A third of the waters became wormwood. Revelation 8:10, 11.

 We made it through the seal judgments and we have migrated in our study of the Revelation to chapter 8, where Israel and the nations are coming under the trumpet judgments.

Revelation 8:10-11 NASB (10) The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. (11) The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

Didn't we just read about a major astronomical catastrophe, in that something like a mountain was thrown into the sea?

Revelation 8:8-9 NASB The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, (9) and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.

We have evidence of asteroid impacts.

These asteroids may have been the size of a Volkswagen beetle, if you can remember those, when they struck the earth. And yet it gets worse.

• “a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters.”

Mounce's Concise Greek-English Dictionary tells us that the Greek word astēr, which is defined by most translators as a star, can be defined as a luminous body that looks like a star. You see, it's a matter of perspective as stars, from our point of view, are mere specks of light.

Stars are exponentially larger. Our Sun is a star. Google tells us that “the smallest known star right now is OGLE-TR-122b, a red dwarf star that's part of a binary stellar system. This red dwarf the smallest star to ever have its radius accurately measured; 0.12 solar radii. This works out to be 167,000 km. That's only 20% larger than Jupiter.”

End of page one.

If it were a star that struck the earth, it would consume the earth on impact, simply by its size, so we can rule out the idea that a star will strike the planet.

Notice how, in Revelation 8:8-9, that one third of the shipping is destroyed. If an asteroid the size of a small car impacted the ocean, the resulting tidal wave, which would immediately be traveling outbound in all directions, would be massive.

Now consider that this shinning object, which will be on fire as it enters the earth's atmosphere, takes out a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. It poisons a third of ALL water supplies.

Since the United States is one of the major purveyors of fresh water, where do we get the majority of our water from?

The website: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/where-does-most-of-the-drinking-water-in-the-us-come-from.html gives us this information.

Surface Water Sources

The country has over 100,000 lakes and more than 250,000 rivers as well as hundreds of reservoirs which are primary sources of freshwater in the cities they are located in. Before the water is dispatched into households, it must meet federal and municipal standards of purity. Some cities rely 100% on rivers and lakes for their freshwater needs such as Chicago (Lake Michigan), Detroit (Detroit River), Washington, D.C. (Potomac River), New Orleans (Mississippi River), St Louis on (Mississippi/Missouri River), Cleveland (Lake Erie), and Seattle (Cedar River/South Fork Tolt River Watershed).

Among the reasons why reservoirs are constructed include water storage for subsequent supply to households. The cities of Boston and San Francisco get 100% of their drinking water from Quabbin Reservoir and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir respectively. Less than 50% of Baltimore’s drinking water is sourced from the Liberty Reservoir. Other cities get a percentage of their drinking water from rivers and lakes including Las Vegas from Lake Mead (90%); Phoenix from Salt River-Verde River (50%); Los Angeles from Owens River/Mono River (50%); San Diego from Northern California/Colorado River; Atlanta from Chattahoochee River (70%); Philadelphia from Delaware River (60%).

Underground Water Sources

Underground water is used to supply US households alongside surface water sources. The Biscayne aquifer fulfills less than 50% of Miami’s drinking water needs. New York depends on the Catskill/Delaware Aqueduct for 90% of its drinking water.

If this “star” were to strike the lakes across the East coast, that would do the damage this is calling for, but there is problem as these water sources are global, and many are underground. The obvious assessment is that this, in some way, seems to be representative of man-made damage, like a nuclear war.

To further cloud the issue, I give you the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 14:7-12 NASB "The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; They break forth into shouts of joy. (8) "Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.' (9) "Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. (10) "They will all respond and say to you, 'Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us. (11) 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.' (12) "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

End of page two.

I give you the entirety of the passage to settle the idea that Satan/Lucifer was looked upon as a star. If we can apply this type of thinking to Revelation 8, then perhaps we can comprehend that this star falling upon the earth is a fallen angel; an entity other than Satan.

