My Thoughts

My Thoughts on Christianity and Other Things

Archive for the tag “Religion”

15 Feb 2015

Seattle Christians

Meet Nicole, my guest writer. My wife and I have known Nicole and her husband for a few years. Both of them love the Lord just as my wife and I do. Hopefully this is only the first of her writings.
Steve

Seattle Christians
by Nicole

Seattle – Photo from Google

Seattle – Photo from Google

Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words. -St Francis of Assisi

I recently heard someone not local to the Seattle area use this quote in reference to Christians in Seattle. I don’t know if the person repeating it was aware that these are the words of Saint Francis, not to be confused with the current Pope of the same name. And to clarify, I think the person who said this was still making a fairly valid point about Seattle area Christians in general, and I respect this person a lot. To paraphrase, he said that Christians in Seattle tend to be quiet about their faith, and keep it private. Yes, I try to be quiet about it most of the time, but I am also aware that Christians do live in Seattle, so I’m not quite a minority, religiously speaking.

I keep my faith quiet for several reasons, but first and foremost is because so many in the Seattle area who are not followers of Christ tend to have strong opinions about Christianity, whether they understand the Bible, the religion, or not. Most of the arguments I heard against the Church didn’t have anything to do with the faith I was brought up in, but had everything to do with other Christian sects or an historical viewpoint. Those don’t apply to me, for the most part, since I belong to a lesser-known branch of evangelicals, and well, I live in the 21st century and not the crusading Middle Ages. And then in the lime-light there are the Bible-thumping “evangelicals” who adhere to very strict ideas of how Christians ought to live and aren’t shy about declaring who will be “saved” and who is going to be damned to hell. With those ideas, why on earth would I actually publicize that I’m a Christian… with my words?

I love these words of Saint Francis of Assisi about witnessing: Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words. Another way to phrase it is, “Actions speak louder than words.” I believe that the reason my acquaintance criticizes Seattle area Christians is not because we don’t talk enough. It’s because we don’t act enough. We are called to be people of action. Not just Christians, but everyone! That’s not to say that we need to live more in the moment, or that we should act first and think later. No. But we can’t just stand around and talk about stuff, and then call things good.

I’m fine with people not talking about what they believe. I almost wish more would do that. It’s difficult going to downtown Seattle and watching so-called Christians demonstrate with signs that “God is Love” and then see right next to them, or written just below, “God hates Gays” and worse. Those are very cringe-worthy signs and actions. I have no idea where their hearts are, or what God thinks about them, but I don’t identify with that as being part of “Kingdom work.”

The best personal action I can think of recently happened on the night before Thanksgiving last fall. I volunteer for an organization that works with local prostitutes, giving them a hand-up and there was a new girl there that night. For the first time ever, I was someone’s first point-of-contact at the center. She was scared that telling me she’s a lesbian would lead to me asking her to find someplace else to go. My response? “Would you like anything to eat before we get into the rest of these in-take forms?” I heard last week from the center director that this young woman has returned to us several times during the daytime and has asked about me. Wow! Do you see what I’m getting at? My words helped my actions, and reflected more strongly with them. Even more, they have impacted the organization so that she and others feel welcome to come in and get the assistance they are looking for.

Christians don’t need to be preachy or try to act all righteous. They need to forgive and act from places of grace. This still applies to me. I might do things “right” from time to time, but I need correction too. I don’t want to be remembered for my words when I’m gone from this world. I’d far rather be remembered for my actions. Hopefully good ones! I am mostly speaking to the Seattle area, but this call to better accountability in action could be for other pockets of the USA and world as well.

So many speak about their beliefs without considering if their actions measure up. We talk about helping the poor but won’t help the homeless guy begging on the corner. We say it’s a shame that people don’t have clean water in southeast Asia and Africa, but won’t donate the money to help them build proper wells. Instead, we scream that women who abort their unborn children are murderers when what we should be doing is asking them if they need counseling, or if they would like better access to birth control. There is so much inaction in the world. What can you or I do today to speak with our actions, instead of our mouths?

