Sunday, June 22, 2025

BOOK OF REVELATION— CHAPTERS 16, 17, 18-19, 20, 21-22

 

  


 New Testament Bible
Story 

Chapter One hundred-thirty-nine:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ 

                             
                   
                                  Chapter 16 


CHAPTER SIXTEEN

     John hears a voice from out of the Temple in heaven to the
seven angels with the seven vials, "Go your way and pour out the
vials of the WRATH of God upon the earth."
     
     The FIRST angel pours out his vial, and there is a GRIEVOUS
SORE upon all that are part of  the Beast and have its mark, and
worship its religious image (verses 1-2).

     The SECOND angel pours out his vial upon the sea, and it
becomes like the blood of the dead, and every living life in the
sea dies (verse 3). Is this the whole sea of the entire world, or
the sea close to the Holy Land? There is no elaboration, so only
time will tell. But the thought of every life dying, is horrible
to contemplate.

     The THIRD angel pours out his vial upon the rivers and
fountains of water; and they become blood (verse 4). Again, is it
the fountain of waters in and around just the Holy Land, or the
entire earth; is not told us. But that angel is heard by John as
saying, "You are righteous, O Lord, which are, and was, and shall
be, because You have judged it to be this way. They have shed the
blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to
drink; for they are worthy of such plagues" (verse 5,6). 
     Then John hears another out from the altar say, "Even so,
Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are all thy judgments"
(verse 7).

     And the FOURTH angel pours out his vial upon the sun, and
power was given to scorch people with fire. And people were
scorched with GREAT heat, and did they REPENT? You would think by
now it would had gotten through to their minds that God is God, that He
is very REAL, and means business. But they only blaspheme the
name of God, and they DID NOT REPENT! (verses 8,9).

     The FIFTH angel pours out his vial upon the seat or
headquarters of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness;
and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of
heaven because of the pains and their sores, and REPENTED NOT of
their deeds" (verses 10-11).

     Now by this time, actually three and a half years earlier,
the beast "man" and the "false prophet" man have moved to
Jerusalem, all explained in my other studies on "Prophecy." So it
may be that the seat of the beast here spoken about is the Holy
Land, or it may be the seat the beast has in Europe. But
wherever, you will notice they STILL HAVE the "sores" of verse 2.
So that shows SOME of the vials will CONTINUE at least for some
time. And by the way so far all these vials could be poured out
in a matter of hours of each other, still on the same day. The
miracles that they are only takes the angels a second or so to pour
out.
     We have scorching heat and then whatever length of time
given, we have DARKNESS upon the kingdom of the beast. From one
extreme to the other. But nothing so far will make the people of
the kingdom of the beast REPENT!

     So is the depth of Satanic deception!

     The SIXTH angel pours out his vial upon the river Euphrates;
and the water of it dries up, that the way of the kings of the
EAST might be prepared (verse 12). Do the kings of the East
really need the Euphrates river to dry up? Probably not per se.
Their armies in the modern world do not have to be stopped by a
river. It is probably more symbolic the drying up of the water of
the river Euphrates. It is a way of telling us and the world at that
time, that the great BATTLE between man's physical armies and God
is fast on its way.

     John sees three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the
mouth of the dragon, representing Satan, out of the mouth of the
"man" beast and out of the mouth of the "man" false prophet.
These are the THREE great deceivers of the last 42 months of this
age. Of course Satan is behind the two "men" deceivers, but there
are the three as John sees it in vision. The three spirits are
demonic. Satan is Satan, yet the beast man and the false prophet
man, will have Satan's top demon spirits working inside of them.
No doubt Satan has his right and left hand demons by his side,
top rank demons in his army of demons. These demons will work
miracles through their human puppets. So as they go forth unto
the kings of the earth, and the whole world, they will influence
the mighty armies left in the world at this time (and obviously
some will be from the East of the river Euphrates), to gather
together to the BATTLE of the GREAT DAY of God almighty (verses
12-14).

     Jesus says, "Behold, I will come as a thief. Blessed is he
that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and
they see his shame (verse 15). Even at this very late time, Jesus
says you better keep on keeping on the right road, for He will
still come somewhat unexpectedly. You can never let up on walking
the road that leads to eternal life, you can never let up for any
length of time, especially during the GREAT DAY of God almighty.

     The armies of Satan, the beast, the false prophet and the
kings of the East, are gathered together into the place in Hebrew
called Armageddon, north west of Jerusalem. It is a large plain,
very fitting for a large army to gather together to make war, on
an enemy from the sky or clouds over the city of Jerusalem. The
result of this battle is given to us in Zechariah 14. We have there
that Jesus will melt the skin off their bones and the blood
will flow like a river for 183 miles from Ar-Mageddon to south of
Jerusalem (chapter 14:19-20).
     The Hebrew "ar" means mountain or range or plain, while
"megiddo" means fortification, castle, stronghold).

     Jesus and the saints and the angels HAVE COME! They have
descended from the clouds and have taken the victory and have
destroyed those who have been destroying the earth. 
     The GREAT BATTLE of the Day of God's wrath, the Day of the
Lord, is over, the armies of Satan, both physical and spirit,
have been DEFEATED!!

     But there needs to be ONE MORE FINAL battle witness to the
humans of the great end-time Babylon.

     The SEVENTH angel pours out his vial into the air, and there
comes forth a great voice out of the Temple of heaven , from the
very throne of heaven, saying, "IT IS DONE!!" (verse 17).

"And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and there
was a GREAT earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the
earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so GREAT!" (verse 18).

     It can only be imagined, but then even our minds may not be
able to imagine how great this earthquake will be.

"The GREAT CITY was divided into three parts, and the cities of
the nations fell: and GREAT Babylon came in remembrance before
God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of
His wrath" (verse 19).

     The Great City, is that Jerusalem? Some might probably say
it is, but then why not words like "the holy city" or just the
word "Jerusalem"? Letting the Bible interpret itself we have in
chapter 17:18 concerning this Babylon women, the connection with
"the great city" phrase. The Babylon woman whore and "the great
city" is referring to the city that has had more influence on the
world, over the centuries, as a whole, than any other city in the
world - the great city of ROME! 
     All over the nations of the world, that are still left by
this time, their cities fall. I expect this means their major
cities. Then God remembers this end-time BABYLON, what is left of
her destroyed Empire (for as we shall see in chapter 18, and as
it was in chapter 9 and the SIXTH angel TRUMPET, most of this
Mystery Babylon the Great, has been devastated by this time, by
the time Jesus is descending from the clouds and these seven
vials are being poured out), and she is given more punishment.

"And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found"
(verse 20).

     Could this be meaning the small islands in  the seas around
the Holy Land, or islands any and everywhere? With such a great
earthquake as mankind has never experienced, taking place, it
could well mean islands (what size of islands is simply not
stated) all over the world. 

"And there fell upon mankind a GREAT HAIL out of heaven, every
hail-stone about the weight of a talent ..." (verse 21).

     Great hail ... well nothing like it in the history of man
... about the weight of a "talent"  --  this 75 POUNDS !! 

     Did all this lead people to REPENTANCE?  NOT A BIT!  People
STILL blasphemed God because of the plague of hail!

     In chapter 17 and 18 we again STEP BACK in time, as those
two chapters are INSET chapters, to inform us about MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE
EARTH.

                            ..................

To be continued



 New Testament Bible
Story 

Chapter One hundred-forty:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ 

                             

                                              Chapter 17 


CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

     Let's remember that a "woman" - "her" can most definitely
refer to "a church" - Revelation 12 and the "woman" - there is
the true Church of God.
     Here in Revelation 17, we have "the great whore" - "woman" -
"the mother of..." 
     Obvious this is not "the true Church of God." Let's look at
some important phrases connected with the "woman" - this church.
She sits on many "waters" - verse 1; (meaning given in verse 15) -
many people, nations, and tongues. The kings of the earth have
been in bed with her (verse 2). The inhabitants of the earth have
been made "drunk" with her wine (looks kinda nice in the glass)
she pours out (verse 2). She is very rich in a physical way
(verse 4).
     The woman is "drunk with the blood of the saints" - verse 6.
She sits on seven mountains (verse 10). The woman is "the great
city, which reigns over the kings of the earth (verse 18). In
chapter 18, this woman, this "her" - is obviously also an
"empire" indeed in a literal way as well, certainly at the time
of the end she is. It was through her"sorceries" that all nations
were deceived (chap.18:23). And once more in "her" was found the
blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all (the context is true
saints) that were slain while she lived and was in domineering
power (chap.18:24).

     Add it all up, put it all together, use some common logic,
as we look at "woman" church history.
     Is this the Church of God, Seventh Day? Did that "church" do
the above mentioned things? No, I do not think so. It this the
Baptist "churches" - did they do the above mentioned character
functions in their history? Is this the Pentecostal "churches" -
can you list them with the things done in Revelation chapters 17
and 18? Is this the Assemblies of God? Is this the Church of Jesus
Christ and Latter Day Saints (the Mormons)? Is this the Jehovah
Witnesses? Is this the Presbyterians? How about the chapters 17
and 18 being the Seventh Day Adventist church? Maybe chapter 17
and 18 is speaking about the Lutheran church. I DO NOT THINK SO!
You can go down through all the "Seventh Day" observing churches
and all the "Sunday observing" churches in the Yellow Pages, and
I do not think you will tie any of them with Revelation 17 and 18
....

EXCEPT ONE CHURCH ORGANIZATION.

     There has been and can ONLY BE ONE church that meets ALL
that is mentioned in Revelation chapters 17 and 18. A church that
sits on MANY waters, many peoples, nations, and tongues. A church
that has political connections with "kings" and other high
ranking world leaders. A church that does have WORLDWIDE
influence that can and has made the inhabitants of the earth
drunk in many ways. A church that has and does have great
physical wealth and has had "nations" of physical riches under its
control, hence an "empire" that influenced the world and nations
in many physical ways, from beliefs, to religion, to
philosophies, to government laws, to even war. A church that has
in its history the real facts of killing "Christians" that
differed with it, the blood of saints on its hands, in a very
literal way. A church that has in many ways "reigned over the
kings of the earth" and done it from having its own very real
city within a city. A city that with the head of that church in
that city, could decreed, order, have authoritative influence
over even kings and governments, to do the "churches" biding. 

     In all of the last 2,000 years, since Jesus ascended back to
heaven, there has been ONLY ONE "woman" - ONE "church" that can
answer to all that is written about it in Revelation 17 and 18.
And that ONE church is the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH of the city of
Rome!!

     It is NOT POSSIBLE that ANY OTHER church could fulfil all
that is said about it in those two chapter of Revelation. There
is not ANY OTHER church that is large enough, wealthy enough,
POWERFUL enough, sitting on many nations and tongues, having
kings and governments influenced or directing controlled by it,
and that also has a MASSIVE history of KILLING other saints or
Christians. There can ONLY BE ONE church that has ever been since
Christ, or is today, that answers to all the points given in
Revelation 17 and 18. And this church is, I repeat, the Roman
Catholic church - the Papacy!

     This is so obviously true that just about all of your "old"
(not sure what the new ones have to say) Protestant Bible
Commentaries AGREE that chapter 17 is talking about the Papacy,
the Church of Rome.

     I give you some of the comments of Albert Barnes, from
"Notes on the New Testament" - one of the most popular and best
selling Bible Commentaries of all time. 

Quote:

OF THE GREAT WHORE. It is not uncommon in the Scriptures to
represent a city under the image of a woman ... In verse 18 of
this chapter it is expressly said that "this woman is the great
city that reigneth over the kings of the earth" - that is, as I
supposed, Papal Rome; and design here is to represent it as
resembling an abandoned female - fit representative of an
apostate, corrupt, unfaithful church...
THAT SITTETH ON MANY WATERS. An image drawn from either Babylon,
situated on the Euphrates ... or Rome, situated on the Tiber. In
verse 15, these waters are said to represent the people,
multitudes, nations, and tongues over which the government
symbolized by the woman, ruled.
WITH WHOM THE KINGS OF THE EARTH HAVE COMMITTED FORNICATION.
Spiritual adultery. The meaning is, that Papal Rome, unfaithful
to God, and idolatrous and corrupt, has seduced the rulers of the
earth, and led them into the same kind of unfaithfulness,
idolatry, and corruption....How true this is history need not be
stated. All the princes and kinds in the dark ages and for many
centuries were, and not a few of them are now, entirely under the
influence of Papal rome.
AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH HAVE BEEN MADE DRUNK WITH THE
WINE OF HER FORNICATION. The alluring cup which as a harlot she
had extended to them....that is, they had been, as it were,
intoxicated by the alluring cup she held out to them. What could
better describe the influence of Rome on the people of the world,
in making them, under these delusions, incapable of sober
judgment, and in completely fascinating and controlling all their
power.... AND I SAW A WOMAN. Evidently the same which is referred
to in verse 1.
SIT UPON A SCARLET COVERED BEAST....The word "scarlet" denoted a
bring red color - brighter that crimson, which is a red color
tinged with blue....The color was obtained from a small insect
which was found adhering to the shoots of a species of oak in
Spain and Western Asia....It is applicable in the description of
Papal Rome, because this is a favorite color there. thus it is
used in chapter 12:3, where the same power (the one behind the
power - Keith Hunt) is represented under the image of a "red
dragon." ....
It is remarkable that nothing would better represent the favorite
color at Rome than this, or the actual appearance of the Pope,
the Cardinals, and the Priests in their robes, on some great
festival occasion. Those who are familiar with the descriptions
given of Papal Rome by travellers, and those who have passed much
time in Rome, will see at once the propriety of this description,
on the supposition that was intended to refer to the Papacy. I
caused this inquiry to be made of an intelligent gentleman who
had passed much time in Rome - without his knowing my design -
what would strike a stranger on visiting Rome, or what would be
likely particularly to arrest the attention as remarkable there;
and he unhesitantly replied, "the scarlet color." This is the
color of the dress of the Cardinals - their hats, and cloaks, and
stockings being always of this color. It is the color of the
carriages of the Cardinals, the entire body of the carriage being
scarlet, and the trappings of the horses the same. On occasion of
public festivals and processions, scarlet is suspended from the
windows of the houses along which processions pass. the inner
color of the cloak of the Pope is scarlet; his carriage is
scarlet; the carpet on which he treads is scarlet. A large part
of the dress of the body-guard of the Pope is scarlet....(of
course today the Papacy does not use carriages and horse, but
"scarlet" color is still used. Here Barnes is pointing out that
in his day - middle 1800s - scarlet was greatly used by
the Papacy - Keith Hunt)......
I conclude, therefore, that if it be admitted that it was
intended to represent Papal Rome in the vision, the precise
description would have bee adopted which is found here.
FULL OF NAMES OF BLASPHEMY. All covered over with blasphemous
titles and names. What could more accurately describe Papal Rome
than this?.....
AND I SAW THE WOMAN DRUNKEN WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS.....The
meaning here is, that the persecuting power referred to had shed
the blood of the saints; and that, in its fury, it had, as it
were, drunk the blood of the saints, and had become, by drinking
that blood, intoxicated and infuriated. No one need say how
applicable this has been to the Papacy.....
AND WITH THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS....The meaning is,
that the warfare in which so much blood was shed was directed
against the saints as such ... and deserved to be called, by way
of eminence, martyrs....How applicable this is to the Papacy, let
the blood shed in the valleys of Piedmont; the blood shed in the
Low Countries  by the Duke of Alva; the blood shed on
St.Bartholomew's day; and the blood shed in the "Inquisition,"
testify......
SEVEN HEADS ARE SEVEN MOUNTAINS. Referring undoubtedly to Rome -
the seven-hilled-city.....(more that just interesting that Rome
is built on seven hills - Keith Hunt)......

