A voice in the wilderness

What you will find here are thoughts and commentary on what I happen to be studying. As for me, I have two daughters who have grown up without me. Education wise, I have two AS degrees, one being in Horticulture, but no bachelors degree. The longest time spent at any one job was 15 years. Sadly, I have not been the great success I had dreamed I would be, but I find that I am becoming more content as my relationship with the Father God grows. God's word is my passion.

Showing posts with label famine. Show all posts

Friday, February 18, 2022

To the degree that she glorified herself. Revelation 18:6-20.

We ended our last look into Revelation 18 on verse five. So what does verse five say?

For her iniquities (her crimes and transgressions) are piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her wickedness and [her] crimes [and calls them up for settlement].
[Jeremiah. 51:9.] (Revelation 18:5 AMP)

If you are unfamiliar with the Amplified Bible’s logic, things in brackets [ ] are meant to give you deeper insights into the verse at hand. Not that the brackets are inappropriate but occasionally, I struggle to understand the point they are trying to make. The other thing that affects my understanding is that Revelation 18:5 is NOT a standalone verse, as the context is lacking. The context begins in verse two and immediately begins referring to Babylon. As I said in my previous post, Babylon is little more than a ghost town, much like an old, forgotten mining community that you find in our American deserts. I realize that what I am telling you is in opposition to Dr. Andy Woods, but Babylon, the physical city, will never rise again. If what I am saying is valid, then Babylon represents something else.

Ah, the next question is, what is that something else?

In the previous post covering Revelation 18:1-5, I gave examples of how Babylon references Israel. I am not going to cover all those references here but merely say that the references to Babylon are indicative of Israel.

In the passage above, there is a clarifying statement [and calls them up for settlement] that is apparently found in the words of the Prophet Jeremiah. So let's pursue Jeremiah for a moment.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed. Forsake her and let us each go to his own country, for her guilt and the judgment against her reach to heaven and are lifted even to the skies. [Gen. 18:20, 21.] (Jeremiah 51:9 AMP)

“We would have healed Babylon,”
I began looking into the Strong’s concordance a short time later, and I found this.

The word translated as “We would have healed” by most is the Hebrew word râphâ' or râphâh; they both mean the same thing. It is a primitive root; properly to mend, to cure, cause to heal, make whole.

If I contrast Babylon with Israel, this statement, “she cannot be healed,” is immensely harsh. If you are a Bible student, then you know that the entirety of the Revelation shows us God’s punishment upon Israel for their sins and their rejection of God; and it is also a punishment against the nations for similar reasons.

So what do we see next?

Revelation 18:6 CEV Treat her as she has treated others. Make her pay double for what she has done. Make her drink twice as much of what she mixed for others.

If this is Israel, then watch this.

Jeremiah 16:14-18 NASB "Therefore behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' (15) but, 'As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers. (16) "Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen," declares the LORD, "and they will fish for them; and afterwards I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. (17) "For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity concealed from My eyes. (18) "I will first doubly repay their iniquity and their sin because they have polluted My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and with their abominations."

The people in the land of Israel have been brought back from the land of the North and from all the countries where He had banished them. And, He has restored them to their land.

If Revelation 18:6 is speaking about Babylon, don't you find it peculiar that Jeremiah 16:18 uses comparable language specifically against Israel?

Revelation 18:7 NASB "To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.'

But we are not to make accusations with two or three witnesses. So how about this.

"Yet you said, 'I will be a queen forever.' These things you did not consider Nor remember the outcome of them. "Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.' (Isaiah 47:7-8 NASB)

Does the context of Isaiah 47 cover Israel?

Absolutely, and yet the impulsive translation writers titled this chapter “the humiliation of Babylon;” and yet, look at this verse.

"Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no longer be called tender and delicate. (Isaiah 47:1 NASB)

It appears that God is talking to the virgin daughter of Babylon. Now, I have to figure out who might fill this role.

