Since finishing the study on Revelation, I had the notion to address rather common misconceptions and questions that I hear. The 144,000 is one of those misconceptions.

Posted on 09/07/2022 by remso

This was first posted in 2008, but much has changed since then, along with my attitude. Since finishing the study on Revelation, I had the notion to address rather common misconceptions and questions that I hear. The 144,000 is one of those misconceptions.

First, I think I need to explain my understanding of the 144,000.

  • They are Jewish young men, virgins who take God’s word and Jewish traditions very seriously.

  • God hand picks them from the twelve tribes, and, as an archaeologist recently pointed out, there are no lost tribes. Revelation 7:3-4 tends to uphold that scriptural fact.

  • God uses these Jewish men as evangelists to the Jews. The assumption is that they are pointing to Jesus as the Messiah and explaining from scriptures who He is and why He is the Messiah. The oddity here is that it seems they knew that.

  • With six of the seals containing God’s wrath having been opened, we are fortunate that these men are alive. In my understanding, the sealing of the men protects them from harm. Now that might not be true, but that is what I understood.

  • When it comes to people who missed the boat and, therefore, missed the rapture, calling them Christians kind of gets hung up in my throat. What I do see is that those who wake up and follow Jesus get martyred, and it is God that calls them saints. The first time we see these 144,000 is in Revelation 7. The second time is in Revelation 14, where they are with Jesus, before the throne, singing a new song that only they know, and you will not see them called saints.

I spent the last 14 years reading my Bible at every opportunity, asking questions about what I read and writing down the responses that I heard in my spirit. What I learned, more than anything else, was God’s nature and character. So it really grates on me when I hear statements like this one.

One day, in the men’s Bible study – that I no longer attend, a statement was made proclaiming that the one hundred and forty-four thousand bond-servants, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel, would be caught up in the church’s rapture. 

So, let’s all enlighten ourselves by reading a description of the 144,000  from God’s word.

Then I looked, and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Tziyon (Zion); and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven, like the sound of rushing waters and like the sound of pealing thunder; the sound I heard was also like that of harpists playing on their harps. They were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living beings and the elders, and no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who have been ransomed from the world. These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes; they have been ransomed from among humanity as firstfruits for God and the Lamb; on their lips, no lie was found—they are without defect.
(Revelation 14:1-5 CJB)

Allow me to reiterate verse five once again, but from the King James Version.

And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. (Revelation 14:5 KJV)

Now, with this pertinent information, 

Is it true that the 144,000 will be caught up in the rapture?

Any serious student of the Bible knows that is not true, but if you want to expand your horizons, then you need to ask why it’s not true.

When we search for the one hundred and forty-four thousand, we only find three references, all of which occur within the Revelation of Jesus Christ, once in Revelation 7 and twice in Revelation 14.  The first reference is in Revelation 7, where we see four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so that they did not blow on the earth or sea or even on any tree.

“…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:” (Revelation 7:3-4 NASB)

Sealed? A logical assumption is that they are being sealed to protect them from the wrath of God.

(I use the term wrath because six of the seals have already been opened, subjecting those young me to at least some aspects of that wrath. If you must argue, then consider the goals of the antichrist – based on known current trends in technology, where most everyone is chipped and tracked on daily basis. Considering the 144,000 who are sealed, how do they dodge some like a vaccination mandate?)

If that is the case, the timing of their sealing alone enforces the idea that they are Jewish and are here during the time that God’s wrath is being poured out (As teenagers tend to say, NO DUH, in other words, how obvious.) The distinction is that they are NOT gentiles.

Can we assume they were evil people because they did not go up with the church?

Not necessarily. First off, Revelation 14 clearly tells us they are without defect. 

Does that mean that they have no physical defects? 

No, it means they are, according to the law, sinless. We, too, are sinless but only by the blood of Jesus, and this may be the same reason that they can be deemed “without defect.” 

Secondly, the Jews are actively looking for the Messiah; but they have flatly rejected Jesus Christ as they feel He is a Gentile invention and designed for them alone. So, thanks to the veil being lifted and the help of these evangelists, many Jews come to Jesus after the catching away of the church.

Those who are sealed are specifically from the tribes of Israel, not Jehovah’s witnesses. 

Verses five through eight of Revelation fourteen spell out how 12,000 of each tribe of the sons of Israel were chosen from the tribes listed there, and you can look these up on your own time.

Why is any of this important? 

The layout of the Revelation is, for the most part, chronological, which is why we can say that the wrath of God began with the revelation of the lamb that looked as if it had been slain in Revelation chapter 4. By the time we reach chapter seven, where we see the 144,000, six of the seals have been broken.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people;”
(Luke 21:20-23 NASB)

While the entirety of Luke’s passage is worrisome, this, by and large, is pointed at one people group, the Jews. If I based my understanding of what is to come upon Luke’s version alone, I would be remiss by not providing adequate witnesses.

Since we can see that it is wrath that is coming, then let’s focus on that for a moment.

Who is this wrath for?

Based upon Luke’s gospel and the usage of the name Judea, it is simple to see that much of it is for and because of the Jews, and the Prophet Hosea acknowledges that as well.

“Israel, the time has come. You will get what you deserve, and you will know it. “Prophets are fools,” you say. “And God’s messengers are crazy.” Your terrible guilt has filled you with hatred.”
(Hosea 9:7 CEV)

Brenton’s translation uses terminology similar to Luke’s gospel.

“The days of vengeance are come, the days of thy recompense are come; and Israel shall be afflicted as the prophet that is mad, as a man deranged: by reason of the multitude of thine iniquities thy madness has abounded.”
(Hosea 9:7 Brenton)

Iniquities, in Hebrew, also means perversity or evil. Have you ever asked yourself why or where this happened? One of the first things the “children of Israel” did after coming out of Egypt was to pressure Aaron into making the god Moloch for them (think child sacrifice). Stephen, in Acts chapter seven, defines these things in a manner that we see nowhere else. Jewish tradition tells us that their acts were so detestable that they were unspeakable. So you see, NO one contest what Stephen said about what Israel did with Moloch. In Exodus 32, we see God’s reaction and commentary.

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.”
(Exodus 32:7 NASB)

At this point, God practically disowns them. He uses the word corrupted to define them. The Hebrew word conveys that they had spoiled, ruin, and perverted themselves. The word perverted does not convey the depth of their perversion as they roasted their babies in the arms of Moloch and danced around the star of Ishtar the goddess of sex. Exodus 32:22, in the NASB, has Aaron defending them and himself by saying, “you know the people, that they are set on mischief.” Ah, mischief is an artful way of saying they are naturally and morally bad and evil. Now how would Aaron have known that? Remember Balaam and his donkey? This is the man that told Balak that they could defeat Israel by putting the pretty girls from the surrounding nations within reach of their men. Those men will take the girls into their beds, and when they whine, build me a high place to worship; the children of Israel will do what they ask. Those high places, especially among the Canaanites, were places of child sacrifice by dismemberment (I recently watched a Christian archaeologist who demonstrated exactly what I am talking about). Can you now see that one of the reasons God is so angry with Israel is that they perpetually invested in the perversion of the surrounding nations, and you see it throughout the Old Testament.

God’s wrath is also poured out upon the nations. In Jeremiah, we see God taking vengeance upon those who chose to fight against Him.

“But that day is a day of the Lord, the Lord of hosts–a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. And the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiated and shall drink its fill of their blood; for the Lord, the Lord of hosts has a sacrifice [like that of a great sin offering] in the north country by the river Euphrates.” (Jeremiah 46:10 AMP)

Here in 46:10, Jeremiah uses the phrase “day of the Lord.” What does this phrase apply to? It applies to the entirety of the seven years in which He pours out His wrath upon Israel and the nations. The purpose is to eliminate “sinners,” though it is evident that it is not complete elimination. Some will say, Ah, see, this is one of those areas that prove that God cannot be trusted. What it proves is that God is merciful. In the example I showed you above, where Aaron makes the god Moloch for them, God told Moses that He was going to destroy them all. If you read the story in Exodus 32, then you will see that Moses dissuaded God, and God showed mercy. Eventually, your sins will find you out, and somehow, you will pay. This is where the blood of Jesus Christ comes into play because it covers all our sins.

“Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.”
(Isaiah 13:9 NASB)

The Hebrew word for exterminate also means to pluck down. You should be able to realize that there is a reduction of sinners and not extermination, as that seems to go against the character and nature of God. Sinners, according to the Hebrew, are those accounted guilty. We already saw in Jeremiah 46:10 that God is going to avenge Himself on His adversaries. Avenge can also be read as bringing punishment. The context of Revelation demonstrates how God comes at His adversaries from every possible direction.

One last passage to help define how God’s wrath will purge the earth.

“The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant.”:
(Isaiah 24:5 NASB)

The everlasting covenant, what’s that?

It is the covenant that God made with Adam, Eve, Abraham, and Moses, and it applies to every follower of Christ. In every human interaction, God said, I will uphold my end of the bargain, even if you don’t. If you think about the family tree, no one failed to hear “the law,” but few upheld the covenant completely. In failing to uphold the covenant, we have destroyed this earth with our technological advances.

Sometimes you can determine to whom God’s wrath is directed by eliminating those who are excluded from the conversation.

“”But God demonstrates His own love toward us (the followers of Jesus Christ) in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” (Romans 5:8-9 NASB) Emphasis mine.

Romans 5 speaks of being justified; while that forgiveness was a blanket coverage, it still requires action on the part of the recipient. You must accept Jesus Christ as yours.

Paul goes on to say that we, followers of Christ, will be rescued from the wrath, much like Noah was.

“that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NASB)

Spend a few minutes looking at this transaction between God and Noah (Genesis 7:1-4.) Having followed God’s instructions, God closed the massive door behind them. (Genesis 7:16) And this saved the family from God’s wrath – the flood.

This theme of being rescued from wrath is continued in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10.

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 NASB)

This, too, demonstrates how God’s salvation is a blanket of escape – if you will, that works for all who accept His salvation.