There can be no doubt that this refers to Rome - either Pagan,
Christian, or Papal. All the circumstances combine in this; all
respectable interpreters agree in this. This would be naturally
understood by the symbols used by John, and by the explanations
furnished by the angel. See verse 18. "And the woman which you
saw is that great city. which reigneth over the kings of the
earth." Every circumstance combines here in leading to the
conclusion that Rome is intended. There was no other power or
empire on the earth to which this could be properly applied;
there was everything in the circumstance of the writer to lead to
suppose that this was referred to; there is an utter
impossibility now in applying the description to anything
else......

End Quote

     The notes of Barnes on these chapters are very extensive and
detailed. I have only reproduced a fraction of his notes, in his
Bible Commentary.

     As Barnes came to conclude, as I have concluded from all the
natural and historic evidence, when you take all the facts and
all the verses on this "woman" that rides the "beast" - the woman
that guides and rules over nations, peoples, and kings, and the
woman that has killed the saints, has blood on her hands,  there is 
ONLY ONE possibility as to who she is - THE MIGHTY ROMAN
CATHOLIC CHURCH - THE PAPACY!!

     She sat on a "beast" - the secular/political/military
machine of the Roman Empire, that had seven heads, or seven Holy
Roman Empire resurrection. The SEVENTH resurrection is YET TO
COME! It will be the very last religious/political/military power
of Rome. Out of this NOW UNITED Europe, there will be TEN kings
or governments that will give their undivided mind and strength
and power to this end-time MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT. They shall
try to FIGHT Jesus, the Lamb on His return to earth (verses
10-14).
     And these same ten horns will finally come to see that the
woman whore, is just that, she is a spiritual whore, she does not
represent in any form, Jesus the Christ, she has been a false
church, a deceiving church, a corrupt church, a DECEPTION that
has influenced and made drunk just about all the world in one way
or another. At her defeat by Christ and His armies at the battle
of Armageddon. The people of the ten nation/kings will HATE the
whore, and she turn and make her desolate, naked, burn her with
fire (verse 16). 
     The armies of this coalition of the end-time Babylon Holy
Roman Empire will be destroyed at Armageddon (Zech.14) but the
people of the Empire will still be there in the various countries
it ruled. It is they who will turn and start to ransack all the 
physical building etc. that represent the Empire. A mob action
reflex. The average person by this time, will have come to see 
the real enemy was not the Christ from heaven but the very power 
they had been serving for 42 months. They will turn and hate the 
whore, and deal with her in no uncertain a way.

     We must also note that in this 17th chapter, the woman whore
was the MOTHER OF HARLOTS! She did have children that came out of
her and grew to be women in their individual manner. But all of
them have some of the genes we might say, some of the character,
some of the things that came from their mother. Of course Albert
Barnes and others would not like to see that. They would hardly
admit that all Protestant churches are the harlots from the
mother church. Interesting it is, that the Mother has no
difficulty in called the Protestant churches her "wayward"
daughters, who need to come back to her.

     Let's look at a few things the woman whore has given to the
world to make the world drunk on her fornications.

     The RC church has given the world the Roman Calendar, and
now just about all the world bows to it in some form, great or
small. Most of the world recognizes the 1st of January, some
fully and completely, others at least in part. When we moved from
1999 to the year 2,000, the first of January, was acknowledge by
Eastern countries as well as the Western world. And it is that
way every 1st of January now. 
     The RC church gave the world Christ-mass. In some form or
other just about all nations give this season some acknowledgement,
either religiously or the "celebrations" of that material
festivity.
     Most of the Western world, even many "churches" observe
Halloween, originally, from the RC church as "All Saints Day."
     The RC church conquered Britain and most Christian countries
with Easter in place of Passover (I have a few in-depth studies
on that on this Website). 
     The RC church in giving us the Roman calendar had an easier
way then to give is many pagan festivals, as well as how we
regulate the hours of the day. So we have the day beginning in
the middle of the night at 12 midnight. 
     
     Those are a few of the "made all nations drunk on the wine
of her fornications" theology and adoptions from the pagan nations.

     We must not forget of course the many false theological
teachings it has made "Christian nations" drunk on, that she
adopted and has passed on to her harlot daughters. Probably one
of the most serious falsehoods was and is the teaching of sinners
burning in a hell-fire for eternity, being in pain, screaming and
burning but never dying. This teaching passed on into the
Protestant churches and was used to bring "fire and brimstone"
sermons to "get people saved."  

     The most serious falsehood this woman church gave and passed
on was the adoption of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the
fourth commandment, which plainly states it is the 7th day of the
week that is the Sabbath of God. And also that change was
connected with adding the false pagan festivals of the year and
throwing out God's festivals.

     So, putting it all together, as Albert Barnes said, there is
just NO OTHER force or influence that can have had such a wide
impact on the world, with nations, peoples, languages, kings,
governments, and a so-called "Christian" religion of the masses,
than the Roman Catholic church, the Papacy.

     She is the BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION that will yet, ONE MORE
TIME, ride the Roman political/military Empire of Europe.
Prophecy is marching on. The scene is taking shape in Europe. It
will come to pass, only time is needed and God can give lots of
time, if He so decides. 
     I am 65 years old as I write these last end chapters of the
New Testament Bible Story. If God grants me a long life like my
father is having (he's now 87), will all this take place in my
life time? Maybe, it certainly could, if God desires it. Then He
may not desire it and this prophecy of the book of Revelation may
not be fulfilled in my life time. But I do guarantee you that IT
WILL COME TO PASS, as I've expounded to you so far. If you have
eyes to see and hears to hear, you can see it all taking shape in
Europe, with the RC church, with the people of the West, and with
the nations of the East.

           I am now 83 in September of 2025. The prophecy of Revelation could be

           still many years away. Europe is yet to move way more forward politically, 

           militarily, and very much so religiously. The Roman Catholic Church is 

           yet to emerge way more powerful and influential. Time with God is not like 

           time with us, 20 years to the Lord God is as nothing,  so it is He who gives

           the time for all prophecy to be fulfilled. But it will be fulfilled as He has decreed. 



     The goods news is that MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT AND HER
EMPIRE WILL FALL, and will be no more. And that brings us to
Revelation chapter 18.

                             .................

To be continued

 New Testament Bible
Story

Chapter One hundred-forty-one:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ  - Chapters 18 and 19

                        
                 
                                         Chapters 18 - 19


CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

     Let's use the same common logic in this chapter as we did in
chapter 17. We will notice some key verses. 

     This Babylon has influenced kings, governments, all nations
in an overall of the word "all" and have been made drunk by the
wine of her wrongs, spiritual fornications. And "merchants" of
the earth have grown rich through her. So we are dealing right
away with MORE than just a "church" and its theology.
     She sits as a queen, and thinks she is correct, and will see
no sorrow. She is going to suffer death in one day, quick and
deliberate death. Kings or government authorities will bewail
her, when the smoke of her burning is seen. They will need to be
far off, but will lament her destruction as it comes so fast
(verses 2-10).
     The MERCHANTS of the earth will weep over her death, because
it's the end of her trading and economy. Again, much more than
just a "theology church" (verse 11). Notice the END of verse 13
... no more "slaves" (margin has "bodies") and lives of people
... Oh, indeed we are back into person's lives being handled. 
Merchants who were "made rich by her" shall stand off and weep
and wail, at her torment of destruction.  They will say, "Alas,
alas, the GREAT CITY, that was clothed in fine linen, and people,
and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and
pearls. For in one hour so great riches is come to nought"
(verses 15-17a). 
     All the shipmasters, and all the company in ships, and
sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried,
when the saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "What was like
unto this great city!" (verse 17b-18).
     This is going to be such a massive and LARGE destruction
that people working in the ship industry will see from afar the
smoke of her burning. Those merchants that do their trading via
the movement of ships will weep and cry because their riches are
now over and finished (verse 19).
     This is way more than just a "theological church" of some
religion.

     This great city or power called Babylon will be thrown down
with VIOLENCE! (verse 21).

     She will be a power that did proclaim the "bridegroom" and
the "bride - Jesus as the bridegroom, and the "church" as the
bride of Christ, but it was DECEPTION and all (certainly a very
large part) of the nations were deceived by her gospel.
     And once more notice verse 24. In her was found the BLOOD OF
THE PROPHETS, and of SAINTS, and of all that were slain upon
earth (in the context of "Christianity").

     She is guilty of killing God's true prophets and saints!

     This is no mere "church theology" religious group. It is
THAT, yes indeed, BUT this account GOES WAY BEYOND, some nice
quiet little "religious" church.

     This chapter is talking about AN EMPIRE! A massive
political/trading POWER in the world, that makes merchants RICH
and wealthy - literally! A power that deals in all kinds of
merchant good, even slaves and the lives of people. It is a world
power that kills God's prophets and saints!

     Let's look at the world scene. Now granted, what I'm about
to say could be argued, if you perhaps think Jesus will not
return for another five hundred year, things would be drastically
different by then, on the world scene. But if you believe Jesus'
return if not hundreds of years away, then....

     Could South America, very high in Roman Catholic religion,
be the global power to be this Babylon here spoken about? VERY
UNLIKELY indeed.
     Could the African continent be this global power - even more
unlikely I would say.
     Could this global power be Russia, a hundred years or so
back, Roman Catholicism was very prominent in Russia. I guess you
could argue given enough time, maybe Russia is the Babylon on
Revelation 18. Could this mighty power of this chapter be China?
They have right now a red hot industry as of 2007, but they are
not and never did have the history of worldwide Christian
deception, and mass killings of the saints of God.
     What about the Arab nations, could they be this Babylon of
Revelation? Once more I guess if you argue and answer with "a few
hundred years or so before Jesus returns" - you might be able to
think the Arab nations will be this power of Revelation.

     But finally what about Europe? With what we have seen from
Revelation chapter 17, this chapter would flow right along, as an
extension or further expounding of chapter 17 and Europe being
this end-time economical and deceptive "christian" power, that
has in its history killed the saints of God, and put forth
teachings, and customs and practices, that have indeed covered
much of the earth in DECEPTIONS.
     Europe has finally come together, after many centuries of
certain nations and leaders of those nations WANTING to bring
Europe together by FORCE of warfare, and did NOT succeed. But
"economical" reasons have persuaded them to hook up-arms and walk
together. And it so happens that most of those countries are
predominately Roman Catholic. 

     I submit to you, that of all the "powers" in the world - the
United European Empire fits the description and the future
prophecy (taking all the centuries of the past into
consideration) of Revelation 18.

     And so the reality at the end of the day is that this
prophecy of Revelation 17 and 18, is the BABYLON POWER OF EUROPE
with THE WOMAN "CHURCH" - THE BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION OF ROMAN
CATHOLICISM, riding this last end-time
political/economical/religious system.

     She will come to power relatively quickly, and be so great
on the world scene it will take your breath away. She will be the
world's greatest trading and economical power that will do
wonders in making some people very wealthy. 

     This end-time Babylon will be the "king of the north" in
Daniel 11, who will come and destroy the "king of the south" -
the Arab confederacy. Then march into the Holy Land, and take
Jerusalem - Daniel 411:40-45. THEN there shall be a time of
trouble as never was on the earth - Daniel 12:1. It is the same
time Jesus spoke about (Mat.24:24) and Jeremiah wrote about
(Jer.30:7). The GREAT TRIBULATION will begin. The Western world
will come under the heal of this end-time, 7th resurrection of
the Holy Roman Empire. It will deal in slavery and the lives of
people. It will kill many of the saints of God for one more time,
before Jesus returns. Other of the Lord's people will have to
flee to the wilderness. The two witness of God will preach in the
city of Jerusalem. Then into the Day of the Lord, this power will
try to conquer the people of the East (the 5th trumpet of
Revelation 9). But it will not succeed, just as it did not
succeed before in World War 1 and 2. The power to the East will
counter attack (the 6th trumpet of Revelation 9) and THAT POWER
TO THE EAST will be God's hammer to SMASH, BLAST, and bring
DESTRUCTION on Europe. 

     And so we are back in Revelation 18, at the time of this
Babylon Mystery Religion Empire being DESTROYED, and the
merchants of the earth wailing and weeping over her. 
     Chapter 17 and 18 are chapters that "clue us in" on this
mighty end-time Beast power and tell us about her destruction in
the blowing of the 6th trumpet. They are "clue us in" and
"destruction" INSET chapters that have taken us back to the 6th
trumpet sound.

     The 17th and 18th chapters of Revelation are CONNECTED -
they are two parts of the WHOLE. And chapter 17th is proved by
history to be the Roman Catholic church - a woman whore - riding
the empire or Beast, which had SEVEN head resurrection (the 7th
yet to come in full reality) in history called the Holy Roman
Empire. Every one of those resurrection was in Europe. The 7th
and final resurrection will be in the same geographical area of
the planet - Europe! It's ALREADY THERE, but the woman/beast has
not yet reached full maturity, but it will, in God's time plan,
He can hold it back from maturing for as long as He wishes,
according to how long He wants the church of Jesus Christ to do
its work, before He closes the door on their teaching and
preaching of His word, to the nations of the world. The world
wide INTERNET is of the greatest tools to proclaim the full
Gospel, but when the woman rides the Beast for one last time, and
as I have been VERY PLAIN as to who this woman is, you can be
assured this Website will disappear off into outer-space, and
there will be a time of SILENCE, for the last 42 months of this
age, except for the Elijah to come, and the two witnesses
in Jerusalem. 
     
