Revelation: The Terrible and the Good - Pt 3

Revelation: The Terrible and the Good - Pt 3

By Stephen Bennett

(Rev Chapter 7-9) Dec 3 / 2021  

The book of Revelation is mind-blowing to say the least. Reading the truth of God’s word in this day, challenges us mightily. The world has been incredibly shaken since 2020. It’s now time for Christians and their leaders to rise as powerful clear voices; many have sadly been silent. The current sound of God’s voice must be in our message, music, art, business, whatever the call, to propel a true witness of Christ into the world. Not echoes of a popular past, but the unique sounds of heaven proclaiming  these end-times, coursing through the market places of the earth, so all can have an ear to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying for our world (Rev 3:22).

GTSG - Great Tribulation Salvation Good

The Apostle John peeled his face up from the floor and managed to find a block of clear crystal to sit on. The apocalyptic mayhem of the four strange horses and their riders, wars, earthquakes, stars falling from heaven in the great day of the wrath of God, had taken the wind out of him. He was waiting for the seventh seal to be cracked, however, there was more to come, and no time to hang about; the scene was about to change again. 

Suddenly, he saw the whole earth from high above, and giant angels stood at the four corners of the earth. It was hard to fathom, as he knew the world was round, but there the angels were; in the corners, with God’s global authority, holding back four mighty winds of judgement and not allowing them to ‘blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree’ (Rev 7:1). 

John looked up and another mighty angel descended from the east holding the ‘seal of the living God’ (Rev 7:2), he too had a very loud voice as did everyone it seems in heaven, and he spoke to the angels in the four corners; boy, these angels were crazy busy! “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (Rev 7:3). John then understood why they held back the wind; like the 4 horseman, they were about to do some serious earth destroying.

Heavens’s theatre then revealed a great gathering of 144,000 ‘of all the (12) tribes of the children of Israel.’ (Rev 7:4). It is often said, they are  Jewish first-fruits of redeemed converts to Jesus in the tribulation; a new remnant, sealed on their foreheads with a mark of ownership and protection by God’s ‘signet ring’ (Rev 7:4-8, Rev 14:4). It is also said, and very possible, that the 144,000 are the resurrected children who were killed by king Herod in Jesus time (Matt 2:13-18). They are virgins, without guile or fault before the Lord, who sing and follow the Lamb (Rev 14:3-5). They are Jesus’s own redeemed first-fruits, who ‘declare His generation,’ who were ‘cut off from the land of the living’ (Isaiah 53:8), killed because of Him. Like a loving Father, He honours their deaths.

The devil thought he won by killing them all through Herod, but Jesus  brought them all back to life in the tribulation (Jeremiah 31:17). The slain children, that now ‘come from the four winds,’ ‘cut off’ as kids, now ‘an exceedingly great army,’ of 144,000; ‘the whole house of Israel’ (Ezekiel 37:9-11). Held in the four winds by the angels, waiting to be sealed (Rev 7:1), a beautiful story of wholeness victory and redemption. Then…

The crowd then got even bigger, as millions of people who had come through the apocalyptic Great Tribulation on earth had gathered before Jesus their Saviour. At this point in the revelation narrative of John, the Great Tribulation on earth was well under way, as Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:21. 

Note: Before the tribulation, all the dead in Christ rise, and the global Church remaining on earth, are caught up into the air to meet the Lord (raptured), and will safely return with Him at the end of all things. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) (more on this in a later blog). Sounds totally wild right? It is, and will be better than any superman movie! The significance of every Christian on earth disappearing has a huge impact on the world, particularly the nation of Israel, as many will finally realise who Jesus is, turn to their Messiah, and be sealed and protected from the world to belong to the Lord. The Jews will also have a significant role evangelising many in the world for Jesus during the tribulation, when the antichrist, one world dictator, rises to deceive the nations. (more on this in a later blog). 

Now back to John; he saw ‘a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” The great mix of races, were all loud, joyous and happy, as they fully realised God’s mercy, and their salvation had truly come. And… what Christians had been saying all along, and those of Yeshua in Israel, was actually true (Rev 7:9-10).

John smiled, as everyone started to sing around the throne again; angels, elders, creatures, all on their faces, in full song. John marvelled at the throne room and the priority for incredible loud music to be constantly present; he wasn’t used to it, but he now loved loud (Rev 7:11-12). Then an enthusiastic elder came to John and asked him two questions, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” (Rev 7:13). 