Revelation 8:11 NASB The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

• The name of the star is called Wormwood;

Revelation 8:11 is the only place in the New Testament we find this word apsinthos.

The Word Study Dictionary defines Wormwood as “the emblem of poisonous bitterness (Rev_8:11; where as the name of the star, it is the masc. ho Ápsinthos). In the Septuagint (Pro_5:4) it is the word cholḗ (G5521), and means gall or bile. The figure of waters converted into bitter poison in this way is perhaps drawn from Jer_9:15; Jer_23:15; Lam_3:15, Lam_3:19 (cf. Exo_15:23; Deu_29:18; Heb_12:15).

It strikes me odd this single usage, but I suppose it should not, as God always has a prophetic pattern; so, when we look at Jeremiah 9:13-15 we can see that pattern clearly.

Jeremiah 9:13-15 NASB The LORD said, "Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, (14) but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them," (15) therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.

Notice how verse eleven explains that a third of the waters became wormwood. If, a “star” called wormwood, which can be seen an emblem of poisonous bitterness can turn the waters, across the globe into wormwood, then it is easy to perceive that the waters now represent God's anger toward Israel and the nations. 

This idea is enforced by Jeremiah 23:15.

Jeremiah 23:15-16 NASB "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets, 'Behold, I am going to feed them wormwood And make them drink poisonous water, For from the prophets of Jerusalem Pollution has gone forth into all the land.'" (16) Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD.

Jeremiah practically explains his own words when he says,

“for from the prophets of Jerusalem pollution has gone forth into all the land.”

Pollution has come to be seen as trash on the streets or garbage in the ocean waters: however, if you look up the word pollution you find the Hebrew word ḥ^anuppāh: It is a feminine noun meaning filthiness, pollution, profaneness, or godlessness.

Keep in mind that this godlessness is coming from the false prophets.

Deuteronomy 29:16-18 NASB (16) (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; (17) moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which they had with them); (18) so that there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood.

End of page three.

Israel lived in Egypt as Egyptians. They followed after their gods. To prove my point, I turn to Stephen in Acts 7.

Acts 7:42-43 NASB "But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? (43) 'YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.'

Moloch was an Egyptian god.

Jeremiah continues speaking from the Lord, as he says,

“Do not listen to the words of the prophets... they are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, and not from the LORD.”

Futility is the Hebrew word hāḇal: It is a verb indicating “to fill with false hopes, to become vain, empty, void.” Are we being led into futility today? Absolutely.

Romans 1:21 NASB For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

A

sk yourself, to what people group is the “they” referring?

It could easily be Israel, but an honest answer requires that you understand the context. Earlier in Romans chapter one, Paul said, “I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians.” There is, however, a shift in the conversation as states in verse 16, “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Doesn't this move the conversation toward the Jews?

I think it does. We already saw how Stephen pointed out to the Jewish council that Israel had given themselves over to idolatry, and the Moloch incident proves that; but this could also be speaking to Gentiles because we have seen portions (Rev 1:18) in action - “men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” At every turn, the truth, as Jesus pointed out, is truth, and truth is being suppressed.

Again, we are confronted by a word that forces us to make a determination, who is this “they” to which the passage refers?

2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

The word, and therefore the answer could apply to both the Jewish converts or the Gentile believer.

2 Timothy 2:24 NASB The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,

This is fascinating, but I am not so sure we Gentile converts can understand the bond-servant relationship from 2 Timothy alone, which, by the way, is one in which you have NO say in the direction your path is meant to go on. 2 Timothy chapter three speaks toward those whom, while holding to a form of godliness, captivate weak women and are always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Paul then compares this long description, which I have shortened, to Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses.

End of page four.

2 Timothy 3:8-9 NASB “Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. (9) But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes's and Jambres's folly was also.”

Now, how would I, a Gentile, have had any knowledge of Jannes and Jambres? I would not and would have needed an explanation. Perhaps the education which brings the Gentiles into the conversation happened in the background or as part of any teaching which Paul delivered.

