THE 5 KEYS to DISCERNMENT

NOTE:  Seeing God-TV have decided to promote another Todd
Bentley "revival", I thought it might be good to once again discuss
the topic of 'discernment' in these last days. God-TV have
obviously not learned their lesson from the Lakeland fiasco a few
years ago where Todd Bentley showed his true colours for all the
world to see. Many Charismatic leaders are still wearing egg all
over their face for their total lack of discernment during that fiasco.
And yet here they are repeating all the same mistakes. I would
be interested in your comments on the article below, my friends-

THE 5 KEYS to DISCERNMENT
by Andrew Strom

Practical tips for the End-time church.

Some people say that knowing Scripture is the only real key to
discernment that we need. And yes - Scripture is very important -
especially in exposing false doctrine. But it is not only doctrines
or teachings that are the greatest danger today. It is just as likely
to be false `anointings´ or spirits - perhaps even "lying signs and
wonders". And we may need more than just a good understanding
of Scripture to spot these things. Remember, a lot of the people
caught up in today's "manifestations mania" actually know their
Bible quite well. And yet they could still be deceived. So what
are the things that can help us avoid deception in similar situations?

Some of the most basic keys to discernment that God has shown
me are as follows:
(1) Know your HOLY GOD intimately. (-When you have seen His
glory, His holiness and His love - by drawing close to Him in prayer -
then you can usually see through any "counterfeits" because you
know the 'real thing' so well).
(2) Know your Bible. It is very important to be able to spot teachings
that are either extra-biblical or directly opposed to what the Scriptures
teach. However, it is important to remember that the Scribes and
Pharisees were extremely learned in the Scriptures and yet they
missed the very Messiah that was prophesied! So knowing the
Bible is important - especially for doctrinal issues - but we need
to be able to "discern the spirits" also.
(3) Be a "lover of truth". This is very crucial. Are you someone who
will actually stand up for TRUTH - even against the crowd? Or do
you remain silent even when you feel something is very wrong?
(4) Purity of heart and Humility. Many deceptions only appeal to
us because there is something inside us that "wants" to believe
them. They are seductive because of darkness and wrong motives
in our own lives. We must search our hearts and root these out.
(5) The 'inner witness' of the Holy Spirit. We must learn to NEVER
over-ride this "still small voice", as it will save us from deception
again and again. (-More on this below).

Did you know that even an unbeliever can often spot a 'con-man'
or a snake-oil salesman? They get a kind-of "gut feeling" about
such things. And they are often right! In fact, they are often less
gullible than the Christians! (-Because we are told in the church-
"Do not judge", 'Touch not the Lord's anointed', "You have a critical
spirit if you do not join in", etc, etc. This is the very reason why
Christians are often the most gullible and easily deceived). We
need to realize that the Bible says to "Test the spirits" and warns
very strongly that the Last Days will be a time of "seducing spirits"
and great deception. So how can we become more alert to these things?

I believe that God has placed within every human being at least a
measure of an inner "warning system" to protect us from being
easily deceived - just as He has given us all a conscience. It is
something that He has built into every one of us, in His mercy. (I
guess a lot of it is simply `common sense´). However, Christians
should have an even greater advantage in this area, because we
have the "inner witness" of the Holy Spirit, and the `still small
voice´ of the Lord speaking to us every day.

But what I have found again and again with people who give
themselves over to some form of deception is that they often
"override" these alarm bells. They go against their 'better
judgement'. They ignore the little voice deep inside them that is
telling them that there is something wrong. Christians do this all
the time. That is how they get themselves involved in such foolish
deceptions.

This may all sound very obvious, but I am telling you, this one
basic area alone could wipe out half the deception in the church
right now. If only people would listen to these internal 'alarm bells'
and act with common sense, half of it would be gone overnight.

The Bible is very clear that the Last Days are a time of such
widespread deception that it would "deceive if possible the very
elect". It also shows that much of this deception will arise from
WITHIN the church - luring believers with "itching ears". Do we see
evidence of this kind of thing taking place today? Certainly!  In fact,
some of it is at a level that is truly shocking. And yet it is all
accepted as perfectly "normal" by many Christians.

