APOSTLE JOHN VIEWS THE CUP OF GOD'S WRATH

 

by pastor Mike Taylor

“AndI 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.” (Revelation 15:1)

As we progress through this “Apocalyptic book”, you can envision how the destruction grows in a crescendo type of judgment on this earth. The past chapters were bad and God has been escalating His judgment on this earth to bring mankind either to repentance, or near total annihilation of all things that breath air on the planet we call the earth. It has been mankind's home for nigh 6000 years, but now she is the abode of his coming death and her grave as the nations are receiving just rewards for their rejection of God's only plan for salvation, through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. Let us look at what will be coming, possibly in few short years, that mankind in the majority is blinded to what is in front of them. We noticed that in Chapter 14, that John described the near total destruction of the nations leading up to the battle of Armageddon, but here John goes back to describe in more detail what has happened to bring the world to this place. It is common in Bible prophecy to state and re-state in further details that is also common in Hebrew literature. It seemed even back in the end of chapter 6, that the end was near, but John takes us back and forth giving more detail and expanding the canvas that he has sketched of what he saw. Revelation is not totally chronological, but the overall picture is speaking of the division of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, as judgment is explained more deeply.

These seven angels having the seven last plagues: This idea is also in Leviticus 26:21:

“Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins.” These seven last plagues are God’s judgment on a disobedient and contrary world. The opening verse reveals that God's wrath is waxing hot and He is not just blowing off steam, but will fulfill His eternal purpose releasing His righteous indignation in all its fury.

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.

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.”( Revelation 15:2-4)

The sea is designed to reflect the glory of God. In chapter 4 its description ‘like unto crystal’ speaks of the holiness of God. Here the sea mingled with fire speaks of divine judgment proceeding from God’s holiness. Some see the analogy in verse 2 correlating to the Exodus of the people of God through the Red Sea, escaping the persecution of this world, although many of them were subject to martyrdom due to their faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ. They are not losers, as they have received victory in the spiritual sense that they believed what Jesus said in their Bible. They are Tribulation saints who have given up their mortal life for eternal life.

25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

26, For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26)

These Tribulation saints stand either on or beside a sea of glass, which is a reflection of God's Word. Here they stand on the Word, as it is connection to the Temple of Israel to be washed in the tabernacle laver to make themselves clean. Notice they sing a song. A song of Moses which is their patriarch ancestor that led their fathers out of Egypt and out of sin. Does this mean that they are mostly from the house of Israel? Although it could be, it is also possible that they are partakers of the seed and promise of Abraham and are considered the New Israel along with those of Jewish birth. It is said that the song they sing is also called the “song of the Lamb” as they join the promises of the Old and the New Testament into one song.....But hold your breath, as judgment is falling and hardly any man or woman will escape the fiery wrath of Almighty God.

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.” (Revelation 15:5-8)

Here God's anger is revealed by 7 angels that bring seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God. The anger of God is so hot, that smoke fills the heavenly tabernacle and no one can enter into His presence until His vengeance through these plagues is finished.  This declares that judgment was now irreversible. This also happened in the time of Moses when the Shekinah glory filled the wilderness tabernacle and no man could enter within. Now nothing could hinder it any longer, because access to this temple in heaven would not long be denied. This is the heavenly Temple in heaven that the earthly temple that was a copy on earth, but is seen in its reality The seven angels come directly from God and do not act on their own authority, but have been given orders directly from God Almighty. They are clothed with white linen and golden girdles that signify the holiness of God's righteous anger
The King James translation is vials of plagues, but the literal translation from the Greek is saucer like bowls that were used in the Temple of God on earth, and now in heaven to hold incense from the altar of God that will be poured out.

CHAPTER 16: THE BOWL JUDGMENTS

“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.” (Revelation 16:1-2)

Each of these plagues remind us what came upon Egypt that brought similar plagues and God's judgment on that nation for the idolatry and failing to follow the commands of God and let Israel go.

8 “And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

9 And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt”. (Exodus 9:8-9)

So God brings the same type of plague on mankind in these end of days called the Great Tribulation that falls on every man and woman who has the mark of the Beast and worship his image, much as the people of Egypt worshiped false gods,and even Pharaoh himself.

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.” (Revelation 16:4-6)

Even as the Egyptians killed the children of Israel and threw their sons to the crocodiles, God had given them also, blood to drink, as they have worshiped false gods who are not gods, and have slain the innocent and spilled their blood. Can you even imagine the smell and the death as sea creatures are washed ashore and die with rotting flesh covering the whole earth in the rivers and the seas? Let alone, no one can drink the water, as it is poisoned. We know that man cannot live without water for 3 days, so unless the government on earth has stored water, they will soon all die. This tells me just how quickly these plagues lead to the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ to rule and reign, as men will not be able to stand against this onslaught of the wrath of God.

7 “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

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.” (Revelation 16:7-9)

God will cause the sun to become either closer to earth to provide this intense heat, or the ozone layer is destroyed and the rays of the sun cannot be filtered and the inhabitants are at the mercy of intense UV radiation and its intensity of heat. It says that it will scorch men. Will it burn those who cannot escape to the point of death and dehydration? Remember there is not water that is not blood, so unless they have a alternate resource of stored water, the sun will dry them as so much beef jerky. Although mankind is going through the most intense judgment and men are dying all around those on the earth, they will not repent and give God glory and turn from their wicked ways. Those who have taken the Mark of the Beast have no recourse, as there is no forgiveness of those who worship the Beast and take his mark, but those who have somehow managed to escape have a slim chance of repenting of their unrighteousness and turning to God to receive forgiveness and God knows, they will not.

