Rev 11:16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev 11:17 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.
Praise God!
Rev 11:18 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.
Rev 11:19 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.
Amazing.
And people refuse to believe that God is in control. People believe they are in charge of themselves and that's all that matters. There is no real beginning we can fathom, and there is no end. Forever things will always be the way they are until mankind destroys the earth, or the earth is destroy by an asteroid or some other natural disaster outside of mankind's control. Their lives are filled with heartaches and joy, pain and happiness, tragedies and triumphs. Yet, way too many people don't have an even mix of the two extremes of joy and heartache. Too many people have more heartache than joy. And happiness has been found in perversion- many, many perversions and at the expense of other human beings. We live in a very perverse world, and in most ages throughout earth's history each generation can say the same. An historian would be quick to tell people how things were in the first century- the horrors of living in that time. An historian could easily inform us of the horrors of the middle ages. An historian would have no trouble at all expounding on the horrors of the twentieth century. Yet during these times there are lulls in the horror at various places around the world. Those lulls make the horrors all that much more astounding. And these are just historic horrors we're discussing right now, we aren't discussing all the private perversions of mankind- and they've existed for a long, long, long time. Is this truly the sort of world that you want to choose to believe is all that exists for us? So many do believe this, they really, really do.
Then there is another sort of person who believes that there is another phase of existence and they will go there upon leaving this world- by dying. They believe they will take on a new form of life and that form will be untouched by all the horrors of this world. Depending upon who you talk to there are those who believe that their spirit form after death will have a whole new world of good and evil to live in as a spirit until they once more transform into a higher level of spirit form.
We're busy, busy, busy caught up in our suppositions and everything we think about on these subjects is centered around ourselves. Of course, who else can they be centered on? Even the most seemingly self-less person could be self-less selfishly, trying to garner good will towards themselves through their self-less acts. We only have ourselves. And yet we know that we have only so much control over ourselves. Not a single person controls whether or not some disease will befall them. Yes, there are some diseases we bring upon ourselves, but there are a whole slew of others we cannot control. Even the most health-conscious human being who does all the right things- eats right, exercises correctly, deals with stress in a healthy manner, even this person can get cancer, a brain tumor, a blot clot, have a weakened artery wall, birth defects that come about through NO fault of their own. The healthiest person will still end up dying of old age though they do all they can to keep themselves healthy. We only have so much control over ourselves. We cannot- barring extreme plastic surgery- change our appearance, change ourselves into another person. We cannot control the size of our bones, we cannot change the genetics within us that give us our complexion- even if we can do things to alter that complexion. It's undeniable that we are born with very little control over so much of ourselves. Even our personalities aren't under our full control. We are born with traits- inherited traits that try as we might we can't seem to get rid of.
If we have so little control over so much of ourselves then why are we centered on ourselves so much?
Jesus had this to say- Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
By who?
Mat 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Mat 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Mat 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Mat 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Our Father in heaven.
Our Creator.
God's written word to us reveals this glorious story of mankind. The story is amazing and every bit of it is true, is fact.
Created sinless.
We sin.
We inherit death.
Created sinless.
He doesn't sin.
We inherit eternal life through Him.
We're born.
We live.
We're born again in Christ.
We live.
We die.
We sleep.
Our breath goes back to God.
Christ returns.
We wake.
We are given new bodies - sinless bodies created by Christ.
Rev 11:18 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.
Rev 11:19 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.
We will be judged- those who are going with Christ must be judged as being Christ's before they can go with Him. Those who are not Christ's will be judged as such as well. It won't matter what sin they possess- if they are not Christ's that alone is enough to be judged unworthy. We aren't judged worthy by our own merit, but by Christ's. No merit of ours will ever make us Christ's. Accepting that Christ alone can make us His, that Christ alone matters in this world of uncertainty and sin, along with the results of sin, is our duty. We have control over that choice. We have control over what we choose to believe. A lot of times you'll hear people say they have no control over their beliefs because they were raised to believe in a certain faith and that is all there is to it. They need to realize that they are choosing to believe the way they were taught, the way of their family, they are making a choice and they DO have that choice to make. Some have to make that choice under the threat of death. Believe in the way of their forefathers or die for abandoning that faith. Their choice is the hardest.
The control we have is over our choice of who to believe in- God, self, Satan, Allah, Buddha, Moon Goddess etcetera. This choice is all that truly matters yet we are so incredibly caught up in many, many things that we think have nothing to do with this choice, but the truth is everything we do is part of that choice- everything! While we might think we aren't making a choice we are every single day, every hour of every day. Every breath we take is taken under the choice we make. Do we live for God or for a false god? If we aren't living for God then we are living for a false god no matter what we name that god.
Judgment is something we all face and it's not necessarily at the end of our lives. There will be people alive when our Savior returns and some will be alive in Him and some won't- all of those alive will have faced a judgment that determined whether or not they are God's.
By the grace of our God may we choose always and forever to be His, in His righteousness, by His grace and love, and mercy. When we are judged may we be judged in Christ's righteousness, not our own. By His forgiveness.
Amen.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Prophecy - 91
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Rev 11:15 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 for ever and ever.
The seventh angel- sounded.
The trumpet sounded.
When that trumpet sounded there were great voices in heaven.
The voices were saying--
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.
When does this happen? When does our Savior take over the kingdoms of the world? He doesn't have them now, does He? People are confused about all this so let's see if we can't understand it a bit better.
God created the world. - Gen. 1:1
God created man and made him king over the things that He had created. - Gen 1:26
Man sinned.- Gen. 3:6
Satan took dominion over the kingdom of the world. - Matt. 4:8,9
Jesus did not make this world His kingdom. - John 17:14
God's kingdom will come and Satan will no longer have dominion over the world. Rev. 11:15
Rev 11:15 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 for ever and ever.
So you see, while it is very true that our world was created by God -us included- it is also true that sin entered the world God created and corrupted it. You'll often hear people say things like- 'Why did God create that horrible venomous snake?! That snake serves no useful purpose and it kills people! Why did God make disease carrying mosquitoes? Why did God allow bacteria? Why are there viruses, did God create them too? I could go on and on and on and on and you know I could. The thing is God's creation was made for man to rule, with God supreme over man- all through love. When man abdicated his role as one having dominion over the earth by choosing to listen to another who would be like God who used the power of seduction to lure mankind to also desire to be like God, when all that happened everything changed. Sin entered and with it's entrance things were NO longer being fully control and guided by God. YES, God allowed man to choose and in making that allowance along with it came all the rest.
Have you ever bought something you thought was fantastic, only to find out it was a lemon? On a MUCH larger scale, Adam and Eve thought that tasting that fruit would be fantastic, only it turned out to be the worst lemon ever. We've all heard of situations, or been in them ourselves where we don't count on all the hassle that results from something we choose to do, yet the hassle comes with it - like it or not. People find out often that falling in love with someone is great but the rest of that person's family might not be so great yet they are part and parcel of that someone you love.
I guess what I'm trying to say is once sin was allowed there was and is no end- until our Savior returns for us- to the degradation of this earth and all it was meant to be. The sickness, the disease, the horrors, the nightmares, the awful parts of what we call life will only continue to get worse. Yes, we can combat some diseases etc, but as all of us know, super bugs come into play and after the super bugs we'll probably have super duper bugs and so on. God NEVER intended for us to have to live in a world ruled by sin. We were given a choice and we chose and this is the result- our world under Satan.
Rev 11:15 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 for ever and ever.
The kingdoms of this world WILL become our LORD'S once again, He paid for them with His life- with His blood- through His sacrifice all in His righteousness.
More tomorrow by our Lord's will!
In His love!
Amen
Rev 11:15 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 for ever and ever.
The seventh angel- sounded.
The trumpet sounded.
When that trumpet sounded there were great voices in heaven.
The voices were saying--
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.
When does this happen? When does our Savior take over the kingdoms of the world? He doesn't have them now, does He? People are confused about all this so let's see if we can't understand it a bit better.
God created the world. - Gen. 1:1
God created man and made him king over the things that He had created. - Gen 1:26
Man sinned.- Gen. 3:6
Satan took dominion over the kingdom of the world. - Matt. 4:8,9
Jesus did not make this world His kingdom. - John 17:14
God's kingdom will come and Satan will no longer have dominion over the world. Rev. 11:15
Rev 11:15 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 for ever and ever.
So you see, while it is very true that our world was created by God -us included- it is also true that sin entered the world God created and corrupted it. You'll often hear people say things like- 'Why did God create that horrible venomous snake?! That snake serves no useful purpose and it kills people! Why did God make disease carrying mosquitoes? Why did God allow bacteria? Why are there viruses, did God create them too? I could go on and on and on and on and you know I could. The thing is God's creation was made for man to rule, with God supreme over man- all through love. When man abdicated his role as one having dominion over the earth by choosing to listen to another who would be like God who used the power of seduction to lure mankind to also desire to be like God, when all that happened everything changed. Sin entered and with it's entrance things were NO longer being fully control and guided by God. YES, God allowed man to choose and in making that allowance along with it came all the rest.
Have you ever bought something you thought was fantastic, only to find out it was a lemon? On a MUCH larger scale, Adam and Eve thought that tasting that fruit would be fantastic, only it turned out to be the worst lemon ever. We've all heard of situations, or been in them ourselves where we don't count on all the hassle that results from something we choose to do, yet the hassle comes with it - like it or not. People find out often that falling in love with someone is great but the rest of that person's family might not be so great yet they are part and parcel of that someone you love.
I guess what I'm trying to say is once sin was allowed there was and is no end- until our Savior returns for us- to the degradation of this earth and all it was meant to be. The sickness, the disease, the horrors, the nightmares, the awful parts of what we call life will only continue to get worse. Yes, we can combat some diseases etc, but as all of us know, super bugs come into play and after the super bugs we'll probably have super duper bugs and so on. God NEVER intended for us to have to live in a world ruled by sin. We were given a choice and we chose and this is the result- our world under Satan.
Rev 11:15 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 for ever and ever.
The kingdoms of this world WILL become our LORD'S once again, He paid for them with His life- with His blood- through His sacrifice all in His righteousness.
More tomorrow by our Lord's will!
In His love!
Amen
Prophecy - 90
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The word of God.
God's holy word.
Love.
Despised.
Revered.
Trampled upon.
Honored.
The Bible has been through many, many phases- some where it has been openly honored and others where is has been openly despised. People have gone to great lengths to possess the written word of God, many have died in possession of mere snippets of the Scriptures because it has been illegal to have any part of God's written word. Even today in parts of the world this is still true. We don't like to believe it is because that would mean we live in a barbaric world and we do in many, many ways. To discount such a powerful prophecy geared towards the written word of God would be incredibly foolish and we would be allowing ourselves to be blind if we ignored the possibility.
The word of God was abandoned, burned, discarded, destroyed all as the age of reason was ushered in. Where did this take place? Over in part of the world which was once under the rule of the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire was broken up into ten main parts this part of the world was one of those ten- France. Do you remember our Daniel study on this? Let's have a tiny refresher.
'There were ten nations at some time in their history that were most important in bringing the Roman Empire to it's knees, who as independent kingdoms held portions of the Roman empire as theirs.
Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Burgundians, Heruli, Anglo-Saxons, and Lombards'
The Franks- France.
This wasn't a part of the world unknown, a part of the world that had no history in God's prophecies, this part of the world was 1/10th of those responsible for the Roman Empire falling apart. France- one of the ten toes in Daniel's prophetic interpretation of the great statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. We shouldn't be surprised at all whatsoever that this part of the world would play a part in more prophetic history. Politics and religion mingled- politics trying to shut out religion and succeeding in keeping the written word of God despised but the word of God could NOT be destroyed.
The written word of God was shoved into darkness, deep, deep darkness for many years and then in extreme darkness before it was revived.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The Bible! The glorious Bible was massed produced and began to be given to many, many, many people and it has NOT stopped being massed produced since and given to many. The Bible Societies in our world have gone to great lengths to see that God's written word has gone to people all over the world in many, many languages.
Read this--
Religious books, especially the Bible and the Qur'an, are probably the most-printed books, but it is nearly impossible to find reliable sales figures for them. Print figures are missing or unreliable since these books are produced by many different and unrelated publishers. Furthermore, many copies of the Bible and the Qur'an are printed and given away free, instead of being sold.
Pasted from
The MOST printed books and the Bible is among them!
The Spirit of life from God entered into the written word being proclaimed.
Did great fear fall upon those which realized the Bible's power as it was being given to people everywhere? Yes. The very same people that did not want the Bible to be given to people but wanted to control what they knew of God's word- were NOT happy with this mass produced Bible going to everyone. These people even told their followers that the word of God could only properly be interpreted by them. It's true! I know I've mentioned it before in other studies.
'In particular, watch more carefully over those who are assigned to give public readings of holy scripture, so that they function diligently in their office within the comprehension of the audience; under no pretext whatsoever should they dare to explain and interpret the divine writings contrary to the tradition of the Fathers or the interpretation of the Catholic Church.'
INTER PRAECIPUAS (On Biblical Societies) by Pope Gregory XVI, May 8, 1844
There is much a person can find on the history of the Bible, of the Bible being banned and so forth. God's witnesses were severely oppressed. We have access to God's written word and we are so incredibly blessed by that access.
God's word directs us heavenward, yes?
The gospel of Christ directs us heavenward. We cannot forget this, not for a moment. The Gospel of the kingdom! Salvation through our Savior!
As the fallout from the French Revolution, of the Biblical side of things was witnessed many were horrified, severely horrified by what they saw and yet those who are God's chosen knew still they must give all glory to God. God's remnant throughout time have been witness to the abuse of God's written word through those who have sought to follow God's truth. Killed for the word of God, this is fact NOT fiction and yet so many today laugh off Christianity. So many laugh off conviction and believe it's all a bunch of foolishness.
Oh by the grace of God may we NEVER be among those fools, NEVER be among those deceived. Please Lord continue to enlighten us, please! By Your grace, by Your mercy, by Your LOVE always!!!!!!!!
Help us Lord, save us!
Amen.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The word of God.
God's holy word.
Love.
Despised.
Revered.
Trampled upon.
Honored.
The Bible has been through many, many phases- some where it has been openly honored and others where is has been openly despised. People have gone to great lengths to possess the written word of God, many have died in possession of mere snippets of the Scriptures because it has been illegal to have any part of God's written word. Even today in parts of the world this is still true. We don't like to believe it is because that would mean we live in a barbaric world and we do in many, many ways. To discount such a powerful prophecy geared towards the written word of God would be incredibly foolish and we would be allowing ourselves to be blind if we ignored the possibility.
The word of God was abandoned, burned, discarded, destroyed all as the age of reason was ushered in. Where did this take place? Over in part of the world which was once under the rule of the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire was broken up into ten main parts this part of the world was one of those ten- France. Do you remember our Daniel study on this? Let's have a tiny refresher.
'There were ten nations at some time in their history that were most important in bringing the Roman Empire to it's knees, who as independent kingdoms held portions of the Roman empire as theirs.
Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Burgundians, Heruli, Anglo-Saxons, and Lombards'
The Franks- France.
This wasn't a part of the world unknown, a part of the world that had no history in God's prophecies, this part of the world was 1/10th of those responsible for the Roman Empire falling apart. France- one of the ten toes in Daniel's prophetic interpretation of the great statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. We shouldn't be surprised at all whatsoever that this part of the world would play a part in more prophetic history. Politics and religion mingled- politics trying to shut out religion and succeeding in keeping the written word of God despised but the word of God could NOT be destroyed.
