Revelation
So far in our study we have seen that the Seven Churches and the Seven Seals all follow a sort of parallel journey. We need to study the seven trumpets in the same light to keep consistent.
Before the Seven Angels with their trumpets sounded we were given a very solemn scene in heaven where there was silence and then the prayers of the saints in smoke from incense was sent up before God. The censer fire was then tossed to the earth drawing our attention once more back to the earthly and out of the heavenly.
We know factually that with these goings on representing history that we are being pointed to an eventual time when we will all be sealed and Christ will return for us. That same conclusion must be drawn in the seven trumpets as well.
Because history has played a key part in the others and the angels are sounding their trumpets from heaven not leaving heaven just as the angels to the churches revealed, and the seals were loosed in heaven, lets see if history doesn't coincide in some manner with the seven angels trumpets sounding.
The trumpets announce things- some good, some bad. They call to battle, they call to feasts, and even as they call to those things they are announcing them are they not?
Can it be that the announcing these trumpets represent are showing battle scenes?
Let's go to history and see if there isn't a time such as this would describe- political struggles, wars.
Please note- greater minds than mine have studied diligently to produce the facts related here. In fact many great minds have studied this and the concensus seems to be that it 'fits'. So if I point you to a number of things that I haven't personally dug up in the sense that I've become a historian overnight, please understand that I still believe what is being said based on the facts that history reveals so much and God will guide us as He needs to.
In the Seven Seals we were shown a parallel history with the Seven Chruches that for the most part aligned with each other to review the Christian era throughout time, God's people throughtout time. The Seven Trumpets seem to take on a different point of view and tell the history of the political structure through time.
...
The first angel sounded,
and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood
and they were cast upon the earth
and the third part of trees was burnt up
and all green grass was burnt up.
...
Taken from the book Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith-
'The First Trumpet.--The blast of the first trumpet has it location about the close of the fourth century and onward, and refers to these desolating invasions of the Roman Empire under the Goths.'
'Alexander Keith has justly remarked on the subject of this prophecy:
"None could elucidate the texts more clearly, or expound them more fully, than the task has been accomplished by Gibbon. The chapters of the skeptical philosopher that treat directly of the matter, need but a text to be prefixed and a few unholy words to be blotted out, to form a series of expository lectures on the eighth and ninth chapters of the Revelation of Jesus Christ." [1] "Little or nothing is left for the professed interpreter to do but to point to the pages of Gibbon." [2]
The first sore and heavy judgment which fell on Western Rome in its downward course, was the war with the Goths under Alaric, who opened the way for later inroads. The death of Theodosius the Roman emperor, occurred in January, A.D. 395, and before the end of the winter the Goths under Alaric were in arms against the empire.
The first invasion under Alaric ravaged the Eastern Empire. He captured the famous cities and enslaved many of the inhabitants. Thrace, Macedonia, Attica, and the Peloponnesus, were conquered, but he did not reach the city of Rome. Later, the Gothic chieftain crossed the Alps and Apennines and appeared before the walls of the Eternal City, which fell a prey to the fury of the barbarians in A.D. 410.
"Hail and fire mingled with blood!" were cast upon the earth. The terrible effects of this Gothic invasion are represented as "hail," from the northern origin of the invaders; "fire," from the destruction by flame of both city and country; and "blood," from the terrible slaughter of the citizens of the empire by the bold and intrepid warriors.
After quoting at some length from Edward Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Chapters XXX-XXXIII, concerning the conquests of the Goths, Alexander Keith has presented an admirable summary of the historian's words emphasizing the fulfillment of prophecy:
"Large extracts clearly show how amply and well Gibbon has expounded his text in the history of the first trumpet, the first storm that pervaded the Roman earth, and the first fall of Rome. To use his words in more direct comment, we read thus the sum of the matter: The Gothic nation was in arms at the first sound of the trumpet, and in the uncommon severity of the winter, they rolled their ponderous wagons over the broad and icy back of the river. The fertile fields of Phocis and Boeotia were crowned [sic] with a deluge of barbarians: the males were massacred; the females and cattle of the flaming villages were driven away. The deep and bloody traces of the march of the Goths could easily be discovered after several years. The whole territory of Attica was blasted by the baneful presence of Alaric. The most fortunate of the inhabitants of Corinth, Argos, and Sparta were saved by death from beholding the conflagration of their cities. In a season of such extreme heat that the beds of the rivers were dry, Alaric invaded the dominion of the West. A secluded 'old man of Verona' [the poet Claudian], pathetically lamented the fate of his contemporary trees, which must blaze in the conflagration of the whole country [ note the words of the prophecy,--'The third part of the trees was burned up']; and the emperor of the Romans fled before the king of the Goths.
