The New Earth. The Book of Revelation.

 Continued from previous post:

After the Thousand Years

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…  Rev. 21:2

We have been living in God’s mansion in heaven, but now a new city is prepared for us, and Jesus, to live in for the rest of eternity on this earth. 

But first there is some unfinished business…

When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth…to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.  And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.  And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also…  Rev. 20:7-10

 We who have been in heaven were either alive when Jesus came for us or we were raised from the dead in the first resurrection.  Satan was left with nothing to do while we were enjoying the bliss of being in heaven with Jesus and our loved ones.  But after the thousand years a second resurrection takes place wherein the unsaved from the history of the world are raised and Satan, who has had a millennium to make plans, gathers these innumerable people in order to make war against the New Jerusalem and those of us inside.  Satan, his angels, the beast and the false prophet receive their punishment immediately.  The rest of humanity is left to learn of their fate.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.  (Rev. 20:11-13)  All the unsaved from all of history will stand before Jesus to hear why they are not among the saved and to hear the judgment of their deeds.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  Rev. 20:14, 15 (As you may notice, death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire to be gone forever. There is no eternal hell.)

New Earth:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  Rev. 21:1

 After the unpleasant day of carrying out the judgment of the wicked, the desolate and charred earth that has been sitting dormant for a thousand years will be recreated by God.  What a privilege it will be to witness this creation step by step.

What will the new earth be like?

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.  (Is. 65:17)  After the new earth is created, we will mercifully forget the imperfect earth from which we came and we will forget any pain, suffering and sadness we may have experienced and we will never have bad experiences again.  …He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  (Rev. 21:4)

They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  (Is. 65:21)  During the thousand years after we were taken to heaven, we lived in God’s mansion.  But when we move to the earth made new, we will build and live in our own houses.

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them.  Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox.  The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.  They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  (Is. 11:6-9)  All the animals of the new earth will be tame and no one will ever come to harm again.

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection…  Rev. 20:6

 Probation is not yet closed; we still have time to choose where we will spend eternity.  Jesus is coming, and coming soon.  Will you have your name written in the Book of Life?

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection…  Rev. 20:6

This is the end of my sister's book. It is called, "The End is Near. End Time Bible Prophecy Anyone Can Understand." Written by E.A. James.

Anyone is allowed to copy, print and share this book. If you want to buy a copy, it can be found at lulu.com. It now costs $14.44

Faith or Good Works. Which Will Save Us?

 Continued from previous post:

Salvation vs. Deeds

The question now arises:  Why are salvation and deeds two separate things?  This is a topic that has been debated for thousands of years, and we will not settle the matter here in this book.  But we will try to put it as simply as possible so we have a basic understanding.  Salvation is a gift that we receive freely:  we can do NOTHING to earn it.  …the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom. 6:23)  So how do we receive this free gift?  It says in John 1:12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.  Jesus said …This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.  (John 6:29)  When Jesus was crucified, one of the criminals being crucified next to him asked Jesus to remember him when he came in his kingdom.  Jesus replied that the criminal would be with him in paradise.  (See Luke 23:42, 43)  This man was a criminal, and he was such a bad man that the death sentence had been passed against him.  So how could Jesus simply say yes, you will be in heaven with me?  Because this criminal believed that Jesus was the Son of God and said he wanted to be with him. 

That is all that is required to be saved:  believe that Jesus is sent of God to save you and ask him to be in your life.  Suddenly your name is written in the Book of Life and heaven is yours.  …he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life, and…has passed out of death into life.  (John 5:24)

            So where do deeds come into the picture?  When you fall in love with someone you desire to please that person, and our love for Jesus will be no different.  The longer Jesus is in your life, the more you will know him and the more you will love him and the more you will want to please him.  So what is it that pleases Jesus?  When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, …”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”   (Matt. 22:37-39)  Loving God and treating people as we would want to be treated are the deeds for which we are judged.  (See Matt. 25:31-46)

 By ourselves we cannot please Jesus, but he promises to help us personally, to give us the Holy Spirit to help, and to cover us when we fall short.  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever…  (John 14:16)  …he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  (John 15:5)   …for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  (Phil. 2:13)  …if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  (1 John 2:1)  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Heb. 4:15, 16)

Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  Rev.20:6

 

Heaven and Judgement. Book of Revelation.

