“And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.” Rev. 8:1-6.
We will omit commentary on the second verse, for it has reference to the seven trumpets, a subject which will be given extensive treatment in a separate article. The silence in heaven for about half an hour cannot be the second coming of Christ, as some have thought, for afterward the angel with the golden censer and incense, offered the prayers for the saints from the golden altar.
The Angel With The “Golden Censer”
As in previous discussions, it remains true here as well, that a correct understanding of the book of Revelation requires a correct knowledge of the symbolization, and application of the sanctuary and its services. Here we are introduced to the “golden censer” and the “altar of incense,” items which are strictly used in the Sanctuary for the atonement of sins and the prayer of all saints. The altar is in the holy place, “before the vail,” (Ex. 30:6), just opposite (in front of) the throne that is in the most holy, and it was only to be used by Aaron, the High priest. The two apartments were separated by a vail, and on the day of atonement, the vail or door of the earthly tabernacle was opened, and the high priest went “within the vail,” (Lev. 16:12-14), But let it be remembered that the door (vail) was left open while the high priest officiated, thus the two apartments became one on the day of atonement.
For this reason, the priests were not permitted in the holy place on that day, as they were at other times, for the vail being lifted, the holy place also became most holy. So while the door to the most holy was open, the entrance to the holy was closed. Therefore, the high priest alone used both apartments on the Day of Atonement. (See Lev. 16:17.) Thus the golden altar before the throne, from which the angel offered the prayers of the saints, was, and is, used in both periods – before, and in the time of the judgment. As the entire judicial tribunal (Judge, Advocate, Elders, etc.) were in the temple after the seventh seal had been opened, it is evident that the judgment was still in progress, and that probation had not closed at the time of the “silence;” for after the judgment has ceased and probation closed, no man can enter the temple. (See Rev. 15:8.)
As stated above, the golden censer is only used by the High Priest, therefore in this analysis, the “other angel” having the censer (Rev. 8:3), is a clear symbolization of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest, offering the “prayers of all saints” “before the [judgment] throne” at the mercy seat. This being truth, clearly sets at naught the remotest possibility that the “half an hour” silence points to Jesus Christ at His second coming, for it would be both illogical and unbiblical for Christ to be offering prayers of saints left on earth after His second advent, and likewise without meaning for the Father to accept these prayers long after probation’s gaping doors have been eternally shut. For said Christ, “he that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Rev. 22:11-12).
Had the “silence” of “half an hour” pointed to the coming of Christ, at which time He takes his saints with Him, there would be no necessity for the angel to offer their prayers. Furthermore, it would be unnecessary to “cast” fire, which is the “Spirit” of God (Acts 2: 1-4), from the golden altar to the earth. Again, if the opening of the seventh seal means the coming of Christ, then only those under the six seals would have been considered in the judgment, and there could be no seventh seal, which would show a lack of perfection and completeness of the judgment, and of the gospel. It would also be contrary to the number of seals on the book. As the six seals have reference to six periods in which the saints were sealed, the seventh must also apply to a sealing period; otherwise, it cannot be called, the seventh “seal.”
Now let us consider the truth as taught by the last seal. Note carefully the order of each act. The seal is opened, and silence follows, for it reads: “and when he had opened the seventh seal there was silence.” The silence was followed by the angel coming to the altar with the censer after he offered the prayers of the saints. And then he filled the censer with fire, and cast the fire into the earth and again the voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. This is the exact order of each event. After a time the Judicial demonstrations – the voices “saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,” the thunderings and the lightnings, – ceased for the space of half an hour, very definitely indicating that the Judicial proceedings of the first session of the Judgment adjourns, or enters into a “judicial recess,” only to resume again, after the recess had passed.
The “half an hour silence” for Court Recess in Heaven
What made this silence? As the judgment opened, John states: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings and voices;” and the four beasts “rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” (Rev. 4:5, 8.) The voices are continuous day and night while the judgment is going on. But when the seventh seal was opened these voices were silenced for about half an hour. After the angel offered the prayers of the saints and cast the fire upon the earth, the voices resumed. “And there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” Evidently the judgment, for some reason, had stopped, and half an hour later it resumed. It cannot be otherwise, for, if the judgment were going on, and the beasts and the elders kept silent, it would indicate that there was something wrong – something to which they could not say “amen” and praise God. Therefore, the only proper conclusion is that for some reason the judgment retired for half an hour.
What made the interruption and brought about the change? Let us first determine the length of the prophetic half hour. A day in prophetic time stands for a year. (Ezek. 4:6.) One hour is the twenty-fourth part of a prophetic year, and figuring thirty days to a month; it would be about two weeks. Half an hour turns out to be half of two weeks; therefore, seven literal days. Seven days were used for purification–cleansing. (See Ex. 29:35, 37; Lev. 12:2; 13:4, 5; 1, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 21, etc.) From these references we conclude that the “half an hour” or seven days stand for the purification of the church, pointing forward to the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1-6. But there is a more definite proof, which will clear all doubts.
In observance of the Passover, the Lord commanded Israel to celebrate that occasion seven days. (See Lev. 23:5-8.) Surely no one would say that God commanded His people to commemorate that event seven days with no object in view. Israel after the flesh going into Egypt, then out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, the Passover in Egypt on the night when the death angel smote the firstborn of man and beast at the departure of Israel, are types of the church at the present time – the church going out of Egypt – worldliness, the purification of the church, the separation of the tares from the wheat – the fulfillment of Ezekiel 9. (A complete explanation of this subject will be given in a future study on the 144,000.) The Spirit of Prophecy bears witness of this by the following statement: “The Passover was to be both commemorative and typical, not only pointing back to the deliverance from Egypt but forward to the greater deliverance which Christ was to accomplish in freeing His people from the bondage of sin.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 277. This work will be “fulfilled in the kingdom of God,” (Luke 22:16), an event which is yet future.
