The Temple on Earth is Just A Copy!

There are so many living in Israel that are living for the day when the Temple will one day be rebuilt in Jerusalem. They are preparing for that day to happen even now, from researching the linage of the Levitical priests to the Red Heifer and all the Temple implements. But did you know that this Temple is merely a copy of the eternal Temple, the original that is in Heaven?

In order to understand the Book of Revelation, we need to know the Old Testament first. It is the only way you will make sense of what you read. It's not symbolic in nature as some would have you believe, but even the Jews today understand the references to the things found in the Book of Revelation, and it is why so many people today avoid reading it.

God gave Moses a construction permit long ago, to not only build the Ark of the Covenant, which Steven Speilberg replicated almost perfectly in Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark, but also for the Tabernacle or the Temple. It was a temporary one, laid out on a prescribed blue print based on the actual Temple that exists in heaven. If you want to research that further read Hebrews, chapters 8-10, and see that the Bible reveals that the Temple on earth is only a copy. Just like our salvation isn't based on temporary things but eternal ones in heaven that can't be destroyed. It is secure.

God's wrath is perfect and it is measured. Just as He is perfect. When He comes in judgment it won't be too long or too short. The Will of God is perfect in all its ways. From the temple, to the priest to the sacrifice.

Revelation 15:8 ~ "and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished."

In order to understand this we need to meditate on John 3:16.

"For God SO loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." ~ John 3:16.

God is love. Every one of us requires love to function. God SO loved us. Put the emphasis on the word "so" and read it again. It implies truly purpose and that is the point in this verse. God gave us His only begotten Son. He gifted us His most prized possession to save us. We are that "whosoever!" All we simply need to do is accept it. To understand what it is to "believe" means that whenever we sit down - we don't question whether it will support our weight and hold us up. We just accept that it will in faith. That is what it means to believe in Him.

Our world is pagan when we reject Christ. We are saying we want anything else but Jesus. What a sad state our world is in because of our rejection of Christ. It's not the president's fault but it is the matter of our own hearts growing hard against the gospel message of the only hope in this sin-filled world.

Hebrews 8:1-5 ~ "Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest (Jesus), one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, "See that you make everything according the the pattern that was show you on the mountain."

This is speaking of completeness. God showed Moses a pattern of the original that was in heaven. Don't mess with copies when you can go to the direct source. Only through Jesus and no other.

Hebrews 9:2-14 ~ "For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all side with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section performing their ritual duties, but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. But when Christ appeared as high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Jesus was offered up on the cross only once, that is why the Christian cross is empty, and it doesn't have Jesus on it. He did it once and for all, not to be repeated. On another note, verse 14 of Hebrews 9 mentions the Trinity in it.

Hebrews 9:14 ~ "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

What's this mean to us? Jesus not only lived a perfect life, but died the perfect death, dying as a sacrifice for all of our sins. The Bible says...

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 ~ " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation."

Run to God's presence every single day in perseverance.

God Always Keeps His Promises!

Sometimes when people ask us to make a promise, they are looking for assurance, a certainty that you will follow through on what you say. God always keeps His promises and His rainbow is evidence that He will never again destroy the world by flood. It will be fire when the world's end comes through His final judgment on the world. We are picking up our study through the Book of Revelation into Chapter 15, where we are understanding more about the worship of God and why we, as believers in Christ, should be doing it!

Besides it being that He's done great things, (1) He alone gives the song (vs3b), and (2) it is the right thing to do, (vs 3b), (3) it is the reasonable thing to do. (vs 4).

Who is so stupid as to not bow down and worship God? In the end, everything is going to burn, but will it cost you your soul?

Psalm 72:11 ~ "May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!"

Deuteronomy 16:16 ~ "Three times a year all your makes shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that the LORD will choose, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands so that you will be altogether joyful."

This is what the Lord told Moses to tell the people of Israel. They were not suppose to come before God empty handed.

Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 ~ "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the day of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh."

