Author: Michael Young, Sr.

I am a practicing Christian, a disciple of Jesus, a husband of over 50 years, a father and a grandfather, a business man, a veteran and a friend to all who will have me. I have served or am serving, at various times, as an Evangelist, a Pulpit fill pastor, an Associate Pastor of Evangelism and as Senior Pastor of a church plant. My passion is for practicing and teaching the Bible, building small groups, reaching the lost with the message of the Gospel of Jesus, recovering the straying Sheep of God and the gathering together the Called of God, in neighborhoods, business settings and in churches by equipping other Christians. I have authored a few small books and I have a background in professional business management, finance and investments. I am glad to meet you, even if it is virtually. Write me at any time and let's become friends.

Signs Of The 5th Tribulation Seal

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Signs of the FIFTH Tribulation Seal

 

Matthew 24, Verse 10. (Seal #5), And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24, Verse 13. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Revelation 6, Verse 9. (Seal #5) When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; Verse 10. and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” Verse 11. And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.

2 Timothy 3:3, “But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear].

The things described in these verses seem to be recognizable and occurring, especially in our day-and-time. But these things have been occurring since the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. In fact, not only have the continued to occur but they have been increasing in frequency and in their intensity. (see “Is This The End?”).

The foregoing prophetic statements referring to the “last days” fit perfectly with the words of Jesus and the Apostles Paul, Peter and Timothy as they describe the events and times of the “last days”, which were written around A.D. 30, and are found in :

The progression and timing of the breaking of the Tribulation Seals in Matthew 24 and Revelation chapters 6,7 and 8 can be seen in this short outline (below, with links) which compare Jesus’ account of the Tribulation period both in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Matthew:

Revelation Chapter 6 – as corresponding to – Matthew Chapter 24

the 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue

the 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War

the 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine

the 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death

the 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution, Anti-Christ, falling away

(The Opening of the 6th Tribulation Seal is The BEGINNING OF the 7 years

“THE GREAT TRIBULATION”)

the 6th Tribulation Seal  –  Cosmic disturbances, blood moon, darkened sun

  • Sealing of the 144,000
  • The Rapture
  • Multitude from the tribulation before the Throne of God).

WARNING:  Prior to the SIXTH TRIBULATION SEAL, scriptures tell us that God will send a ‘deluding influence so people will believe a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness”.

This malaise and apostasy has infected Christian Churches across the globe and nowhere is it more evident that in the western world and in America. You can visit just about any church and find an ‘entertainment-oriented’ production, dedicated to move the emotions of the visitor, practitioner and adherent to moments of emotional ecstasy. The ‘sermons’ can better be described as intellectually fulfilling – a religious sales pitch about how things should be. . The ‘congregation has become an audience attending a play’ in large part.

The sense of ‘Church is like family’ has become a social affair. Cliques have taken the place of the Body. The day of lamenting one’s sins, brokenness and repentance at the altar are gone. (See “I Will Build My Church”).

This transformation, this apostasy has been developing over the decades and centuries. It was subtle at first. Now it is in full bloom and is unrecognized by the perpetrators – church-goers and Christians.

A more complete description of the attitudes and behaviors of people in these ‘last days, which are precursors to the Great Apostasy (the great falling away from the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus) and the Great Martyrdom and persecution of Christians,  (the fifth Tribulation Seal) are found in 2 Timothy chapter 3.

Verse 1, For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, verse 3,  [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, verse 4,  traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Verse 5,  holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith].

 Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

Verse 6.  For among them are those who worm their way into homes and captivate morally weak and spiritually-dwarfed women weighed down by [the burden of their] sins, easily swayed by various impulses,

 The term “morally weak and spiritually-dwarfed women” as it is used here, may seem to be specifically aimed at women and to the exclusion of men. That is incorrect. This description is anachronistic. It must be understood in the social context of that day. Women, in general were considered to be second class members of society when these verses were written. Women’s lives and value were defined almost solely in relation to men: their fathers and husbands. This description is being used contemptuously to define anyone, and specifically a man who would be considered to behave in such a way. (It could be said, in a contemporary and derogatory way, “he acts just like a silly old women” or “he is such a Nancy”.)

 Always learning and listening to anybody who will teach them, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Is this not what is occurring in our churches? People lament, “I am not being fed”. So, they are relieved of their own duty to ‘get off the milk of the word’ and feed themselves the meat of the word by doing the Word of God.

Too many churches and pastors placate ‘the sheep’, who by now should be pastors, teachers, deacons, elders, ambassadors for Christ, by substituting the ‘Work of the Gospel’ with always learning and listening and never actually ‘going into the fields which are ripe for harvesting’.

Just as Jannes and Jambres, [men, in the court magicians in the court of the Pharaohs Egypt] opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, unqualified and worthless [as teachers] in regard to the faith. But they will not get very far, for their meaningless nonsense and ignorance will become obvious to everyone, as was that of Jannes and Jambres.

The postmodern religious teachings of ‘hyper-grace’ and ‘soft-sell salvation’ has convinced millions upon millions that a small ritual of bowing one’s head and praying a simple prayer is all that is needed to be saved from the coming wrath and to go to heaven. This is not so.  Jesus is clear. It is the one who does the will of the Father who will be saved.

Finally, the importance of recognizing the intent of this letter by Timothy and the placement of the breaking of the 5th Tribulation Seal is that the first FIVE TRIBULATION SEALS are, accoring to Jesus, ‘the birth pangs’ – forerunners of the Great Tribulation, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of The Lord, which begins with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.

You and I must be the ‘salt and the light’. We must be the initiators, the ambassadors, the martyrs for Christ. We must demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] by our love [unselfish concern for others], by our joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], by our kindness, by our goodness, by our faithfulness, by our gentleness, by our self-control.

Against these things there is no law.  And those of us who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites.

If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22-26)

We have now been warned against false teachers, false teachings, false prophets and our ominous proximity to the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.

We have now been instructed how we are to engage this fallen world as the Day of The Lord draws near.

We have now been instructed about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and about living and walking by the Spirit with personal integrity, Godly character and moral courage, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The day and the hour of the SIXTH TRIBULATION SEAL is near. It will initiate the 7 years of Great Tribulation, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. A time when the world will see a God’s judgements, tribulation and devastation as it has never seen and will never see again.

Prepare yourself and your household and know that at that time, “Immediately after the tribulation of these days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not provide its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And at that time the sign of the Son of Man [coming in His glory] will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth [and especially Israel] will mourn [regretting their rebellion and rejection of the Messiah], and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliance and splendor].  And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet and they will gather together His elect (God’s chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-31).

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

THE AXE IS LAID – A PROPHETIC WORD – Matthew 3:10-12

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Matthew 3:10, says, “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Verse 11. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Verse 12. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Olive Tree, specifically, comes to mind when talking about prophecy and about Israel.  It is mentioned frequently in the Bible with regard to fruitfulness, health, and blessings. It is one of the seven species with which the land was blessed.

Jewish people associate it with the concept of “putting down roots” in the Holy Land. As such, olive trees appear in the emblems of both the State of Israel, as well as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The olive tree has also been used as a motif in many works of art and in Jewish culture throughout history.

Here are some specific examples of ways the symbolism of the olive tree is represented in the Jewish faith:

  • Peace: The olive tree has become a consistent symbol of peace over the years, thanks to the story of Noah’s Ark and the dove that brings back an olive branch as a way to inform Noah that the rain had subsided. Olive branches even became used as a means of showing peace to other leaders/nations.
  • Love and celebration: Olive branches were used to make wreaths for the heads of young people on their wedding days, and at festivals in biblical times. The pilgrims who brought their first fruits to Jerusalem decorated the horns of the bull that led the procession with olive branches.
  • Life and vitality: Throughout the Bible, there are consistent references to olive trees as symbols of life and vitality. For example, the people of Israel are referred to as “a green olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit” in the book of Jeremiah. When King Solomon dies, the trees of the garden mourn, shedding their leaves.

