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The deception of the masses

"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see nor hear nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of the sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts.        Revelation 9v20-21

This is one of the saddest portions in all of the bible.   God exercises His government upon the earth, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, depending on the circumstances.   He does this to gain our attention when we are not responding to Him as we should.   Here we have the most intense judgment of God that has ever fallen on the world, which could not possibly be mistaken for anything less than the hand of God;   yet it is recorded  "they repented not."   In an almost insane response to the situation, there was no change of heart in those who were spared.   Simply put they didn't  "get it."  

Their disobedience to God in the face of the severest of punishments reveals a hardness of heart, which is hard to explain intelligently.   The summary of their behavior is that they continued in idolatry (verse 20) and they continued in immorality (verse 21).   These twin evils are fundamental to the understanding of human nature.   When I am wrong with God, I will be wrong with my fellow man and vis- versa.   Many portions teach this and in Luke chapter 10v25-28  we see the two things coming together.   The whole of the demands of God on the human race, as contained in holy scripture can be summarized in two short commandments  "love God......love your neighbor as yourself."   Other incidents of unrepentant groups are found in the book in chapters 13v15-17, 14v9,16v2,16v9,16v11.

The Holy Spirit begins with the idolatry in verse 20.    They have rejected the God of creation, despite all the evidence placed before them.   This is modern day Humanism.   Rather than acknowledging the true God they have carved out gods of their own making whether or gold or silver or stone or wood etc. and the comment here is that these gods they have made cannot see, hear or walk!   Here we have man, the highest of God's creation bowing down to inanimate objects.   The whole thing bespeaks a total lack of dignity of the human persona.   Furthermore it says they were worshipping demons.   An understanding of chapters 8&9 here would be that half the world's population have just been destroyed by demons.   They are bowing down to the very agencies that are destroying them.   The only word for such behavior would be insanity, produced by willful departure from the God who made them.  

This rejection of the true God leads to all kinds of unrighteous, unjust and selfish behavior such as is described in the rest of the bible.   In Romans chapter 1 it is made clear that what produces the unrighteous acts if verses 29-31 is the ungodliness which is explained in verses 18-28.   Men and women are unrighteous because they are ungodly, and only a right relationship with God their Maker will put that right.   In the face of such severe and overwhelming evidence it is recorded  "they repented not."   He then goes on to innumerate four aspects of evil being practiced by ungodly people.

• Murders.   The pre-meditated unlawful killing of another human being.   Human life is sacred and comes directly from the hand of God; man is created in the image of God and to take away such a life is a great evil in the sight of God.   Way back in Genesis chapter 4 where the first murder took place, in which Cain unlawfully slew his brother, the words of God are heard ringing across the ages concerning every murder and unlawful killing that has taken place "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground."   God takes a dim view of all unlawful removal of life, and when we say unlawful we do not mean unlawful in man's understanding but in God's.
• Sorceries.   The word is "pharmakeia" from which we get pharmacy.   What this is about is drug abuse, but particularly linked to the occult.  What this means is drug- fuelled contact with demons, a practice which is on the increase and which is more prevalent today than we might imagine.
• Fornications.   The word is "porneia" and refers to all forms of sexual deviancy including extra marital sex, adultery, and all homosexual activity.   God designed the precious act of sexual intercourse to be enjoyed by a couple who were joined in union, forsaking all others.  It is well known that all forms of fornications are prevalent today and will continue even in that day.
• Thefts.   The removal of possessions whether material or intellectual or spiritual from the rightful owners.   The possessions we have are God given for our own sacred use and not to be taken by others.   There are many forms of this, but it is rife today and will continue even in the face of extreme judgments from heaven  

People are prone to satanic deception much more than they would care to admit.   They ability of unseen demons to control minds and actions are manifest and will increase in the day which is to come.   Paul reminded his readers that  "the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not."  2nd Corinthians 4v4.   He spoke also of the day which we have just been describing when he said  "God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie."  2nd Thessalonians 2v11.   He sends this delusion through satanic agencies to people who have been hardened by sin.   Do not allow yourself to be deceived into to ultimate eternal punishment, which is where the unbelieving world is headed.   "the devil that deceived the was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone."   Revelation 20v10  

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   The destroying army   

"And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand, thousand: and I heard the number of them.   And thus I saw the horses in the vision and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.   By these three was the third part of men killed by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.   For their power is in their mouth, and in their tales: for their tales were like unto serpents, and they had heads, and with them they do hurt."               Revelation 9v16-19.

What we have here is something beyond what has ever occurred in human history.   There is little doubt that what is being described here is world war three.   The symbolism in John's day must have been very confusing, but it is less confusing to us today who have witnessed the existence of weapons of mass destruction.   Nothing less than the outbreak of nuclear warfare can be the interpretation of these verses.   The effects will be devastating worldwide, and the Lord of all heaven and earth will have His way.   Difficult as it is, we must faithfully describe what God has laid on record.  

• The focus is first on the army and its vast number.   These four angels who were bound at the river Euphrates, appear to be the leaders of this great army.   We should note that whereas in the fifth trumpet, the protagonists came from the abyss, there is no such statement here of where this army originated.   Help is given in chapter 16v12-16, where a similar picture is painted.   It is  my belief that these angels have been given the ability to muster an army of countless proportions, being an army of human cavalry or an army of demon spirits.   The latter is the more likely.  The number is staggering..... 200 million and this may only be symbolic of an even greater number.   In the prophetic scriptures ten thousand was the highest number available and what we have here relates to the numerical symbolism of Daniel 7v10 & Revelation 5v11.   The combined total of personnel during world war II was estimated at 70 million.   Whether or not the figure here is literal or symbolic for an uncountable number, we cannot be sure but it is vast.   Never in the course of human history has there been an army amassed such as this .
• In verse 17 he focuses now on their weaponry.   The horses, symbolic of movement in battle,  proceed to deliver fatal blows to everything in their pathway.  This is obviously not literal, but symbolic of something else that only the course of time would reveal.  This is surely describing modern weapons which have the power of death before and behind. It says their heads were  "as"  the heads of lions.   Verse 19 says their power is in their mouths and in their tails, no horses in existence have such power, so what is described is weapons of modern warfare which are fearsome.   The appearance of the horsemen and the power of the horses are described to be the same;  "having breastplates of fire and of jacinth and brimstone;"  concerning the horses  "out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone."   These three symbols have the same appearance; the fire being fiery red, the jacinth (hyacinth) being a deep blue or deep purple colour and relates to the colour of smoke in battle; the brimstone being sulphur yellow in colour and refers to the aftermath of military warfare.  
• The worldwide devastation caused.   The symbols of fire and smoke and brimstone are the symbols of hell.   The eternal dwelling place of the wicked dead, the lake of fire, is described to be burning with fire and brimstone (Revelation 19v10); Revelation 20v10 & Revelation 21v8).   The unleashing of such power of this earth will result in the removal from the earth of one third of the remaining population of earth.   This destruction of human life is too severe for us to dwell on it, simply to appeal to people to turn away from it.

The only perspective of this from an intelligent point of view is that God leaves two thirds untouched .   This is God's world, and he will rid it of sin and sinners.   Well has the scripture recorded that  "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." The day is coming, and the very hour has been set, when demon spirits will be allowed to call up an army of irresistible powers.

