Epilogue of a Woman ...

 The seeds of a counterfeit are planted early.  They require careful attention to detail.  They must emulate the original thing they impersonate as much as is possible in order to be believed.  People want the original, and will only accept the counterfeit if it cannot be perceived to be what it is, a counterfeit.  So the lie must look as much like the truth as it can.  Mix the lie with elements of the truth and it becomes harder to distinguish.  In heaven “Love” reigns supreme.  “Love” is the reason, the motivation, the means, the method for salvation, perfection, and fulfillment of life and existence itself.  Lucifer took what was holy and perfect and made only one slight alteration; he altered “Love” for others, into “Love” for self.  It was still “Love” after all.  How could that little change be so bad?  Why would God counsel him not to pursue a love of self?  Was God trying to hoard all the “Love” for Himself and not share any with anyone else?  They all loved God, why was it so bad that they should choose to love themselves as well?  What kind of God would deny them, the love for self, that they were surely due, that they had surely earned?  A conflict of ideas had been born.  There was no supporting evidence, other than “God’s words” that the new idea was somehow going to be bad.  And why should a “selfish” God, who appears to only be hoarding all the love, be believed anyway?  This was perfection right?  How could altering something perfect turn out bad, and what was bad anyway?

But a counterfeit is always a counterfeit.  It does not perform to the specifications of the original, for by definition, it cannot.  A counterfeit might appear to look like the original, it may function much like the original, but in the end, it cannot be anything other than what it is, a counterfeit.  The alteration of Lucifer, the transformation of “Love” for others, into “Love” of self, proved the definition of evil itself.  His counterfeit quickly degenerated into the defining of the entire opposite of the word “Love” in any way.  Instead he had only defined “Selfishness”.  Self cares only about self.  But Self cannot find enough to make it happy.  Happiness can be found only in loving others, not loving self.  So the counterfeit of Lucifer, now Satan, must be covered up, and masked.  He could not market the pure love of self without quickly revealing where it leads.  So he markets a “blend” of love of self, and love of others.  Satan proposes that we must love ourselves first, in order to sustain ourselves, and insure our survival and dignity.  Once that is achieved, we should also love those who are closest to us.  We should love those who love us, and provide a support system to us that makes us happy.  We should do things for them to show them we love them, as long as they are doing things for us, and it is “balanced”.  BUT, should the balance ever appear to be one-sided, our love of self dictates that we move on, and find someone else to love, someone who will love us in a more “balanced” way.

And so the counterfeit does not perform as the original, it brings a facsimile of happiness, that might last for a moment, but it does not bring the long lasting, deeply fulfilling happiness that the original intended.  But the idea of “blending” truth with error, of “balancing” love of self with love for others, continues to make the counterfeit appear like the original.  So a counterfeit religion is launched to compete with the true religion of God.  The counterfeit will have many varieties, many names, many alternative theories, deities, and ideologies – but at its heart – it will have only one central premise; the idea that self and love of self must play an active role in the achievement of perfection.  Self-reliance, whether by words, or deeds, will be the cornerstone of every counterfeit religion that will emerge on planet earth.  Even within Christianity, the ideas that our salvation is a “partnership” with God, or that our salvation is somehow dependent upon “us” will come to be the majority view within every church.  The ideas that salvation is a pure gift, will be augmented by a “then what?” strategy that leads the believer to determine that his own actions following his declaration for Christ, are what save or lose him his own salvation.  The insidious idea is to immediately cut off the new Christian from a dependence upon Christ, and instill the need for him to save himself and perfect himself now that he is a Christian.

So the counterfeits of self-reliance and the balance of self-love, are not new ideas, but seeds planted long ago by the master of lies.  They have given rise to many false churches and false religions all through time.  And over time, they have infected the church of Christ, until what was formerly the church of Christ becomes indistinguishable from the church of Satan and Self.  Satan is far too smart to eliminate the “name” of Christ from His own church.  Instead he simply eliminates the power of Christ from eliminating sins.  Satan offers us our own beautiful self to eliminate sin, gradually over time, as we read the word, and forget the role of its Author.  Satan skillfully teaches us the role of “self” in our salvation; never that it is only self, but always that self cannot be eliminated from salvation.  And so through insidious ideas of balance and partnership, we become content to rely upon grace to save us in spite of our sins, instead of a dependence on grace to change us from within to the point where we no longer wish to commit those sins.  We remain content with the idea that sins are a part of who we are.  For self is inextricable from sin.  The counterfeit can never actually do what only the original can do.

