Excerpt from Mere Christianity-
'Now Faith,
in the sense in which I am here using the word,
is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted,
in spite of your changing moods.
For moods will change,
whatever view your reason takes.
I know that by experience.
Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable
but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable.
This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway.
That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue
unless you teach your moods "where they get off,"
you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist,
but just a creature dithering to and fro,
with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion.
Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.
The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change.
The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity,
then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day.
That is why daily prayers and religious reading and church going are necessary parts of the Christian life.
We have to be continually reminded of what we believe.
Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind.
It must be fed.
And as a matter of fact,
if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity,
I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument?
Do not most people simply drift away?'
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Ephesian {6:18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints
Praying always.
2 Timothy {2:15} Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Study.
Hebrews {10:23} Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) {10:24} And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: {10:25} Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is;] but exhorting [one another:] and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Exhort one another.
Hebrews {3:13} But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. {3:14} For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
Hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.
Acts {17:11} These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Searched the scriptures daily.
Luke {11:1} And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. {11:2} And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. {11:3} Give us day by day our daily bread. {11:4}
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one thatis indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Day by day our daily bread.
John {6:47} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. {6:48} I am that bread of life. {6:49} Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. {6:50} This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. {6:51} I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Jesus said- 'I am the living bread'
*
Daily we need our bread whether it's food for physical sustenance- for our physical life here and now; or whether it's the food of Christ- food for eternal life. Give us this day our daily bread.
Is it any wonder Jesus used such analogy as bread? Not really. He knew what He was doing. He knew. And He knew when He said 'your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.' Even food given daily by God to the Israelites leaving Egypt and traveling in the wilderness for forty years, even that food would not give life eternal. That food, that manna came from God out of heaven--
Exodus- {16:11} And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, {16:12} I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God. {16:13} And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the
host. {16:14} And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground. {16:15} And when the children of Israel saw [it,] they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was.] And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
{16:31} And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it [was] like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey. {16:32} And Moses said, This [is] the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your
generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt. {16:33} And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations. {16:34} As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. {16:35} And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. {16:36} Now an omer [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah.
The children of Israel ate manna forty years!
Jesus referencing the manna, the food from God out of heaven is important. God supplied the needs of His people, He fed them. Jesus supplied the need of His people He fed them His very life. If we believe on Jesus a belief that is lived DAILY just as we eat daily, if we partake of all that is Jesus- reading His word, praying, exhorting one another we will live forever with Christ.
C.S. Lewis talked of mood affecting faith. We talk of losing faith, we talk of having no faith, we tell others to have faith, faith is very important without it we can't please God.
Hebrews {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.
Believing that God IS.
And not only believing that God IS, but believing that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Faith.
Yes, our moods can affect our lives in many ways, many...many...many ways.
C.S. Lewis had this to say--
'And as a matter of fact,
if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity,
I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument?
Do not most people simply drift away?'
Drift away. It sounds so... easy. In fact it is easy to drift away. It's easy to find a lull and let the lull soothe us, ease us away. It's easier to just skip praying, reading the Bible, studying, exhorting one another, diligently seeking God. It takes action on our behalf to keep faith alive.
People like to believe that they shouldn't HAVE to do anything at all to be 'saved' and in truth they can't save themselves if they do everything and anything they want- only Jesus can save us. But we have to believe in Jesus first. You say you believe in Jesus but guess what?
James {2:19} Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Read on...
James {2:20} But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? {2:21} Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? {2:22} Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? {2:23} And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. {2:24} Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. {2:25} Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent [them] out another way? {2:26} For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Real faith, real belief in Jesus means real action. Jesus said a lot to His followers about what they should be doing.
Mark {12:28} And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? {12:29} And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is,] Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one Lord: {12:30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. {12:31} And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. {12:32} And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: {12:33} And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love [his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. {12:34} And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no
man after that durst ask him any question.
Do you see- we are to love God and love our neighbor- actions. Love. And Jesus didn't leave us to wonder what love was.
Read ALL of the following, really read it. Take the time to think about all the action that Jesus was promoting wanting His followers to do. Faith isn't the end, it's only the beginning and if we 'drift away' it's because we are not living our faith we are losing it, we aren't nurturing it, we're ignoring it and it will wither until it dies.
Matthew {5:1} And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: {5:2} And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, {5:3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {5:4} Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. {5:5} Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. {5:6} Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. {5:7} Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. {5:8} Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. {5:9} Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. {5:10} Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {5:11} Blessed are ye,
when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you,] and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. {5:12} Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. {5:13} Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. {5:14} Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. {5:15} Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. {5:16} Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. {5:17} Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {5:18} For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. {5:19} Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them,] the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. {5:20} For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed [the righteousness] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. {5:21} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: {5:22} But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. {5:23} Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; {5:24} Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. {5:25} Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. {5:26} Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. {5:27} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: {5:28} But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. {5:29}And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. {5:30} And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. {5:31} It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: {5:32} But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. {5:33} Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: {5:34} But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: {5:35} Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. {5:36} Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. {5:37} But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. {5:38} Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: {5:39} But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. {5:40} And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have [thy] cloke also. {5:41} And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. {5:42} Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. {5:43} Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. {5:44} But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; {5:45} That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. {5:46} For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? {5:47} And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more [than others?] do not even the publicans so? {5:48} Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. {6:1} Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. {6:2} Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they
may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:3} But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: {6:4} That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. {6:5} And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are:] for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:6} But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. {6:7} But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do:] for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. {6:8} Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. {6:9} After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. {6:10} Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. {6:11} Give us this day our daily bread. {6:12} And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. {6:13} And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. {6:14} For if ye
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: {6:15} But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. {6:16} Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. {6:17} But thou, when thou fastest,
anoint thine head, and wash thy face; {6:18} That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. {6:19} Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: {6:20} But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: {6:21} For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. {6:22} The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. {6:23} But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness! {6:24} No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. {6:25} Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? {6:26} Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? {6:27} Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? {6:28} And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: {6:29} And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these. {6:30} Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? {6:31} Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? {6:32} (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. {6:33} But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. {6:34} Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day [is] the evil thereof. {7:1} Judge not, that ye be not judged. {7:2} For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. {7:3} And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? {7:4} Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? {7:5} Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye. {7:6} Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. {7:7} Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: {7:8} For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. {7:9} Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? {7:10} Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? {7:11} If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? {7:12} Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. {7:13} Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: {7:14} Because strait [is] the
gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. {7:15} Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. {7:16} Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? {7:17} Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. {7:18} A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. {7:19} Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {7:20} Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. {7:21} Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {7:22} Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? {7:23} And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. {7:24} Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: {7:25} And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. {7:26} And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: {7:27} And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. {7:28} And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: {7:29} For he taught them as [one] having authority, and not as the scribes.
9/19/10
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Kingdom of Heaven like--
Ten virgins. Pure, undefiled people of God.
Ten virgins with lamps moving towards the bridegroom- our Savior. We live our lives with the realization that Christ's second coming is what we are living for. We live with the hope of salvation found in our loving Savior. We live awaiting the day we will be joined with our Savior, the bridegroom and bride together at last.