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The sounding of the sixth trumpet    the removal of Divine restraint.

"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. and the four angels were loosed, which were bound for an hour and a day and a month and a year, for to slay the third part of men".   Revelation 9v13-15.

All restraint is now removed. A voice is heard "from the four horns of the altar"; the same altar associated with the prayers of the saints in chapter 8, and with prayer and worship throughout the ages, the symbol now focuses on the horns of the altar, that of the power of the throne, and now the judgment will fall. Already one fourth of men have been destroyed(chapter 6v8), now one third of the remainder will be slain. Human beings living in rebellion have no rights on God's earth. Therefore taking these and other casualties together, more than half of the world's population is wiped out.

The details given here are staggering;

• Four angels bound. Only fallen angels are bound. God controls all, He has bound them with a specific task in mind. He uses ungodly men, He uses fallen angels, He even uses Satan.
• Bound in the Great river Euphrates. This river was significant in the days of Eden(Genesis 2v14), it is important at the end. I think the strategic position of Euphrates has a bearing, being the historical natural division between east and west, and also the northern border of Israel from it's usually hostile neighbours. This river has played a huge part in world history, none more so than now. These angel's are spirits so they could be anywhere in the river, but they are not free.
• They were prepared.   We don't know when or how but they have been kept for this time. There is something awesome about this. God is way ahead of all things. The perfect participle is used signifying a completed action in the past with present consequences. This was decreed a long time ago, and the time has come.
• The Divine clock ticking.  "prepared for the hour, and the day, and the month and the year". God's timing is precise, it is not only the events which are under His control, but the timing of them. We may deduce from this that all events in the scope of His sovereign will are subject to similar precision of timing. There are numerous examples in scripture of the precision of God's timing of things;  "When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law...." Galatians 4v4; "For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly" Romans 5v6. In Revelation 10v6 the phrase occurs "there should be time no more", the meaning is more "no more delay". God's counsels are executed with perfect timing. In Acts 17v26 Paul said on Mars hill, Athens, that even our individual lives on this earth have been pre-determined "and hath determined the times before appointed". Readers should familiarize themselves with the content of this sermon in Acts 17v22-31. The common phrase "time and tide wait for no man" takes on mega- proportions, when understood against the backdrop of Divine revelation. The precision of this is made even more important by the fact that there is only one definite article qualifying all four time periods mentioned; so it is to be read "prepared for the hour of day, month and year.....".
• The purpose of their long- standing preparation  "for to slay the third part of men". God has decreed that in a short space of time one third of the earth's population will lose their right to continue in rebellion on God's earth. Life on earth is granted by permission of Almighty God, and that permission for billions of people will suddenly end. The current population of earth is approximately 7 billion; this means the removal of life from almost 2,000,000,000 people. Nothing on this scale has ever been seen, not even in the ravages of two world wars. No comment of mine on this could assuage the solemnity of this.

           

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The description of the locusts               Revelation 9v7-12. 

• The first thing to notice is their hostility.    "The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle.....".    Note the repetition of "like" and "as" and "as it were" in these verses; so we are not looking at a mere human army here. It is a demonic army described in terms we can understand, although the reality is probably more fearsome than we can imagine. There is a fearful intent about these and they are in battle mode.   They have a bodily shape and they mean business.   Joel refers to these in chapter 2v4   "The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen so shall they run".    Angels have been seen to take bodily form before as in Genesis chapters 18&19 (referred to in Hebrews 13v2) however since we are dealing with the God of creation, we understand from 1st Corinthians 15v38 that  "God giveth it a body as it has pleased Him." He can furnish anyone with a body for whatever task. 
• Next we notice their authority.   "And on their heads, as it were crowns of gold ....."   Not actually crowns of gold but what looked like it.   There is a hint of imitation here by Satan, who is the arch imitator of God, in that his army whilst doing God's work should be seen to be regal in their authority.   In a sense the constant need of Satan to imitate the Almighty is an acknowledgement that there is none greater than He.
• Then we have their intelligence.   "Their faces were as the faces of men."   Man is the highest order of intelligence that God has created on earth and these fearsome creatures are presented as being intelligent in all that they are doing.
• Next we have their glory.   "And they had hair as the hair of women."   The long hair on women in the bible is referred to as "their glory."  (1st Corinthians chapter 11).   There is something attractive about long flowing hair particularly when in flight.   This appears to be the idea here.
• We look now at their ferocity.   "And their teeth were as the teeth of lions."   The sight of an opened mouthed lion with huge molars ready to kill their prey, presents the appearance of fierceness.   It appears that all the caricatures by artists depicting the devil are now in view in reality here.  
• Their invincibility.   "They had breast plates as it were the breast plates of iron."   The picture is that no one can take them out and in close warfare they have ample protection.
• Then their is their activity.    "The sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."   It would be almost impossible without sound and vision to depict this frightful picture.  
• Their ability.   "And they had tails like unto scorpions and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months."   The expression "power to hurt" describes exactly their mission.
• Their discipline.   "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath is name Apollyon."   Unlike the natural locusts who have no leader (Proverbs 30v27) these have a ruler over them and leads them.   The meaning of his name in both Hebrew and Greek is "the destroyer" or "the tormentor."

The picture is of a well- drilled, fearsome, awesome army, about to torment the inhabitants of the earth for a period of five months.  

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Divine restraints.

"It was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.   And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.   And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them."

                                                                                                              Revelation 9v4-6

Imagine the stories of the demon possessed people in the time of Jesus, but multiplied many, many times.   Quotations like "coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way;" and again "one who had his dwelling among the tombs and no man could bind him no not with chains..... neither could any man tame him."   These stories and others from the gospels are but a faint picture of what is here.  Powerful, untamable beings, ready to vent their anger wherever they can.   Faced with a scene like this we have the delightful truth inserted here that whilst no man can tame these, they are under the restraint of a sovereign God.    Here in one of the darkest episodes of human history we have clearly presented the restraining hand of God.    All may seem to be chaos and uncontrolled  but they are under the restrictions placed by God which are described as follows:

• He restricted their sphere of operations.   They were not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree.   These are the very things that natural locusts would attack and so we know that these are not literal locusts.
• Their target is to be the people of the earth, but with a definite prohibition; they are not to touch the sealed servants of God. 

.   Once again we see the sovereign control of God, because in their vicious quest they are enabled to distinguish between God's people and those who are not.   It is a source of great wonder that the evil in this world is under divine restraint.

• He limits the extent of hurt that they can administer.   They are not allowed to kill   A similar thing is stated in Job chapters 1&2.
• He limits the time period of their operations to five months only.      This is unique because five months if the average life span of a natural locust, and so the picture is made perfect.   They will not be able to maraud beyond this time.  

The object was to inflict pain like the sting of a scorpion, apparently a very painful experience.   Those of us living in Europe have probably never felt anything like it, but the pain is considerable and the poison spreads to all parts of the body.   Therefore over a five month period these creatures will inflict pain on humanity to a degree that people will be crying out for death to relieve them of their pain but this will be denied.   All of this of course would be considered barbaric in a world with a fixation of human rights rather than human responsibilities.   God is going to teach this world differently in these times.

