| XXIII. WE KNOW THAT GOD’S WRATH COMES WITH THE SOUNDING OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET, THAT THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD SHALL BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD. A CELEBRATION OF WORSHIP OCCURS IN HEAVEN BECAUSE THE LORD’S WRATH IS COME, AND WITH THAT WRATH COMES DESTRUCTION FOR THE WICKED AND REWARD FOR HIS SAINTS & PROPHETS: A. Rev 11:15-19 (15)And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” (16)And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, (17)Saying, “We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” (18)And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (19)And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. B. Isa 13:6 (6)Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. C. Amo 5:18 (18)Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. D. Oba 1:15 (15)For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. E. Zec 12:1-3 (1)The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. (2)“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. (3)And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” COMMENT: The great and awesome Day of the Lord is the wrath of God poured out upon His enemies. It follows the end of the mystery of God (7th trumpet) and is poured out in full strength (7 vials/bowls). Jerusalem shall be made a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone; the Lord’s wrath shall make short work of all who come against His holy city. XXIV. THE GREAT WINEPRESS OF THE WRATH OF GOD: AVENGING THE BLOOD OF SAINTS A. Rev 14:19-20 (19)And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. (20)And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. B. Isa 63:3-4 (3)“I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. (4)For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.” C. Rev 16:3-9 (3)And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. (4)And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. (5)And I heard the angel of the waters say, “Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. (6)For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.” (7)And I heard another out of the altar say, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.” (8)And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. (9)And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. COMMENT: In Rev 14:17-19, a second and third angel come out from the temple, the former with a sharp sickle and the latter with power over fire. It seems that the angel with fire power here is the same one which poured out fire when the seventh seal was opened, since he ‘came out from the altar’ in both passages. We see this is confirmed in the third set of seven judgments as revealed in Chapter 16. This chapter also reveals that the Great Day of the Lord shall occur soon in a place called Armageddon. Clearly the winepress judgment is the avenging of the Saints’ shed blood (SEE REV 6:10). This vast sea of blood is the result of the battle of Armageddon, the slaughter of hundreds of millions from the armies gathered by antichrist to eradicate Jews from the face of the earth. The first three judgments of Chapter 16 involve blood, which is revealed by the angel of waters to be the blood of them that have shed the blood of saints and prophets in all the nations. The armies are slain by the Lord Jesus, and their blood fills up the valley of decision (Armageddon), which becomes like a big winepress that presses out blood. After the blood comes the wrath of God in the form of scorching heat poured out on the earth. And the great Babylon is destroyed by fire, and the smoke of her burning is mourned by the kings of the earth. And this also avenged the blood of His servants, for in her was found the blood of prophets and saints who were slain on the earth. Looking again at the symbolism, note in the Rev. 14:17-19 passage that the archangel from the altar of God, he that had power over fire, set the judgments in motion by announcing the Father’s decision for judgment, that the earth’s vineyard was ripe for harvest. But he is not shown to use the power of fire in these verses, he orders that the vine be gathered and cast into the great winepress, the symbol of God’s great wrath. We are told that the winepress is trodden outside the city, and in Isaiah 63 we find that the treading is done by Jesus alone, meaning that He slays the armies with the sword of His mouth. The defeat of Satan is seen from various points of view, among them the seventh seal, trumpet, and vial judgments. The winepress appears in several OT prophecies and blood is always the end result. Satan is the mastermind of the governing system of the earth, that great city Babylon, the mother of harlots. The great armies surrounding Jerusalem are slain and are the source of the sea of blood. Then, from the heavenly viewpoint, angels cast their souls into the furnace of fire (hell). This explains the Tares and the Bad Fish being cast into the same fiery furnace. But after the harvest (DURING THE THIRD VIAL JUDGMENT) comes the earthly equivalent of the furnace of fire, whereby fire and brimstone is poured out on the inhabitants of the earth by the fourth angel, but they did not repent. Then the fifth angel pours out wrath on the throne of the beast and the inhabitants of earth that took the mark of the beast; his kingdom was made full of darkness and they were plagued with great pain and sores; but they did not repent, they blasphemed God and joined the host of enemies surrounding Jerusalem. Then the Lord Jesus comes against the nations gathered against Jerusalem and slays them with the sword of His mouth. That’s the end of their flesh and blood life, and the birds and beasts then eat of their flesh in the great supper of God. The sum and substance of the several viewpoints, one being earthly and bloody, the other being heavenly and fiery is finally tied together when the Lord Jesus Christ appears in glory; the Lord’s robe is shown to be dipped in blood (Rev 19:13), because He shall have trodden the winepress alone, He shall slay them by His own power, all of which is described in Isaiah 63. Praise the Lord! XXV. AFTER THE HARVEST JUDGMENT, JOHN SEES THE PREPARATION FOR POURING OUT GOD’S WRATH ON THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD: WHEN THE MYSTERY OF GOD IS FINISHED, WHEN SATAN’S DOMINION IS ENDED, WHEN THE ANTICHRIST & HIS FALSE PROPHET ARE CAST INTO THE FIRES, WHEN CITY BABYLON IS DESTROYED; THEN THE LORD’S WRATH SHALL BE FINISHED. A. Rev 15:1-4 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. (2)And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. (3)And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. (4)Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." COMMENT: This is the great song celebrating the end of the mystery of God, combining the old truths and the new, as shown in verses 3 and 4, the first part of each verse being of Moses and the underlined part being of the Lamb. This I take to be symbolic of the unity which is and shall exist in Christ, making one new person of two former adversaries, Jew and Gentile. Christ shall live among