Alright, we are now at the point in The Revelation of Jesus, the Christ, that just about everyone, including many of the Lost, wish to discuss, the Rapture!
Revelation 7:1:
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
I, once more, will tell you that I refuse to be dogmatic in my teaching on the prophecy recorded in the book of The Revelation, except for that which has already happened. But, as I live out my last days I watch the world, the events that are taking pace, daily, and I am, on the personal level, marking this period to be the one noted here in 7:1. It is by faith that I have accepted the belief that these four Heavenly Servants are either in place, right now, or will be, very shortly.
Some will ask, in astonishment, ¨How in the world can you, dare to, walk out on that limb when it is already half cut through?¨ If, or when, we read the scriptures we see that God never brings calamity (punishment) on His children without waring them first! And then as we read the word from God through the prophets we find the markers for the time, just before The Day of the Lord and it is my earnest opinion that we are seeing the Birth Pains, right now and the Fig Tree, Israel, blossomed in May of nineteen and forty-four. The Season is now!
Revelation 7:2:
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Revelation 7:3:
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
So, the Rapture, in the opinion of the Mid-Trib believers has just occurred and it is now time for twelve thousand, from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to be sealed as belonging to the LORD.
Revelation 7:4:
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
There is so much foolishness being taught today, concerning this and the next four verses of the scripture. I´ll guess that the best known is the position of that, Satanic lead cult, the Jehovah´s Witness¨ where it is their position that the 144,000 are already saved, residing in Heaven, right now, leaving the rest of us with no hope of ever ascending to Heaven. All the while verses 4-8 are crystal clear, leaving no need of interpretation, these are descendants of the children God promised, never to aandon or forget, the children of Jacob! (Duet. 7:9, Exo. 20:6 and Psa. 105:8)
Revelation 7:5:
Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:6:
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:7:
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:8:
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:9:
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Now, I have been taught the Preterist, Mid-Trib and Post-Trib positions and while I do agree with the Mid nor with the Post-Trib positions I do not teach against them because I can see how they arrive at their positions. On the other hand I cannot understand how the Preterist can believe as they do. The Church has been raptured, caught away, and now we see the throngs of converts at the Throne that were murdered for their conversion, during the Great Tribulation. It is my position that if the Preterist is correct that we are doomed... The government is not murdering people yet!
Revelation 7:10:
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:11:
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12:
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
As I read these verses I recall the past examples of true Worship illustrated for us in this book. It is, one more time I say it, always important to pay attention to what we read in the Word of God and any time a thing is repeated, it gains important, for in this manor, emphasis is given. We must learn to not sit there and to sing during Worship Service, we need to learn to submit our very being to God and to worship prayerfully.
Revelation 7:13:
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14:
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The Holy Spirit has left the Earth with the Church and, perhaps, is then present as He was in the Old Testament (only as He is needed) and still some, perhaps your neighbor that watched you every day, are losing their heads for the cause of Christ because they realize what has happened because we left the mark of the Christ on them.
Revelation 7:15:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Revelation 7:16:
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Revelation 7:17:
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
The Wedding of the LORD to His Bride, the Church has taken place and the Wedding Feast is on going and yet more are being saved. These, it appears, are serving the LORD forever in His presense because of their willingness to die for Him.
Revelation 7:1:
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
I, once more, will tell you that I refuse to be dogmatic in my teaching on the prophecy recorded in the book of The Revelation, except for that which has already happened. But, as I live out my last days I watch the world, the events that are taking pace, daily, and I am, on the personal level, marking this period to be the one noted here in 7:1. It is by faith that I have accepted the belief that these four Heavenly Servants are either in place, right now, or will be, very shortly.
Some will ask, in astonishment, ¨How in the world can you, dare to, walk out on that limb when it is already half cut through?¨ If, or when, we read the scriptures we see that God never brings calamity (punishment) on His children without waring them first! And then as we read the word from God through the prophets we find the markers for the time, just before The Day of the Lord and it is my earnest opinion that we are seeing the Birth Pains, right now and the Fig Tree, Israel, blossomed in May of nineteen and forty-four. The Season is now!
Revelation 7:2:
And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
Revelation 7:3:
Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
So, the Rapture, in the opinion of the Mid-Trib believers has just occurred and it is now time for twelve thousand, from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to be sealed as belonging to the LORD.
Revelation 7:4:
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
There is so much foolishness being taught today, concerning this and the next four verses of the scripture. I´ll guess that the best known is the position of that, Satanic lead cult, the Jehovah´s Witness¨ where it is their position that the 144,000 are already saved, residing in Heaven, right now, leaving the rest of us with no hope of ever ascending to Heaven. All the while verses 4-8 are crystal clear, leaving no need of interpretation, these are descendants of the children God promised, never to aandon or forget, the children of Jacob! (Duet. 7:9, Exo. 20:6 and Psa. 105:8)
Revelation 7:5:
Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:6:
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:7:
Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:8:
Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
Revelation 7:9:
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Now, I have been taught the Preterist, Mid-Trib and Post-Trib positions and while I do agree with the Mid nor with the Post-Trib positions I do not teach against them because I can see how they arrive at their positions. On the other hand I cannot understand how the Preterist can believe as they do. The Church has been raptured, caught away, and now we see the throngs of converts at the Throne that were murdered for their conversion, during the Great Tribulation. It is my position that if the Preterist is correct that we are doomed... The government is not murdering people yet!
Revelation 7:10:
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:11:
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Revelation 7:12:
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
As I read these verses I recall the past examples of true Worship illustrated for us in this book. It is, one more time I say it, always important to pay attention to what we read in the Word of God and any time a thing is repeated, it gains important, for in this manor, emphasis is given. We must learn to not sit there and to sing during Worship Service, we need to learn to submit our very being to God and to worship prayerfully.
Revelation 7:13:
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Revelation 7:14:
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The Holy Spirit has left the Earth with the Church and, perhaps, is then present as He was in the Old Testament (only as He is needed) and still some, perhaps your neighbor that watched you every day, are losing their heads for the cause of Christ because they realize what has happened because we left the mark of the Christ on them.
Revelation 7:15:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
Revelation 7:16:
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Revelation 7:17:
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
The Wedding of the LORD to His Bride, the Church has taken place and the Wedding Feast is on going and yet more are being saved. These, it appears, are serving the LORD forever in His presense because of their willingness to die for Him.
