Revelation
We really need to take what we've learned and apply it to throughout, in so doing a small recap is necessary here-
(From Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith)
The sea is a symbol of "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Revelation 17: 15.
A beast is the Bible symbol of a nation or power. It sometimes represents the civil power alone, and sometimes the ecclesiastical in connection with civil.
Whenever a beast is seen to come up out of the sea, it denotes that the power arises in a thickly populated territory.
If the winds are represented as blowing upon the sea, as in Daniel 7: 2, 3, political commotion, civil strife, and revolution are indicated.
*******
...
And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns,
and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
...
Another beast is seen by John as he stood on the sand of the sea- the sea shore. If the sea represents a lot of people, John is standing on the outskirts of this land watching. He sees a beast- a power rising up from the multitudes and this power had seven heads. Seven kingdoms, and with ten horns. Seven heads should have seven horns right, but this beast has seven heads with ten horns. Seven kingdoms with ten leaders, and ten crowns - ten victories for those ten leaders. Upon his heads... the beasts seven heads there is the name of blasphemy. A single name on all the heads- the name for all of them, blasphemy.
Dict. Def.
blasphemy (blàs´fe-mê) noun
plural blasphemies
1.a. A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity. b. The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God.
2.An irreverent or impious act, attitude, or utterance in regard to something considered inviolable or sacrosanct.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary
This beast is clearly not Godly in any way shape or form other than perhaps anti-godly. This beast with its seven heads-all blasphemous. When you have label on something it's named. This beast is named.
...
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard,
and his feet were as the feet of a bear,
and his mouth as the mouth of a lion
...
Interesting to note this is a non-descript beast meaning it's not just a lion, not just a bear, not just a leopard, it's a composite of them all. It looks like a leopard and yet the feet of this leopard looking beast are those of a bear, and the leopard looking beast's mouth was like that of a lion. Another interesting note- where else are these beasts mentioned?
Daniel--
{7:1} In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
{7:2} Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
{7:3} And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
{7:4} The first [was] like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
{7:5} And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and [it had] three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
{7:6} After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
{7:7} After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it [was] diverse from all the beasts that [were] before it; and it had ten horns.
{7:8} I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn [were] eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
A lion,
A bear,
A leopard,
A non-descript beast.
Backwards, single beast in Revelation 13 is described with attributes of these individual beasts in Daniel 7, only backwards. The leopard- like description first then the feet of the bear, and then a mouth of a lion. Very interesting!
The powers, the kingdoms, the rulers of the multitude of people are corrupt- blasphemous and yet we have many in leadership positions that claim to be God-fearing. They're liars! Blasphemous. Rulers that have nothing to do with the true church, God's people.
...
and the dragon gave him his power,
and his seat,
and great authority.
...
This composite beast is given power by whom? The dragon! The Devil! The devil gives this beast power and not only power but his SEAT and GREAT AUTHORITY.
We need to study this stuff closely, very closely to understand what is going on. The Revelation wasn't given to us for no reason. We are blessed if we read and keep it. With history our key, and God as our guide we can understand. By the mercy and grace of Jesus our lives are His and we need to believe in Him and His love for us. What we need to understand we will understand through the Holy Spirit's guidance.
Let's not cover our eyes and choose not to see just because we don't like what is being revealed.
In Jesus now and forever.
Amen.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Protected
...
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness,
into her place,
where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,
from the face of the serpent.
,,,
The church fled swiftly into hiding. God's people were persecuted yet protected. We've talked of the 1260 years before and a time, times and a half a times is the same thing. It must be important to realize this date, this time frame because of the repetition. While the church was being protected, they were being protected from the evil that would destroy them.
...
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water
as a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
...
The serpent used many, many people to persecute Christ's people, many people. The hope was to use all those people to overwhelm and destroy, drown the few compared to the many. How often does the majority in a society overwhelm to few? Too often.
...
And the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
...
Think about it, religious persecution- no freedom of religion. When and where did a land of freedom emerge? Late 1400's America was discovered and from then on this great land with few people in such a vast area took in people. How many people fled from other countries to America to be free to practice their own religion? Martin Luther began the Protestant movement and as the scriptures were opened for people they realized the truth and the earth(a place of few people compared to the seas of people) opened up and protected God's people.
...
And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
...
Satan won't give up, he has no reason to give up. He's lost and his only goal is to make the number of God's people as small as he can. The satisfaction he receives from depriving God of even one person is the only satisfaction he gets. Until Christ returns Satan will work hard, using his wrath to war with God's people and the description of God's people is given...
Those which KEEP the commandments of God
and
have the TESTIMONY of Jesus Christ.
May God bless and keep us in Him. May we Keep God's commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ fully.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ may we live in Him now and forever, His. Trusting in His protection forever.
Amen.
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness,
into her place,
where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,
from the face of the serpent.
,,,
The church fled swiftly into hiding. God's people were persecuted yet protected. We've talked of the 1260 years before and a time, times and a half a times is the same thing. It must be important to realize this date, this time frame because of the repetition. While the church was being protected, they were being protected from the evil that would destroy them.
...
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water
as a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
...
The serpent used many, many people to persecute Christ's people, many people. The hope was to use all those people to overwhelm and destroy, drown the few compared to the many. How often does the majority in a society overwhelm to few? Too often.
...
And the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
...
Think about it, religious persecution- no freedom of religion. When and where did a land of freedom emerge? Late 1400's America was discovered and from then on this great land with few people in such a vast area took in people. How many people fled from other countries to America to be free to practice their own religion? Martin Luther began the Protestant movement and as the scriptures were opened for people they realized the truth and the earth(a place of few people compared to the seas of people) opened up and protected God's people.
...
And the dragon was wroth with the woman,
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God,
and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
...
Satan won't give up, he has no reason to give up. He's lost and his only goal is to make the number of God's people as small as he can. The satisfaction he receives from depriving God of even one person is the only satisfaction he gets. Until Christ returns Satan will work hard, using his wrath to war with God's people and the description of God's people is given...
Those which KEEP the commandments of God
and
have the TESTIMONY of Jesus Christ.
May God bless and keep us in Him. May we Keep God's commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ fully.
By the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ may we live in Him now and forever, His. Trusting in His protection forever.
Amen.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Devil on Death Row
Revelation-
...
And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she hath a place prepared of God,
that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
...
(More- 1260
{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.
Dan. {12:11} And
from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,
[there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
(Taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith)--
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
PLUS- The church fled into the wilderness at the time of the papacy was firmly established in 538, where it was nourished by the word of God, and the ministration of angels during the long, dark, and bloody rule of that power for 1260 years.
*******
Again, the 1260 years. The two witnesses - the Old/New Testament, the Bible, were to prophesize clothed in sackcloth and at the same time the woman (the church) was to be hidden in the wilderness, protected. There was NO way Satan could destroy God's people, God's church, the Bible -- no way! It wouldn't be allowed. They could be hunted, wounded, wanted, depised, trampled upon, but they could not be wiped out of existence.
...
And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent,
called the Devil,
and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
...
War in heaven.
Michael...
(Other Michael'a-
Jude {1:9} Yet
Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he
disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against
him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
1 Thess. {4:16} For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: {4:17} Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
John {5:26} For as
the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son
to have life in himself; {5:27} And hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
{5:28} Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {5:29}
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.
Jesus- is Michael. More specifically Jesus in battle, Jesus as victor of a battle.
...
And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent,
called the Devil,
and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
...
Jesus and His angels fought against the devil
The devil and his angels fought and prevailed not.
The devil and his angel no longer had a place in heaven they were cast out. The devil which deceives the whole world, cast out. His angels were cast out as well, he wasn't alone, he and his fellow angels were cast out of heaven.
...
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation,
...
When did salvation come? When? On the cross. When Christ died for us. Is it any wonder at all that Christ prevailed against Satan and was able to cast Him and His followers from heaven? Having obtained the victory for the inhabitants of earth they were from thereon safe from the devil's hopelessness. Hope was given to the world. Even with Satan cast out of heaven and to earth He had no rule over God's people from the moment salvation was come.
If I lived in a world where super lions constantly killed men and women, and there was some protection from them because they weren't bound to that world left to entirely destroy it. If a super lion repellent was invented and the world's inhabitants were offered this repellent, would it be safe to bind the super lions to earth knowing that the people had protection available? Yes. It wouldn't have been safe in any way to bind the super lions to earth allowing them to roam and destroy everything upon earth if there hadn't been a way to protect any of the people. It was only safe to bind the super lions to earth once the repellent existed and was available for all.
When Satan was cast out of heaven to earth it was only after salvation through Jesus was obtained and people could be saved through Jesus.
...
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation,
and strength,
and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
...
Night and day Satan was in heaven accusing God. Accusing God of any and everything He could to disparge His name, to bring God to ruin in any way he could. Satan wanted God to fail, he wanted his accusations to prove true. He wanted God to be hated and despised so that he could be glorified, but he could accuse all he wanted to, he couldn't prevail. Christ was victorious on the cross and that is something Satan can never take away, never. His accusations were proven false once and for all upon the cross.
...
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
...
The overcomers in Christ will only overcome by the blood of the Lamb. The overcomers will only overcome by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's innocent Son. The overcomers will have the word of their testimony which is their hope in Jesus' prophesized return to come for His people. The overcomers will not love their own lives to death, they will love Jesus' life knowing they live for life eternal not for this mortal life offered here on earth now. This life while precious in its own right will only, always be temporary and not the life we should love and cling to. Our love of life has to be the life in Jesus. If we get caught up in our love of this life we are bound by it, we are trapped in it. Overcomers will not love this life of theirs, but the life in Jesus, the next life- life eternal.
...
Therefore rejoice,
ye heavens,
and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you,
having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
...
