BibleTrekToday.com

Year: 2015

  • The Beast out of the Sea!

    Scripture reading for December 17th:  Revelation 13

    The spiritual conflict between the dragon who tried to devour the “male child” of the woman of Revelation 12 now spreads to the offspring of those who “obey God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”   John now saw the dragon standing on the shore of the sea.

    “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.  He had ten horns and seven heads, and ten crowns on his horns, and on each head, a blasphemous name.  The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.  The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.  One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.  The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.”  (Revelation 13:1-3)

    This beast was a mixture of the beasts  seen by Daniel in Daniel 7.  But this beast came out of the sea, which according to Revelation 17:15, are the peoples, nations and languages of the earth.  Empowering this beast was the dragon, Satan, who deceived the nations into following the beast through a miraculous healing of the apparently fatal wound of one of the beast’s heads.  Satan loves counterfeiting Jesus.  The beast is given authority for forty-two months–three and a half years,  and he blasphemes God and those who live in heaven and is allowed power over the saints and nations.  (Revelation 13:6-7)  “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”  (Revelation 13:10)  The saints will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony of faith in Jesus Christ!  (Revelation 12:11)  This time of the seventh trumpet is a time of testing for God’s people who are left on earth.

     

     

     

  • Revelation Christmas Story!

    Scripture reading for December 16th:  Revelation 12

    “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven:  a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.  Then another sign appeared in heaven:  an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.  His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.  The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a Son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.  And her child was snatched up to God and to His throne.”  (Revelation 12:1-5)

    John saw a wondrous sign in heaven:  a sun-clothed woman!  From her description, she represented Israel in her glory with the twelve tribes as stars on her head.  This woman was pregnant and ready to give birth as she cried out with labor pains.  John saw another sign, a huge red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and crowns on the heads.  This dragon was ready to devour the child when it was born.  The dragon represented Satan and his demonic desire to destroy God’s plan and His Offspring.  This dragon was represented by a multi-headed beast with ten horns.

    What John was seeing was a panorama of the Christmas story as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises and purpose to unite all nations under the dominion of His Son.  Jesus was “Child” that was born to the nation of Israel, the One who would rule all nations with an “iron scepter.”  (Psalm 2:6-11)  This child was “snatched up” to heaven at His resurrection from the dead after Calvary!  He will come again with the “iron scepter” of judgment against those who  have not repented from the nations!

  • Two witnesses and the seventh Trumpet!

    Scripture reading for December 15th:  Revelation 11

    “I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.  But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.  They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.  And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”  (Revelation 11:1-3)

    John was put to work in his vision.  He was given a measuring rod and told to measure the temple in Jerusalem, the city where “our Lord was crucified.”  Measuring in the prophetic literature has to do with spiritual evaluation for judgment or for reward.  God would evaluate those in His house for true worship and exclude those who would trample His holy city.  A set time was given for their trampling:  forty-two months.  This is in line with the prophesy of Daniel 7:25 where the “little horn” will oppress the saints for “a time, times and half a time.”

    During this time, two witnesses chosen by God will prophesy, clothed in sackcloth.  They are clothed in sackcloth as a sign of mourning for the judgments that they are bringing.  They are given power by the Holy Spirit to strike their enemies and bring drought and plagues on the earth.  When they are finished with their testimony, they will be killed by the beast.  Their bodies will lie in the street for three and a half days while people of the earth celebrate their deaths.  Then, suddenly, they will be resurrected and caught up to heaven in the clouds!  A great earthquake will strike the city and 7000 people die and others terrified.

    The seventh angel then sounds his trumpet and announces: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever.”  (Revelation 11:15)  The climax all heaven has waited for has come!

  • Eat that little scroll!

