My Thanksgiving thoughts
The 7 wonders of the world are nice, but I can do without them.
Here are some greater wonders that I would rather not do without, although some less fortunate people do not have these blessings, for which most of us take for granted but they are truly greater wonders.
To be able to see.
To be able to hear.
To be able to smell.
To be able to taste.
To be able to touch and feel.
To be able to laugh.
To be able to love and feel many other emotions.
To be able to communicate and form friendships and bonds.
To be mobile, to be able to walk and run.
To be able to ponder the vastness of the universe and the diverse forms of life on land and sea.
There are too many others to mention.
The phrase "stop and smell the roses" pales in comparison to this song.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy works thruout the universe displayed.
(Refrain)
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art,How great Thou art, how great Thou art,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art,How great Thou art, how great Thou art,
When thru the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur,
Or hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze,
(Refrain)
And when I think, that God's own Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly sharing,
He bled and died, to take away my sin,
(Refrain)
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
To take me home, such joy shall fill my heart,
Then I will bow, in humble adoration,
And there declare, my God how great Thou art,
(Refrain)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
A word to the Atheists
In this country where (supposedly) majority rules, a minority group of atheists, especially one Mr. Sherman, are are taking full advantage of this country's concept of freedom of speech by being very outspoken about separation of church and state. It is fortunate for Mr. Sherman that he does not live in other countries where freedom of speech is dangerous, he might be imprisoned or killed.
Instead of being grateful for living in a country founded by people who loved freedom, one of his misplaced efforts was to make some towns remove a cross from their town emblems and from public places, ignoring the fact that these towns were founded by those who chose freely to show their heritage. Without these founders, atheists would have nowhere else to go. Nevertheless, they seem to be getting their way in some cases, even though they are a minority.
The majority is partly to blame by giving in. The majority should either not give publicity to such people, or tell them they cannot get their way until they become the majority, so until then take some history lessons or just shut up and go away.
Let us imagine some of the things that might happen if these atheists were to achieve all their goals. First of all, they would not be allowed to use any money because the money has verbiage on it stating In God We Trust. But they are already using our money, so that makes them hypocrites, have they no personal integrity by fondling this stuff?
Next, we will have to change the names of many of our sports teams, no more LA Angels of Anaheim, or San Diego Padres, or New Orleans Saints. And if there is no God, then there must also be no Satan, so no more DePaul Blue Demons, Duke Blue Devils, or New Jersey Devils. Maybe even the Cardinals, who the atheists probably think are high priests rather than red birds.T
hen we will have to get rid of the lower case "t" from our alphabet because it looks too much like a cross. Then some cities will have to change their names because San means Saint, so we will left with cities called Los Atheists, Francisco, Diego, Jose, Louis, Petersburg, etc.
Then the jolly fat guy in the red suit at Christmas will be known as Claus. Enough of this sillyness. If they want to play games, we can play games too. Tell them the symbols that look like crosses can be looked at in either of two ways. For those who prefer to view them as crosses, invoke your right to freedom of expression. For those who cannot do that, you must view them as plus signs as a symbol of the positive attitudes of the founders. Are positive attitudes OK with atheists? If not, then have a bad day.
The spirit of the concept called Separation of Church and State was to assure that no one religion could dictate laws, that is quite different than displaying symbols, which is only freedom of expression. If this is truly a country where majority rules, let us not allow minorities to take away freedom of expression from the majority or to diminish the accomplishments of our founders.
It would be interesting to see a vote on the matter. I suspect the outcome of such a vote would be overwhelmingly in favor of retaining such religious symbols in public places. If that is not good enough for the atheists, tell them they no longer can use our money because it has the word God on it, and go live in some other country.
To repeat what I stated in another post, I am only trying to do my job as the Watchman. it is up to others to take heed, or risk what is to come in the afterlife. John 3:16 says there is an afterlife. Since you are going to be dead a lot longer than you are going to be alive, where would you choose to spend it? That means atheists have no hope, what a sorry bunch of outspoken misguided lost souls.