Yes, the devil's wrath is immense because with salvation assured he lost all hope of any victory over God. He lost. He lost and now his only pleasure is to see how many of God's people he can corrupt and turn to himself, to the losing side. He believes that he'll have a victory of his own making if he can rob God of those made in His image. And he'll succeed in getting all but a few, all but the elect. With his ultimate destruction assured, the time the devil has left is short because he no longer has the hope of eternity it was taken from him the moment Christ died upon the cross.
A prisoner on death row may live on death row for twenty-five years before being killed, but that time is short. They know their death is assured, they are living on death row, a waiting line for death. While most of us live in our own little worlds oblivious to our impending deaths- not knowing how we'll die whether by accident, illness, or old age; those on death row know the way they will die and that it will be no accident, no illness, and certainly not old age. Those on death row know that they have a date of execution and the manner in which they will die. Living your life with that knowledge shortens it considerably- even if it's fifty years- it's not the same as if they weren't living on death row with the specter of death hanging over them, it's not the same at all.
The devil lives on death row and he's determined to ease his impending death by taking as many people with him as he can because it's the only thing he has left to do. If he can deprive God of one person he allows himself that small bit of satisfaction. A prisoner on death row getting his last kicks by causing as much trouble as he possibly can.
...
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
...
See, the devil realizing it was over that his sentence was a death sentence and he was bound to earth- no longer welcomed in heaven to create any mischief he went to persecute God's church, God's people- the very ones who God deemed worthy to bring His son into the world.
*******
May God bless us all and keep us in Him so that we may be among those who will overcome, by His grace and His mercy, in His love now and forever!
Amen.
...
And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she hath a place prepared of God,
that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
...
(More- 1260
{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.
Dan. {12:11} And
from the time [that] the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,
[there shall be] a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
(Taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith)--
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
PLUS- The church fled into the wilderness at the time of the papacy was firmly established in 538, where it was nourished by the word of God, and the ministration of angels during the long, dark, and bloody rule of that power for 1260 years.
*******
Again, the 1260 years. The two witnesses - the Old/New Testament, the Bible, were to prophesize clothed in sackcloth and at the same time the woman (the church) was to be hidden in the wilderness, protected. There was NO way Satan could destroy God's people, God's church, the Bible -- no way! It wouldn't be allowed. They could be hunted, wounded, wanted, depised, trampled upon, but they could not be wiped out of existence.
...
And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent,
called the Devil,
and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
...
War in heaven.
Michael...
(Other Michael'a-
Jude {1:9} Yet
Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he
disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against
him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
1 Thess. {4:16} For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: {4:17} Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
John {5:26} For as
the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son
to have life in himself; {5:27} And hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
{5:28} Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, {5:29}
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation.
Jesus- is Michael. More specifically Jesus in battle, Jesus as victor of a battle.
...
And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent,
called the Devil,
and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
...
Jesus and His angels fought against the devil
The devil and his angels fought and prevailed not.
The devil and his angel no longer had a place in heaven they were cast out. The devil which deceives the whole world, cast out. His angels were cast out as well, he wasn't alone, he and his fellow angels were cast out of heaven.
...
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation,
...
When did salvation come? When? On the cross. When Christ died for us. Is it any wonder at all that Christ prevailed against Satan and was able to cast Him and His followers from heaven? Having obtained the victory for the inhabitants of earth they were from thereon safe from the devil's hopelessness. Hope was given to the world. Even with Satan cast out of heaven and to earth He had no rule over God's people from the moment salvation was come.
If I lived in a world where super lions constantly killed men and women, and there was some protection from them because they weren't bound to that world left to entirely destroy it. If a super lion repellent was invented and the world's inhabitants were offered this repellent, would it be safe to bind the super lions to earth knowing that the people had protection available? Yes. It wouldn't have been safe in any way to bind the super lions to earth allowing them to roam and destroy everything upon earth if there hadn't been a way to protect any of the people. It was only safe to bind the super lions to earth once the repellent existed and was available for all.
When Satan was cast out of heaven to earth it was only after salvation through Jesus was obtained and people could be saved through Jesus.
...
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation,
and strength,
and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
...
Night and day Satan was in heaven accusing God. Accusing God of any and everything He could to disparge His name, to bring God to ruin in any way he could. Satan wanted God to fail, he wanted his accusations to prove true. He wanted God to be hated and despised so that he could be glorified, but he could accuse all he wanted to, he couldn't prevail. Christ was victorious on the cross and that is something Satan can never take away, never. His accusations were proven false once and for all upon the cross.
...
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
...
The overcomers in Christ will only overcome by the blood of the Lamb. The overcomers will only overcome by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God's innocent Son. The overcomers will have the word of their testimony which is their hope in Jesus' prophesized return to come for His people. The overcomers will not love their own lives to death, they will love Jesus' life knowing they live for life eternal not for this mortal life offered here on earth now. This life while precious in its own right will only, always be temporary and not the life we should love and cling to. Our love of life has to be the life in Jesus. If we get caught up in our love of this life we are bound by it, we are trapped in it. Overcomers will not love this life of theirs, but the life in Jesus, the next life- life eternal.
...
Therefore rejoice,
ye heavens,
and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you,
having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
...
Yes, the devil's wrath is immense because with salvation assured he lost all hope of any victory over God. He lost. He lost and now his only pleasure is to see how many of God's people he can corrupt and turn to himself, to the losing side. He believes that he'll have a victory of his own making if he can rob God of those made in His image. And he'll succeed in getting all but a few, all but the elect. With his ultimate destruction assured, the time the devil has left is short because he no longer has the hope of eternity it was taken from him the moment Christ died upon the cross.
A prisoner on death row may live on death row for twenty-five years before being killed, but that time is short. They know their death is assured, they are living on death row, a waiting line for death. While most of us live in our own little worlds oblivious to our impending deaths- not knowing how we'll die whether by accident, illness, or old age; those on death row know the way they will die and that it will be no accident, no illness, and certainly not old age. Those on death row know that they have a date of execution and the manner in which they will die. Living your life with that knowledge shortens it considerably- even if it's fifty years- it's not the same as if they weren't living on death row with the specter of death hanging over them, it's not the same at all.
The devil lives on death row and he's determined to ease his impending death by taking as many people with him as he can because it's the only thing he has left to do. If he can deprive God of one person he allows himself that small bit of satisfaction. A prisoner on death row getting his last kicks by causing as much trouble as he possibly can.
...
And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth,
he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
...
See, the devil realizing it was over that his sentence was a death sentence and he was bound to earth- no longer welcomed in heaven to create any mischief he went to persecute God's church, God's people- the very ones who God deemed worthy to bring His son into the world.
*******
May God bless us all and keep us in Him so that we may be among those who will overcome, by His grace and His mercy, in His love now and forever!
Amen.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Great Wonders in Heaven
Revelation-
...
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven
a woman clothed with the sun,
...
*
A woman-
2 Corinthians
{11:1} Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. {11:2} For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
A chaste virigin to Christ.
Galatians
{4:26} But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all
Ephesians
{5:23} For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. {5:24} Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. {5:25} Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it
*
Without clothes the woman would be naked- if clothed with rags the woman would be pictured as one dirty, defiled. Clothed with the sun she is clothed with brightness, purity.
Malachi
{4:2} But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. {4:3} And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Clothed with the sun. The woman, the true church, God's church clothed in the sun- righteous, light, pure, holy.
...
and the moon under her feet,
and upon her head a crown of twelve stars
...
The moon only gets its light from the sun, it is dark without the sun illuminating it. A lesser light is under the feet of the woman, the woman would stand upon the lesser light, the light that is borrowed, that is taken from the sun.
The crown depicting victory has twelve stars. Significantly throughout the Bible the number 12 is used- 12 tribes, 12 apostles, 12 gates, 12 angels. The crown having 12 stars just reenforces the importance of the role this woman has, the role that God's true church plays. I read somewhere that 12 is important because it is made up of 7 and 5 - 7 being God's perfect number, 5 man's perfect number and combined they are 12. If ever is might fit that way it would be in Jesus who was God with us, God and Man. Jesus the One who bridges the gap between sinfilled man and Holy God.
...
And she being with child cried,
travailing in birth,
and pained to be delivered.
...
God's church is comprised of people who are God's. Surely as Jesus was brought forth in birth from one among God's chosen people, He came forth from God's church. The people who made up God's church at the time Christ was to be born were in great distressed, they longed for the Messiah to deliver them from the crushing Roman rule.
...
And there appeared another wonder in heaven
and behold a great red dragon,
having seven heads
and ten horns,
and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth
...
(Other places w/7 heads-
Rev.{13:1} And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a
beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten
horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads
the name of blasphemy.
Rev. {17:3} So he carried me away in the
spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns.
Rev. {17:7} And
the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will
tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that
carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Rev. {17:9} And here is the mind which hath
wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which
the woman sitteth.)
(Other places w/dragon-
Rev. the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. {20:2} And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years,
Rev. {16:13} And I
saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev. {13:11} And I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had
two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev. {13:4} And they worshipped the
dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?
Rev. {13:2} And the beast which I saw
was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a
bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon
gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority
Rev. {12:17} And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and
went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep
the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ
Rev. {12:16} And the earth helped
the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth
Rev. {12:13} And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the
earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the
man child.
Rev. {12:9} And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev. {12:7} And
there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels
Rev. {12:4}
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the
woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her
child as soon as it was born.
*******
Red dragon-
Dragon- that old serpent, the devil, and satan
Seven heads- mountains
Mountain-
Nations and Kingdoms, including God's Kingdom.