The picture of people in so much pain, that they cry out for death as the only way out, is, indeed, very vivid.   By some supernatural power in those days men will not even be able to take their own lives.    This fact brings before us the awesome picture of what the lake of fire will be like for all eternity.   In Revelation 20v10 it says that the devil and the beast and the false prophet shall be "tormented  day and night forever and forever."   This five month period of torment without death is but a precursor to the eternal torment in the lake of fire.   God is illustrating here His ability to withdraw death as a relief for torment.   This is about the closest I can come to the awful truth of eternal punishment.   For all eternity rejectors of God will be conscious in a state of torment.   In the words of Jesus in Mark 9 v 43-44, a quotation from Isaiah 66v24  "Gehenna, the fire that shall never be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."  This truth may well be unpalatable, but it is the truth.

Oh sinner seek His grace, whose wrath thou canst not bear,

Flee to the shelter of the cross and find salvation there!

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Hell on earth

"And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth........."       Rev. 9v3.

The very mention of locusts should strike terror into every heart.   The illustration here is of something like a volcano belching out its toxic contents high into the sky such that the sun and the air are darkened by its smoke.   In the future men will go to hell, but here in Revelation 9v1-21 hell comes to men.   If ever there was a picture of "all hell breaking loose" it is this!   From the smoke appears what looks like numberless locusts.   In the bible locust plagues were used by God as a form of government.   It will become clear that these are not literal locusts but they are locust- like in their character and in their unmitigated destruction.

The biblical account of the plague of locusts in Egypt is found in Exodus 10v12-15.   The description could not be more graphic.   A serious of extracts from that portion is as follows  "they went up over all the land of Egypt"; "very grievous were they": "the land was darkened": "they did eat every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees": "there remained not any green thing in the trees or the herbs of the field."   The picture is of swarming locusts stripping bare the land of all vegetation.    The Lord used the threat of the locust swarms as a measure of discipline on Israel (2nd Chronicles 7v13).   Again in Joel chapter 1 we have the record of the devastation of the locust swarms.   Later on in Joel 2v26, when God promises restoration to His people He said  "I will restore unto you the years that the locust hath eaten."   Such was the devastation of the locust armies that they wiped out years of produce.   In the same context God described them as "My great army which I sent among you."

The point of it all is total devastation of everything in their pathway.   It has even been recorded that a swarm of locusts were able to strip bare the bark of trees.  The locusts mentioned here however are not literal; they are metaphorical, but their force is no less than the real thing, indeed it may be much worse.   These are demon spirits who have been enchained in darkness for centuries, who are the worst of beings in existence, who have no love for humanity save to satisfy their own desires, and as we shall learn later only have a limited time in which to vent their destruction.  

From this putrid dungeon they emerge to carry out their infernal work.   The illustration is very solemn; it is of hateful demons, in countless numbers, having been given bodies in which to express themselves and have been let loose on the earth.   The earth is now infested with these powerful and hateful creatures.   The power however is not their own; they were  "given power as the scorpions of the earth have power."   In His judgment of the world God will use any agency no matter how evil, but they will always remain under His restraint.   There is a kind of poetic justice about all of this in that the "earth dwellers" have chosen to follow Satan and it is as if God is saying to the world, let Me introduce you to your new friends!   What follows is truly hell on earth.  The mention of smoke warrants attention, because smoke is a symbol of the judgment of God as seen from passages like Genesis 19v25, Exodus 19v18, Revelation 9v17-18, Revelation 18v9 & Revelation 19v3.   All the symbolism combines together to present a picture of pure terror.

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The abyss

"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened, by reason of the smoke of the pit".   Rev.9v2.
        

The phrase "the bottomless pit" is usually rendered "the abyss" and refers to a narrow hole of immeasurable depth in an undefined place, but one which literally exists. The word is "abussos" and occurs in the following scriptures; Luke 8v31: Romans 10v7: Revelation 9v1-2: Revelation 9v11: Revelation 11v7: Revelation 17v8: Revelation 20v1: Revelation 20v3.   The reference in Luke 8v31 reveals that the demons who possessed the unfortunate man were terrified in case Jesus would send them to the abyss.   Therefore the demons know about this place, and what they know of it they don't want to be there.   It would appear that it is some kind of prison house  for certain types of fallen angels.   We must get an understanding of this before we move on.   In the scriptures there appears to be fallen angels who are free.(Ephesians 6v12).   This empire of Satan is ordered and consists of various ranks of angels in the mysterious world of darkness.   Paul describes it like this  "principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places."   Paul refers to this empire in Ephesians 2v2  where he talks of the "prince of the power of the air" controlling the course of this world and "the spirit operating in the children of disobedience".   In contrast to that there are angels who have been imprisoned and are not free and the details of this are seen in Jude verse 6  "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."   The last phrase  "the judgment of the great day" is what we have here in Revelation chapter 9.   Again in 2nd Peter 2v4, Peter explains  "for if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment."   The word in this verse for "hell" is "Tartarus" and is the only place in the bible where this word appears.   This Tartarus therefore it would appear is the abyss spoken of in Revelation 9 and other portions.

Why did God allow some fallen angels to be free and others to be imprisoned?   No doubt it has to do with the seriousness of their offences against the Lord.   We cannot be sure of the details but a hint of this is given in Genesis 6v2 where is says  "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair: and they took them wives of all which they chose."   This apparently refers to fallen angels taking human form with a desire to copulate with women on earth.   Again we cannot be sure but it would appear that the result of this unnatural union produced a world of half human and half angel inhabitants such that it was stated that "only Noah was perfect in his generation."   The literal understanding of this was that his family was the only one free from this corruption and God had no option but to flood the world.   This was an attempt by Satan to corrupt "the seed of the woman" thus frustrating the purposes of God.   Angels who will stoop to this kind of behavior cannot be allowed to remain free and so they were imprisoned.  

To understand this abyss and what we are about to witness in the vision of John, we have to take on board the language of Jude 6 and 2nd Peter 2v4 where it is stated that these angels were placed in everlasting chains, that is chains from which only God could release them.     In both scriptures there is reference to "intense darkness."   Since the days of the global flood these angels have been kept in a black hole by divine decree.   Jude 13 calls it  "the blackness of darkness."   For centuries they have been there, the most immoral and wicked of all the angels, and now they are about to be unleashed upon the earth.   They will be returned to the abyss when God has finished with them, just as Satan will be bound in this prison for one thousand years, just prior to being banished to their eternal home of torment.   When this pit is opened for a time the true meaning of the expression  "all hell on earth" will take place.  The true character of Satan is now revealed; no longer the charmer, but bursting forth in raw evil as he unlocks the prison of the most evil beings in the universe.  

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                                                             Lucifer fallen from heaven.

"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."           Revelation 9v1.   

The vision of a star falling from heaven unto the earth; there is a difference here from the falling star of chapter 8v10.   There it was a literal star, but here it is referring to a personage because it says "to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."   We know that in the book of Revelation angels are represented as stars (chapter 1v20).   The suggestion here is that this is referring to a fallen angel, and indeed the highest order of fallen angel, namely Satan himself.    There is a reference to this in (Isaiah 14v12)   "How art thou fallen from heaven, oh Lucifer, son of the morning!"   The name Lucifer means "the morning star."   Jesus refers to this same thing in (Luke 10v18)  when he said  "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."   The context of Luke chapter 10 is that the seventy missionaries he had sent, returned with joy saying  "Lord even the demons are subject unto us through thy name."   It was in that context that Jesus proclaimed the ultimate fall of Satan.   This probably refers to the battle in heaven reported in (Revelation chapter 12v7) " And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.   And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him."  

