Reviews and Views

…in my opinion.

Book of Revelation – Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is God’s parenthesis or pause until the opening of the last seal. He is informing us of what lies ahead for His people (Israelites and Gentiles) in the terrible period of trial that follows the Rapture of the Church. This chapter may be divided into two portions dealing with two groups and portrays God as compassionate, merciful, and loving. These saved and sealed multitudes are probably the fruit of the ministry of the two mysterious witnesses (to be discussed later).

In verses 1 through 8, four angels hold back the four winds. This pause gives time for a great revival on earth after the Church is gone. These servant multitudes are sealed by God in their foreheads. Also, during this stillness, 144,000 Jews are sealed. There are 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. As God lays claim to His own, that does not mean they necessarily escape the everyday disasters of earth. It does mean that God watches over them and takes careful note of their affairs. Notice there are two very different groups of people in chapter 7. “One company is Jewish (144,000); the other is Gentile. One passes unscathed through the fiery furnace of the Tribulation; the other is martyred to the very last man.” (John Phillips commentary, page 110). The sealed 144,000 defy the totality of Satan’s secular dominion. The sealed multitude of Gentiles saved during the Tribulation will close their testimony with their blood.

During the Tribulation hour, the presence of the Holy Spirit exists. In the passage of 1 Thessalonians 2:6-7, the Holy Spirit is the Hinderer. Since the Holy Spirit lives within all believers in Christ and He is everywhere, only His restraining influence over sin is removed during the Tribulation hour when the Church is Raptured home to heaven. His continued presence on earth produces one of the greatest revivals in the history of humanity. While we (believers) remain on earth, we are the salt of the earth and the world’s light, as stated in Matthew 5:13-16.

In verses 9 through 17, John sees a multitude of new believers standing before the throne of GOD. He doesn’t know who they are since they came after the Church went to heaven. This multitude comes out of the Great Tribulation. These glorious martyrs have not died yet; they may not even have been born, but God wants the saints of all ages to know about them. Hence, the reason for revealing them now. 

Each group of believers saved during different dispensations of time has various duties to perform.

(1) The Church is the bride of Christ and enjoys the 1,000-year honeymoon upon the earth (chapter 20, verse 4), reigning with Christ as rulers, kings, and priests (1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6).

(2) The 144,000 serve as bodyguards of the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ) and His bride (the Church) – see chapter 14, verse 4.

(3) The Gentiles saved during the Tribulation will be Temple servants, waiting on Christ and His bride. They serve in the glorious Temple described in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48.

Man’s wickedness, rebellion, and sin produce these judgments. “They that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” (Job 4:8). God, in love, creates a lull before the storm to call men to salvation and revival.

Now, Chapter 8 and the subsequent and final seal judgment.

January 25, 2024 Posted by | Bible, Last Days, Life, Religion | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book of Revelation – Chapter 8

Seventh Seal

With the opening of the seventh seal comes seven angels. Their role is to blast a warning of each subsequent judgment. We have seen the release of the four-horse riders. Conditions on earth are worsening rapidly. But we are told that this is just the beginning of sorrows. Satan is cast out of heaven and thrown to earth during these trumpet judgments in this chapter.

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about half an hour.” This silence gives time to contemplate what was coming next in the trumpet blasts. Also, God uses this time to receive and weigh the prayers of His Tribulation saints. He waits while His tormented and terrified people on earth pray. 

Trumpets blown do not act as a siren of impending danger but to summon attention to what will happen next. These blasts call for the advancement of God’s judgment upon the earth’s inhabitants. Seven trumpets go to the seven angels. They prepare to blast their trumpets as another angel cast the “fire of the altar” to earth. Notice that the first four trumpets are war trumpets. The last three trumpets are woe trumpets. The angel standing at the altar is the Lord Jesus Christ himself because of His ministry to GOD and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He adds incense (effectiveness) to the prayers offered by the saints of GOD on earth. These prayers are for vengeance and answered judgment. The silence ends! “The prayers of God’s people have tipped the balance in favor of heaven’s immediate resumption of hostilities” John Phillips commentary, page 118.

First Trumpet – The Brewing Storm

Hail and fire mixed with blood fall upon the earth. One-third of all trees and 100% of all grass burned; an ecological disaster without parallel in history. Mass destruction like this can toss people in leadership out and lead to a mass depopulation of the globe.

Second Trumpet – The Boiling Sea

“As it were,” a great mountain burning with fire was in the sea, cast. Since “as it were” was used, we understand it as symbolic and not literal. Yet ships seem literal enough. One-third of the sea becomes blood, one-third of the sea creatures die, and one-third of the ships become sunk or damaged. If the description is symbolic, the sea is well-known as godless humanity. A mountain frequently symbolizes a great nation. “The mountain mentioned here in the Apocalypse is a volcano, a burning mountain” John Phillips commentary, page 120. Besides a volcano, the mountain crashing into the oceans could be a giant meteor—much damage results.

Third Trumpet – The Banished Star

Now a giant step forward in the judgment process is taken. A colossal star falls from heaven. It burned brightly like a lamp. “Wormwood” was its name because it causes the lakes, rivers, and water sources to become bitter, poisonous, and cause death. The effect will be to embitter the earth’s waters so that the water is undrinkable. It’s easy to see how chaos and terror will result. Humans can only survive a couple of days without water. Those people in the affected water areas will become so desperate they will drink the bitter waters and die by the thousands, if not millions. 

This star is Satan himself, cast out of heaven to earth in a symbolic sense. He is bitter since he knows that his time is short. Bitterness in men causes many people to die. Strong support for this view comes from Revelation chapter 13. The Beast will already be here in the world, as yet benign. But now Satan arrives. Satan’s plans for the planet are only a step or two away from maturity.

Fourth Trumpet – The Blackened Sky

The fourth trumpet brings significant changes everywhere. The sun darkens, giving off less light, and the moon, therefore, reflects much less sunlight at night. But even one-third of the stars darken and can not be seen. An angel loudly said, “Woe, woe, woe,” to earth’s inhabitants because of the other trumpets yet to sound. Now we see that the old natural order is breaking apart. Convulsions seem to break out everywhere with the true Church gone. With the gradual removal of restraints completed, Satan with his fallen angels are on earth, and all traditional guiding lights are gone. The worst is yet ahead! The first 3.5 years of the Tribulation are not nearly as severe as the final 3.5 years. Matthew 24:8 describes this first half as the beginning of sorrows, with the last half described as the Great Tribulation. As the Tribulation hour approaches its climax, the judgments become more severe and the loss of life more significant.

January 25, 2024 Posted by | Last Days | , , , , | Leave a comment