Zion is the mountain of the Lord's house -Isaiah 2: 1-5; 11: 9; 13: 4; 41: 15; 42: 15
The Rock from the mountain of God replaces the kingdoms of the earth - Daniel 2: 35, 44,45;
Ezekiel 35: 2, 7, 8
Zechariah 4: 7
A mountain and an animal both represent kingdoms. But the mountain may represent a more eternal kingdom. This may be because of their nature. An animal lives a short time and dies. But a mountain is tall and permanent. It can reach the heavens. A mountain may represent the kingdom of God or a kingdom that tries to be like God.
Dan. {2:35} Then was the iron, the
clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them: and the stone that smote the
image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth
Dan. {2:44} And in the days of these kings shall the
God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. {2:45} Forasmuch as
thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass,
the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made
known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and
the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Horns-
Horn
Ruler, head of a kingdom, Power strength. A symbol of kings, kingdoms, divisions of kingdoms, power, authority. It is generally a kingdom with a military force.
Horn with crowns - Monarchies
Ten horns are ten kings (kingdoms) that shall arise. (Daniel 7: 24)
The great horn is the first king (kingdom). (Daniel 8: 21)
The ten horns are ten kings. (Revelation 17: 12)
For you are the glory of their strength: and in your favour our horn shall be exalted. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. Psalm 89: 17,24.
Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and look four horns. And I said to the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. Zechariah 1: 18-19.
Crown
Crown
Victory, life, royalty
There are two types of crowns, the royal crown and the wreath of victory (stephanos) placed on the head of the winner.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4: 7-8.
Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. James 1: 12.
And he brought out the king's son, and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king. 2 Kings 11: 12.
Thus says the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. Ezekiel 21: 26-27.
********
Red dragon- dragon- that old serpent, the devil, and satan
Seven heads- seven mountains- seven kingdoms
Ten horns- ten rulers
crowns- royalty
stars- angels
...
And there appeared another wonder in heaven
and behold a great red dragon,
having seven heads
and ten horns,
and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth
...
The devil- earthly kingdoms, with ten rules, having power.
The devil using his tail took 1/3 of the angels of heaven and they were cast to earth from heaven.
...
and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered,
for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
...
The devil stood near the woman- God's people, Jesus was about to be born- the Savior as an infant and the devil didn't want Him to be born- the Savior of the world, the conquerer of death, the bringer of eternal life, restorer of all that is good. No, the devil didn't want Jesus to be born.
...
And she brought forth a man child,
who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron:
and her child was caught up unto God,
and to his throne.
...
Rev. {2:24} But unto you I say, and unto the rest
in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which
have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will
put upon you none other burden. {2:25} But that which ye
have already hold fast till I come. {2:26} And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him
will I give power over the nations: {2:27} And he shall rule
them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they
be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev. {19:13} And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
{19:14} And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean. {19:15} 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. {19:16} And he
hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Jesus!
*******
It's true that Jesus and the true followers of Christ have been persecuted by Satan and will be persecuted by Him until Christ comes again and the battle between good and evil is decided for every person.
From the moment of Jesus' birth Satan stepped up His activity. That Satan rules the majority is no surprise, no surprise at all. He's working hard to get as many as he can and he has no standards, no morals, no compunctions whatsoever to get in his way.
May God bless and Keep us in Christ now and forever, safe from the evil of the devil and all his way.
Please Lord open our eyes, give us the understanding we need to be yours now and forever by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
...
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven
a woman clothed with the sun,
...
*
A woman-
2 Corinthians
{11:1} Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. {11:2} For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
A chaste virigin to Christ.
Galatians
{4:26} But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all
Ephesians
{5:23} For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. {5:24} Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. {5:25} Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it
*
Without clothes the woman would be naked- if clothed with rags the woman would be pictured as one dirty, defiled. Clothed with the sun she is clothed with brightness, purity.
Malachi
{4:2} But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. {4:3} And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Clothed with the sun. The woman, the true church, God's church clothed in the sun- righteous, light, pure, holy.
...
and the moon under her feet,
and upon her head a crown of twelve stars
...
The moon only gets its light from the sun, it is dark without the sun illuminating it. A lesser light is under the feet of the woman, the woman would stand upon the lesser light, the light that is borrowed, that is taken from the sun.
The crown depicting victory has twelve stars. Significantly throughout the Bible the number 12 is used- 12 tribes, 12 apostles, 12 gates, 12 angels. The crown having 12 stars just reenforces the importance of the role this woman has, the role that God's true church plays. I read somewhere that 12 is important because it is made up of 7 and 5 - 7 being God's perfect number, 5 man's perfect number and combined they are 12. If ever is might fit that way it would be in Jesus who was God with us, God and Man. Jesus the One who bridges the gap between sinfilled man and Holy God.
...
And she being with child cried,
travailing in birth,
and pained to be delivered.
...
God's church is comprised of people who are God's. Surely as Jesus was brought forth in birth from one among God's chosen people, He came forth from God's church. The people who made up God's church at the time Christ was to be born were in great distressed, they longed for the Messiah to deliver them from the crushing Roman rule.
...
And there appeared another wonder in heaven
and behold a great red dragon,
having seven heads
and ten horns,
and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth
...
(Other places w/7 heads-
Rev.{13:1} And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a
beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten
horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads
the name of blasphemy.
Rev. {17:3} So he carried me away in the
spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns.
Rev. {17:7} And
the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will
tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that
carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Rev. {17:9} And here is the mind which hath
wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which
the woman sitteth.)
(Other places w/dragon-
Rev. the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. {20:2} And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years,
Rev. {16:13} And I
saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of
the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev. {13:11} And I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had
two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev. {13:4} And they worshipped the
dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?
Rev. {13:2} And the beast which I saw
was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a
bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon
gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority
Rev. {12:17} And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and
went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep
the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ
Rev. {12:16} And the earth helped
the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth
Rev. {12:13} And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the
earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the
man child.
Rev. {12:9} And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev. {12:7} And
there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels
Rev. {12:4}
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and
did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the
woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her
child as soon as it was born.
*******
Red dragon-
Dragon- that old serpent, the devil, and satan
Seven heads- mountains
Mountain-
Nations and Kingdoms, including God's Kingdom.
Zion is the mountain of the Lord's house -Isaiah 2: 1-5; 11: 9; 13: 4; 41: 15; 42: 15
The Rock from the mountain of God replaces the kingdoms of the earth - Daniel 2: 35, 44,45;
Ezekiel 35: 2, 7, 8
Zechariah 4: 7
A mountain and an animal both represent kingdoms. But the mountain may represent a more eternal kingdom. This may be because of their nature. An animal lives a short time and dies. But a mountain is tall and permanent. It can reach the heavens. A mountain may represent the kingdom of God or a kingdom that tries to be like God.
Dan. {2:35} Then was the iron, the
clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them: and the stone that smote the
image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth
Dan. {2:44} And in the days of these kings shall the
God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. {2:45} Forasmuch as
thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass,
the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made
known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and
the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Horns-
Horn
Ruler, head of a kingdom, Power strength. A symbol of kings, kingdoms, divisions of kingdoms, power, authority. It is generally a kingdom with a military force.
Horn with crowns - Monarchies
Ten horns are ten kings (kingdoms) that shall arise. (Daniel 7: 24)
The great horn is the first king (kingdom). (Daniel 8: 21)
The ten horns are ten kings. (Revelation 17: 12)
For you are the glory of their strength: and in your favour our horn shall be exalted. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. Psalm 89: 17,24.
Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and look four horns. And I said to the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. Zechariah 1: 18-19.
Crown
Crown
Victory, life, royalty
There are two types of crowns, the royal crown and the wreath of victory (stephanos) placed on the head of the winner.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing. 2 Timothy 4: 7-8.
Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him. James 1: 12.
And he brought out the king's son, and put the crown on him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king. 2 Kings 11: 12.
Thus says the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. Ezekiel 21: 26-27.
********
Red dragon- dragon- that old serpent, the devil, and satan
Seven heads- seven mountains- seven kingdoms
Ten horns- ten rulers
crowns- royalty
stars- angels
...
And there appeared another wonder in heaven
and behold a great red dragon,
having seven heads
and ten horns,
and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth
...
The devil- earthly kingdoms, with ten rules, having power.
The devil using his tail took 1/3 of the angels of heaven and they were cast to earth from heaven.
...
and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered,
for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
...
The devil stood near the woman- God's people, Jesus was about to be born- the Savior as an infant and the devil didn't want Him to be born- the Savior of the world, the conquerer of death, the bringer of eternal life, restorer of all that is good. No, the devil didn't want Jesus to be born.
...
And she brought forth a man child,
who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron:
and her child was caught up unto God,
and to his throne.
...
Rev. {2:24} But unto you I say, and unto the rest
in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which
have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will
put upon you none other burden. {2:25} But that which ye
have already hold fast till I come. {2:26} And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him
will I give power over the nations: {2:27} And he shall rule
them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they
be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev. {19:13} And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
{19:14} And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean. {19:15} 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. {19:16} And he
hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Jesus!
*******
It's true that Jesus and the true followers of Christ have been persecuted by Satan and will be persecuted by Him until Christ comes again and the battle between good and evil is decided for every person.
From the moment of Jesus' birth Satan stepped up His activity. That Satan rules the majority is no surprise, no surprise at all. He's working hard to get as many as he can and he has no standards, no morals, no compunctions whatsoever to get in his way.
May God bless and Keep us in Christ now and forever, safe from the evil of the devil and all his way.
Please Lord open our eyes, give us the understanding we need to be yours now and forever by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Do not most people simply drift away
Excerpt from Mere Christianity-
'Now Faith,
in the sense in which I am here using the word,
is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted,
in spite of your changing moods.
For moods will change,
whatever view your reason takes.
I know that by experience.
Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable
but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.
This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway.
That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue
unless you teach your moods "where they get off,"
you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist,
but just a creature dithering to and fro,
with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion.
Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.
The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change.
The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity,
then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day.
That is why daily prayers and religious reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life.
We have to be continually reminded of what we believe.
Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind.
It must be fed.
And as a matter of fact,
if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity,
I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument?
Do not most people simply drift away?'
*******
Ephesian {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
Praying always.
2 Timothy {2:15} Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Study.
Hebrews {10:23} Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) {10:24} And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: {10:25} Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is;] but exhorting [one another:] and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Exhort one another.
Hebrews {3:13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. {3:14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.
Acts {17:11} These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Searched the scriptures daily.
Luke {11:1} And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. {11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. {11:3} Give us day by day our daily bread. {11:4}
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one thatis indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Day by day our daily bread.
John {6:47} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. {6:48} I am that bread of life. {6:49} Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. {6:50} This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. {6:51} I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Jesus said- 'I am the living bread'
*
Daily we need our bread whether it's food for physical sustenance- for our physical life here and now; or whether it's the food of Christ- food for eternal life. Give us this day our daily bread.
Is it any wonder Jesus used such analogy as bread? Not really. He knew what He was doing. He knew. And He knew when He said 'your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.' Even food given daily by God to the Israelites leaving Egypt and traveling in the wilderness for forty years, even that food would not give life eternal. That food, that manna came from God out of heaven--
Exodus- {16:11} And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {16:12} I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God. {16:13} And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the
host. {16:14} And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground. {16:15} And when the children of Israel saw [it,] they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was.] And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
{16:31} And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it [was] like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey. {16:32} And Moses said, This [is] the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your
generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. {16:33} And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. {16:34} As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. {16:35} And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. {16:36} Now an omer [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah.
The children of Israel ate manna forty years!
Jesus referencing the manna, the food from God out of heaven is important. God supplied the needs of His people, He fed them. Jesus supplied the need of His people He fed them His very life. If we believe on Jesus a belief that is lived DAILY just as we eat daily, if we partake of all that is Jesus- reading His word, praying, exhorting one another we will live forever with Christ.
C.S. Lewis talked of mood affecting faith. We talk of losing faith, we talk of having no faith, we tell others to have faith, faith is very important without it we can't please God.
Hebrews {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.
Believing that God IS.
And not only believing that God IS, but believing that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith.
Yes, our moods can affect our lives in many ways, many...many...many ways.
C.S. Lewis had this to say--
'And as a matter of fact,
if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity,
I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument?
Do not most people simply drift away?'
Drift away. It sounds so... easy. In fact it is easy to drift away. It's easy to find a lull and let the lull soothe us, ease us away. It's easier to just skip praying, reading the Bible, studying, exhorting one another, diligently seeking God. It takes action on our behalf to keep faith alive.
People like to believe that they shouldn't HAVE to do anything at all to be 'saved' and in truth they can't save themselves if they do everything and anything they want- only Jesus can save us. But we have to believe in Jesus first. You say you believe in Jesus but guess what?
James {2:19} Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Read on...
James {2:20} But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? {2:21} Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? {2:22} Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? {2:23} And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. {2:24} Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. {2:25} Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent [them] out another way? {2:26} For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Real faith, real belief in Jesus means real action. Jesus said a lot to His followers about what they should be doing.
Mark {12:28} And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? {12:29} And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is,] Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one Lord: {12:30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. {12:31} And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. {12:32} And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: {12:33} And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. {12:34} And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no
man after that durst ask him any question.
Do you see- we are to love God and love our neighbor- actions. Love. And Jesus didn't leave us to wonder what love was.
Read ALL of the following, really read it. Take the time to think about all the action that Jesus was promoting wanting His followers to do. Faith isn't the end, it's only the beginning and if we 'drift away' it's because we are not living our faith we are losing it, we aren't nurturing it, we're ignoring it and it will wither until it dies.
Matthew {5:1} And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: {5:2} And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, {5:3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {5:4} Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. {5:5} Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. {5:6} Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. {5:7} Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. {5:8} Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. {5:9} Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. {5:10} Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {5:11} Blessed are ye,
when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you,] and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. {5:12} Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. {5:13} Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. {5:14} Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. {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. {5:16} Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. {5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {5:18} For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. {5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. {5:20} For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. {5:21} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: {5:22} But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. {5:23} Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; {5:24} Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. {5:25} Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. {5:26} Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. {5:27} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: {5:28} But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. {5:29}And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. {5:30} And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. {5:31} It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: {5:32} But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. {5:33} Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: {5:34} But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: {5:35} Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. {5:36} Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. {5:37} But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. {5:38} Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: {5:39} But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. {5:40} And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also. {5:41} And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. {5:42} Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. {5:43} Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. {5:44} But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; {5:45} That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. {5:46} For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? {5:47} And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others?] do not even the publicans so? {5:48} Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. {6:1} Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. {6:2} Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they
may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:3} But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: {6:4} That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. {6:5} And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are:] for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:6} But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. {6:7} But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do:] for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. {6:8} Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. {6:9} After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. {6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. {6:11} Give us this day our daily bread. {6:12} And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. {6:13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. {6:14} For if ye
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: {6:15} But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. {6:16} Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:17} But thou, when thou fastest,
anoint thine head, and wash thy face; {6:18} That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. {6:19} Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: {6:20} But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: {6:21} For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. {6:22} The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. {6:23} But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness! {6:24} No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. {6:25} Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? {6:26} Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? {6:27} Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? {6:28} And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: {6:29} And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. {6:30} Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? {6:31} Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? {6:32} (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. {7:1} Judge not, that ye be not judged. {7:2} For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. {7:3} And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? {7:4} Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? {7:5} Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. {7:6} Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. {7:7} Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: {7:8} For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. {7:9} Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? {7:10} Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? {7:11} If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? {7:12} Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. {7:13} Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: {7:14} Because strait [is] the
gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. {7:15} Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. {7:16} Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? {7:17} Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. {7:18} A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. {7:19} Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {7:20} Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. {7:21} Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {7:22} Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? {7:23} And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. {7:24} Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {7:25} And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. {7:26} And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: {7:27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. {7:28} And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: {7:29} For he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as the scribes.
'Now Faith,
in the sense in which I am here using the word,
is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted,
in spite of your changing moods.
For moods will change,
whatever view your reason takes.
I know that by experience.
Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable
but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.
This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway.
That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue
unless you teach your moods "where they get off,"
you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist,
but just a creature dithering to and fro,
with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion.
Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.
The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change.
The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity,
then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day.
That is why daily prayers and religious reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life.
We have to be continually reminded of what we believe.
Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind.
It must be fed.
And as a matter of fact,
if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity,
I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument?
Do not most people simply drift away?'
*******
Ephesian {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
Praying always.
2 Timothy {2:15} Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Study.
Hebrews {10:23} Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) {10:24} And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: {10:25} Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is;] but exhorting [one another:] and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Exhort one another.
Hebrews {3:13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. {3:14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.
Acts {17:11} These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Searched the scriptures daily.
Luke {11:1} And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. {11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. {11:3} Give us day by day our daily bread. {11:4}
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one thatis indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Day by day our daily bread.
John {6:47} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. {6:48} I am that bread of life. {6:49} Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. {6:50} This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. {6:51} I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Jesus said- 'I am the living bread'
*
Daily we need our bread whether it's food for physical sustenance- for our physical life here and now; or whether it's the food of Christ- food for eternal life. Give us this day our daily bread.
Is it any wonder Jesus used such analogy as bread? Not really. He knew what He was doing. He knew. And He knew when He said 'your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.' Even food given daily by God to the Israelites leaving Egypt and traveling in the wilderness for forty years, even that food would not give life eternal. That food, that manna came from God out of heaven--
Exodus- {16:11} And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {16:12} I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God. {16:13} And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the
host. {16:14} And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground. {16:15} And when the children of Israel saw [it,] they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was.] And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
{16:31} And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it [was] like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey. {16:32} And Moses said, This [is] the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your
generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. {16:33} And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. {16:34} As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. {16:35} And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. {16:36} Now an omer [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah.
The children of Israel ate manna forty years!
Jesus referencing the manna, the food from God out of heaven is important. God supplied the needs of His people, He fed them. Jesus supplied the need of His people He fed them His very life. If we believe on Jesus a belief that is lived DAILY just as we eat daily, if we partake of all that is Jesus- reading His word, praying, exhorting one another we will live forever with Christ.
C.S. Lewis talked of mood affecting faith. We talk of losing faith, we talk of having no faith, we tell others to have faith, faith is very important without it we can't please God.
Hebrews {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.
Believing that God IS.
And not only believing that God IS, but believing that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith.
Yes, our moods can affect our lives in many ways, many...many...many ways.
C.S. Lewis had this to say--
'And as a matter of fact,
if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity,
I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument?
Do not most people simply drift away?'
Drift away. It sounds so... easy. In fact it is easy to drift away. It's easy to find a lull and let the lull soothe us, ease us away. It's easier to just skip praying, reading the Bible, studying, exhorting one another, diligently seeking God. It takes action on our behalf to keep faith alive.
People like to believe that they shouldn't HAVE to do anything at all to be 'saved' and in truth they can't save themselves if they do everything and anything they want- only Jesus can save us. But we have to believe in Jesus first. You say you believe in Jesus but guess what?
James {2:19} Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Read on...
James {2:20} But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? {2:21} Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? {2:22} Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? {2:23} And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. {2:24} Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. {2:25} Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent [them] out another way? {2:26} For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Real faith, real belief in Jesus means real action. Jesus said a lot to His followers about what they should be doing.
Mark {12:28} And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? {12:29} And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is,] Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one Lord: {12:30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. {12:31} And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. {12:32} And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: {12:33} And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. {12:34} And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no
man after that durst ask him any question.
Do you see- we are to love God and love our neighbor- actions. Love. And Jesus didn't leave us to wonder what love was.