“The axe is already laid at the root of the trees”.  Verse 10 is saying judgment is now at hand.  The prophesied Messiah is here.  Your salvation is at hand.  You cannot depend on your traditions, rituals, good works, heritage or lineage to be saved from the coming wrath.  It is time to repent and bear fruit of Righteousness which is in Jesus the Christ, for your salvation, or you will perish.

Matthew 3:11, “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John is pointing the way to Jesus.  He baptizes with water for repentance which requires that you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, so you will be saved and escape the coming wrath; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

Interestingly, and important to this prophetic word, is that it is binding.  Jesus has told us that whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Baptism is a form of binding.  Once complete, it is irreversible.  We may fail to remember our oaths or to take them seriously, but God never forgets.  God will remember the oath, and He will keep His Word.  You and I are bound.  The following words from the book of Matthew and the account of John the Baptist and of Jesus are a binding oath.

READER BEWARE:

Matthew 3:12, “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

THERE ARE FIVE POINTS GIVEN IN VERSE 12.  THEY ENCAPSULATE THE ENTIRE TRIBULATION PERIOD, BEGINNING WITH THE BREAKING OF THE TRIBULATION SEALS, CONTINUING THROUGH THE TRUMPET AND BOWL JUDGMENTS, INCLUDING THE  WHITE THRONE Judgment AND CULMINATING WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF THE 1ST HEAVEN AND THE FIRST EARTH WITH INTENSE HEAT.  THEY ARE A BINDING OATH AND PROPHECY.

(a)  “His winnowing fork is in His hand:  Represents the cleansing, refining, purifying of His Bride, the Church.

 (b)  He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor:  Represents the preparation of purging and separating the believers from the unbelievers through tribulation.

(c)  He will gather His wheat into the barn:  Represents Jesus gathering His Church together by way of the rapture and taking us to our eternal Home.

(d)  He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire:  Represents the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the destruction of the first heavens and earth.

Jesus has told us that His coming will it be just like in the days of Noah.  The days before the Great Flood people were eating and drinking, marrying, unconcerned about the warning of the coming wrath, that is until the day that Noah entered the ark.  They did not understand the accuracy and the gravity of the warnings until the flood came and took them all away; so it will be with the return of Jesus.

So, what can you do with what you now know?  Stay with me in this teaching and I will show you from scriptures how you not only can, but must, endure to the end of these days of trouble, and actually OVERCOME them.  Stay with me on this, it’s important and could be lifesaving!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

The Next Teaching from The Holy Spirit and Fire, Matthew 3:11.

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15).

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15).

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as loving God, keeping His commandments,  doing His Works and glorifying the Father.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15).

IN CONTEXT

“Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:12-15).

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

“If I love You, I will keep Your commandments.” (John 14:15).

This statement, by Jesus, may at first seem out of place here. Why would He go from telling us that if we believe in Him, we will do the works He does, and that because He is going to the Father He will do anything we ask – to suddenly telling us that if I love Him, I will keep His commandments?

It is because these statements are inextricably connected. Everything that Jesus tells us, the ‘promises’ He makes in the preceding verses are predicated on this: If you love Me, keep My commandments. This could be considered the litmus test of your love for Him.

If your love for Jesus is not absolute, true and complete, these promises are not for you. If you are not fully committed and submitted to Jesus as His disciple, these promises are not for you. If you are not willing to follow Him in all He says and does, these promises are not for you.

‘Naming it and claiming it’ just won’t work here. This is for the disciple, the friend and brother of Jesus. This is so that the Father may be glorified in the Son – The Father is not glorified in you or me. He is glorified in the Son!

If you want anything to be done, believe in Him, prove your love for Him and keep His commandments, and this He will do, so the Father will be glorified in the Son.

Put it all in His Hands. He is able and willing!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  (Coming Soon). CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you live according to the flesh you will die; but if you live by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13.

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THE FARMER AND HIS MULES – A Metaphor For Pastors

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

The Farmer and His Mules – A Metaphor for Pastors

A beloved and hardworking farmer had only a few animals to help him on his farm. He had a few chickens for eggs, a cow for milk, and a few pigs for meat, and two mules. One was a hefty male-mule, the other was a medium-sized female mule. Additionally, the farmer had to sow seed and grow food for his subsistence.

He worked his two mules pretty much every day, hauling heavy loads, pulling a plow and to pull his buckboard wagon. But the farmer worked the larger male mule especially hard.

The farmer couldn’t afford another mule, and he never mated the two mules because he thought he could not do without both of them for the heavy chores during a pregnancy.

The mules aged. Then one day, the larger male mule sat down and quietly died. He had been overworked.

The female mule brayed in grief for several days. Then the farmer replaced the male with the female for the hard chores and heavy loads. Soon after, she died also.

The farmer now realized that he should have mated the mules and raised up the additional help he would need.

It wasn’t long after, having no help for the hard chores and heavy loads, the farmer also passed away.

The moral?

You should not be so foolish to work your help or yourself to death. Plan ahead and raise up new help while there is time.

 Too many preachers and pastors think they can do it all themselves. They fail to raise up Godly men and women to share the heavy load and chores. Maybe it is a matter of trust or an issue of control. Either way, going it alone is foolish and unbiblical.

 Perhaps the members of the church body expect too much of one man.

 Or, perhaps the ‘farmer who sows the seed’ shouldn’t consider his only help to be a couple of mules?

Either way, it can be just like the story of the farmer and the mules, and it usually has a sad ending.

Why not, instead, take this advice?

Exodus 18:13-16, “Moses sat to judge [the disputes] the people [had with one another], and the people stood around Moses from dawn to dusk. When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting alone [as a judge] with all the people standing around you from dawn to dusk?” Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to ask [about the will] of God. When they have a dispute they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

Jethro Counsels Moses

Exodus 18:17-26, “Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you [to bear]; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to [b]me; [c]I will advise you, and may God be with you [to confirm my advice]. You shall represent the people before God. You shall bring their disputes and causes to Him. You shall teach them the decrees and laws. You shall show them the way they are to live and the work they are to do. Furthermore, you shall select from all the people competent men who [reverently] fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; you shall place these over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. They shall judge the people at all times; have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them judge every minor dispute themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you will do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure [the responsibility], and all these people will also go [back] to their tents in peace.”

“So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. Moses chose able men from all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens [from the highest to the lowest judicial levels]. And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but every minor dispute they judged and decided themselves”. (The Amplified Version)

Try doing it God’s Way – make disciples who make disciples. Let God do the ‘heavy lifting’ through His saints!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

See JESUS CYCLE OF MINISTRY.

See JESUS MODEL FOR MINISTRY.

See THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR MINISTRY

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14).

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as believing in Jesus, doing His Works, asking in Jesus’ Name.

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)

IN CONTEXT

“Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

“If I ask anything in Your name, Jesus, You will do it.” (John 14:14)

It can be tempting or at least easy to misunderstand what Jesus is saying here or to take His instructions out of context. Imagine – ask for anything at any time and, PRESTO! Talk about a great genie! But, of course, that is never the case with Jesus.

Jesus clearly says, “Truly, truly (the double emphasis – translated from ‘amen, amen’ – should alert the reader that a foundational truth is to follow) I say to you, (#1). The one who believes in Me, (#2). The works that I do, (#3). He will do also.

Even when carefully read, one could assume that if Jesus isn’t going to do what I ask, that I will be able to do it for myself. Once again, that would be a misunderstanding.

The ‘secret’, if it can be called that, to all of this is found in His words, “because I am going to the Father”.

John 16:5-7 informs us that, “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, grief has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

It is the Holy Spirit, when He indwells the believer, who regenerates you, baptizes you into the Body of Christ, gives you His power, comforts you, fills you with joy and peace, sanctifies you, gives you righteousness, convicts you of sin, gives you His Gifts so He can prompt you to do these works by His power through you.

So, yes, “If you ask anything in His name, He will do it.”

Ask. Seek. Knock and receive!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

NEXT:  CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

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UNIMAGINABLE POWER – THE POWER OF GOD

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 3 Comments


This is an atomic explosion and the resulting shockwave. This was created and built by human scientists. Its destructive power was unimaginable.