In this country where (supposedly) majority rules, a minority group of atheists, especially one Mr. Sherman, are are taking full advantage of this country's concept of freedom of speech by being very outspoken about separation of church and state. It is fortunate for Mr. Sherman that he does not live in other countries where freedom of speech is dangerous, he might be imprisoned or killed.
Instead of being grateful for living in a country founded by people who loved freedom, one of his misplaced efforts was to make some towns remove a cross from their town emblems and from public places, ignoring the fact that these towns were founded by those who chose freely to show their heritage. Without these founders, atheists would have nowhere else to go. Nevertheless, they seem to be getting their way in some cases, even though they are a minority.
The majority is partly to blame by giving in. The majority should either not give publicity to such people, or tell them they cannot get their way until they become the majority, so until then take some history lessons or just shut up and go away.
Let us imagine some of the things that might happen if these atheists were to achieve all their goals. First of all, they would not be allowed to use any money because the money has verbiage on it stating In God We Trust. But they are already using our money, so that makes them hypocrites, have they no personal integrity by fondling this stuff?
Next, we will have to change the names of many of our sports teams, no more LA Angels of Anaheim, or San Diego Padres, or New Orleans Saints. And if there is no God, then there must also be no Satan, so no more DePaul Blue Demons, Duke Blue Devils, or New Jersey Devils. Maybe even the Cardinals, who the atheists probably think are high priests rather than red birds.T
hen we will have to get rid of the lower case "t" from our alphabet because it looks too much like a cross. Then some cities will have to change their names because San means Saint, so we will left with cities called Los Atheists, Francisco, Diego, Jose, Louis, Petersburg, etc.
Then the jolly fat guy in the red suit at Christmas will be known as Claus. Enough of this sillyness. If they want to play games, we can play games too. Tell them the symbols that look like crosses can be looked at in either of two ways. For those who prefer to view them as crosses, invoke your right to freedom of expression. For those who cannot do that, you must view them as plus signs as a symbol of the positive attitudes of the founders. Are positive attitudes OK with atheists? If not, then have a bad day.
The spirit of the concept called Separation of Church and State was to assure that no one religion could dictate laws, that is quite different than displaying symbols, which is only freedom of expression. If this is truly a country where majority rules, let us not allow minorities to take away freedom of expression from the majority or to diminish the accomplishments of our founders.
It would be interesting to see a vote on the matter. I suspect the outcome of such a vote would be overwhelmingly in favor of retaining such religious symbols in public places. If that is not good enough for the atheists, tell them they no longer can use our money because it has the word God on it, and go live in some other country.
To repeat what I stated in another post, I am only trying to do my job as the Watchman. it is up to others to take heed, or risk what is to come in the afterlife. John 3:16 says there is an afterlife. Since you are going to be dead a lot longer than you are going to be alive, where would you choose to spend it? That means atheists have no hope, what a sorry bunch of outspoken misguided lost souls.
Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? To understand that, decide what you believe in. I do not believe we will live forever on this earth. I believe there is an afterlife. I believe we get to choose where we want to spend this afterlife. We choose by our actions. If everyone else on earth will be your judge on judgment day, what would they say? For sure, some will point out your faults, and some will point out your good points. Which way will the evidence weigh more heavily?
With that in mind, I believe it makes good sense to treat all people with respect, and you will get respect in return. What makes more sense, to brighten people's day and make them smile, or darken their day by making them feel bad? Which people will be on your side at judgment day? In short, life is only a test, to prepare for the afterlife. Are other people going to be your judge? I do not know, maybe only our Creator will be our judge. If that is the case, do we behave the way our Creator wants us to behave?
We have all kinds of guidance in The Bible, but we do not follow all of it. I believe it makes sense to follow as many of these things as you can, the 10 Commandments, the 8 Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and so forth. If we must follow every single one of them, then most of us are doomed. We can only hope that our Creator finds favor with us for trying to follow some of them.
