Revelation, chapter 16, Behold, I come as a thief

 

Revelation 16:1 ¶  And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 2  And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. 3  And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. 4  And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5  And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6  For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7  And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The two witnesses, who called down disaster on the people of the earth, are removed. The believing Jews are hiding in the wilderness. Countless martyrs are before God in heaven. Now, the end of the Great Tribulation will be fiercer than anything seen in history.

Revelation 16:8 ¶  And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9  And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. 10  And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

Notice the terror of these judgments on the beast’s kingdom.

Revelation 16:12 ¶  And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16  And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

This preparation for Armageddon seems to draw those events about the 200 million strong army and in 14:20 the winepress and the blood up to the horses bridles together. The false prophet is first mentioned here as a reference. Is that a representation of Islam with Mohammed as the founder? China would be capable of fielding an army this size, probably not fully equipped, but in desperate times like this who knows what could happen?

This battle is going to be the ultimate confrontation in the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 16:17 ¶  And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. 18  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. 21  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Verse 18 is the fifth verse mentioning an earthquake but this one is the biggest of all. The entire world is affected by this earthquake. This worldwide disaster, after the Battle of Armageddon leaves the earth changed in appearance with every city crumbling and islands and mountains disappearing. This is a cataclysm like Hollywood likes to portray. Now, this Babylon will face its final judgment.

Psalm 55, part 1, verses 1 to 8, Give ear to my prayer, O God

 

Psalm 55:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David.» Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. 2  Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise; 3  Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. 4  My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. 5  Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. 6  And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. 7  Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. 8  I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

 

As far as the immediate context this Psalm is most likely referring to the traitor, Ahithophel, David’s trusted counselor, betraying him to David’s son, Absalom, when that son rebelled against him.

 

2Samuel 15:12  And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.

 

David cries unto God in his outrage and pleads with God not to turn from David’s plea. He makes an argument against those who have harmed him and are trying to kill him. He feels isolated and alone except for God. Who can he trust if he cannot trust his own family, his beloved son, Absalom, and his once faithful counselor, Ahithophel? David wants to, but cannot, escape who he is and what he must face in this hour of betrayal. We’ve had songs made about flying away from our troubles. See what Christ quoted from the Cross, opening up that Psalm about Him.

 

Psalm 22:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.» My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

 

Matthew 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 

Imagine Christ in His frail humanity offering up prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane as the Jewish leadership and the mob they controlled conspired to kill Him. He knew what He had to face but did not look forward to the pain and suffering of His impending death and was reacting like any of us would react showing us that it is not wrong to feel repulsion at the prospect of the process of dying.

 

Hebrews 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

 

There may have also been times in your own life when you felt betrayed and alone or seemed to have the whole world against you. You then wanted to cry out in this type of eloquence.

 

Psalm 22:12  Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13  They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

Revelation, chapter 15, a sea of glass mingled with fire

 

Revelation 15:1 ¶  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Now comes the seven plagues, poured from seven vials, by seven angels. The church will not see this from the point of view of the people on the earth as it has been raptured or translated, as promised.

Revelation 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

What does it mean to have victory?

These are the martyrs of the Great Tribulation, who refused to take the mark of the beast. These are referred to in 6:9.

Revelation 6:9 ¶  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Revelation 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. 4  Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Review Moses’ song in Exodus 15:1-19. This praise predicts a swift and terrible judgment on God’s enemies. Verse 4 shows that now God’s judgments are revealed and made plain.

Revelation 15:5 ¶  And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: 6  And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. 7  And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. 8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

There are now seven plagues that must be unleashed on the remnant of mankind.

Genesis 12, verses 10 to 13, and Abram went down into Egypt

 

Genesis 12:10 ¶  And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. 11  And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: 12  Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive. 13  Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Later, we will get the definition of famine which is a period of little food and a poor return for farmers. We look at a word in context and compare its use against like phrases in the verse or passage.

Genesis 41:27  And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

Grievous is shown later to mean that there will be no surplus during a famine. It will then be a grievous famine.