These next two verses seem to say it all.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 NASB “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (15) and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Note how it says "continue in the things you have learned ... from childhood you have known the sacred writings which were able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

Effectively no one had the scriptures as it was too expensive, time consuming, and considered sacred - worthy of protecting; therefore, the only places you would have found the scriptures was in their memories and the synagogues.

In short, John's retelling of the Revelation is directed primarily, at the Jewish believers. We Gentiles use that understanding to assist us in grasping the imagery of the Revelation, and we do it by looking at comparative segments of the Old Testament.

Everything we are seeing in Revelation chapter eight is focused on God's wrath and judgment against the Jews, for their abandonment of God's ways and their pollution of Israel with their idol worship. It is also a judgment of the nations. Some would say, how can God judge the nations as they did not know Him? Ah, but scripture tells us that the laws of God are written upon every heart, and that includes all those your bleeding hearts try to protect merely because they don't have a written Bible. If you consider that the Jewish leadership has the Law and Prophets (the Old Testament) and they are comfortable enough to direct the congregants to ignore chapters like Isaiah 53 and all of Daniel, perhaps then all whining about whether God has the right to do as He wishes should cease.

In light that last statement, I need you to know that Christ Jesus is coming back, and sooner than you ever thought possible. There is nothing left, prophetically, that holds Him back as He comes for His bride, the Church.

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NASB)

The prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. Revelation 8:1-9

 I want to say we are done with the seal judgments, and in a way, we are, but the truth is, we now have to open the seventh seal. As I have pointed out, with every one of God's judgments, the seventh is the lead-in to the next series to come. We now have two more judgments to be experienced by the people on the earth and Israel.

There is, however, one exception to this rule, the bowl judgments. Revelation 16:17 tells us that with the pouring out of the seventh bowl, a voice, from the temple where the throne of God is, said, it is done.

What is done?

It is not the judgments, as they continue for a short but undetermined amount of time, but it is undoubtedly the culmination of those judgments.

We will soon see the end of the world's systems as Jesus returns in chapter 19 as the conquering Messiah. The evil, bondage, and slavery of this world come to an end, and we migrate into the millennial kingdom. And Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet get thrown into the lake of fire.

Every seal so far has come with tumult, and yet here it's suddenly silent for half-an-hour.

Revelation 8:1 NASB “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

If you have ever been in a dark cave and the park rangers turn out the lights, it is ominous and frightening.

Looking at these events as though we were on the outside looking in, most of us hope that the rapture will come quickly and we don't experience what God is about to pour out upon the earth because our Gentile minds can't seem to comprehend what is about to come.

Well, I have good news, all that happens, under the judgments associated with the seals, bowls, and trumpets, all come after the church is gone.

The silence is about to be broken.

Revelation 8:2 NASB “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.”

But the angels, without a word, are put on hold.

Revelation 8:3 NASB “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.”

The altar is a common theme throughout the Bible, but in the book of Hebrews we are told that Jesus offered the mandatory gifts upon the altar that served as the pattern for the one on earth. Those golden censers served a similar purpose, in that they sent up a sweet aroma to God. Here verse 3 the incense is mixed with the prayers of the saints.

This evokes another conversation as we often wonder if God hears our prayers; and, if He does, does He act on them. In a sense, Daniel had the opportunity to have a similar misgiving. In Daniel chapter ten, after a vision of war, which greatly disturbed his peace. Daniel saw into the future. Just think about what many of us have seen, rampant and brutal bloodshed in the streets.

End of page one.

Beyond the time of his capture, we cannot say that Daniel saw, nor experienced this degree of violence. I am pointing this out because it is often much easier to understand the emotion of the moment if you put flesh and blood on the speaker, which in this is Daniel.

So Daniel longs for an explanation, an answer that was three weeks in coming. He had the opportunity to doubt and mistrust God as he waited. Finally, at the end of twenty-one days, an angel shows up to explain what Daniel saw. Had God failed or forsaken Daniel? Not at all, for His messenger, Gabriel, was in combat with a fallen angel, a demon called the Prince of Persia.