Thus the silence of half an hour points forward to this great event for the church of God. Its fulfillment would bring us to the time of the harvest, or as it is called, the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s Message of Revelation 18 – the last message for the world. Thus, while the five angels with the slaughter weapons are taking away those represented by the tares within the SDA church, there will be silence in heaven for about half an hour (seven days), after which the judgment will resume again for those who shall be sealed in the time of the great harvest–the sealing of the “great multitude,” (Rev. 7:9), which brings the end of the world. Said Jesus: “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” – the purified church of God. (Matt. 13:30.)
They who are to be sealed at that time were seen by John as “a great multitude” with palms in their hands. (See Rev. 7:9.) Hence the scroll has made a turn, and the sealing for those who shall be judged while living has begun. As stated before, the Passover night in Egypt is a type of the purification of the church, separating the tares from the wheat.
The crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites pointed forward to the fulfillment of Isaiah 63. Therefore, the prophet declares: “For the day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my redeemed is come.” (Isa. 63:4.)
“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? [He answers] I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment…. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servant’s sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.” Isa. 63: 1-3, also 17, 18.
The prophet saw Christ Himself returning from the slaughter of the Edomites – the class who were deceiving God’s people in the church, the tares, or adversaries who had trodden down His sanctuary. “Bozrah” means “sheepfold” (Micah 2:12) – the church. He saw His garments stained with the blood of the tares, in delivering His people from their hands. The prophet asked: “Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth the winefat?” The purification of the church makes it necessary for Christ to leave the place of judgment and descend to deliver His redeemed (the 144,000), and this is what causes the judgment to cease, and the voices to be silenced for about half an hour – seven days.
The Spirit of Prophecy bears witness of the same. “The Lord Jesus shall rise up from His mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, and shall clothe himself with the garments of vengeance, and surprise them at their unholy feast; and they will find themselves unprepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb.” – Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 690. Peter, looking forward to the purification of God’s church, and the commencement of the judgment for the living, says: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17.)
It is the reception or rejection of the message of the True Witness that will fix the destiny of the two classes as described in the following testimony: “I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the true Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people.” – Early Writings, p. 270.
In the earthly sanctuary, the high priest entered the most holy apartment once a year, and on that particular day, every Israelite was to confess his sin. He who neglected to comply with the divine requirements was “cut off” from his people. (See Lev. 23:29, 30.) Thus, during the day of antitypical atonement (judgment, or cleansing of the sanctuary), as set forth in Daniel 8:14, is a day of purification for the camp of Israel, the church – putting away sin and sinners. The earthly sanctuary was a figure of the heavenly. (See Heb. 9:23, 24.) It was instituted with its ceremonial system to point forward to the work of Christ, our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary during the antitypical period – New Testament time. As the sanctuary with all its services was a figure or type of the true, the heavenly, under the administration of Christ, so the typical Day of Atonement must point out the truth in the anti-typical period – our time.
While the judgment for the living is in progress, every sin must be confessed and put away. Those who would neglect this great privilege will find themselves involved in everlasting ruin – cut off from among their people, the living saints. We now illustrate the difference between the opening of the judgment for the dead as compared with that of the living:
| Event No. | Judgment for the Dead (Rev. 4: 5; 6: 12) | Judgment for the Living (Rev. 8: 5) | Judgment in Seven Last Plagues (Rev. 16: 18) |
| 1 | Earthquake | Voices | Voices |
| 2 | Lightenings | Thunderings | Thunderings |
| 3 | Thunderings | Lightenings | Lightenings |
| 4 | Voices | Earthquake | Earthquake |
A close analysis of the above table will show that both judgments opened in reverse order. While the judgment of the dead opened with an earthquake and ended with voices, the judgment of the living opened with voices and ended with an earthquake. The same will be seen at the close of the Plagues–the finality of God’s judgments upon the living (Rev. 16: 18).
As we have seen, the silence divides the two pre-millennial Judicial sessions, the one for the dead and the other for the living, and the fire from the heavenly altar, the voices, lightnings, and thunderings, descend to earth. These facts, along with a number of scriptures on the subject, besides the remainder of The Revelation, the chapters after the breaking of the seventh seal, prove that the Judgment of the living, the cleansing of the earthly temple, is something which takes place on earth, and not in heaven only!
In summary, therefore, we see that the seals do overlap each other and that they are not necessarily sequential, thus while the sixth seal brings us up to the second coming of Christ to our world (Rev. 6: 14-17) and the end of sin and sinners, until the final lake of fire burnings, the seventh seal goes back in time and sheds more light on the sealing events under the period of the sixth seal.
That the seals overlap each other is not unique to the sixth and seventh seals alone but is applicable to all seven. Let’s take a closer look: under the second seal we saw the peace-destroying sword of the second rider causing killings and bloodshed in the human family, but this experience was more noticeable under the post-flood world when not only killings took place, but the beautiful earth was now completely destroyed as it lost its Edenic topography to the destructive waters of the great flood. Likewise, the events of the third seal introduced trading amongst the nations, as well as the period of intense spiritual darkness, when even God’s Words were in danger of being meddled with by sinful man (Rom. 1:18-32), but these events continued throughout time, even to our day! The fourth seal and its “death” rider, brought forth destruction to the Christians under Pagan and Papal Rome, similar to the destructive career of the non-descript beast in Dan. 7:7-8, but persecutions and destruction of Christians are still going on in our world today. Next comes the work of the fifth seal which envisioned the “souls” of those slain, during the fourth seal, “under the altar,” and the voice declared that the killing should continue until the time of the judgment. All these events have overlapped each other, but their particular time of concentrated focus was given divine recognition.
