Overview of Prophecy #3

Daniel/Revelation

Fred R. Coulter—February 20, 2016

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services. Just a couple of thoughts before we get going here.

Let's come back to Dan. 10, because I want to just review this again and focus in on it. I want to look at this last verse again. I just want to review a little of what we covered last time and then add a little more to it.

Daniel 10:21: "But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture of Truth… [that has to be in heaven above, at the throne of God] …(And there is none who holds strongly with me against them, except Michael your prince."

Let's look at Psa. 40. Let's see this Psalm and what it says about Jesus. I don't think that we have ever really set our minds to understand how much God has things written down. This is a prophecy of Jesus.

Psalm 40:7: "Then I said, 'Lo, I come; in the Scroll of the Book it is written of Me.'" That's got to be part of the Scriptures of Truth. So, that's quite interesting.

Let's come to the book of Hebrews, clear to the other end of the Bible. This is important because it is from one end to the other: Heb. 10 where it quotes Psa. 40.

This is going to be more like a Bible study today. We're going to look at a lot of Scriptures and any comments you have, or whatever, we'll put all of those in here.

Hebrews 10:7: "Then said I, 'Lo, I come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book) to do Your will, O God'" Everything Jesus did was the will of the Father. What He saw the Father do, He did. What the Father told Him to speak, He spoke.

Verse 8: "In the saying above, He said, 'Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (which are offered according to the priestly law) You did not desire nor delight in.'"

Why? Because they never changed the heart! The ultimate thing God is interested in is conversion of what our hearts and minds are. All of the other are exterior trappings. Especially, as I mentioned last time, going through and writing the book, From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? The best way we can keep ourselves from getting lifted up in vanity is the pen-point test, how small we were when we started and what God's plan is from there. That's an amazing thing! Look at us now after how many trillions of cells replaced every seven years. From a speck of dust. He doesn't delight in those outward things, He delights in the inward things.

Verse 9: "Then He said, 'Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.'…" A second time! To do the will of God is not an outward show. It is an inward total conversion.

Then Paul says, "…He takes away the first covenant in order that He may establish the second covenant" (v 9).

What we have down here in v 16 is the key; this is what God wants: "'This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days,' says the Lord, 'I will give My laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds.'…. [that's the whole process of conversion] …And their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again" (vs 16-17).

It doesn't say you will completely forget them. Why? Because those things that we remember going back in the past help us to repent even more! That's what God wants.

Let's go a little further with this. John 16 is after the Passover, and He had many things to tell them, and the very first thing Jesus did after He was resurrected and came and stood in the middle of them, what did He do? To convince them that it was He, He said, 'Do you have anything to eat?' They gave him some fish and honey.

Have you ever had fish and honey? That stuck in my mind one day, so I had a can of sardines, and I decided to try it with some honey. It's delicious. For whatever it's worth.

Then what did He do? Then He opened their minds to the Scriptures (Luke 24), which then are the Scriptures of Truth. Remember, man is to live by every Word of God. So, all of these things become very important when we look at the whole process of conversion. It is a spiritual thing.

It doesn't take a mighty, rushing wind, like we read in Acts 2, to convert you or to lead you in the Truth. With the Spirit of God in us, that will give us, if we apply ourselves, the hungering and thirsting after the Truth of God.

John 16:12: "I have yet many things to tell you, but you are not able to bear them now." Able comes from 'dunamis,' which is the same word for power. In other words, they didn't have the power of the Holy Spirit to understand it.

Verse 13: "However, when that one has come, even the Spirit of the Truth…"—which brings the Word of God from the Scriptures of Truth, which are in heaven, to help us grow and overcome.

"…it will lead you into all Truth… [necessary for salvation, not all truth in the world] …because it… [the Holy Spirit, and it's neuter] …shall not speak from itself…" (v 13). That's why they had a hard time understanding that it was not another person, because they could not conceive of a power carrying words and thoughts.

Today we know. We can hop in our car and we can turn it on and we can hear the radio going. God's Spirit will work the same way to lead us. That's what's important.

The Spirit of the Truth, it will lead you into all Truth because it shall not speak from itself, but whatever it shall hear, it shall speak.…" (v 13). Just like this recording we're making right now, or this video we're making right now. When you play it, it will speak what has been spoken into it. Nothing more. Which also tells you that it wouldn't speak of itself. It is a vehicle that God uses to communicate with us and lead us! God's Spirit is to lead us.

Have you ever gone along and all of a sudden a thought comes in your mind? You think, 'Yeah, I better do that.' Then it turns out, that's what God wanted you to do. How did that happen? By the Spirit of God!

