Let's look at the scripture that surrounds the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant.

2 Kings 22:1-3 (Easy To Read Version - ERV) Josiah was eight years old when he began to rule. He ruled 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. (2) Josiah did what the LORD said was right. He followed God like his ancestor David. Josiah obeyed God's teachings—he did exactly what God wanted...2 Kings 23:25-26 There had never been a king like Josiah before. Josiah turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength. No king had followed all the Law of Moses like Josiah. And there has never been another king like Josiah since that time. (26) But the LORD did not stop being angry with the people of Judah. He was still angry with them for everything that King Manasseh had done.

King Manasseh had been King of Judah for 55 years.

2 Kings 21:16-18 (ERV) And Manasseh killed many innocent people. He filled Jerusalem from one end to another with blood. And all these sins are in addition to the sins that caused Judah to sin. Manasseh caused Judah to do what the LORD said was wrong.'" (17) All the things that Manasseh did, including the sins that he committed, are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. (18) Manasseh died and was buried with his ancestors. He was buried in the garden at his house. It was called the "Garden of Uzza." His son Amon became the new king after him.

Amon only reigned for 2 years and then Josiah became King of Judah and tried to make massive reforms. He did the most extensive of Judah's reforms but then didn't last. After his death, the people went back to what they were doing during Manasseh's evil reign which is why God was still angry with them. Although Josiah was a good king and followed after God, the people's change of heart was only skin deep.

2 Kings 23:28-37 (ERV) All the other things that Josiah did are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. (29) While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, went to fight against the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. Josiah went out to meet Neco at Megiddo. Pharaoh saw Josiah and killed him. (30) Josiah's officers put his body in a chariot and carried him from Megiddo to Jerusalem. They buried Josiah in his own grave. Then the common people took Josiah's son Jehoahaz and anointed him. They made Jehoahaz the new king. (31) Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king. He ruled three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. (32) Jehoahaz did what the LORD said was wrong. He did all the same things that his ancestors had done. (33) Pharaoh Neco put Jehoahaz in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Jehoahaz could not rule in Jerusalem. Pharaoh Neco forced Judah to pay 7500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold. (34) Pharaoh Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim the new king. Eliakim took the place of Josiah his father. Pharaoh Neco changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh Neco took Jehoahaz away to Egypt where he died. (35) Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh. But Jehoiakim made the common people pay taxes and used that money to give to Pharaoh Neco. So everyone paid their share of silver and gold, and King Jehoiakim gave the money to Pharaoh Neco. (36) Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. He ruled eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah. (37) Jehoiakim did what the LORD said was wrong. He did all the same things his ancestors had done.



2 Kings 24:1-7 In the time of Jehoiakim, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the country of Judah. Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned against Nebuchadnezzar and broke away from his rule. (2) The LORD sent groups of Babylonians, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites to fight against Jehoiakim. He sent them to destroy Judah. This happened just as the LORD had said. He used his servants the prophets to say those things.  (3)  The LORD commanded this to happen to Judah. In this way he would remove them from his sight. He did this because of all the sins that Manasseh committed. (4) He did this because Manasseh killed many innocent people and filled Jerusalem with their blood. The LORD would not forgive these sins. (5) The other things that Jehoiakim did are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Judah. (6) Jehoiakim died and was buried with his ancestors. His son Jehoiachin became the new king after him.(7) The king of Babylon captured all the land between the Brook of Egypt and the Euphrates River. This land was previously controlled by Egypt. So the king of Egypt did not leave Egypt anymore.

In 2 Chronicles we get another summation of this story that adds a little bit of new information.

2 Chronicles 36:1-9 (ERV) The people of Judah chose Jehoahaz to be the new king in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was Josiah's son. (2) He was 23 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for three months. (3) Then King Neco from Egypt made Jehoahaz a prisoner. Neco made the people of Judah pay 3 3/4 tons of silver and 75 pounds of gold for a fine. (4) Neco chose Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim to be the new king of Judah and Jerusalem. Neco gave Eliakim a new name. He named him Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt. (5) Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became the new king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for eleven years. Jehoiakim did not obey God. He did what the LORD his God considered evil. (6) King Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon attacked Judah. He made Jehoiakim a prisoner and put bronze chains on him. Then Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiakim to Babylon. (7) Nebuchadnezzar took some of the things from the LORD'S Temple. He carried them to Babylon and put them in his own house. (8) Everything else Jehoiakim did, the terrible sins he did, and everything he was guilty of doing, are written in the book, The History of the Kings of Israel and Judah. Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin became the new king in his place. (9) Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did not obey God. He did what the LORD considered evil.


During King Jehoiakim's reign, the Prophet Jeremiah was given some words to give to the King and the people. Let's look at that.

Jeremiah 35:1-19 During the time when Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah, was king of Judah, the LORD spoke this message to Jeremiah: (2) "Go to the Recabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the LORD'S Temple. Offer them wine to drink." (3) So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, who was the son of Habazziniah. And I got all of Jaazaniah's brothers and sons and the whole family of the Recabites together.  (4)  Then I brought them into the Temple of the LORD. We went into the room of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah. Hanan was a man of God. The room was next to the room where the princes of Judah stay. It was over the room of Maaseiah son of Shallum. Maaseiah was the doorkeeper in the Temple. (5) Then I put some bowls full of wine and some cups in front of the Recabite family. And I said to them, "Drink some wine." (6) But the Recabite family answered, "We never drink wine. We never drink it because our ancestor Jonadab son of Recab gave us this command: 'You and your descendants must never drink wine. (7) Also you must never build houses, plant seeds, or plant vineyards. You must never do any of those things. You must live only in tents. If you do that, you will live a long time in the land where you move from place to place.' (8) So we have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. None of us ever drinks wine, and neither do our wives, sons, or daughters. (9) We never build houses to live in, we never own vineyards or fields, and we never plant crops. (10) We have lived in tents and have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. (11) But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked the country of Judah, we did go into Jerusalem. We said to each other, 'Come, we must enter the city of Jerusalem so that we can escape the Babylonian army and the Aramean army.' So we have stayed in Jerusalem." (12) Then this message from the LORD came to Jeremiah: (13) "The LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says to go to the people of Judah and Jerusalem and tell them this message: 'You should learn a lesson and obey my message.' This message is from the LORD. (14) 'Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine, and that command has been obeyed. To this day the descendants of Jonadab have obeyed their ancestor's command. They do not drink wine. But I have given commands to you people of Judah again and again, and you have not obeyed me. (15) Time after time I have sent my servants the prophets to you. They said, "You must each stop doing evil things and do what is right. Don't follow other gods. Don't worship or serve them. If you obey me, you will live in the land I have given to you and your ancestors." But you have not paid attention to my message. (16) The descendants of Jonadab obeyed the commands that their ancestor gave them, but the people of Judah have not obeyed me.' (17) "So this is what the LORD God All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: 'I said that many bad things would happen to Judah and Jerusalem. I will soon make all those bad things happen. I spoke to the people, but they refused to listen. I called out to them, but they didn't answer me.'" (18) Then Jeremiah said to the Recabite family, "This is what the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: 'You have obeyed the commands of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all of his teachings. You have done everything he commanded.' (19) So the LORD All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: 'There will always be a descendant of Jonadab son of Recab to serve me.'"

Jeremiah 36:1-32 (ERV) The message from the LORD came to Jeremiah. This was during the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. This was the message from the Lord: (2) "Jeremiah, get a scroll and write on it all the messages I have spoken to you. I have spoken to you about the nations of Israel and Judah and all the other nations. Write all the words that I have spoken to you from the time that Josiah was king, until now. (3) Maybe the people of Judah will hear what I am planning to do to them and will stop doing bad things. If they will do that, I will forgive them for the terrible sins they have committed." (4) So Jeremiah called a man named Baruch son of Neriah. Jeremiah spoke the messages the LORD had given him. While he spoke, Baruch wrote the messages on the scroll. (5) Then Jeremiah said to Baruch, "I cannot go to the LORD'S Temple. I am not allowed to go there. (6) So I want you to go to the Temple of the LORD. Go there on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll. Read to the people the messages from the LORD that you wrote on the scroll as I spoke them to you. Read them to all the people of Judah who come into Jerusalem from the towns where they live. (7) Perhaps they will ask the LORD to help them. Perhaps each person will stop doing bad things. The LORD has announced that he is very angry with them." (8) So Baruch son of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do. Baruch read aloud the scroll that had the LORD'S messages written on it. He read it in the LORD'S Temple. (9) In the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim was king, a fast was announced. All those who lived in the city of Jerusalem and everyone who had come into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah were supposed to fast before the LORD. (10) At that time Baruch read the scroll that contained Jeremiah's words. He read the scroll in the Temple of the LORD to all the people who were there. Baruch was in the room of Gemariah in the upper courtyard when he read from the scroll. That room was located at the entrance of the New Gate of the Temple. Gemariah was the son of Shaphan. Gemariah was a scribe in the Temple. (11) A man named Micaiah heard all the messages from the LORD that Baruch read from the scroll. Micaiah was the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan. (12) When Micaiah heard the messages from the scroll, he went down to the secretary's room in the king's palace. All the royal officials were sitting there in the king's palace. These are the names of the officials: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah; all the other royal officials were there too. (13) Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll. (14) Then all the officials sent a man named Jehudi to Baruch. (Jehudi was the son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah. Shelemiah was the son of Cushi.) Jehudi said to Baruch, "Bring the scroll that you read from and come with me." Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll and went with Jehudi to the officials. (15) Then the officials said to Baruch, "Sit down and read the scroll to us." So Baruch read the scroll to them. (16) When the royal officials heard all the messages from the scroll, they were afraid and looked at one another. They said to Baruch, "We must tell King Jehoiakim about these messages on the scroll." (17) Then the officials asked Baruch, "Tell us, Baruch, where did you get these messages that you wrote on the scroll? Did you write down what Jeremiah said to you?" (18) "Yes," Baruch answered. "Jeremiah spoke, and I wrote down all the messages with ink on this scroll." (19) Then the royal officials said to Baruch, "You and Jeremiah must go and hide. Don't tell anyone where you are hiding." (20) Then the royal officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama the scribe. They went to King Jehoiakim and told him all about the scroll. (21) So King Jehoiakim sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought the scroll from the room of Elishama the scribe. Then Jehudi read the scroll to the king and all the servants who stood around the king. (22) The time this happened was in the ninth month, so King Jehoiakim was sitting in the part of the palace used for winter. There was a fire burning in a small fireplace in front of the king. (23) Jehudi began to read from the scroll. But after he would read two or three columns, King Jehoiakim would grab the scroll. Then he would cut those columns off the scroll with a small knife and throw them into the fireplace. Finally, the whole scroll was burned in the fire. (24) And, when King Jehoiakim and his servants heard the message from the scroll, they were not afraid. They did not tear their clothes to show sorrow for doing wrong. (25) Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah tried to talk King Jehoiakim out of burning the scroll, but he would not listen to them. (26) Instead King Jehoiakim commanded some men to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. These men were Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel. But they could not find Baruch and Jeremiah, because the LORD had hidden them. (27) King Jehoiakim burned the scroll on which Baruch had written all the words that Jeremiah had spoken to him. Then this message from the LORD came to Jeremiah: (28) "Get another scroll. Write all the messages on it that were on the first scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned. (29) Also tell King Jehoiakim of Judah that this is what the LORD says: 'Jehoiakim, you burned that scroll. You said, "Why did Jeremiah write that the king of Babylon will surely come and destroy this land and kill all the people and animals in it?" (30) So this is what the LORD says about King Jehoiakim of Judah: Jehoiakim's descendants will not sit on David's throne. When Jehoiakim dies, he will not get a king's funeral, but his body will be thrown out on the ground. His body will be left out in the heat of the day and the cold frost of the night. (31) I will punish Jehoiakim and his children, and I will punish his officials. I will do this because they are wicked. I will bring terrible disasters on them and on all those who live in Jerusalem and on the people from Judah. I will bring all these bad things on them, just as I warned them, because they have not listened to me.'" (32) Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch son of Neriah, the scribe. As Jeremiah spoke, Baruch wrote on the scroll the same messages that were on the scroll that King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. And many other words like those messages were added to the second scroll.


If you have read these scriptures, then you will see that Jehoiakim was named Eliakim when he was born. He was the son of King Josiah but, unlike his father, he was an evil king. The Pharoah of Egypt was Neco, Necco or Necho. He went to help the King of Assyria and King Josiah tried to attack the Egyptian army at Megiddo. Egypt won the battle and King Josiah was killed. After his death, the people elected his son Jehoahaz as King of Judah. But King Jehoahaz was only king for 3 months. Pharoah Necho removed him as king and installed his brother, Eliakim, as King of Judah and changed his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was only 8 years old when he became King of Judah. Why did Necco do this? It showed his power over the Land of Judah. He removed the people's choice of king and replaced him with his choice as king. He then changed the boy's name. It was all a show of power. He did choose a king from Josiah's children so as not to run the risk of a popular uprising.

Jehoiakim was made a vassal king under Pharoah Neco and he was forced to pay tribute to Egypt. He did this by taxing the land and the people according to their assessments.

2 Kings 23:34-35 (Modern King James Version - MKJV) And Pharaoh-necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of Josiah his father. And he changed his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away. And he came to Egypt and died there. (35) And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh. But he taxed the land to give the silver according to Pharaoh's command. He exacted the silver and the gold from the people of the land, from each one according to his worth, to give it to Pharaoh-necho.

Doesn't this sound familiar to us? Aren't we taxed according to our worth, especially property owners?

According to Rabinnical literature (it's not in the Bible), Jehoiakim was a godless tyrant who committed atrocities. It says he had incestuous relationships with his own mother, his stepmother and his daughter-in-law. That he murdered men, seized their possessions and raped their wives. He also tattooed his entire body. The Bible says, "he did evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done".

During King Jehoiakim's 11 year reign, he faced some tricky political moves. Pharoah Necco had established him as King of Judah so he owed allegiance to Necco. Egypt was a near neighbor so it would have been politically advantageous to keep Egypt happy. Egypt then could be trusted to come to Judah's aid if they needed help or protection. But, things don't always go according to plan. Babylon was quickly becoming a world player and King Nebucchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire attacked Judah and beseiged the capital city of Jerusalem.

So King Jehoiakim switched his allegiance to King Nebuchadnezzar in order to save his hide and the capital city of Jerusalem. He served as a vassal king under Nebuchadnezzar and had to pay tribute to Babylon. Jehoiakim did this for 3 years but Egypt made another stab at Babylon. Jehoiakim again changed his allegiance back to Pharoah Necco. But the Eqyptians were defeated at the Battle of Carchemish. Then Nebuchadnezzar went after Jehoiakim. This time when he beseiged Jerusalem, Jehoiakim didn't have a chance. He was seized and brought in chains to Nebuchadnezzar who had him and his high officials killed and their bodies thrown out of the city, beyond the city walls. There was no burial and no mourning.

The people elected Jehoiakim's son, Jeconiah, as King of Judah but he only reigned 3 months. King Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiakim's younger brother, Zedekiah, as King of Judah. He took Jeconiah, his household, and a good portion of the population to Babylon to serve as slaves. Jeconiah died there. Meanwhile Nebuchadnezzar had Jerusalem destroyed, the Temple completely razed, and then burned. Everything that had any value was taken as spoils back to Babylon.