All of these people have lamps to hold the oil which brings forth light.
All of these people have oil in their lamps to begin with and their lamps are burning as they wait.
Those waiting for their Savior prepare for His second coming.
Let's imagine--
You are invited to a wedding and the wedding is prepared so that you'll need to have a lamp with oil in it ready to meet the groom before he goes on into the wedding ceremony. You believe that you'll only need an hours worth of oil because logic tells you that the groom will be prompt. However you want to be ready to have your lamp burning longer just in case something happens to delay the groom so you bring extra oil. Half the people around you are of the same mind, but the other half just bring enough oil for the prearranged time for things to get under way. So there you all are with your burning lamps waiting, and waiting, the time comes and then passes. While waiting every one grows sleepy and eventually falls asleep. The lamps are still burning using up the oil in them. By the time the cry that the bridegroom is coming is given, waking everyone up, there is a rush to get your lamps filled and burning again. Of course those with foresight have extra oil, those who thought they had enough had none and desperately want your oil so they can go meet the bridegroom too. You can't give them your oil though or you won't have enough. You tell them to go and get more oil elsewhere.
We ALL have to be ready for Christ's second coming.
We all have to have lamps.
We all have to have oil in those lamps.
We all have to have extra oil for those lamps.
The reason for this parable is to show that some will be ready for Christ's second coming and others will not be ready. The wise and the foolish. The prepared and the unprepared. Those who think they are all prepared and find out later they are not. Those who wait till the last moment to try and get what they need to be ready, but won't be able to.
We want to be prepared and we believe if we can understand what the lamp and the oil is we will make sure we have that lamp and have extra oil for it.
Jesus is the light.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
As long as Jesus was in the world… He was the light of the world.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 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.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The Holy Spirit comes to us, the Spirit of truth. The world CANNOT receive the Spirit of truth, or know HIM but we will know Him and He will dwell with us and in us.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The light of the world- JESUS.
The Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus.
Lamp and lights - enlightenment, knowledge of our Lord and Savior through His word… Jesus in the Word.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Pro 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light we need is our Savior-the Word, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life- and ALL of this is given to us through grace, the grace of our Savior.
We have to have Jesus in our lives- real, living, guiding, saving, loving, active, alive and we have to have Him and His grace ALWAYS. We can NEVER believe we can EVER on our own-- live. We can never expect to meet our Savior by our own means, our own devising. We have to have Christ with us ALWAYS not sporadically. We have to trust in His Righteousness, we have to trust in His grace, never in our own- we HAVE NONE. We need to believe, to have faith. We live here and now on earth with the promise of Christ living in us. We live here and now with the promised Comforter, the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
We can all have the Holy Spirit.
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently
To meet the Bridegroom when He comes we need to be prepared through love, His love. Our faith needs to be alive, our faith needs to be active, our walk with Christ needs to be something very real to us, a reality like no other.
All sleep.
All wake.
All have lamps.
Some have enough oil for those lamps.
Some don't have enough oil for those lamps.
Some go on to meet the Bridegroom.
Some who desperately want to meet the Bridegroom will not.
Some are ready.
Some are not ready.
Some will have Christ - a living belief, brightly burning by the grace of our Savior the Word made flesh, through the gift of the Holy Spirit all by our Lord's righteousness.
Some will have a living belief but that living belief will NOT last, for them it is only temporary, they will trust in their own righteousness not Christ's, they will not trust in the Lord forever and ever through all things.
Our Savior is the only thing that matters.
People speculate on what things mean all the time, but in the end, all the matters is the Love of our Savior and us having faith in Him always for All things.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
By His Love, by His Grace, through His Righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
9/19/11
Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw
a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit.
Rev 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and
there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun
and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts
upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth
have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they
should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any
tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they
should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their
torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death,
and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Rev 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like
unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like
gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Rev 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women,
and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Rev 9:9 And they had breastplates, as it were
breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots
of many horses running to battle.
Rev 9:10 And they had tails like unto scorpions,
and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five
months.
Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is
the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but
in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Rev 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there
come two woes more hereafter.
Excerpt
taken from--
Daniel
and the Revelation by Uriah Smith
Verse
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the
earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
The
Fifth Trumpet.--For an exposition of this trumpet, we shall again draw from the
writings of Alexander Keith. This writer says:
"There
is scarcely so uniform an agreement among interpreters concerning any other
part of the Apocalypse as respecting the application of the fifth and sixth
trumpets, or the first and second woes, to the Saracens and the Turks. It is so
obvious that it can scarcely be misunderstood. Instead of a verse or two
designating each, the whole of the ninth chapter of the Revelation, equal
portions, is occupied with a description of both.
"The
Roman Empire declined, as it arose, by conquest; but the Saracens and the Turks
were the instruments by which a false religion became the scourge of an
apostate church; and hence, instead of the fifth and sixth trumpets, like the
former, being marked by that name alone, they are called woes.
. . .
"Constantinople
was besieged for the first time after the extinction of the Western Empire by
Chosroes [II], the king of Persia." [1]
The
prophet said, "I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was
given the key of the bottomless pit."
The
historian writes of this time:
"While
the Persian monarch [Chosroes II] contemplated the wonders of his art and
power, he received an epistle from an obscure citizen of Mecca, inviting him to
acknowledge Mahomet as the apostle of God. He rejected the invitation, and tore
the epsitle. 'It is thus,' exclaimed the Arabian prophet, 'that God will tear
the kingdom, and reject the supplications of Chosroes.' Placed on the verge of
the two great empires of the East, Mahomet observed with secret joy the
progress of their mutual destruction; and in the midst of the Persian triumphs,
he ventured to foretell, that before many years should elapse, victory should
again return to the banners of the Romans. At the time when this prediction is
said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its
accomplishment, since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the
approaching dissolution of the empire." [2]
It
was not on a single spot that this star fell, as did the one that designated
Attila, but upon the earth.
The
provinces of the empire in Asia and Africa were subdued by Chosroes II, and
"the Roman Empire was reduced to the walls of Constantinople, with the remnant
of Greece, Italy, and Africa, and some maritime cities, from Tyre to Trebizond,
of the Asiatic coast. . . . The experience of six years at length persuaded the
Persian monarch to renounce the conquest of Constantinople, and to specify the
annual tribute or ransom of the Roman Empire; a thousand talents of gold, a
thousand talents of silver, a thousand silk robes, a thousand horses, and a
thousand virgins. Heraclius subscribed these ignominious terms; but the time and
space which he obtained to collect such treasures from the poverty of the East,
was industriously employed in the preparation of a bold and desperate attack."