Babylon had no virgin daughter, although some might argue that the conquering nations, such as the Medo-Persian empire, could have filled that function, or perhaps the Chaldeans were entitled to carry that name. If that is your belief or understanding, then prove it by your Biblical witnesses. There aren't any. So the characterization of the virgin daughter of Babylon falls upon Israel. (Consider that I use that term lightly as they were NOT the unified nation of Israel when they went into captivity – the kingdom was split into the Northern kingdom of Israel and the Southern kingdom of Judah. Judah is where we found King David, and then even that was not without struggle.)

Consider what Jeremiah 14 tells us.

“The people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters--for I will pour out their own wickedness on them. "You will say this word to them, 'Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, With a sorely infected wound.”
(Jeremiah 14:16-17 NASB)

Consider how the captives of Babylon - those of the faith camp, had false prophets telling them, God will deliver us quickly from this vile place. In opposition to those claims was Jeremiah the prophet, who told the captives, which included himself, to build houses, plant gardens and eat the fruit, and take wives for your sons and daughters because we will be here for a long time. (Read Jeremiah 29 in your spare time.)

Is it possible that this seventy-year span is where Israel became the daughter of Babylon?

Perhaps, but there was to be an end to the captivity. The daughter would then be freed to marry herself to whoever; this seems like a redundant statement considering how Israel had married themselves to many nations and their gods. So why should their time in Babylon be any different?

'Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,' declares the LORD, 'for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. (Jeremiah 25:12 NASB)

Consider that Daniel chapter 9 tells us that Daniel ascertained by books that the seventy years had been completed.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans--in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. (Daniel 9:1-2 NASB)

That means that Israel's freedom from Babylon's captivity; and the eventual, everlasting desolation of Babylon was only a short time away.

And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there. Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come, and her days will not be prolonged. (Isaiah 13:19-22 NASB)

In 2022, many of us are focused on Damascus, as this city has a drastic prophecy declared against it; yet there it stands, receiving air shipments of weapons for usage against Israel. Hmm.

Revelation 18:8 NASB "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

As I read through the Revelation and Daniel’s prophecies, it seems that so much of the damage that Israel is to sustain can quickly come in an hour, but do we talk about it? No, for it is too uncomfortable and challenges previous false teachings. One of the dramatic moments in time that gets spoken of frequently is Revelation 18:9-20. This monumental passage speaks of Babylon being destroyed in an hour.

Verse eight above tells us that Babylon is destroyed in a day, and yet here, in verses 9-20, it is destroyed in an hour. I am not sure the amount of time matters, as devastating loss is still a loss.

"And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour, your judgment has come.' "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. "The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you, and men will no longer find them. "The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every ship-master and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!' "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." (Revelation 18:9-20 NASB)

I have introduced several things for you to think about, so what did Revelation 18:7 say?

“To the degree that she [Israel] glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I SIT as A QUEEN AND I AM NOT A WIDOW, and will never see mourning.”

Since we have a comprehension that Revelation 18 is also referring to Israel as well as a "spiritual" Babylon, you may not be aware that many Jews, to this very day, will say we have NEVER been in captivity or slaves to anyone.

Are you serious? What about Egypt, and what about Babylon? Perhaps Israel should have tried repentance and mourning. Now, here comes perspective. Though an analogy of Israel, Babylon is speaking about an empire, perceived as a beast and shown to be a harlot that motivates the current financial greed, idol worship, and blatant adultery against God.

What does verse 8 tell us? Not only will the “governmental and economic” system collapse in a day, but so will Israel. Ezekiel tells us that only a third will survive what is coming. Ezekiel 5:12 is the passage that tells me that only one-third of Israel survives, and quite possibly makes it into the millennial kingdom.

'One-third of you will die by plague or be consumed by famine among you, one third will fall by the sword around you, and one third I will scatter to every wind, and I will unsheathe a sword behind them. (Ezekiel 5:12 NASB)

Merely because the verse says that one-third will die by plague does not mean this will happen in a day. In contrast to what we think it means, an interesting aspect of the word plague is that it is the Hebrew word deber and means pestilence - in the sense of destroying. In a sense, our first introduction to plagues was those placed upon Egypt to force Pharaoh to let God’s people go.

