Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword

Revelation - verse 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  12.   His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself.  13.   And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  14.   And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  15.   And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  16.   And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.  17.   And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;  18.   That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.  19.   And l saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.  20.   And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.  21.   And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

Christ's Second Coming. -

With verse 11 a new scene is introduced.

We are here carried back to the second coming of Christ, this time under the symbol of a warrior riding forth to battle. Why is he represented thus? - Because he is going forth to war, - to meet "the kings of the earth and their armies," and this would be the only proper character in which to represent him on such a mission. His vesture is dipped in blood. (See a description of the same scene in Isa. 63 1-4.) The armies of heaven, the angels of God, follow him. Verse 15 shows how he rules the nations with a rod of iron when they are given him for an inheritance, as recorded in the second psalm, which popular theology interprets to mean the conversion of the world. But would not such expressions as "treadeth

p 730 -- the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God," be a very singular description of a work of grace upon the hearts of the heathen for their conversion? The great and final display of the "winepress of God's wrath," and also of "the lake of fire," occurs at the end of the thousand years, as described in chapter 20; and to that it would seem that the full and formal description of Rev. 14:18-20 must apply.

But the destruction of the living wicked at the second coming of Christ, at the beginning of the thousand years, furnishes a scene on a smaller scale, similar, in both these respects, to what takes place at the close of that period. Hence in the verses before us we have this mention of both the winepress of wrath and the lake of fire.

Christ has at this time closed his mediatorial work, and laid off his priestly robes for kingly attire; for he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. This is in harmony with the character in which he here appears; for it was the custom of warriors anciently to have some kind of title inscribed upon their vesture. Verse 17. What is to be understood by the angel standing in the sun?

In chapter 16:17 we read of the seventh vial being poured out into the air, from which it was inferred that as the air envelops the whole earth, that plague would be universal. May not the same principle of interpretation apply here, and show that the angel standing in the sun, and issuing his call from thence to the fowls of heaven to come to the supper of the great God, denotes that this proclamation will go wherever the sun's rays fall upon this earth? And the fowls will be obedient to the call, and fill themselves with the flesh of horses, kings, captains, and mighty men. Thus, while the saints are partaking of the marriage supper of the Lamb, the wicked in their own persons furnish a great supper for the fowls of the heavens.

The beast and false prophet are taken.

The false prophet is the one that works miracles before the beast. This proves him to be identical with the two-horned beast of chapter 13, to whom the same work, for the very same purpose, is there attributed. The fact that these are cast alive into the lake of fire, shows that these powers will not pass away and be succeeded

p 731 -- by others, but be living powers at the second advent of Christ.

The papacy has long been in the field, and has come to the closing scenes in its career. And its overthrow is emphatically predicted in other prophecies than the one now before us, notably in Dan. 7:11, in which the prophet says that he beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame. And this followed close upon the utterance of great words which the horn spake, which words were doubtless heard in the decree of papal infallibility in the great ecumenical council of 1870. This power must therefore be very near the close of its existence. But it does not perish till Christ appears, for it then goes alive into the lake of fire.

The other power associated with it, the two-horned beast, we see fast approaching the very climax of the work it has to do before it also goes alive into the lake of fire. And how thrilling is the thought that we see before us two great prophetic agencies which are, by all the evidences, near the close of their history, which yet are not to cease till the Lord shall appear in all his glory.

It appears from verse 21 that there is a remnant not numbered with the beast or false prophet. These are slain by the sword of Him that sits upon the horse, which sword proceeds out of his mouth. This sword is doubtless what is spoken of elsewhere as "the spirit of his mouth" and "the breath of his lips," with which the Lord shall slay the wicked at his appearing and kingdom. Isa. 11:4; 2 Thess. 2:8.

*******

The Word of God is powerful, it truly is sharper than any two-edge sword.  A sword that can slay, words that can only speak truth and that truth when spoken will shed the pure light of righteousness on the evil and that evil will be destroyed by that light. 