    Scripture reading for December 14th:  Revelation 10

    “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.  He was robed in a cloud with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like fiery pillars.  He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.  When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.  And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”  (Revelation 10:1-4)

    John saw this angel between the sixth and seventh trumpets.  This mighty angel could put his feet on land and sea, signifying that his message was for the whole earth.   As he shouted, sounding like the roar of a lion, seven thunders answered!  John understood what they said, but was told not to write it down.  This angel was telling John (and us) that there will be surprises in what happens on earth during the time of the great tribulation.  All must be careful to stay close to the Lord and not to think that we have everything figured out!  God has hidden some of his plans!

    This angel with his feet on the sea and land spoke a message from God the Creator:  “There will be no more delay!”  (Revelation 10:6,7)  Soon the seventh angel would sound his trumpet and the “mystery of God will be accomplished. just as He has announced to His servants the prophets.”  John was told to take the scroll and eat it and prophesy about nations and peoples.  It was sweet in his mouth, but sour in his stomach! (See Ezekiel 2:8-3:3)  God’s word must be eaten by those proclaiming it.  All of it is sweet to the believer, but brings holy fear over the judgments on the wicked.  God’s holy word is a balanced diet bringing health to body and soul for those who eat it and digest it’s heavenly truth!

     

  • One third of mankind dies!

    Scripture reading for December 11th:  Revelation 9

    “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to earth.  The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.  When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke of a gigantic furnace.  The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.  And out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions on the earth.  They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”  (Revelation 9:1-4)

    This “star” was evidently an angel who could unlock the Abyss.  The Abyss is also known as the bottomless pit and is the prison of fallen angels or demons as well as Satan. (see 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 11:7, 20:1-3)  Upon opening, the Abyss released smoke that darkened the sun and sky on earth and in this smoke were locusts.  These locusts had specific power to torment mankind, but not kill them for a specific time of five months.  Their “king” was called “Abaddon” or “Apollyon” in Greek which means “Destroyer or Destruction”.

    The sixth angel also sounded his trumpet and a voice from the golden altar told him to release “the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”    “And the four angels who were kept ready for this very hour, day, and year were released to kill a third of mankind.”  (Revelation 9:14-15)  These angels were bound somewhere in the current Middle East and had a set day, hour and year to act.  These must have been fallen angels that God would use in this judgment on the unrepentant of the earth during the great tribulation.  One third of mankind dies from the “200 million mounted troops” empowered by these fallen angels.  But the other two-thirds do not repent of their murders, magic arts, theft or sexual immorality!   Without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sins and deception will take these others into deeper darkness and ultimate eternal separation from God!

     

  • Incense and Trumpets!

    Scripture reading for December 10th:  Revelation 8

    After viewing the great multitude wearing white robes around the throne, John’s attention was again taken by Jesus Christ, the Lamb as He opened the seventh seal of the scroll.  As this scroll was opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour!  (Revelation 8:1)  It was if all attention was focused on the Lamb as a new phase of God’s salvation plan was now ready to unfold!

    After the silence, seven angels who stood before God’s throne were given seven trumpets.  “Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.  He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.  The some of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.  Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”  (Revelation 8:3-5)

    We can understand the power of prayer from this revelation.  Prayer comes before God’s throne as incense.  It is an act of faith and worship and pleasing in His sight.  At this time, during the great tribulation, “much incense” was offered.  Prayer is a lifeline of the faithful and it has powerful results!  Coals from the altar are taken and hurled at the earth resulting in powerful signs of God’s presence and delivering power and judgments!  As a result, the seven angels began to sound their trumpets, one by one and great and powerful signs appeared on earth bringing punishment on those who were unrepentant!  Oh that God’s people would pray and not faint!

     

  • The Multitude in White Robes!