	There is one more important voice that comes from heaven 
saying, "COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE, THAT YOU BE NOT PARTAKERS
OF HER SINS, AND THAT YOU RECEIVE NOT HER PLAGUES!" (verse 4).

	Do YOU love God's Word, do you fear and tremble in the right
way, before the Almighty? Do you desire to DO HIS WILL and live 
His commanments. The Eternal wants to give you eternal LIFE with 
Him, but you must be willing to see the deceptions of Babylon
and COME OUT OF HER!

THE WOMAN THAT RIDES THE BEAST

	If you need IN-DEPTH proof and reading material, 
the Roman Catholic church being the "woman that rides the beast" 
at the time of the end, then you need to read "A Woman Rides the 
Beast" by Dave Hunt (no relation to me). This large, (over 500 pages)
book was published in 1994, by Harvest House Publications. It may 
still be in print, or Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com may have 
copies, or your local Public Library may carry it. The book is 
LOADED with facts and histories to prove the "woman whore" of 
Revelation is the Roman Catholic church.


CHAPTER NINETEEN

     Now, in chapter 19 we are brought forward again to the very
coming of Christ IN THE CLOUDS with His army, to battle, and have
"the supper of the great God" (verse 17). 

     John hears the voice of "much people" (Green in his
English/Greek Internilear translates "a voice of a crowd") - not
human people for humans do not go to heaven at death - saying,
"Alleluia; Salvation, glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord
our God: True and righteous are His judgments: for He has judged
the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her
fornications, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her
hand." And again they said: "Alleluia." and her smoke rose up for
ever and ever, and the four and twenty elders and the four beasts
fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying,
"Amen; Alleluia"
(verses 1-4).

     John hears another voice coming out of the throne area,
saying: "Praise our God, all you His servants, and you that fear
Him, both small and great." He hears as it were the voice of a
multitude, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many
thunders, saying: "Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent
REIGNETH. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for
the MARRIAGE of the LAMB is come, and His WIFE has made herself
ready" (verses 5-7).

     Here we are in the time frame and scene of Jesus coming for
His bride the true church of God, and the marriage feast is
taking place. What a BLESSED AND WONDERFUL time that will be.
Finally the saints of all ages are resurrected or if alive at
Jesus' coming, CHANGED from mortal to immortal, from human to
divine, from corruption to incorruption. It is the time of what
Paul was inspired to tell us about in 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
It is the last trumpet sound, the RESURRECTION takes place, the
angels gather together the saints from the four corner of the
earth (Matthew 24:30,31). It is the time of 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18. The angels will gather the saints and lead them to
Christ in the CLOUDS, in the AIR of this planet. The BRIDEGROOM
and the BRIDE shall be together, the marriage of the Lamb to His
bride has come! What GLORY, what SPLENDOR, the angels sing, a
display of fireworks like no other display blazes away. The
HAPPINESS, the JOY, the PRAISES, the SINGING, the heavenly choir
thunders out the news and the approval. At last the time has now
come for Jesus the Christ, with His bride and the angels, to TAKE
RULERSHIP over the nations of the earth. 
     Jesus' bride, the Church of God, all of them, each
individual is dressed in CLEAN, WHITE, linen, which represents 
RIGHTEOUSNESS! (verse 8).
     They will be BLAMELESS before Christ and God the Father. No
sin will be found in them. No sins will be mentioned, they are
clean and white, pure and holy. You need to read my study (if you
have not done so) called "The Truth about Judgment Day" and
understand it correctly.

     John says he was told: "Write, BLESSED  are they which are
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. These things are the
true sayings of God" (verse 9).
      
     John falls at the angels' feet to worship him, but is told
not to do so, for the angles are like his fellow servants and
brethren, that have the testimony of Jesus; all are to worship
only God. And the testimony of Jesus Christ is the "spirit of
prophecy." Those in Christ, at the time of the end of this age,
will KNOW the prophecy of Jesus, they will understand, the truth
of the matter will be shown to them, they are the ELECT that
cannot be deceived. They will know the prophecy of Jesus, they
will know who the true servants of God are and who the false
teachers are.

JESUS COMES AS KING AND LORD

     John sees heaven open, and behold a white horse and He that
sat upon it was called FAITHFUL and TRUE. He is coming in
RIGHTEOUSNESS to JUDGE and make WAR!!
     This is not the little Lord Jesus in a manger in a stable,
this is not the bloody and battered Lord shedding His blood on
the cross. This is the MIGHTY, the POWERFUL, the ONE who can make
RIGHTEOUS WAR, who can JUDGE with righteousness the nations and
the people of the earth. He is the ONE who can perfectly decide
who are to be DESTROYED of those on earth who are destroying the
earth.
     His eyes are as a FLAME of FIRE; on His head are MANY CROWNS
(He is King of kings); and He has a name that no human knows,
only He Himself. He is clothed with a tunic dipped in blood (He
will now spill the blood of the armies of the world who come to
fight Him); and His name is called "The WORD OF GOD." He is the
very living word of God, the PERFECT ONE! 
     Oh yes, He has His armies also, just like the world and the
Beast power and the people from the East, will have their armies,
so Jesus will come with His mighty armies of saints and angles.
What a scene, the armies of the Lord will ride white horses, be
clothed in white raiment, clean and white (verses 11-14).

     Put yourself in the mind-eye picture, can you imagine the
scene?  It is the battle of the ages. It is the battle like no
other battle. It is the battle to STOP men from destroying the
earth. It is the time as Jesus said, that unless those days were
CUT SHORT, no flesh would be saved alive, the people of the earth
would indeed obliterate themselves from off this planet.
     But the days will be cut short. Jesus will come with His
army. At the command of His voice (a sharp two edged sword) He
will SHOUT the battle CRY! His army will come down from the
clouds with a mighty thunderous shout, the heavens will be
ablaze, the lightnings flashing here and there. What the world
(and especially the human armies at the place called Armageddon,
led by Satan, by the man "beast" general, the man "false
prophet") will believe is the forces from another planet, an
invasion from outer space, will in fact be the GLORIOUS,
POWERFUL, MIGHTY, SPECTACULAR, JUDGE of the nations, Jesus the
Christ, the Messiah, coming to RULE with a ROD of iron, and to
tread out the winepress of the fierceness and WRATH of ALMIGHTY
GOD!!

     The prophecy of Zechariah 14 will be! It has now come to
pass, it is now a reality in our New Testament Bible Story. 

     Jesus has come. On His vesture and on His thigh is the name
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

     The armies of the Beast power in the Holy Land, and the
armies of the Eastern powers, from the other side of the
Euphrates, will have collected themselves together at the plain
called Armageddon. They will have their state-of-the-art space
age rockets and tanks, and their fast nuclear weaponed planes and
all the latest war machines that man has invented, to that time
in history. They will be ready to DO BATTLE!
     But it will be NO CONTEST! Jesus will say the word, and all
the people of the armies there to fight Him, all their flesh
shall MELT off their bones. The blood will flow from Armageddon
like a river for 183 miles, going south, passing Jerusalem, and
on down to the land below. Indeed the time has then come in
Revelation 19 that was foretold long ago by Zechariah - chapter
14 (verses 14-16).

THE END FOR THE BEAST AND FALSE PROPHET

     We still step back a little in time. God wants to give
emphasis! An angel standing in the sun, cries out: "COME YE FOULS
OF THE AIR, GATHER TOGETHER FOR THE SUPPER OF THE GREAT GOD, That
you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and
the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and they that sit on
them. the flesh of all, both small and great, free and slaves."

     Yes, that GREAT WAR of the end of the age has come. The
rubber is going to hit the road. The acid test has come. The
beast man and the kings of the earth, and their armies are
gathered together (verses 17-19).

     The BATTLE is under way! THE BEAST MAN IS TAKEN, TOGETHER
WITH THE "FALSE PROPHET" MAN, who wrought miracles. Yes, Satan
will have his miracle working man on earth also, just as God will
have His two miracle working men - the two witnesses in
Jerusalem. 
     Jesus will take these two evil men - the beast man and the
false prophet man, and they will face capital PUNISHMENT. They
will both be THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE - they are now DEAD,
dead as a door nail!
     The armies of these two end-time evil men with be slain. He
who sits on the white horse - Jesus the Christ, will speak the
word and the armies of mankind will be slain. The fowls of the
air will have their feast of the supper of the Great God (verses
20-21).

     It only remains now for the Devil, for Satan to be chained,
and God's promised ONE THOUSAND YEARS of the age of RESTITUTION
will commence. The AGE TO COME, is about to start!

                            ...................

To be continued



 New Testament Bible
Story

Chapter One hundred-forty-two:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ - chapter 20

                          
                                     The REVELATION of Jesus Christ 


                                                      Chapters 20 



CHAPTER TWENTY

     John sees an angel come down from heaven, having the key to
the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. The angel lays
hands on the Devil, on Satan, and BINDS HIM UP for ONE THOUSAND
YEARS! Satan is put into the bottomless pit, he is shut up, and
sealed from coming out on to the earth. He will not be allowed to
DECEIVE the nations and peoples of the earth, UNTIL the thousand
years are finished, then yes, God will allow him to come out and
once more deceive SOME, but only for a very short season, a very
short time (verses 1-3).

     What a blessing for the people of the earth, to have NO
Satan around for one thousand years. We often do not realize the
horrible work and depths of Satan. When it is all known, I think
we will be somewhat shocked at HOW CLEVER, HOW CUNNING, HOW
DECEPTIVE HE CAN BE, as he often comes as an angel of "light."
Most of the world, the people who have lived in any age, have
been  BLINDED  -  they will be shocked when they are raised to
life again, and really come to understand the depths of the
deceptive work of Satan. The Devil really does come OFTEN as an
angel of light. There are, as I write to finish off this New
Testament Bible Story, OVER ONE BILLION, yes, that is with a big
"B" - Billion Roman Catholics in the world. To them their
Catholic "universal" church is pleasant, nice, caring, warm,
comfortable, and they believe theologically correct (even if some
do disagree with the ruling on "birth control" and "sex only for
reproduction") on the salvation points of theology.
     Then you have all the hundreds of thousands in all the other
"Christian" denominations around the world. Most of the members
in those church denomination as blinded, they just simply do not
know they do not know, or they are not concerned with real study
of the Scriptures. They are in a "comfortable pew" and like it
so. It is their spiritual leaders that are mainly at fault. Most
of those spiritual leaders do go to "theological school" and
study for four years or more. They have encountered the truth BUT
just will not teach it! Satan does a number on all these one
billion and hundreds of millions that go under the name of
"Christ."
     I subscribe to a "Christian Book" club. Every month you have
this magazine coming with all kinds of very fine writers (as far
as English "prose" goes) - articulate, educated, and have all the
"stuff" needed to sell books to the Christian community. I have
nothing against the "prose" of English. Jesse, who has her
Website on this Website of mine, was a much better English
"prose" writer than me, she had a way of writing much like all
these Christian book writer out there, with ONE EXCEPTION - the
MOST important one - Jesse KNEW AND LIVED the truth of God's
word. So, what am I saying, about those "Christian religious
writers" of some fame, or not? To put it bluntly (and I think you
know by now I do at times put things very bluntly) - they ARE
DECEPTIVE teachers, who have and are NOT teaching the theological
truth of God's word. But they come to you as "angels of light." 
     Satan is using them to deceive well over a BILLION
Christians on this earth! You think I'm exaggerating. Well just
ask any of them about the FOURTH commandment in Exodus 20. 

     Then you have the Islamic faith. I believe they say there
are about one BILLION of Islam faith believers in the world at
present. They are deceived also.

     You have other faiths of the Eastern world, different
religious faiths in China, India, Japan. They are all deceived!

     And what about all the hundreds of millions, who just simply
do not believe in God, period! They just do not think God exists,
or do not think about if He exists or not. The creation around
then TESTIFIES to the existence of the Almighty, but they choose
not to think about it. They are deceived also.

     All this DECEPTION, and the one behind it all is Satan the
Devil. Think of the LIBERATING EFFECT this world will feel when
Satan is chained up and CANNOT go around deceiving in any of his
many disguises. It will be ASTOUNDING and a liberating experience
for those people who do live through to see the coming of Christ
and who feel the effect the world will be under when the Devil is
chained up, and cannot do any of his dirty work in the lives of
individual people and governments of nations.    

     John sees, what all true Christians down the ages have
yearned for, have waited for, and looked forward to seeing.
Thrones are there, individuals sitting on them, having judgment.
They are the lives and people of God from all ages. They have
refused to have anything to do with BABYLON the great. They have
been willing to LIVE and to DIE if necessary, for the truths of
the Lord. They were the ELECT and CHOSEN, of God. Now they sit on
thrones and REIGN with Jesus Christ for a THOUSAND YEARS!!
     They have been the relatively SMALL FLOCK, the VERY LITTLE
flock as Jesus once put it, but to them God the Father, is
PLEASED to give them the Kingdom. 
     All the prophets of old have written about the AGE TO COME
(as Paul once termed it) - NOW it is hear! Now the saints with
Jesus, with Enoch, with Abraham, with Moses, with David, with all
the well known and not known, true Children of the Father, shall
reign and rule the nations of this earth for a thousand years.
     And by the way, this is a literal thousand years, otherwise
if not there would have been no need to have gotten so specific
in saying "a thousand years."  The book of Revelation, when
saying "forty two months" means 42 months, not a week, or two
years, or 15 months, it means 42 months. So when John writes one
thousand years, it means just that, ONE THOUSAND YEARS! (verses
4-6).

     If you have not already done so, please read my study on the
millennium (which means "thousand") called "Armageddon and the
Age to Come" for some details in the Scriptures concerning that
age yet ahead of us.

THE REST OF THE DEAD

     Jesus said in John chapter 5, that ALL in the graves would
be raised (John 5:25-29). Here in verse 5 is an important verse
that breaks up into some detail, what Jesus said in the gospel of
John. It is an example of a Bible study key - get all the verses
on any particular subject. This verse here shows clearly that
ONLY the "saints" of God will be in what here is called "the
first resurrection." Those NOT in the first resurrection, are not
raised to life UNTIL AFTER the thousand years. Now, that is
pretty plain and simple to understand. Those that are not
classified by God as worthy to be in the first resurrection, for
whatever reasons the Father has, will not rise in a resurrection
until AFTER the thousand years.
     BUT THEY WILL RISE IN A RESURRECTION, that is important to
know and to remember.
     More about that resurrection a little later.