This rescue or salvation from wrath is from God’s wrath, not the tribulations of everyday life. God’s wrath will be poured out upon everyone living on the earth at this time; we assume that there is an exception for the 144,000. I am puzzled, for if I look at the Revelation as chronological, then it tends to indicate that they, too, were killed in some brutal manner.

How does that work if the seal of God protected them? Again, we make assumptions about the extent of their protection. The passage where we see this sealing begins reads like this.

“…, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
(Revelation 7:3 NASB)

It says nothing about NOT harming these Jewish believers. Now my understanding of them has shifted, and I see them as hand-picked evangelists up until the time that God sees fit to call them home. If the fourteenth chapter of Revelation is not an indication of that happening and fractures my idea of the Revelation retelling as a precisely chronological eschatological story. So, now I have to see the 144,000 as reinsertion into the Revelation timeline, much like a color commentary in a televised sporting event.

What’s the point so far?

Based on what I see in the verses that we have to work with, all this is happening within the seven years of wrath. Since we see an uncountable multitude standing before the throne, then there would have to have been an attempt to kill the followers of Christ. Since God has sealed these Jewish men, then they, too, would be deemed to be followers and potentially subject to death at the hands of Jewish leadership as well. This conversation is, of course, in consideration of the fact that three and one-half years into the seven, the false prophet will be unleashed upon the world, and, according to Islam, this man will be the enforcer of Sharia law. Sharia law dictates that the head of infidels are chopped off (anyone outside of Islam is an infidel) as the primary method of elimination.

“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.”
(Revelation 14:1 NASB)

If Jesus is standing on Mount Zion, then He has returned victoriously, and the earth is now in the hands of the Almighty God. Since the 144,000, to the best of our knowledge, have been witnesses to the Jews during the time of wrath, then it is obvious that their work is completed.

That would mean that they were not raptured, as only the church is caught up to be with Jesus; it also means that they are alive today, being prepared, and will have to endure the entirety of the seven years and its associated wrath. And, there is nothing that says they are exclusively in Israel, for we have Jews all over the world.

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Time for some common questions. A buddy of mine asked where we find the Battle of Armageddon in the Bible.

Posted on 08/29/2022 by remso

A buddy of mine asked where we find the Battle of Armageddon in the Bible.

I knew his question was centered on the prophecies we see in Ezekiel 38,39, and though much of that battle will take place in Israel, there has rarely been a Biblical battle that is not fought in the Meggido valley.

The layman’s definition comes across like this, every Biblical battle we are familiar with happens/ed in the Meggido valley or, as some put it, the Plain of Jezreel. Other names we find are Har- Megiddo, Har-Magedon, Armageddon, and Harmagedon. 

Josiah, the King of Judah, went out to fight the king of Egypt in the valley of Megiddo. (2 Kings 23:29)Megiddo valley _ the plain of Jezreel

Joshua, the second in command to Moses, made his home here and raised his sons, who were just as tough as he was, in the Jezreel valley.

Elijah took on the prophets of Baal, the servants of Jezebel, on Mt Carmel, the Southernmost boundary of the Megiddo valley.

“Jezreel, or Esdraelon, was a city of Issachar, afterwards celebrated as the residence of the kings of Israel, delightfully situated in the extensive and fertile plain of the same name, which extends from Scythopolis or Bethshan on the east to mount Carmel on the west.” (This puts the upper range just North of the Sea of Galilee  and South toward Mt. Carmel. This mountain should have a familiar ring as this is where Elijah confronted the false prophets of Jezebel.)
The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury (Emphasis mine.)

The book of Ezekiel gives two more identifying names. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.” (Ezekiel 39:11 KJV)

Ezekiel 38 tells us that this is also the area known as the location of the mountains of Israel.

“A long time from now, you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.” (Ezekiel 38:8 NLT)

One of the prime examples associated with the battle of Armageddon is found in Revelation 16.

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.”) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.”
(Revelation 16:12-16 NASB)

When you get to the end of the paragraph, there is a reference to “they” to whom does this refer? 

The passage tells us that the spirits of demons, which look like frogs, go out for one purpose, to cause the kings of the whole world to gather together for the war of the great day of God. These frog-like demons almost sound like they could take the form of humans as they begin performing signs. All the while, the Euphrates is drying up so that the kings from the East can come down and join in an attack on Israel. 

Now, you have to ask, does the great day of God refer to the time that Jesus will come back and retrieve His church, or is it something else, like the entirety of the seven years of God’s wrath?

It references the time of wrath, which begins mere seconds after the catching away of the church.

So the kings of the earth, is it then exclusive to Ezekiel 38, or can it apply to something else, as I see two more times that fall under the category of warfare?

I think this description of kings applies exclusively to Ezekiel 38. While the destruction will not be complete in which they can never show their faces again, it will be severe.

“And the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. “I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops–many peoples with you.”
(Ezekiel 38:1-6 NASB)

The second major deadly event occurs when the false prophet steps up to bat. Islamic prophecies believe this man, a descendant of Aaron, is the enforcer of Sharia. What does that mean to the Jew – who will be the biggest recipient of this violence? Again, look at Matthew 24, as this speaks specifically to this moment in time when the false prophet shifts his stance, pledges his allegiance to Allah; sets up the image of the beast, which speaks (This may be animatronics, much like a Disney attraction, and made functional through artificial intelligence; or, it could be downright demonic.)

“Therefore, when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.”
(Matthew 24:15-22 NASB)

The problem with identifying this period as a battle of Armageddon loses steam because, though there has to be a large deadly militant force backing the false prophet, none of those fighters are identified with Gog, as we see in Ezekiel 38.

Another problematic issue in associating this “warfare” with Armageddon comes from the vagueness of the antichrist who gives power to the false prophet. If the false prophet is the high priest of the newly built temple in Jerusalem and he flips teams, denies God, follows the Mahdi, and forces “everyone” to worship the beast and take his mark, the impact will be massive – for the Jewish community. Still, it will also be deadly for anyone who has chosen to follow Christ during this time. If the antichrist turned out to be someone like the former American President, Barack Obama, it would feel like a massive betrayal, as he has been acting like he is their best friend for many years. The truth is, Obama is an avid student of Saul Alinsky, and in his book Rules For Radicals, is a man who feels like he could be suspiciously close to Marxism or Socialism; and an admitted follower of Islam. We, as a church body, like much of America and our government that seems naive, seem to think that we are immune from the violence demanded by Islam and refuse to consider that Islam is and will continue to become a global threat. The clues have been before us for a long time now.

After this second onslaught, where Matthew’s account tells us that this period will be extremely deadly, realizing that this is the second part of the seven years of God’s wrath. As this ends, there is no doubt that this time will be filled with violence against others; several billion people will be killed intentionally, and there will be another massive battle.

“Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
(Revelation 19:6-7 NASB)

Do I think this will be audible and the world will hear it? Absolutely. Not only do I think they will hear it, but they will also see Jesus coming back to earth, riding on the white horse and covered in blood.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”
(Revelation 19:11-13 NASB)

What an incredible sight, except for those who have chosen to fight against Him. If there ever was a battle of Armageddon, this would be it. When we looked at Revelation 16 a short time ago, we saw frog-like demons gathering the kings of the earth. No doubt there will be kings at this battle that Ezekiel describes, but there are ten nations at best. Here, the impact is global, and every country that thinks God is nothing compared to their gods will be sadly mistaken, for everyone who comes to fight will cease to breathe that day.

Alright, there is one last battle, and it too is fought, to some degree, in the Jezreel valley.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”
(Revelation 20:1-3 NASB)

At some point, the thousand years will have come and gone.

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.”
(Revelation 20:7-8 NASB)

Satan is released to, in a sense, thin the herd. All these people, and there will be many, will have walked around with their free wills intact. Those whose names were NOT written in the book of life will be deceived. It is just that simple.

And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:9-10 NASB)

No fanfare, trumpets, or weapons of warfare as God Himself burns them up. Once again, the reality is that they quit breathing. Why do I keep saying that? Because we need to adjust our idea of death. Since the spirit of a human is in the image of God, then the soul lives on forever. Yes, those who choose to follow Satan to his demise will live eternally in the torment meant for him. You were meant to live in peace and love with the Father; I know that sounded like hippie talk, but it’s true.

The only thing that associates this with Armageddon is the usage of this terminology, “ they came up on the broad plain of the earth.”

I wrote this piece because there are expected events and questions, and we, for the most part, do not know the answers. Perhaps you have heard all this, and it sounded familiar; what happened? I can tell you what happened; we allowed confusion and confused people to speak into our lives instead of leaning hard upon God’s Word. Don’t allow confusion like that into your life. The Holy Spirit of God is still here, no matter if the church is gone or not, and He will lead and guide you into truth.

Ask Jesus into your life, and the Holy Spirit will come beside Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the fire of God, boldness, and strength, and He will do it. If the rapture has come, there is no time to fool around. One way or the other, they will kill you, but until that happens, live like the Prophet Elijah; he called fire down from heaven. The prophet Samuel was also feared, but I will leave you to pursue that. Just know that if you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. So put your faith in Jesus and choose to command the angels to move on your behalf. God’s speed and mercy. We will meet again.

Posted in Armageddon, bible study, demons, End times, Euphrates, Islam, Israel, kings, Megiddo, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture, war, Warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

As we anxiously await His return. Revelation 22: 18 – 21.

Posted on 08/27/2022 by remso

With the last few posts, we should have been encouraged and established as we read and studied Revelation 22, verses 16 and 17.

Why?

Because we have good witnesses and reliable testimony, this testimony primarily comes from the mouth of Jesus, who established the trustworthiness of His word by satisfying the demands of the law with His own body, and from the mouth of the prophets and thus fulfills the prophetic pattern. All this affirms our hope and understanding of why we can have that hope is valid.

Good, now that we are past that, let’s finish this chapter and the book of Revelation.

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;”
(Revelation 22:18 NASB)

The Amplified Bible makes the statement a bit more intense by saying, “warn everyone who listens to the statements of the prophecy.”

Is it possible that there is a difference between hearing and listening?

I hear stuff all the time, but my mind is bouncing at least two more ideas around in my head while my wife’s instructions are being said to me. I may have heard, but I was not listening. Now, if I symbolically move to the front row in the classroom and purposefully listen to the instructor, I stand a better chance of comprehending what is being said.