Webster’s dictionary describes plagues as acute, malignant, and contagious diseases. The black plague was associated with filth and rats in the dark ages. The plagues upon Egypt included boils, gnats, and frogs, among other things.

Since our word deber originated from another word, dâbar, perhaps we need to include this definition to clarify our understanding. The Hebrew word dâbar is assumed to properly mean arrange, but this does not make sense in the context of plague or pestilence. One of the other meanings is to subdue. If you use the word subdue in conjunction with contagious diseases, you should be able to make the connection between the C19 injections and this unprecedented population reduction program, that eventually, for Israel, kills off one-third of its population.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

In the Revelation, what have those, who are suffering under God's wrath, seen so far?

Revelation 9:12 NASB The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

What have those, who is suffering under God's wrath, seen so far?

The entrance of the antichrist.
If you merely read Revelation 6:2 you will not get the full picture of what this person will quickly do.
Peace is taken from the earth.

Wow, this is generic, but the general idea is that violence will increase exponentially.
The price of things, (I say things because here in America the price of lumber has gone up 400%,) will go up, but most specifically, food.
The fourth seal brings about death again, by famine, sword, pestilence (diseases), and by wild beasts.
When the Lamb (Jesus) broke the fifth seal John sees the first, countable number, of dead “believers.”

These people were not a part of the church and have come to know, or understand who God is, since the rapture of the church, evidenced because of the Word of God and because of their testimony. Testimony is not a tightly defined and can mean judicial evidence.
With the sixth seal there is a great earthquake, the sun became black as sackcloth, and the whole moon became like blood, the stars of the sky fell to earth, the sky rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Page one.

Revelation 6:12-14 NET. “Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.”

This earthquake has to be severely damaging, perhaps of the magnitude which causes the continents to reconnect. As for the sun becoming black as sackcloth and the moon blood-red, we have that to some degree now. China has areas where the smog is so bad that you cannot see the sun. But consider that when Mt St. Helens erupted, midday turned to night because of the ash. And the smog that most of us deal with causes the moon to glow blood red.

Consider this idea of the stars falling to earth. The sun is a star, and one of the smallest. If the sun fell to earth the earth would be destroyed; and yet, there are stars falling. This tends to move this conversation over to stars being representative of something else.

Since scripture tends to interpret scripture, is there anything else, that we have recently encountered, which might explain these stars?

The answer is yes.

Look at Revelation 9:1 NASB “Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.” This is clearly Satan because we know that Jesus took the keys to hell and the grave, which is what this is referring to, and the Holy Spirit saw fit to call him a star. This train of thought opens a very scary can of worms because the number of fallen angels that this may entail is vast and dangerous.

The writer of Hebrews backs up my assertion that it was Satan controlling hell along with the associated fear. Jesus took those keys and freed us from the fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14 NASB ... through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

Isaiah 14 distinctly calls Satan, the star of the morning.

Isaiah 14:12 NASB "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!

Job 38 tells us that there were many “stars” of the morning.

Job 38:7 NASB When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Revelation 12 speaks of a past war that took place in the heavens.

Revelation 12:7-9 NASB And there was war in heaven, ... The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, ... the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, ... and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12 also speaks of the tail of the dragon – Satan, and how his tail drew a third of the stars to earth with him. Since we established that stars and angels are the same things, then we know that Satan pulled them to earth with him.

Page two.

I have no way of understanding what the sky rolling up like a scroll looks like, or the effects of such an event.

I do know that all things will be made new and perhaps this is part of that process. We should by now, understand that prophecy to a Jew is pattern and repetition, therefore, this reference to stars has to have a witness, and it does.
While the next reference is from the Revelation, and it is in Greek, it still expresses the same thing.
The four winds of the earth will cease to blow.
Stopping the wind, in the bigger picture, means that everything will die.
John sees the dead in the Lord, for a second time, but this time is different as they are uncountable.
What does this mean? It means that the slaughter of those who follow after Christ continues rapidly.
The seal judgments end with a censer of fire being thrown to the earth. This is the announcement of the trumpet (shofar) judgments.