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.” (Revelation 16:10-11)

What are we to make of the darkness that falls on the whole earth, either the governmental agencies of the Beast power or the total inhabitants of the earth? The darkness is synonymous what was experienced by ancient Egypt where the darkness caused intense pain and gnawing of their tongues. I believe it is a taste of hell and what they are coming to. It gives them a taste of the torment that is coming, which is beyond what they are experiencing here, but they will not repent, even covered with painful sores. Those under the judgment of this fifth bowl stand, as it were, on the shores of the lake of fire and on the cusp of being lost forever in what Jesus called “outer darkness”. The great evangelist C.H. Spurgeon had a take on these plagues that men face:

“Judgment may produce a carnal repentance – a repentance that is of the flesh, and after the manner of the sinful nature of men. In this repentance the depravity of the heart remains the same in essence, though it takes another form of showing itself. Though the man changes, he is not savingly changed: he becomes another man, but not a new man. The same sin rules in him, but it is called by another name, and wears another dress. The stone is carved into a more sightly shape, but it is not turned into flesh. The iron is cast into another image, but it is not transformed into gold. This carnal repentance is caused by fear. Does not every thief repent of robbery when he is convicted and sent to jail? Does not every murderer repent of his crime when he stands under the fatal tree?” (Spurgeon) So it is not true repentance and to turn away from sin, but a realization of the fear that is taking a person to the pit of hell. Spurgeon followed this up with what it truly is:

“This is real penitence, when the man gives glory to the justice of God, even though it condemns him. O my hearer, do you thus repent? Is sin really sinful to you? Do you see its desert of hell? If not, your repentance needs to be repented of.” (Spurgeon)

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.” (Revelation 16:12-16)

Ancient Rome considered the River Euphrates a nature barrier from invasion from the East, such as China, or Mongolia, but here the river is dried up from the angel pouring his vial upon the waters. They are Kings of the East coming either to destroy Israel, or wage war on the European dictator, the Anti-Christ, either way, they are coming to fulfill God's purpose as He gathers them to a place called Armageddon where they will do battle with Almighty God. I have often wondered, if you knew that you were coming to wage war with God Almighty, would you be so careless and insane to fight against a Living God?

Or have you been told that the problems that you face are caused by some “Alien Force” that you have been fed a lie that you can actually win against an alien invasion? I note that the whole world has been obsessed with “Encounters of the Third Kind” that has been promoted by Hollywood and the MSM that these apparitions we see in the skies are from “another world” since the 1970s into the 1980s even to our modern age ...Is it how they explained the missing of millions of people about 7 years prior and explained it as alien abduction? The whole world will unite behind one cause and that would be the extinction of mankind through an alien life force. Here they all gather to wage war, and it is by design that they are brought to the valley of Jezreel to either wage war with an alien life form, or destroy Israel on a list of things to accomplish in this to rid the world of these “pesky Jews” on orders from the Anti-Christ. Either way, they are heading for complete destruction and they don't even know who they are fighting until it is too late.

Many have wondered who and what are these frogs that come from the unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. Israel has always considered them unclean, but Egypt revered them as gods. So here is another example of a duality of prophecy, as frogs also came upon Egypt in the plagues they experienced. These frogs are demons and these demons are like the lying spirit who led Ahab into battle (1 Kings 22:19-23). They are spirits of demons, performing signs: Again, signs and wonders are used by demons as tools of deception. The false prophet here is the second beast of Revelation 13.

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.

21And 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.” (Revelation 16-17-21)

Here Almighty God has said “it is done”...there will be no more delays, no more chances, as God has stretched this judgment time out for many years now trying to get mankind to repent and turn away from His sin, and he will not. So God is going to finish wiping this earth clean of rebellion and the earth trembled and quakes greatly at His coming...who is coming....? Of course, Jesus Christ in power and great glory. Every island is moved out of its place, and every mountain falls flat and are not found....so great is this quaking as the earth rocks and reels like a drunken sailor.

The chapter does not reveal yet the coming of the Lord, as that is chapter 19 and John goes into further details of the events to give breadth and substance to the portrait he is painting of what he saw. Judgment has been enacted against the prince and power of the air, could be why the angel is pouring out his vial into the air. The great city that falls, is it Jerusalem, or some other city? More like Babylon wherever she ends up being. Some say Rome, some say Mecca, and some say New York City, as I have explored each city as a possible suspect, but this side of the rapture, we won't know for sure as we can only speculate. The last plague mentioned in this chapter is great hail which the weight a talent is about 100 lbs....can you imagine great hail the size of a boulder raining down on the earth in abundance? The great hail will flatten anything that is standing built by men, or left of creation. The destruction will be almost complete...there won't be much standing when this plague comes upon the earth. Could this be leading up to the Battle of Armageddon and their express defeat, even before the battle even starts? Hail is frequently a tool of judgment against God’s enemies, as seen against Egypt (Exodus 9:24), the Canaanites (Joshua 10:11), apostate Israel (Isaiah 28:2), and Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:22).