It is important here to note the continuous downward pathway of Satan who rebelled in the very presence of God.  

• Ezekiel 28v16   - From the heaven of heavens, to the starry heavens.  "By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God".
• Revelation 9v1/Revelation 12v7-9   - From the starry heavens to the earth.  He is cast down to the earth, which is the point we have reached here.
• Revelation 20v1   -   He is cast from the earth into the abyss where he is imprisoned for one thousand years.  
• Revelation 20v10   -   After a short reprieve he is cast finally into the lake of fire, his eternal dwelling place. 

Thus scripture records from heaven to space, from space to the earth, from the earth to the abyss, from the abyss to the lake of fire.   Where we are here in Revelation chapter 9 is the point where he is cast out of the starry heavens to earth.   Revelation chapter 12 gives us some idea of the mood of things here because it says  "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea; for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath a short time.

The devil has presented himself in many guises in the course of time, notably as an angel of light, the deceiver, but now comes out into his true colours, the hater of humanity, because he knows they will replace him and his angels in the future economy of God.   It is noteworthy that God will use this fiendish hatred by Satan to effect his own wrath upon the world because it says  "To him was given the key of the bottomless pit."   Even Satan in all his wrath can only do what God allows him to do.   This is the overwhelming beauty of the book of Revelation.   God is in total control.  No one can act, even Satan, independently of the sovereign of the universe. The ancient enemy of God and man is now on earth to ply his evil trade in the short time of freedom he has left. God will allow humanity who have been deceived by him to experience the true nature of their idol.

 

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                                                      The prediction of sorrows

"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are yet to sound."        Revelation 8v13

The judgments already predicted to fall are bad enough but worse is yet to come.   The key to the understanding of this verse is how we interpret the phrase  "the inhabiters of the earth."   This should be understood as "earth- dwellers" in the sense of those who wish to dwell on earth as opposed to heaven: in short they are in rebellion against God in the face of severe judgments.   It is a pertinent question, am I an earth- dweller or am I a heaven- seeker?   The phrase "them that dwell on the earth", or something similar, appears throughout the book in chapter 3v10, 6v10, 8v13, 11v10, 12v12, 13v8, 13v14, 14v6, 17v2, & 17v8.   This phrase is used to describe those who have no time for God and who wish this earth to continue, as it is, without Him.   They prefer to look for a perfect world built by man, and seek to build a kingdom on earth in opposition to God.  

Similar phrases like "the kings of the earth" are found (chapter1v5, 6v15,16v14, 17v2, 17v18, 18v3, 18v9, 19v19).   Another one is the "merchants of the earth" (18v3,18v11, 18v23).   Another one is  "the harlots and the abominations of the earth" (17v5).   All of these phrases described various categories of people who have no time for God.   The idea is that they are spiritually wedded to the earth and all its principles and ways in opposition to God.   Allied to their rebellion against God and rejection of Jesus Christ is their allegiance to the anti-Christ; they readily receive the mark of the beast (chapter 13v16/17; 14v9;14v11;& 16v2).  

Antagonism to God; allegiance to Satan.   The days described here will be much more polarized than they are now.  There will be no sitting on the fence then; you are either with God or against Him.   Something spectacular happens, with an angel flying through the mid heavens making a loud proclamation, such that none can escape it.   The proclamation is a threefold woe on the earth dwellers, the last of which will explode into the seven vials of the wrath of the living God.   The actual meaning of the word "woe" is "alas" or "O no!"   This signifies impending final doom and judgment, in which God will bring all earthly rebellion to an end.   The first four trumpets have been but a warning of the ferocity of the judgment of God.   The final three trumpets are the reality of it.  

The word "woe" occurs in the bible more than one hundred  times and forty times in the New Testament.   The prophet Isaiah used it to proclaim ultimate loss to the sinners of his day (chapter 5).   These sinners were amongst the professing people of God.   In chapter 6 the same prophet, when he caught a glimpse of the glory of the throne of God, he said "woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips."   This is the effect of the direct sight of the holiness of God.   Jesus used this word thirty two times and seven  times alone in Matthew 23, directed to the Pharisees and scribes the religious leaders of His day.   The word "woe" represents the final and just judgment of God for all who refuse His way, even upon those who wish to set up a religious alternative to His way.  

The message at the end of this chapter is that the die is cast; the fury of heaven will proceed from now until the end; and all the while as we shall see that right to the end men will be given a chance to repent.   Many will refuse it and suffer eternally.  

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                                                    The power of the supernatural

"The first angel sounded.........and the second angel sounded........and the third angel sounded.......and the fourth angel sounded......".      Revelation 8v7-12 

What John is describing here is a series of supernatural events; these are much more than mere natural disasters, this is the hand of God.   The bible records that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God."   Hebrews 10v31   There is nothing more fearful than what is about to follow.  There is an element of mercy in it all, since two thirds are spared.   It appears that these first four trumpets focus on the material creation, whereas the last three trumpets focus upon the world of men.   The first four trumpets are as follows:

• "The first angel sounded and  there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up and all green grass was burnt up." This judgment is on the material vegetation.   The hail, fire and blood speaks of scorched earth; this is similar to one of the plagues in Egypt except taken to a global level.   The details mirror Exodus 9v23-26.   This judgment resulted in the fiery destruction of one third part of trees and green grass.   The combination of hail and fire and blood are referred to in Ezekiel 38v22; Isaiah 30v30; Isaiah 9v5; and Joel 2v30-31.   The last named records this  "and I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke."   The mention of blood suggests there will be casualties, though not as many as in the last three trumpets.   the effect will be devastating; one third of trees and all green grass burnt up.   This will result in the loss of material supplies and in the loss of oxygen in the atmosphere and in the loss of food for animals.   In these judgments there are many parallels with the plagues in Egypt.   Old Testament prophets understood that the plagues of Egypt would be repeated in the future (Isaiah 10v22-25; Isaiah 11v12-16; Jeremiah 16v14-15).
• "And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died; and the third part of ships were destroyed."   Here we have judgment on the salt water oceans.   He uses the word  "something like" in reference to a burning mountain.   This could be referring to something like an asteroid, a huge chunk of a star hurtling towards earth.   Huge rocks from stars the size of mountains can be hundreds of miles in diameter.   The sea changes colour, one third of all living creatures die, one third of ships are destroyed.   Scientists tell us that the introduction to seawater of sufficient molecules of molten iron would be enough to turn the water into a bloodlike colour.   The resultant chemical change would release toxins into the water which would destroy much of the marine life.   The ships would be destroyed by the resultant tsunamis because of the impact.  
• "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called "wormwood:" and the third part of the waters became wormwood and many men died in the waters, because they were made bitter."      The judgment is now on fresh water rivers and streams, and will seriously affect the drinking water supply.   It appears to be some form of meteor shower of massive proportions, which when dispersed pollutes the water supplies.   A falling star, released from its orbit and burning into multi fragments covering a wide area severely pollutes the water streams.  The water is poisoned and made bitter which is the meaning of "wormwood."    References in the Old testament to this symbol of divine punishment can be found in Deuteronomy 29v18. Jeremiah 9v15, Jeremiah 23v15, Lamentations 3v15, and Amos 5v7.
• "And fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."   One third of the heavenly lights withdrawn.   This could mean either one third less intensity, or one third less duration.   This is a disastrous judgment which will have far reaching implications such as a massive drop in worldwide temperatures, leading to endless problems.   This is referred to in Amos 5v18, Joel 2v2, and Isaiah 13v9-11.   "Behold the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He shall destroy sinners thereof out if it.   For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in His going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.   And I will punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease". 