With the first trumpet blast fire was thrown to earth, mixed with blood; and, a third of the earth was burned up, along with the trees, and the grass.
At the second trumpet blast, something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea.
This sounds like a massive meteorite. The result is that: a third of the sea becomes blood; a third of the sea creatures die, and a third of the ships are destroyed.

Page three.

Because of the third trumpet blast, something like 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.
This is the only place in the Bible that the word wormwood shows up. The word means bitterness. So when it says that the waters became wormwood, it is telling us that the waters were made bitter. The verse tells us that many died from the water.
At the sound of the fourth blast the sun, moon, and stars were diminished by a third.
The short answer, from https://public.wmo.int/en/sun%E2%80%99s-impact-earth is this: “average surface temperature would be an inhospitable -18°C (0°F) instead of the 14°C (59°F) we experience today.”
The fifth angel sounds and God initiates a history lesson about a fallen angel, a star, Satan; who is the lord of the abyss.

We learn that Satan obtained the keys to hell and death, and therefore controlled people through fear. Out of this abyss come some hellish locusts that have stingers like scorpions. They sting humans and they want to die because of the pain, but cannot.

This takes up a large portion of chapter 9, and therefore I will only give you the reference. Revelation 9:1-11.

This is how far we have advanced in the Revelation.

Revelation 9:12 NASB The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.

Note how the verse says, the first woe is past, along with all the other stuff. The first woe came in two parts. The first part is that this fallen star, a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. Revelation 9:2 tells us that this “star” opened the bottomless pit – hell, and the smoke of a great furnace comes out of the pit.

Can a star, hold a key, and open the door to a pit?

The logical response is NO.

If a star, even a small one, was to be thrown against the earth, would the earth survive?

Again, the logical response is NO. So, if you have been paying attention, then you know that the Holy Spirit has, on multiple occasions, referred to Satan and his followers as stars.

What is coming out of this smoke?

A locust horde like you would not believe; however, these locusts are not interested in eating your crops and every other living plant. They are coming to sting any human not protected by the mark from God.

Page four.

Who is protected?

The arrogant would immediately assume it's them; it is NOT, it is 144,000 young Jewish men, whom God has picked out, because – as we are told, they are virgins. Our broken nature always leans to the fleshly side of the equation when the term virgin is used, but consider that the Jewish council concocted over 600 additional rules and laws for the purpose of controlling the masses. What if their virgin status, in God's eyes, reflects their separation from Jewish law and more on their dependence on God's law?

And, although nothing is said about it, the other two who may have avoided these crazed locusts could be God's two witnesses. Since we see no mention of witnesses when we hear of the locusts, then it is possible that they have come and gone already; that would put these two witnesses arriving at the beginning of the seven-years, and the locusts arriving after the 42 months. They preach, if you will, for 42 months, and then the Father allows them to be killed. They lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three days (Wow, that is significant,) and then they are taken up to heaven. If we can see the fact that God's judgments are poured out on everyone on earth, including those who have chosen to follow Jesus, you can begin to understand the gravity when followers of Christ tell you, accept Jesus now, because you don't want to be here.

Pause here for a moment and consider that the Apostle John saw the martyred saints in heaven, twice.

How did they get into heaven, before the throne?

They were killed, here on earth, by people and those who found them in opposition to their religious ideology or governmental/presidential orders, for their testimony and the Word of God. Let's take a moment to ponder what I just said. Islam/Boko Haran/ and a few others with the same purpose but different names, make it their goal to slaughter anyone who is NOT a Muslim. This is a generalized statement, but I am also aware that the Quran does not allow for leeway on this, although some refuse to adhere tightly to the Quran.

What, outside of God's intervention (and we know from scripture that God does intervene or “they” would kill everyone,) keeps those who are currently NOT in compliance, from mentally snapping and start trying to kill everyone who is a Jew or a non-Muslim?