Even after all this suffering, men still will not repent. Why is that so. Some say that if I went through this kind of trouble, I would repent..and I say no you would not...why? I refer to what C. H. Spurgeon said about this:

Despite all their suffering, many still will not repent. “I have known people say, ‘Well, if I were afflicted I might be converted. If I lay sick I might be saved.’ Oh, I do not think so. Sickness and sorrow of themselves are no helps to salvation. Pain and poverty are not evangelists; disease and despair are not apostles. Look at the lost in hell. Suffering has effected no good in them. He that was filthy here is filthy there. He that was unjust in this life is unjust in the life to come. There is nothing in pain and suffering that, by their own natural operation, will tend to purification.” (Spurgeon)

So my reader, if you are waiting for things to go sour on planet earth and think you have time to repent, you may not get that chance. If you were unjust before the Tribulation, you will most likely still be unjust, as Spurgeon said. Calamity and judgement most like will make a person hard and the heart a flint of stone.

WE CAN CALL THIS A GREAT CHAPTER

-It describes great evil: a great city, great Babylon (Revelation 16:19).- It describes great tools of judgment:

-great heat (Revelation 16:9), a great river dried up (Revelation 16:12), a great earthquake (Revelation 16:18), great hail and great plagues (Revelation 16:21).

- It describes a great God: His great voice (loud is the same Greek word for great; verses 1; 17), and His great day of victory (Revelation 16:14).

APOSTLE JOHN DESCRIBES THE WHORE OF BABYLON, chp. 17

“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.” (Revelation 17:1-5)

Here the Apostle John backs up to give more detail of what the False Prophet and where he comes from. The use of the symbol of a woman in scripture always means a “religious” denomination, or earthly power that draws that power from men's superstitions about the supernatural and the natural. Using men's fear of the unknown, this “religious” order has committed fornication with the inhabitants of the earth, infecting the kings that rule the people to follow her without question. Fornication refers to worshiping of other gods, which take away from the glory of the True God of heaven. She has had power over the whole earth and has ruled them with an iron fist. I am reminded of the Middle Ages when a ruling theocracy held sway over the kings of nations and their armies to do her bidding. That same denomination will rise again and rule again once more along side the Beast power that supports her, but in the end, will destroy her with fire. Babylon is two identities that are linking and interwoven with one another...the first is Mystery Babylon, which this portion of scripture describes, and commercial Babylon, which is the secular portion of the union of church and state. Now where have I heard that before? Oh, yes, I know..during the rule of the “holy Roman Empire” headed by various popes,(a blend of church and state)

Mystery Babylon is described as a harlot, a woman, a mother, and a whore. Identified with Rome, she is guilty of abominations before God and will go down in total destruction from the Beast power that she used to control.

Commercial Babylon is a symbol of a great city. Is identified with a great port that accommodates large floating vessels of trade. She is a great marketplace, but guilty of greed and self indulgence and will be ultimately destroyed by God.

It is best to see them as intertwined, yet somewhat distinct. Religious Babylon of Revelation 17 is judged at the mid-point of the seven-year period of tribulation. Commercial Babylon is judged at the end of that period.

It is conceivable to think that Babylon may not be a actual city, as the ancient area of Babylon is in ruins, and even Saddam Hussein could not raise it. But many cities could qualify and the idea of it being New York, Mecca, or Rome could be what Jesus called this system, “the world”..not an actual city.

“When the Lord was here on earth He spoke of the great hatred that ‘the world’ had for Him and His own (John 15:18,19). What is this world but a combination of religion, government and commerce? In other words, Babylon in all its parts stands for that which Christ called ‘the world.’ ” (Barnhouse)

For me, the above verses relate to only one “woman” who has prostituted herself around the world and calls herself the “true church of Jesus Christ”. The above description if taken in comparison to what has happened in the past, and is happening right now, should give the reader a pretty good idea of who John is talking about, and who the angel reveals to him. As a religious system, Babylon came into being long before Christianity, but in Satanic imitation it anticipated the coming true Messiah. According to religious history and legend, the Babylonian religion was founded by the wife of Nimrod (a great-grandson of Noah), named Semiramis. She was a high priestess of idol worship, and she gave birth to a son who she claimed was conceived miraculously. The son, named Tammuz, was considered a savior. Many ancient artifacts remain with the familiar motif of the mother Semiramis holding the savior-infant Tammuz, which predate Christianity. It was also said that Tammuz was killed by a wild beast and then miraculously brought back to life. Baal was the local, Canaanite name for the Babylonian Tammuz.

The Bible makes specific mention of some of the features of the classic religion of Babylon:

• Ezekiel protests against the ceremony of weeping for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14)
  – Jeremiah mentions the heathen practice of making cakes for the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 7:18) and offering incense to the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 44:17-19, 44:25) Sound familiar?

THIS HARLOT HAS DESTROYED MANY LIVES.