SATAN AND DECEPTION FOR ONE LAST TIME

     When the thousand years are expired Satan is to be loosed
out of his prison. He will go out to once more DECEIVE the
nations which are in the four quarters of the year. Gog and Magog
(the Russian part of the planet) is especially named, for reasons
we are not told about. But nations in all four quarters are
included. They will be gathered to battle, and the number is not
small at all, like the sands of the sea.
     This army goes up and surrounds the camp or home of
"saints", and the beloved city. This seems to indicate the saints
are ones in the physical flesh, not yet made immortal, who live
in the beloved city, which is pretty certain to be the Holy City
- Jerusalem.
     You may have many question about this, well so do I. We are
given no more details any where in the Bible concerning this
battle. The "why" is the big question. I'm sure God will have
very good reasons for allowing all this to happen, we will just
have to wait until Jesus comes to receive the answers to our
question. All we can do for now is read it and believe it will
take place as written.
     It is a swift victory for God, for fire comes down from
heaven and devours this huge army.
     I will say this, this battle has NOTHING to do with that
mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Both are at the opposite ends of
the one thousand years. As I will write (God willing on all the
Old Testament prophetic books) on those chapters in the future
going through the OT prophetic books, I will just leave it for
now, as I've stated. (verses 4 - 10)

     The Devil is this time dealt with in another manner, he is
thrown into the lake of fire that the beast "man" and the false
prophet "man" were thrown into a thousand years earlier. It would
seem that fire is burning continually during the thousand years.
You will read about this fire in Isaiah 66:15-24, which is also a
chapter on the age to come. Some capital punishment will exist in
the millennium, for those who do not desire to have control over
their fleshly minds (we can still be carnal without the help or
Satan) and who will still want to do wicked things and transgress
against the Lord. 
     The Devil will see his handy work go up in smoke once more.
He will indeed be tormented about it all for ever and ever (Greek
means "ages of the ages." He now begins to see there is no
victory for him, he's smashing his head against a brick way, and
his fate is possibly what Jude alluded to in saying, "wandering
stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever
(Jude 13).
     Satan will know that soon there will be no more humans he
can influence, deceive, posses, or control. His time is just
about up, and the thought of not being able to have humans to
manipulate, and lead into sins, must give the fellow night mares
at the thoughts of it all coming to pass. He indeed will have
terrible mental torment over it all (verses 7-10). Not being able
to deceive and influence and even control, would be one of the
greatest punishments he and his demons could possibly be punished
with. 
     Verse 10 tells us that Satan will be tormented for as the
Greek reads: "for ages of the ages." As Satan is made of spirit,
physical fire and brimstone cannot kill him. Of course God can
say the word and he is no longer, but we see from Jude and from
this verse that it is very likely he will be punished forever in
the blackness of darkness.

THE WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

     John sees a great white throne. He that sits upon it, His
face makes the earth and heaven seem as if not there. Obviously
it is as the next verses tell us the sea and death and hell
(margin is "the grave") gave up the dead.
     From verse 5 we know this is the SECOND resurrection! The
insignificant and the kings, the famous, all great or small, from
young to old, were raised up to life again. The "books" - in
Greek "the biblios" - from where we derive "the Bible" was
opened. And another book - "the book of life" was opened. These
dead, now raised to life, were judged by what is written in the
"biblios" according to how they lived, their attitude of mind.
The sea gave up the dead, and the grave gave up the dead, all the
dead, and they were judged according to how they lived, how they
thought, their very attitude of mind. 
     I have written in detail about this passage and all the
teaching of the rest of the Bible as to being called and chosen,
and the hundreds of millions down through the ages, that have not
been offered salvation in their life-time, who died knowing not
the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the only way to salvation.
Those studies are called, "The Great White Throne Judgment" and
"Called and Chosen - When" and also "The Truth about Judgment
Day."
     Indeed there have been millions in past ages that lived and
died not having the Bible, and not knowing Jesus, the only name
under heaven whereby you can be saved (Acts 4:12).

     This resurrection is not some millions standing at attention
while some judge (God) brings out a TV screen and has two
columns, the right hand one listing all the "good" deeds and the
left hand column listing all the "bad" deeds. And another book on
the judges right hand where the names of those to be saved will
be entered. Then the two columns of good and bad are added up to
see which out numbers the other. If there is more good deeds than
bad one, their name is entered into the book of life, and they
pass through a door that gives them entry into the eternal
Kingdom of God. 
     Some of you may laugh at such a scene. But SERIOUSLY, SOME
CHURCHES TEACH SUCH A DOCTRINE! 
     Now, do you know WHY this idea that some hold is CRAZY, and
off the wall? Because if it was a true teaching of God, then SOME
would obtain salvation BY WORKS!! 
     You may not know this, but the SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS - DO
HAVE such a teaching, it is called "The INVESTIGATIVE JUDGMENT."
     Maybe other "Christian" churches have something similar.
It's a processing line, to investigate all your sins and good
deeds, add them up, see which comes out on top, then depending
which there is more of, you are either written in the book of
life or you are cast into eternal hell fire, where you shout and
scream for eternity in pain from the fire.

     I TELL YOU FRIENDS, BRETHREN, ALL THIS IS ONE OF THE
GREATEST FALSE DECEPTIONS PERPETRATED BY SATAN THE DEVIL!!

     NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON, **EVER** IS GOING TO OBTAIN
SALVATION, ETERNAL LIFE  **THROUGH WORKS**  It is one of the
clearest teachings in the New Testament Bible Story, that you are
SAVED ONLY BY **GRACE** (Ephesians 2:8-10). If you are in any
doubt about that you need to study my study called "Saved by
Grace."
     A lot of "churches" teach you that you are saved by grace,
the SDA church does, BUT THEN they come up with some CRAZY,
UNSCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE, about SOME being able to EARN their way to
salvation and into the book of life BY WORKS, by someone (usually
God the Father or Jesus) standing as judge, opening the Bible and
investigating to see if you have more good works than bad, and
then that decides if your going to hell fire for eternity or into
God's Kingdom for eternity.

     I'm telling you with plain talk, SUCH A TEACHING is not only
AGAINST everything the Bible teaches on obtaining salvation, but
such a teaching is FROM SATAN HIMSELF!

     In MANY studies on this Website, you are given the TRUTH
about salvation, and the truth about being "called" and "chosen"
and THE ONLY way to eternal life. I show you the MANY passages
that give the truth, that ALL ARE IN SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, UNTIL
God decides to call you and REMOVE that spiritual blindness. I
show you that He does NOT call everyone in this physical life
time. Romans chapter 9 through 11 is ONE of the many passages to
ABSOLUTELY PROVE this fact of the Bible and the plan of salvation
as GOD HAS PLANNED it FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON EVER CONCEIVED
AND/OR BORN. 
     GOD HAS A PLAN OF SALVATION, we saw in the letters of Peter,
that the Eternal WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVERYONE COME TO REPENTANCE!
He does not want anyone to PERISH! He sent His only begotten Son
into the world, that whoever believes on Him, should NOT PERISH,
but have eternal life (the famous John 3:16). But UNTIL BLINDNESS
is removed YOU CANNOT even start on being called and chosen, and
walking the road that leads to eternal life. Until you KNOW
Jesus, the ONLY name by which you can be saved, you AIN'T EVEN
OUT OF THE DUG-OUT, you ain't even on FIRST base!
     And MILLIONS down through the ages HAVE NEVER LEFT THE DUG-
OUT!

     These verses in Revelation 20:11-13 are not talking about
some investigative judgment, or people standing in a line to see
if they are going to be saved or not by looking at the tally of
their works in the light of the Bible. 
	You have TWO choices, either these verses ARE talking about 
some "standing in line to be investigated" as to whether they get
eternal life, OR these are people for the first time HAVING SALVATION
OFFERED to them. The LATTER is by far the BEST and the MOST LOVING, 
from a God who just did NOT call and offer salvation to millions
who once lived on this earth. If you choose the first, then I can see
why millions think Christianity is garbage and God is a monster.
Some of the teachings from Catholicism and Protestism have been 
garbage and did make God out to be a monster, who loves to fry 
people for all eternity in some hell fire.

	If you have not seen it before, are you getting now to see
why the Lord proclaims in STRONG language that the majority of
so-called Christianity is MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT? It will be
DESTROYED, and TRUTH will reign supreme one day!

     These verses show MILLIONS of people coming up in a physical
RESURRECTION, who were never called or chosen in their physical
life-time. The Bible will be opened to them, they will UNDERSTAND
IT! The book of LIFE will be opened to them, they will be CALLED
to salvation. They will COME TO KNOW Jesus, the only door to
God's eternal Kingdom. They will NEED TO REPENT! They will need
to accept Jesus as their PERSONAL SAVIOR! They will need to
CHANGE their life (they will come up with the mind-set they had
all their life and died with) - GET IN HARMONY WITH WANTING TO
LIVE BY EVERY WORD OF GOD (Matthew 4:4) WANTING TO LIVE WITH THE
FAITH OF CHRIST (Galatians 2:20) IN THEM. They will NEED TO
CHANGE THEIR MIND-SET, and HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST IN THEM
(Philippians 2:5). 
     ALL THAT WE HAVE STUDIED CONCERNING SALVATION IN THE
WRITINGS OF PAUL, JAMES, PETER, JOHN, AND THE GOSPELS OF CHRIST,
they will need TO SET THEIR MINDS WITH THIS NEW MAN IN CHRIST,
JUST AS WE ARE DOING, JUST AS THOSE WHO WENT BEFORE US HAD TO DO.

     THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO BE SAVED, AND THAT IS BY GRACE, BUT
WE MUST CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK AND ACT, AND MOVE IN THE
DIRECTION OF THE BIBLE.
     EVERY SINGLE PERSON WILL BE SAVED EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. And
those coming up in this resurrection of Revelation 20:11-13, will
be saved just like we are saved today.

     This is a WONDERFUL passage of Scripture that gives HOPE for
the MILLIONS who were never given salvation in their life time,
who never had the BLINDNESS removed, who never KNEW Jesus the
Christ. This is not some "second chance" doctrine that some say
we teach. This is a FIRST CHANCE!!
     And let me tell you, this explanation of Revelation 20:11-13
IS A WHOLE LOT KINDER, LOVING, AND GOOD NEWS, than the SILLY
ideas of what the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches HAVE
taught AND MAYBE still TEACH!

     I have put much of what I just said in BOLD LETTERS. I want
you to REALLY get the point, of false teaching as opposed to the
truth of God.

     The length of time for this white throne judgment period is
NOT given. The one some have used in Isaiah (Isa.65:20 - a
hundred years) may have nothing to do with this period and
resurrection of Revelation 20, but to do with the relatively new
earth and heavens of the 1,000 years age. The context in Isaiah
would relate to the millennium age.

     If you truly LOVE God, you should be REJOICING - PRAISING
GOD - for the TRUTHS you are finding on this Website. As a young
man, yes I was SHOCKED at some of the things I was discovering
about all the Christianity I had followed from age 6 to 18. BUT
at the same time, I can remember SHOUTING FOR JOY at the truths
God was revealing to me in His Word. 

     Jesus PROMISED His true followers, "You shall KNOW the
TRUTH, and the truth will set you FREE."

     It takes the HEART, it takes HUMILITY, to takes a HUNGER and
THIRST after RIGHTEOUSNESS .... yes, it takes all of that, but I
guarantee if you have it, YOU WILL FIND THE TRUTH, AND YOU WILL
BE SET FREE!

     So it is all done. Everyone now has had a chance for
salvation. It only remains for those who REJECTED it, who would
not humble themselves, who would not REPENT, to be rewarded with
DEATH, not eternal life in hell fire, but DEATH, complete
destruction of body and mind.

"And death and hell (the grave) were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the SECOND death. And whoever was not found in the book
of life, was cast into the lake of fire" (verses 14-15).

     Now, righteous, sinless eternity, in a new universe
headquarters can begin.

                           .....................

To be finished next time



 New Testament Bible
Story

Chapter One hundred-forty-three:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ 

                                             
                                        Chapters 21 and 22



CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

     The plan of salvation for human kind is OVER! It is all
finally finished. Satan the Devil and all his host of demons are
cast away. No sin, no evil, no wickedness, no impurity, no
deception, no falsehoods, no death, will ever be. It is all
finished and glorious eternity lies ahead for the Family of God
and the righteous angels.
     John sees a NEW heaven and a NEW earth, and there is no more
sea.
     And why should there be any more sea. Stop and think, what
do we humans see inside the sea, just about nothing, unless you
dive down into it with some fancy man-made under water suits to
keep you alive. For most of us we would not really miss having
the sea. And when we are all in the eternal Family of God, we
would miss it even less. For now, in the present, God created
THIS earth as it is to NEED the sea. But when this age of
physical mankind is gone, then there really is no need for the
sea. The NEW earth that the Lord will make, will not require the
sea. So there just will not be one (verse 1).

     Here is what John sees:

"And I John saw the HOLY CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, coming DOWN from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice  out of heaven saying: Behold the
TABERNACLE OF GOD is WITH MEN, and HE will DWELL with THEM, and
they shall be His people, and GOD HIMSELF shall be WITH THEM, and
shall be their God." (verses 2,3).

     Now, how about that! You've probably been told all your life
that it is YOU who will GO to be with God in heaven.  The truth
of the matter, from all the evidence of the WHOLE Bible is just
the OPPOSITE! When anyone dies they go into the ground, they
return to dust, for from dust they are made. It is true, the
"spirit in man" goes to God in heaven (Eccl.12:7) but the spirit
in man does not see, hear, talk, think, walk, play on a harp, or
DO ANYTHING, by its self, without a body. This is proved very
simply by human experience. If your physical eyes go blind, the
"spirit in man" does not take over and see for you. The spirit in
man is the CD, it records your personality and your character,
but is not functional without the rest of you. God does take your
DNA CD character/personality disc on your death, and does bring
it up to heaven for the future RESURRECTION, when you will also
have a NEW GLORIFIED "spirit" body, and so we are back in Paul's
famous resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15.

     The truth is WE are NOT going to heaven, heaven and God ARE
COMING TO US!

     How Satan has twisted things up-side-down and in-side-out
through false Babylon Mystery religion dressed in the "Christian"
cloak.

     The voice in heaven that John hears goes on to say:

"And God shall wipe away ALL TEARS from their eyes; and there
shall be NO MORE DEATH, neither SORROW, nor CRYING, neither shall
there be ANY MORE PAIN: for the former things are passed away"
(verse 4).

     What a GLORIOUS TIME, what a WONDERFUL eternity for us
humans who were once subject to all the above. It is ALL FINALLY
GONE! All that has been so many times our enemy, is vanquished,
and destroyed, never to be again.
     
