And God himself will be among them. Revelation 21:3.

      So, in Revelation 20, Satan, having been released from the pit, makes a last-ditch effort to kill off God and His people. Satan could only accomplish an attack of this size by deceiving the nations.

If you are wondering, Revelation refers to all those coming into the kingdom as these “people.” These people who have come to God borders on uncountable. It’s fascinating about these “nations.” which are also uncountable, as only those who do not have their names written in the book of life fall for the deception.

      For months now, I have been saying that all those caught up in the rapture and the martyred saints are now immortals, just as Jesus is; death cannot touch Him or us. By bringing up this immortal aspect, I am reminding myself that heaven is real, and it will be a time of peace. That means no fear, and I don’t know if you noticed, but the level of fear and anxiety is rising.

    Chapter 20 closes as all judgments are ended, and Satan is permanently tossed into the lake of fire.

In trying to wrap our minds around heaven, we now migrate into chapter 21, where we read.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:1-2 NASB)

    Yes, the old earth burned up. But, if that concerns you, I would like to remind you that as followers of Jesus, it will not matter what happens to this polluted planet we now stand on. Why, you might ask? Because we are immortal, just like comic book characters, and we are safe within the arms of the Father. I guess that this new earth will be technology-free and look very similar to the planet that Adam first encountered. Add to that thought the promise we have about heaven.

“But as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,” nor has it entered into the heart of man, “the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 MKJV)

    Your mind can’t even conceive of an idea surpassing what God has in store for us. This thought makes me aware of the movie Avatar. Please spare me the religious negativity, as I was in awe of plants that lit up as the characters touched them or those which produced music. A tree of enormous proportions spiraled to the sky and could be walked on, and another that emanated light. I also happen to think that riding a dragon would be very cool. But my thoughts show my limitations. Let’s say that I long for this time with Jesus.

    The Holy City has been restored to its appropriate location; it’s spectacular and filled with colors. Suddenly, a great voice from the throne is heard. Most translations say the same thing; however, the Moffatt translation says the voice came “out of the throne.” Since the grandchildren practice their non-listening skills, if I have the freedom to step in, I make sure they can hear me, and I am not trying to be pleasant at those moments. So forgive me for a moment as I consider the possibility that the furniture just spoke. I can’t disprove it. 

    The Greek word used to convey this voice coming out of the throne is the word thronos. Terms to define this include to seat. A seat, usually high and having a footstool, a throne as the emblem of royal authority. Just knowing this tends to push my thoughts toward the idea of God doing the speaking.

Well, what did He or it say?

Revelation 21:3 NASB “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,”

Let’s break this down.

• “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men,”

    Since we, in our previous study of Revelation 21:1 and 2, saw that the Holy City had already come down; and that Jesus and the martyred saints sat as judges over the earth for a thousand years, you might think that it would be safe to say that “God” was among men.

    Remember, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one and in unity. One thing that is clear to me is that Jesus sits on a throne, in the Holy City, on earth and is approachable. 

    That does not mean that the nations get to dance into the throne room and disrespect Him. Oh no. A piece of evidence for what I just said comes from Revelation 22:15, and yes, it seems ludicrous to consider that this activity level could still exist during the millennium. 

“Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.” ( NASB)

    I just cut that thought short as I remembered that we are looking at Revelation 21, where it seems that the story has moved beyond the thousand years. Undoubtedly, nothing like this “Outside are … everyone who loves and practices lying” could exist beyond the great white throne.

    Having discussed this with others, I have pointed out how God’s people (I see this terminology applied to those who are coming and going in and out of the Holy City during the thousand years) during this time are taking the leaves from the trees of life and bringing healing to the nations. Healing is more than a simple bandage; this is an internal and eternal change where the brokenness and propensity to sin are removed.

    Remember that after the fall of humanity, Adam and Eve were prevented from accessing the tree of life in the center of the garden. Surely, you have asked why that had to be. If they had taken from the tree of life in their newly broken condition, they would have been the evil and immortal gods of the universe. The leaves from the tree of life, improperly applied, would allow these people to be immortals and yet keep their ways that conflict with God. 

    If you are good students of the Bible, then you know that NONE of what I just said is clearly defined in the Revelation. You have to come to this understanding by looking at what happened with Adam in the garden and then applying what you know from Paul’s letters about how Jesus took our sins upon himself and is NOW offering this same relief to the nations throughout the thousand years.

