Tribulation Outtakes

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● Matt 24:21 . . For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-- and never to be equaled again.

Some of the individual events in the book of Revelation may not seem all that significant by themselves, but when the entire scenario is compiled, the era depicted becomes spectacular.
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● Rev 6:5 . . And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: Come! And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

Scales (a.k.a. balances) were mechanical devices used in the application of commercial weights and measures. Modern electronic scales are quite a bit more sophisticated.

The black horse in this case indicates hunger. (compare the pale horse's assignment in Rev 6:8)

● Rev 6:6a . . And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying: A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of of barley for a denarius;

The Greek word translated "measure" is roughly equal to 1.09 liters or 2.3 US pints. The denarius is widely assumed to have been equivalent to a day's pay for soldiers and/or laborers.

It's a pretty good guess that what we're looking at is hand-to-mouth existence due to inflationary pricing caused by the simple fact that there just won't be enough to go around; for example:

"When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied." (Lev 26:26)

● Rev 6:6b . . do not damage the oil and the wine!

Oil made from olives was common in just about everybody's kitchen and served as a shortening. (cf. 1Kngs 17:8-12) Wine was a common first aid treatment, likely due to its alcohol content (e.g. Luke 10:34) and also useful as a sedative (Prov 31:6-7)

NOTE: The oil used in Luke 10:34 was likely an essential oil rather olive, e.g. Myrrh, Clove, and/or Frankincense.
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● Rev 6:7-8 . .When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say: Come!

. . . I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

* The lethal sources listed are common throughout the world today; but never have they harvested so many souls as they will in the future. For example:

The current global population is roughly 7,964,189,000 i.e. 7.96 billion. By the time Mr. Death finishes his work, something like 1.99 billion of those people would be rubbed out by war, hunger, disease, and the animal kingdom; which consists of a fair number of poisonous species along with toxic critters like vampire bats and mosquitoes.

* In perspective: 1.99 billion people adds up to nearly 6x the USA's current population.

We don't usually notice someone's passing unless they're famous or one of our friends, associates, and relatives. Well; when Mr. Death goes to work, the dead will be all around us and impossible to overlook. I rather suspect funeral homes will be overwhelmed; if open for business at all.

And ER? Well, it's Mr. Death's intention that people die rather than survive, so I should think that any and all medical attention the hospitals are able to provide will be quite ineffective, viz: they'll likely serve as morgues instead of treatment centers.
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● Rev 6:12 . . I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red

Astronomically, that depicts a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse simultaneously; which nature by itself cannot produce due to specific alignment requirements.

● Rev 6:13 . . and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.

Those will likely be shooting stars (a.k.a. meteors) and possibly asteroids too, rather than solar bodies like Polaris, Sirius, Betelgeuse, and/or Rigel which would cause impacts that the Earth simply cannot accommodate due to its Lilliputian size compared to the mass of those kinds of celestial objects. Many of the stars seen in the sky are quite a bit larger than the Sun; whose diameter is 109x and its volume 1,300,000x the Earth's.

● Rev 6:14a . .The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up

Whether that pertains to the entire cosmos or limited to the Earth's atmosphere is uncertain, although it does seem a preview of Rev 20:11.

● Rev 6:14b . . and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

No doubt previous centuries of theologians were curious about that prediction, but thanks to the relatively new science of plate tectonics, we now know that the movement of mountains and islands has been occurring all along; just not as noticeable as the shuffle depicted by Rev 16:14b.

Anyway, those events will quite naturally cause a world-wide panic.

● Rev 6:15-17 . . .Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks: Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?
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● Rev 8:7 . .The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

There's quite a bit of destruction depicted in that verse; and I suspect it's all aimed at agriculture.

First a portion of the soil's organic material is destroyed which will greatly impact its fertility.

Next a portion of the trees are destroyed so that foods derived from trees-- e.g. nuts, and fruits-- will become in short supply.