"…And it shall disclose to you the things to come. That one shall glorify Me because it shall disclose to you the things that it receives from Me. Everything that the Father has is Mine; for this reason, I said that it shall receive from Me and shall disclose these things to you" (vs 13-15).

That's how we got the New Testament. That's how the Old Testament was written, as well.

Just this past week we had a rather interesting thing take place in politics. The pope had a Mass just across the border in Mexico, and he said, 'Anyone who builds walls is not a Christian,' referring to Donald Trump. Because the unspoken truth is the Catholics want all, as many as they can get here, to destroy Protestantism and take over this country.

And in bringing in the refugees: Who gets the money to resettle them? and Where do they place them? Catholic charities and other Catholic organizations! They place them with Catholic families. Not many people know that; that's how they come and just disappear. No paperwork, no nothing.

The pope said, 'The one who builds bridges, because I just met with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, and I'm building bridges to the orthodox, to the eastern Catholics, to the Muslims, to the Hindus, to the Buddhists, to the Protestants, and I am a man of peace.' He didn't say all those words, but that's what he meant.

Donald Trump doesn't take it from anybody, not even the pope. First time Trump ever read what he said—I'll just sort of paraphrase it—'who is anyone to judge whether I'm a Christian or not. It's disgraceful for the pope to say that if you build a fence, you're not a Christian.' Hooray for him!

Remember this, what do we find in the New Testament concerning those who follow Jesus? There were those who were against Him. 'The one who is not for Me, is against Me.' Then there were the other group, 'those who are for Me are on our part.' Remember, it didn't say they were converted. That's a key!

So there are a lot of people for Jesus, they do a lot of good, they follow a lot of the things that are in the Bible and the Word of God, but what is the separating definition of who a true Christian is? You can have a 'Christian values' person, who is for Jesus, but doesn't know much about the Bible. That would be considered like a Gentile who does the things that are contained in the Law.

But Catholicism is anti-Christ, because the pope sits in the seat of God as the vicar of Christ, meaning the replacement. He also said that if ISIS comes against the Vatican, he should be happy if Donald Trump were President, because he would keep the pope from being beheaded. Then it showed the picture of the Vatican with high walls. Very interesting!

What is the definition of a true Christian? What is the separating point? You can look at a lot of people, they are very good people, they do a lot of good things. They sacrifice, they give, they do those things. You find a lot of loving people, but:

• Are they true Christian?
• Are they near?

if they are near

• How close are they?
• What is the separating point?

Romans 8:7: "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can it be." That's why they don't keep the Sabbath, and many of the other things of the laws of God.

They are for Jesus, therefore, doing 'good.' Donald Trump doesn't smoke, he doesn't drink, he doesn't take drugs. That's fine. Does God require that of us? Yes, indeed! But what else does He require of us? Repentance and a humble heart!

Verse 8: "But those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Who are those who are in the flesh, since we are all fleshly?

Verse 9: "However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if… [1700 ifs in the Bible] …the Spirit of God is indeed… [in Truth] …dwelling within you.…"

Also, there are a number of people out there that have one of the seven spirits with them, but not in them. So, they've got to respond to God to repent, because you don't get the Spirit of God unless you repent and are baptized and have hands laid on you for the receipt of the Holy Spirit.

• unless you were at the temple in 30A.D. and received the Spirit there
• unless you were the Gentiles who received it before baptism, because God made it that way that one time to show Peter that He was calling the Gentiles.

It was just all to the Jews. The Jews thought, 'Oh, boy, this is all ours.' God said, 'No! No! No!' So, He sent Peter.

Then we also have the receiving of the Holy Spirit after a second baptism and laying on of hands in Acts 19, and they spoke in tongues. Then we have the 144,000 who are sealed by an angel to receive the Holy Spirit of God. Every other one has to come by:

• repentance
• baptism
• laying on of hands

So what happened with the exception in Acts 19? They were baptized after the fact, so that it would include baptism! Likewise with the 144,000! I think that whatever that is, the 144,000, I think we can make a parallel between that and the children of Israel in Egypt.

Remember all the plagues that came up to a certain point, and then God separated out the children of Israel, didn't come upon them. That's where we have two years of the Tribulation. In the third day, He will raise us up (Hos. 6). That's beginning of the third year of the last three and a half years.

So, He separates out the 144,000, and probably a good number of other children of Israel, who are in captivity, wherever they may be.

Verse 9: "…if the Spirit of God is indeed dwelling within you…" Remember what Jesus said on Passover night to the disciples? 'I will send the Holy Spirit. It has been with you and it shall be within you' (John 14). This is the begettal from the Father.

Here is the clear statement: "…But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (v 9). That's God's definition of who a true Christian is.