One of the problems, of course, is that those who bring in these
deceptions are 'trusted' by the congregation. They have a reputation
and they put across some very convincing-sounding arguments
and surround the whole thing with Biblical terminology. And thus
the deception is harder to spot. (After all, if it were not "deceptive"
then it would not be called 'deception'!) People see spiritual power
operating and assume that it "must be God". But this is a very
dangerous assumption to make in these days.

As I said in a previous article, there is also a lot of "peer pressure"
involved as well. For if everyone in the church is getting into
something, then shouldn't you just ignore those little 'alarm bells'
and jump right in? This is what is happening all the time in the
church right now. And some preachers are very good at making
people feel that they are 'hindering the Spirit' if they do not get involved.

So how do you avoid being deceived in this way?

Very simply, you do not go along to these meetings in a "gullible"
frame of mind. And you do not allow yourself to be carried along
with the crowd. You listen carefully to the preaching and make
sure that it truly is Biblical. Then you watch the ministry happening
down the front of the meeting and discern whether it really is of
God or not. You do not "override" any feelings of unease or any
'alarm bells' going off inside you. And you do not allow yourself to
be swayed by 'peer pressure'. Even if the whole church is getting
into something, it does not mean that you have to. If you do not
feel quite "right" about it then DO NOT GET INVOLVED. If you
need to, make some excuse and get out of there! You do not have
to get involved in things that do not feel spiritually "right" to you.

A lot of people today will go down the front to get something
"imparted" to them by almost every visiting speaker - almost as a
matter of course. I tell you, in today's climate this can be a very
dangerous thing to do. In fact, some of this 'impartation' business
has very flimsy backing in Scripture. Who knows what on earth
these preachers are imparting? And who knows where they picked
it up?  I tell you, deceiving spirits are commonplace today, and
I believe they are being imparted to Christians on a large scale.

Let me give you an example. I received the following account from
a preacher in England recently:
"There were about 20 fellow ministers all gathered together in one
large room at a local minister's house. We were introduced to the
special guest... The next 3 hours were the weirdest three hours I
have ever had to endure, we started listening to [her] testimony
which seemed very powerful, next she spoke of the times that she
meets with the Angel Gabriel and other spiritual beings, next we
moved on to portals between this world and the next and then finally
to how she was going to open up a portal to Heaven in the room that
we were all in.  Now things started to happen, really crazy things
and strange noises... As [she] moved around the room ministering
to individual people they were crashing to the ground, bouncing up
and down, running around as if on fire and making all sorts of sounds.
When she came to me she had no prophetic words for me and nothing
happened to me so she just moved on.  My Vineyard friend was the
first to crash to the floor. Since that day his church has taken on a
different guise, it is not the same church any more."

Now, you should know that this 'guest speaker' was one of the very
people I mentioned in my "Naming Names" article. I believe that
this is a true account, because it is very similar to what I myself
observed happening under the same ministry. In fact, what I saw
was people making involuntary "bat"-like movements all over the
building and an eery 'wailing' noise filling the air. It was truly awful.

Now, it should not surprise us that there are strong deceptions or
"powerful delusions" around today, for this is exactly what the
Scriptures predict will happen. All the way through the New
Testament we are warned of these days - over and over again.

However, one of the problems we have is that God actually does
'strange and unusual' things Himself. (-Think of the Book of Acts,
for instance). So we cannot simply throw out everything "unusual".
Angelic visitations DO HAPPEN. Strange prophetic signs DO
OCCUR. And being a strong Charismatic Christian myself, I expect
to see believers speaking in tongues and moving in the gifts of the
Holy Spirit as well. Now, there is no doubt that many of these
things could be termed 'unusual' phenomena. So how do we tell
the difference?

Well, God never goes against His own holy character. Or against
Scripture. And as I often say, we may see Him do 'unusual' things
but I believe we need to draw the line at "weird" or 'ugly'. Some of
the deception that is around right now has a 'touchy-feely' New Age
sense about it. Remember that the New Age movement majors on
"inner healing" and unusual spiritual experiences. I do not believe
in 'guided visualisation' or anything of that kind. And neither am I
very fond of the writings of Catholic mystics or the like.

