Blessed is he
that readeth, and they that hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep
those things which are written therein:
for the time is at hand. Revelation 1:3
Revelation
20:11-12 And I saw a great
white throne, and him that
sat on it, from whose face
the earth and heaven fled
away; and there was found no
place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books
were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things
which were written in the
books, according to their
works.
Revelation
20:15 And whosoever was not
found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake
of fire.
Revelation
20:8-9 ‘And [Satan]
shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them
together for battle; In
number they are like the sand
of the seashore. They marched
across the breadth of the
earth and surrounded the camp
of God’s people, the
city he loves…
Revelation
20:9-10 But fire came down
from heaven and devoured
them. And the devil, who
deceived them, was thrown
into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and
the false prophet had been
thrown.
Shortly
after Satan is released at
the end of the seventh
millennium the great white
throne scene appears. The
language of the Earth and the
sky fleeing from God’s
presence is analogous
language. This language is
used to describe a scene that
is so awesome that it goes
beyond the ability of human
language. The entire judgment
scene is a supernatural event
that stops Satan and his army
in their tracks. During
the half hour God
supernaturally talks to every
wicked person as though he
were the only person in the
world. {The judgment of the
saints was finished on the
1,260th
day of the Great Tribulation;
this judgment scene only
applies to the wicked}. God
explains to each person as
though he were the only
person on Earth, everything
He did to save them. But each
person chose, by his own free
will, the life of sin and
death instead of eternal
life. Each wicked person sees
all the people God sent to
turn them from their evil
ways. Each person remembers
the voice of the Holy Spirit
begging them to give up sin,
but each person refused.
Every person understands
he/she is lost by their own
choice.
In
summary, at the end of the
seventh millennium Satan is
released from his prison of
the Abyss. He deceives the
wicked again because they
have always listened to
him. The wicked begin
their attack on the New
Jerusalem of God, but the
Lord stops the attack by the
supernatural event of the
great white throne scene.
Jesus removes the last seal
on the Book of Life and the
entire universe sees that God
saw every detail before
creation began. They see that
God did not use His power to
control the outcome of who
would be saved or lost. God
is worshipped by the entire
universe including Satan, his
evil angels, the saints, the
angels, and millions of
unfallen worlds. Then the
devil and the wicked are cast
into the lake of fire and
burned to ashes. Jesus then
creates a new Heaven and a
new Earth where the saints
will live in peace forever.
191
7th Seal - The One Half Hour
Expired
Revelation
20:11-12 And I saw a great
white throne, and him that
sat on it, from whose face
the earth and heaven fled
away; and there was found no
place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books
were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things
which were written in the
books, according to their
works.
Revelation
20:15 And whosoever was not
found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake
of fire.
Revelation
20:8-9 ‘And [Satan]
shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them
together for battle; In
number they are like the sand
of the seashore. They marched
across the breadth of the
earth and surrounded the camp
of God’s people, the
city he loves…
Revelation
20:9-10 But fire came down
from heaven and devoured
them. And the devil, who
deceived them, was thrown
into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and
the false prophet had been
thrown.
Shortly
after Satan is released at
the end of the seventh
millennium the great white
throne scene appears. The
language of the Earth and the
sky fleeing from God’s
presence is analogous
language. This language is
used to describe a scene that
is so awesome that it goes
beyond the ability of human
language. The entire judgment
scene is a supernatural event
that stops Satan and his army
in their tracks. During
the half hour God
supernaturally talks to every
wicked person as though he
were the only person in the
world. {The judgment of the
saints was finished on the
1,260th
day of the Great Tribulation;
this judgment scene only
applies to the wicked}. God
explains to each person as
though he were the only
person on Earth, everything
He did to save them. But each
person chose, by his own free
will, the life of sin and
death instead of eternal
life. Each wicked person sees
all the people God sent to
turn them from their evil
ways. Each person remembers
the voice of the Holy Spirit
begging them to give up sin,
but each person refused.
Every person understands
he/she is lost by their own
choice.
In
summary, at the end of the
seventh millennium Satan is
released from his prison of
the Abyss. He deceives the
wicked again because they
have always listened to
him. The wicked begin
their attack on the New
Jerusalem of God, but the
Lord stops the attack by the
supernatural event of the
great white throne scene.
Jesus removes the last seal
on the Book of Life and the
entire universe sees that God
saw every detail before
creation began. They see that
God did not use His power to
control the outcome of who
would be saved or lost. God
is worshipped by the entire
universe including Satan, his
evil angels, the saints, the
angels, and millions of
unfallen worlds. Then the
devil and the wicked are cast
into the lake of fire and
burned to ashes. Jesus then
creates a new Heaven and a
new Earth where the saints
will live in peace forever.
192
And fire came down out from
God out of heaven, and
devoured the wicked with
Satan and his angelic hosts
Revelation
20:11-12 And I saw a great
white throne, and him that
sat on it, from whose face
the earth and heaven fled
away; and there was found no
place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books
were opened: and another book
was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things
which were written in the
books, according to their
works.
Revelation
20:15 And whosoever was not
found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake
of fire.
Revelation
20:8-9 ‘And [Satan]
shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them
together for battle; In
number they are like the sand
of the seashore. They marched
across the breadth of the
earth and surrounded the camp
of God’s people, the
city he loves…
Revelation
20:9-10 But fire came down
from heaven and devoured
them. And the devil, who
deceived them, was thrown
into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and
the false prophet had been
thrown.