Genesis 41:31  And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

Grievous is an abundance of calamity in the curses on Egypt in Exodus 9 and it is a very difficult burden to bear in 1Kings 12 and 2Chronicles 10. Grievous causes grief, obviously, but it is important to see how the Bible defines words in context and I want to reinforce that for you to help in your own personal reading.

Abram does what we would consider a cowardly thing rather than trusting in God to deliver him. He tells his wife, who is in her 60’s but still at that time still a fair woman to look upon, to lie and say she is his sister, not concerning himself in this whether she will suffer humiliation but in preserving his own life.

Abram, as Abraham, will do this again in Gerar in chapter 20. His son, Isaac, will also do this with his wife, Rebekah, in chapter 26 in Gerar, as well. Apparently, by this, we know that it would not be uncommon for a man to be murdered so that someone could obtain his attractive wife as a sexual resource.

We know that fair to look upon means that a person is sexually desirable. In our modern world women seek to dress and look like this although if they considered the assortment of characters they would be attracting, most of which do not look like their favorite movie or music stars, they might think better of it. Sarai, like other women, had little choice in the matter and was little better than a commodity or a pack animal under prevalent laws and customs. It is only in Christ that woman’s status rises.

Galatians 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Unless, of course, she is an Independent Fundamental Baptist, in which case she is typically still in Egypt.

In this general time, although you cannot seriously accept the dates put forth without absolute proof of which there is none, Mizraim’s Egypt (see comments on 10:6) was ruled by a Pharaoh, a king, who held absolute power. Later, the Greek historian Herodotus will tell us that there could be as many as 12 rulers leading from various places claiming all to be THE Pharaoh. This makes any attempt to put the Pharaohs and their dynasties in any absolute dating plan difficult. In addition, the commonly accepted method for dating ancient Egypt is not without its detractors and is controversial. So, when reading about Old and New Kingdoms, Intermediate Periods, Dynasty dates, etc. etc. be very skeptical and cautious about accepted conclusions. Egypt’s ancient history is probably much more compressed than current scholarship would be willing to let on.

In any event, depending on the flooding of the Nile River to irrigate crops, rather than an abundance of rainfall, Egypt was the place to go in most famines in Canaan. Egypt was also the superpower that would have held the kings of Canaan as tributaries in those times when other empires were not in control such as the Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians.  Soon, we will see that part of Canaan at this time was held in tribute by several kings from further east; including Elam and Babylon.

Revelation 14, verses 13 to 20, the great winepress of the wrath of God

 

Revelation 14:13 ¶  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. 14  And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. 15  And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. 16  And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. 17  And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18  And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. 19  And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20  And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

There is a special blessing for those who die after this pronouncement about those who worship the Beast and take his mark is made. One like unto Christ, is told by another angel to reap the harvest on the earth as judgment is upon them, the full force of God’s wrath. Outside of the city of Jerusalem it is said that the blood will rise to the level of horses’ bridles, about 4-5 feet in a space of 1600 furlongs which is roughly 200 miles. This can simply mean that the bloodbath cannot be imagined. This is usually associated by commentators with Armageddon coming up in 16:16  and linked to the 200 million number of the spiritual creatures in 9:16-19 and the kings of the east in 16:12. If this is true then the clearly supernatural creatures of  chapter 9 mean that for every event on earth there are similar events happening in the invisible world that precede the events on earth. Or it means that the description in chapter 9 is a metaphorical description of the massive army that comes from the east to meet at Armageddon for a climactic battle that results in a huge bloodbath of unimaginable proportions. Whatever the case, the blood shows us that these events will happen in the physical world and not just the spiritual. What happens on earth is echoed in the world of the spirit.

