatoa exploded the earth went without a summer because of the dust and ash in the air. A huge asteroid hitting the earth would cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
So these first four trumpets seem to be the result of a large asteroid hitting the earth which coincidentally many have said may happen in April of 2029.
What shall we do?
A lot of Christians are asking this question as they see the day of the Lord approaching. What Peter shares here for unbelievers to receive Jesus also applies to believers who don't know what to do.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Perhaps you have been "asleep" but now that you see the whole world making a peace treaty with Israel and trying to divide up the land, maybe that has woken you up. Maybe it is Trump and Xi flipping the tables on global trade just like Jesus flipped the tables on the money changers that has woken you up. Or maybe it is Trump sending long range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine which can carry nuclear warheads and the threat of a global nuclear war that has woken you up. Whatever it is you may now be asking "what shall we do?"
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The word repent means to turn around. Now when you first get saved it may be turn around 180 degrees. Perhaps you were into some very sinful things that you needed to repent of. But now you are a Christian, you are no longer living in sin, but at the same time you are not hearing the Lord clearly, which is why you are asking what shall we do? Think of this as a radio, even if you are only slightly off the channel you will hear static. If the channel is 99.5 and you are on 99.3 you might be able to hear your channel but it is full of static. What you need to do is to adjust the knob, not a giant 180 degree repentance, but a fine tuning. Maybe you were mocking people a few years ago but now the evidence is coming out they were telling you the truth. So then, you need to repent for that. But also "be baptized". This means to be immersed into the triune God like being dunked under water. One reason you might have trouble hearing the Lord is because of the TV and the radio and everything else you are listening to. When you are baptized it depicts being buried together with Christ. You are dead to your ego, dead to your old man, dead to your flesh, etc. Think of being baptized into Christ as drowning all that other noise out so that all you can hear is the Lord speaking to you. On a radio you have to tune to the station to hear it, but you also have to turn up the volume. To be baptized into Christ doesn't turn up the volume on the Lord's speaking, it turns off the volume of the world's distracting noise. He doesn't say "forgiveness of sin" but "remission of sin". Remission means cancelling a debt. Imagine baptism is like putting on noise cancelling headphones. Now if you do these two things you get the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us in all things. You were asking "what should we do?" What we need to do is listen to the Holy Spirit speak to us and lead us in all things. If you are a Christian you already have the Holy Spirit. The reason you are asking "what should we do?" Is because you don't hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you and leading you. This could be because of a loose wire (that would be sin, separating you from God) or it could be the noise from the world is so loud you can't hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Deal with those two issues and then you will be able to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you and leading you.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Yep, this promise is to everyone. Religion would have you believe that God speaks to the pastor and you need to listen to him. No. God speaks to each one of us through the Holy Spirit and we need to listen to the Holy Spirit.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
The judgment is coming, it is much, much closer than when Peter told people this at the start of the Church age, but it is still true today.
A lot of Christians are asking this question as they see the day of the Lord approaching. What Peter shares here for unbelievers to receive Jesus also applies to believers who don't know what to do.
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Perhaps you have been "asleep" but now that you see the whole world making a peace treaty with Israel and trying to divide up the land, maybe that has woken you up. Maybe it is Trump and Xi flipping the tables on global trade just like Jesus flipped the tables on the money changers that has woken you up. Or maybe it is Trump sending long range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine which can carry nuclear warheads and the threat of a global nuclear war that has woken you up. Whatever it is you may now be asking "what shall we do?"
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The word repent means to turn around. Now when you first get saved it may be turn around 180 degrees. Perhaps you were into some very sinful things that you needed to repent of. But now you are a Christian, you are no longer living in sin, but at the same time you are not hearing the Lord clearly, which is why you are asking what shall we do? Think of this as a radio, even if you are only slightly off the channel you will hear static. If the channel is 99.5 and you are on 99.3 you might be able to hear your channel but it is full of static. What you need to do is to adjust the knob, not a giant 180 degree repentance, but a fine tuning. Maybe you were mocking people a few years ago but now the evidence is coming out they were telling you the truth. So then, you need to repent for that. But also "be baptized". This means to be immersed into the triune God like being dunked under water. One reason you might have trouble hearing the Lord is because of the TV and the radio and everything else you are listening to. When you are baptized it depicts being buried together with Christ. You are dead to your ego, dead to your old man, dead to your flesh, etc. Think of being baptized into Christ as drowning all that other noise out so that all you can hear is the Lord speaking to you. On a radio you have to tune to the station to hear it, but you also have to turn up the volume. To be baptized into Christ doesn't turn up the volume on the Lord's speaking, it turns off the volume of the world's distracting noise. He doesn't say "forgiveness of sin" but "remission of sin". Remission means cancelling a debt. Imagine baptism is like putting on noise cancelling headphones. Now if you do these two things you get the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us in all things. You were asking "what should we do?" What we need to do is listen to the Holy Spirit speak to us and lead us in all things. If you are a Christian you already have the Holy Spirit. The reason you are asking "what should we do?" Is because you don't hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you and leading you. This could be because of a loose wire (that would be sin, separating you from God) or it could be the noise from the world is so loud you can't hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Deal with those two issues and then you will be able to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you and leading you.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
Yep, this promise is to everyone. Religion would have you believe that God speaks to the pastor and you need to listen to him. No. God speaks to each one of us through the Holy Spirit and we need to listen to the Holy Spirit.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
The judgment is coming, it is much, much closer than when Peter told people this at the start of the Church age, but it is still true today.