In defining the word hears, Thayer’s Greek Definitions tell us that the word akouō can also mean attending to or considering what has been said. 

So, it appears that Jesus is talking to and about persons who have invested the time to understand this book, whether through personal readings and study or under the inclination of theological training.

Now, if you invested that kind of time in understanding, why would you go about changing the meanings of the things you read in the Revelation?

An example of something that has been changed and brought about drastic confusion is Revelation 4:1. It reads,

“After these things, I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”
(Revelation 4:1 NASB)

The first three chapters of Revelation focus on the church age and end with God talking to the “church” of Laodicea. Revelation 3:14 opens with this statement.

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,”

You may not pick up the importance of what He said here, so let me show you an example of how God addressed the previous six churches. In Revelation 3:7, we see this,

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,”

It wasn’t Jesus’ church in Laodicea but the Laodicean’s church. Sadly, we are living in the age of the Laodicean church. Just look around you as churches of every denomination are going “woke,” becoming an arm of the government by opening their doors to become inoculation centers for the C19 vaccine, a vaccine meant to kill you; and note how quickly the churches are giving themselves over to blatant sin. See Leviticus 20:13.

The drastic confusion stems from the phrase “ After these things.” The church, on the whole, cannot seem to grasp that the events that will progress in Revelation are happening AFTER the time of the churches – after the rapture.

Now don’t get me wrong, woke, progressive churches will continue to have a function in the seven years, for a time, as long as they comply with government demands, such as taking the mark, worshiping the beast, and worshiping the image of the beast, but the church, as I now know it, will be gone. We will be like the Chinese are now, meeting in secret at odd hours of the night.

Let’s finish chapter 22.

“And if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which have been written in this Book.” (Revelation 22:19 MKJV)

As church people have read Revelation, I imagine many have wished they could remove many of the painful aspects we find there.

Why?

I can think of two reasons someone might do that.

  1. Most of us know people who will probably have to go through the time of wrath, and we want to save them from having to do that.
  2. Many “Christians” have not been taught properly and, therefore, believe they must go through the time of wrath or at least some portion of that time.

So, if you were like me, weaving your way through Revelation with the hope of understanding and causing others to understand. What advantage do you gain, by leaving things out or misrepresenting others, like Revelation 6:2?

“And I saw. And behold a white horse! And he sitting on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2 MKJV)

Saddam Hussein accepted only one verse from our Bible as true, Revelation 6:2. He also believed that he was this rider. He was not, and to prove my point, Saddam was hanged. This rider (symbolic language) is the antichrist personified in a man (sorry ladies) and will emerge shortly after the catching away of the church. This man, because we see him putting forth a seven-year peace treaty (Note: Israel is NOT mentioned in this treaty; the treaty, therefore, may be perceived as giving the Islamic nations a chance to reload. This war is probably associated with the war against Israel that we see in Ezekiel 38,39, which appears to have a nuclear aspect.)

Verse 19 tells us, “if anyone takes away from the Words of the Book of this prophecy, God will take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city.”

The Amplified Bible says it this way. “ And if anyone cancels or takes away from the statements of the book of this prophecy [these predictions relating to Christ’s kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions or warnings pertaining to them], God will cancel and take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the city of holiness (purity and hallowedness), which are described and promised in this book.”

How, in God’s name, could we humans cancel God’s actions?

The reality is, we can’t, unless, as the Greek word aphaireō conveys, we take from or remove. This idea of not speaking is what I was talking about when I said that one of the ways would be by exclusion as we choose to NOT talk about some aspect of God’s Word, in this case, the Revelation. A Pastor told me that no one can understand prophetic books like Revelation and Daniel, which is why I will not teach from them, and neither will you if I have any say over who teaches here.

The reality is that the person who intentionally does this will be removed from the book of life and eliminated from entering the Holy City. If this is true, then you would think that there are a number of pastors whose names have been removed from the book of life. 

Here is my problem with this. Having been raised in a Pentecostal environment, I was brought up with the idea that many sins, all of which seem to be built into our DNA, will send you to hell. A “brother in Christ” who led the weekly Bible study told the group of men every week (the average age of these men was about 75) that they were going to hell for their sins. a friend and I have talked about this scenario several times. It was my friend who pointed out the age thing and the fact that most of these men raised their families in this church. 

If they had been receiving sound teaching every week, why would you possibly think they were perpetually sinning sins that would send them to hell?

What does a teacher like this do with a passage in which Jesus directly says?

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:27-28 NASB)

In talking about losing our salvation, I suspect teachers like this are trying to manipulate you because it is known that we have a propensity to sin. All you have to do is be awake, and the opportunities to sin will come.

Perhaps it is merely this simple. Just as someone has chosen to remove themselves from God’s hand, we have the same ability, in Jesus’ name, to declare that under no circumstance will I remove myself from God’s care. Peter seemed to do this and yet denied Christ three times. Fortunately, for our sakes, n Christ forgave Peter and showed him what forgiveness looks like in God’s eyes as he comforted Peter back into the grace of God. 

And just as King David would tell you, there is no doubt in my mind any longer, as God wrote my name in His book before time began.

We are almost done.

Revelation 22:20 NASB “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

It now seems like a simple question, and you should know the answer, who is the “He who testifies to these things.”?

He is the lamb that was slain; 

He is the only one worthy to open the seals; 

He is the risen one, 

the Son of the living God, 

The one who now sits next to the Father; 

He is the one who anxiously awaits that signal from the shofar;

And He is the one who will come and collect His bride – the church. 

And He testifies that He is finally coming quickly.

Did that cover it?

 

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Revelation 22:21 NASB 

“ (May,) the grace of the Lord Jesus be with (you) all (as we anxiously await His return). Amen.” Emphasis mine.

Posted in Antichrist, bible study, End times, false teaching, God's character, New World Order, Prophetic, rapture, Revelation, Sin, The Word was God, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

And let the one who is thirsty come. Revelation 22:17, 18.

Posted on 08/23/2022 by remso

In August of 2022, I published a commentary on Revelation 22:16. Here, I use the Good News Bible, as it conveys that Jesus wanted John to share this information with the church bodies that existed and to future Christ followers, that includes you and me.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to announce these things to you in the churches. I am descended from the family of David; I am the bright morning star.”
(Revelation 22:16 GNB)

You can find that post here – https://omharris.com/2022/08/20/to-witness-and-to-give-you-assurance-of-these-things-revelation-2216/

In that post, I focused on the idea that Jesus reminded the Apostle John that it was not just Jesus bearing witness to the hope of a future life with the Father, but John too was to bear witness. Primarily because we are human and have the ability to forget that we have a hope and why; and, in the case of John, who is now an old man exiled to the island of Patmos, a place that, for all John knew, it was Rome’s hope that he died there. As you can see, God had other plans.

Having covered verse 16, we move on to Revelation 22:17.

Revelation 22:17 NASB “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

So, knowing that we have Biblical witnesses testifying to the rapture of the church before the wrath of God is to be poured out and that our hope is in a life with the Father and an eternity of peace with Him.

Who is He talking to?

  • “The one who hears.”

    This idea of the one who hears does not necessarily hold to those looking for salvation, as it can also apply to those, such as myself, who are hungry and want to find answers.

  • “The one who is thirsty.”

    Thirst is the Greek word dipsaō and surprise, it means to thirst. But what if my thirst is for more of the Lord and a deeper understanding of what is coming and when?

  • Playing off the idea of thirst, He says, “the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

    Jesus used the term take. This is the Greek word lambánō, and, according to the Word Study Dictionary, can mean to take in whatever manner. Almost synonymous with déchomai (G1209), to accept or receive, and yet distinct from it in that lambánō sometimes means to receive as merely a self-prompted action.

    A question, was our salvation truly without cost?

    No, as Jesus gave up His place next to the Father, His royalty, and His life to purchase our salvation. On our part, it costs us nothing (well, perhaps a touch of humility.)

But note how once the Spirit and the bride say come, the directive is for those who hear to say come. Come is the Greek word érchomai and also infers “to appear, make one’s appearance, come before the public; arise, come forth, show yourself, or influence; and, to be established, or become known.” Thayer’s Greek Definitions.

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

Who is the Spirit?

If I were to guess, I would have to say the Holy Spirit, but we don’t want to guess; we want direct, accountable answers.

And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:19-20 NASB)

This Holy Spirit is the same Spirit that baptizes in fire.

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 NASB)

Hold up here a second. John the Baptizer told this crowd that the one who is coming after me is:

    • Mightier than I,Having a grasp that He is, with His pinky finger, mightier in every way is wisdom.
    • I am not fit to remove His sandals;Whether you are dealing with the Father, who is thankfully full of mercy, Jesus – the Son, who gave His life for us, or the Holy Spirit – the comforter who leads us and guides us into all knowledge, they are all Holy. Lacking that kind of submission and humility is dangerous.
    • And, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.For the last several days, merely reading the Word fills my eyes with tears. There is power in the name of Jesus.

I will move on with this.

“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
(Genesis 1:2 NASB)

So, even in the creation, we can see the Holy Spirit working.

The last thing I want to point out from Revelation 22:17 is the usage of the phrase “the water of life.”

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” (Psalms 36:9 NASB)

So the question is, out of whom is this fountain of life?

Many, of you, without thinking, would quickly say Jesus or God. Both would be correct.

King David, in Psalm 36:5, refers to Him as yehōwāh (this is the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses); while in Psalm 36:7, David refers to God as ĕlôhı̂ym; this is the Hebrew word ‘meaning God, gods, judges, angels. Occurring more than 2,600 times in the Old Testament, this word commonly designates the one true God (Gen_1:1) and is often paired with God’s unique name, yehōwāh (H3068). Word Study Dictionary

If David is calling Him God and the water of life is flowing out of Him, then how do we get to Jesus as being the river of life?

Because Jesus said this of Himself, and one of those examples was the Samaritan woman.

“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” (John 4:10 NASB)

Jesus later explained how this works to a bunch of Jews who wanted to kill Him, as He had made Himself (their words) to be God by claiming to be the Son of God.

““Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and now is when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;”
(John 5:25-26 NASB)

The Apostle Paul describes how we are washed with the Word of God, which is that water.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
(Ephesians 5:25-27 NASB)

So, not only do the Father and the Son, being one and the same, have life in them and flowing out of them, but are also the Word of God, which we see in Paul’s writings to the church in Ephesus above. The Apostle John opened his gospel by telling us that Jesus is the Word, the life, and the creative force in creation.

And finally, it does flow out from under both the throne of God and of the Lamb. Now there is something that I never noticed before.

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,”
(Revelation 22:1 NASB)

If you do not know if you have this water of life inside of you, then I suggest you acknowledge the ABCs – of salvation.



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To witness and to give you assurance of these things. Revelation 22:16.

Posted on 08/20/2022 by remso

Why did Jesus have to remind John that His words are meant to give assurance of these things?

Because, He knew, somewhere down the road, that the enemy and those that follow the voice of the enemy will play into the enemy’s hand and do their best to disenchant and distract you; and you will stagger at God’s promise, our hope of heaven and a life with Christ.

Hear what Jesus said.

Revelation 22:16 AMP “I, Jesus, have sent My messenger (angel) to you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches (assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and brilliant Morning Star.” [Isa. 11:1, 10.]

Since the Revelation spent a tremendous amount of time spelling out the horrors. The Prophet Isaiah also spends a good deal of time, but in this case, it spells out the beauty and the benefits.

“And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.”
(Isaiah 11:6-10 NASB)

Allow me to ask you a few questions.

Does the wolf dwell with the lamb, or does the leopard lie down with the young goat? How about the little boy leading them all?

Not a chance, as yet, but it will happen when the millennium begins. Isaiah tells us that “they will not hurt or destroy in My holy mountain,” and although there are references to Jerusalem being God’s holy mountain, during the millennial reign His mountain will be in the center of it all.

Why?

Because the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. This statement just as easily could say, “The End,” but it doesn’t; it prompts us to visualize the vastness of the ocean by saying, “as the waters cover the sea.” Try to imagine this, in all the areas in which the waters make up the sea, are there any holes through which you could look through and see the sea bed? That borders on the impossible. Well, this is how God sees the knowledge of who He is, His nature, and His character.

Full seems like such a simple word. If I filled a pitcher with water, it would be assumed that you could not, reasonably, put any more liquid in the pitcher. If you look the word up in Hebrew you will find that there is more to it than that. There are two possible spellings of mâlê’, maw-lay’ and mâlâ’, maw-law’ but the meanings do not change. The Word Study Dictionary only focuses on mâlê. While full is typically first on the list there is also fulfill, to finish, and to satisfy.

So if I changed one word in the sentence “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea,” A simple word can change the impact and meaning of the sentence, and, since we are aware that there are known issues with many of the Bible translations, it could be that God wanted us to open our eyes and read it in the alternative form, “For the earth will be satisfied with the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.” Currently, there is no way you could say that.

Some details from Revelation 22:16, and to do that I will put the verse before our eyes once again.

“I, Jesus, have sent My messenger (angel) to you to witness and to give you assurance of these things for the churches (assemblies). I am the Root (the Source) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and brilliant Morning Star.”

  • Who is doing the talking?

    Both Jesus and an angel messenger.

  • Why are they talking?

    To bring a witness.

    Ah, but a witness of what? A witness is often an eyewitness of an event or substantiation of something overheard. In either case, you should be able to understand why God emphasized two or more witnesses.

    Since the prophetic, to the Jew, and this includes the Apostle John, is a repeated pattern. Why is this repeated pattern so important? Because the prophecies given by say, Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, just to mention a few, are now being repeated in Revelation. The law said that NO single witness is capable of bringing about a conviction of a crime; there had to be two or three, and we have, in many cases, three witnesses.

    And to give you assurance of these things …

    Give me a moment, and I will finish the sentence, but first I want to point something out. We are bombarded, mostly by the mouths of religious zealots, although they don’t see themselves that way; who will say to you, why do you persist in talking about these things; this, in their minds, is important because some of us, have been preaching the soon return of Jesus for over two thousand years. I suppose their statement implies that we are wasting our time. Do you find any assurance in attacks like that? No, I don’t, either. A worship song has the line in it, I remind myself of all that He’s done. Why would I repeatedly remind myself of all that He has done? Because we forget after time; because people will try to verbally beat the sound word out of you.

    What does the word assurance mean? The reality is that most of us reading this have an idea of what assurance means. Many might say this tells me that I can trust the person or witness standing before me. Webster’s dictionary defines assurance as:

    1. The act of assuring, or of making a declaration in terms that furnish ground of confidence; as, I trusted to his assurances; or the act of furnishing any ground of full confidence. 2. Firm persuasion; full confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certain expectation; the utmost certainty. 3. Firmness of mind; undoubting steadiness;

    The dictionaries definitions exude confidence. Now, internally, take a poll.

    How many of those people in your mental poll have a confident hope and assurance of what God has in store for them? Not very many were there.

    For the believer, the fulfillment of this hope and this life with the Father begins with the catching away of the church. For those who come into a relationship with Jesus during the time of wrath, it begins with their death during the seven years. millennial reign.

Why do you suppose (assuming that many of these heard the message of hope) they could not grasp the hope and make it theirs? 

Do you think it is merely the cares of this world, or has Satan blinded their eyes so that they cannot perceive the hope afforded to the believer in Jesus?

Maybe it is the faulty teachings that remind us that we are sinners and, therefore, not worthy of the Father’s love.

All these questions are irrelevant if you have a tongue that can speak, eyes that can see, or a hand that can express the character and nature of the loving God that waits for us.

I wrote out a portion of verse sixteen and said, give me a moment, and I will finish the verse. That moment is here.

“ to give you assurance of these things for the churches.”

The messenger, even if it is me or the Word of God which you may have stumbled upon, is giving witness to and testifying that these things spoken about Jesus, the Father, heaven, our salvation from the wrath that is to shortly come, are our hope and promise. Our directive is to share this information, as best you can, with the church. I have thought about these things (as I remind myself of all that He has done,) and I am confident that you should also. These things are the evidence we have where Jesus fulfilled His promises about rising from the dead and that He would come back and collect His bride and take that bride back to the Father.

If you are in relationship with Him, then you too are His bride.

Posted in bible study, death, End times, God's character, Hope, Jesus, Millennium, Our being caught up, Peace, Prophetic, rapture, Revelation, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Everyone who loves and practices lying. Revelation 22:15.

Posted on 08/15/2022 by remso

In the last post, I focused on Revelation 22:14 and people outside the Holy City who could not enter through any of its gates during the millennial reign because their robes were NOT washed. We have to make the assumption, and it is a good one, that this washing is an allegory to the blood of Jesus Christ and NOT some disgusting Satanic practice, to a demon that is working very hard to dominate the world.

It is through the acceptance that Christ’s blood has been shed for us so we can be cleansed and sanctified for service in His temple. Two good examples of washing in the blood were given in the Revelation (I have pulled both from the KJV.)

In the first passage notice that the verse is filled with descriptions of our King:

Revelation 1:5  “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

  • Jesus Christ – Christ meaning the Messiah;

  • He is the first begotten from the dead – there is no doubt about it, and others are rapidly following, and, therefore, also begotten from the dead; (The KJV used begotten instead of born. Jesus had been born through His surrogate mother, Mary, but this verse references death. Jesus had to be reborn and brought back to life as God’s Son.

  • He is the prince of the kings of the earth – to be a prince is to be the Son of the King, and yet it uses the earth as a reference. If you think you are a prince on earth, it would only be because you have His life in you;

  • The verse acknowledges that He loves us, which is why we gain the right to be washed in that blood spilled on the cross that day. 

  • And finally, that it is Jesus that washes us from our sins in His blood.

    He had no sin, so, as an old church song says, He paid a debt He did not owe because He loved us and paid it with His own blood.

I hate to admit that I don’t know all the answers, but here is an exciting thought. When it says He washes us from our sins, is His forgiveness an all-encompassing thing, like a flood? 

(I have contended that the forgiveness of sin happened at the cross; therefore, no one is to be judged for sin; they will be judged for what they did with Christ. Those following Christ will be caught up in the church’s rapture, and this discussion becomes a non-issue. Assuming that many will reject Christ, they would then have cast their allegiance for Satan and, therefore, follow him to the hell awaiting him and his followers.) 

The alternative thought is that our robes are washed when we come humbly to Him and admit that we are sinners. If you have ever been around people in recovery, who are far enough in their recovery to speak with you openly, you will find that those who have gained the most from recovery have done so because they were humble and recognized their need for help. Unfortunately, not everyone comes humbly; some are forced by the courts, in denial, or unwilling to take the walls down.

Talking about this with my wife, she mentioned the thief on the cross. That man yelled back at the other man who was being disrespectful, “We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” i I will add that the thief on the cross, in a sense, came to Jesus.

My other example of being washed in the blood comes from Revelation 7:14.

Please pay particular attention to the terminology used, especially since I opened this discussion about forgiveness.

Revelation 7:14  “… These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

“…These are they which came out of great tribulation,” as though they walked through it unscathed, Hardly, as they were killed because of their testimony. In the previous post, I touched on the idea that separating the soul from the body may play a role in our being changed. You should see some keywords and phrases in this quote from Paul.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.”
(1 Corinthians 15:51-54 NASB)

Mystery, this is the Greek word mustērion, and its meanings include Something hidden or not fully manifest; a thing not obvious to the understanding;  or a secret – much like the Masons’ practice.

The mystery implies that most will never know what is being discussed, and God never wanted that. He has always been open and straightforward in His dealings. Yes, there have been things that were not beneficial or necessary for humanity to know at the time, and we see comments to that effect when we read Daniel or when Jesus responded to the jealous disciples by saying, what is that to you? Until Jesus rose from the dead, this whole redemption thing was a mystery to Satan. Scripture implies that he might have thwarted God’s plan if he knew. (That possibility seems so outlandish to me, as. God’s plan was airtight and perfectly designed to redeem humanity).