[3]
"The
king of Persia despised the obscure Saracen, and derided the message of the
pretended prophet of Mecca. Even the overthrow of the Roman Empire would not
have opened a door for Mahometanism, or for the progress of the Saracenic armed
propagators of an imposture, though the monarch of the Persians and chagan of
the Avars (the successor of Attila) had divided between them the remains of the
kingdoms of the Caesars. Chosroes himself fell. The Persian and Roman
monarchies exhausted each other's strength. And before a sword was put into the
hands of the false prophet, it was smitten from the hands of those who would
have checked his career and crushed his power." [4]
"Since
the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no bolder enterprise has been attempted than
that which Heraclius achieved for the deliverance of the empire. He . . .
explored his perilous way through the Black Sea and the mountains of Armenia,
penetrated into the heart of Persia, and recalled the armies of the great king
to the defense of their bleeding country. . . .
"In
the battle of Nineveh, which was fiercely fought from daybreak to the eleventh
hour, twenty-eight standards, besides those which might be broken or torn, were
taken from the Persians; the greatest part of their army was cut in pieces, and
the victors, concealing their own loss, passed the night on the field. . . .
The cities and palaces of Assyria were opened for the first time to the
Romans." [5]
"The
Roman emperor was not strengthened by the conquests which he achieved; and a
way was prepared at the same time, and by the same means, for the multitudes of
Saracens from Arabia, like locusts from the same region, who, propagating in
their course the dark and delusive Mahometan creed, speedily overspread both
the Persian and the Roman empires. More complete illustration of this fact
could not be desired than is supplied in the concluding words of the chapter
[from Gibbon], from which the preceding extracts are taken." [6]
"Although
a victorious army had been formed under the standard of Heraclius, the
unnatural effort appears to have exhausted rather than exercised their
strength. While the emperor triumphed at Constantinople or Jerusalem, an
obscure town on the confines of Syria was pillaged by the Saracens, and they
cut in pieces some troops who advanced to its relief, an ordinary and trifling
occurrence, had it not been the prelude of a mighty revolution. These robbers
were the apostles of Mahomet; their fanatic valor had emerged from the desert;
and in the last eight years of his reign, Heraclius lost to the Arabs the same
provinces which he had rescued from the Persians." [7]
"
'The spirit of fraud and enthusiasm, whose abode is not in the heavens,' was
let loose on earth. The bottomless pit needed but a key to open it, and that
key was the fall of Chosroes. He had contemptuously torn the letter of an
obscure citizen of Mecca. But when from his 'blaze of glory' he sunk into the
'tower of darkness' which no eye could penetrate, the name of Chosroes was
suddenly to pass into oblivion before that of Mahomet; and the crescent seemed
but to wait its rising till the falling of the star. Chosroes, after his entire
discomfiture and loss of empire, was murdered in the year 628; and the year 629
is marked by 'the conquest of Arabia,' and 'the first war of the Mahometans
against the Roman Empire.' 'And the
fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to
him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless
pit.'He fell upon the earth. When the strength of the Roman Empire was
exhausted, and the great king of the East lay dead in his tower of darkness, the
pillage of an obscure town on the borders of Syria was 'the prelude of a mighty
revolution.' 'The robbers were the apostles of Mahomet, and their fanatic valor
emerged from the desert.' " [8]
The
Bottomless Pit.--The meaning of this term may be learned from the Greek {GREEK
CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, abyssos, which is defined "deep, bottomless, profound," and may refer to any waste, desolate, and
uncultivated place. It is applied to the earth in its original state of chaos.
(Genesis 1: 2.)
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters.
In this instance it may appropriately
refer to the unknown wastes of the
Arabian desert, from the borders of which issued the hordes of Saracens,
like swarms of locusts. The fall of Chosroes II the Persian king may well be
represented as the opening of
the bottomless pit, inasmuch as it prepared the way for the followers of
Mohammed to issue from their obscure country and propagate their delusive
doctrines with fire and sword until they had spread their darkness over all the
Eastern Empire.
Verse
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as
the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of
the smoke of the pit.
"Like
the noxious and even deadly vapors which the winds, particularly from the
southwest, diffuse in Arabia, Mahometanism spread from hence its pestilential
influence--arose as suddenly and spread as widely as smoke arising out of the
pit, the smoke of a great furnace. Such is a suitable symbol of the religion of
Mahomet, of itself, or as compared with the pure light of the gospel of Jesus.
It was not, like the latter, a light from heaven, but a
smoke out of the bottomless pit." [9]
Verse
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was
given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
"A
false religion was set up, which, although the scourge of transgressions and
idolatry, filled the world with darkness and delusion; and swarms of Saracens,
like locusts, overspread the earth, and speedily extended their ravages over
the Roman Empire from east to west. The hail descended from the frozen shores
of the Baltic; the burning mountain fell upon the sea from Africa; and the
locusts (the fit symbol of the Arabs) issued from Arabia, their native region.
They came as destroyers, propagating a new doctrine, and stirred up to rapine
and violence by motives of interest and religion." [10]
"A
still more specific illustration may be given of the power like unto that of
scorpions, which was given them. Not only was their attack speedy and vigorous,
but 'the nice sensibility of honor, which weighs the insult rather than the
injury, sheds its deadly venom on the quarrels of the Arabs; an indecent
action, a contemptuous word, can be expiated only by the blood of the offender;
and such is their patient inveteracy, that they expect whole months and years
the opportunity of revenge.' " [11]
Verse
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth,
neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the
seal of God in their foreheads.
After
the death of Mohammed, he was succeeded in the command by Abu-bekr in A.D. 632,
who as soon as he had fairly established his authority and government gathered
the Arabian tribes for conquest. When the army was assembled, he instructed his
chiefs on methods of conquest:
"When
you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves like men, without turning
your backs; but let not your victory be stained with the blood of women and
children. Destroy no palm-trees, nor
burn any fields of corn. Cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to
cattle, only such as you kill to eat. When you make any covenant, or
article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. As you go on, you will find
some religious persons who live retired in monasteries, and
propose to themselves to serve God that way; let them alone, and neither kill
them nor destroy their monasteries: and you will find another sort of
people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure
you cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter till they either turn
Mahometans or pay 'tribute.' " [12]
"It
is not said in prophecy or in history that the more humane injunctions were as
scrupulously obeyed as the ferocious mandate; but it so commanded them. And the
preceding are the only instructions recorded by Gibbon, and given by Abubeker
to the chiefs whose duty it was to issue the commands to all the Saracen hosts.
The commands are alike discriminating with the prediction, as if the caliph
himself had been acting in known as well as direct obedience to a higher
mandate than that of mortal man; and in the very act of going forth to fight
against the religion of Jesus, and to propagate Mahometanism in its stead, he
repeated the words which it was foretold in the Revelation of Jesus Christ that
he would say." [13]
Seal of God in Their Foreheads.--In remarks
upon Revelation 7: 1-3, we have shown that the seal of God is the Sabbath of
the fourth commandment. History is not silent upon the fact that there
have been observers of the true seventh-day Sabbath all through the gospel age.
But the question has here arisen with many, Who were those men who at this time
had the seal of God in their foreheads, and who thereby became exempt from
Mohammedan oppression? Let the reader bear in mind the fact already alluded to,
that there have been those all
through the Christian Era who have had the seal of God in their
foreheads, that is, have been intelligent observers of the true Sabbath.