However, I have personally found it very helpful to immerse myself
in the writings of past Revivalists and the accounts of great moves
of God. A lot of the men and women involved in these Revivals lived
very close to God and knew Him intimately. They knew His holiness,
they knew His glory, and they knew His love. And it is enormously
helpful to one's discernment to immerse oneself in these writings,
I have found. I would recommend this to all Christians everywhere.

If you have been touched or involved in any way with manifestations
or experiences that you think may not have been from God, then
I urge you to utterly RENOUNCE (with your mouth, but also from
the depths of your heart and soul) any links or involvement with
that experience or 'anointing'. Please do not put this off, my friends.
Some of this stuff is extremely dangerous. RENOUNCE IT today.

PLEASE COMMENT on this topic at the following website-

http://www.revivalschool.com/

Blessings from - Andrew Strom ( prophetic@revivalschool.com ).

THE 100 YEAR OLD PROPHECY

ANDREW's NOTE: There are 2 things that people won't like about
the prophecy below. For one thing, it is declaring that there is
genuine hope for a real Revival in this generation. I hear from
Christians in our circles all the time that there is no such hope.
Many have completely given way to Cynicism. But they call their
cynicism by another name. They call it "discernment". They long
ago stopped hoping or believing that God might really move. They
say it is only the "false prophets" that give encouraging words
about "Revival coming". And so this must be a 'false' word too,
they say. But cynicism and unbelief are not "discernment". They
are simply cynicism and unbelief. We need to repent.

The second reason that people will not like this prophecy is that
it mentions the "latter rain". This is not the same as the "Latter
rain" heresy. All the old pentecostals that I have read about used
the term "latter rain" all the time - to talk about a real Last-Days
outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was only much later that the term
got associated with the "Latter Rain" heresy out of Canada.

But I find lately that the Cynicism is so great, the Unbelief so
strong, the so-called "Discernment" is so nit-picking (and by the
way, "Google-searching" is not 'Discernment' either) - that everyone
nit-picks every "positive" word to death. Just like the Pharisees.

You simply are not allowed to be "hopeful" any more.

Could the below prophecy be true? I surely hope so. I have to
believe that God has not given up yet. And neither has this generation
seen a truly holy and radiant "Bride" clothed in the glory of Christ.
I am not one who is wanting to "whimper" my way into eternity
without at least seeing that. - Nit-picking, anyone? - Andrew Strom.
------------------------------------------------

The 100-YEAR-OLD PROPHECY
-Michael Edds.

The great Azusa Street Awakening, which over the years resulted
in 600 million being swept into the Kingdom of God and gave birth
to the Pentecostal Movement, began in 1906. It was one of the
greatest outpourings of the Spirit of God since Pentecost. Multitudes
were saved, healed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Incredible
miracles occurred.

This great revival moved from Los Angeles to its new focal point of
Chicago, Illinois. The two great centers of revival in Chicago were
the North Avenue Mission and the Stone Church. Pentecost swept
from Chicago to Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. One
of the greatest outpourings occurred at Stone Church in 1913.
The renown evangelist Maria Woodworth Etter began a revival
on July 2, 1913 at Stone Church.

The services were to last until the end of July but continued for six
months. This was a time of divine appointment for the city of
Chicago; God rent the heavens and came down!! Scenes from the
days of the Early Church began to occur at Stone Church. Word
began to spread throughout Chicago of miraculous healings,
deliverance from demonic possession, conversions, and of the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit happening in these meetings.
Advertisement was no longer necessary! The city was incredibly
shaken. Word spread of the miraculous intervention of God.
Thousands came on trolleys, buggies, and trains, while many
walked. Some came from distances of 1,600 miles away. 1200
to 1500 packed into Stone Church each night. The basement was
filled and many stood out on the street. Street meetings were held
to accommodate them. Three services were held on Sundays!

As Christians prayed around the altar one evening, Sister
Woodworth-Etter and others gave the following powerful prophecy
and divine promise, which they prophesied would occur within 100
years of the 1913 Chicago Visitation. She prophesied of this
coming End Time Revival....

"We are not yet up to the fullness of the Former Rain and that when
the Latter Rain comes, it will far exceed anything we have seen!"

William Seymour, the leader of the Azusa Street Awakening, also
prophesied that in 100 years there would be an outpouring of God's
Spirit and His Shekinah Glory that would be greater and more far
reaching than what was experienced at Azusa.