This great exile was called the Diaspora. During this time period, the original Tabernacle, Temple accoutrements, and the Ark of the Covenant disappeared.

The last mention of the Ark of the Covenant was during King Josiah's reign.

2 Chronicles 35:1-3 (MKJV) And Josiah kept a Passover to Jehovah in Jerusalem. And they killed the passover lamb on the fourteenth of the first month. (2) And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of Jehovah. (3) And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall not be a burden on your shoulders. And serve Jehovah your God and His people Israel,...

Forty years after King Josiah did this special Passover and directed the priests to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, King Nebuchadnezzer completely destroys the city and the Temple.

What happened to it? According to 2 Maccabees, a non-canonical book (in the Apocrypha but not in the accepted "canonical" Holy Bible, one of the books in the Holy Bible called the Holy Canon), the Prophet Jeremiah got a divine revelation directing him to take the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant and hide them. It is said that he went to the mountain where Moses had looked over the Promised Land, and the Tabernacle and Ark accompanied him. He found a cave, had it deposited there and the cave entrance blocked.

So is the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant hidden in some cave on an unknown mountain? Was it hidden somewhere else? Some even think that the mountain was where the original Temple, built by Solomon, stood therefore the articles are hidden in a cave beneath the site of the Temple (now called the Dome of the Rock). Or was it given by King Jehoiakim, as part of the tribute paid to Babylon? Or was it seized by King Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed the city and the Temple when he killed Jehoiakim? If Nebuchadnezzar got it, was it kept together or just melted down for the value of the gold, silver and precious stones? And what about the contents of the Ark of the Covenant: Aaron's rod, the golden jar of Manna and the pair of stone tablets that God had engraved with the Ten Commandments by His very own finger?

Nobody knows what really happened. Another non-canonical book (Apocrypha) says this:

2 Esdras 10:22 Our psaltery is laid on the ground, our song is put to silence, our rejoicing is at an end, the light of our candlestick is put out, the ark of our covenant is spoiled, our holy things are defiled, and the name that is called upon us is almost profaned: our children are put to shame, our priests are burnt, our Levites are gone into captivity, our virgins are defiled, and our wives ravished; our righteous men carried away, our little ones destroyed, our young men are brought in bondage, and our strong men are become weak;

The Ark of the Covenant contained 3 items: Aaron's rod, a golden jar of manna and the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

Hebrews 9:1-7 (Contemporary English Version - CEV) The first promise that was made included rules for worship and a tent for worship here on earth. (2) The first part of the tent was called the holy place, and a lampstand, a table, and the sacred loaves of bread were kept there. (3) Behind the curtain was the most holy place. (4) The gold altar that was used for burning incense was in this holy place. The gold-covered sacred chest was also there, and inside it were three things. First, there was a gold jar filled with manna. Then there was Aaron's walking stick that sprouted. Finally, there were the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them. (5) On top of the chest were the glorious creatures with wings opened out above the place of mercy. Now isn't the time to go into detail about these things. (6) But this is how everything was when the priests went each day into the first part of the tent to do their duties. (7) However, only the high priest could go into the second part of the tent, and he went in only once a year. Each time he carried blood to offer for his sins and for any sins that the people had committed without meaning to.

God directed Moses to have a chest built called the Ark of the Covenant. The chest had a lid on it called the Mercy Seat. There were two golden angels on this lid. This was the Throne of God. The Ark and Mercy Seat indicated God's willingness to live among His people. When God came down, His glory rested above the mercy seat — between the cherubim. The Ark was a picture of the person and saving work of Christ.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God who came down as a man to provide salvation for mankind. He is the only way to God and eternal life. All of the Jewish Law resides in Him. He is the perfect fulfillment of the Law. He was without sin and never transgressed the Law. In Him the Law has been kept. We could not keep it but He could. If we trust in Him, we are safe in Him. Jesus was God's provision of safety just as Noah's Ark was God's provision for safety for Noah and his family when He sent the Flood of Judgement. When the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat. This foreshadowed the atoning blood of Jesus. Jesus is our Ark, where we obtain GOD’s mercy over our judgment. The Ark was a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as the sole place of atonement for sins. As the Ark was the only place Old Testament believers could go (through the high priest) to have their sins forgiven, so Christ is now the only way to salvation and the kingdom of heaven.

Just as the angels were on top of the Mercy Seat, so the angels were at the tomb after Christ arose.

John 20:11-14 (CEV) Mary Magdalene stood crying outside the tomb. She was still weeping, when she stooped down (12) and saw two angels inside. They were dressed in white and were sitting where Jesus' body had been. One was at the head and the other was at the foot. (13) The angels asked Mary, "Why are you crying?" She answered, "They have taken away my Lord's body! I don't know where they have put him." (14) As soon as Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know who he was.

I'm sure that God made some type of provision for the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. It will be seen again even if it's in Heaven now. But it's no longer needed here on Earth, as Jesus is the fulfillment of the Ark. The Ark was a foreshadowing of Jesus, but Jesus was born. We don't need a foreshadowing of the Christ as Jesus is the Christ, He is Emmanuel (God With Us)!

When the Ark of the Covenant was here, people did one of two things. They worshiped the Ark or they rejected God. They didn't want to worship God, Himself! It's like worshiping the stars instead of worshiping the God who created the stars!

Isaiah 44:6, 12-20 (CEV) I am the LORD All-Powerful, the first and the last, the one and only God. Israel, I have rescued you! I am your King...(12) A metalworker shapes an idol by using a hammer and heat from the fire. In his powerful hand he holds a hammer, as he pounds the metal into the proper shape. But he gets hungry and thirsty and loses his strength. (13) Some woodcarver measures a piece of wood, then draws an outline. The idol is carefully carved with each detail exact. At last it looks like a person and is placed in a temple. (14) Either cedar, cypress, oak, or any tree from the forest may be chosen. Or even a pine tree planted by the woodcarver and watered by the rain. (15) Some of the wood is used to make a fire for heating or for cooking. One piece is made into an idol, then the woodcarver bows down and worships it. (16) He enjoys the warm fire and the meat that was roasted over the burning coals. (17) Afterwards, he bows down to worship the wooden idol. "Protect me!" he says. "You are my god." (18) Those who worship idols are stupid and blind! (19) They don't have enough sense to say to themselves, "I made a fire with half of the wood and cooked my bread and meat on it. Then I made something worthless with the other half. Why worship a block of wood?" (20) How can anyone be stupid enough to trust something that can be burned to ashes? No one can save themselves like that. Don't they realize that the idols they hold in their hands are not really gods?

If we found the Ark of the Covenant, people would want to idolize it and worship the box instead of God. God does not suffer idolatry. Those who aren't interested in religion would continue to reject God. God has revealed His own Son and people still reject Him.

Revelation 2:17 (Modern King James Version - MKJV) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it.

For a study on the "hidden manna" in this verse go to my post HERE.

For our study today we will be looking at the "white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it."

Jesus is promising hidden manna and a special engraved white stone to all true believers in Him. We have believed in Him and trusted in Him for our salvation and because of Him we are overcomers. Through Him we overcome sin and death and we are forgiven and have been given eternal life! So this hidden manna and the white stone are for Christians.

In studying this I must preface this study by saying no one really knows for sure what this white stone is or what is inscribed on it. But we can look at stones in the Bible and get an idea.

First, the word that is translated as "stone" in this passage of Revelation, means a smooth pebble. This is not a large stone but small stone. It is described as being "white". According to Thayer's Greek Definitions:
white = leukos
1) light, bright, brilliant
 1a) brilliant from whiteness, (dazzling) white
  1a1) of the garments of angels, and of those exalted to the splendour of the heavenly state
  1a2) shining or white garments worn on festive or state occasions
  1a3) of white garments as the sign of innocence and purity of the soul
 1b) dead white

So this stone is a brilliant, dazzling white. Which could mean like a super white marble stone or even something like a pure diamond of the highest quality.

Something is engraved on this white stone. Of course, only God could engrave on a diamond but this is engraved by God so it could be something like a diamond.

Knowing the Bible in it's entirety I remember other mentions of stones in the Old Testament. So I began to look into it. (By the way, this is why it's important to read the Bible all the way through from beginning to end so that you have input the Word and therefore can draw on that knowledge in your studies.)

God engraved something on stones once before. Let's look at it.
The Giving of the Ten Commandments, not once, but twice!

Exodus 19:1-25 (Easy To Read Version - ERV) The Israelites reached the desert of Sinai in the third month of their trip from Egypt. (2) They had traveled from Rephidim to the Sinai desert. The Israelites camped in the desert near Mount Sinai. (3) Then Moses climbed up the mountain to meet with God. The LORD spoke to him on the mountain and said, "Tell this to the Israelites, the great family of Jacob: (4) 'You people saw what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw that I carried you out of Egypt like an eagle and brought you here to me. (5) So now I tell you to obey my commands and keep my agreement. So if you do this, you will be my own special people. The whole world belongs to me, but I am choosing you to be my own special people. (6) You will be a special nation—a kingdom of priests.' Moses, you must tell the Israelites what I have said." (7) So Moses climbed down the mountain and called the elders of the people together. Moses told the elders everything the LORD had commanded him to tell them. (8) All the people spoke at the same time and said, "We will obey everything the LORD says." Then Moses went back up the mountain and told the Lord that the people would obey him...
(16) On the morning of the third day, a thick cloud came down onto the mountain. There was thunder and lightning and a very loud sound from a trumpet. All the people in the camp were frightened. (17) Then Moses led the people out of the camp to a place near the mountain to meet God. (18) Mount Sinai was covered with smoke. Smoke rose off the mountain like smoke from a furnace. This happened because the LORD came down to the mountain in fire. Also the whole mountain began to shake. (19) The noise from the trumpet became louder and louder. Every time Moses spoke to God, God answered him with a voice like thunder. (20) So the LORD came down to Mount Sinai. He came from heaven to the top of the mountain. Then he called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain with him. So Moses went up the mountain. (21) The LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people not to come near me and look at me. If they do, many will die.

Exodus 20:19-21 (ERV) Then the people said to Moses, "If you want to speak to us, then we will listen. But please don't let God speak to us. If this happens, we will die." (20) Then Moses said to them, "Don't be afraid! God has come to test you. He wants you to respect him so that you will not sin." (21) The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went to the dark cloud where God was.

Exodus 31:18 (ERV) When God finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets of the Agreement. God had written on the stones with his finger.

Exodus 32:1 (ERV) The people saw that a long time had passed and Moses had not come down from the mountain. So they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, "Look, Moses led us out of the land of Egypt, but we don't know what has happened to him. So make us some gods to go before us and lead us."
(The Israelites desired an idol and Aaron made them a golden calf to worship. When Moses comes down from the mountain with the first stone tablets that contained the Ten Commandments to find God's people worshiping and carousing around a golden calf, he drops, or hurls the tablets, and breaks the Ten Commandments and the people are punished. Moses intercedes for them and God calls him back to the mountain to receive a second pair of tablets with the Ten Commandments on them.

Exodus 34:1-4 (ERV) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make two more stone tablets like the first two that were broken. I will write the same words on these stones that were written on the first two stones. (2) Be ready tomorrow morning and come up on Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the top of the mountain. (3) No one will be allowed to come with you. No one should even be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even your herds of animals or flocks of sheep will not be allowed to eat grass at the bottom of the mountain." (4) So Moses made two more stone tablets like the first ones. Early the next morning Moses went up Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded. Moses carried the two stone tablets with him.

Exodus 34:28-29 (ERV) Moses stayed there with the LORD for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses did not eat any food or drink any water. And he wrote the words of the agreement (the Ten Commandments) on the two stone tablets. (29) When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he carried the two stone tablets of the Agreement. Because he had talked with the Lord, his face was shining, but he did not know it.

The Ten Commandments (also known as the Decalogue)
Exodus 20:3-17 (MKJV)
(3) You shall have no other gods before Me.
(4) You shall not make to yourselves any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
(5) You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them. For I Jehovah your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and fourth generation of those that hate me,
(6) and showing mercy to thousands of those that love Me and keep My commandments.
(7) You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain. For Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain. (8) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
(9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
(10) But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah your God. You shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger within your gates.
(11) For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it.
(12) Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land which Jehovah your God gives you.
(13) You shall not kill.
(14) You shall not commit adultery.
(15) You shall not steal.
(16) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
(17) You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

The entire Jewish Law of the Old Testament were summed up in the Ten Commandments. What happened to these engraved stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them? God directed Moses to have a chest built called the Ark of the Covenant. It was to contain the Old Covenant between God and the Israelites as given through Moses thus the name of the chest was called the Ark (container) of the Covenant. The chest had a lid on it called the Mercy Seat. There were two golden angels on this lid.
Exodus 40:20-21 (Contemporary English Version - CEV) The stones with the Ten Commandments written on them were stored in the sacred chest, the place of mercy was put on top of it, and the carrying poles were attached. (21) The chest was brought into the tent and set behind the curtain in the most holy place. These things were done exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses.

The Ark of the Covenant contained 3 items: Aaron's rod, a golden jar of manna and the tablets of the Ten Commandments. This Ark was only to be touched by the Jewish priests. It could only be carried by the priests. It resided in the innermost room of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple in Jerusalem. It was not accessible to the regular man. Only the High Priest saw it once a year. I did an extensive study on the Tabernacle and the the Ark of the Covenant as part of the Tabernacle HERE. The Tabernacle was the Tent of Meeting. It was a tent that traveled with the Israelites. But once they had permanent residence in the Promised Land, King David began to plan to build a permanent Temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. It was built according to the directions God gave Moses in building the Tabernacle. King David died and his son, Solomon, became king and he actually had the Temple and Temple Court built in Jerusalem. This Temple was called Solomon's Temple because he built it.

The Ark was mentioned in the scripture during King Josiah's reign and the next King was King Jehoikaim who lost his life and Jerusalem to the King of the Babylonians, King Nebuchadnezzer. Jerusalem and the Temple were completely destroyed and the Ark of the Covenant went missing and it's never been seen again. For the whole story see my post HERE. We can probably be sure the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments on them were in the Ark.

But this is not only stones in the Bible. Let's look at some more.

When God directed Moses on how to build the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle furniture (including the Ark of the Covenant), He also gave Moses very detailed instructions on the High Priest garments including the breastplate the High Priest wore on his chest. Once the Tabernacle and it's furniture were made and the High Priest's garments were made, Moses consecrated it all to the Lord. Here he consecrates his brother, Aaron, as the first High Priest.


There were stones in the High Priest's garments. There was a golden breastplate. It was secured to his outer garment (called the ephod) with golden chains to two stones on the shoulders of the ephod. These stones were made of onyx and had 6 tribes engraved on one stone and the other 6 tribes engraved on the other stone.



Exodus 28:9-14 (MKJV) And [Moses] shall take two onyx stones, and you shall engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel. (10) Six of their names shall be on one stone, and six of the remaining names on the other stone, according to their birth. (11) With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall make them to be set in settings of gold. (12) And you shall put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial to the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before Jehovah upon his two shoulders for a memorial. (13) And you shall make plaited work of gold, (14) and two chains of pure gold at the ends. You shall make them of woven work, a work of cord, and fasten the woven chains to the plaited work.



The High Priest had the burden of the people of God on his shoulders when he went into the presence of God.