You can apply that to nearly everybody, because we are the small flock, the few. It's been broken down into smaller and smaller groups. Why? To know if we really love God! Do we really, really love God? That's what it's all about.

Verse 10: "But if Christ be within you, the body is indeed dead because of sin; however, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Now, if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling within you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies because of His Spirit that dwells within you" (vs 10-11).

What do we have here? The Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Father—both! That ties in where Jesus said, 'If you love Me, the Father will love you and We will come and make Our abode with you' (John 14)—both!

Verse 12: "So then, brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; because if you are living according to the flesh, you shall die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God" (vs 12-14).

The word led here is the same word in the Greek, where the Spirit will lead you into all Truth (John 16). How does that happen? With God's Spirit, coupled with God's Word! Why? Because the Word of God is 'God-spirited!' Jesus said, 'The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit and they are Life and they are Truth.' This then, defines clearly who is a true Christian.

Donald Trump may be a very upright man, probably is. He has a little humility in him, not much, but a little, because when he was asked by Anderson Cooper, 'What is it that you regret most in your life?' Right at the end of a town-hall interview.

Trump said, 'I'm a workaholic. I love to work. I work all the time. I really think that if I hadn't worked so hard, I wouldn't have had two marriages fail.' I think, for him, that's about as humble as you're going to get.

But living in New York and fighting all of those lying crooks all the time, let's see what happens. Will he be President? I'm not making any predictions. Remember Scalia! Don't make any predictions. You never know what's going to happen.

Let's come to the book of Revelation and we'll do a little more surveying here and see if we can just cover the remaining things we need to. I'm going to bring out more on this as we come to the Passover.

Rev. 2—We know this is the message to the seven existing churches in Asia. He didn't include Jerusalem, didn't include Rome. I wonder why he didn't include Rome? Isn't that an interesting question? He started with Ephesus. These seven churches represent three things:

• the physical churches then
• the successive prophecy progression of the Church down through time
• how the Church is at the end-time, as God views it from heaven

God is not restricted to any single human corporation. A corporation is required, because you have to have a legal identity. A corporation does not bind God. The corporation gives the congregations the legal ability to carry on their work, so that they can preach the Gospel, receive money, do the things they need to do. The corporation should have absolutely nothing to do with the spiritual functioning of the Church.

For someone to say, 'You have to belong to this corporate church, or you're not in the Church of God.' How do you know? What is the definition? You must have the Spirit of God!

Are there degrees of Spirit of God? Yes, indeed! Because Paul told Timothy, 'Stir up the Spirit that is in you.' There are times when God stirs up the Spirit, like He did there in Haggai 1 and 2, to stir up the spirit of Zerubbabel, Joshua, and the people to build the temple.

The first church is Ephesus. They had directly from the apostles. The Apostle Paul was there. He commends them for a lot of things, especially testing the false apostles. They had a lot of work.

Revelation 2:2: "I know your works, and your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot bear those who are evil; and that you did test those who proclaim themselves to be apostles, but are not, and did find them liars."

I need to give a sermon: How do you test for an apostle? You send him an extended drivers' license test (humor). There is no civil service exam to tell you who is an apostle.

Verse 3: "And that you have borne much and have endured, and for My name's sake have labored and have not grown weary; nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love" (vs 3-4).
I'm going to focus in on that as we come up to the Passover. What did Jesus say the greatest commandment is? Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and being! This is interesting because the word first comes from the word 'protos,' primary or first love, loving God.

How do people get to a point that they're not loving God the way that they should? Because they shift all of that to doing human works! Yes, we need to take care of the poor. Yes, we need to help those who are down and out. We need all of those things, but you cannot lose your first love. The first love can only be maintained with personal prayer and personal Bible study, and the elders and ministers teaching the love of God as the primary thing! Then loving each other. Just wanted to cover that. Won't go through all the rest with the churches.

I want to review Rev. 6 and, as we covered in Matt. 24, we're going to review that. Here is a really basic principle that God operates on. In describing things in the Bible, you will have a summary of it given first; then the details of it second.

Just like this: 'If you love Me, keep the commandments; namely, My commandments.' That's an overall summary. Where do you find the commandments? They don't necessarily follow right after. Sometimes you have to go someplace else to find it and put it together; 'rightly divide the Word of God.'

As we covered last time concerning the three and a half year Tribulation. That's the 70th week of Dan. 9. In the middle of the week that covenant that is made is going to be broken.

• What do you suppose that covenant would be?

(speculation) We don't know for sure.

• What would that covenant be to start the seven years?

The first three and a half be peace and security.

• How would that fit in to what the Jews want to do?
• How would that fit in with what the Bible prophesied?
• And what it tells us?