 Continued from previous post:

The world is destroyed, the wicked are dead, and Satan and his angels are trapped with nothing to do.  The rest of us have been caught up in the clouds with Jesus and our loved ones.  The burning question at this point is: what happens next?  What is heaven like and what will we be doing there?  The apostle Paul says, …Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.  (1 Cor. 2:9)  We cannot imagine what heaven will be like.  Our eyes and ears have never been exposed to anything resembling what is awaiting us, and our wildest imaginations cannot even come close to what the reality will be.  But the Bible gives some clues as to what to expect.

Heaven

New Bodies:

…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  (1 Cor. 15:50-53)  When Jesus returns and the saved are reaped from the earth, everyone will immediately receive a new, immortal body that will never experience sickness or death.  And no resident will say, “I am sick”…  (Is. 33:24)  For they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God…  (Luke 20:36)

The Party:

…Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…  (Rev. 19:9)  The Bride of Christ (the true church, those who are saved) takes part in what is described as a marriage supper.  When Jesus was on earth he was a guest at a wedding in the city of Cana, the event of his first miracle where he changed water into wine.  In those days a wedding celebration was a huge affair that lasted about one week.  In heaven, Jesus will be the host of a party so huge that it is impossible to imagine.  We will be with Jesus, with our loved ones, and with those we have only read about.  I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  (Matt. 8:11)

Royalty:

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  (1 John 3:1)  Jesus said, In My Father’s house are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you.  (John 14:2)  We are sons and daughters of the king of the universe and in heaven we will be living in the same mansion as Jesus and God the Father! …in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.  (2 Tim. 4:8)  Royalty wear crowns to signify their positions.  So we too, on the day Jesus returns to this earth and gathers up his people, will be given a crown by him personally.

 

The Book of Life:

God keeps several books, one of which is called the Book of Life.  Those who have their names written in the Book of Life are those who are in heaven.      (See Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 21:27)  Jesus does the entering or deleting of names in the Book of Life before he returns to earth to collect the saved.  Now at that time Michael, the great prince…will arise.  And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time… everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.  (Dan. 12:1)  The seven bowls full of the seven last plagues bring to this earth a time of distress that had never been experienced before.  We who have our names written in the Book of Life will be rescued and caught up in the clouds with Jesus before the world ends.

Our Deeds Judged:

But that is not the end of our judgment.  All of us have to stand before Jesus and be judged by him.  …we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  (Rom. 14:10)  For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son… (John 5:22)  But why are we being judged if we are already in heaven?  What is it that is being judged?  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  (2 Cor. 5:10)  Every person in heaven will receive rewards based on his or her deeds.  What these rewards are, the Bible does not say. 

Deeds of the Lost Judged:

Our time in heaven will not be a time of idleness.  Along with the great and unimaginable pleasures we will be experiencing, we will have work to do.  …do you not know that the saints will judge the world?  Do you not know that we will judge angels?    (1 Cor. 6:2, 3)   Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them.  And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead or on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  (Rev. 20:4)

Satan, his angels, and those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will have their deeds judged by the saints in heaven.  Jesus has already judged who is and who is not to be saved, so why are we going to judge the works of those who are not saved?  We can speculate and come up with a twofold answer.  First, the punishment for their deeds must fit the crime.  Adolph Hitler was responsible for the murder of millions of people, but Joe Schmuckatelly down the street simply did not believe in God and he never killed one other human being.  Do they deserve the same judgment?  Of course not.  Judgment occurs…so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  (2 Cor. 5:10)

            The second speculative answer as to why the saints are allowed to judge the world is to satisfy questions we may have.  For instance:  Why isn’t that TV preacher here in heaven?  When we look at his deeds we see he was not a servant of God, but instead he was a greedy and power hungry megalomaniac.  He did not have a personal relationship with Jesus; he used Jesus’ name to advance his own agenda. 

 Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?”  And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt. 7:21-23)  (Emphasis supplied)       

 

Satan Defeated and Chained. The Book of Revelation.

 Continued from previous post:

Jesus as Warrior

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.  His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.  Rev. 19:11-16, 19

The armies assembled in the plain of Megiddo were planning to wage war against one another, but as their world is falling apart and they see the armies of God descending upon them, former enemies unite and turn as one against our God.

 These (the kings of the earth) will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.  Rev. 17:14

 But Jesus and his army will prevail.

 Then another angel…swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.  And the wine press was trodden…  Rev. 14:18, 19

And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.  And the rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse…  Rev. 19:20, 21

 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.  2 Pet. 3:10

The beast, the false prophet, and all those bearing the mark of the beast will be destroyed.  The earth will be burned and left as scorched nothingness.

 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.  Rev. 20:1-3

It is possible that Satan is chained up and thrown into a literal pit for a thousand years.  It is also possible that he and his minions are limited to wandering the destroyed and deserted earth for the one thousand years.  Either way it is a torment for this evil angel who has been ceaselessly active for thousands of years to have absolutely nothing to do but remember the past and plan hopelessly for the future.

 The question you must ask yourself is this:  Will you see Jesus as your Savior and be thrilled to see his return, or will you see Jesus as a Warrior and be filled with fear?  The choice is yours.  Free will has been given to all of us to choose which side we will be on when the end comes

 

Jesus Returns. Armageddon. The Book of Revelation.

 Continued from previous post:

Armageddon

And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan) and out of the mouth of the beast (Catholicism, Pope) and out of the mouth of the false prophet (apostate Protestant leader), three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.  And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.  Rev. 16:13, 14, 16

 The plain of Megiddo was often the site of major battles in Old Testament times.  (See Judges 5:19 and 2 Kin. 23:29)  It is located in modern day Israel and here, Revelation says, will be the site of the final great battle of this world. 

As the threat rises from those kings from the east, the image of the beast (the beast, the false prophet, the political powers backing them up) will convince all the nations to rally together and send armies to fight.  The stage will be set in the Middle East for the climactic battle between radical Islam and Christianity, with the Jewish nation of Israel caught in the middle.

Seventh Bowl of Wrath:  The End of the World

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”  And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.  The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.  Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, and because its plague was extremely severe.  Rev. 16:17-21

We learned that Babylon the great, the mother of harlots… (Rev. 17:5) is Jezebel, the false church (Catholicism) and as the mother of harlots we see she is joined with apostate Protestant churches.  (See Chapter 7) 

The time of Satan and the image of the beast is over, and God is now ready to bring this sinful world to an end.  Cities are destroyed, an earthquake changes the face of the planet, and an incredible hailstorm falls on mankind. 

 Those having the mark of the beast cry and lament as they see their world crashing down (Rev. 18:9-19).  But those of us bearing the seal of God will rejoice (Rev. 18:20).

Two Perceptions of the Second Coming

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him…  Rev. 1:7

 Everyone alive on the earth will see Jesus returning.  The Bible describes this event in two ways:  Jesus as Savior on a cloud surrounded by angels, and Jesus as Warrior on a horse surrounded by an army.  Each person’s perception of Jesus will depend on which side he or she is on in the conflict between good and evil.  If I bear the seal of God, I will see Jesus as my savior.  If I bear the mark of the beast, I will see Jesus as a frightening warrior.  If this seems complicated, consider how different people react to different situations right now in every day life.  When a police car drives down the street, criminals see it as a threat whereas law-abiding citizens find its presence reassuring.

 Jesus as Savior

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.  Then He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.  Rev. 14:14, 16

Just before the battle of Armageddon, the saved will be “reaped” and removed from the earth.