Then the golden breastplate that the High Priest wore on his chest had a precious stone for each of the Tribes of Israel. God selected a stone for each tribe and instructed Moses to have engraved on the stone, the name of that tribe. Then it was placed in it's gold setting on the breastplate. This was worn over the High Priest's heart to keep him aware that he was one of the people and represented the people to God and God to the people. The High Priest should love the people as he identifies with them, being one of them. He represents God's love and mercy to the people. At this time we can easily see how Jesus Christ is the perfect High Priest. He bore our sins on His shoulders. He loves us. He identifies with us as He was human once too. He represents the people to God and God to the people.

Exodus 28:15-28 (MKJV) (15) And you shall make the breast-pocket of judgment with embroidered work. After the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined bleached linen, you shall make it. (16) It shall be square, doubled; a span the length of it, and a span the breadth of it. (17) And you shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones. The first row shall be a ruby, topaz, and carbuncle in the row. (18) And the second row: an emerald, a sapphire. and a diamond. (19) And the third row: an jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. (20) And the fourth row: a chrysolite, and an onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold in their fillings. (21) And the stones shall be with the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet. They shall be each one with his name according to the twelve tribes. (22) And you shall make chains upon the breast-pocket, work of cords, in pure gold. (23) And you shall make upon the breast-pocket two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breast-pocket. (24) And you shall put the two woven chains of gold in the two rings on the ends of the breast-pocket. (25) And the two ends of the two cords you shall fasten on the two plaitings, and put them on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod before it. (26) And you shall make two rings of gold, and you shall put them upon the two ends of the breast-pocket in the border of it, which is in the side of the ephod inward. (27) And you shall make two rings of gold, and shall put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the front of it, near its joining, above the band of the ephod. (28) And they shall bind the breast-pocket by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the band of the ephod, and so that the breast-pocket may not be loosed from the ephod

And this does not end the stones in the High Priest's garment. There was also the Urim and the Thummim. These were mysterious stones that were carried in a pocket called the Pocket of Judgment. In that pocket were kept two stones called the Urim and Tummim. According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions, these are stones: "stones provided for the means of achieving a sacred lot".

Exodus 28:29-30 (MKJV) (29) And Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breast-pocket of judgment upon his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before Jehovah continually. (30); And you shall put in the breast-pocket of judgment the Urim and the Thummim. And they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goes in before Jehovah. And Aaron shall bear the judgment of the sons of Israel upon his heart before Jehovah continually.

Let's look at verse 30 in a couple of different translations:
Exodus 28:30 (ERV) Put the Urim and Thummim inside the judgment pouch. They will be over Aaron's heart when he goes before the LORD. So Aaron will always carry with him a way of judging for the Israelites when he is before the LORD.

Exodus 28:30 (CEV) He must also wear on his breastpiece the two small objects that he uses to receive answers from me.

Exodus 28: 30 (KJV) And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the LORD: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD continually.

What was the Urim and Thummim? We aren't exactly sure. They were stones that were used to by the High Priest to determine God's direction. Here are some examples:

Numbers 27:21 (ERV) If Joshua needs to make a decision, he will go to Eleazar the priest. Eleazar will use the Urim to learn the LORD'S answer. Then Joshua and all the Israelites will do the things God says. If he says, 'go to war,' they will go to war. And if he says, 'go home,' they will go home."

Nehemiah 7:64-65 (ERV) These people searched for their family histories, but they could not find them. They could not prove that their ancestors were priests, so they could not serve as priests. Their names were not included in the list of priests. (65) The governor ordered them not to eat any of the most holy food until a priest could use the Urim and Thummim to ask God what to do.

1 Samuel 28:5-6 (ERV) Saul saw the Philistine army, and he was afraid. His heart pounded with fear. (6) He prayed to the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him. God did not talk to Saul in dreams. God did not use the Urim to give him an answer, and God did not use prophets to speak to Saul.

The Urim and Thummim were a way for the High Priest to determine God's direction. Now, we have Jesus who is the embodiment of God's wisdom and He reveals the Father and the Father's Will to us through the Holy Spirit who resides in us.

Colossians 2:2b-3 (CEV) And they will truly know Christ. Not only is he the key to God's mystery, (3) but all wisdom and knowledge are hidden away in him.

John 12:46-50 (CEV, Jesus speaking) I am the light that has come into the world. No one who has faith in me will stay in the dark. (47) I am not the one who will judge those who refuse to obey my teachings. I came to save the people of this world, not to be their judge. (48) But everyone who rejects me and my teachings will be judged on the last day by what I have said. (49) I don't speak on my own. I say only what the Father who sent me has told me to say. (50) I know that his commands will bring eternal life. That is why I tell you exactly what the Father has told me.

John 16:13 (CEV) The Spirit shows what is true and will come and guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't speak on his own. He will tell you only what he has heard from me, and he will let you know what is going to happen.


Now let's go back to the mysterious white stone in Revelation 2:17.

Revelation 2: 17b I will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it.

In studying engraved stones, we've seen some examples in the Old Testament. We still don't know exactly what the white stone is or what is engraved on it. But we know that Jesus has these stones made and ready for us. He has engraved on the stones. We don't know if it's a new name for the Christian or a new name of Christ that is uniquely given to the believer. We know that God changed people's names like when He changed Abram's name to Abraham and Jacob was renamed Israel. We also know that Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter. So it's possible that we will be assigned a new name representing our new life. In Revelation we also see Jesus receiving a new name:

Revelation 3:12b (MKJV, Jesus speaking) "I will also write on them My own new name".

We don't know. But what we do know is that Jesus will be waiting for us to give us the hidden manna and the engraved white stone. It is a welcome into Heaven and to our new eternal life with Him. It is a token of His favor and love. It is also a sign of intimacy with our Savior. I am unique to Him and He is unique to me and no one but He and I will know what is engraved on that white stone.




Romans 6:6-8 (ERV) We know that our old life was put to death on the cross with Christ. This happened so that our sinful selves would have no power over us. Then we would not be slaves to sin. (7) Anyone who has died is made free from sin's control. (8) If we died with Christ, we know that we will also live with him.

I can only humbly accept this stone, whatever it may be, and fall at His feet in worship with a heart full of thanksgiving.

This family is not related to me or my husband. But it is in a family line that I was working on for my niece-in-law, Hannah. This particular family was pretty complicated so I thought I should make this post to help others.

Caleb Wade Cartee was born About 1790 in Spartanburg County, SC to James M. Cartee (DOB 11/12/1759 in Anson County, NC; DOD 6/3/1837 in Anderson County, SC) and Nancy Kimbrell (DOB About 1760 in Virginia, DOD About 1850 in Spartanburg County, SC).

Caleb Cartee married Elizabeth Yorke Slaton (DOB About 1800 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 1870-1880 in Anderson County, SC). The information about the birth of Elizabeth Yorke Slaton was taken from other family trees in Ancestry.com and I haven't been able to find my own sources on her maiden name and birth.

They had 7 children:

1) Nancy Jane Cartee (DOB 11/1830 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 6/15/1862 in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC) married George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. (DOB 11/8/1798 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 4/5/1869 in Spartanburg County, SC). They had 2 children: Ceedee Ann Gilbert (aka Cynthia Ann Gilbert) married John Thomas Nichols, George Gibson Gilbert, Jr. married Nancy Margaret Smith). My niece-in-law is descended through George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. and Jr. George Gibson Gilbert Sr. was first married to Lucinda Cooley (DOB 5/20/1802 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 7/15/1852 in Spartanburg County, SC) and they had Perry Duncan Gilbert (married Emaline E. Wolfe), Malissa Fairfield Gilbert (married Elias "Lice" Charles Burnett), Missouri Gilbert (married William James Gilbert), Jane Gilbert (married Harrell Wells, aka Harrill Wells, Harold Wells), Amos S. Gilbert (married ?), Thomas J. Gilbert I(married ?), Charlotte Gilbert (married William Theodore Powell), Henry E. Gilbert (married Sarah Carney Camp).

2) Minnie Polly Cartee (DOB About 1832 in SC; DOD ? in ? ) married ?

3) John Berry Cartee (DOB About 1834 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD ? in ? ) married ?

4) Stephen Slaton Cartee (DOB 1/17/1935 in Anderson County, SC; DOD 1/17/1910 in Greenville, Greenville County, SC) married Clarissa Louise Levi (DOB 5/1/1871 in Henderson County, NC; DOD 7/13/1948 in Greenville, Greenville County, SC). She is known by a lot of different spellings of her name: Clercie Louise Levi, Clarsey L. Levi, Clair Levi, Clency L. Levi. She married three or four times. She and Stephen Slaton Cartee had Maude Lillian Cartee (Grover Cleveland Addis), Mamie Cartee (married Marion Fields Aiken, James Riley Lockaby and William J. Tate) and Caleb Wade Cartee (Clara Bell Young). He also married Malinda Kelly (DOB About 1837 in SC; DOD 11/2/1895 in Greenville County, SC). They had Sarah Cartee (married William T. Rowland), John Cartee (died in infancy), Pharoah Clayton Cartee (Ella Victoria ?), Anna Cartee (married William Thomas Day), George Robinson Cartee (married Willie Belle Caldwell) and Erastus Walker Cartee (married Mamie ?).

5) Thomas Spencer Cartee (DOB 6/13/1836 in Anderson County, SC; DOD 4/22/1907 in Marchall County, AL) married Susannah E. Bolt (DOB About 1848 in Elbert County, GA; DOD About 1864 in Hart County, GA). He married 2nd Sarah J. Dyar (DOB 5/9/1845 in Hart County, GA; DOD 6/4/1900 in Alabama).

6) Ransom Cartee (DOB About 1838 in South Carolina; DOD ? in ? ) married ?

7) Louisa Jane Cartee (DOB About 1839 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 4/5/1884 in Spartanburg County, SC) married Perry Duncan Cartee. He was also married to Louisa Jane Culbreth (DOB 11/20/1852 in Rutherford County, NC; DOD 7/9/1931 in Spartanburg County, SC). Can you imagine being married, coincidently, to two women with the same first and second names!?! At least there was no danger of accidentally calling your wife by the wrong name. LOL!


1830 U.S. Census of Anderson County, South Carolina; Series: M19; Roll: 173; Page: 149; Family History Library Film: 0022507, Caleb Caster (sic)
Name: Caleb Caster
[Caleb Carter]
Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Anderson, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49: 1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19: 1
Free White Persons - Under 20: 5
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 1
Total Free White Persons: 6
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 6


1840 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 515; Page: 137; Family History Library Film: 0022511, Caleb Carty (sic)
Name: Caleb Carty
Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Spartanburg, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 5: 3
Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 14: 2
Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39: 1
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 1
No. White Persons over 20 Who Cannot Read and Write: 1
Free White Persons - Under 20: 7
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 2
Total Free White Persons: 9
Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 9


1850 U.S. Census of Eastern Subdivision, Anderson County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_848; Page: 289B; Image: 585, Lines 32-38, "Caleb Carter" (sic)
Caleb Carter, 60 yrs old (DOB 1790), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, $3,000 in Real Estate Value, Born in VA
Elizabeth Carter, 50 yrs old (DOB 1800), F, W, Born in SC
James Carter, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), M, W, Student, Born in SC
Thomas S. Carter, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Stephen S. Carter, 16 yrs old (DOB 1834), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Frances J. Carter, 11 yrs old (DOB 1839), F, W, Born in SC
Nancy L. Carter, 9 yrs old (DOB 1841), F, W, Born in SC


1860 U.S. Census of Northern Division, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1226; Page: 274; Family History Library Film: 805226, Lines 31-38, "Caleb Cartee"
Caleb Cartee, 67 yrs old (DOB 1793), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Personal Estate Value $300, Born in SC
Elizabeth Cartee, 61 yrs old (DOB 1799), F, W, Born in SC
Louisa J. Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), F, W, Born in SC
Ranson Cartee (sic), 22 yrs old (DOB 1838), M, W, Farm Labor, Born in SC
John Cartee, 28 yr sold (DOB 1832), M, W, Farm Labor, Born in SC
William Cartee, 8 yrs old (DOB 1852), M, W, Born in SC
James Cartee, 4 yrs old (DOB 1856), M, W, Born in SC
Thomas Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), M, W, Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,200, Personal Estate Value $2,400, Born in SC


1870 U.S. Census of Williamston, Anderson County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1482; Page: 714A; Family History Library Film: 552981, Lines 38-39, "Caleb Cartee"
Caleb Cartee, 81 yrs old (DOB 1789), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $600, Personal Estate Value $0, Born in VA
Elizabeth Cartee, 70 yrs old (DOB 1800), F, W, Keeping house, Born in SC


1880 U.S. Census of Cherokee, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: 1240; Family History Film: 1255240; Page: 156B; Enumeration District: 140, Lines 16-18, "Caleb Cartee"
Caleb Cartee, W(hite), M(ale), 67 yrs old (DOB 1813, sic), Head, Married, Unable to work the last 12 mos due to Rheumatism, He is disabled, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mary Cartee, W, F, 46 yrs old (DOB 1834), Wife, Married, Keeping house, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Gilbert, W, M, 17 yrs old (DOB 1863), Grandson, Single, Farm labor, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC



That's what I have on Caleb Wade Cartee. But let's look at some of his children:

Nancy Jane Cartee was born 11/1830 in Spartanburg County, SC. She married George Gibson Gilbert, Sr.


We are going to follow the Gilbert family now.

George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. was born 11/8/1798 in Spartanburg County, SC to Samuel Olen Gilbert (DOB About 1770 in Bedford County, VA; DOD 1/15/1832 in Spartanburg County, SC) and Elizabeth Woody (DOB ? in ? ; DOD ? in ? ). Samuel Olen Gilbert was the son of Daniel Gilbert (DOB 1/20/1731 in Baltimore County, Maryland; DOD About 1805 in Spartanburg County, SC) and Elizabeth ? (DOB About 1742 in Bedford County, VA; DOD About 1770 in Bedford County, VA). Daniel Gilbert was the son of Garvis Gilbert (DOB 4/15/1680 in Leeds, Metropolitan Borough of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England; DOD 6/5/1739 in Baltimore County, Maryland) and Mary (DOB About 1695 in Baltimore County, Maryland; DOD About 1740 in Baltimore County, Maryland).

Garvis Gilbert is also known as Jarvis Gilbert, Jervis Gilbert, Gervaise Gilbert, Gervase Gilbert. He was also married to a Margaret ? . Garvis Gilbert and Mary had Charles, Mary, Hannah, Aquilla, Benjamin, Daniel, Arabella, Martha. Garvis Gilbert and Margaret had Michael, Jarvis and Samuel.

