Revelation 9-Demons swarm like locusts, oh my!

6In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.

7And the locusts looked like horses prepared for battle, with something like crowns of gold on their heads, and faces like the faces of men. 8They had hair like that of women, and teeth like those of lions. 9They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10They had tails with stingers like scorpions, which had the power to injure people for five months. 11They were ruled by a king, the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon,a and in Greek it is Apollyon.b

12The first woe has passed. Behold, two woes are still to follow.

It’s interesting, that the men who want to escape torment believe that they will receive everlasting peace in death.

But wait, these afflicted men don’t have God’s mark! So if they could die they would go straight to hell and continue in the torment for eternity! 

We don’t know what these demons will look like but John’s description is enough to “scare the bejesus out of me!” (Idiom)

These demons will swarm like the locusts did in Egypt during the time of Moses. No one without the mark of God will escape the swarm of demons!

“They (demons) we ruled by the angel of the abyss”, 

Abaddon, (Hebrew name for devil) 

Apollyon (Greek name for devil) Satan himself!

The first woe has passed! 

But wait! Two more follow!

Woe to those without the mark!

Blessings, David 

Revelation 9-Five months of torment!

The Fifth Trumpet

1Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the abyss. 2The star opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

3And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth. 4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months, and their torment was like the stinging of a scorpion.

“I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth” 

The star is a person and that he had already fallen. But is this person good or bad? Whoever he is, it best to see him as an angel who is doing God’s work and he has the key to the bottomless pit.

“locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.”

“A visual representation of the hordes of demons loosed upon the earth.” (Walvoord)

God protected those who had His seal on their forehead!

In the Book of Job we learned Satan couldn’t touch Job without God’s permission, He protected him and his household.

The same principle applies here.

How do you get Gods seal?

Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.

“5The locusts were not given power to kill them, but only to torment them for five months,”

Five months of torment! 

Satan gave Job boils from head to toe and Job used a pottery shard to scrape them, but with all his pain and torment Job didn’t curse God!

One thing stands out to me, Satan’s followers (unrepentant sinners) are tormented by Satan’s demons! 

Will they curse God?

Gods children are protected by a seal!

Gods protection or Satan’s torment?

A no brainer here!

Blessings, David 

Revelation 8-Woe, woe, woe!

12Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

13And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!” 

Matthew 24:29 (NKJV)

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

The angel’s woes are well founded, because one-third of the earth’s population will die in the next three trumpets. (Guzik)

“And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven,”KJV

Notice the KJV uses an “angel” vs “eagle”. David Guzik says the Ancient Greek words for angel and eagle have a similar spellings. In the parallel bible most translations use eagle 🦅 

The sun will be darkened!

Woe, woe, woe!

Blessings, David 

Revelation 8-The star is Wormwood!

10Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

Here we possibly have another meteor or comet falling from the heavens and causing an ecological disaster. 

It destroys a third of the rivers and the springs of waters in judgement.

Wormwood is a bitter substance and many people died from the bitter waters.

I am glad I won’t be around for these events on earth. But let’s face the fact that there are many unrepentant, unbelievers and evil people in the world. Last time God brought judgement He flooded the world, this time His methods are different.

Blessings, David 

Forgiving Sin. Matthew 18:23-35 NLT

You've been hurt and betrayed. They owe you an apology. You are angry. No mercy, no grace, no forgiveness.  They started it, they have to make the first move. 

Nothing ever done to us is as offensive as the sin we have committed against God. 

If we don't forgive that person who offended us, God won't forgive us of our offenses against Him. 

Still want to hold that grudge? 

Matthew 18:23-35 NLT

23 Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.  25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.'  27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.

31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.

35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Blessings, Cecilia

Revelation 8-One third of the sea turned to blood!

8Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Notice John says “like” a great mountain was thrown into the sea, this could be a reference to a meteor. 

Remember, God is in control and whatever He uses “a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed”.

Judgement is at hand! Why doesn’t God just destroy the whole world and everyone at once? 

Because of love, He’s leaving the door to heaven unlocked for one more soul. 

The door to heaven is unlocked for you too, all you have to do is answer His knock.

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

Knock, knock, who’s there?

Blessings, David 

Revelation 8-One third of the earth, trees and grass!

The First Four Trumpets

6And the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

7Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were flung to the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

How will this happen, how can this be? Some believe this was the end of the Roman Empire. We need to look at this verse literally, “A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.” It means a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees and a third of the grass!

How will this come about, by war, by meteors? Either way, God has a hand in it.

I don’t worry about such things because I believe in the rapture!

Christ comes back for His church. 

Do you worry about such things?

Blessings, David 

The Strongest Rope. . Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

Everyone needs to be acknowledged, to be affirmed and to feel important. We need our innermost thoughts and feelings to be heard AND understood. We need to feel safe, protected and cherished. We need to be loved and feel love. We need to be a part of a team, chosen and excepted. 

