Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come. Revelation 14:1- 7

We just finished up Revelation chapter thirteen in my quest to visualize a chronological timeline of the book. The difficulty lies in the things revealed, for when things seem to fit and I think I got a good feel for the sequence of things, we have had three history lessons inserted into the story that, in the case of a fallen star – Satan, who has the keys to the Abyss throws us back in time. In my mind this throw back takes us back to the creation of the earth, as it demonstrates the reasons why all this is happening, for God is bringing this all to a “legal” closure.

I slipped that term legal in on you because the transaction between the Serpent and Adam was a legal contract between the person who had dominion of the earth and the one who wanted that dominion. If Satan, in his act of gaining control, knew full well that his end would come, then there had to be another motive. The Revelation is all about Jesus, but there is something underlying, and that is the final judgment and putting away of the deceiver of this world.

Knowing this allows me to comprehend the background information and history that is inserted. As some would say, I have read the end of the book and I know how it turns. Praise God, because it is the reason for the hope that I have, a heavenly home with Abba, and a mind that finally works clearly. As my pastor recently said, “God, I appreciate that you gave me a new heart, but why couldn't you also give me a new mind?”

In Revelation 13 we saw,

• The dragon standing on the sea shore.

  I wonder why John saw this. Perhaps it is a lead in to the power and authority that the dragon was about to start passing out. “And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”

• John then sees a beast coming up out of the sea.

  The beast has been explained in Daniel's prophecies to be empires or kingdoms; and it has four heads. To make it worse the entities look like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.

• “I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed.;”

  Do something most people won't do, pay attention to the words. It says, I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain. It is not dead, although the world. for many years, thought so. In spite of the appropriate information that the scripture gives us, some quack will tell you that we are looking for a man to have an assassination attempt made upon him. We use the word attempt, because with their next breath they tell you that this man who gets shot in the head, rises to life once again. When I was a child, John Kennedy, the President of the United States at the time, was shot in the head and a large portion of his head was destroyed. Many thought, this is the guy! Well, that did not happen. The problem is that this is not the head of a man, it is an empire. The message I repeat frequently is that the Ottoman empire fits the description nicely, as this is exactly what happened when the British crushed the Ottoman in 1924. Why is this information significant? Because another empire of Muslims has taken its place and is very alive today; they just can't settle on a name.

• And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast because it came back to life.

  So now we have many, around the world worshiping the dragon, even though they don't know it; I seriously doubt that they realize that Satan gave his authority to the beast, which we will quickly see migrates into a man – a spokesman. I also pointed out how many, after the United States handed Afghanistan to the Taliban, worshiped Allah, saying, Who is like him, and who is able to wage war with him? Wait a minute, are they worshiping Allah, or are they worshiping the Taliban, especially since they are little more than armed bullies, and the nation of Afghanistan of was handed to them by our inept, American President Biden.

• This man, who in all likelihood is a Muslim, (I say this because one of his names is the Assyrian,) wages war upon the Christians.

  As of this date, 09/29/21, I have watched Amir Tsarfati teaching on the last Jihad. In this teaching he insists that it cannot be a Muslim because they cannot get along among other things. While I appreciate Amir for many reasons, I wholeheartedly disagree with him on this. Amir even says that in one passage that many use to substantiate the idea that we are looking for an Assyrian was most likely fulfilled by Sennacherib. Well let's see.

  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. (Isaiah 10:24 NASB)

  The antichrist will strike Israel with rod, no doubt, so this could easily work. The next verse has a context and places it in the end times; and, that makes it work.

  For in that day every man will cast away his silver idols and his gold idols, which your sinful hands have made for you as a sin. And the Assyrian will fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of man will devour him. So he will not escape the sword, And his young men will become forced laborers. (Isaiah 31:7-8 NASB)

  Here, Isaiah uses the Hebrew word that represents the fighting equipment of the day. We, in this case, do not have to take this literally. It goes on to say that he falls by the sword but not of man. There is only one way that can happen, and that would be because Jesus throws him into the lake of fire. So, he dies at the hand of Jesus.