It is a matter of principle with the Bible that the Lord gives amplified light on events already explained. For example, in Daniel 2, the great image and the stone did not completely describe the career of the Papacy and the Catholic church during the dark ages, for while we read of iron mingled with clay, we did not see the career of the little horn, yet it took chapters seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve, to completely treat this subject in an amplified light. The same is true for the seven seals. Indeed, the rest of the Revelation deals with the events occurring under the sixth and seventh seals, simultaneously.
Take for example the Mark of the Beast, the Plagues and the Time of Trouble, these are events affecting the living in our time–the end of the world–under the period designated as the sixth and seventh seals, respectively. Let’s now look on the seven distinct messages of salvation sent from the Eternal to a lost and dying world:
- The Message to and by Adam Gen. 3:16-Enmity between the woman’s seed and the serpent’s seed, and the promise of the true Seed–the Deliverer to come.
- The Message of Noah, Gen. 6-7, come into the ark and be thou saved–the Patriarchs and the Prophets.
- The call of Israel or Message of Moses, and the Sanctuary with its attendant services–The Law and the Prophets.
- The Message of Christ and the Early Christian Church–Matt. 28: 19-20 and Acts 4:10-12.
- The Messages of the Reformation with the Cleansing of the Sanctuary, and the second advent of Christ–the 2300 days of prophecy, Dan. 8:13-14 & Dan.9:22-27, Rev. 10.
- The Third Angel’s Message–The Judgment of the Dead–Rev. 14: 6-12
- The Fourth Angel’s Message–The Judgment of the Living–Rev. 18: 1-5; the Elijah Message (Mal. 4: 4, 5).
“Behold,” declares the Lord, “I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,… But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.” Mal. 3:1.
Yes, the work of the second Judicial session includes the earthly sanctuary, the church. At that time the Lord’s “fire” is “in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.” Isa. 31:9.
“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
“And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.” Micah 4:2-4.
“…then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…
“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:31-34, 41.
“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Hitherto is the end of the matter….” Dan. 7:27, 28.
“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”–The Great Controversy, p. 678.
Author: Garrick Augustus, June 21, 2001
The Adventist's Understanding of Prophecy 
the half hour silence in heaven is the millennium. half hour in heaven is a thousand year of peace on earth because satan is chained in the abyss, he cannot do some troubles while in prison.
LikeLike
Hi eaglet:
Thanks for sharing on this blog. I appreciate your ideas, though I don’t agree with them for the following reasons:
“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8).
Allowing that there are 24 hours in a day, or 48-half hour segments, then 1/48th of 1000 = 20.83 years (20 years & 8 months). By your method, then we would be in heaven for not 1000 years but only approximately 21. But there’s more…
The trumpets reveal events that precede the thousand year reign in heaven, such as the first Advent of Christ in Rev. 9: 1, 2-the Angel who was given the key to the Bottomless pit (Rev. 20: 1-3).
I appreciate, however, your willingness to share. Shalom.
LikeLike
1 John 2:18
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
If you will take the above verse literally, then it would mean that the final antichrist appeared already in John’s time, but did not yet.
But if the antichrist will appear in our time, what could an hour be then in John’s perspective?
Revelation 8:1
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
What could be a half hour be then in John’s perspective for this particular verse?
Remember that it is John who wrote the Book of Revelation and the Book of 1 John. Something to really think about. He both saw what is happening in Heaven and what is happening on Earth in the end times.
Trumpet Judgement happens at the end of the Millennium. Here are some following pointers:
1. The angel (satan) that ascended out of the abyss/bottomless pit/prison. Rev. 20
2. The time for judging the dead (not the dead in Christ and not those whom God will reward which is His servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear His name, both small and great, …) / White Throne Judgement. Rev. 20
3. The 200 million man army riding on horse-like beasts/locusts. Gog (satan/8th King/Apollyon/Abaddon/Destroyer) and Magog (deceived nations). Their NUMBER is like the sands in the seashore. John heard their NUMBER. Rev. 20
This is not a popular view and I think I am the only one so far who had this view as I searched for other blogs and websites and have found none. So this is definitely be ignored and if received, I guess with much criticism and condemnation.
LikeLike
Hi: Finding the truth is not a popularity show, so rest assured that even if your position were correct, and you were the only one holding to such a view, you would be on Truth’s side. And that’s what matters.
As it turns out though, your assumptions as to what John had in his head are not the correct approach to understanding the Scriptures, for the prophecies came not by the will of men, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet. 2: 21).
Since scriptures contain that which is in the mind of God, then only his definition of that time measure will be accepted. I have demonstrated in my article how to measure prophetic time, such as the half-hour.
Contrary to your assumptions also, the 200-million are not devils, but actual evangelists (wise as serpents and harmless as doves).
LikeLike
John saw that the Ten Kings will rule for one hour. obviously this is not literal and should be taken as what John perceived it to be like in 1 John 2:18 and Rev. 8:1. John has a very different understanding of what an hour is to him.
Rev. 6 is the Great Tribulation (Rev. 16 talks about mountains and island removed/fled from its place). It also parallels Matthew 24, Joel, Zechariah.
Rev. 7 is the rapture resurrection of the 144,000 and the great multitudes.
Rev. 8 is the Millennium, the half hour silence in Heaven, and the thousand year of peace on earth. The royal priesthood, the saints, ministering in the golden altar, interceding for the nations to Jesus Christ the King (not as High Priest anymore).
Rev. 9, 10 is the end of the Millennium and the start of the Trumpet Judgement. The little scroll (different from the Scroll and the Lamb of Rev. 5) will be given to the two witnesses to prophesy and preach repentance again to the rebelling nations. The two witnesses will be killed by satan, the angel who came out of the abyss, Gog, 8th king, Abaddon, Appollyon, the Killer, the Stealer, the Destroyer.