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29 Dec 2014
3 Comments

Revelation 22

Photo taken in Wax Museum in Grand Prairie, Texas

Photo taken in Wax Museum in Grand Prairie, Texas

Here we are at the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22. Revelation 22:1-2 talks about the new Jerusalem as a city and in Revelation 21:2 it’s called the Holy City. How did I miss this before? I don’t know but I did. This is why, so many times I say please, PLEASE check out what I say. I am not trained in this. In fact I have never gone to a Bible college, or had any other kind of training in this. Be wise. Do as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. I pray that I am very accurate, but I’m afraid I will make mistakes and I do not want you to be mislead.

There is a river of life flowing down the center of main street, with a tree of life growing on both sides of the river. And it bears fruit each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. Revelation 22:1-2 How this will work, I don’t know, but it will.

There will no longer be a curse, for the throne of God and the lamb will be there, and His servants will worship Him face to face. His name will be on their foreheads. They will truly be His. Now Revelation 22:5 says there will be no night, so there will be no need for lamps or even the sun! For the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign for ever.

Much of Revelation is very difficult to understand. But remember an angel told John all he has seen and heard is trustworthy and true.

We are at the tail end of the Bible, and Jesus Himself says these things: He is coming soon, and blessed are those who obey the prophecies written in this book. I believe He is talking about the prophecies told to the seven churches in Revelation 1:4 through Revelation 3:22.

He also says He is coming soon and will bring His reward to repay everyone according to what he or she has done. After all, He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega (or the A and Z), the First and the Last. He was in the beginning in Genesis 1:1 as explained in John 1:1-14 and after the Amen in the end of Revelation 22:21. He has known everybody, past and present.

Jesus says also says, He is the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. In other words He created man, and therefor King David, and and He is also the descendant of King David. We just celebrated His birth a few days ago on December 25th.

Now for Revelation 22:14-15. I have so many thoughts about this. I don’t know where to begin or even if I should. It would take way too must space and time. And if I get it wrong… that would be very bad.

So much of prophecy is a mystery because we’ve never seen it. I have read in commentaries at times that Israel and Jerusalem must be a spiritual place or an idea. They thought this because for over 2000 years there was no Israel. But there is now.

A few weeks ago, like myself, many of you bought and paid for your Christmas gifts in you home and maybe even in your pajamas. You mailed no letters and wrote no checks. You did not make any phone calls or even looked at a paper catalog. But you still picked out a gift and even paid for it. Today because of the Internet, this is no big deal. Yet fifty years ago, people would have no understanding of this paragraph. Prophecies in the Bible are the same way. They have to be seen first to be fully understood.

Photo taken in Wax Museum in Grand Prairie, Texas (I would have taken more, but the battery in my camera died)

Photo taken in Wax Museum in Grand Prairie, Texas (I would have taken more, but the battery in my camera died)

Revelation 22:17-19 is both a welcome and a very stern warning. Basically it says, if you change anything, you’re in trouble. I do not want to be in trouble. I have prayed for wisdom the whole time while writing the Revelation series. This is way so often I have been saying that I am not trained in this. This is also why I have often told you to read, and to check this out for yourself. I want nobody to be misled on account of me. (I don’t want you to be misled at all) So please pick up a Bible and read Revelation yourself. It won’t take long. You may agree with me or disagree. Just read.

Remember Revelation 22:20. Jesus said He’s coming soon.

And now for the last verse: The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Revelation and tagged , , , , , ,
06 Dec 2014

Revelation 21:8-27

Revelation 21:1-7 talks about a new creation for God’s people. But who are God’s people? To the horror and disappointment to some, it will not include everyone. Far from it. Revelation 21:8 has a list of those who will not make it into the next life in the new world. It includes cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars. These people will go into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

I know many people will say, “Oh I believe.” Good, but what do you believe? Jesus is not just nice guy, or just a prophet. He is not at all like Buddha. He is Lord. He has authority over everyone and everything. And God is not some cosmic consciousness. The God of Israel is a very real and mighty God. He can do anything He wants. And He has.

I have heard that if you’re good and kind, you’ll have life after death. Well, you may think you can earn you way into Heaven, but you can’t. God’s standards are way too high. We can never make it on our own. It is impossible. However, there is good news though. God loves people so much that He sent His son to pay our way. Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins. Then He rose from the dead, physically, then some time later He went up into Heaven.

Remember, For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

It is through His grace that we may have eternal life, and that is why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of our Lord.