We need to be covered in the light of God's righteousness, we need to be washed clean in His blood. When He returns for us may we be ready to go with Him, to be fully HIS always!

With this having been written so long ago, the power of its truthfulness is not diminished. We can't know when our Savior will return, but there is NO DOUBT that he will return, no doubt at all whatsoever.

Please LORD we would be YOURS!

Please. Unworthy as we are, we would be Yours!

The Marriage Supper

Revelation 19 -  VERSE 9. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.  10.   And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

The Marriage Supper. - Many are the allusions to this marriage supper in the New Testament. It is referred to in the parable of the marriage of the king's son (Matt. 22 :1-14),

Mat 22:1  And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,

Mat 22:2  The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Mat 22:4  Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

Mat 22:5  But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

Mat 22:6  And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

Mat 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Mat 22:8  Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

Mat 22:9  Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

Mat 22:10  So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

..again in Luke 14:16-24. It is the time when we shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, when we are recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Luke 14:12-15.

Luk 14:12  Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

Luk 14:13  But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

Luk 14:14  And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Luk 14:15  And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

It is the time when we shall drink of the fruit of the vine new with our Redeemer in his heavenly kingdom.

 Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18-

Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

Mar 14:25  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God.

Luk 22:18  For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.

It is the time when we shall sit at his table in the kingdom (Luke 22:30),

Luk 22:30  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

…and he will gird himself, and come forth and serve us. Luke 12:37

Luk 12:37  Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

… Blessed indeed are they who have the privilege of partaking of this glorious feast.

John's Fellow Servant. -     A word on verse 10, in reference to those who think they find here an argument for consciousness in death. The mistake which such persons make on this scripture is in supposing that the angel declares to John that he is one of the old prophets come back to communicate with him. The person employed in giving the Revelation to John is called an angel, and angels are not the departed spirits of the dead. Whoever takes the position that they are, is to all intents a Spiritualist; for this is the very foundation-stone of their theory. But the angel says no such thing. He simply says that he is the fellow servant of John, as he had been the fellow servant of his brethren the prophets. The term fellow

p 729 -- servant implies that thy were all on a common footing as servants of the great God; hence he was not a proper object for John to worship.

*******

Just imagine- the marriage supper.

How special is a marriage supper?  People spend thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars on marriage suppers.  Marriage suppers are very important.  Jesus' first recorded miracle was at a marriage supper.  When the union is made it is joy, it is completion, it is a REUNION for God and His people, us! Reunited, one with God fully and never more to be separated, never!

All by His grace we will be there! All through HIS righteousness, we will be there!

In His name!

The name of Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR!

Amen.

The few make up the bride.

Revelation- 19  VERSE 4. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshiped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.  5.   And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.  6.   And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.  7.   Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  8.   And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

A Song of Triumph. - The Lord God omnipotent, the Father, reigneth, is the language of this song. He reigns at the present time, and has ever reigned, in reality, though sentence

p 727 -- against an evil work has not been executed speedily; but now he reigns by the open manifestation of his power in the subjugation of all his foes. 

"Rejoice, ... for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." Who is the "bride, the Lamb's wife," and what is the marriage?

 A vast field for thought is here opened, and material furnished for a more lengthy exposition than falls within the design of this work. The Lamb's wife is the New Jerusalem which is above.

This will be noticed more fully on chapter 21. The marriage of the Lamb is his reception of this city. When he receives this city, he receives it as the glory and metropolis of his kingdom; hence with it he receives his kingdom, and the throne of his father David.

This may well be the event designated by the marriage of the Lamb. That the marriage relation is often taken to illustrate the union between Christ and his people, is granted; but the marriage of the Lamb here spoken of is a definite event to take place at a definite time; and if the declaration that Christ is the head of the church as the husband is the head of the wife (Eph. 5:23), proves that the church is now the Lamb's wife, then the marriage of the Lamb took place long ago; but that cannot be, according to this scripture, which locates it in the future.

