Revelation Chapter 11‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back! During this week’s fellowship time, we’ll continue our study of Revelation.

Revelation Chapter 11
 
This week we will investigate chapter 11 in our journey of the end times.

*By the way… This week marks a “half-way” milestone in our 22 chapter journey of this fantastic book of Bible prophecy – and we’re just getting warmed up!

Chapter 11 tells us about the ministry of the Lord’s two witnesses during the first half of the “seventieth week of Daniel” – this seven-year hell on earth. This chapter will also reveal further details of things to come that start sometime before the Seventh Trumpet Judgment.

 

In the beginning of this chapter we find that John is told to measure the holy ground in Jerusalem. He is told to leave out the court because it was given to the Gentiles to tread it underfoot for 42 months – 3 ½ years:

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months – Revelation 11:1-2

The rebuilding of the temple will be a part of the “peace agreement” that will be brokered by the Antichrist between Israel and the Gentile nations during the first half of the seven-year Tribulation period. In this prophecy, the temple will be rebuilt. However, the outer court is not measured by John. This is most likely because at that future time in history, it may still contain the pagan Muslim temple known as the Dome of the Rock. Another possibility the court is not measured is because under this agreement, Gentiles will be in control of the mount itself but will not be in control of the Jewish temple that will reside on the mount. This is a very important detail to understand!

 

During this period, all apostate forms of Christianity – Islam, Orthodox Judaism, Roman Catholicism & Apostate Protestantism – may be allowed to utilize the temple mount under the protectorate of the “World Church” which will be masterfully manipulated by the Antichrist. The peace covenant brokered will most likely “convert” the Holy City of Jerusalem into an international city, with its sites administrated by the World Church – which at this time may indeed be headquartered at the Vatican.

 

As we proceed through Chapter 11, we find an interesting scenario in verse twelve that is strikingly similar to a description of the Rapture found earlier in our study of chapter four:

And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them – Revelation 11:12

The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians speaks to the Rapture as well:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

However, the context of the passages in verse twelve indicates that this call from heaven saying – "come up here" – takes place during the seven year Tribulation Period. The earlier verses found in chapter four of Revelation & 1 Thessalonians denotes the Rapture, which will take place prior to the Tribulation Period.

This chapter also reveals the prophecy of the "two witnesses" and what is involved in their 3 ½ year ministry. These “two witnesses” will be stationed in Jerusalem where they set up their Temple Mount “headquarters” of evangelism:

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth – Revelation 11:3

Allow me to introduce these "two witnesses" to you…

We find in this chapter there will be "two men" who will give a testimony – which is what a witness does – during the first half of the Tribulation Period. The “two witnesses” are the two prophets who will prophesy in Jerusalem for exactly 1,260 days. These “two witnesses” are witnesses of the God of creation and His Messiah. The message they preach will be that Jesus Christ is returning to earth as well as to inform Israel and the world that He will establish His 1000-Year Millennial Kingdom on earth, in which He will rule and reign from Jerusalem. They will preach the truth of sin, righteousness and judgment – the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ alone unto eternal salvation.

The unbelieving world will not want to hear what these men have to say from the God of heaven. However, during these 1,260 days, the world will be given no choice! If the world will not accept the truth that comes by way of these "two witnesses," the Lord said He will send the world a strong delusion so they will believe the lie:

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Those who do not believe the truth from the Lord, will believe the lies of the Antichrist and his False Prophet and will be in danger of eternal damnation!

The wording in the passages about the “two witnesses” makes it crystal clear that they are real persons. Those who attempt to spiritualize these men and say they are not real persons but only represent the prophets and the law have embraced a theology of absolute nonsense! The many details of these passages make it clear that these “two witnesses” are physical persons.

They will be supernaturally protected by the Lord through various means, allowing them to reach out from Jerusalem to everyone on earth with the "gospel of the kingdom" outlined by Jesus Christ Himself:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come – Matthew 24:14

These men will not only be supernaturally kept out of harm’s way, they will be given miraculous powers so that their brief ministry will be fruitful and effective.