The written word of God was shoved into darkness, deep, deep darkness for many years and then in extreme darkness before it was revived.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The Bible! The glorious Bible was massed produced and began to be given to many, many, many people and it has NOT stopped being massed produced since and given to many. The Bible Societies in our world have gone to great lengths to see that God's written word has gone to people all over the world in many, many languages.
Read this--
Religious books, especially the Bible and the Qur'an, are probably the most-printed books, but it is nearly impossible to find reliable sales figures for them. Print figures are missing or unreliable since these books are produced by many different and unrelated publishers. Furthermore, many copies of the Bible and the Qur'an are printed and given away free, instead of being sold.
Pasted from
The MOST printed books and the Bible is among them!
The Spirit of life from God entered into the written word being proclaimed.
Did great fear fall upon those which realized the Bible's power as it was being given to people everywhere? Yes. The very same people that did not want the Bible to be given to people but wanted to control what they knew of God's word- were NOT happy with this mass produced Bible going to everyone. These people even told their followers that the word of God could only properly be interpreted by them. It's true! I know I've mentioned it before in other studies.
'In particular, watch more carefully over those who are assigned to give public readings of holy scripture, so that they function diligently in their office within the comprehension of the audience; under no pretext whatsoever should they dare to explain and interpret the divine writings contrary to the tradition of the Fathers or the interpretation of the Catholic Church.'
INTER PRAECIPUAS (On Biblical Societies) by Pope Gregory XVI, May 8, 1844
There is much a person can find on the history of the Bible, of the Bible being banned and so forth. God's witnesses were severely oppressed. We have access to God's written word and we are so incredibly blessed by that access.
God's word directs us heavenward, yes?
The gospel of Christ directs us heavenward. We cannot forget this, not for a moment. The Gospel of the kingdom! Salvation through our Savior!
As the fallout from the French Revolution, of the Biblical side of things was witnessed many were horrified, severely horrified by what they saw and yet those who are God's chosen knew still they must give all glory to God. God's remnant throughout time have been witness to the abuse of God's written word through those who have sought to follow God's truth. Killed for the word of God, this is fact NOT fiction and yet so many today laugh off Christianity. So many laugh off conviction and believe it's all a bunch of foolishness.
Oh by the grace of God may we NEVER be among those fools, NEVER be among those deceived. Please Lord continue to enlighten us, please! By Your grace, by Your mercy, by Your LOVE always!!!!!!!!
Help us Lord, save us!
Amen.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Prophecy - 89
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
*******
Oct. 5, 1793. The revolutionary calendar was established making weeks of 10 days.
Nov. 10. A statute of liberty as "godess of the French people" replaced the image of Mary. (link as for Oct. 5).
Nov. 10. Account of burning Bible portions.
Nov. 24. Satute ordering the closing of all churches. (Aulard, p. 161)
Sept. 17, 1797. Catholicism had been generally restored.
Pasted from
*******
France guarantees freedom of religion as a constitutional right and the government generally respects this right in practice. A long history of violent conflict between groups led the state to break its ties to the Catholic Church early in the last century and adopt a strong commitment to maintaining a totally secular public sector.[1]
The Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies, conducted by various governments of France between the start of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Concordat of 1801, forming the basis of the later and less radical Laïcité movement. The goal of the campaign was the destruction of Catholic religious practice and of the religion itself.[1] There has been much scholarly debate over whether the movement was popularly motivated or something forced upon the people by those in power.[2]
The programme of dechristianization waged against Catholicism, and eventually against all forms of Christianity, included:[1][3][4]:
confiscation of church lands, which were to be the security for the new Assignat currency
removal of statues, plates and other iconography from places of worship
destruction of crosses, bells and other external signs of worship
the institution of revolutionary and civic cults, including the Cult of Reason and subsequently the Cult of the Supreme Being,
the enactment of a law on October 21, 1793 making all nonjuring priests and all persons who harboured them liable to death on sight.
The climax was reached with the celebration of the Goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November 1793.
The dechristianization campaign can be seen as the logical extension of the materialist philosophies of some leaders of the enlightenment, while for others with more prosaic concerns it was an opportunity to unleash resentments against the Church and clergy.[5]
In Paris, over a forty-eight hour period beginning on September 2, 1792, as the Legislative Assembly (successor to the National Constituent Assembly) dissolved into chaos, three Church bishops and more than two hundred priests were massacred by angry mobs; this constituted part of what would become known as the September Massacres. Priests were among those drowned in the Noyades for treason under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Carrier; priests and nuns were among the mass executions at Lyon, for separatism, on the orders of Joseph Fouché and Collot d'Herbois. Hundreds more priests were imprisoned and made to suffer in abominable conditions in the port of Rochefort.
Anti-church laws were passed by the Legislative Assembly and its successor, the National Convention, as well as by département councils throughout the country. Many of the acts of dechristianization in 1793 were motivated by the seizure of church gold and silver to finance the war effort,[6] though exceptions weren't uncommon. In November 1793, the département council of Indre-et-Loire abolished the word dimanche (English: Sunday).[citation needed] The Gregorian calendar, an instrument decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, was replaced by the French Republican Calendar which abolished the sabbath, Saints' days and any references to the Church.
Anti-clerical parades were held, and the Archbishop of Paris was forced to resign his duties and made to replace his mitre with the red "Cap of Liberty." Street and place names with any sort of religious connotation were changed, such as the town of St. Tropez which became Héraclée. Religious holidays were banned and replaced with holidays to celebrate the harvest and other non-religious symbols. Robespierre and his colleagues decided to supplant both Catholicism and the rival, atheistic Cult of Reason with the Cult of the Supreme Being. Just six weeks before his arrest, on June 8, 1794 the still-powerful Robespierre personally led a vast procession through Paris to the Tuileries garden in a ceremony to inaugurate the new faith.
The dechristianisation of France reached its zenith around the middle of 1794 with the fall of Robespierre. By early 1795 a return to some form of religion-based faith was beginning to take shape and a law passed on February 21, 1795 legalised public worship, albeit with strict limitations. The ringing of church bells, religious processions and displays of the Christian cross were still forbidden.
As late as 1799, priests were still being imprisoned or deported to penal colonies and persecution only worsened after the French army led by General Louis Alexandre Berthier captured Rome and imprisoned Pope Pius VI, who would die in captivity in Valence, France in August of 1799. Ultimately, with Napoleon now in ascendancy in France, year-long negotiations between government officials and the new Pope, Pius VII, led to the Concordat of 1801, formally ending the dechristianisation period and establishing the rules for a relationship between the Roman Church and the French State.
Victims of the Reign of Terror totaled somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000. According to one estimate, among those condemned by the revolutionary tribunals, about 8 percent were aristocrats, 6 percent clergy, 14 percent middle class, and 70 percent were workers or peasants accused of hoarding, evading the draft, desertion, rebellion, and other purported crimes.[7] Of these social groupings, the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church suffered proportionately the greatest loss.[7]
Main articles: Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution and Revolt in the Vendée
The Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of a campaign, conducted by various Robespierre-era governments of France beginning with the start of the French Revolution in 1789, in order to eliminate any symbol that might be associated with the past, especially the monarchy.
The program included the following policies:[44][45][46]
the deportation of clergy and the condemnation of many of them to death,
the closing, desecration and pilaging of churches, removal of the word "saint" from street names and other acts to banish Christian culture from the public sphere
removal of statues, plates and other iconography from places of worship
destruction of crosses, bells and other external signs of worship
the institution of revolutionary and civic cults, including the Cult of Reason and subsequently the Cult of the Supreme Being,
the large scale destruction of religious monuments,
the outlawing of public and private worship and religious education,
forced marriages of the clergy,
forced abjurement of priesthood, and
the enactment of a law on 21 October 1793 making all nonjuring priests and all persons who harbored them liable to death on sight.
The climax was reached with the celebration of the Goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians#French_Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dechristianisation_of_France_during_the_French_Revolution
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Roman Catholicism, the religion of a majority of French people, is no longer considered a state religion, as it was before the 1789 Revolution and throughout the various, non-republican regimes of the 19th century (the Restoration, the July Monarchy and the Second French Empire).
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In September 1793 a period known as the Reign of Terror ensued for approximately 12 months
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The climax was reached with the celebration of the goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November. Because dissent was now regarded as counterrevolutionary, extremist enragés such as Hébert and moderate Montagnard indulgents such as Danton were guillotined in the Spring of 1794.[citation needed] On 7 June Robespierre, who favoured deism over Hébert's atheism and had previously condemned the Cult of Reason, recommended that the Convention acknowledge the existence of God. On the next day, the worship of the deistic Supreme Being was inaugurated as an official aspect of the Revolution. Compared with Hébert's somewhat popular festivals, this austere new religion of Virtue was received with signs of hostility by the Parisian public
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The days of the French Revolution and Republic saw many efforts to sweep away various trappings of the ancien régime; some of these were more successful than others. The new Republican government sought to institute, among other reforms, a new social and legal system, a new system of weights and measures (which became the metric system), and a new calendar. Amid nostalgia for the ancient Roman Republic, the theories of the Enlightenment were at their peak, and the devisors of the new systems looked to nature for their inspiration. Natural constants, multiples of ten, and Latin derivations formed the fundamental blocks from which the new systems were built.
The new calendar was created by a commission under the direction of the politician Charles Gilbert Romme seconded by Claude Joseph Ferry and Charles-François Dupuis. They associated with their work the chemist Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, the mathematician and astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange, the astronomer Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande, the mathematician Gaspard Monge, the astronomer and naval geographer Alexandre Guy Pingré, and the poet, actor and playwright Fabre d'Églantine, who invented the names of the months, with the help of André Thouin, gardener at the Jardin des Plantes of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. As the rapporteur of the commission, Charles-Gilbert Romme presented the new calendar to the Jacobin-controlled National Convention on 23 September 1793
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There are a lot of people who believe even today that the Bible, that belief in God, that belief in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior- is an oppressive religion. This moment in history - if you will- reveals a time when religion was banned. This happened at tail end of the 1260 year prophecy which ended in 1798. It is notable, very notable and recognized in many ways even today- if not significantly for the religious aspect. The Reign of Terror- who hasn't learned of this in school history? This is a remarkable event and all that surrounds it very telling. In 1798 Napoleon's general took the Pope out of power and this led up to that prophetically significant event. We can't ignore it, we shouldn't ignore it. We have to realize that there is quite bit of prophecy specific to the very end times, but we have thousands of years of history that the prophecy has been set for. Periods of great events, and long lulls. We have to trust that our Savior will give us all the truth we need so that we are not deceived as all but the very elect will be.
So much to learn! Does this fit the prophecy? Truly, does it? Could it? Putting things all together does it work? Are we forcing puzzle pieces into the puzzle or are they falling easily into place? A lot of people would have us believe we are forcing those puzzle pieces. And you know what, they'd say that no matter what theories we come up with. Everyone has their own and this is the theory of people who came to the truth as God was opening the eyes of people to understand the messages in the little book of prophecy- Daniel. Does this mean they can't be wrong? No, it doesn't mean that at all. We all are given light and seriously as God enlightens our understanding to things then we can build on truths that have been presented but only in such a way that we are not contradicting God's word, not contradicting truths that have been established beyond any doubt whatsoever. If we begin to believe in something that takes away that truth that has been given without any doubt at all then everything collapses and deception works its way in. We have to pray and pray hard to have understanding in God's truth.
Personally I do not subscribe to any religion at all that has been established as a religion today- unless I am joining the few who are coming out of Babylon and believing in God's truth and nothing but God's truth.
Do I have all the answers? No, and I never will. We are ALL called to walk by FAITH and that means not having evidence for all things. We place our hope and faith in our Savior to lead us to all the truth we need to be His now and forever.
Tomorrow we'll continue this study and we will continue to pray and pray hard for clarity, for only God's truth. We'll pray that we will be our Savior's upon His return, ready for Him, watching, waiting, praying, praying, praying always.
All through the love of our God, our Savior, our Creator!
Amen.
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
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Oct. 5, 1793. The revolutionary calendar was established making weeks of 10 days.
Nov. 10. A statute of liberty as "godess of the French people" replaced the image of Mary. (link as for Oct. 5).
Nov. 10. Account of burning Bible portions.
Nov. 24. Satute ordering the closing of all churches. (Aulard, p. 161)
Sept. 17, 1797. Catholicism had been generally restored.
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France guarantees freedom of religion as a constitutional right and the government generally respects this right in practice. A long history of violent conflict between groups led the state to break its ties to the Catholic Church early in the last century and adopt a strong commitment to maintaining a totally secular public sector.[1]
The Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of the results of a number of separate policies, conducted by various governments of France between the start of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Concordat of 1801, forming the basis of the later and less radical Laïcité movement. The goal of the campaign was the destruction of Catholic religious practice and of the religion itself.[1] There has been much scholarly debate over whether the movement was popularly motivated or something forced upon the people by those in power.[2]
The programme of dechristianization waged against Catholicism, and eventually against all forms of Christianity, included:[1][3][4]:
confiscation of church lands, which were to be the security for the new Assignat currency
removal of statues, plates and other iconography from places of worship
destruction of crosses, bells and other external signs of worship
the institution of revolutionary and civic cults, including the Cult of Reason and subsequently the Cult of the Supreme Being,
the enactment of a law on October 21, 1793 making all nonjuring priests and all persons who harboured them liable to death on sight.
The climax was reached with the celebration of the Goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November 1793.
The dechristianization campaign can be seen as the logical extension of the materialist philosophies of some leaders of the enlightenment, while for others with more prosaic concerns it was an opportunity to unleash resentments against the Church and clergy.[5]
In Paris, over a forty-eight hour period beginning on September 2, 1792, as the Legislative Assembly (successor to the National Constituent Assembly) dissolved into chaos, three Church bishops and more than two hundred priests were massacred by angry mobs; this constituted part of what would become known as the September Massacres. Priests were among those drowned in the Noyades for treason under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Carrier; priests and nuns were among the mass executions at Lyon, for separatism, on the orders of Joseph Fouché and Collot d'Herbois. Hundreds more priests were imprisoned and made to suffer in abominable conditions in the port of Rochefort.
Anti-church laws were passed by the Legislative Assembly and its successor, the National Convention, as well as by département councils throughout the country. Many of the acts of dechristianization in 1793 were motivated by the seizure of church gold and silver to finance the war effort,[6] though exceptions weren't uncommon. In November 1793, the département council of Indre-et-Loire abolished the word dimanche (English: Sunday).[citation needed] The Gregorian calendar, an instrument decreed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, was replaced by the French Republican Calendar which abolished the sabbath, Saints' days and any references to the Church.
Anti-clerical parades were held, and the Archbishop of Paris was forced to resign his duties and made to replace his mitre with the red "Cap of Liberty." Street and place names with any sort of religious connotation were changed, such as the town of St. Tropez which became Héraclée. Religious holidays were banned and replaced with holidays to celebrate the harvest and other non-religious symbols. Robespierre and his colleagues decided to supplant both Catholicism and the rival, atheistic Cult of Reason with the Cult of the Supreme Being. Just six weeks before his arrest, on June 8, 1794 the still-powerful Robespierre personally led a vast procession through Paris to the Tuileries garden in a ceremony to inaugurate the new faith.
The dechristianisation of France reached its zenith around the middle of 1794 with the fall of Robespierre. By early 1795 a return to some form of religion-based faith was beginning to take shape and a law passed on February 21, 1795 legalised public worship, albeit with strict limitations. The ringing of church bells, religious processions and displays of the Christian cross were still forbidden.