Shortly
after Satan is released at
the end of the seventh
millennium the great white
throne scene appears. The
language of the Earth and the
sky fleeing from God’s
presence is analogous
language. This language is
used to describe a scene that
is so awesome that it goes
beyond the ability of human
language. The entire judgment
scene is a supernatural event
that stops Satan and his army
in their tracks. During
the half hour God
supernaturally talks to every
wicked person as though he
were the only person in the
world. {The judgment of the
saints was finished on the
1,260th
day of the Great Tribulation;
this judgment scene only
applies to the wicked}. God
explains to each person as
though he were the only
person on Earth, everything
He did to save them. But each
person chose, by his own free
will, the life of sin and
death instead of eternal
life. Each wicked person sees
all the people God sent to
turn them from their evil
ways. Each person remembers
the voice of the Holy Spirit
begging them to give up sin,
but each person refused.
Every person understands
he/she is lost by their own
choice.
In
summary, at the end of the
seventh millennium Satan is
released from his prison of
the Abyss. He deceives the
wicked again because they
have always listened to
him. The wicked begin
their attack on the New
Jerusalem of God, but the
Lord stops the attack by the
supernatural event of the
great white throne scene.
Jesus removes the last seal
on the Book of Life and the
entire universe sees that God
saw every detail before
creation began. They see that
God did not use His power to
control the outcome of who
would be saved or lost. God
is worshipped by the entire
universe including Satan, his
evil angels, the saints, the
angels, and millions of
unfallen worlds. Then the
devil and the wicked are cast
into the lake of fire and
burned to ashes. Jesus then
creates a new Heaven and a
new Earth where the saints
will live in peace forever.
193
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Revelation
21:1 And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth: for the
first heaven and the first
earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea [no
more sea of fire]. And I John
saw the holy city, the New
Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her
husband.
Isaiah
66:22-23 As the new heavens
and the new earth that I will
make endure before me,”
declares the Lord, “so
will your name and
descendants endure. From one
New Moon to another and from
one Sabbath to another, all
mankind will come and bow
down before me,” says
the Lord.
The new
Earth will be the everlasting
home of the redeemed,
fulfilling the prophecy of
Jesus that the meek
“shall inherit the
Earth” (Matthew
5:5). See psalm 37:11.
Here will
be your home through all the
ages to come. Consider now
the wonderful things the
Bible says about it.
1.
It will be a real home. Not
some ethereal, vaporous cloud
where disembodied spirits
roam, but a real home for
real people. (Isaiah 65:21)
2.
It will be a beautiful home.
There will be no vast
badlands, no dreamy deserts,
and no great wastes of water.
Instead the whole globe will
resemble Eden in its primeval
loveliness. (Isaiah 35:1, 2)
3.
It will be a peaceful home.
It will never know war or
strife of any kind. No rival
powers will struggle for
supremacy. There will be but
one nation, one language, one
King. All will be at peace
with one another and with
God. The golden rule will
never be forgotten and purest
love will motivate every word
and deed. (Zephaniah
3:9; Isaiah 65:25)
4.
It will be a happy
home. Everybody will be
satisfied with all that God
has so bountifully provided.
No word of grumbling or
discontent will ever be
heard. There will be no
sin or sinners, nor will
anyone have a single evil
thought. And because there
will be no sin, there will be
no death. So there will be no
more parting, no more saying
good-by. Families once broken
by death, but reunited at the
resurrection, will revel in
joyous fellowship forever and
ever. (Zephaniah 3:13;
Revelation 21:4)
5.
It will be a healthy home.
Consequently there will be no
hospitals or doctors. All who
suffered from sickness or
disease in the past will be
completely restored.
“the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears
of the deaf shall be
unstopped. (Isaiah 35:5, 6;
Revelation 22:2)
6.
It will be a glorious
home. When John saw the
New Jerusalem coming down
from Heaven he said it looked
like a jewel, “having
the glory of God: and her
light was like unto a stone
most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as
crystal” (Revelation
21:11).
7.
It will be God’s
home. “The throne
of God and of the Lamb shall
be in it” (Revelation
22:3). Transcending every
other joy of the redeemed
will be the continual
presence of Jesus. And
nothing in all the glory land
will afford such enduring
happiness as this. Golden
streets, pearly gates,
beautiful homes, exquisite
scenery, would indeed afford
little lasting satisfaction
without this priceless
privilege.
And your
Bible, your precious Bible,
which tells you all these
wonderful things, will be our
guide and stay each passing
day till Jesus comes to take
us home.
194
The End Understated
When Jesus
stands up, the judgment of
the world that began in 1844
has legally ended. Jesus has
done everything possible to
save every person without
violating anyone’s
freedom of choice. There is
no reason for a single person
to be lost because Jesus paid
the price for every
person’s salvation.
Jesus
began the Great Tribulation
by shocking the world into
the realization that He is
shutting the world down by
sending the first four
trumpets. This act of
judgment kills twenty-five
percent of the world’s
population. The death of
nearly two billion people is
an act of love – the
removal of the bad apples
from the bunch is done in
order to maximize the number
of people He will save. If
Jesus had left the bad apples
in the bunch to give them
more time, they would have
destroyed many others by
their evil influence and
still been lost themselves.