Genesis 12, verses 6 to 9, and the LORD appeared unto Abram

 

Genesis 12:6 ¶  And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. 7  And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. 8  And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. 9  And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Sichem is another spelling for Shechem. Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered sacrifices upon leaving the ark in 8:20 acknowledging thanksgiving and God’s mercy. Abram here builds an altar to the Lord confirming his acknowledgment of God’s promise and direction. In between Noah and Abram there was a great deal of counterfeiting of the religious impulse placed in man by God that carried on through the centuries, even today where we don’t necessarily refer to God directly but call our god by the names of Self, Ambition, Science, Entertainment, Sports, Country, etc. etc. But modern man does build altars quite regularly acknowledging his relationship with his god.

After Noah, perhaps in remembrance of the sons of God who led the pre-Flood earth in rebellion and eventually in veneration of elders who died such as Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, men accepted that there were gods everywhere, little gods, gods that could easily be made angry because they were so irritable and malevolent. This belief, “crushed man with the fear of always having the gods against him, and left him no liberty in his acts.”[1]

For Abram to turn from this powerful social and religious impulse of man, to leave his own responsibilities for the family religion, to turn from the gods to THE God, this return to monotheism, as a scholar might say, was remarkable evidence of God’s interaction with him in choosing this man out of thousands to reveal Himself to a fallen world and APPEARING to him in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ, the visible image of the invisible God (John 1:14; 14:9; 2Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).

Not having God walking physically with them as Adam and Eve enjoyed in the garden in Enos’ time man called upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 4:26  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

And again, in this age of man, which some call “the church age,” we bring into our minds the authority of our Creator over us and He establishes a relationship with us and His Spirit indwells us by our calling upon His name and acknowledging His sovereignty over us and over all that exists.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

But, God, in the form of His physical presence, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word by which all things were created, appeared to Abram. One cannot see the soul of God, the seat of His will and self-identity, God the Father, so an angel, which is an appearance of someone or something which is someplace else actually, or a vision, or the physical presence of the pre-incarnate Christ is what Abram could see. And the Lord appeared unto Abram and made this covenant and promise.

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[1] Ibid., 211. (De Coulanges, The Ancient City.)

Revelation 14, verses 6 to 12, If any man worship the beast

 

Revelation 14:6 ¶  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

The everlasting gospel is; Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

Everyone is going to hear this. A second angel declares the fall of Babylon, the identity of which we will explore more fully when we come to chapter 17. A third angel warns that anyone who takes the mark of the Beast is doomed. From reading verses 9 through 11 notice this cross reference.

Isaiah 66:22  For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23  And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Verse 12 shows that during this time the faithful will follow God’s commandments and have faith in Jesus. This is important as one aspect of dispensationalism, the belief that it is not all the same and that God has a different plan of action for different generations of men and women.

If you believe that the entire Bible contains the same instruction for all peoples at all times then you will believe, based on this, that Christians in the time we are in must follow the commandments given to Moses. If that is the case for today then the Christian church does not belong to God as we do not follow those commandments. But in fact, Paul said;

Galatians 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

So, there is a distinct difference in what is expected of the believer during the Great Tribulation after the Rapture and what is expected now if you believe in dispensations.

Another take on this is that Paul defined which commandments were to be diligently kept by the Christian.

Romans 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9  For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10  Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

So, this Great Tribulation and persecution even unto death requires an even more diligent adherence to the principles laid down by Christ in the popularly called Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter 5. Look at these previous explanations of what is called for in the believers’ lives in this Great Tribulation.

Revelation 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Revelation 13:10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

This is a hard pill to swallow if you have a family and loved ones.

Genesis 12, verses 4 and 5, and into the land of Canaan they came

 

Genesis 12:4 ¶  So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5  And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.

Abram obeyed God and took his nephew with him, the servants and possessions they had acquired in Haran, and entered the land of Ham’s grandson, Canaan. Haran was a village which ruins some believe lie in Southern Turkey. The question might be asked, did Terah found the village and name it after his dead son? Haran is used as a person’s name later as well. Abram, who will eventually be renamed Abraham, left the religious associations of his father as commanded.