them and be their King, and they shall be His people. B. Rev 15:5-8 (5)And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: (6)And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. (7)And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth forever and ever. (8)And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. C. Rev 16:12-16 (12)And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (13)And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (14)For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. D. Rev 16:15-16 (15)“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” (16)And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. COMMENT: Sudden destruction comes upon the followers of the beast, but not upon he who watches and walks in the Light. E. Rev 16:17-18 (17)And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done.” (18)And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. F. Rev 19:11-16 (11)And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (12)His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (13)And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. (14)And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (15)And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (16)And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. COMMENT: The second coming (Rev 19:11) is described three chapters after Jesus announces His soon coming (Rev 16:15) and the great voice out of the temple of heaven, saying, “It is done.” From this and the accompanying sign of the greatest earthquake ever, it is clear that Jesus comes with the pouring out of the seventh vial. Otherwise, the angel could not say “It is done.” This is not the same as the mystery of God being finished; it no doubt refers to the completion of the Great Day of the Lord, His final judgment against all iniquity. When it is done, Jesus shall establish the everlasting kingdom and occupy the throne of David forever, all of which was prophesied for His coming. It also demonstrates the methodology of placing unnumbered visions into the timeline of the numbered judgments. One last comment: in Rev 3:11, Jesus proclaimed,“I am coming quickly;” in Rev 16:15, “Behold, I come as a thief,” and in the last chapter of the Bible, Jesus three times said, “I am coming quickly.” For a literalist like myself, this establishes that they have the same meaning, i.e., suddenly. In other words, once Jesus comes it shall be too late to escape destruction. XXVI. RESPONSE TO THE DISCIPLES’ QUESTIONS: CHRIST’S PROPHECY OF THE END TIMES A. Mat 24:3 (3)And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying,“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” B. Mat 24:4-14 (4)And Jesus answered and said unto them, “Take heed that no man deceive you. (5)For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (6)And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7)For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers places. (8)All these are the beginning of sorrows. (9)Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. (10)And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. (11)And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (12)And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. (13)But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (14)And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." COMMENT: THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS (THE FIRST FOUR SEALS OF REVELATION): AND THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE PREACHED FOR A WITNESS TO ALL NATIONS DURING THESE TIMES C. Mat 24:15-16 (15)"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,(whoso readeth, let him understand:) (16)Then let them which be in Judea flee....” COMMENT: THE MID-POINT OF TRIBULATION: ANTICHRIST SHALL BE GIVEN DOMINION D. Mat 24:20-22 (20)“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: (21)For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (22)And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” COMMENT: THE 42 MONTHS OF TRIBULATION = ‘GREAT TRIBULATION.’ ELECT = THE LIVING REMNANT OF ISRAEL E. Mat 24:23-30 (23)“Then if any man shall say unto you, ‘Lo, here is Christ, or there;’ believe it not. (24)For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (25)Behold, I have told you before. (27)For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (28)For where- soever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. (29)Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (30)And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” COMMENT: THE END OF THE AGE: THE SECOND COMING, ALL NATIONS SHALL SEE THESE SIGNS IN THE SKY F. Mat 24:31-33 (31)“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (32)Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (33)So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” COMMENT: THE CALLING OF THE ELECT OF ISRAEL SHALL BE WITH THE SOUND OF TRUMPET, GATHERING FROM THE FOUR WINDS (FOUR CORNERS) OF THE EARTH, EVEN TO THE ENDS OF HEAVEN. THERE ARE HIDDEN TRUTHS IN THESE VERSES, BUT THEY ARE YET UNREVEALED. G. Mat 24:36-46 (36)“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (37)But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38)For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, (39)And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (40)Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (41)Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (42)Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (43)But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (44)Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (45)Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? (46)Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” COMMENT: THE DAY AND HOUR ARE UNKNOWN: THUS, SAINTS ARE TO BE READY LIKE THE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, TO EXPECT JESUS AT ANY MOMENT AND READY THEMSELVES BY THE WASHING OF HIS WORD, THAT HE MIGHT FIND THEM OBEDIENT. FOR WHEN HE COMES AT THE END OF THE AGE, AS HE PROPHESIED IN THE TARES PARABLE (AND IN REV. 16:15), JESUS SHALL COME AS A THIEF UPON THE WICKED TO SEVER THEM FROM AMONG THE JUST. THE WICKED SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY AND THE RIGHTEOUS LEFT TO BE GATHERED. XXVII. VERSES PERTAINING TO GATHERING OF BELIEVERS, BOTH IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH: THE ALPHA AND OMEGA HARVESTS A. THE ALPHA HARVEST: PURGING HIS KINGDOM AND GATHERING HIS CHILDREN: Mat 13:30 [TARES PARABLE SPOKEN] “Let both grow together until the harvest:and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” 1Co 2:7 (2:7)But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Rom 8:22-24 (22)For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (23)And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (24)For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 1Co 15:51 (51)Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 1Th 4:15-17 (15)For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16)For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17)Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 5:2-4 (2)For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3)For