The explosion of Tsar Bomb, according to the classification of nuclear explosions, was an ultra-high-power low-air nuclear explosion.

The mushroom cloud of Tsar Bomb was seen from a distance of 100 miles. The crown of the cloud 40 miles high at the time of the picture.

The flare was visible at a distance of more than 620 miles, observed in Norway, Greenland and Alaska.

  • The explosion’s mushroom cloud rose to a height of 42 miles. The shape of the “hat” was two-tiered; the diameter of the upper tier was estimated at 59 miles, the lower tier at 43 miles. The cloud was observed 500 miles from the explosion site.
  • The blast wave circled the globe three times, with the first one taking 36 hours and 27 minutes.
  • A seismic wave in the earth’s crust, generated by the shock wave of the explosion, circled the globe three times.

This man-made creation has the power to destroy the world.

THE CRUCIFIXION

By Contrast, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and His moment of death, was and is a Spiritual explosion created by the Hand of God. It has the power to save the entire world and everyone in it.

Its life giving power is unimaginable.

The range of this ‘Spiritual explosion’ is unmeasurable.

It reaches from the earth to the limits of the heavens.

It is realized by faith alone.

Matthew 27:50-54, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit.

 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;

 and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

 Also, the tombs were opened, and

 Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and

(Many bodies were) coming out of the tombs after His resurrection,

 They entered the holy city and appeared to many.

 Now as for the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:50-54)

THE RESURRECTION

Matthew 28:1, “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. Verse 2. And behold,

a severe earthquake had occurred,

for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.”

Mark 15:50, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. Verse 51. And behold,

 The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and

 The earth shook, and

 The rocks were split. Verse 52. Also,

The tombs were opened, and

Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; Verse 53, and

Many bodies were coming out of the tombs after His resurrection,

They entered the holy city and appeared to many”.

This was and is the power released by Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This is the power of the Gospel, the power of God for salvation [from His wrath and punishment] to everyone who believes [in Christ as Savior], to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

This is the power of God [for His power is invincible].

This is the power by which we pray and receive our help.

This power is inexhaustible.

This power is immeasurable.

This power is inestimable.

This power is incalculable.

And has been reserved for you in these last days.

The next time you go humbly to God in prayer, think on the power of the resurrection. It has been done for you.

If you ever have doubts, fears or reservations, remember that the Law is spiritual, and that you are a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant—carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control].

There will be times that you will not understand your own actions [You will be and perhaps are baffled and bewildered by your own actions]. Often you do not practice what you want to do, but you do the very thing you hate [and are yielding to your human nature, your worldliness—your sinful capacity].

Now if you habitually do what you do not want to do, [that means] you agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent). So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer you who do it [the disobedient thing which you despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in you.

You should know that nothing good lives in you, that is, in your flesh [your human nature, your worldliness—your sinful capacity].

The willingness [to do good] is present in you, but the doing of good is not. For the good that you want to do, you do not do, but you practice the very evil that you do not want. But if you are doing the very thing you do not want to do, you are no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not you that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in you is controlling you.

It is the law [of your inner self], that is the evil is present in you, the one who wants to do good. For you joyfully delight in the law of God in your inner self [with your new nature], but you see a different law and rule of action in the members of your body [in its appetites and desires], waging war against the law of your mind and subduing you and making you a prisoner of the law of sin which is within your members. Wretched and miserable person that you are! Who will [rescue you and] set you free from your body of death [your corrupt, mortal existence]? Thanks be to God [for your deliverance] through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

So then, on the one hand you, with your mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with your flesh [your human nature, your worldliness, your sinful capacity—serve] the law of sin. – (Taken from Romans 7:14-25, personalized for personal application).

Do not be ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death! We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways]. For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection.  

Know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.

Since we have died with Christ, we believe and know that we will also live [together] with Him, because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. For the death that He died, He died to the power of sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].

So, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to sin as having been broken], and now you are alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus. – (taken from Romans 6:3-11, personalized for personal application.)

Finally. In order to make this a present reality in your life, think on these things. Meditate on them, daily.

Do not let these words and thoughts depart from your mind or your mouth. Read, recite [and meditate on] them day and night, and you must be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.

Has God not told you and is He not telling you now, “Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Together in the Bonds of Christ –

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS – THE END OF DAYS – THE TRIBULATION PROPHECIES (Part 3)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

Mike Young

The REVELATION of Jesus Christ

Revelation 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place;

and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, verse 2, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Verse 3, Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

Message to the Seven Churches

Revelation 1:4. “John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, verse 5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—Verse 6. And He made us into a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Verse 7. BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So, it is to be. Amen.

(See Jesus’ corresponding teaching on Revelation 1:7 (above) found in Matthew 24:9-31: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”)

(It is also interesting and important to note that Jesus’ words on these matters from Matthew chapter 24 are found to be in the present and future tense. I the book of the Revelation His words are found to be in the aorist tense, which refers to the past, present and future, simultaneously. In other words, In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus is teaching about present and future events. In Revelation, He is referring to an event which began in the past, is current, and the future is fulfilled although not complete in our present existence – but it is finished!)

 Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

(Again, we see a reference to the aorist tense in Revelation 1:8, “who is and who was and who is to come”. Although we have not seen this completed in our reference of time, in God’s economy, it is completed. It is finished! This is how PROPHECY works.)

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE are specifically directed at the Church and Believers in Jesus Christ, with a SIX-FOLD purpose in bringing these events to pass, which is found in Daniel 9, verse 24 .

Then, Tribulation Seals SIX through the SEVENTH Tribulation Bowl judgement, (also known as the GREAT Tribulation or the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord) are judgements directed specifically at the non-believing world.

DANIEL 9 THROUGH REVELATION 22 – IT IS COMPLETE

Daniel 12:5, “Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. Verse 6. And someone said to the man

dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”

(There is no clear distinction of the identity of these ‘two others’ who are ‘dressed in linen’. Some commentators suspect they are angels and if context is to be held on to, they could likely be the angel Gabriel and the angel Michael – the messengers of this prophecy.)

Daniel 12:7. And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time.”

(“A time, times, and half a time” (time=1 year; times=2 years; half a time=½ year; total of 3 ½ years) as referred to in Daniel 12:7 (above here) is a time of oppression against the Jews is also described in Revelation 13:5–7,is during the second half of the “great tribulation”. The Great Tribulation Period begins with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal (after the rapture) and continues through the 5th Tribulation Trumpet. The remaining three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation begins with the blowing of the 6th Tribulation Trumpet, when the beast, or the Antichrist, will gain and increase in power, and ends with the pouring out of the 7th Tribulation Bow.)

and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

(There is much debate on the meaning of the final words from Daniel 12:7 (above here), but a simple face-value reading of this same precursor event in the context of Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:31 would lead us to see the sequence of prophetic events past, present and future.)

Daniel 12:8. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so, I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” Verse 9. And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up …until the end time.

(Repeated from Daniel 12:4. Repetition indicates importance.)

Daniel 12:10 “Many will be

purged,

cleansed, and

refined,

 but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”

(It is important to know the PURPOSE of the tribulation. Daniel 12:10 reveals the purpose of this prophecy and contains a statement concerning God’s SIX-FOLD purpose in bringing these events to pass:

Daniel 9, verse 24 says the PURPOSE is:

1) “to finish transgression,” (that is, to end man’s rebellion toward God)

2) “to put an end to sin,” (that is, to bring an end to sin)

3) “to atone for wickedness,” (that is, to make amends or reparation for wickedness)

4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness,” (that is, the quality of being morally right or justifiable)

5) “to seal up vision and prophecy,” and (that is, to confirm these prophetic visions)

6) “to anoint the most holy.” (that is, to anoint, or to confer divine or holy office upon; in this case the Holy One, Jesus.)

Notice that the results of this six-fold purpose concerns the total eradication of sin and the establishing of righteousness.

The prophecy of the 70 weeks summarizes what happens before Jesus sets up His millennial kingdom.

*Of special note is the third in the list of results: “to atone for wickedness.” Jesus accomplished the atonement for sin by His death on the cross (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17).