I believe the more of these you follow, the better your chances are of passing judgment day. Why take a chance? You are going to be dead a lot longer than you are going to be alive, so where would you rather spend all that time?
I believe if you really understand that, it might be a good idea to start looking into ways to please our Creator, and it starts with pleasing other people. For it is written, whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you also do to me. Also, by your works shall you be known.
Why am I saying this? Because of the parable of The Watchman. If the watchman sees the sword coming upon the land and does not blow the trumpet as a warning, the watchman is at fault, but if he does blow the trumpet and others do not take heed, they are at fault.
So this is my poor attempt at playing The Watchman, and this is my trumpet. You now have a choice whether or not to heed this trumpet. Contact me if you have any questions about this.
There is no more important topic.
With that in mind, I believe it makes good sense to treat all people with respect, and you will get respect in return. What makes more sense, to brighten people's day and make them smile, or darken their day by making them feel bad? Which people will be on your side at judgment day? In short, life is only a test, to prepare for the afterlife. Are other people going to be your judge? I do not know, maybe only our Creator will be our judge. If that is the case, do we behave the way our Creator wants us to behave?
We have all kinds of guidance in The Bible, but we do not follow all of it. I believe it makes sense to follow as many of these things as you can, the 10 Commandments, the 8 Beatitudes, the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, and so forth. If we must follow every single one of them, then most of us are doomed. We can only hope that our Creator finds favor with us for trying to follow some of them.
I believe the more of these you follow, the better your chances are of passing judgment day. Why take a chance? You are going to be dead a lot longer than you are going to be alive, so where would you rather spend all that time?
I believe if you really understand that, it might be a good idea to start looking into ways to please our Creator, and it starts with pleasing other people. For it is written, whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you also do to me. Also, by your works shall you be known.
Why am I saying this? Because of the parable of The Watchman. If the watchman sees the sword coming upon the land and does not blow the trumpet as a warning, the watchman is at fault, but if he does blow the trumpet and others do not take heed, they are at fault.
So this is my poor attempt at playing The Watchman, and this is my trumpet. You now have a choice whether or not to heed this trumpet. Contact me if you have any questions about this.
There is no more important topic.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A Different Idea About Reincarnation
Is It Possible That We Have Lived Before and Will Live Again? The Catholic Church teaches there is a place called Purgatory, for people who do not deserve to go to Hell, but serves as temporal punishment to be cleansed before they are allowed to go to Heaven. There is a lot of debate on what Purgatory is like, nobody really knows.
I am a Catholic and I must tell you the Church does not teach what I am about to say, this is only my idea to consider as a possibility, especially when you hear stories about people who claim they have lived in the past as a different person. Are they crazy, or are we right now living in a form of Purgatory without realizing it, and we have to keep going back until we get it right? If that were the case, this might partially explain why the universe is so vast. It might also answer those who feel there is no God because God would not allow so much human pain and suffering. It might also explain why some people die prematurely and unfairly. It could be a way to get a pass, to pay your dues. We are just being tested. Do what you can to pass the test and find out.
If there is no Purgatory, we would have to be perfect to get to Heaven, and nobody is perfect, so good luck. If you think there is no afterlife at all, then life has no meaning whatsoever, there is no point in trying to be good. Just go break all the Commandments and have a good time. But if you do that, and there really happens to be a judgment day, you will have wished you listened when you had the chance.
If you have that chance now, it is logical to take that chance and listen, because you are going to be dead a lot longer than you are going to be alive, and you get to choose where you want to spend all that time.If you want to make the right choice, just figure out and understand what it takes to get there.
Is It Possible That We Have Lived Before and Will Live Again? The Catholic Church teaches there is a place called Purgatory, for people who do not deserve to go to Hell, but serves as temporal punishment to be cleansed before they are allowed to go to Heaven. There is a lot of debate on what Purgatory is like, nobody really knows.
