Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 16:1-21 is about the seven plagues of the bowls or the last punishment of God for those who reject His love.
Revelation 16:2
16:2. So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
The first bowl is for those who have the three signs of the beast, namely rebellion against God (Satan), blasphemy (the Antichrist), and deception (the false prophet). The first bowl is a foul and loathsome sore.
Exodus 9:8-12
9:8. So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
9:9. "And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt."
9:10. Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.
9:11. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
9:12. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
Approaching the Israel's going out of Egypt, the sixth plague happened, namely sores. The sores coming from ashes from the furnace have happened in Egypt. This plague is the prophecy that approaching the church of God's going out of the world, the world will experience the first bowl of the wrath of God, namely sores. The church of God will be evacuated to the wilderness. Further, the church of God will be lifted up on the glorious clouds.
The sores come from ashes.
The negative meaning of ashes is the things that stimulate the flesh to commit sins and the peak in the kind of a spectacle that is not good, et cetera, so the punishment of God happens.
In the positive meaning, the ashes refer to the ones that come from the Tabernacle.
In the Tabernacle we can find the ashes at the two places as follows:
God blesses us.
Revelation 16:1-21 is about the seven plagues of the bowls or the last punishment of God for those who reject His love.
Revelation 16:2
16:2. So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.
The first bowl is for those who have the three signs of the beast, namely rebellion against God (Satan), blasphemy (the Antichrist), and deception (the false prophet). The first bowl is a foul and loathsome sore.
Exodus 9:8-12
9:8. So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
9:9. "And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause boils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt."
9:10. Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused boils that break out in sores on man and beast.
9:11. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
9:12. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had spoken to Moses.
Approaching the Israel's going out of Egypt, the sixth plague happened, namely sores. The sores coming from ashes from the furnace have happened in Egypt. This plague is the prophecy that approaching the church of God's going out of the world, the world will experience the first bowl of the wrath of God, namely sores. The church of God will be evacuated to the wilderness. Further, the church of God will be lifted up on the glorious clouds.
The sores come from ashes.
The negative meaning of ashes is the things that stimulate the flesh to commit sins and the peak in the kind of a spectacle that is not good, et cetera, so the punishment of God happens.
In the positive meaning, the ashes refer to the ones that come from the Tabernacle.
In the Tabernacle we can find the ashes at the two places as follows:
- The Altar of Burnt Offerings where the sin offerings or atonement offerings are offered.
When the atonement offering is burnt, there are two things that happen as follows:- The incense goes up. It refers to the supplication prayer up to God's presence for the remission of sins.
- The ashes go down. It means as follows:
- The physical blessing or the one of the remission of sin, namely we believe in Jesus as well as repent.
All the sins that are realized, regretted, and confessed to God and others will be surely forgiven by Jesus. There are two possibilities after being forgiven as follows:- We do not commit sin anymore. It is the same as repenting or being dead to sin. Further, we enter the water baptism and receive a new life, namely we live in righteousness that can be testified to others. We live in righteousness, and we become the armor of righteousness up to perfection.
Matthew 3:7
3:7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
The Pharisees and Sadducees entered the water baptism without repentance, so they became the brood of vipers that kept experiencing God's punishment, namely a foul and loathsome sore.
The water baptism must be based on repentance, so it can become the way to flee from the wrath to come. We receive the blessing of salvation. We experience God's love, and we can share it to others who are in need.
1 Timothy 1:12-17
1:12. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
1:13. although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
1:14. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
1:15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
1:16. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
1:17. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul the apostle testified that he was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man. (being controlled by the three beasts), so he lived in the sore seeds. But, Paul the apostle confessed to God and others (Timothy) that he was a chief of sinners, so he was forgiven and set free from the sins by God's mercy. Paul could live in righteousness. He became God's servant who was faithful, true, and trustworthy. He also became a testimony for others.
2 Peter 3:15-16
3:15. and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
3:16. as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
2 Corinthians 5:18-21
5:18. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
5:19. that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
5:20. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
5:21. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Paul the apostle becomes the ambassadors for Christ to give blessing and the word of reconciliation for others, so the sinners can be reconciled with God and others. The sinners can be saved to become the armor of righteousness.
2 Peter 3:8-14
3:8. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
3:9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsufferingtoward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
3:10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
3:11. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
3:12. looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
3:13. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
3:14. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
We who believe in the Word or God's promise must use the longsuffering of God to repent and live in holiness up to perfection to greet Jesus when He comes a second time on the glorious clouds.
The longsuffering of God is that Jesus has not come for the second time yet and we still get the lengthening of our life. - One has self-truth after being justified, so he mocks, judges, criticizes, and blames at the true teaching Word. He also tends to judge and blame at the true servant of God. Such life indeed flatters the false teaching. The self-truth is the same as leprosy.
The self-truth is the one outside the Bible and causes divisions or destroys the body of Christ.
Matthew 18:23-34
18:23. "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
18:24. "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
18:25. "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
18:26. "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
18:27. "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
8:28. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
18:29. "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
18:30. "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
18:31. "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
18:32. "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
18:33. 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
18:34. "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
Having debt a hundred denarii is much smaller than ten thousand talents (a talent equals with six thousand denarii, and a denarii is the daily wage). So, the sin debt is the same as having debt of ten thousand talents. It means that it cannot be paid by anything unless we confess our sin and repent. Having self-truth is the same as taking others by the throat.