Let him consider further that what the prophecy asserts is that the attacks of
this desolating Turkish power are not directed against them, but against another
class. The subject is thus freed from all difficulty, for this is all that the
prophecy really asserts. One class of person is directly brought to view in the
text, namely, those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. The
preservation of those who have the seal of God is brought in only by
implication. accordingly, we do not learn from history that any of these were
involved in any of the calamities inflicted by the Saracens upon the objects of
their hate. They were commissioned against another class of men. The destruction
to come upon this class is not put in contrast with the preservation of other
men, but only with that of the fruits and verdure of the earth; thus, Hurt not
the grass, trees, nor any green thing, but only a certain class of men. In
fulfillment, we have the strange spectacle of an army of invaders sparing those
things which such armies usually destroy, the face and productions of nature.
In pursuance of their permission to hurt those men who had not the seal of God
in their foreheads, they cleaved the skulls of a class of religionists with
shaven crowns, who belonged to the synagogue of Satan.
It would seem that these were monks, or some other order of the Roman Catholic
Church.
Verse
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should
be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion,
when he striketh a man.
"Their
constant incursions into the Roman territory, and frequent assaults on
Constantinople itself, were an unceasing torment throughout the empire, which
yet they were not able effectually to subdue, notwithstanding the long period,
afterward more directly alluded to, during which they continued, by unremitting
attacks, grievously to afflict an idolatrous church, of which the pope was the
head. . . . Their charge was to torment, and then to hurt, but not to kill, or
utterly destroy. The marvel was that they did not." [14] (In reference to the
five months, see comments on verse 10.)
Verse
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall
desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
"Men
were weary of life, when life was spared only for a renewal of woe, and when
all that they accounted sacred was violated, and all they held dear constantly
endangered; and when the savage Saracens domineered over them, or left them
only to a momentary repose, ever liable to be suddenly or violently
interrupted, as if by the sting of a scorpion." [15]
Verse
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and
on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the
faces of men.
"The
Arabian horse takes the lead throughout the world; and skill in horsemanship is
the art and science of Arabia. And the barbed Arabs, swift as locusts and armed
like scorpions, ready to dart away in a moment, were ever prepared unto
battle.
"
'And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold.' When Mahomet entered
Medina (A.D. 622), and was first received as its prince, 'a turban was unfurled
before him to supply the deficiency of a standard.' The turbans of the
Saracens, like unto a coronet, were their ornament and their boast. The rich
booty abundantly supplied and frequently renewed them. To assume the turban is
proverbially to turn Mussulman. And the Arabs were anciently distinguished by
the miters which they wore." [16]
"And
their faces were as the faces of men." "The gravity and firmness of the mind
[of the Arab] is conspicuous in his outward demeanor; . . . his only gesture is
that of stroking his beard, the venerable symbol of manhood. . . . The honor . .
. of their beards is most easily wounded." [17]
Verse
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of
lions.
"Long
hair is esteemed an ornament by women. The Arabs, unlike to other men, had
their hair as the hair of women, or uncut, as their practice is recorded by
Pliny and others. But there was nothing effeminate in their character; for, as
denoting their ferocity and strength to devour, their teeth were as the teeth
of lions." [18]
Verse
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of
their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
"The
cuirass (or breastplate) was in use among the Arabs in the days of Mahomet. In
the battle of Ohud (the second which Mahomet fought) with the Koreish of Mecca
(A.D. 624), 'seven hundred of them were armed with cuirasses.' " [19]
"
'The charge of the Arabs was not, like that of the Greeks and Romans, the
efforts of a firm and compact infantry; their military force was chiefly formed
of cavalry and archers.' . . . With a touch of the hand, the Arab horses dart
away with the swiftness of the wind. 'The sound of their wings was as the sound
of many horses running to battle.' Their conquests were marvelous both in
rapidity and extent, and their attack was instantaneous. Nor was it less
successful against the Romans than the Persians." [20]
Verse
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails:
and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them,
which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is
Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
"To
Hurt Men Five Months."--The question arises, What men were they to hurt five
months?--Undoubtedly the same they were afterward to slay (see verse 15), "the
third part of men," or third of the Roman Empire--the Greek division of it.
When
were they to begin their work of torment? The eleventh verse answers the
question.
"They
had a king over them." From the death of Mohammed until near the close of the
thirteenth century, the Mohammedans were divided into various factions under
several leaders, with no general civil government extending over them all. Near
the close of the thirteenth century, Othman founded a government which has since
been known as the Ottoman government, or empire, which grew until it extended
over all the principal Mohammedan tribes, consolidating them into one grand
monarchy.
Their
king is called "the angel of the bottomless pit." An angel signifies a
messenger, a minister, either good or bad, and not always a spiritual being.
"The angel of the bottomless pit" would be the chief minister of the religion
which came from thence when it was opened. That religion is Mohammedanism, and
the sultan was its chief minister.
His
name in the Hebrew tongue is "Abaddon," the destroyer; in Greek, "Apollyon,"
one that exterminates, or destroys. Having two different names in two languages,
it is evident that the character rather than the name of the power is intended
to be represented. If so, as expressed in both languages, he is a destroyer.
Such has always been the character of the Ottoman government.
But
when did Othman make his first assault on the Greek empire?-- According to
Gibbon "it was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year twelve hundred and
ninety-nine of the Christian Era, that Othman first invaded the territory of
Nicomaedia; and the singular accuracy of the date seems to disclose some
foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster." [21]
Von
Hammer, the German historian of Turkey, and other authorities have placed this
event in 1301. But to what date do the historic sources of this period testify?
Pachymeres was a church and state historian, born at Nicaea, which was in the
vicinity of the Ottoman invasion; and he wrote his history during this very
period. He concluded his work about 1307, so he was a contemporary of
Othman.
Possinus,
in 1669, worked out a complete chronology of Pachymeres' history, giving the
dates for the eclipses of the moon and the sun, as well as other events,
recorded by Pachymeres in his work. Concerning the date 1299 Possinus says:
"Now
it is our task to give the exact and fundamental epoch of the Ottoman Empire.
This we shall try to effect by a thoroughgoing comparison of the dates given by
Arab chronologists and the testimony of our Pachymeres. This last- mentioned
author reports in the fourth book of this second part, chapter 25, that Atman
[Greek name for Othman] grew strong by taking the command over a very strong
band of bold and energetic warriors from Paphlagonia. When Muzalo, the Roman
army commander, attempted to block his progress, he defeated him in a battle
near Nicomedia, the capital of Bithynia. This city the lord of the battlefield
henceforth kept as if it were besieged. Now, Pachymeres is very explicit in
stating that these events took place in the immediate vicinity of Bapheum, not
far from Nicomedia, on the 27th day of July. The year, we asseverate [affirm]
in our synopsis, comparing carefully the events to have been of our Lord 1299."