Rev. 11 is the White Throne Judgement. The Dead (not the Dead in Christ) will be judged, those whose name was written in the Book of Life will be the nations (sheep) in the New Heaven and New Earth, those who are not will be thrown in the Lake of Fire. The prophets and the saints (who were the royal priesthood during the millennium) will be rewarded with crowns, and will become kings over the nations in the New Heaven and New Earth.
Rev. 12 up to 21 is another start of a narrative of the same prophetic story of the end, described and explained in a different manner, some narratives are historical, some are encompassing, some overlapping, but somehow generally chronological still.
LikeLike
I agree with you that there are various time measures which are indicated in the Scriptures, however, I must caution that these time measures were not arrived at by the prophets, themselves, but by Inspiration. Hence, it is not that which was customary to the prophets in their times that counts, but that which the Mind of God teaches. For example, the “one hour” in Revelation 17, has reference to the “finishing of the mystery of God”–the proclamation of the everlasting Gospel. Hence this is the last “hour” of probationary time, the period from the 11th to the 12th hour, as referred to in Matt. 20: 1-11.
Similarly, the “half hour” in Rev. 8, is a measure of time relating to the judgment, as has been shown in my article on the subject.
In the final analysis, however, the truth of these things must be lived out in our lives so we can be prepared to meet the King when He comes. For a head of knowledge without a heart surrender to His “statutes, judgments, and commandments,” will profit us nothing, but a life lived to his glory while leading others to knowing Him, whom to know is life eternal, is worth everything.
LikeLike
Who then among us are the prophets in this modern times?
Does this explanation about when the Rapture and Resurrection will take place need to be approved or confirmed by a prophet?
SCRIPTURES THAT DESTROYED THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE DOCTRINE:
Rev. 21:9 is about The New Jerusalem, the Bride, the Wife (Married already) of the Lamb (this is after the end of the Millennium, and start of the New Heaven and New Earth)
9 ONE OF THE SEVEN ANGEL who had the SEVEN BOWLS full of the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the BRIDE, the WIFE of the LAMB.”
(I hope we don’t have another bride in mind, like what pretribbers did to Matthew 24:29,30, making it the second rapture/resurrection, which they say is still an integral part of the first resurrection of Rev. 20. Jesus will get His Bride one time only, not several times)
Question:
Why does it have to be ONE OF THE SEVEN ANGELS WHO HAD THE SEVEN BOWLS, after he had done his task a thousand years ago, be the one appointed by Jesus to show to John the Bride? Why not one of the seven angels who had the trumpets, or Michael, or Gabriel, or any other Angels? Have you wondered why is this angel worth mentioning in introducing the Bride to John?
Answer:
Checkout Rev. 16:12-15
12 THE SIXTH ANGEL POURED OUT HIS BOWL on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
15 Behold I come like a THIEF (to snatch or steal away)! BLESSED is the ONE who stays awake (WISE VIRGINS?) and remains clothed (OIL/HOLY SPIRIT/ROBE), so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” Matthew 22
Question:
Why this sudden insertion in the execution of the Sixth Bowl Judgement and just prior to the punishment of the Great Whore (opposite of the Bride) and prior to Armageddon? What is the relevance of this passage in the coming chaotic and troublesome scenario?
Answer: So Obvious. Unless Jesus just wanted to mention it for no reason at all.
To make the above more logically valid, here is another scripture to back it up:
Rev. 16:17-19
17 The SEVENTH ANGEL poured out his BOWL into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered BABYLON THE GREAT and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.
Rev. 17:1
17 ONE of the SEVEN ANGELS who had the SEVEN BOWLS came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the GREAT PROSTITUTE, who sits by many waters.
Here is the Logic:
The Sixth Angel who holds the Sixth Bowl Judgement introduced the Bride because he is the one who witnessed the resurrection of the dead in Christ and rapture of the alive in Christ.
The Seventh Angel who holds the Seventh Bowl Judgement introduced the Great Whore because he is the one who witnessed the punishment of the Great Whore/Babylon the Great/Mystery Babylon/Mother of Harlots.
After Jesus snatched his Bride, he then turned and dealt with the Great Whore. Just rightly so isn’t it?
Boooom!!! There you have it, no amount of twisting or allegory can refute this scriptures.
God help us in this trying and deceptive end times.
eaglet
LikeLike
Eaglet: Thanks for sharing. I appreciate your effort in showing some relevance of the angel in Rev. 21: 9 to the one in Rev. 17, and 17. I know you espouse a “rapture theory,” which I don’t see in the Bible, but I assume that by “rapture” you mean the Second Coming of Christ, in power and great glory, and not a “secret” snatching away of saints, without a boom and a blast!
I am wondering, based on contents of your post: do you claim prophetic inspiration for your views regarding the silence and the “rapture”?
Shalom
LikeLike
The Testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy. Prophesying does not pertain only to the end times, it is about the Word of Truth that once shared, applied, and practiced it will surely come to fruition. Jesus said whatever you sow, you will reap, this is a prophetic utterance. It holds true for both the natural and the spiritual.
When Paul said I would rather want you to prophesy than to speak in tongues, he means we need to share the Word of Truth, and the Word of Truth can only be found in the Holy Scriptures (Bible and Rapture is not literally mentioned in the Holy Scriptures).
So I guess what I am doing is just reading, understanding, and sharing plainly the Word of Truth (Prophecy of Jesus Christ) with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. If it is not from the Holy Spirit, then that is because my heart’s motives is not right and not in the center of the Will of God, and God has a way of rebuking me by allowing a fellow believer to lovingly correct me. I am teachable.