I tell you this because you need to have faith and hold on to God's promises.

Revelation 8:4-5 NASB “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. (5) Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”

The incense mixed with the prayers of the saints went up before God. What was the result of this incense mixed with prayers? The angel took the censer, filled it with fire, and threw it to earth; not because God wanted it out of His face, but because it became a judgment.

• “there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”

In the book of Amos chapter one we see God decreeing that He will send fire upon many who have hurt Israel.

The Seven Trumpets

Revelation 8:6 NASB “And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them.”

The first angel sounds.

Revelation 8:7 NASB “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”

Did you catch what just happened?

• “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood,”

  Where have we seen this before?

  Exodus 9:23-24 NASB “Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt. (24) So there was hail, and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.”

  The prophet Joel conveys the imagery of blood.

  Joel 2:30 NASB "I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke.”

End of page two.

The impact of these events.

• “a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”

  Everything, especially in the Revelation, is understandable, prophetically, to the Jews; this is no different.

  Zechariah 13:8-9 NASB "It will come about in all the land," Declares the LORD, "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. (9) "And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"

  Several people I know have said, there will be NO Jews entering the millennial reign. Where do you suppose those 144,000, Jewish, male virgins, that we saw in Revelation six go to? They go into the millennial reign. Zechariah tells us that a third of Israel survives, and they too enter the millennial kingdom.

  Note how Zechariah says, “and they will say, the Lord is my God.” You can add these to the list of those who teach the Jewish ways during the 1000 years of peace, as the nations come and bow before God during the Feast of Booths/Succoth.

Before we move on to the next verse, I want to point something out. In my previous post I showed you Revelation 7:1, this is where the four angels stop the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth. I have an inquiring mind and therefore had to know what happens if the wind ceased to blow. The short answer, everything begins to die; that includes people. Imagine what the earth looks like at this point, it is brown and wilted. So, when God turns loose hail, mixed with fire and blood, everything that looked like a plant will burn.

If that wasn't enough.

Revelation 8:8-9 NASB “The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, (9) and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

This is the second angel, with a trumpet (a shofar.) When he sounds:

• “and what looked like an enormous blazing mountain was hurled into the sea” (CJB)

  From a logical point of view, this could only be an asteroid. Do you realize that they are telling us that asteroids are coming and there is nothing that can be done about it.

  What effect does this have?

  • a third of the sea became blood,

  • a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died,

  • and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Isn't that strange, the scripture has no commentary? Does it need one?

You don't want to be here when this stuff happens, accept Jesus into your life and bypass such grief.

End of page three.

Who are they, and where have they come from? Rev. 7:9-17

 I touched on Revelation 7:9 in the last post, but because of a recent comment, in which the person told me, there will be NO Christians in the tribulation, I chose to pursue that turn in the road as it relates to martyred saints that we see in this passage.

If I did not make myself clear, as I attempted to discuss a couple of fallacies about the seven-year period we call the tribulation - otherwise known as God's wrath, let me try to do so now.

Simply put, the person making the comment would be right, if he changed his assertion to this, there will be no Christians entering the seven-year period. Said this way it does NOT exclude anyone from coming to Jesus during this time period.

How do I know this?

Revelation 7:9 NASB “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;”

At this point in chronological time, we are within the seven years of God's wrath, but we have only made it as far as the sixth seal. There is NOTHING that tells us that the events God is pouring out upon the earth, are sequenced to the Gregorian calendar. So there might be a few months of death followed by a few months of relative peace. Any thought embraced along this line is pure conjecture, as there is NOTHING in scripture to back it up such assertions.

Look at this statement,

“behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

How is this different from John's first look at the martyred saints?

In Revelation chapter six, where we first see martyred saints, there is NO mention of a quantity; and yet in Revelation 7:9, it specifically tells us that it is an uncountable number.

Some might say, prove it! Alright.