[22]
The
synopsis to which Possinus refers gives the date of the uniting of these
Paphlagonians with Othman's forces, which took place on July 27, as 1299 of the
Christian Era, fifth year of Pope Boniface VIII, and the sixth year of Michael
Palaeologus. The statement is as follows:
"Atman
[Othman], the strap of the Persians, called also Ottomanes, the founder of the
still reigning dynasty of the Turcs, grew strong by joining to himself a great
number of fierce bandits from Paphlagonia." [23]
The
Paphlagonians under the sons of Amurius joined Othman in this attack of July
27, so that Possinus gives the date for this event twice as 1299.
Gregoras,
also a contemporary of Othman, supports Gibbon and Pachymeres in establishing
the date 1299 in his account of the division of Anatolia. This division among
ten Turkish emirs took place in 1300, as supported by reliable historians.
Gregoras states that in the division of Bithynia, indicating that Othman had
already fought the battle of Bapheum, and had conquered certain parts of this
eastern Roman-Greek territory.
"The
calculations of some writers have gone upon the supposition that the period
should begin with the foundation of the Ottoman Empire; but this is evidently
an error; for they not only were to have a king over them, but were to torment
men five months. But the period of torment could not begin before the first
attack of the tormentors, which was, as above [stated], July 27, 1299."
[24]
The
calculation which follows, founded on this starting point, was made and first
published in a work entitled, Christ's Second Coming, by Josiah Litch, in
1838.
"
'And their power was to hurt men five months.' Thus far their commission
extended, to torment by constant depredations, but not politically to kill
them. 'Five months' [thirty days to a month, one hundred and fifty days], that
is, one hundred and fifty years. Commencing July 27, 1299, the one hundred and
fifty years reach to 1449. During that whole period the Turks were engaged in
an almost perpetual war with the Greek Empire, but yet without conquering it.
They seized upon and held several of the Greek provinces, but still Greek
independence was maintained in Constantinople. But in 1449, the termination of
the one hundred and fifty years, a change came," [25] the history of which will
be found under the succeeding trumpet.
*******
This is so
incredibly much to read and to understand. This is history! This is
prophecy! We need to study
prophecy because we LIVE in the time of prophecy being fulfilled and we need to
find our place in prophecy so that we are fully awake to the times we live in.
We need to watch and we need to know what we are watching. Yes, we can remain
blind if we choose and MAKE NO MISTAKE we can choose to be blind here. We can
choose NOT to see! We are not forced to look, we are not forced to see anything.
We are allowed to be blind if we choose to be blind and not see anything of the
times in which we live now, and we are allowed to be blind to the PAST too! If
you ask people- being blind is something they would abhor, something to avoid at
all costs. Yet there are so many people who CHOOSE spiritual blindness, they
CHOOSE TO BE BLIND in the most important way ever.
Instead of shunning blindness they welcome it and despise anyone and
anything that would dare deprive them of their blindness.
May
God Bless and keep us as we continue to delve into the book of Revelation using
the historians of the past to open our eyes to the truth of His words and the
unfolding plan for our lives.
Please Savior!
Help us to discern the truth we need to discern, help us LORD!
In
Jesus, now and forever!
Amen.
Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
Mat 25:11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
Mat 25:12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Mat 25:13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Kingdom of Heaven like--
Ten virgins. Pure, undefiled people of God.
Ten virgins with lamps moving towards the bridegroom- our Savior. We live our lives with the realization that Christ's second coming is what we are living for. We live with the hope of salvation found in our loving Savior. We live awaiting the day we will be joined with our Savior, the bridegroom and bride together at last.
All of these people have lamps to hold the oil which brings forth light.
All of these people have oil in their lamps to begin with and their lamps are burning as they wait.
Those waiting for their Savior prepare for His second coming.
Let's imagine--
You are invited to a wedding and the wedding is prepared so that you'll need to have a lamp with oil in it ready to meet the groom before he goes on into the wedding ceremony. You believe that you'll only need an hours worth of oil because logic tells you that the groom will be prompt. However you want to be ready to have your lamp burning longer just in case something happens to delay the groom so you bring extra oil. Half the people around you are of the same mind, but the other half just bring enough oil for the prearranged time for things to get under way. So there you all are with your burning lamps waiting, and waiting, the time comes and then passes. While waiting every one grows sleepy and eventually falls asleep. The lamps are still burning using up the oil in them. By the time the cry that the bridegroom is coming is given, waking everyone up, there is a rush to get your lamps filled and burning again. Of course those with foresight have extra oil, those who thought they had enough had none and desperately want your oil so they can go meet the bridegroom too. You can't give them your oil though or you won't have enough. You tell them to go and get more oil elsewhere.
We ALL have to be ready for Christ's second coming.
We all have to have lamps.
We all have to have oil in those lamps.
We all have to have extra oil for those lamps.
The reason for this parable is to show that some will be ready for Christ's second coming and others will not be ready. The wise and the foolish. The prepared and the unprepared. Those who think they are all prepared and find out later they are not. Those who wait till the last moment to try and get what they need to be ready, but won't be able to.
We want to be prepared and we believe if we can understand what the lamp and the oil is we will make sure we have that lamp and have extra oil for it.
Jesus is the light.
Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
As long as Jesus was in the world… He was the light of the world.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh 14:17 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.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The Holy Spirit comes to us, the Spirit of truth. The world CANNOT receive the Spirit of truth, or know HIM but we will know Him and He will dwell with us and in us.
Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
The light of the world- JESUS.
The Holy Spirit given to us by Jesus.
Lamp and lights - enlightenment, knowledge of our Lord and Savior through His word… Jesus in the Word.
Psa 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psa 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life
Pro 13:9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
Isa 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light we need is our Savior-the Word, the Light, the Way, the Truth, the Life- and ALL of this is given to us through grace, the grace of our Savior.
We have to have Jesus in our lives- real, living, guiding, saving, loving, active, alive and we have to have Him and His grace ALWAYS. We can NEVER believe we can EVER on our own-- live. We can never expect to meet our Savior by our own means, our own devising. We have to have Christ with us ALWAYS not sporadically. We have to trust in His Righteousness, we have to trust in His grace, never in our own- we HAVE NONE. We need to believe, to have faith. We live here and now on earth with the promise of Christ living in us. We live here and now with the promised Comforter, the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
We can all have the Holy Spirit.
1Jn 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
1Jn 4:13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1Pe 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently
To meet the Bridegroom when He comes we need to be prepared through love, His love. Our faith needs to be alive, our faith needs to be active, our walk with Christ needs to be something very real to us, a reality like no other.
All sleep.
All wake.
All have lamps.
Some have enough oil for those lamps.
Some don't have enough oil for those lamps.
Some go on to meet the Bridegroom.
Some who desperately want to meet the Bridegroom will not.
Some are ready.
Some are not ready.
Some will have Christ - a living belief, brightly burning by the grace of our Savior the Word made flesh, through the gift of the Holy Spirit all by our Lord's righteousness.