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                                                    The prayers of the saints   

"And another angel came and stood by the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake".     Revelation 8v3-5.     

God will not bring severe judgment on earth until the prayers of the saints are heard! This is one of many occasions, in the book, where the imagery of the tabernacle is used   In Hebrews 9v23 it is stated that the tabernacle of Israel of old represented "the pattern of things in the heavens."   When God designed the tabernacle for Israel He was telling us that this is what heaven was like, this was the very layout of the heavenly throne.   The word "patterns" in Hebrews chapter 9 is "similitudes."   Here in Revelation chapter 8 we have a perfect illustration of that.   In verses 3-5, there are two altars mentioned .   the first is the golden altar of incense (verse 3) and the second is the brazen altar of sacrifice (verse 5).   We know this because the golden altar of incense has no fire, which the brazen altar does.  If we keep in mind this simple Old Testament picture, we will more readily understand what is here.   The golden altar of incense was the nearest to the throne of God.   The brazen altar of sacrifice was the furthest away from the throne of God.  The picture in the Old Testament is of the God who "dwells between the cherubims"  and because of the blood of sacrifice He is able to call sinful men to Himself. The illustration is of the Divine justice satisfied. What we have here is a world who has rejected the blood of sacrifice, and God will now come forth in judgment.   In coming out from his throne He first comes to the golden altar of incense and only at the last reaches the altar of sacrifice before He will bring His judgment on the outside world.

The golden altar of incense represents  "the prayers of all the saints."    God will not judge the world until He has heard the prayers of all the saints.   As an aside, we should take note of how important to God are the prayers of the saints.   Not one prayer is ignored, not one prayer was ever in vain.   It is true that many of the prayers were weak, some were faulty, some were asking for the wrong things, some were perhaps selfish, but all of them have value before the throne of God.   Notice the angel mingles the prayers of the saints with the incense from the golden censer.   A reference to Exodus 30v34-38 reveal that this incense was to contain ingredients prescribed only by the Lord and was to be used only for the Lord.   A study of the components of the incense would reveal that they speak of the perfections of the life of Christ.   Added to, what may be considered imperfect prayers, is the incense of the perfection of Jesus Christ, thus making the prayers acceptable to the Lord.   He hears these prayers  "the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel's hand."   When God would bring His awesome judgements on a rejecting world He will first hear the prayers of all the saints of all the ages perfected by the incense of the beauty of Christ.

In v5 the same angel who took the censer to the golden altar, to bring the prayers and the cries of God's people to His ears, now moves to the brazen altar where the fires of the wrath of God fell upon the sacrifice, which again speaks of Christ at Calvary.   This sacrifice having now been rejected, the angel now fills the same censer with the fires of the altar and casts it to the earth.   The world which has had hundreds of years of the offer of grace and hundreds of years of the prayers of their fellow human beings on their behalf, but have refused, are now under the vengeance of a sin- hating God.   The last words of verse 5 are very solemn "and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake." Divine mercy refused,  there is now nothing left but a fearful looking forward to of judgment.

 

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                                            The preparation of the servants

"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets...and the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."   Rev.8v2/6.  

  God has His own private army consisting of countless angels, who stand at the ready to do His bidding. Jesus made reference to this in the episode in Matthew 26v53, when Peter tried to defend Him "...thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and He shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"  The will of God is done immediately and precisely as He requires. This fact comes out throughout the book; chapter 1v1,6v1,6v3,6v5,6v7,7v1,7v2,8v2,8v6,8v13,9v1,9v13.

Their weapons are many and varied; the judgments of God are fearsome, the ability to use the natural elements, as well as unleashing supernatural powers, combine to present a fearful prospect for humanity, when such power is placed in the hands of unflinchingly loyal servants like the angels of God.

To them were given seven trumpets ready to be sounded at any time.   By the context we understand that these are war trumpets.   A reading of Numbers chapter 10 reveals something of the use of trumpets in the economy of God.   In that chapter the travelling camp of Israel were commanded to make two trumpets of silver, and the purpose of these trumpets was stated to be as follows:

• For the calling of the congregation   -   Numbers 10v2.
• For the journeyings of the camp   -   Numbers 10v2.
• For the calling together of the heads of the thousands of Israel   -   Numbers 10v4.
• For the blowing of an alarm signaling part of the company to move forward in ordered fashion   -   Numbers 10v5-6.
• For the purpose of going to war   -   Numbers 10v9.

Each trumpet call was varied by the number of blasts, and also the duration of the blasts.   There is little doubt that the trumpets referred to in Revelation chapters 8&9 are the trumpets of war.   God is at war with the world, the declaration is made, the servants are prepared; but first they must wait a little more, while another angel performs his ritual before the throne of God.   The military precision of the angels must be something to behold.   Each knows their role and will act or refrain from acting at any time.   They have the ability to perform blanket strikes on earth, or "surgical" strikes as required.   We shall see later that they can touch a fraction of the earth and leave the rest untouched.   The repetition of the "third part of things" in this section is amazing.   We are not told which third will be affected, the mercy will be that two thirds will be unaffected.   We shall see that the judgments affect one third of all areas pertaining to human life; the land, the seas, the rivers, the heavens.   Few will see this as any kind of mercy, but if we remember the words of the prophet in Lamentations 3v22  "It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed."   Moses who spent many years interceding with God for the wayward nation of Israel wrote this "we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled."   psalm 90v7    There is little doubt that God could obliterate the world in a moment's time.   The fact that He restrains these angels in their operations to one third of the areas concerned is indeed an act of mercy.   The power of God is without limits.   The power of an angel is what God gives to him; scripture records that, in one night, one angel exterminated one hundred and eighty five thousand of an army which threatened the existence of the nation of Judea (2nd Kings 19v35).   What will seven angels do when handed the war trumpets of the living God?  

There is an irony in all of this.   The trumpets of the Old Testament were to be made of silver, a metal which speaks in the bible of redemption.   The foundations of the tabernacle in the deserts were made of huge blocks of silver, and on it the entire tabernacle rested, and to this place redeemed Israel came to worship.   The silver trumpets which spoke of a people redeemed by the blood of sacrifice, are now blown in the context of judgment upon a world which has rejected the redemption that God has provided.   This is a most solemn picture, and is recorded so that men and women the world over might seek His grace while it is still available.   For many of the people who will be alive when Revelation chapter 8 takes place, it will be too late, because these trumpets will not give an uncertain sound; instead they will summon supernatural powers such as the world has never seen. God will not remain silent forever.