Revelation 7:10-17 NASB

(10) and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." (11) And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

(12,) "saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

The story takes a strange twist here as an elder asks John, as though he should know how to define these people, and we see this dialogue in verse 13.

(13.) Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?"

I am not surprised that John doesn't seem to know, but it is possible that he should have because he has seen people dressed like, before God, on a previous occasion; and you can see this in Revelation 6:9-11.

I have had people ask questions of me, much like this elder did. It is obvious that they already have an answer in their head and are merely trying to humiliate you or make themselves look better, in most cases. (I do not think that is what this elder is doing.)

End of page one.

After John tells him, “My lord, you know,” the elder goes on to answer the question after this counter by John.

(14.) I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The elder explains, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation.”

Verse 15 could easily read, they are here, before the throne, to serve God.

(15.) "For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.

I have to admit, there was a time when I believed that we would be forced to spend eternity bowing before God, worshiping Him. Of course, my understanding and attitude have changed, as has my love and longing for the Lord, to the point that I often see myself as doing nothing else.

(16.) "They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;

Let's go back to my opening and how I asked if Christians would go into the seven years of wrath. I talked about, how many who think they are Christians, but are not, will go into the time of wrath. I can guarantee that many of these will have lived well prior to the horrors that God will pour out upon the earth.

I believe that we are seeing the precursor to that time period now.

"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Matthew 24:7-8 NASB)

That was a long way of saying, many would not understand the idea of hunger or thirst, while others have been living in a highly deprived state leading up to the seven years.

If it was the first example, why would God say, they will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore, as we see in verse 16?

You see, verse 16 makes no sense unless something has drastically changed. Most people have never given any thought to what happens after the catching away of the church. In the previous post, I pointed out how that the Holy Spirit had opened my eyes to Revelation 6:9. Here is what we read.

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; (Revelation 6:9 NASB)

What do you feel when you read, “I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain...”? Most feel nothing, as they cannot relate, while some always see these poor souls as people from the African nations. In the verse above it uses the word slain; that could happen in so many ways. The word slain is the Greek word sphazō and means to slaughter, butcher, or maim. This now has an aggressive brutality attached to it. Now, ask yourselves, what if it comes to your neighborhood? There is nothing that says you will escape the violence that is coming. What the Bible does tell us, is that the violence will be so great that if God does not stop it, no one will survive.

If you were wondering why all these people might be before the throne, worshiping God, maybe it is because, they, after all those years of living for themselves, now know love like they have never known it before.

(17.) for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

Time is short and it is the time for you to make a decision. Will you bow to Jesus, the one who gave His life for you? Or, will you prostrate yourselves to Allah, deny Christ, worship the beast and his image, and take his mark. When you do that you will have committed yourself to Satan and a lifetime of torment, with him, in hell.

If I were you, I would choose life, a life in Christ.

So that no wind would blow on the earth. Revelation 7:1 - 8

 We are still looking at the sixth seal.

Yes, chapter six has ended; however, if the look, feel, and amount of information that we covered seems odd, that is because it is English-speaking grammarians that have inserted the chapters, book titles, and assorted punctuation, not God.

We covered this information previously, but it is important to your understanding. The Revelation works on a pattern: There are six seals, bowls, and trumpets that indicate some form of God's wrath being poured out upon the nations and Israel. The seventh occurrence of these seals, bowls, or trumpets; ALWAYS announces the next set of events to be poured out. For example, when we get to the seventh seal, it will be describing what happens under the next event – the bowl judgments. We DO NOT see the seventh seal opened until we get to Revelation 8:1, and we haven't touched Revelation until now.

So what is next?

Revelation 7:1 NASB “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.”

Well, after the destruction we just read about, how bad could this be?

Actually, it is very bad. Lacking wind, evaporated waters will not move through the atmosphere, this will drastically increase surface temperatures globally. Rain will cease and bodies of water will dry up. This change in surface temperatures will cause an immense rise in temperatures near the equator and the polar ice caps will freeze solid. Ocean currents will be severely impacted, which will further change weather patterns. Famine is inevitable. With a lack of wind there will no further wind-born seed dispersal, and pollination will cease. The bottom line, it means that life on earth cannot exist; and yet, we know from scripture that there will be those who walk into the millennial era. A bit of a bewilderment, but God is definitely in control.