Because it says that Jerusalem will be encircled with armies:

• Do they come there first for peaceful enforcement of the agreement?
• What would the beast-power guarantee the Jews that they could build the temple?

If you go to The Temple Institute, you'll find they've got almost everything ready to go. It's not going to be where the Mosque of Omar is, because all the Muslims would come in and kill every Jew if they tried to do it. It's going to be separate from that. They build it, and they start having sacrifices because the sacrifices have to be cut off.

Then what happens? Does Satan enter into the beast-power? He breaks the covenant, walks into the temple and says he's God! That's the 'abomination that makes desolate.' That's the trigger for the Tribulation!

We come down here through Rev. 6. We find seal #2 is the seal that starts the Great Tribulation. How seal #1 works out, that's getting all the religions together. That is coming! That is coming! That is coming! Then on the other side of it, concerning the mark of the beast: That is coming! That is coming! That is coming! All of those things are working together and filling a big pattern.

Then you have the seals opened quite quickly: The war, invasion, starvation, death, then martyrdom. We have here in Rev. 6:12, and this becomes a very interesting one when we put it together with Matt. 24.

Revelation 6:12: "And when He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as the hair of sackcloth, and the moon became as blood." The moon becoming red as blood is not an eclipse. It is the full moon looking bright red. That's where all of these blood moon things get off base. You look at the things that were written about that. I even gave several sermons concerning it. Have any of those things taken place that they said, yet? No!

Notice what else happens. This is a spectacular thing. In the book, The Appointed Times of Jesus the Messiah, I lay this all out, step-by-step, showing that there are two phases to the return of Christ. That's how every eye is going to see.

This is the beginning of the first phase, right here; after the stars fall from heaven, v 14: "Then the heaven departed like a scroll that is being rolled up…"

Have you ever had a window shade and you brought it down, then you let go of it and it didn't stick? Roll right up? That's what I picture this as the heavens doing, just rolling back like a scroll. This is an astonishing event.

So much so: "…and every mountain and island was moved out of its place" (v 14). So much for a place of safety, or a cave, or an island in the South Pacific.

Verse 15: "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the powerful men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of His wrath has come, and who has the power to stand?'" (vs 15-17).

This is two years into the three and a half. Do they know what it is? Yes! They know what it is, but they're blinded by Satan the devil! He then convinces them that this has got to be aliens. That's actually true, because God the Father and Jesus Christ, and the angels are aliens to people on the earth.

When that happens, then there's a great calm (Rev. 7), so much so the wind doesn't blow. Let's tie this in with Matt.24. We will see how this is described. Of course, Jesus Himself would know it, because He's going to make it happen.

Matthew 24:21: "For then shall there be great tribulation… [that's when the abomination of desolation stands in the Holy Place] …such as has not been from the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be again. And if those days were not limited…" (vs 21-22). That's the best translation there. How are they limited? What is the limit? Three and a half years; not cut short!

How many sermons have you heard a preacher get up there, some event takes place, and they say, 'We're getting close to the return of Christ and God's going to cut the time short.' Never happened! Time is still going on, because God has limited it to three and a half years.

(go to the next track)

After He said, 'Don't go out there, because there are false christs, false prophets. He's not going to be in the desert, He's not going to be in the secret chamber.' Why? Because He's coming from heaven!

I bet if you've read these things, you have questioned this yourself. I did for years until I finally understood it.

Malachi 4:1: "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like a consuming oven; and all the proud, and every doer of wickedness, shall be stubble. And the day that comes shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and will leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise, and healing will be in His wings.…'" (vs 1-2).

• Why did God, Who is against sun-worship, say that Christ was the Sun of Righteousness? Notice, it says shall arise!
• Will healing be in His wings? Yes, when He comes to the earth! He's going to heal the whole earth.

We will see why He is called "…the Sun of Righteousness…" That has to do with His second coming.

Matthew 24:27: "For as the light of day, which comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west…" That is the sun. So, when the heavens roll back as a scroll, there's going to appear the second sun. That's how every eye is going to see Him. How long will that be there? We'll answer that in just a little bit.

Verse 29 explains it: "But immediately after the tribulation of those days… [ties in with Rev. 6:12] …the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." Why? Because the heavens roll back as a scroll!

Verse 30: "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven…" "…the light of day…" (v 27). It gives you a summary first, then the details come later.

"'…and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet; and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds… [looking down from heaven] …from one end of heaven to the other'" (vs 30-31). That's the resurrection!

This time span covers from the heavens rolling back as a scroll until the resurrection, which is three and a half years, for the whole time, minus two, because that's the tribulation against Israel. After the tribulation of those days against Israel is what it means. That's what we covered last time in Hosea 5 and 6. That means there is a year and a half left until Christ and the saints come on the earth.