Read ALL of the following, really read it. Take the time to think about all the action that Jesus was promoting wanting His followers to do. Faith isn't the end, it's only the beginning and if we 'drift away' it's because we are not living our faith we are losing it, we aren't nurturing it, we're ignoring it and it will wither until it dies.
Matthew {5:1} And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: {5:2} And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, {5:3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {5:4} Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. {5:5} Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. {5:6} Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. {5:7} Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. {5:8} Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. {5:9} Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. {5:10} Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {5:11} Blessed are ye,
when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you,] and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. {5:12} Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. {5:13} Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. {5:14} Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. {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. {5:16} Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. {5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {5:18} For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. {5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. {5:20} For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. {5:21} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: {5:22} But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. {5:23} Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; {5:24} Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. {5:25} Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. {5:26} Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. {5:27} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: {5:28} But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. {5:29}And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. {5:30} And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. {5:31} It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: {5:32} But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. {5:33} Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: {5:34} But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: {5:35} Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. {5:36} Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. {5:37} But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. {5:38} Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: {5:39} But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. {5:40} And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also. {5:41} And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. {5:42} Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. {5:43} Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. {5:44} But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; {5:45} That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. {5:46} For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? {5:47} And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others?] do not even the publicans so? {5:48} Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. {6:1} Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. {6:2} Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they
may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:3} But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: {6:4} That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. {6:5} And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are:] for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:6} But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. {6:7} But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do:] for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. {6:8} Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. {6:9} After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. {6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. {6:11} Give us this day our daily bread. {6:12} And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. {6:13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. {6:14} For if ye
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: {6:15} But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. {6:16} Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:17} But thou, when thou fastest,
anoint thine head, and wash thy face; {6:18} That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. {6:19} Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: {6:20} But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: {6:21} For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. {6:22} The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. {6:23} But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness! {6:24} No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. {6:25} Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? {6:26} Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? {6:27} Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? {6:28} And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: {6:29} And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. {6:30} Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? {6:31} Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? {6:32} (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. {7:1} Judge not, that ye be not judged. {7:2} For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. {7:3} And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? {7:4} Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? {7:5} Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. {7:6} Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. {7:7} Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: {7:8} For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. {7:9} Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? {7:10} Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? {7:11} If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? {7:12} Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. {7:13} Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: {7:14} Because strait [is] the
gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. {7:15} Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. {7:16} Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? {7:17} Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. {7:18} A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. {7:19} Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {7:20} Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. {7:21} Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {7:22} Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? {7:23} And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. {7:24} Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {7:25} And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. {7:26} And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: {7:27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. {7:28} And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: {7:29} For he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as the scribes.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Another Mighty Angel
Revelation
...
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
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 occuring other things are hapening 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. The 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. Prehaps to conquer, but there is no guarantee to be a conquerer, you could be the 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 simulataneously 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 human, 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 illuminary in the skies. Feet as pillars of fire, a pillar of 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.
...
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.
...
And cried with a loud voice,
as when a lion roareth:
and when he had cried,
seven thunders uttered their voices.
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. He 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 rather 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.
...
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
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.
...
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 soung 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 treaures 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.
...
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.
...
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.
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.
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 eat's 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 as well 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 prophesizing, a lot more, and where were John's thoughts directed?
...
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.
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.
...
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 explaination 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?
...
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. 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.
...
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.)
...
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.
...
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.
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.
*
...
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]
...
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]
...
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]
...
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](Koine Greek t? ??ß??a) 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]
*
...
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 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]
***
May God bless and keep us, opening our eyes and our hearts to understand His holy word, His prophecy. May all truth be discerned in Him through His righteousness and not that of any man but Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His mercy and His grace forever!
Amen.
...
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
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 occuring other things are hapening 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. The 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. Prehaps to conquer, but there is no guarantee to be a conquerer, you could be the 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 simulataneously 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 human, 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 illuminary in the skies. Feet as pillars of fire, a pillar of 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.
...
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.
...
And cried with a loud voice,
as when a lion roareth:
and when he had cried,
seven thunders uttered their voices.
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. He 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 rather 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.
...
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
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.
...
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 soung 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 treaures 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.
...
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.
...
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.
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.
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 eat's 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 as well 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 prophesizing, a lot more, and where were John's thoughts directed?
...
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.
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.
...
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 explaination 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?
...
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. 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.
...
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.)
...
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.
...
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.
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.
*
...
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]
...
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]
...
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]
...
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](Koine Greek t? ??ß??a) 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]
*
...
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 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]
***
May God bless and keep us, opening our eyes and our hearts to understand His holy word, His prophecy. May all truth be discerned in Him through His righteousness and not that of any man but Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, by His mercy and His grace forever!
Amen.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sixth Turmpet - First Part
Revelation
And the sixth angel sounded,
and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet,
Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
And the four angels were loosed,
which were prepared for an hour,
and a day,
and a month,
and a year,
for to slay the third part of men.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand
and I heard the number of them.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision,
and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire,
and of jacinth,
and brimstone
and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions;
and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
By these three was the third part of men killed,
by the fire,
and by the smoke,
and by the brimstone,
which issued out of their mouths.
For their power is in their mouth
and in their tails
for their tails were like unto serpents,
and had heads,
and with them they do hurt.
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands,
that they should not worship devils,
and idols of gold,
and silver,
and brass,
and stone,
and of wood:
which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk
Neither repented they of their murders,
nor of their sorceries,
nor of their fornication,
nor of their thefts.
*******
Again- taken from the book Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith--
Verse 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
The Sixth Trumpet.--"The first woe was to continue from the rise of Mahometanism until the end of the five months. Then the first woe was to end, and the second begin. And when the sixth angel sounded, it was commanded to take off the restraints which had been imposed on the nation, by which they were restricted to the work of tormenting men, and their commission extended to slay the third part of men. This command came from the four horns of the golden altar." [26]
The Four Angels.--These are the four principal sultanies of which the Ottoman Empire was composed, located in the country watered by the Euphrates. These sultanies were situated at Aleppo, Iconium, Damacus, and Bagdad. Previously they had been restrained; but God commanded, and they were loosed.
Late in the year 1448, as the close of the 150-year period approached, John Palaeologus died without leaving a son to follow him on the throne of the Eastern Empire. His brother Constantine, the lawful successor, would not venture to ascend the throne without the consent of the Turkish sultan. Ambassadors therefore went to Adrianople, received the approbation of the sultan, and returned with gifts for the new sovereign. Early in the year 1449, under these ominous circumstances, Constantine, the last of the Greek emperors, was crowned.
The historian Gibbon tells the story:
"On the decease of John Palaeologus, . . . the royal family, by the death of Andronicus and the monastic profession of Isidore, was reduced to three princes, Constantine, Demetrius, and Thomas, the surviving sons of the emperor Manuel. Of these the first and the last were far distant in the Morea. . . . The empress-mother, the senate and soldiers, the clergy and people, were unanimous in the cause of the lawful successor: and the despot Thomas, who ignorant of the change, accidentally returned to the capital, asserted with becoming zeal the interest of his absent brother. An ambassador, the historian Phranza,, was immediately dispatched to the court of Adrianople. Amurath received him with honor and dismissed him with gifts; but the gracious approbation of the Turkish sultan announced his supremacy, and the approaching downfall of the Eastern empire. By the hands of two illustrious deputies, the Imperial crown was placed at Sparta on the head of Constantine. [27]
"Let this historical fact be carefully examined in connection with the prediction [given] above. This was not a violent assault made on the Greeks, by which their empire was overthrown and their independence taken away, but simply a voluntary surrender of that independence into the hands of the Turks, by saying, 'I cannot reign unless you permit.' " [28]
The four angels were loosed for an hour, a day, a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men. This period, during which Ottoman supremacy was to exist, amounts to three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days. Thus: A prophetic year is three hundred and sixty prophetic days, or three hundred and sixty literal years; a prophetic month, thirty prophetic days, is thirty literal years; one prophetic day is one literal year; and an hour, or the twenty-fourth part of a literal year year, or fifteen days; the whole amounting to three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days.
"But although the four angels were thus loosed by the voluntary submission of the Greeks, yet another doom awaited the seat of empire. Amurath, the sultan to whom the submission of Deacozes was made, and by whose permission he reigned in Constantinople, soon after died, and was succeeded in the empire, in 1451, by Mahomet II, who set his heart on Constantinople, and determined to make it a prey.
"He accordingly made preparations for besieging and taking the city. The siege commenced on the 6th of April, 1453, and ended in the taking of the city, and death of the last of the Constantines, on the 16th day of May following. And the eastern city of the Caesars became the seat of the Ottoman Empire." [29]
The arms and mode of warfare which were used in the siege in which Constantinople was to be overthrown and held in subjection were, as we shall see, distinctly noticed by the prophet.
Verse 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
"Innumerable hordes of horses, and them that sat on them! Gibbon describes the first invasion of the Roman territories by the Turks thus: 'The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles, from Tauris to Azeroum, and the blood of 130,000 Christian was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.' Whether the number is designed to convey the idea of any definite number, the reader must judge. Some suppose 200,000 twice told is meant, and then, following some historians, find that the number of Turkish warriors in the siege of Constantinople. Some think 200,000,000 to mean all the Turkish warriors during the 391 years fifteen days of their triumph over the Greeks." [30] Nothing can be affirmed on the point. And it is not at all essential.
Verse 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
The first part of this description may have reference to the appearance of these horsemen. Fire, representing a color, stands for red, "as red as fire" being a frequent term of expression; jacinth, or hyacinth, for blue; and brimstone, for yellow. These colors greatly predominated in the dress of these warriors; so that the description, according to this view, would be accurately met in the Turkish uniform, which was composed largely of red, or scarlet, blue, and yellow. The heads of the horses were in appearance as the heads of lions, to denote their strength, courage, and fierceness; while the last part of the verse undoubtedly has reference to the use of gunpowder and firearms for purposes of war, which were then but recently introduced. As the Turks discharged their firearms on horseback, it would appear to the distant beholder that the fire, smoke, and brimstone issued out of the horses' mouths.