Paul told his Corinthian converts that he had espoused them to one husband, even Christ. This is true of all converts. But while this figure is used to denote the relation that they then assumed to Christ, was it a fact that the marriage of the Lamb took place in Corinth in Paul's day, and that it has been going on for the past eighteen hundred years? Further remarks on this point are deferred to a consideration of chapter 21.

But if the city is the bride, it may be asked how it can be said that she made herself ready.

Answer:   By the figure of personification, which attributes life and action to inanimate objects. (See a notable example in Psalm 114.)

Psa 114:1  When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

Psa 114:2  Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

Psa 114:3  The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

Psa 114:4  The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

Psa 114:5  What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

Psa 114:6  Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

Psa 114:7  Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

Psa 114:8  Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

Again, the query may arise on verse 8 how a city can be arrayed in the righteousness of the saints; but if we consider that a city without inhabitants would be but a dreary and cheerless place, we

p 728 -- see at once how this is. Reference is had to the countless number of its glorified inhabitants in their shining apparel. The raiment was granted to her. What is granted to her?

Isa 54:1  Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

Isa 54:2  Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

Isa 54:3  For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Isa 54:4  Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

Isa 54:5  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

Isa 54:6  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

Isa 54:7  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

Isa 54:9  For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

Isa 54:10  For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

Isa 54:11  O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

Isa 54:12  And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

Isa 54:13  And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

Isa 54:14  In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

Isa 54:15  Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 54 and Gal. 4:21-31 will explain.

Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free

To the new-covenant city are granted many more children than to the old; these are her glory and rejoicing. The goodly apparel of this city, so to speak, consists of the hosts of the redeemed and immortal ones who walk its golden streets.

*******

Many and few.   Where will we be?

More and more Satan has dulled our senses to the point we mostly refuse to believe in any real choice having to be made.  We live our lives, we don't mess with things that are too confusing to comprehend and if we truly are leaving well enough alone, then that's just it, we should be left to just live our lives to the best of our abilities and that is that. We don't want to be concerned with an unknown future, or a predicted future that calls for faith to believe. Faith isn't fact, and until it becomes fact, well why bother with it?  So, if people want to  believe things that aren't proven let them, as long as we aren't forced to believe. And it is THAT sort of thinking, of living, that will engulf the many. We MUST live by faith. We MUST believe in what we are told by our God. What is told will come to pass. The Bride is being made ready for the Groom.  -

Rev 19:7-  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.  8.   And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

The marriage of the Lamb is come.

His wife hath made herself ready.

To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white-

The fine linen is the RIGHTEOUSNESS of saints

And that righteousness is Christ's given. We are given HIS righteousness.  All our righteousness is as filthy rags, but His righteousness is clean and white.

Zec 3:3  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

Zec 3:4  And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Zec 3:5  And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by.

Christ will take away our filthy garments, our unrighteousness and He will clothe us with a change of raiment. His righteousness alone saves us, not ours.  By His grace we are saved!

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

By HIS grace!

In HIS love!

In HIS name, the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!

Amen!

Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God!

CHAPTER -- XIX -- Triumph of the Saints 

p 725 -- VERSE 1. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God:  2.   For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.  3.  And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

Continuing the subject of chapter 18, the apostle here introduces the song of triumph which the redeemed saints strike up on victor harps, when they behold the complete destruction of that great system of opposition to God and his true worship comprehended in great Babylon. This destruction takes place, and this song is sung, in connection with the second coming of Christ at the commencement of the thousand years.

Forever and Ever.- There can but one query arise on this scripture, and that is how it can be said that her smoke rose up forever and ever. Does not this language imply eternity of suffering? Let it be remembered that this is borrowed language; and to gain a correct understanding of it, we must go back to its first introduction, and consider its import as there used. In Isaiah 34 will be found the language from which, in all probability, such expressions as these are borrowed. Under the figure of Idumea, a certain destruction is brought to view; and it is said of that land that its streams should be

p 726 -- turned into pitch, its dust into brimstone, that it should become burning pitch, and not be quenched night nor day, but that its smoke should go up forever.