And herein is the mystery: if the original is free, why would we choose to pay so high a price in pain, suffering, and death for the counterfeit?  If the love of self can be demonstrated to never fulfill us, and bring us only inevitable misery, why would we choose to remain its slave, if there is a free alternative?  In short, why freely choose to die, when life is so easy to choose instead?  It is the mystery of addiction.  It is the mystery of self-destruction.  It is the mystery of sin.  It makes no sense.  It is a counterfeit that is empty of meaning.  For when once the love of self is embraced over the love of others, what was perfect becomes the definition of evil, what was free becomes a slave that can no longer ever save itself. 

In order for the slavery of the love of self to be broken, it will require a Savior, something outside of self, to see us made free from self.  This is no partnership.  This is a purely an external action and mission.  It will be done FOR us, not by us, or it will never happen at all.  We will have no role in our own salvation, except to embrace it, accept it, and allow it to occur.  We only need to choose it, and then let Christ do it within us.  We will take no actions that see it done.  We will be no partner in the demise of our sin.  And we will be left with ZERO love of self, when the process completes, because it is the love of self in any amount that is the source of all evil.  The pure love of others, without attempts at “balance”, and with no consideration for how others love us, is all that remains in the salvation our God brings to us.  The original will see us free to love, free to live, and happy beyond our imagination in both.  To choose to remain slave to misery and death becomes a mystery no sentient life can understand.

So after the climactic events of the series of seven are largely over, in the aftermath, an epilogue of revelations are presented.  John has just revealed in chapter 16 the final seven last plagues that have befallen the world.  Evil has met its first rewards.  And in the aftermath of so great the destruction and consequences of sins, of counterfeits, of “balance” between love of self and love of others, an angel who carried one of the plagues upon the world takes time to come to John to reveal what has befallen the counterfeit religions Satan has given rise to. 

He begins in Revelations chapter 17 and verse 1 saying … “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: [verse 2] With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”  Throughout the book of Revelations, the image of a woman has always aligned with a church.  In this case, the “great whore” has been fully unfaithful to the idea of a singular belief in Jesus Christ alone as the method of our salvation.  Instead the whore has sought to blend any other ideas into the process of salvation. The counterfeit has been successful if measured by the sheer number of people who embraced her ideas of mixture and self-reliance, even within Christianity.  So the angel begins the epilogue of what happens to these ideas, and how they were to be judged by God in the end of all things. 

He continues in verse 3 … “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”  First, notice that what appears to John are two distinct entities, the first is a woman.  The second is a scarlet colored beast.  It is the beast who is full of names of blasphemy.  It is the beast who has seven heads, and ten horns.  This is the beast described earlier, the second beast (after the dragon), which first gave rise in the dark ages.  The woman, or great whore, or false church, rides upon this second beast.  John continues in verse 4 … “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:”  This woman is no pauper, she has not given away all her wealth to others so as to make her poor.  She retains her wealth and puts it on display, in opulence, in public without shame or embarrassment at its lavish extreme.  She wears the finest clothing, and decks it with the finest in jewels and precious gems.  She also carries a golden cup and its contents are described as abominations and filthiness of her fornication, a substance of perversion one would not wish to explain to children.

John continues in verse 5 … “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”  Three named elements are offered that describe this woman, this false church.  First is MYSTERY; the mystery of sin.  From the perspective of unfallen beings, of sentient life who have never known the slavery of self-love, it is pure mystery to them why anyone would choose this course.  Those who never broken trust with God, do not understand why anyone would.  It is plain to see, what happens when someone breaks trust with God, when someone chooses to trust themselves and their own wisdom and common sense, instead of trusting in God.  This is why Lucifer pursued a course he was counseled against.  And once embraced, he degenerated from Lucifer to Satan.  Self-love has led to the genesis of evil, of pain, and of death, even requiring the life of the creator.  There is nothing compelling about it.  It is mystery why anyone would ever freely choose it.