And finally all the green grass; which is translated from words that suggest crops will be just starting to mature and produce grain, e.g. corn, beans, wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rice; et al.

* Rice is a staple food for over ½ of the world's human population, particularly in Asia and Africa.

NOTE: Although crops will be burned, they'll bounce back. (Rev 9:1-4)

Anyway, when the availability of food stuffs is limited; demand exceeds supply; and with that prices go up.
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● Rev 13:4 . . And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast: and they worshipped the Beast, saying: Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?

* The Dragon is identified at Rev 12:9 as the Serpent, the Devil, and Satan; so there can be no doubt who this creature really is. (cf. Rev 20:2)

It's quite possible that the people of that day will honestly believe the Beast is empowered by a divine being; and unaware they are actually giving glory to a demonic being instead. For example:

● 2Thess 2:9-12 . . .This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.

Worship of the Beast will be universal, mandatory, and strictly enforced regardless of age, race, gender, and/or ethnic identity-- a one-world mega religion that blows all others out of the water, e.g. Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Baha'i, Buddhism, etc.
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● Rev 13:5a . . And there was given unto the Beast a mouth speaking great things

That's pretty much describes the rhetoric of most every politician, viz: promises of a better world under the auspices of their own administrative practices.

● Rev 13:5b . . and blasphemies

In this scenario, the Beast is God's political opponent, no doubt scoffing at the notion of Christ's return to rule the world.

Well political opponents in today's world make it their mission in life to destroy the other guy's reputation and call into question his motives. I suspect the Beast's tactics will be no different because it's to his advantage to emphasize the old God's perceived faults and failures and show how himself as the new God can do a much better job managing the world's affairs.

"He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God." (2Thess 2:3-4)

NOTE: I would imagine that a first order of business for the Beast will be to come up with a plausible explanation for the world-wide extraction described by 1Thess 4:13-18 wherein nigh unto 2,000 years of deceased Christians will appear out of thin air all over the globe and join those alive to go up and rendezvous with Christ in the clouds.
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● Rev 13:5c . . and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Prophetic months aren't the same as calendar months. Prophetic months are thirty days each; so that forty-two such months add up to 1,260 days, i.e. 3½ prophetic years, e.g. Rev 11:2 & Rev 12:6

Prophetic months are sort of like a baker's dozen. Though a baker's dozen isn't a dozen of twelve; it's nonetheless a dozen in its own right: the same with mean solar time vs sidereal time, and true north vs magnetic north.

* Scripture introduces prophetic months in Genesis relative to the Flood where a period of five months adds up to exactly 150 days.
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● Rev 13:7-8 . . And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Because we're talking about all kindreds, and tongues, and nations; then I think we may safely assume that the "saints" in this case are possibly anyone and everybody that can be counted as loyal to God; both Jew and Gentile. This may or may not refer to armed conflict but for sure it's related to oppression; and it's going to be very effective if we reckon these saints to be the innumerable crowd depicted at Rev 7:9-17.

The Beast's management practices are extreme, but not all that unusual. Take for example modern communist China. It's very dangerous to be openly religious in that country, and/or hold values that differ with the regime's, where they harvest the organs of Falun Gong adherents without their consent. The situation in North Korea is little better where God is second place to Kim Jong-Un.

* The Lamb slain "from the foundation of the world" reveals that Jesus wasn't a stand-by paramedic sent to an unexpected train wreck, rather; he was designated, and scheduled, to die on a cross for the sins of the world prior to God creating even a single atom for the current cosmos. (cf. 1Pet 1:18-21)
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● Rev 13:8 . . All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast— all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the world.

Everything is a foregone conclusion with God; nothing surprises Him. God foresaw the forbidden fruit incident, He foresaw Cain and Abel, He foresaw the Flood, He foresaw the Tower of Babel, He foresaw Sodom and Gomorrah, He foresaw the Holocaust, He foresaw all the folks who won't bow to the Beast, and He has seen the Lake of Fire and the end of the world as we know it.