We now begin to look at Revelation 7: 2 – 4 (or more.)

Revelation 7:2-4 NASB “And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, (3) saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads." (4) And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:”

• “And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun,”

End of page one.

This is not as puzzling as it seems. The NET translation puts it this way, “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east.” If you consider that the entirety of the Revelation and most of prophecy, is focused on the Middle East; then, “the East,” or “the rising of the sun,” merely represents the angel coming from an area East of Israel. I do not think it matters, but what is East of Israel? Saudi, Yemen, and a little bit of Egypt. Saudi is currently, thanks to the Abraham accords, an ally with Israel.

This angel is NOT Jesus.

• “having the seal of the living God;”

  Did you know that God has a seal?

  Ephesians 1:13 [NASB] “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,”

  So, we were sealed in Him when we believed, with the Holy Spirit, which came into you when you received Christ. This theme is also in the Old Testament and is the basis for the New Testament gospel, as you see above.

  Here, in Ezekiel, angels are dispatched to mark in the forehead, those who sigh and groan over the abominations in the city, while the others are struck down.

  Ezekiel 9:1-5 [NASB] Then He cried out in my hearing with a loud voice saying, "Draw near, O executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand." (2) Behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his hand; and among them was a certain man clothed in linen with a writing case at his loins. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. (3) Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. (4) The LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst." (5) But to the others He said in my hearing, "Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare.

  In the book of Esther, it speaks of King Xerxes and how his signet ring was applied as a seal on documents that assured the salvation of the Jews in that region.

  Esther 8:8 NLT “Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”

  Certainly, there is an application to the idea that God will NEVER let us who have given ourselves to Him, escape out of His hand.

  Do you think it is possible that Satan has stolen God's ideas and plans? Absolutely.

• “ the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea.”

  Since we have already seen four angels turning off the winds of earth and the subsequent damage that does to the earth, then these are clearly the same four angels.

End of page two.

There is an association to the four angels in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:30-31 [NASB] "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (31) "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Jesus, in addressing the events that we find in Matthew 24, was speaking to Jewish disciples; and, He was speaking about events from a Jewish perspective. So when He says, “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY,” He is talking about His return after the seven-years of God's wrath.

How do I know that?

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 [NASB] (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

When He comes back, as he does in Revelation 1:7, and every eye sees Him, it will be for battle and He will be with the saints who will be dressed in white, and riding upon horses (Revelation 19:14.) But here in 1 Thessalonians 4, it says the Lord Himself will descend. No one on earth sees Him, and we will meet Him in the clouds.

Revelation 7:3 [NASB] saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads."

We are still dealing with the four angels who are destroying the earth.

From this verse, we can validate the global destruction of the earth and the food chain by stopping the winds. This global destruction will be so thorough that this angel we see in Revelation 7:1 is, at God's request, stopping the four angels, momentarily, while they (?) mark those Jewish, male virgins that are to be sealed.

It is not clear who the “they” are. Since there is an uncountable quantity of angels in heaven, we might assume that the angels are the ones doing to sealing. Remember, it only took one angel to kill off the unprotected of Egypt on Passover night.

We get a detailed explanation of where these young Jewish men are coming from and their tribal names.

Revelation 7:4 [MKJV] And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand, having been sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

I used the MKJV as it clearly states that 144,000 will be saved and that equal quantities will be drawn. This is defined as you read Revelation 7:5-8. I am not sure if the tribes are that important to me, but I give them to you.

Judah, 12,000; Reuben, 12,000; Gad, 12,000; Asher, 12,000; Naphtali, 12,000; Manasseh, 12,000; Simeon, 12,000; Levi, 12,000; Issachar, 12,000; Zebulun, 12,000; Joseph, 12,000; Benjamin, 12,000.