  Micah 5:5 is the verse that Amir uses to disprove the idea that the antichrist could be an Assyrian. So let's analyze it.

  And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace. When the Assyrian invades our land, When he tramples on our citadels, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight leaders of men. They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, The land of Nimrod at its entrances; And He will deliver us from the Assyrian When he attacks our land And when he tramples our territory. (Micah 5:4-6 NASB)

  Notice how this starts, and yes, I took a couple extra verses in order to establish context.

  • “He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain,” Who is Micah talking about? Jesus.

  • Still speaking about Jesus, we get this, “Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace.” Now, it is definitely Jesus.

  • Next it says – not if, when. “When the Assyrian invades our land.” To be honest, the Assyrian invaded the land on many occasions, and, to the best of my knowledge, Nebuchadnezzar was the first. Some will argue, he was Babylonian, however, if you do your homework, you will find that they were all, in God's eyes, Assyrians, all the way down to the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue that Daniel interpreted. If I wanted to operate on the basis of the this Assyrian issues being fulfilled by Sennacherib, then I have to consider that the word tells us that the temple will be destroyed. But that also happened twice, the last time in 70 A. D. under the Roman General Titus. Obviously, it will happen once again. Because of that, we can know that the Assyrian will be coming once again.

  In the religious understanding, the people in the 7 year period probably should not be called Christians. So then, why do the Muslims label them in this manner? Because they see all Americans as the people of the bible and, therefore, Christians. God will sort them out at the end, so for now give them the benefit of the doubt.

• We also learned that all the earth will worship him.

  But God himself tells us that this not true as it is spelled out how that those whose names are written in the book of life will NOT worship the antichrist.

  What do you suppose it is that motivates and directs them, for many will tell you that the Holy Spirit is removed with the church in the rapture? The removal of the Holy Spirit seems logical since the Holy Spirit is assumed to live exclusively in the spirit of believers. That logic works until you realize that people continue to be drawn to God's love; and, it is the work of Holy Spirit of God that does that.

  "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13 NASB)

  The number of people that worships the antichrist will be close to uncountable.

• And finally, the false prophet shows up.

  This occurs at the three and one half year mark. He performs great signs, deceives many of the elect, and operates in the power of the antichrist. He also becomes the enforcer of Sharia law, which means he continues the killing of “Christians.”

So much for the chronological attempts at understanding the Revelation, let's just try to understand what we read and perhaps the timeline will fall into place.

Revelation 14:1 NASB Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.

When did we first see the 144,000 Jewish, male, virgins?

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: (Revelation 7:4 NASB)

I pointed that out that they were male, Jewish, virgins, because the Jehovah's Witness believe that they have the 144,000 as their elders. What they won't tell you is that they may well be dead by now, and since the positions are already filled, there is not much hope left for you but works, which looks a lot like mandatory, Saturday mission work. In following Christ, He did all the work to gain our salvation. We do need to make an effort and believe, that and this idea of taking His yoke upon ourselves. If that seems ominous to you, then you need to consider that we who follow Him have given ourselves to Him. Paul said, I am a slave of Jesus Christ.

• “I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.”

The lamb, and these young men, are standing on Mount Zion. Mount Zion, according to Hebrews 12:22, is the “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” I say all this to ask a rhetorical question,

Where are we in the timeline of end times events?

John saw the Lamb, with the 144,000, standing upon Mt. Zion; this does not happen until after the seven-years of wrath; after, Christ has come back as the warring Messiah, and the battle is over. One of the major problems we have is how long it takes to make all these governmental type events happen.

Notice what I did there?

I just applied broken human thinking to God's plan; a plan that does not have to operate according to our earthly timing or understanding. If He spoke the universe into existence, then He can speak order over this transition into an eternal existence as well.