Now this language is spoken, as all must concede, of one of two things; either of the particular country called Idumea, or of the whole earth under that name. In either case it is evident that the language must be limited. Probably the whole earth is meant, from the fact that the chapter opens with an address to the earth and all that is therein, the world and all that come forth of it; and the indignation of the Lord is declared to be upon all nations. Now, whether this refers to the depopulation and desolation of the earth at the second advent, or to the purifying fires that shall purge it of the effects of the curse at the end of the thousand years, the language must still be limited; for after all this, a renovated earth is to come forth, to be the abode of the nations of the saved throughout eternity.

Three times this expression of smoke going up forever is used in the Bible: once here in Isaiah 34, of the land of Idumea as a figure of the earth; in Revelation 14 (which see), of the worshipers of the beast and his image; and again in the chapter we are now considering, referring to the destruction of great Babylon; and all of them apply to the very same time, and describe the same scenes; namely, the destruction visited upon this earth, the worshipers of the beast, and all the pomp of great Babylon, at the second advent of our Lord and Saviour.

*******

Forever and ever, eternal. These are words mentioned in the Bible in connection with things like Sodom and Gomorrah. We do not still see Sodom and Gomorrah burning, do we? No.  Eternal in consequences- yes.  I might say, "so and so took forever to get ready", but did they? No. You know what I mean though, don't you? The words can mean things beyond what it appears. When the last flame is extinguished from the lake of burning fire that will destroy all the wicked and wickedness in the world, like chaff on the wind is blown away completely until it is unseen forevermore, it is all gone, eternally gone, never to be again. 

Wickedness can NOT exist after it is done away with. To keep the wicked alive and suffering is pointless- it serves NO purpose. To keep them alive would not be a deterrent to anyone because all those who are left alive are saved for eternity without end.  To punish the wicked endless is futile. Especially when punishment ends after a crime's worth of it is fulfilled. We have a death penalty in our world and that punishment takes the remainder of a person's life from them, but it does not leave them in pain, but a sleep until our Savior returns.  We do NOT torture anyone. We might incarcerate them for their entire lives, but we do not keep them in daily, hourly forever pain we call that UNJUST and we are sinful human beings.  Our God is NOT UNJUST and He will not punish forever and ever, every single person in the same manner for eternity without end. A sinner who unrepentantly lies, and a sinner who unrepentantly murders do NOT deserve the same eternal burning, do they?  On what level of any one's imagination could this be something a God of love would advocate?

No, absolutely not.

More tomorrow on our study, all by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Amen.

The deceived will be destroyed in their deceptions.

Revelation 18 - VERSE 15. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,  16.  And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed

p 723 -- in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!   17.    For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,  18.   And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!  19.   And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

Emotions of the Wicked. - The reader can readily imagine the cause of this universal voice of mourning, lamentation, and woe. Imagine the plague of sores preying upon men, the rivers turned to blood, the sea like the blood of a dead man, the sun scorching men with fire, their traffic gone, and their silver and gold unable to deliver them, and we need not wonder at their exclamations of distress, nor that shipmasters and sailors join in the general wail. Very different is the emotion the saints are called upon to exercise, as the following testimony shows.

VERSE 20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.  21.  And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.   22.   And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;  23.   And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.  24.   And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Emotions of the Righteous. - The apostles and prophets are here called upon to rejoice over great Babylon in her destruction, as it is in close connection with this destruction that they will all be delivered from the power of death and the grave by the first resurrection.