It is certainly NOT the laws of the land, as those have gone right out the window lately. It is ONLY God's mercy.

If much of the martyrdom is associated with the false prophet, then what is the timing of these locusts?

Just asking. First allow me to point out that Jesus, in Matthew 24, is giving the disciples a chronological briefing, which, for the sake of brevity and context, will start at Matthew 24:15. Here, the false prophet/antichrist has set up that abomination in the temple. This is where the mark of the beast comes into play, for you have to worship the beast (let's assume that the beast is Allah, worship the image of the beast, and take his mark.) So far, NO ONE has done that.

I forgot to add the fact that in our study of the Revelation we have made to Revelation 9:15.

Revelation 9:14-15 NASB (14) one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." (15) And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released so that they would kill a third of mankind.

One angel killed all the unprotected in Egypt, in one night, what kind of damage will these do?

Monday, August 5, 2019

In attempting to understand God's wrath I did an indepth study on the seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments. Part one - the seals and the brief interlude.

Right off the bat, I have to warn you, this study is eight pages long.

I am used to reading my own work, and I can fly through it, and it makes sense to me, but I work very hard at making my posts readable. In comparison, a book study that I am involved in is using an author who writes in a style that I equate to getting your teeth pulled; it is painful, and that particular author has to keep working over a subject matter when I, the reader am ready to move on.

Enough warning, let's dive in as I attempt to understand the time of wrath.

Seals, trumpets, and bowls – Who, what, when, where, and how.

All this has a context, which begins with the end; the end of the Church age, that is. Revelation chapter three ends with a commentary on the last church age, the Laodicean church. Physically, this church is long gone, but spiritually, it is us. We have lost our first love, and many of us should take this as a warning.

Revelation, chapter four opens with, “after these things.” The things are the churches. Why say after? Because Jesus would have returned and, we, the church, are caught up to meet Him in the air, ever to live forever with Him.

Chapter five of the Revelation has John looking at the sealed scrolled and lamenting, as are the others because no one can open the seals. At this point, the Lamb – looking as though it had been slain walks on the scene.

That lamb is none other than Jesus Christ.

John 1:29 AMPC The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! [Exo 12:3; Isa 53:7]

Isaiah 53:7 AMPC He was oppressed, [yet when] He was afflicted, He was submissive and opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep, before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.

While all we know, at this point, is that there is a scroll with seven seals. The seventh seal opens the arrival of the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet unleashes some extra things and the seven bowls. The seven bowls are the last of God's wrath, and brings Jesus, riding upon a white horse into the scenario, where He administers a swift and deadly justice. With the end of God’s anger being poured out, the millennial reign is set to begin.

So, with that, let's see if we can define these events. (Yes, I jumped the gun and posted a detailed look at the first seal already, but bear with me.)

The first seal - The Antichrist

Revelation 6:1-2 AMPC THEN I saw as the Lamb broke open one of the seven seals, and as if in a voice of thunder I heard one of the four living creatures call out, Come! (2) And I looked and saw there a white horse whose rider carried a bow. And a crown was given him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer. [Psa 45:4-5; Zec 1:8; Zec 6:1-3]

Pay attention - A rider on a white horse, carrying a bow, symbolic of war, but the rider has no arrows. This rider also has a crown, symbolic of authority and rulership.

There is one ideology in the world right now that fulfills both of these characteristics, and that is Islam. They claim to be the religion of peace, but peace is only achieved when all bow before Allah, the ruling authority, pledging allegiance. What I am telling you, is a clearly stated goal and purpose of Islam.

So what is Islam doing as we speak, conquering, just as the Qu’ran describes?

A white horse. In Zechariah 6:1-8, we have red, black, white, and grizzled bay horses like the four winds of heaven, ministers to do God’s will. White seems to be the color of victory (cf. the white horse of the Persian Kings) like the white horse ridden by the Roman conqueror in a triumphant procession. RWP

It was interesting to find out that the former leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, frequently portrayed himself as this rider.