Quite an agreement exists among commentators in applying the prophecy concerning the fire, smoke, and brimstone to the use of gunpowder by the Turks in their warfare against the Eastern Empire. [31] But they generally allude simply to the heavy ordnance, the large cannon, employed employed by that power; whereas the prophecy mentions especially the "horses," and the fire "issuing from their mouths," as though smaller arms were used, and used on horseback. Barnes thinks this was the case; and a statement from Gibbon confirms this view. he says: "The incessant volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied with the smoke, the sound, and the fire of their musketry and cannon." [32] Here is good historical evidence that muskets were used by the Turks; and secondly, it is undisputed that their general warfare they fought principally on horseback. The inference is therefore well supported that they used firearms on horseback, accurately fulfilling the prophecy, according to the illustration above referred to.
Respecting the use of firearms by the Turks in their campaign against Constantinople, Elliott thus speaks:
"It was to 'the fire and the smoke and the sulphur,' to the artillery and firearms of Mahomet, that the killing of the third part of men, i.e., the capture of Constantinople, and by consequence the destruction of the Greek Empire, was owing. Eleven hundred years and more had now elapsed since her foundation by Constantine. In the course of them, Goths, Huns, Avars, Persians, Bulgarians, Saracens, Russians, and indeed the Ottoman Turks themselves, had made their hostile assaults, or laid siege against it. But the fortifications were impregnable by them. Constantinople survived, and with it the Greek Empire. Hence the anxiety of the sultan Mahomet to find that which would remove the obstacle. 'Canst thou cast a cannon,' was his question to the founder of cannon that deserted to him, 'of size sufficient to batter down the wall of Constantinople?' Then the foundry was established at Adrianople, the cannon cast, the artillery prepared, and the siege began.
"It well deserves remark, how Gibbon, always the unconscious commentator on the Apocalyptic prophecy, puts this new instrumentality of war into the foreground of his picture, in his eloquent and striking narrative of the final catastrophe of the Greek Empire. In preparation for it, he gives the history of the recent invention of gunpowder, 'that mixture of saltpeter, sulphur, and charcoal;' tells, as before said, of the foundry of the cannon at Adrianople; then, in the progress of the siege itself, describes how 'the volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied with smoke, the sound, and the fire of the musketry and cannon;' how 'the long order of Turkish artillery was pointed against the walls, fourteen batteries thundering at once on the most accessible places;' how 'the fortifications which had stood for ages against hostile violence were dismantled on all sides by the Ottoman cannon, many breaches opened, and near the gate of St. Romanus, four towers leveled with the ground:' how, 'as from the lines, the galleys and the bridge, the Ottoman artillery thundered on all sides, the camp and city, the Greeks and the Turks, were involved in a cloud of smoke, which could only be dispelled by the final deliverance or destruction of the Roman empire:' and how the besiegers at length 'rushing through the breaches,' 'Constantinople was irretrievably subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors.' I say it well deserves observation how markedly and strikingly Gibbon attributes the capture of the city, and so the destruction of the empire, to the Ottoman artillery. For what is it but a comment on the words of the prophecy? 'By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the sulphur, which issued out their mouths.' " [33]
Verse 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
These verses express the deadly effect of the new mode of warfare introduced. It was by means of these agents--gunpowder, firearms, and cannon--that Constantinople was finally overcome, and given into the hands of the Turks.
In addition to the fire, smoke, and brimstone, which apparently issued out of their mouths, it is said that their power was also in their tails. The meaning of the expression appears to be that horses' tails were the symbol, or emblem, of their authority. It is a remarkable fact that the horse's tail is a well- known Turkish standard, a symbol of office and authority. The image before the mind of John would seem to have been that he saw the horses belching out fire and smoke, and, what was equally strange, he saw that their power of spreading desolation was connected with the tails of the horses. Anyone looking on a body of cavalry with such banners, or ensigns, would be struck with this unusual or remarkable appearance, and would speak of their banners as concentrating and directing their power.
This supremacy of the Mohammedans over the Greeks was to continue, as already noticed, three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days. "Commencing when the one hundred and fifty years ended in 1449, the period would end August 11, 1840. Judging from the manner of the commencement of the Ottoman supremacy, that it was by a voluntary acknowledgment on the part of the Greek emperor that he only reigned by permission of the Turkish sultan, we should naturally conclude that the fall or departure of the Ottoman independence would be brought about the same say; that at the end of the specified period [that is, on the 11th of August, 1840] the sultan would voluntarily surrender his independence into the hands of the Christian powers," [34] just as he had, three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days before, received it from the hands of the Christian emperor, Constantine XIII.
This conclusion was reached, and this application of the prophecy was made by Josiah Litch in 1838, two years before the expected event was to occur. In that year he predicted that the Turkish power would be overthrown "in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August;" [35] but a few days before the fulfillment of the prophecy he concluded more definitely from his study that the period allotted to the Turks would come to an end on August 11, 1840. It was then purely a matter of calculation on the prophetic periods of Scripture. It is proper to inquire whether such events did take place according to the calculation. The matter sums itself up in the following inquiry:
When Did Mohammedan Independence in Constantinople End?--For several years previous to 1840, the sultan had been embroiled in war with Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt. "In 1838 there was a threatening of war between the sultan and his Egyptian vassal had he not been restrained by the influence of the foreign ambassadors. . . . In 1839 hostilities were again commenced, and were prosecuted until, in a general battle between the armies of the sultan and Mehemet, the sultan's army was entirely cut up and destroyed, and his fleet taken by Mehemet and carried into Egypt. So completely had the sultan's fleet been reduced, that, when hostilities commenced in August, he had only two first-rates and three frigates as the sad remains of the once powerful Turkish flee. This fleet Mehemet positively refused to give up and return to the sultan, and declared if the powers attempted to take it from him, he would burn it. In this posture affairs stood, when, in 1840, England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia interposed, and determined on a settlement of the difficulty; for it was evident, if let alone, Mehemet would soon become master of the sultan's throne." [36]
The sultan accepted this intervention of the great powers, and thus made a voluntary surrender of the question into their hands. A conference of these powers was held in London, the Sheik Effendi Bey Likgis being present as Ottoman plenipotentiary. An agreement was drawn up to be presented to the pasha of Egypt, whereby the sultan was to offer him the hereditary government of Egypt, and all that part of Syria extending from the Gulf of Suez to the Lake of Tiberias, together with the province of Acre, for life; he on his part to evacuate all other parts of the sultan's dominions then occupied by him, and to return the Ottoman fleet. In case he refused this offer from the sultan, the four powers were to take matters into their own hands, and use such other means to bring him to terms as they should see fit.
It is obvious that as soon as this ultimatum should be placed under the jurisdiction of Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt, the matter would be forever beyond the control of the Sultan, and the disposal of his affairs would, from that moment, be in the hands of foreign powers. The sultan dispatched Rifat Bey on a government steamer to Alexandria, to communicate the ultimatum to Mehemet Ali. The ultimatum was placed as his disposal on the eleventh day of August, 1840! On the same day, in Constantinople, a note was addressed by the sultan to the ambassadors of the four powers, inquiring what plan was to be adopted in case the pasha should refuse to comply with the terms of the ultimatum, to which they made answer that provision had been made, and there was no necessity of his alarming himself about any contingency that might arise.
The facts are substantiated by the following quotations:
"By the French steamer of the 24th, we have advices from Egypt to the 16th. They show no alteration in the resolution of the Pacha. Confiding in the valor of his Arab army, and in the strength of the fortifications which defend his capital, he seems determined to abide by the last alternative; and as recourse to this, therefore, is now inevitable, all hope may be considered as at an end of a termination of the affair without bloodshed. Immediately on the arrival of the Cyclops steamer with the news of the convention of the four powers, Mehemet Ali, it is stated, had quitted Alexandria, to make a short tour through Lower Egypt. The object of his absenting himself at such a moment being partly to avoid conferences with the European consuls, but principally to endeavor, by his own presence, to arouse the fanaticism of the Bedouin tribes, and facilitate the raising of his new levies. During the interval of this absence, the Turkish government steamer, which had reached Alexandria on the 11th, with the envoy Rifat Bey on board, had been by his orders placed in quarantine, and she was not released from it till the 16th. Previous, however, to the poet's [*] [boat's] leaving, and on the very day on which he [she] had been admitted to pratique, the above- named functionary had an audience of the Pacha, and had communicated to him the command of the Sultan, with respect to the evacuation of the Syrian provinces, appointing another audience for the next day, when, in the presence of the consuls of the European powers, he would receive from him his definite answer, and inform him of the alternative of his refusing to obey; giving him ten days which have been allotted him by the convention to decide the course he should think fit to adopt." [37]
The correspondent of the London Morning Chronicle, in a communication dated "Constantinople, August 12, 1840," says:
"I can add but little to my last letter on the subject of the plans of the Four Powers; and I believe that the details I then gave you compose everything that is yet decided on. The portion of the Pacha, as I then stated, is not to extend beyond the line of Acre, and does not include either Arabia or Candia. Egypt alone is to be hereditary in his family, and the province of Acre to be considered as a pachalik, to be governed by his son during his lifetime, but afterwards to depend on the will of the Porte; and even this latter is only to be granted to him on the condition of his accepting these terms and delivering up the Ottoman fleet within the period of ten days. In the event of his not doing so, this pachalik is to be cut off. Egypt alone is then to be offered, with another ten days for him to deliberate on it before actual force be employed against him. The manner, however, of applying the force, should he refuse to comply with these terms--whether a simple blockade is to be established on the coast, or whether his capital is to be bombarded and his armies attacked in the Syrians provinces--is the point which still remains to be learned; nor does a note delivered yesterday by the four ambassadors, in answer to a question put to them by the Porte, as to the plan to be adopted in such an event, throw the least light on this subject. It simply states that provision had been made, and there was no necessity for the Divan alarming itself about any contingency that might afterward arise." [38]
Let us analyze the foregoing quotations:
First.--The ultimatum reached Alexandria on August 11, 1840.