6 “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (Revelation 17:6-9)

Here the apostle writes of the woman drunken with the blood of saints, and only one religion that I can think of can be guilty of such high crimes. Some people try to say this is Islam, but the description does not fit the like of Islam, as she has never destroyed as many people, as has one religion that held sway over the whole known earth for 1500 years, long before Islam came on the scene, even though the Ottoman Empire did reign for a few hundreds years over a vast portion of the earth, they are not synonymous with this description. Today we have one religion that is calling all to come back to the “mother church' and create a one world religion of blended Protestantism, Catholicism, and a smorgasbord of other religions around the world. Many people believe that the woman is the Roman Catholic Church, and that may be totally true, but she is a conglomeration of many false religions blended into one with one man who will have complete control over how and what she does, and what she stands for, that is the False Prophet, who will be the head of a major religion and speak to bring worship to the Beast or the Anti-Christ.

This head of this one world religion sits on 7 mountains on which this woman sitteth. Many have postulated where this area will be...one is Rome...and there are many others, but we have to take all the clues and descriptions of who this woman is, before we can make a positive identification of who she is....Many believe that the identity is the Pope in Rome. Some will disagree, but we have to look at what is going on right now with Climate Change, the Sustainable Development, and Agenda 2030 that is designed to rule this world and monitor every man and woman on this planet to follow a set of rules they will set in place. And who is the spokesman for this world initiative? He spoke at the United Nations and promoting this One World System. None other than Pope Francis who has charged his priest to preach this message in all their churches.

The Catholic Review commented on this and said, “The unity of religion promoted by the Holy Father Pope John Paul II and approved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not a goal to be achieved immediately, but a day may come when the love and compassion which both Buddha and Christ preached so eloquently will unite the world in a common effort to save humanity from senseless destruction, and lead toward the light in which we all believe.” This is continued to be promoted by the current pope in Rome. So they give honor to other religions to join them in creating a united religion. Can  you say One World Religion as prophesied in the pages of your Bible?

WHO ARE THE SEVEN KINGS, AND IS THE EIGHTH KING?

10 “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”(Revelation 17:10-13)

This is most confusing passage that gives one pause of to what verse 10-11 mean. But the whole passage I pass onto a brother of mine that I posted his hypothesize of what and who this is referring to and I find most fascinating...you can find it in the following link:

http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2016/09/rise-of-anti-christ.html

In the message, my brother makes a strong case of how and who will be the Anti-Christ AND the false prophet. Is he right? We won't know for sure, but make no mistake about it, this harlot church will be at the table of the power brokers when the world is ultimately united by force and deceit.

14” These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:15-18)

Referring back to the battle of Armageddon, where Jesus comes in all His glory surrounded by the Church Saints that have been raptured 7 years prior, as this will be spoken of in detail in chapter 19, but notice that the destruction of the whore will be accomplished when the secular Beast will destroy the religion of the harlot and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. Mystery Babylon will be decimated and the Beast will demand worship of himself completely wishing  not to have anyone stand in front of him, as Satan has indwelt this monster of a man who has desired worship since his fall from heaven and being an ark angel before God.

The woman has been identified, her destruction is sure. The Beast power will eventually be destroyed as well, when Jesus comes to reign and rule for a thousand years, but we will cover that when next time, we look at the next two chapters to see the final end of the One World System with its government and its false religion. Stay tuned as we explore the coming “Return of Jesus Christ”, next time. See you then.

This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying that you never see what I have described....to escape the coming wrath of God, admit that you are a sinner, repent of those sins and ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, by faith accept His mercy and grace.....

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”(John 3:16-18)

8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)

2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”(2^nd Corinthians 6:2)

 If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com. God bless you all,

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.

Vanity of Vanities

- By Grant Phillips -

In Ecclesiastes 1:2 Solomon says, “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” “Vanity” is a word that depicts pride and self-importance. It is loaded with conceit and arrogance. My first thought reminds me of the greatest narcissist of all; i.e., Satan, also called Lucifer (and many other names).

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:12-14).

My second thought is of the vanity of those today who have chosen to pick a fight with Almighty God. I speak of those in our own country who, for example, are tripping over each other to establish a one-world government based on a “eutopia” without the Christian God. God’s words to Lucifer in verses 13-14 above appropriately fit our world at large. They simply mimic their father, the devil (John 8:44).

Anarchy reigns in America as I type. An election has been stolen from the people of this once great land by open criminal acts. If by another miracle of God, the election is overturned in favor of our current President, armed thugs would once again take to the streets. Will God allow this? I don’t know.

These same people rejoice in the slaughter of innocent little babies in their own mothers’ wombs. They rejoice in every vile sexual perversion the corrupt mind can dream up.

God is anathema in their plans to live as they please. They want no mention of Him, no display that would remind them of Him, and no interference into their lives of this God of the Christians. They hate the very thought of Him.

They want a god that is all about love and never ever condemns their brazen sins.

If He exists, He is probably much like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, so they think. Besides, modern man no more believes in a real God than … than they do Santa Claus. It’s all just childish nonsense. Think so?

Another thought that comes to mind is what God says in the following passage:

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

It seems that nearly everything in our society today is reversed. For example, it’s okay to take the life of an innocent baby, but we defend a cold-blooded murderer that should be put to death.

Males think they’re females, and females think they’re males. Maybe you should stand naked in front of a mirror after you shower and rethink that.