The second seal – War and murder

Revelation 6:3-4 AMPC And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, Come! (4) And another horse came out, flaming red. And its rider was empowered to take the peace from the earth so that men slaughtered one another, and he was given a huge sword.

The NASB implies that this rider takes peace from the earth and that men would slay each other with the sword. "its rider was given the power to take peace away from the earth and make people slaughter each other." They are both correct. Being given the power to take away peace does not mean that you do. However, both translations convey violent and bloody imagery. One correctly describes making people slaughter each other with the sword. If, as I have stated on many occasions, this is Islam, their primary means of death seem to be the sword and bombs. These weapons are not only directed at those they deem infidels but each other as well - this killing of each other is Biblical and can be found in references to the descendants of Ishmael.

Genesis 16:12 AMP And he [Ishmael] will be as a wild ass among men; his hand will be against every man and every man's hand against him, and he will live to the east and on the borders of all his kinsmen.

None of this excludes the bully factor and the general passion many have for violence.

The third seal - Famine

Revelation 6:5-6 NASB When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. (6) And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

J Vernon McGee and many others say this black horse represents worldwide famine. J Vernon McGee then quotes several speakers, saying,

“in 1798, the Rev. Thomas Malthus concluded that "the power of population is infinitely greater than the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man." His prediction had little weight in his day.

In 1959 the United Nations' seventy-seven-nation Food and Agriculture Organization met in Rome to talk about "the fight against hunger and malnutrition." At this meeting, Toynbee declared: "Sooner or later food production will reach its limit. And then, if population is still increasing, famine will do the execution that was done in the past by famine, pestilence, and war combined."

Sir John Boyd Orr, at one time the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, warned, "I shall finish my office by giving a last warning to the world. If it is not solved, there will be world chaos in the next fifty years.”

Even in the late 1700s, the elite was concerned about their ability to eat; that theme has not stopped, and we now have serious concerns about engineered weather. Here is America, we had the wettest winter, extending into early summer. This rain has decimated corn crops and ruined others. Now, once again, it is blisteringly hot, and new crops, if they were able to plant, are frying. Famine is coming; there is no doubt about that.

The Fourth Seal - Death

Revelation 6:7-8 NASB When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." (8) I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Let me get this straight. The first seal brings the Antichrist, but he appears to be coming in the middle of warfare, most likely with Israel. If this is the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38,39, then those who are still here will already be witnessing tremendous bloodshed. Let alone, the carnage that the Antichrist will bring. The second seal brings war, murder, and once again bloodshed. The third seal brings about a global famine, and people will die because of this. And now, as though nothing worse could happen, this fourth seal, from multiple sources and reasons, brings about death to a fourth of the global population.

Death comes at the hands of humankind - utilizing a sword; famine; pestilence; and by wild beasts.

The Fifth Seal – Persecution of the Saints.

Revelation 6:9-11 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; (10) and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (11) And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

Think about the process. Christ returns for His church, and many of them rise to meet Him in the air. The result of that is that WE then live with Him forever. NOW, when the church rises many who thought they should go, will still be here. That will bring about tremendous grief. The numbers will include many from so-called charismatic churches; many from the Latter Day Saints; many from the Mormon church, and sadly, the largest population of so-called Christians – will come from the Jewish community.

We are told that when the church is removed, that the veil that has covered so many eyes, keeping them from finding the truth in the Gospels, and Jesus as the Messiah, will be lifted. This lifting of the veil will come off of everyone's eyes. People will come to Jesus by the thousands.

2 Corinthians 3:13-18 NLT We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. (14) But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. (15) Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. (16) But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (17) For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (18) So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

One more passage on the veil.

Isaiah 25:7 NASB And on this mountain, He will swallow up the covering which is overall peoples, Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

The Sixth Seal – Cosmic and ecological disaster.

Revelation 6:12-17 NASB (12) I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair and the whole moon became like blood; (13) and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. (14) The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (15) Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; (16) and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; (17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

A great earthquake.