Second.--The letter of the correspondent of the London Morning Chronicle is dated August 12, 1840.
Third.--The correspondent states that the question of the Sublime Porte was put to the representatives of the four great powers, and the answer received "yesterday." So in his own capital, "yesterday" the Sublime Porte applied to the ambassadors of the four Christian powers of Europe as to what measures had been taken in reference to a circumstance vitally affecting his empire; and was told that "provision had been made," but he could not know what it was; and that he need not give himself any alarm "about any contingency which might arise"! From that day, "yesterday," which was August 11, 1840--they, the four Christian powers of Europe, and not he, would manage that.
On August 11, 1840, the period of three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days, allotted to the continuance of the Ottoman power, ended; and where was the sultan's independence?--GONE! Who had the supremacy of the Ottoman empire in their hands?--The four great powers; and that empire has existed ever since only by the sufferance of these Christian powers. Thus was the prophecy fulfilled to the very letter.
From the first publication of the calculation of this matter in 1838, before referred to, the time set for the fulfillment of the prophecy was watched by thousands with intense interest. The exact accomplishment of the event predicted, showing, as it did, the right application of the prophecy, gave a mighty impetus to the great advent movement then beginning to attract the attention of the world.
Verse 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
God designs that men shall make a note of His judgments, and receive the lessons He thereby designs to convey. But how slow they are to learn, and how blind to the indications of providence! The events that occurred under the sixth trumpet constituted the second woe, yet these judgments led to no improvement in the manners and morals of men. Those who escaped them learned nothing by their manifestation in the earth.
The hordes of Saracens and Turks were let loose as a scourge and punishment upon apostate Christendom. Men suffered the punishment, but learned no lesson from it.
And the sixth angel sounded,
and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet,
Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
And the four angels were loosed,
which were prepared for an hour,
and a day,
and a month,
and a year,
for to slay the third part of men.
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand
and I heard the number of them.
And thus I saw the horses in the vision,
and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire,
and of jacinth,
and brimstone
and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions;
and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
By these three was the third part of men killed,
by the fire,
and by the smoke,
and by the brimstone,
which issued out of their mouths.
For their power is in their mouth
and in their tails
for their tails were like unto serpents,
and had heads,
and with them they do hurt.
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands,
that they should not worship devils,
and idols of gold,
and silver,
and brass,
and stone,
and of wood:
which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk
Neither repented they of their murders,
nor of their sorceries,
nor of their fornication,
nor of their thefts.
*******
Again- taken from the book Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith--
Verse 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
The Sixth Trumpet.--"The first woe was to continue from the rise of Mahometanism until the end of the five months. Then the first woe was to end, and the second begin. And when the sixth angel sounded, it was commanded to take off the restraints which had been imposed on the nation, by which they were restricted to the work of tormenting men, and their commission extended to slay the third part of men. This command came from the four horns of the golden altar." [26]
The Four Angels.--These are the four principal sultanies of which the Ottoman Empire was composed, located in the country watered by the Euphrates. These sultanies were situated at Aleppo, Iconium, Damacus, and Bagdad. Previously they had been restrained; but God commanded, and they were loosed.
Late in the year 1448, as the close of the 150-year period approached, John Palaeologus died without leaving a son to follow him on the throne of the Eastern Empire. His brother Constantine, the lawful successor, would not venture to ascend the throne without the consent of the Turkish sultan. Ambassadors therefore went to Adrianople, received the approbation of the sultan, and returned with gifts for the new sovereign. Early in the year 1449, under these ominous circumstances, Constantine, the last of the Greek emperors, was crowned.
The historian Gibbon tells the story:
"On the decease of John Palaeologus, . . . the royal family, by the death of Andronicus and the monastic profession of Isidore, was reduced to three princes, Constantine, Demetrius, and Thomas, the surviving sons of the emperor Manuel. Of these the first and the last were far distant in the Morea. . . . The empress-mother, the senate and soldiers, the clergy and people, were unanimous in the cause of the lawful successor: and the despot Thomas, who ignorant of the change, accidentally returned to the capital, asserted with becoming zeal the interest of his absent brother. An ambassador, the historian Phranza,, was immediately dispatched to the court of Adrianople. Amurath received him with honor and dismissed him with gifts; but the gracious approbation of the Turkish sultan announced his supremacy, and the approaching downfall of the Eastern empire. By the hands of two illustrious deputies, the Imperial crown was placed at Sparta on the head of Constantine. [27]
"Let this historical fact be carefully examined in connection with the prediction [given] above. This was not a violent assault made on the Greeks, by which their empire was overthrown and their independence taken away, but simply a voluntary surrender of that independence into the hands of the Turks, by saying, 'I cannot reign unless you permit.' " [28]
The four angels were loosed for an hour, a day, a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men. This period, during which Ottoman supremacy was to exist, amounts to three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days. Thus: A prophetic year is three hundred and sixty prophetic days, or three hundred and sixty literal years; a prophetic month, thirty prophetic days, is thirty literal years; one prophetic day is one literal year; and an hour, or the twenty-fourth part of a literal year year, or fifteen days; the whole amounting to three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days.
"But although the four angels were thus loosed by the voluntary submission of the Greeks, yet another doom awaited the seat of empire. Amurath, the sultan to whom the submission of Deacozes was made, and by whose permission he reigned in Constantinople, soon after died, and was succeeded in the empire, in 1451, by Mahomet II, who set his heart on Constantinople, and determined to make it a prey.
"He accordingly made preparations for besieging and taking the city. The siege commenced on the 6th of April, 1453, and ended in the taking of the city, and death of the last of the Constantines, on the 16th day of May following. And the eastern city of the Caesars became the seat of the Ottoman Empire." [29]
The arms and mode of warfare which were used in the siege in which Constantinople was to be overthrown and held in subjection were, as we shall see, distinctly noticed by the prophet.
Verse 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
"Innumerable hordes of horses, and them that sat on them! Gibbon describes the first invasion of the Roman territories by the Turks thus: 'The myriads of Turkish horse overspread a frontier of six hundred miles, from Tauris to Azeroum, and the blood of 130,000 Christian was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian prophet.' Whether the number is designed to convey the idea of any definite number, the reader must judge. Some suppose 200,000 twice told is meant, and then, following some historians, find that the number of Turkish warriors in the siege of Constantinople. Some think 200,000,000 to mean all the Turkish warriors during the 391 years fifteen days of their triumph over the Greeks." [30] Nothing can be affirmed on the point. And it is not at all essential.
Verse 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
The first part of this description may have reference to the appearance of these horsemen. Fire, representing a color, stands for red, "as red as fire" being a frequent term of expression; jacinth, or hyacinth, for blue; and brimstone, for yellow. These colors greatly predominated in the dress of these warriors; so that the description, according to this view, would be accurately met in the Turkish uniform, which was composed largely of red, or scarlet, blue, and yellow. The heads of the horses were in appearance as the heads of lions, to denote their strength, courage, and fierceness; while the last part of the verse undoubtedly has reference to the use of gunpowder and firearms for purposes of war, which were then but recently introduced. As the Turks discharged their firearms on horseback, it would appear to the distant beholder that the fire, smoke, and brimstone issued out of the horses' mouths.
Quite an agreement exists among commentators in applying the prophecy concerning the fire, smoke, and brimstone to the use of gunpowder by the Turks in their warfare against the Eastern Empire. [31] But they generally allude simply to the heavy ordnance, the large cannon, employed employed by that power; whereas the prophecy mentions especially the "horses," and the fire "issuing from their mouths," as though smaller arms were used, and used on horseback. Barnes thinks this was the case; and a statement from Gibbon confirms this view. he says: "The incessant volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied with the smoke, the sound, and the fire of their musketry and cannon." [32] Here is good historical evidence that muskets were used by the Turks; and secondly, it is undisputed that their general warfare they fought principally on horseback. The inference is therefore well supported that they used firearms on horseback, accurately fulfilling the prophecy, according to the illustration above referred to.
Respecting the use of firearms by the Turks in their campaign against Constantinople, Elliott thus speaks:
"It was to 'the fire and the smoke and the sulphur,' to the artillery and firearms of Mahomet, that the killing of the third part of men, i.e., the capture of Constantinople, and by consequence the destruction of the Greek Empire, was owing. Eleven hundred years and more had now elapsed since her foundation by Constantine. In the course of them, Goths, Huns, Avars, Persians, Bulgarians, Saracens, Russians, and indeed the Ottoman Turks themselves, had made their hostile assaults, or laid siege against it. But the fortifications were impregnable by them. Constantinople survived, and with it the Greek Empire. Hence the anxiety of the sultan Mahomet to find that which would remove the obstacle. 'Canst thou cast a cannon,' was his question to the founder of cannon that deserted to him, 'of size sufficient to batter down the wall of Constantinople?' Then the foundry was established at Adrianople, the cannon cast, the artillery prepared, and the siege began.