"A furious tempest was excited among the nations of Germany; from the northern extremity of which the barbarians marched almost to the gates of Rome. They achieved the destruction of the West. The dark cloud which was collected along the coasts of the Baltic, burst in thunder upon the banks of the upper Danube. The pastures of Gaul, in which flocks and herds grazed, and the banks of the Rhine, which were covered with elegant houses and well-cultivated farms, formed a scene of peace and plenty, which was suddenly changed into a desert, distinguished from the solitude of nature only be smoking ruins. Many cities were cruelly oppressed, or destroyed. Many thousands were inhumanly massacred. The consuming flames of war spread over the greatest part of the seventeen provinces of Gaul.
"Alaric again stretched his ravages over Italy. During four years the Goths ravaged and reigned over it without control. And in the pillage and fire of Rome, the streets of the city were filled with dead bodies; the flames consumed many public and private buildings; and the ruins of a palace remained, after a century and a half, a stately monument of the Gothic conflagration." [3]
After making this summary, Keith completes the picture by saying:
"The concluding sentence of the thirty-third chapter of Gibbon's History is of itself a clear ad comprehensive commentary; for in winding up his own description of this brief but most eventful period, he concentrates, as in a parallel reading, the sum of the history and the substance of the prediction. But the words which precede it are not without their meaning: 'The public devotion of the age was impatient to exalt the saints and martyrs of the Catholic Church on the altars of Diana and Hercules. The union of the Roman empire was dissolved; its genius was humbled in the dust; and armies of unknown barbarians, issued from the frozen regions of the North, had established their victorious reign over the fairest provinces of Europe and Africa.'
"The last word--Africa--is the signal for the sounding of the second trumpet. The scene changes from the shores of the Baltic to the southern coast of the Mediterranean, or from the frozen regions of the North to the borders of burning Africa. And instead of a storm of hail being cast upon the earth, a burning mountain was cast into the sea." [4]
[1] Alexander Keith, Signs of the Times, Vol. I, p. 241.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid., pp. 251-253.
[4] Ibid., p. 253.
*
History by a renown scholar uncontested by others for it's factual content.
Also interesting is this website- http://www.pickle-publishing.com/papers/prophecy/seven-trumpet-chart.htm
*******
I'm no Bible scholar and certainly no historian, but I'm able to see when things seem to fit.
I could conclude that I'll never understand prophecy and stop looking, stop studying, stop reading, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to continue to pray and hope that the Lord will guide me to all the truth I need to know so that I may be His when He returns. If as some suppose these prophecies have nothing to do with history time will tell that too but for now as the pieces of the puzzle seem to be falling into place we have to trust that we are being guided in the right direction.
May the Lord bless and keep us in Him now and forever, may the Holy Spirit sent to guide us and keep us in truth do so now and forever, by the mercy and the grace of Jesus Chirst, our Lord and Savior.
Amen.
9/13/10
That which beareth thorns and briers is rejected
Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
When the earth gives us food, we are blessed. Try depending upon a garden and have that garden ruined by drought. The devastation for those who depend upon the earth, the rain, to bring forth their sustenance is life threatening. We who go to grocery stores to fill our cupboards with food have little concept of depending upon the earth for our very lives. I might be disappointed that my tomatoes were ruined, that my beets never took, that my zucchinis produced only one deformed zucchini and my carrots were a complete wash out but that disappointment is short lived when I know I can go to a store and get what I need to live. Someone who depends upon the ground around them, someone who depends upon the rain and the sun to give them a full garden of food so they can canned and store that food for the winter months because they have NO other food, truly understands the blessings that God gives to them when their gardening is a success. When all a garden bears is thorns and briers, weeds and deformed fruits and vegetables that garden is a failure and worth NOTHING. That garden might as well be burned because it has nothing of value in it what so ever.