There are no new believers to God. He's already foreseen every one of them back at the very beginning just as He's seen everything else ahead of time before it comes to pass. Ergo: if somebody's name isn't already in the lamb's book of life, then their name is never going to be in there.

● Eph 1:3-5 . . Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in him before the creation of the world . . . in love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.

* Unfortunately, Bible students sometimes overlook "in him" and "through Jesus Christ" when they read that verse and end up concluding God arbitrarily predestined certain folks to become His kin.
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● Rev 13:9 . . He who has an ear, let him hear.

This particular ear refers to paying serious attention rather than merely auditory perception. For example:

● Deut 29:2-5 . . Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them:

. . .Your eyes have seen all that The Lord did in Egypt to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. With your own eyes you saw those great trials, those miraculous signs and great wonders. But to this day The Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear.

In other words: Moses' people were attentive to God's providence; and at times even took it for granted, but were indifferent to His counseling-- oftentimes His words went in one ear and right out the other, so to speak. Samuel was just the opposite.

● 1Sam 3:20 . . And Samuel grew, and The Lord was with him, and did let none of His words fall to the ground.

During the awful circumstances depicted and described in the book of Revelation, quite a few folks are going to wake up and begin looking to the Bible for answers. I'm guessing it will be difficult, and dangerous, trying to locate copies as I suspect the Beast will initiate something similar to Mao Zedong's cultural revolution and/or Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 to eradicate competing ideologies.

Nevertheless; just as certain agencies at the Federal level have failed to totally suppress so-called misinformation relative to the Covid thingy, so the Beast will fail to prevent every last ear from hearing.
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● Rev 13:9-10 . . If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

I think that just might be a reiteration of the perseverance and the faith of Job; where it's said:

"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." (Job 1:22)

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15

That of the prophet Habakkuk:

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in The Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (Hab 3:17-18)

And that of the apostle Paul:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." (Rom 8:35-36)

It's generally agreed among conservative Christians that no saved person will enter the Tribulation; but there will be a large number of lost souls saved out of it; though at great cost to their welfare. They mustn't allow their misfortunes during that era to persuade them that they've bought into a fraud.

* Believers are not a protected species; nor are they insulated from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

When there's a pandemic, they get sick the same as everybody else. When there's war, they get caught up in it. When there are economic catastrophes like the Great Depression and the housing bubble of 2008, they lose their jobs and sometimes their nest eggs. When there are shortages of goods and services, they have to make do with what there is the same as everybody else. When the weather becomes disagreeable with tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding, they lose their homes right along with non believers. Wild fires in California burn the homes of believers the same as everybody else's homes. Believers get cancer, they get in car wrecks, they get taken by crime, nature drops tree limbs on them, and the postman delivers their mail to the wrong address, etc. etc. etc.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say:
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
(Horatio P. Spafford, 1828-1888)
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● Rev 13:11 . . .Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.

This particular beast will be, from all appearances, a seemingly harmless individual, viz: he won't have the look of a menace.

For example; German SS officer Heinrich Luitpold Himmler had the look of a classic Mr. Milquetoast; but underneath that facade was an unbelievable capacity for cruelty, subterfuge, and murder on a grand scale. In other words: you couldn't tell at first glance that Himmler was a monster in whose opinion human lives are inconvenient.
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● Rev 13:11-17 . . .Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth . . . and he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men . . . he deceived the inhabitants of the earth and ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast . . . He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be executed.

The dimensions of the image aren't given but I should think it will be large enough to be imposing.

For example: side by side statues of former North Korean leaders Kim IL Sung and Kim Jong IL, located on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, are 22 meters (72+ feet) tall. If one of those statues ever came to life, it would make quite an impression because something that big would be very difficult to fake for even a top-notch magician like David Copperfield.

