The Plagues Commence

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blood, frogs, God, heaven, LAMB, lice, locusts, pestilence, Temple, wrath

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having seven plagues, which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God.

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that come off victorious from the beast, and from his image, and from the number of his name, standing by the sea of glass, having harps of God.

Go back to the first time you see this sea of glass.  Rev 4:6  and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like a crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. This is the floor of the “Throne Room” so… this is Heaven.  But now we have fire.  We have these who “came off victorious” from the “beast” AND from “his image”  and these have harps.  But let’s look at this fire for a moment.  The Greek indicates that it is literally or figuratively Fire or more specifically, LIGHTENING!  This sounds like energy, power or perhaps a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the midst of these “victorious” ones?  This makes sense when we consider why they are Victorious.  The Beast and His Image refers to the Beast from the Sea, who is bent on the destruction of the “righteous”.  The image is what the second beast erected and did everything to get everyone to WORSHIP THE FIRST BEAST!  I am reminded of Nebuchadnezzar and his massive golden image and the result of the three Hebrews who would not kneel.  Given the result of the story would you say they “came off victorious” from that situation?  This is the same for how did these get that victory?  Rev 12:11  And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.

These are MARTYRS!  Yet and even now there is no catching away as of yet and now the last Trump has sounded.  But in 14 we did have the reaping of the Earth.  I am reminded of the parable of the wheat and the tares.  The owner of the farmed plot when asked by his servants if they should root up the tares told them to let it be, and that when all was ripe; instruction would be given the REAPERS as to the fact that there was tare in the field and to reap each separately, the tares to the fire and the wheat to the barn.  But it is obvious from the text that these are martyrs.

Rev 15:3  And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages.

Rev 15:4  Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy righteous acts have been made manifest.

Here again is another New Song…  With each group there is a different song. A study to look into which songs each group sings might be fruitful.

It is interesting to note that God does use word play to “clue” the knowledgable reader into His works.  In Deuteronomy 33, Moses is given a song to teach to Israel.  This song is a witness against the nation who would in years to come follow after other gods.  This song like the book we are talking about, is a Suzerain Treaty in format. In it there are actually two names mentioned.  One is Moses and the other is Hoshea, son of Nun.  Now this man will layer turn out to be none other than Joshua, son of Nun.  Now both the names Hoshea and Joshua have a very significant meaning.  Of the names of Jesus we find an etymology.  One of the variants to this is Yaweh Hoshea, another is Yashua or Joshua.  Yeshua is a variant with Greek Iosus from which we finally have the English of Jesus.  Now it is in the Yaweh Hoshea that we really find a meaning. For the meaning of The Lamb’s name is ” Yaweh or Jehovah Saves”.  So then when the verse in Revelation 15 we read the words ” Song of Moses and of The Lamb” we needs to understand that Joshua who will lead the people into the Promise Land is a type of Jesus who leads us into the Eternal Promise of Life… Eternal Life by the Holy Spirit. Hence quite literally we have the actual song!

Rev 15:5  And after these things I saw, and the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:

Rev 15:6  and there came out from the temple the seven angels that had the seven plagues, arrayed with precious stone, pure and bright, and girt about their breasts with golden girdles.

Now the above verse needs a little explaining.  The words ” precious stone” is translated in older texts as “in linen”.  Now when you consider that if indeed this linen with gold ties or girdling or sashes then the knowledgable will immediately see the priestly attire of angels.  Lest we forget that angels are His ministers too. If then these with containers of plague, are playing a priestly role on the heels of the song of indictment sung by the martyrs, there is only one ceremony that uses white linen.  Once per year a high priest dons white linen and enters into The Presence, with Blood and incense. This is Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.  Now in this ceremony, an annual covering is provided for sin iniquity defilement et al. But in Jesus, we have permanent covering as it were.  This would be considered a blood ritual.  What we have now is seven angels functioning in a priestly role. This is also a blood ritual.  But this is not a positive thing.  Because the song is testifying against the false church. So now we find the response.  In the Yom Kippur ceremony the priest is all in white.  These angels are sporting gold at the middriff. Gold here might represent The Glory of God.

Rev 15:7  And one of the four living creatures gave unto the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and none was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels should be finished.

In chapter fourteen the grapes were reaped from the vineyard which we established to be the church.  We have seen in scripture that the “fruit of the vine” is also indicative of the Israel.  In a sense we are the continuation of that nation, spiritually.   Yet these grapes are trod out alone and fill seven cups or containers to be poured out. I had surmised that this was the apostate church.  Yet there is this in Isaiah.

“Isa 5:1  Let me sing for my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

Isa 5:2  and he digged it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also hewed out a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

Isa 5:3  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

Isa 5:4  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

Isa 5:5  And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

Isa 5:6  and I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor hoed; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

Isa 5:7  For the vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for justice, but, behold, oppression; for righteousness, but, behold, a cry. ”

Now the text does clearly mark the vineyard of this passage as Israel. But we also have Him saying this to us…

“Joh 15:1  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.

Joh 15:3  Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.

Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples.”

Now this is admittedly written to Jewish Disciples who in turn form the proto-church.  Lest we forget that what we see today started out as a Jewish community of believers in Jesus and His Disciples.  Yet if we are to understand the pastoral prayer of John chapter seventeen, it tells us that the intercession is not only for His Disciples of the day but for those who would believe because of their word, or Gospel message, and those are us today.  Now Paul picks up this thread in extension in Galatians chapter five with the fruit of the Spirit.

“Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal 5:23  meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

Gal 5:24  And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.”  What does Jesus say? “ Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples.”  That we bear much fruit.  The fruit of the VINE.  But just as in the Vineyard of Isaiah’s day there were “wild grapes” that had a bad taste so then there are those whose fruit is that of the Deeds of the Flesh.  A careful read of Paul’s letter to Corinth will tell of a church riddled with problems and deeds of the flesh.  If in that time there were so many problems of morality and ethic and the Apostles were in force in that day, how shall we today be surprised to find pockets of problematic believers in the midst.  Jesus Paul and even Jude spoke of those who would arise after their passing (Jude gives the description of such men) whose sole purpose was to lead astray.  Consider then the grape that is trod out as being that which is not indicative of the Fruit of the Spirit but rather false.  Consider also all these little celebrations and the SONGS being sung.  All that blood is spilled on the ground by those who serve the first beast.  This is what is in those containers.  This is not the Wrath of the Father but of THE LAMB.  You see the LAMB hung and took the wrath and curse of the Father, so that we might have fellowship with the Godhead, as we had once had in the beginning before Adam fell. (Only better)  But this is the wrath now poured out on those who REFUSE TO BELIEVE in the Jesus.  Interestingly enough we do have a list of plagues from Exodus.  Blood, Frogs, Lice, Flies or Gnats, Pestilence, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, Death of the First born.  Of these it is listed in the next several passages in Chapter sixteen which plagues are contained in the angelic containers.

Now in consideration of pure speculation here.  John sees the Temple and the skies were rolled up like a scroll or boiling clouds way back in the beginning when the seals were being opened. Is it possible that the people of the Earth are now seeing the Temple?  Remember that as far as Earth’s perspective is  it is dark the sun moon and stars are “not giving forth their light” meaning “Not visible” so there is for all parts and practical purposes a pall of cover over the Earth.  However what John sees Prophets in the Old Testament and men in the days of Solomon and Moses saw as well.  The glory of the Lord and the smoke of His presence or rather the Column of Smoke indicative of the very personal visible presence of God (YHVH) or the LAMB is filling the Temple and the doors are shut.  Noone is permitted entrance until the out pouring is complete.

Now there is only one other time when we ever see the Temple doors shut.  It is the Temple in Jerusalem and the time is Yom Kippur.  It is the DAY OF ATONEMENT when the Temple is shut while the High priest enters into the Holy of Holies, to MAKE ATONEMENT for the priesthood and the people.

This is the DAY OF RECKONING wherein recompensure is meted out to each as his deed warrant.  There is no sacrifice being offered for this, no atonement being made for this, but there is the built up iniquity and sin that must now be dealt with.  God measures out to all Creation the finality of judgment and punishment for all that has been done on the Earth and for all the unbelief therein.  Thus we do not get to see God’s reaction.  Also it occurs to include this characteristic of The Father. Hab 1:13  Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;

Hab 1:14  and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

Now in that this is the LAMB’s wrath or so it would seem this could be the Father turning away while the wrath is being poured out.  Just as He turned away when He dealt with our sin in His Son on the Cross.

One last observation here:Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having seven plagues, which are the last, for in them is finished the wrath of God.

Please note the end of the sentence.  …”for in them is FINISHED the wrath of God.”  God’s wrath has been poured out many times over all of history.  Israel was delivered in the WRATH of God on Egypt.  Israel was AFFLICTED by the very same wrath when she sinned.  Jesus took the wrath and curse of The Father for the sin and iniquity, et al, of The Elect of God, now it is being recompensed out on those who have rebelled or sided with the Rebel.  This is most likely that of which we have been told we would be spared.  It is most likely precisely this that Rapture Doctrine was conceived to explain.  So far I am not seeing a clear cut Rapture but a lot of Martyrdom.

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Third Fourth and Fifth Trumps

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angel, death, locusts, revelation, smoke, star, wormwood

Rev 8:10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters;
Rev 8:11 and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Now the star whose name is wormwood deals is blow to the potable waters, rendering them poisonous to all who drink them.
Could this also be part of the censor or something else? Either way, it causes the water table to be contaminated, and the water takes on an acrid stench and is acidic to drink causing great gastric discomfort. It could be radioactive.

Rev 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; that the third part of them should be darkened, and the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night in like manner.

Wait now we had this once already in the Seals when the quake hit. The occlusion of the sun and moon might have been cause from a volcano but this seems to be the direct result of a catastrophic explosion of sorts. But where do we find this described in connection with a second coming?