Some will have a living belief but that living belief will NOT last, for them it is only temporary, they will trust in their own righteousness not Christ's, they will not trust in the Lord forever and ever through all things.
Our Savior is the only thing that matters.
People speculate on what things mean all the time, but in the end, all the matters is the Love of our Savior and us having faith in Him always for All things.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
By His Love, by His Grace, through His Righteousness now and forever!
Amen.
9/19/11
Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw
a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit.
Rev 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and
there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun
and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts
upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth
have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was commanded them that they
should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any
tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And to them it was given that they
should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their
torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death,
and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Rev 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like
unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like
gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Rev 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women,
and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Rev 9:9 And they had breastplates, as it were
breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots
of many horses running to battle.
Rev 9:10 And they had tails like unto scorpions,
and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five
months.
Rev 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is
the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but
in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Rev 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there
come two woes more hereafter.
Excerpt
taken from--
Daniel
and the Revelation by Uriah Smith
Verse
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the
earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
The
Fifth Trumpet.--For an exposition of this trumpet, we shall again draw from the
writings of Alexander Keith. This writer says:
"There
is scarcely so uniform an agreement among interpreters concerning any other
part of the Apocalypse as respecting the application of the fifth and sixth
trumpets, or the first and second woes, to the Saracens and the Turks. It is so
obvious that it can scarcely be misunderstood. Instead of a verse or two
designating each, the whole of the ninth chapter of the Revelation, equal
portions, is occupied with a description of both.
"The
Roman Empire declined, as it arose, by conquest; but the Saracens and the Turks
were the instruments by which a false religion became the scourge of an
apostate church; and hence, instead of the fifth and sixth trumpets, like the
former, being marked by that name alone, they are called woes.
. . .
"Constantinople
was besieged for the first time after the extinction of the Western Empire by
Chosroes [II], the king of Persia." [1]
The
prophet said, "I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was
given the key of the bottomless pit."
The
historian writes of this time:
"While
the Persian monarch [Chosroes II] contemplated the wonders of his art and
power, he received an epistle from an obscure citizen of Mecca, inviting him to
acknowledge Mahomet as the apostle of God. He rejected the invitation, and tore
the epsitle. 'It is thus,' exclaimed the Arabian prophet, 'that God will tear
the kingdom, and reject the supplications of Chosroes.' Placed on the verge of
the two great empires of the East, Mahomet observed with secret joy the
progress of their mutual destruction; and in the midst of the Persian triumphs,
he ventured to foretell, that before many years should elapse, victory should
again return to the banners of the Romans. At the time when this prediction is
said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its
accomplishment, since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the
approaching dissolution of the empire." [2]
It
was not on a single spot that this star fell, as did the one that designated
Attila, but upon the earth.
The
provinces of the empire in Asia and Africa were subdued by Chosroes II, and
"the Roman Empire was reduced to the walls of Constantinople, with the remnant
of Greece, Italy, and Africa, and some maritime cities, from Tyre to Trebizond,
of the Asiatic coast. . . . The experience of six years at length persuaded the
Persian monarch to renounce the conquest of Constantinople, and to specify the
annual tribute or ransom of the Roman Empire; a thousand talents of gold, a
thousand talents of silver, a thousand silk robes, a thousand horses, and a
thousand virgins. Heraclius subscribed these ignominious terms; but the time and
space which he obtained to collect such treasures from the poverty of the East,
was industriously employed in the preparation of a bold and desperate attack."
[3]
"The
king of Persia despised the obscure Saracen, and derided the message of the
pretended prophet of Mecca. Even the overthrow of the Roman Empire would not
have opened a door for Mahometanism, or for the progress of the Saracenic armed
propagators of an imposture, though the monarch of the Persians and chagan of
the Avars (the successor of Attila) had divided between them the remains of the
kingdoms of the Caesars. Chosroes himself fell. The Persian and Roman
monarchies exhausted each other's strength. And before a sword was put into the
hands of the false prophet, it was smitten from the hands of those who would
have checked his career and crushed his power." [4]
"Since
the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no bolder enterprise has been attempted than
that which Heraclius achieved for the deliverance of the empire. He . . .
explored his perilous way through the Black Sea and the mountains of Armenia,
penetrated into the heart of Persia, and recalled the armies of the great king
to the defense of their bleeding country. . . .
"In
the battle of Nineveh, which was fiercely fought from daybreak to the eleventh
hour, twenty-eight standards, besides those which might be broken or torn, were
taken from the Persians; the greatest part of their army was cut in pieces, and
the victors, concealing their own loss, passed the night on the field. . . .
The cities and palaces of Assyria were opened for the first time to the
Romans." [5]
"The
Roman emperor was not strengthened by the conquests which he achieved; and a
way was prepared at the same time, and by the same means, for the multitudes of
Saracens from Arabia, like locusts from the same region, who, propagating in
their course the dark and delusive Mahometan creed, speedily overspread both
the Persian and the Roman empires. More complete illustration of this fact
could not be desired than is supplied in the concluding words of the chapter
[from Gibbon], from which the preceding extracts are taken." [6]
"Although
a victorious army had been formed under the standard of Heraclius, the
unnatural effort appears to have exhausted rather than exercised their
strength. While the emperor triumphed at Constantinople or Jerusalem, an
obscure town on the confines of Syria was pillaged by the Saracens, and they
cut in pieces some troops who advanced to its relief, an ordinary and trifling
occurrence, had it not been the prelude of a mighty revolution. These robbers
were the apostles of Mahomet; their fanatic valor had emerged from the desert;
and in the last eight years of his reign, Heraclius lost to the Arabs the same
provinces which he had rescued from the Persians." [7]
"
'The spirit of fraud and enthusiasm, whose abode is not in the heavens,' was
let loose on earth. The bottomless pit needed but a key to open it, and that
key was the fall of Chosroes. He had contemptuously torn the letter of an
obscure citizen of Mecca. But when from his 'blaze of glory' he sunk into the
'tower of darkness' which no eye could penetrate, the name of Chosroes was
suddenly to pass into oblivion before that of Mahomet; and the crescent seemed
but to wait its rising till the falling of the star. Chosroes, after his entire
discomfiture and loss of empire, was murdered in the year 628; and the year 629
is marked by 'the conquest of Arabia,' and 'the first war of the Mahometans
against the Roman Empire.' 'And the
fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to
him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless
pit.'He fell upon the earth. When the strength of the Roman Empire was
exhausted, and the great king of the East lay dead in his tower of darkness, the
pillage of an obscure town on the borders of Syria was 'the prelude of a mighty
revolution.' 'The robbers were the apostles of Mahomet, and their fanatic valor
emerged from the desert.' " [8]
The
Bottomless Pit.--The meaning of this term may be learned from the Greek {GREEK
CHARACTERS IN PRINTED TEXT}, abyssos, which is defined "deep, bottomless, profound," and may refer to any waste, desolate, and
uncultivated place. It is applied to the earth in its original state of chaos.
(Genesis 1: 2.)
Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters.
In this instance it may appropriately
refer to the unknown wastes of the
Arabian desert, from the borders of which issued the hordes of Saracens,
like swarms of locusts. The fall of Chosroes II the Persian king may well be
represented as the opening of
the bottomless pit, inasmuch as it prepared the way for the followers of
Mohammed to issue from their obscure country and propagate their delusive
doctrines with fire and sword until they had spread their darkness over all the
Eastern Empire.
Verse
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as
the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of
the smoke of the pit.
"Like
the noxious and even deadly vapors which the winds, particularly from the
southwest, diffuse in Arabia, Mahometanism spread from hence its pestilential
influence--arose as suddenly and spread as widely as smoke arising out of the
pit, the smoke of a great furnace. Such is a suitable symbol of the religion of
Mahomet, of itself, or as compared with the pure light of the gospel of Jesus.
It was not, like the latter, a light from heaven, but a
smoke out of the bottomless pit." [9]
Verse
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was
given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
"A
false religion was set up, which, although the scourge of transgressions and
idolatry, filled the world with darkness and delusion; and swarms of Saracens,
like locusts, overspread the earth, and speedily extended their ravages over
the Roman Empire from east to west. The hail descended from the frozen shores
of the Baltic; the burning mountain fell upon the sea from Africa; and the
locusts (the fit symbol of the Arabs) issued from Arabia, their native region.
They came as destroyers, propagating a new doctrine, and stirred up to rapine
and violence by motives of interest and religion." [10]
"A
still more specific illustration may be given of the power like unto that of
scorpions, which was given them. Not only was their attack speedy and vigorous,
but 'the nice sensibility of honor, which weighs the insult rather than the
injury, sheds its deadly venom on the quarrels of the Arabs; an indecent
action, a contemptuous word, can be expiated only by the blood of the offender;
and such is their patient inveteracy, that they expect whole months and years
the opportunity of revenge.' " [11]
Verse
4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth,
neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the
seal of God in their foreheads.
After
the death of Mohammed, he was succeeded in the command by Abu-bekr in A.D. 632,
who as soon as he had fairly established his authority and government gathered
the Arabian tribes for conquest. When the army was assembled, he instructed his
chiefs on methods of conquest:
"When
you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves like men, without turning
your backs; but let not your victory be stained with the blood of women and
children. Destroy no palm-trees, nor
burn any fields of corn. Cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to
cattle, only such as you kill to eat. When you make any covenant, or
article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. As you go on, you will find
some religious persons who live retired in monasteries, and
propose to themselves to serve God that way; let them alone, and neither kill
them nor destroy their monasteries: and you will find another sort of
people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure
you cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter till they either turn
Mahometans or pay 'tribute.' " [12]
"It
is not said in prophecy or in history that the more humane injunctions were as
scrupulously obeyed as the ferocious mandate; but it so commanded them. And the
preceding are the only instructions recorded by Gibbon, and given by Abubeker
to the chiefs whose duty it was to issue the commands to all the Saracen hosts.
The commands are alike discriminating with the prediction, as if the caliph
himself had been acting in known as well as direct obedience to a higher
mandate than that of mortal man; and in the very act of going forth to fight
against the religion of Jesus, and to propagate Mahometanism in its stead, he
repeated the words which it was foretold in the Revelation of Jesus Christ that
he would say." [13]
Seal of God in Their Foreheads.--In remarks
upon Revelation 7: 1-3, we have shown that the seal of God is the Sabbath of
the fourth commandment. History is not silent upon the fact that there
have been observers of the true seventh-day Sabbath all through the gospel age.
But the question has here arisen with many, Who were those men who at this time
had the seal of God in their foreheads, and who thereby became exempt from
Mohammedan oppression? Let the reader bear in mind the fact already alluded to,
that there have been those all
through the Christian Era who have had the seal of God in their
foreheads, that is, have been intelligent observers of the true Sabbath.
Let him consider further that what the prophecy asserts is that the attacks of
this desolating Turkish power are not directed against them, but against another
class. The subject is thus freed from all difficulty, for this is all that the
prophecy really asserts. One class of person is directly brought to view in the
text, namely, those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. The
preservation of those who have the seal of God is brought in only by
implication. accordingly, we do not learn from history that any of these were
involved in any of the calamities inflicted by the Saracens upon the objects of
their hate. They were commissioned against another class of men. The destruction
to come upon this class is not put in contrast with the preservation of other
men, but only with that of the fruits and verdure of the earth; thus, Hurt not
the grass, trees, nor any green thing, but only a certain class of men. In
fulfillment, we have the strange spectacle of an army of invaders sparing those
things which such armies usually destroy, the face and productions of nature.
In pursuance of their permission to hurt those men who had not the seal of God
in their foreheads, they cleaved the skulls of a class of religionists with
shaven crowns, who belonged to the synagogue of Satan.
It would seem that these were monks, or some other order of the Roman Catholic
Church.
Verse
5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should
be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion,
when he striketh a man.
"Their
constant incursions into the Roman territory, and frequent assaults on
Constantinople itself, were an unceasing torment throughout the empire, which
yet they were not able effectually to subdue, notwithstanding the long period,
afterward more directly alluded to, during which they continued, by unremitting
attacks, grievously to afflict an idolatrous church, of which the pope was the
head. . . . Their charge was to torment, and then to hurt, but not to kill, or
utterly destroy. The marvel was that they did not." [14] (In reference to the
five months, see comments on verse 10.)
Verse
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall
desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
"Men
were weary of life, when life was spared only for a renewal of woe, and when
all that they accounted sacred was violated, and all they held dear constantly
endangered; and when the savage Saracens domineered over them, or left them
only to a momentary repose, ever liable to be suddenly or violently
interrupted, as if by the sting of a scorpion." [15]
Verse
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and
on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the
faces of men.
"The
Arabian horse takes the lead throughout the world; and skill in horsemanship is
the art and science of Arabia. And the barbed Arabs, swift as locusts and armed
like scorpions, ready to dart away in a moment, were ever prepared unto
battle.
"
'And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold.' When Mahomet entered
Medina (A.D. 622), and was first received as its prince, 'a turban was unfurled
before him to supply the deficiency of a standard.' The turbans of the
Saracens, like unto a coronet, were their ornament and their boast. The rich
booty abundantly supplied and frequently renewed them. To assume the turban is
proverbially to turn Mussulman. And the Arabs were anciently distinguished by
the miters which they wore." [16]
"And
their faces were as the faces of men." "The gravity and firmness of the mind
[of the Arab] is conspicuous in his outward demeanor; . . . his only gesture is
that of stroking his beard, the venerable symbol of manhood. . . . The honor . .
. of their beards is most easily wounded." [17]
Verse
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of
lions.