* The Greek word translated "beast" refers to dangerous animals as opposed to peaceful critters like goats, sheep, prairie dogs, and squeaky little gerbils.
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● Rev 14:6-7 . . And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, announcing with a loud voice: Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The everlasting gospel is a bounce from the very first chapter of Genesis; and reiterated at Ps 19:1-4 and Rom 1:19-20. It's very elementary; pretty much all it says is:

1) There's a supreme being.

2) People should not take Him lightly.

3) He deserves to be revered, honored, and respected.

4) There's a reckoning looming on the horizon.

5) The cosmos-- all of its forms of life, matter, and energy --is the result of intelligent design.
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● Rev 14:9-12 . . A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.

. . . He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.

The holy city depicted at Rev 21:9-27 will never experience nightfall nor darkness. On the basis of that, some have proposed that Rev 14:9-12 is entirely symbolic because it says that the folks assigned to the burning sulfur will be given no rest day or night in a place where supposedly there will be no night.

However "in the presence of" doesn't necessarily mean the site of the burning sulfur is located inside the city's walls, mostly because Rev 21:27 says: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." And also Rev 22:14-15 which says: "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

Though there will be neither day nor night inside the city that doesn't preclude the possibility that there will be day and night outside. At an rate; I think we have to expect there will be no breaks in the torment but that it will be perpetual 24/7/365 with neither intermission, nor interruption, nor time off for good behavior. That will be an awful scene; quite possibly a rather ghastly tourist attraction. (Isa 66:23-24)

● Rev 14:12 . .This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.

People will find themselves caught in a sort of Catch 22, so to speak. If they follow the Beast, they'll be safe from execution but end up in the sulfur. If they follow God and His son Jesus, they'll be safe from the sulfur but end up executed.

● Rev 14:13 . . .Then I heard a voice from heaven say: "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."

One of the deeds sure to follow those folks is their decision to remain true to God and His son Jesus instead of following the Beast. (cf. Matt 10:22)
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● Rev 16:3 . .The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died.

Fresh blood is tolerable as far as odor goes, whereas the blood of a dead man is in a state of putrefaction; and then adding to that the carcasses and the stench of dead fish, and everything else, will make for quite a chowder to behold.

The Mediterranean is notable in the Bible; but whether that's the sea spoken of here is uncertain. However, in Gen 1:10 "sea" pertains to the entirety of Earth's oceans.

A rather curious sea is located at 1Kings 7:23-26 which suggests that any accumulation of water, whether in an ocean or on land, can be called a sea, e.g. ponds and lakes.

● Rev 16:4 . .The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

The two passages tell of water pollution on a scale quite a bit more severe than that of Egypt because this is global rather than limited to one specific country. Even so; Egypt's was pretty bad because there was no clean water anywhere for either cooking, drinking, laundry, hygiene, or sanitation. (Ex 7:19-20)
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● Rev 16:8-11 . .Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who sent all of these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.

. . .Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. And his subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they refused to repent of all their evil deeds.

Pharaoh stiffened his resolve during those miraculous events in the book of Exodus, but to my knowledge he never once cursed God. Well these folks in Revelation show just how hostile and militant the human heart can really get in its resistance to God's demands. Pretty amazing.
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● Rev 16:12 . . And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

That is curious because in modern warfare; rivers, and even oceans, present no obstacle to military aircraft. But where are the airplanes in Revelation; and where are all the mechanized conveyances? Well; there are none, and in point of fact, war in Revelation is portrayed as fought on horseback and armies move on foot. I have an uneasy feeling that the way of life with which us modern folks are accustomed is coming to an end.
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● Rev 16:13-15 . . Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

. . . Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.

There is much disagreement in our day as to signs indicating the extraction described by 1Thess 4:16-17, but the events depicted in Revelation are neither vague, typical, nor debatable. When all that stuff begins coming to pass, smart ones will be on the lookout for a really big surprise.

● Matt 24:27 . . For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

WHAM; on scene, locked and loaded.
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Rev 16:17-18 predicts a global earthquake so powerful on the Richter scale that cities all over the world will collapse at once.