End of page 3.

Again, I remind you that we are still within the sixth seal.

Revelation 7:9 [NASB] After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;

This is the second time John sees the martyred in heaven; however, this time the number is uncountable.

Allow me to crack open a can of worms.

The Monday morning “bible study” teacher would say things like this: no Jews will enter the millennial reign, and neither will anyone who is not a Christian, that “so called” teacher is not alone in his belief. I have also been told that there are no Christians in the seven years of God's wrath. This is deceptive and false teaching; so allow me a moment to explain why.

Start by asking the question, who goes up in the rapture of the church?

The standard, religious answer, is, the Christians. There are a couple of problems with this answer as many think they are Christians merely because they live in America, or, on occasion, sit in a church pew.

As for those who sit in church pews, Jesus threw a wrench in the gears of religious thought when he told the parable of the ten virgins.

Matthew 25:1-13 MKJV “Then shall the kingdom of Heaven be likened to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (2) And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. (3) The foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them. (4) But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. (5) While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. (6) And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes! Go out to meet him. (7) Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. (8) And the foolish said to the wise, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps have gone out. (9) But the wise answered, saying, No, lest there be not enough for us and you. But rather go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves. (10) And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came. And they who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. (11) Afterwards the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. (12) But he answered and said, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. (13) Therefore watch, for you do not know either the day or the hour in which the Son of Man comes.”

As virgins, they could easily be assumed to be meeting the religious standards for righteousness, and yet, out of the ten, only five made it into the wedding.

Why is that?

Because they did not have enough oil, they did not have enough oil because it wasn’t important enough to check or maintain that oil. The reasons behind that decision can be ascertained from the actions and reactions of the other virgins.

In talking about this over the last couple of years, I made the point that having run out of oil and knowing that there was nowhere to get more, I would have followed closely behind those that had the lights. Do we see any of those five without the oil doing that? No, and so another door of questions now opens.

I have found this scenario more relevant if I think about the digital flashlights most of us now own, as they work just fine until the power level gets low enough, and then they just quit. The wise person would change the batteries prior to needing them and then carry spare batteries. If you think about the process that all of them have gone through, we learn that they all took their lamps; and, they all arose and trimmed their lamps when the cry went out that the bridegroom comes. That trimming of the wicks may have only taken a few seconds, but we don't see a mad rush.

End of page four.

What we do see is a demand from those without oil, and all five of them, in unison, proceed in their attempts to purchase oil. If the five wanted to be considered attentive, they would have checked the oil level at the beginning of this process and quickly purchased enough and more, assuming it was still daylight. Considering that this was a semi-rural environment, it would be close to impossible to find someone selling oil in the middle of the night.

This opens the door to a rather alarming assumption. The call to come to the waiting point must then be accompanied by the understanding that the call to the wedding could be at any minute, leaving no opportunity for last-minute preparations. All ten faced the anxiety of NOT knowing when the call would come, and they all faced the potential tedium of waiting. The fact that the invitation had come seems to indicate that the moment in which they would hear the call would be soon.

As I write this, I am reminded of the “Christian” brother who tried to humiliate me in a public meeting at church, about how, according to him, Jesus would not be coming for another forty years. Why do I bring this up? Because this man argued that we, as the church, have been waiting for over two-thousand-years, therefore, why should anything change now? His challenge proved that he did not know his Bible as well as he thought. Considering current prophetic conditions, I am convinced that we followers of Christ do not have another forty years left here on this earth.

To put this into a modern perspective, fifty percent - half the virgins invited, are somehow convinced that they are Christians; and, will, in all likelihood, be going through the time of wrath. Since, we as followers of Christ, ARE NOT DESTINED FOR WRATH, and this is precisely what the seven-year period is, how do you explain that when you get to Revelation 6:16, you find many trying to hide from “the wrath of the Lamb.” How fascinating that they understand what is going on while many so-called Christians do not.