    Scripture reading for December 9th:  Revelation 7

    Between the opening of the sixth seal and the seventh seal, John saw two visions, one related to Jews and the other to believers from the nations who come to faith in Christ during the great tribulation.  Jesus warned of this time of great tribulation, “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now–and never to be equaled again.”  (Matthew 24:21)

    In the first vision, John saw the four angels that had been summoned at the opening of the first four seals.  They appeared to be standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the four winds of heaven.  Another angel came with the seal of God and he ordered the four angels to hold back until he sealed or marked the servants of God.  There were 144,000, and this was twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.  These were Jews who had believed on Christ as Messiah.  (Revelation 7:1-8)

    In the second vision, John saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  The were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  The cried in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”  (Revelation 7:9-10)  An angel told John that these in the white robes had come out of the great tribulation, and their robes had been made white by the blood of the Lamb!  This great multitude from all nations had been martyred during this time of distress!  They were enjoying God’s eternal presence!  Worship was their response to God the Father and to Jesus Christ the Lamb!

     

  • The Seals are broken!

    Scripture reading for December 8th:  Revelation 6

    God’s ultimate plan to call a people from among the nations as an inheritance for His Son would come to pass as the Son took the scroll and unsealed it.

    “I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.  Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”  I looked and there before me was a white horse!  Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”  (Revelation 6:1-2)  As John watched the Lamb open the seals, the four living creatures called out the command “Come!” and horses appeared with riders.  Each horse was a different color with riders who brought God’s judgments on the earth.  The white horse spoke of conquest, the fiery red horse took peace from the earth and men began to slay each other.  The black horse was sent to bring famine to the crops affecting the bread supply.  The final horse was a pale horse with a rider named “Death” and “Hades followed close behind him.”  (Revelation 6:8)  He was given power over one fourth of the earth!

    The fifth seal brought John a vision of souls under the altar near the throne.  The souls of men slain for their testimony of Jesus were there crying out, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”   They were told they must wait until all martyrs were received. (Revelation 6:10)  The sixth seal brought a great earthquake that shook the heavens and the earth, causing men to call for the rocks to hide them “from the face of Him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb”.   God’s judgments brought no repentance! (Revelation 6:16)  In contrast, those sealed in Christ Jesus long to see His face!

  • The Lamb takes the Scroll!

    Scripture reading for December 7th:  Revelation 5

    The prophet Daniel saw the “Ancient of Days” (God the Father) seated on a throne and “One like a Son of Man” (Jesus Christ) coming with the clouds of heaven before that throne to receive authority, power, glory, and worship from all peoples in a kingdom that was eternal.  (Daniel 7:9-14)  Daniel’s vision was strikingly similar to what John saw!

    “Then I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”  . . .Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep!  See the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.  He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  (Revelation 5:1-2, 5)  John wept when initially no one was found who could open the scroll.  This scroll contained the inheritance of the kingdom for the Son of Man, the Lion of the tribe of Judah!  Also involved was the plan of future events that would unfold this kingdom and  reward the faithful Saints.

    “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.  .   .  .He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.  And when He had taken it the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.  .  . ..And they sang a new song:  “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slain, and you have purchased men for God from every tribe and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”  (Revelation 5:6-7, 9-10)  Amen!

     

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  • The Glorious Throne!

    Scripture reading for December 4th:  Revelation 4

    “After this I looked and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.  And the voice I had first hear speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.”  At once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne in heaven with Someone sitting on it.  And the One who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.  A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.”  (Revelation 4:1-3)

    John received a supernatural revelation of the unseen reality that was invisible to all humans without divine assistance.  The first thing John described was the throne.  The throne had Someone sitting on it.  John could only describe that “One” as having the appearance of sparkling gems and radiating the colors of a rainbow completely encircling Him.  Jasper is crystal clear and carnelian is brilliant red. John had no physical description other than the glorious color and blazing light coming in flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. (Revelation 4:5)

    Around this brilliant throne, there were twenty-four other thrones with elders dressed in white with crowns of gold.  In the center of the throne, there were four living creatures and they never stopped crying,  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is , and is to come.”  (Revelation 4:8) The elders responded to their worship by falling down and casting their crowns before the throne crying, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.”  The unseen realities around God’s Holy Throne throb with worship, light, and glory!   By God’s amazing grace, we who believe on Jesus will see this eternal throne in our glorified bodies!