Let's come back here to Rev. 7. People still have a hard time understanding about Pentecost being the day of the resurrection.

• On what day did God give the Law to Israel? Pentecost!
• On what day did God send the Holy Spirit? Pentecost!

Pentecost is the harvest of the firstfruits. You read Matt. 13, and the work of God is like a grain harvest.

How many weeks for the harvest? Seven weeks, every seven days, until you come to forty-nine; then the next day is day 50, Pentecost. Let's look at the Churches in Rev. 2 and 3. How many Churches do we have? Seven! These depict the seven-week harvest of the Church.

Rev. 7—Would you say that these people are going to receive eternal life, the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude? Yes, indeed! If two years have ended, getting into the beginning of the third year, Rev. 7 has to take place on Pentecost. The saving of the 144,000 and great innumerable multitude.

When is the resurrection? A year later! Pentecost to Pentecost. When you read that they are going to be before the throne of God, that is projecting forward when the resurrection takes place, because no one goes to heaven! The resurrection, Paul wrote, 'Christ the firstfruit, then those who are Christ's at His coming.'

Therefore, they do not immediately go to the throne of God. They have one year before the resurrection. However long it takes place for Rev. 7 to occur, then we come to Rev. 8.

Let's think about this for a minute. If Rev. 7 occurs on Pentecost, how long is it until Trumpets? Three and a half months! With everything that's gone on the earth, and all the destruction that's taken place, in order for the events in Rev. 8 and 9 to take place, men on the earth are going to use that three and a half months to clean up the mess, fix the roads.

In the meantime, what is shining every day? The two suns! 'Every eye shall see Him.' What happens with human nature? If it's out there and they see it every day? They say, 'Something happened in the universe and we've got an extra sun out there. It hasn't come to the earth, so we're safe.' But they're not!

Things change suddenly. After the tribulation against Israel, which then is men against men, Rev. 8 begins the last year. You have Pentecost to Pentecost, under that three and a half months difference, you have Trumpets to Trumpets.

• One line: Pentecost to Pentecost. Next to the last Pentecost, 144,000 and great innumerable multitude are saved.
• Next line: Next Pentecost, the resurrection comes.
• Three and half months to Trumpet. From Trumpets to Trumpets is the last year. A year is a day in prophecy.

Revelation 6:17: "Because the great day of His wrath has come, and who has the power to stand?" That is from next to the last Trumpets to the final Trumpets, the great day of His wrath. His wrath begins, and it comes directly from the throne of God. Everything else up to this time is men against men. Now God intervenes.

Revelation 8:1: "Now, when He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar; and much incense was given to him, so that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that was before the throne" (vs 1-3).

Who are the saints? Human beings who have the Spirit of God! So, this is proof that the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude did not immediately go to heaven. They have to wait for the last trump like everybody else.

Verse 4: "And the smoke of the incense went up before God from the hand of the angel, ascending with the prayers of the saints. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it into the earth; and there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and an earthquake. Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound their trumpets" (vs 4-6).

The first four come very quickly. Just like with the seven last plagues, the first four come very quickly.

Verse 7: "And the first angel sounded his trumpet; and there was hail and fire mingled with blood, and it was cast upon the earth; and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up." Burnt up a third of the trees, everything like that.

Revelation 9:4: "And it was said to them that they should not damage the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree…"

Is this seventh seal the Day of the Lord? Yes, it is! Everything is coming from God, so it's the Day of the Lord. It's interesting, "…should not damage the grass of the earth, or any green thing…"

But yet, it said in Revelation 8:7: "…and all green grass was burnt up.' What are we looking at? We're looking at a space of time that took place after the grass was burned.

What happens if you get any moisture? The grass grows back, just like here. We've had four years of drought. The land is very dry, everything is all brown and miserable looking. We get three or four weeks of rain, and the grass is growing everywhere. Grass has no knowledge as to what's going on. God created it; when there's dirt and there's water, it grows.

This shows a space of time. However long it was for the first four angels, for their plagues to be given, that's the length of time that we're dealing with. However that works out. I won't try and figure out what kind of space of time we're dealing with here, but long enough for the grass to grow.

Revelation 8:13: "And I looked; and I heard an angel flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to those who are dwelling on the earth, because of the voices of the remaining trumpets of the three angels who are about to sound their trumpets.'"

Now we're dealing with more demons are let out of the prison, multiple. We know there's a prison, a place of restraint; they are let out.