Like a great millstone, Babylon sinks to rise no more. The various arts and crafts that have been employed in her midst, and have ministered to her desires, shall be practiced no more. The pompous music that has been employed in her

p 724 -- imposing but formal and lifeless service, dies away forever. The scenes of festivity and gladness, when the bridegroom and the bride have been led before her altars, shall be witnessed no more.

Her sorceries constitute her leading crime; and sorcery is a practice which is involved in the Spiritualism of to-day. "And in her was found the blood " of "all that were slain upon the earth." From this it is evident that ever since the introduction of a false religion into the world, Babylon has existed. In her has been found, all along, opposition to the work of God, and persecution of his people. In reference to the guilt of the last generation, see on chapter 16:6. 

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Do you know anyone who believes that when you die you go on to heaven in a spirit form, and in this spirit form you are able to watch all your loved ones in flesh form?  I do. I know A LOT of people who believe this. In fact, I think it would be safe to say that the majority of professed Christians believe this to be true.  What harm is there in believing that we become spirit beings after we die, and in that spirit form we go live in heaven with Jesus?  I'll tell you what the problem is, or rather what a few of the many problems are. First, why didn't Jesus become spirit form upon His death? Second, why does Jesus need to return if we are given instant life after death? Why will Jesus return and raise people from their graves, if they are not in their intelligent form in their grave? If they already possess spirit bodies, why would they want to encumber that once more with a changed flesh body?  Why wouldn't that changed flesh body be their instantaneously upon death?  Why were SOME people raised from their graves when Jesus died?  Do you see where I'm coming from? There is NO LOGIC at all, no real comprehension in why some dead would be raised- and if you believe in immediate life after death then their intelligent spirit form was then reunited with their bodies- and others not raised? Why? If all the dead in Christ were already in spirit form living happily in heaven would it matter if a few were given their changed flesh bodies? Seriously, we have to ask ourselves these very important questions because the whole world almost appears to be caught up in spiritualism which is a LIE of Satan's! It's the lie Satan used in the Garden of Eden. 

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die

And he's used this lie to his great advantage- to delude people into believing his counterfeit religion. 

Aren't you curious as to how many people are going to TRULY believe they are known by Christ through their great walk with Him, only to be told Christ doesn't know them at all? 

People are going to be caught up in the counterfeit- so close to the truth it's barely discernible to be error.

People will say it doesn't matter, that you believe your way and they'll believe their way but it does matter, TRUTH MATTERS!

What is coming, what horrors are on the way we can believe their reality will be worse than we truly can imagine. The peace bubble will pop and many will be exposed to the truth that their life is made up of a bunch of self-deluding lies. 

Please, Lord, we throw ourselves at Your feet begging for forgiveness, for mercy, seeking true repentance, seeking to find that repentance through YOU We recognize how terribly we've led selfish lives. We comprehend our inability to change ourselves! We need You to live in us, to work in us, to change us, to be our all in all. We need You to keep us in YOU in all things!  Lord, we know that what awaits those who embrace delusion is going to be horrific and we don't want any part of that, not a single part of any delusion. Give us ALL we need to be Yours! Please, Lord, please!

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, now and forever!

AMEN.

Revelation 18:9-14

Revelation 18 -

VERSE 9. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,  10.   Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city BabyIon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.  11.   And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

p 720 -- A Fitting Retribution. - The infliction of the very first plague must result in a complete suspension of traffic in those articles of luxury for which Babylon is noted. And when the merchants of these things, who are to a great extent citizens of this symbolic city, and who have been made rich by their traffic in these things, suddenly find themselves and their neighbors smitten with putrefying sores, their traffic suspended, and vast stores of merchandise on hand, but none to buy them, they lift up their voices in lamentation for the fate of this great city; for if there is anything which will draw from the men of this generation a sincere cry of distress, it is that which touches their treasures. And there is a fitness in this retribution. They who but a short time before had issued a decree that the saints of God should neither buy nor sell, now find themselves put under the same restriction by a far more effectual process.