Something like 2,829 lost their lives when the World Trade Center was demolished by a terrorist attack in 2001. Well that was only a few acres of New York City. Just imagine the body count when all of Manhattan comes down at once. along with other major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, et al. The carnage will be beyond belief; and a great many of the dead will be infants and underage children.

* The Bible says that we should consider not only God's benevolence, but also His severity. (Rom 11:22) Folks in the tribulation will be dealing with a someone in control far more terrifying than even the tyrants of North Korea, Communist China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the awful regimes in Africa.

● Heb 12:29 . . For our God is a consuming fire.

That's a quote from Deut 4:24 which, in context, doesn't describe God's physical characteristics, rather, it's a figure of speech illustrating rage: defined by Webster's as violent and uncontrolled anger. It's hard to imagine Christianity's divine patron ticked off to that extent, but there it is.

A consuming fire is one that cannot be extinguished, i.e. once it gets going, there's no stopping till all that's aflame is utterly destroyed, viz: an unquenchable conflagration.
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● Rev 16:21 . . And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

* Talents were gross units of gold weighing from 75-100 pounds. That would be a preposterous amount of gold to own in our day when it's current market value is nearly $2,000 an ounce, but not so bad back there when it was strictly money instead of traded as a commodity. Gold coins were common, but try to find one in somebody's pocket today.

Dropping lumps of ice that size from the sky all over the globe will be like a deadly implosion smashing, bashing, and crushing most everything it touches: homes, barns, super markets, strip malls, sports arenas, theaters, forests, pastures, crops, vehicles, etc. Noah's rainfall was likely pretty destructive too, but not like this. That was at least liquid; this will be solid.

The natural world will surely experience significant damage among the critters who live above ground, e.g. hogs, deer, elk, ducks, geese, turkeys, cows, mustangs, monkeys, gorillas, lions, tigers, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, butterflies, moths, tortoises, etc.

Just imagine being caught out in the open when that hail starts. Finding adequate shelter from such a bombardment of ice will be very difficult and no doubt frightened people will be shrieking and screaming in mortal panic.

Curiously, numbers of people will know the hail is from God but it won't persuade them to consider making peace with Him, instead; the hail will just make 'em angry.
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● Rev 19:19-21 . .Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

. . .The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The potent weapon proceeding from that person's mouth is speech; which causes me to wonder why more people weren't afraid of Jesus back in his day because if by speech he could cure leprosy then by speech he could've caused someone to come down with leprosy; and if by speech he could energize a crippled man's legs, then by speech he could've put somebody in a wheel chair; and if by speech he could restore someone's corpse to life, then by speech he could've made people drop dead to the floor; and if by speech he could cure blindness, then by speech he could've put people's eyes out; and if by speech he could multiply loaves and fishes, then by speech he could've caused famine; and if by speech he could calm a storm, then by speech he could've caused a hurricane, a typhoon, and/or a tornado.

David's combat with Goliath was an encounter that was possible for David to win; but I see no chance of anybody's success in a fight with Christ when he has at his disposal all the miraculous abilities of the supreme being who, according to the book of Genesis, created a fully functioning cosmos-- all its forms of life, matter, and energy --by nothing more than His voice.
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[NyawehNyoh]

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God's patience is long-suffering. However, He's wise enough to know when to say when and to stop throwing good money after bad, so to speak. For example:

● 2Thess 2:11-12 . . God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

In other words: there's coming a time when God's patience will reach its reasonable limits, and He will purposely, willfully, and deliberately make sure that a certain category of people during the Tribulation have no chance whatsoever to be spared the wrath of God.

Back when Noah was preparing the ark, no doubt his neighbors all mocked and poked fun at him as if he were a deranged soul going around with a sandwich board that reads: Repent; The End Is Near! But when the rain started, I bet those very same neighbors panicked and tried to get Noah to open up and let them in. But even had Noah wanted to; he couldn't. The hatch of the ark was sealed from the outside: and God was the only one on earth who could open it-- He chose not to.