As late as 1799, priests were still being imprisoned or deported to penal colonies and persecution only worsened after the French army led by General Louis Alexandre Berthier captured Rome and imprisoned Pope Pius VI, who would die in captivity in Valence, France in August of 1799. Ultimately, with Napoleon now in ascendancy in France, year-long negotiations between government officials and the new Pope, Pius VII, led to the Concordat of 1801, formally ending the dechristianisation period and establishing the rules for a relationship between the Roman Church and the French State.
Victims of the Reign of Terror totaled somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000. According to one estimate, among those condemned by the revolutionary tribunals, about 8 percent were aristocrats, 6 percent clergy, 14 percent middle class, and 70 percent were workers or peasants accused of hoarding, evading the draft, desertion, rebellion, and other purported crimes.[7] Of these social groupings, the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church suffered proportionately the greatest loss.[7]
Main articles: Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution and Revolt in the Vendée
The Dechristianisation of France during the French Revolution is a conventional description of a campaign, conducted by various Robespierre-era governments of France beginning with the start of the French Revolution in 1789, in order to eliminate any symbol that might be associated with the past, especially the monarchy.
The program included the following policies:[44][45][46]
the deportation of clergy and the condemnation of many of them to death,
the closing, desecration and pilaging of churches, removal of the word "saint" from street names and other acts to banish Christian culture from the public sphere
removal of statues, plates and other iconography from places of worship
destruction of crosses, bells and other external signs of worship
the institution of revolutionary and civic cults, including the Cult of Reason and subsequently the Cult of the Supreme Being,
the large scale destruction of religious monuments,
the outlawing of public and private worship and religious education,
forced marriages of the clergy,
forced abjurement of priesthood, and
the enactment of a law on 21 October 1793 making all nonjuring priests and all persons who harbored them liable to death on sight.
The climax was reached with the celebration of the Goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Christians#French_Revolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dechristianisation_of_France_during_the_French_Revolution
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Roman Catholicism, the religion of a majority of French people, is no longer considered a state religion, as it was before the 1789 Revolution and throughout the various, non-republican regimes of the 19th century (the Restoration, the July Monarchy and the Second French Empire).
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In September 1793 a period known as the Reign of Terror ensued for approximately 12 months
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The climax was reached with the celebration of the goddess "Reason" in Notre Dame Cathedral on 10 November. Because dissent was now regarded as counterrevolutionary, extremist enragés such as Hébert and moderate Montagnard indulgents such as Danton were guillotined in the Spring of 1794.[citation needed] On 7 June Robespierre, who favoured deism over Hébert's atheism and had previously condemned the Cult of Reason, recommended that the Convention acknowledge the existence of God. On the next day, the worship of the deistic Supreme Being was inaugurated as an official aspect of the Revolution. Compared with Hébert's somewhat popular festivals, this austere new religion of Virtue was received with signs of hostility by the Parisian public
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The days of the French Revolution and Republic saw many efforts to sweep away various trappings of the ancien régime; some of these were more successful than others. The new Republican government sought to institute, among other reforms, a new social and legal system, a new system of weights and measures (which became the metric system), and a new calendar. Amid nostalgia for the ancient Roman Republic, the theories of the Enlightenment were at their peak, and the devisors of the new systems looked to nature for their inspiration. Natural constants, multiples of ten, and Latin derivations formed the fundamental blocks from which the new systems were built.
The new calendar was created by a commission under the direction of the politician Charles Gilbert Romme seconded by Claude Joseph Ferry and Charles-François Dupuis. They associated with their work the chemist Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, the mathematician and astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange, the astronomer Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalande, the mathematician Gaspard Monge, the astronomer and naval geographer Alexandre Guy Pingré, and the poet, actor and playwright Fabre d'Églantine, who invented the names of the months, with the help of André Thouin, gardener at the Jardin des Plantes of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. As the rapporteur of the commission, Charles-Gilbert Romme presented the new calendar to the Jacobin-controlled National Convention on 23 September 1793
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There are a lot of people who believe even today that the Bible, that belief in God, that belief in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior- is an oppressive religion. This moment in history - if you will- reveals a time when religion was banned. This happened at tail end of the 1260 year prophecy which ended in 1798. It is notable, very notable and recognized in many ways even today- if not significantly for the religious aspect. The Reign of Terror- who hasn't learned of this in school history? This is a remarkable event and all that surrounds it very telling. In 1798 Napoleon's general took the Pope out of power and this led up to that prophetically significant event. We can't ignore it, we shouldn't ignore it. We have to realize that there is quite bit of prophecy specific to the very end times, but we have thousands of years of history that the prophecy has been set for. Periods of great events, and long lulls. We have to trust that our Savior will give us all the truth we need so that we are not deceived as all but the very elect will be.
So much to learn! Does this fit the prophecy? Truly, does it? Could it? Putting things all together does it work? Are we forcing puzzle pieces into the puzzle or are they falling easily into place? A lot of people would have us believe we are forcing those puzzle pieces. And you know what, they'd say that no matter what theories we come up with. Everyone has their own and this is the theory of people who came to the truth as God was opening the eyes of people to understand the messages in the little book of prophecy- Daniel. Does this mean they can't be wrong? No, it doesn't mean that at all. We all are given light and seriously as God enlightens our understanding to things then we can build on truths that have been presented but only in such a way that we are not contradicting God's word, not contradicting truths that have been established beyond any doubt whatsoever. If we begin to believe in something that takes away that truth that has been given without any doubt at all then everything collapses and deception works its way in. We have to pray and pray hard to have understanding in God's truth.
Personally I do not subscribe to any religion at all that has been established as a religion today- unless I am joining the few who are coming out of Babylon and believing in God's truth and nothing but God's truth.
Do I have all the answers? No, and I never will. We are ALL called to walk by FAITH and that means not having evidence for all things. We place our hope and faith in our Savior to lead us to all the truth we need to be His now and forever.
Tomorrow we'll continue this study and we will continue to pray and pray hard for clarity, for only God's truth. We'll pray that we will be our Savior's upon His return, ready for Him, watching, waiting, praying, praying, praying always.
All through the love of our God, our Savior, our Creator!
Amen.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Prophecy - 88
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed
Does God use fire to destroy unrepentant sinners?
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven
Yes.
Will God use fire to destroy unrepentant sinners?
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Yes.
The word of God.
The Word of God.
Is God hurt by our sins? Seriously, do our sins grieve God?
Luk 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Jesus wept.
Fact or fiction?
Most unfortunately believe it's all fiction, but it is fact, praise God.
Our Lord and Savior will return and though His heart breaks for those who will be lost, they will be lost and in the very, very end they will be burned to ash, to nothing.
Those who hurt the Word of God, those who disobey the Word of God, those who do not heed His commandments, those who do not believe in His gospel of the kingdom- they will be destroyed unless they repent! And many, very sadly will NOT repent. Many will be lost and so many do not believe this is true. It is true that those who hurt God's two witnesses will be destroyed by fire as the word of God has promised. The witnesses have given their testimony and by that testimony - by the word of the mouth of those witnesses, people- many people will be destroyed because they believe not and they live against those witnesses of God's love and truth, they hurt the love and truth of God. We can't escape this on our own, only through our Savior's mercy and grace can we live in hope of eternal life in His kingdom with Him, through His righteousness. We cannot shun the word of God, we cannot shun the witnesses He has left with us, we cannot hurt the Word of God and yet so many do.
Please God, please keep us in You and Your truth now and always! In Your love!
Amen.
Does God use fire to destroy unrepentant sinners?
Gen 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven
Yes.
Will God use fire to destroy unrepentant sinners?
Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Yes.
The word of God.
The Word of God.
Is God hurt by our sins? Seriously, do our sins grieve God?
Luk 19:40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
Luk 19:42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Jesus wept.
Fact or fiction?
Most unfortunately believe it's all fiction, but it is fact, praise God.
Our Lord and Savior will return and though His heart breaks for those who will be lost, they will be lost and in the very, very end they will be burned to ash, to nothing.
Those who hurt the Word of God, those who disobey the Word of God, those who do not heed His commandments, those who do not believe in His gospel of the kingdom- they will be destroyed unless they repent! And many, very sadly will NOT repent. Many will be lost and so many do not believe this is true. It is true that those who hurt God's two witnesses will be destroyed by fire as the word of God has promised. The witnesses have given their testimony and by that testimony - by the word of the mouth of those witnesses, people- many people will be destroyed because they believe not and they live against those witnesses of God's love and truth, they hurt the love and truth of God. We can't escape this on our own, only through our Savior's mercy and grace can we live in hope of eternal life in His kingdom with Him, through His righteousness. We cannot shun the word of God, we cannot shun the witnesses He has left with us, we cannot hurt the Word of God and yet so many do.
Please God, please keep us in You and Your truth now and always! In Your love!
Amen.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Prophecy - 87 God's Witnesses
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The temple of God.
The altar.
Them that worship therein.
We understand the measuring of a building, right? We can even understand the measuring of an altar, because it's an object. How do we measure the people that are worshipping inside that temple? You can take the measure of a man certainly, we measure each other all the time, don't we? We size each other up to what end? There are various reasons for sizing a person up. A boss may size a potential employee up to note their worthiness of the position being offered. A potential friend might be taking the measure of a person to see if they would make a good friend. We might even take the measure of a stranger trying to understand whether or not we should even make a gesture of a smile at them.
Here, John is told to measure the temple there is an importance to the temple but it's NOT the earthly temple. The heavenly temple is where our Savior went when he rose from earth and He is still there. We through Him are there with Him when we accept Him as our Savior. The measure of our worth is found in Him, in Christ our Lord and Savior.
John is also told this… 'But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months'
42 months Rev. 13:5
1260 days Revelation 12: 6.
3 1/2 times in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7, and Revelation 12: 14.
This time period is amazingly special and a marked period that God has given to us to realize how amazing prophecy is and how the plan He has is real and NOT to be denied, not to be ignored, not to be taken lightly. We've studied this time period a few times now and we know that it ends in 1798- we know that the little book was opened about the same time and the understanding of people towards these prophecies was begun.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
During these 42 months, during the 1260 days there were TWO witnesses that would prophesize only they would be covered in sackcloth.
What does it mean to be covered in sackcloth?
sackcloth [ˈsækˌklɒθ]
n
1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) coarse cloth such as sacking
2. (Clothing & Fashion) garments made of such cloth, worn formerly to indicate mourning or penitence
sackcloth and ashes a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
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Worn to indicate mourning or penitence- display extreme grief, remorse, repentance.
For 1260 years the witnesses of God would be down trodden, they would be mourning, and when someone is in mourning, when there is a period of mourning people generally are NOT themselves, they are not alive as they should be in a manner of speaking. They don't shine as they normally would. We can think of mourning people and maybe today a lot of people don't mourn like they used to but mourning people used to be given a lot more respect than they are given today- at least in our country. We've all had a reason to grieve, to mourn in our lives and we know what it means. The depression, the darkness, the feeling of being out of touch with the rest of the world which goes on and on not feeling the pain at all. We want others to understand our pain to know why things aren't alright in our world, why we feel like crying, why we feel as if things will never be good again. When the mourning is over and time is a great healer of emotions, we do begin to look up again and start to live again. This is something that happens over and over in our lives on various levels.
These two witnesses of God would mourn for 1260 years, but then they would live again.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Two olive trees.
Two candlesticks.
All standing before God, the Creator.
The witnesses- trees that produce oil.
The witnesses- candles that produce light.
Oil and light. Representatives of God. How do oil and light associated with the temple represent God?
Exo 25:6 Oil for the light…
Exo 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
Exo 35:14 The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light
The thing these two items have in common are they both can be used to produce light.
Light in the Bible represents what?
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts
Psa 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Can we honestly believe that God's word could be representative by oil and light, by candlesticks? Jesus had this to say--
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Jesus is the LIGHT of the world! The light of life! Jesus told us we are the light of the world! And what does that mean really? That our light would shine before men and they would see our good works and they would GLORIFY the Father in heaven! We would be witnesses of our faith.
God's word is His witness.
We have God's word, His written word. We have the scriptures- scriptures JESUS referred to and read from and expounded on and we have the words of Jesus. We have TWO sections- an old and a new testament- TWO witnesses to God. Two amazing witnesses! And we KNOW that the word of God was great oppressed for many, many, many years. Even when the printing press was invented and the Bible could go to the mainstream it was still oppressed. The Catholic Church wanted full control over the word of God, they wanted only learned men of their church to have the Bible and give their interpretation to the people. You can study all this on the web, the history of the Bible being oppressed, the interference of the Catholic church it's all proven history. Now WHEN did the Bible begin to be given to people without interference?
'The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.[1]
The Society was formed on 7 March 1804.[2]'
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The witnesses were in sackcloth! The witnesses were oppressed! The witnesses were covered in darkness for so long. And now… God's word was brought out of mourning and into the light of new life gone out to the world and soon Biblical prophecy was opened to the understanding of the world just as GOD PREDICTED!
This makes sense! Perfect sense!
Do we want to believe this makes sense? Seriously, do we? Or are we looking for fantastical happenings?
The Bible tells us this--
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark
Eating.
Drinking.
Marrying.
Giving in marriage.
This is a normal every day happenstance around the world. We eat, we drink, we marry, we give in marriage. This is such normalcy and it tells us that when our Savior comes A LOT of people will be going about their every day lives as if nothing is different.
So many people want to believe that they will have some amazing warning, some television movie -like event , some epic special effects that will allow them to prepare, but they will be totally lost just as they were in the days of Noah. There isn't going to be any OBVIOUS sign that will alert people, there will be signs for those who are watching and are looking for Christ's return and are truly His, known by Him. For all those who are waiting for two witnesses- two men of God- as portrayed in the fictional movies they could very well be waiting in vain. How sad it would be, how horribly sad for those who watch for signs that aren't going to come to pass. May God keep our hearts and minds open to His truth and ONLY His truth. May we NOT be deceived as so many will be. Please God help us! Please Lord, please! We want to be ready, we want to be Yours, wholly Yours! All through the grace and mercy of Your Son, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ and HIS righteousness.
Amen.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The temple of God.
The altar.
Them that worship therein.
We understand the measuring of a building, right? We can even understand the measuring of an altar, because it's an object. How do we measure the people that are worshipping inside that temple? You can take the measure of a man certainly, we measure each other all the time, don't we? We size each other up to what end? There are various reasons for sizing a person up. A boss may size a potential employee up to note their worthiness of the position being offered. A potential friend might be taking the measure of a person to see if they would make a good friend. We might even take the measure of a stranger trying to understand whether or not we should even make a gesture of a smile at them.
Here, John is told to measure the temple there is an importance to the temple but it's NOT the earthly temple. The heavenly temple is where our Savior went when he rose from earth and He is still there. We through Him are there with Him when we accept Him as our Savior. The measure of our worth is found in Him, in Christ our Lord and Savior.
John is also told this… 'But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months'
42 months Rev. 13:5
1260 days Revelation 12: 6.
3 1/2 times in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7, and Revelation 12: 14.
This time period is amazingly special and a marked period that God has given to us to realize how amazing prophecy is and how the plan He has is real and NOT to be denied, not to be ignored, not to be taken lightly. We've studied this time period a few times now and we know that it ends in 1798- we know that the little book was opened about the same time and the understanding of people towards these prophecies was begun.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
During these 42 months, during the 1260 days there were TWO witnesses that would prophesize only they would be covered in sackcloth.