The rest of the chapter, Revelation 21:9-27 talks about the Jerusalem. It is described as the bride or the wife of the Lamb. I have read in several commentaries that Christians are the bride of Christ. And I agree with that. However this time I do believe this is a building. A very large building. In fact it’s 1400 miles by 1400 miles. (2253 kilometers by 2253 kilometers) That’s an amazing 1,960,000 square miles! (5,076,377 square kilometers) To give you an idea how big an area this is, Australia is 2,969,907 sq mi (7,692,024 sq km), and the United States total area: 3,794,083 square miles (9,826,630 sq km).

Imagine being able to look down and see the International Space Station – NASA

Imagine being able to look down and see the International Space Station – NASA

Revelation 21:16-17 says that the walls of Jerusalem were 216 feet (66 meters) and 1400 miles tall. (2253 kilometers) The International Space Station is only about 240 miles (386 kilometers) up. Imagine being able to look down at the space station. Of course the space station won’t be around then.

Now I know some of you will say all this is crazy, because the size of Jerusalem would throw the whole earth out of balance. OK. But if God can create the smallest sub-atomic particles, link them together to build atoms, then molecules, then planets, living animals, and plants; don’t you think He would know enough to offset the axis of the earth to keep it balanced???

Anyway, Revelation 21:10-21 goes in the detail of what Jerusalem will look like. To us at this point in time, this seems strange and almost unbelievable. Keep in mind that 100 years ago people most likely wondered about Israel being mentioned in the Bible when talking about end times. After all, there was no Israel for maybe 2700 years. How could they possibly make sense of this? But now there is Israel and it’s in the news often.

There is a lot going on in Revelation 21:22-27. First God and the Lamb are the temple, and the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light. The rest of the chapter is interesting in that there are nations. Plural. And if there are different nations, then there will be different governments and different cultures. And all will be good. Even in a single country there could be different governments. For an example, in the United States, Louisiana and Alaska are the only two states that do not have counties. Louisiana has parishes and Alaska has boroughs and census areas instead.

Another thing I find interesting is that Revelation 21:27 says: Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This makes it sound like there could be other people who are not God’s people around still. However I don’t believe there will be because of Revelation 21:8. Besides, if there were bad people then, it would go against the first part of Revelation 21.

There is only one more chapter left in Revelation. It’ll tell more about the new world, and I’ll tell you why I have been so detailed about what I have been writing. And please, please check out everything I say. Remember I am not trained in this. I am a mechanic. So until next time…

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24 Nov 2014

Revelation 21:1-7

Matthew 13:48-50
When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In a nut shell, this is how Revelation 20 ends. The earth and the sky is now gone. And Revelation 21 starts off with a new creation.

Copper Ridge, North Cascade National Park -National Park Service

Copper Ridge, North Cascade National Park -National Park Service

But how did the old creation, the one we’re living in now, disappear?

Colossians 1:17 talking about Jesus says: He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. How He makes everything disappear is amazing. But what’s really amazing is how He holds everything together! He is Lord even over quantum physics!

So now Revelation 21:1 says the old earth, heaven, and even the sea are gone, and has been replaced by the new heaven and earth. But I have questions about the sea. Is it now gone for good? Or has it been replaced too.

Here is my thinking. The Bible says, “And the sea was also gone.” But if you go back to Genesis 1:2 you’ll find the whole earth was covered by water. And then in Genesis 1:9-10 God caused the water to gather in one place, so now there is land and sea.

Back in Revelation 21:1, I looked up earth, and it translates to land or soil. So going back to Genesis, if you take away the earth, you’ll only have the sea. Back in Revelation for everything to be made new, “the sea was also gone.”

Please check out everything I say. I am no expert. I have had no training in this at all. I could be wrong. Check it out.

Now the new Jerusalem comes down from Heaven. Some say that the new Jerusalem is God’s people. I believe it is a place for God’s people. Revelation 21:3-7 is interesting. First God will live with us! His people! We will be His people, and He will be our God. It will be like in the very beginning.

Revelation 21:4 says there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. Check out what Isaiah 11:7-8 says about the new world. Lions will eat grass and little kids will be able to play with cobras, rattlesnakes and such, with out being harmed. And I do mean the small child himself will not be harmed.

