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The center of the Traditional Anglican Communion; adhering to the Holy Bible (KJV) in all matters of Faith and Doctrine, a strict reliance on the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, The two Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, the Two Creeds, and the Homilies and formularies of the Reformation Church of England.

Verse of the Day

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Revelations Part Twenty-Two – 29 November 2017, Anno Domini


If you prefer, there is an easy to read and print READER version RIGHT HERE!



Revelation Chapter 9: Verse 1 thru 12

A
ND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. (Rev 9:1-12)
 
            The last three angels are about to sound. Here is how the last verse of the previous chapter describes the sounding of the last three trumpets And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound! (Rev 8:13) We are about to witness the first trumpet of WOE. There are THREE WOEs to come to pass. Our leading verse of Chapter 9 reads: And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

            There has never been such an evil to befall the whole earth as that sanctioned by the fifth angel’s trumpeted woe. Unlike the Roman persecutions which were local, and the licentious church state rule of Constantine, a far greater evil would come to pass with global implications, i.e., a star fall from heaven unto the earth! Read the words of Dr. Alexander Keith in his historical analysis of the meaning of this:

The Roman Empire declined, as it arose, by conquest; but the Saracens and the Turks were the instruments by which a false religion became the scourge of an apostate church; and hence, instead of the fifth and sixth trumpets, like the former, being designated by that name alone, they are called woes. 

Constantinople was besieged, for the first time after the extinction of the Western empire, by Chosroes, the king of Persia. 

A star fell from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 

While the Persian monarch contemplated the wonders of his art and power, he received an epistle from an obscure citizen of Mecca, inviting him to acknowledge Mohammed as the apostle of God. He rejected the invitation, and tore the epistle. 'It is thus,' exclaimed the Arabian prophet, 'that God will tear the kingdom, and reject the supplication of Chosroes.' Placed on the verge of these two empires of the East, Mohammed observed with secret joy the progress of mutual destruction; and in the midst of the Persian triumphs he ventured to foretell, that, before many years should elapse, victory would again return to the banners of the Romans. 'At the time when this prediction is said to have been delivered, no prophecy could be more distant from its accomplishment (!) since the first twelve years of Heraclius announced the approaching dissolution of the empire.' 

It was not, like that designative of Attila, on a single spot that the star fell, but UPON THE EARTH.

This falling star may make reference, in the historical sense, to the coming of the False Prophet (Mohammad). He was not a star of a genuine nature since a true star does not fall – it obeys the orbit designed by its Creator. But a falling star is a meteor of no fixed orbit that is destined to burn itself out, or impact the earth calamitously. There has not been a prolonged peace in the Middle East, or even in Central Europe, since the falling of that ominous star of deceit.

            2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Again, as before discussed, the Seal of God in the foreheads of His people is a mark that only God can know. It is hidden from others round about since it is ‘IN’ the Forehead. It is the seat of judgment of the soul. If we belong to God, that Seal represents the faith and holy will of the bearer. A Seal is a means of assuring and safeguarding a benefit or legal inheritance. But a mark (which belongs to those who follow the False Prophet‘s’) only designates the trees to be cut down, or the souls to be rejected. It, too, exists in the forehead of those whose judgments are reprobate and totally depraved.

            There is no better description of the Arabian hordes that descended upon heartlands of Asia, Europe, and the Roman Empire than destroying locusts. Every place their sword fell brought misery, ruin, death, and slavery. Look at the testimony of rape, murder, and beheadings that follow in their path today. This verse text describes perfectly the command given by Abu-Bakr, the successor of Mohammad to his armies.

After the death of Mohammed, he was succeeded in the command by Abu-Bakr, in 632 AD; who, as soon as he had fairly established his authority and government, dispatched a circular letter to the Arabian tribes, from which the following is an extract:

'When you fight the battles of the Lord, acquit yourselves like men, without turning your backs; but let not your victory be stained with the blood of women and children. Destroy no palm-trees, nor burn any fields of corn. Cut down no fruit-trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only such as you kill to eat. When you make any covenant or article, stand to it, and be as good as your word. And as you go, you will find some religious persons who live retired in monasteries, and propose to themselves to serve God that way; let them alone, and neither kill them nor destroy their monasteries. And you will find another sort of people that belong to the synagogue of Satan, who have shaven crowns; be sure you cleave their skulls, and give them no quarter till they either turn Mohammedans or pay tribute.' Gibbon

            The remaining verses are descriptive of the ruin that follows after this first WOE.5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. Abaddon means, both in Hebrew and Greek, the Destroyer. Please consider how the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (ISIS) have destroyed religious and historical statues and buildings in the Middle East. And then, consider those called ANTIFA (AntiFascists who are actually Fascist) are doing the same in America.

            One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. This verse suggests the veracity of the historcist argument that these events are completed. Yes, I believe that the historical events of the rise of Mohammadanism did occur in the Middle Ages, but I also believe we can witness the ongoing process of that development in our world today.