John thought, ‘er… ok… do love a fun family quiz, but … I just don’t know this double barrel answer.’ To him, they looked like the same white robes of righteousness the resting martyrs were given. He deferred to throw it back at ‘Mr Elder Befuddling Me While I’m Writing,’ to reveal the mystery answer to the questions. “Sir you know” (V14), and indeed he did; it was a good and happy truth.

The elder said,“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Rev 7:14). John then remembered, when he was sitting with Jesus on the Mount of Olives on earth, and He told them, ‘there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be’ (Matthew 24:21). 

John had wondered then if anyone would make it through the apocalypse, but here he was, witnessing millions had. It was a miracle, how the Lord’s red blood made robes pure white as the martyrs. But here they were; in the worst calamity ever witnessed on earth, eventually being martyred, and choosing to believe in Jesus Christ the Lamb, washed of all their sins forever, white as snow! Many believed that hell on the other side of death was a party, they were sorely wrong and now realised it; the Christians and ‘conspiracy’ people were right after all. Thousands now wished they had given their lives to God earlier, but rejoiced now, grateful they’d made it.

The ecstatic elder explained to John the individual reward of the decision of the tribulation millions. Their honour and privilege is to serve Jesus day and night in His temple before the throne, and the Lord Himself will live among them, to love and look after their lives forever! They will never hunger or thirst again, and the sun, that became so hot in the apocalypse, would not strike them (Rev 7:15-16). “How good is this!” many shouted.“For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 7:17). 

Happy John, watched millions still waving their palm leaves of joy and victory, and drinking cups of organic fountain water, as the Lord tenderly wiped their eyes with white cloths from little boxes. The clean reality of the world of the Spirit, and the joy of eternity was overwhelming, and John the irrepressible love guy, was totally up for crying becoming a thing of the past; although he always felt elated after it.

(Now click this link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rd72mh6-2A for the song Glimpse of Heaven by Stephen Bennett, blog author). A Sons of Thunder song, circa: 1980s).

More Blasts of Terrible

Suddenly there was an ominous silence in all of heaven, that was to last for 30 minutes (Rev 8:1). It was as if someone died, or was about to… you could have heard a heavenly pin drop. John spun around to the piercing sound of a loud crack; the Lamb on the throne had broken the 7th seal. The on call guardian ‘angels who stand before God… were given seven trumpets’ (Rev 8:2). These were prominent high rank angels like Gabriel.

Now the instruments were not little jazz trumpets, but the biggest long horn gold and silver instruments you have ever seen, with huge dramatic, brushed metallic triple twists, like a shofar, with exquisitely carved symbols in the craftsmanship. Momentarily John was excited, as it looked like more music was imminent. He didn’t realise what was coming…

Another angel was doing unusual priestly moves around the altar, with much incense and smoke. He was declaring Christ’s perfection, the pending judgements and the millions of intercessions and prayers of believers. It was also becoming hard to see, like a hidden force was constantly billowing smoke into the area; John felt great change was ahead. Then he heard millions of voices rising to a crescendo, ‘the prayers of all the saints’ all gathered around this one altar, from the tribulation and from over hundreds of years. The angel offered the full force of those prayers with the incense of praise up to God (Rev 8:3-4). The fulfilment of many were about to be answered but it wasn’t pretty; in fact it was terrible.

Suddenly there was flashes of fire with intense heat exploding over the altar. The busy angel literally grabbed the throbbing heat like an ancient god, turned around and threw it all down to earth. Theatre door one, that John came up through, was now a wide landscape view of the universe. All in heaven watched the fire ball descend to the beautiful blue marble earth; a meteor on a mission. The silence was over at this stage, ‘and there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake’ (Rev 8:5). It was like a frightening battle zone, and John fell to the floor again. He rolled over twice, looked up, and saw the other seven angels lift up the mouth piece-ends of the trumpets. Smoke swirled all around them, and lights were flashing everywhere as they ‘prepared themselves to sound’ (Rev 8:6).