You might rightly assume that the Lamb, standing upon Mt Zion, with the 144,000 would be a celebratory and victorious time. You might also assume that God is holding these untainted men out before us.

Why speculate over why He might do that?

Because we the church have bought into the lies of the enemy and the world, that tell us that purity and focus is impossible.

One more thing. Notice that these men have the name of the Father written on their foreheads.

This evokes a question. Has Satan created anything?

I think not. I do not believe that he invented concept of mutiny or treason either, but he sure put it into practice when he deceived Eve in the Garden. He does, however, mimic, or imitate the things of God. I mentioned earlier how our introduction to the 144,000 comes in Revelation 7:4, but shortly after that we see the antichrist demanding that all take his mark, and it is no coincidence that it is on the right hand or the forehead, as God had already initiated.

Revelation 14:2-5 NASB And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. (3) And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. (4) These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. (5) And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

John's vision of the 144,00 seems to have been interrupted with this voice, that he describes as the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Picture yourself on a rocky seashore, on a stormy day, where large waves are crashing against the rocks. The noise is horrendous if you are close to it; and yet John tells us it is like harpists. Out of all of this noise there is singing. It is the 144,000 doing the singing and they are singing a new song. No one knows this song but them.

The verses give us an interesting description, as it describes the 144,000 as having been purchased from the earth.

Haven't we all been purchased by His blood?

The answer is yes. Paul, in speaking to the people of Ephesus, told them this.

“... the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28b. NASB)

A part of his statement is about the church of God, which He (God) purchased with His own blood. In writing to the church in Corinth Paul also affirmed that we were purchased.

“For you have been bought with a price..” (1 Corinthians 6:20a. NASB)

The passage about the 144,000 ends with, “And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” Are you aware that God chose us that we should/could be faultless and without blame.

“just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him....” (Ephesians 1:4 NASB)

For the Jew, in their understanding, you could not come close to this condition without offering a sacrifice. This may be going to far, but it was the blood that protected God's people in Egypt at the first passover.

'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments--I am the LORD. 'The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13 NASB)

In Leviticus the blood is what made you accepted.

"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 'If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD.
(Leviticus 1:2-3 NASB)

Little did they know that Christ became the final, all sufficient sacrifice, that gave us the ability to be holy and blameless. Allow me to qualify what I just said. Christs blood was and still is sufficient, but it requires our participation by acceptance and belief.

The next verse is an answer to those who whine that Christ cannot come back because NOT everyone has the gospel.

Revelation 14:6 NASB “And I saw another angel flying in mid heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;”

It is clear that God's intent is to preach the gospel, beside that. Paul tells us that the law is written upon the heart of every human.

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, (Romans 2:14-15 NASB)

Many will read Romans 2:14,15, and give themselves an excuse for not acting right, as they think God does not hold you responsible unless you believe in Him.

For those who like me struggle to see the concise chronology of the Revelation, there is definitely a line of events happening between Revelation 14:6 and 7. There are no excuses allowed. An angel has just declared the gospel of Jesus Christ, to the whole world, and now comes the judgment.

Revelation 14:7 NASB “and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”

“Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come,”

We have heard this before. Revelation 11:18 is one of those places, however, verse 18 includes the time to reward the prophets, the saints, and those who fear your name.

"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
(Revelation 11:18 NASB)

Hour is the Greek word hōra. It can mean: an “hour” (literally or figuratively): - a day, an instant, or a season.

Fear is the Greek word phobeō. While it includes the idea of being frightened the context leans more toward awe of, or reverence of the Lord.

Judgment (judged) is the Greek word krinō. It means to separate; to make a distinction between, or to exercise judgment upon.

[In Matthew's gospel we see all three aspects of this definition when we read of the sheep and goat judgment. There, as in Revelation 20, the dead are brought to the throne of judgment, however, in Matthew's account the dead are separated, and a distinction is made as to their fate. Here we see the sheep obtaining mercy and entrance into the kingdom of God. Read Matthew 25:31-46.]