Joshua 24:2  And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3  And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

They traveled northwest from Ur several hundred miles and settled in Haran, from whence Abram and company would travel southwest to Canaan. Haran, when translated from the Greek language, rather than the Hebrew here, will be spelled Charran in Acts 7:2,4. The CH is pronounced as a K when you find it in the Bible transliterated from one of the original languages. Think of Nebuchadnezzar or Michael. But when we moderns say Cherubims we use the CHA sound, not the K sound. Words that are directly from English like checker in 1Kings 7:17, of course, would be exceptions to this rule.

Abram, being 75 years old, is not elderly in the way we would think today. Prior to this time, as you read, many people lived hundreds of years. Their natural abilities, their appearance, would have remained far more youthful than we would consider a 75 year old’s body to be today although the upper age limit of men was rapidly falling in the new environment after the Flood and Abram will consider himself old and beyond the age of fathering children fairly soon.

Genesis 17:1  And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect…17  Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Terah, Abraham’s father, lived to be 205. (Genesis 11:32). When the dispersal at Babel occurred the lifespan dropped dramatically. See also in chapter 11 Peleg’s lifespan of 239 years as opposed to his father, Eber, who lived 464 years.

Regarding the word souls, in the Old Testament, as the operation of God in separating the soul from the sins of the flesh referred to in Colossians, chapter 2, has not taken place yet, soul and souls are used to include the physical presence of the person or beast spoken of as well as the soul, which is tied to the flesh until Christ’s resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in those people who believe and are given faith.

Numbers 31:28  And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:

For those who do not believe that some beasts have souls and spirit also note;

Job 12:10  In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Ecclesiastes 3:21  Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Revelation 14, verses 1 to 5, they are without fault before the throne of God

 

Revelation 14:1 ¶  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

One of the problems with Bible interpretation is the tendency to interpret the Bible by forcing it to justify your culture and customs. Instead, one should interpret the Bible by cross-referencing to see what the mind of God, the Holy Spirit’s original intent was.

After the Translation or Rapture of the Saints;

These are the servants of Christ mentioned in chapter 7. Mount Sion here is a reference to the heavenly Jerusalem.

Hebrews 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

These 144,000 Jews were redeemed from the earth and we don’t know if that means they were translated [raptured] or martyred, although we cannot rule that out. They have a unique position in God’s plan and can sing a new song that no one but they can sing. They are male virgins, not hindered by any attachments to life. As men who have wives or women who have husbands and families have a sort of divided loyalty while, ordained by God, is not suitable for the purpose of these specific men.

There are many disturbing statements made in the Bible like this one about not being defiled by women but we must always remember that the Bible is written by men under the understanding and wisdom given to them by God, which the Bible calls given by inspiration. See 2Timothy 3:16; Job 32:8; and 2Peter 3:15 to learn that the Bible is not given by dictation but by inspiration. Therefore, you are going to read a lot of cultural phenomenon and biases, plus personal opinion in the writings. It would be inconsistent for us to take a statement and declare that something that God had ordained like the union between a man and a woman in marriage was somehow to be despised. For instance we know that religious groups that forbid lawful marriage are pushing doctrines of devils.

1Timothy 4:1 ¶  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

 

Paul also wrote about marriage in 1Corinthians 7 in the context of not abandoning an unbelieving spouse and about being abandoned by an unbelieving spouse, a chapter with verses that have been wrenched out of context by evil people and misused to justify everything from insisting a slave not seek their freedom, an employee not seek their value, and a wife not to leave an abusive husband;

 

1Corinthians 7:2  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

 

Here is how physical marriage can hinder the kind of service required of these virgin men.

 

1Corinthians 7:32  But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 33  But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. 34  There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

 

You would be well warranted to conclude that the defilement mentioned here is to point out that it is not given to these men to have families and to experience the joy of marriage. They have a certain path, a goal they must pursue and having a wife would get in the way. You and I can go back to Exodus to see a time when the union between husband and wife was to be halted for a time for a specific purpose. Read Exodus 19:15 and context.

We don’t exactly know what function these exemplary individuals performed but they are Christ’s servants who follow Him faithfully in that time.

