Revelation 15:7-8 (KJV) Seven Golden Vials and the Justice of God

Revelation 15:7-8 (KJV)

And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

The Tribulation period is literal and future. That said, much of what is written in the book of the Revelation is typical. It has to be. How else would John describe what he was seeing, having never seen anything like it in his world before? God uses the typical to describe the literal so that people of any age and culture might benefit from it.

We have seven angels with the seven “last plagues.” I am glad they are the last plagues. There is an end to the Tribulation!

The Bible says the seven angels are then given seven vials filled with the wrath of God. I note:

They are dressed in clothing pure and white.
Their work is pure and holy, though not pleasant.

They have a golden girdle.
Their work is just and right, coming from the throne of God.

They have vials filled with the wrath of God.
A vial is a measured amount. It is terrible, but it is carefully measured, purposeful, and leads to a conclusion.

Their files contain the wrath of God.
This is not the judgment of men, but of God.

We must never fear what men may do to us. All men ought to fear the One who has power to send the soul to hell forever. Such fear, when turned to trust, becomes love of such a depth that one cannot describe it.

#Revelation15 #WrathOfGod #EndTimesProphecy #TribulationTruth `#KingJamesBible

Seven Golden Vials and the Justice of God: The Wrath of God in the Revelation Should Lead Us to Trust Him

Have you ever considered why God describes His wrath as being poured from measured vials rather than unleashed without restraint? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

For more Bible studies, prophecy lessons, books, and resources designed to help believers think biblically and grow in their faith, visit marvinmckenzie.org. I would be honored to have you stop by.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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Revelation 15:7-8 (KJV) Seven Golden Vials and the Justice of God

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxLXp5kBgrOXi9iqdzDAkTMoiimZ2qpm28?si=7Y44DkG4GsmUxYhv

Revelation 14:8 (KJV) Babylon Is Fallen

Revelation 14:8 (KJV)

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Full disclosure: I believe the Babylon of the book of Revelation is Roman Catholicism. It was taught to me by my pastor, Fred Scudder, at the very first Independent Baptist church service I ever attended. It was reinforced by my teachers in Bible college. For most of my years in the ministry, it was the nearly unquestioned understanding among Independent Baptist pastors, authors, prophecy teachers, and evangelists.

I remember Wally Williams traveling with a week-long multimedia teaching series on Revelation. He never doubted that Babylon referred to Roman Catholicism.

That said, I think we need to be careful when studying Revelation not to become too rigid in our assumptions.

• Some believe Babylon is Islam.
• Some believe it was the Roman government that fell in the fourth century.
• Some believe it was Jerusalem that fell in A.D. 70.

(The latter two positions generally lead to the conclusion that the events of Revelation have already taken place and that the book is primarily fulfilled prophecy rather than prophecy awaiting fulfillment.)

Some have even suggested that Babylon could be the United States. The United States is not clearly identified in biblical prophecy. As great a superpower as this nation seems to us, it does not receive a clear mention in God's revealed plan for humanity. What if it is there, but we are unwilling to recognize it as fallen?

I still hold to what I was taught.

But I do not want to hold my interpretation more tightly than I hold the Scriptures.

God is always right, and His Word is always right.

It is the Word of God that I trust—not my understanding of it.

#BabylonIsFallen #TrustTheScriptures #RevelationStudy #ProphecyAndTruth #GodsWordStand #TheBibleIsRightAlways

Babylon Is Fallen: What I Believe, Why I Believe It, and Why I Want to Stay Humble About It

What do you believe Babylon represents in Revelation 14:8? Roman Catholicism? Islam? Jerusalem? Something else entirely? I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts in the comments.

Whether you agree with my conclusion or not, let's remember that God's Word is always right, even when our understanding is incomplete.

For more Bible studies, prophecy lessons, books, and teaching resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 14:8 (KJV) Babylon Is Fallen

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxzsHiSP25b8UW-BEcJ_7DluS0po5rbCwz?si=s_KKH8fMW7McPNR6

Revelation 13:7 (KJV) The Mystery of the Overcome Overcomers

Revelation 13:7 (KJV) 

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

I'm thinking right now of "overcome overcomers."

Though our passage is Tribulational in context, one would be hard-pressed to deny that history is filled with accounts of those who were promised to be overcomers being overcome. The Bible promises believers that we will overcome the world and that we will overcome the wicked one.

1 John 2:13-14 (KJV)

I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Yet even our Saviour was slain by the hands of wicked men.

Stephen was stoned to death while Christ stood at the right hand of God, watching.

James was beheaded in a jail cell, and Herod would have done the same to Peter for no other reason than that he saw it pleased the Jews.

I refer the reader to Foxe's Book of Martyrs for an accounting of some of those overcomers who were overcome in the cruelest fashions imaginable.

The accounts are such that I can easily believe those who committed these cruel acts against the saints often thought it was God who had given them power to do so. They may have believed God was on their side because they succeeded in overcoming those who professed to be the children of God.

But remember: Matthew 10:28 (KJV)

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

John Gill writes concerning this passage:

"To overcome them: not so as to submit to him, and to forsake the doctrines and ordinances of Christ, but by killing them..."

But then he adds:

"And who, by dying in the faith and cause of Christ, overcome Satan, get the victory over the world, and antichrist, and are more than conquerors through him that has loved them."

