Tag: seven angels

8.s. “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

Revelation 21:9  Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Ephesians 2:19  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

1 Timothy 3:15   But if I should be delayed [I have written] so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Hebrews. 3:6   But Christ was faithful as a Son over His household, whose household we are if we hold on to the courage and the confidence of our hope.

1 Peter 2:4-5   Coming to Him, a living stone – rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God – you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Interpretation of Revelation 21 has scholars commenting from both sides who say this is figurative and or that it is literal.  The Bible does tell us about the establishment of the new heaven and earth and new Jerusalem and we see it follows the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the millennium.  Wether or not this is to be take figurative or literal one key point for certain is about those who will live here and those who will not.  The bride of Jesus Christ, the church, those who have acknowledged their sin, sought forgiveness, repented, turned away, and believed and completely served, trusted, followed, and obeyed Jesus Christ for their redemption and salvation.  There is no place here for those who are lukewarm, complacent, and neglectful. Nor is a place for those who have rejected the offer of salvation, repentance, and redemption.  How many will stand at the Great White Throne Judgment with expectation of eternity in heaven only to here, “depart from Me for I never knew you”.  They will come to this judgment with thoughts of being good enough and done enough on their own to deserve entry.  They have not yielded to Jesus Christ.  Oh, they may have said things from their lips but the indwelling desire deep within their hearts and minds to have the Spirit live within them to guide, direct, and lead them in humble service for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ is not present nor was it.  Me, myself, and I have a way of not wanting to fully yield to Jesus Christ.  Yielding means we will put to death our self-centered and self-reliant ways and thoughts.  We need to daily surrender authority of our lives to Jesus Christ and keep our heart, mind, and soul, focused on Him, for He is truly worthy of all honor, power, and glory.

8.c. “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”

Revelation 17:1   Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

Babylon of old seems to be the birthplace of many false teachings and worship and is spiritually void of God.  We have a political system established by the Antichrist and a religious system established by the false prophet.  Babylon, both politically and religiously, has once again become great and not in a good way.  The spiritual adultery people are graving and lusting after will give them their fill of false hopes, false ideas, and a false sense of security.  This unfaithfulness toward God is voluntary and intentional.  People during the tribulation, like now, have a choice to commit or not commit adultery with the world and what it has to offer.  Every day we have choices we make that take us deeper with God or not.  Do not be swayed by the eloquent speech of those who have an outward appearance of godliness but inwardly they are void.  Do not we taken in by the cultural thoughts that lead to a lukewarm watered down Christian life.  Do you want to grow spiritually and have a deeper understanding of God’s word?  Spend as much time in it as what you spend watching sports, reading news, or surfing the internet.  You will find an amazing release from world influence and will see a maturing of your faith over and over again.  Watering down the gospel now points to a time in the near future where people will not even be aware of their adulterous acts against God.

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.b. The first angel blew his trumpet

Revelation 8:6   Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Ezekiel 13:10-15     Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash,  say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out.  And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?3  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end.  And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD.  Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it,

Ezekiel 38:22   With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.

The seventh seal unleashes 7 trumpets of judgment on the earth.  This first one a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees, and all green grass.  During the previous seals being broke open the judgments on earth were explained by visions of the four horsemen.  The horseman gives vision to how events will play out after the tribulation.  One will come and seem to be able to offer peace and stability.  Remember this occurs after the rapture of the church (believers).  Obviously there will be great confusion, unrest, anxiousness, and fear across the globe.  This first rider had the power to conquer but does not use it to conquer.  The second horse reveals power to take away any peace and people killed one another.  The third reveals what it will be like when basic daily needs are lacking and the cost of daily survival is very high.  The fourth revealed a fourth of earth die from famine and disease and wild animals. The fifth revealed those who believed during this time of tribulation and died because of this belief.  The sixth revealed an act of God’s wrath that all will know it is of His doing.  We then read of a holding back of God’s wrath, whether it is after or during the events of the visions of the four horsemen does not truly matter, and sealing of 144,000 who will be servants of God on earth who will proclaim the Word of God and those who died because of this belief. Then we come to this part where the trumpets blasts begin and a third of the earth is burned up.  Things on earth will get and are getting to the point of very little survival.  Any hope of living off the land is taken away.

God’s warnings and visions of what is to come are given so that people will absolutely know it is at the hand of God that these events are happening because they have rejected His grace, mercy, and love through Jesus Christ.  This rejection of Christ, God’s only Son, salvation, redemption, and eternal life results in those now receiving God’s full anger, wrath, and judgment.  Believing this will not happen does not make it so.  Believing it will not happen during your lifetime does not make it so.  But know this, it will come as fast as in the twinkling of an eye.  Now is the time of redemption.  Now is the time to trust in, cling to, rely on, and believe in Jesus Christ, seeking forgiveness and truing away from sin.

7.a. There was silence in heaven for about half an hour

Revelation 8:1   When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

It would be natural to stand in silence when awaiting the outcome of the last seal being opened.  Imagine seeing all the visions of 1-6 and knowing there are only 7 seals and the last one is now opened.  What is to come from this last seal?  John had just seen the sealing of the 144,000 and those who were clothed in white robes and was told by an elder that these were ones coming out of the great tribulation.  Would the last seal be that of the New Heaven and Earth and the end of all earthly things?  Would this last seal be the final judgment and consummation of the earthly and usher in the heavenly?

What John sees after this seal is opened is 7 angels, each given a trumpet. He sees an angel standing at a golden altar with a golden censer burning incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints.  After this, the censer was filled with fire from the altar and threw it on earth.  Upon this censer being thrown, there is a warning as if it is like a tornado siren warning.  This warning sound came like thunder, rumbling, lightning, and an earthquake.  Know this, there is something coming and it is not going to be good.  There are warnings given by the Word of God and either heeded or rejected.  During this time of great tribulation, as now, warnings from God should be taken very seriously.