The question may arise how persons involved in the same calamity can stand afar off and lament, etc.; but it must be remembered that this desolation is brought to view under a figure, and the figure is that of a city visited with destruction. Should calamity come upon a literal city, it would be natural for its inhabitants to flee from that city if they had opportunity, and standing afar off, lament its fall; and just in proportion to their terror and amazement at the evil impending, would be the distance at which they would stand from their devoted city. Now the figure the apostle uses would not be complete without a feature of this kind; and so he uses it, not to imply that people would literally flee from the symbolic city, which would be impossible, but to denote their terror and amazement at the descending judgments.

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VERSE 12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,  13.   And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Babylon's Merchandise. - In these verses we have an enumeration of great Babylon's merchandise, which includes everything

p 721 -- pertaining to luxurious living, pomp, and worldly display. All kinds of merchantile traffic are brought to view. The declaration concerning "slaves and souls of men" may pertain more particularly to the spiritual domain, and have reference to slavery of conscience by the creeds of these bodies, which in some cases is more oppressive than physical bondage.

VERSE 14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 

Gluttony Rebuked. - The fruits here mentioned are, according to the original, "autumnal fruits;" and in this we find a prophecy that the "delicacies of the season," upon which the luxurious gormand so sets his pampered appetite, will be suddenly cut off. This, of course, is the work of the famine, which is the result of the fourth vial. Chapter 16:8. And we may be even now having a premonition of this destruction in the phylloxera of the vineyards, the "scales" and moths, and other recent enemies to vegetation.

In this connection we can hardly forbear glancing at the general aspect of the times in respect to the remarkable physical phenomena everywhere manifesting themselves as they seem so plainly to indicate that all the courses of nature are disturbed, and that the earth itself is waxing old in anticipation of the time when it shall vanish away.

Within a few years past, how many unnatural visitations of earthquake and fire, storm and flood, have wrought ruin in different localities, and awakened forebodings of fear in the hearts of men in general. Witness the Chicago fire, the Baltimore fire, the Toronto fire, and the destruction by earthquake and fire of San Francisco, Valparaiso, and Kingston; the floods of the Ohio, the Mississippi, and other Western rivers; the devastating floods of Europe; the famines of China and Russia and the plague in India; the cyclones and tidal waves, sweeping away the proudest works of man, and hurling thousands of human beings into untimely graves.

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And how many, many more of these tragedies have befallen us all the way up to 2016.  Today as I write this there are flood waters here in the USA that are overwhelming. Storms have killed men, women, and children. In Dubai, United Arab Emirates near Iran there was an awful high rise fire just last night. We have out of control fires and they made this headline- 'Australia fires: Bushfires rage in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia'.  And this-  'Expect floods, storms, and famine: El Niño is poised to wreak havoc in 2016 A strong El Niño is being blamed for all sorts of extreme weather in South America, Europe, and the United States this year.' 

Things have not gotten better, nor will they. Some blame the worsening conditions on something called climate change, which is our abuse through pollution and disregard for nature that has altered the world's climate and this supposedly has initiated the bizarre weather worldwide. Science wants to explain things away and they will. Knowing that the worse things get the closer it is to our Savior's return brings me hope.

All I can say is, 'Come, Lord Jesus, come!'  

In His name always!

Amen. 

Our Bibles are legal, we are BLESSED to read and to own them, may we do so!

Revelation 18 -

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

VERSE 4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.  5.   For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.  6.   Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.  7.   How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her; for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.  8.   Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 

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The voice coming from heaven denotes that it will be a message of power attended with heavenly glory. How marked becomes the interposition of Heaven, and how the agents for the accomplishment of God's work multiply, as the great crisis approaches!

This voice from heaven is called "another" voice, showing that a new agency is here introduced.

We now have five celestial messengers expressly mentioned as engaged in this last religious reformation.