Males commit sexual acts with males, and females commit sexual acts with females. Excuse me! God put two people in the Garden of Eden originally to continue the human race. One was male, and the other was female. Notice, God did not start with two males or two females. God said, “For this cause shall a man [male] leave his father [male] and mother [female], and shall be joined unto his wife [female], and they two [male and female] shall be one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31; inserts mine).

God calls one who is unfaithful a “whoremonger,” but society says, “It’s my body, and I’ll do as I please!”

God says all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire, but lying has become so commonplace in our society, we have to use fact-checkers to see who is telling the truth; but then again (if we’re smart), we know the fact-checker may be lying.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

There is so much happening all around us today that is … how can I say this? It just isn’t normal. It’s upside down. It’s open rebellion against anything that might be called good, especially God. It dawns on me that we, as a society, are at war with God! We fired the first shot (Bible removed, 1963) in a war we cannot win.

This world is charging forward at breakneck speed toward judgment. We have “poked the bear” once too often, and we are looking down the wrong end of the barrel to a time called the Tribulation. I just thank Almighty God that all who have come to Him through Jesus Christ will disappear from this world in the Rapture before the Tribulation arrives.

Vanity against God is at such a fever pitch in our society, the seriousness of this coming time of judgment is not even given a thought. Consider the following:

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they cry, ‘and free ourselves from slavery to God.’

“But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. Then in anger he rebukes them, terrifying them with his fierce fury. For the Lord declares, ‘I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain.’

“The king proclaims the LORD’s decree: ‘The LORD said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father. Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’

“Now then, you kings, act wisely! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the LORD with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling. Submit to God’s royal son, or he will become angry, and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities— for his anger flares up in an instant. But what joy for all who take refuge in him!” (Psalms 2).

God always warns before He administers His justice. God’s justice will be administered upon this fallen world in a seven-year period called the Tribulation. His warnings (via signs) are already appearing as dark clouds do before a storm. He will first remove His bride, and then the judgment will begin.

The seven years of God’s judgment upon the earth will be so terrible, no one would survive if it lasted any longer. There are 7.8 billion people in the world today. True Christians will first be removed, then over half of the people remaining will be destroyed. Many will be saved, but even so, many of them will be killed by the world ruler; i.e., the Antichrist.

There is a saying that goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” The same is true with people, especially when it comes to our spiritual need, and that need for all of us is for our soul to be saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

God is a holy God of love and justice. He is not all love and no justice, and He is not all justice and no love. He wants all who will to be saved, but the decision is ours.

The book of Revelation, which is the unveiling of Jesus Christ, is mostly all about the Tribulation that is certainly coming. In my opinion it is very close. If that were not so, we would not be inundated with so many signs of that coming judgment.

Those who belong to Christ will first be removed in the Rapture, then that terrible seven years will begin. Once the Church, the bride of Christ, is removed, it will be too late. Can you be saved during the Tribulation? Maybe, but if you are, you will probably be beheaded. And then there is 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12.

“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

THE RISE OF THE ANTI-CHRIST AND THE FALSE PROPHET SHOWN TO JOHN

by Pastor Mike Taylor

“ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” (Revelation 13:1-3)

As we continue with our study of the chapters of Revelation, we have seen and read many things that have been revealed to us, through the Words of Jesus and what He had John write down what he saw. In our last part of “woman and the dragon” we were introduced to the two main players in this spiritual drama that is played on this physical earth. Those who have been revealed are the nation of Israel and the dragon which the nations are possessed by the king of demons, Satan the deceiver, that causes all men to sin. They are the Gentile nations that have had more pleasure in their unrighteousness than to follow after God and believe on His only begotten Son. Now beginning in Chapter 13 we see the start of the Great Tribulation, as Satan through the Anti-Christ, seeks to destroy those who bear the mark of God on their foreheads, and the Jewish people Satan has hated even more than the Christians down through the ages.

In the opening verses of this chapter we see a beast rise out of the sea, with a crown upon seven heads that is interpreting as a secular government that will overtake this entire world. 

Many people today love the sea, but as a whole the Jewish people in Biblical times regarded the sea as a wild, untamed, frightening place. While even in ancient Israel under Solomon had a navy, Hiram the King of Tyre supplied the sailors (1 Kings 9:26-27). Hence the symbolism is a wild, chaotic world ruled by the coming Anti-Christ. The sea is interpreting as the world with its sin and those who are wicked that dwell on the earth. Several verses can be brought to bear what the sea in this first few verses mean.

“For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters.” (Psalm 74:12-13)

“O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them.” (Psalm 89:8-9)

'But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” (Isaiah 57:20)

In verse 3 above opening this message, we see that this beast receives a head wound that it recovers from. There have been two interpretations of what this verse means. One is that the Roman Empire received a deadly wound and imploded upon itself and was taken over effectively by the so called “holy Roman Empire” with it's popes and bishops. The rise of the Roman Empire is prophesied to happen again. Another interpretation is that this is speaking of this “holy Roman Empire” that received a wound from Napolean and was basically stripped of all its power. Historically speaking, our history books tell this story:

In 1796, French Republican troops under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Italy, defeated the papal troops and occupied Ancona and Loreto.