When you read the Apostle Paul’s writings (His letters to the churches in Ephesus, Galatia, Corinth, Thessaloniki, and Rome), he tells you, repeatedly, that the mysteries are for you to know and that they have been made known. (Read Ephesians 1:9; 3:3, 3:5; 3:10.)

How then, are we to understand?

Paul, like John, wrote to Jewish believers. Those words now apply to you, but you must grasp a Jewish perception of God and the world. When Paul, in 1 Cor 15:52, says, “at the last trumpet,” this is exceptionally Jewish and Holy and leans heavily to Rosh Hashanah. When John talks about death, you must ask yourself, whose image were we made in? The answer is God’s, and Jesus told us that God is a Spirit and nobody has seen Him, but you have seen me. By the way, the Father and I are one, so yes, you have seen the Father.

In studying Revelation, we have been reading one of the most mysterious books of the Bible (next to Daniel’s prophecies), and the God of the universe has been so excited to see someone else with the desire and heart to unlock this mystery in their spirit. Praise God.

Sleep is the Greek word koimaō. This word means to put to sleep. Figuratively, it means death.

I think of Adam when God put him to sleep to extract the rib from which He made Eve. If God made him die, then God brought him back to life.

Did you know that to the Jew, the soul remains in the body for three days?

This concept of death played a huge role in why Jesus did not go to Lazarus’ grave until the fourth day; this is why Jesus spoke of Jonah as a symbol of His death and why He stayed in the tomb for three days. So again, God was putting their beliefs back in their faces and proving that NOTHING could hold Him down.

What about this idea of being changed? How do you change something that is built into the body? 

Maybe the primary method is to kill it and make it new; this may be what happens to us during our rapture. I noted it above, but I need you to see what Paul said again.

“For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.”
(1 Corinthians 15:53-54 NASB)

What is imperishable? Having already died in Christ, we would no longer be subject to death, sin, and the draw from fear associated with those things. Paul says, “this mortal, (having moved to the imperishable – physical death,) must put on immortality.” I only recently started using the term immortal. I hesitated to use it because it is associated with comic book characters. We are NOT talking about fictional characters, but something that God has planned for ages; the result is that we would be, as He is, immortal. 

Can you kill an immortal? 

No, unless you have some comic superpower, and NO ONE has that. Our best examples come from Adam, Eve, and Satan. Adam and Eve lost their physical immortality when they ate the fruit. Satan lost his position, not his immortality when he tried to overthrow God. Satan is immortal and cannot be killed; therefore, his punishment will be an eternal, fiery exclusion from God’s presence. Hell was created for Satan and the angels that followed him. Now, we have the choice to follow him as well. Not a wise decision.

With all this to think about, why do you think Paul would say, “death is swallowed up in victory,” unless death played a role in our transition?

The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury gives this definition of death.

“Those who believe that death is the utter extinction of being, a concept utterly incompatible with the use of the word throughout the Bible, must logically deny the possibility of future existence by means of resurrection. If man is all mortal and death returns the whole man “to dust as it was,” then man is extinct—there is “dust” but no man. Before man was formed it was all dust, and after he returns to it, it is all dust again—all dust, no man. Hence, under this view, a resurrection of man is impossible. All is dust “as it was” before man existed, and there can no man exist again except by means of creation.”

While scriptures do not directly say that we are created again, Paul alludes to it in 1 Corinthians 15.

He supposes that we have solved the great mystery of what becomes with these who have NOT washed their robes. Since we know that God wants all humanity to be saved, we must assume that He wants them in the Holy City as well; but there is this very peculiar statement.

Revelation 22:15 NASB “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

I have sat under “Bible teachers” that told us that only Christians make it into the millennial kingdom. Revelation 22:15 makes it very clear that this is NOT true.

The Greek word for dogs is kúōn; The Word Study Dictionary defines dogs in this manner.

“ In the East, dogs were not usually pets and were without masters, wandering at large in the streets and fields and feeding upon whatever they could find (1Ki_14:11; 1Ki_16:4; 1Ki_21:19; Psa_59:6, Psa_59:14). They were looked upon as unclean, and to call one a “dog” was a stronger expression of contempt than even today (1Sa_17:43; 2Ki_8:13). The Jews called the Gentiles “dogs.” It is used metaphorically for an impudent, shameless person in Php_3:2 where it is spoken of Judaizing teachers (cf. Isa_56:11).”

In talking about the Holy City, Revelation 21:27 conveys that only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of Life. The implications of this are that God has allowed many from among the nations, whose names are not in the Lamb’s book of Life, into the millennial reign.

As you see above, dogs are a very derogatory comment. Sorcerers are the Greek word pharmakos. The noun form is pharmakeía. Aside from sorcerers, the term also means the preparation and giving of medicine. Think that through for a few seconds. What is the deadliest “vaccine” going around the globe currently? If you guessed the C19 vaccine, you would be correct. So what are these people doing living in the millennial reign? I don’t know, but I do know I serve a merciful God.

Also, living outside the Holy City and quite possibly unwilling to change are immoral persons. Immoral is the Greek word pornos. Honestly, for most of us, this word needs little definition. The Greek word pornos means a (male) prostitute, fornicator, or whore-monger.

We also find murderers, idolaters, and everyone that loves and practices lying. Murderers? Why not? We have everything else. 

Idolaters are those who continue, in the face of the almighty, continue to worship other gods. And everyone that loves and practices lying. Unfortunately, several of this group live in my home.

The resounding message that I hear in my head is that there will be peace. We are told that the martyred saints will be seated on thrones and help to keep the peace. However, seeing as the seven years of wrath initiated with the two witnesses from God that come down out of heaven and spew fire upon anyone who tries to harm them, why stop that process? There are so many possibilities, and it is easy to see how quickly any form of violence will be quelled.

As usual, I realized it was worse than I imagined. The reality is that I will be immortal, and none of this will matter to me. I might become a mix between Ray Comfort and the apologist Seth Gruber. Do you think there will be forced sex changes there? Not a chance. How about abortions? Unheard of. For the most part, we will sit on our plots of land, grow a few crops, and worship the God we have come to love.

iLuke 23:41 NLT

Posted in Adam, bible study, End times, rapture, rapture, recovery, Revelation, sexual sin, the nations, the word of their testimony, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture, two witnesses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

So they may have the right. Revelation 22:13, 14.

Posted on 08/10/2022 by remso

One of the points I tried to make when I wrote about Revelation 22:12 was that Jesus and the Father are one.

Let me ask you a question, do you have to understand gravity to be impacted by it?

The answer is NO, but it does not stop us from trying to comprehend why gravity works. Assuming that you paid attention in your science classes, then you know that gravity depends upon a combination of things that make the gravity on earth a perfect environment, as far as these bodies are concerned. For example, too much gravity, and we would all be squashed like pancakes, or worse.

If I were to attempt a logical explanation for how Jesus is God, I would probably mess it up, as I have moments in which I merely accept He is God. However, I understand the relational aspect, where a father who learned from his father to be a tradesman for centuries taught their son(s) that same trade.

An example we like to fling about is how the Bible translators stated that Jesus’ father, Joseph, was a carpenter. We then attribute that trade to Jesus. The problem with that assertion is that the Jewish leaders who disputed Jesus’ heritage that day did not say, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” The word they used was generic and required another associated word to define it, and they did not give us that definition in their rant. The Greek word was tekton, and it means craftsman. It is so loosely defined that it can apply to a poet. So our reasonably valid assumption would be that Jesus learned whatever trade or skill His father, Joseph, had. (Read Mark 13 for the background on this. We have a significant clue as to what Jesus’ craft was when we read about Jesus at the wedding in Canaan of Galilee. When His mother, Mary, alerted Him that they were out of wine, how is it that Jesus seemed to know that they had massive granite water pots; pots that were not included in the material description that God Israel when it came to vessels that could become unclean and granite, was therefore deemed to be a material that could not be contaminated, which is why these servants that transferred the water into the vessels did not cause the vessel, and it’s contents to be unclean. Read Numbers 19.)

But, fathers have taught us many other things, like beer drinking, cussing, or how to be abusive toward the family. One might say, as the father is, so is the son. In many ways, my character and nature are very much like my father’s, not because I wanted it to be that way, as things happened in my house that I did not want to repeat if and once I had my own children, and yet I did. There was a day when my father asked, why do you have to be like that? I replied that I thought you would be proud of me because I am just like you.

Jesus did not have these issues, as He was sin free.

But, in case you don’t know, the damage caused by sin passed through Adam to all of us; there is NO escaping its effects. It is almost easier to understand if you see it as a genetic anomaly that is found in all of us. So when scientists began looking at DNA, they realized that we are all identical in this part of the chain; this sin-damaged marker became the baseline for all genetic comparisons.

How does this make Jesus free from sin?

Consider this.

Where did God get the plans to make Adam? He created the man entirely from scratch (so-to-speak,) including the associated organs.

Where did God get Eve? He cloned her from the man with some obvious modifications. Their DNA was perfect but got damaged. So to make a Son free from sin, He had to make an ovum, artificially inseminate it with sperm of His own creation, and have Mary, the surrogate mother, carry the Son of God to birth. Jesus was born as a man without special knowledge or ability, yet without sin. If I have upset your apple cart, you will get over it.

Sin (which can show its ugly head in so many ways) is something I struggle with, and so do you.

So, in a sense, I have never known what it is to be free from the compulsions of life, and neither have you. But many of you know that alcohol gives you a relatively sad imitation of life without restraint. The problem is, it kills your brain cells and a few other vital organs; and has such damaging potential on others, and some, think they have no responsibility for their actions as they were out of their minds.
But this is NOT about us; it is about Jesus.

Yes, Revelation reveals Jesus, the Son of God, and Revelation 22:13 is a paramount view into what makes up the nature and character of Jesus.

Revelation 22:13 NASB “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Who is doing the talking in verse 13?

Jesus.

But isn’t verse 13 a description of God?

Yes, and it is a description of the Son as well.

Perhaps the Prophet Nehemiah can answer our question.