Secondly, it is important to know the four-fold PLANNED OUTCOME of the tribulation found in Daniel 12:10, (Which is the purpose of the Tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE): “Many will be

purged,

cleansed, and

refined,

those who have insight will understand.

Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

Daniel 12:12. “Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days!”

(In summary:  Sometime after the rapture of the church, the Antichrist enters a treaty with Israel. The rapture occurs just before the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal, and the breaking of that Seal marks the beginning of the Seven-year Great Tribulation period.

 At the midpoint of the tribulation (1,260 days later), the Antichrist breaks the treaty, desecrates the temple, and begins to persecute the Jews. (The midpoint of the Great Tribulation occurs at the blowing of the 6th Tribulation Trumpet).

At the end of the tribulation (1,260 days after the desecration of the temple), Jesus Christ returns to earth and defeats the forces of the Antichrist (after the pouring out of the 7th Tribulation bowl).

During the next 30 days (leading up to 1,290 days after the desecration of the temple), Israel is rebuilt, and the earth is restored.

During the next 45 days (leading up to 1,335 days after the desecration of the temple), the Gentile nations are judged for their treatment of Israel.

The dispensation of the millennium begins, and it will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3, 5–6).)

 (NOTE: GotQuestions.Org., offers a very good detailed explanation of these dates and times, although, in my studied opinion, adheres to a dispensational miscalculation of the beginning of the final 7 years of Great Tribulation).

Daniel 12:13. “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

(Daniel is dismissed in peace, without having his question answered. Daniel is to continue on his pre-planned course, without occupying his thoughts with this secret thing, which Jesus has revealed.)

Let’s conclude with the ‘burning question’ (pun intended) “Is This The End?“, which will help pull the chronology of the Tribulation Period together with the prophesied events as they have occurred and the suspected season of future events. This will compare and discuss world events as mentioned in Biblical eschatological scriptures, such as “wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines, the spread of deadly diseases, false christs, cosmic events and catastrophes” and the like.

Click here to proceed to “Is This The End?“.

Your Brother and Friend,

“And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” – Revelation 22:6-7

(Return to Part 2)

DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS – THE END OF DAYS – THE TRIBULATION PROPHECIES (Part 2)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE FORETELLING OF THE END OF DAYS

(Gabriel Brings an Answer (539 B.C.))

Daniel 9:20, “While I was still speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my plea before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, verse 21, while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came, to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.

Daniel 9:22, “And he instructed me and talked with me and said, “Daniel, I have come now to give you insight with understanding. Verse 23. At the beginning of your pleas the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, because you are highly esteemed; so pay attention to the message and gain understanding of the vision.”

(Seventy Weeks and the Messiah)

Verse 24. “Seventy weeks, (490 years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar) have been decreed for your people and your holy city,

to finish the wrongdoing,

to make an end of sin,

to make atonement for guilt,

to bring in everlasting righteousness,

to seal up vision and prophecy,

and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Daniel 9:25. So, you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince,

there will be seven weeks (49 years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar).

And sixty-two weeks; (434 years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar).

It will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress.

Daniel 9:26. “Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, (the crucifixion of Jesus) and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. (the invading armies of Rome destroyed the 2nd Jewish Temple in 70 A.D.) And its end will come with a flood;

(There are three references to a ‘coming flood’ in eschatological scriptures: Daniel 9:24ff, which refers to an army or a ‘flood of people’; Matthew 24:37ff, which refers to ‘Noah’s flood’; Revelation 12:13ff, which is a metaphor referring to ‘

(a) The Woman’ (Israel),

(b) ‘The Dragon’ (Satan), and ‘

(c) The Child’ (The Messiah, Jesus)).

All three instances are examples of the principles of God’s judgement, the purpose of God’s judgement, the personalities in God’s judgement – when put together, reveals a complete picture of what is to come in the Last Days.

Even to the end, there will be war;

(There have always been wars, and there will be wars even to the end of days. They will increase in intensity and severity and will overlap with other Seal judgements.)

desolations are determined.

(Daniel’s prophecy reveals some of the actions of the Antichrist, the “ruler who will come.” Verse 27 says, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’” However, “in the middle of the ‘seven,’ . . . he will set up an abomination that causes desolation” in the temple. Jesus warned of this event in Matthew 24:15. After the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel, a time of “great tribulation” begins (Matthew 24:21, NKJV).

Daniel 9:27, “And he (the Antichrist) will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, (Seven years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar. This is the final seven years of Daniel’s 70 weeks and the 7 years of The Great Tribulation.)

but in the middle of the week (3 1/2 years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar. This is the Midpoint of the Great Tribulation, marked by the blowing of the 6th Tribulation Trumpet), he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.” (This is the desecration of the Temple altar, or the abomination of desolation).

Michael Brings News Of The Time of the End (539 B.C.)

Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.

Verse 1 contd.  “And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time;

(Jesus repeats these words to His disciples in Matthew 24: 21: “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again. Verse 22. And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.)

Verse 1 contd. “And at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.”

Daniel 12:2. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Verse 3. And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

(John 5:25, tells us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Verse 26. For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; Verse 27, and He gave Him authority to execute judgement, because He is the Son of Man. Verse 28. Do not be amazed at this; for a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, Verse 29, and will come out: those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgement.”

 (A record of the fulfillment of Daniel 12:1-2 is found in Mark 15: 50, where we read, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. Verse 51. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split. Verse 52. Also, the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; Verse 53, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”)

Daniel 12:4, “But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

(The mystery of the words recorded in Daniel chapter 12 remained ‘secret’  – unrevealed and unexplained – until Jesus, The Messiah, revealed them. See the link below here). Now we can know.

NEXT:  Click here for –> THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

(Click here to return to Part 1)

 

DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS – THE END OF DAYS – THE TRIBULATION PROPHECIES (Part 1)

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 1 Comment

DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS – THE END OF DAYS – THE TRIBULATION PROPHECIES

The Angel Gabriel, in 539 B.C. comes to Daniel in a vision (Daniel 9:20), and instructs Daniel in order to give him insight and understanding of future events which are to finish the wrong-doing (rebellion toward God), to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, (through the coming of Jesus, the Messiah), to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Gabriel then gives specifics about the timing and length of the End of Days events. Daniel is to know and understand that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks (49 years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar), and sixty-two weeks, (434 years according to the Jewish-Hebrew calendar), Jerusalem will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress.

Gabriel even reveals the events of the final 7 years of the coming Great Tribulation judgments, which are foreshadowed by the destruction of the 1st Jewish Temple.

The Archangel Michael, (539 B.C.) then comes to Daniel and gives what I will call a ‘spiritual perspective’ on these same coming events. Michael’s instruction, however, touches on events that specifically refer to the tribulation and the Great Tribulation period, also known as the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord and the Wrath of the Lamb. (The tribulation period began around the birth of Christ and tribulation seals have continued to be opened, have overlapped and are increasing in intensity – The Great Tribulation, ‘such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again’ is what is referred to by Michael, and begins with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.)

Jesus, around the year A.D. 29, spoke to His disciples and revealed these words given to Daniel which have been kept a ‘secret’ for around 569 years.

NOTE:

Tribulation Seals ONE through FIVE are specifically directed at the Church and Believers in Jesus Christ. God’s SIX-FOLD purpose in bringing these events to pass, found in Daniel 9, verse 24 says the PURPOSE is:

1) “to finish transgression,” (that is, to end man’s rebellion toward God)

2) “to put an end to sin,” (that is, to bring an end to sin)

3) “to atone for wickedness,” (that is, to make amends or reparation for wickedness)

4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness,” (that is, the quality of being morally right or justifiable)

5) “to seal up vision and prophecy,” and (that is, to confirm these prophetic visions)

6) “to anoint the most holy.” (that is, to anoint, or to confer divine or holy office upon; in this case the Holy One, Jesus.)

Notice that the results of this six-fold purpose concerns the total eradication of sin and the establishing of righteousness.

The prophecy of the 70 weeks summarizes what happens before Jesus sets up His millennial kingdom.