Imagine the verse remastered to read, reverence the Lord, and give Him glory, because the season of His judgment has come. We are there and the events going on around us only demonstrate the urgency of the season. I am not a good gambler and hoping that He classifies me as a sheep, merely because I handed a guy named Richard a sandwich is not what I call good odds.

I gave my life to Jesus a long time ago, but to be honest, I have turned my back to Him on several occasions. I discovered that He never turned His back on me, and for that I love Him more. The ABC's of salvation can give you an assurance that you are His, and I might add, He will never let you go.

A scroll, sealed with seven seals. Rev 5: 1-6

 We previously covered Revelation chapter four, which opened with “after these things.” The terminology is understood by many to mean after the church age, and chapter four ends by describing the 24 elders. Having covered the clues as to who the 24 elders are in the previous study, it is evident that they, at minimum, represent the church.

Now we move into Revelation chapter five. After our journey into chapter four, one might think that the focus would remain with the church, or perhaps the elders and some role they might continue to play, but that does not happen because the focus of this book is that it is a revelation of Jesus Christ. We learn of this fact in the opening statement of the Revelation. With that in mind, we continue.

I give you the Complete Jewish Bible version, as it specifically refers to the document as a scroll and NOT a book.

Revelation 5:1 CJB Next I saw in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals;

The CJB chooses to show respect for Jehovah by referring to Him as the One. The NASB uses what I have come to see as a standardized capitalization of Him, but insisted on referring to the document as a book.

Revelation 5:1 NASB I (John) saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

Using the term “book” is a modern and logical direction as it gives us Gentiles an easy way to visualize this scene. If you felt the need to seal the “book,” why would you need to put seven seals upon it. Merely breaking one seal should give someone access to all aspects, whether you wanted them in there or not. To some degree, a bound book protects the words inside, but NOT on the outside; because of this, the mental imagery doesn't work as this is a scroll, sealed and secured for a specific time and a specific person to open it, by breaking the “wax” seals marked with an official stamp.

The problem with the modern terminology became immediately apparent as I began looking for the term “a book” as a comparative so that I might understand what this book in God's hand, was associated with. (My initial thoughts went to the Great White Throne.)

Revelation 20:12 CJB “And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened; and another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

We have nothing in Revelation 20:12 to tie this scroll to what we see in Revelation 5:1, but there is a correlation to Ezekiel 2:9-10.

Ezekiel 2:9-10 NASB Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning, and woe.

Woes can also be parallelled to Revelation 8:13, which does not speak of a book, however, the information is the same and the result of a seal being opened.

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!”

We are continuing with chapter five and a question, who is worthy?

Page one.

Revelation 5:2 CJB and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

• A mighty angel?

This is not a foreign statement to the Jewish community, as they are very familiar with the concept of angels and their power. Daniel, in an explanation from an angel, hears this.

Daniel 10:13 NIrV But the prince of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael came to help me. He is one of the leaders of the angels. He helped me win the battle over the king of Persia.

The Dake’s Bible, in his side note commentary, states that,

“[the prince of the kingdom of Persia] ...is the satanic prince or ruler of the kingdom of Persia (a fallen angel,) one ruling the kingdom of Persia for Satan who is recognized in Scripture as being the god and ruler of this world, having usurped man’s dominion.”

Dake refers to many passages, but one of the first is Matthew 4:8-9.

Matthew 4:8-9 NLT “Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (9) “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

The devil/Lucifer is a fallen angel. He was the prince/ruler of all the angels.

What you need to ask is, how did Satan obtain authority and ownership of the earth?

The answers are out there if you are willing to find them but I am not going into that here. Since an angel, with a simple touch, disabled Jacob, we should never try to exert power over an entity like this without the backing of the Holy Spirit.

• “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

John Gill’s commentary says this is “suggesting, that if there was any such person, that he was desired to come, and do it.”