“You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You. (Nehemiah 9:6 NASB)

Immediately I see the words, “You alone are the Lord.” The phrase “You alone” is the Hebrew word “bad.” The Word Study Dictionary says, “it is a word that functions both as an adjective or masculine noun, meaning alone, by itself.” Strong’s concordance adds “by implication a part of the body, branch of a tree.”

But there is this line that changes everything, “You give life to all of them.”

How does a branch exist without the trunk of the tree?

It doesn’t; therefore, the idea of being alone in creation suddenly does not work. So let’s look at John’s gospel because it is a book that is nothing less than Jesus and His relationship to the Father.

In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5 NASB)

Look at these words as they are a portion of the description of Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, “

“and the Word was with God.”

“and the Word was God.”

As God was, Jesus was; He was there as the world began; He was there with the Father, and the Word that created it all was Jesus, and Jesus, John tells us, was God.

“All things came into being through Him – Jesus,” “and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

“In Him was life,”

The Prophet Nehemiah (Neh. 9:6) said “ You give life to all of them.”

Pastors are always saying that people ask them, what is the best Bible book to read for the new believer?

A handful will tell you to read Revelation. (Primarily because the world is rushing toward the antichrist.) Maybe that is not the best suggestion unless you hand out a quick tip list to understand Revelation. The next one they talk about is John’s gospel because it talks about how Jesus and the Father are one.

Jesus is God, and you can rest assured that He has never stopped giving and bringing life.

As the Revelation of Jesus Christ began, John heard these words.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
(Revelation 1:8 NASB)

Wow, it seems that Jesus is trying to tell us something.

First note the difference between Revelation 1:8 and 22:13. The end of the sentence is worded differently “the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” In verse eight, who is, is present tense. He is always in the now, but there is a point at which He came, momentarily, so it seemed, to an end; and that happened at the cross during those three days. And the side of Him, who is to come, will be seen when He comes back again as the warring Messiah. From that point on, without falter, He shall sit upon a throne next to the Father in glory. (I could use a good blast on the Shofar right now.)

Revelation 22:14, here, the chapter reiterates things we have seen before.

Revelation 22:14 NASB “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.”

Back up to the 30-second mark before the rapture; all those who have accepted Jesus Christ into their lives are washed in the blood of Christ, and their robes have been washed. I can’t see why the “Church” would need to access the tree of life for personal purposes, as we have life in us. Besides all that, at 30 seconds before the rapture, there is no tree of life as far as we are concerned.

Okay, within the timeline the rapture has happened.

All those holding to the testimony of Jesus will lose their lives. In a short read of Revelation, you see many people in heaven before God’s throne, crying out for the Father to save the others. They may need access to the tree of life, but again, I don’t see the logic of that thought as we see them, the first and second group, in heaven, before the throne. 

The problem for the people in Revelation 22:14 is that some DO NOT have the right to enter by the gates of the city. 

So, within the timeline, we are in the millennial reign.

It becomes rather evident that there are those survivors from among the nations who have NOT washed their robes. Those from among the nations, lacking the effects of the tree of life, will still have a sinful nature and will pass that nature along to their offspring. So, yes, I excluded the Jews in this conversation because scripture tells us that the remnant of Israel, entering the kingdom, will acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.

With the temporary removal of Satan from the earth, that nudge we frequently get from him to blatantly sin will also be removed, and perhaps the drive to be evil will not be so dreadful here on earth. However, if I use the story surrounding Noah and the days before the flood as an example, we learn that every human did what was right in their own eyes (contrast this statement against obeying the law of God), and their every thought was evil. (Read Genesis chapter six.) 

Remember where we are in the timeline, the millennial reign of Christ.

How many different ways does this have to be said? This is finally the time when there will be peace. As followers of Christ, we no longer have mortal bodies; this superb condition has been ours since the rapture. The martyred saints were already killed once, changed, just as the church did, and they, too, will have immortal bodies. The Jews that survive and go into the millennial kingdom repent and follow Jesus, so they are no longer subject to death.

All that is left are those from among the nations who survived the chaos of the seven years. You might say that is such a minuscule number; how could they impact the earth again? But instead, their numbers will grow exponentially, and they will have their free will intact. And yet, thousands upon thousands will come to Jesus during the thousand-year reign of Jesus.

If those from among the nations were allowed to join the kingdom of God, why would they pass it up?

I don’t know the answer as it requires foolish speculation based upon human nature, so I will leave you to ponder that on your own time. But millions will reject Christ and sanity in the end.

How do I know that?

The end of the thousand years will eventually come.

Seeing as a typical week for me just flies by, I hope we get to lavish in this amazing time. It is almost as though these from the nations are getting their last chance to repent and follow Jesus. The fact that Satan will be released for a time and can deceive those from among the nations, and they are able to surround God’s Holy City tells me that the number will be vast, bordering on uncountable.

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.” (Revelation 20:7-9 NASB)

The fact that fire devoured them does prove a judgment against them; why not?

God operates on laws, and Jesus’ death on the cross, brought about the forgiveness of all sin, even this pathetic attempt to kill God and His people in the Holy City. They are simply dead at this point. Watch what happens next.

Satan is judged.

“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
(Revelation 20:10 NASB)

Satan had already been judged, but God’s plan was humanity’s complete redemption, a plan available to anybody who jumped onboard. Therefore, Satan is not thrown into the lake of fire until the completion of all things.

Pay attention to who is being brought before this throne.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.”
(Revelation 20:11-13 NASB)

The first thing I want you to establish in your mind is, who is sitting upon this throne?

Our standard answer is God, and that could be deemed correct.

But who is this book, Revelation, revealing?

Jesus; the firstborn from the dead; the Son of the Living God; the lamb that was slain; the lion of the tribe of Judah; shall I go on?

Who is brought before the throne?

The dead. It is relatively unimportant whether they are great or small. The point here is that God levels the playing field for all. No one gets an advantage.

What is Jesus looking at to pass judgment?

“Books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books.”

Each of these books plays a role in the outcome of their lives. 

Wait a minute; I thought they were dead and, therefore, simply awaiting the passing of judgment. Ah, now we have to go back to the garden, where Adam and Eve stood staring at each other, because God said, in the day that you eat of it, you will literally die. (Look this up in Genesis 2:17. Most translations use the term surely to define the Hebrew word mûth. The problem is that surely sounds so uncommitted. The true definition is that they would literally die.) So when we get to Genesis chapter three, we watch the couple in the garden, like some stalker, and though death began instantly on many levels, they could not see its effects.

On what basis are they judged?

They are judged based on the things written in the books, not simply one book. There is no doubt that Jesus looks into the book of life.

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:15 NASB)

Here is where I rock your world if I haven’t already.

Jesus is not sitting here looking for a reason to send these people to hell; He is looking for an excuse to offer them salvation. I wholeheartedly believe that this is the same scenario that we see in Matthew 25, where we see “the sheep and goat” judgment. It is Jesus that separates this crowd, and it is evident that the number of those whose names are not in the book of life is quite large. Regardless, even without any apparent, church-mandated salvation, these people obtain mercy and access into the kingdom based upon good works.

Do not think that “grace” will allow you into the Holy City with your brokenness and its associated sin. Jesus is wholly capable of taking care of that issue.

Posted in Antichrist, bible study, death, End times, faced with death, God's character, Heaven, Israel, Jesus, judgment, judgment, Millennium, rapture, Revelation, Rule the nations, the nations, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture, tree of life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My reward is with Me. Revelation 22:12

Posted on 08/07/2022 by remso

Still, to this day, church-going people fear the “Revelation”; they fear it primarily because they don’t understand it and don’t understand because they don’t want to. Therefore, they will not open their Bibles.

As I have mentioned in my previous posts, I find the book of Revelation to be exciting. While it has more than its fair share of death and agitation, it is also an aspect of our hope and the promise that Jesus will come back to gather His church back to Himself. Therefore, it excites me because it assures me that God’s promises are soon coming to pass for followers of Christ like me.

Considering the agitation and death. I suppose it would be fair for you to wonder how I could find death and destruction exciting, especially since I understand that many people I know will experience at least a portion of the seven years of God’s wrath (Why only a part? Because the deaths will be an ongoing process during the seven years, and not all of it is being dished out by God.) It is because the “Revelation” fulfills all the promises of God, gives us hope, and encourages us to keep our focus on Christ.

Suppose you cannot recognize that there is hope and a future, then you do not have a relationship with Jesus. Having a relationship would give you the insight to know not only Jesus’ nature and character but the Father’s as well; they are one you know.

One of those promises is seen in Revelation 22:12.

Revelation 22:12 NASB

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Most people reading this verse will see this – “to render to every human according to what they have done,” and see nothing but condemnation coming toward them. (Yes, I modified this just a bit as you and I both know that this moment in time will not be exclusive to men; everyone will be impacted.) If that is all you can see, then we need reprogramming, which can only be done through the Holy Spirit and God’s word.

These may have been the very words I said, “Behold, I am coming quickly,” (or at least a variation of it) to the men’s group one evening; only to be interrupted by a “brother-in-Christ” so that he could criticize me publicly, call me a branding iron – someone there to excite, and to tell me that Jesus is probably NOT coming back for another forty years or more. I can tell you there is no hope in a statement like that, and it is certainly not just a realistic look at the world. What that brother did that night exemplified the antichrist spirit, which was demonic.

Coming soon or quickly is the Greek word tachu, which means shortly, without delay, soon, or (by surprise) suddenly.

Considering the level of heinous activity surrounding us all, how could the return of Jesus to collect His bride be a surprise? 

The answer to this question lies in the fact that most of the so-called church does NOT follow these prophetic words; follow the Revelation, or even care. As far as prophecy teachers go, one of my favorite teachers is Amir Tsarfati. So often, to make a point, he will say that if Jesus waits too much longer, no one will be surprised because it will be that bad.

If you are a student of Biblical prophecy, then you should know that 2Thessalonians 2:3 (in the Geneva Bible) tells us “… for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition,..” The church must be gone before the “son of perdition – the antichrist” comes into public view.