 The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken (fifth bowl of wrath).  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.  Mark 13:24-27

…God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  1 Thess. 4:14-17

When we are lifted off this earth to meet Jesus in the air, we are reunited with our loved ones.  What a wonderful day that will be!

…in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own order:  Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end….  1 Cor. 15: 22-24  (emphasis supplied)

Once the saved have left the earth, the final battle between good and evil, Satan and Jesus, begins.

 

The Seven Last Plagues on the Earth. The Book of Revelation.

 

(I believe the 7 last plagues come from our own hands, not God’s. He is going to allow the world to kill itself through war, disease and global warming. He has protected us for thousands of years, but can no longer do that.)

 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angles, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”  Rev. 16

First Bowl of Wrath:  Sores

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image.  Rev. 16:2

Second Bowl of Wrath:  Sea Becomes Blood

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died.  Rev. 16:3

 The second trumpet heralded one third of the sea becoming blood and one third of the life in the seas dying, but here were see the completion of that disaster with all of the seas becoming blood and all of the life in the seas dying.

Third Bowl of Wrath:  Fresh Water Becomes Blood

Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood.  Rev. 16:4

 The third trumpet heralded one third of fresh water becoming bitter, but here we see all of it becoming blood.  The death of all fish in fresh water would certainly cause it to turn to blood.

Fourth Bowl of Wrath:  Sun Scorches

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire.  Men were scorched with fierce heat…  Rev. 16:8, 9

Here we see that the sun shines with such intensity that it scorches. With the heat and fires of today, this is certainly coming. 

Fifth Bowl of Wrath:  Sky Darkened

Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores…  Rev. 16:10, 11

 The fourth trumpet heralded the loss of one third of the light during both day and night.  Here the fifth bowl completes the darkening of the sky.

Sixth Bowl of Wrath:  Euphrates Dries Up

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.  Rev. 16:12

 Up to this point the bowl judgments have been literal and there is no reason to think that the sixth bowl is suddenly figurative and takes on prophetic language.  Therefore we have to look at the sixth bowl as referring to the real Euphrates River in Iraq.  There are many reasons the Euphrates could dry up.  The first trumpet heralds one third of the earth burned and the fourth bowl brings the scorching of the sun, so waters may easily dry up from what are seen as natural disasters.  The Euphrates could be dried up due to man-made interference such as the erection of a dam.  Or it could be caused by a direct act of God:  It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’  And I will make your rivers dry.  (Is. 44: 27)

The king of the North, the US, will be in the Beautiful Land (the Middle East) when …rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.  (Dan. 11:44)  The war in the Middle East will escalate to involve several countries and set the stage for Armageddon.

The Seventh Trumpet Sounds. Book of Revelation.

 

Continued from previous post:

After the sixth trumpet probation is closed.  Those who have chosen to be on God’s side are sealed and those who have chosen to side with the beast are also sealed. 

Revelation 18:4 says that God’s people will not participate in the plagues about to fall, so why will we still be on this planet?  The Hebrews were in Egypt throughout all the plagues that fell, and the faithful followers of God were in Jerusalem when the Babylonians destroyed the city.  So too, those belonging to God will be on the earth during the plagues that will fall.  And again, just as the Hebrews were protected from the final plague to fall on the Egyptians by placing marks on the doorposts of their homes and staying safely inside, and the faithful in Jerusalem were marked by a messenger of God so they would be protected from the Babylonian slaughter, so those who receive the seal of God will be safe from the final plagues because they are hidden in Jesus.  (See Ex. 12 and Ez. 9) 

But there is a drawback to being on the earth after probation closes.  The persecutions against those of us who refuse to worship the image of the beast and to receive the mark of the beast will be awful.  Some will be in jail, some will be in hiding, and some will be killed. 

 But do not fear because Jesus said, …I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  (Matt. 28:16)  Jesus also said,  Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  (Matt. 10:28)  And, Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great…  (Matt. 5:11, 12)  It may not seem like it at the time we are going through the persecutions, but Jesus will be with us and in the end it will be well worth it.