     The HE that sits on the throne says:

"Behold I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW"  And He tells John to "Write, for
these words ARE TRUE and FAITHFUL" (verse 5). And He further
said, "It IS DONE! I Am Alpha and Omega, the BEGINNING and the
END (eternal). I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life FREELY. He that overcometh shall
inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
SON!" (verses 5-7).

     Do you REALLY UNDERSTAND that, do you really BELIEVE it? The
purpose you were created for, that God created mankind, was not
to make them into the "angel" kind - NO, it was to make them into
the God kind! Into the very SONS and DAUGHTERS of God the Father.
Popular Christianity talks about being sons and daughters of God,
but with such phrases, do they REALLY understand what it means.
If they do, they do not tell their audience. But the truth of it
all IS found in your Bible. God the Father and Jesus your Elder
Brother, WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS TRUTH! It's all over the New
Testament Story. If you have not yet discovered it by reading the
New Testament, then you can see it all expounded for you in my
study called "A Christian's Destiny."

     The One sitting on the throne, goes on to say:

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with
fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (verse 8).

     In other language from the New Testament, God is saying
UNREPENTANT SINNERS shall be destroyed in the lake of fire, they
shall not have eternal life.

THE NEW JERUSALEM

     And there came one of the angels who had the seven vials of
the seven last plagues, and said to John, "Come with me, and I
will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. John is carried away to
a high mountain and is shown the HOLY JERUSALEM, DESCENDING OUT
OF HEAVEN  FROM GOD (verses 9 and 10).
     The Holy City with is PURE GLORIOUS SPENDER, is
representative of the pure, clean, glorious righteousness, of the
saints, who are the Lamb's wife, as we had seen back in chapter
19:7,8.

     The city has the glory of God, I guess so, for God has lived
in it for .... the eternity past? We are not told. It has a clear
as crystal, stone most precious, look. 
     It has a wall, great and high, with TWELVE gates, and at the
gates, twelve angels, and names on the gates, the names each of
the TWELVE tribes of Israel. Three gates to each side, north,
south, east, and west.
     The wall foundations were TWELVE, in each foundation, the
name of one of the TWELVE apostles of the Lamb (verses 11-14).

     Does God use NUMBERS? I think He does! We have a study of
God's use of numbers on this Website. I will add more to it when
I can.

     Think about how important God's plan was to Him, for the
TWELVE TRIBES of Israel (what He would do through them) and the 
TWELVE APOSTLES (the work through them also) - they will be
imprinted on the Holy City for ALL eternity!

     The angel that talks with John, had a golden reed to measure
the city, the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. The city lies
FOUR SQUARE. The length and the breadth and the height are EQUAL.
It is an astounding 1,500 miles. Each side then was 1,500 miles
and the height was also 1,500 miles. An AMAZING CITY, but can we
expect less from a God that is also AMAZING? No, we can not. It
is fitting that our heavenly Father would have such a MAGNIFICENT
CITY to live in, we should expect no less. The wall is 144
cubits, as man measure a cubit. We can not be exactly sure of
that height, for cubits were different in different ages. No big
deal, after being told the city is 1,500 miles in any direction,
what's a wall height, we can wait to see that.

     John has to put what he sees in human terms so we can have
some idea in our minds-eye. The wall was like jasper; the city
like pure gold, like unto clear glass. The foundations of the
wall
filled or decorated with all kinds of precious stones.
     We are told what structure likeness were the TWELVE
foundations. I leave that for the reader to look up, if they
desire in a good Bible Dictionary. Needless to say it would be
"out of this world" - the pun is of course quite real.
     The TWELVE GATES were twelve Pearls. Each gate one whole
pearl: and the streets of the city - pure gold, again as
transparent glass (verses 15-21).

     This is SOME CITY, the like of course has never been seen on
earth before. It is the city headquarters of the Great Eternal
God.

     This section of Revelation is to be taken literally, there
is nothing wrong with God living in such a GLORIOUS CITY, and
wanting to bring it to the NEW earth. Those who try to teach and
say that God cannot be defined in such a natural way, as indeed
having form and shape, a spirit body, who can live in a spirit
city ... well are they going to be in for a shock, when they see
their "spiritual NOTHING God" shows Himself to be SOMETHING, not
NOTHING.

     Ah, yes, could it be anything else, the City has NO temple,
FOR the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Jesus) ARE THE TEMPLE of
the city! There was at one time a Temple in that City, for Moses
was told to build the Tabernacle according to what was in heaven.
But NOW, all has been completed for salvation, and the Temple of
heaven is needed no more (verse 22).

     This heavenly city has no need of the sun, neither of the
moon, to shine in it; for the GLORY of God did lighten it, and
the  Lamb is the light thereof (verse 23). Oh, I guess so, what
more  light could there be than God the Father and Jesus His Son,
they are PERFECT GLORIOUS LIGHT!

     Verse 24 is very interesting. The nations (Greek can be
"peoples") of them who are saved walk in the light of the city,
and "kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."
     It would seem from this verse, that the sons of God will
inhabit all over, this new earth, and will from time to time come
with their glory (resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians 15) into
the city. Not all of God's children will live inside the city. We
get a small glimpse into that new age, by this verse. The whole
universe is out there, trillions of light years in distance.
God's children will explore it, maybe watch over it, keep it, and
so be living in different parts of the universe, and certainly,
in different parts of this earth. For as we have seen, God's
people of various glory and positions of responsibility, shall
come to the city and walk in its light. Eternity is not going to
be "playing a harp and gazing on Jesus' face all the time."
Eternity will be INTERESTING and FUN, and we just do not know a
millionth of what it will all be, only this verses gives us a
little clue.

     The GATES of this city will not be shut at all. There will
be NO NIGHT there. And again we are told the peoples (God's
children) will bring their glory and honor into it.

     We are told (telling us if we want to be there to come into
this city) that no one can be there who is defiled, or works
abominations, or is a liar, but only they whose names are written
in the book of life (verses 26,27).

     We saw in the epistles of John who was a liar. He who says
"I know Him, and KEEPETH NOT HIS COMMANDMENTS, is a liar, and the
TRUTH is NOT in him" (1 John 2:4). Pretty simple indeed, the
simplicity that is in Christ, is that simple, a child can
understand it. It is not the PhDs of theology, it is not all
those who are super good at English prose and write all those
"Christian books" by the dozens out there. It is THOSE who KEEP
the COMMANDMENTS of God, are yes, saved by grace, but still have
the mind-set, the attitude, to OBEY God, who want to do His will,
follow His way of life, and I will say it once more, for you
Roman Catholic, and all you Protestant people in the world,
serving God, includes the FOURTH commandment of the big Ten!

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

     John sees a wonderful pure river, as clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb. In the midst of
the street of it, on either side of the river there was the tree
of life. Trees that bare TWELVE fruits, and yielded her fruit by
the month; and the leaves of the trees were for the healing of
the peoples. This is I'm sure very real! Do you get the picture
of the world that God lives in? It is not drab, just a kind of
"nothing." It is in God's realm of living, just as diverse and
interesting, just as much pleasing and fun, as ours is. Why our
physical world and things in it, were created very much after the
type of world God lives in. These trees represent "LIFE" and
"HEALING" - they will always REMIND us through eternity what the
Father did with physical human kind - He gave them LIFE and
HEALING - salvation - GLORY as He has, but not as BRIGHT as He
and Jesus His first born Son have (read carefully 1 Corinthians
15 - there will be different glory and brightness, as pleases the
Father, when we are resurrected or changed from mortal to
immortal). (verses 1-2).

     There will never be any more curse of any kind. The THRONE
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and God's children, shall
serve Him. They SHALL SEE HIS FACE, and His name shall be in
their foreheads (verse 3,4).
     We as His children shall always look up to the Father, He
will always be the one we serve and respect, just as the Son
Jesus does, did respect and follow when on earth and still
respects and follows today and forever more. It will be a
WONDERFUL FAMILY relationship for all eternity. And we are given
the absolute PROMISE that when this time of Revelation 21 and 22
is here, we SHALL SEE THE FATHER'S FACE! 
     This is not a God of NOTHINGNESS, as some deceived nutty
minded "teachers of theology" preach. God the Father is a REAL
PERSON, with FORM AND SHAPE, and one day His true faithful
children WILL SEE HIS FACE. Moses asked God to show Himself to
him, in the glory form. God replied to Moses, that he would show
Himself, but Moses could only see God's back-parts, as no
physical human man could look upon God and live. This HAPPENED,
this took place my friends, it was a REALITY. When we are
glorified we SHALL be able to look upon the face of God. Oh, what
wonderful reality, you just have to read it and as a child,
BELIEVE IT! Yes children can understand the clear things of God,
the simple to understand things, are written just that simply, so
children can read the Bible and understand some of the very
basics of what the Father WANTS you to understand! Let the "wise"
in their own minds, get confused, get mixed up, come up with all
kinds of silly and crazy doctrines about the Bible and God, let
them alone, they are BLIND LEADERS OF THE BLIND, as Jesus cried
out to them in His time on earth.
     ONE DAY, if you are faithful to God, if you love Him with
all your heart, mind, and life, if you will but DO HIS WILL,
humble yourself, hunger and thirst for righteousness, YOU WILL
SEE THE VERY FACE OF GOD. Do tears of joy fill your eyes as you
read these words in this chapter? They do mine! Here we are, us
physical weak in the flesh, sinners, saved only by the love and
grace of God, through the love and service of Jesus the Christ,
and we can be one day given the HONOR to look upon the very face
of the MOST HOLY AND PERFECT ONE, the One we can even now call
FATHER. This should make us willing to GIVE UP ANYTHING we need
to give up, to be the true children of God. Jesus did say that to
LOVE HIM, we must be willing to give up, if we have too, our
mother, our father, our brothers, our sisters, our job, our
friends, our .... WHATEVER, to serve Him in spirit and in truth.
     If we are willing to present our bodies as a living
sacrifice to God, holy, acceptable unto Him (Romans 12:1) we
shall LIVE WITH HIM AND SEE HIS FACE!!

     Also, do not miss it, we shall HAVE GOD'S VERY NAME in our
foreheads, in our VERY BEING! There literally will be called
Enoch God, Abraham God, Moses God, David God, Paul God, Peter
God, John God and whatever our first name is now. We shall have
God's name, it will be our sir-name. If you have not done so,
please read my study "A Christian's Destiny" and learn the
wonderful truth of why God created human beings.

     There will BE NO NIGHT THERE in that great heavenly city. No
need for candles, neither the sun, FOR THE LORD GOD GIVES THE
LIGHT, and we shall reign WITH Him for ever and ever (verses
3-5).

     The angel told John that all these things ARE FAITHFUL AND
ARE TRUE.

     The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to John to
show him and us the things which "must shortly be." Obviously
such phrases as "must shortly be" does not mean to God what to us
in our time frame, means to us. As I've said, two thousand years
to God, in the frame of eternity past and eternity future, is but
the millionth of the blink of an eye, to try and put it in some
kind of language that our minds can imperfectly recognize (verse
6).

     Jesus cries out to us of any age since this book was written
down by John, "BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY: BLESSED IS HE THAT KEEPS
THE SAYING OF THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK" (verse 7). 

     There are SAYINGS, there are sentences, in this book, that
we need to KEEP! Have you seen some of them? Let me give you one
- Chapter 14:12. and we'll be given it again in a few verses from
this one. 

     When John heard all these things, his reaction was to fall
down and worship at the angels' feet. He was told NOT to do so,
because the angel was but a servant of the Lord, just as John was
and all children of the Most High. John was to WORSHIP GOD! That
is our calling also, it has never changed since man was upon this
earth (verses 8,9).

     The angel said to John, SEAL NOT THE SAYINGS OF THIS
PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND. He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still; he that is filthy, let him be
filthy still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still (verse
10,11).

     The time is short brethren, the prophecy of this book of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. I understand it!
And I have expounded its truth to YOU, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND IT!
     When all these things come to pass, as they will, whoever is
alive when they do, will have A VERY SHORT TIME, before Jesus
comes in glory to reign on earth. He that is HOLY at that time,
when this prophecy is taking place, had better continue to be
HOLY.

     Jesus again cries out: "Behold, I COME QUICKLY; and my
reward is with Me, to give every man according to as his work
shall be. I Am the Alpha and Omega, the BEGINNING and the END,
the FIRST and the LAST (the Eternal One). BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH
DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, THAT THEY MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE TREE OF
LIFE, AND MAY ENTER IN THROUGH THE GATES INTO THE CITY. The ones
who will not make it to enter the city, will be sinners who will
not REPENT and the LIARS (verses 12-15 - my paraphrase).

     Jesus continues: "I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto
you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring
of David, the BRIGHT and MORNING STAR. The spirit and bride say,
Come, and let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the WATER OF
LIFE FREELY" (verses 16,17).

     Yes, salvation is yours my friend, it is FREE! You are saved
by GRACE, but that does not mean, as Jesus has just stated, that
you DO NOT have to keep God's commandments. The teaching that
tells you that grace ABOLISHES the commandments of God, is a LIE,
it is a cunning DECEPTION of Satan the Devil who would like to
see YOU killed in the lake of fire which is the second death.

     Jesus continues: "For I testify unto every person that hears
the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall ADD unto
these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book. and if any person shall TAKE AWAY from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of
the book of LIFE, and out of the HOLY CITY, and from the things
which are written in this book. HE that testifies to these things
says, SURELY I COME QUICKLY" (verses 18-20).


     The above words are all the words that Jesus concluded with
in this book of this prophecy. John after hearing them said:
"AMEN - so be it. Even so come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (verses 20,21).

     It's impossible to get around it. The last words of Jesus in
this book, at the time of the close of the first century A.D.
when false teachers had already come into the Church of God, and
were perverting the Gospel of Christ. They were turning the grace
of God into a license to sin! They were already leaving the faith
once delivered to the saints. They were already wanting to get
away from being called or being associated with the Jews. Just
about anything that was thought of as "Jewish" like the 7th day
weekly Sabbath, and the Festivals of Leviticus 23, was being
changed or "done away with" in the theology of these new false
teachers. It was already under way to adopt Easter instead of
Passover in the church at Rome. By the end of the second century
A.D. Easter had come to stay. Sunday observance was being kept
more and more in the Christian world, it would finally be
officially law by the time of Constantine in 321 A.D. The
observance of Christ-mass would soon be adopted by the growing
powerful Roman church, and so faster and faster was the rise of
MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT. And so it is that through that MOTHER
of HARLOTS, Satan has DECEIVED THE WHOLE CHRISTIAN WORLD (and
many other deceptions for the other parts of the world), only the
very ELECT will not be deceived!

