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Psalms 106:17-31 The earth
opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram. A fire was
kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked. They made a calf in
Horeb, And worshiped the molded image. Thus they changed their glory Into the
image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God their Savior, Who had done
great things in Egypt, Wondrous works in the land of Ham, Awesome things by the
Red Sea. Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen
one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them. Then they despised the pleasant
land; They did not believe His word, But complained in their tents, And did not heed the voice of the
LORD. Therefore He raised His hand in
an oath against them, To overthrow them in the wilderness, To overthrow
their descendants among the nations, And to scatter them in the lands. They
joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, And ate sacrifices made to the dead.
Thus they provoked Him to anger
with their deeds, And the plague broke out among them. Then Phinehas stood up
and intervened, And the plague was stopped. And that was accounted to him for
righteousness To all generations forevermore.
Father God I
ask that you open our mind and ears so that you word can penetrate our heart
and cause us to walk in you light and not our self righteousness. In Jesus name
we pray, Amen!
Revelation 10:1-11 NKJV
This
lesson and next week’s lesson involves a couple visions that John has. It seems
out of place with the flow of events that was happening with the fifth and
sixth trumpet. The seventh trumpet doesn't sound till Revelation 11:15. This interruption in events
is like a TV commercial that comes between scenes in a program/movie. One
sequence of events comes to a close and another sequence of events will soon
commence. Usually in a TV program you have three parts to the show. First being
an introduction to what the show will be about, second the plot or events that
happen, and third is the climax or outcome of all the events.
This
is what is happening here. If you remember after the sixth seal there was a
couple visions described by John before the first trumpet sounded (Chapter 7), one being the sealing of the
144,000 and the other the issuing of white robes to the souls under the altar.
The seven seal judgments were not as bad as the seven trumpet judgments, and of
course the seven bowl/vial judgments will be much worse bringing on the
conclusion of evil here on earth. There will be other events happening on earth
and that is what these little info-commercials are telling us. Some of these
judgments no doubt last longer than others, and quite possibly some continue on
throughout the entirety of the Great Tribulation period, such as the second,
third, and fourth seal judgments, which pertain to the Antichrist. There is
only one of these judgments that we are told how long it will last and that one
being the Fifth Trumpet Judgment. So let’s see what else is happening on earth
during these judgment events.
1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down
from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was
like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.
I
saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven; Remember this is another vision/scene
description by John so don’t get confused, because this angel being describe is
none other than Jesus. The description given, depict Jesus because it is similar
as other descriptions given throughout the Bible. Revelation 1:12-16 Then I
turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven
golden lampstands, 13 and in the
midst of the seven lampstands One
like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about
the chest with a golden band. 14 His head
and hair were white like wool,
as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined
in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in
His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and
His countenance was like the
sun shining in its strength. Daniel 10:5-6 I
lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose
waist was girded with gold of
Uphaz! 6
His body was like beryl, his
face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms
and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the
voice of a multitude.
The word angel can refer
to man, God, or those created beings we commonly refer to as angels. The word
“Angel” in the Greek actually means “Messenger.” So it could refer to any one
of the three. Many times throughout the Bible God and Jesus are referred to as
“Angel of the Lord”, so just because the term used here is angel don’t be
confused as to who this description is referring to. Exodus 3:2-6 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a
flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was
burning with fire, but the bush was
not consumed. 3
Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the
bush does not burn." 4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look,
God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses,
Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then He
said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for
the place where you stand is
holy ground." 6 Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look
upon God.
Clothed
with a cloud; Encompassed
with a cloud, or enveloped in a cloud. This is a symbol of majesty and glory,
and is often accompanying the divine presence of God and Jesus, Exodus_16:9-10; Exodus
_24:16; Exodus _34:5; Numbers_11:25; 1 Kings_8:10.
The Saviour also ascended in a cloud, Act_1:9;
and he will again descend in clouds to judge the world, Mathew_24:30; Mathew_26:64;
Mark_13:26; Revelation_1:7.
Rainbow
was on his head; Refers to peace and Mercy that will
ultimately come here on earth. God made a promise after Noah’s flood that He
would never destroy all flesh again. His will being done here on earth as it is
in Heaven, meaning peace. Genesis 9:13-16
His
face was like the sun; We know that the appearance of Jesus
is brighter than any light due to His perfection. To describe His majesty is
beyond any human mind capability. To look at God is like looking into the sun
on a clear day when it is at its fullest. When Moses was with God on the
mountain for 40 days he glowed and his appearance frighten the Israelites when
he came down and that was because of being in the presence of God. Revelation 1:16; Exodus
34:28-30
His
feet like pillars of fire;
This speaks of judgment. Peace and Mercy cannot be obtained without judgment.