These are the first, second, and third angels of chapter 14; fourth, the angel of verse one of this chapter; and fifth, the agency indicated by the "voice" of verse 4 now before us. Three of these are already in operation. The second angel has joined the first, and the third has joined them. The first and second have not ceased. All three now have the field. The angel of verse 1 is entering upon his mission, as the conditions which call for his work are supplied; and the divine call from heaven must take place in connection with his work.

p 717 -- Proof has already been offered to show that the message of verses 1 and 2 of this chapter is to be given in connection with the now current third message, and will mark a new era in this work.

An idea of its extent and power may be gathered from the description of the angel there given. The first message is said to go with a "loud voice;" the same is also said of the third message; but this angel, instead of simply flying "in the midst of heaven," like the others, is said to "come down from heaven." He comes, as it were, nearer to the earth, with a message more pointed and direct; and he has "great power," and the earth is "lightened with his glory."

 No such description of a message from heaven to man is elsewhere to be found in all the Bible.

This is the last; and as is meet, it comes with surpassing glory and unwonted power. It is an awful hour when a world's destiny is to be decided, - a most solemn crisis when an entire contemporaneous generation of the human family is to pass the bounds of probation, as the last note of mercy is sounded in their ears. In such a time, the world must not be left without warning. So amply must the great fact be heralded, that none can plead a reasonable ignorance of the impending doom. Every excuse must be taken away. The justice and long-suffering and forbearance of God in delaying threatened vengeance till all have had an opportunity to receive a knowledge of his will, and space to repent, must be vindicated. An angel is sent forth, panoplied with Heaven's power.

 The light that encircles the throne enshrouds him. He comes to the earth. None but the spiritually dead - yea, "twice dead, and plucked up by the roots" - would fail to realize his presence. Light flashes everywhere. The dark places are lighted up. And while his presence dispels the shadows, his voice in thunder tones utters a warning. He cries "mightily." He speaks in no feeble tones, and with no uncertain sound. It is no parlor announcement, but a cry, a mighty cry, a cry with a strong voice. The fatal defects in the profession of a worldly church are again pointed out. Their errors are once more, and for the last time, exposed. The inadequacy of the present standard of godliness to meet the final crisis is emphasized beyond all mistaking. The inevitable

p 718 -- connection between their cherished errors and irretrievable and everlasting destruction is heralded till the earth resounds with the cry.

Meanwhile, great Babylon's sins mount up to the heavens, and the remembrance of her iniquities comes up before God. The storm of vengeance gathers. The great tidal wave of supernal wrath rolls onward. The feathery foam plays along its crest, indicating that but an instant remains ere it will burst upon the great city of confusion, and proud Babylon will go down as a millstone sinks in the depths of the sea. Suddenly another voice rings out from heaven, "Come out of her, my people!" The humble, sincere, devoted children of God, of whom there are some still left, and who sigh and cry over the abominations done in the land, heed the voice, wash their hands of her sins, separate from her communion, escape, and are saved, while Babylon becomes the victim of the just judgments of God. There are stirring times before the church. Let us be ready for the crisis.

The fact that God's people are called out so as not to be partakers of her sins, shows that it is not till a certain time that people become guilty by being connected with Babylon; and this explains how it can be said of the 144,000 (Rev. 14:4), many of whom are the very ones here called out, that they were not defiled with women.

Verses 6 and 7 are a prophetic declaration that she will be rewarded or punished according to her works. Bear in mind that this testimony applies to that portion of Babylon which is subject to a moral fall.