     WHAT A BIBLE STORY IS THE NEW TESTAMENT. I had no time limit
on doing all of this study on the New Testament. It was not until
November of 2007 that I decided to look back and see when I
started this study. I was surprised to see I started it in
November of 2000. It has taken me SEVEN years to the month to
bring it to completion. Interesting when you know how God uses
numbers, and how number SEVEN is completion.
     But numbers aside, the main thing is that all of this study
has HELPED, INSPIRED, EDIFIED, ENCOURAGED, CORRECTED, and brought
YOU personally to a CLOSER WALK WITH GOD. 

     It has been a wonderful experience for me. I thank the Lord
for giving me the INSPIRATION I needed and the TIME I needed to
finish this work of the New Testament Bible Story. I pray the
Lord will give me the time to now start and finish expounding to
you all the prophetic books of the Old Testament, as they relate
to today and beyond, for the nations of Israel, Judah, and the
whole world.

     As the apostle John finished so I use his words:

"THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST BE WITH YOU ALL. AMEN.

                           .....................

Revelation chapters 21 and 22 written November 2007

The New Testament Bible Story started November 2000 and completed
November 2007

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 21, 2025

THE PSALMS— WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12.

 The  following  is  taken  from  the  Bible  Advocate  -  Setember/October 2014,  a  publication  of  the  Church  of  God, Seventh  Day;  Denver, CO,  USA.


#1— PSALMS…. HEART  AND  SOUL  OF  SCRIPTURE [the overview]


Broaden and deepen your friendship with this wonderful Bible terrain. 


by Calvin Burrell




In dealing with the Psalms, we join a multitude of folks who resort there regularly for solace and strength. These 150 "chapters" are among the most oft-read texts in the world's bestseller!


People of faith are attracted to the Psalms for good reasons. They occupy high and middle ground in Scripture. They stand out as the Bible's longest book — fifty Hebrew words longer than Jeremiah, the runner-up.


psalm is Hebrew poetry that was once set to music for use in Solomon's temple. The psalms in our Bibles were in the "hymnbook" from which Jesus of Nazareth sang in the synagogue. As they helped shape and sustain Him in His human formation, so they can serve us in like manner — if we learn them.


Wonder and woe


A common misconception is that the Psalms consist mostly of praise poems, written to exult in God's goodness. Of these there are many, like Psalm 100, a premier poem of public praise, and Psalm 150, a crescendo of instrumental applause at the Psalter's end. Between these two are the marvellous 103rd and more hallelujahs in 111-113, 117, 135, and 144-149.


Further reading, however, shows that the "mostly praise" description fits less than a quarter of the psalms in our Bible. In contrast with the constant praise we expect, what we actually find is a higher fraction of psalms permeated with protest and complaint. Psalm 88 is a prime example of these, and many other psalms (6, 7, 14, 35, 42, 43, and 51-60, for example) carry more gloom than gratitude. David and all other Hebrew poets had their enemies, so themes of grievance and strife are common here.


The presence — even popularity — of this less positive psalm-type reflects the trials, troubles, and tribulations common to all God's children, both ancient and modern. In good times and bad, Christians can find their voice in the Psalms, and God shows Himself patient to bear with us through them all.


Let it also be said that expressions of hope and trust in the Lord are sprinkled through most of these vexed and vexing sections of Psalms. After the nadir of Psalm 88, the tone brightens considerably, with only few exceptions to the psalmists' joy, through to the end.


Unique comfort


How do the psalmists deal with the reality that life is often painful? Mostly, they cope by honest expression of their feelings in God's presence.


One thing they do not say is that the whole mess is evil and should be abandoned for some heavenly retreat in the sky. Neither the earth (read Psalm 8) nor our physical bodies (139:14) are responsible for suffering, fearfully and wonderfully made as they are.


As Creator of the natural world with its solemn majesty and simple marvels, God places great value on what He said was very good at the start. Several psalms of nature express a world-view that pushes back against those who see the created order as fodder for the fires of a future judgment day. Read, for example, the nature passages in Psalms 8, 19, 72, 104, 147, or 148 - then celebrate the fresh and lofty dignity given to God's creative handiwork, whether popularly renowned or not.


From the 93rd through the 99th psalms, we find a Hebrew equivalent of the tension seen in Jesus' message that the kingdom of God is present now in His message and ministry, yet has not yet filled the whole earth. The blessedness of salvation is "already, but not yet," we may say.


This double-edged truth was here in the Psalms, centuries before Christ: "The Lord reigns ... Let the earth rejoice. The Lord is great in Zion ... high above all the peoples ... Your throne is established ... from everlasting.... You have established equity [and] executed justice ..." (93:1, 2; 97:1ff; 99:1-5): These words recognize God's kingdom in the present of David's time. The same psalms also say that since evil often triumphs and suffering abounds (94:1-7), the same Lord who already reigns in the earth must come to judge the earth in righteousness and the peoples with His truth (96:13; 98:9). Both the "already" reign of God in His marvellous created order and the "not yet" coming of the Lord to put it all right again are causes for great praise in the Psalms.


The Psalms teach us not to expect escape from here to heaven but to anticipate God's coming here and bringing His justice to all things, all people, all creation. One unmistakable application of this is that God's people should care for all things natural — our bodies, our health, our environment — because God does! He made literal bodies and worlds at the beginning, and they are in His plan for the blessed end of all things: resurrection of bodies in immortal yet physical form and restoration of the earth to its original splendor and more — all in the Psalms.


Christian gospel?


The Psalms provide several brief but energizing glimpses of the Messiah-Christ and of the gospel message preached by His apostles and the early church.


As essential backdrop for the Christian gospel, the Psalms uphold the law of God in no uncertain terms. This begins in the first psalm and gains momentum in the magnificent 19th. The psalmist's greatest praise for God's Torah instruction through the written Word is found in the massive 119th, though, where all but a few of the 176 verses echo a positive refrain on the biblical materials known as law: His testimonies, His statutes, His ordinances, His judgments, His commandments, His ways, and His Word.


In upholding God's moral instruction so strongly as the Psalms do, the reality about sin must also be faced in truth: More law from God means more sin for people. (The two halves of Psalm 119:96 in King James English suggest both the breadth of God's law and the corresponding failure of humans to fully obey.) No surprise, then, that several psalms major on confession, repentance, forgiveness of, and salvation from, sin.


That every human needs this salvation is seen in Psalms 53:3 and 130:3. That Jesus is the penal substitute provided for our sins is conveyed in Psalm 69:9, where the Messiah says to God, "The reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me."


Psalm 51, King David's repentance song, is strewn with pleas that can be effectual to bring grace again when humbly read and heartily prayed by any present-day sinner. Other penitential segments are in Psalms 32; 38; 103:3, 10-14; and 130:3-8.


The answer to our sin problem in Psalms is not to remove the law (as some say Paul does in the New Testament) but to magnify mercy (110+ uses in Psalms), salvation (110+ uses), deliverance (90+ uses), and redemption (20+ uses). The Lord's mercy toward His people is seen in His not dealing with us as our sins deserve (103:1Off) — a preview of Christ's work on the cross. A core message of the Psalms is that the afflictions and sins of the righteous are many, but the Lord delivers us from every one (34:19).


Summary psalm


We conclude with the majestic 19th psalm, which has been declared the most marvellous poem ever written. It begins by telling how God uses the solar system and all creation to get out the word of His glory, a point we earlier tried to make:


The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices Like a strong man to run his race.

Its rising is from one end of heaven,

And its circuit to the other end;

And there is nothing hidden from its heat (w. 1-6). 


Then the sweet Psalmist of Israel turns from the revelation of God in nature (His created world) to His revelation in the Torah (His written Word), to which we previously referred:


The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them Your servant is warned,

And in keeping them there is great reward (w. 7-11). 


The final verses glance back to our third psalm theme above:  the reality of sin and the good news of salvation. As you read them, look for categories of sins, one of which anticipates apostolic teaching about a "sin unto death" (KJV) in 1 John 5:16, 17. 


Who can understand his errors?

Cleanse me from secret faults.

Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression (w. 12, 13).


Now whisper with David his closing prayer for inward holiness, ending in confidence that the holy Lord who was His strong rock and Redeemer is our Lord and Savior indeed!


Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer (v. 14).

………………..


Jesus in the Psalms


God's Son, the Messiah, is anticipated in the Psalter (see Luke 24:44). Prominent Messianic psalms are 2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 72, and 110. These verses stand out:


"You are My Son, today I have begotten You" (2:7).

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (22:1).

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (45:6, 7; quoted about Christ in Hebrews 1:8,9).

"The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool'" (110:1).

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" (118:22).


— Calvin Burrell

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#2— THE GREAT PSALM ONE

WHEN I WAS A CHILD OF SEVEN MY DAD SENT ME TO A CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL [ANGLICAN SOME MAY KNOW IT AS]. THE FIRST DAY I REMEMBER LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY. THE LADY TEACHER HANDED US ALL A BIBLE. SHE TOLD US TO OPEN TO THE FIRST PAGE. SHE READ "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH….." O MY, BEING A CHILD THAT WAS FASCINATED WITH ALL I COULD SEE AROUND ME, IT WAS LIKE A LIGHT BULB CAME ON IN MY HEAD— NOW I KNEW WHO MADE ALL THINGS; IT WAS A BEING OUT THERE SOMEWHERE CALLED GOD. I BELIEVED IN GOD FROM THAT DAY FORTH.

THE FIRST HALF HOUR OF EVERY SCHOOL MORNING WAS READING IN THE BIBLE. OVER A NUMBER OF MONTHS WE READ THROUGH THE BOOK OF GENESIS. IT WAS MAYBE THE SECOND YEAR WE WERE INTO READING THE BOOK OF EXODUS. WE GOT TO THE 10 COMMANDMENTS IN EXODUX 20. WE WERE TO MEMORIZE THEM, WORD FOR WORD AS IN THE KING JAMES BIBLE, NOT SHORTENED IN ANY WAY. I HAD ALL THE TEN COMMANDMENTS MEMORIZED, I COULD STAND UP IN CLASS AND RECITE THEM. 

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TAUGHT US THAT ALL SHOULD BE OBEYING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. WE WERE NEVER TAUGHT THAT THE FORTH COMMANDMENT HAD BEEN  CHANGED TO SUNDAY. I GREW UP BELIEVING SUNDAY WAS THE SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK. I MEAN JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING CLOSED DOWN ON SUNDAY IN THE 1950s IN BRITAIN. I SAW THAT IF THE WORLD WAS KEEING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD WE WOULD HAVE.

IT WAS ABOUT WHEN I WAS 9 OR 10,  WE WERE TOLD TO MEMORIZE PSALM ONE. O MY I LOVED PSALM ONE. IT TOLD IN NO UNCERTAIN WAY THE GOLDY, THE RIGHTEOUS, FROM THE SINNER, THE UN-GOLDLY. IT PULLED NO PUNCHES ABOUT THE FATE OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE SINNER. I ABSORBED THIS PSLAM, I LOVED MEMORIZING IT. IT BECAME A PART OF ME, A DEEP PART OF ME.

EVEN TODAY IN MY 80s I CAN RECITE IT——

BLESSED IS THE MAN THAT WALKS NOT IN THE COUNCIL OF THE UNGODLY, NOR STAND IN THE WAY OF SINNERS, NOR SITS IN THE SEAT OF THE SCORNFUL.

BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD, AND IN HIS LAW DOES HE MEDITATE DAY AND NIGHT.

HE SHALL BE LIKE A TREE THAT IS PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF WATER, THAT BRINGS FORTH ITS FRUIT IN ITS SEASON; HIS LEAF ALSO SHALL NOT WITHER; AND WHATSOEVER HE DOES SHALL PROSPER.

THE UN-GODLY ARE NOT SO, BUT ARE LIKE THE CHAFF THAT THE WIND DRIVES AWAY. THEREFORE THE UN-GODLY SHALL NOT STAND IN THE JUDGMENT, NOR SINNERS IN THE CONGREGATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

FOR  THE LORD KNOWS THE WAY OF THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT THE WAY OF THE UN-GODLY SHALL PERISH.


IT WAS NOT LONG AFTER MEMORIZING THIS PSALM THAT I BECAME FAMILIAR WITH THE GREAT WORDS IN PSALM 19——

THE LAW OF THE LORD IS PERFECT CONVERTING THE LIFE. THE TESTIMONY OF THE LORD IS SURE, MAKING WISE THE SIMPLE. THE STATUTES OF THE LORD ARE RIGHT, REJOICING THE HEART. THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD IS PURE, ENLIGHTENING THE EYES. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS CLEAN, ENDURING FOREVER. THE JUDGMENTS OF THE LORD ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ALTOGETHER. MORE TO BE DESIRED ARE THEY THAN GOLD, YES, THAN MUCH FINE GOLD. SWEETER ALSO THAN HONEY AND THE HONEYCOMB [verses 7-10].


TRULY  ALL  OF  GOD'S  CHILDREN  SHOULD  HAVE  THE  HEART  AND  ATTITUDE  OF  MIND  THAT  THE  WORDS  FROM  THESE  PSALMS  CONVEY,  THE  TRUTH  OF  THEM  IS  THE  WAY  OF  SALVATION.  FORSAKING  THE  LAW  OF  GOD,  FORSAKING  HIS  COMMANDMENTS,  PUTS  YOU  IN THE  CAMP  OF  THE  SINNER  AND  THE  UN-GODLY, WHO  SHALL  IF  NOT  COMING  TO  REPENTANCE,  WILL  PERISH.

Keith Hunt


[Chiseled truth]


#3— MICHTAM  PSALMS


by Bill Simmon


The michtam psalms (16, 56, 57, 58, 59, and 60) are a beautiful set identified through wording like this: "Psalm 16: A Michtam of David." Strong's Concordance defines michtam as "an engraving, that is, (technically) a poem." When the Old Testament (Hebrew) Scriptures were translated into Greek before 200 BC, the word [Hebrew is given] was chosen for michtam. Its English equivalent, stelography, is defined as "the practice of chiseling commemorative inscriptions in pillars, tablets, etc."


These pillar engravings in ancient days projected ideas to an entire society as lasting reminders. They were a proclamation set in stone for all to see, a vigilant witness as new generations were born and died. Every reader — rich, poor, Jew, or Gentile — was given the same wisdom. What David intended was powerful and important/something to be inscribed for future generations to know and remember. These michtam psalms pass along ideas intended to encourage and maintain the daily awareness of the reader. They are to be etched into the pillars of our conscience also, guiding our lives toward God.