The Trumpets Terrible

The first angel in the row put his lips to the instrument and blew the important battle cry. It was deafening, and John covered his ears to stop them exploding. He was about to understand why there was the silence before the terrible storm. Then came an intense rattling like breaking glass, as unseen giant ancient treasury doors opened nearby with a loud creaking and scratchy sound (Job 38:22). In a wide, wild cascade, a massive water fall of hail stones followed the path where the fire meteor had gone. It wasn’t just white, but huge chunks of sharp ice mingled with sprays of red blood like a colossal cosmic unblended slushy. John managed to stand up, and peered over the edge of the grand doorway of the universal landscape.

He wept yet again, ‘as a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass’ (Rev 8:7). The melting hail and blood put out much of the fires, but parts of the earth turned ginger brown, and instantly, serious levels of climate change smoke, thickly filled the earth’s atmosphere, as tree-huggers lamented. It was an atomic calamity on a global scale. 

Millions were seared to death; eye balls hanging on black faces, skin peeling like falling snow flakes filling the air, as the survivors choked with blackened lungs, gagging, and stumbling around screaming for help. The terrible made John feel ill; time seemed to stop. He turned again, as his tears were flying through the air in slow motion. 

Boom! He slapped his palms over his ears as ‘the second angel sounded.’ He looked up, and a gigantic black shadow flew over his head. As he turned to look at the earth ‘something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood; and a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed’ (Rev 8:8-9). The meteoric mountain was the second great ball of fire; a sight to behold. Bigger than the highest mountain on earth and miles wide, careering through the sky with its long fiery tail, it was beautiful and horrific all at once.

John felt sick to the pit of his stomach as vomit swilled, but he had to keep it together and try to write things down. John hoped and prayed that the kings, merchants, famous people and millions of others still alive, don’t look up, before their lives become a mighty devastation movie. There was no deflecting or fixing this calamity, nothing could be done. This end of the world stuff was definitely happening for all of them, and they would realise their loss is eternally big. 

Sadness flooded John as it dawned on him; many of earth’s creatures who sang to the Lord earlier were all going to die. The sounds of silence that started all this devastation was certainly no friend now; and so much for nice ships sailing on the sea; gone forever.

In writing mid-sentence, John again slapped his ears shut as more deafening trumpet reverberations peeled through the heavens, rallying all to attention. He turned again as ‘a great star fell from heaven burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water; and the name of the star is Wormwood; and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.’ (Rev 8:10-11). The Wormwood star was weird dark green, and the smell of its pungent oil rose to heaven from earth.

The star’s poisonous bitter liquid, killed all the virus’s, bacteria, and satan’s many demonic maggots and worms that covered him (Isaiah 14:11); his demon seed, sown into the adulterous societies of the earth. Thousands of people died, as dead fish washed up on the banks of rivers, and there was nothing to drink. For a moment John could make out the sea of Galilee and the meandering Jordan River in Israel; they were a pretty blood red. He thought fondly of his father Zebedee, his home village and family. Sighing with a sad shudder, it looked like there was no going back to all he knew, ever. 

John felt a surreal daze flood over him from head to toe. He seemed to float out of his body high above himself, looking down at a vast cacophony of cosmic terrible. How hard this task was becoming, and there was no letting up; but he had to write and finish the assigned book.

The view through the wide landscape doorway, is a universe that declares the glorious handiwork of God (Psalm 19:1), but now it was in total chaos as the fourth trumpet sounded. John didn’t even bother to cover his ears, he just cried tears of pain, as ‘a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened, and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night’ (Rev 8:12). 

The heavens were being shaken; it was scary. Waves of heat passed through the air, and the light flared and ebbed into darkness for hours. The smell of burning, rotting corpses, animals, and dying oceans filled the air. Societies on earth was severely impeded, as food production and water became scarce. John gagged again over this great disruption to the life he once knew, but despite it all, he felt an unusual sense of safety. The Lamb’s eyes was constantly looking at him, checking that he was ok. 

In a little while a great sound of a screeching eagle filled the heavenly skies, piercing his ears. The gigantic bird morphed in and out of its avian form into a huge six wing angel swooping across the heavens, as if on a journey of migration to deliver a message. As it flew, Talking Eagle made a thunderous announcement in an earthly language John could understand. 

Woe Terrible Woe

‘Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” (Rev 8:13). John steadied himself; the next 3 were going to be terrible, so bad. 