Genesis 12, verses 1 to 3, And I will bless them that bless thee

 

Genesis 12:1 ¶  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

What had been brought about in the land of Babel, Babylon, was a religion counterfeit to the true worship of God. It was not long after men and women left the ark of Noah. What I said in my comments on 4:16 bears repeating a little at this point.

From Cain’s time the ancient city had become religious entity, a type of church, started all at once with invited families who would share in the same worship and the same gods as can be seen in Plutarch’s Lives of Illustrious Men, although the individual family would have its own singular worship and gods which represented their lars familiaris or familiar spirits (see Leviticus 20:27), the guiding divinities of ancestors dead.[1] It is likely that Cain’s false religion was carried on through his city and it is possible and likely that Shem, Ham, and Japheth would be worshipped as venerable ancestors in different names under the confusion of languages long after their death.

In addition, each home in the ancient world was to have a sacred flame which was the religious center of the home and must not be permitted to go out.[2] This eternal flame, like the lamp in the tabernacle in Exodus 27:20, must never go out. This was a counterfeit city in the ancient world, a city of man’s creation, man’s poor attempt to replace what God intended. Cain’s false religion, which infected the rest of human history after the Flood, began to be expressed by his brethren in his city, Enoch, and the eventual religion of the city-states of Canaan, Greece, and the worship of Rome and India would have begun there, reinforced by Babylon after the Flood.

The king of an ancient city was also the high priest, who offered up sacrifices, and was the highest religious authority. This is evident in a number of ancient writers such as Aristotle, Euripides, and Demosthenes. Sometimes there were two kings, a most famous example being Sparta of Greece or the two consuls or Rome and, we will see later, perhaps in ancient Canaan.[3]  This is the world that Abram moved and lived in, a world awash in everyday religious ritual, a world that had no problem believing in a distant God the Creator but also a whole pantheon of gods that were much closer to him and had more of a role in his daily home life. Every man or group of men desired to have a personal god, it would seem, to make up for the lost relationship with their Creator, which their ancestors had willfully eliminated in disobedience. Perhaps also this worship of gods represented the power the sons of God who had come to earth, mated with women, and produced giants, the mighty men of renown worshipped in deities whose presence on earth had been remembered and spoken of by Noah and his three sons and their wives.

Some things to note about the ancient world include that from this earliest time human relationships, such as a family, were a religion symbolized by the meal they would take together. Also, in their minds all authority must have some connection with this religion. Law was just another part of religion. In addition, it should be noted that two cities were religious associations that did not share the same gods. When war was made it would be made, not only against the soldiers, men, women, and children of a city but against its crops, its slaves, its gods.

Here is the reason for the family leaving Ur. Abram is commanded to do something very brave, to leave the protective confines of the gods of the hearth, of the family, where the dead were worshipped, where the eldest son had no choice but to inherit his father’s property, and his gods, and the father and the son were joint owners of what the father possessed.

Here, now, God calls Abram to come away, not only from a city, but from an entire worldview, to renew the relationship with the one who created him, something lost to mankind as the darkness spread to every corner where men and women had been scattered. He is called to obey God, to leave this world while living in it.

He promises to make of Abram a great people and that he will be a blessing to the entire world. Those who curse him God will curse and those that bless him God will bless. Now begins a process of God turning mankind back to Himself. He will use Abram as the conduit through which this blessing will pass. Abram’s journey out of Ur does not end in Haran.

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[1] Numa Denis Fustel De Coulanges, The Ancient City: A Study of the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome (1864, repr. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2006), 134.

               

[2] Ibid., 25.

[3] Ibid., 173.

1Kings, chapter 19, comments

 

1Kings 19:1 ¶  And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. 2  Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 3  And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. 4  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 5  And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6  And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7  And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8  And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Now Ahab tells his evil influencer, his wife, Jezebel, all that Elijah has done. We previously saw that Ahab had married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and both worshipped Baal.