The second name assigned to this false church is BABYLON THE GREAT.  In this context, the false doctrines of the church are inextricably married with the power of the state.  In this context, the compulsion of the conscience is born and carried to its logical extremes.  There will be no dissent in the church of Satan, no reliance on Christ; reliance on anything else is fine, just not on Christ.  Those who would choose to rely solely upon Christ for salvation would find it; therefore they must be exterminated by the power of the state.  Babylon has the power to do just that.  Babylon was a universal power, not bound by the limits of any one government, but infected in all of them.  There will be no free will, no power of choice in this false religion.  There will be only slavery to its edicts and its power.  Any dissent will find only martyrdom.  The power of the state will back the false ideas of these religions, even the ones who bear the name of Christ, but have no idea what it means to love.

The third name of this false church is THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  One false Christian church the original Catholic one, did not end alone in its false ideologies and adoption of self-reliance.  Instead it gave birth to other Harlots.  What emerged from the reformation and great protestant movement no more stayed purely aligned with their roots, as did the Catholic Church from the apostles who first gave it the light.  Over time, corruption entered the doors of the protestant faiths until they too adopted the ideas of “balance” and “self-reliance” in the method of our salvation.  In the times of the end, it is not just the mother of harlots that aligns herself with the power of the state to enforce her edicts over the conscience of men; it is her many harlot daughters who are equally content to do the same.  It can no longer be blamed on the Popes of the past or future who alone are thought to be responsible for what will transpire; for every protestant faith will also bear its share of blame in the coming woe.  None are exempt from the idea of using the law to enforce the ideas and edicts of men over the simple individual following of Jesus Christ alone.

The abomination of the compulsion of conscience is no longer reserved only to the mother church; it is shared by those who she gave birth to.  And it is not just one abomination that exists because of this woman, it is many.  She lies.  She thinks herself equal to God.  She kills those who dissent.  She persecutes and tries to force those who are weak in their beliefs to acquiesce to her demands.  She offers them sex, and perversion, and momentary pleasures that come from a whore, instead of the wholesome monogamy and intimacy that Christ would have desired for them.  She collects the fruit of her sexual promiscuity in her golden cup, and puts it on display proudly without shame or remorse.  She is content to be the mother of harlots.  She is content to be the purveyor of abominations upon the earth.  She has no shame, but much pride.

John continues in verse 6 … “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”  The first part of this text concludes the imagery associated with the false church, this woman of harlotry and now murder.  The woman is drunken.  The blood of the saints and martyrs for following Jesus Christ alone and not adhering to the edicts of men has not only been shed, it is has been drunk.  She has become inebriated with their blood, happy, giddy, joyful, relaxed, and engorged with the blood of those who follow Christ.  Murder is not a thing of disdain, or something to be avoided, it is to be embraced by her. 

Lest you believe you are immune to this kind of thinking, consider your own level of acceptance in embracing the ideas that to keep your faith pure, how many would you allow to die?  How many would you kill yourself, or allow others to kill for you, in order to preserve your church, your doctrines, your ideas.  Or how many “sinners” who remain unrepentant would you wish to see die?  How many homosexuals, or pregnant mothers heading into the abortion clinic, or atheists, or Satanists, or militant Christians carrying placards filled with hate speech, would you take pleasure in seeing meet their early demise?  The false churches take pleasure in these things.  The woman becomes drunk on blood.  Sure we could argue she is drunk on the blood of saints and martyrs not sinners.  But then which saint was not also a sinner?  Which of us was perfect from birth?  Who of us, did not require the intervention of Christ in order to think differently, love differently, and become someone else?  We have all sinned, we all need a Savior, and as such we are all sinners, and all re-created saints.  It is our blood this woman seeks.  Do you find yourself aligned with the ideas of seeking blood, or of redeeming it?

In the second part of this passage John states “when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”  John does not imply that he admires the whore for her grandeur, beauty, and wealth.  His admiration is in the mystery of her imagery and who she is.  It is a great mystery to him as to her identity.  He cannot immediately figure it out.  So this is the situation, the angel will rectify.  He continues in verse 7 saying … “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”  John being overwhelmed at the imagery presented was not the intent of this epilogue.  So the angel intends to decode the imagery so that John will understand better who she is, who the beast is, and what these things mean.  For the point of this epilogue is to understand what happens to the counterfeit and why the original is so much better.

