loud voice – Praying Pint

17.f. “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

John 11:38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

It is hard to imagine the emotion of Mary and Martha. For four days they have grieved the loss of their brother. For four days they had been waiting for Jesus. They knew Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying. They had faith and hope and trust that He could save their brother. He did not come immediately and Lazarus died. Can’t you hear them sending off people to get word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick and dying. They knew Jesus would come. Then He didn’t and Lazarus died. Mary and Martha had to of thought that if Jesus had only come when we sent word to Him, Lazarus would still be alive.

Do you ever wonder at the power of God? What limits are there to His power? There are no limits to His power. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. When our faith, trust, reliance, and hope are placed in His purpose and His plans we will have peace that passes all understanding and will see this gloriously work in our lives no matter what happens.

8.p. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Isaiah 65:17-19    “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.  I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

2 Peter 3:13     But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

John 14:23    Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Ezekiel 37:27    My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We hear people speak of heaven as the final resting place of those who die. This is true for those who believe, (rely on, cling to, and trust in) repent, (acknowledge and turn away from their sinful nature) and by faith live with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength committed to obey, follow, and humbly serve to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all they think, do, and say. What is not going to ring true is the thoughts of many who live shallow lives, giving no more than a passing thought, if that, about what it means to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ each moment of every day. Their hearts and minds, have been seduced by lies of this world into believing they are good enough and as such have done what is required to “deserve” eternal life in the “New Heaven and New Earth”. They do not see that they have all but taken the “Mark of the Beast” in how they live, think, and follow the ways of this world. They have adopted it into their make-believe “Christian” lives as what they believe it means is to be a “Christian”. There is no difference in their heart. There is no desire and seeking to hear the whispers of God speak into and lead them through each day. They may know of Him but they certainly do not know Him as savior, redeemer, and forgiver of their sins in a personal and heart and soul-deep way. The New Heaven and New Earth are not prepared for these. The New Heaven and New Earth are prepared for those who believe and anticipate it’s coming with expectant and rejoicing heart, mind, and soul. It is prepared for those who long for the return of Jesus Christ with a humble, grateful, and thankful heart and an end to sin in both their heart and the world.

8.l. Signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast

Revelation 19:17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Now, as the birds hover en masse over the battlefield at the angel’s beckoning, John sees the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army (v. 19). Their resistance to Christ belies their delusional belief that they have an opportunity to win – and worse, their apparent conviction that they are in the right. What compels sinful men and women to entertain the notion that they can defeat the Almighty or change the course of human history? Joseph A. Seiss comments: We may wonder how rational men could be carried with one impulse into an attempt so daring and so absurd; but when people put the truth from them, and submit themselves to the Devil’s lead, what is there of delusion and absurdity into which they are not liable to be carried? How many among us comfort and assure themselves in their selfishness and sins with the belief that either there is no God, or that he is too good and merciful to fulfill his threatenings upon transgressors? To this there needs to be added only one step more, to defy his judgments, and with that goes pledge of battle and declaration of war with his Omnipotence.

The Psalmist writes, “Why do the nations rebel and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One.” What is the Lord’s response to this human madness? “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath” (Ps. 2:1-2, 4-5). Seiss once again remarks, “What failure of love, what exhaustion of grace, what emptying of the sea of his infinite mercies, what decay and withdrawal of all kindly interest and affection must have occurred that there should be this laugh!”. And yet for the beast and his armies, this is no laughing matter. In self-delusional futility; in the most vile hatred of a creature toward his Creator; in utter abandonment of all decency, the beast charges straight into the blade of the Jesus Christ’s sword.

J.F. Walvoord and R.B. Zuck comment: “The same inspired Word of God which so wonderfully describes the grace of God and the salvation which is available to all who believe is equally plain about the judgment of all who reject the grace of God. The tendency of liberal interpreters of the Bible to emphasize passages dealing with the love of God and to ignore passages dealing with His righteous judgment is completely unjustified. The passages on judgment are just as inspired and accurate as those which develop the doctrines of grace and salvation. The Bible is clear that judgment awaits the wicked, and the second coming of Christ is the occasion for a worldwide judgment unparalleled in Scripture since the time of Noah’s flood”

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse: A Verse-by-Verse Quest to Understand the Book of Revelation . Unknown. Kindle Edition.

