REVELATION OF Jesus Christ #9--- CHAPT. 13 - 15

 

  

Chapter One hundred-thirty-eight:

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ #9

Chapters 13-15 CHAPTER THIRTEEN This chapter is an INSET chapter. For the details of chapter 13 I refer the reader to my in-depth studies "The Beasts of Daniel and Revelation" under the section called "Prophecy" on my Website. A few comments in passing. The first 10 verses cover the ROMAN POLITICAL/MILITARY power. It was a mighty WAR machine. It did die, was wounded to death, but it arose again under a woman false church power. It did BLASPHEME against God; the theology it taught was false and in many ways blasphemous to God (verses 3,4,6). It was a military/religious power that made WAR against the true saints of God, and it killed many of them (verse 7). It also ruled over many nations and peoples. It will arise ONE more times, at the end of this age, it will rule again for 42 months, and all who will not worship its system will come under persecution. Only the very elect will not be deceived (Mat.24:24). Verses 11-18 focuses on the RELIGIOUS power of this Beast, coming like a Lamb, looking and saying it represents Christ, but shall in fact be governed by the dragon - Satan the Devil. It will have a false prophet that will be able to work miracles. He will make people worship this whole system. If they do not they will be killed. A mark is put on the people, without it they cannot buy or sell, cannot be a part of its society. To put it in BLUNT and plain words. This is the HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, that arose, starting in 554 A.D. It was the might of a military power governed and ruled by the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. It will RISE ONCE MORE at the end of this age, in Europe, as it always has been a European power. The false prophet will be the POPE. This risen Roman Empire of Europe, will, attack and destroy the British Commonwealth of Nations and the United States of America, and many other "Israelite" nations of the Western World. It will for a SHORT TIME, rise quickly (when in full dress) and will also bring about the last GREAT persecution of the true saints of God. Again, please study my studies called "The Beasts of Daniel and Revelation" as well as other studies under the category "Prophecy." CHAPTER FOURTEEN We are back once more to the major event of the sounding of the SEVENTH AND LAST TRUMPET. So, this chapter is part of the story flow, but is focussed on one main event. We are taken to the wonderful event of that trumpet sound, the RESURRECTION and JESUS with the saints ON THE MOUNT SION. This could be a spiritual mount sion in the clouds or the literal mount Sion at Jerusalem. With Him are the 144,000 that were sealed earlier. They are part that represents the whole. This type of Bible point is used many times in Scripture. We know from many other verses on the topic of the first resurrection and the coming of Jesus again to earth, that there will be the saints resurrected and glorified from all past ages, from Adam to this time of the Messiah's coming in glory to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. The PART represents the WHOLE. John hears a voice of many waters, the voice of a great thunder, and the sound of harpers harping their harps. He hears them sing a new song before the throne of heaven, before the four beasts and the elders, but only the resurrected saints could learn that song (the 144,000 is the part that represents the whole). Those in that resurrection are now with Christ, were the ones who were not defiled with the false woman or women of false Christianity - they are spiritual virgins - clean and pure from spiritual fornication. They are the ones who follow the LAMB, live by His faith, have Jesus living in them, and they are the ones who have been willing to live by every word of God, to follow His righteousness, to obey His commandments (verse 12). They were then redeemed - bought by the blood of Christ, and they are the very FIRST-FRUITS unto God and to the Lamb, Christ. They stand before God as having no guile in their mouth and are FAULTLESS before Him. (verses 2-6). See my study on "The Truth about Judgment Day" and "Saved by Grace." At this time, just before the 7 angels pouring out their 7 last plagues of chapter 15 and 16, there is an ANGEL to go forth having the everlasting Gospel. This is where Jesus' words of Mat.24:14 are fulfilled. Matthew 24:14 has nothing to do with any human organization "getting the Gospel to the world" - no human organization can compare with an ANGEL proclaiming to those who dwell on the earth, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, the EVERLASTING GOSPEL! The angel says: "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Another angel follows saying: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornications." Babylon fell once, centuries ago, but there is to come an end-time Babylon of the later chapters of Revelation. She is Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth (chapter 17:5-6). She has made the whole earth DRUNK with her SPIRITUAL FORNICATIONS. There is fast approaching that there will not be a nation on earth that is not drunk in some way with the false teachings and customs of the ROMAN CATHOLIC RELIGION. Most nations now observe Christ-mass, the 1st of January, in one form or another. The "Christian" world has been deceived into observing Sunday the first of day of the week, instead of the 7th day of the fourth commandment of God. And on and on it goes. Her daughters - the Protestants all have one or more (mostly more) of her spiritual fornications. The end-time BABYLON will FALL, we see that in Revelation 18 if you want to read it now. We have seen in Revelation 9 and the 6th trumpet sound, that the army from the EAST will have a large part in destroying this European Babylon. Yes, it is time for you to read chapter 18, let it all sink deep into your heart and mind. This BABYLON OF ROMAN CATHOLIC EUROPE will FALL!! By the time this angel of chapter 14:8 tells the rest of the world that Babylon is fallen, IT WILL HAVE ALREADY FALLEN! But this is not yet the final end of all the evil Satanic falsehoods, the Babylon Beast power will still be in the Holy Land, still have people and armies entrenched with its mind-set and brainwashed by its philosophies and theology. A third angel must sound its voice saying: "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand. The same shall drink of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they shall have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives his mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they who KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND HAVE THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST" (verses 9-12). This is the final warning to those still left on earth who will NOT give up worshipping the Roman Europe Beast power and its Roman Catholic religion. The part about torment, fire, smoke ascending up forever, I have covered in depth under the studies "Death - then What?" Once more in the last book of the New Testament, God makes it clear that the true saints are those who KEEP His COMMANDMENTS and who live by the very faith of Christ (faith OF Christ - see Galatians 2:20). Yes you Roman Catholics and Protestants, you need to REPENT of NOT keeping the FOURTH commandment! It is plain to read what it is in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. You need to COME OUT OF BABYLON, with all of her other false practices and doctrines! John then hears a voice from heaven saying: "Write! Blessed are the dead, which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works to follow them." Jesus said that "By their works you shall know them." By the way His followers live, as He lived (Gal.2:20 once more and Phil.2:5) shall be the acid test of truth as opposed to falsehood and error. John then looks and in the time frame he sees the Son of man in a cloud, having a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle. Jesus is coming in the clouds, just as He left in clouds, so He will come in like manner (Acts 1). We are still seeing the major event of the sound of the SEVENTH TRUMPET! Another angels comes and with a loud voice to the One sat on the cloud, he tells that One, whom is Jesus, to thrust His sickle and reap, for the time has come for the reaping of the earth. And He who sat on the cloud did just that - thrust His sickle and the earth was reaped (verses 15-16). This should remind you of the parables Jesus gave about harvest, reaping, fish catching, and all that pertained to this great event at the sound of the seventh and last trumpet. It's time indeed now for those who are destroying the earth to be destroyed. Still yet another angel comes from out of the Temple in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle (verse 17). Then yet again, another angel comes from the altar in the Temple. He has power over fire, and cries to the angel with the sharp sickle, "Thrust in thy sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are ripe." The angel thrusts in the sickle into the earth and gathers the vine of the earth, and casts it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the wine-press was trodden without the city and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horses bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs (verses 18-20). I have covered in detail the expounding of these last two verses of chapter 14. I believe it is in my study "Armageddon and the New Age." Putting it in a nut-shell. See Joel 2:1,30; 3:1-2, 9-15; Isa.63:1-4. A furlong is 606.5 feet, so 1,600 furlongs = 970,400 feet which is 183 miles. This distance takes you from Meggido to Edom, to the end of the depression of the land. It is the last battle, the famous battle of Armageddon (chapter 16:14-16 with Zech.14). The armies of the Beast power and armies from the East of Euphrates (chapter 16:12) will come together to fight Christ on His return to earth. They will MELT away, Jesus will destroy them by melting their skin from off their bones (Zech.14) and their blood will flow for 183 miles from Meggido to Edom, south of Jerusalem. You talk about "space wars" - this will be one, but the armies of human beings will have NO chance at victory. You think about this. The events of what will happen are ALL WRITTEN in this book of the Bible. The false prophet guiding the Europe Babylon Mystery Roman Catholic religion, WILL BE ABLE TO READ ALL THIS, in the Bible he claims to represent! AND HE AND THE ARMIES HE LEADS WILL STILL TRY TO DEFEAT CHRIST!! Talk about the DEPTHS of the DECEPTIONS of Satan the Devil. This has got to be one of his deepest! CHAPTER FIFTEEN We have been taken to ONE POINT of the SEVENTH TRUMPET, a VERY important time frame for sure. It was the time frame of Revelation 16:12-21. Now we must go back a little, and have presented to us what exactly leads up to chapter 16:14-16 and the reaping of the earth in the battle at Armageddon. John sees a sign in heaven, great and marvellous. Seven angels having SEVEN LAST PLAGUES, for in them is the full measure of the wrath of God finalized. We are on the sea of glass, mingled with fire, the resurrected saints (and those who got victory over the last great Beast power, and all that it stood for in all its ways and teachings and life practices) are ALL THERE. They have harps and they sing the song of Moses (he will be there with them, maybe leading them in the song), and the song of the Lamb (whatever that is, Jesus will lead us to sing it), saying: "Great and marvellous are they works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear you, O Lord, and glorify thy name? Thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest" (verse 1-4). After that, John looks and the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven was opened (verse 5). The SEVEN angels now come out of the temple, having the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. They are clothed in pure and white linen, and are girded around the beast with a golden girdle. It should now be clear to us that the SEVENTH TRUMPET is made up of THE RESURRECTION of the saints and the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. One of the four beasts around the throne of God, gives the seven angels, seven vials full of the wrath of God, the one who lives forever. The Temple then is filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power. No one, angel, beasts, or whatever is in heaven, was able then to enter the Temple, UNTIL the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. We are now at the FINAL end of this age, and very soon we will have the Kingdom of God on this earth, and the wonderful 1,000 year age shall be a reality, which the holy prophets have told us about from the ages past. ........................ To be continued NOTE: If some of you are shocked at my saying the end-time Beast power, the Babylon Mystery Religion, is the very Roman Catholic church, the Papacy, I want you to know that just about all the OLD Protestant Bible Commentaries, like Albert Barnes' "Notes on the New Testament" all teach that very thing.