So, if thinking you are a Christian does not make you one, then where do all these martyred saints, before the throne, come from?

In the chronology of the Revelation, we are currently at Revelation 7:9, where the 144,000 have been sealed and protected. The first that we see the martyred saints are in Revelation 6:9-11. None of these can be associated with the Church, as the Church is portrayed as the 24 elders. This definition is highly explainable, but let me point something out. John may not have known, until much later, that his conversation about the Revelation was with an elder, and therefore, fell at the elder’s feet to worship him. The elder responds with one piece of evidence proving that they, the elders, are believers.

Revelation 19:9-10 NASB (9) Then he *said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "These are true words of God." (10) Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, "Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

If this elder was not a follower of Christ on earth, then he would have identified himself differently, but he did not. Instead he said, I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. There is NO DOUBT that many of the Church were martyred, but as believers, they were, in turn, caught up in the rapture as the dead in Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 MKJV “For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall ever be with the Lord.”

Aside from a logical approach, there is the fact, that the elders can be identified by their attire and actions.

End of page 5.

So, NO, there are NO true believers that enter the seven years of wrath, however, the martyred can be identified in other ways.

Revelation 6:4 NASB “And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”

Although we have previously covered the second seal, there is a word here that previously escaped me, and it is the word slay. This was brought to my attention by Pastor Billy Crone, as he was interviewed on the Prophecy Watchers program. The word slay is the Greek word spházō and means to slaughter. It is used of animals killed in sacrifice; but Revelation 6:4 is NOT talking about something done to animals, it is talking about people slaughtering people. Pastor Crone said, it is also conveyed as the word butcher, and Thayer's definitions substantiates that assertion. Suddenly Revelation 6:4 takes on a whole new meaning and has given light to how so many are now standing before the throne because they were slaughtered, for their testimony.

The word testimony is one that I previously covered.

Revelation 6:9 NASB “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;”

To use the phrase “the word of God,” certainly makes it seem as though they are “Christians.” Perhaps the time they spent warming a pew permitted some of God’s Word to permeate their thick skulls. Perhaps, it is the fact that God will lift the veil that has held many captive, and they will NOW see the truth that is in the Word. This tends to mandate that they grab a bible and start reading if they have time.

The Greek word that we used and translated as “the word of,” is the word logos. It means something said or implied during a discourse. The mere fact that you talked about God, Jesus, or what the word teaches and you subsequently believe will get you killed. But doesn't it strike you odd that you could not be bothered with talking about God before the rapture, and now, here you are, prattling on, as I do, about this life in Christ?

With this sudden realization that you need to catch up, perhaps you could look up YouTube videos on what to do after the rapture. Just know this, the day will come when they will confiscate the bibles, shut down your internet channels, and butcher you because they think you are a “Christian."

When you read something like Revelation 6:9, it sounds like they were all street preachers and got beheaded, but I do not think it is that intense. Consider this, the most vigorous push for people to deny Christ, take the mark, worship the image of the beast, and worship the beast, primarily happens 1260 days into the time of wrath. This also parallels the Antichrist’s actions, the introduction of the false prophet, and the remainder of Israel fleeing for their lives. Since we have NO clue as to what this “beast” looks like, it is difficult at best to try to tell you what to look for, but one thing is obvious, the slaughter of those who refuse to worship the “beast” will be an uncountable number.

Well, we made to Revelation chapter seven, verse eight, where God halts the outpouring of His wrath to preserve 144,000 Jewish males. Preserved means to protect from damage and to keep for future usage. What a fascinating concept. Could it be, at minimum, that these sealed Jews would be the basis for those who teach others about Shavuot – the feast of booths because He will make all nations come and bow before Him for seven days, as they participate in the feast? Please don’t ask me to explain it, as I am a clueless, adopted Gentile.

If you don't know Jesus, you can. Ask Jesus into your life. He died on that cross for your sins so that you don't have to carry the weight of them, and He was buried and rose again so that you can have this new life. He will seal you and one day soon welcome you into the kingdom.

Time is, just that short.