8.i. Great multitude in heaven, crying out.

Revelation 19:1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

Those in heaven offer three reasons for their praise. First, “because His judgments are true and righteous.” Second, “because He has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality.” Third, because “He has avenged the blood of His slaves that was on her hands”. The vast multitude again sings, “Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever!”.

We should not lose sight of the fact that the rejoicing multitude exults not merely in the defeat of God’s enemies – and theirs – but in the just and true nature of His judgments. The destruction of the great prostitute is a proper act of vengeance for her martyring the servants of God. This judgment, however, is only the beginning of the everlasting punishment of the wicked, as testified by the statement that her smoke “ascends forever and ever” (v. 3). “We do not rejoice at the sinfulness of Babylon,” writes Warren Wiersbe, “or even the greatness of Babylon’s fall. We rejoice that God is ‘true and righteous’ and that He is glorified by His holy judgments”

Phillips, Rob. The Searcher’s Guide to the Apocalypse:

8. “It is done!”

Revelation 16:17 The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.

We end bowl judgments with the 7th with lightning, thunder, and the largest earthquake earth has ever had. Islands disappear and mountains are no more. A great rearrangement of earth will take place followed by 100 lb hailstones. We see through even this men still curse God and are not repentant. Chronologically, the next event will be the return of Christ (Revelation 19) but before continuing chronologically, chapters 17 and 18 will give added details about Babylon. The Seven bowls of God’s wrath should remind all of us that there is no escape from diving judgment except for those who avail themselves of the grace of God in the day of opportunity. Nothing seems to produce repentance in those who have hardened their hearts against the grace of God. Make sure that our hearts are right with God today, tomorrow, and forever.

7.x. Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments.

Revelation 16:1 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea. The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!” And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!”

God’s wrath is let loose on mankind. All of those who have rejected Him, His message of repentance, and salvation through Jesus Christ will experience His wrath in ways that have not been known to mankind. Know this, His wrath is furious as His love is full of grace and mercy. We often think about His absolute pure and holy love but fail to see that His wrath, anger, and judgment are absolutely pure. All of the judgments that have come at the hands of man and Satan are nothing compared to God’s wrath and judgment. The first bowl is harmful and painful sores. This afflicts all who have taken the mark of the beast, all who have rejected the message of His witnesses, and those who have killed the saints (those who have rejected the beast and have come to Jesus Christ.) Even during the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets and all of the calamity, unrest, and wonders associated with these judgments, people still choose to deny Jesus Christ. Do you ever wonder how hard a heart has to be to reject the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ and choose to be blind to things that are happening at God’s command? We might understand how it happens right now in the US as we live during a time of prosperity. People just don’t see a need for Jesus Christ, and if they do, it seems as though it is not with their whole heart, mind, and soul, but with a want for the benefit but without and change in their life. How many times are we neglectful and complacent with our time in His Word, prayer, and humble service? How many times are we chasing after things this world has to offer and not the things of God? How many times do we choose the worldly stuff over Godly living? We can read about God’s judgment against those who have willfully and knowingly rejected Him but how much more do we deserve His judgment for willingly and intentionally choosing to live lukewarm Christian lives that serve no more as a testimony to Jesus Christ than those who openly deny Him. We do well to search our heart, mind, and soul for that which hinders us from humbly serving, honoring, following, trusting, and obeying Him.

7.v. Threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God

Revelation 14:14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.

“Warnings and judgments have not turned the hearts of those who reject Jesus Christ, the sins of the nations are filled up, and they become ripe for judgments, represented by a harvest (ripe for heaven or ripe for eternal damnation), an emblem which is used to signify the gathering of the righteous, when ripe for heaven, by the mercy of God. The harvest time is when the corn is ripe; when the believers are ripe for heaven, then the wheat of the earth shall be gathered into Christ’s garner. The enemies of Christ and his church are not destroyed, till by their sin they are ripe for ruin, and then he will spare them no longer. The wine-press is the wrath of God, some terrible calamity, shedding the blood of the wicked. The patience of God towards sinners is the greatest miracle in the world; but, though it appears to be lasting, it will not be everlasting; and ripeness in sin is a sure proof of judgment at hand.”