About two
and half years into the Great
Tribulation most of the
people have shrugged off the
warning of the first four
trumpets, so Jesus sounds the
fifth trumpet sending the
wicked their god. Jesus unmasks
Satan,
masquerading as Jesus, as the
devil during the fifth and
sixth trumpets that lasts a
little more than a year.
Satan is unmasked
by his lies for those that
love the truth. Satan is
further unmasked by
demanding that all the
ancient religions of the
world be discarded including
the seven-day weekly cycle
– this eliminates all
worship to God further
unmasking Satan as the
antichrist. During
Satan’s reign he
tortures, deceives, lies, and
kills one-third more of the
world’s population and
hundreds of millions of
saints. Jesus sent Satan to unmask
him as a last
ditch effort to glean His
last few deceived children.
But in spite of all
Satan’s hideous deeds
about two and half billion
people accept the tattoo of
‘666,’ making up
Satan’s kingdom. Towards
the end of the sixth trumpet
on the 1,260th
day the judgment of the world
is finished – everyone
has made his/her choice.
There is nothing more God can
do to save anyone without
raping the free will of the
wicked. There are two groups
in the world: the wicked
tattooed with
‘666,’ and the
saints sealed with eternal
life.
The wicked
celebrate by killing
God’s servant - prophets
the 144,000 by throwing a
party. Jesus interrupts the
party on the 1,264th
day by resurrecting His
servant – prophets and
taking them to Heaven in full
view of the wicked and the
remaining saints.
Jesus punishes the
wicked for seventy days with sores,
dead oceans, blood for water,
scorching heat, painful
darkness, the collapse of
Satan’s kingdom, and
sulfur bombs smashing the
cities of Babylon globally or
Armageddon.
Jesus comes in the clouds of
Heaven on the 1,335th
day, killing the remaining
wicked by the brightness of
His coming. He wakes up the
sleeping saints, back to the
time of Adam, and
simultaneously, the
resurrected saints and the
living saints go to Heaven
with Jesus.
During the
next thousand years the
saints ask Jesus millions of
questions. Uriah forgives
King David for stealing his
wife, and the saints decide
on the punishment for their
lost relatives according to
the laws of Moses. Jesus and
all the saints return to
Earth at the end of the
seventh millennium and God
wakes up the wicked. Jesus
supernaturally spends a half
hour {the seventh seal}
explaining to each person
everything He did to save
them. Satan, his demons, and
the wicked acknowledge that
God is just. Satan again
deceives the wicked - the
wicked, as the sands of the
sea, attack the Beloved City
of the New Jerusalem, and
fire comes down out of Heaven
and burns them to ashes. Some
suffer longer than others
according to their sins. The
fire burns out and Jesus
creates a new Heaven and a
new Earth where everyone
worships their Creator, the
Lord God, and loves each
other according to the laws
of love that is written on
each person’s heart
– the Ten Commandments
including the seventh day
Sabbath.
Revelation
22:14 “Blessed are those
who wash their robes, that
they may have the right to
the tree of life and may go
through the gates into the
city.”
195
One thousand Years later
When Jesus
stands up, the judgment of
the world that began in 1844
has legally ended. Jesus has
done everything possible to
save every person without
violating anyone’s
freedom of choice. There is
no reason for a single person
to be lost because Jesus paid
the price for every
person’s salvation.
Jesus
began the Great Tribulation
by shocking the world into
the realization that He is
shutting the world down by
sending the first four
trumpets. This act of
judgment kills twenty-five
percent of the world’s
population. The death of
nearly two billion people is
an act of love – the
removal of the bad apples
from the bunch is done in
order to maximize the number
of people He will save. If
Jesus had left the bad apples
in the bunch to give them
more time, they would have
destroyed many others by
their evil influence and
still been lost themselves.
About two
and half years into the Great
Tribulation most of the
people have shrugged off the
warning of the first four
trumpets, so Jesus sounds the
fifth trumpet sending the
wicked their god. Jesus unmasks
Satan,
masquerading as Jesus, as the
devil during the fifth and
sixth trumpets that lasts a
little more than a year.
Satan is unmasked
by his lies for those that
love the truth. Satan is
further unmasked by
demanding that all the
ancient religions of the
world be discarded including
the seven-day weekly cycle
– this eliminates all
worship to God further
unmasking Satan as the
antichrist. During
Satan’s reign he
tortures, deceives, lies, and
kills one-third more of the
world’s population and
hundreds of millions of
saints. Jesus sent Satan to unmask
him as a last
ditch effort to glean His
last few deceived children.
But in spite of all
Satan’s hideous deeds
about two and half billion
people accept the tattoo of
‘666,’ making up
Satan’s kingdom. Towards
the end of the sixth trumpet
on the 1,260th
day the judgment of the world
is finished – everyone
has made his/her choice.
There is nothing more God can
do to save anyone without
raping the free will of the
wicked. There are two groups
in the world: the wicked
tattooed with
‘666,’ and the
saints sealed with eternal
life.
The wicked
celebrate by killing
God’s servant - prophets
the 144,000 by throwing a
party. Jesus interrupts the
party on the 1,264th
day by resurrecting His
servant – prophets and
taking them to Heaven in full
view of the wicked and the
remaining saints.