 She is not put off by what has just happened but threatens to do to Elijah what he has done to her prophets of Baal. Elijah, even after his incredible success and use by God he flees for his life. This event suggests to us that Elijah was strong because the Spirit of God was with him and now, in his humanity, he was afraid. When he was following God’s specific instructions, he was fearless.

He is tired and expecting his death to come at any time. This seems strange to us but God uses this scene to show us some great things about how He cares of His people who are facing difficult odds. Elijah will spend days and nights upon the mount of God, Horeb, much like Moses did, which shows you how important he is to God.

Sinai was the name of the area.

Exodus 19:1  In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2  For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

Sinai and Horeb will be used interchangeably for the name of this mountain.

1Kings 8:9  There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God…32:4  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Psalm 106:19  They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.

Malachi 4:4 ¶  Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Exodus 24:18  And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Moses and Elijah will play an important part in a scene in Christ’s life and perhaps at the end of history.

Mark 9:2  And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3  And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.4  And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

Are they also the two witnesses of Revelation 11?

Forty days is a time of testing and trial in the Bible. First, we’ve seen Moses and Elijah.

It was a time for Nineveh to repent;

Jonah 3:4  And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

And for Jesus to face what mankind faces; the lust of the world, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, and overcome them.

Mark 1:13  And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

1Kings 19:9 ¶  And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11  And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12  And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 14  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 15  And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: 16  And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17  And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18  Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Elijah feels weak, alone, and powerless, again, quite a contrast to his boldness with the prophets of Baal and so much like ourselves after a triumph with God’s help and then another threat we feel like we are facing on our own, but he does as commanded by God. We think in terms of big events and awe-inspiring displays but God makes a point here that He often comes as a still small voice speaking to us as His words in the Bible speak to our spirit or we sense Him speaking but not in an audible voice other than our own in our head.

Elijah is given the task of anointing the next king of Syria and the next king of Israel. He also is going to anoint his successor in the office of God’s prophet, giving the prophetic statement of what they will do.

In spite of the prevalence of Baal worship God has preserved 7,000 men who are faithful. Notice what Jesus will say about the end times.

Luke 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

When we have been faithful in the face of great opposition and adversity it is not uncommon to feel alone. But we are not alone. God will always preserve Himself His own. Whether we face persecution in a forest in Africa or a city in America God has His own faithful to Him and working His will even if we don’t see them.

1Kings 19:19 ¶  So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20  And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21  And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

Here is the calling of Elisha the prophet to succeed Elijah. Elisha doesn’t immediately walk away from his family but is afforded the opportunity to say goodbye. Fundamentalists today would use the example of Jesus’ fishermen disciples who immediately walked away from their family business, or so it would seem on first glance of the text, but here Elijah does not condemn Elisha for saying goodbye to his father and mother. He was given no sermon on immediate walking away to be worthy of his calling.

Revelation 13, verses 11 to 18, 666

 

Revelation 13:11 ¶  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Another beast comes out of the earth. If this earth represents religion as the other sea represents the people, then we have a political beast followed by a beast of religion. He looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. He appears to be a spiritual leader of peace and the humility of Christ but his words are that of the Devil.

This beast has equal authority with the first beast and he performs great wonders. Jesus gave a warning.

Matthew 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

It’s at this point that the second beast has an image of the first beast that recovered miraculously from the head wound and causes all to worship it. He then requires a mark to be placed in the right hand or forehead of every person so that no one can do any business without this mark. Those who don’t worship the image of the first beast are killed. The number of the beast that is the mark that is placed in the right hand or forehead of the people is 666. The early church father, Irenaeus, commented on an error by some copyists that led it to be written as 616, so that nonsense can be safely dismissed when you hear an unbeliever or skeptic declare it, just like the fictitious Gospel of Judas, which Irenaeus also dealt with satisfactorily 1800 years ago.

This could mean that in chapter 11 when the Beast overcomes the two witnesses and they are taken to heaven that his reign tightens in his paranoia or in the other Beast’s desire to keep at least the image of the fallen first Beast at the head of government.