Again we're reminded of the parable of the sower. Seed is sown and various things happen to the seed to ruin it, but seed sown correctly brings forth good fruit.
If God's word is the seed being sown it will bring forth good fruit IF it is sown correctly. The ground that receives it has to be tilled correctly- the rocks removed, the seed planted deeply enough, the thorns dug up. If we HEAR the word of the Lord and RECEIVE it, then the result is good fruit unto God.
We have to HEAR and RECEIVE, you can hear without receiving. I can hear you tell me a story but not really listen and be able to only tell you bits and pieces of what you said. Or I can hear you tell me a story and really listen and be able to repeat that story back to you. If I truly receive the words you are saying they will stay with me, I will remember them for a long time. We have to HEAR and RECEIVE.
Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
The result of not growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord, the result of not growing up from spiritual babes to spiritual adults, the result of hearing but not receiving the word of God is a painful death that is eternal in its results.
We have to receive, we have to constantly grow, we have to live our lives for our Savior in word and deed, in all we do.
Satan wants to stop us and he will use every trick in his book to do so. If he can't stop you from being God's with an outright attack he'll change tactics and sneak in to slowly degrade your walk with Christ- the end result will be the same. He doesn't care HOW it's done, as long as it's done. He doesn't care if his methods meet any stereotypical actions he's supposed to use- he's just as pleased to see you stop growing and stagnate as a babe forever drinking milk and never growing in knowledge, growing in grace as he is to see you brought down with one fell chop of disappointment in life and have you blame God for it. Sometimes we can see people brought low- people who have walked with God and grown with Him are suddenly and with great spiritual violence wrested from Him and we can cry out against Satan's blatant attack. Other times we barely notice it happening.
We have to constantly grow in grace and knowledge. If we're not growing we're dying and quite possibly dead.
Mar 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mar 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mar 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mar 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mar 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Mar 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mar 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mar 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mar 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mar 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Mar 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mar 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we become spiritual adults and keep spiritually growing in HIS grace and knowledge, bringing forth good fruit.
In His love! By His forgiveness, In His righteousness!
Amen.
9/13/10
Heb 6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Heb 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
*******
In the past few days we've read about the admonition spoken of to those who should be spiritually growing, but aren't. Those same spiritually stunted people were also admonished to realize that they need to bring forth good fruit, not thorns. Spiritually growing is a necessity and if we think otherwise we're very wrong. The admonitions are necessary to wake us up to realize our state of being. We have a God who loves us, a God who cares for us more than we can ever imagine and He will give us warnings, He will let us know when we err, He will point us in the right direction but He will never force us to do anything, we choose our own course.
Having delivered these admonitions the message goes on to say- BELOVED (such a wonderful term of endearment) Beloved we believe that there is better in you than what you've shown us, things that accompany salvation- things that people who are truly under the saving grace of the Lord will have in their lives- even though we've admonished you, we believe in you. God will NOT forget your work and labors of love that you've done in His name. God will not forget that you've helped others that are His. We want EVERYONE to show their sure HOPE to the end and not to be neglectful, but followers of others of faith and patience inheriting the promises.
Admonished but not cast down. Admonished so that we awake to the peril of losing hope, of losing patience, of being neglectful, of losing faith. When we lose hope, when we lose patience, when we are neglectful, when we lose faith there is NO salvation. Christ is our hope. Christ has to be alive in us, alive through faith, through the belief that He is.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Our Savior is real and we have to live as though He is right beside us- not as if He is far away in some other country, some other state, another city, across the neighborhood, right next door. He has to live with us, live in us.
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
If we don't believe Christ is in us, that we are that close to Christ then do we even truly want salvation in Him? If we're content to just visit our Savior at a distance, go to see Him -so to speak- when we want something, or feel it's our duty to visit Him as one would a great grandparent in a nursing home, then we are not living with Christ in our lives, we are not truly living with the hope of salvation. We can't live as if our Savior is someone we see from time to time, someone we acknowledge once or twice a day, once a week, once a month… once a year. Our Savior is alive always and must be with us always. We shouldn't have to go look for our Savior as if He exists only in a church building, or only in our prayer closet, He lives always and closer than even a twin- He is with us in all things.
