Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Revelation 9: 12-15 - Exploring Revelation
Jul 24th, 2020
Exploring RevelationArt Sadlier
Categories: Commentary;Prophecy;Book Study

This week we come to the second woe or the sixth trumpet, "One woe is past; and, behold, there come two two woes more hereafter". verse 12. In verse 13 we read, "And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God". The altar, from which the voice comes, is the place where mercy is normally dispensed. The altar is also a place of prayer, but now it becomes a place of judgment. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap, the time of reaping has now arrived. All down through the long history of man God has held back His judgment. All through that time, man has for the most part, rejected God's provision for salvation and has gone on in his sin and rebellion against God. Now God holds back His judgment no longer.

The first woe was the judgment of demon possession to torment men upon the earth, those men who did not have the seal of God upon their forehead, undoubtedly to persuade men to repent. This second woe releases demons upon the earth to kill men. Failure to repent always brings judgment!

The command comes from the altar to initiate this slaughter. One of the great blind spots in our society is the failure to understand that God is a God who has an infinite hatred for sin, he has an infinite capacity to forgive sin, but only on the basis of repentance. Again, where repentance is not found God will judge sin without mercy, John 3:36.

"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels (demons) which are bound in the great river Euphrates." Verse 14. The question arises, why were these angels (demons) bound in this spot?

This is very signifigant place. The garden of Eden was located in this area, the place where God's program for man began. This is the place where Cain murdered his brother Abel. This is also the place where Nimrod began his rebellion against God and introduced false religion, it has been the fountainhead of idolatry. This is also the area from which God called Abraham to begin His program to redeem fallen mankind, through the nation of Israel, through whom the Messiah would come. It is also the area to which Israel was carried captive, it is the centre of God's program and Satan's rebellion. So the Lord chooses this area to pour out judgment on man.

"The four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men", verse 15. Notice they are loosed at His command, God is in control. They are also released on God's timetable. God has a time and this is zero hour for the earth. All through scripture we see God has a time for everything, He is never too early or too late. God has a time for you to be saved, "Behold now is the accepted time", the scriptures say.

Notice their purpose is quite clear, "to slay the third part of men". In Rev. 6:8, one fourth of the earth was slain, in total now one half of the population has been killed over and above those who have died in the plagues, we get another glimpse of God's anger against sin. We are reminded of Matthew 24;22, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened". If the Lord had planned the tribulation period to be more than seven years, no one would remain alive at the end. Remember, when the tribulation began there was not a living believer alive on the earth, after the rapture, and when it shall end, at the Lord's coming, there will be no unbelievers alive when the goat judgment takes place.

Oh, if only the world could understand the awful judgment that awaits it in the tribulation period! That awful time could begin at any moment, do not take lightly God's offer of salvation through faith and repentance toward His Son.

Next week we will see this judgment unfold.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 24th, 2020
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines

For The Full Story Click on the Individual News Item

Israel sent de-escalation message to Hezbollah via Moscow – report
Israel sent a message of de-escalation to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Moscow, Kuwaiti news outlet Al Jarida reported on Friday quoting an unnamed source. This comes following a death of a Hezbollah official in Syria, whom the Lebanese terror organization accused Israel of killing in an airstrike earlier this week.

IDF beefs up Northern Command over tensions with Hezbollah
The IDF reinforced the Northern Command with additional infantry troops on Thursday following a situational assessment as tensions with Hezbollah rose following the death of one of its fighters in Syria. “In light of a situational assessment that was held in the IDF, it was decided to send a pinpoint reinforcement of infantry troops to the Northern Command,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.

Financial markets need to ‘start thinking about a blue wave’: strategist
As President Trump continues to sink in the polls, the likelihood of a Democratic sweep in November increases. And that’s something financial markets need to be thinking about now. “I would say the chances of a decisive Biden victory, with the blue wave, the Democrats taking the Senate and keeping the House, the chances are quite good today,” Greg Valliere…told Yahoo Finance.

Greece wildfires rage out of control
Firefighters are battling out of control forest fires in Greece. Locals and tourists have been evacuated as fires continue to rage near the city of Corinth in the eastern Peloponnese for a second day. The city’s mayor says the flames are out of control and has called for a state of emergency to be declared in the region.

UK and US say Russia fired a satellite weapon in space
The US and UK have accused Russia of testing a weapon-like projectile in space that could be used to target satellites in orbit. The US State Department described the recent use of “what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry” as concerning. Russia’s defence ministry earlier said it was using new technology to perform checks on Russian space equipment.

Over 8,000 People Evacuated After Gigantic Landslide Blocks River, Causing Risk of Disaster in Flood-Devastated China
A landslide that has affected thousands of residents in Enshi city, Hubei province, is still deforming and expanding due to the continuous rainfall. By Tuesday afternoon, 8,397 residents nearby have been evacuated with nobody injured. The massive flow was triggered by sustained rainfall starting June 8 in the city, with more than 1.5 times the amount of water coming down than previous years.

China Orders U.S. to Close Chengdu Consulate in Retaliation to Houston Move
Beijing ordered the closure of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, a city in southwestern China, retaliating against Washington’s decision to shut down the Chinese consulate in Houston.

U.S. hatches plan to build a quantum Internet that might be unhackable
U.S. officials and scientists unveiled a plan Thursday to pursue what they called one of the most important technological frontiers of the 21st century: building a quantum Internet.

Major Hollywood Studio Orders “AI-Driven” Face-Mask Detection Robots
A major Hollywood studio ordered face mask detection robots this week that mount on walls in public areas. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., published a press release Wednesday morning, revealing a major studio in the Holywood area (whose name cannot be disclosed due to non-disclosure agreements in place) purchased two Robotic Observation Security Apparatus Units (ROSA) from its wholly-owned subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices’ (RAD) dealer GSG Protective Services, Inc. in Los Angeles.