At the first Christmas, they came with gifts. In the Old Testament, we are taught not to come before God empty-handed, and that God deserves to be worshiped and praised. It is the worship of Jesus that is under attack in the world. Look at what happens every single Christmas. The number one thing that they attack is the hymns we sing to Jesus. Then comes the name of Jesus and even prayer. Jesus' life and ministry makes perfect sense - reasonable!

Philippians 2:9-11 ~ "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, n heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

That is why so many people are removing all mention of Christ at Christmas!!! It offends people so they resort to saying Happy Holidays, which is simply saying Happy Holy Day instead. Look at how Daniel stood up to those who wanted him to stop praying, we need to be the same.

4. It is the lasting thing to do because worship is eternal. It will last long after we are gone.

Revelation 15:4 ~ "For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

This verse simply means "I saw your judgments and in the end, they are exactly fair and right and perfect, I must agree with them, it's perfect.

Isaiah 45:22-23 ~ "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a world that shall not return;"

The Wrath of God, He's Just. We can't understand wrath, it's a God thing! His wrath is just because it is perfect, holy and fair.

Revelation 15:5-7 ~ "After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever,"

Heaven has only one temple that matters, all the others on earth are simply copies. The bowls resemble gold mining pans and the angels are holding the contents of what is inside them carefully not to touch it. This is the worst of all the judgments coming to the earth from God.

We need to remember that God is not emotional and out of control. He is patient and just. He has waited all this time to allow people to repent. If you recall the tapestry that separated the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem that was torn when Jesus died, was 8 stories high and 6 inches thick. It was torn from the top to the bottom. It kept man out of the Holy of Holies and it was God saying, "No man will meet me on earth again, through the legal standards." God was letting man come to him freely, and the invitation was going out to all people in the world to come to God! God was done with all the legalism and now we are invited to come to Him of our own free will, but man is done with coming to God for anything at this point in history.

Dr. Henry Morris stated this regarding the Holy of Holies in heaven above: "It is significant that these rare glimpses into the heavenly temple which God has given us in the book of Revelation, also shows us that it is an open temple! Meaning now - there is nothing to keep man from the presence of God if he comes through Jesus Christ. It is the resurrected human flesh of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, which is now the veil that contains both the glory of God and conceals its unapproachable brilliance from sinful man."

Jesus is now the veil separating us from God.

Hebrews 10:19-22 ~ "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

It is one way or the other now to enter into the presence of God. Come boldly into the presence of God. It opened a door to let all men come in freely with boldness, and confidence. He's invited us to call Him, Abba or Poppa, which means Daddy! That's about as honest as it gets with our heavenly Father.

Makes you wonder why our right to pray publicly is so challenged? God's not into politics, keep pursuing Him with all your heart.

The End is Almost Here!

Wow, as a believer it is hard not to look around at the craziness of the world and not begin to wonder when it will all end. We have the hope that one day, a complete restoration will come to this world, and all the stuff that is getting out of hand now will one day, fall under the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. He will be the perfect ruler of everything and life will go back to the way it was intended. No more tears, death, illness or even sadness. No desire to commit sin. It is even hard to wrap our minds around that, but it is what Jesus has promised. It is the very reason why we study Bible prophecy, because if the promises of the Bible didn't come true, we would have no hope in a future, eternal life in heaven!

As we continue through the Book of Revelation in Chapter 15, we see the this is the smallest chapter in the entire book. This is the final preparations before the announcement of the vial or bowl judgments from God. Here the final last minute stage is being set and God is gathering everything together as the final judgments are about to being. These will culminate into the Second Coming in the closing months of the Tribulation Period.

Chapters 15 and 16 will pick up the chronological events of the Tribulation Period while chapters 17 and 18 are more parenthetical inserts before the action picks back up again in Chapter 19. At this point in time as all the judgments from God have been unleashed, you would think people would turn to God and accept what He has to offer. They unfortunately have become like Pharaoh and have hardened their heart towards God. If you remain undecided at this point in your life, you're either getting softer and ready to accept what He has to offer, or you're growing hardened towards God. One day it will all be set in stone in your heart like concrete and I encourage you not to wait.

We find that in the worship of God, He's done great things.