Do you ever wonder if any part of your heart is “Ripe” with sin? Is there someplace within your being that you have rejected listening to the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart, mind, and soul to repent and turn away from a sin that is ripening to the point of a harvest of the calamity and trouble in your life? Have you rejected spending time in God’s Word and by doing so, shut your ears to hearing the whispers of the Holy Spirit? Complacency and neglect will yield fruit, and given time, will ripen. This fruit will come with consequences just like the apple that Adam and Eve ate. Now is the time to search your heart, mind, and soul for that which is not pleasing, honoring, following, trusting, relying, and obeying God. Stay in His Word, desire to hear Him lead you, and seek to honor Jesus Christ in all you think, say, and do.

7.u. he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath

Revelation 14:9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

I found these comments in a commentary – Once Delivered APRIL 22, 2014: “A third angel follows the other two and pronounces woe on those who worship the beast and his image and receive a mark on their foreheads or hands. The consequences of rejecting God – who has revealed Himself in creation, conscience, Christ, and the canon of scripture – are spelled out plainly. The one who embraces the beast will experience the consequences of his or her rebellion. Secondly, the beast worshiper will be “tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever”. There is little doubt that this is a reference to the everlasting consequences of rejecting God. While those who cast their lot with the beast will lament Babylon’s fall, they also will discover that their torment is just beginning. To make it clear, God does not delight in the torment of His adversaries. Rather, He allows them to be excluded from His kingdom by their own choice. And in their everlasting destruction, they will become aware of His dominion and ultimately acknowledge it.

The permanence of the unbeliever’s fate is punctuated in John’s words, “[A]nd the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever” (v. 11a). This should not be twisted to mean that only the fires of hell are eternal while the wicked are annihilated. Jesus describes hell as a place where the unbeliever’s “worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). Further, the same Greek words used to describe eternal life are employed in the depiction of eternal damnation. Rebellion against an eternal God who offers us eternal life has eternal consequences. In Jesus’ account of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man, Lazarus, and Abraham all are conscious and self-aware after their deaths – in Abraham’s case, hundreds of years after his passing. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the spirits of Moses and Elijah appear. And in Rev. 20:10, we are told, “The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” John intends the reader to see the contrast between those in verse 11, who find no rest day or night, and those in verse 13, who rest from their labors. One final note: John offers hope. In fact, he prefers it. The door of grace is yet open, for he writes, “If anyone worships the beast …” This is a clear warning to those who choose to worship the beast, but it’s also a reminder that salvation is still within reach for those who take Christ’s nail-scarred hand into their own.”

7.c. “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth”

Revelation 8:8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

One-third of the grass and trees, sea creatures, ships, water, sun, and moon are affected in ways that only can point to the God of creation. All of this follows wars, famine, disease, earthquakes and other life taking actions within God’s purpose and plans. You would think this is the end of these terrible events, but no. John heard an eagle crying, woe, woe, woe. Much worse is to come. All of this comes upon those who have rejected God, despise God, hate God, and are suffering consequences of their disbelieve and of God’s wrath and anger. This wrath and anger have been stored up by God. For sure it will come upon mankind at a time they do not see coming. Those that are alive will suffer greatly at the hands of God for their rejection. There is much to be said about living now in the time of grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ, where there is the time right now to repent and turn away from sin and rely on, cling to, and trust in Jesus Christ.

6.y. Until we have sealed the servants of our God

Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

We seem to have a break from the judgments of God on earth here in Chapter 7. There is a holding back of the Angels who had the power to harm both the earth and the sea. they are held back for a specific reason, which seems to be an extension of God’s grace and mercy one more time on the people left behind and is going through the tribulation period. God is setting aside 144,000 servants, 12,000 from each of the tribes of the sons of Israel. Six of the seals of judgment have been opened so the effects of these and the continuation of them seem apparent. And yet, here is God’s grace and mercy displayed on those who previously gave no thought to the need for redemption, salvation, repentance, or forgiveness. For sure this time of tribulations will cause many to seek and turn to God. All hope and trust they had in things of this world, apart from God, has been taken away at the hands of the Creator. In Acts, we see a time when the presence of the Holy Spirit was released to make His presence on earth and the people heard and saw the need for redemption, salvation, forgiveness, and repentance. It says they were cut to the heart and asked: “what must we do”?

Truly, the heart that has been softened by whatever means will ask “what must I do?” It seems as though the 144,000 sealed servants of God are here to respond to those whose hearts are seeking redemption.