It has been almost 100 years since these prophecies were given...
I believe that we have reached the time of the fulfillment of these
100 year old prophecies. We must be diligent to pray, intercede
and protect what the Lord is doing. We must encourage and edify
one another as never before. We must crucify every critical,
judgmental and religious spirit that may be within us. We must
put on the holiness and righteousness of Christ. Our time of divine
destiny has come. We are about to experience what Brother
Seymour and Sister Woodworth-Etter foresaw. God is about to
rend the heavens and come down!...

SIGN 3

SIGN 3

BY JOHN FENN

Hi all,
You'll recall I started this series at the end, The Revelation, dealing with the double asteroid hits, the 1/3 of the sun/moon/starlight blocked out, the ensuing economic, food, and health issues, rather than spiritual things. But so many wrote asking about the 'rapture' that I took a side trip last week to cover it.
 
I shared how we are in the 'time of the Gentiles' and this time ends when Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by Gentiles (1967/1973) and we start to see the blindness on Israel lift (Jews for Jesus ministry began in 1973, for example).
 
The book of Acts closes with Paul being rejected by Jewish leaders and his declaration: "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it." (28:28)
  
I shared how the 'rapture' is one of the 7 Jewish festivals, called the Feast of Trumpets. The "last trump" spoken of by Paul is a specific trumpet blown at this feast to awaken the righteous dead, transform the living, and hide them with the Messiah - thus the festival occurring during the new moon phase, when the moon is hidden. No one knows when that blast will happen, but he did say it would be before the 'man of sin' is revealed.
 
Continuing...
We also know that all 7 festivals happen in chronological order as presented in Leviticus 23. The 4 spring festivals speak of his 1st coming, the 3 fall festivals speak to his 2nd coming.
 
Unleavened Bread (#1) and Passover (#2) were fulfilled at the appointed time by Jesus dying on the cross. Jesus was resurrected on the following Sunday morning, which was on the Feast of Firstfruits (#3). Fifty days later Pentecost (#4) celebrated the giving of God's Word from Mt. Sinai, and fulfilled by the giving of God's Spirit and Word to all nations.
 
So the 4 spring feasts were all fulfilled on their exact anniversary day and in chronological order. The 3 fall festivals are: The Feast of Trumpets; raising of the righteous dead/living) (#5), Day of Atonement; 2nd coming of Christ (#6), and Feast of Tabernacles; God living with man (#7).
 
We are told in Zechariah 14:16 when Messiah rules the earth, that all nations will annually come to Jerusalem to celebrate Tabernacles, the celebration of God dwelling with man. So that final (7th) festival will be fulfilled exactly on it's day just like the first four.
 
That leaves the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. Isn't it logical to see God is giving us the pattern since he fulfilled the first 4 festivals in order and the last one will be fulfilled in order, to believe #5 & #6 will also be fulfilled on their day and maintain their chronological order?
  
There's more. In Judaism, once the trumpet is blown to start the Feast of Trumpets and the righteous dead are raised and the living are hidden in Messiah, they believe the earth goes into what's called The Days of Awe, which last until the Day of Atonement (return of Christ). 
 
The Days of Awe divide earth's people are into 3 groups (God's vantage point): The Wholly Wicked, the Wholly Righteous, and the largest group, The Undecided. Many will come to Christ during this time, many martyred, but eventually Israel will realize Jesus is their Messiah, and will be rescued at the last minute by the return of Christ (Day of Atonement).
 
So you see, the rapture really will occur before the tribulation. If it follows the pattern, it will happen on some future Feast of Trumpets, which is celebrated each fall. (September 19 this year)
 
There is also some question about just who will go. Hebrews 9:28 says "so Christ also, having been once offered (up) to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time apart from sin, to those who wait for him (look for him), unto salvation."
 
In other words, the first time was to pay for our sins, the next time he is coming to those who are looking for him (as distinct from the 2nd coming in Revelation 19 where he doesn't care whether they are looking for him or not, he's coming!).
 
The issue with some is that they can't see the person who lives like the world Monday through Saturday but shows up on Sunday saying they love God, make it in the rapture. (Let 'em go though the tribulation) Thus the teaching that the bride of Christ is those who are true disciples, purifying themselves as brides awaiting the groom, versus the body of Christ at large. I don't know about that, but I do know there is a blowing of the Awakening Blast and one way (having died) or the other (still alive) I'm going to be in that load going up!
 