However, after 3 ½ years of their pre-determined preaching is complete, these “two witnesses” are then killed:

When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them – Revelation 11:7

Their dead bodies will lay in the streets of Jerusalem so that the entire world will see them – perhaps via satellite and internet technology. The unbelieving "earth dwellers" will "rejoice over them, make merry and bring gifts one to another" in great celebration:

And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth – Revelation 11:10

At this point in the Tribulation period, the world will be so absolutely wicked that they will "party" and "send gifts" to each other to celebrate the deaths of these two awesome men of God. The unbelieving masses will actually be happy that these godly men have been killed – Horrible!

Amazingly, just 3 ½ days after their deaths, they are resurrected from the dead right before the eyes of the entire world:

Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them – Revelation 11:11

If you’ll remember, chapter seven also informed us that 144,000 Jews from the "twelve tribes of Israel" will be eternally saved as a result of the preaching ministry of these "two witnesses" and will be spread out across the world to reach all people on earth with the Gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ alone:

And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed – Revelation 7:4

NOTE: We will “meet up” with these 144,000 male Jewish “evangelists” again later in chapter fourteen of our studies...

Chapter seven also encourages us in that a “great multitude” of people will be eternally saved during these terrible days of Tribulation judgment:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands – Revelation 7:9

With all of that said… Who are these “two witnesses” and do we know their names? There are differing views about the identity of these two men. Most scholars who interpret this book of prophecy in its proper literal sense believe one of the “two witnesses” is Elijah. This is because the Prophet Malachi tells us that one of them will indeed be "Elijah":

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord – Malachi 4:5

In fact, some Orthodox as well as many Conservative Jews today actually expect Elijah to return at any time and they literally set a place for him at the tables of their Spring time Passover feasts!

So, who will be the other man? There is honest debate from the Scriptures on his identity. Many scholars believe the other man to be Moses for many good reasons. One being that he was seen with Elijah when Peter, James and John were given a glimpse of Jesus Christ as He was transfigured before them. This was to provide the assurance of His future glory as it will be revealed on earth:

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;  and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah – Matthew 17:1-4

However, the Old Testament also introduces us to another man who never died but was taken to heaven – alive:

Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.  After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him – Genesis 5:21-24

Although we cannot be dogmatic about this point, I believe the other man may indeed be this “Genesis Gentile” – Enoch.

If Enoch is indeed one of the witnesses, he will be able to verify to the world truths about the historical events prior to the flood. This is important because I believe the great deception at the time of the Tribulation period will be something similar to what happened in the pre-flood days of Genesis. The Scriptures tell us in Genesis chapter six that fallen angels – “sons of God” – came to earth, indwelt certain men, impregnated certain women – “daughters of men” – which in turn produced a race of humans know as Nephilim.

There were Nephilim on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown – Genesis 6:4

The word “Nephilim” is the Greek word translated as “giants” and were evidently a race of demonic/humans. Due to this event, the world became very violent. As a result, so much evil was produced, God had to destroy all flesh with a world-wide flood to provide a pure line from Adam to the Kinsman Redeemer – the last Adam – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Interestingly enough, these “Nephilim” are also mentioned again in the book of Numbers – the post-flood era of human history:

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the Nephilim (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight – Numbers 13:30-33

Therefore, we find Old Testament references to these Nephilim in both pre-flood and post-flood history. For further personal study of the “Nephilim” – see this excellent article from Answers in Genesis:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aid/v2/n1/who-were-the-nephilim

Jesus Christ warned that just prior to His Second Coming, society would be “as it was in the days of Noah” and I contend that we are definitely living in such a time today! I believe this great deception in the last days may also involve demons disguising themselves as an advanced civilization from another dimension or planet. Think about it – this scenario would fit in perfectly with the New Age, One-world, Pagan Spirituality philosophies and worldviews of today!

With all these thoughts in mind… I believe these two witnesses may be Enoch & Elijah – who have not yet physically died – but were transported directly into heaven – while still alive – as we see reported in the Old Testament books of Genesis and 2 Kings. Therefore, there would then be a "Gentile witness" (Enoch) for reaching the unbelieving Gentiles and a "Jewish witness" (Elijah) for reaching the unbelieving Jews who are left on the earth after the Rapture of the Church. These men do indeed give Biblical witness to the fact that it is quite possible to be taken alive into Heaven!