I am a Catholic and I must tell you the Church does not teach what I am about to say, this is only my idea to consider as a possibility, especially when you hear stories about people who claim they have lived in the past as a different person. Are they crazy, or are we right now living in a form of Purgatory without realizing it, and we have to keep going back until we get it right? If that were the case, this might partially explain why the universe is so vast. It might also answer those who feel there is no God because God would not allow so much human pain and suffering. It might also explain why some people die prematurely and unfairly. It could be a way to get a pass, to pay your dues. We are just being tested. Do what you can to pass the test and find out.
If there is no Purgatory, we would have to be perfect to get to Heaven, and nobody is perfect, so good luck. If you think there is no afterlife at all, then life has no meaning whatsoever, there is no point in trying to be good. Just go break all the Commandments and have a good time. But if you do that, and there really happens to be a judgment day, you will have wished you listened when you had the chance.
If you have that chance now, it is logical to take that chance and listen, because you are going to be dead a lot longer than you are going to be alive, and you get to choose where you want to spend all that time.If you want to make the right choice, just figure out and understand what it takes to get there.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
INTERPRETATIONS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS
There are two points of view. One says it's about the end of the world, and the other says it's only 'Apocalyptic' stories figuratively speaking about the persecution of the Christians taking place during the same era, since the Romans forbade Christian teaching.
Which one do you think is correct? If it is the first, then prepare, for the time is near. If it is the latter, you can't really say it doesn't matter, because your own life could end at any time, so it would be wise to prepare anyway. After all, you will be dead a lot longer than you will be alive, so what's going to happen to you after you have taken your last breath?
John, the author of Revelations, did not make up these stories. He was given several visions while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. The first thing John saw was Jesus standing amidst 7 lampstands holding 7 stars. This will be explained later. Jesus told John (1:19) to write down what he sees, what is and what is to take place hereafter. John tried his best to describe what he saw, but what if he was looking at futuristic things such as nuclear explosions, helicopters, and missiles? Think about how he might describe such things. Besides John's writings, Biblical descriptions of the end times can also be found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Daniel.
There is a parable about the Fig Tree (Matt 24:32, Mark 13:28, Luke 21:29) which says when the fig tree "puts forth its leaves", the end is near, and this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now if you consider the possibility that the Fig Tree represents the country of Israel, then it is very interesting how Israel ceased to exist from Biblical times all the way to the late 1940's, when it once again became an independent country, and "put forth its leaves", so to speak. If so, we are in the final generation, which cannot pass away until all these things take place, and this generation happens to live 100 years, the math suggests all this could occur any time between now and the 2040’s.
How will we know when the end is near? Will there be a sign? The answer is yes, and it is found in Matt 24:15 and Mark 13:14 which says to head for the hills when we see a "desolating sacrilege" described by Daniel (9:27) as causing worship in Jerusalem's Temple to cease. The Apocalyptic point of view would call this event the Roman occupation of Israel in Biblical times, but the futuristic point of view would call this event the destruction of the current temple which today is called the Dome of the Rock, controlled by Muslims. With the current tension in the Middle East, a bombing is certainly possible, so look out for it as a sign.
Daniel 9:24 also tells about a time period called "70 weeks of years" (or 490 years) which began with the release of captive Israelites from Babylon around 450 B.C. Daniel said it took 7 weeks (49 years) for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and for Solomon to rebuild the temple (around 400 B.C.). Then came a period of 62 weeks (434 years) where Israel was able to worship in its temple until an anointed one (Jesus) was cut off, after which the entire city of Jerusalem including its temple was completely destroyed by the Roman army. So far, that is a total of only 69 weeks. There is still one week remaining, marked by the arrival of the Antichrist. There will be a 7 year period of tribulation. Halfway into this week is when the desolating sacrilege is to take place. If the temple is blown up soon, that could mean the Antichrist is already among us.