But we don't know...
...if it will happen before, during, or after what can only be called World War 3.
 
This is the battle depicted in Ezekiel 38 & 39, sandwiched in between the prophecy of Israel becoming a nation once again in chapters 36 & 37 (happened in 1948), and the description of the Millennial Temple of chapter 40. Remember from last week that the time of the Gentiles was not revealed to mankind before Pentecost, so Ezekiel is shown things in order minus that information - and that's what keeps us guessing!
 
A rule of Bible interpretation is that if you update things like nations, you must also update across the board, like in weapons descriptions. In Ezekiel 38 he sees a military and economic alliance between several nations that will invade Israel, but be defeated by Israel and her allies. Those nations were in Ezekiel's time:
 
Magog - people who lived north of the Black Sea, north of the Caucasus Mountains - Russia, Ukraine.
Meshech and Tubal - people living on the east and south of the Black Sea - Russia, Georgia.
Persia - Iran
Ethiopia - in Ezekiel's time this was the modern nation of the Sudan, directly south of Egypt.
Libya - same as today.
Togarmah - Turkey.
Gomer - there is some debate about this, with some saying Eastern Europe, but historically, Turkey.
 
Russia will act as 'guard', to Libya, Iran, Sudan, Turkey, and together they will invade Israel.
 
Defenders?
Ezekiel also says some nations will ask "Have you come to take a spoil? Have you gathered your army to take a prey, to carry away silver and gold and goods and to enslave? (Ez 38:13) Those nations that object to this invasion are: Sheba, Dedan, and the "merchants (business interests) of Tarshish with all the young lions thereof".
 
Sheba and Dedan are mentioned in Genesis 10:7 as beings sons of Abraham's concubine, Keturah, and became nomadic Arab tribes. The historian Ptolemy put them in the area of Zabram, just west of modern Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.
 
The merchants of Tarshish is more interesting, as in Ezekiel's time Tarshish was a general term referring to the Gentile land around and beyond Spain into Gentile Europe - the west. So it appears moderate Arab countries (Saudi Arabia) and the merchants of the west will at least raise some diplomatic fuss over the impending invasion of Israel. Obviously in our time, the issue is oil, as the "merchants of Tarshish" are linked to 'Sheba and Dedan' strongly. In our terms, Russia is making a power grab to eliminate Israel for control of the middle east oil supply.
 
There is considerable debate about what "the young lions thereof" mean. Some have said the 'young lions' is a reference to Great Britain (it's symbol is a lion) and the US, being 'offspring' of Tarshish (Spain/Great Britain/Europe). We don't know, but clearly Russia believes the west won't raise a hand to stop the invasion, but they are wrong.
 
In 38:21 the Lord says "I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, every man's sword will be against his brother." In prophetic literature, "mountains" stands for nations, as in Daniel 2:23 where a stone representing God's kingdom becomes a huge mountain and fills the earth.
 
So there will be God's mountains, nations that fight with Israel against Russia and her allies. The good news is that Russia is defeated, and even nature is turned against her in Israel's northern territory, as there will be overflowing rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone (perhaps modern warfare explosions). Ezekiel makes it clear the destruction will extend to the home countries involved, not just the armies.
 
Ezekiel 39 says it will take 7 months to bury the dead, and Israel will have a 7 year supply of fuel and spoil as a result. He even sees people being hired to look for body fragments and setting flags when they spot a body part.
 
This is NOT the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19, which is the return of Jesus. Remember that involves the massive army from the 5 kings of the east. The 'east' is a reference to China and the orient.
 
So Israel will have 1 battle that results in the defeat of Russia and ends for all intents and purposes the Arab/Israeli conflict.
 
Here is what I believe, so take it with a grain of salt
I believe after that battle, the leader of Europe will make a 7 year peace treaty with Israel that will include a provision to build a temple on the temple mount (who will stand in their way?). The peace treaty ensures their right to do so - they and their allies just defeated Russia, Iran and allies after all!
 