Pope Pius VI, sued for peace, which was granted at Tolentino on February 19, 1797; but on December 28 of that year, in a riot blamed by papal forces on some Italian and French revolutionists, the popular brigadier-general Mathurin-Leonard Duphot, who had gone to Rome with Joseph Bonaparte as part of the French embassy, was killed and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on February 10, 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal power.

Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on February 20 was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. The French declaration of war against Tuscany led to his removal (he was escorted by the Spaniard Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador) by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme where he died six weeks after his arrival, on August 29, 1799, having then reigned longer than any Pope.

This imprisonment of the Pope Pius VI who was left out in the cold for a day and a night at the gates of his prison, was finally allowed inside, but his temporal reign was demolished. In 1870, the Pope lost Lazio and Rome and had no physical territory at all, not even the Vatican. Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini ended the crisis between unified Italy and the Holy "See"by signing the Lateran Treaty in 1929, thus granting the state of Vatican City sovereignty. .
Thus the deadly wound that was inflicted upon the Catholic Church by Napolean Bonaparte and his generals was effectively healed. But she has since attempted to change her ways, and instead of a ferocious beast, she has taken on the exercise of trying to change her leopard spots and becoming like a lamb when dealing with the political world. How long will the facade last?
But now we see John proclaiming that this beast, whoever it ends up being, either a secular Roman Empire rising from the ashes, or Papal Rome returning to her ferocious past, so John sees a beast rising out of the chaos that is symbolized by the sea, and this beast arises that is parallel to the past ancient ruling civilizations that followed one another, even as Daniel saw them in Daniel chapter 7:

3 “And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” (Daniel 7:3-7)

As we know from history, this was the successive empires after King Nebuchadnezzer and his Babylonian rule followed by the Medo-Persian Empire, then the Greeks, and finally Rome. Here this shows us the evil empires that ruled in ancient times, have now become the final empire that will be ruled by one man, the Anti-Christ.
John notes him as a beast, which in ancient Greece the word translated beast here has the idea of a wild, dangerous animal. Because John calls him a beast and not a dragon, this creature represents someone distinct from Satan who was represented by the dragon as was depicted in the last chapter of Revelation chapter 12.

Although the beast is not the dragon known as Satan, but is closely identified with him, as the dragon has 7 heads and 7 crowns upon his head. As any beast with 7 heads would be hard to kill. Destroy one head, and you have 6 more to contend with. It denotes power, just a Mexican fighting bull with two horns and is extremely dangerous and powerful, a beast with 10 horns is even more powerful, as denoted by his horns, just as the dragon also had these numerous horns.

QUICK INDENTIFICATION OF THE ANTI-CHRIST



Many people have the belief that the Anti-Christ will be the “opposite” of Jesus, that he will exhibit bad and evil works, even as Jesus did good all the days of His life. That his persona (AC) will be ugly and his image repulsive, which is the exact opposite of what Jesus displayed while here on earth. The Antichrist will instead be more of an “instead of Jesus.” He will look wonderful, be charming and successful. He will be the ultimate winner, and appear as an angel of light. In this sense the Antichrist will be a satanic messiah, “instead of” the true Messiah Jesus Christ. This man when he appears will deceive many even as was spoken of in his appearance in the beginning of Chapter 6. The man rides on a white horse, so he must be good. He has a stephanos crown, so he is a winner. He has a bow with no arrows, but he conquers with lies and deceit of his mouth and people will follow this man who looks to be the “savior” of the world. Even the Jewish people will think that they have finally found their “political messiah” who will restore to them “peace and safety” but it will be built upon lies of the devil.

4 “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:4-6)

Those who accept the rule of the Anti-Christ will give him worship, maybe much like it was in the days of Imperial Rome when once a year, men and women had to appear before a statue of the Emperor Caesar to burn incense and proclaim allegiance to him and proclaim him a god on earth in worship. But here, why do they worship him?

We just saw that the Anti-Christ came against two powerful men standing at the temple and no one was able to kill them, that is, until the Anti-Christ was given the power from God to overtake them and kill them. So all the ungodly world rejoiced and gave glory to the “Anti-Christ” as he was the only one able to rid them of the torment that these two men caused them that dwell upon the earth. Most likely at the same time, the AC is the supreme commander of the world's armies who engages in multiple wars that break out all over the earth and destroys anyone who dares come against his rule.

Thus begins the forty and two months of the supreme rule of the Anti-Christ, as the Bible says this would be mid-point of the 7 years Tribulation and the next 3.5 years would be even more of “hell on earth” even greater than what it has been.

7 “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.” (Revelation 13:7-9)

Some will point to this set of verses, and say “see, the anti-Christ overcomes the saints, so the church must still be here”. What they fail to realize that saints are all saints both sides of the rapture of the church, as these are called Tribulation saints or those who have come to a belief in Jesus Christ during this time of Jacob's trouble. But if this was the church, then as I have spoken of in past messages, then Jesus lied to us. Jesus told us while He was still on earth :

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.' (John 15:26)

”And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

But wait, Paul the Apostle told us that when the Anti-Christ is revealed, God's Holy Spirit will be pulled back to allow untold, and unhindered evil to reign upon this earth. Then and only then will the Anti-Christ be revealed.