In 1:20, Jesus tells John the seven stars He is holding are the angels of the seven churches, and the 7 lampstands are the 7 churches. Jesus then dictates letters to each of the 7 churches for John to write. Each letter gives warnings and ends with "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." In other words, it is up to us to listen. John was told in 22:10 not to hide these words, and if people won't listen, leave them alone.
An interesting sidelight: Are angels superior to men? Read 19:10 and 22:9. It suggests maybe there is no difference between angels and saints. In 4:5 the churches are no longer on earth, but have been taken up into heaven. How this happened is explained in 1Cor 15:51, 1Thes 4:17, and Matt 24:40. This event is called The Rapture, and this is what happens in the movie Left Behind. Good people are to be spared this period of terrible tribulation by being taken to heaven before they die. The number of people taken like this is 144,000 as stated in 7:4 and in 14:1. Those who say that number is a limit on how many can fit into heaven (Jehovah's Witnesses?) are wrong. 7:9 says the number is limitless and includes those who chose peace (palm branches) during the period of tribulation.
The tribulation is described by a scroll sealed with 7 seals (chapter 5). It is so terrible that, at first, nobody in heaven or on earth was worthy to open it. This caused John to weep, but Jesus then came forward and opened the first seal at the beginning of Chapter 6.
The first 4 seals brought forth the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse. The white horse brought a king who thought of nothing but conquest. The red horse took away peace from the earth and caused men to slay one another. The black horse upset world economies. The pale horse caused famine and pestilence. When the 5th seal was opened, the martyrs cried for revenge, but were told to wait until everything else had taken place (6:11, 7:17).
The 6th seal seems to describe the mushroom clouds of nuclear explosions..."the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up...". The last seal was filled with suspense. Would this finally be the end of it all? After a long silence, it was determined that the prayers of the saints were not enough, and this rejection resulted in more violence on earth (8:5), and 7 angels were each given a trumpet to blow one at a time.
The first trumpet brought hail, fire, and blood to earth, and one-third of the earth was burned up. The 2nd trumpet brought a large meteor which hit the seas, killing one-third of all sea creatures and destroying one-third of all ships. The 3rd trumpet brought a blazing star (a missile?) which was called Wormwood, and it poisoned our water supplies (chemical or biological warfare?). The 4th trumpet brought darkness, and if all this wasn't bad enough, a flying eagle cried woe to those on earth for each of the last 3 trumpets yet to come. At the 5th trumpet (chapter 9), the gates of hell are opened, and strange "locusts" came forth, but John's description of the locusts (9:7) suggests he might have been looking at futuristic army helicopters and tanks.
At the 6th trumpet, 4 angels are freed from being bound at the river Euphrates in the Middle East. Their mission is to kill one-third of mankind. An army of 200 million arrives. Is it a coincidence that the Red Chinese boast that the size of their army is 200 million? At this point, a mighty angel came down from heaven (Chapter 10) and announced the 7 thunders, but John was not allowed to write down what happened with the 7 thunders. The angel then said there should be no more delay for the 7th trumpet to fulfill the mystery of God.
Perhaps this is when The Rapture takes place, at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52). Once again the first half of the 7-year period of tribulation is described as 42 months during which 2 of God's special messengers prophesy and work wonders, but then are killed by the devil, and then raised up to heaven. In 11:19 the temple and the ark of the covenant are already in heaven. In 14:14-16 the Rapture is completed. Chapter 12 seems to be a flashback about the devil's encounters with Mary and Michael the Archangel. The good news is that Michael defeated Satan and cast him out of heaven. The bad news is that Satan was cast down to earth to carry out the tribulation. 13:2 tells us that Satan is not the antichrist, but gives his power to the antichrist, who is described as a beast with several heads, several horn, and diadems, who will take control for 42 months (2nd half of the 7 year tribulation). The horns, heads, and diadems may represent a union of countries over which the antichrist takes control. The antichrist can be identified as someone who was once mortally wounded (13:3, 13:12, 17:8) but comes back again. The beast also has a number associated with it, and that number is 666 (13:18). People will not be able to buy and sell unless they have this mark on their right hand or forehead (13:16), but those who accept this mark will be punished by God (14:9).