2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
By the Spirit of the Lord we must live. We must behold the glory of our Lord always- from glory to glory- being changed so that Christ's righteousness is all that is seen by His amazing grace and mercy and not our own image- His image in us.
We have to spiritually grow ever growing in Christ, we have to keep the hope, the faith ALWAYS.
By His LOVE now and forever!
Amen.
9/13/11
Rev
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:
Rev
6:10 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?
Rev
6:11 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.
The
first thing of note is the fact when Jesus opens the fifth seal John isn't
called by one of the four beasts and told to come see, also there was no horse
and rider depicting a journey through time here.
John
watches the fifth seal being opened by Jesus and then instantly sees the altar.
Where does an altar usually dwell? In a temple, right. There John sees the
altar and the vision of those who died for their faith in Jesus and the word of
God. Where else would such a vision exist? Just as Abel's blood cried out from
the ground, just as rock cried out of the wall, the beam out of the timber -
(Habakkuk 2: 11.) Just as an ass was made to talk- these things happen depicting
situations that are uncommon, not usual. Seeing the slain souls just like seeing
the horses of the previous vision this is exactly what they are-visions of the
unusual. Do you see red horses typically? No. Do you typically see riders
holding balances? These are symbolic visions holding important messages and as
John saw the souls under the altar do you really believe he could have seen ALL
those slain for God, for Christ there? They would be innumerable and wouldn't
fit under an altar. Symbolically it's realistic to understand that this vision
in this time period is encompassing all those slain for God, for their beliefs
in God. Those who when faced with the prospect of death if they do not deny
Christ, those who would rather die than give up the truth in God, these are
those people under the altar.
~
Are people today
being slain for the word of God?
Go to this
website-
http://www.persecution.com/
And here-
Christian Deaths Climb in
Eritrean Prisons
Wednesday,
August 10, 2011 (6:27 am)
By
Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
ASMARA,
ERITREA (Worthy
News)– Three Christians imprisoned for the testimony of Christ
have died during the past months in Eritrea, including a 42-year-old man in
solitary confinement Friday, according to a Christian support organization.
Pasted
from <http://www.worthynews.com/10862-christian-deaths-climb-in-eritrean-prisons>
The answer is-
yes! People are being killed today for the Word of God!
We might not experience it here in the United States so much, but it is
happening and we can't turn a blind eye to it all, we just can't.
Up until the
Lord's return there will be those dying for the Word of God.
~
The
question of how long is a question people put to themselves even now. How long
before Christ returns- because only after all that MUST
come to pass has come to pass-
can true vengeance belonging to the Lord be enacted.
This
time period if as with the others coincides with the seven churches, would last
approximately 200 years, between 1500 and 1700. During this time we know the
reformation began and people began to sail to a new land where they could
practice their religion out from under the thumb of the papacy where they would
not be under religious persecution such as was going on in such a widespread
manner elsewhere.
This
little season of rest perhaps indicates the escape of many who otherwise would
have perished under the on going papal persecutions as people began to move
away from their staunch Catholic beliefs.
Being
given white robes means what? They were being covered by Christ's
righteousness, they were being given the assurance of their sacrifice; and
where it says they should rest until their fellow servants and brethren should
be killed as they were should be fulfilled- surely this means there would be
more who would sacrifice themselves for Christ, for their faith. In truth this
meant not all would be able to escape, not all the souls that would be
sacrifice were there and only when all of them were there could Christ avenge
them together.
True
vengeance for those martyred in Christ is only complete when death is swallowed
up in the victory and the last of death is destroyed once and for all.
May
God bless us all as we continue to study His word to find truth and
understanding through the Holy Spirit's guidance. By the grace of Jesus Christ
may we all be found in Him, and if called to die for Him, for the truth and
faith in Him, may we do so in His strength. His will be done now and
forever.
Amen
That which beareth thorns and briers is rejected
Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
When the earth gives us food, we are blessed. Try depending upon a garden and have that garden ruined by drought. The devastation for those who depend upon the earth, the rain, to bring forth their sustenance is life threatening. We who go to grocery stores to fill our cupboards with food have little concept of depending upon the earth for our very lives. I might be disappointed that my tomatoes were ruined, that my beets never took, that my zucchinis produced only one deformed zucchini and my carrots were a complete wash out but that disappointment is short lived when I know I can go to a store and get what I need to live. Someone who depends upon the ground around them, someone who depends upon the rain and the sun to give them a full garden of food so they can canned and store that food for the winter months because they have NO other food, truly understands the blessings that God gives to them when their gardening is a success. When all a garden bears is thorns and briers, weeds and deformed fruits and vegetables that garden is a failure and worth NOTHING. That garden might as well be burned because it has nothing of value in it what so ever.