7 “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2^nd Thessalonians 2:7-10)

Since we know that our Lord cannot lie, He sent us the Comforter to be with us forever, so if the Holy Spirit is drawn back to allow the AC to come upon the scene of the final 7 years of man's rule upon earth, then the true Church of the Living God is not here on earth. And if we are, then Jesus has left us defenseless and without the Comforter to be with us forever, when we need Him the most. To re-emphasize, Jesus did not lie, but men misinterpret that the church is still here, as Satan indwelling the Anti-Christ cannot overcome the saints who have God's Holy Spirit dwelling within. Those of the tribulation who come to a saving knowledge will not be sealed as the Church was with an earnest deposit of future glory. So these verse noted above in Revelation 13 of the AC overcoming the saints of God, are those who are NOT the Church, but still saved through faith in Jesus, and are overcome. The overcoming is not in the spiritual sense, but in the physical sense, as everyone who has the mark of the Living God on their forehead, will also be marked for death because Satan desires their destruction and the Anti-Christ is his point man to attempt to make that happen.

But notice the curious verse that leaves one wondering what Paul means in verse 1o of this chapter noted above.

 This appears to be a simple statement setting forth the trust which the saints must maintain in God’s sovereign appointment of their role in history. If it is a saint’s God-appointed role to serve as a martyr, so be it! A similar theme is found in a passage concerning God’s judgment of Israel:

And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.” ’ (Jeremiah 15:2)
Depending upon which text we follow, this passage may describe retribution by God’s sure justice (Revelation 14:9-12) or the need to cling to His sovereignty in the midst of affliction (Romans 8:28). Both are taught by Scripture.



RISE OF THE FALSE PROPHET



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.” (Revelation 13:11-15)

Now we see another beast, a wild, dangerous, and untamed creature that rises out of the earth, not the sea where chaos dwells and the government of a one World rule comes about, but this beast comes from the earth. He also is a beast, as is the beast from the sea, but is subordinate to the first beast and “causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”. We will see in future studies, that this beast that speaks as a dragon but tries to pull off that they are docile as a lamb and will fool the whole world, if it were possible, to worship this beast that rises out of the sea.

She is described in future verses as a Harlot Woman who will ride the beast and control its movements to a point and directing all to worship the beast. The sign of a woman is always in scripture a religious system, or denomination, or a church. Here the woman is an idolater and preaches another gospel, to the point that she commands all to worship the leader of a One World Government, and herself a One World Religion that all who do not worship the image of the beast would be killed. What is this image? In John's day, there was no way that an idol made with men's hands was able to speak, but with technology that we have today, the ability to make the image speak is within science's grasp. The introduction of Artificial Intelligence or (AI) an idol can be programmed to speak and move. I have a brother who believes that this will be a televised broadcast that on your TV that the worship of the Anti-Christ will be monitored on every home on the planet and will see who does actually pay worship to the image of this beast. Whichever way it turns out to be, technology will be the proof in the pudding, so to speak and its ability to speak and move the idol is easily accomplished in our time.

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.” (Revelation 13:16-18)

There have been all kinds of theories of what this mark will be. Will it be the technology of the RFID chip? Will it be a literal mark on the forehead and the right hand much like a tattoo, or some other identifier that says that this person is a participant in the religious system, the economic system, and the governmental system that now rules the world. Now we see the making of vaccine that requires a tatoo on your right hand. Is this the precursor to the “mark of the beast”....or is is designed as a de-population tool to rid the planet of millions of people, in the name of save the planet??? What will the mark of the beast involve? We are fast moving to that type of mark, as new introductions of technology keeps springing up to end what they worry about “Bank Fraud”.

Those who do not have this mark will not be able to buy, sell, or trade within the Beast Power's economy. Some ask, will it be something that I can take unawares, or something that I can take then denounce when I get past a threat. The answer is NO. The Mark will be taken in full knowledge of the ramifications of taking this satanic mark. It is a satanic impersonation of the Mark of God on those who believe on the Name of Jesus. It will be a pledge of allegiance to follow, worship, and obey the One World Authorities that now govern this planet in its final death throes of man's ability to rule himself. As it was in ancient Rome when you worship Caesar, those in this Great Tribulation will be keenly aware of what they are doing. They are worshiping a god on earth in their unrighteousness and their desire to continue in their sinful ways.

In verse 18, what are we to make of the number of his name, 666? Just as seven is the sign of completion and attributed to God, then the number 6 is the sign of mankind, being created on the sixth day and does not quite make the sign of God which is seven or completion. Here is is tripled into a unholy trinity of the Dragon or Satan, the Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet...a counterfeit God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Satan cannot create anything, but he can mimic God and have counterfeit images of the Holy, that accomplishes the unholy. But instead of obsessing with fear and interest about the imitation – the Antichrist – how much more appropriate is it for Christians to be interested in the genuine: Jesus Christ.