*Of special note is the third in the list of results: “to atone for wickedness.” Jesus accomplished the atonement for sin by His death on the cross (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17).

Secondly, it is important to know the four-fold PLANNED OUTCOME of the tribulation and the Great Tribulation found in Daniel 12:10: “Many will be

purged,

cleansed, and

refined,

those who have insight will understand.

Tribulation Seals SIX through the SEVENTH Tribulation Bowl (also known as the GREAT Tribulation or the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord) are judgments directed specifically at the non-believing world.

The book of the Revelation begins with these words: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John.” The Apostle John (the Revelator) gives us the words of Jesus around the year 95 A.D.

Then entire book of the Revelation gives us both an earthly and a heavenly perspective of these Last Days – both by actual detailed and real events and by way of metaphors, similes and idioms. But make no mistake – these are real events which have begun and are increasing in their intensity (even as I write these words). But the events which are occurring and have occurred to this date, will pale in comparison to what is yet to come.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS MULTI-PART LETTER IS TO HELP US PREPARE FOR WHAT IS AT HAND, SO WE ARE SURE TO ENDURE TO THE END – AND BE SAVED (Matthew 24:13).

My prayer and hope is this is an opportunity to simplify, grasp and develop an understanding of the events prophesied as The End of Days (the tribulation and the Great Tribulation), because even a basic understanding of these matters makes it possible to adequately prepare for what has come and is coming to pass: The tribulation periods (i.e., the times of ‘birth pains’), the coming anti-Christ, the Great Tribulation, the Mark of the Beast, (digital currency), the rapture (of believers), the subsequent Seal, Trumpet and Bowl judgment of the earth’s inhabitants for good or for evil, the battle of Armageddon, the casting of Satan and his domain and all the wicked (i.e., non-believers) into the eternal lake of fire, the destruction and the re-creation of a new heavens and earth.)

There are several varying and ‘competing’ views of these matters in various religious denominations. If your view does not move you to obey and complete the commands of Jesus in relation to your salvation and to these matters, you may not have a full understanding of the End Times and the benefits or consequences for readiness or lack thereof. (And, simply saying you are ‘saved’ but without the works that follow salvation is like ‘faith without works’ – it is dead. James 2:14-26.)

I will begin with the first prophecy to Daniel about the coming End of Days. We will find, in these early scriptures, a basic chronological outline of these coming events, and God’s purpose in them.

We will then move to the events which have already begun, those which are yet to come, their effects, benefits and consequences on this world and for every inhabitant of earth.

Before we begin, let’s lay a foundation by looking at a definition of Biblical prophecy:

Prophecy as defined by Easton’s Bible Dictionary  

Prediction, was one of the functions of the prophet. It has been defined as a “miracle of knowledge, a declaration or description or representation of something future, beyond the power of human sagacity to foresee, discern, or conjecture.” (See PROPHET .)

 Prophesy as defined by CHRISTIANITY.COM –

Prophecy at its most fundamental meaning is “a message from God.” Learn why the Bible included prophecies and their significance today!

Prophecy as defined by GotQuestions.Org –

To prophesy is simply to speak prophecy. Prophecy is the noun, and prophesy is the verb. Prophecy at its most basic definition is “a message from God.” So, to prophesy is to proclaim a message from God. The one who does this is, therefore, a prophet. Although foretelling is often associated with prophecy, revealing the future is not a necessary element of prophecy; however, since only God knows the future, any authoritative word about the future must of necessity be a prophecy, that is, a message from God.

Prophecy as defined by the ATS Bible Dictionary –

The foretelling of future events, by inspiration from God. It is very different from a sagacious and happy conjecture as to futurity, and from a vague and equivocal oracle, without any certain meaning. A true prophecy can come only from God; and is the highest proof of the divine origin of the message of which it is a part. A true prophecy may be known by these marks; being announced at a suitable time before the event it foretells;

PROPHECY can be foretold and completed in a single act or event.

PROPHECY can be foretold and may have several ‘foreshadowing’ events before it is completed.

PROPHECY can be foretold, and the fulfillment can be continuous in its unfolding for days, weeks, month, decades or a millennium.

NEXT:  Click here for  –> THE FORETELLING OF THE END OF DAYS.

“Let’s Be Berean” together, in these matters.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

EKKLESIA

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

The Church EKKLESIA.jpg

THE CHURCH BUILDING: INHERITING THE EDIFICE COMPLEX

“It is an interesting paradox that as the Church moves underground, IT BECOMES MORE VISIBLE”

“The idea, that the Christians in the apostolic age, erected special houses of worship is out of the question.

The Savior of the world was born in a stable, ascended to heaven from a mountain. His apostles and their successors down to the third century, preached in the streets, the markets, on mountains, in ships, sepulchers, eaves,and deserts, and in the homes of their converts.

“Thousands of costly churches and chapels have since been built and are constantly being built in all parts of the world to the honor of the crucified Redeemer – who in the days of his humiliation had no place of his own to rest his head!” — PHILIP SCHAFF, NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICAN CHURCH HISTORIAN AND THEOLOGIAN

“MANY CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANS have a love affair with brick and mortar. The edifice complex is so ingrained in our thinking that if a group of believers begins to meet together, their first thoughts are toward securing a building. For how can a group of Christians rightfully claim to be a church without a building? (So the thinking goes.)

The “church” building is so connected with the idea of church that we unconsciously equate the two. Just listen to the vocabulary of the average Christian today:

“Wow, honey, did you see that beautiful church we just passed?”

“My goodness! That is the largest church I have ever seen! I wonder what the electric costs to keep it going?”

“Our church is too small. I’m developing claustrophobia. We need to extend the balcony.”

“The church is chilly today; I am freezing my buns off in here!”

“We have gone to church every Sunday this past year except for the Sunday when Aunt Mildred dropped the microwave oven on her toe.”

Or how about the vocabulary of the average pastor:

“Isn’t it wonderful to be in the house of God today?”

“We must show reverence when we come into the sanctuary of the Lord.”

“Or how about the mother who tells her happy child (in subdued tones), “Wipe that smile off your face; you’re in church now! We behave ourselves in the house of God!”

“To put it bluntly, none of these thoughts have anything to do with New Testament Christianity. Rather, they reflect the thinking of other religions—primarily Judaism and paganism.

FROM HOUSE CHURCHES TO HOLY CATHEDRALS

“The early Christians believed that Jesus is the very presence of God. They believed that the body of Christ, the church, constitutes a temple. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He made some radically negative statements about the Jewish Temple.’

“The one that angered many Jews most was His announcement that if the Temple was destroyed, He would build a new one in three days! (See John 2:19-21.)

“Though Jesus was referring to the Temple that existed in the architectural sense, He was really speaking of His body. Jesus said that after this temple was destroyed, He would raise it up in three days.

“He was referring to the real temple—the church—which He raised up in Himself on the third day (Ephesians 2:6).

“Since Christ has risen, we Christians have become the temple of God.

“At His resurrection, Christ became a “life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Therefore, He could take up residence in the believers, thus making them His Temple, His house. It is for this reason that the New Testament always reserves the word church (ekklesia) for the people of God. It never uses this word to refer to a building of any sort.” (Excerpts from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008)

“When Christianity was born, it was the only religion on the planet that had no sacred objects, no sacred persons, and no sacred spaces.

“Although surrounded by Jewish synagogues and pagan temples, the early Christians were the only religious people on earth who did not erect sacred buildings for their worship. The Christian faith was born in homes, out in courtyards, and along roadsides. For the first three centuries, the Christians did not have any special buildings!

“As one scholar put it, “The Christianity that conquered the Roman Empire was essentially a home-centered movement.”

“Meeting in homes was a conscious choice of the early Christians.”

“Then, in the late second and third centuries a shift occurred”

Christians not only had adopted sacred spaces, they also had created sacred objects. (They would soon develop a sacred priesthood.) It might seem they had forgotten Moses and the golden calf.

“In all of this, the second and third century Christians began to assimilate the magical mind-set that characterized existent pagan thinking.