What does it mean to be covered in sackcloth?
sackcloth [ˈsækˌklɒθ]
n
1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) coarse cloth such as sacking
2. (Clothing & Fashion) garments made of such cloth, worn formerly to indicate mourning or penitence
sackcloth and ashes a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance
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Worn to indicate mourning or penitence- display extreme grief, remorse, repentance.
For 1260 years the witnesses of God would be down trodden, they would be mourning, and when someone is in mourning, when there is a period of mourning people generally are NOT themselves, they are not alive as they should be in a manner of speaking. They don't shine as they normally would. We can think of mourning people and maybe today a lot of people don't mourn like they used to but mourning people used to be given a lot more respect than they are given today- at least in our country. We've all had a reason to grieve, to mourn in our lives and we know what it means. The depression, the darkness, the feeling of being out of touch with the rest of the world which goes on and on not feeling the pain at all. We want others to understand our pain to know why things aren't alright in our world, why we feel like crying, why we feel as if things will never be good again. When the mourning is over and time is a great healer of emotions, we do begin to look up again and start to live again. This is something that happens over and over in our lives on various levels.
These two witnesses of God would mourn for 1260 years, but then they would live again.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Two olive trees.
Two candlesticks.
All standing before God, the Creator.
The witnesses- trees that produce oil.
The witnesses- candles that produce light.
Oil and light. Representatives of God. How do oil and light associated with the temple represent God?
Exo 25:6 Oil for the light…
Exo 27:20 And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.
Exo 35:14 The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light
The thing these two items have in common are they both can be used to produce light.
Light in the Bible represents what?
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts
Psa 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Can we honestly believe that God's word could be representative by oil and light, by candlesticks? Jesus had this to say--
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Mat 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Jesus is the LIGHT of the world! The light of life! Jesus told us we are the light of the world! And what does that mean really? That our light would shine before men and they would see our good works and they would GLORIFY the Father in heaven! We would be witnesses of our faith.
God's word is His witness.
We have God's word, His written word. We have the scriptures- scriptures JESUS referred to and read from and expounded on and we have the words of Jesus. We have TWO sections- an old and a new testament- TWO witnesses to God. Two amazing witnesses! And we KNOW that the word of God was great oppressed for many, many, many years. Even when the printing press was invented and the Bible could go to the mainstream it was still oppressed. The Catholic Church wanted full control over the word of God, they wanted only learned men of their church to have the Bible and give their interpretation to the people. You can study all this on the web, the history of the Bible being oppressed, the interference of the Catholic church it's all proven history. Now WHEN did the Bible begin to be given to people without interference?
'The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.[1]
The Society was formed on 7 March 1804.[2]'
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The witnesses were in sackcloth! The witnesses were oppressed! The witnesses were covered in darkness for so long. And now… God's word was brought out of mourning and into the light of new life gone out to the world and soon Biblical prophecy was opened to the understanding of the world just as GOD PREDICTED!
This makes sense! Perfect sense!
Do we want to believe this makes sense? Seriously, do we? Or are we looking for fantastical happenings?
The Bible tells us this--
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark
Eating.
Drinking.
Marrying.
Giving in marriage.
This is a normal every day happenstance around the world. We eat, we drink, we marry, we give in marriage. This is such normalcy and it tells us that when our Savior comes A LOT of people will be going about their every day lives as if nothing is different.
So many people want to believe that they will have some amazing warning, some television movie -like event , some epic special effects that will allow them to prepare, but they will be totally lost just as they were in the days of Noah. There isn't going to be any OBVIOUS sign that will alert people, there will be signs for those who are watching and are looking for Christ's return and are truly His, known by Him. For all those who are waiting for two witnesses- two men of God- as portrayed in the fictional movies they could very well be waiting in vain. How sad it would be, how horribly sad for those who watch for signs that aren't going to come to pass. May God keep our hearts and minds open to His truth and ONLY His truth. May we NOT be deceived as so many will be. Please God help us! Please Lord, please! We want to be ready, we want to be Yours, wholly Yours! All through the grace and mercy of Your Son, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ and HIS righteousness.
Amen.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Jesus is returning for us today...
Mat 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Mat 24:43 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.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
When you know not.
When you think not.
How many times have you regretted not being ready for something? If you're anything like me, more than once. Yet, do we always feel that way about being robbed? I know I don't, or didn't, or perhaps don't feel I should or you should because sometimes we take all the precautions, lock our doors, lock our windows, get a friend to keep an eye on the house and still a robber manages to gain entrance even though all the proper precautions were made. If all the proper precautions are made how can a person feel guilty over being robbed? How can they feel that they should have done something more when they did all they could? That' not quite what Jesus is saying is it.
In our case we don't believe, really, really believe we will be robbed and that's what allows us to leave our homes and go out. If we thought that every time we left our house unoccupied it would be robbed- we'd make sure it was never unoccupied, right? We'd be downright foolish and deserving of being robbed if we didn't keep our home occupied.
If we are told that our Lord is going to come and we can't know when that tells us something very important… we have to be ready for Him at ALL times and never leave our house unoccupied!
If we are told that our Lord is going come when we think He won't that tells us something as well. We cannot trust our own thoughts for preparation and once again we have to be ready all the time, even when we can't imagine our Lord coming. We can't let our guard down because we think the Lord won't be coming today. It's not a day to go out and party because our parents are away for now, it's not time to invite our partying friends over just because we're positive there is no way our parents will be home- they're hundreds and hundreds of miles away. It's the same with our thoughts on our Savior's return for us. We can NEVER be unprepared. We can NEVER afford to believe today won't be the day because we will NEVER know exactly when our Savior will return and we will not ever have proof positive of the day Christ returns- not until it happens suddenly. We KNOW our Savior will return for us- this is a fact proven way beyond any fiction. And we must WATCH, we must be READY.
Some might say that living day by day with the expectation of Christ returning that day and day by day being disappointed would wear down the most staunch Christian, but it's not true. Day by day expectation if not met becomes one day closer to the day of Christ's return if not the day.
Satan would have us believe we'll never be ready. Satan would have us give up hope. Satan would have us become disappointed. Satan would have us lose our faith because that's exactly what happens when we are not ready - we're faithless.
It's true! Faithless. And we know without faith it's impossible to please Him.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God is not going to force a single person to have faith, not one.
Our Savior is returning.
Our Savior is offering eternal life with Him.
Our Savior is the bringer of immortality to us.
When is all this happening? Today.
Seriously! I'm not going to be one of those who put a date on my Lord's return, because the day is ALWAYS and FOREVER today, it has to be or we will never, ever be prepared.
Christ is coming today! Such an expectation fills us will joy, doesn't it? Such hope puts all other things in our lives into proper perspective, doesn't it? What cares in our lives really, really, really matter if we fully believe Christ is returning today?
Of course someone will pipe up and say we have to work and take care of things here on earth as if Christ isn't going to come today or we'd be nothing but a bunch of bums on the street. Not true. We can go to work, we can live our lives but we NEED to do so in expectation of our Savior returning, knowing that when it happens that is time enough to stop working and not before. Can you imagine waking up each day and believing today is the today Christ will return and you WANT Him to find you working, ready, watching in all you do, in anything you are doing. With such an attitude there is found great protection from those spiritual darts of Satan. If YOU truly believe that Christ could arrive at any moment wouldn't that give you pause when temptations come along? Shouldn't it give you pause towards presumptuous sinning? It is true that we must depend upon our Savior for salvation and NOT upon our ability to keep from sinning. We must depend upon our SAVIOR'S ability to keep us from sinning, but we have to have faith in Him to do so, a pure, a true living faith in Him and His righteousness. It is our duty...
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
It is our duty to do that which is within our ability to do through God. If we are able to resist temptation it's because we have placed our hope and trust in God's ability to keep us from evil, to deliver us from evil not because we suddenly have hope in ourselves to cease sinning. If we are able to keep His commandments which is our duty- it is through His power not through our own power. What we need to do is truly FEAR GOD. We need to truly believe in God and have a living, breathing fear of Him whether that fear is suppose to be a deep reverence or a true fear which reveals an understanding that He is a consuming fire.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
We need to Fear God and out of that fear understand that it is then only possible to keep His commandments. Without that fear of God we have no chance to keep His commandments, none.
So let us be ready always, always watching, always praying!
In our hearts we must believe always-
Jesus is returning for us today! This is the good news, this is the gospel, this is the truth our Savior came to give to us- salvation in Him, today and every day, always.
AMEN.
Mat 24:43 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.
Mat 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
When you know not.
When you think not.
How many times have you regretted not being ready for something? If you're anything like me, more than once. Yet, do we always feel that way about being robbed? I know I don't, or didn't, or perhaps don't feel I should or you should because sometimes we take all the precautions, lock our doors, lock our windows, get a friend to keep an eye on the house and still a robber manages to gain entrance even though all the proper precautions were made. If all the proper precautions are made how can a person feel guilty over being robbed? How can they feel that they should have done something more when they did all they could? That' not quite what Jesus is saying is it.
In our case we don't believe, really, really believe we will be robbed and that's what allows us to leave our homes and go out. If we thought that every time we left our house unoccupied it would be robbed- we'd make sure it was never unoccupied, right? We'd be downright foolish and deserving of being robbed if we didn't keep our home occupied.
If we are told that our Lord is going to come and we can't know when that tells us something very important… we have to be ready for Him at ALL times and never leave our house unoccupied!
If we are told that our Lord is going come when we think He won't that tells us something as well. We cannot trust our own thoughts for preparation and once again we have to be ready all the time, even when we can't imagine our Lord coming. We can't let our guard down because we think the Lord won't be coming today. It's not a day to go out and party because our parents are away for now, it's not time to invite our partying friends over just because we're positive there is no way our parents will be home- they're hundreds and hundreds of miles away. It's the same with our thoughts on our Savior's return for us. We can NEVER be unprepared. We can NEVER afford to believe today won't be the day because we will NEVER know exactly when our Savior will return and we will not ever have proof positive of the day Christ returns- not until it happens suddenly. We KNOW our Savior will return for us- this is a fact proven way beyond any fiction. And we must WATCH, we must be READY.
Some might say that living day by day with the expectation of Christ returning that day and day by day being disappointed would wear down the most staunch Christian, but it's not true. Day by day expectation if not met becomes one day closer to the day of Christ's return if not the day.
Satan would have us believe we'll never be ready. Satan would have us give up hope. Satan would have us become disappointed. Satan would have us lose our faith because that's exactly what happens when we are not ready - we're faithless.
It's true! Faithless. And we know without faith it's impossible to please Him.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God is not going to force a single person to have faith, not one.
Our Savior is returning.
Our Savior is offering eternal life with Him.
Our Savior is the bringer of immortality to us.
When is all this happening? Today.
Seriously! I'm not going to be one of those who put a date on my Lord's return, because the day is ALWAYS and FOREVER today, it has to be or we will never, ever be prepared.
Christ is coming today! Such an expectation fills us will joy, doesn't it? Such hope puts all other things in our lives into proper perspective, doesn't it? What cares in our lives really, really, really matter if we fully believe Christ is returning today?
Of course someone will pipe up and say we have to work and take care of things here on earth as if Christ isn't going to come today or we'd be nothing but a bunch of bums on the street. Not true. We can go to work, we can live our lives but we NEED to do so in expectation of our Savior returning, knowing that when it happens that is time enough to stop working and not before. Can you imagine waking up each day and believing today is the today Christ will return and you WANT Him to find you working, ready, watching in all you do, in anything you are doing. With such an attitude there is found great protection from those spiritual darts of Satan. If YOU truly believe that Christ could arrive at any moment wouldn't that give you pause when temptations come along? Shouldn't it give you pause towards presumptuous sinning? It is true that we must depend upon our Savior for salvation and NOT upon our ability to keep from sinning. We must depend upon our SAVIOR'S ability to keep us from sinning, but we have to have faith in Him to do so, a pure, a true living faith in Him and His righteousness. It is our duty...
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
It is our duty to do that which is within our ability to do through God. If we are able to resist temptation it's because we have placed our hope and trust in God's ability to keep us from evil, to deliver us from evil not because we suddenly have hope in ourselves to cease sinning. If we are able to keep His commandments which is our duty- it is through His power not through our own power. What we need to do is truly FEAR GOD. We need to truly believe in God and have a living, breathing fear of Him whether that fear is suppose to be a deep reverence or a true fear which reveals an understanding that He is a consuming fire.
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
We need to Fear God and out of that fear understand that it is then only possible to keep His commandments. Without that fear of God we have no chance to keep His commandments, none.
So let us be ready always, always watching, always praying!
In our hearts we must believe always-
Jesus is returning for us today! This is the good news, this is the gospel, this is the truth our Savior came to give to us- salvation in Him, today and every day, always.
AMEN.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Prophecy - 86 Sweetly Bitter
Rev 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire
BRILLIANT!
Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Little book open. (Book of Revelation)
Seal the book. (Book of Daniel)
One book was written LONG before the other. Daniel was written long before Revelation. In Daniel we have a sealed book, a book that would remain sealed until the time of the end when many would be running to and fro and knowledge would increase. The book would be opened and in Revelation we read of an open book. A MIGHTY angel has this little open book in his hand.
Rev 10:2 ...and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth
One foot of the might angel was put upon the sea the other on the earth.
If the sea represents - multitudes, nations, tongues, people
Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Then the earth it stands to reason would represent a without multitudes.
Remember this- Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
We KNOW where those four beasts came up don't we? The land of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome.
We know where the sea is… in a very populated area, hence we know where the earth is. A land that was largely unpopulated and becoming newly populated, the United States. A vast land founded hugely unpopulated except for the small population of Native Americans. I say small because compared to the highly populated lands of Europe, Middle East, and Asia America was practically empty.
This mighty angel planted a foot on the sea and on the earth and the little open book rested upon his hand. The time would come when this open book would go to the people, the same time would see a great increase in knowledge- biblical and secular.
'The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the United Kingdom, then subsequently spread throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world.
The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in human history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way.'
'The First Industrial Revolution, which began in the 18th century, merged into the Second Industrial Revolution around 1850, when technological and economic progress gained momentum with the development of steam-powered ships, railways, and later in the 19th century with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation. The period of time covered by the Industrial Revolution varies with different historians. Eric Hobsbawm held that it 'broke out' in Britain in the 1780s and was not fully felt until the 1830s or 1840s,[7] while T. S. Ashton held that it occurred roughly between 1760 and 1830.[8]'
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We've established a bit of a time frame for this little book open appearing, haven't we? Late 1700's right on through …well, we are still advancing aren't we? I don't think we've ever stopped not since it was started. If fully felt in the 1830's - 40's we can most assuredly understand the amazing Biblical advancement in the understanding of prophecy- can't we?
For the moment - back to Revelation.
With one foot on the sea and another on the earth this mighty angel CRIED out with a loud voice- as a LION ROARING!
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth
You know what a lion's roar sounds like, don't you? Surely you've heard one on television if not in person. If you've never heard a lion's roar check it out on youtube
http://youtu.be/aUfDxRelPHg
Do a search for lion's roaring and listen to them. One video caption mentioned the lion's roar being heard throughout the entire zoo they were in. There is no doubt that the lion's roar is deep and ferocious, loud and worthy of great notice. This mighty angel, this brilliant, striking angel cried out in that manner- loud, strong, commanding. What was his cry? It doesn't say. In fact immediately after the cry seven thunders spoke. Thunders spoke! An angel cries out like a lion and then thunders speak!
Rev 10:3 ...and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4 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.