● Rev 1:18 . . I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

● Rev 3:7 . .These are the words of him who is holy and true: who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
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● Rev 19:11-16 . . I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God.

. . . And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

** The winepress mentioned in that verse appears in Isa 63:1-6, and again in Rev 14:19-20.

The fierce wrath of God is interesting. For example:

● Isa 13:9 . . Behold, the day of The Lord comes-- cruel; with both wrath and fierce anger

The Hebrew word for "wrath" in that statement is pertains to an outburst of passion. In other words: the wrath of God won't be weeping big wet crocodile tears while it's slamming the dead at the Great White Throne event depicted at Rev 20:11-15; no, they will be terminated with extreme prejudice; viz: their judgment will be administered with choler.

Webster's defines "fierce" as a behavior exhibited by humans and animals that inspires terror because of the wild and menacing aspect of fury in attack. Ferocity is an aspect commonly seen among carnivorous beasts savagely attacking prey. There's neither sportsmanship nor sympathy in ferocity; only sheer terror, brutality, and blood lust.

"cruel" is defined as: disposed to inflict pain or suffering; viz: devoid of humane feelings

● Heb 10:27 . . A certain fearful expectation of . . . fiery indignation

"fiery indignation" is quite a bit more severe than ordinary indignation. It speaks of someone who is seriously ticked off; and so angry that they're actually red in the face.

There are people out there in pews all around the world who have been so coddled by sappy versions of Christianity that they have no concept of the magnitude of the lethal tsunami of rage and violence coming their way to get them.
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[NyawehNyoh]

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● Luke 21:25 . .There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.

I'd imagine that folks obsessed with climate change would find the roaring and tossing of the sea a useful political advantage. But of course down the road when that actually takes place, climate change will likely lose much of the popularity it currently enjoys as people will no doubt be far more interested in survival than politics.

● Luke 21:25 . . Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

That will be a very dangerous time for elder citizens as anxiety attacks can be fatal to folks in advanced age.
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[NyawehNyoh]

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Matthew 3:29 is often said to be "the" unpardonable sin. There are others; for example the mark of the Beast is lethal too.

● Rev 14:9-11 . . And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

. . . And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.

The world saw a sort of "mark of the beast" during the Covid 19 pandemic. In some areas folks risked the loss of their jobs, their careers, and their licenses to practice for refusing to accept a Covid vacc, and shoppers had to show proof of inoculation before they could even enter a store to purchase basic necessities. So we can be fairly certain the passage below is at the very least plausible.

● Rev 13:16-17 . . And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
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[Reformer]

"The Great Tribulation"

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be" [Matt. 24:21].

Most of you who has access to this column probably believe this "tribulation" is a future event, in spite of Jesus' forecast in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 that this terrible distress would occur in His generation, and did occur in A. D. 67-70 when the Roman Army destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish State.

Biblical scholarship, including Adam Clarke, understands "the whole world" in verse 14 as "the whole world" of the Roman Empire. [Compare Acts 17:6 & I Peter 5:9 on the "whole world."] Please note the symbolisms of Matthew 24.

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth" [or Roman Empire] will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" [Matt. 24:30-31].

1] The destruction of Jerusalem was such a terrifying example of divine judgment, described in terms like the "clouds of the sky and with power and great glory," that all the Jewish tribes mourned.
2] "His angels" [messengers] were the apostles and those who followed afterwards.
3] The "trumpet call" was the trumpet call of the Gospel, which was heard throughout the Roman provinces and beyond.
4] The "gathering of His elect" were the Gentiles who had been chosen for salvation, in place of the rebellious Jews.
5] It should be obvious to the logistic mind that the following warnings by Jesus relate to the destruction of Jerusalem, not to His second and final coming.

Verses 17 & 18— "Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak." Why? Because their time to escape the Roman Army would be limited.