The earth is experiencing large earthquakes on a daily basis. One that concerns me, would the earthquake associated with say, the Yellowstone National Park supervolcano. It has a magma pool that seems to be about half the size of Wyoming. Something of this magnitude could easily put us all into a polar winter. Mount St. Helens in Washington State blocked out the sun for days when it blew.

The sun became black.

Volcanic activity, either caused by a volcano or spewed by a volcano can easily block out

the sun. Documentation on recent volcanoes has demonstrated global temperature drops.

The moon became like blood.

With smog and soot, we currently have in the sky, the moon frequently has a dark orange, almost blood red look about it. This could easily be the result of air quality degradation.

And, the stars of the sky fell to the earth.

What we call shooting stars are small pieces of rock or dust that hit the Earth's atmosphere from space. But that is not what the verse says.

This would probably be a good time to interject some literary clarity. As Rabbi K.A. Schneider points out in his book, The Book of Revelation Decoded, John saw many things which had no explanation; John used terminology that goes like this, “it was something like,” in other words, it might like shooting stars, but could be asteroids, or actual stars falling from space. We don't really know for sure. Just pray that you do not have to experience these events.

A brief interlude

Chapter six has ended, but there is one more seal to be broken.

The headline caption over the next few verses reads, The 144,000 of Israel Sealed. This could be a major point of contention, seeing as the Latter Day Saints (The Jehovah's Witnesses) believe that some of their elders are the 144,000. I want to ask them if they are all Jewish virgins because that is a qualification.

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.

I am interrupting here because I have a question. What would happen on the earth if the winds ceased to blow?

Chuck Doswellⁱ, a research meteorologist since the mid-1970s gives us an answer. He begins by saying, “This is a purely hypothetical situation, impossible ever to realize on a global scale.” Interesting how God is not terribly concerned with things like the laws of physics. Mr. Doswell went on to explain the hypothetical situation.

“if the winds everywhere were to cease, the Earth's unequal heating distribution would eventually result in a huge increase in the temperature differences between the poles and the equator, as well as between the land and the sea, eventually to the point where most of the planet's surface wouldn't be able to support life as we know it: cold regions would become extremely cold, and warm regions would become extremely hot.”

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, 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." 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: from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed. (Revelation 7:1-8 NASB)

Things to note about Revelation 7:1-8.

An angel having the seal of the living God.

Satan has his imitation seal, which he will try to get the whole world to receive, along with the worship of the beast (the Antichrist,) and to worship the image that will set in the rebuilt temple in old Jerusalem. (I said old Jerusalem because there is a new one coming down out of heaven.)
This angel, which may be Yahshua, says, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
The admonition is to not harm the earth, sea, or trees. Considering that horrendous warfare may have been going on the entire time, how would you expect the earth, sea, and trees to not suffer?
However, this damage that is coming, is from God.

Alright, another point of clarification: God frequently uses people and nations to bring about His judgments. Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar are just some of those examples.
“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:”

Twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of:

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

An interesting thing, which I do not totally comprehend just took place, for Genesis 49, the first listing of the twelve tribes, reads like this:

Reuben; Simeon; Levi; Judah; Zebulun; Issachar; Dan; Gad; Asher; Naphtali; Joseph; Benjamin.

Did you notice the difference? Dan is completely out of the picture, and, Manasseh, one of Joseph's sons has taken his place.

The most notable piece of evidence we have on Dan comes from Judges 18.

Judges 18:26-28 NLT So the men of Dan continued on their way. When Micah saw that there were too many of them for him to attack, he turned around and went home. (27) Then, with Micah’s idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked with swords and burned the town to the ground. (28) There was no one to rescue the people, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob. Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there.

The men of Dan took this mans idols and priest and made them theirs.

The next thing we see during this interlude is John's second look at the martyred, in heaven, before the throne.

The NASB entitles this section: A Great Multitude from Every Nation.

Revelation 7:9-17 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; (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." (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?" (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. (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. (16) "They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; (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."

i https://www.quora.com/What-if-the-wind-stopped-blowing