Cougar – Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Cougar – Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Many people say that before Adam and Eve sinned, there was no death. Not even animal death. No curse of any kind. If we read Genesis 1:29-30 we’ll even see that everyone and everything was a vegetarian. Isaiah 65:17-25 tells more of what the future will be like. To be honest, I must say because of Isaiah 65:20, I wonder if this might be talking about the 1000 year period when Satan was in prison. I debated on using it in the Revelation 20 post.

I have never done a Part 1 and a Part 2 before, this will be the first. In the next post I’ll talk about the new Jerusalem.

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09 Nov 2014

Revelation 20

Revelation 20 takes place after the anti-Christ and his army has been defeated by our Lord Jesus. And even though it is a short chapter, it will cover more than a thousand years of time.

First the dragon (Satan) will be thrown into a bottomless pit for a thousand years. Now you may ask why a thousand years and then be released. And I’ll have to tell you that I don’t know.

Now I have said this many times in the past, and I will say it again. I have had no training in this at all. None. Zero. No Bible training of any form. So please check out what I say. Read the scriptures. Remember, I am not an expert in this.

Also some commentaries were written over hundred years ago or more. Ideas do change. I read in the Mathew Henry’s Commentary that Jerusalem must be a spiritual place. This of course was written long before Israel became a country in 1948. We have all seen Jerusalem in the news now. And the things that are happening now, were written about in Isaiah and other places in the Bible. This proves that the Bible in true.

The next few verses Revelation 20:4-6, brings up some thoughts and questions. At first verse four reminded me of the Church in Thyatira back in Revelation 2:22-28. But I don’t see how they can be. Revelation 20:4 is about those who were killed because of the anti-Christ. This is the first resurrection.

A couple of months ago, my pastor recommended a book for me to read: Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. Good book. The finer details, I didn’t know, but the main message I already knew. I was surprised to find that many Christians had no clue that they would have a bodily resurrected. I don’t know when I figured this out, but going on two years ago, when my Dad was laying on his death bed, I told him that I’ll see him after the resurrection.

Anyway anyone who goes the first resurrection will never die again. Period. And they will reign with Jesus for a thousand years. The book of Isaiah has information on the future, but it seems to me a lot of it will be for the next chapter. Revelation 21.

I don’t understand Revelation 20:7-8. I mean I understand what it says; I just don’t understand why. With all these people, both God’s people and others, why let Satan out so he could deceive people? Another question is, with these people living with Jesus for so long, how could they be deceived? But I know people do become deceived. Adam and Eve both knew God personally. In fact in Genesis 3:8-10 when it says: “man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden” I believe this is the Lord Jesus. I back this up with John 1:1-14.

Afterwards Satan’s army will surround God’s people. What a dumb thing to do. Because when they do, fire will come down and consumed them.

Gone Rev 20:11

After that, the devil be will thrown into the Lake of Fire with the beast and the false prophet, where they will be tormented 24/7 forever. The earth and the sky fled from His presence. I don’t what this means, unless it means the earth and the sky just became gone. As in no longer exist.

Now the judgment starts. Dead people from the greatest royalty or other very important people to the lowest peasant will now be judged. These people are standing before God’s throne with the Book of Life and other books open. And the people are judged according to what they have done. It says in Revelation 20:13 that the sea will give up its dead. It’s interesting the scriptures doesn’t say those who drowned at sea, but it does say death and the grave will give up its dead. One thing I thought of was the Bermuda Triangle and other places like it around the globe. Whether the Bermuda Triangle is real or not is for you to decide. Anyway each person will be judged for what they have done. Adultery, murder, mocking God, and even good things. However Revelation 20:15 says who does not have their name written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Death and the grave have already been thrown into the lake.

So how do you get into the Book of Life? Psalm 69:28 Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous. OK so you have to be righteous. But everyone has sinned. And what if you laying on your death bed? Roman 5:17 says righteousness is a gift through Jesus. There is no other way.

So this is how the world ends. Revelation 21 is a new beginning.

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14 Oct 2014
2 Comments

Revelation 19

Long Road 2

Finally, Revelation 19! I have been waiting for this. It’s been a long road getting here. There is a lot of shouting of joy. A real celebration. Because Babylon, the great prostitute with all her evil is destroyed.

In Heaven the 24 elders and the four living creatures (I wrote about them in my post Revelation 4) fell down to worship God, who was seated on the throne. And they were also celebrating. In fact, from verse one through nine, is a celebration for our Lord Jesus.