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Window 3..............The opening of the seventh seal            Revelation 8v1-11v18.  

"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for the space of half an hour"         Revelation 8v1.    

Readers will recall that in chapter 5, the Divine programme to reclaim the earth would take place within the compass of seven seals.   We have already seen the outline(though not the details) of the first six seals; here now we have the seventh seal, the final and most intense display of the wrath of God.   The seventh seal brings the awesome conclusion to the open rebellion of man on earth.   It consists of :

• The sounding of the seven trumpets.   Chapter8v1 - chapter 11v18.
• The outpouring of the seven vials of wrath.   Chapter 15v5 - chapter 16v21.

In the chapter before us we have a number of aspects of divine judgment presented to us as follows:

• Chapter 8v1    -    we have a pause for silence.
• Chapter 8v2/6   -  we have the preparation of the servants.
• Chapter 8v3-5   -  we have the prayers of the saints.
• Chapter 8v7-12   -we have the power of the supernatural.
• Chapter 8v13   -   we have the prediction of sorrows.

These ideas placed together will help us understand the solemnity of what is here.   Heaven is about to pour out on earth the greatest and most direct divine judgments the world has ever seen.   They are in character similar to the plagues brought upon ancient Egypt, except the judgments are taken to a global level.   We all understand what it is to take a minute's silence in respect for those who have suffered loss here in this world.   Heaven is silent  "for the space of half an hour," and so we consider first of all;  

                                                     The pause for silence

There is no joy in heaven over judgment on earth.   God must judge the world, He must punish sin, He must rid the universe of sin, but it gives Him no pleasure to do so.   It is recorded in Ezekiel 33v11  "as I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?"     In Isaiah  28v21 it is stated that "judgment is His strange work."  Such shall be the awesome power of vengeance on this world that the whole of heaven stops in silence for half an hour.   To understand the deep significance of this, it must be clear to anyone reading the book of Revelation that heaven is never silent.   Scriptures like chapter 4v8  "they rest not day and night saying, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty."    Or chapter 7v10  "the great multitude crying with a loud voice."   The picture is of constant activity, constant praise, but here heaven falls silent as the servants are prepared, as the throne proclaims judgments, as God Almighty is about to pour His wrath on this world.  

God has always allowed a lull before bringing judgment.   His purpose has always been to allow time for men to repent.  

• Prior to the global flood of Genesis 6&7  He proclaimed His intention one hundred and twenty years before it took place.
• When He would punish Sodom & Gomorrah, the cities of the plain He pauses to hear the intercession of Abraham on their behalf.  
• In Genesis 15v16  He pronounces judgments on the people known as the Amorites, but He waits four hundred years.
• He warned the city of Nineveh that He was about to judge them but He gave them forty days to repent. (The book of Jonah).  
• In Luke 13v6-7 Jesus told the parable of the fig tree, which had failed to produce fruit.   He said "leave it alone this year, dig it, dung it, water it, tend it, but if no fruit after that, cut it down."   The fig tree represents in scripture national Israel.  
• Almost 2,000 years ago this world committed the greatest act of treachery ever seen when they crucified Jesus Christ.    In the gospel message that ensued the warning of divine judgement if they turned away from the grace of God in Christ, has now been present for all that time.  

And now, in Revelation 8v1 the time has come (and no-one will alter this divine programme).   Before He will commence the judgments He will pause so that the whole of heaven understands what He is doing, and also they will fearfully understand the righteousness of what He is about to do.

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The closing part of the study "the great multitude in heaven"........

Their satisfaction

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light upon them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes"  Rev.7v16-17.

Restlessness, discontent, dissatisfaction; these are the features of the present world; not so in heaven where all is calm and all are satisfied.   In the same way as the washing of robes in blood is not to be understood in the physical or material sense, so here the hungering and thirsting are to be understood spiritually.   Jesus, in the extremity of His fasting in the desert said  ""man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."   To the disciples in John 4v31-32  He said, as they returned with food,  "I have meat to eat that ye know not of..... My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me and to finish His work."

Modern man is concerned mostly with the things of the body, but our bodies are merely a casket for our inward souls.   Scripture is very clear that God knows, that a living soul, created by God, can only be ultimately satisfied with the Creator Himself.   Created things exists for our material needs, but the Creator alone can satisfy the soul.   Jesus spoke in Matthew 5v6 of  "hungering and thirsting after righteousness."   In John 4v14 He said to the woman of Samaria  "whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."   He is speaking about spiritual food and drink for the soul that can only come directly from God.   In John chapter 6 He repeats over and over  "I am the bread of life;" in John chapter 7 He says "He is the living water."   What does He mean?   It is that the human soul needs something beyond the bodily needs, which only God can provide.   In Jeremiah chapter 2 the Lord describes Himself as  "the fountain of living waters" and, in contrast to that, all other fountains are broken and temporary: His are life giving and eternal.  

What is being portrayed here is the absolute satisfaction of all in heaven for all eternity.   "Hunger no more; thirst no more; no more darkness, no more suffering" is I believe what is meant here.   The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them..... the word is "shepherd them."   This is a reference to Isaiah 40v9-11  "behold your God, behold the Lord God will come with a strong hand and His arm shall rule for him, behold His reward is with Him and His work before Him.   He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, He shall carry His lambs in His bosom."   The imagery is  phenomenal.   The saints of God, every one of them fully satisfied, fully sheltered and fully employed by the highest and most loving being in the universe, the Lamb of Calvary.

He shall lead them into the future, with fresh waters, and fresh experiences of the soul.   He shall also deal with all their past "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."   There are many things on earth we cannot understand and which God does not explain.   Many of these have caused heartache and tears, but God shall wipe them all away.   He will erase the painful past, He will explain all, He will comfort His people, He will wipe away their tears.  

In closing one thing we should note, that mostly in the book of Revelation when God will act, He uses His angels for the task; but when it comes to dealing with the tears of His people, He will wipe them away personally!  

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Their occupation

"Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell among them".       Revelation 7v15.

Note the word "therefore", which links with v14, they are in the presence of God, not through any merit of their own, but the merit of the blood of the Lamb. No human being will stand accepted before the throne without the application of the blood of Christ to their souls. How are they occupying themselves in heaven, and how will all the saints occupy? We are not saved to be idle, and the myth that we will be "sitting on clouds playing harps" is far from the truth! It is profitable for us now if we tabulate the many aspects of our service for God in the next life.

