November's featured article
The Revelation
Chapter 19 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
- "1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in Heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the LORD our God:"
The focus of this chapter of Revelation is the physical return of the LORD Jesus Christ to the planet Earth to sit upon His Throne, i.e., "and He shall rule them with a rod of iron" (19:15), while the Beast (the Antichrist) and the False Prophet are cast alive into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever, i.e., "both were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone" (19:20). "I am the LORD: I will speak, and the Word that I shall speak shall come to pass" (Ezekiel 12:25). Many newspapers have reserved their largest print type, which they call "Second Coming Type," for headline news of the highest importance. Why shouldn't the headline, "Jesus Christ Returns to Earth," be deemed the greatest headline possible by even the secular press, if atheists curse with the name of God upon their lips, and all walks of life make some kind of appeal to the Almighty in dire circumstances? "10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father"(Philippians 2:10-11).
At this point in the Divine Narrative, "a great voice of much people in Heaven" (19:1) signifies all mankind, who have been saved by the Blood of the Lamb, who have been resurrected or raptured after the "mystery of God ['concerning Christ and the Church' (Ephesians 5:32)] should be finished" (Revelation 10:7), praising God in a Heavenly Scene around the Throne of God. What is the reason for this Great Noise in Heaven? A command has been echoed by God's creatures to praise and worship God, i.e., "Alleluia" (19:1). In the Greek, allelouia means Praise ye the LORD or Hallelujah. It comes from the Hebrew words halal (praise) andYahh (Jehovah). Only four times does "Alleluia" occur in the New Testament. All four times are in this chapter (19:1, 3, 4, 6), and each time in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Worship does not merely state the obvious facts of Who God Is, but it enters into hearty agreement with God about the truth of those facts. "Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the LORD our God" (19:1). Because He has saved us, we glorify God, agreeing and declaring that glory, honour, and power rightfully belong to God "for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:31). This heartfelt praise comes because of the Almighty's magnificent judgment of the Great Whore (Revelation 18); further, the Glorified Saints must be excited because they are about to enter into their Marriage Supper with the Lamb (19:7-10). And, before the Beast and False Prophet face their final doom in the Lake of Fire (19:20), the ultimate conflict of all time, Armageddon (19:17-19), must be emblazoned on the consciousness of all Moral Beings. "15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: 16 But the LORD of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness" (Isaiah 5:15-16).
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- "2 For true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the Great Whore, which did corrupt the Earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand."
Since we have been taught to "love [our] enemies, [and] bless them that curse you" (Matthew 5:44), we must again agree with Christ that "true and righteous are His judgments" (19:2). It has long been our proper understanding that True Love is willing to be stern and hard where it is necessary, e.g., "He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes [Hebrew, shachar, early]" (Proverbs 13:24). And, if God does not guard the efficacy of the sanctions and punishments of the Moral Law of Love, i.e., "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), then Satan himself would eventually be paroled from the Lake of Fire. But, we have been assured that the Judgment that follows this life is forever because: (1) Sinners will dwell with Everlasting Burnings, i.e., "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with Everlasting Burnings?"(Isaiah 33:14), (2) Transgressors will always feel an Unquenchable Fire, i.e., "And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh" (Isaiah 66:24), (3) The Goats (in the Judgment of the Nations of Matthew 25:31-46) will depart into Everlasting Fire, i.e., "Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41), and (4) The Cursed will go into Everlasting Punishment, i.e., "And these shall go away into Everlasting Punishment: but the Righteous into Life Eternal" (Matthew 25:46).
As we have seen from Revelation 18, already Jehovah "hath judged the Great Whore" (19:2), but how could such an Accursed Entity been so pervasive on the face of the planet without everyone knowing her identity far in advance of her judgment? In answer, the Great Whore is already known by her (1) Moral Pollution of doctrine and practice, e.g., the sex scandals of the Roman Catholic priests of the 21st Century, i.e., "which did corrupt the Earth with her fornication" (19:2) and (2) Violent Killing of her enemies, as in the extermination of 70,000 to 100,000 French Protestant Huguenots by the Church of Rome (beginning in Paris on St. Bartholomew's Day of August 24th 1572 and continuing through October 1572 throughout France), i.e., "the blood of His servants at her hand" (19:2). Such naming of names is consistent with the conduct of the LORD Jesus Christ, when He publicly labeled the Established Religious Teachers, "who [held] the Truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18), He called them seven times in one encounter, "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites" (Matthew 23:13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29). Christian Objectivity would realize Rome's sin, while holding out the Hope of Salvation for those who come out of her "that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).
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- "3 And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever."
This second time the Inhabitants of Heaven cry out their praise of God, i.e., "Alleluia" (19:3), for their hearty agreement with His judgment of the Great Whore. Pause for a moment and think of your loved ones who have "fallen asleep in Christ" (1Corinthians 15:18). You do not think of that cherished, departed loved one as mean spirited or vindictive, yet you would agree that both they and yourself would then be in absolute agreement with the judgment of the Great Whore. True,"if he repent, forgive him" (Luke 17:3), but if they die in their sins (as the Great Whore certainly does), God will judge them, and that forever, i.e., "her smoke rose up for ever and ever" (Revelation 19:3). "9 The LORD knoweth how to deliver the Godly out of temptations, and to reserve the Unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the LORD. 12But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever" (2Peter 2:9-17).
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Chapter 19 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Beyond Today -- Is God a Trinity?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pln8YWni7X0
Although this is a core mainstream Christian belief, discover why it's a false concept that hinders your relationship with God.
Do you have a ministry or a business
Do you have a called of God ministry where your whole purpose is to "feed the sheep", and God supplies your needs, or do you have books, tapes, videos, etc. that you SELL for a "donation", or just outright SELL, and your buyers supply your needs?
There is nothing wrong with being in business and selling things. However, if you are a church or any kind of "ministry", you may want to check your motive for how you are conducting the work of the Lord.
Remember the money changers in the temple where JESUS turned over the tables and threw them out. They were selling things in the "CHURCH".
(God made it quite clear to us that we were not to charge for anything, that HE is our source.)
