Signs all around,
signs throughout history, signs we need to study, to believe and to wait
for.
******* Continuing our prophecy study-- Please
GO back and READ the study from the beginning to gain full understanding of
where we are if you haven't been following this study daily. Thank you
:) We are on lesson number 77. God bless you! ******
Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth
seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,
even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty
wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it
is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their
places.
Again,
there is no horse-no rider- no beast to portray this message to John - rather
as soon as Jesus opens the sixth seal John experiences a number of different
things all very physical in nature . He beheld instantly- there was no 'coming
and seeing', no 'and I looked and saw', these strange sights were seen one
after the other in quick succession.
A
great earthquake
Sun
black as a mourning symbol
Moon
as blood
Numerous
stars fell quickly to the earth
Heaven
departs as a scroll
Every
mountain and island moved
Tell
me why this sudden departure from seemingly completely symbolic gestures to the
physical signs in nature? Why the leap from following the time line of the
Seven Churches to seemingly jumping in this time period straight to the end of
all things? From the point in time after the sixth angel things would seem to
happen very swiftly
without slowing down right to the end of time, right?
Seriously,
think about it. In about the mid-1800's the knowledge of people all over the
world seemed to suddenly spring to life. By the early 1900's people had
invented things that would keep the ball in motion right up until where we are
today, after thousands of years of seeming stagnation with only little bouts of
inspiration. For example, the horse for transportation and such existed for
thousands of years- thousands, then suddenly we have cars. The increase in
knowledge didn't slow down either after a short burst. We didn't suddenly have
one startling change such as having the printing press or other noteworthy yet
seemingly singular invents taking place. We had this sudden outpouring of
knowledge and it hasn't ceased to this very day and it shows no sign of
stopping- people are not getting dumber, or slowing down, the fount of
knowledge hasn't been exhausted if anything it's increased exponentially and
continues to do so. You take a person from the 1700, 1800's and drop them into
the 1900's, or into the new millennium and there would be such shock it would
be unbelievable.
The
rapidity of events shown to John here in a very physical way are like markers
in time. This will happen (when?), this will happen (when?), this will happen
(when?), and so on right up to a point we haven't seen it happen and yet having
markers along the way tell you something don't they? Think about it.
You're
on a trail with markers along the path - will you expect the markers to remain
true to form until you reach your destination? You would.
Here
are markers in time that are so blatant that to ignore them is to risk ignoring
the fact that Christ is returning and the world is as we know it is ending.
Following markers is important even if there are varying lengths of time
between them. If I'm journeying on a supposedly marked path, I keep on it and
hope for the markers even if it seems like a long, long time since I've seen
the last marker. That hope for the last marker has to remain and it's through
faith that hope stays firm. The hope for the last marker is the hope for the
end of the journey. Christ admonishes
the Laodicean church to buy of Him gold tried in fire- faith. Through the early
time period of these markers it's easy to follow, to believe, and the sixth
church of Philadelphia has this remarkable renewal of faith, a clarity of these
markers.
A
GREAT EARTHQUAKE -
The
1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, took place
on 1 November 1755, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1755_Lisbon_earthquake)
SUN
BLACK as the mourning symbol -
The
Great Dark Day - New England's Dark Day refers to an event which occurred on 19
May 1780, when an unusual darkening of the day sky was observed over the New
England states and parts of Canada. The primary cause of the event is believed
to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires, a thick fog, and cloud
cover. The darkness was so complete that candles were required from noon on. It
did not disperse until the middle of the next night (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England's_Dark_Day)
MOON
AS BLOOD -
Moon
Turned Into Blood - "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." Joel
2:31 May 19, 1780, stands in history as "The Dark Day." Since the
time of Moses, no period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration has
ever been recorded. "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon
into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." Joel
2:31.
The
moon became as red as blood on the night of the "dark day," May 19,
1780. Milo Bostick in Stone's History of Massachusetts says, "The moon
which was at its full, had the appearance of blood."
(http://www.bibleuniverse.com/articles/second-coming-prophecies-fulfilled/moon-turned-into-blood.aspx
"New
England's Dark Day" in The Weather Doctor Almanac 2004. Retrieved from http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2004/alm04may.htm.
"An
Account of a very uncommon Darkness, in the State of New England, May 19,
1780" in The Analytical Review, Or History of Literature, Domestic and
Foreign, on an Enlarged Plan, p. 519.