The beast may overcome the saints physically, but he can never conquer them spiritually. Many of God's overcomers have appeared to be defeated in the eyes of the world, yet in reality, they won the greatest victory of all.

#OvercomeYetVictorious #FaithfulUntoDeath #MoreThanConquerors #WarAgainstTheSaints #TheVictoryOfTheSaints

The Mystery of the Overcome Overcomers: When God's People Lose Everything and Still Win

What do you think? Can God's people be "overcome" and still be victorious? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

If this Bible study encouraged you, challenged you, or gave you a new perspective on Revelation 13:7, please share it with a friend. For more Bible studies, articles, videos, books, and resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org and join me as we continue exploring God's Word together.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 13:7 (KJV)  The Mystery of the Overcome Overcomers

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxBXzBTmfgzp4-4y_LcZRFEtoz1pqsUAwh?si=Khcy9rSfYQnjIiFK

Revelation 12:17 (KJV) The Hidden War

Revelation 12:17 (KJV)

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12 reads to me like a summary of the whole history of Satan, from the beginning of time through what would be the current time in the context of the Tribulation. Of course, that context requires Israel and the introduction of Christ, so the first two verses introduce Israel.

Verse 3 introduces Satan, and immediately we begin to see the contest—not between Satan and Israel, but between Satan and God—with Israel being the “football,” if you will, around which the game is played.

Of course, we know that there are others upon the earth besides Israel. They become involved in the battle as well. Even creation itself is seen actively engaged as the earth helps the woman, opens its mouth, and swallows the flood.

The chapter ends with the dragon, Satan, making war with “the remnant of her seed” and gives two descriptors:

• Which keep the commandments of God
• And have the testimony of Jesus Christ

Of course, at the end of history, all peoples will be on the same page. We will all keep the commandments of God, and we will all have the testimony of Jesus Christ (that is, faith in Jesus Christ). But in the middle of the Tribulation, this will not yet be the case.

• There will be those who are neither of these—they will side with the Antichrist.
• There will be the Jews, described as keeping the commandments of God. I take that to mean adherents of the Mosaic Law.
• And there will be those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ. These are the multitudes out of every kindred, people, tongue, and nation who come to faith in Christ despite the great persecution for their faith.

Satan hates all the inhabitants of the earth and sea because they are the creation of God. He hates the Jews because they are the people through whom the Saviour came. But he especially hates those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ because he believed he deserved Christ's place and was ultimately cast out of heaven for it.

#Revelation1217 #TestimonyOfJesusChrist #TribulationTruth #SpiritualWarfare #StandWithChrist

The Hidden War: Who Is the Dragon Really Fighting?

What do you think? Are the two groups in Revelation 12:17 both believers, or do you see them differently? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

For more Bible studies, prophecy insights, books, videos, and teaching resources, visit MarvinMcKenzie.org. I'd love to have you stop by and explore the growing collection of free and published materials.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 12:17 (KJV) The Hidden War

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxjcEMOYQM9-yihmq9TfiqBIabl2vOj3uq?si=JxnQP5N3IbFjTlHA

Revelation 11:11 (KJV) The Two Witnesses, the Rapture, and a Prophecy Confusion

Revelation 11:11 (KJV)

And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

I won't pretend to understand all the arguments of those who hold to the mid-Tribulation or pre-wrath rapture positions. I have not studied those views, nor do I intend to do so.

I am convinced that the Bible promises that Christians are removed from the earth before the Tribulation begins, that the purpose of the Tribulation does not include church age Christians, and that the judgments that will try the earth during that time have already been borne by Christ on behalf of believers at the cross. To place church age Christians in any part of the Great Tribulation is, in my view, to diminish the sufficiency of the work of our Lord. I refuse to have any part in that, including the study of arguments that would lead me in that direction.

I have heard that one argument used by some is connected to the two witnesses, their resurrection, and their ascension at the midpoint of the Tribulation after being dead for three and one-half days.

I will confess that the phrase "Come up hither" in verse 12 sounds similar to John's call in Revelation 4. I will also admit that the three and one-half days seem to fit the pattern of events surrounding the middle of the Tribulation.

But these witnesses are Jews—or at least I believe that is almost certainly the case. 

• They have a specific period of ministry, whereas Christians know not the day nor the hour. 
• They die in Jerusalem, the city where our Lord was crucified, which cannot be said of church age Christians. 
• Their bodies remain unburied in the street, which likewise cannot be said of church age Christians.

The two witnesses are not symbolic of church age Christians.

Similar language is not the equivalent of equal identification.

#TwoWitnesses #PreTribRapture #Revelation11 #BibleProphecy #RightlyDividingTruth

The Two Witnesses, the Rapture, and a Prophecy Confusion: Does "Come Up Hither" Prove a Mid-Trib Rapture?

What do you think? Are the two witnesses symbolic of church age Christians, or does Revelation 11 describe two literal witnesses with a unique ministry during the Tribulation?

Leave a comment below and join the conversation. I enjoy hearing how others understand these passages of Scripture.

For more Bible studies, prophecy lessons, articles, books, and resources, visit marvinmckenzie.org. I'd be honored to have you stop by and explore the growing library of biblical content.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 11:11 (KJV) The Two Witnesses, the Rapture, and a Prophecy Confusion

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxyPoBIdNpaW2XAAz1lK_BQIlnazDQNkIH?si=k_5bwl74jJ2lD-Hn