Revelation 15:3b-4 ~ "And they sing the Song of Moses, the servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!"

The Worship of God, He alone gives the song. The Song of Moses is the Song of Deliverance, and the Song of the Lamb is the Song of Salvation. These Tribulation Saints that are singing these songs are not complaining that they have lost their lives for being believers of Jesus Christ, they are singing them because they stand victorious in what they have accomplished in Him. They are born-again Jewish believers but not exclusively. They have been redeemed and are saved.

Today in our world, we have everything, but the world still complains. They are like spoiled children who don't appreciate anything. As believers, we need to be mindful to be thanking God for everything He provides. We can complain about everything if we set our hearts in that mindset.

Do you thank God today? If not, why not?

Psalm 145:8-11 ~ "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power. "

Do you bless God?

Psalm 66:1-4 ~ "Shout for joy to God, all the earth' sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you' they sing praises to your name." Selah."

The worship of God is evident to all mankind, is the reference to the millennial Jesus who is coming to rule and reign for 1000 years at the conclusion of the Tribulation Period. The deserts will bloom and all those needles on the cactus are merely under-developed flowers that will not bloom. Imagine what the deserts will look like when Jesus returns. Nature wants to set free to go back to its original beauty.

The worship of God, therefore, is the right thing to do. The Tribulation Saints that have been martyred are not complaining about the death they had to endure, they stand victorious on the sea of glass singing with confidence!

Revelation 15:3b ~ "Just and true are Your ways, O' King of the saints!"

People fear death and it often times keeps people in bondage from living the life God had intended for them. The glory of God can captivate you instead! Even as believers in Jesus Christ, we are fearful of that valley of the shadow of death, that is speaking of the death process. It's the getting there that we are afraid of, because we don't want to have to suffer and be in pain, but God promises us that He will walk with us as we make our way through that valley. When we take our last breath here, we take our first one in heaven, as we walk into the presence of God.

The Bible is very clear on its promises to the believer of Jesus, that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. Our physical bodies will remain in the ground until the Rapture of the church and then we will receive our new heavenly redeemed and perfect bodies! So while you may fear the process of death, rejoice if you are a believer because one day it will all be worth it in the end, even to die for Jesus!

Lets get into the practice now and begin to appreciate singing praise and worship songs to Jesus! They are prayers to God and one day it will be part of the new life we share in heaven thanking Him for our eternal life!

Where Have You Placed Your Trust?

In light of the coming election this year, there is so much talk about just who the right person is to take over the presidency of the United States; there are debates happening everywhere, work, home, school and even social media. Yet let us not forget the one thing that is so important, no one will ever take the place of Jesus Christ. So many people throw their hands up in the air, disappointed by what they see, and they firmly vow that they will not vote for anyone or will write in their choice instead.

Eight years ago, that is exactly what happened. People, conservatives, Christians, church goers were looking for Jesus in the candidates for president. Guess what, He will one day come back to rule and reign but it isn't going to happen in this next presidential election. We can only look at who comes close to the biblical standards we support and choose the best person for the job. No one will be perfect, let's stop expecting that and support the best person to do the job. God will take care of the rest.

As we pick up our study through the Book of Revelation in Chapter 15, we see the Tribulation Saints or martyrs for Christ, during the Seven Year Tribulation Period, singing a Song of Moses. Remember whenever we began Revelation, we needed to understand the Old Testament because there are so many references to it throughout the Book of Revelation. In fact, every Jew will recognize the meaning of it here. It is a song of salvation, a song of sacrifice, of redemption, of God coming through, His deliverance.

This is actually a reference to 2 very different songs of Moses from the Old Testament, (1) in Exodus 15, which conveys Israel's deliverance through the Red Sea, and (2) Deuteronomy 32, which is the more accurate reference to Revelation 15, which speaks of a greater deliverance out of the Great Tribulation period by the saints at that time. This answers Abraham's question of God providing the lamb for the sacrifice. In the Old Testament, when he was going to sacrifice his son, God provided the lamb, and in the end, God provided us with Jesus Christ, the ultimate sacrificial Lamb to take away all the sins of the world except for one. That is to reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The Worth of God is that He is the Deliverer.