Here is the sources I have for Garvis Gilbert.
Family Data Collection - Births
Name Garvis Gilbert
Father Michael Gilbert
Mother Dorthy Hargrave
Birth Date 15 April 1680
City Leeds
County Yorkshire
Country England

Family Data Collection - Deaths
Name Garvis Gilbert
Death Date 5 June 1739
City Baltimore
State MD
Country USA

Family Data Collection - Individual Records
Name Garvis Jarvis Gilbert
Spouse Mary
Parents Michael, Dorothy Gilbert Gilbert, Hargrave
Birth Place Baltimore, MD
Birth Date 15 April 1680
Death Place Baltimore, MD
Death Date 5 June 1739

U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
Name Garvis Jarvis
Gender Male
Birth Place Yo
Birth Year 1680
Spouse Name Margaret
Marriage State MD
Number Pages 1

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Gervaise “Jarvis” Gilbert, I
BIRTH 15 Apr 1680 Leeds, Metropolitan Borough of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
DEATH 5 Jun 1739 Saint Georges, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA
BURIAL Saint Georges Episcopal Church Cemetery Perryman, Harford County, Maryland, USA
MEMORIAL ID 99762456
Born in Leeds, (West) Yorkshire, England on 15 Apr 1680, the (probable) son of Michael Gilbert (II) and Dorothy Hargrave. Immigrated from Leeds, (West) Yorkshire, England to Maryland about about 1699, the year in which his name appears for the first time in the tax tables of Baltimore county, Maryland. Was first married to Margaret, maiden name unknown, in 1704 in Baltimore, Maryland. Jarvis and Margaret were the parents of six children: Michael, Jarvis, Solomon, Elizabeth, Jarvis and Samuel (I). After Margaret's death in 1715, Jarvis married a second time to Mary, maiden name unknown (some have suggested that it was Gallion, though this name is not proven). Jarvis and Mary were the parents of ten children: Charles (1717-1720), Mary (1719-1720), Hannah (1721- ), Charles (1723-1797), Aquila (1726-1806), Benjamin (1729-1791), Daniel (1731-1809) , Mary (1733-1785), Martha (1736-1799), and Arabella (1738- ). Jarvis died on 05 Jun 1739 in Baltimore, Maryland, and was most likely interred in the Spesutia Church cemetery, St. Georges Parish, Baltimore county, Maryland, where he served as a vestryman.
Spouses:
Margaret Gilbert 1684–1715
Mary Gilbert 1695–1740
Children:
Michael Gilbert 1707–1784
Samuel Gilbert 1709–1776
Garvis Gilbert 1713–1754
Daniel Gilbert 1731–1805

In 1699, Garvis Gilbert is living in Middle River Hundred, Baltimore County, MD (Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol 8, Pg 64, Published by Maryland Historical Society, 201 West Monument St., Baltimore, Maryland, 21201-4674, mdhs.org/publications/maryland-historical-magazine, "Taxables in Baltimore County, 1699"). In Baltimore County before ca 1820, you encounter 2 terms referring to an area of and: Hundreds and Parishes. From late 1600s-early 1800s in MD the Hundred was applied as a political subdivision of the county for tax purposes and judicial affairs. Middle River Hundred was in St John's Parish. Hundreds being that there was a constable appointed for each hundred and a justice of the peace for each hundred.

Tax List, 1702, (South) Gunpowder River Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA, Gunpowder River Hundred was later in St. John's Parish.
Tax List, 1703, Gunpowder River Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA
Tax List, 1704, (North), Gunpowder River Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA
Tax List, 1705, (North), Gunpowder River Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA
Tax List, 1706, (North), Gunpowder River Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA

On 11/4/1707 in Middle Bush River, (North) Gunpowder Hundred, Baltimore County, Maryland. Garvis Gilbert purchased 100 acres plus house, buildings and improvements from William and Rebecca Lowe for 5,000 lbs of tobacco. This would be his homestead throughout his life. (Baltimore County Land Records Vol RM:561-562; Baltimore County MD land deed records, Lib. HWS, No. M, folio 302, Baltimore County, MD Historic Courthouse, Clerk's Office [or Maryland State Archives], 400 Washington Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21204.) (The Gilbert Family, by Wilbur E. Davis, Published 1075 Morse Ave, Glendale OH 45246-3829)

Garvis Gilbert was Vestry man from 1/22/1722 to 4/11/1726 at St George's Episcopal Spesutia Church, Spesutia Road, Perryman, Harford County, Maryland, USA. (St. George's Episcopal Church Spesutsia Church Records, Spesutsia Rd, P.O. Box 22, Perryman, Harford County, MD, 21130, USA, 39.474727, -76.204463) Detailed church records exist going back to the 17th century, showing Pattersons as members of the church and vestry. Harford County, MD was first discovered in 1608 by Captain John Smith of the Virginia Colony, when he made a fairly accurate map of the upper country and its islands and shores. About 1649, Colonel Nathaniel Utie came from Virginia to explore the upper bay region and find a place to settle, and was granted an island located a few hundred yards south of Havre de Grace. He named it Spesutie, using the Latin Spes-Utie, meaning Utie's Hope. The spelling was later changed to Spesutia as it is known today. When the Church of England became the established church of the Palatinate of Maryland, the first Vestry House was erected at Spesutie Parish on the property which belonged by grant to Col. Nathaniel Utie. In 1718, Spesutie Parish was divided into St. George's and St. John's Parishes, and the Spesutia Church of St. George's Parish was erected two miles away at Perryman, where it still stands today.

In 1727, Garvis Gilbert purchased Hall's Pipe, 145 acres for 50 pounds Sterling, and Clark's Tobacco, 71 acres on Swan Creek, Harford County, Maryland, USA (The Gilbert Family, by Wilbur E. Davis, Published 1075 Morse Ave, Glendale OH 45246-3829)

In 1734, Garvis Gilbert gave "for the natural love and affection which I have and do bear unto my son Michael GILBERT," gave Michael land to be released to his brothers at the time of his (Garvis') death: Clark's Tobacco, 60 acres; Hall's Pipe, 145 acres; GILBERT's Chance, 40 acres. (Baltimore County Land Records Vol RM:561-562; Baltimore County MD land deed records, Lib. HWS, No. M, folio 302, Baltimore County, MD Historic Courthouse, Clerk's Office [or Maryland State Archives], 400 Washington Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland, 21204.)

The will of Garvis Gilbert of Baltimore County, planter, was dated June 2, 1739 and proved June 17, 1739.
To his son Samuel he gave a tract called GILBERT's Addition and part of GILBERT's Outlet, joining to Edward Hall's Road; To his son Garvis he gave Bow's (Lowe's) Lot and remainder of Outlet, joining; To his son Charles he gave dwelling plantation Clark's Tobacco, GILBERT's Chance, and Negro Man, Oliver, after demise of wife; To his son Aquila he gave The Agreement and Negro woman, Charity, after demise of wife; To his son Benjamin he gave ten pounds of money when he became of age; to his son Daniel he gave ten pounds of money when he became of age; To his daughter Hannah he gave a cow, one feather bed and furniture, and Negro child, Oliver, after demise of wife; To his daughters, Mary and Martha, he gave each ten pounds of money when they became age 16 or at their marriage. The executors of this will were his wife Mary and Michael GILBERT. Wit: Obd Pritchard, James Pritchard, and James Canell (Camell,Camill).

(Will dated 2 Jun 1739 and filed 10 Jun 1739 by Obadiah Pritchard and James Pritchard. Administration bond posted 7 Nov 1739 by the executors with John Durbin and Samuel Pritchard securities; estate administered 12 Aug 1740 by execs).

The date of death of Garvis GILBERT has been determined to be 5/6 Jun 1739. (Marcum citing Baltimore County MD Perogative Court Wills 22, page 79).

The property of Garvis GILBERT, dec'd, distributed to his sons by executor Michael GILBERT follow: l1740 (HWS, LS, 420) Samuel GILBERT, Clark's Tobacco, 60 acres. l1740 (HWS, IA, 413) Jarvis GILBERT, Lowe's Lot, 100 acres, part of GILBERT's Outlet, 125 acres. l1742 (TB, C, 204) Charles GILBERT, Clarke's Tobacco, 40 acres; Union, 60 acres; GILBERT's Chance. l1753 (ABB, J, 17) Aquilla GILBERT, Hall's Mill Run, 200 acres. (Marcum citing Baltimore County MD land deed records)

Even though Michael GILBERT is not named in Garvis' will as his son, it is proven in a gift deed in the Hall of Records in Annapolis, Maryland, that Garvis GILBERT"for the natural love and affection which I have and do bear unto my son Michael GILBERT." he gave land to Michael to be released to his brothers at the time of his (Garvis) death.


Here are the sources I have for Daniel Gilbert:


Daniel Gilbert was born 1/20/1731 in Baltimore County, MD. He married Elizabeth. They had Isiah Gilbert, Gervaise Gilbert, John Gilbert, Mary Ann Gilbert, George Gilbert, Thomas Felix Gilbert, Samuel Olen Gilbert.

Family Data Collection - Births
Name Daniel Gilbert
Father Garvis Gilbert
Birth Date 20 January 1731
City Baltimore
State MD
Country USA

Family Data Collection - Individual Records
Name Daniel Gilbert
Parents Garvis Gilbert
Birth Place Baltimore, MD
Birth Date 20 January 1731
Death Place SC
Death Date 1809



1790 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Series: M637; Roll: 11; Page: 32; Image: 38; Family History Library Film: 0568151
Name: Daniel Gilbert
Home in 1790 (City, County, State): Spartanburg, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 16: 4
Free White Persons - Males - 16 and over: 3
Free White Persons - Females: 5
Number of Household Members: 12


1800 U.S. Census of Spartanburg District, South Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 50; Page: 175; Image: 345; Family History Library Film: 181425
Name: Dan Gilbert
[Daniel Gilbert]
Home in 1800 (City, County, State): Spartanburg District, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 2
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 16 thru 25: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over: 1
Number of Household Members Under 16: 1
Number of Household Members Over 25: 3
Number of Household Members: 7

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Daniel Gilbert
BIRTH 20 Jan 1731 Baltimore County, Maryland, USA
DEATH 1805 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Gilbert Family Cemetery Cooley Springs, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 64303598
Parents:
Gervaise Gilbert 1680–1739
Mary Gilbert 1695–1740


Samuel Olen Gilbert was born about 1770 in Virginia. He died 1/15/1832 in Spartanburg County, SC. He married Elizabeth and they had Martha Gilbert, Henry Calfy Gilbert, Balaam Gilbert, George Gibson Gilbert Sr., John Gilbert and Cameron Gilbert. Here are the sources for Samuel Olen Gilbert:

1790 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Series: M637; Roll: 11; Page: 32; Image: 38; Family History Library Film: 0568151
Name: Samuel Gilbert
Home in 1790 (City, County, State): Spartanburg, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 16 and over: 1
Free White Persons - Females: 2
Number of Household Members: 3


1800 U.S. Census of Spartanburg District, South Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 50; Page: 175; Image: 346; Family History Library Film: 181425
Name: Saml Gelbert
[Samuel Gilbert]
Home in 1800 (City, County, State): Spartanburg District, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - Under 10: 2
Free White Persons - Males - 26 thru 44: 1
Free White Persons - Females - Under 10: 2
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 26 thru 44: 1
Number of Household Members Under 16: 5
Number of Household Members Over 25: 2
Number of Household Members: 7


1820 U S Census of Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Page: 245; NARA Roll: M33_120; Image: 311
Name: Danl Gilberd
[Daniel Gilbert]
[Daniel Gilbert, Jr.]
Home in 1820 (City, County, State): Spartanburg, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 18: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 16 thru 25: 2
Free White Persons - Males - 45 and over: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 10 thru 15: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 45 and over : 1
Number of Persons - Engaged in Agriculture: 3
Free White Persons - Under 16: 1
Free White Persons - Over 25: 2
Total Free White Persons: 5
Total All Persons - White, Slaves, Colored, Other: 5


1830 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Series: M19; Roll: 171; Page: 261; Family History Library Film: 0022505
Name: Samuel Gilbert
Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Spartanburg, South Carolina
Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29: 1
Free White Persons - Males - 50 thru 59: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19: 1
Free White Persons - Females - 60 thru 69: 1
Free White Persons - Under 20: 2
Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 1
Total Free White Persons: 5
Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 5


George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. (DOB 11/8/1798 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 4/5/1869 in Spartanburg County, SC) was married first to Lucinda Cooley. Lucinda Cooley was born 5/20/1802 in Spartanburg County, SC to Pinkney Edmond Cooley (DOB About 1773 in VA; DOD 1/17/1851 in Cooley Springs, Spartanburg County, SC) and Charlotte Speace (DOB About 1781 in Lincoln County, NC; DOD 7/11/1849 in Spartanburg County, SC).


1820 U.S. Census Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Page: 260; NARA Roll: M33_120; Image: 326


1830 U.S. Census Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Series: M19; Roll: 171; Page: 251; Family History Library Film: 0022505

1840 U.S. Census Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 515; Page: 160; Family History Library Film: 0022511


1850 U.S. Census Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392





George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. and Lucinda Cooley had 8 known children:

1) Perry Duncan Gilbert (DOB 8/23/1821 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 5/24/1858 in Spartanburg County, SC) married Emaline E. Wolfe (DOB 2/9/1819 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 2/12/1910 in Spartanburg County, SC). She married Perry Duncan Gilbert first but he died in 1858 so she married Edmund Cooley (aka Edmond Cooley) second. Edmond Cooley was born About 1819 in Spartanburg County, SC and died 8/27/1876 in Reidville, Spartanburg County, SC.

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 194A; Image: 393, Lines 3-5, "Benj Gilbert" (sic, Perry Gilbert)
Benj Gilbert (sic, Perry Gilbert), 29 yrs old (DOB 1821), M(ale), W(hite), Farm, Real Estate Value $800, Born in SC
Caroline Gilbert, 30 yrs old (DOB 1820), F, W, Born in SC
Cassandra Gilbert, 30 yrs old (DOB 1820), F, W, Born in SC

South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980
Administration and Guardian Bond Book, 1856-1918; Committee and Guardian Bonds, 1876-1900, 1904-1905
Probate Date 8 Oct 1858
Probate Place Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Inferred Death Year Abt 1858
Inferred Death Place South Carolina, USA
Handwritten Pg 62
State of South Carolina
Spartanburg District
Know All Men By These Presents
That we, Emeline Gilbert, L.P. Wolf and Geo G. Gilbert
are holden firmly bound unto Jno. Earle Bomar, Esquire, Ordinary for the District of Spartanburg in the full and just sum of Three Thousand Dollars lawful money of this State, to be paid to the said Jno. Earle Bomar or his successors, Ordinaries of this District, or their certain Attorney or assigns. To which payment well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, and every of us, our and every of our Heirs, Executors and Administrators, for the whole, and in the whole, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents.
Sealed with our seals, and dated the Eight day of October in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty eight.
The Condition of the above Obligation is such, that if the above bound Emeline Gilbert Administratrix of the goods, chattels and credits of Perry D. Gilbert deceased, do make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, chattels and credits of the said deceased, which have or shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of the said Emeline Gilbert or into the hands or possession of any other person or persons, for her and the same so made, do exhibit into the said Court of Ordinary, when she shall be thereunto required, and such goods, chattels and credits, do well and truly administer according to law, and do make a just and true account of her actings and doings therein, when required by the said Court, and all the rest of the said goods, chattels and credits which shall be found remaining upon the account of the said administration, the same being first allowed by the said Court, shall deliver and pay unto such persons respectively as are entitled to the same by law; and if it shall hereafter appear that any last will and testament was made by the said deceased, and the same be proved in Court, and the Executors obtain a certificate of the probate thereof, and the said Emeline Gilbert do in such case, if required, render and deliver up the said Letters of Administration, then this obligation to be void, or else to remain in full force.

Sealed and delivered in presence of Jno Wheeler

Emeline Gilbert
L.P. Wolf
G.G. Gilbert


2) Malissa Fairfield Gilbert (DOB 1/31/1823 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD ? in Spartanburg County, SC) married Elias "Lice" Charles Burnett (DOB 12/28/1822 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 3/8/1920 in Spartanburg County, SC). After Malissa died, Elias Burnett married a much younger Elisabeth Jane Coggins (DOB 11/6/1860 in SC; DOD 9/19/1929 in SC).