• “and He will dwell among them,”

Here again, the Father and the Son seem to be seated in the Holy City.

"And the peoples will say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will give us knowledge of his ways, and we will be guided by his word; for out of Zion the law will go out, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3 BBE)

    In this phrase, “the house of the God of Jacob,” God is the Hebrew word’ elōhiym and is plural. This plurality is one of the ways we come to understand that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are one. All three have a seat and can sit upon the throne. Since the Holy Spirit is the helper who leads and guides us into all truth, it might explain why we don’t see Him seated at all. 

    We can make foolish arguments about how God sits exclusively above all sin but we are wasting our time. One of the verses used to push horrendous negativity is this.

“Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?” (Habakkuk 1:13 NASB)

    To understand verse 13 and why he says this, you have to go back to verses two and three. Habakkuk is ranting about God not hearing his prayers while evil things and violent behavior go on all around him; not so unlike today, which is increasing in violence every day.

“How long, O Lord, will your ears be shut to my voice? I make an outcry to you about violent behaviour, but you do not send salvation. Why do you make me see evil-doing, and why are my eyes fixed on wrong? for wasting and violent acts are before me: and there is fighting and bitter argument.” (Habakkuk 1:2-3 BBE)

    So Habakkuk makes a massive assumption if he believes that God cannot look at sin. If that were true, we would NOT be here. Remember, God so loved a world that did not want nor love Him that He sent His only Son to die a violent death on a cross so that the world through Him could be saved. Try to explain how He could do that without looking. And there is also the example of God returning to the garden, calling out for Adam, even though the man now represented sin. 

    And one more thing, while we are forgiven of our sins, we perpetually continue to sin. Please don’t assume that your sin has to be murder for it to be deemed a sin. Gluttony is a sin, and there are many of you guilty of that. Besides all that, we are told that if you thought it, you did it, and with that, you can throw your argument that you never murdered anybody right out the window.

• “and they shall be His people,”

    This statement is oriented toward the Jewish people. To put it bluntly, they rejected the Messiah. Scripture tells me that when Jesus returns, riding a white horse and having a sword come out of His mouth, at that time, the veil over their eyes and hearts will be lifted, not only from Israel but the entire world.

"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart, I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34 NASB)

    When Jesus comes back to reign, as Revelation 19 points out, two-thirds of Israel will have been killed.

‘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)

    Plague is interchangeable with pestilence. The ISBE defines pestilence as “any sudden fatal epidemic. The word is most frequently used in the prophetic books, and it occurs 25 times in Jeremiah and Ezekiel, always associated with the sword and famine.”

    Since virtually any outbreak lately of pestilence, like a baby formula shortage, is always manufactured, it is easy to picture where these future pestilence events will come from. Here is a clue, forced inoculations are a weapon.

    And the scriptures speak in terms of survivors.

“Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you, and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.” (Ezekiel 14:22 NASB)

    The point being this relatively small number of Jews, His people, will fall in love with their Messiah, and yet, it is evident that the number of people entitled to enter the Holy City is beyond counting. These are all God’s people.

• “and God Himself will be among them,”

I like this verse because it is befittingly in the face of Israel and the nations.

“They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd, and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. “They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. “And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’” (Ezekiel 37:23-28 NASB)

Since I know that this theme, where God is among His people, is rampant throughout the scriptures, I could potentially leave this right here. I will not do that because we are told, by God, in the law, that NO ONE is prosecuted on the word of one witness. This law sets a precedent for proof, and we have to apply it to the Word of God. 

“My eyes will be on those of good faith in the land, so that they may be living in my house; he who is walking in the right way will be my servant.” (Psalms 101:6 BBE)

    We are focused on Revelation 21:3, where it says, He will be among them. Them is His people. You become His people through this relationship where you accept Jesus and the forgiveness offered.