Again we're reminded of the parable of the sower. Seed is sown and various things happen to the seed to ruin it, but seed sown correctly brings forth good fruit.
If God's word is the seed being sown it will bring forth good fruit IF it is sown correctly. The ground that receives it has to be tilled correctly- the rocks removed, the seed planted deeply enough, the thorns dug up. If we HEAR the word of the Lord and RECEIVE it, then the result is good fruit unto God.
We have to HEAR and RECEIVE, you can hear without receiving. I can hear you tell me a story but not really listen and be able to only tell you bits and pieces of what you said. Or I can hear you tell me a story and really listen and be able to repeat that story back to you. If I truly receive the words you are saying they will stay with me, I will remember them for a long time. We have to HEAR and RECEIVE.
Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
The result of not growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord, the result of not growing up from spiritual babes to spiritual adults, the result of hearing but not receiving the word of God is a painful death that is eternal in its results.
We have to receive, we have to constantly grow, we have to live our lives for our Savior in word and deed, in all we do.
Satan wants to stop us and he will use every trick in his book to do so. If he can't stop you from being God's with an outright attack he'll change tactics and sneak in to slowly degrade your walk with Christ- the end result will be the same. He doesn't care HOW it's done, as long as it's done. He doesn't care if his methods meet any stereotypical actions he's supposed to use- he's just as pleased to see you stop growing and stagnate as a babe forever drinking milk and never growing in knowledge, growing in grace as he is to see you brought down with one fell chop of disappointment in life and have you blame God for it. Sometimes we can see people brought low- people who have walked with God and grown with Him are suddenly and with great spiritual violence wrested from Him and we can cry out against Satan's blatant attack. Other times we barely notice it happening.
We have to constantly grow in grace and knowledge. If we're not growing we're dying and quite possibly dead.
Mar 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Mar 4:4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Mar 4:5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Mar 4:6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Mar 4:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Mar 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
Mar 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mar 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mar 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mar 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
Mar 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mar 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior may we become spiritual adults and keep spiritually growing in HIS grace and knowledge, bringing forth good fruit.
In His love! By His forgiveness, In His righteousness!
Amen.
9/13/10
Heb 6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
Heb 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
*******
In the past few days we've read about the admonition spoken of to those who should be spiritually growing, but aren't. Those same spiritually stunted people were also admonished to realize that they need to bring forth good fruit, not thorns. Spiritually growing is a necessity and if we think otherwise we're very wrong. The admonitions are necessary to wake us up to realize our state of being. We have a God who loves us, a God who cares for us more than we can ever imagine and He will give us warnings, He will let us know when we err, He will point us in the right direction but He will never force us to do anything, we choose our own course.
Having delivered these admonitions the message goes on to say- BELOVED (such a wonderful term of endearment) Beloved we believe that there is better in you than what you've shown us, things that accompany salvation- things that people who are truly under the saving grace of the Lord will have in their lives- even though we've admonished you, we believe in you. God will NOT forget your work and labors of love that you've done in His name. God will not forget that you've helped others that are His. We want EVERYONE to show their sure HOPE to the end and not to be neglectful, but followers of others of faith and patience inheriting the promises.
Admonished but not cast down. Admonished so that we awake to the peril of losing hope, of losing patience, of being neglectful, of losing faith. When we lose hope, when we lose patience, when we are neglectful, when we lose faith there is NO salvation. Christ is our hope. Christ has to be alive in us, alive through faith, through the belief that He is.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Our Savior is real and we have to live as though He is right beside us- not as if He is far away in some other country, some other state, another city, across the neighborhood, right next door. He has to live with us, live in us.