"Long
hair is esteemed an ornament by women. The Arabs, unlike to other men, had
their hair as the hair of women, or uncut, as their practice is recorded by
Pliny and others. But there was nothing effeminate in their character; for, as
denoting their ferocity and strength to devour, their teeth were as the teeth
of lions." [18]
Verse
9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of
their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
"The
cuirass (or breastplate) was in use among the Arabs in the days of Mahomet. In
the battle of Ohud (the second which Mahomet fought) with the Koreish of Mecca
(A.D. 624), 'seven hundred of them were armed with cuirasses.' " [19]
"
'The charge of the Arabs was not, like that of the Greeks and Romans, the
efforts of a firm and compact infantry; their military force was chiefly formed
of cavalry and archers.' . . . With a touch of the hand, the Arab horses dart
away with the swiftness of the wind. 'The sound of their wings was as the sound
of many horses running to battle.' Their conquests were marvelous both in
rapidity and extent, and their attack was instantaneous. Nor was it less
successful against the Romans than the Persians." [20]
Verse
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails:
and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them,
which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is
Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
"To
Hurt Men Five Months."--The question arises, What men were they to hurt five
months?--Undoubtedly the same they were afterward to slay (see verse 15), "the
third part of men," or third of the Roman Empire--the Greek division of it.
When
were they to begin their work of torment? The eleventh verse answers the
question.
"They
had a king over them." From the death of Mohammed until near the close of the
thirteenth century, the Mohammedans were divided into various factions under
several leaders, with no general civil government extending over them all. Near
the close of the thirteenth century, Othman founded a government which has since
been known as the Ottoman government, or empire, which grew until it extended
over all the principal Mohammedan tribes, consolidating them into one grand
monarchy.
Their
king is called "the angel of the bottomless pit." An angel signifies a
messenger, a minister, either good or bad, and not always a spiritual being.
"The angel of the bottomless pit" would be the chief minister of the religion
which came from thence when it was opened. That religion is Mohammedanism, and
the sultan was its chief minister.
His
name in the Hebrew tongue is "Abaddon," the destroyer; in Greek, "Apollyon,"
one that exterminates, or destroys. Having two different names in two languages,
it is evident that the character rather than the name of the power is intended
to be represented. If so, as expressed in both languages, he is a destroyer.
Such has always been the character of the Ottoman government.
But
when did Othman make his first assault on the Greek empire?-- According to
Gibbon "it was on the twenty-seventh of July, in the year twelve hundred and
ninety-nine of the Christian Era, that Othman first invaded the territory of
Nicomaedia; and the singular accuracy of the date seems to disclose some
foresight of the rapid and destructive growth of the monster." [21]
Von
Hammer, the German historian of Turkey, and other authorities have placed this
event in 1301. But to what date do the historic sources of this period testify?
Pachymeres was a church and state historian, born at Nicaea, which was in the
vicinity of the Ottoman invasion; and he wrote his history during this very
period. He concluded his work about 1307, so he was a contemporary of
Othman.
Possinus,
in 1669, worked out a complete chronology of Pachymeres' history, giving the
dates for the eclipses of the moon and the sun, as well as other events,
recorded by Pachymeres in his work. Concerning the date 1299 Possinus says:
"Now
it is our task to give the exact and fundamental epoch of the Ottoman Empire.
This we shall try to effect by a thoroughgoing comparison of the dates given by
Arab chronologists and the testimony of our Pachymeres. This last- mentioned
author reports in the fourth book of this second part, chapter 25, that Atman
[Greek name for Othman] grew strong by taking the command over a very strong
band of bold and energetic warriors from Paphlagonia. When Muzalo, the Roman
army commander, attempted to block his progress, he defeated him in a battle
near Nicomedia, the capital of Bithynia. This city the lord of the battlefield
henceforth kept as if it were besieged. Now, Pachymeres is very explicit in
stating that these events took place in the immediate vicinity of Bapheum, not
far from Nicomedia, on the 27th day of July. The year, we asseverate [affirm]
in our synopsis, comparing carefully the events to have been of our Lord 1299."
[22]
The
synopsis to which Possinus refers gives the date of the uniting of these
Paphlagonians with Othman's forces, which took place on July 27, as 1299 of the
Christian Era, fifth year of Pope Boniface VIII, and the sixth year of Michael
Palaeologus. The statement is as follows:
"Atman
[Othman], the strap of the Persians, called also Ottomanes, the founder of the
still reigning dynasty of the Turcs, grew strong by joining to himself a great
number of fierce bandits from Paphlagonia." [23]
The
Paphlagonians under the sons of Amurius joined Othman in this attack of July
27, so that Possinus gives the date for this event twice as 1299.
Gregoras,
also a contemporary of Othman, supports Gibbon and Pachymeres in establishing
the date 1299 in his account of the division of Anatolia. This division among
ten Turkish emirs took place in 1300, as supported by reliable historians.
Gregoras states that in the division of Bithynia, indicating that Othman had
already fought the battle of Bapheum, and had conquered certain parts of this
eastern Roman-Greek territory.
"The
calculations of some writers have gone upon the supposition that the period
should begin with the foundation of the Ottoman Empire; but this is evidently
an error; for they not only were to have a king over them, but were to torment
men five months. But the period of torment could not begin before the first
attack of the tormentors, which was, as above [stated], July 27, 1299."
[24]
The
calculation which follows, founded on this starting point, was made and first
published in a work entitled, Christ's Second Coming, by Josiah Litch, in
1838.
"
'And their power was to hurt men five months.' Thus far their commission
extended, to torment by constant depredations, but not politically to kill
them. 'Five months' [thirty days to a month, one hundred and fifty days], that
is, one hundred and fifty years. Commencing July 27, 1299, the one hundred and
fifty years reach to 1449. During that whole period the Turks were engaged in
an almost perpetual war with the Greek Empire, but yet without conquering it.
They seized upon and held several of the Greek provinces, but still Greek
independence was maintained in Constantinople. But in 1449, the termination of
the one hundred and fifty years, a change came," [25] the history of which will
be found under the succeeding trumpet.
*******
This is so
incredibly much to read and to understand. This is history! This is
prophecy! We need to study
prophecy because we LIVE in the time of prophecy being fulfilled and we need to
find our place in prophecy so that we are fully awake to the times we live in.
We need to watch and we need to know what we are watching. Yes, we can remain
blind if we choose and MAKE NO MISTAKE we can choose to be blind here. We can
choose NOT to see! We are not forced to look, we are not forced to see anything.
We are allowed to be blind if we choose to be blind and not see anything of the
times in which we live now, and we are allowed to be blind to the PAST too! If
you ask people- being blind is something they would abhor, something to avoid at
all costs. Yet there are so many people who CHOOSE spiritual blindness, they
CHOOSE TO BE BLIND in the most important way ever.
Instead of shunning blindness they welcome it and despise anyone and
anything that would dare deprive them of their blindness.
May
God Bless and keep us as we continue to delve into the book of Revelation using
the historians of the past to open our eyes to the truth of His words and the
unfolding plan for our lives.
Please Savior!
Help us to discern the truth we need to discern, help us LORD!
In
Jesus, now and forever!
Amen.