Matthew 16:15-17
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Six verses after…(Man’s number)
Matthew 16:23
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Peter is not satan.
The same mouth that glorified Jesus Christ is the same mouth that insulted Jesus Christ. I find myself and others too in Peter’s shoes sometimes.
LikeLike
Most prophecy students (The Holy Spirit is the Teacher) never bothered to find out what is the content of the Scroll that Jesus Christ opened when he finally removed all the Seven Seals.
In Rev. 10:7 it was said, “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”
This was said when the Seventh Seal had already been removed and the Trumpet Judgements has already been happening.
In Colossians 2-2-3, It said that the Mystery of God is Christ, “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”
When the Seventh Seal was removed the Mystery of God is finally revealed and accomplished, God’s great plan of salvation and justice to mankind, through Christ , Jesus His Son.
Salvation and Judgement did not end at the First Resurrection. It ends at the Great White Throne Judgement.
In Rev. 20, it said that the rest of the Dead did not rise yet until the thousand years had ended. So there is no judgement yet that had happen right after the Second Advent.
The Sheep and the Goat Judgement happens at the White Throne Judgement. The Judgement Seat of Christ termed by Paul, the White Throne Judgement termed by John, and the Sheep and the Goat Judgement termed by Jesus Christ, are one and the same. Jesus Christ, The King, is the Judge.
The sheep inherits eternal life while the goats where thrown in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Only the beast and the false prophet were thrown in the lake of fire at the Second Advent. The devil and his angels, and the Goats (all the Dead that was raised at the end of the millennium whose name was not found written in the Book of Life) were all thrown in the Lake of Fire after the White Throne Judgement.
This is just one of my arguments about my case that the Seventh Seal is the Millennium and the Trumpets Judgement happens at the end of the Millennium.
Here are the other key points that you need to reconcile in the time line:
1. Who is the beast (angel) that ascended out of the bottomless pit (abyss/prison)? Rev. 10, Rev. 20
2. Who are the Dead that is going to be judged? Rev. 11, Rev. 20
3. Does the 200 Million Man Army of Rev. 9 refers to Magog in Rev. 20 whose NUMBERS are like the sands in the sea shore? John heard their NUMBER.
4. Who is Abaddon and Apollyon? Who is Gog? Why is satan called by many names and titles?
5. Will God give a chance for the rebellious nations to repent at the end of the millennium through His Two Witnesses? What is the difference between the Little Scroll and the Scroll of the Lamb? What does it mean to Prophesy AGAIN?
LikeLike
I can appreciate your Bible knowledge, and am thrilled to see that you agree that the trumpets contain “the mystery of God”–the revelation of Jesus Christ–the plan of Salvation. This view is not widely accepted in the Christian world, even though it is biblical.
You said, “When the Seventh Seal was removed the Mystery of God is finally revealed and accomplished, God’s great plan of salvation and justice to mankind, through Christ , Jesus His Son.”
I have difficulty with this notion, for the “mystery of God” was revealed to Paul and all the Apostles, even while angels in past ages desired to look into these things. But that the “mystery” is no long hid but “revealed” is evident from a clear reading of the New Testament. From my reading of the Bible I see that the “mystery is fulfilled” when the seventh trumpet “begins” to sound, not the seventh seal.
That salvation was not closed when the 7th seal opened is evidenced by the angel’s offering up the prayers of all saints before God (Rev. 8: 3, 4), an event which can only have relevance during probationary time–the time when people can be saved by calling upon God. This will not be the case after the 2nd coming of Christ to begin the 1000-year vacation with the saints in Heaven above.
I am not sure what you meant when you stated: “Salvation and Judgement did not end at the First Resurrection. It ends at the Great White Throne Judgement.”
My read of your comments show that you are joining two subjects into one –“salvation and judgment,” even while the Bible makes them discrete. At His Coming, for example, Christ makes the following declaration: “11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Rev. 22: 11, 12).
So though “judgment” of the great white throne was still more than 1000 years into the future, he showed that the doors of salvation were closed to sinners at the time of his coming. You actually made this case very eloquently, even as you struggle to show that salvation was still available to sinners for 1000 years after the second coming. This is the aspect that I have difficulty with, and recommend that you review it closely.
Your statement: “This is just one of my arguments about my case that the Seventh Seal is the Millennium and the Trumpets Judgement happens at the end of the Millennium,” cannot be sustained by the evidences I shared above, showing that salvation was still available during the 7th seal, which preceded the 1000 years. I will admit that being the 7th, then that seal comprehends all the final events of sin, from the time of its opening with the half-hour silence, through to the time of its closing, at the great white throne judgment—the final eradication of sin and sinners.
Your below assignment to me, is premature, since we have not addressed those topics in this discussion:
“1. Who is the beast (angel) that ascended out of the bottomless pit (abyss/prison)? Rev. 10, Rev. 20
2. Who are the Dead that is going to be judged? Rev. 11, Rev. 20
3. Does the 200 Million Man Army of Rev. 9 refers to Magog in Rev. 20 whose NUMBERS are like the sands in the sea shore? John heard their NUMBER.
4. Who is Abaddon and Apollyon? Who is Gog? Why is satan called by many names and titles?
5. Will God give a chance for the rebellious nations to repent at the end of the millennium through His Two Witnesses? What is the difference between the Little Scroll and the Scroll of the Lamb? What does it mean to Prophesy AGAIN?”