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 178A; Image: 361, Lines 8-11, "Charles Bennet" (sic)
Charles Bennet, 25 yrs old (DOB 1825), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $200, Personal Estate Value $0, Born in SC
Malissa Bennet, 25 yrs old (DOB 1825), F, W, Born in SC
Charlotte Bennet, 1/12 mos old (DOB 1850), F, W, Born in SC
Polly Bennet, 1/12 mos old (DOB 1850), F, W, Born in SC
Jesse R. Bennet, 72 yrs old (DOB 1778), M, W, Rusker Maker (sic, possibly Basket Maker?), Born in SC

1860 U.S. Census of Northern Division, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1226; Page: 276; Family History Library Film: 805226, Lines 11-20, "Elias Burnett"
Elias Burnett, 37 yrs old (DOB 1823), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,400, Personal Estate Value $487, Born in SC
Malissa Burnett, 37 yrs old (DOB 1823), F, W, Born in SC
Charlotte Burnett, 10 yrs old (DOB 1850), F, W, Born in SC
Mary Burnett, 10 yrs old (DOB 1850), F, W, Born in SC
Lursa Burnett (sic, Teresa Burnett or Tersa Burnett), 8 yrs old (DOB 1852), F, W, Born in SC
Thasinah Burnett (sic), 5 yrs old (DOB 1855), F, W, Born in SC
Jos. M. Burnett, 4 yrs old (DOB 1856), M, W, Born in SC
Martha J. Burnett, 2 yrs old (DOB 1858), F, W, Born in SC
Elias Burnett, 1 yr old (DOB 1859), M, W, Born in SC
Thos Hopper, 65 yrs old (DOB 1795), M, W, Day Laborer, Born in SC

1870 U.S. Census of Limestone, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1508; Page: 487A; Family History Library Film: 553007, Line 4, "Elias Burnett"
Elias Burnett, 53 yrs old (DOB 1827), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Personal Estate Value $0, Born in VA

1880 U.S. Census of Cherokee, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 1240; Family History Film: 1255240; Page: 158A; Enumeration District: 140, Lines 7-13, "Elias Burnett"
Elias Burnett, W(hite), M(ale), 54 yrs old (DOB 1826), Head, Married, Farmer, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Melissa Burnett, W, F, 53 yrs old (DOB 1827), Wife, Married, Keeping House, Born in AL, Both parents born in SC
Mary Burnett, W, F, 29 yrs old (DOB 1851), Daughter, Single, At home, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in AL
Charlotte Burnett, W, F, 29 yrs old (DOB 1851), Daughter, Single, At home, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in AL
Fazina Burnett (sic), W, F, 25 yrs old (DOB 1855), Daughter, Single, At home, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in AL
Joseph Burnett, W, M, 23 yrs old (DOB 1857), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in AL
Luetta Lewis, W, F, 4 yrs old (DOB 1876), Granddaughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1900 U.S. Census of Cherokee, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 1541; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0084; FHL microfilm: 1241541, Lines 43-49, "Elias Burnett"
Elias Burnett, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Dec, 1822, 77 yrs old, Married 54 yrs, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write, Owns farm free of mortgage
Elizabeth, Wife, W, F, Born May, 1860, 40 yrs old, Married 10 yrs (DOM 1890), 4 children with 2 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Elmer C. Burnett, Son, W, M, Born Dec, 1893, 6 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mallissa Burnett (sic), Daughter, W, F, Born May, 1896, 4 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Cosan Hardon, Boarder, W, M, Born Apr, 1884, 16 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Henry Martin, Servant, B, M, Born Jan, 1845, 55 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Laborer, Cannot read or write

1910 U.S. Census of Cherokee, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1472; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0076; FHL microfilm: 1375485, Lines 73-76, "Elias Burnett"
Elias Burnett, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 87 yrs old (DOB 1823), 2nd Marriage, Married 19 yrs (DOM 1891), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Own Income, Can read and write, Owns farm free of mortgage
Elizabeth Burnett, Wife, F, W, 49 yrs old (DOB 1861), 1st Marriage, Married 19 yrs, 2 children with 2 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Elma Burnett, Daughter, F, W, 16 yrs old (DOB 1894), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Melissa Burnett, Daughter, F, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1897), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1920 U.S. Census of Cherokee, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1710; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 86, Lines 65-66, "Elias Burnett"
Elias Burnett, Head, Owns farm, M(ale), W(hite), 98 yrs old (DOB 1822), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Elizabeth Burnett, Wife, F, W, 69 yrs old (DOB 1851), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

Veteran Dies At Ripe Old Age 97
Elies Burnett (sic) Passed Away Yesterday Afternoon. Was Well Known Here.
Elies Burnett (sic), a well known Confederate Veteran of the county passed away at his home near Chesnee yesterday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, after a lingering illness. Mr. Burnett was 97 years of age, and was highly respected veteran of the Civil War having fought during the entire four years with the Confederate forces and was highly respected in his community.
The deceased is survived by a large family circle, among them being his widow and five children as follows: J. M. Burnett, Miss Polly Burnett, Mrs. Maniss McDowe, Mrs. L. Elma Lancaster and Mrs. J.M. McCallister.
Funeral services will be conducted this afternoon at 4 o'clock at Arrowood church, by the Rev. Jones, pastor of the church.


SC Death Certificate #6471, Registration District 4002A, Registered #30, Elias Burnett, DOD 3/8/1920 in Cherokee township, Spartanburg County, SC
Male, White, Married, DOB 12/28/1822 in S.C., 97 yrs, 2 mos, 10 days old
Occupation: Unable to work
Father: Woodson Burnett, born in SC
Mother: Susan Burnett, born in SC
Informant: Jud McDaniel, Cherokee, SC
DOD 3/8/1920 at 4:20pm
Cause of death: Carcinoma of stomach, liver and bowels
Buried: 3/9/1920 at Arrowood Church

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Elias “Lice” Burnett
BIRTH 28 Dec 1822 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 8 Mar 1920 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Arrowwood Baptist Church Cemetery Chesnee, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 35184894
Parents: Woodson and Susanna (Burnett) Burnett.
Husband of: 1. Malissa Fairfield (Gilbert) Burnett, and 2. Elizabeth Jane (Coggins) Burnett.
Family Members
Parents:
Woodson Burnett 1792–1886
Susanna Burnett Burnett 1799–1840
Spouse:
Elizabeth Jane Coggins Burnett 1860–1929
Siblings:
Jefferson Reed Burnett 1816–1904
Nimrod Burnett 1818–1895
Dock Roland Burnett 1840–1923

Elizabeth Jane Coggins Burnett died 9/19/1929 in Spartanburg County, SC and she is buried at Arrowood Baptist Church.

3) Missouri Gilbert (DOB 11/30/1824 in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 8/12/1861 in Cooley Springs, Spartanburg County, SC) married William James Cartee (DOB About 1826 in SC; DOD ? in ? ). They had Perry Duncan Cartee (Louisa Jane Culbreth), John Earl Cartee (Jane Eliza Sparks), George James Webb Cartee (Melissa Emeline Gilbert, daughter of Isaac Gilbert and Sarah Basheba Horton), Martha Sally Cartee, Lucinda "Cindy" Cartee (William Pinckney Williams), William Caleb Cartee (Alice Ramoth Belcher), Sophronia Cartee.

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 162A; Image: 329, Lines 3-8, "James Carter" (sic)
James Carter, 27 yrs old (DOB 1823), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $150, Personal Estate Value $0, Born in SC
Missouri Carter, 26 yrs old (DOB 1824), F, W, Born in SC
Perry Carter, 7 yrs old (DOB 1843), M, W, Born in SC
J.E. Carter, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC
George Carter (sic, James W. Cartee), 3 yrs old (DOB 1847), M, W, Born in SC
Sally Carter, 1 yrs old (DOB 1849), F, W, Born in SC

1860 U.S. Census of Northern Division, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1226; Page: 233; Family History Library Film: 805226, Lines 17-24, "William Carter" (sic)
William Carter, 39 yrs old (DOB 1821), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,800, Personal Estate Value $350, Born in SC
Missouri Carter, 35 yrs old (DOB 1825), F, W, Born in SC
Perry Carter, 15 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Farm laborer, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
John E. Carter, 14 yrs old (DOB 1846), M, W, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
James W. Carter, 13 yrs old (DOB 1847), M, W, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
Martha Carter, 12 yrs old (DOB 1848), F, W, Born in SC
Lucinda Carter, 10 yrs old (DOB 1850), F, W, Born in SC
Sophronia Carter, 7 yrs old (DOB 1853), F, W, Born in SC

U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865
Name William James Cartee
Side Confederate
Regiment State/Origin South Carolina
Regiment 18th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry
Company D
Rank In Private
Rank Out Private
Film Number M381 roll 6
Other Records 18th Regiment, South Carolina Infantry

U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865
Name William James Cartee
Rank at enlistment Private
State Served South Carolina
Service Record Enlisted in Company D, South Carolina 18th Infantry Regiment.
Sources Index to Compiled Confederate Military Service Records

U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865
Name William James Cartee
Birth Date abt 1826
Age 35
Enlistment Date 1861
Military Unit Eighteenth Infantry C-F

Some family trees on Ancestry.com have James William Cartee (aka William James Cartee) as marrying Emeline Kimbrell and having another family after Missouri Gilbert's death. But, the 1880 U.S. Census used as a source, has "James W. Cartee" as being born in 1847 instead of 1822! So I think the "James W. Cartee", born 1847 and married to Emeline Kimbrell, was James William Cartee and Missouri Gilbert's SON. In the 1850 Census he was listed as George Cartee(born 1847) but in the 1860 Census he was listed as James W. Cartee (born 1847). It was James Webb Cartee the younger that was born in 1847 NOT James William Cartee the elder. So I believe it to be the SON that married Emeline Kimbrell NOT the father. I believe James William Cartee, the father, died in the War of Northern Aggression.


4) Jane Gilbert (DOB 11/9/1826 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 1/6/1885 in Portland, Ashley County, Arkansas) married Harrell Wells (DOB 5/12/1822 in Georgia; DOD 11/30/1894 in Portland, Ashley County, AR). The one thing that bothers me is that Harrill Wells was born in Georgia and in all the U.S. Census', his wife, Sarah Jane Wells, is listed as being born in Georgia as well. Is this truly Jane Gilbert, daughter of George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. and Lucinda Cooley?

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392, Lines 14-21, "G. Gilber" (sic)
G. Gilber, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,500, Born in SC
Lucinda Gilber, 48 yrs old (DOB 1802), F, W, Born in SC
Amos Gilber, 21 yrs old (DOB 1829), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Jane Gilber, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
T.J. Gilber, 19 yrs old (DOB 1831), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Charlotte Gilber, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in SC
Henry Gilber, 13 yrs old (DOB 1837), M, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC
Next door:
Balaam Gilbert, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798) and Nilly Gilbert, 45 yrs old (DOB 1805)

1860 U.S. Census of Union, Ashley County, Arkansas; Roll: M653_37; Page: 135; Family History Library Film: 803037, Lines 39-40, next page Lines 1-6, "Harrell Wells"
Harrell Wells, 36 yrs old (DOB 1824), M(ale), W(hite), Overseer, Real Estate Value $6,280, Personal Estate Value $3,150, Born in GA
Sarah J. Wells, 28 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in GA (sic)
Bettie Wells, 11 yrs old (DOB 1849), F, W, born in AL
Caroline B. Wells, 8 yrs old (DOB 1852), F, W, Born in AL
Margaret Wells, 6 yrs old (DOB 1854), F, W, Born in AL
William Wells, 4 yrs old (DOB 1856), M, W, Born in AL
Ptolemy L. Wells, 1 yr old (DOB 1859), M, W, Born in AR
Ann E. Gilbert, 55 yrs old (DOB 1805), F, W, Born in SC

Arkansas, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1819-1870
Name: Harrel Wells
State: AR
County: Ashley County
Township: Union Twp
Year: 1860
Record Type: Slave Schedule
Page: 053
Database: AR 1860 Slave Schedule

This 1870 U.S. Census is probably Harrell Wells and Sarah Jane Gilbert Wells and family living in Ashley County, AR (same as in 1860 and 1880). BUT notice the race is listed as "B" for Black. I have transcribed this as it is on the original form. Although "Harris Wells", Black man, could be a different man and family, I tend to think this is Harrell Wells and family because look at the Real Estate Value and Personal Estate Value, where they were born (Georgia), and they can both read and write with the children attending school. The other families on this sheet are also listed as "B" for Black. But, then the Wells children are listed as "W" for White (except for Margret Wells who is listed as "M" for Mulatto which is half Black and half White). There is no Ptolemy Wells (a very distinctive name) born about 1859. But there is a Harris Wells born about 1860. Could be Ptolemy Harris Wells? Anyway, judge for yourself.

1870 U.S. Census of Portland, Ashley, Arkansas; Roll: M593_47; Page: 202B; Family History Library Film: 545546, Lines 6-16, "Haris Wells" (sic)
Haris Wells, 52 yrs old (DOB 1818), M(ale), B(lack), Farmer, Real Estate Value $60,000, Personal Estate Value $50,000, Born in GA
Sarah Wells, 42 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, B, Keeping house, Born in GA
Margret Wells, 15 yrs old (DOB 1855), F, M(ulatto), At home, Born in AL, Attends school
William Wells, 13 yrs old (DOB 1857), M, W(hite), Farm Labr, Born in AL, Attends school
Harris Wells, 10 yrs old (DOB 1860), M, W, Farm Labr, Born in AR, Attends school
Thomas Wells, 8 yrs old (DOB 1862), M, W, Attending School, Born in AR
Julia Wells, 6 yrs old (DOB 1864), F, W, Attending School, Born in AR
Sinthy Wells, 31 yrs old (DOB 1839), F, W, Housekeeper, Real Estate Value $3,000, Born in AL
Nancie Wells, 11 yrs old (DOB 1859), F, W, Attending School, Born in AR
Lewis Wells, 8 yrs old (DOB 1862), M, W, Attending School, Born in AR
Thomas Wells, 7 yrs old (DOB 1863), M, W, Attending School, Born in AR

1880 U.S. Census of Portland, Ashley County, Arkansas; Roll: 38; Family History Film: 1254038; Page: 145A; Enumeration District: 010, Lines 43-47, "Harrel Wells"
Harrel Wells, W(hite), M(ale), 57 yrs old (DOB 1823), Head, Married, Farmer, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Sarah J. Wells, W, F, 53 yrs old (DOB 1827), Wife, Married, Keeping house, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Polmy Wells (sic), W, M, 20 yrs old (DOB 1860), Son, Single, Laborer, Born in AR, Both parents born in GA
James Hinkston, W, M, 9 yrs old (DOB 1871), Grandson, Single, Born in AR, Father born in Miss, Mother born in AR
Sally Hinkston, W, F, 8 yrs old (DOB 1872), Granddaughter, Single, Born in AR, Father born in Miss, Mother born in AR

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Sarah Jane Gilbert Wells
BIRTH 20 Dec 1827
DEATH 6 Jan 1885
BURIAL Portland Cemetery Portland, Ashley County, Arkansas, USA
MEMORIAL ID 30086288
Family Members
Spouse:
Harrell Wells 1822–1894
Children:
William Harrell Wells 1857–1934