I have heard it said that the symbol of Israel, the 6-pointed star, fits these descriptions (6 points, 6 triangles, and a hexagon), and Israel was mortally wounded and came back. Perhaps God is not happy that Israel never recognized Jesus as His Son. On the other hand, God did promise never to abandon His people. After the Rapture, those remaining on earth are subjected to a bloody slaughter, similar to a winepress (14:19).
Chapter 15 describes the final punishments in the form of 7 plagues, each in a bowl. Nobody else can get to heaven until these 7 plagues were ended (15:8). Chapter 16 tells what each of the bowls are to affect. The 6th bowl names the place where the final major battle is to take place, the battle to end all battles. It is an area of Israel called Armageddon (16:16). Participants in this battle are described in chapters 17 & 18, east vs. west, represented figuratively by Babylon (modern day Iraq) and Rome (the city with 7 hills, 17:9). When the 7th and last bowl was poured there was a great earthquake and hailstones so huge that men cursed God because of this. So there were no winners in the battle of Armageddon. Both are destroyed. Babylon has fallen twice, once in Biblical times and once more at the end times (18:2). The final results of the battle are summarized in 19:20 thru chapter 20. Satan is thrown into hell for a thousand years and then is let loose again, causes more trouble all over again, and once again is thrown into hell.
There is also mention of the first resurrection and second death. On judgment day, you must get your name entered into the book of life, or else you will suffer the 2nd death, which is to be cast into hell along with Satan. Chapter 21 describes how God makes all things new. John is overcome and tries to worship the messenger-angel (22:8), who tells John only to worship God, because they are only fellow servants. A stern warning appears in 22:18 to make sure nobody changes the words of the book. Whoever does that will suffer the same plagues already described. In closing, God reminds us that he is the first and the last, the beginning and the end (21:6, 22:13, 1:8), and that He is coming soon (22:20). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
There are two points of view. One says it's about the end of the world, and the other says it's only 'Apocalyptic' stories figuratively speaking about the persecution of the Christians taking place during the same era, since the Romans forbade Christian teaching.
Which one do you think is correct? If it is the first, then prepare, for the time is near. If it is the latter, you can't really say it doesn't matter, because your own life could end at any time, so it would be wise to prepare anyway. After all, you will be dead a lot longer than you will be alive, so what's going to happen to you after you have taken your last breath?
John, the author of Revelations, did not make up these stories. He was given several visions while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. The first thing John saw was Jesus standing amidst 7 lampstands holding 7 stars. This will be explained later. Jesus told John (1:19) to write down what he sees, what is and what is to take place hereafter. John tried his best to describe what he saw, but what if he was looking at futuristic things such as nuclear explosions, helicopters, and missiles? Think about how he might describe such things. Besides John's writings, Biblical descriptions of the end times can also be found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Daniel.
There is a parable about the Fig Tree (Matt 24:32, Mark 13:28, Luke 21:29) which says when the fig tree "puts forth its leaves", the end is near, and this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Now if you consider the possibility that the Fig Tree represents the country of Israel, then it is very interesting how Israel ceased to exist from Biblical times all the way to the late 1940's, when it once again became an independent country, and "put forth its leaves", so to speak. If so, we are in the final generation, which cannot pass away until all these things take place, and this generation happens to live 100 years, the math suggests all this could occur any time between now and the 2040’s.
How will we know when the end is near? Will there be a sign? The answer is yes, and it is found in Matt 24:15 and Mark 13:14 which says to head for the hills when we see a "desolating sacrilege" described by Daniel (9:27) as causing worship in Jerusalem's Temple to cease. The Apocalyptic point of view would call this event the Roman occupation of Israel in Biblical times, but the futuristic point of view would call this event the destruction of the current temple which today is called the Dome of the Rock, controlled by Muslims. With the current tension in the Middle East, a bombing is certainly possible, so look out for it as a sign.