Revelation 9:1: "And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet; and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and there was given to him the key to the bottomless abyss.…. [I don't know where the abyss is] …And he opened the bottomless abyss; and there went up smoke from the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. Then locusts came onto the earth from the smoke… [all types of demons] … and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said to them that they should not damage the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only the men who did not have the seal of God in their foreheads" (vs 1-4).

Again, verifying that the 144,000 and the great innumerable multitude are not before the throne of God at this time.

Verse 5: And it was given to them that they should not kill them…" They have torment, and so forth.

Verse 11: "And they have over them a king, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but the name he has in Greek is Apollyon." That's either Satan the devil or one of the leading demons, probably not Satan himself, but one of the leading demons. Zeus was above Apollyon, so this probably is not Satan.

Verse 12: "The first woe is past. Behold, after these things two more woes are still to come. And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet; and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God" (vs 12-13). Starts right at the altar of God. The wrath of God, the Day of the Lord.

Verse 14: "And it said to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, 'Loose the four angels who are bound in the great River Euphrates.'" Where are they bound? I don't have the slightest idea, but God put them there! How's that for punishment? For one purpose.

Verse 15: "Then the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year… [amazing; it's going to be right on time according to God's schedule] …were loosed, so that they might kill a third of men; and the number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred thousand thousand…" (vs 15-16)—200-million!

I want you to think about how many people that is. Think about armies that big. It's plural, because you can't get 200-million people in one place. They have to be strung from the river Euphrates all the way back to the Far East, and these are men. It tells what they do. It's going to be awful carnage. We'll cover a little more of this when we get to Trumpets.

Verse 20: "But the rest of the men who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands …" So, these are men with fantastic futuristic weapons. I don't think too many of them are futuristic any longer. We just don't know of them, yet.

"…still did not repent of the works of their hands…" (v 20). God is offering repentance. Everything that God does is on hopes that the person would repent. They didn't repent!

"…that they might not worship demons, and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which do not have the power to see, nor to hear, nor to walk. And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thievery" (vs 20-21).

At this time the earth is in terrible shape. Notice, it's all in the Middle East. Wonder why we're having all the trouble in the Middle East today? This is all going to build up.

Rev 10, just two things I want to point out here: No one knows what the seven thunders are because God told John, 'Don't write it.' you can tell a false prophet, if he comes along and says, 'I know what the seven thunders are,' no one knows.

The other thing I want to point out is Revelation 10:7: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall also be completed, according to the Gospel that He declared to His servants the prophets."

Verse 6: "And swore by Him Who lives into the ages of eternity, Who created the heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, 'There shall be no more delay.'"

What does this tell us? This tells us there have been delays. Why does God delay things, for what reason? Whenever there's repentance! That's what happened with Ahab. We talked about that earlier. That's what happened with Josiah. When there is repentance, look at what God did with Manasseh. He brought him back, and put him on the throne again. All the way through here it talks about repentance and the lack thereof.

Everyone wants to know about the two witnesses. Who is in charge of the two witnesses? One minister, who claims he is 'the apostle to restore the church in the end-time,' that he is going to have authority over the two witnesses. You might as well forget him, because that's not what the Bible says.

Here we have to go back in time and then come forward; Revelation 11:1: "Then the angel gave me a measuring rod like a staff, saying, 'Arise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. But leave out the court that is within the temple area, and do not measure it because it has been given up to the Gentiles; and they shall trample upon the Holy City for forty-two months'" (vs 1-2).

Why does it say forty-two months? That is used again, over here, in Rev. 13, referring to the beast that had the deadly wound and recovered.

Revelation 13:5: "And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given to him; and authority was given to him to continue for forty-two months." Months is reckoned as times of evil.

Forty-two months is not exactly identical with 1260 days. It's approximately the same. Why? Because the months have 30 days, 29 days, 30 days, 29 days. In the case of a leap year, then you have an extra thirteenth month. You don't have a change in the number of days.

Revelation 11:3: "And I will give power to My two witnesses…" Who do they belong to? God! Who is in charge of the two witnesses? God! Very powerful; never happened this way in the past!

"…and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth" (v 3).

When does their ministry end, after they've been in the streets three and a half days? The resurrection! Since the resurrection is on Pentecost, like I did on the chart that you get with the series on Daniel and Revelation, I counted back from Pentecost, and guess when they started? Somewhere around the beginning of November, then 1260 days.

That gave them from November until Passover for witnessing. What do you think the beast and false prophet are going to be doing when they start their witnessing? You think they're going to be happy about it? No! Would that not tell us why the beast is provoked to go into the Holy of Holies and say he is God? To prove a point to the two witnesses! We need to think about what kind of battle this is going to be.

Twelve hundred and sixty days. The only way you're going to know when they begin, is you understand how long their ministry is—1260 days—and when it ends. BANG! Pentecost.