Shalom in Messiah
LikeLike
To prove to you that there is Salvation in the Second Resurrection, let me rephrase the Scriptures below according to the popular understanding of bible scholars that all the Dead that were raised at the Second resurrection were thrown in the Lake of Fire, and see if there is a check in your spirit that something is not right in this rephrasing:
Revelation 20:11-15 – The Judgment of the Dead
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. ALL of the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up ALL the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up ALL the dead that were in them, and each person was judged FOR THE EVIL THINGS they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 ALL THE DEAD THAT WERE RAISED, ALL OF THEM WERE not found written in the book of life, SO ALL OF THEM WERE thrown into the lake of fire.
Now if you think this is not right, then it could be possible that not all will be thrown in the Lake of Fire, some will be saved still. So there will still be salvation then at the Second Resurrection?
Can we say then that the Mystery of God will be complete at the White Throne Judgement, at the blowing of the 7th Trumpet?
Here is another Scripture to substantiate my claim of Salvation at the White Throne Judgement:
Matthew 25:31-46 – The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious (White) throne. 32 All the NATIONS will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the ETERNAL FIRE (Lake of Fire) prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Nowhere in Scriptures that it said that the Dead (not the Dead in Christ) were judged and thrown in the Lake of Fire at the Second Advent. Rev. 20 clearly said that the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.
The rewarding of the saints and the prophets happened at the white throne judgement. They were just given authority to judge (judges) and be the royal priesthood during the Millennium, as intercessors for the nation at the Golden/Royal Altar (entirely different from the altar where souls cry out for justice, they were not saints yet) before the Throne of God (Heaven is my throne and the Earth is my foot stool/altar).
The Saints and the Prophets will only become kings (Rev. 22) over the nations (sheep) in the New Heaven and New Earth once they receive their Crowns (rewards) at the White Throne Judgement. Priest does not wear crowns, kings do.
THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE END OF THE STORY. THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL FINALLY SEE THE BIG PICTURE.
Matthew 20:1-16 – God’s Grace, Justice, and Sovereignty
LikeLike
I see your point, but I can’t agree with it, for it militates against other parts of the Bible. For example, look at these verses connectively:
“5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”
Observe carefully that those who died (aka “the rest of the dead”) did not come up on the first resurrection, but in the Second. And of this class the pronouncement could not be more clear: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.” The corollary of this is thought is simply this, “CURSED and UNHOLY is he that hath part in the SECOND resurrection.”
It is helpful to see that in the Second Resurrection comes up Satan and the “rest of the wicked dead,” who in the fullness of time are consumed at the great white throne judgment.
More could be elaborated on the other verses you cited, but I believe it is only sufficient to demonstrate that your rational is in collision with the Scriptures on a number of counts, of which the following is the final:
“The Saints and the Prophets will only become kings (Rev. 22) over the nations (sheep) in the New Heaven and New Earth once they receive their Crowns (rewards) at the White Throne Judgement. Priest does not wear crowns, kings do.”
I will demonstrate to you that “priests” DO wear crowns; here it comes:
“4 And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 5 And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 6 And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy *crown* upon the mitre.” (Ex. 29: 4-6).
Shalom in Messiah
LikeLike
If there are about 1 million priests in the millennium only one has a crown, the High Priest. If there are also a million kings during the millennium, all of them has crowns. Crowns is more befitting to kings than to priests.
Are we all gonna be High Priest in the Millennium and through eternity in the New Heaven and New Earth? Will we still do our priestly duties even if there will be no need of a temple anymore because God and the Lamb already had tabernacled with us? Rev. 22
With your strong contention that no one will be saved in the white throne judgement, you believe then that Israel will not be saved, those who had died long ago before the Second Advent and even those who lived on through the millennium.
Like I said the Book of Revelation is the whole and the end of the Story. All Scriptures from the Old and New Testament lined up to it.
What is the relevance of Jesus Christ, before His resurrection, descended to the place of the Dead to minister and preach to the Spirits who are imprisoned there in the Outer Darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth?.
Let the Holy Spirit be our Teacher, not those Bible Scholars who was schooled from the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Evangelical, Adventist, Catholic Theological Seminaries.
Be a Berean.
LikeLike
Regarding the fact Biblical “priests” do wear crowns, here is more evidence: “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” (Re 4:4). Here is an instance of 100% of the elders in heaven all wearing crowns. Does this support your views?
You said, “With your strong contention that no one will be saved in the white throne judgement, you believe then that Israel will not be saved, those who had died long ago before the Second Advent and even those who lived on through the millennium.”
I don’t accept the notion that salvation is metered out based on nationalism, such as one being an Israelite, but purely on the merits of the blood of the Lamb. Having said that however, I must also hasten to say that there were many faithful Israelites (Hebrews) who have died in faith of the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ—Y’shuah), and who will be resurrected by him BEFORE the millennium. Please read Ezek. 37: 1-14. They are called “the whole house of Israel.”
Your conjecture that there will be people “who lived on through the millennium,” is without Bible foundation. You have made that statement repeatedly, but you have not provided any support, as I have with the views I project. It is not sufficient to state a position, but more essential that you prove that position from an accurate reading of the Bible. Here is an example of an inaccurate reading of the Scriptures, exhibited by you:
“What is the relevance of Jesus Christ, before His resurrection, descended to the place of the Dead to minister and preach to the Spirits who are imprisoned there in the Outer Darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth?.”
By this I take it that you are convinced that after His death, Christ went to the holding place of all the wicked dead and preached to their living spirits! The first problem with this view is that we must understand that when a person dies, there is no consciousness left. In the language of the Bible, it says, “5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” Eccl. 9: 5, 6.
This inspired passage among others clearly teach that the dead knows nothing! Christ who created mankind knows this fact too, and would NEVER attempt to preach to the dead, when he too was dead. Can the dead preach to the dead, or the blind lead the blind? This view that you hold is a misunderstanding of this passage,
“18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3: 18-20).