Mat 24:29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 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:
Mat 24:30 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

But is this the time? One would most certainly say this is it the last trump has sounded but it ISN’T the last trump. Yet all this has happened now. Either way time itself will be effected or rather the perception of time. We perceive the day not by our clocks as much as by the sun in the sky and the moon in the sky but if for one third of the day and night we see nothing… that will be very disorienting. Yet this is NOT the last trump.

Rev 8:13 And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound.

If we as Believers were starting to try to come out hiding and gather for an harpezo this eagle flying in the sky above with the message of warning might dissuade us.

Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key of the pit of the abyss.

Now there are a lot of opinions on what this is. It may be an asteroid strike. The word used for star is aster which is quite literally a star and not the Greek word for messenger. But this “aster” has a “key” and the word which the Greek uses quite literally is key. This “aster” opens an bottomless pit or abyss. So now is this an entity or a strike? Is this a rock from space or some last debris from the great event that caused the Tectonic Plate Shift in Seal Six. If this were so then perhaps it strikes with enough force to “open” the ground in a extremely deep hole (hence the pit) it might now have some contaminant that causes a swarm of locust to mutate. Who knows? It could be a spiritual thing. But the locusts who come up from there don’t eat the green like they should and they don’t look like normal locusts and normal locusts do have a sort of tail and it is possible something could mutate it to be more of a stinger like a scorpion, or more like a bee or wasp.

Rev 9:2 And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Once again this could be some form of asteroid or meteor strike. For certain there would be a lot of smoke or ash and the atmosphere might be locally darkened.

Rev 9:3 And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Rev 9:4 And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days men shall seek death, and shall in no wise find it; and they shall desire to die, and death fleeth from them.

This however is unusual. It’s almost as if death takes a cruel holiday from sufferers of this locust sting? What comes to my mind is “death where is your STING?” This sting is like a scorpion’s sting which is not unto death but excruciatingly painful. From http://members.tripod.com/~c_kianwee/signs.htm, I was able to get this list of symptoms for a scorpion sting.
Possible local effects are :
1) Pain at the site of sting. Some species causes unspeakable pain I heard. (100% victims of Tityus spp experience pain)
2) Itchiness. (usually masked by pain)
3) Slight to medium swelling
4) Slight bleeding (rare and most likely not related to toxin as only Heterometrus scaber seems to have hemolytic components)
As most scorpion venom is of neurotoxin type, systemic effect is more to be expected.
Early systemic effects includes:
1) Sweating
2) Pallor (paleness of skin)
3) Tachypnea ( fast breathing )
4) tachycardia (fast heart beat)
5) hypertension (heightened blood pressure)
6) salivation (uncontrolled saliva production) with frothy sputum
7) respiratory wheezing
8) stridor (high pitch respiration sound)
9) blurred vision
10)roving eye movement
11)oculogyric crisis (cannot control eye movement)
12)slurred speech
13)dysphagia (cannot swallow properly)
14)pharyngeal spasm (cannot control much of the mouth)
15)drowsiness
Ok so this form of problematic stuff goes on for 5 months! This is very severe and yet it apparently is not life threatening and you can’t escape this by dying. It is apparently bad enough that people will want to suicide and be unable to die.

Rev 9:7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as it were crowns like unto gold, and their faces were as men’s faces.
Rev 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
Rev 9:9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.
Rev 9:10 And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months.
Rev 9:11 They have over them as king the angel of the abyss: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek tongue he hath the name Apollyon.

This is all the result of a single trumpet blast. But if you go back to the Exodus we have seen hail fire blood and now a form of pestilence and darkness. Why these would be the PLAGUES! I also want to point out that at this point there is discrimination between things. Rev 9:4 And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads. Wait…. The seal of God was only for the 144000 from each tribe… The hurting not of the grass or green living thing means it isn’t meant for the planet itself but the people on it. Did we, if we were not the ones in Tabernacles waiving palm branches, receive a seal on our foreheads? No… we did not. But it is not unto death, the sufferer would merely wish they could die. There have been many speculations as to what these things are…. In fact they might just actually be a bug in that they are called locusts.

In looking at the pictures on the internet I see the locust types of John’s description. A horse prepared for war will have a helm much like the “armored” head of the locust in its exoskeleton. The Skeleton also covers the front “chest” and the roar of a swarm is very much the sound of the chariot wheel and the hooves of horses. Normally locusts means destruction of green things but these are “Told” not to go after the green. Locusts also have a tail. That tail could have a venomous stinger in it, much like a wasp or bee. As to the teeth my best guess is to look at what has preceded. We have had two ecosystems devastated and one of which was altered by the “wormwood” This may be either a locust that was deep underground that mutated or we have in the midst a locust like no other. The King of these is the “angel of the abyss”

This abyss is also a real mystery. When the astera comes and has the key or reaction to “open” or “unlock” the “pit” one has to wonder what is this pit. When opened smoke comes pouring forth and the sun and the air are DARKENED. This would be like ash perhaps? The sun would be further occluded and the air would be choked with a plume cloud. Could there be a volcano with a mutated locust type? There is as yet no “beast”.