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
If we don't believe Christ is in us, that we are that close to Christ then do we even truly want salvation in Him? If we're content to just visit our Savior at a distance, go to see Him -so to speak- when we want something, or feel it's our duty to visit Him as one would a great grandparent in a nursing home, then we are not living with Christ in our lives, we are not truly living with the hope of salvation. We can't live as if our Savior is someone we see from time to time, someone we acknowledge once or twice a day, once a week, once a month… once a year. Our Savior is alive always and must be with us always. We shouldn't have to go look for our Savior as if He exists only in a church building, or only in our prayer closet, He lives always and closer than even a twin- He is with us in all things.
2Co 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
By the Spirit of the Lord we must live. We must behold the glory of our Lord always- from glory to glory- being changed so that Christ's righteousness is all that is seen by His amazing grace and mercy and not our own image- His image in us.
We have to spiritually grow ever growing in Christ, we have to keep the hope, the faith ALWAYS.
By His LOVE now and forever!
Amen.
9/13/11
Rev
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:
Rev
6:10 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?
Rev
6:11 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.
The
first thing of note is the fact when Jesus opens the fifth seal John isn't
called by one of the four beasts and told to come see, also there was no horse
and rider depicting a journey through time here.
John
watches the fifth seal being opened by Jesus and then instantly sees the altar.
Where does an altar usually dwell? In a temple, right. There John sees the
altar and the vision of those who died for their faith in Jesus and the word of
God. Where else would such a vision exist? Just as Abel's blood cried out from
the ground, just as rock cried out of the wall, the beam out of the timber -
(Habakkuk 2: 11.) Just as an ass was made to talk- these things happen depicting
situations that are uncommon, not usual. Seeing the slain souls just like seeing
the horses of the previous vision this is exactly what they are-visions of the
unusual. Do you see red horses typically? No. Do you typically see riders
holding balances? These are symbolic visions holding important messages and as
John saw the souls under the altar do you really believe he could have seen ALL
those slain for God, for Christ there? They would be innumerable and wouldn't
fit under an altar. Symbolically it's realistic to understand that this vision
in this time period is encompassing all those slain for God, for their beliefs
in God. Those who when faced with the prospect of death if they do not deny
Christ, those who would rather die than give up the truth in God, these are
those people under the altar.
~
Are people today
being slain for the word of God?
Go to this
website-
http://www.persecution.com/
And here-
Christian Deaths Climb in
Eritrean Prisons
Wednesday,
August 10, 2011 (6:27 am)
By
Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
ASMARA,
ERITREA (Worthy
News)– Three Christians imprisoned for the testimony of Christ
have died during the past months in Eritrea, including a 42-year-old man in
solitary confinement Friday, according to a Christian support organization.
Pasted
from <http://www.worthynews.com/10862-christian-deaths-climb-in-eritrean-prisons>
The answer is-
yes! People are being killed today for the Word of God!
We might not experience it here in the United States so much, but it is
happening and we can't turn a blind eye to it all, we just can't.
Up until the
Lord's return there will be those dying for the Word of God.
~
The
question of how long is a question people put to themselves even now. How long
before Christ returns- because only after all that MUST
come to pass has come to pass-
can true vengeance belonging to the Lord be enacted.
This
time period if as with the others coincides with the seven churches, would last
approximately 200 years, between 1500 and 1700. During this time we know the
reformation began and people began to sail to a new land where they could
practice their religion out from under the thumb of the papacy where they would
not be under religious persecution such as was going on in such a widespread
manner elsewhere.
This
little season of rest perhaps indicates the escape of many who otherwise would
have perished under the on going papal persecutions as people began to move
away from their staunch Catholic beliefs.
Being
given white robes means what? They were being covered by Christ's
righteousness, they were being given the assurance of their sacrifice; and
where it says they should rest until their fellow servants and brethren should
be killed as they were should be fulfilled- surely this means there would be
more who would sacrifice themselves for Christ, for their faith. In truth this
meant not all would be able to escape, not all the souls that would be
sacrifice were there and only when all of them were there could Christ avenge
them together.
True
vengeance for those martyred in Christ is only complete when death is swallowed
up in the victory and the last of death is destroyed once and for all.
May
God bless us all as we continue to study His word to find truth and
understanding through the Holy Spirit's guidance. By the grace of Jesus Christ
may we all be found in Him, and if called to die for Him, for the truth and
faith in Him, may we do so in His strength. His will be done now and
forever.
Amen