Observe carefully that Christ did not literally go to preach to the dead, but the same “Spirit” which quickened him from the dead—the Holy Spirit, was the agent who in the days of Noah, preached to the disobedient souls that were alive in his days, when the ark was being prepared (built). How do I know that this the correct view of the Bible? Here’s more:
“ For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter 4: 6). Who preached the gospel to them (the antediluvians) that are now dead? It was faithful Noah, and his family, not Jesus Christ upon His death. That to would have shown great partiality on His part if he only preached to the “souls who lived before the flood.” What about all the other nations, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, whole of Africa, Assyria, India, Europe, China, America, etc? Why just the nations who lived before the flood, when there were God-hating nations who lived post flood, and died in their sins?
The truth of the matter is that the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy is the agency through which God in diverse ways and sundry times have spoken to the fathers, and he still has that ministering gift invested in His church today.
From our very first conversation, I could not help wondering, but now let me openly ask the question: Are you Sister Carol from my Online Bible class? If you are, and I have a strong feeling that it is you, please feel free to come and discuss these questions openly with us whenever time permits. Shalom to you, in Messiah’s name.
LikeLike
Sorry I am not who you thought I was. I am Roderick Cruz, I am a Filipino. I should have used RodKing Cross as my blog name instead of eaglet so you could have gotten the hint that i am a male : )
Study Ezekiel 38 & 39 to give you an idea that there will be remnants to repopulate the earth again in the millennium.
Ezekiel 39 is about the Armageddon War. The key words here are the great supper that was prepared for the carrion birds; Seven Years of burning weapons for fuel and burying the corpse for seven months which is not possible if you place this event in the great tribulation; God made himself known to Israel as the Lord after He destroyed Gog and Magog (Beast, False Prophet, Kings, Mighty Men, Rev.6 Sixth Seal)
Ezekiel 38 is the Gog Magog War at the end of the millennium. The key words here are the people who lived in peace and safety, unwalled city, recovered from war (armageddon); God made Himself known to the NATIONS as the Lord after He destroyed Gog and Magog (Satan and 200 million deceived man army)
Please understand deeply if Rev. 20 did said that all the dead that were raised from the sea, death, and hades, all were wicked, all were thrown in the Lake of Fire, because all were not found written in the Book of Life, and no one was spared.
Also in Rev. 22, if there will be no NATIONS (Matthew 25) in the New Heaven and New Earth, only kings, angels, elders, and the four beasts.
Again, the Book of Revelation is where you will know the end of the story. Everything will be made clear at the end. Just like in the movies, you will only get the whole picture at the end.
Peace Brother in Christ!
LikeLike
Sorry for the length of this reply:
You said: “Study Ezekiel 38 & 39 to give you an idea that there will be remnants to repopulate the earth again in the millennium.”
I have studied and taught on those chapters and wish to share with you some facts about life on earth during the millennium. In doing so, we must do some accounting of all life on earth up to time of the first resurrection when Jesus takes His saints away. Let’s begin with Revelation 19:
“11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Rev. 19: 11-14
I believe we can all agree that this is the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth, when he comes with His armies to destroy the wicked inhabitants of earth. The purpose for His “armies” with Him is because there will be a war—a great one—called Armageddon, in which the armies of earth will square off against the armies of Heaven! Did you know that all the ICBM’s and Laser weapons, as well as other guided missile technologies in the world’s militaries will be directed against Christ and His army? Look at this:
“14 These [ten kings] shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” Rev. 17: 14
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.” Rev. 19: 19.
Clearly, we can see that He whose name is “the Lamb,” and “the Word of God,” will be attacked by the armies of earth in a most colossal warfare.
“14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Rev. 16: 14-16.
1. DESTRUCTION OF THE ARMIES OF EARTH
Observe that this cosmic battle is also called “the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” It will be the mother of battles, so to speak. So let’s continue with our accounting work of humans on earth:
“15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.” Rev. 19: 15-18
In these verses you can see that this King of Kings is Jesus Christ, and he will tread down the winepress of evil in the fierceness of divine wrath of Almighty God. This is the language of war, or destruction! The fowls (vultures) are called to come and dine at this sumptuous meal (sacrifice) that is prepared for them in the form of the flesh of man and beast. Notice that this sacrifice included “all men both free and bond, both small and great!” So those who are not with Jesus Christ at this time, will be included among “all” the wicked who are here ready to be consumed by vultures after the war. Let’s continue reading…
2. DESTRUCTION OF THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET
“19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Rev. 19: 19, 20
So the battle lines were drawn in v. 19, and in 20 we see that the “beast” and “false prophet” (See Rev. 16: 12, 13), known deceivers of earth’s inhabitants, were arrested and thrown “alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” They are toast, and have no more function on earth, unless they come back to life by a resurrection; agreed? Let’s continue…
3. DESTRUCTION OF THE REMAINDER OF EARTH’S WICKED
“21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Rev. 19: 21.
You can easily see that the word “remnant” here speaks of the remainder of the wicked living people who inhabited the earth at the time of Christ’s Second Coming. These are the people who have received the mark of the beast:
“9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Rev. 14: 9-11
Here is clear evidence that the worshippers of the satanic system styled by heaves as “the mark of the beast” will be destroyed in the lake of “fire and brimstone” in which both the Beast and the False Prophet were cast. See 2 above.
4. ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT OF SATAN
Now we turn our attention to the Chief Rebel in the universe—the originator of sin, Satan.
“1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” Rev. 20: 1-3
Christ, here described as “an angel” with “the key of the bottomless pit,” took hold of Satan and thrusted him in the bottomless pit, a symbol of the earth in a state of desolation and emptiness. Notice that “the lake of fire” and the bottomless pit experience are two separate events that consume the 1000 years on earth. The fact that He, Satan, could not deceive the nations anymore should not lead us to assume that there were “nations” here to be deceived! This will be explained below. What is here shown, however, is that there was NO ONE alive on earth for Satan to deceive—they were all destroyed and eaten by vultures!