Revelation 15:2-3a ~ "And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire - and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing ' the song of Moses' the servant of God and the song of the Lamb,"

Jesus Christ, alone gives the salvation we all need. The sea of glass 'mingled' with fire, speaks of the judgments of God that those who trusted in Him became victorious. John sees into the future as do we who are reading this today, as this remains a future event that we are looking ahead to see. These martyrs have succeeded through the Tribulation Period or those 7 years.

The sea of glass is translucent, not transparent, meaning it is opaque in nature, there is a light coming from within. The fire mingled, as it is illuminated from beneath it. More accurately a glowing pavement of heavenly material.

The Tribulation Saints are standing on it, not bowing before it, that brings us to this that it is only the knowledge that only Jesus can save us. Nothing we do here will ever be good enough to earn our way into heaven. These saints, now with salvation having been made complete, they are standing on this sea of glass in bold confidence. Don't let this reference be confused with the streets of gold in heaven. They are not the same thing.

In 2 Peter 3:5-7, 10, 12 ~ "For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored p for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,  because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!"

Psalm 78:12-13 ~ "In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan. He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap."

These scriptures reference both the ancient great flood and the future coming with fire. Are these combined events we see culminating as the sea of glass mingled with fire? Not sure, but it does stand to reason that everything that God reveals has a significant prominence in the end times events. Past and Future collide as it were.

Are you confident in Christ?

We need to remember that we are nothing without God. We are sinners saved only by His grace. The only sin in your life that can ever keep you out of heaven is your rejection of Jesus Christ. Everything else can be forgiven. You can start over with a clean slate today. Grace is not cheap! It cost Jesus Christ, the Son of God, His life to save you.

God wants you, any way, despite all your sins in your life. Jesus Christ, is the one and only friend you will ever need in this life. But He won't always put up with your stubborn ways either, time is running out. He is calling you today to put your trust in Him. He loves you with an everlasting love. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. He is the only one to get you through this life. We will not be saved by the next President, only Jesus Christ, the Savior and Lord of all.

Fearing For Our Future

There are so many people who look around at the world today, and reconsider starting a family or even getting married. Why? Because this world is crazy! Things are happening that we would never want to subject our family, kids or grandkids to,. We can't play God, holding back on starting a family, because the world has always been crazy. Bottom line, is that we simply need to trust God. He is sovereign and He is God. What would have happened if that would have been our attitude during any of the wars that have happened. Trust God with your money, your breath, and with your kids and grandkids!

As we studied yesterday, Chapter 15 is a prequel for the events coming in Chapter 16, which are the vial or bowl judgments and this will be the worst of the worst, God's final pouring out of holy and righteous justice that we have been waiting for all our lives. Whenever something bad happens in the world, and the courts get it wrong, God will make it right.

We learned that God always leaves mankind a witness.

Revelation 15:1 ~ ""Then I saw another sign in heaven great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished."

We learned previous that this "another sign" mentioned here is the third sign, that God has given and revealed to John. The first two happened in Revelation 12.

Revelation 12:1 ~ "And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." 

We learned in past studies that this is in reference to the nation of Israel found in the Book of Genesis. It causes us to answer the questions, what, where and is there an Israel? We have already answered this question.

Revelation 12:3,9 ~ "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads, seven diadems. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."

We understand the second sign to be the devil or Satan. In the last 100 years, has there been an attempt to unify the nations together? We are living in a time and in an age where we can answer these questions with an affirmative YES!!!

May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation. In the mid 1980's, the European Union or the United States of Europe has been trying to bring all the nations together and has been searching for a leader. Israel and other nations in the Muslim world are now looking at entering into peace agreements with one another. Things are coming together and God is setting the stage. We are not exempt from what is coming.

The world is not falling apart, it's coming together. We can open our Bibles and see these things being played out in the Middle East right now. There is evidence of the Bible being absolutely true in every sense, from science, archaeology, astronomy, etc. People have been saying for years that the Bible is contradictions, but no one has found one! They have all tried, but there are only two outcomes, they have had hardened their hearts against the truth like Pharaoh or they come to Christ.