^
Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, p. 193 )
Numerous
STARS FELL Quickly to the Earth -
Silliman
believed the meteor had a cosmic origin, but meteors did not attract much
attention from astronomers until the spectacular meteor storm of November
1833.[23] People all across the Eastern US saw thousands of meteors, radiating
from a single point in the sky. Astute observers noticed that the radiant, as
the point is now called, moved with the stars, staying in the constellation Leo
The
meteor storm of 1833 was of truly superlative strength. One estimate is over
one hundred thousand meteors an hour,[2] but another, done as the storm abated,
estimated in excess of two hundred thousand meteors an hour[3] over the entire
region of North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It was marked by the
Native Americans, slaves and owners, and many others. That same 1833 shower,
near Independence, Missouri, was taken as a sign to push the growing Mormon
community out of the area.[3]
*******
Heaven
Departs as a Scroll
Every
Mountain and Island Moved
*******
Now we
come to a time when the heaven departs as a scroll- how does a scroll depart
when it's rolled together? If you have a scroll laid out on a table you put
weights down on the corners to hold it open, don't you? It's hard to study
otherwise, unless you are just going to stretch out your arms and put your
hands on it to keep the two halves from closing. What happens when you lift the
weights, or your hands? It snaps back into place doesn't it? And very quickly
at that.
So the
heavens departing in a snap - has this happened? We've breached the atmosphere
sending shuttles into space and still the sky doesn't snap away does it? Surely
we'd know. We've set off atomic bombs which have sent mushroom clouds billowing
upwards spreading the poison it contains for miles, but have the heavens
departed? No.
This
is a marker in time that HASN'T OCCURRED- in fact the last marker would be in
1833 almost 183 years ago. Time indeed for the waters to become lukewarm.
This
day is coming there is no doubt about it, and only those who are not lukewarm, but
found counseled by Christ will escape the dreadful coming of the end of times
for those not found safe in the righteousness of Christ.
Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on
us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and
who shall be able to stand?
John
saw this amazing trail of events and then it ended and he was seeing after
those things - this:
Rev 7:1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
The
angels of God are holding in check the strife that would come upon the earth
should they not hold it back. Why are they holding it back? Because of this...
Rev 7:2 And I saw another angel ascending from the
east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the
four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea,
nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
Rev 7:4 And I heard the number of them which were
sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the
tribes of the children of Israel.
Rev 7:5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe
of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Rev 7:8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve
thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of
Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Those
that are God's in this time before the angels fully release the winds of strife
will be sealed. Sealed how? If I give my seal of approval it means nothing
unless- say you are my child- my son or daughter. They do something and I
approve, giving them my seal of approval and it means a lot to them, it shows
my approval of them which they hold in high esteem. If God seals us we are
sealed as being His. We are given a mark that reveals that we are His and He
approves of us. God approves of our
total reliance upon the Son of God for all things, for allowing Christ's
righteousness to reign in us, for accepting fully the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
our Lord and Savior.
After
the sealing John was allowed to see this:
Rev
7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, and palms in their hands;
Rev
7:10 And cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev
7:11 And all the angels stood round
about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the
throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Rev
7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory,
and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God
for ever and ever. Amen.
Amazing!
Such a glorious sight! John witnessed the saints throughout time gathered
before the throne of God, the angels, the elders, the beasts all of them fell
before the throne and worshipped God! Truly this was an amazing sight to
behold. God reigns forever in all blessing, all glory, all wisdom, all
thanksgiving, all honor, all power, all might to God! Forever and ever!
Was
John through with this vision yet? No. One of those 24 elders before the throne
spoke to John as he witnessed the wonder of things to come.
Rev 7:13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
The
elder wanted to know what John thought he was seeing. He asked- What are those
in white robes and where did they come from? John answers--
Rev 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
He
doesn't presume to know does he? He doesn't launch into some speech about who
he thinks they are or where they come from but he tells the elder that the
elder himself knows. He doesn't even ask that it be revealed to him, but lets
the elder decide if that is something he wishes to reveal and he does...
Rev
7:14 ...And he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev
7:15 Therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth
on the throne shall dwell among them.
Rev
7:16 They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Rev
7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst
of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of
waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
How
amazing! How beautiful! John is told the truth of the whole matter.
Those
who come through the great tribulation- for what other tribulation is there
than to fight in the war of good and evil and prevail through Jesus Christ our
Savior?
This
is a battle we ALL fight in, we are all called to war in it by our very birth.
Those
who take their own filthy garments of unrighteousness and wash them in the
blood of the Lamb are truly making them white in His righteousness, pure in the
only righteousness that exists anywhere- the righteousness found alone in
Christ.
Those
who do this, who claim Christ's righteousness will stand before the throne of
God- they will serve him always in his temple and that is wherever He dwells.
No more hunger of any type! No more thirst of any kind! No more sun and heat to
burn us and we will be fed by Jesus! We will be taken to the living fountain of
water! And GOD shall wipe the tears from our eyes! Tears that we know so well,
so deeply, agonizingly felt for all that goes on around about us.
May
God bless and keep us! May God accept us through the righteousness of His Son
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, now and forever may we be found in Him
forgiven by Him as we ask for forgiveness and repent of our sins.
By His
grace!
Amen
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