Amazing! Thunders utter their voices and they are not to be heard! Thunder! So loud, so commanding, we all have been known to jump a bit when we've been surprised by a particularly loud clap of thunder haven't we? Just imagine what John must have heard. He wanted to write it down but he was stopped. The utterances of the seven thunders were stifled, they were sealed. Amazing too is the fact that just as an open book appears the message of the seven thunders were sealed. There are things we CANNOT know. We are way too arrogant if we believe we should have all access to everything of God and that He should have nothing hid from us. All that is necessary to our salvation is revealed to us and not hidden, but God's ways are not our ways.
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer
Who did this angel sware by?
Our Savior! Our God! Our Creator! The Creator of the heaven and all in them, the Creator of earth and all in them, the Creator of the sea and all in them.
What did he sware? That there should be time no longer!
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
BUT before there would be time no longer the voice of the SEVENTH angel would sound, the mystery of God finished.
Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
The voice from heaven spoke to John again- the voice told John to TAKE the little book which is open in the hand of angel standing upon the sea and earth. The mighty, brilliant angel held a book which you KNOW has to be very important, there's nothing about this angel that doesn't scream important.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
John didn't ask for the little book. John commanded the mighty angel to GIVE him the little book. John TOLD the angel to GIVE him the little book. But the mighty angel did NOT give the book to John, did he? No, he did not. He told John to TAKE IT, just as the other voice told John told john to TAKE the book. This book was willingly taken as directed, as commanded. And the mighty angel added something else after telling John to take the little book. He told John to eat the little book. Eat the book and your stomach is going to ache, but oh will it taste sweet!
How many times have you eaten something that tasted wonderful only to have it cause you a stomach ache afterwards? It's happened, yes? Now what if I baked you a treat and told you it was going to taste great but afterwards it was going to upset your stomach, what would you think? Seriously? Take a moment to consider such a situation. Would you WANT to eat that sweet knowing what the end result would be? I'm sure you'd have to really think about it, I know I would. Because who likes having a bitter stomach? No one I know that's for sure. We avoid stomach aches for the most part, don't we? We take lots of antacids and bloating/gas relief products just to keep ourselves feeling comfortable, don't we? How many people take heartburn medicine? It's so common, so incredibly common for people to take medicine so they can continue to eat foods that would upset their digestion without that medicine. They don't want an upset digestive system because it's very unpleasant.
Here John is told to take a book- eat the book- it will taste wonderful but it's going to upset his stomach.
Prophecy! The little book is the prophecy book of Daniel which had been sealed and would be unsealed at the time of the end. When people became enlightened to what the prophecies were, when they connected history so completely, so wonderfully to prophecy and saw the hand of God working undeniably in it all they were thrilled! How sweet, how wondrous the amazing insights unfolding before their eyes, their understanding was opened. Only… it didn't last. Why didn't it last? Because that sweet book was going to cause a lot of stomach misery later on. The disappointment was huge when the prophecies which so clearly seemed to point to the end of the world in their day, did NOT come to pass! Did that mean all the prophecies were wrong, that all the history proved prophecy was not what it seemed to be? So many questions, so much heartache, such incredible dismay was felt. The bitter belly was awful!
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
John heard the mighty angel tell him what would have to come to pass. Those who ate this little book and received a bitter belly would have to PROPHESIZE AGAIN and not in a small measure but in a huge one! The time of the very end wasn't there yet, but it was on its way and people needed to be warned. Those who newly discovered the wonderful truth in these prophecies so long hidden needed to go and take the truth of them to the entire world! Yes, it was a bitter disappointment to have to stay on earth after having such great expectation of Jesus' second coming, but it was for a purpose - God is long suffering towards us not willing that any of us should perish.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
PRAISE GOD!
More tomorrow by His will and through His grace!
Amen.
BRILLIANT!
Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Little book open. (Book of Revelation)
Seal the book. (Book of Daniel)
One book was written LONG before the other. Daniel was written long before Revelation. In Daniel we have a sealed book, a book that would remain sealed until the time of the end when many would be running to and fro and knowledge would increase. The book would be opened and in Revelation we read of an open book. A MIGHTY angel has this little open book in his hand.
Rev 10:2 ...and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth
One foot of the might angel was put upon the sea the other on the earth.
If the sea represents - multitudes, nations, tongues, people
Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Then the earth it stands to reason would represent a without multitudes.
Remember this- Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
We KNOW where those four beasts came up don't we? The land of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome.
We know where the sea is… in a very populated area, hence we know where the earth is. A land that was largely unpopulated and becoming newly populated, the United States. A vast land founded hugely unpopulated except for the small population of Native Americans. I say small because compared to the highly populated lands of Europe, Middle East, and Asia America was practically empty.
This mighty angel planted a foot on the sea and on the earth and the little open book rested upon his hand. The time would come when this open book would go to the people, the same time would see a great increase in knowledge- biblical and secular.
'The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the United Kingdom, then subsequently spread throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world.
The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in human history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way.'
'The First Industrial Revolution, which began in the 18th century, merged into the Second Industrial Revolution around 1850, when technological and economic progress gained momentum with the development of steam-powered ships, railways, and later in the 19th century with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation. The period of time covered by the Industrial Revolution varies with different historians. Eric Hobsbawm held that it 'broke out' in Britain in the 1780s and was not fully felt until the 1830s or 1840s,[7] while T. S. Ashton held that it occurred roughly between 1760 and 1830.[8]'
Pasted from
We've established a bit of a time frame for this little book open appearing, haven't we? Late 1700's right on through …well, we are still advancing aren't we? I don't think we've ever stopped not since it was started. If fully felt in the 1830's - 40's we can most assuredly understand the amazing Biblical advancement in the understanding of prophecy- can't we?
For the moment - back to Revelation.
With one foot on the sea and another on the earth this mighty angel CRIED out with a loud voice- as a LION ROARING!
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth
You know what a lion's roar sounds like, don't you? Surely you've heard one on television if not in person. If you've never heard a lion's roar check it out on youtube
http://youtu.be/aUfDxRelPHg
Do a search for lion's roaring and listen to them. One video caption mentioned the lion's roar being heard throughout the entire zoo they were in. There is no doubt that the lion's roar is deep and ferocious, loud and worthy of great notice. This mighty angel, this brilliant, striking angel cried out in that manner- loud, strong, commanding. What was his cry? It doesn't say. In fact immediately after the cry seven thunders spoke. Thunders spoke! An angel cries out like a lion and then thunders speak!
Rev 10:3 ...and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4 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.
Amazing! Thunders utter their voices and they are not to be heard! Thunder! So loud, so commanding, we all have been known to jump a bit when we've been surprised by a particularly loud clap of thunder haven't we? Just imagine what John must have heard. He wanted to write it down but he was stopped. The utterances of the seven thunders were stifled, they were sealed. Amazing too is the fact that just as an open book appears the message of the seven thunders were sealed. There are things we CANNOT know. We are way too arrogant if we believe we should have all access to everything of God and that He should have nothing hid from us. All that is necessary to our salvation is revealed to us and not hidden, but God's ways are not our ways.
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer
Who did this angel sware by?
Our Savior! Our God! Our Creator! The Creator of the heaven and all in them, the Creator of earth and all in them, the Creator of the sea and all in them.
What did he sware? That there should be time no longer!
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
BUT before there would be time no longer the voice of the SEVENTH angel would sound, the mystery of God finished.
Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
The voice from heaven spoke to John again- the voice told John to TAKE the little book which is open in the hand of angel standing upon the sea and earth. The mighty, brilliant angel held a book which you KNOW has to be very important, there's nothing about this angel that doesn't scream important.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
John didn't ask for the little book. John commanded the mighty angel to GIVE him the little book. John TOLD the angel to GIVE him the little book. But the mighty angel did NOT give the book to John, did he? No, he did not. He told John to TAKE IT, just as the other voice told John told john to TAKE the book. This book was willingly taken as directed, as commanded. And the mighty angel added something else after telling John to take the little book. He told John to eat the little book. Eat the book and your stomach is going to ache, but oh will it taste sweet!
How many times have you eaten something that tasted wonderful only to have it cause you a stomach ache afterwards? It's happened, yes? Now what if I baked you a treat and told you it was going to taste great but afterwards it was going to upset your stomach, what would you think? Seriously? Take a moment to consider such a situation. Would you WANT to eat that sweet knowing what the end result would be? I'm sure you'd have to really think about it, I know I would. Because who likes having a bitter stomach? No one I know that's for sure. We avoid stomach aches for the most part, don't we? We take lots of antacids and bloating/gas relief products just to keep ourselves feeling comfortable, don't we? How many people take heartburn medicine? It's so common, so incredibly common for people to take medicine so they can continue to eat foods that would upset their digestion without that medicine. They don't want an upset digestive system because it's very unpleasant.
Here John is told to take a book- eat the book- it will taste wonderful but it's going to upset his stomach.
Prophecy! The little book is the prophecy book of Daniel which had been sealed and would be unsealed at the time of the end. When people became enlightened to what the prophecies were, when they connected history so completely, so wonderfully to prophecy and saw the hand of God working undeniably in it all they were thrilled! How sweet, how wondrous the amazing insights unfolding before their eyes, their understanding was opened. Only… it didn't last. Why didn't it last? Because that sweet book was going to cause a lot of stomach misery later on. The disappointment was huge when the prophecies which so clearly seemed to point to the end of the world in their day, did NOT come to pass! Did that mean all the prophecies were wrong, that all the history proved prophecy was not what it seemed to be? So many questions, so much heartache, such incredible dismay was felt. The bitter belly was awful!
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
John heard the mighty angel tell him what would have to come to pass. Those who ate this little book and received a bitter belly would have to PROPHESIZE AGAIN and not in a small measure but in a huge one! The time of the very end wasn't there yet, but it was on its way and people needed to be warned. Those who newly discovered the wonderful truth in these prophecies so long hidden needed to go and take the truth of them to the entire world! Yes, it was a bitter disappointment to have to stay on earth after having such great expectation of Jesus' second coming, but it was for a purpose - God is long suffering towards us not willing that any of us should perish.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
PRAISE GOD!
More tomorrow by His will and through His grace!
Amen.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Prophecy - 85
Let's slowly read through the same verses we historically dissected yesterday before we start to delve deeply into them again.
Rev 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4 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 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
*******
It sounds amazing! So incredibly amazing! It is PROPHECY.
A beast is not always simply a beast.
A crown is not always simply a crown.
A star is not always simply a star.
Waters are not always simply waters.
Earth is not always simply earth.
Remember in the book of Daniel how grieved Daniel was because he couldn't understand the things he was being shown? He'd see these INCREDIBLE visions given him by God and he'd be just as confused as we are when we read them, more so really because He didn't have the wealth of Biblical knowledge we have at our fingertips. We have such a fantasic source of information available to us as we study prophecy. As Daniel wrote what he saw and lived in a state of confusion from what he witness we can only imagine his thoughts, his passion to understand. He prayed hard and sacrificed much just to hopefully, prayerfully get answers. An angel was sent to him and opened Daniel's understanding at least to a degree. The angel also told Daniel that the book would be closed up- that it wouldn't be understood not until it was the proper time.
We have this amazing book- the Bible - and it's filled with prophecy starting right in the beginning and going all the way unto the end, no matter what order you believe the Bible should be read in. The Bible is not only filled with prophecy but history that in and of itself reveals God's plans for mankind over and over again - which become historical prophecy. We can look back at history- actual history - actual lives of people who lived just assuredly as you and I are alive, as our parents are or were alive and our grandparents and their parents and so on. No one can dispute our historical fact, no one. Do you dispute your own existence or the existence of your parents and so on? We can't. Our amazing God guided the lives of people who loved Him and those lives that were guided so amazing have been recorded for our learning, for our understanding of how wondrous our God is! We can look at so much in the Bible and see a guiding force beyond anything that we can fully comprehend and yet people refuse to believe! People still doubt! People would rather believe in false gods that have nothing to show them, nothing at all. People would rather worship the sun and moon than a living God, the Creator of the sun and moon!
This book of Revelation is filled with cryptic imagery that is given to us for a reason. Our Savior instructed us to WATCH and to PRAY. Our Savior gave us PROPHECY, prophecy came from the lips of our Savior. Our Savior mentioned the prophet Daniel.
Mat 24:15 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:)
We were pointed to Daniel by Jesus and in Revelation Jesus points us back to Daniel using John as His prophet to give us His message. We are supposed to study prophecy. We are blessed when we study prophecy, so why do we neglect it so much? Why do we give up because we find it incomprehensible? Why do we not search it over and over again, praying all while for our eyes to be opened. Jesus WANTS us to comprehend! Jesus wants us to be blessed! When we are given various meanings for prophecies given we HAVE a duty to search the Scriptures and find out where the truth exists in those meanings. We could be given a thousand different interpretations and it is our duty to examine those interpretations to see if they do fit into God's plan. Is my interpretation correct? Is my following the interpretations of another correct? God will guide me to know the truth I have to believe this just as every single one of us has to seek the truth for ourselves.
We are going to go through this section of prophecy slowly because so many people believe that the 'two witnesses' are suppose to be real men, real angels, real figures that show up and these people are waiting for them! Is it possible there will be these special witnesses? I believe the devil can impersonate angels of light, my Bible tells me so. I firmly believe the prophecy fits so much more perfectly when we understand the witnesses to be figures of the Old and New Testament and how throughout our history the Bible has been abused over and over. Like I said, I want to study this more, much more closely all by the grace of God! All by His love, through His righteousness, His mercy, His grace!
Amen.
Rev 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4 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 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
*******
It sounds amazing! So incredibly amazing! It is PROPHECY.
A beast is not always simply a beast.
A crown is not always simply a crown.
A star is not always simply a star.
Waters are not always simply waters.
Earth is not always simply earth.
Remember in the book of Daniel how grieved Daniel was because he couldn't understand the things he was being shown? He'd see these INCREDIBLE visions given him by God and he'd be just as confused as we are when we read them, more so really because He didn't have the wealth of Biblical knowledge we have at our fingertips. We have such a fantasic source of information available to us as we study prophecy. As Daniel wrote what he saw and lived in a state of confusion from what he witness we can only imagine his thoughts, his passion to understand. He prayed hard and sacrificed much just to hopefully, prayerfully get answers. An angel was sent to him and opened Daniel's understanding at least to a degree. The angel also told Daniel that the book would be closed up- that it wouldn't be understood not until it was the proper time.
We have this amazing book- the Bible - and it's filled with prophecy starting right in the beginning and going all the way unto the end, no matter what order you believe the Bible should be read in. The Bible is not only filled with prophecy but history that in and of itself reveals God's plans for mankind over and over again - which become historical prophecy. We can look back at history- actual history - actual lives of people who lived just assuredly as you and I are alive, as our parents are or were alive and our grandparents and their parents and so on. No one can dispute our historical fact, no one. Do you dispute your own existence or the existence of your parents and so on? We can't. Our amazing God guided the lives of people who loved Him and those lives that were guided so amazing have been recorded for our learning, for our understanding of how wondrous our God is! We can look at so much in the Bible and see a guiding force beyond anything that we can fully comprehend and yet people refuse to believe! People still doubt! People would rather believe in false gods that have nothing to show them, nothing at all. People would rather worship the sun and moon than a living God, the Creator of the sun and moon!
This book of Revelation is filled with cryptic imagery that is given to us for a reason. Our Savior instructed us to WATCH and to PRAY. Our Savior gave us PROPHECY, prophecy came from the lips of our Savior. Our Savior mentioned the prophet Daniel.