Seventh Trumpet, Third Woe:  The Seven Last Plagues, The End of the World 

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”  And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened…and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.  Rev. 11:15, 19

 The seventh trumpet has sounded and Jesus is preparing to claim the world as his kingdom.

 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.  …the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple….  Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever.  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.  Rev. 15:1, 5, 6-8

We saw in the last chapter of this book that the Holy Spirit has left this world and Jesus no longer ministers in the temple in heaven because probation is closed.  Here we see why Jesus cannot minister for us -- the temple is inaccessible.  The seven last plagues, or the seven bowl judgments, are about to fall on the earth as a whole but we who bear the seal of God will be protected.  The plagues are going to fall in rapid succession, taking about one year to occur.  …in one day her plagues will come…  (Rev. 18:8)  (See Appendix 2)

The Three Angels of Revelation.

 

 The Three Angel’s Messages

First Angel

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water.”  Rev. 14:6, 7

 This first angel’s message states that the gospel has been preached to the whole world; in chapter one of this book we saw that we are already very close to seeing the gospel spread to the entire world.

This first angel also warns the world to worship God, the creator.  Notice once again that God is referred to as the Creator.  This is significant in that it points out one of the things the earth needs to be reminded of one last time:  Times and laws were changed by man, not by God, and the law having to do with time and that also contains God’s title as our creator is the law regarding the Sabbath (see chapter five of this book).  Therefore, one way in which we worship God is by honoring his authorship of everything when we keep his Sabbath day -- Saturday.

Second Angel

And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”  Rev. 14:8

 We saw in chapter four of this book that Babylon the great, the mother of harlots… (Rev. 17:5) was Jezebel, the false church.  

What does it mean that she is the mother of harlots?  Well, if harlots are impure women, and women in prophecy refer to churches, the harlot daughters of Babylon the great would be false churches joined with the mother of all false churches.  Protestantism united with Catholicism.

            The second Angel’s message is repeated in more detail in Revelation 18.

 …“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!  She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.  For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”  Rev. 18:2, 3

 The Holy Spirit is not working in Babylon; demons and unclean spirits are.  Politicians and business people were working with her and becoming powerful and rich by doing so.  But the religious war is going badly (one third of mankind is dead) and Babylon is being destroyed.  Revelation 18:9-19 describes the despair and mourning coming from those who followed Babylon and have seen their world collapse.

Third Angel

Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger…” Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.  And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”  Rev. 14:9, 10, 13

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Rev. 18:4, 5

 Time is up for Babylon, for the beast and its image, for the dragon Satan.  God has withdrawn from them and is calling those who still have the chance for salvation to come out and join Jesus’ true followers and receive the seal of God: to obey only God’s commandments and to trust only in Jesus for salvation.

Probation is almost closed and the choice must be made by every person left alive on the earth: will they join God or will they join Satan, will they be saved or will they participate in the judgment plagues God is about to send on the earth?

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them (the two witnesses, the two olive trees, the Holy Spirit and Jesus), and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.  And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”  Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.  And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.  The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.  Rev. 11:11-14

The three and one half years have passed.  Those who received the mark of the beast, whether his name or his number, are locked in with their choice and tremble with great fear.  The Holy Spirit and Jesus stop working and leave the earth on its own.

  In Chapter 12 of the book of John a voice came out of heaven and spoke to Jesus.  In verse 29 it says, So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.”   Just as some who were standing around Jesus knew they had heard a voice while others thought it was simply thunder, so too when probation closes at the end of time on this earth.  Some will know that the Holy Spirit has left this earth and that Jesus has stopped interceding for us, while others will not have a clue.

Will you know when probation closes?  Will you be sealed by God or will you have received the mark of the beast?  Probation is going to close and we must make a choice as to what side we will be on.

  Addendum

The Antichrist

The prefix “anti” is used to describe a person or organization that is against, or opposes, or counterfeits something.  So an “anti” Christ would be a person or organization that is against, opposes, or counterfeits Christ.  In the Bible, the term antichrist is not found in the book of Revelation.  Here are some verses where you will find this term.