Revelation 15:1 ~ "Then I saw another sign in heaven great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished." 

The word "plague" here is the Greek word, "plege" which means a judicial acts, a quick strike liek an executioners' blade or the swift drop of an ax, to remove a person suddenly because of their wrong doing. This word "plague" is a reference to judicial judgements from God.

Most people these days won't even watch the news because it is so hard to hear about what is happening. From shootings, stabbings and the most unspeakable acts from one human on another, we know we live in a fallen world filled with sin, but some of these acts have to be demonically motivated. They go beyond the human's mind to comprehend thinking them up. Satan uses this as an excuse to turn people away from God, with statements, "How can God allow these things to happen?" But people's hears are beginning to grow hard and all people think about anymore is vengeance and revenge.

The Lord interrupts human events.

Psalm 103:9 ~ "He will not always strive with us, nor will he keep his anger forever."

God will not always have to punish sin. Now the time has come for His verdict and He renders it with all of the authority and power that is at his disposal. He brings a conclusion to world affairs, and the wrath of God is complete. 

Hard to Believe That Things Are Going to Get Worse, But They Are!

Only through faith in Jesus Christ, can you escape the events that are coming in a 7 year period that is coming to the earth known as the Tribulation Period, that begins the moment God removes the church or the bride of Christ, from the earth.

Chapter 15 sets up the scene for what will happen in Chapter 16, which are known as the vial or bowl judgments of the Tribulation Period. We have already studied how only Jesus Christ was found worthy to take the scroll that was sealed with 7 seals from the hand of God and as each one was opened, judgments began to transpire upon the earth. When we get to the 7th seal, that begins the 7 Trumpet judgments. On the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, we begin the 7 vial or bowl Judgments. These are the worst of all, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. These are the last of God's Judgments during the 7 years known as the Tribulation before Jesus returns in His Second Coming.

Setting of the players is where we found ourselves today. They are getting ready for the final act of warfare and most scholars believe that these 7 bowls will be completed in a matter of months. Once they begin they move rapidly until at the last bowl judgment, Jesus Christ will return to the earth in the Second Coming.

Revelation 15:1-8 ~ "Then I saw another sign in heaven great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire - and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothes in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to teh seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished."

These are the passages of Scripture that scare people when they simply open the Bible and read them. Kinda of like, Bible roulette. You don't jump to the end, by the time we get to this point in the Bible, the earth is ripe for God's wrath. God doesn't grade on a curve.

It's like those that celebrate Christmas, but don't celebrate Christ. If you aren't celebrating Christ at Christmas, stop saying it and celebrating it. Call it something else. People however, love the money that Christmas brings in, they simply wait for it all year, but their missing the point. Christmas isn't about presents and Santa, it's about Christ!

If you don't like all this judgment stuff and God's wrath coming upon the earth, do something about it! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you won't experience any of this. Hell, remember, is not the same as God's wrath.

God always leaves a witness for man.

Revelation 15:1 ~ " Then I saw another sign in heaven great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished."

Notice the words, "another sign?" This is the third such sign God gave to John. The first two were found in Chapter 12 of Revelation.

Revelation 12:1 ~ " And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothes with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

We have studied this earlier in our walk through the Book of Revelation and know this refers to the nation of Israel. It must ask the questions, Is there a nation of Israel today? What role does Israel play in the past and the future of God's plan and what significance does it have to do with God?

God promises to deliver the church from that great and terrible time of God's wrath coming to the earth. What kind of groom would beat up his bride before marrying her? These Scriptures back up the fact that the Bride of Christ, the church will be spared from the Tribulation Period and the Wrath of God. He has always done so and will do it again.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 ~ "and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come."

1 Thessalonians 2:19 ~ "For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?"

1 Thessalonians 3:13 ~ "so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ~ "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord."

1 Thessalonians 5:9 ~ "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

This does not have to be your future, waiting on God's wrath to be dispensed, you can choose Jesus Christ and have faith in Him, and miss out on this entire experience. You definitely want to miss this one!