December 29, 2020 – I'm Following Jesus

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Chapters: Revelation 8-11
Message: Christ’s Saints

Hello My Friend,

Every year that I read through Revelation I swear I find something new that saddens me even more about what is going to take place during the tribulation. It is also a great reminder that we are even closer to the day that Jesus will return and take His people out of here, even those who are in the graves. When you stop to think of how badly the earth will be destroyed with people still on it, and how God is willing to resurrect His people before that takes place so their bodies will not be subject to it, you have to imagine just bad it will be. We do have hope though, and that is only found in Jesus Christ. While He judges the dead, His saints will be rewarded.

[Revelation 11:15-18 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.]

[and the time of the dead, that they should be judged,] I started the message with the last verses of today’s reading as a reminder of the hope that all believers have, and it is not we who will be judged for all the evil, it will be the dead, the ones who never accepted Christ as their Saviour, the reprobates, the ones who will be the cause of all the destruction in the first place. As we read the chapters for today think about the state that the entire world will be in. I keep hearing so many people saying how America is not written in the prophecies, but we have to understand that all nations are going to be destroyed, but Israel. We read about six of the seven seals that were on the book that only Jesus could open, revealing the devastation that will take place as each seal is broken, each one becoming more catastrophic than the last. The seventh seal was the most devastating.

[Revelation 8:1-5 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 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. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 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.]

[there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.] For thirty minutes it was silent, not a voice was uttered, not a prayer was spoken. For thirty minutes, not a pin drop could be heard, nothing was seen, and the angels just stood there awaiting their orders. For thirty minutes it was silent, and I believe it was in those thirty minutes that Jesus waited for that very last soul to receive Him before that first trumpet was blown. Then all of a sudden something was heard, [And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints] I believe these were the prayers of the very last souls that got saved before the tribulation. God’s saints are not those who seem to be perfect and have made such a great impression upon man that they were declared a saint by some man after they died, God’s saints are those who accepted Christ as their Saviour, [Ephesians 2:18-19 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;]

Now, in that seventh seal were seven angels, each one will blow a trumpet that would send destruction upon the earth. [Revelation 8:7-8,10-12 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.]

[And the name of the star is called Wormwood:] Wormwood is a bitter plant that has a nauseous taste, it is a symbol of the bitter calamity and sorrow that God has on the wicked. We must understand that it is not God who brings all the evil, it is man and their horrible sin, and I am not talking about the sins that we commit in our own sinful nature, I am talking about the wicked and idolatrous things, including gender mutilation. Now, as the fifth angel blows his trumpet, hell literally breaks loose as the bottomless pit is opened.

[Revelation 9:1,4-6,11 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.]

[but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.] The angel had no power to destroy those who have the seal of God upon their foreheads, meaning those who have the blood of the Lamb upon their soul. [which is the angel of the bottomless pit,] Both the word Abaddon and Apollyon means destroyer. During this time it is going to be near impossible to find someone on earth who believes in God. In fact, even though they will beg to die because of the torture they will be under, they will not be repentant at all.

[Revelation 9:13-15,20-21 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.]

[yet repented not of the works of their hands,] It is the wonderful, and amazing gifts of God’s mercy and grace that keeps the destroyer from taking a single soul who has this mark, no matter how many stupid things they do after being saved. Amen! Another angel comes down from heaven, clothed in a cloud, and having a rainbow upon his head. This angel had a little book in his hand.

[Revelation 10:2-7,11 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. 5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.]

[Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered,] This is not something that Jesus hid from people, this was revealed later on in a different vision when the vials were poured upon the earth. [that there should be time no longer:] Very soon, time will be no more, but to those who are saved, that means eternal life with Christ in His kingdom. [Thou must prophesy again before many peoples,], And this is why we are sent just as John was to tell the Gospel as long as we are here before Christ returns, [Mark 16:15-16 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.]

[He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;] Baptized meaning receiving the Holy Spirit into your soul, and that can only happen if we believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Saviour. Now, during the great tribulation, when most of the earth will be in chaos, and just before Jesus returns, God will send His last two messengers to whomever is left to preach the Gospel. Interestingly, they will be here for three and a half years, until the beast would ascend from the bottomless pit, killing them.

[Revelation 11:3,7-8,10-13 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.]

[which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt,] Both Sodom and Egypt are a picture of the world today. Sodom is a picture of its great immoral condition, men, not only dressing up as women, but denying the fact they are men. Abortion is just some medical procedure, children are unruly, parents are abusive, while those who do bring their kids up morally are condemned. Egypt is a picture of its great idol worship, man made gods, here in American people worship the past president that not only turned its back on Israel, but gave millions of dollars to the enemy, and brought great divide, racism, and hatred in this country that people still die defending.

[and gave glory to the God of heaven.] This is when both the Jews and Gentiles who are left on the earth will finally recognize Jesus for who He is, and accept Him. This is also when Jesus will return as KING and we will all His saints will join Him here and minister to Him while He reigns as KING, [Joel 3:1-2,16-17 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. 17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.]

Today’s Prayer: God, As the years go by it is devastating to witness nation after nation falling into such evil, including my own. To think that we are only in the beginning of sorrows is terrifying, but thank You for giving us a heads up on this, and for giving us a way to escape it through Your Son. Only by putting our faith and trust in Him can we be saved, not only from hell, but the great tribulation. Lord, although things get crazy and life seems unbearable at times, keep my eyes looking to You, remind me that this is only temporary and that You have a wonderful, sin free, sorrow free, pain free, life awaiting me as I endure it all with my Saviour by my side. Fill me with Your mercy, grace, and knowledge to speak to all You send my way so they too can learn of Your Son and hopefully receive Him as be saved as well. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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