…just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared…  (1 John 2:18)  John, the same John who wrote Revelation, says there were antichrists in his time so this term is not limited to one person at the end of time, as many seem to believe.

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ?  This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.  (1 John 2:22)  Here we see that an antichrist is one who denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, and therefore an antichrist is one who denies God the Father and Son.

…every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.  (1 John 4:3)  Even in John’s day there were people who said Jesus was just a man, or just a good man, or just a prophet.  They denied then, and millions deny today, that Jesus is from God.

As you can see, there have been antichrists for 2000 years.  There is no reason to use the term in any special way or as referring to any special person in our study of end time events.

The Sixth Trumpet and Second Woe of the book of Revelation.

 

Continued from previous post:

Sixth Trumpet:  Religious War, 1/3 of Man Killed

Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice…”Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”  And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.  The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.  And this is how I saw in the vision…the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.  A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.  The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols…and they did not repent of their murders nor of the sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.  Rev. 9:13-18, 20, 21

 Here we see that angels are holding back a war that will originate from the Middle East, where the Euphrates River is. 

But when the sixth trumpet sounds, the angels will back off and a world war will erupt.  We can see right now in world events that the Middle East has and is a place of trouble.  Israel and its neighbors have fought for decades, and now the West and radical Muslims are fighting and it is going to get worse.  The three plagues of fire, smoke and brimstone that kill one third of mankind can easily be seen as nuclear devastation.

 World War III is right around the corner.  The king of the North (the US) and the king of the South (radical Islam) are already in conflict; it is just a matter of time before it escalates and the sixth trumpet is fulfilled.

Second Woe:  Persecution, Probation

 And it was given to him (the US religious power, the false prophet) to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.  Rev. 13:15 

Here we have reached what we had been warned about: a repetition of the persecutions experienced by the Thyatira and Sardis churches.  Remember in chapter five of this book that these churches were represented by two lampstands along with the two olive trees of the Holy Spirit and Jesus?  They witnessed and were persecuted for 1260 years from 538 CE to 1798 CE.  Well, if we go back to Revelation 11, we see in verse seven that the beast who had his wound healed and came out of the abyss (see the previous section of this chapter entitled “Resurrection of the Beast”) makes war, overcomes, and kills these witnesses.  But how can that be?  Thyatira and Sardis are church eras that existed long ago.  Yes, that is true, but the Holy Spirit and Jesus (the two olive trees) are still in this world working with and for true believers, witnessing to the truth, and calling for all who will to accept salvation. 

 And their (the two witnesses, the two olive trees, the Holy Spirit and Jesus) dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city…Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.  And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.  Revelation 11:8-10

The persecutions will be widespread and will last for three and one half years (3 ½ days, see Appendix 2).  The start time for this period could be when the beast regains power, when the laws are passed requiring everyone to obey the image of the beast, or it could be another event.  We cannot know.  But during this time the beast, its image, and the false prophet will appear to have complete control over the Christian world.  The work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus will have been nullified and replaced with man-made rules and religions. The torment of a guilty conscience, the pleadings of the Holy Spirit, submission to the will of Jesus seem to have been eliminated and this will lead to great rejoicing by those bearing the mark of the beast. 

 The passing of a death sentence against those followers of God, who refuse to receive the mark of the beast, ushers in the closing hours of probation.  Those of us who refuse to follow the false prophet and become part of the image of the beast (the combination of religious dominations and political powers) will be persecuted and some will be killed.  Why?  Because the religious war with the radical Muslims has killed one third of the world’s population, and the other five trumpet judgments are making life on earth a living hell.  It will be thought that God has turned his back on the Western Christian world and the only way to regain his favor is to act perfectly, according to how those in power define perfection.  The best and easiest way they can see to do this is to pass laws enforcing compliance with whatever they consider of great importance. 