Daniel 9:24 also tells about a time period called "70 weeks of years" (or 490 years) which began with the release of captive Israelites from Babylon around 450 B.C. Daniel said it took 7 weeks (49 years) for the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and for Solomon to rebuild the temple (around 400 B.C.). Then came a period of 62 weeks (434 years) where Israel was able to worship in its temple until an anointed one (Jesus) was cut off, after which the entire city of Jerusalem including its temple was completely destroyed by the Roman army. So far, that is a total of only 69 weeks. There is still one week remaining, marked by the arrival of the Antichrist. There will be a 7 year period of tribulation. Halfway into this week is when the desolating sacrilege is to take place. If the temple is blown up soon, that could mean the Antichrist is already among us.
In 1:20, Jesus tells John the seven stars He is holding are the angels of the seven churches, and the 7 lampstands are the 7 churches. Jesus then dictates letters to each of the 7 churches for John to write. Each letter gives warnings and ends with "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." In other words, it is up to us to listen. John was told in 22:10 not to hide these words, and if people won't listen, leave them alone.
An interesting sidelight: Are angels superior to men? Read 19:10 and 22:9. It suggests maybe there is no difference between angels and saints. In 4:5 the churches are no longer on earth, but have been taken up into heaven. How this happened is explained in 1Cor 15:51, 1Thes 4:17, and Matt 24:40. This event is called The Rapture, and this is what happens in the movie Left Behind. Good people are to be spared this period of terrible tribulation by being taken to heaven before they die. The number of people taken like this is 144,000 as stated in 7:4 and in 14:1. Those who say that number is a limit on how many can fit into heaven (Jehovah's Witnesses?) are wrong. 7:9 says the number is limitless and includes those who chose peace (palm branches) during the period of tribulation.
The tribulation is described by a scroll sealed with 7 seals (chapter 5). It is so terrible that, at first, nobody in heaven or on earth was worthy to open it. This caused John to weep, but Jesus then came forward and opened the first seal at the beginning of Chapter 6.
The first 4 seals brought forth the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse. The white horse brought a king who thought of nothing but conquest. The red horse took away peace from the earth and caused men to slay one another. The black horse upset world economies. The pale horse caused famine and pestilence. When the 5th seal was opened, the martyrs cried for revenge, but were told to wait until everything else had taken place (6:11, 7:17).
The 6th seal seems to describe the mushroom clouds of nuclear explosions..."the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up...". The last seal was filled with suspense. Would this finally be the end of it all? After a long silence, it was determined that the prayers of the saints were not enough, and this rejection resulted in more violence on earth (8:5), and 7 angels were each given a trumpet to blow one at a time.
The first trumpet brought hail, fire, and blood to earth, and one-third of the earth was burned up. The 2nd trumpet brought a large meteor which hit the seas, killing one-third of all sea creatures and destroying one-third of all ships. The 3rd trumpet brought a blazing star (a missile?) which was called Wormwood, and it poisoned our water supplies (chemical or biological warfare?). The 4th trumpet brought darkness, and if all this wasn't bad enough, a flying eagle cried woe to those on earth for each of the last 3 trumpets yet to come. At the 5th trumpet (chapter 9), the gates of hell are opened, and strange "locusts" came forth, but John's description of the locusts (9:7) suggests he might have been looking at futuristic army helicopters and tanks.
At the 6th trumpet, 4 angels are freed from being bound at the river Euphrates in the Middle East. Their mission is to kill one-third of mankind. An army of 200 million arrives. Is it a coincidence that the Red Chinese boast that the size of their army is 200 million? At this point, a mighty angel came down from heaven (Chapter 10) and announced the 7 thunders, but John was not allowed to write down what happened with the 7 thunders. The angel then said there should be no more delay for the 7th trumpet to fulfill the mystery of God.