Jesus punishes the
wicked for seventy days with sores,
dead oceans, blood for water,
scorching heat, painful
darkness, the collapse of
Satan’s kingdom, and
sulfur bombs smashing the
cities of Babylon globally or
Armageddon.
Jesus comes in the clouds of
Heaven on the 1,335th
day, killing the remaining
wicked by the brightness of
His coming. He wakes up the
sleeping saints, back to the
time of Adam, and
simultaneously, the
resurrected saints and the
living saints go to Heaven
with Jesus.
During the
next thousand years the
saints ask Jesus millions of
questions. Uriah forgives
King David for stealing his
wife, and the saints decide
on the punishment for their
lost relatives according to
the laws of Moses. Jesus and
all the saints return to
Earth at the end of the
seventh millennium and God
wakes up the wicked. Jesus
supernaturally spends a half
hour {the seventh seal}
explaining to each person
everything He did to save
them. Satan, his demons, and
the wicked acknowledge that
God is just. Satan again
deceives the wicked - the
wicked, as the sands of the
sea, attack the Beloved City
of the New Jerusalem, and
fire comes down out of Heaven
and burns them to ashes. Some
suffer longer than others
according to their sins. The
fire burns out and Jesus
creates a new Heaven and a
new Earth where everyone
worships their Creator, the
Lord God, and loves each
other according to the laws
of love that is written on
each person’s heart
– the Ten Commandments
including the seventh day
Sabbath.
Revelation
22:14 “Blessed are those
who wash their robes, that
they may have the right to
the tree of life and may go
through the gates into the
city.”
196
Worship of God Eternal
Security
John
17:3 Now this is eternal
life: that they may know you,
the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent.
Apocalyptic
prophecy reveals God’s
foreknowledge of sin into the
universe before creation, and
God’s plan to save His
children from eternal death.
It reveals that God foresaw
all the days of every
person’s life before
they were created or born.
Prophecy reveals that even
though God foresaw the evil
acts of Hitler and the good
choices of Sister Teresa, He
did not interfere with the
choices of either person.
Prophecy shows the great
contrast between the selfless
life of Sister Teresa and the
evil life of Hitler. One
person responded to the voice
of the Holy Spirit and the
other grieved the voice of
the Holy Spirit following
their carnal natures. The
very fact that Hitler was
very evil and Sister Teresa
was very good proves that God
did not interfere
with their free will even
though He foresaw every day
of their lives before they
were born. In other words,
God’s foreknowledge is
the proof that we have free
will. If man had God’s
foreknowledge He would have
killed Hitler at birth.
Apocalyptic
prophecy reveals the
all-together lovely character
of God and His Son Jesus
Christ. It begins counting
time from Babylon in 605 B.C.
to the end of the seventh
millennium plus about a half
hour and yet looks backwards
before the creation of the
world. Prophecy reveals
that Jesus finishes sealing
the last person with eternal
life by the 1,260th
day of the Great Tribulation
by writing God’s law of
love on each person’s
heart that was given so
freely to Adam. During the
sealing Jesus removes the
carnal nature from each
person’s heart that was
inherited by Adam’s
fall. Prophecy reveals the
true happiness only exists
and continues with the love
of Jesus abiding in each
person’s heart by the
Holy Spirit living in each
person’s heart.
The Holy Spirit empowers each
person to always make the
right choice, leaving each
person with the freedom of
choice and their own
individual personality –
this is a miracle of God.
Happiness and the freedom of
choice is eternally secured
by worshiping God, by keeping
His Commandments, by
continually looking to the
crucified and risen Savior.
Prophecy
reveals the Eternal God has
always existed, and is an
unfathomable mystery to
created beings forever. It
reveals that God loves us
beyond our comprehension and
will go to great lengths to
save us. God knows we are all
different, but He knows how
to speak to each of us no
matter how stubborn and
rebellious some of us are.
The suffering, sorrow, and
death of hundreds of millions
of people described in the
story causes some people to
repent, others to disbelieve,
others to ignore, and some to
hate God. God has
taken a big chance of being
easily misunderstood by
exercising love. If
we could see the future as
God does we would be
overwhelmed by grief and
filled with unspeakable joy
at the same time; then we
would praise God for the
suffering during the Great
Tribulation. The
Tribulation is like sending
your loved one beautiful
roses, knowing all the time
that they have thorns. We
accept thorns because of the
magnificent beauty of the
rose, with the full knowledge
of the pain the thorns can
bring.
The
subject of God is so enormous
that human beings don’t
even begin to scratch the
surface of the subject. The
story of prophecy reveals
that God can only accept love
that flows from each heart
freely like water running
down a hill. It reveals that
God desired a very large
family that would love Him
because of the goodness of
life that freely flows from
Him to every being in the
universe.
God saw
the rebellion of Lucifer that
became the devil before he
was created, and He foresaw
that no matter what He did
for Lucifer he would never
repent from his evil ways.
And God created man in His
own image knowing that he
would sin. He saw the
deceitfulness of sin and how
attractive sin would be to
the human heart; so God sent
His Son to condemn sin in the
flesh that all of us might be
delivered from its power. God
knew the universe would never
understand that He was not a
tyrant unless He allowed
Lucifer and those that
followed him to rebel,
revealing the kingdom of sin
and death to the entire
universe. Only by looking to
the birth, the life, the
suffering, the death, and the
resurrection of Jesus do we
have eternal security.
Prophecy
shows us that God is love.
