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: Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Chapters: Revelation 12-17
Message: Seek Him Now
Hello My Friend,
I asked God to give me knowledge as I read the chapters for today, I have to admit that I had a hard time reading and writing about these chapters today, it really is heartbreaking to read about God’s wrath upon the earth, and no matter how much you tell yourself that you will not have to witness all this that does not stop you from imagining all the lives that will be lost. We have to understand that none of these things are going to happen to the believers, this is God’s wrath upon the one who created all this evil in the first place, the devil. The devil is the creator of all evil, he tempts, tries, and challenges us through our lusts, desires, and faith, God on the other hand uses all of this so that we can turn to Him, [Revelation 14:12-13 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.]
[Here is the patience of the saints:] Now, that is an understatement. I have to tell you for weeks I have been uneasy and fearful of what is to come in the coming months in my own life, but yesterday something changed and I stopped being so afraid of the unknown as I already know that whatever happens, God is one step ahead of me, and will see me through. Bear with me as there is a lot of Scripture to cover today. As Jesus continues to give John visions of what is to come to the earth during the tribulation, He shows him a woman.
[Revelation 12:1-6 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.]
[a woman clothed with the sun,] The woman, represents every believer of Christ, who is birthed through their faith in Jesus Christ, she is justified, sanctified, and shining in the Son of Righteousness. The moon was under her feet, meaning her enemy would become her footstool, the enemy being Satan himself. The crown of twelve stars is the doctrine of the Gospel, spoken of by the first twelve apostles, and is a crown of glory to all true believers. [And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven,] Satan is a bully, just like all these fools who destroy everything to try and intimidate someone into joining them. However, he will never prevail over the one who is the Gospel. As we continue to read this chapter, we learn about the war in heaven where Satan tried to prevail and lost.
[Revelation 12:7-12 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.]
[And there was war in heaven:] This is not the third heaven from which is the habitation of God is. Remember, God grants Satan access to a part of the heavens, from which He communicates with him. [Job 1:6-7]. Some commentaries suggest that this took place during the time that God created the heavens and earth, which is I was led to believe with the way it is written. Others suggest that this is actually Jesus fighting with Satan during the tribulation, which could also be a factor as this would be the time when it will be near impossible for someone to get saved. I believe it could be a picture of both as God does reveal things to us as He sees that we are able to comprehend them. [And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,] Only those who overcome the devil have the blood of the Lamb applied upon their souls. [because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.] The devil knows his fate and is going to try everything to prolong his life and take as many lost souls as he can with him. Since he too has no idea when Christ will return, he is going to do his best to take as many souls as he can with him. And while he does not know the hour when all this will take place either, he does have a plan to change his fate one more time. Jesus reveals to John the two beasts who will ascend out of the pit before He returns in one last attempt to change his fate and get revenge on God.
[Revelation 13:1-4,7-8 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.]
[having seven heads and ten horns,] This is none other than the Antichrist, the seven heads are the seven forms of government, divided into ten kingdoms. Sadly, we are seeing this forming as we speak, anyone without the mark of God will fall under the control of the Antichrist. [whose names are not written in the book of life] As long as we have accepted Christ as our Saviour our names are written in the book of life, and that means that Satan cannot touch our soul, and has no power to control us by the Antichrist. And now the second beast.
[Revelation 13:11-12,15-18 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.]
[to receive a mark in their right hand,] This is none other than the Antichrist. I remember growing up, the horror stories I heard about the number 666, anyone seeing that number would freak out because it was someone possessed of the devil. While devil possessed people may seem like a joke or of no concern to us, we should be concerned, there are literally thousands of people out there working for the Antichrist right now. They are normal looking preachers, teachers, doctors, politicians, officers, and layman claiming they know Christ, sound like Him, and have people eating right out of their hands. What they are doing is literally sending millions of people to hell with them with their false religions. However, God will get vengeance on him, the Antichrist, the false prophet, and anyone with the mark of the beast, which is revealed in the next chapter.
[Revelation 14:6-10 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:]
[The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God,] As Christians, we are going to witness some devastating things as we get closer to the tribulation, but we will endure, even in death, because we will be with Jesus. Praise God! We could ask ourselves why all this has to take place anyway, and why God does not just end it all right now and destroy Satan this instant. From what the Bible tells me, this is for two reasons, one, for God to put His wrath upon the reprobates, and two, to save those who are not. After all this takes place, and after all of God’s people are gathered and safe from harm, God will send one last judgment upon the earth, seven plagues that will destroy it completely. Jesus reveals something amazing to John, all who have been saved by the blood of Christ singing and praising God while all this is taking place. [Revelation 15:1-3 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. 3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.]
[Great and marvellous are thy works,] To read these passages to an unsaved soul, and perhaps some who are saved, God could not possibly bring such judgment upon the earth. But think about this, God is the Creator of everything, the devil took it upon himself to turn everything He made into something evil, and while God is letting him have his glory for a while, it and he will come to an end, along with those who followed his ways. While God is merciful and gracious, He is also a just God, meaning He gives all the same opportunity. God sends the seven angles with the vials containing the seven plagues and they begin to pour each vial upon the earth.
[Revelation 16:1,5-6,13-17 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.]
[saying, It is done.] Just as Jesus, while on the cross, proclaimed that what He came here to accomplish was finished, God will proclaim that what He has accomplished in putting an end to Satan and all the evils that he brought with him will be done. The second we are born we have an expected end of death, some souls never even get the chance to be born, but our beginning is not the best part of life, it is our ending, that is as long as we trust Jesus Christ as our Saviour, [Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for giving Your life to save me, You truly are the truth, life, and only way to be saved from death and hell. The love You have for us is astounding, You rather see every soul saved then end up facing the ultimate judgment of the lake of fire, but sadly, not all believe in You, and many even go as far as deceiving lost souls into believe their lies so they do not find You. Lord, I know that my end will be so much better than my beginning, as I endure the ups and downs of this life, keep me faithful and strong in Your Word, lead me and guide me in Your truths, and let me not fall into the deception of those working for the devil. Give me Your power, mercy, and grace to become more like You, be ready for the tribulation, and look forward to the day You take me away from it all. In Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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