when they shall say, “Peace and safety;” then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (4)But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 2Th 2:1-6 (1)Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2)That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (3)Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4)Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (5)Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? (6)And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 2Ti 4:6-8 (6)For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7)I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8)Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. Rev 10:3-4 (3)And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. (4)And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." Rev 3:3-5 (3)“Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If there- fore thou shalt not watch,I will come on thee as a thief,and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (4)Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (5)He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” COMMENT: CHRIST COMES AS A THIEF TO THEM THAT REFUSE TO WATCH AND BE READY, THAT KEEP NOT THEIR GARMENTS WASHED IN THE BLOOD. Rev 14:16 (16)And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. COMMENT: CHRIST SHALL GATHER UP THE CHILDREN OF GOD FROM THE EARTH, FIRST THE DEAD IN CHRIST, THEN THOSE WHICH WATCH AND ARE READY. B. THE OMEGA GATHERING: THE GREAT DAY OF THE LORD, THE DAY OF VENGEANCE AND DELIVERANCE: CLEANSING OF INIQUITY, GATHERING THE ELECT AND RESURRECTING THE SAINTS Mat 13:38-43 [TARES PARABLE EXPLAINED] (38)"The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (39)The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (40)As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (41)The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42)And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (43)Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. " Mat 13:47-50 [DRAGNET PARABLE] (47)“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: (48)Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. (49)So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (50)And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Mat 24:31 (31)“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Mat 24:36-46 (36)“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (37)But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38)For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,(39)And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (40)Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (41)Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (42)Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. (43)But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (44)Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. (45)Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? (46)Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” Luk 12:43-46 (43)“Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (44)Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. (45)But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; (46)The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Rev 3:17-19 (17)“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (18)I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;” Rev 16:15-18 (15)“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” (16)And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (17)And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done.” (18)And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. COMMENT: Again, Jesus repeats “I come as a thief,” which I had always thought to be such inappropriate terminology for His coming. But now it seems as plain as the nose on my face. To wit, it’s not meant for the elect but for the condemned; the righteous shall be cloaked in the blood of the Lamb, but for naked evil doers He shall come with terrible wrath and destruction. It is now evident that “as a thief” describes the sudden calamity which shall come upon His enemies, the wrath of God which shall be poured out upon Satan’s armies and those who received the mark of the beast. The victory is won alone by the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, who then delivers salvation and restoration unto His remnant and His land and rules forevermore. Rev 11:15-19 (15)And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” (16)And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, (17)Saying, “We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. (18)And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy ser- vants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” (19)And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. Rev 16:1, 8-9 (1)And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” ....(8)And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. (9)And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. 2Pe 3:10-12 (10)But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (11)Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, (12)Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Rev 14:17-19 (17)And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (18)And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe." (19)And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Rev 16:17-20 (17)And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done.” (18)And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (19)And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. (20)And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Dan 12:2-4 (2)“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (3)And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” Rev 20:4-6 (4)And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5)But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6)Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. COMMENT on Rev 20:4-6: First of all, this is not a vision into heaven: Christ's second coming has been realized in Chapter 19, so this vision is an earthly scenario. So my question is: if this is literally the first resurrec- tion, then what do we call the pre-trib raising of the church saints? Apparently, receiving of a glorified heavenly body is not a true resurrection; being raised up to heaven is more like the transfiguration. By this definition, our resurrection shall not be consummated until we return with Christ. Furthermore, the vision is in two parts: John sees the glorified heavenly saints sitting on thrones and receiving authority in the first part of the vision; in the second part he sees the souls of tribulation saints as they come alive, "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” It is unclear whether the ones sitting on thrones are the twelve apostles ruling over the tribes of Israel, or a larger group of saints. Clearly, all that are part of this first resurrection have eternal life. TOP OF PAGE |
MYSTERIES of the KINGDOM of HEAVEN [ Go to PART A ] (SECRETS of GOD) [ Go to PART B ] PART C |
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