This is like a teacher asking if anyone has the answer to a question, and NO ONE raises their hand. As I read this, I think it would be only the arrogant who would dare to approach the scrolls. Having been involved in the faith movement, I can picture a few who think their faith would give them the prestige to step forward; however, scripture proves that is NOT the case, as there is only ONE who is worthy, and that is Jesus because of the cross.

Here again, this should evoke other questions in your mind, such as, why is He the only one?

I am not going to into the why’s of Him being worthy, as that would be another six-page study; so suffice it to say that you should look at the events that include and surround the cross. Continuing on.

Revelation 5:3-4 NASB And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. (4) Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;

This is an intriguing plot. If we have been raptured, then our status, in Him, would perhaps be seen as worthy, but that does not happen. I suppose the practical reasons for not being able to open the seals that go back to a time before time. Jesus’ authority, responsibility, and right to open the seals may well have been established before time began.

Page two.

Dake refers to this statement “no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth” as “Men Conscious in Three Realms.”

The realms then are:

• In heaven.
• On the earth.
• Or under the earth.

According to scripture, is what Dake says a valid assessment?

Those under the earth are those that have died without Christ.

Psalms 9:17 NLT The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.

Wicked is the Hebrew word râshâ‘ and conveys the meaning of wicked, criminal, hostile to God, or guilty of sin.

Since we don’t know why they did not go up in the rapture, we must leave it to God to sort out what He will do with them, and He does; but for the moment, we understand that they are in Sheol.

Sheol is “the OT designation for the abode of the dead.” (BDB)

Because of Revelation 5:3-5, we know that there is NO ONE in Sheol worthy to break open the seals.

Alright then, what about those on the earth?

Scripture tells us,

“The path of life leads upward for the wise That he may keep away from Sheol below.” Proverbs 15:24 NASB

Pay attention to the wording in Proverbs 15:24. It is the wise who walk the path leading upward; and the wording, "that the wise MAY keep away from Sheol below. I am going to put it this way, even if you are wise, you may potentially get yourself caught in a trap. Some traps will kill you. Many teach, once saved always saved, but doesn't that apply to God's attitude toward us? We are still liable and responsible for the poor choices that we make here on earth.

This response "who rescues us from the wrath to come" is froth with arguments, as some cannot see the church in heaven until the end of the time of wrath (the Great T. This argument commits the church to endure God’s wrath, which is what these seven years are designated. The problem with that presumption is that those who argue for it ignore the fact that Jesus took all of God’s wrath upon Himself.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 NASB (10) and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.

This same Jesus bought us out of the slavery and bondage that we were due, thereby, once again escaping God’s wrath.

Ephesians 1:7 NASB In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Here in Ephesians 1:7, the word redemption is the Greek word apolutrōsis and means a ransom paid in full. In other words, we were freed from the bondage that was our fate. None of this, however, gives us an escape from the tribulations that are a part of our daily lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Since we know that the number of those who accept Jesus Christ after the rapture will be innumerable, we could conclude that there are still Christians here on earth.

Why not draw from one of these?

Page three.

(I can guarantee that some of you are pointing out that there is a simplistic answer, and there is, but it does not explain the reasons why Jesus is the only answer. Allow patience to work as the answer is provided and will soon be seen.)

We seem to set aside the fact that the age of grace has been removed from the earth along with the church; this removal has nothing to do with the action of the Holy Spirit, as He continues to draw all humanity to God. With grace being gone, all those acknowledging Jesus Christ will have to prove their loyalty through their death. When you think about this process, it makes sense why there is NO ONE worthy, on earth, to open the seals.

So then, the last option is to look for someone in heaven, and apparently, they do, but what an odd statement since we know that Jesus is in heaven, seated on a throne, next to the Father, ever making intercession for us. You have to believe that they looked around and see no one with their hand raised, saying, pick me.

What happens next?