5. DESTRUCTION OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH
“21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. 27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. 28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.” Jer. 4: 21-28
This passage clearly shows that “at the presence of the Lord” the prophet looked around and “there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were” gone, as though they “fled.” Hence he described the earth as being “without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.” This is reminiscent of the earth at the creation—empty and void!
Verse 27 shows that the whole land shall be desolate, but he will not destroy all life, because those who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice, (see Psalms 50: 1-5), will he take with him to the “mansions” (John 14: 1-3) above. This same thought is borne out by Isaiah:
“4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” Isa. 24: 4-6
The “few” that are left, are not the remainder of wicked, but the remainder of the righteous! And we want to see if they will stay in earth for 1000 years, or if they will be taken out of it. So at this point, we can safely state that the earth is empty at the presence of YHWH, the Second Coming of Christ. But our accounting is not yet finished, we still need to account for the rest of people who lived on earth from the days of Adam to the close of time. From our survey, this is the total accounting of all the living WICKED (unsaved) people who inhabited the earth prior to Christ’s Second Coming. We need now to account for all the living righteous who inhabited the earth up to this time of His Coming. Let’s proceed…
6. TRANSLATION OF THE LIVING AND DEAD RIGHTEOUS TO HEAVEN
Before His crucifixion, Jesus Christ made a specific promise to His disciples, which extends to all of us who claim His atoning sacrifice for sin.
“1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14: 1-3.
You can see here that all who “believe in God and believe also in” His Son, Y’shuah, He has promised to take to the “many mansions” that he is gone to “prepare.” Clearly he was speaking of the time of his ascension to heaven, at which time, among other duties up there, he would “go to prepare a place” for the righteous. He also promised that the purpose of building these mansions, it that one day he “will come again, and receive” his true followers unto himself, so that the place where he now is (heaven) we also may go to live with him there. But how do we get there?
“14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4: 14-17.
Observe carefully that there are two classes of righteous people herein mentioned: those “which sleep (die) in Jesus,” and those who followed Jesus but remained “alive” on earth till His Coming. In other words, they did not die.
Those who were slain, or otherwise died, or perished, but were committed disciples of Christ, will be resurrected by him, and they will come up out of their graves and meet him in the air first, leaving the living righteous still on earth.
After all the righteous dead people have ascended up to meeting with the Lord in the air, the righteous living will follow them—this is called translation. The righteous living will shed their earthly corruptible bodies and put on the incorruptible bodies that he will give them then. (Read. 1 Cor. 15: 50-55). They too will join with the righteous to meet Jesus in the air. As a happy and holy throng, both groups (resurrected and translated) will be escorted by Christ and the retinue of holy angels accompanying him, to the “mansions” he has already prepared.
Before we leave this segment, it worthy to account for the saints who were destroyed in the last days under the mark of the beast system: “4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Rev. 20: 4.
The Bible makes clear that the righteous who were murdered for their faith under the mark of the beast system did not perish, but would be resurrected and also taken to “live and reign with Christ” in heaven for 1000 years. This promise was also guaranteed by another prophecy:
“13 ¶ And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” Rev. 14: 13
Here we see that those who died under the mark of the beast system were counted precious in God’s sight, and he pronounced a blessing on all the dead who die in the Lord in that season of distress, and assured them that they would not be forgotten, for “they labors and their works do follow them.” Guaranteed is their resurrection therefore.
This is the totality of all the righteous who have ever lived on earth. But there is one missing company in our calculus—the wicked dead who have died since the creation of the earth. What of them and where will they be? This will be answered next.
7. ALL THE WICKED WHO HAVE DIED SINCE THE CREATION
Now we have the last group of humans to account for, those who never professed Christ as saviour, or they might have done so for a season and have turned back or they for one reason or another did not get included in the “first resurrection.”
“5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Rev. 20: 5, 6.
So, here we see that “the rest of the [wicked, or unconverted] dead” did not live again “until the thousand years were finished.” In other words, during the thousand years there was neither man nor beast alive on this earth! Forever, it silenced the concern that there are living people on this earth enjoying a millennial reign of peace with Christ! The only being that was alive was Satan, who was chained in the earth—the bottomless pit.
Battle of God and Magog in Ezek 38, 39
This battle is fought in the latter days of earth’s history against the inhabitants of God’s kingdom in the Holy Land, but since as we have so very clearly established that there are no inhabitants of earth during the 1000 years, we can only conclude that Ezek. 38, 39 are fulfilled during the latter days of this present world, and prior to the Second Advent of Christ. That event became the type of the post millennial one, in which Gog and Magog are again forecasted:
“7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Rev. 20: 7-10
Much more could be said on this topic, but my response is already long, and I should terminate it this point.
Shalom in Messiah
LikeLike
The Book of Revelation validates all the prophecies in the Old Testament, even the prophecies about the plight of Israel in the millennium.
The Mystery of God will finally be completed through His Son, Christ Jesus, at the end of the age.
LikeLike
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things Which are written there in: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 1:3
LikeLike
I would like to know where we’re the Father and Holy Spirit During the silence in heaven?
LikeLike
The “silence” in heaven does not indicate that it had been vacated, but that the court session had adjourned, thus not warranting the 24 Elders, 4 Beasts, and myriads of angels to be singing. The Bible says the “temple of God was closed”. Having been closed, its services were no longer functional, and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are in themselves Omnipresent, took up their administrative work as had been done before the opening of the Judgment with the opening of the Temple. In other words, they are in the same locations they were prior to the Judgment’s opening.
LikeLike