At 3 1/2 years into the treaty this European leader will come to Jerusalem (possibly at the dedication of the temple?) and demand the same allegiance and worship he has imposed on Europe the previous 3 1/2 years, which is called 'the tribulation'.
 
Jesus said in Matthew 24:15 that when you see that ruler in Jerusalem in the temple, it begins the 'great tribulation', the second 1/2 of that 7 year time frame.
 
It is in that time frame that most of what we covered 2 weeks ago take place, though certainly this ruler (anti-Christ) will have been killing all who oppose him, believers included, and causing huge economic problems to this point. (Can you imagine the economic issues in Europe with Russia destroyed?)
 
While people have wondered about the US, I had always wondered how China/'the 5 kings of east' can move that many people across what is the southern belly of the former USSR without Russia fighting them - the answer of course is that Israel destroys Russia's army at least 7 years earlier, so the 5 kings of the east march across southern Asia with no one to stand in their way, come across the dried up Euphrates, and meet their doom at the return of Christ at Armageddon.
 
OK...that's a quick overview...sorry the last 3 weeks have been so lengthy, but the topic is huge.
What exciting times we live in! Watch Russia and who it allies itself with, watch for Turkey to go pro-Russia and/or the EU to go anti-Turkey nearly pushing into the arms of Russia, and watch Israel and her allies. May the US, the UK, and the west stand with Israel as one of God's mountains!
 
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org
 

Signs of The Revelation #1

John Fenn, Signs of The Revelation #1

Hi all,
There is such a noise being made about end time prophecy but most (Bible teachers) are talking about words they think the Lord has shown them for the future, and little actual Bible is being shared.

The book of The Revelation is a sure word, but full of symbolism which results in ministers making it hyper-spiritual or bent towards their own biases, which removes the practical, down to earth prophecy presented.

What I've been doing in my own study is looking at the political, economic, scientific, and natural disaster part of it. The Lord gives us a very logical progression of events in a time yet future. I want to condense it for you below, so I hope it will be a blessing.

After the messages to the 7 churches, Jesus opens a scroll the Father gave him in chapter 5, which is what most of the rest of the book revolves around. So if we lay down in order the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 vials as a foundation the basic framework is easy to understand. What I've done is list them in groups as they will occur, and you will see a logical progression.

First Seal: White horse; rider with bow, crown given him, went forth conquering and to conquer. 6:1-2
First Trumpet: Hail and fire mixed with blood, 1/3 of trees/grass burned up, green grass burned. 8:7
First Vial: Sores on those who have the mark of the beast and worship his image. 16:2

Look at these passages like they were in the newspaper or nightly news. A new leader will begin conquering other nations, while at the same time a disaster of world wide proportions will happen that will burn up 1/3 of the vegetation. Additionally, a skin ailment will reach pandemic level.

A leader conquering we can understand, but what is the source of the 1/3 of vegetation burned up, and are the skin sores related? Here are some answers in the second grouping:

Second Seal: Red horse; power (kratos) to rider to take peace from the earth that they kill one another, and he had a great sword. 6:3-4
Second Trumpet: Burning Mountain cast into sea, 1/3 of sea became blood, 1/3 of animals in the sea died, and 1/3 of ships destroyed. 8:8-9
Second Vial: Sea poisoned and looks like blood, life therein dies. 16:3

Now we are getting some understanding. The ruler starts a war(s), but around the same time a "mountain" which we would call asteroid, lands in the ocean. This explains why 1/3 of the vegetation dies, and 1/3 of sea life dies, and 1/3 of ships at sea are destroyed. You may recall that when there is a lack of oxygen in the water there is a red algae bloom, called a red tide, which kills and poisons all sea life in the area. The word presented here is that this asteroid will land in the sea and cause just such a catastrophe over 1/3 of it. Skin sores can be explained as a result of these events as well.

Now...start thinking logically as to what is next. What would happen if in the midst of war, an asteroid hit the ocean and poisons sea life? Could we expect starvation and/or malnutrition for those dependent on a diet from the sea, economic turmoil, political turmoil? All the above! But there is more.