He could now tell, and quickly wrote down more thoughts of what he had seen, while it was fresh in his mind. The many eyes of the Lamb on the throne covered in blood, rolled back and forth with their fiery gaze, watching him at all times. It had taken John a while getting used to seeing Jesus like this; he missed His laughter. Then, as the thunder of the fifth angel sounded, John saw a new portal in heaven. It seemed further into the future, as he saw another ‘star fallen from heaven to earth.’ It shone brightly; a powerful fallen angel, with a massive, ancient, long black key in his hand that opened a deep dark ‘bottomless pit’  (Rev 9:1); angel satan.

The dark angel opened the pit; the demons home of abyss. It seethed with black evil polluting smoke, and the smell of a blacksmith’s raging furnace with unquenchable fire; so much so… ‘the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke… out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power’ (Rev 9:3). They could only torment ‘men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads’ (Rev 9:4). Not kill them, harm grass or anything green that was left, but they had the judgements to violently sting people for 5 months with pain; for their rejection of God. “Get the seal, get the seal!”

Men wanted to die, seeking death but couldn't find it. John tried to figure out what the weird tormenting, demon-scorpion locusts were. The word ‘helicopter war’ came into his mind, but he didn’t know what that was. However, the flying locusts were very big, strange evil possessed beings; more mechanical than animal, but like horses covered in armour for battle, with shiny gold at the front, and faces like men, with hair and lions teeth. 

The sound of their wings was a discordant circular blur like the thunderous chariots of many horses running into battle. Their commander was the destroyer king called Abaddon Apollyon; the devil himself, ‘a very bad one,’ a vicious dictatorial killer. This was just the first terrible woe. John’s hair stood on end, and he felt freakish fear trying to wrap its talons around his mind. He was familiar with that spirit on the earth, but it won’t distract him now; things were accelerating. 

He wished he had other words for what he saw, but alas, his writing made some sense to him, and he hoped whoever read it in the future would figure it out, or at least understand what he saw wasn't good. Two more woe’s, were yet to come; they would be the worst (Rev 9:5-12). 

The sixth angel sounded, but the tone was different; super seething, dark and ominous. After the blast, John ‘heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God’ (where the souls of the martyrs were) (Rev 9:13). The voice gave the command: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” (Rev 9:14). This Western Asian river runs from Turkey, Syria and Iraq, through to the Persian Gulf. Known in the ancient world as a divinity river, that used to cut through the heart of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:14). The four specific evil angels had been bound tight; prophetically prepared for this time, waiting there for years. Their assignment - ‘to kill a third of mankind.’ (Rev 9:15). John shuddered, thinking of the two billion or more that would also lose their lives. Never had there been such human destruction seen on earth before.

The Euphrates angels used an invading army of death from the East, likely China, infused with supernatural power. John watched 200 million horseman march across the lands, about mid-way through the tribulation, killing mankind with three plagues of fire, smoke and brimstone. The description of the army sounded like a modern fierce, highly destructive military; John was aghast. ‘But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent…’ Hard as nails, they didn’t turn from idolatry, worship of demons, murders, sorceries (drugs), sexual immorality and thefts (Rev 9:16-21).

John wept more and more at the terrible devastation of humanity, and those who stubbornly refused to follow his beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; their blindness confounded him. But, he was glad for those who found Jesus in the tribulation. He stood up reflecting on this; then for just a brief second he had an angry thought, ‘you’re kidding me!’ 

John then saw a most peculiar sight, ‘another mighty angel coming down from heaven…’ This massive being was clothed with a cloud, John had witnessed this pure white cloud on the mountain with Jesus, Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1-5), and when Jesus ascended too heaven (Luke 24:51). The angel also had a multi-coloured rainbow on his head, ‘his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire, and he had a little book open in his hand…’ (Rev 10:1-2); this celestial being was a cool looker!

John was writing ferociously by now, having adjusted somewhat to the intense weirdness of the spirit world and the theatre of it all. When he saw the angel with the rainbow hat on, he decided to take a short breather; also wondering what the heck was in a book so tiny…

As we take a breather at end-time writers, it is wonderful to reflect how the Lord has created us all as visual beings. We think and prophesy in pictures, and our hearts are inspired and stirred by what we see. Our imaginations and memories hold many images of life to recall, and God often talks in visual 3D dreams and visions, even through ‘picture’ language, like the Hebrew of Israel. 