Heads up -- Concerning the three days of darkness
Prior to the darkness descending you will see the aurora Borealis pretty much everywhere, not just in the polar regions. If you see these "dancing lights" it is a warning to get home immediately and to cover the windows. I have rolls of black garbage bags and a few rolls of duct tape. A few hours after you see the dancing lights, maybe even less time, the thick darkness that can be felt will descend. It will be evil entities, outside your window will be a horror show so terrifying people will die from fright. Those who are left outside will be victims. Also at your door familiar spirits will pretend to be those you know trying to get you to open the door. This event is a mercy of God because if you are bride ready you will have light in your home, the electricity will work. If you are not bride ready but are a believer you will not have electricity but can use candles or better yet, an oil lamp. So then if the electricity does not work it is the Lord telling you that you need to confess, repent and spend this time in prayer, fasting, and the word of God.
Prior to the darkness descending you will see the aurora Borealis pretty much everywhere, not just in the polar regions. If you see these "dancing lights" it is a warning to get home immediately and to cover the windows. I have rolls of black garbage bags and a few rolls of duct tape. A few hours after you see the dancing lights, maybe even less time, the thick darkness that can be felt will descend. It will be evil entities, outside your window will be a horror show so terrifying people will die from fright. Those who are left outside will be victims. Also at your door familiar spirits will pretend to be those you know trying to get you to open the door. This event is a mercy of God because if you are bride ready you will have light in your home, the electricity will work. If you are not bride ready but are a believer you will not have electricity but can use candles or better yet, an oil lamp. So then if the electricity does not work it is the Lord telling you that you need to confess, repent and spend this time in prayer, fasting, and the word of God.
The bottomless pit
9 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
When Jesus was crucified He took a tour of the dungeons and preached the gospel to those who were held in chains. The gospel is not that they don't exist, it is not that they cannot harm man, the gospel is that Jesus Christ defeated them on the cross and because of that victory the day is coming when they will all be cast into the lake of fire. This is the gospel that I have received. The Great Tribulation demonstrates the consequences of not receiving that gospel.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
There are people who mock at the Lord Jesus. OK, you will get your turn to take a tour of hell, let's see how well you do. Think of how arrogant you must be to make a joke of not worrying about going to hell.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
This is stunning, and this is what makes the book of Revelation so difficult. There are seven trumpets in the seventh seal, and most expositors agree that this seventh seal represents the wrath of God which is poured out in the second half of the seven years. So who, at this point, will still have the seal of God in their foreheads? We know the Jews are still here, and we know that the 144,000 have been sealed, so this might refer to the Jews and perhaps to the 144,000.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
These are strange days when you want to legalize assisted suicide.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
The general rule of thumb is "as you have done it will be done unto you". So for this to be righteous judgement it must in some way be related to the sins of these people. First and foremost you could have received forgiveness for your sins if you had received the blood of Jesus. But think about how people will harm each other, often it is like a scorpion which will stab you with a knife in the back. Think about Delilah or Jezebel, they both had teeth like a lion. They didn't attack their prey themselves, they used the army. But they use their hair and "charms" to beguile you and then stab you in the back. Very often they use their position of power to use lawfare against you. The goal of this is to cause men to confess their sins and repent. People are very foolish, God created you, why would He create you just to destroy you? Does a potter make a piece of pottery just to destroy it? That is never the goal.
11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Oh the irony. People reject Jesus because they don't want a king over them. OK, so instead of Jesus you will get Abaddon, or Apollyon, who is king over these locust/scorpions. Those who go to hell will regret this choice for all eternity.