Verse 19— "And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!" Why? To flee the Roman Army under such circumstances would almost be impossible.

Verse 20— "Pray that your flight [escape] may not be in winter or on a Sabbath." Why? Escaping the pending tribulation would be uncommonly difficult. Under such horrific conditions, "...let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" [V. 15].

Another interesting thought is recorded in Luke 21:28, the parallel chapter. Jesus spoke of the believers' deliverance or liberation—"redemption." This points to the flight out of Jerusalem and safety from the horrible calamity. This was a warning for believers to flee, as noted in verse 15 of Matthew

I think it is safe to say that Matthew 24 and Luke 21 do not refer to the second personal coming of our Lord, but rather to His coming in judgment upon the stiff-necked and rebellious Jewish nation. In light of this biblical evidence, it seems reasonable to conclude that the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish State are alluded to, which occurred in A. D. 67-70.

A little over 2,000 year ago a Jewish historian by the name of Josephus witnessed and recorded the war between the Roman Army and the Jewish people. The major part of the battle occurred in and around Jerusalem. The account by Josephus is almost an echo of the predictions of Jesus, as recorded in the 24th chapter of Matthew and the 21st chapter of Luke.

The war began in 67 A.D. and ended in 70 A.D. On August 10, 70 A.D., Jerusalem was stormed and what followed was a universal massacre of the Jewish people—1,100,000 perished, and 100,000 survivors were sold into slavery. Such was the "tribulation" our Lord prophesied of in verse 21.

[Amo]

Mat 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Our Lord was answering three questions. Christ did not return in 70 A.D., nor obviously did the world end at that time.

[Reformer]

Amo, Jesus came in judgement in A. D. 67-70 upon the rebellious Jews. He did not come personally.---Reformer.

[Amo]

Amo, Jesus came in judgement in A. D. 67-70 upon the rebellious Jews. He did not come personally.---Reformer.

Yes, He sent the Romans upon the rebellious Jews in 67-70 A.D.. Just like He sent the Babylonians unto judgment the first time the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by the judgments of God. In the future, Christ will come personally unto judgment to end the future tribulation God's people will go through.

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The above event is yet future, and tied directly to the resurrection at the rapture.

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

[Reformer]

AMO, please re-read the following.

1] The destruction of Jerusalem was such a terrifying example of divine judgment, described in terms like the "clouds of the sky and with power and great glory," that all the Jewish tribes mourned.
2] "His angels" [messengers] were the apostles and those who followed afterwards.
3] The "trumpet call" was the trumpet call of the Gospel, which was heard throughout the Roman provinces and beyond.
4] The "gathering of His elect" were the Gentiles who had been chosen for salvation, in place of the rebellious Jews.
5] It should be obvious to the logistic mind that the following warnings by Jesus relate to the destruction of Jerusalem, not to His second and final coming.

[Amo]

AMO, please re-read the following.

1] The destruction of Jerusalem was such a terrifying example of divine judgment, described in terms like the "clouds of the sky and with power and great glory," that all the Jewish tribes mourned.
2] "His angels" [messengers] were the apostles and those who followed afterwards.
3] The "trumpet call" was the trumpet call of the Gospel, which was heard throughout the Roman provinces and beyond.
4] The "gathering of His elect" were the Gentiles who had been chosen for salvation, in place of the rebellious Jews.
5] It should be obvious to the logistic mind that the following warnings by Jesus relate to the destruction of Jerusalem, not to His second and final coming.

We may all of course believe as we wish. It seems obvious to me, that the apostles asked our lord three distinct questions, and He answered them all.

Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

1. When shall these things be? That would be the destruction of the temple Jesus had just told them about.

2. What shall be the sign of thy coming?

3. And the end of the world?

Jesus answer encompassed far more than just the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

When did the above happen before 70 A.D.? Not just one or two examples, but the many that came claiming to be Christ and deceiving many before 70 AD?

Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

What examples do you present concerning all of the above before AD 70?