“These factors made the Christian terrain ready for the man who would be responsible for creating church buildings. In AD 327, Constantine began erecting the first church buildings throughout the Roman Empire, some at public expense.’ In so doing, he followed the path of the pagans in constructing temples to honor God.

“Interestingly, he named his church buildings after saints — just as the pagans named their temples after gods. Constantine built his first church buildings upon the cemeteries where the Christians held meals for the dead saints.

“Constantine brought peace for all Christians.'” Under his reign, the Christian faith had become legitimate. In fact, it had risen to a status greater than Judaism and paganism.

“For these reasons, the Christians saw Constantine’s rise to emperor as an act of God. Here was God’s instrument who had come to their rescue.

“Christianity and Roman culture were now melded together.”

“The Christian building demonstrates that the church, whether she wanted it or not, had entered into a close alliance with pagan culture.’ As Will Durant, author of The Story of Civilization (a sweeping, eleven-volume work on world history that earned him a Pulitzer Prize), put it, “Pagan isles remained in the spreading Christian sea.”

“This was a tragic shift from the primitive simplicity that the church of Jesus Christ first knew. The first-century Christians were opposed to the world’s systems and avoided any contact with paganism. This all changed during the fourth century, when the church emerged as a public institution in the world and began to “absorb and Christianize pagan religious ideas and practices.

“As one historian put it, “Church buildings took the place of temples; church endowments replaced temple lands and funds.”

“Under Constantine, tax-exempt status was granted for all church property.

“Consequently, the story of the church building is the sad saga of Christianity borrowing from heathen culture and radically transforming the face of our faith.

“To put it bluntly, the church buildings of the Constantinian and post-Constantinian era essentially became holy shrines. The Christians embraced the concept of the physical temple. They imbibed the pagan idea that there exists a special place where God dwells in a special way. And that place is made “with hands.”‘

“As with other pagan customs that were absorbed into the Christian faith (such as the liturgy, the sermon, clerical vestments, and hierarchical leadership structure), third- and fourth-century Christians incorrectly attributed the origin of the church building to the Old Testament. But this was misguided thinking.”

“Most Americans are struggling to clarify their identity. They tend to see themselves as unique individuals, Americans, members of their family, occupational professionals, consumers, and then as followers of Christ — in that order of priority.

“In the minds and hearts of most Americans — even those whose beliefs classify them as “born-again Christians”— their identity as a follower of Christ pales in importance in comparison to the other roles they embrace.

“Oddly, most of the born again Christians consider themselves to be servants of God and to have been transformed by their faith in Christ.

“Clearly, there are some missing connections in this self-evaluation. Perhaps the confusion is due to the enormous number of inter-actions and responsibilities that people take on each day.

“Maybe it has to do with the disjointed, topical teaching that most of us receive from our churches. It may even be attributable to the lure of competing perspectives and images bombarding us from the ever-present media.

“The bottom line is really quite simple: You are a priest of God, a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a member of His glorious body. Through your declaration of allegiance to Jesus and your stated desire to live with Him forever, you have a responsibility to be a functioning priest, minister, and member of the Body .

“The organized church has moved down a winding path over the past two thousand years. The only way to get it back on track is for each of us to begin prayerfully exploring the original plan that God had for His people, and then to be willing to respond faithfully to that plan.

“In this way, the Revolution that has begun to take root in our day will spread far and wide. And God will get what He has always been after.” (Excerpts from Frank Viola & George Barna’s book, “Pagan Christianity”, Tyndale Publishing, 2002, 2008)

So, where can I go from here? Click the following link to another page, read it, and begin to pray for God’s Wisdom and discernment. An invitation

I humbly offer this after eleven years of prayer, study, seeking God, asking for His Wisdom to know and follow His Call. I sincerely and prayerfully urge you to do the same.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

More links on this site about “The Church”

What is God Saying to His Church – You and me

The Church Militant?

Consumerism in the Church?

Is this the Church?

Socialism in the Church?

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

THE PURPOSE OF THE BIBLICAL TRIBULATION

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

THE PURPOSE, THE LENGTH AND THE OUTCOME OF THE TRIBULATION can be found in the book of

Daniel 12:1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Verse 2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Verse 3. And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Verse 4. But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

Verse 5. Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. Verse 6. And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” Verse 7. And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. Verse 8. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”  Verse 9. And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time. Verse 10. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but  those who have insight will understand. Verse 11. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Verse 12. Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! Verse 13. But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

RECAP:

  1. Verse 1. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people,
  2. everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Verse 2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Verse
  3. Verse 3. And those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven,
  4. and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Verse 4. But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”Verse 5. Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the stream and the other on that bank of the stream. Verse 6. And someone said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,
  5. “How long< will it be until the end of these wonders?” Verse 7. And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that
    1. it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish smashing the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed. Verse 8. But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”  Verse 9. And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words will be kept secret and sealed up until the end time.
  6. Verse 10. Many will be purged, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but  those who have insight will understand.
  7. Verse 11. And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Verse 12.
    1. Blessed is the one who is patient and attains to the 1,335 days! Verse 13. But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will rest and rise for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

(This Book of The Revelation was written in 96 AD, 26 years after the destruction of the 2nd Temple. The destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples occurred and are a foreshadowing of what is yet to come.)

I. Revelation 1:1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Jesus, shows His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

The things you read in the book of The Revelation have not yet been completed. Although the first “Seal of the Tribulation” were opened around A.D. 1, as witnessed by The Apostles Paul and Peter, and successive Seals two through four have been broken at various time since. The fifth Seal is now being broken, and we are awaiting the Great and Terrible day of the Lord, which will commence with the breaking of the 6th Tribulation Seal.)

He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant, John, v2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and to all that he saw.

Verse 3. Blessed is he who reads, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:1-3

Tribulation Judgments lead to the End of the Age

(Concern yourself with the first 6 Seals):

Events found in Revelation Ch. 6 – Events found in Matthew Chapter 24

the 1st Tribulation Seal – International (Global) conquest and political intrigue

the 2nd Tribulation Seal – Wars and Rumors of War

the 3rd Tribulation Seal – Famines, earthquakes, pestilence

the 4th Tribulation Seal – Death

the 5th Tribulation Seal – Martyrdom, persecution, revealing of the Antichrist, the great apostasy

II. Wars, famine, earthquakes, pestilence, death, martyrs, persecutions.

I hear so many people ask, “If God is a loving God, how can He allow so much suffering in the world? Why do such bad things happen to good people?” And, we have heard all the answers, some even denying that it is God Who allows such bad things to happen..

There seems to be three main categories of thought about why God allows bad things to happen.

1. Satan’s domain is this fallen world, at least, for now. Satan is called the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2. He is the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31. These titles and many more signify Satan’s capabilities. It is Satan who brings trouble and suffering, even on the innocent.

2. This fallen world brings both good and evil. God has told us in Matthew 5:44 that. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Such is the natural fallen world.

3. God allows Tribulation as a means of executing His Righteous Judgment on evil and as a means to prepare us by to live in His Eternal Kingdom.

1 Peter 1:4 “to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Verse 18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Verse 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Verse 20 He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.

Verse 21 Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

Verse 22 The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

God says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” We will suffer, but, God delivers us out of our afflictions.

How is this so? Why must we suffer only to be delivered? Psalms 34 verse 22 says “The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.”

This is not a simple act of deliverance from trouble. It is a Devine Deliverance, the Redemption of your soul.

It is a Divine Deliverance,

The Redemption of your Soul!

III. Daniel 12 tells us God’s purpose for suffering is so that “Many will be purged, purified and refined” Daniel 12:10 We are being prepared, as His Bride, to enter His Kingdom.

IV. Acts 14:22 tells us that “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

V. And, 1 Peter 1 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Verse 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,Verse 5. who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Verse 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, verse 7, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

Verse 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Verse 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

We must Endure to the End

Overcome Tribulation and Suffering

To enter His Eternal Presence.

VI. Finally, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans8:18

I suspect, if we are at all alike, that we want to escape troubles, trials and tribulation, whenever possible. But, God’s Word says he will use these trials to “purge, purify and refine” us, for our preparation to live in His Eternal Kingdom. Daniel 12:10

Just know that Tribulation is already upon us and it intensifying. It has been foretold.