A third of them will be darkened. Revelation 8:12-9:1

 As I write this, the wife and I have an entire extra family living with us, another family coming in from out of state, and just this morning had another who is having relationship issues, call to say she needs to stay here for a couple of days. Why do I tell you this? Because, as Jesus informed us, “all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” ( Matthew 24:8 NASB)

You need to understand that Jesus' return for His church is imminent. Because of that, the enemy is pouring it on and turning up the heat; and though many will tell you that Satan is aiming at the Christian, I will tell you something, all of us were made in God's image. Unfortunately, because of Adam's treasonous actions, we are all broken. The best way to think of this is to picture yourself as genetically damaged, and that this damage drives your lust. Lust is the strong desire to do what you please, ignoring God's voice. Jesus put Himself on that cross, much as Isaac did when his father, Abraham, pushed to make a sacrifice to God. That action by Jesus brought about redemption and salvation for everyone's sin, past, present, and future. This redemption belongs to anyone who accepts this action by Jesus as being for them. When you do this you have applied faith and all that God asks is that we believe.

Everything we are studying in the Revelation, at this point, is God's wrath upon Israel and the nations, for their unbelief, and the horrors they have performed upon the world. Since the body of Christ is comprised of believers, they are excluded from the punishment that is coming. That information should be good news to most.

With that, we begin.

Revelation 8:12 NASB The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

• a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck.

  From the Word Study Dictionary: Struck can be plḗssō, or plḗttō; future. plḗxō. To strike. In the NT, equivalent to plague, to smite, or to afflict with disease, calamity, evil.

  The word third is exactly what they say, a third. But what is being struck?

  • The Sun

  • The Moon

  • The Stars

I went to Google and asked, what would happen if the sunlight was reduced by a third? I got an obvious answer from the National Geographic, and it goes like this:

“The sun has extremely important influences on our planet: It drives weather, ocean currents, seasons, and climate, and makes plant life possible through photosynthesis. Without the sun’s heat and light, life on Earth would not exist.”

I really don't think I need to pursue this any further, but I will point out that our skies, here in Southern California, have been grayed out by chemtrails. Add to this how Bill Gates emphasized that we need to have the earth cooled and how he intends to do that by spraying stuff in the sky to obscure the Sun heat. If you obscure the sky with nanoparticles of aluminum chaff, wouldn't that same chaff block out the moon and stars?

End of page one.

It would, so perhaps the answer to this question lies in the proliferation of chemtrails. Without the "twisted wisdom" of Bill Gates, I would have a hard time trying to figure out how God will go about making this happen. The method God chooses is not my concern as I am a part of the bride of Christ - the church,  and will not be here when it happens.

I think it is important to point out that we haven't even hit the halfway point in the seven years of God's wrath. Some might say, in rebuttal, we haven't seen the antichrist in scripture as yet; ah, but we have, and we witnessed his entrance in Revelation 6:2 under the first, seal.

Revelation 6:2 NASB I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

So the antichrist was represented as the rider on the white horse, carrying a bow, conquering, and to conquer. Daniel's prophecies help to explain this even further, however, here in Daniel 8 he is called the insolent king.

Daniel 8:23-24 NASB "In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. (24) "His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.

The word intrigue is the Hebrew word chı̂ydâh. It means riddle, difficult question, parable, enigmatic saying or question, perplexing sayings or questions.

Enigmatic means relating to or containing a riddle; obscure; darkly expressed; ambiguous. Obscurely conceived or apprehended.

Considering these definitions, one should be wondering how this person could possibly rise to power.

Moving on.

Revelation 8:13 NASB Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!"

You would not know an eagle was flying in the sky unless you looked up or heard it screech. This eagle, however, speaks with a loud voice and says,

• “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

Anytime words are repeated, it is to: get your attention and to sound an alarm. It is evident that this eagle is warning us of the remaining blasts from the shofar, a sound, by the way, that will be heard around the globe.

At this point, there have been seven seals broken, and now four blasts from the shofar; and, aside from the arrival of the antichrist in Revelation six, we have nothing that prescribes exactly when these events will happen.

The fifth trumpet and an aspect of the horror the eagle spoke of.

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.

End of page two

Consider what we have already seen, as they relate to “celestial” bodies.

Revelation 8:8-9 told us that at the blast of the second shofar,

“what looked like an enormous blazing mountain was hurled into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

This could very well be a massive asteroid, but I wouldn't want to exclude things like the Fukushima power plant explosions after the tsunami, and the eventual dumping of radioactive wastewater into the ocean.

Revelation 8:10-11 CJB The third angel sounded his shofar;

“and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky onto a third of the rivers and onto the springs of water. (11) The name of the star was "Bitterness," and a third of the water became bitter, and many people died from the water that had been turned bitter.”