One more thought – Using the Biblical injunction of Deuteronomy, we see that a matter is established on the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses:

One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established – Deuteronomy 19:15

Therefore, these occurrences of Enoch and Elijah could indeed be cited to prove the validity of the Rapture of the Church – Amazing!

Then, at the end of their intense ministry – they will die – just as every person must eventually face:

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment – Hebrews 9:27

It is also interesting to note that Doctor Luke records that "two men in white apparel" at the entrance to the tomb of Jesus Christ, witnessed His resurrection:

And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments – Luke 24:4

Luke also records in the book of Acts that "two men in white apparel" watched as Jesus Christ entered the heavenlies from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem:

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel – Acts 1:10

Although these “men in white apparel” were most likely angels, they may have been Enoch and Elijah who witnessed the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven ensuring the disciples that the Lord Jesus Christ would one day return to earth the same way He had just departed. The "resurrection" and the "Lord's coming" is the message of the "Gospel of the Kingdom". This will be the message of these “two witnesses” as they preach to the world. Remember, they are the only men whom actually witnessed all these things take place throughout history!

Whoever these "two witnesses" may be… The Scriptures tell us that after these "two witnesses" are raised from the dead and taken back to heaven at the end of their 3 ½ years of ministry service on earth, the world will finally “hear” the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet Judgment:

 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! – Revelation 7:15

When this Seventh Trumpet sounds, the kingdoms of the world are given to Jesus Christ. It will soon be time for Him to bring His Kingdom of Heaven to earth! However, the earth must first be cleansed of all evil doers. This passage says that Jesus Christ has taken His great power and shall reign forever! It implies that up to this point in time, He had the power but He had not yet taken “hold” of His power to rule and reign over all the earth. The authority to rule on the earth was won by Jesus Christ with His death on the Cross. However, the timing to take possession was set by the Father – and was delayed – so that many people could come to His Son for salvation.

Finally, we learn that the temple is “opened in heaven” and the world sees the ark of God's “covenant”:

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail – Revelation 7:19

NOTE: The Ark of the Covenant on earth was patterned after the heavenly Ark. The “copy” on earth contained Aaron’s staff, a jar of Manna as well as the Ten Commandments. These three items represented the Father’s choice for His Son to rule and reign as His:

• High Priest
• Bread of Life
• Eternal Law

When the Ark – Jesus Christ – is finally seen, He will provide final testimony to Israel and to the world that the God of Heaven made an everlasting covenant with Israel. The Lord has decreed that His Law and His chosen High Priest will rule in His peaceful Kingdom from Jerusalem on earth for 1000 years – final judgment has come!

This Seventh Trumpet Judgment ushers in the third and final “set of seven” world-wide plagues known as the Seven Bowl Judgments and will be described in greater detail by the Apostle John later in chapter 16 of our Revelation study.

The prophecy pertaining to these “end-time” events will indeed one day be fulfilled. The only thing that must happen before the ministry of the “two witnesses” is the Rapture of the Church – which could happen very soon… Maybe even today!

With this information as a foundation for your studies, please read through Chapter 11 of Revelation.

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate chapter 12 of Revelation…

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <><
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Revelation Chapter 10‏‏‏‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back! During this week’s fellowship time, we’ll continue our study of Revelation.

Revelation Chapter 10
 
This week we will investigate chapter 10 in our journey of the end times.
Chapter 10 represents another parenthetical chapter. Here we take another “break” from the terrible turmoil as the Lord pauses again to give His true believers hope, assurance and comfort in the midst of the seven-year “hell on earth” that is by this time, well under way. He has everything under His perfect, sovereign control.

As we will discover, chapter 10 also represents a “parenthesis” between the Sixth Trumpet Judgment from chapter 9 and the Seventh Trumpet Judgment to come in chapter 11 – which will usher in the Seven Bowl Judgments of chapter 16. Although this is a short chapter, it reflects the enormity of the emotional impact the passages in the first part of this book have had on the Apostle John. One could argue that this pause is quite necessary for John to regain himself, in preparation for all the pending judgment that is yet to be revealed!