The angel begins in verse 8 saying … “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”  The angel begins first with the beast.  The life cycle of the beast is first described.  The beast was, and is not.  Meaning the beast existed for a time and was powerful for a time, but then it lost its power.  After that loss of power, the beast will ascend out of the bottomless pit.  So after the loss of power, it gains again in influence throughout the world.  But the end result of the beast remains constant, it will again go into perdition.  The ultimate end of this beast is to be consumed in the lake of fire.  Those who have not embraced the salvation of Jesus Christ alone, who find their names are not written in the book of life, will “wonder” after this beast.  They will marvel at its ability to have regained so much power and influence after having lost it earlier.  They will embrace the ideas of this beast. 

John continues in verse 9 … “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.”  The angel here pretty much spells out to John in as clear a clue as possible, who this beast is, or rather where she is based.  The seven heads of the beast are the seven mountains, those where Rome is based.  The second beast has already been identified in previous chapters as the Papal power of the dark ages.  In this epilogue of false churches, the angel shows that when false ideas infect even a Christian church, it can become the tool of the enemy, the mother of harlots, and a beast raised by the dragon himself. 

Catholicism embraced using the power of the state to enact and enforce its edicts upon men.  Catholicism propagated the idea that one must have association in good standing within the church first, in order that salvation be achieved.  In that sense it made itself equal to Christ in the process of our salvation.  This beast carried power until the beheading of the Pope when its power was taken.  But Mussolini restored the Vatican city with its wealth and power back to the Roman church.  Since then it has only gained in power and influence around the world.  It is not the same persecuting entity it once was, but its underlying “blend” of actions required for salvation has never gone away.  Nor has the idea that church association in good standing is required as part of the process of our salvation.  Those who are not rooted in their salvation from Jesus Christ alone, have no problems with these ideas.  They see the charity and love of the current Pope as evidence that things have changed and the mixture of doctrines might not be so bad.  And in truth what the Pope espouses is not much different today than what any protestant church espouses, including your own.  Christian ideals are not a bad thing.  Love and charity are not a bad thing.  But to mask the idea that self continues to play a role in our salvation is the fundamental premise that turns a church of Christ, into a church of His enemy.  This is not a condemnation of Catholics, or Protestants, or sinners in general – it is an exposition by the angel of what constitutes the counterfeits Satan promulgates in ANY ideology.

John continues in verse 10 … “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. [verse 11] And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. [verse 12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [verse 13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”  Frankly little is understood from these passages.  The seven kings are often interpreted as the 7 powers that ruled the world affecting the people of God.  Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and a blended United Nations style power (mixture of clay and iron described in the ten toes of the feet of the statue of Nebuchadnezzar to Daniel).  Five of them had fallen in the time of John, the sixth was in power then.  The ten kings which have received no power as of that time where John lived, could be interpreted as the members of the UN security council.  They are said to represent the great powers of this world in the current times.  The eighth kingdom, being connected with the previous seven, is a worldwide power and will exist in the light of the Mark of the third beast.  This is often interpreted as the kingdom of the antichrist, or the time when Satan has direct rule over the planet just prior to the return of Christ.

The idea of having the UN security council align itself with the image of the beast, and enact a worldwide series of edicts that restrict commerce unless the mark of the third beast is accepted is not that farfetched.  Keep in mind, the computer systems needed to run the finances of the world are already chiefly run by the United States today.  Should Satan impersonate the return of Christ, and Allah, and Buddha, and Ganesh, and the Messiah, how quickly might he align the nations of the world under a single banner with his leadership at its front.  The ideas of having a one-world-government, or having the ten powers of “one mind” in offering their allegiance to the beast under these conditions is quite predictable.  The most important characteristic here remains the same, it is the alignment of worldly powers of the state, to enforce the religious edicts of man to compel the conscience that is at issue.  Once these ideas have been accepted on a worldwide basis, the fate of the great whore will have been decided, and the false churches, even the ones bearing the name of Christ, will be sent into perdition.

John continues in verse 14 … “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”  The Armageddon war to end all wars will be waged by these 10 powers, by this worldwide coalition against the Lamb, but they will not prevail.  The counterfeit cannot compete with the original.  The plagues recently described are to be poured out upon the evil in this world.  The false churches, even those who carry the name of Christ, will experience the results of those plagues.  It is not the name of Christ that will protect people from the final seven plagues, it is the following of Christ, the dependence upon Christ alone for our salvation, that will determine whether we are truly His, or only borrowing and blaspheming His name.  Those who by declaration, or by refusing a full surrender to Christ, have adopted the Mark of the Third Beast, will see firsthand the wrath of God’s judgments, the full consequences of their choices revealed in the final plagues upon evil in the world.  The angel revealing these things to John was one of those who carried these plagues.