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Harrell Wells
BIRTH 12 May 1822
DEATH 30 Nov 1894
BURIAL Portland Cemetery Portland, Ashley County, Arkansas, USA
MEMORIAL ID 30086276


5) Amos S. Gilbert (DOB 1/6/1829 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 4/14/1858 in Spartanburg County, SC)

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392, Lines 14-21, "G. Gilber" (sic)
G. Gilber, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,500, Born in SC
Lucinda Gilber, 48 yrs old (DOB 1802), F, W, Born in SC
Amos Gilber, 21 yrs old (DOB 1829), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Jane Gilber, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
T.J. Gilber, 19 yrs old (DOB 1831), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Charlotte Gilber, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in SC
Henry Gilber, 13 yrs old (DOB 1837), M, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC
Next door:
Balaam Gilbert, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798) and Nilly Gilbert, 45 yrs old (DOB 1805)

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392, Lines 14-21, "G. Gilber" (sic)
G. Gilber, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,500, Born in SC Lucinda Gilber, 48 yrs old (DOB 1802), F, W, Born in SC
Amos Gilber, 21 yrs old (DOB 1829), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Jane Gilber, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
T.J. Gilber, 19 yrs old (DOB 1831), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Charlotte Gilber, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in SC
Henry Gilber, 13 yrs old (DOB 1837), M, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC Next door:
Balaam Gilbert, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798) and Nilly Gilbert, 45 yrs old (DOB 1805)

South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980
Administration and Guardian Bond Book, 1856-1918; Committee and Guardian Bonds, 1876-1900, 1904-1905
Name Amos Gilbert
Probate Date 16 Aug 1858
Probate Place Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Inferred Death Year Abt 1858
Inferred Death Place South Carolina, USA
Handwritten Pg 54
State of South Carolina
Spartanburg District
Know All Men By These Presents
That we, George G. Gilbert, William Parris and John H. Cooley
are holden firmly bound unto Jno. Earle Bomar, Esquire, Ordinary for the District of Spartanburg in the full and just sum of Twenty four Hundred Dollars lawful money of this State, to be paid to the said Jno. Earle Bomar or his successors, Ordinaries of this District, or their certain Attorney or assigns. To which payment well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, and every of us, our and every of our Heirs, Executors and Administrators, for the whole, and in the whole, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents.
Sealed with our seals, and dated the Sixteenth day of August in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty eight.
The Condition of the above Obligation is such, that if the above bound George G. Gilbert Administrator of the goods, chattels and credits of Amos Gilbert deceased, do make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, chattels and credits of the said deceased, which have or shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of the said George G. Gilbert or into the hands or possession of any other person or persons, for him and the same so made, do exhibit into the said Court of Ordinary, when he shall be thereunto required, and such goods, chattels and credits, do well and truly administer according to law, and do make a just and true account of his actings and doings therein, when required by the said Court, and all the rest of the said goods, chattels and credits which shall be found remaining upon the account of the said administration, the same being first allowed by the said Court, shall deliver and pay unto such persons respectively as are entitled to the same by law; and if it shall hereafter appear that any last will and testament was made by the said deceased, and the same be proved in Court, and the Executors obtain a certificate of the probate thereof, and the said George G. Gilbert do in such case, if required, render and deliver up the said Letters of Administration, then this obligation to be void, or else to remain in full force.

Sealed and delivered in presence of
Geo W. H. Legg

George G. Gilbert
John H. Cooley
William Parris


6) Thomas J. Gilbert (DOB 2/19/1831 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 6/16/1858 in Spartanburg County, SC)

1850 U.S. Census of Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392, Lines 14-21, "G. Gilber" (sic)
G. Gilber, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,500, Born in SC Lucinda Gilber, 48 yrs old (DOB 1802), F, W, Born in SC
Amos Gilber, 21 yrs old (DOB 1829), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Jane Gilber, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
T.J. Gilber, 19 yrs old (DOB 1831), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Charlotte Gilber, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in SC
Henry Gilber, 13 yrs old (DOB 1837), M, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC Next door:
Balaam Gilbert, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798) and Nilly Gilbert, 45 yrs old (DOB 1805)

South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980
Administration and Guardian Bond Book, 1856-1918; Committee and Guardian Bonds, 1876-1900, 1904-1905
Name Thomas Gilbert
Probate Date 13 Sep 1858
Probate Place Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Inferred Death Year Abt 1858
Inferred Death Place South Carolina, USA
Handwritten Pg 59
State of South Carolina
Spartanburg District
Know All Men By These Presents
That we, Woodson Burnett, Jefferson Burnett and William Brannon
are holden firmly bound unto Jno. Earle Bomar, Esquire, Ordinary for the District of Spartanburg in the full and just sum of Six Hundred Dollars lawful money of this State, to be paid to the said Jno. Earle Bomar or his successors, Ordinaries of this District, or their certain Attorney or assigns. To which payment well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, and every of us, our and every of our Heirs, Executors and Administrators, for the whole, and in the whole, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents.
Sealed with our seals, and dated the Thirtieth day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty eight.
The Condition of the above Obligation is such, that if the above bound Woodson BurnettAdministrator of the goods, chattels and credits of Thomas Gilbert deceased, do make a true and perfect inventory of all and singular the goods, chattels and credits of the said deceased, which have or shall come to the hands, possession or knowledge of the said Woodson Burnett or into the hands or possession of any other person or persons, for him and the same so made, do exhibit into the said Court of Ordinary, when he shall be thereunto required, and such goods, chattels and credits, do well and truly administer according to law, and do make a just and true account of his actings and doings therein, when required by the said Court, and all the rest of the said goods, chattels and credits which shall be found remaining upon the account of the said administration, the same being first allowed by the said Court, shall deliver and pay unto such persons respectively as are entitled to the same by law; and if it shall hereafter appear that any last will and testament was made by the said deceased, and the same be proved in Court, and the Executors obtain a certificate of the probate thereof, and the said Woodson Burnett do in such case, if required, render and deliver up the said Letters of Administration, then this obligation to be void, or else to remain in full force.

Sealed and delivered in presence of
Jesse B. Blanton

Woodson Burnett
William Brannon
Jefferson Burnett


7) Charlotte Gilbert (DOB 10/3/1833 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 6/15/1875 in Spartanburg County, SC) married William Theodore Powell (DOB About 1831 in SC; DOD About 1863 in ? ). They had Zelie Hesentine Powell (John Henry Chapman), George Calhoun Powell, James Henry Thompson Powell (Mahala Talulah Thompson), Evelyn Ardrilla Powell (aka Evaline Ardrilla Powell) (Benjamin Clyde Thomason), Esborn Durant Ashmore Powell (Mary Jane Henderson), William Joseph Powell (Elizabeth "Eliza" Jane Crocker), Emily Elizine Powell (McCagga Barnett Smith, Jr.)

1850 U.S. Census ofSpartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392, Lines 14-21, "G. Gilber" (sic)
G. Gilber, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,500, Born in SC Lucinda Gilber, 48 yrs old (DOB 1802), F, W, Born in SC
Amos Gilber, 21 yrs old (DOB 1829), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Jane Gilber, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
T.J. Gilber, 19 yrs old (DOB 1831), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Charlotte Gilber, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in SC
Henry Gilber,13 yrs old (DOB 1837), M, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC Next door:
Balaam Gilbert, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798) and Nilly Gilbert, 45 yrs old (DOB 1805)

1860 U.S. Census of Northern Division, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1226; Page: 234; Family History Library Film: 805226, Lines 24-31, "W.T. Powell"
W.T. Powell, 29 yrs old (DOB 1831), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $400, Personal Estate Value $150, Born in SC
Chawlotte Powell (sic), 26 yrs old (DOB 1834), F, W, Born in SC
Hessentine Powell (sic), 9 yrs old (DOB 1851), F, W, Born in SC
Geo Calhoun Powell, 7 yrs old (DOB 1853), M, W, Born in SC
James Powell, 5 yrs old (ODB 1855), M, W, Born in SC
Ardrilla Powell, 3 yrs old (DOB 1857), F, W, Born in SC
Nameless Powell (sic), 7/12 mos old (DOB 1859), M, W, Born in SC
Vincent Kimbrell, 65 yrs old (DOB 1795), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
William Theodore Powell
BIRTH 1831
DEATH 1863
BURIAL Cherokee Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Cherokee Springs, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 15667357
Family Members
Spouse:
Charlottie Gilbert Powell 1833–1875
Children:
James Henry Thompson Powell 1855–1935
Esborn Durant Ashmore Powell 1859–1940
William Joseph Powell 1862–1941
Emily Elizime Powell Smith 1864–1940

1870 U.S. Census of Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1508; Page: 590B; Family History Library Film: 553007, Lines 30-35, "Charlotte Powell"
Charlotte Powell, 36 yrs old (DOB 1834), F(emale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $300, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
James Powell, 14 yrs old (DOB 1856), M, W, Farm Labor, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
Eveline Powell, 12 yrs old (DOB 1858), F, W, At home, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
Jurant Powell, 9 yrs old (DOB 1861), M, W, At home, Born in SC
Joseph Powell, 7 yrs old (DOB 1863), M, W, At home, Born in SC
Emily Powell, 6 yrs old (DOB 1864), M, W, At home, Born in SC

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Charlottie Gilbert Powell
BIRTH 3 Oct 1833
DEATH 14 Jun 1875
BURIAL Cherokee Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Cherokee Springs, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 15667316
Family Members
Parents:
George Gibson Gilbert 1798–1869
Lucinda Cooley Gilbert 1802–1858
Spouse:
William Theodore Powell 1831–1863
Siblings:
Perry Duncan Gilbert 1821–1858
Amos S. Gilbert 1829–1858
Henry Gilbert 1837 – unknown
Half Siblings:
Cedee Ann Gilbert Nichols 1861–1886
George G. Gilbert 1862–1953
Children:
James Henry Thompson Powell 1855–1935
Esborn Durant Ashmore Powell 1859–1940
William Joseph Powell 1862–1941
Emily Elizime Powell Smith 1864–1940


8) Henry E. Gilbert (DOB 12/6/1837 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD ? in Spartanburg County, SC) married Sarah Carney Camp (DOB About 1839 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD After 1870 in SC). They had Dixie Gilbert and Avaline Gilbert.

1850 U.S. Census ofSpartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_858; Page: 193B; Image: 392, Lines 14-21, "G. Gilber" (sic)
G. Gilber, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $1,500, Born in SC Lucinda Gilber, 48 yrs old (DOB 1802), F, W, Born in SC
Amos Gilber, 21 yrs old (DOB 1829), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Jane Gilber, 22 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
T.J. Gilber, 19 yrs old (DOB 1831), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Charlotte Gilber, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), F, W, Born in SC
Henry Gilber,13 yrs old (DOB 1837), M, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 5 yrs old (DOB 1845), M, W, Born in SC Next door:
Balaam Gilbert, 52 yrs old (DOB 1798) and Nilly Gilbert, 45 yrs old (DOB 1805)

1860 U.S. Census of Northern Division, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1226; Page: 235; Family History Library Film: 805226, Lines 33-34, "Henry Gilbert"
Henry Gilbert, 22 yrs old (DOB 1838), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $390, Personal Estate Value $325, born in SC, Cannot read or write
Carney Gilbert, 20 yrs old (DOB 1840), F, W, Born in SC, Cannot read or write

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Henry Gilbert
BIRTH 6 Dec 1837 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 13 Sep USA
BURIAL Unknown
MEMORIAL ID 152623403
Parents:
George Gibson Gilbert 1798–1869
Lucinda Cooley Gilbert 1802–1858
Spouse:
Carney Camp Gilbert 1839 – unknown
Siblings:
Perry Duncan Gilbert 1821–1858
Amos S. Gilbert 1829–1858
Charlottie Gilbert Powell 1833–1875
Half Siblings:
Cedee Ann Gilbert Nichols 1861–1886
George G. Gilbert 1862–1953

1870 U.S. Census of Beech Springs, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1508; Page: 338A; Family History Library Film: 553007, Lines 11-15, "John Camp"
John Camp, 26 yrs old (DOB 1844), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Personal Estate Value $100, Born in SC
Margret Camp, 25 yrs old (DOB 1845), F, W, Keep house, Born in SC
Isam Camp, 2 yrs old (DOB 1868), M, W, Born in SC
James Camp, 1 yr old (DOB 1869), M, W, Born in SC
Sarah Golbert (sic), 26 yrs old (DOB 1844), F, W, At home, Born in SC

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Carney Camp Gilbert
BIRTH 1839 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH unknown South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Unknown
MEMORIAL ID 149732468
Family Members
Parents:
William Willis Camp 1813 – unknown
Mathilda Margaret Cooley Camp 1810–1843
Spouse:
Henry Gilbert 1837 – unknown
Siblings:
John Thomas Camp 1843–1889


Lucinda Cooley died 7/15/1852 in Spartanburg County, SC.

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Lucinda Cooley Gilbert
BIRTH 20 May 1802 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 15 Jul 1858 Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Cooley Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Cooley Springs, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 65154725
Family Members
Parents:
Pinkney Edmond Cooley 1773–1851
Charlotte Speace Cooley 1781–1849
Spouse:
George Gibson Gilbert 1798–1869
Siblings:
Thomas Jefferson Cooley 1806–1868
Mathilda Margaret Cooley Camp 1810–1843
John Hamilton Cooley 1811–1861
Adaline Cooley McMillin 1828–1882
Children:
Perry Duncan Gilbert 1821–1858
Amos S. Gilbert 1829–1858
Charlottie Gilbert Powell 1833–1875
Henry Gilbert 1837 – unknown

Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880
Census Year: 1850; Census Place: Spartanburg, South Carolina; Archive Collection Number: AD260; Roll: 2; Page: 585; Line: 20; Schedule Type: Agriculture
Name: G Gilbert
Enumeration Date: 28 Sep 1850
Place: Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Schedule Type: Agriculture
OS Page: 585
Line Number: 20

Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880
Census Year: 1860; Census Place: Northern Division, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Archive Collection Number: AD262; Roll: 4; Page: 33; Line: 11; Schedule Type: Agriculture
Name: Geo Gilbert
Enumeration Date: Aug 1860
Place: Northern Division, Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Schedule Type: Agriculture
OS Page: 33
Line Number: 11

South Carolina, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890
Name: George Gilbert
State: SC
County: Spartanburg District
Township: Northern Division
Year: 1860
Record Type: Slave schedule
Page: 169
Database: SC 1860 Slave Schedule


George Gibson Gilbert, Sr. then married 2nd wife Nancy Jane Cartee.

1860 U.S. Census of Northern Division, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M653_1226; Page: 273; Family History Library Film: 805226, Lines 31-33, "George Gilbert"
George Gilbert, 61 yrs old (DOB 1799), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $2,000, Personal Estate Value $1,700, Born in SC
Nancy Gilbert, 32 yrs old (DOB 1828), F, W, Born in SC
John Camp, 16 yrs old (DOB 1844), M, W, Born in SC

They had 2 children:

1) Cee Dee Ann Gilbert (aka Cynthia Ann Gilbert) (DOB 3/26/1861 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 1/13/1886 in Spartanburg County, SC) married John Thomas "Tom" Nichols (DOB About 1864 in SC; DOD After 1920 in Spartanburg County, SC). They had Frances Callie Nichols (DOB 11/21/1885 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 1/20/1965 in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC).