9 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
When Jesus was crucified He took a tour of the dungeons and preached the gospel to those who were held in chains. The gospel is not that they don't exist, it is not that they cannot harm man, the gospel is that Jesus Christ defeated them on the cross and because of that victory the day is coming when they will all be cast into the lake of fire. This is the gospel that I have received. The Great Tribulation demonstrates the consequences of not receiving that gospel.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
There are people who mock at the Lord Jesus. OK, you will get your turn to take a tour of hell, let's see how well you do. Think of how arrogant you must be to make a joke of not worrying about going to hell.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
This is stunning, and this is what makes the book of Revelation so difficult. There are seven trumpets in the seventh seal, and most expositors agree that this seventh seal represents the wrath of God which is poured out in the second half of the seven years. So who, at this point, will still have the seal of God in their foreheads? We know the Jews are still here, and we know that the 144,000 have been sealed, so this might refer to the Jews and perhaps to the 144,000.
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
These are strange days when you want to legalize assisted suicide.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
The general rule of thumb is "as you have done it will be done unto you". So for this to be righteous judgement it must in some way be related to the sins of these people. First and foremost you could have received forgiveness for your sins if you had received the blood of Jesus. But think about how people will harm each other, often it is like a scorpion which will stab you with a knife in the back. Think about Delilah or Jezebel, they both had teeth like a lion. They didn't attack their prey themselves, they used the army. But they use their hair and "charms" to beguile you and then stab you in the back. Very often they use their position of power to use lawfare against you. The goal of this is to cause men to confess their sins and repent. People are very foolish, God created you, why would He create you just to destroy you? Does a potter make a piece of pottery just to destroy it? That is never the goal.
11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Oh the irony. People reject Jesus because they don't want a king over them. OK, so instead of Jesus you will get Abaddon, or Apollyon, who is king over these locust/scorpions. Those who go to hell will regret this choice for all eternity.
Last chance to repent
Revelation 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
The altar of God has four horns. This woe is simply one of those horns. You have to be a complete fool to not understand that God, the creator, has horns with which He can gore anyone that comes against Him. The right response is to be humbled under the mighty hand of God. The wrong response is to decide you are going to fight with God. That is what these people did after the locusts.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
I think this "third part" is very significant. We are composed of three parts: Body, soul and spirit. Our body has become the flesh after the fall. Our spirit is where the Holy Spirit can reside, and about a third of humans are primarily spiritual. Our soul is where our mind and emotion are and about a third of people are soulish. Finally, our body is the flesh, where we are indwelt with sin, and about a third of humans are fleshly. Those who are spiritual have the seal of God, so we can assume these men are not spiritual. A soulish person can be saved without having been transformed to have the mind of Christ, but a soulish person can also be devilish and involved in the occult.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
200 million horsemen. We do not hear about China in the seven year tribulation. This suggests to me that at the time of the rapture they are destroyed as a superpower. My hypothesis on this is that the great earthquake causes the dams and infrastructure of China to collapse. If the 3 gorges dam were to break you would flood the Yangtze river basin where 500 million Chinese live and which is the industrial base of the country. The floods and chaos that would occur would cause people to flee these areas and would eliminate China as a superpower. Also, since the US is the Great Babylon that gets destroyed at the start of the seven years China's primary trading partner would be destroyed wrecking their economy as well. Also since China is a major shipbuilder if you destroy global trade the shipping industry gets hit the hardest. However, when you are in total economic despair it is easy to gather up men for an army. It is hard to believe any country could have 200 million horsemen, but between China and India an army of this size would have to come from that region.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
I have heard a bunch of theories on how these look like certain modern weapons. If this brimstone is a reference to depleted uranium, we do use that for both armor and for armor piercing shells.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
This might be a description of tanks, when a tank is on the battlefield the soldiers will follow the tank, using it as a shield from enemy fire. This could look like a "serpent" following the tank and this serpent has heads, and those soldiers kill every bit as much as that tank does.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Once again, the basic principle is "as you have done it will be done to you". The military industrial complex is a very big business, the people who have profited from this often have no intention of their own children being killed by the weapons they have created. It is fitting that the evil you have poured out on the world would be poured out on your own head. Why would someone do something so evil as to be an arms dealer? Simple, they worship gold and silver, brass and stone and wood. They worship money, power, monuments and big homes.
Revelation 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
The altar of God has four horns. This woe is simply one of those horns. You have to be a complete fool to not understand that God, the creator, has horns with which He can gore anyone that comes against Him. The right response is to be humbled under the mighty hand of God. The wrong response is to decide you are going to fight with God. That is what these people did after the locusts.