Third Seal: Black horse; rider had a pair of balances. In the midst of the 4 horses a voice calling for inflation/high price of wheat, barley, but not for oil and wine, or no hurt to oil and wine. 6:5-6
Third Trumpet: A burning star, burning like a torch, fell on 1/3 of fresh water (rivers), and on the "fountains of waters". It is called 'wormwood', and 1/3 of the fresh waters were poisoned. 8:10-11
Third Vial: Fresh waters poisoned, look like blood. 16:4-7

Whereas a white horse may stand for deception/false righteousness as the rider goes forth to conquer, and the red horse clearly stood for bloodshed in the conquering, now we have a black horse with balances, indicating economic chaos - things are very bad, but a common sense result from a natural disaster of this magnitude while having some possessed leader taking advantage of the situation to make war.

Look at the history of any war and you will see the disruption of food supplies, diseases, starvation/malnutrition - now throw in an asteroid hitting the earth (but wait, there's more)

The Lord tells us here there will be hyper-inflation/shortage on grains, but not for oil or wine. Logical - if you can't eat any fish the demand for grain products goes up, but if 1/3 of the grass and trees are burned, there will be food shortages - extremely high prices for what little is available.

Note the burning star that looked like a torch to the apostle John. The first was a 'burning mountain', and the 2nd may be a comet, or I lean towards the differences in appearance being a matter of perspective. If an asteroid is coming more or less right at you, you won't see a long tail.

If it skims through the atmosphere at an angle before hitting, it will have a long tail like a torch. It may very well be one comet or asteroid that splits in 2 upon nearing earth due to colliding with the atmosphere or gravity. (Not because Bruce Willis and his band of dysfunctional spaced rangers blow it in two) :)

Either way, the 'burning mountain' and the 'star burning as a torch' poison water; the first affects 1/3 of the ocean, the second 1/3 of all fresh bodies of water, which leads one to think the 2nd will hit land. The effects of these 2 impacts are one of the most fascinating parts of what is presented by the Lord, because the next effects are exactly in line with what science says would happen if this occured.

Fourth Seal: Pale horse; name of rider is Death, and Hell rides with him. Has authority to kill 1/4 of the earth with sword, hunger, death, wild animals. 6:7-8
Fourth Trumpet: 1/3 of sun, moon, stars darkened. 8:12 (Light in day and night cut by 1/3)
Fourth Vial: Sun scorches people. 16:8-9

Now the pale horse; death being the result of war, disruption of economics, food shortages, disease. A full 25% of the population of the earth dies. Think of this in terms of numbers. There are over 6 billion people on the earth now. 25% of that number is 1.5 billion (dead). This means that 75% will live, or 4.5 billion.

The reference to wild animals is easy to think through. If cities are vacant (limited or no food or water service) the animals move in. I remember living in Colorado and when food was scarce in the mountains we'd see elk, bear, coyote, and mountain lions in the city of Boulder. If there is 1/3 less grass/fruit/water/fish for them to eat - you bet they'll coming to your house for dinner!

Back to the double impact from what I'll call the burning "meteors" (for lack of knowing exactly what's being described): Here we see what science says would happen; the massive dust and water vapor cloud darkens the earth by 1/3 as all that dirt and water is thrown into the atmosphere circles the earth.

But here is something interesting - the sun scorches people. Scientists say one result of a massive impact would be the disruption or destruction of the earth's magnetic field, which shields the earth from solar flares. Take away the magnetic field and we get burned. 16:9 says it will be "great heat" that will scorch the earth.

Wow...what a time. A possessed man starting wars, focusing on Israel and disciples of Jesus, 2 impacts from celestial bodies slam into the ocean and somewhere on land, sunlight is blocked, solar flares scorch the earth, food shortages and disease abound, 1.5 billion dead.

Fifth Seal: Souls of those slain for Jesus in heaven asking how long until they are avenged, and told to wait until the full number of martyrs is fulfilled. 6:9-11
Fifth Trumpet: A star fell from heaven to earth, and he had the key to the bottomless pit. A smoke came up like a large furnace, and the sun and air were darkened by the smoke. (remember the 1/3 cut in natural light) From the smoke came locusts that stung like scorpions. They could not hurt green plants or trees, but only those who don't belong to God. The disease/attack lasts 5 months, and burns like a scorpion. 9:1-12
Fifth Vial: "...the seat of the beast" (city/place of control) receives contents of 5th vial, his kingdom is full of darkness, and in great pain, but still won't repent. 16:10-11

Remember that while all this is going on, disciples of Jesus are being martyred in great numbers and we are given a glimpse of those in heaven asking how much longer will it go on - they are told when their number is fulfilled it will be over.