Psalm 16:1: Preserve me. This tells how to be God-connected. Withdraw from idol worship: "Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer" (v. 4). Then, engrave these concepts within: The Lord is my portion and my counselor; only He guides me on the path of life to fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (v. 5-11). From start to end, David exhorts us to find God and be preserved in the world.


Psalm 56:1: Be merciful. Facing life's trials and on the precipice, David pens these encouragements: Whenever I'm afraid, I will trust in You; I will not fear what flesh can do ... I will praise God's word ... You have delivered me from death (vv. 3, 4, 10-13). Faith etched deeply inside us will run deeper and stronger than fear of this moment in the flesh.


Psalm 57:1: In the shadow of Your wings. Though in the struggle again with his soul "among lions," David does not fear but maintains an eye on his future deliverance with a steadfast heart of song and praise (w. 4-7). Our faith too must be deeply engrained and unfaltering.


Psalm 58:1, 2: Judgment of the wicked. David's reflection becomes pointed talk toward those who are willingly "deaf and dumb" (vv. 1-5) and do not speak, and act for truth and justice. The end of the wicked is that "God will take them away"  "as with a whirlwind," but the righteous have a reward (vv. 9-11).


Psalm 59:1, 2: Deliver me. Though much of this psalm is a plaintive cry against his foes (vv. 3-15), David finds courage to expect rescue and sing praise (w. 8-10, 16, 17), requiring a faith embedded by time and use.


Psalm 60:1: Restore us again. Amid trouble at home and abroad (w. 6-11), David's words are self-convicting: O God, You have cast us off, scattered us, been displeased, shown Your people hard things, made us drink the wine of confusion (vv. 1-3). Repentance comes from an engraved knowledge of right and wrong that convicts us. God is a loving Father who will rise up on our behalf. Through God we will do mighty things.


Our struggle is to live these concepts and remain faithful witnesses during dark times, both to those who witness our trials and to those who provoke them. This becomes easier when God's words are etched deeply inside: michtam. 


Bill Simmon is a used equipment manager for a tractor dealership and serves with a Sabbath fellowship in Wichita, KS.

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#4 Are You Happy?


by  Calvin Burrell


"I made up my mind to be happy today."

So said my friend Raul often when we worked closely in ministry. He was always happy in spite of what was "happening" around him — plus or minus. Whether his days were clear or cloudy, Raul talked to God, persevered through it, and practiced inward and outward joy.


Unhappy stuff happens to everybody, even to those near to God's heart. Soak in the Psalms and you'll see. A recent read-through turned up twenty-five of one hundred fifty poem-songs that would never win a positive-thinking essay contest. Thirty-two more I listed as "mixed": They included several verses of misery and gloom alongside their more positive features.


I'm grateful the Psalms don't require unbroken joy and praise, because there are days I don't feel very happy either. Those are usually the times I don't like others or myself much. Some days are just like that; they too shall pass.


What's the source of our negative feelings? Who knows, but I don't think it's the Devil alone who causes them. Instead, I suspect most emotions are generated within us as a soul-ish (mind, will, emotions) response to all the stimuli we've received on any given day.


Do our feelings have moral implications? Some say that emotions are neither right nor wrong; they just are. It seems better to say that our feelings, like our thoughts, do carry either positive or negative charge, more or less. Most feelings may be indicators of how well we're letting this mind be in us that was also in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of God within us helps us discern these things.


What's the best way to cure those feelings that carry a negative charge? Overcome them with positive thoughts, words (like Raul's), and actions. Let the joy of the Lord be our strength.


Experience says that the most likely thing about gloomy feelings is that they will change. Sometimes in an hour or less, but usually after a good night's sleep, melancholy moves on.


I hope life works like that for you, too — by the grace and truth of God. Martin Luther caught a fine truth in this rhyme: "Feelings come and feelings go, And feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the Word of God —Naught else is worth believing."


For me, time, rest, and regular input of Scripture are reliable cures for gloom and despair.


Every negative emotion we've ever had, someone else had it first. Many someones, really. Even the godliest people — men and women after God's heart —have endured dark nights of the soul.


Most of the negative feelings we've ever had find an echo in the psalms of Scripture. We can read them, sing them, meditate on and pray them, if we will — then wrestle with the feelings or put up with them until they too pass.


The corollary of this is also true: Every positive emotion we've ever had — joy, peace, praise, contentment, delight, exhilaration, etc. — somebody else had first. The Psalms reflect most or all of our positive emotions as well. By putting feelings into words, they serve to perpetuate the emotion and root it deeply so that it blossoms more regularly. Let's be wise to trace our finest feelings to their Source and thank Him as David did.


My friend Raul is still happy today because he settled that in his mind, because he seeks the psalmists' high refuge daily, and because he daily echoes their praise. 

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#5 SONS  OF  KORAH


Editor's note: Who are the sons of Korah? In the Bible, they're responsible for writing a number of the psalms. In Australia, they're a band of musicians dedicated to giving a fresh voice to the Bible's hymnbook, using a unique acoustic, multiethnic sound.

The BA caught up with the group's leader, Matthew Jacoby, while they were touring in Australia recently.


BA: We see "Sons of Korah" in the subtitles of a dozen psalms, all in the second and third books (Psalms 42-89). Who was Korah, and who were his sons?


MJ: The name Sons of Korah comes from a group of Levitical musicians to whom at least thirteen of the psalms are attributed (see the small print titles under the numbers of Psalms 42-49 and 84-88). The original sons of Korah were responsible for the ministry of music and song in Old Testament worship, particularly with the musical composition and performance of psalms. What follows is the remarkable story of this family, according to the Bible's brief record.


The sons of Korah tell a wonderful story of God's grace. It appears that this family of musicians were descendants of the same Korah who led a rebellion against Moses in the desert (Numbers 16). This was a serious crime that led to serious consequences for all those involved. We read that God caused the ground to open up and swallow all those who were involved in the rebellion along with their families (v. 31ff). In Numbers 26:11 we read the words "The line of Korah, however, did not die out" (NIV throughout). And sure enough as we follow the genealogies through Chronicles we see that the line of Korah did indeed continue. According to 1 Chronicles 6:31ff, when David organized the different tasks for the temple worship, he assigned the ministry of song for a large part to the Kohathites. The head of this group was Heman, who is the writer of Psalm 88 and a direct descendant of Korah the Kohathite. Hence the psalm is also attributed to the sons of Korah. It seems that at some point this musical family came to be named after their rebellious forefather. The continuing existence of this family line — sons of Korah — was a living testimony to the grace of God that they were happy to declare. They certainly had much to sing about. We feel the same way.


BA: Which few psalms have become your audience favorites, and why?


MJ: Psalm 121 is probably the most requested. It is a psalm of assurance and comfort in the uncertainties of life. Psalm 139 is another that people tend to go back to. The other one that's very popular is Psalm 27. We recorded this in four parts, and to date it is the work I am most happy with. It is an amazing expression of a heart devoted to God and therefore so impervious to fear in the midst of the greatest threats.


BA: Do you stick verbatim with mostly one translation of the psalms for your lyrics?


MJ: We take some liberties with the text in order to make it work with the music, but not so much that the text itself becomes unrecognizable. We want people to recognize the Psalms and memorize them in a form that is as close to a good English translation as possible. We use the NIV as our main guide simply because it is the most widely used translation. I think the NIV translators did a good job of keeping the poetic element in the psalms.


(THE  NIV  MAYBE  GOOD  IN  PARTS,  BUT  IT  SHOULD  NOT  BE  YOUR  BEDROCK  BIBLE;  IT  IS  BASED  IN  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  ON  THE  TWO  CORRUPT  MSS   THE  VATICANUS  AND  THE  SINAITICUS;  WHICH  MOST  MODERN  NT  BIBLES  ARE  BASED  ON,  VERY  CORRUPT!  THE  NEWKJV  SHOULD  BE  YOUR  NUMBER  ONE  ENGLISH  BIBLE   SEE  THE  STUDIES  "HOW  WE  GOT  THE  BIBLE"   Keith Hunt)


BA: Does your group have a default music style, or does each psalm call for a slightly different genre?


MJ: Yes, each psalm calls for its own style. To express the wide range of emotions in the Psalms we draw on a wide range of musical styles. For many of the praise psalms, for example, we draw on the exhilarating sounds of Latin music. For the lament psalms we often use the haunting tones of Arabic music, which also evokes the original eastern context of the psalms themselves. There are also hints of Celtic music here and there. Overall, these styles are hybrids and blends. The result, I think, is something interesting and engaging. To work with many psalms, we have had to move outside the standard three-minute pop song. Many of them run over a few tracks on our albums and are structured in movements that follow each psalm's emotional content. Other psalms do fit into a simpler folk-pop form that keeps them accessible. We play mostly acoustic instruments to keep a timeless element in the music. We do use some electronics though to create a kind of movie soundtrack effect that acts as a bed upon which the acoustic sounds can create an ambient and reflective mood.


BA: The "Sons of Korah" subtitle is found on several bright psalms, like 84 and 85, but also on Psalm 88 - one that N. T. Wright calls "the darkest poem in the whole book." Do you sing the darker psalms as often as you do the brighter ones? How do people respond differently to these genres?


MJ: We sing many of the darker psalms. We believe this genre to be a really important aspect of the prayer life of the Christian community. Darker psalms are an acknowledgment that there are things that grieve God, and in some way they are therefore the reciprocation of the sadness of God over the lost state of the world. If we are to take hold of the truth of the good news, we must first face reality. Unless you face the dark realities of life, the good news will be meaningless. In the lament psalms, the psalmists are faced with the realities of a broken world, and even their own depravity. As they face these realities, their "groaning" sets their hope on what God is doing, and faith rises up. According to Psalm 126, "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." The goal of the Psalms is joy, but the first rung of the ladder to joy, so to speak, is down in the depths of lament. The idea of complaining to God is a vital expression of faith. It is a faith that will not lower expectations of God when the human situation seems to contradict the promises of God. We should not be content with alienation and spiritual power-lessness when God promises us fellowship and empowerment. So when the psalmists feel that they lack what God has promised, they complain. The Psalms are showing us what faith does in

this respect. They model prayer and worship in the tension of life in a broken world in which we await the culmination of God's work of redemption. The Psalms are the expression of the groaning that Paul talks about in Romans 8. This groaning, according to Paul, is a fruit of the Spirit (v. 23). The Psalms are not merely Old Testament songs; they are songs for the church because they are the expression of people praying "in the spirit on all occasions" (Ephesians 6:18). We tend to want the joy without the sorrow. But that is not possible. James speaks to this situation when he says, "Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:9, 10). That sounds like the lament psalms to me. Sorrow is not a thing of the past; it is a vital aspect of faith. So long as there are things in the world and things in us that grieve God, just so long will there be causes for lament.


BA: How do the Psalms speak to the postmodern world?


MJ: They present a faith that is real and grounded in reality. Spiritual expressions are not romanticized; they are authentic and honest. This gutsy and relational spirituality goes beyond prayers of token piety. It is people relating to God through the roller coaster ride of human experience. As a result, you have a far broader range of expression than you find in popular spirituality today. So many expressions in the Psalms would be counter-cultural in today's church context. Yet they speak powerfully to our world. They show us the journey of faith not in abstract form, but from the inside. They are experiential in nature and they invite us into experience. 


Visit the Sons of Korah at son-sofkorah.com

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#6 BRING  BACK  PRAISE


by Dorothy Nimchuk


In an effort to get youngsters off the couch, a Canadian TV commercial promotes "Bring back play." This concept is certainly conducive to good health, prompting children to be active.


Even more important, however, is spiritual health in which godly obedience supersedes bodily exercise — something Paul mentions in 1 Timothy 4:8. This is a special challenge in our current culture in which sports and entertainment have taken center stage and crowded out spiritual pursuits, in addition, the air around us is often polluted with lewd stories, loose lips, and loud curses.


We've lost our ability to praise God in this kind of worldly environment. It's time to "bring back praise" and honor the heavenly Father.


How can we do this? By returning to the Psalms. They are filled with praise for what God has done. They encourage people to serve the Lord with gladness, sing praises to His name, acknowledge His power and glory, and be thankful for His blessings. He is so deserving of praise.


For example, Psalm 36:5-9 is an ode to God's mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, judgments, and loving-kindness. It teaches that we can safely trust in His care and provision. The joy we experience in God's presence transcends the balance in our bank accounts or the food served on our tables.


But praise doesn't always come easily in life. David composed many psalms while in the solitude of the desert with his father's sheep. He praised God for strength and courage to kill a lion and a bear that threatened the sheep. Serving under King Saul, David led his troops into battle in the name of the Lord and praised Him for victories won. When Saul turned against him, David poured out his heart to God through his psalms, battling his own demons of despair.


Worse times for David came when he lusted for another man's wife and experienced God's disfavor. Brought up short by Nathan the prophet for his misdeeds, David was remorseful and quick to repent. He pleaded that God's presence would not leave him.


In times of fear and distress, David remembered to call upon the Lord in both prayer and praise, with the sure knowledge that he would find solace and solutions. Many of us echo his sentiments in times of distress. God should be praised for the good times but also for the growing times when life appears bleak and we seek to learn its lessons.


We are the crowning glory of God's creation. When we enter into God's presence, it is fitting to bring a gift to the Host — a gift of self as a living sacrifice, wrapped in a garment of praise and tied with the ribbon of cheerful obedience. The Psalms serve as a kind of "commercial" in the Bible, reminding us to do that — especially in hard times. They recall God's greatness, power, and authority and that God stands between His people and their enemies.


The Psalms encourage us when we're depressed and lift us up when we're low. In both private reading and public worship, they offer relief from trouble in the expression of highest praise. 


Dorothy and Nick Nimchuk, retired CoG7 pastor, Live in Medicine Hat, Alberta.

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#7 PSALMS  MEDLEY


Psalm-y Summer



By the time you read this, the San Diego CoG7 will have spent most of a summer in the Psalms. This twelve-week season began for us June 21 and will end September 13.


The initial idea came one April evening at sunset on La Jolla Shores beach while I sought God's guidance on my preaching. Typical sermon prep for me involves three things: looking at Scripture; looking at the world around; and looking to God for discernment in comparing and contrasting the two.


Where in Scripture could I find expressed both the high and

low tides of life? Where in the Word is there described both the struggle of emotions that shift like sand and the blessing of faith as solid and unmoving as the rock wall just down the beach? Where in the Bible is there a crying out from the crushing waves of suffering, with assurance of a rescue that doesn't just save us from drowning but actually lifts us up to ride in victory over those waves?