 

This is also a very interesting chapter and can be difficult to “put one’s arms around” – so to speak. Expositors are all over the map in attempting to provide insight concerning three main issues:

• Who is this mighty angel? Some scholars believe this is Jesus Christ, while others do not
  

• Who are the seven thunders and what do they say? Some scholars have attempted to infer what was said, others leave it alone.
  

• What is the little book John is given to eat? Some scholars believe this to be the Seven Sealed scroll that was already open by Jesus Christ, others believe it to be the title deed to the earth.

More questions than answers are often spawned by this challenging chapter! With that background in place, let’s continue in our studies…
In verse 1, the Apostle John observers a “mighty angel” as this chapter begins:

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 – Revelation 10:1

There was a previous occasion when “a mighty” angel was made known to John. We will remember that this first appearance was seen in heaven, before the throne of God, as this “mighty angel” asked who is worthy to open the scroll and loose its seals:

And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals? – Revelation 5:1-2

Unlike the occasion depicted in chapter 5, the events recorded here in chapter 10 occur on earth rather than in heaven. There is also no indication that the “mighty angel” mentioned in this chapter is the same as the one that John observed in chapter 5. However, one aspect of the “mighty angel” of this chapter is his physical appearance. His physical characteristics are similar to those described of Jesus Christ and the Throne of God, which may indicate that this angel’s position in heaven may be very close to the Throne and represent the Lord’s Sovereign power and glory. This “mighty angel” does not seem to be the Lord Jesus Christ for two reasons. First, this verse clearly states that this is “another” mighty angel. The Greek word here is translated to mean “like” or “created” and we know that Jesus Christ is not a created being but is God Himself! Second, John does not fall on his face before this “mighty angel” as he did in chapter one.

Interestingly, there are two other occasions in the Scriptures when someone physically close to the Lord had their bodily characteristics reflect that encounter. In the Old Testament, Moses' face was radiant after coming down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony:

Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him – Exodus 34:29-30

Also, in the New Testament at the mount of transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus Christ and all were surrounded by a bright cloud. They also possessed physical, bodily forms in which Peter, James & John could readily recognize:

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! – Matthew 17:1-5

The physical characteristics of this “mighty angel” are likened to Jesus Christ throughout the Scriptures showing his Christ-likeness:

• Robed in a cloud – Acts 1:9 & Revelation 1:7

• A rainbow above his head – Ezekiel 1:28 & Revelation 4:3

• His Face shown like the sun – Exodus 34:29, Luke 24:4 & Revelation 1:16

• His legs were like fiery pillars – Revelation 1:15

 
In verse 2, John also observes that the “mighty angel” is holding a little scroll that is laid open in his hand:

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 – Revelation 10:2

Some scholars believe the scroll opened earlier by the Lord Jesus Christ – which included the seven seals – is the same as this one. However, there is no indication given that this little scroll is related to any other known document. The physical size of the scroll is described as “little” and its contents are not revealed. There is no effort made in Scripture to associate the two documents. This scroll represents the “title deed” to the earth. We also see that the right foot of this “mighty angel” is on the sea, and his left foot on the land. This “mighty angel” does indeed appear to be Jesus Christ’s “representative” due to the physical characteristics given of him in the previous verse. As Christ’s ambassador, he may be given the right and authority over all that is part of the terrestrial and maritime environments – the land and the sea.

In verse 3, John then hears this “mighty angel” shout with a voice sounding like the roar of a lion:

…and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices – Revelation 10:3

Again, this reflects another characteristic of Jesus Christ, as the Lion of Judah. Interestingly, John does not provide the content or word(s) that the “mighty angel” shouted. John also hears a response given to the “mighty angel’s” shout by voices of the seven thunders. The identification of the seven thunders is not given, but since there are seven spirits of God before the throne, it is often assumed that the response is from the Holy Spirit. However, the main objective of the Holy Spirit is to bring glory to the Son, but we don’t see that represented here in this context. Also, throughout the Scriptures, thundering always denotes judgment and power.

In verse 4, John is told by the voice from heaven to seal up the words of the seven thunders and not to write them down.