Revelation 9:1 tells us that, once again, a star falls from heaven. What is the defining aspect of this verse? The fact that this “star” has already fallen to the earth, and he has the key to the bottomless pit.

I feel the need to define Bitterness once again. The Greek word is apsinthos and also means calamity or bitter poison.

The wording of Revelation 9:1 has a familiar ring to it.

Isaiah also described Lucifer, the day-star, why he lost his position, and why he will be thrust down to Sheol.

Isaiah 14:12-15 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! (13) "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. (14) 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' (15) "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

Is there any doubt as to who it is that has fallen to the earth? If so, consider the words of Jesus.

Luke 10:18 NET. So he (Jesus) said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

So, if this is Satan, what is he doing with the keys?

End of page three.

This is a long story; the short version is that Adam relinquished ALL rights to the earth when he bit into that fruit. If you don't believe that consider the conversation between Satan and Jesus when Satan tempted Jesus. Please pay attention to the wording in Luke's gospel and then compare it to Matthew's account, found in chapter four. Matthew tells us it was a high mountain but left off the details about the fact that the kingdoms were Satan's to give.

Luke 4:5-8 NASB And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (6) And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. (7) "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours." (8) Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"

In either case, there were no wasted words nor heated arguments over who had control over the earth, for Jesus knew very well what Adam had done and the extent of the damage. I already used Luke 10:18 to point out that Jesus was there watching when Satan was cast to earth.

At some point, you have to get real and believe. The Apostle John finally got it and told us in the opening lines of his account of Jesus' life with the disciples.

John 1:1-4 NASB In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being. (4) In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

We are still looking at Revelation 9:1.

“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.” NASB

Moses knew of this pit.

Numbers 16:28-31 NASB Moses said, "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing. (29) "If these men die the death of all men or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. (30) "But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up

with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD." (31) As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open;

King David also spoke of the pit.

Psalms 71:20 NASB You who have shown me many troubles and distresses Will revive me again, And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

The Prophet Isaiah detailed how Sheol will swallow Jerusalem's splendor.

Isaiah 5:12-14 NASB Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine; But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD, Nor do they consider the work of His hands. (13) Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; And their honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.

End of page four.

14. Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; And Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

I would not want to leave you without hope, for scripture tells me that Jesus stripped Satan of power and took the keys to Sheol away from him.

Jesus, in His opening statements to John, reveals that He has those keys.

Revelation 1:17-18 NASB (17) When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, (18) and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

How then, did Jesus get those keys?

He had to go there, to Sheol. Having listened to Hank Hannegraf on the radio, I heard that it was impossible for the Son of God to touch such corruption. The Psalmist says otherwise.

“Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds. For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted. Be gracious to me, O LORD; See my affliction from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death,” (Psalms 9:11-13 NASB)

The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury tell us that the keys symbolized authority to control whatever they opened,

In the Old Testament (Psalm 9:13; Psalm 107:18) and Jewish literature, “the gates of Hades” referred to the realm of the dead and thus to the power of death; one who held the keys to these realms thus ruled over them. (Whoever held the keys in a royal house held a position of great authority in that house, as in Isaiah 22:21-22;

Keys symbolized authority to control whatever they opened, and Jewish texts spoke of God dispensing keys to rain, etc.)

Jewish literature said that God had authority over death and the gates of Hades (Wisdom of Solomon 16:13).

And, Christ’s power over death, as the one who had risen, would encourage his followers now facing possible death.

I have been asked, over the years, and, I have asked the question myself, if Satan fell like lightning, then why do we see him in the garden with Eve; see him with the sons of God in the heavenlies, and perpetually accusing the saints before God on His throne?

Once again, here is a portion of Revelation 9:1, which says, “a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.” Just because he was thrown out of heaven obviously does not exclude him from God, nor does it put him in Sheol. Now a day is coming when he will go into Sheol for a thousand years, and then again permanently; but that time has not come yet. As we just read, the keys symbolize authority to control, and since Sheol or hades are associated with fear, then Satan controlled the realm of fear.

Because of Jesus Sheol has been conquered, the keys have been returned to their rightful owner and the fear associated with death should never play a role in our lives again because we are in Him.