The fifth trumpet is a bit of a mystery and 12 verses in it's description. Hal Lindsay has suggested the 'locusts' with stinging tails are modern attack helicopters. I rather think it is related to the natural events that have occurred as this disease/stinging occurs when the sun and sky are darkened by what John describes as smoke rising from a furnace, and these come from that smoke. Could he have seen the pillar of dust/smoke from the 2nd meteor hit?

Scientists have speculated that new diseases could occur from all the dirt thrown into the air, as many diseases like Anthrax for instance, occur naturally in the soil but rarely get breathed in by people - but what if it's all thrown into the air? (History channel has run shows on the massive asteroid impact subject)

It is clear the Lord places limits on how much plant life will be destroyed (1/3) because here we see the command not to hurt (any more) green plants or trees. Either way, the 5th vial indicates these 'stinging' locusts (demons bringing illness?) inflict great pain, whatever the ailment.

Sixth Seal: Great earthquake, sun darkened, moon red, stars fall to earth, the sky/heavens depart like a scroll rolled up, and every mountain and island shaken. The wrath of the Lamb. 6:12-17
Sixth Trumpet: 4 angels loosed at Euphrates, and an army released of 200 million men who will kill 1/3 of (remaining) mankind. 1/3 of men killed by the smoke, brimstone. 9:14-21
Sixth Vial: Euphrates dried up to prepare the way of the "kings of the east". Deception goes out to other 'kings'/rulers to bring them to the final battle. 16:12-16

This my friends, is the return of Christ - the 6th seal, trumpet, and vial are the final battle and his return, and we'll see the 7th seal/trumpet/vial are the setting up of his kingdom.

Jesus described the same signs: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (6th seal above) And then will appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven; and then will all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Mt 24:29-31 (Note, he doesn't gather his elect from one end of the earth to the other, but from heaven)

So the 6th seal above is clearly the return of Jesus - but he is returning to the great final battle described in the 6th trumpet and vial; a 200,000,000 man army assembled by the '5 kings of the east' as they invade Israel through Iraq/Syria over the dried up Euphrates (do you know how many dams are on that river? - 22 in Turkey, at least 1 in Syria, 7 in Iraq) - just a turn of a few valves and it dries up to make the way for them)

Seventh Seal: Silence in heaven 1/2 hour.
Seventh Trumpet: Many voices in heaven loudly crying out: "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
Seventh Vial: A voice from heaven saying "It is done" while on earth there are voices, thunder, lightning, the greatest earthquake the world has ever seen. Jerusalem divided into 3 parts and huge hail stones fall. (Massive hail has been seen in history as a result of volcanic eruptions that throw tons of water and dust into the air, I wonder if between the final battle and everything else going on, that is another indicator for us)

Zechariah 14 describes this earthquake and battle in more detail, which will actually split the Mount of Olives in two with 1/2 moving north and 1/2 moving south, presumably cutting right through the city (Zech 14:4).

Zechariah 14:6-7 also says something interesting about the atmospheric conditions - he says at night it won't be dark, but in day the light won't be clear. Perhaps the glory of the Lord which I'd like to believe, but perhaps his description of the strange atmospheric conditions from the 2 impacts and final war - observers describe similar conditions after Krakatoa blew up August 27, 1883, there was no night nor full day on parts of the earth after the dust cloud circled the earth. The dust over the lit part of the earth reflected the sunlight to the dark side, so that it never got fully dark or had a basic glow at night, but in day never fully light due to the dust, and the clouds turned green/blue.
(NY Times, 2/10, 1889 (online), www.space.com/scienceastronomy/strange_clouds_030219.html), others.

But please understand these events are NOT World War III, which will happen at least 7 years before the events described above. World War III is about Russia and Iran attacking Israel - I think we'll cover that in 2 weeks, so stay tuned. Hope this made sense and was helpful.

Next week 666, 2 witnesses, etc...
(I sure hope nobody takes offense because I express some thoughts I have about this and try to be a blessing to others so they can make sense of it)

Building Jesus' church, His people.
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.iFaithhome.org
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