  • Get Ready,
  • Stay Ready,
  • Overcome and
  • Endure to the End
  • And You Shall Be Saved.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you keep My commandments” – John 15:10, 14

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CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:10, 14)

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with important matters such as obeying Jesus’ commandments, loving as Jesus loves, being filled with a satisfying joy, loving others, being a friend of Jesus.

“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:10, 14, NASB)

IN CONTEXT

”If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.” (John 15:10-17)

 REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

”If I keep Your commandments, I will remain in Your love, just as You have kept The Father’s commandments and remain in His love. These things You have spoken to me so that Your joy may be in me, and that my joy may be made full.

“This is Your commandment (to me), that we (as your followers) love one another, in the same way You have loved us. I can have no greater love than this: that I lay down my life for my friends. I am (reminded that) I am Your friend if I do what You command me.

There is little more that can be said about these words of Jesus except that they are both simple and a choice of our will. It can be difficult to love the unlovable unless you understand the type of love Jesus is speaking about.

Agapáō-love is “To live through Christ”, i.e. embracing God’s will (choosing His choices) and obeying them through His power. With the believer, agapáō (“to love”) means actively doing what the Lord prefers, with Him (by His power and direction). True agapáō (“loving”) is always defined by God – a “discriminating affection which involves choice and selection“. In other words, Christ living His life through the believer.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you abide in Me” – John 15:7

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)

The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.

First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.

Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as what it means to ‘abide in Christ’, having His Words abide in you, asking and receiving through prayer.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7, NKJV)

IN CONTEXT

“I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:

If I remain in Christ, and His words remain in me, I shall ask whatever I wish, and it will be done for me. My Father (in heaven) is glorified by this, when I bear much fruit and prove that I am Jesus’ Disciple.

It is not about the asking and receiving that satisfies our soul, nor does it glorify God. (Please repeat the previous sentence.) It is about bearing much spiritual fruit which is on full display for all to see, which is proof that you are a disciple of Jesus. This is what glorifies and pleases God.

Please. Think it, do it, live it.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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NEWS BRIEF – WHAT THE UNIVERSE IS REALLY MADE OF – plus a few ‘new things’

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ Leave a comment

NEWS BRIEF – WHAT THE UNIVERSE IS MADE OF – pluse a few ‘new things’.

“Matter and energy are the two basic components of the entire Universe. An enormous challenge for scientists is that most of the matter in the Universe is invisible. In fact, ninety percent of matter and energy in the Universe that is currently unobservable, and the source of most of the energy is not understood. How then can we study the Universe if we can’t see most of it?

“Astronomer Fritz Zwicky was the first to notice the discrepancy between the amount of visible matter in a cluster of galaxies and the motions of the galaxies themselves. He suggested that there may be invisible matter, or what he called “dark matter”, interacting gravitationally with the visible matter. Later, astronomers noticed similar incongruities when observing nearby spiral galaxies. Modern calculations say dark matter comprises about 27% of the Universe. We don’t yet know what it is, but we are searching for answers.” (excerpt from the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian.)

A not-so-new discovery was made that might still rewrite the scientific textbook. This new discovery transcends all the current theories of matter, space and time. It is a creative force which is so mysterious that the name given it is ‘Ho Logos’ which translates from the Greek language as, “The Word”. I say this is a not-so-new discovery because it is spoken of in ancient Hebrew and Greek Aramaic texts. But in the last century it has been regarded as a mere religious metaphor and is now overlooked by the scientific community.

IMAGINE and BELIEVE

There is mounting evidence, however, that before the earth, the stars or any of the cosmos existed, that is to say, “from the beginning of time”, there was only Ho Logos or The Word. Oddly enough, there is extensive mention of this ‘creative force’ found in ancient writings dated around 1440 B.C.,  about 3,400 years ago. Perhaps had this phenomenon been given a strange or mystical name it would have garnered more scientific attention. However, since science and religion have been drifting apart they are now set at odds, and the ‘new discovery’ is left out of the new age of science.

Information found in the Bible further explains that The Word was with God, and in fact that The Word was God and in later texts, that The Word “became flesh and took on human form and dwelt among humankind”.

Since The Word cannot be seen or measured it has become unacceptable to the atheistic scientific community. Oddly enough, however, these same scientists are eager and willing pursue many other things which they cannot see, cannot measure and cannot prove exists (dark matter and the idea of parallel universes, as prime examples).

METAPHOR or MYSTERY

The Bible, which is a written record of The Word, instructs us that it is actually ‘God breathed and God inspired”. And that the “Breathed Word of God” contains all the mysteries of life, death and eternity, and is without any error, is infallible and is mysteriously literal beyond our comprehension.

The evidence that The Word exists is found in the creation of the heavens and the earth. There are countless first hand eye witnesses and crowds of thousands who pursued The Word in the form of a man, who is named Jesus. The most convincing is the fact of the changed lives of those who believe, pursue and embrace The Word.

The Bible informs us that “The Word of God” is living and active and full of power making it operative, energizing, and effective. And that it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the completeness of a person, and of both joints and marrow, that is, the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT

The Bible tells us that God’s Thoughts and Ways are too high for us to understand.  So, imagine if you can, that God, knowing this, made His Thoughts, His Ways and His Word into Flesh – into the person of Jesus.  And it is by the incarnation of Jesus that God made His Thoughts, His Ways and His Word visible, intelligible and observable to all of humankind – that is, all who would believe on Him, who would watch and listen and learn. So, what we have is an invisible God, who cannot be measured by any scientific means but is evidenced by matter, time, space and the creation and existence of life.

The Bible is clear in pointing out that The Incarnate Word (Jesus) is the exact representation of God the Father, and that once you have seen Jesus (The Word) you have seen the Father (God)!

NOW YOU CAN KNOW

Therefore, when Jesus speaks, His Words also, are too deep for our natural mind to gain a complete understanding. So, Jesus not only speaks the Word but He demonstrates the Word of God by His works so we can see and understand. He is the Living Word of God,

It is at this point that you or any believer in Christ (or any seeker) must make the greatest of all  decisions: Will you choose to believe Him – and believe Him completely? Or will you choose the fantasies of your own imagination? Or perhaps believe and an ever changing science of theories.

If you choose to pursue the idea and existence of The Word (God), there will be things said by Jesus and recorded in the Bible that you and I may not immediately understand. And, there may be things you and I will read or hear that you will understand at a later time; and then, there will be some things you and I will never fully understand – at least not while we are on this earth.

Regardless, in order to know about this mysterious revealed Word, it is necessary that you believe that He Is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him or your efforts will be in vain. You must believe in order to see, hear and experience The Word. You must believe in order to know and understand.

DID HE REALLY?

Just as importantly, we must come to understand that The Word, through the person of Jesus, always said exactly what He meant and meant exactly what He said. There are no errors and there are no subtleties. There may be statements He makes which will seem strange or even impossible to the natural mind, but that only means that you do not yet understand. (As C.S. Lewis put it, you should simply put those things aside which you cannot presently understand for the time being and proceed with what God has revealed to you, those things you do understand. You can return to other matters later.)

IT IS BY FAITH THAT WE UNDERSTAND

This is where the great mystery of ‘faith’ comes to the fore. Hebrews 11:1-2, reveals that “Now faith is the (substantial) certainty of things (anticipated) hoped for, and the proof (positive) of things not (yet) seen. For by it the people of old gained approval. By faith we understand…”

Was it just a metaphor when Jesus explained to His disciples that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” In other words, not only is the unseen power real, it is available to you,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS

Carl Sagan (1934-1996) was a popular and influential American astronomer and science writer. He was controversial in scientific, political, and religious circles for his views on extraterrestrial intelligence, nuclear weapons, and religion. He was well known for saying “we are all made of star stuff”, and for using language of the Bible to form metaphors suggesting there is no “higher power”, no God of creation – he vehemently denied the idea of Ho Logos. His ‘truth’ was based on theories of the observable universe promulgated from ideas from the ‘unseen’. Yet when it came to that which has come from the unseen realm and has been proven as visible and commanded and defied the very elements of nature, that is the person of Jesus Christ, Ho Logos, Sagan would smugly and arrogantly dismiss the reality of ‘The Word made flesh’.