Perhaps this is when The Rapture takes place, at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:52). Once again the first half of the 7-year period of tribulation is described as 42 months during which 2 of God's special messengers prophesy and work wonders, but then are killed by the devil, and then raised up to heaven. In 11:19 the temple and the ark of the covenant are already in heaven. In 14:14-16 the Rapture is completed. Chapter 12 seems to be a flashback about the devil's encounters with Mary and Michael the Archangel. The good news is that Michael defeated Satan and cast him out of heaven. The bad news is that Satan was cast down to earth to carry out the tribulation. 13:2 tells us that Satan is not the antichrist, but gives his power to the antichrist, who is described as a beast with several heads, several horn, and diadems, who will take control for 42 months (2nd half of the 7 year tribulation). The horns, heads, and diadems may represent a union of countries over which the antichrist takes control. The antichrist can be identified as someone who was once mortally wounded (13:3, 13:12, 17:8) but comes back again. The beast also has a number associated with it, and that number is 666 (13:18). People will not be able to buy and sell unless they have this mark on their right hand or forehead (13:16), but those who accept this mark will be punished by God (14:9).
I have heard it said that the symbol of Israel, the 6-pointed star, fits these descriptions (6 points, 6 triangles, and a hexagon), and Israel was mortally wounded and came back. Perhaps God is not happy that Israel never recognized Jesus as His Son. On the other hand, God did promise never to abandon His people. After the Rapture, those remaining on earth are subjected to a bloody slaughter, similar to a winepress (14:19).
Chapter 15 describes the final punishments in the form of 7 plagues, each in a bowl. Nobody else can get to heaven until these 7 plagues were ended (15:8). Chapter 16 tells what each of the bowls are to affect. The 6th bowl names the place where the final major battle is to take place, the battle to end all battles. It is an area of Israel called Armageddon (16:16). Participants in this battle are described in chapters 17 & 18, east vs. west, represented figuratively by Babylon (modern day Iraq) and Rome (the city with 7 hills, 17:9). When the 7th and last bowl was poured there was a great earthquake and hailstones so huge that men cursed God because of this. So there were no winners in the battle of Armageddon. Both are destroyed. Babylon has fallen twice, once in Biblical times and once more at the end times (18:2). The final results of the battle are summarized in 19:20 thru chapter 20. Satan is thrown into hell for a thousand years and then is let loose again, causes more trouble all over again, and once again is thrown into hell.
There is also mention of the first resurrection and second death. On judgment day, you must get your name entered into the book of life, or else you will suffer the 2nd death, which is to be cast into hell along with Satan. Chapter 21 describes how God makes all things new. John is overcome and tries to worship the messenger-angel (22:8), who tells John only to worship God, because they are only fellow servants. A stern warning appears in 22:18 to make sure nobody changes the words of the book. Whoever does that will suffer the same plagues already described. In closing, God reminds us that he is the first and the last, the beginning and the end (21:6, 22:13, 1:8), and that He is coming soon (22:20). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Due to the old George Burns movie "Oh God", where the idea was brought forth that God had multiple Sons for each culture.
At first it sounds reasonable, but after further review, maybe they did but I do not recall reading about Buddha or Mohammad or anyone else besides Jesus instantly healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, turning water into wine, walking on the water during a storm, raising others from the dead, including Himself, and performing other miracles that nobody else could ever do.
It is nice that other cultures had their great teachers, and it is nice to say that we are all God's children, but there is just one only-begotten Son of God.
If we do not understand that, then the Bible is correct in saying we have eyes but do not see, we have ears but do not hear.
At first it sounds reasonable, but after further review, maybe they did but I do not recall reading about Buddha or Mohammad or anyone else besides Jesus instantly healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, turning water into wine, walking on the water during a storm, raising others from the dead, including Himself, and performing other miracles that nobody else could ever do.
It is nice that other cultures had their great teachers, and it is nice to say that we are all God's children, but there is just one only-begotten Son of God.
If we do not understand that, then the Bible is correct in saying we have eyes but do not see, we have ears but do not hear.
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