Once again, we see works and deeds being substituted for simple faith in Jesus’ righteousness.  Our duty is to God first and foremost, so when these laws are passed we must compare them to what God has said in his Bible.  To the law and to the testimony!  If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Is. 8:20)  Trust in Jesus and obey him; do not trust in man-made laws or in any good deed you can perform.

 

666 the Number and Mark of the Beast in Revelation.

 Continued from previous post:

Resurrection of the Beast

Of the United States, Revelation 13:12 says, He exercises all the authority of the first beast (Rome, Catholicism) in his presence.  And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal would was healed.  Just as the Pope and the Catholic Church used to exercise political and religious authority over the Western world before its deadly wound in 1798, so the United States will exercise its political and religious authority over the Western world, uniting with Catholicism and giving back to the Pope the power his position once wielded. 

The Image of the Beast

 When you look in a mirror you see a reflection of yourself.  It is not you, but it looks just like you and it mirrors any movement you make. 

Well, the beast was a political and religious power that ruled the Western world for centuries, and an image to this beast will have the same traits without being the exact same entity.  Instead of being solely the Catholic Church with the Pope wielding religious and political power, this image will be political powers, dominated by the US, backing up the Ecumenical unification of religious powers (Revelation 17:12, 13 says that the kings of the earth will give their power and authority to the beast, so it will not be just the US political power).  Combined, these political and religious powers resemble, or mirror, the works and the powers of the Catholic Church during her 1260-year reign from 538 CE to 1798 CE.  So what we will see is an unholy trinity, a joining of politics, Protestantism and Catholicism. 

 This unification is already at work in what is called the Ecumenical Movement, a movement by Christians of different denominations to overcome their differences and unite under their commonalities.  (See Appendix 1)

Mark of the Beast: Name or 666

Revelation 14:9 says, If anyone worships the beast or his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand….  We see that the mark comes from worshipping the beast or his image.

 And he (the United States) causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who had the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.  Here is wisdom.  Let him who had understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.  Rev. 13:16-18

 It says here in the part of Revelation 13 that describes the United States that the mark of the beast is either his name or the number of his name and those who refuse to worship the beast or his image will not be able to buy or sell. 

We saw in the last chapter of this book that for every true and good thing from God, Satan has a counterfeit: God has a church, Satan has a church; God has a Sabbath, Satan has a Sabbath; God marks his believers, Satan marks his believers.  And just as we saw in the last chapter that the seal of God is not a visible mark, so too the mark of the beast will not be a visible mark or stamp.  The mark of the beast on the forehead represents those who are unwaveringly committed to following the false prophet and the beast and its image.  They are “named” among the most faithful and radical followers of the beast. 

 The mark of the beast on the hand represents those who follow along simply because it is easier than fighting and dying for God’s truth.  They act a good part and are simply “numbered” among the throngs of those who follow the beast for the sake of convenience. 

We know that true and good things from God are counterfeited by Satan.  You have probably already noticed that God uses the number seven a lot when describing true and holy things (seventh day Sabbath, seven days of creation, seven churches, seven judgments, etc), so a close counterfeit, signifying those things that are untrue or unholy, would be the number six.  That is all the number 666 probably means. 

 No sane or half intelligent person would willingly use, or allow to be used, an identification as obvious as the number 666.  Satan and his followers are much smarter than that.  We will be able to recognize the false prophet by his actions and words; a number is irrelevant. 

Now that we have an understanding of who is who and what is what, we are ready to look at the sixth trumpet and the second woe.

United States in Prophecy. The Books of Revelation and Daniel.

 

In the last chapter we looked at the first five trumpets and the first of three woes.  Before we begin studying the sixth trumpet and the second woe, there are a few things that must be clarified.  In the past chapters of this book I would simply refer to the appendices, but I know many readers have not flipped to the back and read them.  This section on the sixth trumpet and the second woe is too important not to be understood completely; therefore we are going to define everything up front instead of using the appendices.   