One verse that seems out of place is Revelation 19:10, where John knelt down to worship an angel. Thankfully the angel stopped him. It would not be good for John to break the first commandment at a time like this.

So anyway back to the celebration. Light the Barbeque, and put on the best steaks. Light the fireworks. Sing loud praises to our Lord. Let’s have a parade. Play the “Hallelujah Chorus” through an amplifier with enough wattage to cause a brown-out in your neighborhood. Praise the Lord with all you have!

Now comes the the one riding and a white horse. The KING of kings and the LORD of lords. He is called Faithful and True! His title is The Word of God. He has a sharp two edge sword coming out of his mouth to cut down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the wrath of God like juice flowing from the winepress. His robe dipped in blood, yet the armies of Heaven who are following Him are in pure white linen. Many of us know who this guy is, in Revelation 19:11-16. For those of you who don’t, this is Jesus Christ our Lord!

I must tell you about His title The Word of God. If you read John 1:1-14 you’ll see that Jesus Himself created the world. I’m not sure why I should say this because after all, anyone who knows Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile already knows this. And yet I have found that a non-believer usually have a very difficult time understanding any of this. Unless the Holy Spirit shows him or her. It says in Genesis 3:8 “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.” People I believe this is Jesus Himself.

Then an angel standing in the the sun tells the vultures to come to the feast. This is because there will be a lot of dead bodies to eat. Revelation 19:17-18 Ezekiel 39:11-16

Revelation 19:19 says that the beast and the kings of the world gather together to fight against the one on the horse and His armies. So, all these people think they can fight against the Lord. Are they nuts? Talk about a suicide mission. Their leaders, the beast and the false prophet will be captured and then thrown alive into a lake of burning sulfur. if you want to have an idea of what that could be like, (I hope you don’t found out first hand) read my post “Dark Fire?“. Then the armies who followed the beast, the ones who were obviously deceived by the beast; were killed by the one on the horse with the double edge sword coming out of His mouth. Those of us who know our Lord, know this is Jesus. People Jesus is NOT like Gandhi nor like Buddha. Jesus is LORD. Son of God the Father

Want Ads Ezekiel 39:11-16

If you are around after this war, there will be some job openings soon afterwards. There will be lots of dead bodies laying around. And I believe each and everyone of them will be from the armies of the beast. See Ezekiel 39:11-16.

John 3:16-18
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.

Posted in Christianity, Prophecy, Revelation and tagged , , , , , , ,
26 Sep 2014

Revelation 18

Revelation 18, Four more chapters to go. If you are new to this blog, I must tell you to check what I say. I am not a pastor, nor a theologian. I have never been to seminary, Bible college, or have had any training at all. For most of my life I have been a mechanic. It would be very wise to test everything I say. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 says so.

Hiroshima, Japan after dropping atom bomb 1945 – AP Photo/Files

Hiroshima, Japan after dropping atom bomb 1945 – AP Photo/Files

We are nearing the end of God’s judgment. But to start with Revelation 18 we need to go back to Revelation 17:14, where the ten kings will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will defeat them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Anyway the beast and the ten kings will turn on the prostitute, God put the idea to do so in their hearts.

So now we start Revelation 18. First an angel announced that the great evil city of Babylon has fallen. This city is not only full of commerce, but also evil. Lots of evil. It is also a very arrogant city. But Revelation 18:8 says it will be destroyed in one day. The people will mourn for Babylon. Revelation 18:12-13 tells of everything that passes through Babylon ports. Including human slaves. That’s what the New Living Translation says. English Standard Version says human souls.

People I believe these are slaves for labor. Instead I believe these are slaves for sex. A few years ago I found there were sex slaves all over the whole world. Many of them are even bought and sold in nearly every country. If you would like to help do something about this evil problem, here is a list of organizations.
http://gpseattle.net/
https://www.ijm.org/
http://slaverymap.org/

London WWII, Two Women – National Archives, US Government

London WWII, Two Women – National Archives, US Government

Revelation 18:20-24, is The Lord’s judgment for the sake of God’s people. Babylon is now gone.