Some ministers only preach peace and mercy and other only judgment. You need
both because judgment brings about repentance, which in turn brings forth Grace
and Peace.
2 He had a
little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
He
had a little book open in his hand;
This little book/scroll is the same book talked about in Revelation Chapter 5. It is the book that no
one else could open, because only Jesus is perfect, so only Jesus can open it.
He
set his right foot on the sea and his
left foot on the land; This signifies that God created all
things and that Jesus and only Jesus will rule and reign all things on earth
when He returns and ushers in the Kingdom Age.
3 and cried
with a loud voice, as when a
lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.
Cried
with a loud voice, as when a
lion roars; Is this a
cried of compassion, disgust, pain, heartache, frustration, etc. because people
are lost, or is it a cry of judgment that will soon come upon all that oppose
Jesus and follow the ways of the world which belongs to Satan presently? We
don’t really know what the cried will be, but with the direction the world is
going, I believe it will be a cry of “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE PEOPLE. WHAT IS
WRONG WITH YOU? I HAVE GIVEN YOU PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO REPENT AND TURN
FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS BUT YOU WON’T LISTEN, SO WOE ONTO YOU!” It will be a
battle cry to rid the earth of sin. A parent should be able to relate to this
cry when raising their children. Some days things get so bad a mother or father
need to go out behind the barn and scream at the top of their lungs, and so it
is the same with Jesus. A person can only bear so much.
When
he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices; What these seven thunders uttered we
do not know, compassion or woe, in conjunction with Jesus????
4 Now when
the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a
voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven
thunders uttered, and do not write them."
John heard what the seven
thunders uttered, but was commanded not to write them down. Anyone stating what
they were, is pure speculation and to be taken with a grain of salt. One thing
we can take away from this verse is that John was recording all that he saw and
heard and the writing of the Book of Revelation is true and will happen at some
point in time.
5 The angel
whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven
6 and swore
by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are
in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that
are in it, that there should be delay no longer,
At this point of the
lesson if anyone had any doubts that this angel standing on the land and sea
wasn’t Jesus, it is clear now that it is. He is making a declaration to the
creator of all things, the time has come to put an end to Satan, his band of
followers, and all humans that follow him. No more delays; no more chances;
it’s over; it’s finished.
7 but in
the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the
mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.
This sounding of the
seventh angel is the seventh trumpet. It is the beginning of the last half of
the Tribulation and the worst half of destruction and death. It will be the
worst the world will ever see. Revelation
11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded:
And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world
have become the kingdoms of our
Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" All throughout the Bible we are told
by prophets, Jesus, and the apostles that one day Jesus will rule and reign,
but no one knows the day or the hour. At that hour the mystery of God will be
no more! Mathew Chapter 25; 2 Peter 3:3
8 Then the
voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the
little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on
the earth."
9 So I went
to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said
to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will
be as sweet as honey in your mouth."
10 Then I took the little book out of the angel's
hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten
it, my stomach became bitter.
Why would this little book,
which is the Book of Revelation, taste as sweet as honey yet cause John to have
an upset stomach? Not that the book was actually eaten, but signifies the Word
of God is always sweet to read and ponder, but when ones truly believes and has
to make a decision on what they need to follow; self, man, or Jesus, it can
cause gut wrenching turmoil in one’s life. What this pertains to in the Book of
Revelation is it’s time to put an end to evil (honey), but the means by which
this comes about is through judgment, meaning death (bitter).
11 And he said to me, "You must prophesy again
about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
This verse Jesus is
telling John the end is not at hand yet and that he and every Born Again Christian
is to go out into the world and proclaim the message of the Cross so that
people will seek Jesus face and be saved from damnation. If Christians don’t
tell others about the inherited sin nature and why Jesus came to earth and died
for us, then they will perish forever in Hell. It is only in believing in why
and what Jesus did for us at the Cross, and placing our faith in the works of
the Cross, one can go to Heaven.
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Angel
with Small Scroll
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Art used; by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
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Colossians
1:16 For
by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers.
All things were
created through Him and for Him.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to
him, Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God."
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you
believe it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness of all
of my sins. I believe that only you can
forgive sin. I commit my life to you and
ask you to come into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.” (John 3:16,17;
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1
John 5:11-14; 1:6-10) (Sin: Rom.
1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-7)
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