CHAPTER 14, A VISION ON THE MOUNT OF GOD

“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.” (Revelation 14:1-5)

This is the same number we read in earlier chapters of the 12,000 Jewish Evangelist that came each from the 12 tribes of Israel to make up the 144,000 mentioned here. They have received victory and sing a new song, which only they can sing. Were they martyred during their preaching the Gospel on earth? Some would say yes, but the point is they have received rewards for their service and God is pleased with them, to the point where Jesus speaks of them “Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of they Lord” as He spoke of in Matthew...They have overcome and they have not loved their life even to the death. These men will preach to the entire world and will win millions to the cause of Jesus Christ, but they will be hunted down for extermination by the beast power that has the ability to overcome those saints on earth. I think C.H. Spurgeon had a good take on this number standing on Mt. Sion:

 “And who were these people, ‘having his Father’s name written in their foreheads?’ Not Bs for ‘Baptists,’ not Ws for ‘Wesleyens’ not Es for ‘Established Church.’ They had their Father’s name and nobody else’s. What a deal of fuss is made on earth about our distinctions! We think such a deal about belonging to this denomination, and the other. Why, if you were to go to heaven’s gates, and ask if they had any Baptists there, the angel would only look at you, and not answer you, if you were to ask if they had any Wesleyans, or members of the Established Church, he would say, ‘Nothing of the sort;’ but if you were to ask him whether they had any Christians there, ‘Ay,’ he would say, ‘an abundance of them: they are all one now – all called by one name; the old brand has been obliterated, and now they have not the name of this man or the other, they have the name of God, even their Father, stamped on their brow.’ ” (Spurgeon)

AN ANGELIC WARNING

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.” (Revelation 14:6-7)

Even in the middle of this heinous time for the destruction of mankind, God is still giving men a chance to turn around from their sinful way and repent, follow Jesus Christ. But my question is, “why is an angel preaching the Gospel?” Is that not the Church of the Living God's mission and the call of Jesus to spread the Gospel to all nations? Then why an angel doing our job? Simple answer to that question. The church is not here to preach anything. Our job is been completed. We are now with the Lord, and He has left the job to the Jewish evangelist, the two witnesses, and even a Holy Angel flying in the heavens proclaiming the Good News to “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.”...but sadly, God in His all knowing mind knows that they will not, but God is fair and just and gives mankind every chance to repent.

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.” (Revelation 14:9-11)

Babylon is fallen: More on Babylon will come in Revelation 17. For now, it is enough to see it representing mankind in organized rebellion against God.

Prophetically, ‘Babylon’ sometimes refers to a literal city, sometimes to a religious system, sometimes to a political system, all stemming from the evil character of historic Babylon.

But note the next few verses. This gives a support of a literal hell fire, that will be absorbed by the Lake of Fire, where those who take the mark of the Beast, or worship his image will be cast into a lake burning with fire, brimstone and sulfur and will tormented forever and the smoke will rise up eternally. Those who don't believe in a literal place of damnation to be tormented for all eternity, this verse crushes the idea that the fire will annihilate or destroy those who are sent to this place. They as immortal spirit beings that we will discover are changed at the Great White Throne, but instead of glory, they receive damnation and being immortal, they cannot be destroyed, but are tormented without end. It is beyond my finite mind to grasp the implications and the ability of the spirit being to be tormented forever. But being cast away from God for all eternity where there is no light, no joy, no peace, no rest, no love and definitely no hope of escape in itself is torment beyond what our minds can comprehend. For my mind, God said it, it is done.

12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

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.” (Revelation 14:12_20)

The imagery is very graphic, as those who are found in Christ will continue to be martyred. Here is the patience of the saints . . . Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on . . . that they may rest from their labors: We see the strong contrast between the rest of the saints and the continual torment of the wicked (Revelation 14:11). The rest comes through patient endurance and faithfulness to God and His Word (here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus).

God is likened unto a reaper Who gathers clusters of grapes, which is a symbol of rebellious mankind, and throws them into the winepress of His fury. The passage can only be speaking of our Savior, Jesus Christ who gathers grapes into the winepress. This is what could be speaking of the coming battle of Armegeddon....The valley of Megiddo or Jezreel is approximately 30 miles long and the blood spilt here will rise to the horse bridles, or approximately 6 feet deep or 380 square kilometers or 150 square miles, so the valley is approximately 5 mile wide.

This ancient Greek word for ripe has a negative sense, “to become dry or withered.” The idea is of something that is over-ripe. This means that God will judge the earth only when it is over-ripe for judgment. He doesn’t rush into judgment.

It must be remembered that evil has its harvest as well as good. There is a harvest of misery and woe, – a harvest for the gathering, binding, and burning of the tares, – as well as for the gathering of the wheat into the garner of heaven.”

I pray that those who read this message, can comprehend the complete desolation that is coming for those who take the mark of the beast, or pledge allegiance to the Beast Power. Conversely, the misery that will be experienced by those who put their faith in Jesus, is beyond my comprehension, as I have nothing to compare it to, save what I read about the terror group ISIS and what they have done to Christians in our modern world. Only thing, this will be world wide. How do you miss such a horrific time? Believe on Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!!!.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18)

and again...confess the Lord Jesus.........

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10:9-11)

Next time, we will go further into the judgment that falls on this earth, and as Jesus said, unless the time be shortened, no flesh would be saved...but for the elects sake, it will be shortened....can you see that God will wipe this planet clean of all rebellion by those who reject His payment in His own blood on Calvary's cross?...Look to Jesus and be those who are saved now, and to those who accept Jesus in the tribulation, but with much suffering and pain...

This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying God will bring you to faith in Jesus Christ and avoid the coming Tribulation that is right around the corner of our time. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, drop me an email at realteam1999@sbcglobal.net, or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com ...God bless you all.

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.............SOON.