Mat 24:15 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:)
We were pointed to Daniel by Jesus and in Revelation Jesus points us back to Daniel using John as His prophet to give us His message. We are supposed to study prophecy. We are blessed when we study prophecy, so why do we neglect it so much? Why do we give up because we find it incomprehensible? Why do we not search it over and over again, praying all while for our eyes to be opened. Jesus WANTS us to comprehend! Jesus wants us to be blessed! When we are given various meanings for prophecies given we HAVE a duty to search the Scriptures and find out where the truth exists in those meanings. We could be given a thousand different interpretations and it is our duty to examine those interpretations to see if they do fit into God's plan. Is my interpretation correct? Is my following the interpretations of another correct? God will guide me to know the truth I have to believe this just as every single one of us has to seek the truth for ourselves.
We are going to go through this section of prophecy slowly because so many people believe that the 'two witnesses' are suppose to be real men, real angels, real figures that show up and these people are waiting for them! Is it possible there will be these special witnesses? I believe the devil can impersonate angels of light, my Bible tells me so. I firmly believe the prophecy fits so much more perfectly when we understand the witnesses to be figures of the Old and New Testament and how throughout our history the Bible has been abused over and over. Like I said, I want to study this more, much more closely all by the grace of God! All by His love, through His righteousness, His mercy, His grace!
Amen.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Prophecy - 84
Rev 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open...
Here John's vision of the angel with the sixth trumpet is interrupted.
He sees another angel. Why the interruption? The last angel sounded the sixth trumpet and set about telling of the second woe. Could it be perhaps because even while the woe is occurring other things are happening as well?
Think about it. Right now there are men and women overseas fighting in wars, some of us know some of those over there, or we know of others who have loved ones over there. What do you think their lives consist of? Anything but the normalcy which we know, in which we live. They exist in another whole world, a world of war where they have guns in their hands, slung across their backs, in a holster at their hips, in a strap about their leg, in a back pack they wear on their backs. They have weapons of war in their possession and they wield them with the intention of shooting another human being should they be attacked by them. They are fighting to uphold principles of freedom that the others don't seem to have. The war is on going and has been for several years now. Think about it, really think about what is going on right now in a place that we are not. We are sitting at our computers reading/writing this in the comforts of our own home, in our own town, in our own city, in our own state, in our own country and we aren't wielding weapons of warfare. Two different worlds and it's the same in all time, really. While wars are being waged there is also another existence for those who send their loved ones off to war while remaining home. Rarely is there war every where in fact most likely never. When a war is started it's for a purpose, whether or not that purpose is achieved it is started for a reason. Perhaps to conquer, but there is no guarantee to being the conqueror, you could be the one conquered in the battle.
Anyway, the point that I'm trying to make here is that while wars go on they don't go on simultaneously everywhere so there is an existence that doesn't have the war going on and I believe that when this angel comes down from heaven after the angel with the sixth trumpet sounds and tells of the second woe, it's not necessarily a continuation of time because that would mean the seventh angel should sound. It isn't the seventh angel with the seventh trumpet but rather a completely different angel and we'd do well to pay attention what messages are given to us by this angelic interlude.
This mighty angel comes down from heaven and is clothed with a cloud and a rainbow rests upon his head, what an image this evokes. His face is as the sun, his feet as pillars of fire.
If ever an angel was grand in appearance this angel all but demands notice.
We are concerned with symbols and the symbolic references here are what? Clothed with a cloud and rainbow on his head. A reminder of God's past dealings with humans, mmm? The rainbow was given as a symbol that God would never flood the entire earth again in a way that would kill almost all living things, it was a sign, a covenant with God and His people. His face as the sun- brilliantly bright, illuminated with the most powerful luminary in the skies. Feet as pillars of fire, a pillar of fire led God's people at night when Moses was guiding them through God out of captivity into the land of freedom. Clearly this angel is bringing a powerful message from God, enlightenment, powerful- powerful enlightenment.
Rev 10:2 ... and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth
Symbolically in prophecy the sea can represent a place of many people, just as the earth can represent a place without so many people. It's possible the angel's stance is such that this messenger is going to give the message to all.
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4 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.
What a mighty cry! Yet just what his cry -was- isn't mentioned. His cry precedes the voices of seven thunders to sound. Seven Angels, Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, Seven Thunders- and yet whatever messages the Seven Thunders have to give to us we can't know, it wasn't for us to know or read, or hear, or keep. A voice came from heaven to John and told him to seal up the things the seven thunders uttered and write them not. That the angel who was amazing and glorious in appearance cried out and caused seven thunders to sound a message we weren't to know- tells us what? There are mysteries not meant for us, mysteries we cannot know. What we are being given isn't all there is but it's all we need and we have to trust that God has given us His words in such a way that we aren't completely overwhelmed.
Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer
Our Father who are in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
They kingdom come
Thy will be done
on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God
in it thou shalt not do any work
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
For in six days the LORD made HEAVEN and EARTH,
the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day
wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day,
and hallowed it.
Him that liveth forever and ever! The creator of HEAVEN, of EARTH, of the SEA.
For in six days the Lord made HEAVEN and EARTH, and the SEA.
The angel swore by the one and the only Creator God, the maker of HEAVEN, of EARTH, of the SEA.
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
The seventh angel has yet to sound and yet we are being told ahead of time that when the seventh angel does sound that the mystery of God would be finished.
The mystery of God
...
Colossians
{2:1} For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and [for] them at Laodicea, and [for] as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
{2:2} That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the MYSTERY OF GOD, and of the Father, and of Christ;
{2:3} In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
{2:4} And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
{2:5} For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
...
In whom are hid ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Romans
{16:25} Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began
{16:26} But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith
{16:27} To God only wise, [be] glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Praise God!
1 Corinthians
{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
{2:8} Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it,] they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
{2:9} But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
{2:10} But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
{2:11} For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
{2:12} Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
{2:13} Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
{2:14} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them,] because they are spiritually discerned.
{2:15} But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
{2:16} For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
***
Praise the Lord!
Ephesian
{3:9} And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ
{3:10} To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God
{3:11} According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord
{3:12} In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
{3:13} Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
{3:14} For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
{3:15} Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named
{3:16} That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man
{3:17} That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love
{3:18} May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
{3:19} And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
All Glory to God!
***
The mystery of God finished. Realized. Known. Complete. Amen.
Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
The voice from heaven which told John not to write what the seven thunders uttered, spoke again. He told Him to take the little book which is opened in the hand of the angel standing upon the sea and earth. John is taking something from an angel, very interesting.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Wow. The little book is open. Was there ever a little book closed?
Daniel
{12:9} And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Now a little book is opened.
John is to take this little open book and eat it. Eat it? Who eats books? Seriously? If I devour a book I'm reading it with enthusiasm. We've discussed this before recently, the book of Daniel- a book of prophecy was to be sealed to the time of the end. Now here in Revelation John is being given prophecy and in this particular prophecy he is shown an amazing angel who has this little open book and he's instructed to eat it. After eating it his belly would be bitter even though the book tasted sweet.
In the 1800's there was a religious revival that was unprecedented, as the book of Daniel and Revelation were studied and enlightenment seemed to descend upon people. History fit together with the prophecies and this particular prophecy in Daniel talked of 2300 days. The end of that 2300 day would be in 1844. So people began to believe that Christ would return then. They believed it so thoroughly their lives revolved around the predicted second coming of Christ- it was sweet, so sweet to have such understanding! Then when Christ didn't come as they believed the bitterness was vile in their bellies. There was more to be done. This was the beginning of the end so to speak. There had to be more prophesying, a lot more, and where were John's thoughts directed?
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The temple of God! The wonder of the Sanctuary and its services. If after 2300 the Sanctuary was to be cleansed and that didn't mean Christ's returning it surely meant something momentous. A study of the Sanctuary services revealed the typified day of Atonement, the day the Sanctuary was cleansed. The High Priest had to enter the Most Holy Place, a place so sacred it was only entered once a year on this day. So in heaven it's safe to believe that Christ entered in the Most Holy Place, the most sacred of places to finish the cleansing. Once that cleansing is complete then Christ will return again- we live in that cleansing time.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Again I'm going to defer to the Book of Daniel and Revelation for a more intellectual explanation of things.
(Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith) --
By this message, our attention has been called to the temple above, and through it the light and truth on this subject has come out. Thus we measure the temple and the altar, or the ministration connected with the temple, the work and the position of our great High Priest; and we measure the worshipers with that part of the rod which relates to character, the ten commandments.
"The court which is without the temple leave out." This must be interpreted to mean that the attention of the church is now directed to the inner temple and the service there. Matters pertaining to the court are of less consequence now. It is given to the Gentiles. That the court refers to this earth is proved thus: The court is the place where the victims were slain whose blood was to be ministered in the sanctuary. The antitypical victim must die in the antitypical court, and He died on Calvary in Judea. The Gentiles being thus introduced, the attention of the prophet is directed to the great feature of Gentile apostasy, the treading down of the holy city forty and two months during that time. Thus we are carried back into the past by an easy and natural transition, and our attention is called to a new series of events.
Verse 3 And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
The period of "a thousand two hundred and three score days" is variously referred to in the Scriptures. It appears in three forms:
As 1260 days in this verse and Revelation 12: 6.
As 42 months in Revelation 11: 2 and 13: 5.
As 3 1/2 times in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7, and Revelation 12: 14.
These all refer to the same period and can be easily be calculated. A time is a year, as is evident from Daniel 11: 13, marginal reading. A year has twelve months, and a Biblical month contains thirty days. Thus we have the following:
1 year of 12 months at 30 days - - - - 360 days
3 1/2 years, or times, of 360 days - - - - 1260 days
42 months of 30 days - - - - - - - - 1260 days
A year made up of 12 months will be readily conceded, but that the month has 30 days needs perhaps to be demonstrated. This can readily be seen by referring to the record of the flood in Genesis 7 and 8. There we learn the following:
1. That the flood came on the seventeenth day of the second month. (Genesis 7: 11.)
2. That the waters subsided on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. (Genesis 8: 4.)
3. That the flood continued for five months--from the second to the seventh month.
Reference to Genesis 7: 24 reveals the fact that "the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days." Our calculation showed five months. This text mentions 150 days; hence we have five months equaling 150 days, or 30 days to a month.
Thus we have a definite measure for calculating the prophetic periods, bearing in mind that in prophecy a day is equal to a year of ordinary time.
The Two Witnesses.--During this time of 1260 years the witnesses are in a state of sackcloth, or obscurity, and God gives them power to endure and maintain their testimony through that dark and dismal period. But who or what are these witnesses?
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Evident allusion is here made to Zechariah 4: 11-14, where it is implied that the two olive trees are taken to represent the word of God.
Zec 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
David testifies, "The entrance of Thy words giveth light;" and, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119: 130, 105.
Written testimony is stronger than oral. Jesus declared of the Old Testament Scriptures, "They are they which testify of Me." John 5: 39.
Says George Croly: "The 'Two Witnesses' are the Old and New Testaments. . . . The essential purpose of the Scriptures is to give witness to the mercy and verity of God. Our Lord commands, 'Search the Scriptures, . . . they are they which testify [bear witness] of Me.' This was addressed to the Jews, and described the character and office of the Old Testament. The New Testament is similarly pronounced the giver of testimony. 'This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.' (Matthew 24: 14.)" [1]
These declarations and considerations are sufficient to sustain the conclusion that the Old and New Testaments are Christ's two witnesses.
*******
IT MAKES SENSE! So many are now looking for two men to come to earth and make their stand on behalf of God we saw it in movies, we've read it in books -Left Behind and others. People are allowing themselves to be deceived so they will be waiting for things that will NEVER happen and as long as they are waiting for those things they are not fully prepared for the coming of our Lord and Savior! Deception comes in so many forms, I pray to God we are NOT deceived! That we are prepared for our Lord's return!
*******
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed
To hurt the word of God is to oppose, corrupt, or pervert its testimony, and turn people away from it. Against those who do this work, fire proceedeth out of their mouth to devour them, that is, judgment of fire is pronounced in that word against such. It declares that they will have their punishment in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. (Malachi 4: 1; Revelation 20: 15; 22: 18, 19.)
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
In what sense have these witnesses power to shut heaven, turn waters to blood, and bring plagues on the earth? Elijah shut heaven so that it did not rain for three years and a half, but he did by the word of the Lord. Moses by the word of the Lord turned the waters of Egypt to blood. Just as these judgments, recorded in their testimony, have been fulfilled, so will every threatening and judgment pronounced by them against any people surely be accomplished.
"As often as they will" means that as often as judgments are recorded on their pages to take place, so often they will come to pass. An instance of this the world is yet to experience in the infliction of the seven last plagues.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
"When they shall have finished their testimony," that is, "in sackcloth." the sackcloth state ended, or as elsewhere expressed the days of persecution were shortened (Matthew 24: 22), before the period itself expired. "A 'beast' in prophecy, denotes a kingdom, or power. (See Daniel 7: 17, 23.) The question now arises, When did the sackcloth state of the witnesses close?
And did such a kingdom as described make war on them at the time spoken of?
If we are correct in fixing upon A.D. 583 as the time of the commencement of the sackcloth state, forty-two months being the 1260 prophetic days, or years, would bring us down to A.D. 1798.
About this time, then, did such a kingdom as described appear, and make war on them, etc.? Mark! this beast, or kingdom, is out of the bottomless pit--no foundation--an atheistical power--'spiritually Egypt.' (See Exodus 5: 2: 'Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not
the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.') Here is atheism. Did any kingdom, about 1798 manifest the same spirit?--Yes, France; she denied the being of God in her national capacity, and made war on the 'Monarchy of heaven.' " [2]
"In the year 1793, . . . the gospel was, by a solemn act of the Legislature and the people abolished in France. The indignities offered to the actual copies of the Bible were unimportant after this; their life in their doctrines, and the extinction of the doctrines is the extinction of the Bible. By the decree of the French Government, declaring that the nation acknowledged no God, the Old and New Testaments were slain throughout the limits of Republican France. But contumelies to the Sacred Books could not have been wanting, in the general plunder of every place of worship. In Lyons they were dragged at the tail of an ass in a procession through the streets. . . .
"On the 1st of November, 1793, Gobet, with the Republican priests of Paris, had thrown off the gown, and abjured Religion. On the 11th, a 'Grand Festival,' dedicated to 'Reason and Truth,' was celebrated in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which had been desecrated, and been named 'the Temple of Reason;' a pyramid was erected in the center of the Church, surmounted by a temple, inscribed 'To philosophy.' The torch of 'Truth' was on the altar of 'Reason' spreading light, etc. The National Convention and all the authorities attended at this burlesque and insulting ceremony." [3]
*1793 marked a year that could have been prevented, a period that should never have befallen the liberated citizens of France. Mirabeau warned that the destruction of the Monarchy would plunge the country into anarchy and his words rang true. France was not prepared for such social and political upheaval, and the resulting shift towards a republic would change the country forever. The Jacobins
discarded their holy bible, the constitution, in order to ensure the security and stability of the country. Not only did their hasty actions backfire, but the tens of thousands of lives that perished during their reign symbolized the radical stage of the revolution in all its bloody glory.
http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/reportessay/History/European%5CThe_Radical_Stage_of_the_French_Revolution_(1792-1793)-32644.htm
*
http://books.google.com/books?id=iaspAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=gobet+1793&source=bl&ots=wkJPJoghJr&sig=Rq4KgBFQPBgiEJ2GI4MHywZIT94&hl=en&ei=KUe0SvveLsn7tgft6dGxDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=gobet%201793&f=false
*
Spiritual Sodom.--" 'Spiritually' this power 'is called Sodom.' What was the characteristic sin of Sodom? Licentiousness. Did France have this character? She did; fornication was established by law during the period spoken of. 'Spiritually' the place was 'where our Lord was crucified.' Was this true in France? It was, in more senses than one. First, in 1572 a plot was laid in France to destroy all the pious Huguenots; and in one night, fifty thousand of them were murdered in cold blood, and the streets of Paris literally ran with blood. Thus our Lord was 'spiritually crucified' in His members. Again, the watch-word and motto of the French Infidels was, 'CRUSH THE WRETCH,' meaning Christ. Thus it may be truly said, 'where our Lord was crucified.' The very spirit of the bottomless pit' was poured out in that wicked nation.