We find all of that throughout the Word, praise God. But He was directing me to a specific section of Scripture: the Psalms.


I'd like to tell you what it looks and feels like on the other side of this twelve-week summer season, but I can't. We aren't there yet!


As I write this in the first week, we've begun a congregational plan to read through the Psalms, and every sermon, every Sabbath class, and every Sabbath praise time will be based out of, or inspired by, passages from this book. As we internalize, memorize, meditate on, and apply the Psalms, we will cry out for spiritual revival in every area of our lives.


And we don't want to stop there! We are asking God to use us in a mighty way so that the revival can spread beyond our congregation — to our friends, co-workers, family members, neighborhoods, and community.


"Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18).

"My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up" (5:3).

"But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me" (13:5, 6).


These are our prayers, that the almighty, sovereign God would open our eyes to see wonderful things in His Word; that He would accept our "Summer in the Psalms" as a sacrifice prepared for Him; that we will watch with faithful expectation, trust in His steadfast love, and rejoice in His salvation. We also pray that the conclusion of this season will see us singing in thanksgiving because of the bountiful way God has dealt with us.


Amen!


— John Marlin, San Diego, CA

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The Psalms' images of our Lord, as the Good Shepherd and us as His sheep share the same comforting truth: Christ watches over us lovingly, and always will.


#8 Good Shepherd


The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and us as His sheep is one of the Bible's most powerful reminders of the enduring love of Christ. While this idea is often associated with the Gospels, it is also held in the pages of the Psalms.


In the most famous psalm, 23, David describes our Lord as a shepherd who meets the needs of His flock, finds them pleasant resting places, and guards them against danger. David's youthful experiences tending his father's sheep helped him create this memorable illustration of the Savior's love for us (1 Samuel 17:34).


Later in the Psalms, Asaph sings, "We, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations" (79:13). Similar sheep themes appear in Psalms 95:6, 7 and 100:3.


In Psalm 28:9, David prays, "Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever," and Psalm 80:1, 2 contains a kindred prayer. Psalm 78:52 describes the Lord's rescue of the Israelites from Egypt as a specific instance of Him guiding His people like a flock.


Psalm 49:14 takes a different approach, portraying unrepentant sinners as sheep who will end up in the grave, shepherded by death. Those who follow the Good Shepherd will be led safely through the valley of the shadow of death and escape this fate (23:4).


Thankfully, if ever our lives are not as they should be, we can cry out as David did, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments" (119:176). 


Long before Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), David knew the Lord cares about us and will save us, no matter where we are.


Foreshadowing similar allegories in the parables of Jesus, the Psalms' images of our Lord as the Good Shepherd and us as His sheep share the same comforting truth: Christ watches over us lovingly, and always will.


— Jonathan Carner, Mobile, AL

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#9 God's Silence


My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? .... I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear (Psalm 22:1, 2).


Has your soul ever reached out to God, and the only response you got was deafening silence? The Psalms often express the grief of God's silence, with a plea to be heard and answered (for other examples, see 28:1, 2; 55:1,2).


We were born as conversing beings, with God and others. From the beginning God enjoyed sweet communion with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. Then He spoke to His people through prophets. Now God has spoken to us through Jesus Christ and the God-breathed Scriptures.


The truth is that our heavenly Father is always speaking, but we are often hard of hearing. Thus, God's seeming silence. If you find yourself not hearing from God, consider these strategies:


* Take steps to ensure you are in the will of God (Psalm 19:14; 139:23, 24). Disobedience can block the channel of hearing from God. He is not obligated to speak to us if we have not obeyed His instructions. Have you despised the counsel and corrections of the Lord?


* Consider you are being tested. As master teacher, God teaches us His words and life lessons, then permits a test. When I teach an aspect of curriculum, I have to allow my students to undergo tests so they'll know what they've learned, then identify the gaps in their learning. God was silent at some points in job's trials so that Satan could know that Job feared God with integrity. Has God given Satan permission to examine you as one of the trophies of His grace?


* Be still and know that He is God (46:10a). When we stop struggling for answers, they often come. In times of silence, make a conscious effort to be confident in the things you know to be true of God: He is faithful, kind, all-powerful, and wise. He never makes a mistake (103:1-5).


* Make sure God hasn't already spoken through Scripture. Sometimes people wait for a word from God when the Bible has provided answers or guidelines. Search the Scriptures, for in them are His words of wisdom and life (19:7).


* Evaluate the experiences of your life. Divine dialogue is happening consistently. What is God saying to you through your daily events? Seek wise counsel to help analyze your silent situations.


* Be patient. God is sovereign; He will "speak" when He chooses (62:1, 5).


* Be committed to a lifestyle of praise. An authentic, consistent worshiper captures the attention of God, who inhabits the praise of His people. In the environment of thanksgiving God is more likely to speak. Like David, make the decision to bless the Lord at all times, and let His praise be continually in your mouth (34:1)!


Everything God does is stamped with purpose — even His silence. Be so secure in His love that you can trustingly embrace His handpicked seasons of silence and wisely take action according to your situation.


— Donna Sherwood, London, England

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#10 My Favorite


My favorite psalm wouldn't make most people's top ten list. It's not the 1st, 23rd, 51st, 100th, 119th, or 150th. It's Psalm 25, a psalm in which a few key themes of the Psalter speak most powerfully to me.


Whatever I may appear to be outwardly, inwardly I am often troubled by sin and emotional turmoil. I often find myself in need of deliverance, forgiveness, and instruction in righteousness.


It's then I find myself quoting the final verse of Psalm 25. Thanks to my unique name, I don't even need to personalize it: "Redeem Israel, O God, out of all [his] troubles."


Psalm 25 is a desperate plea for God to answer us in our distress, rather than letting us fall to our adversaries (vv. 1-3). It's a supplication for our Savior God to teach us to live in righteousness (w. 4, 5). It's a humble confession that we need God to remember His endless compassion rather than our numerous sins. It's a proclamation that God is good and upright, that as sinners we depend on His loving-kindness to teach us a new way (vv. 6-11).


Psalm 25 reminds us that God is faithful and that following Him is the pathway to true and eternal life (vv. 12-15). It ends with a plea that God would turn to us and be gracious, healing our lonely affliction and forgiving our sins (vv. 16-18). Whereas in other psalms David offers imprecatory prayers against his enemies, here he simply asks for protection and deliverance as he walks in integrity and uprightness (vv. 19-21). He ends with a humble plea for redemption from all that ails him, offered to the only God who can answer (v. 22).


I often return to Psalm 25, particularly when I don't know what else to pray. There I find a kindred spirit in David, a man who knew sin and sorrow, but also knew the God of mercy and righteousness who could deliver Him. Like David, I seek that God with the words of Psalm 25. And like David, I always find Him faithful.


— Israel Steinmetz, San Antonio, TX 

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[Worship]


#11 EMBRACING  THE  PSALMS


In their helpful book How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart describe the Psalms as a "guide to worship."1 How can this collection of one hundred fifty ancient hymns and poems guide our worship? What must we understand about them, and about worship, so we can embrace the Psalms as a resource in becoming a church passionate in worship? Let me propose a few ideas.


Progression


First, consider worship as a progression of three r's: revelation, recognition, response. Worship begins as God reveals Himself. The transcendent God of the universe makes Himself immanent in activity like creating, speaking from a burning bush, or coming to earth as the divine-human Savior.


But not everyone sees God for who He is. We must recognize Him as He reveals Himself, which becomes the basis for our response. Worship of God does not happen among those who shut Him out. Once we willingly recognize God for who He is, we are compelled to respond in multi-faceted worship. 


How could we not respond?


That worship looks something like this. Recognizing God as loving, we respond in love. Recognizing God as sovereign, we respond in service. Recognizing God as beautiful, we respond in adoration. Recognizing God as powerful and faithful, we respond in fear and faith.


Categories of psalms


Now we turn to the Psalms. Fee and Stuart describe them in seven categories:


Psalms of Lament: "express struggles, suffering, or disappointment to the Lord."


Psalms of Thanksgiving: "help a person or group express thoughts and feelings of gratefulness."


Psalms of Praise: "center on the praise of God for who God is, for God's greatness and beneficence"


Psalms of Salvation-History: 

review the "history of God's saving works among the people of Israel, especially his deliverance of them from bondage in Egypt…"


Psalms of Celebration and Affirmation: 

include covenant renewal liturgies, royal psalms, and songs of Zion/Jerusalem; express faith in God's faithfulness to His people and the coming Messiah-king.


Psalms of Wisdom: 

describe "the merits of wisdom and the wise life."


Psalms of Trust: 

focus on the truth that "God may be trusted... even in times of despair, his goodness and care for his people ought to be expressed"2


In each category, the three r's are in the background. We respond to God with our laments, our praise, our trouble, and our joy because the Word reveals Him as the source of all good, provider of every need, and protector from every harm. We honor God because we recognize Him as the beginning and the end, the author and finisher of our faith. We look to God as the source of all wisdom and the one in whom to place our trust. Why? Because He has revealed Himself faithful, we have recognized His trustworthiness, and we can't help but respond in worship and adoration.


Focus on God


The Psalms invite us to join the ancient Israelites in worshipping God in every season of life, for who He is and what He does. They urge us to praise God for every blessing and come to Him with every need. They prompt us to remember what God has done in the past and celebrate what He will do in the future. 


Notes

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth — Fourth Edition, 231.

Ibid., 220-222.


Israel Steinmetz, serves as Dean of Academic Affairs for LifeSpring School of Ministry.

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[Hope]


#12 RESTORED



One precious psalm heals one grieving mom. by Shirley Brosius


Have you ever wanted something so badly that you knew if you only had it, your life would be nearly perfect? I felt that way when I became pregnant with our third child. Already blessed with a wonderful husband and two healthy sons, I welcomed the chance to have a little girl. I pictured the perfect family: mommy, daddy, three kids, a house in the country....


Difficult death


Our baby girl arrived five weeks early on an April Fool's Day morning. But our cries shattered the dawn, not hers. Christy Marie weighed five pounds, so doctors could not explain her under-developed lungs. We were devastated by her death. I felt God had pulled a cruel joke on us.


How could God take our baby, our only daughter? We loved God and had dedicated our lives to serve Him in whatever way He called. Our congregation had prayerfully supported me throughout a difficult pregnancy. How could God say "no" to our prayers for a healthy baby?


I lay on my hospital bed, turning the pages of Scripture, which seemed dry as fall leaves. Numb with grief, I found no encouragement there. I felt God had deserted me.


My pastor said I would learn from this experience. What could I possibly learn from this tragedy?


Finding hope


The weekend after Christy's funeral, my husband took our sons to church, and I listened to a Christian radio station. While a choir sang "As the Deer," hope, like a leaf in the spring breeze, stirred ever so slightly in my soul.


Psalm 42, on which that song is based, perfectly reflected my feelings. When I read it, I discovered that like the psalmist, I thirsted for God and wanted to get to know Him better through this tragic, unexpected experience. I related to the psalmist's emotions; tears soaked my pillow. And although my soul was "downcast" and my emotions yo-yoed, I determined I would put my hope in God and trust that someday I would again praise Him (vv. 1-5).


I clung to that hope. I memorized Psalm 42 and repeated it to myself as I sought refuge in God during that long, dark night of my soul.


Depletion


Some time later, I found out my pregnancy had aggravated a hearing condition known as otosclerosis, and I needed surgery. Too emotionally distraught, I put it off for a year. My severe loss of hearing, however, left me feeling isolated and trapped in my grief.


Once I had that surgery and could better communicate, I hoped I could move on in my grief, but I developed cancer and needed major surgery. The loss of my child, the loss of normal hearing, and the loss of my child-bearing ability — in three consecutive years — left me feeling depleted mentally, physically, and emotionally. I truly doubted that I would ever again lead a happy, productive life.


But as I waited on God, I applied more of Psalm 42 to my sad situation. I began by remembering how good God had been to me in the past (v. 6). He had seen me through many losses and disappointments. When I was a child, I suffered from rheumatic fever that limited physical activity during my youth. My father was ill throughout my childhood, restricting our income. He died when I was 19.


And it was only by God's grace, shown through the good will of a brother, I had gone to college.


Turnaround


During my pregnancy I had given up my job as church secretary because I'd planned to stay home with our new baby. Now with no baby, no job, and both sons in school, how would I spend my time? How might I get my mind off my grief?


At our pastor's suggestion, I enrolled in seminary courses to better equip myself for Christian service. The studies informed my faith, gave me something productive to do, and brought joy to my heart. I love to learn. In time my pastor suggested I earn a master's degree in Christian education and join our church staff. God had closed a door, but His grace had opened a window.


For ten years I served as a director of Christian education. Our two sons eventually brought wonderful daughters-in-law into our lives, then grandchildren. In fact, I was in the birthing room when my first granddaughter arrived! Just like her aunt, Christy Marie, Rachel appeared five weeks early, but she immediately let us know her lungs were quite healthy. Twenty years after Christy's death, Rachel's birth helped to heal my heart and made me one happy Grandma.


In time I discovered my niche as an inspirational writer and speaker, and I found that by sharing the story of how God restored my life, I could offer hope to others experiencing loss and heartache. People can identify with my struggles and draw strength for their own journeys.


Personal benefits


Psalm 42 reminds me that God is personal. As the psalmist poured out his soul to God (v. 6), so I poured out my soul. I prayed that my grief would lessen, that I would receive strength for the day, that my physical strength would return. God answered my prayer by calming my spirit, bringing friends and relatives to support me in my sorrow, and blessing me with a husband who held me and cried with me. God cares — for me.


Psalm 42 reminds me that when I thirst, God refreshes me and acts on my behalf. Through the verses I memorized, His song whispered encouragement to me in the night (v. 8). And just as a drink quenches my physical thirst, His Word refreshed me as I read promises of Scripture in the morning light.


When I struggled to focus on Scripture in general, Psalm 42 applied to my life in a real way. It told me that I could hope in God and that someday I would be able to praise Him for His help (v. 11). So I hoped and waited, and today I praise Him for seeing me through this difficult time and letting me learn through it, as my pastor said I would. I developed greater compassion for people who experience loss of any kind. I learned to trust God, even when He appears untrustworthy. And eternity has become more real to me, knowing our Christy will one day find its air easier to breathe.


Many times I have received God's comfort and grace through the words of the psalmists. My picture-perfect life never developed, but with God in the picture, life is good. Very, very good. 


Shirley Brosius, writes from Millersburg, PA.

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THE END