15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
I think this "third part" is very significant. We are composed of three parts: Body, soul and spirit. Our body has become the flesh after the fall. Our spirit is where the Holy Spirit can reside, and about a third of humans are primarily spiritual. Our soul is where our mind and emotion are and about a third of people are soulish. Finally, our body is the flesh, where we are indwelt with sin, and about a third of humans are fleshly. Those who are spiritual have the seal of God, so we can assume these men are not spiritual. A soulish person can be saved without having been transformed to have the mind of Christ, but a soulish person can also be devilish and involved in the occult.
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
200 million horsemen. We do not hear about China in the seven year tribulation. This suggests to me that at the time of the rapture they are destroyed as a superpower. My hypothesis on this is that the great earthquake causes the dams and infrastructure of China to collapse. If the 3 gorges dam were to break you would flood the Yangtze river basin where 500 million Chinese live and which is the industrial base of the country. The floods and chaos that would occur would cause people to flee these areas and would eliminate China as a superpower. Also, since the US is the Great Babylon that gets destroyed at the start of the seven years China's primary trading partner would be destroyed wrecking their economy as well. Also since China is a major shipbuilder if you destroy global trade the shipping industry gets hit the hardest. However, when you are in total economic despair it is easy to gather up men for an army. It is hard to believe any country could have 200 million horsemen, but between China and India an army of this size would have to come from that region.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
I have heard a bunch of theories on how these look like certain modern weapons. If this brimstone is a reference to depleted uranium, we do use that for both armor and for armor piercing shells.
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
This might be a description of tanks, when a tank is on the battlefield the soldiers will follow the tank, using it as a shield from enemy fire. This could look like a "serpent" following the tank and this serpent has heads, and those soldiers kill every bit as much as that tank does.
20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Once again, the basic principle is "as you have done it will be done to you". The military industrial complex is a very big business, the people who have profited from this often have no intention of their own children being killed by the weapons they have created. It is fitting that the evil you have poured out on the world would be poured out on your own head. Why would someone do something so evil as to be an arms dealer? Simple, they worship gold and silver, brass and stone and wood. They worship money, power, monuments and big homes.
Jesus told us that the broad way leads to destruction and the narrow way leads to life. In the Book of Revelation we see where these two roads end up. That is why we see so much destruction and we also see that many on earth chose the broad way. We also see that the narrow way leads to life and that there were few that found that path.
"He shall confirm the covenant with the many".
I am watching as 25 heads of state walk up to get their picture with Trump one by one in front of signs saying Peace 2025 and Peace in the Mideast. That looks like the fulfillment of this verse.
Now many have assumed that the person who confirms the covenant with the many is "The Antichrist" but there is a huge, massive problem with that theory. We know that "He shall confirm the covenant with the many" prior to the seven year tribulation and we also know that the Antichrist, the man of sin, is not revealed until after the rapture.
Trump is out there saying "Peace and Security" but we know someone will sabotage that with "Sudden Destruction" and no doubt, that will be the "Man of Sin".
One really poor excuse for eschatology is to lump everything as meaning one thing. So the one who confirms the covenant with the many is the man of sin and is the Assyrian. That makes no sense.
Why couldn't they be three people? So although I see what Trump is doing today as a fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy that "He will confirm the covenant with the many" and I suspect the man of sin is with these ones, but is planning a surprise attack, the sudden destruction. Also it seems to me that Obama is most likely the Assyrian, but he is not the Antichrist. He is not there confirming this covenant with the many. However, he may very well have been instrumental in planning the sudden destruction.
I am watching as 25 heads of state walk up to get their picture with Trump one by one in front of signs saying Peace 2025 and Peace in the Mideast. That looks like the fulfillment of this verse.
Now many have assumed that the person who confirms the covenant with the many is "The Antichrist" but there is a huge, massive problem with that theory. We know that "He shall confirm the covenant with the many" prior to the seven year tribulation and we also know that the Antichrist, the man of sin, is not revealed until after the rapture.
Trump is out there saying "Peace and Security" but we know someone will sabotage that with "Sudden Destruction" and no doubt, that will be the "Man of Sin".
One really poor excuse for eschatology is to lump everything as meaning one thing. So the one who confirms the covenant with the many is the man of sin and is the Assyrian. That makes no sense.
Why couldn't they be three people? So although I see what Trump is doing today as a fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy that "He will confirm the covenant with the many" and I suspect the man of sin is with these ones, but is planning a surprise attack, the sudden destruction. Also it seems to me that Obama is most likely the Assyrian, but he is not the Antichrist. He is not there confirming this covenant with the many. However, he may very well have been instrumental in planning the sudden destruction.