"But did France 'make war' on the Bible? She did; and in 1793 a decree passed the French Assembly forbidding the Bible, and under that decree the Bibles were gathered and burned, and every possible mark of contempt heaped upon them, and all institutions of the Bible abolished; the Sabbath was blotted out, and every tenth day substituted for mirth and profanity. Baptism and the communion were abolished. The being of God was denied; and death pronounced to be an eternal sleep. The Goddess of Reason was set up, in the person of a vile woman, and publicly worshiped. Surely here is a power that exactly answers the prophecy." [4] This point will be further developed in the comments on the next verse.
*
http://books.google.com/books?id=IwUZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=French+Assembly+forbidding+the+Bible&source=bl&ots=_xPhhO-3Fk&sig=2nlHyT14I1POihZuFYgAevwmh0c&hl=en&ei=oUe0SrjMF9m_tgeO_dDADg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=French%20Assembly%20forbidding%20the%20Bible&f=false
THE COUNCIL OF TARRAGONA - 1234 A.D. The Council of Tarragona of 1234, in its second canon,
ruled that: "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned...." - D. Lortsch, Historie de la Bible en France, 1910, p.14.
*
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
"The language of this verse denotes the feelings of other nations than the one committing the outrage on the witnesses. They would see what war infidel France had made on the Bible, but would not be led nationally to engage in the wicked work, nor suffer the murdered witnesses to be buried, or put out of sight among themselves, though they lay dead three days and a half, that is, three years and a half, in France. No; this very attempt of France served to arouse Christians everywhere to put forth a new exertion in behalf of the Bible, as we shall presently see." [5]
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
"This denotes the joy those felt who hated the Bible, or were tormented by it. Great was the joy of infidels everywhere for awhile. But 'the triumphing of the wicked is short;' so was it in France, for their war on the Bible and Christianity had well-nigh swallowed them all up. They set out to destroy Christ's 'two witnesses,' but they filled France with blood and horror, so that they were horror-struck at the result of their wicked deeds, and were glad to remove their impious hands from the Bible." [6]
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Witnesses Restored.--"In 1793, the decree passed the French Assembly suppressing the Bible. Just three years after, a resolution was introduced into the Assembly going to supersede the decree, and giving toleration to the Scriptures. That resolution lay on the table six months, when it was taken up, and passed without a dissenting vote. Thus, in just three years and a half, the witnesses 'stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which saw them.' Nothing but the appalling results of the rejection of the Bible could have induced France to take her hands off these witnesses." [7]
"On the 17th of June, Camille Jourdan, in the 'Council of Five Hundred,' brought up the memorable report on the 'Revision of the laws relative to religious worship.' It consisted of a number of propositions, abolishing alike the Republican restrictions on Popish worship, and the Popish restrictions on Protestant.
"1. That all citizens might buy or hire edifices for the free exercise of religious worship.
"2. That all congregations might assemble by the sound of bells.
"3. That no test or promise of any sort unrequired from other citizens should be required of the ministers of those congregations.
"4. That any individual attempting to impede, or in any way interrupt the public worship should be fined, up to 500 livres, and not less than 50; and that if the interruption proceeded form the constituted authorities, such authorities should be fined double the sum.
"5. That entrance to assemblies for the purpose of religious worship should be free for all citizens.
"6. That all other laws concerning religious worship should be repealed.
"Those regulations, in comprehending the whole state of worship of France, were, in fact, a peculiar boon to Protestantism. Popery was already in sight of full restoration. But Protestantism, crushed under the burthen of the laws of Louis XIV, and unsupported by the popular belief, required the direct support of the state to 'stand on its feet.' The Report of the Church; the old prohibitions to hold public worship, to possess places of worship, to have ingress, etc.
"From that period the Church has been free in France. . . .
"The Church and the Bible had been slain in France from November, 1793 till June, 1797. The three years and a half were expended, and the Bible, so long and so sternly repressed before, was placed in honor, and was openly the book of free Protestantism!" [8]
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
" 'Ascended up to heaven.'--To understand this expressions, see Daniel 4: 22: 'Thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven.' Here we see that the expression signifies great exaltation. Have the Scriptures attained to such a state of exaltation as here indicated, since France made war upon them?--They have.
Shortly after, the British Bible Society was organized [1804]; then followed the American Bible Society [1816]; and these, with their almost innumerable auxiliaries, are scattering the Bible everywhere." [9] Before 1804 the Bible had been printed and circulated in fifty languages.
"Up to the end of December, 1942, the Bible in whole or in part has been translated into 1,058 languages and dialects."
No other book approaches the Bible in inexpensiveness and the number of copies circulated. The American bible Society reported having printed and circulated, in whole, or in part, 7,696,739 portions in 1940; 8,096,069, in 1941; and 6,254,642, in 1942. The British and Foreign Bible Society reported for the year ending in the middle of 1941 a circulation of 11,017,334 copies; and in 1942, 7,120,000 copies.
A conservative estimate places the number of Bibles printed annually by commercial houses at six million. Hence the annual output of Bibles and portions has reached the enormous total of from twenty-five to thirty million copies a year.
From its organization up to and including 1942, the American Bible Society had issued 321,951,266 copies; and the British and Foreign Bible Society up to March, 1942, had issued 539,664,024 copies, making a total of 861,600,000 copies put out by these two societies alone. The American Bible Society said in May, 1940: "It is that nine tenths of the 2,000,000,000 people in the world might now, if they turned to the Bible, hear it read in a language they understand." The Bible is exalted as above all price, as, next to His Son, the most invaluable blessing of God to man, and as the glorious testimony concerning that son. Yes; the Scriptures may truly be said to be exalted "to heaven in a cloud," a cloud being an emblem of heavenly elevation.
*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books
Bible [1] Traditional Christian view: Revelation or Inspiration by God[2] to various authors Hebrew, Koine Greek, Aramaic 70 BC- 105 AD, Further information: dating of the Bible 2.5 billion[3] to more than 6 billion[4]
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Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
"What city? (See Revelation 17: 18: 'The woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings [kingdoms] of the earth.') That city is the papal Roman power. France is one of the ' ten horns' that gave 'their power and strength unto the [papal] beast;' or is one of the ten kingdoms that arose out of the Western Empire of Rome, as indicated by the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image, Daniel's ten-horned beast [Daniel 7: 24], and John's ten-horned dragon. [Revelation 12: 3.] France, then, was 'a tenth part of the city,' and was one of the strongest ministers of papal vengeance; but in this revolution it 'fell,' and with it fell the last civil messenger of papal fury. 'And in the earthquake were slain of men [margin, names of men] seven thousand.' France made war, in here revolution of 1798 [1789] and onward, on all titles and nobility. . . . 'And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.' Their God-dishonoring and Heaven-defying work filled France with such scenes of blood, carnage, and horror, as made even the infidels themselves to tremble, and stand aghast; and the 'remnant' that escaped the horrors of that hour 'gave glory to God--not willingly, but the God of heaven caused this 'wrath of man to praise Him,' by giving all the world to see that those who make war on heaven make graves for themselves; thus glory redounded to God by the very means that wicked men employed to tarnish that glory." [10]
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SO MUCH TO STUDY! SO MUCH TO LEARN! SO MUCH TO UNDERSTAND AND ALL BY THE GRACE OF GOD!
In His love! We need to study this more and tomorrow we're going to go over it again, I need to.
All in His love, in HIS righteousness now and forever!
Amen!
Rev 10:2 And he had in his hand a little book open...
Here John's vision of the angel with the sixth trumpet is interrupted.
He sees another angel. Why the interruption? The last angel sounded the sixth trumpet and set about telling of the second woe. Could it be perhaps because even while the woe is occurring other things are happening as well?
Think about it. Right now there are men and women overseas fighting in wars, some of us know some of those over there, or we know of others who have loved ones over there. What do you think their lives consist of? Anything but the normalcy which we know, in which we live. They exist in another whole world, a world of war where they have guns in their hands, slung across their backs, in a holster at their hips, in a strap about their leg, in a back pack they wear on their backs. They have weapons of war in their possession and they wield them with the intention of shooting another human being should they be attacked by them. They are fighting to uphold principles of freedom that the others don't seem to have. The war is on going and has been for several years now. Think about it, really think about what is going on right now in a place that we are not. We are sitting at our computers reading/writing this in the comforts of our own home, in our own town, in our own city, in our own state, in our own country and we aren't wielding weapons of warfare. Two different worlds and it's the same in all time, really. While wars are being waged there is also another existence for those who send their loved ones off to war while remaining home. Rarely is there war every where in fact most likely never. When a war is started it's for a purpose, whether or not that purpose is achieved it is started for a reason. Perhaps to conquer, but there is no guarantee to being the conqueror, you could be the one conquered in the battle.
Anyway, the point that I'm trying to make here is that while wars go on they don't go on simultaneously everywhere so there is an existence that doesn't have the war going on and I believe that when this angel comes down from heaven after the angel with the sixth trumpet sounds and tells of the second woe, it's not necessarily a continuation of time because that would mean the seventh angel should sound. It isn't the seventh angel with the seventh trumpet but rather a completely different angel and we'd do well to pay attention what messages are given to us by this angelic interlude.
This mighty angel comes down from heaven and is clothed with a cloud and a rainbow rests upon his head, what an image this evokes. His face is as the sun, his feet as pillars of fire.
If ever an angel was grand in appearance this angel all but demands notice.
We are concerned with symbols and the symbolic references here are what? Clothed with a cloud and rainbow on his head. A reminder of God's past dealings with humans, mmm? The rainbow was given as a symbol that God would never flood the entire earth again in a way that would kill almost all living things, it was a sign, a covenant with God and His people. His face as the sun- brilliantly bright, illuminated with the most powerful luminary in the skies. Feet as pillars of fire, a pillar of fire led God's people at night when Moses was guiding them through God out of captivity into the land of freedom. Clearly this angel is bringing a powerful message from God, enlightenment, powerful- powerful enlightenment.
Rev 10:2 ... and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth
Symbolically in prophecy the sea can represent a place of many people, just as the earth can represent a place without so many people. It's possible the angel's stance is such that this messenger is going to give the message to all.
Rev 10:3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Rev 10:4 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.
What a mighty cry! Yet just what his cry -was- isn't mentioned. His cry precedes the voices of seven thunders to sound. Seven Angels, Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, Seven Thunders- and yet whatever messages the Seven Thunders have to give to us we can't know, it wasn't for us to know or read, or hear, or keep. A voice came from heaven to John and told him to seal up the things the seven thunders uttered and write them not. That the angel who was amazing and glorious in appearance cried out and caused seven thunders to sound a message we weren't to know- tells us what? There are mysteries not meant for us, mysteries we cannot know. What we are being given isn't all there is but it's all we need and we have to trust that God has given us His words in such a way that we aren't completely overwhelmed.
Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer
Our Father who are in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
They kingdom come
Thy will be done
on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who tresspass against us
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God
in it thou shalt not do any work
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant,
nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates
For in six days the LORD made HEAVEN and EARTH,
the sea, and all that in them is,
and rested the seventh day
wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day,
and hallowed it.
Him that liveth forever and ever! The creator of HEAVEN, of EARTH, of the SEA.
For in six days the Lord made HEAVEN and EARTH, and the SEA.
The angel swore by the one and the only Creator God, the maker of HEAVEN, of EARTH, of the SEA.
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
The seventh angel has yet to sound and yet we are being told ahead of time that when the seventh angel does sound that the mystery of God would be finished.
The mystery of God
...
Colossians
{2:1} For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and [for] them at Laodicea, and [for] as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
{2:2} That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the MYSTERY OF GOD, and of the Father, and of Christ;
{2:3} In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
{2:4} And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
{2:5} For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
...
In whom are hid ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Romans
{16:25} Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began
{16:26} But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith
{16:27} To God only wise, [be] glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Praise God!
1 Corinthians
{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
{2:8} Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known [it,] they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
{2:9} But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
{2:10} But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
{2:11} For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
{2:12} Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
{2:13} Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
{2:14} But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them,] because they are spiritually discerned.
{2:15} But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
{2:16} For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
***
Praise the Lord!
Ephesian
{3:9} And to make all [men] see what [is] the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ
{3:10} To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly [places] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God
{3:11} According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord
{3:12} In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
{3:13} Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
{3:14} For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
{3:15} Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named
{3:16} That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man
{3:17} That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love
{3:18} May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
{3:19} And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
All Glory to God!
***
The mystery of God finished. Realized. Known. Complete. Amen.
Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
The voice from heaven which told John not to write what the seven thunders uttered, spoke again. He told Him to take the little book which is opened in the hand of the angel standing upon the sea and earth. John is taking something from an angel, very interesting.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Wow. The little book is open. Was there ever a little book closed?
Daniel
{12:9} And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Now a little book is opened.
John is to take this little open book and eat it. Eat it? Who eats books? Seriously? If I devour a book I'm reading it with enthusiasm. We've discussed this before recently, the book of Daniel- a book of prophecy was to be sealed to the time of the end. Now here in Revelation John is being given prophecy and in this particular prophecy he is shown an amazing angel who has this little open book and he's instructed to eat it. After eating it his belly would be bitter even though the book tasted sweet.
In the 1800's there was a religious revival that was unprecedented, as the book of Daniel and Revelation were studied and enlightenment seemed to descend upon people. History fit together with the prophecies and this particular prophecy in Daniel talked of 2300 days. The end of that 2300 day would be in 1844. So people began to believe that Christ would return then. They believed it so thoroughly their lives revolved around the predicted second coming of Christ- it was sweet, so sweet to have such understanding! Then when Christ didn't come as they believed the bitterness was vile in their bellies. There was more to be done. This was the beginning of the end so to speak. There had to be more prophesying, a lot more, and where were John's thoughts directed?
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The temple of God! The wonder of the Sanctuary and its services. If after 2300 the Sanctuary was to be cleansed and that didn't mean Christ's returning it surely meant something momentous. A study of the Sanctuary services revealed the typified day of Atonement, the day the Sanctuary was cleansed. The High Priest had to enter the Most Holy Place, a place so sacred it was only entered once a year on this day. So in heaven it's safe to believe that Christ entered in the Most Holy Place, the most sacred of places to finish the cleansing. Once that cleansing is complete then Christ will return again- we live in that cleansing time.
Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Again I'm going to defer to the Book of Daniel and Revelation for a more intellectual explanation of things.
(Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith) --
By this message, our attention has been called to the temple above, and through it the light and truth on this subject has come out. Thus we measure the temple and the altar, or the ministration connected with the temple, the work and the position of our great High Priest; and we measure the worshipers with that part of the rod which relates to character, the ten commandments.