And even though He knows
everything before it happens,
we have freedom of choice. It
shows us that the only way we
can be happy is to keep the
Ten Commandments by the power
of the Holy Spirit dwelling
in our hearts. God wants us
to be happy, so the infinite
Almighty God became our
brother. Yes, the infinite
God became a little baby that
needed His diaper to be
changed – what infinite
unspeakable love. He
subjected Himself to finite
humanity to redeem us. He
became our brother forever
and then died in our place
because He loves us so much.
And because He understands
us, the Father appointed
Jesus to be our Judge. When
Jesus comes into the clouds
of Heaven He saves the
righteous and destroys the
wicked by the same Word in
which He created all things.
197
Price of Redemption
When we
think of the price of
redemption, Christ’s
sacrifice was altogether
voluntary. “Just as the
Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for
many” (Matthew 20:28).
Jesus
said, “No one takes it
from me, but I lay it down of
my own accord. I have
authority to lay it down and
authority to take it up
again. This command I
received from my Father”
(John 10:18).
“Our
Savior Jesus Christ,”
said Paul, “gave himself
for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity”
(Titus 2:13, 14).
“He
offered up himself”
(Hebrew 7:27).
He
“gave himself a ransom
for all” (1Timothy 2:6).
“He
gave himself for our sins,
that he might deliver us from
this present evil world,
according to the will of God
and our Father”
(Galatians 1:4).
Here
indeed was perfect love, made
manifest by an act of utter
self-surrender and
submission, the willing
yielding up of life that
others might live.
What the
incarnation cost God the
Father we shall never know.
How much it meant for God the
Son to die for the human race
must also remain a mystery.
Even the angels do not
understand it; and it will be
the theme of endless
discussion and wonderment
through all eternity (1 Peter
1:11, 12). Nevertheless
the results are clear. God
“hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that
we might be made the
righteousness of God in
him” (2 Corinthians
5:21).
“Christ
redeemed us from the curse of
the law, having become a
curse for us” (Galatians
3:13).
“He
was wounded for our
transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement of our peace
was upon him; and with his
stripes we are healed…
The Lord hath laid on him the
iniquities of us all”
(Isaiah 53:5, 6).
What
awfulness of suffering this
bearing of sin brought upon
the Son of God we shall never
know, but it reached the
ultimate limit because of the
utter perfection of His
character.
Upon Him
who came from God, with mind
attuned to that of His Holy
Father, and with all the
delicate sensitiveness of a
perfect character, fell the
terrible impact of the
penalty of sin. No wonder we
read in the Scriptures that
we have been bought
“with a price” (1
Corinthians 6:20). What a
price!
Only
perfect love, in the heart of
the Eternal Lover, could have
devised a plan of salvation
such as this and endured so
much to carry it through to
its consummation.
Trying to
bring home to the people of
Philippi the stupendous
nature of the divine
sacrifice, the apostle Paul
wrote this sublimely
beautiful description:
“Though he was in the
form of God, [Jesus] did not
count equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, taking on
the form of a servant, being
born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form
humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even
death on a cross. Therefore
God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under
the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the
Father” (Philippians
2:6-11).
198
Judgment Seat of Christ
The first
phase of judgment of the dead
has been going on since 1844;
with Jesus has our High
Priest in the heavenly
sanctuary. The second phase
is the judgment of the living
and it begins when the censer
is cast down and the Great
Tribulation begins. The
144,000 will announce the
judgment bar of Christ. They
will cry out, “…
Fear God and give him glory,
because the hour of judgment
has come. Worship him who
made the heavens, the earth,
the sea and the springs of
water.” (Revelation
14:7, italics mine)
The
judgment of the living is
unlike the judgment of the
dead in several ways. First,
the judgment of the living does
not require a
complete review of a
person’s life. The
judgment of the living will
be based on our response to
the Two Witnesses. Here is
how it works: Jesus is going
to test the faith of the
living. (1 Corinthians 3:13;
Revelation 3:10) All that
matters to Jesus is our
response to His Two
Witnesses. At the end of the
1,260 days, the judgments of
the living will end because
every person will have either
the seal of God or the mark
of the beast by that time. If
a person should die during
the Great Tribulation before
he receives the seal of God
or the mark of the beast, he
will be judged just like
those who have previously
died. Because many people
will die before they are
sealed or receive the mark of
the beast, the judgment of
the dead continues
uninterrupted after the
judgment of the living
begins.
The second
difference between the
judgment of the dead and the
living is that the judgment
of the living involves a four
step process. When the censer
is cast down, everyone on
Earth will participate in
“Step One” even
though they may not live long
enough to complete all four
steps. Some people will go
through these four steps
faster than others. The first
people to be judged and
receive the seal of God will
be the 144,000. They are
sealed just before the Great
Tribulation begins.
(Revelation 7:1-4) They are
the first fruits of the end
time harvest. (Revelation
14:4) After the 144,000 are
sealed and empowered, the
censer will be cast down and
the four steps will begin.
They are rather easy to
understand.
Step
One – The Law of God
Proclaimed: When
the censer is cast down. The
144,000 will go to work. The
Holy Spirit will empower them
to preach the law of God as a
witness to all nations.
(Matthew 24:14)
God’s
law operates like a plumb
line. God’s law defines
the truth and in so doing, it
destroys lies and deception.