That's why God designed marriage. He stated it in Genesis 2:18 when He said  "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."

And a relationship with God as the third strand is even better. 

Is God a part of your marriage? 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Blessings, Cecilia

Revelation 8-Incense, fire, lightening and earthquake! Oh my....

The Seventh Seal

1When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.

3Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose up before God from the hand of the angel.

5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were rolls of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

“there was silence in heaven for about half an hour”

David Guzik portrays an example of a pastor preaching and stopping for 10 minutes which would seem like eternity. So imagine heaven, with continual praising and all of a sudden everyone stops praising God and there is silence for half an hour!

Trumpets are significant also because in ancient times trumpets were used to signal an attack. 

Then another angel comes forward with a censor burning incense “along with the prayers of all the saints”.

“It is not said that the angel presents these prayers. He presents the incense, and the prayers ascend with it. The ascending of the incense shows that the prayers and offering were accepted.” (Clarke)

“We waited for the seven seals to be opened and saw them loosed one by one. But when the seventh seal was finally loosed, the end did not immediately come. It set in motion seven trumpets that would sound upon the earth.” (Guzik)

“5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were rolls of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

I don’t believe this is typical thunder and lightning or a typical earthquake, remember God is trying to get everyone’s attention. REPENT, judgment is coming!

When I grew up our family attended catholic school and church. During service and certain ceremonies incense was burned in a censor and usually a priest or alter boy swung it while prayers were offered up, “Lord hear our prayers “.

Why was incense burned and what does it symbolize?

“The altar of incense, then, can be seen as a symbol of the prayers of God’s people.”

“It is beautiful to know that God considers the prayers of believers to be like a sweet smell of incense.”.

https://www.gotquestions.org/altar-of-incense.html

 Your prayers are sweet smelling!

Blessings, David 

Sibling Rivalry. Genesis 35:27-29 NLT

At the end of Isaac's life, his children were able to come together, having put their past behind them, and work as one. How often do we see this happen? Not as often as you may think. 

Many years ago when my Mother-in-law had open heart surgery, I saw the worst come out in two of her daughter's. They became very controlling, bickering with the others siblings, dictating who could visit with mom and how long they could stay. David and I decided we would visit her during the times we knew his sisters would not be there. I remember commenting at the time that I hated to see what was going to happen when his parents died and it came time to deal with the estate. David responded "I don't want anything to do with it." 

What a prophetic conversation that was! Approximately 20 years later when his father died preceded by his wife 8 years earlier, it was discovered his sisters had complete control over all of the assets. One brother wanted to take them to court but David walked away. He wanted nothing to do with it. 

Although we had predicted it, although we were not surprised, we still cannot imagine one sibling treating another this way. So every day we pray for them. We pray for them to repent, we pray they seek God, we pray they are convicted before it's too late for them. It's not about the money or the possession's that were sold off. It's about the pain I see in David's eye's. It's about the deepest hurt he has ever experienced, the betrayal from his flesh and blood. 

And I pray I can forgive them for the pain they caused my husband. 

Genesis 35:27-29 NLT

27 So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in Mamre, which is near Kiriath-arba (now called Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners. 28 Isaac lived for 180 years. 29 Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.

Blessings, Cecilia

Revelation 7-God will wipe away every tear!

13Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”

14“Sir,” I answered, “you know.”

So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15For this reason,

‘They are before the throne of God

and serve Him day and night in His temple;

and the One seated on the throne

will spread His tabernacle over them.

16Never again will they hunger,

and never will they thirst;

nor will the sun beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat.

17For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd.

He will lead them to fountains of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

The multitude (was)too large to count and because they are mentioned after the 144,000, some believe that the 144,000 were evangelists who reaped a great harvest.

“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Not one of them became white through his tears of repentance, not one through the shedding of the blood of bulls or of goats. They all wanted a vicarious sacrifice, and for none of them was any sacrifice effectual, except the death of Jesus Christ the Lord. They washed their robes nowhere but in the blood of the Lamb.” (Spurgeon)

“made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.

“Never again will they hunger,

and never will they thirst;

nor will the sun beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat.”

“Affliction of itself does not sanctify anybody, but the reverse. I believe in sanctified afflictions, but not in sanctifying afflictions.” (Spurgeon)

“Heaven is not only a place of rest from earthly toil but also a place of privileged service.” (Walvoord)

I don’t know about you but I would rather be in a place of privileged service than earthly toil!

David says it best,

Psalm 27:4 (NKJV)

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord,

And to inquire in His temple.