John continues in verse 15 … “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”  The ideas spread by all of the false churches of Satan are worldwide.  They are not constricted to a particular set of doctrines, or peoples, or geographies, but instead have infected the entire planet.  Religions who plainly deny the divinity of Christ share the same self-reliant ideas of salvation as those who do carry His name.  John continues in verse 16 … “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. [verse 17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.”  If we interpret the ten horns as being the powers defined by the UN security council, then it would seem to indicate that religions who do not carry the name of Christ are to be hated and persecuted by these powers.  The kingdom of the beast (whether the second of Papal origin, or the third of likeminded Protestant origin) is to have the allegiance of the final 10 powers upon the world.  In short, those who do not unite under the banner of the antichrist and his impersonations of worldwide religious leaders are to feel the wrath of the 10 powers.  The compulsion of the conscience remains the key principle upon which all of this is based, and upon which the kingdom of Satan is founded.

John concludes this epilogue in verse 18 saying … “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”  The woman or false church remains aligned inextricably with the power of the state to rule over the kings of the earth.  Her fate was decided in the previous chapters.  Her identity was revealed in this one.  She is the counterfeit.  She is the seeds planted long ago.  She is the introduction of self-reliance into the process of our salvation and of our perfection that dominates the religions of the world, and has even infected the Christian religions as well.  She retains the altered ideas of balancing self-love with love for others.  She makes sense.  She is more logical, and more alluring.  The pleasure of self after all seems like quite a wondrous thing.  But she is a lie.  She is a mystery of choosing death over life, of choosing pain over happiness and contentment, of choosing slavery over real freedom. 

The angel who carried one of the final plagues upon this world takes time to speak to John, so that he will see the fate of the counterfeit over the original.  He speaks to John, in the time of John, so that John is not seduced by the ideas of control and power that already infect the church of Rome who carries the name of Christ.  The seduction of self-reliance that leads to a quest for power, control, and wealth will inevitably take over the church with the name of Christ and turn it into the mother of harlots, so that no church carrying Jesus’ name will be immune to these counterfeit ideas.  All will succumb to the notion of compelling the conscience of others, and challenging their identity as followers of Jesus Christ alone.  The daughters of the harlot will be no better than their mother.  The abominations wreaked by these counterfeit ideas will lead to the destruction described earlier.  The union of church and state to enforce these religious compulsions will not end, until the return of King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

But there is one more epilogue and epitaph to be written …

 

A Small Scroll, An Open Book ...

Near the end of the sounding of the sixth trumpet outlined in John’s book of Revelations of Jesus Christ is presented a new scene and description of events.  Indeed in what has been foretold of 3 great woes in the sounding of the last 3 trumpets; it is this scene that takes place BEFORE the second woe is completed.  Based on our earlier examination in the study of the series of the seven trumpets then, the timing for what John is going to reveal here must be near “the last days”.  Whether the sixth trumpet is to be interpreted in a political, or spiritual, or modernistic method; all interpretations point to a time period in the mid 1800’s that continues till Jesus returns, the central idea being it is a last message that goes out prior to the permanent establishment of kingdom of our Lord.  So as we examine what John reveals to us of Jesus Christ within chapter 10 of his book of Revelations, we find a sense of urgency for us as readers, for it appears this message is directed more to those who live on the earth in the last days before He returns.

John begins in verse one saying … “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:”  John here refers to an angel, a mighty angel coming down from heaven.  The description of this angel is reminiscent of Christ.  His face shining as the sun, his feet as pillars of fire, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow upon his head – all indicators and descriptions of Jesus as outlined in other passages.  However, John knows Jesus personally.  John has Jesus revealed to him in the form of the Lamb of God in an earlier vision.  He has seen Jesus glorified as the Son of God walking amidst the candlesticks and delivering messages of love and redemption to His churches in the earlier visions recorded in this book.  So given that John knows Jesus in His earthly form, and has seen Him in His divine form, it is possible that this is a different angel coming to our world, and not Jesus Himself.  Perhaps the angel descending is Gabriel who had replaced Lucifer when he abandoned his post as angelic leader.  Lucifer at one time was the third highest created being second only to the Godhead.  He was at one time chief servant of all, and lead servant of the most high.  With that proximity to God the Father, His countenance might well have an effect on those who are near Him.  When Moses returned from Mt. Sinai, his hair was white, and face carried a radiance that did not originate within him, but was reflected by him as he had been in the presence of our God.  So too might this angel having been so close to God, might be reflecting characteristics of the Most High in his assigned mission to our world.