Noting is more wonderful than
the light of truth to those
who love truth. During
the Great Tribulation,
God’s Word will be given
unusual power to cut people
“to the heart.”
Step
Two – Holy Spirit
Discomfort: God’s
law makes no sense without
the enlightenment of His
Spirit! “The
man without the Spirit does
not accept the things that
come from the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to
him, and he cannot understand
them, because they are
spiritually discerned.”(1
Corinthians 2:14)
God’s
law will be proclaimed
throughout the world with
Holy Spirit power. The
distinction between truth and
error, good and evil, will be
made so plain that young
people will even be able to
understand the
difference. Conviction
will fall upon the honest in
heart and painful decisions
will be required. The social
consequences for following
Jesus will be severe. (John
16:1-3) The Holy Spirit will
sufficiently
“pressure” each
person to choose the right
and refuse the wrong. (See
Joshua 24:15 and Hebrews
3:7-19.) Socially and
culturally speaking, the
situation will be difficult.
Step
Three – Your Final
Decision: During
the judgment of the living,
three forces will be working
together. The Word of God
will be heard
by everyone. Then, the Holy
Spirit will apply
great pressure within
every heart to obey
God’s law, and last, persecution
will force
everyone into making a
decision. At first you might
think that the Two Witnesses
are pulling people toward the
shores of salvation and
persecution is driving them
away, but it is not what you
think! Those who love God and
His law will receive the
testimony of the Holy Spirit.
They are willing to accept
persecution because they are
committed to pleasing God at
any cost. On the other hand,
those who love their lives
and possessions more than God
will not be able to take the
heat and accept the suffering
that comes with their
decision. “The
man who loves his life will
lose it, while the man who
hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal
life.” (John
12:25) “And
everyone who has left houses
or brothers or sisters or
father or mother or children
or fields for my sake will
receive a hundred times as
much and will inherit eternal
life.” (Matthew
19:29)
Step
Four – the Seal and the
Tattoo: Every
person who surrenders to the
law of God and the Holy
Spirit will fall in line with
the testimony of Jesus. After
choosing to obey Jesus
without regard for the
consequences, each person
will be given the strength
and faith to pass any test
which persecution might
impose. The fires of
persecution will refine and
purify the faith of the
saints. “…
I will refine them like
silver and test them like
gold. They will call on my
name and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my
people,’ and they will
say, ‘The Lord is our
God.’” (Zechariah
13:9) It is ironic after
losing everything he owns,
each faithful person will
then lose the carnal nature!
The
sealing of the saints
requires the testimony of the
Two Witnesses. The law of God
will serve like a plumb line.
It will measure the actions
John Doe. Jesus will see what
John did , in fact, submit to
God’s law. John will
demonstrate his love for
Jesus and his neighbor. The
Holy Spirit will testify that
John’s faith was
thoroughly tested and he
loves God with all his heart,
mind and soul, and his
neighbor as himself.
The Testimony of these Two
Witnesses will establish the
fact that loves God and man.
Jesus will announce His
judgment: “Seal John
Doe! Set him free from
sin’s curse. Give him a
white robe.
Those who
reject the law of God and the
prompting of the Holy Spirit
will become more rebellious
and hard hearted as time
passes. Eventually, everyone
in this crowd will commit the
unpardonable sin. God’s
plumb line will measure their
rebellion and the Holy Spirit
will confirm the blasphemy of
each person. To save
their possessions and
themselves from death, the
wicked will eventually submit
to wearing the mark of the
beast – a tattoo which
Lucifer will impose on
mankind during the sixth
trumpet. After everyone
has been sealed or tattooed,
the judgment of the living
will come to an end and the
influence of the Two
Witnesses will disappear.
Their work and influence is
finished.
“Now
when they have finished their
testimony, the beast that
comes up from the Abyss [Lucifer]
will attack them,
and overpower them and kill
them… The inhabitants of
the earth will gloat over
them and will celebrate by
sending each other gifts,
because these tow prophets
had tormented those who live
on the earth.” (Revelation
11:7, 10, italics and
insertion mine)
199
Second Coming of Jesus
A summary
of events culminating up to
the Second Coming of Jesus.
The seven bowls will begin
shortly after God reveals the
Ark of the Covenant in the
sky and last for about 75
days. The seven bowls will be
progressively destructive and
will end with Jesus appearing
in the clouds of glory. Jesus
will kill the wicked by a
command that comes out of His
mouth. Only the saints who
remain will survive that
awesome day. The seven last
plagues will be a horrible
payback for the wicked. The
seven last plagues contain
God’s wrath without
mercy – God’s wrath
full strength. God will repay
the wicked at the same level
of cruelty they demonstrated
towards God’s people
during the Great Tribulation.
Compare the seven trumpets
with the seven bowls:
Trumpets
Bowls
1. Fiery
hail
1.Terrible
sores
2.
Asteroid impact
(Sea)
2. Sea
turns to blood
3.
Asteroid impact
(Continent)
3. Springs of waterturns
blood
4. Darkness
(Volcano’s) 4. Sun
scorches people w/fire
5. Devil
appears 5. Satan’s
kingdom plunged into darkness
6. Devil
conquers
world
6. Armageddon
7. Close
of
mercy
7. Second
Coming / Great fieryhail
stones
Remember,
these seven plagues do not
affect God’s people. “A
thousand may fall at your
side, ten thousand at your
right hand, but it will not
come near you. You will only
observe with your eyes the
punishment of the
wicked.” (Psalm
91:7,8)
Three
points need to be made:
1.