"It well deserves remark, how Gibbon, always the unconscious commentator on the Apocalyptic prophecy, puts this new instrumentality of war into the foreground of his picture, in his eloquent and striking narrative of the final catastrophe of the Greek Empire. In preparation for it, he gives the history of the recent invention of gunpowder, 'that mixture of saltpeter, sulphur, and charcoal;' tells, as before said, of the foundry of the cannon at Adrianople; then, in the progress of the siege itself, describes how 'the volleys of lances and arrows were accompanied with smoke, the sound, and the fire of the musketry and cannon;' how 'the long order of Turkish artillery was pointed against the walls, fourteen batteries thundering at once on the most accessible places;' how 'the fortifications which had stood for ages against hostile violence were dismantled on all sides by the Ottoman cannon, many breaches opened, and near the gate of St. Romanus, four towers leveled with the ground:' how, 'as from the lines, the galleys and the bridge, the Ottoman artillery thundered on all sides, the camp and city, the Greeks and the Turks, were involved in a cloud of smoke, which could only be dispelled by the final deliverance or destruction of the Roman empire:' and how the besiegers at length 'rushing through the breaches,' 'Constantinople was irretrievably subdued, her empire subverted, and her religion trampled in the dust by the Moslem conquerors.' I say it well deserves observation how markedly and strikingly Gibbon attributes the capture of the city, and so the destruction of the empire, to the Ottoman artillery. For what is it but a comment on the words of the prophecy? 'By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the sulphur, which issued out their mouths.' " [33]
Verse 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.
These verses express the deadly effect of the new mode of warfare introduced. It was by means of these agents--gunpowder, firearms, and cannon--that Constantinople was finally overcome, and given into the hands of the Turks.
In addition to the fire, smoke, and brimstone, which apparently issued out of their mouths, it is said that their power was also in their tails. The meaning of the expression appears to be that horses' tails were the symbol, or emblem, of their authority. It is a remarkable fact that the horse's tail is a well- known Turkish standard, a symbol of office and authority. The image before the mind of John would seem to have been that he saw the horses belching out fire and smoke, and, what was equally strange, he saw that their power of spreading desolation was connected with the tails of the horses. Anyone looking on a body of cavalry with such banners, or ensigns, would be struck with this unusual or remarkable appearance, and would speak of their banners as concentrating and directing their power.
This supremacy of the Mohammedans over the Greeks was to continue, as already noticed, three hundred and ninety-one years and fifteen days. "Commencing when the one hundred and fifty years ended in 1449, the period would end August 11, 1840. Judging from the manner of the commencement of the Ottoman supremacy, that it was by a voluntary acknowledgment on the part of the Greek emperor that he only reigned by permission of the Turkish sultan, we should naturally conclude that the fall or departure of the Ottoman independence would be brought about the same say; that at the end of the specified period [that is, on the 11th of August, 1840] the sultan would voluntarily surrender his independence into the hands of the Christian powers," [34] just as he had, three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days before, received it from the hands of the Christian emperor, Constantine XIII.
This conclusion was reached, and this application of the prophecy was made by Josiah Litch in 1838, two years before the expected event was to occur. In that year he predicted that the Turkish power would be overthrown "in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August;" [35] but a few days before the fulfillment of the prophecy he concluded more definitely from his study that the period allotted to the Turks would come to an end on August 11, 1840. It was then purely a matter of calculation on the prophetic periods of Scripture. It is proper to inquire whether such events did take place according to the calculation. The matter sums itself up in the following inquiry:
When Did Mohammedan Independence in Constantinople End?--For several years previous to 1840, the sultan had been embroiled in war with Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt. "In 1838 there was a threatening of war between the sultan and his Egyptian vassal had he not been restrained by the influence of the foreign ambassadors. . . . In 1839 hostilities were again commenced, and were prosecuted until, in a general battle between the armies of the sultan and Mehemet, the sultan's army was entirely cut up and destroyed, and his fleet taken by Mehemet and carried into Egypt. So completely had the sultan's fleet been reduced, that, when hostilities commenced in August, he had only two first-rates and three frigates as the sad remains of the once powerful Turkish flee. This fleet Mehemet positively refused to give up and return to the sultan, and declared if the powers attempted to take it from him, he would burn it. In this posture affairs stood, when, in 1840, England, Russia, Austria, and Prussia interposed, and determined on a settlement of the difficulty; for it was evident, if let alone, Mehemet would soon become master of the sultan's throne." [36]
The sultan accepted this intervention of the great powers, and thus made a voluntary surrender of the question into their hands. A conference of these powers was held in London, the Sheik Effendi Bey Likgis being present as Ottoman plenipotentiary. An agreement was drawn up to be presented to the pasha of Egypt, whereby the sultan was to offer him the hereditary government of Egypt, and all that part of Syria extending from the Gulf of Suez to the Lake of Tiberias, together with the province of Acre, for life; he on his part to evacuate all other parts of the sultan's dominions then occupied by him, and to return the Ottoman fleet. In case he refused this offer from the sultan, the four powers were to take matters into their own hands, and use such other means to bring him to terms as they should see fit.
It is obvious that as soon as this ultimatum should be placed under the jurisdiction of Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt, the matter would be forever beyond the control of the Sultan, and the disposal of his affairs would, from that moment, be in the hands of foreign powers. The sultan dispatched Rifat Bey on a government steamer to Alexandria, to communicate the ultimatum to Mehemet Ali. The ultimatum was placed as his disposal on the eleventh day of August, 1840! On the same day, in Constantinople, a note was addressed by the sultan to the ambassadors of the four powers, inquiring what plan was to be adopted in case the pasha should refuse to comply with the terms of the ultimatum, to which they made answer that provision had been made, and there was no necessity of his alarming himself about any contingency that might arise.
The facts are substantiated by the following quotations:
"By the French steamer of the 24th, we have advices from Egypt to the 16th. They show no alteration in the resolution of the Pacha. Confiding in the valor of his Arab army, and in the strength of the fortifications which defend his capital, he seems determined to abide by the last alternative; and as recourse to this, therefore, is now inevitable, all hope may be considered as at an end of a termination of the affair without bloodshed. Immediately on the arrival of the Cyclops steamer with the news of the convention of the four powers, Mehemet Ali, it is stated, had quitted Alexandria, to make a short tour through Lower Egypt. The object of his absenting himself at such a moment being partly to avoid conferences with the European consuls, but principally to endeavor, by his own presence, to arouse the fanaticism of the Bedouin tribes, and facilitate the raising of his new levies. During the interval of this absence, the Turkish government steamer, which had reached Alexandria on the 11th, with the envoy Rifat Bey on board, had been by his orders placed in quarantine, and she was not released from it till the 16th. Previous, however, to the poet's [*] [boat's] leaving, and on the very day on which he [she] had been admitted to pratique, the above- named functionary had an audience of the Pacha, and had communicated to him the command of the Sultan, with respect to the evacuation of the Syrian provinces, appointing another audience for the next day, when, in the presence of the consuls of the European powers, he would receive from him his definite answer, and inform him of the alternative of his refusing to obey; giving him ten days which have been allotted him by the convention to decide the course he should think fit to adopt." [37]
The correspondent of the London Morning Chronicle, in a communication dated "Constantinople, August 12, 1840," says:
"I can add but little to my last letter on the subject of the plans of the Four Powers; and I believe that the details I then gave you compose everything that is yet decided on. The portion of the Pacha, as I then stated, is not to extend beyond the line of Acre, and does not include either Arabia or Candia. Egypt alone is to be hereditary in his family, and the province of Acre to be considered as a pachalik, to be governed by his son during his lifetime, but afterwards to depend on the will of the Porte; and even this latter is only to be granted to him on the condition of his accepting these terms and delivering up the Ottoman fleet within the period of ten days. In the event of his not doing so, this pachalik is to be cut off. Egypt alone is then to be offered, with another ten days for him to deliberate on it before actual force be employed against him. The manner, however, of applying the force, should he refuse to comply with these terms--whether a simple blockade is to be established on the coast, or whether his capital is to be bombarded and his armies attacked in the Syrians provinces--is the point which still remains to be learned; nor does a note delivered yesterday by the four ambassadors, in answer to a question put to them by the Porte, as to the plan to be adopted in such an event, throw the least light on this subject. It simply states that provision had been made, and there was no necessity for the Divan alarming itself about any contingency that might afterward arise." [38]
Let us analyze the foregoing quotations:
First.--The ultimatum reached Alexandria on August 11, 1840.
Second.--The letter of the correspondent of the London Morning Chronicle is dated August 12, 1840.
Third.--The correspondent states that the question of the Sublime Porte was put to the representatives of the four great powers, and the answer received "yesterday." So in his own capital, "yesterday" the Sublime Porte applied to the ambassadors of the four Christian powers of Europe as to what measures had been taken in reference to a circumstance vitally affecting his empire; and was told that "provision had been made," but he could not know what it was; and that he need not give himself any alarm "about any contingency which might arise"! From that day, "yesterday," which was August 11, 1840--they, the four Christian powers of Europe, and not he, would manage that.
On August 11, 1840, the period of three hundred ninety-one years and fifteen days, allotted to the continuance of the Ottoman power, ended; and where was the sultan's independence?--GONE! Who had the supremacy of the Ottoman empire in their hands?--The four great powers; and that empire has existed ever since only by the sufferance of these Christian powers. Thus was the prophecy fulfilled to the very letter.
From the first publication of the calculation of this matter in 1838, before referred to, the time set for the fulfillment of the prophecy was watched by thousands with intense interest. The exact accomplishment of the event predicted, showing, as it did, the right application of the prophecy, gave a mighty impetus to the great advent movement then beginning to attract the attention of the world.
Verse 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
God designs that men shall make a note of His judgments, and receive the lessons He thereby designs to convey. But how slow they are to learn, and how blind to the indications of providence! The events that occurred under the sixth trumpet constituted the second woe, yet these judgments led to no improvement in the manners and morals of men. Those who escaped them learned nothing by their manifestation in the earth.
The hordes of Saracens and Turks were let loose as a scourge and punishment upon apostate Christendom. Men suffered the punishment, but learned no lesson from it.
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