When I was doing this post, I also read Isaiah 13. It’s amazing how Isaiah 13 and Revelation 17:14 through Revelation 18:24 seems to go hand in hand. Just like Revelation, Isaiah tells of the Lord calling the armies to fight Babylon. Isaiah also tells of Babylon being wiped out. Never to be inhabited again.

There is one more thing that Isaiah says that I must point out. Isaiah 13:11-12 says: “I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. I will make people scarcer than gold— more rare than the fine gold of Ophir.

People, I have heard from many people who asks “Why does God allow evil, if He is so loving?” the answer is found in Ezekiel 18:23. “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.

If we have all done wrong, and we have, then who will live? The answer will come in a few weeks.

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03 Sep 2014

Revelation 17

XXX - RATED

For awhile I was not looking forward to writing about Revelation 17. Too much of it was a mystery. Who was or is the prostitute? Where is Babylon? How does this all fit together? Well I prayed and read again. I have no idea how often I have read Revelation since I started this series. I lost count.

I do not believe there are any of God’s people in Revelation 17. Whether you believe in pre-trib or mid-trib, I believe we’ll be gone. But what if we’re taken away pre-trib and more people come to be believers when the anti-Christ is here? I believe they maybe gone too by now. (However I hope it’s possible that a few more people will turned to God, even after this.) I wonder if Revelation 17 is so hard for me to understand, is because it’s not about us.

Babylon will be a place where God’s people have been murdered. And if they haven’t been murdered there, then at least the orders or the permission came from there. Revelation 17:5-6 A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” I could see that she was drunk – drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.

Anyway as I was reading Luke the other day, when I came across Luke 13:33-34 where Jesus says: “Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem! O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.” But is Jerusalem really Babylon?

Revelation 18:24 was talking about Babylon when it says “In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.” This doesn’t sound like it could be Israel. To be honest, Babylon could be anywhere.

Isaiah 1:21 See how Jerusalem, once so faithful,
has become a prostitute.
Once the home of justice and righteousness,
she is now filled with murderers.
But, this was a long time ago and many nations have prostituted themselves against God today. They have strayed from God’s true word and started following false teachings.

Revelation 17:9 the seven hills and also seven kings. I looked up cities with seven hills and was amazed of how long the list was.

So where is Babylon and who is the Great Mother of All Prostitutes? I don’t know. But I do not believe it is Jerusalem or any where in Israel. It can’t be Jerusalem because Revelation 18 talks about Babylon as being a seaport. Jerusalem is not a seaport.

It cannot be Israel itself because Babylon will be destroyed, never to be found again.

USSR Cold War Missiles

USSR Cold War Missiles

In Amos 9:14-15 God said He would bring the people of Israeli back from exiled, which He did back in 1948. He also said that the people of Israel would never be up rooted from their land again. But watching the news, you know that many people would like Israel to be gone.

Many people would like Israel destroyed by any means possible. Isaiah 54:16 says “I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals beneath the forge and makes the weapons of destruction. And I have created the armies that destroy.” Only since WWII has there been weapons of destruction.

Also in Isaiah, this is what God says about the future of Israel: But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. Isaiah 54:17

I don’t know where Babylon is or where it will be; but it’s not Israel.

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28 Jul 2014

Revelation 16

“Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” And that’s how Revelation 16 starts.

MRSA - Centers for Disease Control US Government

MRSA – Centers for Disease Control – US Government

Revelation 16 is pretty much straight forward and easy to understand. The first angel poured out his bowl full of wrath and it caused festering sores on people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. For those who know anything about open sores that get infected, you know they can stink. Now just think of a large part of the population smelling of infection.

The second angel poured out his bowl and the sea turned to blood and the sea life died. After that the third angel poured out his bowl and caused the springs and rivers to turn to blood. Revelation 16:6 explains why all the blood. Now there’s the smell of infected sores and of blood and dead things.

I remember years ago my wife and I were driving through Idaho, when off in the distance I saw a black animal laying in the middle of the road. What was it? A dog that’s been hit by a car, maybe? I couldn’t tell. As we got closer I could see a white stripe on the black fur. Oh no! Somebody had hit this poor animal and killed it. Now there’s a dead skunk laying in the middle of the road, and we have to drive by it!

Now I know there was a funny song back in the 1970s call ‘Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road‘ but this was horrifying! Even though I never hit that animal, we could still smell that thing for miles.