1870 U.S. Census of Campobello, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1508; Page: 372A; Family History Library Film: 553007, Lines 33-38, "Perry D. Cartee"
Perry D. Cartee, 25 yrs old (DOB 1845), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Born in SC, Cannot read or write
Jane Cartee, 30 yrs old (DOB 1840), F, W, Keeping house, Born in SC
James H. Cartee, 3 yrs old (DOB 1867), M, W, At home, Born in SC
Thomas L. Cartee, 2 yrs old (DOB 1868), M, W, At home, Born in SC
Columbus Cartee, 3/12 mos old (DOB 1869), M, W, At home, Born in SC
Ann Gilbert, 9 yrs old (DOB 1861), F, W, At home, Born in SC


2) George Gibson Gilbert, Jr. (DOB 5/21/1862 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 12/24/1953 in Spartanburg County, SC) married Nancy Margaret Smith (DOB 5/14/1862 in Spartanburg County, SC; DOD 4/3/1929 in Spartanburg County, SC). They had Etta Ann Gilbert (Doctor Joe Jolly), Mary Elizabeth Gilbert (James "Dean" Robert Robbins), William Sidney Gilbert (Annie Manley), Thomas Leander Gilbert (Mabel Robbins, aka Maybelle Robbins), John Robert Gilbert (Osceola Elizabeth Adams), Corrie Lillian Gilbert (Albert Painter), Twins Clayton and Clarence Gilbert (died in infancy), Louether Gilbert (died as child)

1880 U.S. Census of Cherokee, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 1240; Family History Film: 1255240; Page: 156B; Enumeration District: 140, Lines 16-18, "Caleb Cartee"
Caleb Cartee, W(hite), M(ale), 67 yrs old (DOB 1813), Head, Married, Couldn't work last 12 months due to Rheumatism, Disabled, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mary Cartee, W, F, 46 (DOB 1834), Wife, Married, Keeping house, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Gilbert, W, M, 17 yrs old (DOB 1863), Grandson, Single, Farm labor, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1900 U.S. Census of Campobello, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 1541; Page: 20A; Enumeration District: 0083; FHL microfilm: 1241541, Lines 35-44, "George Gilbert"
George Gilbert, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born May, 1862, 38, Married 16 yrs (DOM 1884), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm free of mortgage
Nancy Gilbert, Wife, W, F, Born May, 1862, 38 yrs old, Married 16 yrs, 9 children with 8 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Etta Gilbert, Daughter, W, F, Born Jan, 1885, 15 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mary Gilbert, Daughter, W, F, Born June, 1887, 12 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Sidney Gilbert, Son, W, , Born June, 1888, 11 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Thomas Gilbert, Son, W, M, Born Jan, 1890, 10 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Robert Gilbert, Son, W, M, Born Mar, 1891, 9 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Corrie Gilbert, Daughter, W, F, Born Aug, 1896, 3 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Clarence Gilbert, Son, W, M, Born May, 1900, 0/12 mos old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Clayton Gilbert, Son, W, M, Born May, 1900, 0/12 mos old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1910 U.S. Census of Campobello, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1472; Page: 29A; Enumeration District: 0074; FHL microfilm: 1375485, Lines 39-44, "George Gilbert"
George Gilbert, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 47 yrs old (DOB 1863), 1st Marriage, Married 26 yrs, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Nancy Gilbert, Wife, F, W, 47 yrs old (DOB 1863), 1st Marriage, Married 26 yrs, 9 children with 6 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Cannot read or write
Thomas Gilbert, Son, M, W, 17 yrs old (DOB 1893), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Laborer
Robt Gilbert, Son, M, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1895), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Laborer
Corrie Gilbert, Daughter, F, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1898), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Laborer
Louether Gilbert, Daughter, F, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1907), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1920 U.S. Census of Campobello, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1710; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 82; Image: 446, Line 100 next page Lines , "George Gilbert"
George Gilbert, Head, Owns farm, M(ale), W(hite), 56 yrs old (DOB 1864), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Nancy Gilbert, Wife, F, W, 56 yrs old (DOB 1864), Married, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Carry Lily Gilbert (sic, Corrie Lillian Gilbert) Daughter, F, W, 22 yrs old (DOB 1898), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1930 U.S. Census of Campobello, Spartanburg County, South Carolina; Roll: 2213; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0018; FHL microfilm: 2341947, Line 8, "George T. Gilbert" (sic)
George T. Gilbert, Head, Owns home valued at $3,010, M(ale), W(hite), 67 yrs old (DOB 1863), Widowed, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
George G. Gilbert
BIRTH 20 May 1862
DEATH 24 Dec 1953
BURIAL Cooley Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Cooley Springs, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 103668553
Family Members
Parents:
George Gibson Gilbert 1798–1869
Spouse:
Nancy Margaret Smith Gilbert 1862–1926
Siblings:
Perry Duncan Gilbert 1821–1858
Amos S. Gilbert 1829–1858
Charlottie Gilbert Powell 1833–1875
Henry Gilbert 1837 – unknown
Cedee Ann Gilbert Nichols 1861–1886
Children:
Etta Ann Gilbert Jolley 1885–1902
Mary Elizabeth Gilbert Robbins 1887–1969
William Sidney Gilbert 1889–1950
Thomas L Gilbert 1892–1974
John Robert Gilbert 1894–1987
Corrie Lillian Gilbert Painter 1897–1961
Twin Babies Gilbert 1900 – unknown
Luethere Gilbert 1906–1912

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Nancy Margaret Smith Gilbert
BIRTH 14 May 1862
DEATH 3 Apr 1926
BURIAL Cooley Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Cooley Springs, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 103668667
Family Members
Spouse:
George G. Gilbert 1862–1953
Children:
Etta Ann Gilbert Jolley 1885–1902
Mary Elizabeth Gilbert Robbins 1887–1969
William Sidney Gilbert 1889–1950
Thomas L Gilbert 1892–1974
John Robert Gilbert 1894–1987
Corrie Lillian Gilbert Painter 1897–1961
Twin Babies Gilbert 1900 – unknown
Luethere Gilbert 1906–1912



Now we leave the Gilbert family and go back to the Cartee family. Let's look at Stephen Slaton Cartee. He was born 1/17/1835 in Anderson County, SC to Caleb Cartee and Elizabeth Yorke Slaton. He married his first wife, Malinda Kelly (DOB About 1837 in SC).

1850 U.S. Census of Eastern Subdivision, Anderson County, South Carolina; Roll: M432_848; Page: 289B; Image: 585, Lines 32-38, "Caleb Carter" (sic)
Caleb Carter, 60 yrs old (DOB 1790), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $3,000, Born in VA
Elizabeth Carter, 50 yrs old (DOB 1800), F, W, Born in SC
James Carter, 22 yrs old (DOB 1838), M, W, Student, Born in SC
Thomas S. Carter, 18 yrs old (DOB 1832), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Stephen S. Carter, 16 yrs old (DOB 1834), M, W, Farmer, Born in SC
Frances J. Carter, 11 yrs old (DOB 1839), F, W, Born in SC
Nancy L. Carter, 9 yrs old (DOB 1841), F, W, Born in SC

1860 U.S. Census of Division 2, De Kalb, Alabama; Roll: M653_9; Page: 113; Family History Library Film: 803009, Lines 26-29, "Stephen Cartee"
Stephen Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Personal Estate Value $100, Born in SC
Malinda Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), F, W, Born in SC
Sarah E. Cartee, 3 yrs old (DOB 1857), F, W, Born in SC
John Cartee, 2/12 mos old (DOB 1860), M, W, Born in AL

1880 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1238; Family History Film: 1255238; Page: 142A; Enumeration District: 135, Lines 33-38, "Stephen S. Carte" (sic)
Stephen S. Carte, W(hite), M(ale), 47 yrs old (1833), Head, Married, Farmer, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Malinda Carte, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Housekeeper, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Faro Carte (sic), W, M, 13 yrs old (DOB 1867), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Anna Carte, W, F, 12 yrs old (DOB 1868), Daughter, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Carte, W, M, 9 yrs old (DOB 1871), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Walker Carte, W, M, 6 yrs old (DOB 1874), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1900 U.S. Census of Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina; Roll: 1529; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0029; FHL microfilm: 1241529, Lines 98-100, "Stephen S. Carter" (sic)
Stephen S. Carter, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Nov, 1836, 65 yrs old, Married 4 yrs (DOM 1896), Born in SC, Father born in VA, Mother born in SC, Carpenter, Can read and write, Rents house
Clency L. Carter (sic), W, F, Born May, 1871, 29 yrs old, Married 4 yrs, 1 child with 1 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC Cotton mill reeler, Cannot read or write
Maud L. Carter, Daughter, W, F, Born June, 1897, 2 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC


U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Malinda Kelly Cartee
Inscription: w/o S.S. Cartee Aged 58y
BIRTH 1837
DEATH 2 Nov 1895
BURIAL Rose Hill Cemetery Piedmont, Greenville County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 10503676
Spouse:
Stephen Slayton Cartee 1835–1910
Children:
Pharoah Clayton Cartee 1866–1933
Anna Susan Cartee Day 1869–1889
George Robinson Cartee 1871–1939
Erastus Walker Cartee 1873–1945


U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Stephen Slayton Cartee
BIRTH 17 Jan 1835
DEATH 17 Jan 1910
BURIAL Rose Hill Cemetery Piedmont, Greenville County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 12811204
Family Members
Spouses:
Malinda Kelly Cartee 1837–1895
Clarsey L. Levi Cartee 1870–1948
Children:
Pharoah Clayton Cartee 1866–1933
Anna Susan Cartee Day 1869–1889
George Robinson Cartee 1871–1939
Erastus Walker Cartee 1873–1945
Maude L. Cartee Aiken 1897–1935




They had 6 children:

1) Sarah Cartee (DOB 10/3/1856 in SC; DOD 1/19/1897 in Greenville County, SC) married William T. Rowland (DOB About 1858 in GA; DOD 3/29/1935 in Anderson, Anderson County, SC).

1860 U.S. Census of Division 2, De Kalb County, Alabama; Roll: M653_9; Page: 113; Family History Library Film: 803009, Lines 26-29, "Stephen Cartee"
Stephen Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Personal Estate Value $100, Born in SC
Malinda Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), F, W, born in SC
Sarah E. Cartee, 3 yrs old (DOB 1857), F, W, born in SC
John Cartee, 2/12 mos old (DOB 1860), M, W, Born in AL

1880 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1238; Family History Film: 1255238; Page: 142A; Enumeration District: 135, Lines 43-45, "William T. Roland" (sic)
William T. Roland, W(hite), M(ale), 22 yrs old (DOB 1858), Head, Married, Farmer, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Sarah E. Roland, W, F, 21 yrs old (DOB 1859), Wife, Married, Housekeeper, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wade H. Roland, W, M, 3 yrs old (DOB 1877), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
James W. Roland, W, M, 10/12 mos old (DOB 1879), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

Sarah Cartee Rowland's obituary
Sarah E. Rowland, wife of W.T. Rowland, died at Piedmont, January 19th. She was about 35 years of age and leaves a husband and three children and many relatives and friends in this county (where they lived many years,) to mourn her death.

1900 U.S. Census of Alford, Hart County, Georgia; Roll: 204; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0053; FHL microfilm: 1240204, Lines 31-40, "W.M. Rowland" (sic)
W.M. Rowland, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Jan, 1859, 41 yrs old, Married 3 years (DOM 1897), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farmer, Can read and write, Rents farm
Mollie Rowland, Wife, W, F, Born Sep, 1870, 29 yrs old, Married 3 yrs, 2 children with 2 still living, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Charlie Rowland, Son, W, M, born Jan, 1882, 18 yrs old, Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farm laborer
George Rowland, Son, W, M, Born Dec, 1883, 16 yrs old, Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farm laborer
Isham Rowland (sic), Son, W, M, Born Oct, 1885, 14 yrs old, Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farm laborer
Louise Rowland, Daughter, W, F, Born Oct, 1889, 10 yrs old, Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Buttler Rowland (sic), Son, W, M, Born Sept 1891, 8 yrs old, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Grover Rowland, Son, W, M, Born Oct, 1894, 5 yrs old, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Lessie Rowland, Daughter, W, F, Born Nov, 1898, 1 yr old, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Susie Rowland, Daughter, W, F, Born May, 1900, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA

1910 U.S. Census of Alford, Hart County, Georgia; Roll: T624_189; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0077; FHL microfilm: 1374202, Lines 65-72, "William Rowling" (sic)
William Rowling, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 53 yrs old (DOB 1857), Married 10 yrs (DOM 1900), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farmer, Cannot read or write, Rents farm
Mollie Rowling, Wife, F, W, 39 yrs old (DOB 1871), Married 10 yrs, 5 children with 4 still living, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Can read and write
Grover Rowling, Son, M, W, 14 yrs old (DOB 1896), Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Liersie Rowling, Daughter, F, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1898), Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Lizzie Rowling, Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1900), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Waymon Rowling (sic), Son, M, W, 7 yrs old (DOB 1903), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Dollie Rowling, Daughter, F, W, 4 yrs old (DOB 1906), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Mamie Rowling, Daughter, F, W, 1 yr old (DOB 1909), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA

1920 U.S. Census of Alford, Hart County, Georgia; Roll: T625_262; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 78, Lines 98-100, "William M. Rowland" (sic)
William M. Rowland, Head, Rents, M(ale), W(hite), 61 yrs old (DOB 1859), Married, Cannot read or write, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farmer
Mallie Rowland (sic), Wife, F, W, 49 yrs old (DOB 1871), Married, Can read and write, Born in GA, Father born in SC, Mother born in GA, Farm laborer
Waman Rowland (sic), Son, M, W, 17 yrs old (DOB 1903), Single, Can read and write, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Farm laborer
Dollie Rowland, Daughter, F, W, 14 yrs old (DOB 1906), Single, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Minnie Rowland, Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1910), Single, Born in Ga, Both parents born in GA
Emma Rowland, Daughter, F, W, 8 yrs old (DOB 1912), Born in GA, Both parents born in GA

1930 U.S. Census of Harris St, Varennes, Anderson County, South Carolina; Roll: 2186; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0050; FHL microfilm: 2341920, Lines 86-91, "William Rowland"
William Rowland, Head, Rents for $4, M(ale), W(hite), 64 yrs old (sic, DOB 1866), Married, Cannot read or write, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA
Mollie Rowland, Wife, F, W, 59 yrs old (DOB 1871), Married, Can read and write, Born in GA, Father born in SC, Mother born in GA
Dolly Rowland, Daughter, F, W, 23 yrs old (DOB 1907), Single, Can read and write, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Spinner in cotton mill
Emma Rowland, Daughter, F, W, 19 yrs old (DOB 1909), Single, Can read and write, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Spinner in cotton mill
Mamie Jenkins, Daughter, F, W, 20 yrs old (DOB 1910), Widowed, Can read and write, Born in GA, Both parents born in GA, Spooler in cotton mill
Mildred Jenkins, Granddaughter, F, W, 2 yrs old (DOB 1928), Born in SC, Both parents born in GA

SC Death Certificate #3350, Registration District # (blank), Registered #103, William Roland (sic), DOD 3/23/1935 at 7 Harris St, Anderson, Anderson County, SC
Male, White, Married to Mollie Partain, DOB 1/12/1871 (sic) in Hart County, GA
Occupation: Textile
Father: D.K. (Don't know)
Mother: D.K.
Informant: Mrs. Mollie Roland (Wife), 7 Harris St, Anderson, SC
DOD 3/23/1935 at 3:30am
Cause of death: Angina Pectoris and high blood pressure
Buried: 3/29/1935 at Mt. Zion

William T. Rowland's obituary in The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 3/29/1935, Pg 8 ANDERSON,Mar. 28. - William T. Rowland, 74, died at 3:30 o'clock this morning at his residence, 7 Harrus Street (sic), after an illness of only a week. Mr. Rowland was a former resident of Hart county, Ga., but had been making his residence in Anderson for the last nine years.
He is survived by his widow and the following sons and daughters: Charles, William, Butler, George, Isom, Grover and Waymon Rowland; Mrs. Ella Gray, Mrs. Lessie Davis, Mrs. Lizzie Rice, Mrs. Dolly Blackwell, Mrs. Mamie Jenkins, and Miss Emma Rowland; one sister, Mrs. Sis Dunn.
Funeral services will be held at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon at Mt. Zion Methodist Church with the Rev. E.C. White officiating. Interment will follow in the adjoining cemetery.