“The true Christian life, when we live near to God, is the rough draft of the life of full communion above. We have seen the artist make with his pencil, or with his charcoal, a bare outline of his picture. It is nothing more, but still one could guess what the finished picture will be from the sketch before you.” (Spurgeon)

Our church on occasion has a artist who works with chalk. It’s specialty chalk like his art. He draws a picture that appears to be one thing but when hit with a black light it represents Jesus in the clouds looking gown on us with His heavenly love.

His art is only a glimpse at what heaven will be for us.

“Now, how is this? If you will tell me, I shall be glad, for I cannot tell you. I do not believe that there will be one atom less tenderness, that there will be one fraction less of amiability, and love, and sympathy – I believe there will be more – but that they will be in some way so refined and purified, that while compassion for suffering is there, detestation of sin shall be there to balance it, and a state of complete equilibrium shall be attained. Perfect acquiescence in the divine will is probably the secret of it; but it is not my business to guess; I do not know what handkerchief the Lord will use, but I know that he will wipe all tears away from their faces, and these tears among them.”

“ I do not know what handkerchief the Lord will use”, but what a handkerchief it will be!

Blessings, David 

Genesis 35:16-20; 27-29 NLT

In Genesis 30:1 Rachel claimed to Jacob  “Give me children, or I’ll die!”. Isn't it ironic that now she dies in childbirth? 

Also, in Genesis 31: 32 Jacob unwittingly cursed Rachel when he claimed to Laban: "But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die!"  But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.

And so we see the twelfth son on Israel born, God's plan fulfilled, even through all the drama, all the fighting, all the disobedience, all the foot dragging, God's will is fulfilled. What about you? What about me? What am I hesitant to do that God has called me to do? What are you dragging your feet over? I think our Pastor said it well this past Sunday. " God wants to use you but God doesn't need you. God's not limited by our disobedience. "

Genesis 35:16-20; 27-29 NLT 

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac 

16 Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense.  17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!”  18 Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”).  19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).  20 Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day. 

Blessings, Cecilia

Revelation 7-Divine sovereignty!

Praise from the Great Multitude

9After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. 10And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation to our God,

who sits on the throne,

and to the Lamb!”

11And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

“I suppose as he looked at them he could tell where they come from. There is individuality in heaven, depend upon it. Every seed will have its own body. There will sit down in heaven not three unknown patriarchs, but Abraham – you will know him; Isaac, you will know him; and Jacob, you will know him. There will be in heaven not a company of persons, all struck off alike so that you cannot tell who is who; but they will be out of every nation, and kindred, and people, and tongue.” (Spurgeon)

“This is a peculiar subject of their joy: that God has a throne, that he sits upon it, and that he ruleth over all things, and all things do his bidding. The central thought of heaven, then, is divine sovereignty.” (Spurgeon)

“They are arrayed for holy service, and arrayed at once, for they wear white robes fitted for their priestly service.” (Spurgeon)

“The palm, the ensign of triumph, indicates most certainly a conflict and conquest. As on earth palm would not be given if not won, we may conclude that the Lord would not have distributed the prize unless there had been a preceding warfare and victory . . . From the very fact that the glorified carry palms, we may infer that they did not come from beds of sloth, or gardens of pleasure, or palaces of peace, but that they endured hardness, and were men trained for war.” (Spurgeon)

“And all the angels.....” 

All means all!

Who are these people arrayed in white robes?

Stay tuned!

Blessings, David 

Revelation 7-How are you going to finish your course?

4And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand from all the tribes of Israel:

5From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

6from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

7from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Isaachar twelve thousand,

8from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,

and from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand.

I believe from studying the Bible and as my pastor explained that the 144,000 are Jews that come to Jesus Christ during the great tribulation and in doing so receive His seal. 

“They are not a part of the Church proper; for their repentance comes too late for that. They are a superaddition to the Church – a supplementary body – near and precious to Christ, but made up after the proper Church has finished its course.” (Seiss)

How are you going to finish your course?

Blessings, David 

Revelation 7-Five angels are coming!

144,000 Sealed

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3“Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

Four corners of the earth, in effect the angels surrounded the whole earth holding back all the wind, with orders to stand by and not to harm land, sea or tree’s until the foreheads of Gods servants have been sealed.

They had the power of destruction but were on stand-by, awaiting orders!

Ezekiel 9:4 (NKJV)

4 and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

Another angel had a seal, and he sealed the people of God. What did this seal look like? Rev 14:1 gives us a hint.

Revelation 14:1 (NKJV)

14 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

We are not told what exactly their service is, but the 144,000 are sealed for a specific and unique purpose. However, the general idea of being sealed is not limited to them. (Guzik)

We are also sealed when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior as 2 Cor 1:21-22 states.

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 (NKJV)

21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

This guarantee is your life insurance policy so that you won’t die a second death. Life insurance policies underwritten by man pay an indemnity upon your death.

Gods guarantee protects you from eternal death!

Rev 20:14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

Is your name in the book of life?

Five angels are coming!

Blessings, David