If you refuse to accept what I tell you and will only receive the words of the King James version, which came over 100 years after the Geneva Bible, then look at this.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  (8)  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 KJV

Since you are such an advocate for the KJV, I will leave you to interpret the word letteth on your own time. Get a grip. Even if you refuse to believe that the Geneva Bible is more correct and that the church must be gone before this son of perdition comes on the scene, then verses 7-8 should slap you right in the face. Verses 7-8 tell us that we, the church, are the thing that is withholding this fool. Once the church is gone, then the Wicked (referring to an individual) shall be revealed.

Let’s go back to Revelation 22:12 again and consider this statement. 

“Behold, I am coming quickly.”

Is He referring to Jesus, coming for His bride in the clouds, or is He speaking of the time when Jesus will come back as the warring messiah that every eye will see at the end of the seven years of wrath?

The terminology is not exclusive to either group and can apply to both. I am looking for Jesus to come and collect His bride.

“…, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.” (Psalms 96:13 KJV)

Obviously, there is no reference in Psalm 96 to speed as in Revelation 22:12, but there is a comparable allusion to potential judgment.

Revelation 22 conveys judgment in this manner.

“My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Reward is the Greek word misthos and means pay for service.

In the religious train of thought, service leans toward work in ministry, but it can also mean hired service. Remember that Revelation 22:12 did not use the word service; it is, however, associated with reward.

So there is a red alert in my mind’s eye when I see the word work related to the outcome of our lives. Because we are not saved by works but by faith in Jesus Christ, and He did all the work for us. I do, however, seem to have to work at staying focused on the “ministry” at hand, which for me is to write these Bible studies. (And you thought I was doing this only for you.)
So, for the followers of Christ, we have the judgment seat of Christ.

We have covered this before, but new people are constantly stumbling upon our studies, and I assume they don’t have a clue about the Bema seat. Like me, there is also the possibility that they sat under some bad teaching and thought we were to undergo some terrible punishment for the lousy way we lived our lives on this earth. That is NOT the case, and I will show you why.

Romans 14:10 NASB “… For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome had been primarily written to Jewish expatriate followers of Christ. For several years that body of believers had to disband because of Roman oppression, but now it was back. Thanks to Paul’s preaching, many Gentiles had begun to join this Jewish community of believers. In this letter, Paul had to tell the Jews multiple times that Jesus/God had leveled the playing field, and hence we get a statement that says, “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

Now you have to ask, what is the dark hidden secret behind this judgment seat of God?

If this were a game show, this is where you would hear that obnoxious buzzer indicating a wrong answer because there is no judgment as Jesus took all judgment upon Himself on the cross.

Judgment is the Greek word bēma and means a raised step or stand, much like you see at the Olympics.

In Revelation 2:23, Jesus, speaking to the church in Ephesus, says,

“… and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”

So, we will be rewarded according to our deeds. I keep thinking about the parable of servants, who are given talents and expected to do something with those talents and increase. Take a moment out of your life and read Matthew 25:14-30. Each got talents, but one only had one, and he was expected to use that talent. So, instead of using his talent, he buried it out of fear.

The end of this story does not make me happy, as I was like that servant, at least for a time. The enemy of our souls tells me that I succumbed to fear and did not do enough. If you had known me as a young man, you would not recognize me as I have become quite bold. I do not go around evangelizing; I hate that, but I have conversations about my Jesus every chance I get, and it bothers me deeply when “Christians” choose to withdraw and speak in a manner that would prevent strangers from hearing. I have never knowingly led anyone to Jesus Christ, but the Holy Spirit tells me that my writing has led many to Jesus.

Posted in antichrist, bible study, departure, End times, finisher, God's character, Heaven, In Christ, Jesus, judgment, judgment, no delay, Prophetic, rapture, rapture, Revelation, The supremacy of Christ, The Word was God, Thoughts, Thoughts on scripture, wrath. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let the one who is wrong, continue to do wrong. Rev 22:11

Posted on 08/03/2022 by remso

“Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book.”

To dissuade me from talking or writing about Eschatology – the study of end times events, I had, several years ago, been admonished to NOT speak about the Revelation or anything related to the Revelation, like Daniel or Ezekiel.

Words like these are like daggers to my heart.

How does Jesus open the Revelation?

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
(Revelation 1:3 NASB)

How is anyone supposed to hear if you don’t open your mouth and preach truthfully?

“And he (the angel that was speaking) [further] told me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near.”
(Revelation 22:10 AMP) Emphasis mine.

Suppose you are a church leader and feel it necessary to rebuke some enthusiastic attendee who is NOT interrupting your church service or life but merely sharing with individuals. HOW DARE YOU TRY TO DISCOURAGE THEM, especially when you openly admit that you do not understand Revelation and, therefore, DO NOT believe that anyone else can understand this book.

Most, reading Revelation 22:10, see the word seal and immediately assign their average definition, such as closing something to keep others out.

Seal is the Greek word sphragizō and means to stamp for security. by implication, to keep secrets.

Therefore, the emphasis is on the command NOT to seal up the words of the prophecy of this book. Imagine that, the Holy Spirit, knowing that it would be well over 2000 years until all things would fall into place and Jesus Christ would return for His church; yet, He wanted all of us to understand and live in that expectation throughout these many years. 

This scenario that we see in Revelation 22:10 where the scroll, or book if you must, was sealed until the appropriate time is comparable to Revelation 5:1

“I 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.”
(Revelation 5:1 NASB)

We are at that time of fulfillment.

Note how the Amplified Bible translates the last half of verse ten.

    • “for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near.”

      Look at this definition of time from the Word Study Dictionary. “kairós; gen. kairoú, masc. noun. Season, opportune time. It is not merely as a succession of minutes, which is chrónos (G5550), but a period of opportunity (though not necessity). There is really no English equivalent to the word kairós,”

Here is a quote representing the period of opportunity where things are brought to a crisis.

“The changes are so profound that, from the perspective of human history, there has never been a time of greater promise or potential peril.”
― Klaus Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution

If you have been living under a rock, Klaus Schwab is the founder of the World Economic Forum. Nation members pay handsomely to attend the yearly forum and send several representatives to the meetings. Our American President, Donald Trump, went there and spoke. He told the attendees that the United States would not conform to globalism’s goals.

Do you know what happened after that?

The American governmental swamp rose against the President with all the false charges and accusations they could muster. As a result, even though the majority of Americans re-elected President Donald Trump a second time, he was effectively driven out of office through fraud.

So, the period of opportunity is upon us.

Moving on through the Revelation.

Revelation 22:11 AMP “He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.” [Dan. 12:10.]

No decent preacher would say, “He who is unrighteous let him continue to be unrighteous.” 

Why not?

Because even a mediocre pastor, trying to be like Father God, should want everyone to be saved, even if it is from myself.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 2:3-4 NASB)

As you can see above, the Amplified Bible is noted for giving you Old Testament references. For example, Daniel 12:10 nearly tells you the same thing as Revelation 22:11. Since prophecy to the Jew becomes validated through repetition, then John’s audience would have instantly recognized this pattern. 

“Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be tried, smelted, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but the teachers and those who are wise shall understand.” [Dan. 11:33-35.]
(Daniel 12:10 AMP)

I don’t know when the priests and elders banned the reading of Daniel; therefore, some may not have been familiar with the words of Daniel, so let’s try another prophetic author that may have been more familiar.

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.”
(Hosea 14:9 NASB)

If I were to attempt a challenge of the context of Revelation 22:10, Daniel 12, and Hosea 14, I would find that they are definitely speaking of the last days. So the context is that all of these references lean toward the time after the rapture.

The NASB translation of Revelation 22:11 reads like this, “and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” Having naively joined myself, for a short time, to a “man-cave” group. I found several attendees unrestrained with their foul tongues and used the excuse God gives us grace. If this is you, you are misinterpreting and ignoring scripture.

It is not up to God to keep you holy, nor is God trying to make you stumble and fall over your tongue.

“As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Samuel 24:13 NASB)

The Greek word for holy is hagiazō, and it also means to purify or consecrate yourself.

By this time, most of you should know that you cannot make yourself holy, nor can you make yourself righteous; only Christ’s work on the cross could do that for you; but you can certainly accept that fact and, therefore, be made Holy by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the washing of the Word of God.

Let me throw a wrench into the works. Right now, pre-rapture, we live in the age of grace; this is defined as a time when God freely brings us into the kingdom through our uncomplicated acceptance of His Son, but that door will close soon, and so will the age of grace. 

Since millions will continue to come into the kingdom, how does that happen?

For those who desire a short answer, you will have to prove your loyalty to God through death.

Death will look a little different for many. Some will die by guillotine (some of us have been aware of these devices for over several years now), others will die by the sword as they behead you and a few will die by stoning (Both beheading and stoning are popular methods of punishment among the followers of Islam). Many more will be shot, or as we have witnessed in Northern Africa, trapped in their churches and burned to death. Since the number of people being killed is so large, it may be that faster methods will be preferable.

“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”
(Matthew 24:21-22 NASB)

Another method of killing you off would be what the translators call pestilence. While Revelation 2:20-21 does not speak to pestilence, it does speak to a nation – Israel and the church – specifically Thyatira, tolerating that woman Jezebel. Watch for the parallels between the “harlot” Jezebel, who died several centuries earlier and yet shows up here in Revelation chapter two, and how similar she sounds to the definitions of Babylon.

‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” (Revelation 2:20-21 NASB)

We do, however, see pestilence in Revelation 6:8.

“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.” (Revelation 6:8 NASB)

Verse eight falls under the wrath of God as the rider on the ashen horse goes about killing off a fourth of the earth. In this scenario, one of those methods is pestilence. Vines’ Expository on New Testament Words gives us the Greek loimos (G3061) and a definition of pestilence as “any deadly infectious malady.”

Revelation 18 speaks about Babylon but refers to what many think is a restoration of that City; although, in many places, it is referred to as she.

“and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”
(Revelation 18:23 NASB)

Sorcery = the Greek word pharmakeia, which primarily means medication, the use of drugs, potions, spells, or poisoning. From the “ask a professor website” https://www.massbible.org/exploring-the-bible/ask-a-prof/answers/pharmakeia

You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that a group of people, apparently with more power than Klaus Schwab, are working hard at creating and taking advantage of this “period of opportunity.” They are effectively using pharmakeia to make it happen. Since we are NOT in the time of wrath as yet, then what we are seeing is just the warm-up period.