• The constancy of service:   They "serve Him day and night". This is language we can understand here and now; there is a time when there will be no night, only constant day; what is here is non-stop service to the Lord.   The phrase, "day and night", is repeated in the bible. There is constant activity in the universe, much of which is unseen  Psalm 19v2 says that every day and every night, the creation declares the glory of God.   In Revelation 4v8 the four living creatures "rest not day and night saying Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty."   In Revelation 12v10 it is recorded that Satan is the accuser of the brethren before God day and night.   The solemn passage in chapter 20v10  reveals that Satan and all who follow him will be tormented day and night forever.   Psalm 134v1 gives us an insight "behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord which by night stand in the house of the Lord."   Again in 1st Chronicles 9v33 it is said "and these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night."   Thus there is unceasing service and activity in the presence of God.  
• The closeness of their service.    They "serve Him day and night in His temple."   The word for temple is the "inner" temple.   Bible students are aware that there are different areas of closeness to God, the inner temple being the closest of all.   This is illustrated in the tabernacle where there was an outward court, the holy place, and the inner sanctuary where God dwelt.  This service to God is in the very presence of God Himself.   He expands on this by saying "He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."   The word "dwell" is "tabernacle" and the word "among" is to be rendered "over them".   The idea here is two-fold; the divine presence with His people and the divine protection over them.   This is taking us back to the garden of Eden pre-fall, God in fellowship with man, and nothing to separate them.    Here is the picture of man and God in unbroken fellowship and that forever.  
• The content of their service.   This is a little more difficult, because we are speaking of a realm beyond our imagination.   Heaven will be such a marvelous place, that the bible can only describe to our minds, now, those things which will be absent, which are the result of sin.  There is no way our minds at present can comprehend the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.  However there are a number of pointers which we can consider.   For one thousand years during the millennium we will serve Him in His divine administration of the earth.   The apostle says in 1st Corinthians chapter 6v2  "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?"   This is similar to Daniel 7v22 and Revelation 20v4.   The Old Testament prophets give some details of what that will involve.   Again in the same chapter Paul says  "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?"   What this means is beyond us at present, but it certainly means we will be superior in status to angels in the world to come.   For sure there will be plenty to occupy us in that glorious place.   Psalm 16v11 says  "In thy presence is fullness of joy and at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."   Paul wrote in Ephesians 2v7 that God's salvation is not confined to the present age and he says  "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."    For all eternity we will be occupied with the kindness and pleasures of Almighty God.   The very fact that He is going to create a new heaven and a new earth according to Revelation chapter 21, in which he says  "Behold I make all things new" suggests that there are wonders that we could not even begin to imagine.   Certainly there will be much singing, there will be much worship and adoration; each and every unfolding of the unsearchable riches of Christ will enlighten and enrich our lives for eternity, and we will be companion servants in that.

There will be no idleness, there will be no boredom, above all there will be no broken fellowship ever again between man and his God.

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Their identification

"And one of the elders answered saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir thou knowest. And he said unto me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb".      Revelation 7v13-14.   

What does it mean one of the elders answered?   The presence of a vast throng who have initiated angelic praise, raises a question.   The elder who asks the question actually knows himself but he is informing John the apostle, who would not know. John replied to him  "Sir, thou knowest."   The elder goes on to explain but this exchange raises some other interesting questions.   The first of these is what is the status of human beings who are glorified in heaven, because John addresses him as "Sir"; the Greek word is "kurios" a word which means that the person addressed is superior to the one who is asking the question.   We note that it is no less a person than John the apostle, (one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb) who is asking, yet he addresses the resident of heaven as his superior.   On this basis it would appear that John the apostle, yet to be glorified, acknowledges that those in heaven glorified are superior in status to himself.   Secondly, he says  "Thou knowest" John did not know who these people were but the elder goes on to explain who they are.   This raises the question as to the knowledge of people in heaven, and their awareness of current events on earth.   It would appear that glorified saints are superior in status, and also superior in their knowledge and awareness of the purposes of God, and of events on earth.

All this is borne out by the teaching of Paul in other places, such as 1st Corinthians 13v12 where he describes the knowledge of the saints on earth as being at best only partial "for now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face.   Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."   There is little doubt that this particular verse is referring to the glorified state and this little portion in revelation chapter 7 gives us an insight into the present state and status of those who have gone before.   The answer is emphatic and reveals not only who these people are but the circumstances in which they came to be there, and the reality of their conversion to Christ. 

• They came out of great tribulation.     Scholars tell us that the force of this word should mean a translation of  "the tribulation, the great one."   There have been many periods of tribulation but there is only one great tribulation to which Jesus refers in Matthew 24v21-22  "For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be.   And except those days shall be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect sake those days shall be shortened."    This period of time, which signals the end of time, will last for three and a half years, during which abominable atrocities will be committed against God's people and against ethnic Israel.   It is clear these elders are referring to the exact same period of time as the Lord Jesus Himself.
• These people have  "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."   They are in heaven, not because of their martyrdom or because of their faithfulness to the testimony of God, but to their reliance on the abiding value of the blood of the Lamb.   This is the only basis anyone will ever have a right to stand in the presence of God.   These are clearly identified as blood- bought believers from the period of time known as the great tribulation.   The prophet Daniel says that this period will be characterized by two things;  "abomination" and "desolation."   The man of sin will finally set himself up in the place of God and will slaughter all who oppose him.   This situation will last  "until the consummation."   (Daniel chapter 9v24-27).Who are they? they are the saved martyrs of the great tribulation!

Out of the darkest period of time in all history there will come a vast number of redeemed souls into heaven; all made right with God through the blood of the Lamb, all made fit for the service of God as the white robes would indicate.

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The adoration

"And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God saying  Amen: blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be unto our God forever and ever, Amen."   Revelation 7v12

The jubilation of the great multitude from earth prompts the entire population of heaven to burst into praise.   Those of us, still bound by time and sense, cannot enter into this yet, but it appears that such is the effect of the awesome majesty of the throne that it compels people to praise every time a fresh number of people appear before God, or a fresh event occurs.   It becomes a cause for spontaneous adoration.   There is evidence that even the inanimate world responds to the divine presence in certain situations.  Jesus said to the Pharisees in Luke 19v40 when they tried to restrain the praise of the multitude, He said  "If these should hold their peace even the very stones would cry out."   When Isaiah the prophet saw the vision of the throne of God, it is recorded  "the posts of the door moved at the voice of Him that cried."   In Exodus 19v18  when the divine presence descended on Mount Sinai it is recorded that the whole mountain was quaking.   In Matthew 27v51, when Jesus died on the cross it says  "the earth did quake and the rocks were rent, and the graves were opened."  

If such is the effect on the inanimate world, there is an even more profound effect in the angelic world and the world of redeemed and glorified human beings in heaven.   The reaction is imperative; there is a compulsion to respond.   We read here that the angels, and the twenty four elders, and the four living creatures fall on their face before the throne.   The sight of such a throng of glorified humanity caused them to thrill in the presence of God.  

Worship is the constant theme of heaven from both the angel and the human populations.   Throughout the book this is an inescapable feature;  chapter 1v5; chapter 4v8-11, chapter 5v8-14, chapter 7v9-17, chapter 11v16-18, chapter 12v10-12, chapter 15v2-4, chapter 19v1-10, chapter 22v1-6.    This will be the occupation of all for all eternity.   A universe in harmony with God, seeking nothing other than God, for there exists nothing better, and praising Him at every fresh revelation, in a situation of eternal wellbeing, all in tune with their Maker.   They shout their approval  "Amen....... and Amen."       Approval now, and approval forever; this situation will never end.   The angels give a sevenfold accolade, almost the same as chapter 5v12.   The only change is that the "riches" of chapter 5 is changed to "thanksgiving" in chapter 7.   This makes sense when we view it in the light of Ephesians chapter 1 where it says God's people are God's inheritance "the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints".   It is incredible to think that our redemption and our presence in heaven will add anything to a God who has everything, nevertheless it is a glorious fact that God views us as adding riches to his existence in the form of eternal thanksgiving.  