King of the North/Lamb from Earth        King of the South

In Daniel 11:1-30 we see a repeat of the three world empires that followed Babylon:  Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.  More detail is given as to the events that occurred under each empire, but we have already covered all this in enough detail to suit our purposes.  All we need to recognize is that in Daniel Chapter 11 the king of the North usually represents the dominant power and the king of the South represents a secondary power.  In verses 31 through 33 we find the Catholic Church described.  We know it is the Catholic Church because it is described as doing away with the regular sacrifice, as setting up the abomination of desolation, and as persecuting those who do not fall into line (see chapter five of this book).  To confirm our identification of the Catholic Church here in Daniel, verse 37 says that he (the church, or the Pope) shows no regard for the desire of women.  Catholic priests are celibate and show no regard for the desire of women.

Daniel 11:40 says, At the end time the king of the South will collide with him… meaning a secondary power will wage war with the Catholic Church.  Catholicism is the largest and most visible of all Christian denominations, so if any other religion, such as radical Islam, were to want to attack Christianity, this would be a logical description for the Bible to give of the first target.  Verse 40 continues; …and the king of the North will storm against him (the king of the South) with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he (the king of the North) will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.  So what is this dominant power that will fight for Christianity against the king of the South?  The answer to that question is found in Revelation Chapter 13.

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.  (Rev. 13:11)  We know that a beast represents a nation, kingdom, or political power.  And we learned that the beast in the first half of Revelation 13 was the Catholic Church (see chapter five of this book), and that it came up out of the sea, meaning it arose out of a population of people (see Appendix 2).  This new beast, however, comes up out of the earth.  This can only mean that it is a new power, one that does not rise out of an established population.  There were two brand new nations that arose around the time of the decline in the power of the Catholic Church in 1798:  Australia and the United States of America.  The United States was the only one to become an independent nation around this time and is the only one that is a dominant world power now.  Therefore, this beast from the earth must represent the United States.

As an independent nation, the United States has always acted as gently as a lamb domestically by offering religious and political freedom to all its citizens, but in the world theater it speaks with the power of a dragon.  We know that a horn represents individual people, rulers of nations or a position of great power (see Appendix 2).  In the end times, under the sixth trumpet, two powers, one religious and one political, will arise in the United States.  Since the US is predominantly a protestant nation, we can surmise that the religious power will be someone who represents Protestant Christians.  The president will work with this religious leader and together they will govern America.

           Back in Daniel Chapter 11 we see what else the king of the North, the United States of America, will do at the end times.  He will enter the Beautiful Land (the Middle East), and many countries will fall…Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt (representing the king of the South) will not escape. But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.  (Dan. 11:41, 42, 44)  As this chapter is being written, the United States is involved in a prolonged conflict in Iraq…the location of the Euphrates River.  This conflict arose out of the 9/11 attacks against the US by radical Muslims: Islam versus Christianity, the West versus the East, the king of the North versus the king of the South.  

The US involvement in the Middle East is only the beginning.  Iran, North Korea, Syria and others are perceived as threats to the Western world and Daniel says that the US will expand its campaign to the East and North.

The False Prophet

In Matthew 7:15 Jesus said, Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  Revelation 13 continues with its description of the United States’ religious leader’s powers, one of the two horns on the lamb that arose out of the earth.  He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.  And he deceives those who dwell on the earth, because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.  (Rev. 13:13, 14)  This religious leader, in the guise of a lamb or in sheep’s clothing, is going to perform signs that are meant to deceive people into believing that he is sent by God to organize an image to the beast, when in fact he speaks like a dragon and is inwardly a ravenous wolf.  The signs he performs may be powers given to him by Satan, or they may simply be sleight of hand magic tricks.  We cannot know.  What we do know is that he will be convincing enough to make people follow him unquestioningly and to make an image to the beast.

The apostle Paul was talking about the end times when he said this: …one who's coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.  For this reason, God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.  (2 Thess. 2:9-12)  People will often believe what they want to believe when it seems to benefit them the most.  God allows this as each person on earth has been given free will to love God and accept the truth or love wickedness and believe what is false.