The Bible records and explains in great detail (particularly if one is willing to study the Hebrew wording) in Genesis chapter 2, that God created man and woman from the dust of the ground.

In the vein that we are all made of ‘star stuff’, a powerful message to all who would believe is found in the New Testament book of John.

We have been created, not simply as a random or a coincidence of luck and timing, but as sentient beings, in the image of The Creator (Ho Logos) with the potential to be indwelt by, inhabited by Ho Logos – The Word.

Furthermore, we are not made to remain in this state of decaying ‘star stuff’, but just like Ho Logos and the cosmos which He created, we are made to exist for an eternity. The only thing left of be decided is ‘where and how we shall exist eternally’. The power of choice given to us by The Word:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)

 Finally, we are not left with just theories or conjecture.  Jesus – The Word, uses this message coded in a metaphor, in order to give us specific instruction and insight about the process of our physical and spiritual development.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;

and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Remain in Me, and I in you. (Because) Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 

I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

We are not cosmic accidents nor are we the result of evolutionary incredibly good luck. We have been created on purpose and with a purpose. The only caveat is that you hold the key and the power of choice.

By your choice you will find your place in the presence of the Great Designer, the Grand Creator and The Word – Our God. Or, you will endure an eternity in an outer darkness, where there is ‘wailing and gnashing of teeth’, alone, with the rest of the ‘star stuff’.

Please choose wisely.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

THESE LAST DAYS – Facts hidden in plain sight – Part 2

~ Michael Young, Sr. ~ 2 Comments

Next, let’s confirm the meaning of scriptures related to the END OF THE AGE or THE LAST DAYS by correlating and comparing the Tribulation Seals of Judement, from Matthew chapter 24 with the book of The Revelation chapters 6, 7 and eight through COMPARISON and CONTEXT!

(NOTE: Jesus, in the book of Matthew gives a present view looking to the future – Jesus, in The book of The Revelation gives a panorama of a continuous past, present and future.)

After reading each of the following verses, please ask and answer, “What is REALLY Going On?

What is REALLY Going On – in Matthew 24:1 –5, “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, 

the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them. “See to it that no one misleads you. “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.

  • Revelation 6:1-2, “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” I looked, and behold…”

Seal 1 – Matthew 24:6-7 – also in Revelation 6:1 – 6:3 – WARS & RUMORS OF WAR, RIDER ON WHITE HORSE.

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the First Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:6. “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

  • “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars -Matthew 24:6”
    • (future tense – spoken in A.D. 30).
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the First Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:7-8, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against  kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

  • “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against – Matthew 24:7”
    • (future tense – spoken in A.D. 30) .
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur have been are increasing in intensity to this day).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in  the First Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:1–2, Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

  • “A white horse rider went out conquering and to conquer – Revelation 6:2”
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D.)
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).

-The Completion of the First Tribulation Seal –

Seal 2 & 3: Matthew 24:7-8 – also in Revelation 6:5 – FAMINES & EARTHQUAKES & A RED HORSE.

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Second and Third Seals in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:7-8, “…and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.

  • and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
    • (This is the beginning – in or around A.D. 30,and they have been continuing to occur and are increasing in intensity to this day).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Second and Third Seals in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:3-4. “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

  • “A red horse went out to take peace from the earth and people would kill one another – Revelation 6:4”
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and has been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • People would kill one another.
    • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and has been increasing intensity to this day).

 -The Completion of the Second & Third Tribulation Seals –

 

Seal 4: Matthew 24:9 – also in Revelation 6:7 – PERSECUTION, DISEASE, FAMINE, DEATH.

What is REALLY Going On – in the Fourth Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:9, “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

  • “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Fourth Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:7-8, “When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

  • An ashen horse of death.
  • Death by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity and will culminate with over one-fourth of earth’s inhabitants killed).

– The Completion of the Fourth Tribulation Seal –

 

Seal 5: Matthew 24:10-15 – also in Revelation 6:9 – APOSTASY, FALSE PROPHETS, HATRED, LAWLESSNESS, ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION, GREAT EARTHQUAKES, MARTYRS, DEATH.

What is REALLY Going On – in the Fifth Seal in Matthew 24?

Matthew 24:10-15, “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Therefore, when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place – let the reader understand. (this is the last of the prophecies to come).

  • Many will fall away and hate one another (the great Apostasy).
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • False prophets will arise and mislead many..
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity to this day).
  • The Abomination of Desolation (<-link).
    • (A past event foreshadowing the future event which marks the last of the prophecies and the coming End).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Fifth Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:9-11, “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

  • Persecutions, martyrs and death of the saints of God.
    • (has been occurring since A.D. 30, are continuing to occur and have been increasing in intensity until the end).

 – The Completion of the Fifth Tribulation Seal –

Seal 6: Matthew 24:29-31 – also in Revelation 6:12 – COSMIC CATACLYSMS after the tribulation of the previous days, TERROR, SUN DARKENED, MOON WILL NOT SHINE, STARS WILL FALL, HEAVENS SHAKEN, SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN, SON COMING ON THE CLOUDS, GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, GATHERING OF THE ELECT, RAPTURE.

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Sixth Seal in Matthew 24?

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

  • “But immediately after the tribulation of those days
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET BLAST, and
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).
  • THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
    • (A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:12-17, “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

  • There was a great earthquake.
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The sun became black
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The moon became like blood.
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The stars fell from the sky.
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The sky was split apart like a scroll.
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • Him who sits on the throne.
      • (Present historical tense; is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
      • (It has always been this, from the past to the present).
  • Hide us from The Wrath of the Lamb.
      • (Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95).
      • (has been prophesied to occur as of A.D. 95, therefore, it is continuing to occur in God’s Time until its completion).
  • The Great Day of Wrath has come.
      • Notice this is in the Aorist tense; has occurred, is occurring, is continuing to occur – spoken in A.D. 95)
      • (has been occurring since A.D. 95, are continuing to occur and has been increasing in intensity).(A coming event such as the world has never seen before and never will again – The Great Tribulation and the Wrath of the Lamb – the final 7 years).

An Interlude between the 6th Tribulation Seal and the 7th Tribulation Seal. (the last of the prophecies yet to come)

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

  • Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

The 144,000 Sealed

  • Revelation 7:4-5 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
  • from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Tribulation – The Rapture

 

What is REALLY Going On – WHAT IS GOING ON in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

Who is the ‘great multitude’

  • Revelation 7:9-16, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10and they cry out with a loud voice,

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Sixth Seal in Revelation 7?

  • Where is this great multitude?
  • saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
  • saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Where did this great multitude come from?

  • “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?”
  • “I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
  • “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
      • See Revelation 22.
      • All of these final events have culminated with the elect of God having been raptured before the Throne of God and in their eternal home, God’s Eternal Tabernacle.

– The Completion of the Sixth Tribulation Seal –

Seal 7: Revelation – SILENCE IN HEAVEN for half an hour, SEVEN ANGELS and SEVEN TRUMPETS, PEALS OF THUNDER, SOUNDS AND FLASHES OF LIGHTENING AND AN EARTHQUAKE.

What is REALLY Going On – in the Seventh Seal in Matthew 24?

Silence. (Jesus will continue in Matthew with instruction of recognizing the times and days, preparing for these Last Days and the Blessings and Consequences for not preparing ahead of time – preparing NOW!

  • The scene now moves to the heavens (see Revelation chapter 8).

 

What is REALLY Going On – in the Seventh Seal in Revelation 8?

  • Revelation 8:1-2, “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
    • A lull in the cosmic and terrestrial storms.
    • 7 angels standing BEFORE GOD and 7 trumpets are given to them. (These are the 7 trumpets of judgment).
  •  Revelation 8:3-5, “Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

 – The Completion of the Seventh Tribulation Seal –

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

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