- We do not commit sin anymore. It is the same as repenting or being dead to sin. Further, we enter the water baptism and receive a new life, namely we live in righteousness that can be testified to others. We live in righteousness, and we become the armor of righteousness up to perfection.
- The physical blessing.
Romans 8:31-32
8:31. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
8:32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
If God the Father had not spared Jesus for saving us, He would not have given all things for our physical need. God will give all things for us.
- The physical blessing or the one of the remission of sin, namely we believe in Jesus as well as repent.
- The incense goes up. It refers to the supplication prayer up to God's presence for the remission of sins.
- The Golden Altar of Incense where the incense that produces fragrance before God is burnt. What is the incense?
Exodus 30:34-38
30:34. And the LORD said to Moses: "Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.
30:35. "You shall make of these an incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.
30:36. "And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
30:37. "But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition. It shall be to you holy for the LORD.
30:38. "Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people."
The incense is made of stacte, onycha, galbanum, et cetera. It must be beaten very fine to be burnt, so it results in fragrance before God.
The burning of incense will result in the two things as follows:- The smoke that goes up. It refers to the true worship that produces fragrance before God.
- The ashes that go down. It refers to the blessing of the worship, namely the tearing and the burning of the flesh with all of its lusts, attitudes, and ambitions that become the dwelling place of sins, so one can produce fragrance before God.
The Golden Altar of Incense is the place to destroy the flesh that becomes the growing place of sins.
Revelation 11:1-2
11:1. Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.
11:2. "But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.
Our worship will be measured. The temple of God and the altar must be measured.
The measurement of the Altar of Burnt Offerings is that all sins up to the peak must be confessed to God and others, so we are forgiven by the blood of Jesus, and we leave the sins.
The measurement of the Golden Altar of Incense is that the flesh with all of its lusts and attitudes that become the place of the sin must be totally torn in the true worship, so we fulfill the measurement, namely the veil is torn or the flesh does not speak anymore. We become obedient until the flesh does not speak anymore like Jesus who becomes obedient to the point of death on the cross.
If the church of God does not want to worship God or the worship has not fulfilled the measurement yet, namely until the veil is torn, the servant of God will experience the persecution of the Antichrist for three and a half years. He is not evacuated to the wilderness. It is also God's mercy, namely one must be tormented by the Antichrist up to being beheaded, so he can fulfill the measurement of the worship, namely obedience until the flesh does not speak anymore. He will be risen in the body of glory when Jesus comes a second time. Further, he enters the One-Thousand-Year Kingdom of Peace (the upcoming Paradise) and the New Jerusalem.
Revelation 20:4
20:4. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Meanwhile, those who have fulfilled the measurement of the worship, namely obedience until the flesh does not speak anymore will be given two wings of a great eagle that they may fly into the wilderness for three and a half years. The prayer, the fasting prayer, the all night-long prayer, and the chain prayer are difficult for the flesh, but they are light for our soul and spirit.
Revelation 12:14
12:14. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
The usefulnesses of the two wings of a great eagle or God's merciful hands or nail-pierced hand are as follows:- The hands of God bring us to get closer with Him, so we are far away from the sins and the world.
Exodus 19:4-6
19:4. 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wingsand brought you to Myself.
19:5. 'Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
19:6. 'And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
It means that we become quiet. We live in the tent of God or the perseverance in committing the three kinds of main service to Him. We always obey and eat the true teaching Word in the shepherding. Do not hear the strange voice, but only the Shepherd's voice! Our spirituality will grow and we are purified continuously, so we live in holiness.
We are appointed as the priests and kings to be used in the ministry of the building of the perfect body of Christ.
We become the apple of God's eye. We are in His hug. Becoming the apple of God's eye means that we are loved, protected, and taken care of by God. We become the possession of God that cannot be charged against by anything. God will take care of us miraculously up to abundance in the midst of the difficulties of the world, so we can always give thanks and become the blessing for others. - The two wings of a great eagle will evacuate us to the wilderness far from the eye of the Antichrist who reigns over the world for three and a half years. We are directly taken care of by God with the Word and Holy Communion.
Revelation 12:14
12:14. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. - The two wings of a great eagle give us extra power, so we become strong and of good courage.
Isaiah 40:29-31
40:29. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
40:30. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
40:31. But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
We are not disappointed and desperate regardless of anything that happens. We keep believing and crying Jesus' name. We do not weary, labor, and become heavy-laden. We do not stumble or fall into sin. We keep experiencing peace and living in righteousness. We do not feel anything that flesh feels, but only the great God's love, so we can live like what we are now. We will never drown, but we always feel easy and light.
Psalm 27:14
27:14. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!
We have the power to wait on the LORD. God is still busy with our spirituality when He has not helped us yet, so we must do the introspection in our life. Finding sin, we must confess and repent. We keep becoming faithful and patient in the shepherding until God finishes all of our impossible problems in His time. For example, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego kept being strong and of good courage to worship God. David strengthened himself in God and God fought for him.
We will be changed up to perfection when Jesus comes a second time. The two wings of a great eagle will lift us up to the glorious clouds. We enter the One-Thousand-Year Kingdom of Peace and the New Jerusalem where there is no more tear. Let us use God's mercy. We keep being silent, strong and of good courage, and believing in God.
- The smoke that goes up. It refers to the true worship that produces fragrance before God.
God blesses us.