Some of the seven bowls are
somewhat similar to the
destruction caused by the
seven trumpets. For example,
a third of the sea turn to
blood during the second
trumpet, but all of the sea
turns to blood during the
second bowl. Perhaps God
designed the trumpets as
harbingers of things to come.
In other words, even though
the trumpets are sounded with
mercy, God uses the trumpets
to warn the human race with
seven physical evidence of
what He intends to do during
the seven bowls, a time when
there is no mercy! Remember,
God spares two-thirds of
Earth during the time period
of the seven trumpets, but He
annihilates the entire world
with burning sulfur at the
end of the seven bowls.
2.
Notice the turn of events.
The fifth trumpet marks the
physical appearance of Satan
claiming to be God and the
fifth bowl marks the exposure
of the devil for who he
really is. When Jesus pours
out the fifth plague upon the
throne of the devil, the
world will see that this
creature, who claims to be
God, is not really God –
for God would not destroy His
own throne! (See Revelation
16:10, 11.) The light of
truth will shine brightly,
and the deception of sin will
be removed. The religious and
political leaders of the
world will realize they have
been worshiping the ancient
enemy of God. This
realization starts a
domino-like collapse of
Babylon. John says, “The
beast [Babylon] and
the ten horns you saw will
hate the prostitute [the
image or the one world
church/state]. They
will bring her to ruin and
leave her naked; they will
eat her flesh and burn her
with fire.” (Revelation
17:16)
3.
In a final attempt to control
collapsing kingdom, Satan
will rally the world one last
time and send powerful demons
to encourage the ten kings he
chose to rule over Earth.
These demons will lead the
kings of the Earth to do two
things. First, to destroy the
saints. Second, they will
unite to wage war on Jesus
when He appears in the
clouds. Notice what John says
of these demons, “They
are the spirits of demons
performing miraculous 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… Then they
gathered the kings together
to the place in Hebrew is
called Armageddon.” (Revelation
16:14, 16)
Here
is the scenario: After God
unmasks the devil in the
fifth bowl, the devil’s
empire will begin to
disintegrate. The religious
and political leaders of
Babylon will recognize they
have been duped into
worshiping the devil. Then,
the cloud will appear in the
sky – the sign of
Christ’s return. “At
that time the sign of the Son
of Man will appear in the sky
and all the nations of the
earth will mourn.” (Matthew
24:30, italics mine) When the
kings of the Earth see the
sign in the sky, they will
tremble. The devil preys on
their anxiety and will invite
them to join him in a two
pronged attack. He insists
they can kill the remaining
saints at an appointed hour
and then attack Jesus as He
draws near the Earth.
(Once again, truth is
stranger than fiction.) To
convince the kings of Earth
this is their last chance to
save themselves from
destruction, the devil sends
them three powerful demons to
help persuade them. “They
are spirits of demons
performing miraculous 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.” (Revelation
16:14) When the kings of the
Earth see the miracle working
powers of these three demons,
the leaders will be compelled
to trust their power and will
agree to join forces with the
devil. (What choice do they
really have?) They will make
plans to destroy the peopleJesus is coming
to save and ultimately to
kill Jesus Himself. If you
think that is far-fetched
that men would try to kill
God, remember the cross. If
you think it is far-fetched
that angels would war against
an omnipotent God, consider
Lucifer’s expulsion from
Heaven. When sin is
allowed to reach its vilest
maturity, it will seek to
destroy God. Sinners would
attempt to kill God (if they
could) if pushed to worship
Him! This is why God has to
completely eliminate sin from
the universe. Sin is a cancer
from which there is no
recovery – except
through the “born
again” experience.
200
Jesus Christ - King of Kings
& Lord of Lords
When a
person tries to explain all
about Jesus Christ and His
beautiful character,
it’s like a diamond with
millions of facets, colors
with deep fire and total
perfection.
The Holy
Spirit will give a person a
deep understanding about
Jesus character by studying
the five essential Bible
truths (I call them the five
S’s):
S alvation
through faith in Jesus Christ
God’s
seventh day Sabbath
rest
Parallel Sanctuaries
The State
of man in death
The
circumstances and events
surrounding the Second
Coming
Each of
these doctrines centers on
the generous ministry of
Jesus Christ. As we begin to
understand the depth of
God’s plans, it leads
the sincere in heart toward a
greater appreciation for
Jesus. First, I want to exalt
my Savior, Jesus. Even though
I continue to learn more
about Him every day, my
desire is to share a number
of wonderful things I have
gleaned from Scripture. No
one compares to Jesus. He
rightfully deserves to be
called, “The
Alpha and The Omega.” He
is the most awesome being in
the whole universe. Second,
these prophetic pictures and
paragraphs was written and
shown to help the Bible
students grasp the importance
of prophetic Bible study. The
prophecies of Daniel and
Revelation are an advanced
area of study and a
harmonious understanding of
the prophecies and pictures
requires a solid foundation
of the five essential truths
presented on this site.
For
example, Revelation 8:5
mentions the “casting
down of the censer” at
the golden altar. To
understand what this means,
we need to understand it
within the context of
services being conducted in
Heaven’s temple at the
Altar of Incense. Since
information about services
conducted at the heavenly
Altar of Incense does not
exist in the Bible, we must
turn to the parallels and
patterns between the heavenly
and the earthy sanctuaries.