Verse 4: "These are the two olive trees, and the two lampstands that stand before the God of the earth."

There was a famous doctor in the WCG, an evangelist who said these are two churches: one is Philadelphia and one is Laodicea. No, they are not. When you read Rev. 1, Jesus stands in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, so the Churches are in a circle, not in a line.

Let's see why they are called "…the two lampstands that stand before the God of the earth," directly to God. No minister! It doesn't say, 'Who are authorized by the final apostle of God.' No, "…stand before the God of the earth."

Come back to Zech. 3. Some people actually believe that the two witnesses will be:

• one will be resurrected Moses
• the other will be resurrected Elijah

Has God ever resurrected a man to be a prophet outside of Christ? No! If they were resurrected, would they know anything about what's going on? No!

When they came back out of Babylon, they were building the second temple. Joshua was the high priest, but he's a type of one of the two witnesses. Notice, he is called from a condition of being close to Satan the devil. Think of that!

Zechariah 3:1: "And He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said to Satan, 'May the LORD rebuke you, Satan! May even the LORD Who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire?'" (vs 1-2). In other words, his conduct was so bad, where was he headed? So, he repented!

Verse 3: "Now, Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And He answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, 'Take the filthy garments from off him.' And to him He said, 'Behold, I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with ceremonial robes.'" (vs 3-4)—high priest. We'll see that's one of the two witnesses, because God says He would yet deal with Jerusalem and Judah.

Notice what He heralds in, v 5: "And I said, 'Let them set a clean miter on his head.' And they set a clean miter on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD stood by. And the angel of the LORD charged Joshua, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My charge, then you shall also judge My house, and shall also keep My courts, and I will give you places to walk among these who stand by. Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men wondered at, for behold, I will bring forth My Servant the Branch!"'" (vs 5-8)

That is Christ. That did not happen to the Joshua who came out of Babylon to be high priest at the temple for the second temple when they completed it.

Verse 9: "'For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua: On one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its engraving upon it," says the LORD of hosts, "and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day," says the LORD of hosts, "you shall call, each man to his neighbor, to sit under the vine and under the fig tree"'" (vs 9-10).

That blends right into the Millennium. So here again you see a space of time in the different descriptions of the prophecy.

This brings in Zerubbabel, the governor, Zechariah 4:1: "And the angel that talked with me came again and awakened me, as a man that is awakened out of his sleep. And he said to me, 'What do you see?' And I said, 'I see, and behold, a lampstand, all of it gold, and a bowl on its top, and its seven lamps upon it… [that is beneath it] … and seven pipes to the seven lamps on its top'" (vs 1-2). So it comes down. So here's this big bowl full of olive oil, and this oil is to come down to these lamps to burn at the seven lamps.

Verse 3: "'And two olive trees beside it… [What did it say? 'These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands.'] …one on the right side of the bowl, and the other on the left side of it.' And I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, 'What are these, my lord?' Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, 'Do you know what these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord.' Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, 'This is the Word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts'" (vs 3-6).

This is going to be the lesson the Jews are going to learn. They can't get their way out of any trouble by their own army and by their own works, by their own war, by anything that they do. This will be the thing that will lead many of the Jews to repent at the end.

Verse 7: "'Who are you, O great mountain?.… [the beast power] …Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain…'" They can't get rid of the two witnesses. Everything they try to do to kill them. When they open up their mouth, fire comes out of their mouths. Can you imagine what the television news is going to be like at that time?

"'…and he shall bring forth the head stone… [Christ] …with shoutings, "Grace! Grace unto it!' And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall also finish it.'.… [the second temple] …And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 'For who has despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel. These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth'" (vs 7-10). {tie in Rev. 4, Rev. 5, 2-Chr. 16.}

Verse 11: "And I answered and said to him, 'What are these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on its left side?' And I answered again and said to him, 'What are the two olive branches beside the two golden pipes, emptying the golden oil out of themselves?' And he answered me and said, 'Do you not know what these are?' And I said, 'No, my lord.' And he said, 'These are the two anointed ones who stand by the LORD of the whole earth'" (vs 11-14).

That can be nothing but the two witnesses, close to God, right there, right against the beast and the false prophet.

Therefore, it can't be Moses and Elijah. They look and say, 'Did not Christ raise up Lazarus?' Lazarus was not one of the two witnesses! He was a brother of Martha and Mary, and Jesus loved Him. Why did He bring him back to life? Several reasons:

• a sign and a witness to all of the Jews who saw it, who knew that it occurred
• to provoke the Sanhedrin to really in earnest come after Him to crucify Him
• personally, for Lazarus, the reason was he died before he had an opportunity for salvation, because the Holy Spirit was not yet given

So, he was raised from the dead. I bet he was one of the 120 (Acts 1), so he could be in the first resurrection. Also, this gives us confirmation of what we call the second resurrection.