As a side note, for those who are looking for Babylon to be rebuilt, an American archaeologist, who is also a follower of Christ, recently did a segment on YouTube in which he showed you the ancient boundaries of the old City of Babylon and how that nothing of substance exists within those boundaries. (Some would tell you that excellent restoration progress was made under the rule of Saddam Hussein when all they did was restore portions of the Ishtar gate.)

“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)

The archaeologist made an interesting point during the filming that jackals were quite prolific among the historic ruins.

Let’s attack acts of immorality that we see in Revelation 2:20-21 for a moment.

Immorality is any act or practice which contravenes the divine commands or social duties. Injustice, dishonesty, fraud, slander, profaneness, gaming, intemperance, and lewdness, are immoralities. All crimes are immoralities, but crime expresses more than immorality.

I had to look up the word contravene.

Contravene means, literally, to come against. Hence, to oppose, to oppose in principle or effect; to contradict; to obstruct in operation.

So, for us to be immoral we have to come against or be in opposition to God in some manner. Well, what do you think sin is, nothing less than us thinking that we know better than God? By the way, Jesus took the payment for sin upon Himself so that we would not have to bear the penalty for that sin ourselves. In other words, all sins were forgiven.

Then how and why is anyone going to hell?

That’s a great question, and the answer really lies in another question,

What did you do with Jesus; did you leave him on the cross, or did you simply ignore Him?

Because going to hell is simply a matter of following your leader.

So who are you following?

I will leave you to answer that question on your own.

And then lastly, what about this aspect of Revelation 2:20-21, where you eat things sacrificed to idols?

Having learned years ago that meats sold in Costco were labeled as Halel for the Islamic buyers, I felt like I needed to make a decision, and that was NOT to buy anything with that green sticker.

What does it mean to me if it is Halel food?

It means the cow was pointed at the Kabbalah, slaughtered in a prescribed manner, and an Islamic blessing was said over the animal. In other words, it was blessed as it was killed. It was blessed; what a wonderful thing to do to an animal that is about to be viciously slaughtered. 

You should realize that I am mocking your purposeful naivete, which is a game you play because you don’t want to know that the cow is being offered up to a demon.

The question is, how would most of you know that if I had not told you?

You wouldn’t. When Paul wrote about this very thing, it became evident that these people had become aware and yet tolerated the practices surrounding the sacrificed meats.

Tolerate is the Greek word aphiēm. To tolerate something is to suffer it to be so or be done without any prohibition or hindrance; to allow or permit by not preventing or restraining. This is us yielding our rights to sanity. Our standard definition of tolerance looks something like this: “lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go, have), omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, yield up.” In actuality, the word aphiēmi’s primary understanding is to send forth. The implication is that we are advancing her cause.

You don’t think that is true, do you?

It was just in the last few days that I saw a video someone made inside their church, where the worship team was singing a song to God. All the references to Him were changed to “she.”

Is that all? 

Perhaps I should just tolerate it and mind my own business. 

Can’t you see how foolish that statement is?

No, that is NOT all.

We have adopted the slaughter of unborn babies as appropriate behavior and given openly homosexual persons a regular place at the microphone in church. All of these things are in direct opposition to God, and we have helped to advance Jezebel’s cause by being friends with the world.

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4 NASB)

Is there a specific woman that we can refer to as Jezebel?

The answer is NO, and we are NOT looking for a woman as a central leader (the antichrist;) we are looking for a man. So, Jezebel has to be seen as a spiritual entity that, as the passage states, is leading “My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” So “it,” whether it be Jezebel or the Babylon system, is not leading the world astray; they are already gone. It is leading the church astray, people we thought were sane.

Another word the Holy Spirit used in Revelation 2: 20 was translated as leads; this is the Greek word planaō and means cause to roam (from safety, truth, or virtue.) It also means to seduce or deceive.

Albert Barnes’ commentary says this, “Whether she herself practiced what she taught is not expressly affirmed, but seems to be implied in Rev. 2:22. It is not often that persons teach these doctrines without practicing what they teach; and the fact that they desire and design to live in this manner will commonly account for the fact that they inculcate such views.”

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart lived Albert Barnes’ commentary out in front of us and got himself arrested several times.

So no, there is no she, as she represents the lusts and desires of this world. Sadly, there are those that wish to control people and the world and will reject no forms of violence to do it.

Posted in angels, Apostasy, Babylon, bible study, New World Order, Revelation, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t worship me! Revelation 22: 8-9.

Posted on 07/25/2022 by remso

We are getting close to the end of the Revelation; while some may yell hooray, this book has become a close friend of mine, and I feel like I am about to say goodbye for a time. You might think this journey would have answered all our questions; it has not, and I find I have more.

I also told one of my family members, who still remember the prophetic word I gave them about our mother’s death, about how I felt like the Holy Spirit told me that He would come back for His church when I finish this study. So that family member said, please let me know when you get to the last verse.

Do you realize how close we are to me finishing my study on Revelation and the soon return of Jesus to catch His bride away?

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, but I am telling you, He is coming back for those who are anxiously awaiting His return.
I don’t know if you have noticed it, but it sure seems that God is separating the wheat from the chaff regarding church bodies across, at least, this nation of America. Folks, we are a mess.

Revelation 22:8 NLT  “I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.”

Pay attention to how John opens this sentence; it is as though he is reinforcing a close relationship with good friends.

If there is such perceived relational involvement, why then does he have to say – “I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things.”?

There would be no reason at all, as someone familiar with John’s style of teaching and the life he lived would probably find him most believable. Perhaps the reality is not a problem of intimacy or the lack thereof, but with false prophets and teachers in the church. ( Even though it has been little more than sixty years since Jesus’ death, false teachers and prophets have become very real problems in the church; and still are today, if not more so.)

In trying to understand the Revelation, I have also come to understand that the writings of James, Peter, John, Jude, and finally Paul would have been read, copied, and redistributed among the known churches (howbeit not prolifically); this knowledge alone seems to invalidate the friendship point of view.

Note how John feels it is necessary to explain, “And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.”

I remember the first time I heard the Mercy Me song, “I Can Only Imagine.” It was at a memorial service for an uncle of mine. I only bring this up because I knew of religious people who would speak as though you merely charge up to God and tell Him what to do. I shudder when I think about that kind of attitude.

How would that kind of action translate (when we get to heaven😉 if you angrily tell God what you think about Him when He did not heal someone you know, as you saw fit?

Yes, I know, I am putting human emotions on the characters in heaven and on God, and God is NOT moved by our human emotions.

When I had the opportunity to visit with this precious uncle, he would almost always have his Bible open, and I would ask him, what are you studying now? It did not matter what it was because he would make it interesting as he retold the story, and he often spoke of what it would be like to stand in the presence of Jesus. It may have been after this memorial service that I began to realize that I can’t even imagine what I will do in the presence of Jesus. Most of the time, I see myself clinging to His legs and weeping in gratitude that He would even let me into the kingdom.

The problem is that John (though the Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ) was NOT now looking at Jesus; it was an angel.

Notice what the angel says to him.

Revelation 22:9 NLT  “But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”

You may not find this interesting, but I do. The translators tell us that the angel tells John NOT to worship him. But when you look up the simplest of words, you occasionally find something entirely different.

The Greek word for worship is horaō which means to behold or look.

Perhaps John has been perceived, by the angel, as looking in awe.

Where have we seen John doing something like this before?

“And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.” (Revelation 17:6-7 NASB)

  • “When I saw her, I wondered greatly”

Wonder is not the same word as horaō, but John was found looking at this woman in a strange manner. Perhaps here in Revelation 17, the woman is meant to demonstrate how seductive the Babylon system is. The word wondered is the Greek word thaumazō, and it means to admire.

Are you kidding me? 

Admiration, among other things, means to regard with esteem. Considering what the Babylon system is currently pushing on us, this makes me want to vomit. You would think John had lost his mind, but you know that is not true. The Babylon system works because of seduction. Think about the fact that John wondered greatly and not just for a fleeting moment.

One other thing I need you to pick up on. After the angel explains that he is a servant of God, he adds –

“I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book.”

    • “just like you”

      I ran through the possible explanations just like some of the commentators did. Finis Jennings Dake assumed that it was a dead saint, a follower of Christ who was now with Christ.

      Albert Barnes says it “may be that he mistook the rank of him (this angel may have had a rank, but the scriptures do not support that assertion) who addressed him, and supposed that he was the Messiah whom he had been accustomed to worship, and who had first [Rev. 1] appeared to him. (If you go back and read Revelation 1:1, you will see that it was God that gave John the Revelation of Jesus. Now, if I wanted to make a case, it is the same John that laid his head on Jesus’ breast there in the upper room. So it seems reasonable to think that John would recognize the Messiah if he saw him. But when John does get to see Jesus, the only one worthy to open the seals, this is what he sees.

      “Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 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.” 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. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.”
      Revelation 5:4-7 NASB

      To continue Barnes’ quotation,

      “If so, his (John’s) error was soon corrected. He was told by the angel himself who made these communications that he had no claims to such homage, and that the praise which he offered him should be rendered to God alone.”

      David, the Psalmist said this about the man.

      “What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!” (Psalms 8:4-5 NASB)

      So, if an angel has a rank, then they, being messengers, are below humanity, and I would think that John knew that. This train of thought still doesn’t explain what we see in Revelation 22:9.

  • “and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book.”

    It may be difficult to picture yourself as being among the prophets, but you need to know that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the Spirit of prophecy. So giving testimony of or about Jesus would be prophetic.

    “Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
    (Revelation 19:10 NASB)

    So, not only does this come across word for word, but it validates the idea of testimony. Testimony is the Greek word marturia and means evidence.

    If this does not convince you that you have a place with the Father, then maybe, as the Amplified Bible tells us “and with those who are mindful of and practice [the truths contained in] the messages of this book.”

Revelation 22:9 ends with this, Worship God!

In all things and at all times, whether it hurts and seems like God is not there or you are rejoicing, the wise thing to do is to worship God.

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