IMERG maps excessive monsoon rain across Asia
NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission captured the rainfall accumulation across Asia– from India to Japan– this monsoon season, from June 1 to July 20, 2020. The data are remotely-sensed estimates that came from the Integrated Multi-Satellite Retrievals for GPM. The rainy season has brought record-breaking downpours, killing at least 550 people and affecting millions across South and East Asia.

Nearly 75% Of Adults Say Social Media Companies Wield Too Much Power And Influence Over Politics: Pew
A new poll from Pew Research finds that 72% of American adults think social media companies wield too much power and influence over politics. According to a survey conducted last week, just 22% of Americans believe Silicon Valley technocrats hold the ‘right amount’ of political power, while just 6% believe it’s ‘not enough.’

Douglas becomes a major hurricane on its way toward Hawaii
Tropical Storm “Douglas” became the first hurricane of the 2020 eastern Pacific hurricane season at 15:00 UTC on July 22, 2020, and then rapidly strengthened into a major hurricane by 09:00 UTC on July 23. The only years with later first eastern North Pacific hurricane formations in the satellite era are 1987 (July 24), 1968 (August 8), and 2003 (August 24), according to Dr. Philip Klotzbach.

Bill Gates pushing for 7 billion mandatory experimental RNA injections that re-program human cells to produce coronavirus spike proteins
Operation Warp Speed is underway in the United States as the federal government moves forward with approximately $2 billion in contracts with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to produce and deliver up to 300 million experimental vaccine doses by January 2021

Biden and UN Secretary General Call for New Left Wing Social Contracts
Joe Biden calls his plan to radically transform America’s economy “Build Back Better.” There are four pillars of Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan. Three that have already been rolled out are revitalizing domestic manufacturing and innovation, a $2 trillion environmental and green energy infrastructure initiative, and a $775 billion caregiving initiative. Biden will be rolling out the details of his final “Build Back Better” pillar, advancing racial equity, shortly. Biden has lifted the “Build Back Better” catchphrase from the United Nations he so reveres.

The Coming Coin Shortage
As if the global economic disaster caused by the Chinese Covid-19 viral pandemic was not bad enough, the looming global “coin shortage” and the “unknown pneumonia” (Covid-20?) in Kazakhstan are here. Why exactly do we have a coin shortage?

D.C. Mask Mandate Exempts Lawmakers and Government Employees
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) most recent mask mandate, which orders three-year-olds to cover their faces, exempts lawmakers and government employees while they are “on duty.”

DeSantis Calls for Investigation: Those Not Tested Receive Positive Results
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has asked the Department of Health to investigate following emerging reports of individuals receiving positive test results for the Chinese coronavirus, despite never taking the test.

BREAKING: Hundreds Charged Worldwide In Takedown Of Largest Child Pornography Website
Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child sexual exploitation market by volume of content. The nine-count indictment was unsealed today along with a parallel civil forfeiture action.

Whitehead: The Federal Coup To Overthrow The States And Nix The 10th Amendment Is Underway
Don’t be fooled into thinking any of this will change when the next election rolls around…

Americans’ Bible engagement dramatically declining amid COVID-19: survey
The coronavirus pandemic has affected Americans’ Bible engagement, with the number of U.S. adults who read Scripture declining drastically amid the outbreak, a recent study found.

Christians told to renounce Jesus or be refused coronavirus aid – ‘Let your God take care of your family’
Christians are being told to renounce their faith in Jesus or have their coronavirus aid support for their families taken away.

Netanyahu says claims he wants elections are ‘absurd’; polls show Likud slipping
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night dismissed as “absurd” reports that he intends to trigger new elections in November, but warned that a return to the polls would indeed result if his coalition does not pass a state budget in the next month.

U.S. judge finds Cohen target of retaliation, releases from prison
U.S. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was ordered released from prison and will return to home confinement on Friday after a federal judge found he was a target of retaliation for planning to publish a book about the president. Cohen was sent home from prison in May because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Canst Thou Bind the Sweet influences of Pleiades? Job 38:31
Jul 24th, 2020
Morning MeditationF.B. Meyer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational;Book Study

THE seven stars of the Pleiades always stand for the sweet influences of spring; Orion for the storm and tempest. In this sublime catechism, Jehovah asks Job if he has any control over the One or the other. As it is with the year, so with our life.

There are times when the PLEIADEs are in the ascendant. The winter is over and gone, the time of the singing of birds is come. Doves coo their love notes in the trees, and the flowers gem the soil. Days of hope, of radiant light, of ecstatic joy! Days in which God seems to be making a new heaven and a new earth within us! Days when our Beloved shows Himself through the lattice?work, and says, "Come, my beloved!" Oh, tender influences of the Pleiades, we would that ye might ever stay, filling us with immortal youth! When God bids them shine, no one can bind them. When He gives joy, none can give sorrow. No mortal man can restrain the outburst of Nature's spring. You might as well stay the resurrection of the Son of God and his saints!

But ORION has his work as well. Storms come; the drenching rain veils the landscape; the mighty billows are lashed to fury. But all works for good. The blast in the forest snaps off dead wood. The rain fills up the wells. Frost pulverises the earth. When God binds Orion, man cannot unloose him; "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." But when the Almighty unlooses Orion, like another Samson, he does his work of devastation, before which we must find refuge in the cleft of the Rock.

    "God sendeth sun,

     He sendeth shower,

     Alike they're needful for the flower."