When you allow the artistry in the book of Revelation to live in you like a film in your head, heart and spirit, it makes the sometimes crazy-weird written words on the page, come alive with revelation and understanding.  Like watching the best movie; it draws you in, suspends you. It sticks with you for a very long time, that’s why it is written like a movie script. God’s grand end-time screenplay, proclaiming His total control of everything.

When Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, started to see these end-days about two and a half thousand years ago, he was told to ‘shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase’ (Daniel 12:4). It describes our day now.

The pace of life and worldly knowledge may have exponentially increased, but it is time right now to ‘unseal the words of the end’ and grow in that knowledge, so we are ready. As in the book of Revelation, certain things had to wait till the end-times to be revealed. We are now heading into the year 2022, and let me iterate again; its time for all of us on earth, to fully understand what it means to be ready, for the last days are truly upon us! If ministers are silent, still serving the old diet of a worldly success life; ease and peace, all on earth will be ok, just go with flow, do the current narrative, follow don’t think, and there is no likely hood of change: engage your brain and run… (Amos 6:1, 1Timothy 6:5).

As we plow through this profound gift of John’s prophetic writing, that God gave to us all, two millennium past, let us think of Jesus; our salvation, and the wonderful future of eternity with an immensely creative Lord. However, there is also a deep sadness for those that go through the great tribulation to an eternity of hell and darkness, still rejecting the One True Living God. Now is the time to tell your friends, read these blogs, run fast to seek to know and find…

The Bible is our only template of absolute truth, through it we witness the immense destructive drama at the end of the world. The film industry, has been ‘preparing’ us for ‘an end’ with apocalyptic movies for decades; with God’s Revelation book you get to ‘watch the real thing.’ Lift up your eyes and see… (Isaiah 51:6, John 4:35).

(Now click this link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qggEoRnDLQ for the song Ariel by Stephen Bennett, blog author).

Therefore, only ‘the fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 53:1). Selah, (pause and think about this).

‘He (Jesus) who testifies to these things says,“Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”’ Rev 22:20.

‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.’ Mark 13:31.“And what I say to you, I say to ALL: Watch!” (V37).

‘And He (Jesus) said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Mark 4:9.

By Stephen Bennett 3/12/2021

Author - Prophet Musician - As I have Called You

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Prophet-Musician

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/The-Divine-Artist  

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/The-Poetry-Packages.

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/Prepare-and-Arise

DM, @stephenbennettbooks - instagram.

stephen bennett music tv - youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR0fL_f6LRQz4mroRwN8PRQ

NOTE: Now go to Revelation - The Terrible and the Good Pt 4. This series of blogs on the book of Revelation, will continue up to 10 parts, soon to be released. The mystery of the little book, will continue in part 4… endtimewriters.com

PRAYER OF FAITH: The Call to give your life to Jesus Christ.

No matter where you are in your Christian walk, Jesus is with you; in your triumphs and trials, to the end! If you have never known God; know this; 

“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (ages)” Amen’ Matthew 28:20. ’But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come’ Matthew 24:13-14.

Pray this prayer from your heart and your spirit will come alive to God, for with him there is hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

“My Father in heaven, I give you my life, I repent of all my sin, recreate me brand new. I give you my heart. Fill me Lord Jesus Christ with Your Holy Spirit. I believe You died for me on the cross, and by Your shed blood, you washed away my sins once and for all. Raise me from my deadness of my life to live a new life, just like you Jesus, when you were raised from the dead; I believe you did that. Make my spirit reborn, and let me come alive too filled with Your Holy Spirit.” 

“I believe I belong to you Lord. Help me to know you well, teach me Your ways, that I become all that I am meant to be. Help me to love and find love. I thank you Lord that you will always be with me.” 

If you have genuinely prayed this prayer to Jesus Christ, in your seeking of God, or you’re coming back to Him, DM instagram or FB or email. Talk to other Christians you may know, and find a Church where you can grow.

Best - ETW

(Click-link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHZiIah2glY for the song 23 by Stephen Bennett, blog author. (From Psalm 23 to minister peace and hope to you).

SUBSCRIBE! For our updates, notifications, and blog series releases. Please leave your email now on the ETW homepage. SUBSCRIBE!