Revelation 5:4-5 NASB Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; (5) and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

More so than anyone else, John would be the one who knew Jesus was already here in heaven. Jesus was John’s best friend. In the last hours of Jesus’ life, we find John with his head lying on Jesus’ chest. Try to imagine the significant loss he felt when He saw Jesus die, and the shock he felt, when, upon running to the tomb on the third day, found it open and Jesus was gone. You might think that John would expect to see Jesus strutting out on stage, dressed as a Messianic warrior, declaring that He would open the seals, but that did not happen.

One of the elders consoles John and says, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

Even with this noble description, what does John see?

A lamb, as if it had been slain.

Revelation 5:6 NASB And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

On a side note. As a city kid, I never saw horns on a lamb. All that changed one recent year at the county fair, walking around with my grandchildren. We saw a lamb that had massive horns. It was then I remembered a friend, who managed the small farm for his parents, and he told me they cut the horns off when the sheep are young.

A lamb as if had been slain?

I cannot detach myself from the imagery portrayed in the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion, and yet, I believe the brutality was worse than the film depicted. Now we have a lamb as if slain. To slaughter an animal for dinner is a different process than one to be sacrificed, as the throat is slit, and the animal is then hung up and left to bleed out. Indeed, in this case, the lamb is covered in its blood, so much so that there would be no reason to understand how this animal could be standing, but there He is triumphant.

Page four.

Seven horns and seven eyes?

Initially, I wanted to back away from this section as it is bizarre and confusing. The Holy Spirit said to me, those people you lead are looking for answers, so give them an answer. I put aside the doubt and fears, and this is what I heard. 

We are told they are seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. When Jesus left the earth, He said, He would send the comforter – the Holy Spirit. That Spirit of God went into all the earth.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee tells us,

“the Seven horns denote complete power. A horn speaks of power (see Dan. 7-8). He is omnipotent. Seven eyes denote complete knowledge. Christ is omniscient. He is the omnipotent and omniscient God. He moves in the fullness of the Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding.”

To be honest, it is a freakish image, but if that completeness of power and knowledge is all that they mean, it would be enough, for certainly Christ was and is all of those things that Dr. McGee says.

Paul stated that by proclaiming Christ, they sought to present every man to Christ, complete.

Colossians 1:28 NASB We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

On the part of Paul and his missionary buddies, this goal was never fully accomplished and still goes on today. So, how could Paul then say, "... you have been made complete in Him." Well, it does not say precisely that; it says that “in Him, you have been made complete.”

Colossians 2:9-10 NASB For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, (10) and in Him, you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

So being in Him is a mandatory aspect of our completeness.

Dake’s commentary indicates that there are 27 references to lambs in the Revelation. While that is fascinating information, they are not all of Jesus, and here is one that conveys an opposing and deceiving image.

Revelation 13:11 NASB “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.”

What is newsworthy is how Satan has mimicked God at every turn. God marks those who are His own and Satan, will make it mandatory for people to take a mark to buy or sell anything at some point.

God has the 144,000 sealed with a mark on their foreheads; and what does Satan do? Enforces the mark on the right hand or the forehead.

Revelation 9:4 NASB “They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

The point in time, where buying food is restricted to those who have a seal in their right hand or forehead, is three and one-half years into the time of wrath; and is associated with the Antichrist. On the other hand, we live in a period that, as they used to say on Star Trek, is moving at warp speed, and it feels as though taking a mark through a “harmless” vaccine may happen within months.

For the sake of brevity, I want to end here; however, I am not done.

Because of Jesus' willingness to be beaten, go to the cross, and endure the taunts of Satan as he went down to Sheol, He can stand there, the Lamb as it had been slain, worthy to open the seals.

What is our proof that this happened?

Psalms 16:10 NLT For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.

Page five.

Let's end on this.

Ephesians 2:13-21 NLT

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus.

Once, you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

For Christ, himself has brought peace to us.

He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations.

He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near.

Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.