Sun Spots and Solar Flares – NASA

Sun Spots and Solar Flares – NASA

When the fourth angel poured out his bowl of wrath on the sun, it caused the sun to scorch the people with heat. This does two things. One, it makes life very miserable. Think Texas and Arizona gets hot? People then, may wish for that cooler climate. The second thing it would do is to make the first three bowls of wrath stink more. Like my Dad would say “It’s enough to gag a maggot.”

Now think of the hottest day you can imagine. There is a strong stink of blood, dead animals and dead fish, plus the smell of infected sores. Now imagine all this with the sores on you. What’s amazing is after all this, people still won’t repent. They refuse to stop their sinning. They cursed God. Revelation 16:9

Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish In pain people still cursed God and still refused to repent. I wonder about the darkness. Will it be just over Jerusalem because that’s where the anti-Christ will be, or will it be over the whole world? The Lord has done this before to the Egyptians shortly before the Israelites left Egypt. Exodus 10:20-22

When the sixth angel poured out his bowl the Euphrates River dried up so the armies of the east could march across. What’s interesting is in Revelation 16:13, John said that three unclean or evil spirits came from the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, looked like frogs. I remember many years ago someone said they saw a demon and it looked like a shadowy frog. But someone else said they saw what looked like a shadowy blob. It left the person, moved across the floor and out the room.

Revelation 16:15 is the reason why many people say that Jesus will not come until after the anti-Christ gets here. I really hope He comes long before that. However we must remember Jesus said in Matthew 25:13 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” So be ready.

Revelation 16:16-21 talks very briefly of the world’s armies meeting at Armageddon. But things don’t go very well for them, or anyone else. Horrifying earthquakes that will turn cities into rubble. Imagine New York City, Hong Kong, Mexico City, and many others laying in complete ruin. Guam and Hawaii and other islands, gone. And to make it worse, they get 75 pound (34 kilogram) hailstones falling on them. And the people still cursed God. Amazing.

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15 Jul 2014

Revelation 15

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Looking back at my last post Revelation 14, I said something that may have been misleading. I wrote: “I believe that these people that are ripe for God’s judgment, are those who have worshiped the beast.” This made it sound like the people who worshiped the beast, were destroyed right then and there. But Revelation 16:2 clearly shows this isn’t so. I do not want anyone mislead. And I’m sorry if you were.

And now for Revelation 15. It’s a very short chapter. In fact the whole chapter fits quite nicely on my laptop screen.

There are seven angels holding the seven bowls that will complete God’s wrath. What I find interesting is the sea of glass in Revelation 15:2. It seems to be like glass mixed with fire. But the sea of glass in front of God’s throne was sparkling like crystal. So, in the area of the angels holding God’s wrath; what was causing the sea of glass to look like it was mixed with fire? Was it the angels, or was it the bowls of God’s wrath? What was the glass sea reflecting? I believe its the bowls of God’s wrath, which will be talked about in chapter sixteen.

Anyway standing on the sea glass are all the people who were victorious over the beast and his statue. (some versions say image) This is clear that not everyone will fall for the beast. And all these people will be given harps and will sing the song of Moses and of Jesus. Revelation 15:3-4

Then in Revelation 15:5-8 John saw the Temple in Heaven thrown wide open. God’s glory filled the whole Temple. And the four living creators that I talked about in Revelation 4, were handing out the seven bowls of God’s wrath to the seven angels. Also because God’s glory filled the Temple, no one could enter it until the angel finish pouring out the plagues.

Job 26:7-8

Job 26:7-8

Looking ahead, is interesting and baffling. Some time ago I came to believe the part of the Bible was written only this point in time. For an example: some people seem to think that none of the Bible is true. They say none of it can be trusted. Also they say none of it can be backed scientifically. Well they can think that. But they may have a problem with with Job 26:7 God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. Either they except the fact that the Bible says the earth floats in space or they better start explaining why they don’t believe it.

About prophesy, the Bible sometimes talks about Israel and Jerusalem in the end times. For many, many years people thought that Israel and Jerusalem were going to be some vague, or spiritual place. But now after 1900 years, we have Israel with Jerusalem. I know many people don’t like the idea of Israel and may believe that Israel has no right to exist, but it does. And there is nothing anyone can do about it. Israel is here to stay.

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