John continues in verse 2 … “And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,”  The mighty angel carries to our world a little book, that is both open and unsealed.  Unlike the book John earlier described that was sealed seven times, this one is made open to begin with.  The destination of the angel is to put his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth.  This may indicate that the message contained in this open book will be one of world-wide consequence.  It is not intended only for a small group, but for all of our world, across every sea.  There are those who believe the open book is a representation of the Bible.  However the designation “little” might preclude this idea.  But perhaps a particular book within scripture, perhaps the previously sealed up book or prophecies of Daniel that are a part of scripture (i.e. small), but not the whole of it, might be the message that is here conveyed.

John continues in verse 3 … “And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. [verse 4] And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”  This is most unfortunate.  When engaged in the study of our God, the more information we have, the more details we have, the more we want.  We can and will spend an eternity getting to know who our God truly is, and trying to grasp the enormity of His love.  Here, John alone is privileged to know the meaning of the messages contained in the seven thunders.  What might they have said?  What clarity might they have added to this vision?  What might the world, and our faith have benefited from the revealing of what now will become secrets to us?  The seven thunders were preceded by a loud cry (as when a lion roars).  There is no clear discernable message in the loud cry, other than perhaps like the trumpets to garner our attention.  Perhaps it is designed to wake us from our spiritual slumber to the reality of our position in the soon ending fabric of time.

John continues to relay what he witnesses in verse 5 … “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, [verse 6] And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:”  First, it is worthy to note that we humans are forbidden to sware by anything in heaven or earth.  To do so, is to attempt to make a promise fueled by our own will, determination, and control.  Since we control nothing, we are to simply let our “yes” be yes, and our “no” be no.  This angel however, seems to want to call our attention to the source of his mission.  He points out in his oath, the nature of the God his declaration is coming from.  God, as his oath attests, is the God who “lives forever”.  God is immortal and the source of all life.  It is God who FIRST created heaven and the things that are there.  BEFORE we were created, before this world was transformed from a dark asteroid in the void of space that was without purpose into the blue green orb of abundant life that it is today; God created heaven and its inhabitants.  Angels predate mankind.  The other sentient life forms John describes as the four beasts predate mankind.  The city of heaven predates mankind.  Lucifer and the fallen angels predate mankind.  Creation is NOT isolated to us alone, but is instead a characteristic and manifestation of the love of God that has existed as long as God has.

Those who believe the big bang theory happened on day one of our creation are likely a bit misguided.  “Let there be light” might well have been about the positioning of our planet out of the void of deep space and into a solar system or galaxy where light would be present to the face of our world.  But as creation predates mankind, so too could a different declaration of the separation of light from darkness would have been the result of our God’s power many eons before our existence came to be.  And for those who would restrict the power of our God, who is to say, that the creation of “this” universe is the “only” universe He may have made?  Perhaps like the innumerable cells that make up our bodies, this universe is only one of many collections of galaxies that make up a greater vision of what existence means than what we are today able to discern. 

But as the oath of this mighty angel points out, creation did not end in the broader universe, or in heaven.  It continues in the creation of “this” world, and of “these seas”, of the life that exists in both of them.  It is interesting that the angel identifies the 2 traits of God that can quickly distinguish Him as God.  He is immortal and the source of all life, and He has demonstrated His unique ability to bring into existence the contents of His imagination and creativity.  The life He creates, becomes the object of His love.  He cares for His creations, loves them, and shares with them the joy of learning to love others.  It is these 2 characteristics that Satan is always attempting to get mankind to deny, in order that they quit believing in an all-powerful, all-loving God.  Satan attempts to deny that God created life, and that God is the author of this world in particular.  If evolution can supplant creation, then the “need” for a God disappears into the random abyss of meaninglessness, and the worship of self can be elevated and unrestrained.