"The court which is without the temple leave out." This must be interpreted to mean that the attention of the church is now directed to the inner temple and the service there. Matters pertaining to the court are of less consequence now. It is given to the Gentiles. That the court refers to this earth is proved thus: The court is the place where the victims were slain whose blood was to be ministered in the sanctuary. The antitypical victim must die in the antitypical court, and He died on Calvary in Judea. The Gentiles being thus introduced, the attention of the prophet is directed to the great feature of Gentile apostasy, the treading down of the holy city forty and two months during that time. Thus we are carried back into the past by an easy and natural transition, and our attention is called to a new series of events.
Verse 3 And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
The period of "a thousand two hundred and three score days" is variously referred to in the Scriptures. It appears in three forms:
As 1260 days in this verse and Revelation 12: 6.
As 42 months in Revelation 11: 2 and 13: 5.
As 3 1/2 times in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7, and Revelation 12: 14.
These all refer to the same period and can be easily be calculated. A time is a year, as is evident from Daniel 11: 13, marginal reading. A year has twelve months, and a Biblical month contains thirty days. Thus we have the following:
1 year of 12 months at 30 days - - - - 360 days
3 1/2 years, or times, of 360 days - - - - 1260 days
42 months of 30 days - - - - - - - - 1260 days
A year made up of 12 months will be readily conceded, but that the month has 30 days needs perhaps to be demonstrated. This can readily be seen by referring to the record of the flood in Genesis 7 and 8. There we learn the following:
1. That the flood came on the seventeenth day of the second month. (Genesis 7: 11.)
2. That the waters subsided on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. (Genesis 8: 4.)
3. That the flood continued for five months--from the second to the seventh month.
Reference to Genesis 7: 24 reveals the fact that "the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days." Our calculation showed five months. This text mentions 150 days; hence we have five months equaling 150 days, or 30 days to a month.
Thus we have a definite measure for calculating the prophetic periods, bearing in mind that in prophecy a day is equal to a year of ordinary time.
The Two Witnesses.--During this time of 1260 years the witnesses are in a state of sackcloth, or obscurity, and God gives them power to endure and maintain their testimony through that dark and dismal period. But who or what are these witnesses?
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Evident allusion is here made to Zechariah 4: 11-14, where it is implied that the two olive trees are taken to represent the word of God.
Zec 4:11 Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?
Zec 4:12 And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves?
Zec 4:13 And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
Zec 4:14 Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.
David testifies, "The entrance of Thy words giveth light;" and, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119: 130, 105.
Written testimony is stronger than oral. Jesus declared of the Old Testament Scriptures, "They are they which testify of Me." John 5: 39.
Says George Croly: "The 'Two Witnesses' are the Old and New Testaments. . . . The essential purpose of the Scriptures is to give witness to the mercy and verity of God. Our Lord commands, 'Search the Scriptures, . . . they are they which testify [bear witness] of Me.' This was addressed to the Jews, and described the character and office of the Old Testament. The New Testament is similarly pronounced the giver of testimony. 'This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.' (Matthew 24: 14.)" [1]
These declarations and considerations are sufficient to sustain the conclusion that the Old and New Testaments are Christ's two witnesses.
*******
IT MAKES SENSE! So many are now looking for two men to come to earth and make their stand on behalf of God we saw it in movies, we've read it in books -Left Behind and others. People are allowing themselves to be deceived so they will be waiting for things that will NEVER happen and as long as they are waiting for those things they are not fully prepared for the coming of our Lord and Savior! Deception comes in so many forms, I pray to God we are NOT deceived! That we are prepared for our Lord's return!
*******
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed
To hurt the word of God is to oppose, corrupt, or pervert its testimony, and turn people away from it. Against those who do this work, fire proceedeth out of their mouth to devour them, that is, judgment of fire is pronounced in that word against such. It declares that they will have their punishment in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. (Malachi 4: 1; Revelation 20: 15; 22: 18, 19.)
Mal 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
In what sense have these witnesses power to shut heaven, turn waters to blood, and bring plagues on the earth? Elijah shut heaven so that it did not rain for three years and a half, but he did by the word of the Lord. Moses by the word of the Lord turned the waters of Egypt to blood. Just as these judgments, recorded in their testimony, have been fulfilled, so will every threatening and judgment pronounced by them against any people surely be accomplished.
"As often as they will" means that as often as judgments are recorded on their pages to take place, so often they will come to pass. An instance of this the world is yet to experience in the infliction of the seven last plagues.
Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
"When they shall have finished their testimony," that is, "in sackcloth." the sackcloth state ended, or as elsewhere expressed the days of persecution were shortened (Matthew 24: 22), before the period itself expired. "A 'beast' in prophecy, denotes a kingdom, or power. (See Daniel 7: 17, 23.) The question now arises, When did the sackcloth state of the witnesses close?
And did such a kingdom as described make war on them at the time spoken of?
If we are correct in fixing upon A.D. 583 as the time of the commencement of the sackcloth state, forty-two months being the 1260 prophetic days, or years, would bring us down to A.D. 1798.
About this time, then, did such a kingdom as described appear, and make war on them, etc.? Mark! this beast, or kingdom, is out of the bottomless pit--no foundation--an atheistical power--'spiritually Egypt.' (See Exodus 5: 2: 'Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not
the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.') Here is atheism. Did any kingdom, about 1798 manifest the same spirit?--Yes, France; she denied the being of God in her national capacity, and made war on the 'Monarchy of heaven.' " [2]
"In the year 1793, . . . the gospel was, by a solemn act of the Legislature and the people abolished in France. The indignities offered to the actual copies of the Bible were unimportant after this; their life in their doctrines, and the extinction of the doctrines is the extinction of the Bible. By the decree of the French Government, declaring that the nation acknowledged no God, the Old and New Testaments were slain throughout the limits of Republican France. But contumelies to the Sacred Books could not have been wanting, in the general plunder of every place of worship. In Lyons they were dragged at the tail of an ass in a procession through the streets. . . .
"On the 1st of November, 1793, Gobet, with the Republican priests of Paris, had thrown off the gown, and abjured Religion. On the 11th, a 'Grand Festival,' dedicated to 'Reason and Truth,' was celebrated in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which had been desecrated, and been named 'the Temple of Reason;' a pyramid was erected in the center of the Church, surmounted by a temple, inscribed 'To philosophy.' The torch of 'Truth' was on the altar of 'Reason' spreading light, etc. The National Convention and all the authorities attended at this burlesque and insulting ceremony." [3]
*1793 marked a year that could have been prevented, a period that should never have befallen the liberated citizens of France. Mirabeau warned that the destruction of the Monarchy would plunge the country into anarchy and his words rang true. France was not prepared for such social and political upheaval, and the resulting shift towards a republic would change the country forever. The Jacobins
discarded their holy bible, the constitution, in order to ensure the security and stability of the country. Not only did their hasty actions backfire, but the tens of thousands of lives that perished during their reign symbolized the radical stage of the revolution in all its bloody glory.
http://www.studyworld.com/newsite/reportessay/History/European%5CThe_Radical_Stage_of_the_French_Revolution_(1792-1793)-32644.htm
*
http://books.google.com/books?id=iaspAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA4&lpg=PA4&dq=gobet+1793&source=bl&ots=wkJPJoghJr&sig=Rq4KgBFQPBgiEJ2GI4MHywZIT94&hl=en&ei=KUe0SvveLsn7tgft6dGxDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=gobet%201793&f=false
*
Spiritual Sodom.--" 'Spiritually' this power 'is called Sodom.' What was the characteristic sin of Sodom? Licentiousness. Did France have this character? She did; fornication was established by law during the period spoken of. 'Spiritually' the place was 'where our Lord was crucified.' Was this true in France? It was, in more senses than one. First, in 1572 a plot was laid in France to destroy all the pious Huguenots; and in one night, fifty thousand of them were murdered in cold blood, and the streets of Paris literally ran with blood. Thus our Lord was 'spiritually crucified' in His members. Again, the watch-word and motto of the French Infidels was, 'CRUSH THE WRETCH,' meaning Christ. Thus it may be truly said, 'where our Lord was crucified.' The very spirit of the bottomless pit' was poured out in that wicked nation.
"But did France 'make war' on the Bible? She did; and in 1793 a decree passed the French Assembly forbidding the Bible, and under that decree the Bibles were gathered and burned, and every possible mark of contempt heaped upon them, and all institutions of the Bible abolished; the Sabbath was blotted out, and every tenth day substituted for mirth and profanity. Baptism and the communion were abolished. The being of God was denied; and death pronounced to be an eternal sleep. The Goddess of Reason was set up, in the person of a vile woman, and publicly worshiped. Surely here is a power that exactly answers the prophecy." [4] This point will be further developed in the comments on the next verse.
*
http://books.google.com/books?id=IwUZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA99&lpg=PA99&dq=French+Assembly+forbidding+the+Bible&source=bl&ots=_xPhhO-3Fk&sig=2nlHyT14I1POihZuFYgAevwmh0c&hl=en&ei=oUe0SrjMF9m_tgeO_dDADg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=French%20Assembly%20forbidding%20the%20Bible&f=false
THE COUNCIL OF TARRAGONA - 1234 A.D. The Council of Tarragona of 1234, in its second canon,
ruled that: "No one may possess the books of the Old and New Testaments in the Romance language, and if anyone possesses them he must turn them over to the local bishop within eight days after promulgation of this decree, so that they may be burned...." - D. Lortsch, Historie de la Bible en France, 1910, p.14.
*
Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
"The language of this verse denotes the feelings of other nations than the one committing the outrage on the witnesses. They would see what war infidel France had made on the Bible, but would not be led nationally to engage in the wicked work, nor suffer the murdered witnesses to be buried, or put out of sight among themselves, though they lay dead three days and a half, that is, three years and a half, in France. No; this very attempt of France served to arouse Christians everywhere to put forth a new exertion in behalf of the Bible, as we shall presently see." [5]
Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
"This denotes the joy those felt who hated the Bible, or were tormented by it. Great was the joy of infidels everywhere for awhile. But 'the triumphing of the wicked is short;' so was it in France, for their war on the Bible and Christianity had well-nigh swallowed them all up. They set out to destroy Christ's 'two witnesses,' but they filled France with blood and horror, so that they were horror-struck at the result of their wicked deeds, and were glad to remove their impious hands from the Bible." [6]
Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Witnesses Restored.--"In 1793, the decree passed the French Assembly suppressing the Bible. Just three years after, a resolution was introduced into the Assembly going to supersede the decree, and giving toleration to the Scriptures. That resolution lay on the table six months, when it was taken up, and passed without a dissenting vote. Thus, in just three years and a half, the witnesses 'stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which saw them.' Nothing but the appalling results of the rejection of the Bible could have induced France to take her hands off these witnesses." [7]
"On the 17th of June, Camille Jourdan, in the 'Council of Five Hundred,' brought up the memorable report on the 'Revision of the laws relative to religious worship.' It consisted of a number of propositions, abolishing alike the Republican restrictions on Popish worship, and the Popish restrictions on Protestant.
"1. That all citizens might buy or hire edifices for the free exercise of religious worship.
"2. That all congregations might assemble by the sound of bells.
"3. That no test or promise of any sort unrequired from other citizens should be required of the ministers of those congregations.
"4. That any individual attempting to impede, or in any way interrupt the public worship should be fined, up to 500 livres, and not less than 50; and that if the interruption proceeded form the constituted authorities, such authorities should be fined double the sum.
"5. That entrance to assemblies for the purpose of religious worship should be free for all citizens.
"6. That all other laws concerning religious worship should be repealed.
"Those regulations, in comprehending the whole state of worship of France, were, in fact, a peculiar boon to Protestantism. Popery was already in sight of full restoration. But Protestantism, crushed under the burthen of the laws of Louis XIV, and unsupported by the popular belief, required the direct support of the state to 'stand on its feet.' The Report of the Church; the old prohibitions to hold public worship, to possess places of worship, to have ingress, etc.
"From that period the Church has been free in France. . . .
"The Church and the Bible had been slain in France from November, 1793 till June, 1797. The three years and a half were expended, and the Bible, so long and so sternly repressed before, was placed in honor, and was openly the book of free Protestantism!" [8]
Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
" 'Ascended up to heaven.'--To understand this expressions, see Daniel 4: 22: 'Thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven.' Here we see that the expression signifies great exaltation. Have the Scriptures attained to such a state of exaltation as here indicated, since France made war upon them?--They have.
Shortly after, the British Bible Society was organized [1804]; then followed the American Bible Society [1816]; and these, with their almost innumerable auxiliaries, are scattering the Bible everywhere." [9] Before 1804 the Bible had been printed and circulated in fifty languages.
"Up to the end of December, 1942, the Bible in whole or in part has been translated into 1,058 languages and dialects."
No other book approaches the Bible in inexpensiveness and the number of copies circulated. The American bible Society reported having printed and circulated, in whole, or in part, 7,696,739 portions in 1940; 8,096,069, in 1941; and 6,254,642, in 1942. The British and Foreign Bible Society reported for the year ending in the middle of 1941 a circulation of 11,017,334 copies; and in 1942, 7,120,000 copies.
A conservative estimate places the number of Bibles printed annually by commercial houses at six million. Hence the annual output of Bibles and portions has reached the enormous total of from twenty-five to thirty million copies a year.
From its organization up to and including 1942, the American Bible Society had issued 321,951,266 copies; and the British and Foreign Bible Society up to March, 1942, had issued 539,664,024 copies, making a total of 861,600,000 copies put out by these two societies alone. The American Bible Society said in May, 1940: "It is that nine tenths of the 2,000,000,000 people in the world might now, if they turned to the Bible, hear it read in a language they understand." The Bible is exalted as above all price, as, next to His Son, the most invaluable blessing of God to man, and as the glorious testimony concerning that son. Yes; the Scriptures may truly be said to be exalted "to heaven in a cloud," a cloud being an emblem of heavenly elevation.
*
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_books
Bible [1] Traditional Christian view: Revelation or Inspiration by God[2] to various authors Hebrew, Koine Greek, Aramaic 70 BC- 105 AD, Further information: dating of the Bible 2.5 billion[3] to more than 6 billion[4]
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Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Rev 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
"What city? (See Revelation 17: 18: 'The woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings [kingdoms] of the earth.') That city is the papal Roman power. France is one of the ' ten horns' that gave 'their power and strength unto the [papal] beast;' or is one of the ten kingdoms that arose out of the Western Empire of Rome, as indicated by the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image, Daniel's ten-horned beast [Daniel 7: 24], and John's ten-horned dragon. [Revelation 12: 3.] France, then, was 'a tenth part of the city,' and was one of the strongest ministers of papal vengeance; but in this revolution it 'fell,' and with it fell the last civil messenger of papal fury. 'And in the earthquake were slain of men [margin, names of men] seven thousand.' France made war, in here revolution of 1798 [1789] and onward, on all titles and nobility. . . . 'And the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.' Their God-dishonoring and Heaven-defying work filled France with such scenes of blood, carnage, and horror, as made even the infidels themselves to tremble, and stand aghast; and the 'remnant' that escaped the horrors of that hour 'gave glory to God--not willingly, but the God of heaven caused this 'wrath of man to praise Him,' by giving all the world to see that those who make war on heaven make graves for themselves; thus glory redounded to God by the very means that wicked men employed to tarnish that glory." [10]
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SO MUCH TO STUDY! SO MUCH TO LEARN! SO MUCH TO UNDERSTAND AND ALL BY THE GRACE OF GOD!
In His love! We need to study this more and tomorrow we're going to go over it again, I need to.
All in His love, in HIS righteousness now and forever!
Amen!
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