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

Who are the many false prophets who arose and deceived many before 70 AD?

Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

The gospel was not preached in all the world before 70 AD. Nor has it been yet to this day. Nor will it reach everyone until all the world is forced to either worship the beast, or worship our Lord. As the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ declared to His churches.

Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

If the above were just in regards to the literal destruction of the temple and Jerusalem up to 70 AD, the prophecy would not be true. Since even the Jews themselves have suffered worse persecution and tribulation since that time during the dark ages, and under the tribulation caused by Hitler and the Nazi's.

Mat 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

As you yourself have already admitted, Jesus did not personally return by 70 AD. Are you not then among those described above, if you contest that He came already by way of judgment in 70 AD? Are you saying He came but did not show himself? Isn't this basically the type of report that our Lord warned us against believing?

Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

When was the sun darkened before AD 70? When did the moon not give its light before AD 70? When did the stars fall from heaven, and the heavens shake before AD 70? When did our Lord appear, so that the earth mourned because they saw Him coming in the clouds with great power before AD 70? When did He send His angels to gather His elect from one end of heaven to the other before AD 70? Why would we believe this is all symbolic, when scripture elsewhere very likely written after 70 AD declares many of these same truths as pertaining to the future? Much of which was written in the book of Revelation for the church regarding a great many issues which most certainly did not transpire before 70 AD.

I can certainly agree that what happened to Israel and Jerusalem by 70 AD is a small type if you will, of what will happen on a global scale to all the unsaved when Christ returns. Seeing though, that the scriptures expound upon much of what our Lord answered concerning the three questions the apostles asked Him upon a universal or global scale for all of humanity, I cannot agree that such prophetic utterance was strictly regarding the Jews up 70 AD. I suppose we will just have to disagree upon this one. God bless. 

[NyawehNyoh]

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● Rev 12:1 . . A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the Sun, with the Moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

That sign is sometimes interpreted to indicate Jesus' mom; and I guess that's okay if the Bible reader happens to be a Catholic.

But it's far more likely the sign is taken from Joseph's dream (Gen 37:9) which Jacob interpreted as a reference to their clan, a.k.a. Israel.

"When he told it to his father and his brothers, his father reproved him and asked: What is the meaning of this dream of yours? Can it be that I and your mother and your brothers are to come and bow to the ground before you?" (Gen 37:10)

As the family's prophet, Jacob's inspired intuition instantly caught the dream's message; although it did make him a bit indignant. However, the olde boy didn't brush the dream aside because his prophetic insight told him there just might be something to it

The mother element of the family of Israel consists of a composite unity consisting of four biological moms-- Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah. So the logical conclusion is that the Moon's identity included all four women rather than limited to Joseph's mom alone; who at the time was already deceased.

Anyway: I'm guessing that what we're told by the sign is that in spite of the Dragon's best efforts, he has thus far failed to stop Christ from taking the reins. In other words: Christ is still on track to return and no one can stop him.

"She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod." (Rev 12:5a)

That would be a reference to the 2nd Psalm wherein Christ's opponents are soundly mocked as air heads; so to speak.

NOTE: I was baptized an infant into Roman Catholicism; and in time sat thru enough catechism to complete First Holy Communion and Confirmation.

Well; I must've been either asleep or absent the day when the nuns spoke of Christ's return to conquer the world because I cannot remember ever once hearing of it till I was 24 years old. The news was a shock not only because I was taken by surprise, but also because I instinctively knew that were I to stand before Christ for a face-to-face it would not go well for me because I had a lot to answer for.
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[NyawehNyoh]

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Down at the end of all with which we are familiar, the announcement below will be made.

● Rev 22:11 . . Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.

In other words: the people to whom those words pertain, will be stuck with who and  what they are with no chance of ever being any different. That's good news for the righteous and/or holy, whereas really bad news for folks who end up on the wrong side of things. The ones in the lake of fire will be forever unfit for anyplace else.
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