After describing the nature of the God who this angel takes his oath by, he declares that there should be time no more.  If we were to ponder this text for a deeper meaning, we must ask ourselves, in the light of eternity and a God who made life to be infinite through His power, does “time” still have any relevance?  There may come a day, or a point in our existence, when measuring the linear passage of seconds on a clock, or rotations of planets around a sun that have no end, is not still something we spend any attention on any longer.  Will you really celebrate your 10 thousandth birthday with the same vigor as your 50 millionth birthday, or 50 billionth?  At what point do birthday celebrations lose their meaning when you retain the perfection of agelessness, when you cannot discern the difference between parent, child, grandparent, or 7-generations decedent?  The relevance of time may be changed when our minds truly understand what it means to see His gift of life in us on an eternal basis.

But more likely in this context, the angel is declaring that there should be time no more for a specific purpose.  Whatever the delay has been, whatever the period of time that was allocated for a particular purpose, that purpose has reached its fruition.  John then reveals the contents of the angel’s declaration, “time is no more” and in verse 7 the angel further states … “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”  This declaration appears to be one of great hope for us.  It identifies that in the days of the seventh angel, the angel who is intended to sound the seventh trumpet.  We will read later about the events that occur when the seventh trumpet is blown, but most all interpretations identify the seventh of any of these series as the permanent establishment of His kingdom.  This message however is targeted in the days of the seventh angel, and only as he “begins” to sound.  So prior to His second coming and return to take us home, something is about to occur.  “The mystery of God should be finished” as he had declared it to his servants the prophets. 

I believe the “mystery” of our God, is His ability to create, or more precisely in our case, to re-create in us what has been broken by our choice to embrace evil.  I believe it is a mystery to us, how we can be remade at all, because we do not perform any work at it, at all.  It is His work.  It is His love that sees us transformed by His power.  All we do is permit it.  But in so doing, we see ourselves transformed from the sin craving self-loving degenerates we are, into a harmony with His law, and His love for others we have never truly known before.  It is the work of our perfection He offers to us.  This is a work only He can perform.  This is a mystery to us, because we cannot comprehend how His love could have this effect in us.  We cannot comprehend why love would do this for us.  We cannot comprehend the extent to which we will be remade and how different we will think and want and do. 

The mystery of our God is His power to redeem and reconcile unto Himself, in the perfection of His love, you and I who today know only the pain of our lives of slavery to self.  This was the promise of our God to His servants the prophets who carried his messages of love to this world.  The prophets carried His attempts to see us redeemed unto Himself.  Every message, even those of the great consequences of our disobedience were designed to call us to repentance that we might accept His gift of our salvation, and see ourselves embrace perfection before it is too late.  This is a gift we should long to receive right here and right now, without any delay.  For it is His gift, that frees us and gives us a life worth living, both now and forever. To delay receiving that gift, is to deny ourselves what is truly in our own best interests, to deny ourselves the freedom to love, and the joy that comes in the loving.  It is not just the absence of sin that is our goal, but in its place is the immeasurable joy of relationships founded on unselfish love.  We have yet to imagine how good, “good” really is.  We struggle so much against our sins, we have not the imagination to know what it is like to be freed from them, and see what was intended in its true light.

John continues in verse 8 … “And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.”  It is important to note, that the direction to go and take the book from the angel comes for the voice in heaven, presumably Jesus Christ.  The attainment of this book, the opening and discovery of this book, is being directed to occur from the voice in heaven.  John continues in verse 9 … “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”  At this point the conversation shifts from hearing the voice in heaven, to discussing with the angel what has been directed.  John asks for the book, and the angel tells him to “eat it up”.  In effect to open this small scroll (perhaps the prophecies of Daniel which until now have been sealed up and little understood), and “dive in” to it.  John is to study this book.  What follows is an analogy of what will occur as John follows the directions given to him.

The angel predicts that the book will be sweet as honey in John’s mouth.  Or in other words, the first response to the opening and understanding of the prophecies of Daniel will bring John great joy.  But this will be followed by bitterness in the stomach.  Upon digesting what was thought to bring great joy, follows greater disappointment.  It is not that Daniel was wrong, mistaken, or attempting to conceal bad news.  The problem which has occurred many times in history, and likely continues in our day, is that we may first misinterpret the meaning of prophetic scriptures and thus find ourselves disappointed.  The Pharisees were bitterly disappointed when the Messiah came with a mission of peace, instead of sword to drive out the Roman oppressors.  We modern Christians sometimes too become equally disappointed when we realize our own efforts to see us rid of sin, fail repeatedly.  We prefer the control of our own salvation, but come to the realization we have no control at all.  We are wholly dependent on Christ to be MADE free from sin, and are unable to make ourselves free of anything. 