In their adoration the angels bring honour to God: in Job 38v7  they worship God for creation  "all the sons of God shouted for joy."   In Luke 15v10  Jesus said  "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."    They worship God for the conversion of even one soul.   Here in Revelation chapter 7, they worship Him for the consummation of all things; what must it have been for them to witness unnumbered hosts of people in heaven who were now glorified.   They utter the glorious words "forever and ever."    This is a phrase that runs through the entire bible and we do well to familiarize ourselves with the reality of the never ending ages of eternity during which we shall experience something beyond our imagination.    However, we should never forget that the last time this phrase appears is in Revelation 20v11 where we are told that the devil and the beast and the false prophet shall be  "tormented night and day for ever and ever."   one of the saddest phrases at the beginning of that verse is this  "the devil that deceived them" and many of our fellow human beings, having followed Him in life, will follow him there.  

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Their jubilation:

"...and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice saying, salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb"       Revelation 7v9-10.  

Palm branches in scripture were used on occasions of festal joy, or in times of worship, or in triumph over some conflict.   Once again the symbolism of scripture enhances the thought.   In Leviticus 23v40 we read  "and ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days".   This is stated during the feast of tabernacles in the context of rejoicing for the times of peace and rest the Lord had brought to their nation.   A similar thing is repeated in Nehemiah 8v15 on the return from exile  "and that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem saying Go forth unto the mount and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches and branches of thick trees to make booths, as it is written."   In Exodus 15v27 & Numbers 33v9 the children of Israel came to a place called Elim which means  "grove of palm trees."   This is mentioned in the context of a constant supply of water and the presence of seventy palm trees would afford protection from the rays of the sun, as well as provision of food.   They came from Marah (a place of bitterness) to Elim the place of shelter and of provision.   The first incursion of the children of Israel into the promised land was at Jericho which is described as  "the city of palm trees" (Deutoromy 34v3 & Judges 1v16 & Judges 3v13).

In 1st Kings 6v29 & v32 & chapter 7v36 we read that in the temple there were carvings of palm trees .   The palm tree therefore represent the blessing of God upon His people, and their thankfulness and joy in recognition of His grace.   In Psalm 92v12 we read  "the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree."   Another aspect of the palm tree is found in Jeremiah 10v5  "they are upright as the palm tree."   No drooping, no swaying, perfectly upright.   In the great chapters of Ezekiel 40 & 41 in the context of the millennium kingdom, the palm trees are mentioned twelve times.   In John chapter 12v13 when Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey's back it is written  "much people were come to the feast, (the feast of tabernacles) when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet Him and cried Hosanna: blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."   The word "Hosanna" is a Greek rendering of the Hebrew verb from Psalm 118; it means  "save"; but it means more, because it is in the imperative mood.   It is as strong as the word  "Hallelujah" which means  "praise the Lord, and do it now."   Hosanna means "save us" and "save us now."   This cry was an acknowledgement that they needed to be saved, and also that He was the Saviour.   This same cry is repeated in heaven by the multitudes standing before the throne  "salvation to our God and to the Lamb."   They are in the presence of Divine majesty acknowledging their need of salvation and that God and the Lamb have provided it for them.   It is a cry of jubilation expressing the sense of wellbeing in their experience not only because they have been saved but because of who has saved them, the One sitting upon the throne.   Therefore their salvation is eternal and they are ecstatic in the presence of God. This must be taken as the present experience of all those in heaven now, a sense of utter inward well-being . They are longing for the time when, with their spiritual bodies, they will be better able to express with outward jubilation, their thanksgiving to the Lord who saved them.    

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Their condition:

"...clothed in white robes...."   these are disembodied spirits before the throne, but, in the vision, John is allowed to see them as having resurrection bodies.   Scripture, especially apocalyptic scripture, tends to present things in their ultimate state; God always sees the end from the beginning.   The word   "clothed"  along with the word  "arrayed"  in verse 13 is the Greek  "periballo"  and refers to a garment literally "thrown all around."   The idea is of complete covering.   They are clothed in white robes.   The robe is a garment of distinction, worn only by those who have achieved a certain status.   The robe is white and stands for purity, for no impurity can live in the presence of God.   This purity is not their own; it has been given to them.   The pure white garment, covering them in entirety speaks of the absence of any defilement whatsoever.   The songwriter has captured the thought when describing heaven  "where no shade nor stain can enter, or the gold be dim, there in holiness unsullied, I shall walk with Him.   Meet companion then for Jesus, from Him, for Him made, Glory of God's grace forever there in me displayed."   This is the robe of salvation, the righteousness of Christ imputed to every believer resulting in inward holiness.   The truth of this is uttered in the following scriptures:  Revelation 3v4;  "They shall walk with Me in white."   Revelation 4v4  "I saw four and twenty elders sitting clothed in white raiment."   Revelation 6v11  "White robes were given unto everyone of them."   Again in chapter 7v9 / verse 13 / verse 14  we have the same thing mentioned.   This is a fulfilment of the work of God in salvation.   If their position of standing before the throne would speak of their justification, the wearing of the white robe would speak of their sanctification.   The purpose of God in salvation is stated in Ephesians 1v3  "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."   God will surround Himself with sanctified people.  

Since this is to be our eternal condition, we should be concerned about thinking of this here and now.   The story is recorded of the ermine, a small stoat- like furry animal known for its snow white fur and lives in the forests of northern Europe.   God has put into this animal an instinctive drive to protect his glossy white coat from becoming soiled in any way.   Hunters of ermine know this trait and capitalize on it.   Instead of setting a mechanical trap they find the ermine's hole in the cleft of a rock or a hollow tree and daub the entrance and the interior with black tar.   Then their dogs start the chase, and the terrified ermine flees towards its home; but finding it covered with black tar, he won't enter even to save his life.   He will face the yelping dogs and the hunter's net rather than soil his pure white coat.   For the ermine its purity is more than life itself.  (Narrated by Steven J. Cole  at bible.org. August 2nd 12013 , lesson 19  "intent on holiness" 1st Peter 4v1-6).  

The prophet Isaiah reflects all this when he says in chapter 61v10-11  "my soul shall be joyful in my God for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels...... so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."   This is not any self righteousness, this is imputed righteousness which results in imputed holiness leading to real practical and eternal holiness.   Verse 14 says  "They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."   Physical blood would never make robes white, so this is spiritual cleansing.   it is the removal of the defilement of sin without which no one will enter heaven.    Only the blood of Christ cleanses from sin, only the blood of Christ fits a person for heaven. God is turning sinners into saints! 

• Revelation 1v5     -     "Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
• John 13v10           -     "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is clean every whit."
• 1st Corinthians 6v11     -     "And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God."
• Hebrews 10v14     -     "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."

Only the value of the precious blood of Christ and its eternal merit to take away sins makes a human being fit for the presence of God. The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians, "to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints" said that our ultimate outcome will be "...the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Corinthians 1v2-8.  Whether from Old Testament times, or the Church age, or the Tribulation period, we will all be "saints" before Him. In heaven the saints are completely covered in the pure white robes in the presence of the most Holy.