As already pointed out, it must apply especially to the "daughters," the denominations who persist in clinging to the personal traits of the "mother," and keeping up the family resemblance. These, as pointed out on a previous page, are to attempt a sweeping persecution against the truth and the people of God. By these the "image of the beast" is to be formed. These are to have what will be to them a new experience, - the use of the civil arm to enforce their dogmas. And it is doubtless this first intoxication of power that leads this branch of Babylon to cherish in her heart the boast, "I sit a queen, and am no widow;" that is, I am no longer chra, "one bereaved," or destitute of power, as I

p 719 -- have been; but now I rule like a queen; I shall see no sorrow; God is in the Constitution; the church is enthroned, and shall henceforth bear sway. The expression, "Reward her even as she rewarded you," seems to show that the time for this message to be given, and for the saints to be called out, will be when she begins to raise against them the arm of oppression. As she fills up the cup of persecution to the saints, so the angel of the Lord will persecute her (Ps. 35:6); and judgments from on high will bring upon her, in a twofold degree, the evil which she thought to bring upon the humble servants of the Lord. 

The day in which her plagues come, mentioned in verse 8, must be a prophetic day, or at least cannot be a literal day; for it would be impossible for famine to come in that length of time. The plagues of Babylon are without doubt the seven last plagues, which have already been examined; and the plain inference from the language of this verse, in connection with Isa. 34:8, is that a year will be occupied in that terrible visitation.

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We are WARNED, FOREWARNED. We are not going to be able to say we didn't know. We will be shown EVERY opportunity we've been given to know the truth.  The truth is there for all to find, it's not hiding. We may not comprehend every single word, but ALL we need to belong to our Savior, to be His and for Him to know us, is in His word to us. The Holy Spirit will guide us to ALL truth.  God's word is SO incredibly powerful that in many countries today it is not easily allowed.

"Regrettably, there are many countries with legal or customary restrictions on the Bible. While a total ban is comparatively rare (e.g., North Korea punishes any possession of religious literature by death or imprisonment), it is more common for ownership or distribution to be limited:

• To certain government-approved groups only. For example, China allows distribution of Bibles for churches or seminaries that are part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement / China Christian Council, and they are sold in some bookshops, but cannot generally be mail-ordered by individuals or unregistered churches. Several other nations require government approval before religious books (or any books) can be printed.
• To foreigners only. Maldives says citizens must be Muslim, and foreigners are allowed to practice their religion in private; Bibles can be imported for personal use.
• In certain languages only. Morocco allows Bibles in French, English, and Spanish, but not Arabic.
• Can't publish, but can import. Turkmenistan does not allow publication of Bibles. They can be imported, in limited numbers and with permission, by registered churches.

Restrictions on attempts to convert members of other religions may also result in de facto bans on Bibles. Similarly, government actions in the name of "public order" may have the same effect, even if there is no law specifically banning Bible publication or ownership. In several cases, effective bans on religious freedom take place despite supposed constitutional guarantees to the contrary. Experiences may vary in different parts of the same country, or at different times.

So "illegal" is perhaps the wrong word, and we should instead be thinking of "Can anyone easily obtain a Bible in this country without attracting official difficulties?". Any such list will have fuzzy edges, of course. One indicator might be the ease with which Bible societies are able to do their work. They are organized groups with a missionary element and so the bar is higher for them than for private individuals.

The Gideons have a list of countries where they are not allowed to operate:

Afghanistan, Algeria, China (People's Republic), Comoros, Djibouti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen

However, for some of these countries, other groups exist: there are United Bible Societies chapters for Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, and China, and some presence in Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania and Somalia. The Catholic Bible Federation also operates in Iran. Not all of these efforts may be entirely government-approved.

For more detailed information, the US State Department issues annual reports on religious freedom with detailed assessments of the conditions on the ground in each country. In particular, they distinguish between what the country's law says, how the government acts, and how the wider society responds."

From <http://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/9351/in-what-countries-is-it-illegal-to-own-a-bible-the-most-banned-book-in-the-worl>

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Tell me WHY the Bible would be hard to find? Tell me what is wrong with reading the BIBLE? What are those governments afraid of?!  THE TRUTH!

So why aren't we TREASURING what is so readily available to us?

More tomorrow by the GRACE and MERCY of our LORD, our SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!!!!

Now and forever!!! AMEN.