Despite the prediction from the angel, which should be as clear as any revelation given to John … he continues writing in verse 10 … “And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”  What the angel had just predicted came to pass exactly as proscribed.  Knowledge of the outcome must also have been doubted or ignored, as nothing was done to change what was predicted.  The “loud cry” of the early 1800’s messages that was preached and taught around the world at nearly the same time, had a consistent message.  The interpretation of the Daniel prophecies led to the conclusion that the cleansing of the Sanctuary would be the return of Christ.  As study evolved, a specific date was selected upon which this event would occur.  Knowledge of the outcome did NOT prevent the “sweet as honey” in our mouths message from going out.  People ignored this analogy.  The bitterness of disappointment that was to follow was ignored or doubted or disregarded.  Christ had said that “no man knows the hour” except His Father in heaven.  Yet a worldwide message was taught naming exactly the day in which His return would occur.

The timing of the prophecies was correct, but the interpretation was not.  The same was true of the Messiah on His first appearing.  He came on schedule.  But He did not come as political conqueror, He came as spiritual conqueror.  He came to show us how to enter His kingdom, not the change the temporary governments of this world.  The interpretation of the cleansing of the temple occurred on schedule, but it did not result in the cleansing of this world.  It had a different context.  It had a different interpretation.  We were warned of our disappointment.  But we paid no heed.  We took the book, ate it, and found it sweet in our mouths.  But in our stomach, came the bitterness of our neglect of the warnings and prediction of the inevitable outcomes.  And still, to this day, various churches, groups, denominations, continue to try to predict the exact day of His return.  They live lives of anticipation, always looking forward, but failing to see a change in their day to day behavior.  And inevitably the council of Christ is ignored, “no man knows the hour”.  Despite calling ourselves Christians, we ignore our leader, and predict His return anyway.  You would think we would learn.  But attempts to lead, and teach scripture, sometimes see us get ahead of Christ, and like all those who came before, we fail.

People wanted to believe the 1844 message.  People wanted to think they knew how much time they had left.  But they did not.  We do not.  It is not for us to live as if a certain future date is when our hopes will be realized.  It is for us to see our hopes fulfilled TODAY.  We can experience the beauty of salvation right here and right now.  We can find the freedom of His re-creation of us right now.  We do not have to look forward to tomorrow or any other date certain.  We can see His redemption in us today.  We prefer the known to the unknown.  We prefer the certain to the things that require our faith.  We prefer control to dependence.  Interpretations of prophecies that give us the feeling of certainty, can take away our dependence on Christ to know “His truth”.  The problem is that we have not learned submission, we have learned to prefer taking control.  But it is our self-deception about the notion of control, that sees us remain bound in slavery to self.  To submit, to let go, is to be made free by His power.  This was the lesson to learn from what history has shown us of the 1844 “great disappointment”.

The angel then gives a message of hope to John at the conclusion of this vision as he continues in verse 11 … “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”  Perhaps the angel referred to the idea that “prophesy” itself, the study and interpretation of John’s revelations, would once again emerge as important in the last days.  I am sure John would have preferred a more literal interpretation that he might be resurrected to reveal to us the messages bound in those thunders he was told not to disclose as yet.  But in our day, is there any who would accept the idea that the apostle had risen from the dead?  Do we even think it possible?  As it is, we are skeptical by nature of all those who claim the “gift” of prophecy.  We doubt them, because we doubt ourselves, and our own lack of faith that could see the gift in us.  We judge the messenger before we listen to the message, almost of incapable of separating the two.  Yet all Biblical authors would pale in the spotlight of the misdeeds done throughout their lives.  To open ourselves to the ideas of prophecy in our day, even when it does not conflict with scripture but rather amplifies it, seems almost unfathomable.  Yet the angel foretells it.

Are we to repeat our mistakes in ignoring the predictions of sweet taste, and bitter stomachs?  The angel foretells prophecy being important again.  Are we to doubt this prediction as we have done so often before?  If we are to trust in our God, then we must trust in what He says.  It does not matter if it makes sense to us.  It does not matter if we can see the feasibility of it, or not.  It only matters that He does not lie, and has never been wrong.  To that end, we who live in the days of the beginning of the sounding of the seventh angel, are to see the mystery of God fulfilled in us.  When this occurs, to prophecy is only to reveal what has been revealed to us.  His gift is more than we can imagine.  But the second woe was not completed as yet …