As we examine the ministry
conducted at the Altar of
Incense on Earth, it helps us
to understand the
significance of casting down
the censer at the heavenly
altar.
“Future
telling” is not the
primary purpose of Bible
prophecy. Bible prophecy does
involve a study of future
events, but not in the way
most people assume. Bible
prophecy covers a number of
topics that believers should
want to understand.
Ultimately, Bible prophecy
reveals how Jesus will
resolve all of the problems
cause by sin. He will
eventually destroy the
wicked, both humans and
angels. Earth itself is so
contaminated with sin that
purification by fire is
required! The Godhead has
been dealing with the sin
problem for a long time and
they will bring the drama to
a close as planned – and
this is where apocalyptic
prophecy comes into focus.
Unfortunately,
the elimination of sin also
involves destroying human
beings that Jesus deeply
loves. The deliberate and
final destruction of fallen
angels and fallen human
beings must be done within a
framework of justice and
mercy that every survivor can
understand. Throughout
eternity, the drama if sin
wil be reviewed and discussed
by men and angels. Of course,
after the drama is over,
God’s children will have
a host of records to examine
which will disclose the whole
truth about sin and
God’s behavior. (1
Corinthians 6:1-4, Revelation
20:4) But, we are presently
living before the drama of
sin has been brought to a
close. So, God has given us
who live before the drama
comes to a close, an
opportunity to understand the
sweeping outline of how the
sin problem will be resolved.
By giving this information to
us in advance, our
understanding of what he must
do to the human race during
the Great Tribulation makes
sense.
If the
balance between God’s
eternal justice and His
unlimited love to save man is
not the central theme when
studying Bible prophecy, then
it is robbed of its
sanctifying value, because
human beings can do nothing
to prevent the things God has
determined to do. At the
present time, one man says
this about Revelation and
another says that, so no one
can determine the truth. This
is about to change. When the
Great Tribulation begins, God
will make sure all people
will see and hear His truth.
He will empower 144,000
spokespersons all over the
world and they will speak
with authority, as did Moses
and Elijah.
For now,
we must accept by faith that
God is unbelievably generous
in His grace and His
government is based on the
equitable rule of law based
on love. God’s laws are
not righteous because He
declares them to be
righteous. God’s laws
are righteous and fair
because the evidence will
show that sin’s drama
has ended, His laws will have
been proven to be righteous!
The eternal well-being of His
creatures is God’s first
and highest concern. As I
come to understand His
profound love for sinners, I
conclude that, “Jesus is
the Alpha and the Omega, the
First and Last, the Beginning
and End. He is the Engineer
of everything and the Creator
of all creations. He is the
Architect of the universe,
the Prince of Kindness and
the Prince of Peace. But for
a few hours in the tomb, He
is eternal. He has no
beginning and He is alive
forever more. He is unmoved,
unchanged, undefeated, and
never undone. He was bruised
but He brought healing. He
was pierced but He eased
pain. He was persecuted but
He brought freedom. He was
put to death but He brought
life. He is risen and He
brings power to those who
believe in Him. The world
cannot understand Him, the
armies of Earth cannot defeat
Him, the schools of men
cannot explain Him, and the
leaders of nations cannot
ignore Him. Herod could not
kill Him, the Pharisees could
not confuse Him, and crowds
could not get enough of Him.
Pilate could not hold Him in
the tomb. Caesars could not
silence His followers,
traditions cannot replace
Him, and modern science
cannot explain Him. He is the
way, the truth light, the
bread of life, perfect love
and Lord of Lords. He is
goodness, kindness and
gentleness. He is God, He is
the angel of the Lord and He
is man. He is holy,
righteous, mighty, powerful,
and pure. His ways are right,
His word is eternal, His will
is unchanging, and His
expansive thoughts include
me. He is my Redeemer and
Savior. He is my guide and my
peace. He is my joy and my
comfort, He is my Lord and He
rules over my life. I serve
Him because His bond of love,
His burden is light, and His
objective for me is abundant
life. I follow Him because He
is the source of truth, the
owner of wisdom and all
knowledge. He is love. He is
sovereign over the kings of
the Earth, the Ruler of
rulers, the Leader of
leaders, the Model for
overcomers. If His
qualifications seem
impressive, His demonstration
of love is even greater. He
desires a wonderful
relationship with every human
being. If I obediently submit
to His call, He will never
leave me, forsake me, mislead
me, forget me, overlook me,
or ignore my prayers.
When I fall, He lifts me up.
When I fail, He forgives me.
When I am weak, He is strong,
when I am lost, He knows the
way. When I am afraid, He
gives me courage. When I
stumble, He steadies
me. When I am hurt, He
heals me. When I am broken,
He mends me. When I am blind,
He leads me. When I am
hungry, He feeds me. When I
face trials, He assures me.
When I face persecution, He
sustains me. When I face
problems, He comforts me.
When I endure loss, He
provides for me. When I face
the shadow of death, He gives
me grace. He is everything
for everybody, everywhere,
every time, and in every way.
He is Almighty God, He is
faithful and trustworthy. I
am His, and He is
mine.”(Variations of
this statement have been
circulated on the
internet. I have added
a number of statements that
spring from my discoveries.
Originating author is
unknown.)