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 – Revelation 10:4

The voice John hears is similar to the One he heard in chapter four. Also, John’s instruction from the Lord Jesus Christ here is different from the direction Daniel received when he was told to seal his book. Daniel was told to “shut up” what he saw and heard for a later time. The sealing of Daniel’s book meant that he was to “officially” preserve the book he wrote for a later time:

But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase – Daniel 12:4

It is important to note that this is the only time in the book of Revelation that the Apostle John is told to seal up the words without writing them down. All other times he is told to write down the things he witnesses. The words between the “mighty angel” and the Holy Spirit were intelligible as reported by John, who was about to write them down. Why is this important? As I noted above, this is a parenthetical chapter and may have been intended for John’s personal benefit to prepare him – as well as the tribulation saints – for the final events that he will have to witness and record to assure them of God’s sovereignty over His creation and that He has everything under complete, Sovereign control.

In verses 5 - 7, John observes the “mighty angel” lifting his hands toward heaven and swearing by the name of the Lord Jesus.

The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 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, 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 –  Revelation 10:5-7

The Apostle Mark also notes that there will be no more delay in the judgments – just as we also see noted in the Gospel of Mark:

For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days – Mark 13:19-20

Remember, at this point in the Tribulation, there remains the Seventh Trumpet Judgment of chapter 11 that is yet to sound, as well as the Seven Bowl Judgments of chapter 16 yet to be poured out on the earth's inhabitants! It is declared that the seventh angel will sound to indicate when the mystery of God should be finished. This is the mystery that the Lord had revealed to His servants – the Old Testament Prophets. This scenario may be pointing to the beginning of the mystery revealed by a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar, which God revealed the dream and interpretation to Daniel in chapter two of his book:

Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven… Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret – Daniel 2:19 & 46-47

In verse 8, John hears the voice from heaven and records and is told to take the scroll from the “mighty angel’s” hand:

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 – Revelation 10:8

In verses 9 & 10, John asks for the scroll from the “mighty angel” who warns John that his stomach will become sour and his mouth will taste sweet as honey:

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.” 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 – Revelation 10:9-10

Bitter and Sweet? What could this mean? Sweet are the Words of the Lord Jesus Christ and are a delight as “honey in your mouth” which satisfies the Apostle John’s soul. Bitter in that the horrors and carnage in which John witnesses and records will make him incredibly nauseous!

This scenario is parallel to the experiences of the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel when he was commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to prophecy to the exiled Israelites:

And He said to me, “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.” Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. And He said to me: “Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. For they are impudent and stubborn children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ As for them, whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house—yet they will know that a prophet has been among them – Ezekiel 2:1-5

But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Now when I looked, there was a hand stretched out to me; and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. Then He spread it before me; and there was writing on the inside and on the outside, and written on it were lamentations and mourning and woe – Ezekiel 2:8-10

Moreover He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them – Ezekiel 3:1-4

Finally, in verse 11, John is told to prophesy again concerning the entire world:

And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings – Revelation 10:11

Some misguided scholars argue that the events in Revelation regarding the tribulation are limited to the near east region or the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. However, this text clearly indicates that it is the entire world that is being judged!

With this information as a foundation for your studies, please read through Chapter 10 of Revelation.

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate chapter 11 of Revelation…

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

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"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Revelation Chapter 9‏‏‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back! During this week’s fellowship time, we’ll continue our study of Revelation.

Revelation Chapter 9
 
This week we will investigate chapter 9 in our journey of the end times.

As we come to our next chapter in the book of Revelation, we find the increasing intensity of the prophetic Trumpet Judgments which will befall planet earth as part of the Seven Year Tribulation. Looking back at our last study in chapter eight, you’ll remember that the first four Trumpet Judgments were released upon planet earth and its inhabitants. We will now continue with the “woes” to follow found in chapter nine.
 
The next two judgments are often difficult to understand due to the "apocalyptic" literature that is being used in the passages. The Apostle John writes down what is revealed to him about these seemingly very strange judgments and the associated killing of one third of the earth’s population at that time in history – a very somber thought indeed.
 
