Update 2019: Articles Most Read
You will notice that
all of these most read articles are dated from the year 2016, when I did an expositional study in Isaiah. Therefore, most of these articles are from that book. That year we had a great upsurge in visitors
to our English blog and, naturally, they mostly read the current articles. Visits
to some excellent older articles were outnumbered, and therefore I will
continue to provide their titles, dates and links, which appear after the 10
most read articles up to June of 2018, followed by the update to June of this
year.
The order changes a bit, when the numbers are updated and also a new article appears among the ten. The update to 2019 also provides a short summary of each article and I do the same for the older articles below them. I hope, if you have not read these articles, that you will take time to do so.
Our grandson, John,
created this blogspot in 2011 and so the statistics are dated from that time. As
of today, the total number of visits to this English blog has risen to 149,749.
This past year we have had 25,498 visits. When we add the visits to our Spanish
blogspot, the total number of visits increases to 401,458 and the number over
the last year to 75,378 (obviously, we have many more Spanish than English
readers).
Revelation 16
Labels:
Important messages
Chapter 16
1. Then
I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, “Go and pour out
on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”
2. So
the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and
painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped
its image.
3. The
second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of
a corpse, and every living thing died that was in the sea.
4. The
third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they
became blood.
5. And
I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, “Just are you, O Holy One, who
is and who was, for you brought these judgments.
6. For
they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood
to drink. It is what they deserve!”
7. And
I heard the altar saying, “Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your
judgments!”
8. The
fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch
people with fire.
9. They
were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power
over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.
10. The firth angel poured out his bowl on the
throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed
their tongues in anguish.
11. and cursed the God of heaven for their
pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.
12. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the
great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the
kings from the east.
13. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the
dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false
prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.
14. For they are demonic spirits, performing
signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for
battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
Pouring out the bowls of wrath
The time has arrived
for the seven angels to pour out the final bowls of wrath upon the earth. The
time is easily dated in the last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation. The empire of
the antichrist has been established and the entire population, except for the
faithful servants of God, has received his mark and are worshipers of the
antichrist image. The angels step out of the heavenly sanctuary (15:6), the throne
room of God, at His command, to accomplish their task.
Revelation 15
Labels:
Important messages
Chapter 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.”
5. After this I
looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened,
6. and out of the
sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright
linen, with golden sashes around their chests.
7. 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,
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.
There are three series of seven judgments in the book of
Revelation. In chapter 6 and in 8:1, we learn of seven seals, which had the
power to destroy a fourth part of all that they effected. They seemed to
involve calamities that man brought upon himself. In chapter 8, 9 and 11:15, we
studied seven trumpets bringing judgments, which showed signs of demonic activity,
and they destroyed 1/3 of all, into which they delved. This chapter begins to
relate the woes of seven bowls, which come entirely from the wrath of God and
they bring unlimited destruction, upon everything and everyone on which they
fall.
By the time that the Bible student comes to this part of
Revelation, he should have developed a correct theology concerning God’s wrath.
No one with a normal personality derives any pleasure from the subject, but, on
the proof of Scripture, he is obligated to acknowledge that wrath is
necessarily a part of God’s character. I cannot imagine anyone lacking this
understanding, who will find any profit from reading chapters 15 through 20.
Revelation 14
Labels:
Important messages
Chapter 14
1. Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion
stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name
written on their foreheads.
2. And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar
of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like
the sound of harpists playing on their harps,
3. and they were singing a new song before the
throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could
learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
4. It is these who have not defiled themselves
with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he
goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the
Lamb,
5. and in their mouth no lie was found, for they
are blameless.
The Lamb and 144,000
Now, we will learn of several things which will occur
during the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation and I will simply bring them to
your attention. The tribes of Israel, the number of apostles and the 24 elders
in heaven, all have to do with the number 12. Of course 144,000 is also a
multiple of 12. This chapter begins with a picture of the Lamb on Mount Zion,
accompanied by 144,000 disciples. They are in sharp contrast to those in 13:16,
who receive the number and name of the beast. We have a great number of
faithful, loyal followers of the Lamb, who hung in shame on Golgotha, but now stands
triumphant with the choicest people on earth in the eyes of God. They may not
be among the governmental rulers, the high ranking military officials, the
intellectual giants, or the greatest examples of physical strength, but before
heaven’s throne these are the finest of creation, the prime product of the
earth.
I have already stated that the contents of this chapter
seem to unfold during the Great Tribulation, which is evident by the fall of
Babylon in verse 8 and the mark of the beast in verse 9. The Lamb and the
144,000 are positioned on Mount Zion (v.1), but the context seems to indicate
that this is not literal Zion on earth, but heavenly Zion. Verse 3 shows that
only the 144,000 could sing a new song and that song was sung before the
throne, the living creatures and the elders. Zion is the southern hill in the
city of Jerusalem and the seat of divine worship on earth. It became emblematic
of the dwelling place of God in heaven.
Revelation 13
Labels:
Important messages
Chapter 13
1. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with
ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names
on its heads.
2. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard;
its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it
the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
3. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal
wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they
followed the beast.
4. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had
given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is
like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
5. And the beast was given a mouth uttering
haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for
forty-two months.
6. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies
against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in
heaven.
7. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints
and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and
language and nation,
8. and all who dwell on earth will worship it,
everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in
the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
9. If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
10. If anyone is
to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the
sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and
faith of the saints.
The end-time beast
Here we can see that the events of Revelation do not
appear strictly in chronological order. Already in chapter 11 we have been
introduced to the beast, who is now described to us in this chapter, as he
rises out of the ‘sea’. It is essential to study Daniel’s prophecies before
attempting to interpret the book of Revelation, especially as they relate to
the beast and his kingdom. King Nebuchadnezzar saw this same prophecy in a
dream, but in the form of a great image. The final kingdom is seen as the ten
toes on the image.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
Recommended Books