Finally they kill the two witnesses. Their bodies are in the streets of Jerusalem three and a half days.

Revelation 11:11: "Then after the three and a half days, the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a great voice from heaven, say, 'Come up here!'.… [be resurrected] … And they ascended into heaven in a cloud; and their enemies saw them rise" (vs 11-12).

A fantastic fulfillment, 'the last shall be first.' The two witnesses are going to be prophesying many things and witnessing to the beast and the false prophet personally.

As I read last week, Elijah to come before the great and terrible Day of the Lord, there has to be a third Elijah come, who will probably be baptizing the Jews that repent. When all this occurs, don't you think there will be a lot of Jews repenting? That is going to be quite a thing! Here, after all of these years, and the misery and suffering, and holocaust, pogroms, killing, and everything like this that they have experienced, now God has intervened. So, they are resurrected first.

When are they changed from flesh to spirit? We don't know, but that has to wait for the seventh trump. When will the seventh trump blow? Almost immediately!

Verse 13: "And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; and seven thousand men were killed in the earthquake. And the rest were filled with fear, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming immediately" (vs 13-14).

The second woe was the sixth trumpet! So, the third woe is the seventh trumpet coming immediately.

Verse 15: "Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there were great voices in heaven, saying…" Trumpet is blown, everyone who is a saint of God, alive or dead, are going to be resurrected or changed. The dead in Christ will rise first.

"…'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign into the ages of eternity.' And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; for You have taken to Yourself Your great power, and have reigned'" (vs 15-17). The beginning of the reign of Christ.

Verse 18: "'For the nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to all those who fear Your name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth.'" That has to be the resurrection.
There are some other things that we can cover, so I don't know if I will give one more on this or not. We'll have to see what transpires and how it works out. Suffice to say, there is plenty enough in prophecy to cover.

Just think of this and why God holds us so responsible. He has given understanding, and the understanding comes through:

• His Spirit
• His Word
• His Holy Days
• His Sabbaths

That's why the Sabbath Day is so important. Where would we be if we weren't keeping the Sabbath? We would just be absorbed into the world. We're still in the flesh,

• we need the Sabbath every single week
• we need to learn from the Word of God
• we need to learn to overcome

We have the whole Bible, all the Word of God, given to us. It's really a fantastic thing.

Think about the Apostle John. He wrote all of this down and he didn't understand it. When they were canonizing the New Testament, he had to put in there about the 'abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place,' he inserted the parenthetical phrase, 'The one who reads let him understand.' Jesus didn't say that. John didn't understand. God has given all of this. That's why we need to:

• yield to God
• grow in grace and knowledge
• overcome
• not be all lifted up in vanity
• not be fighting and arguing and things like that

We need to love each other and if there are difficulties, work it out. If can't work it out, keep praying for the individual.

We're going to see a lot of us, we're all getting more mature, that day is going to be coming. That has also been a lot on my mind here recently.

• How's it going to be with the Church of God?
• How are we going to reach out to the world?
• What is going to happen?
• How much time do we have?

We don't know, because these events, though they look like they come immediately, one after another, sometimes there's a great space of time in between.

Scriptural References:

• Daniel 10:21
• Psalm 40:7
• Hebrews 10:7-9, 16-17
• John 16:12-15
• Romans 8:7-14
• Revelation 2:2-4
• Revelation 6:12, 14-17
• Matthew 24:21-22
• Malachi 4:1-2
• Matthew 24:27, 29-30, 27, 30-31
• Revelation 6:17
• Revelation 8:1-7
• Revelation 9:4
• Revelation 8:7, 13
• Revelation 9:1-5, 11-16, 20-21
• Revelation 10: 7, 6
• Revelation 11:1-2
• Revelation 13:5
• Revelation 11:3-4
• Zechariah 3:1-10
• Zechariah 4:1-14
• Revelation 11:11-18

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Luke 24
• Acts 2, 19
• Hosea 6
• John 14
• Haggai 1; 2
• Daniel 9
• Revelation 7
• Hosea 5
• Matthew 13
• Revelation 2; 3; 1; 4; 5
• 2-Chronicles 16
• Acts 1

Also referenced:

Books:

• From a Speck of Dust to a Son of God: Why Were You Born? (coming soon)
• The Appointed Times of Jesus the Messiah by Fred R. Coulter

Sermon Series: Daniel and Revelation with chart

FRC:lp
Transcribed: 3-15-16
Formatted: bo—3/18/16

Copyright 2016—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.