There is obviously a lot going on here in these frightening passages! Let’s see if we can “unpack” them a bit to perhaps assist us in an understanding of what the Lord Jesus may want us to know about these particular judgments…
 
The 5^th Trumpet Judgment:

Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things – Revelation 9:1-12

Satan will be allowed to open the shaft and let all the demons out and sin is going to run its final course. The key doesn't belong to Satan. Who does it belong to? Jesus Christ says, "I am the One who lives forevermore and I have the keys of death and Hades" But Jesus will give this fallen angel, Satan, temporary authority to open the pit and let all the demons loose.
 
Imagine what the world would be like if we were to open the doors of all the penitentiaries of earth and set free the world's most vicious and violent criminals, giving them full reign to practice their infamies upon mankind. Something worse than that lies in store for the world. Satan cast out of heaven is now permitted to summon to his aid the most diabolical fiends in the abyss to act as his agents in bringing mankind to the footstool of the beast. That's why we refer to chapter 9 as hell on earth!
 
The appearance on the earth of "locusts" described here gives us this vivid description of them as follows:

The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months – Revelation 9:7-10

This passage may indeed be describing an actual locust infestation as taught by some Bible scholars. Or perhaps they represent war machines – such as Apache attack helicopters – that would be used during a future world war… These “locusts” will indeed be a destructive force of judgment.
 
Here’s a thought – Insect locusts feed on green things, but these are demons! They leave the grass alone and the two thirds of the trees that are left and they only go after the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And whatever they do to them is horrifyingly painful, the torment is terrorizing. Interestingly, Five months is the normal life of a locust – they live from May to September. They can devastate a land in minutes. These demon locusts are going to have the career duration of insect locusts – five months, 150 days. By the way, that's the very duration of the rising flood waters in the day of Noah. God is going to give the unbelieving suffering individuals five months to repent. But they can't touch people who have the seal of God on their foreheads who are marked out as His.
 
The 6^th Trumpet Judgment:

Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,  saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts – Revelation 9:13-21

During this terrible time of the Tribulation period, the Lord Jesus Christ will allow ”four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” to release ”two hundred million horseman” to usher in judgment on the inhabitants of the earth for the purpose of bringing them under subjection:

Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them – Revelation 9:16

Perhaps this reference to the ”two hundred million” represents the actual physical human armies of the world and their great war machines which will make their way across the “dried up” Euphrates River to challenge the Most High God at the battle of Armageddon. Or perhaps these horseman are supernatural – unlike any living horses we’ve ever seen before:

And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone – Revelation 9:17

Although these challenging passages could indeed be speaking of actual nuclear war which will inevitably take place, it would seem this multitude is neither from the east nor human. To summarize why it appears these ”two hundred million” are demons and not the Chinese army as some scholars believe, four points can be noted: 

• They are led by four fallen angels
• The location of the army is stated to be the Euphrates, where Babylon is located – which will be the future headquarters of the counterfeit trinit
• The description given in the text seems to rule out this army as being human
• The kings of the east in chapter 16 are not connected with this event

 
Finally, we find the startling horrific deaths of one third of the earth’s population:

By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths – Revelation 9:18

In utilizing simple mathematics…
 
This means that with the one fourth of the recorded deaths as a result of the fourth Seal Judgment of chapter 6 combined with the recorded death of one third in verse 18 of chapter 9, we see that equates to approximately ONE HALF of the earth’s total population being killed up to this time during the Tribulation period! Think of this – using our present population statistics, that would equate to three and one half billion people left dead! And there are still several more judgments to follow – which will increase in their intensity!
 
This will indeed be a terrible time of judgment for the earth and its inhabitants!  The devastating destruction is unthinkable! But this is what awaits man who rejects Jesus Christ. However, from out of this “hell on earth” carnage, there is hope to come…
 
The 7^th Trumpet Judgment and is found later in chapter 11:

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!” – Revelation 11:15

This terrible time of judgment represent the prophetic Word of God as ”profitable” for the Christian by warning us of these pending judgments:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

It is also "practical" in that it presses us to reach out to our lost friends and love-ones so that they might consider doing what is necessary to escape these literal judgments to come – by trusting on Jesus Christ ALONE for salvation – before it is eternally too late!

With this information as a foundation for your studies, please read through Chapter 9 of Revelation.

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate chapter 10 of Revelation…

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!
 

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

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Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

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