Mollie Partain Rowland died 12/15/1950.

SC Death Certificate #?0-015560, Registration District #3a, Registrar's #437, Mollie P. Rowland, DOD 12/15/1950 in Anderson Memorial Hospital, Anderson, Anderson County, SC
Usual residence: 312 W. Church St, Anderson, Anderson County, SC
Female, White, Widowed, DOB 8/15/1882(sic) in GA, 68 yrs old
Father: (blank), Mother: (blank), Informant: (blank)
DOD 12/15/1950
Cause of death: Carcinoma esophagus after Gastectory sub. total
Buried: 12/17/1950 in Mt Zion Cemetery, Hartwell, Hart County, GA


2) John Cartee (DOB About 1860 in AL; DOD About 1860 in AL)

1860 U.S. Census of Division 2, De Kalb, Alabama; Roll: M653_9; Page: 113; Family History Library Film: 803009, Lines 26-29, "Stephen Cartee"
Stephen Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, Real Estate Value $0, Personal Estate Value $100, Born in SC
Malinda Cartee, 24 yrs old (DOB 1836), F, W, Born in SC
Sarah E. Cartee, 3 yrs old (DOB 1857), F, W, Born in SC
John Cartee, 2/12 mos old (DOB 1860), M, W, Born in AL


3) Pharoah Clayton Cartee (DOB 4/4/1866 in SC; DOD 4/22/1933 in Pickens County, SC) married Ella Victoria Thomas (DOB 6/4/1869 in Pickens County, SC to John Martin Thomas and Matilda Jane Smith; DOD 5/9/1947 in Liberty, Pickens County, SC). Both are buried at West View Cemetery, Wilbur St, Easley, Pickens County, SC. They had Leland Walker Cartee, Ralph Walker Cartee, Claude Jerome Cartee, Waco Jennings Cartee, Millie Cartee (aka Mittie Cartee), Eugene Franklin Cartee.

1880 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1238; Family History Film: 1255238; Page: 142A; Enumeration District: 135, Lines 33-38, "Stephen S. Carte" (sic)
Stephen S. Carte, W(hite), M(ale), 47 yrs old (1833), Head, Married, Farmer, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Malinda Carte, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Housekeeper, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Faro Carte (sic), W, M, 13 yrs old (DOB 1867), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Anna Carte, W, F, 12 yrs old (DOB 1868), Daughter, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Carte, W, M, 9 yrs old (DOB 1871), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Walker Carte, W, M, 6 yrs old (DOB 1874), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1900 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1539; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0116; FHL microfilm: 1241539, Lines 69-75, "Pharis Cartee" (sic)
Pharis Cartee, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Apr, 1866, 34 yrs old, Married 10 years (DOM 1890), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Eliza Cartee, Wife, W, F, Born June, 1869, 30 yrs old, Married 10 yrs, 6 children with 5 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Leiland Cartee, Son, W, M, Born Sept, 1890, 9 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Father born in NC, Mother born in SC
Ralph Cartee, Son, W, M, Born Feb, 1893, 7 yrs old, Single, Born in SC

1900 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1539; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 0116; FHL microfilm: 1241539, Lines 68-75, "Pharis Carter"
Pharis Cartee, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Apr, 1866, 34 yrs old, Married 10 yrs (DOM 1890), Born in NC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Leiland Cartee, Son, W, M, Born Sept, 1890, 34 yrs old, Married 10 yrs (DOM 1890), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC,
Ralph Cartee, Son, W, Born 4,1894, 6 yrs old, Born in SC
Claud Cartee, Son, W, M, Born Apr, 1894, 6 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Waces Cartee (sic), Son, W, M, Born Jun, 1896, 3 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Willie Cartee, Daughter, W, F, Born Aug, 1899, 9/10 mos old, Born in SC

1910 U.S. Census of: Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1470; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 0140; FHL microfilm: 1375483, Lines 87-94, "P.C. Cartee"
P.C. Cartee, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 44 yrs old, 1st Marriage, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Ella V. Cartee, Wife, F, W, 40 yrs old, 1st Marriage, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Leland W. Cartee, Son, M, W, 19 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Ralph Cartee, Son, M, W, 18 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Claude, Cartee, Son, M, W, 15 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Waco Cartee, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mittie Cartee (sic), Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1900), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in
Eugene Cartee, Son, M, W, 8 yrs old (DOB 1902), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1920 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1706; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 157, Lines 91-93, "Faro C. Carter" (sic)
Faro C. Carter, Head, Owns farm, M(ale), W(hite), 53 yrs old (DOB 1867), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, No occupation
Victoria L. Carter (sic), Wife, F, W, 50 yrs old (DOB 1870), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Eugene F. Carter, Son, M, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1902), Single, Attends school, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1930 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 2209; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0009; FHL microfilm: 2341943, Lines 21-22, "Pharoah Cartee"
Pharoah Cartee, Head, Owns home valued at $1,500, Owns a radio set, M(ale), W(hite), 63 yrs old (DOB 1867), Married at age 23 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, No occupation
Ella V. Cartee, Wife, F, W, 60 yrs old (DOB 1870), Married at age 20 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

SC Death Certificate #18539, Registration District #3705, Registered #32, P.C. Cartee, DOD 4/22/1933 in Liberty, Pickens County, SC
Male, White, Married to Mrs Ella Cartee, DOB (blank) in SC, 67 yrs old
Father: Steve Cartee, born in SC
Mother: Miss Kelly, born in SC
Informant: R.W. Cartee, Liberty, SC
DOD 4/22/1933 at 6:00pm
Cause of death: Angina pectoris, heart failure, contributing factor: Fleshy, big eater
Buried: 4/23/1933 in Liberty, SC

SC Death Certificate #16090, Registration District $3705, Registrar's #15, Ella Thomas Corter (sic), DOD 5/9/1947 in Liberty, Pickens, SC
Female, White, Widowed, Spouse had been P.C. Corter (sic), DOB 6/4/1864 (sic) in S.C., 77 yrs old
Father: J.M. Thomas, born in SC
Mother: Matida Smith (sic), born in SC
Informant: J.C. Cartee, Liberty, SC
DOD 5/9/1947 at 1:45
Cause of death: Cerebral hemorrhage
Buried 5/10/1947 in Liberty, SC


4) Anna Susan Cartee (DOB 8/1870 in SC; DOD 6/1/1889 in Easley, Pickens County, SC) married William Thomas Day (DOB 9/1/1861 in Anderson County, SC to Franklin M. Day and Mary L. Dorr; DOD 7/29/1924 in Pickens County, SC). They had Hosiah Osceola Day, Steve Frank Day, Leila Gertrude Day. William Thomas Day married 2nd wife Tessie Elizabeth Norris (DOB 8/28/1871 in Pickens County, SC; DOD 4/22/1951 in Pickens County, SC). They had John Ellis Day, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Day, Roy Elmo Day, William Clarence Day, Carolyn "Carrie" Josie Day, Henry Alexander Day, Charles Marvin Day, Vernon Columbus Day.

1880 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1238; Family History Film: 1255238; Page: 142A; Enumeration District: 135, Lines 33-38, "Stephen S. Carte" (sic)
Stephen S. Carte, W(hite), M(ale), 47 yrs old (1833), Head, Married, Farmer, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Malinda Carte, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Housekeeper, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Faro Carte (sic), W, M, 13 yrs old (DOB 1867), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Anna Carte, W, F, 12 yrs old (DOB 1868), Daughter, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Carte, W, M, 9 yrs old (DOB 1871), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Walker Carte, W, M, 6 yrs old (DOB 1874), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Anna Susan Cartee Day
BIRTH 1869 USA
DEATH 1 Jun 1889 Easley, Pickens County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Enon Baptist Church & Cemetery, (871 Enon Church Rd, Easley, Pickens County, South Carolina, USA, 29640)
MEMORIAL ID 22845192
Parents:
Stephen Slayton Cartee 1835–1910
Malinda Kelly Cartee 1837–1895
Spouse:
William Thomas Day 1861–1924
Siblings:
Pharoah Clayton Cartee 1866–1933
George Robinson Cartee 1871–1939
Erastus Walker Cartee 1873–1945
Half Siblings:
Maude L. Cartee Aiken 1897–1935
Children:
Osey O. Day 1884–1944
Steve Frank Day 1887–1945
Leila Gertrude Day Clark 1888–1972


William Thomas Day married Tessie Elizabeth Norris in 1889 not long after Anna Cartee died.

1900 U.S. Census of Easley, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1539; Page: 11B; Enumeration District: 0113; FHL microfilm: 1241539, Lines 86-94, "William T. Day"
William T. Day, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Sept, 1861, 38 yrs old, Married 10 yrs (DOM 1890), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Rented farm
Tessia Day, Wife, W, F, Born Aug, 1870, 29 yrs old, Married 10 yrs, 4 children with 4 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Osia Day, Son, W, M, Born Jan, 1884, 16 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Frank Day, Son, W, M, Born Jan, 1887, 13 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Leila G. Day, Daughter, W, F, Born Dec, 1888, 11 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
John E. Day, Son, W, M, Born in Feb, 1892, 8 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Lizzie Day, Daughter, W, F, Born Jan, 1894, 6 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Clarence Day, Son, W, M, Born Jan, 1896, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Carrie Day, Daughter, W, F, Born Jan, 1898, 2 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1910 U.S. Census of Dacusville, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1470; Page: 18A; Enumeration District: 0148; FHL microfilm: 1375483, Lines 40-48, "William T. Day"
William T. Day, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 48 yrs old (DOB 1862), 2nd Marriage, Married 21 yrs (DOM 1889), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Tesarah E. Day (sic), Wife, F, W, 38 yrs old (DOB 1872), 1st Marriage, Married 21 yrs, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
John E. Day, Son, M, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1892), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Elizabeth Day, Daughter, F, W, 16 yrs old (DOB 1894), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Attends school
Clarence Day, Son, M, W, 14 yrs old (DOB 1896), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Attends school
Carrie Day, Daughter, F, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1898), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Attends school
Henry A. Day, Son, M, W, 9 yrs old (DOB 1901), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Attends school
Charlie M. Day, Son, M, W, 7 yrs old (DOB 1903), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Vernon C. Day, Son, M, W, 4 yrs old (DOB 1906), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

SC Death Certificate #13471, Registration District #3701, Registered #28, William Thomas Day, DOD 7/29/1924 in Dacusville, Pickens County, SC
Male, White, Married, DOB 9/1/1860 in Anderson County, SC, 62 yrs old
Occupation: Farmer
Father: Frank Day, born in SC
Mother: "Don't know", born in SC
Informant: (blank)
DOD 7/29/1924 at 1:00PM
Cause of death: Acute endocarditis
Buried: (blank) (According to Findagrave.com, he is buried at Griffin Baptist Church, 1629 Pumpkintown Hwy, Pickens, Pickens County, SC, 29671)

1930 U.S. Census of Dacusville, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 2209; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0024; FHL microfilm: 2341943. Lines 95-100, "John E. Day"
John E. Day, Head, Owns farm, M(ale), W(hite), 38 yrs old (DOB 1892), Married at age 21 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Mattie Day, Wife, F, W, 37 yrs old (DOB 1893), Married at age 20 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Bertrand Day, Son, M, W, 17 yrs old (DOB 1913), Single, Attend school, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Louise Day, Daughter, F, W, 11 yrs old (DOB 1919), Single, Attends school, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Weldon Day, Son, M, W, 4 yrs old (DOB 1926), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Tessie Day, Mother, F, W, 62 yrs old (DOB 1868), Widowed, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1940 U.S. Census of Ambler, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: T627_3831; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 39-50, Line 45, "Tessie Day" (living beside W.C. Day)
Tessie Day, Head, Owns home valued at $300 on farm, F(emale), W(hite), 66 yrs old (DOB 1874), Widowed, Attended school thru 4th grade, Born in SC, Lived in same place in 1935, No occupation, $0 Income

SC Death Certificate #51-0_ _ _ 985 (illegible), Registration District #3706, Registrar's #27, Mrs. Tessie Elizabeth Day, DOD 4/22/1951 in Pickens, Pickens County, SC
Usual residence: Pumpkintown Rd, Pickens, Pickens County, SC
Female, White, Widowed, Spouse was Wm. T. Day, DOB 8/28/1871 in Pickens County, SC, 79 yrs old
Father: Sam Norris, Mother: Sarah Duncan, Informant: John Ellis Day
DOD 4/22/1951 at 10:00am
Cause of death: (illegible but possibly nephritis, chronic)
Buried: 4/23/1951 in Griffin, Pickens County, SC (Griffin Baptist Church, 1629 Pumpkintown Hwy, Pickens, Pickens County, SC, 29671)


5) George Robinson Day (DOB 6/11/1871 in Pickens County, SC; DOD 6/25/1939 in Greenville, Greenville County, SC) married Willie Belle Caldwell (DOB 4/24/1876 in Knoxville, Knox County, TN; DOD 7/1/1964 in SC). They had Ollie Leona Cartee (Willie Earl Turner), Inez Elizabeth Cartee (Homer Duff Gilreath), Frank Dacus Cartee (Julia McCallister), Ruth Cartee (Walter M. Bennefield), Allen Cartee, Guy Cartee, George Ray Cartee (Mary Sarah Gossett), Louie Edward Cartee (Nannie Mae Dill, Ruby Edith Allison).

1880 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1238; Family History Film: 1255238; Page: 142A; Enumeration District: 135, Lines 33-38, "Stephen S. Carte" (sic)
Stephen S. Carte, W(hite), M(ale), 47 yrs old (1833), Head, Married, Farmer, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Malinda Carte, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Housekeeper, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Faro Carte (sic), W, M, 13 yrs old (DOB 1867), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Anna Carte, W, F, 12 yrs old (DOB 1868), Daughter, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Carte, W, M, 9 yrs old (DOB 1871), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Walker Carte, W, M, 6 yrs old (DOB 1874), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC

1900 U.S. Census of Grove, Greenville County, South Carolina; Roll: 1530; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1241530, Lines 71-76, "George Cartee"
George Cartee, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born June, 1872, 27 yrs old, Married 6 yrs (DOM 1894), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Fireman steam engine, Can read and write, Rents home
Willie Cartee, Wife, W, F, Born Apr, 1876, 24 yrs old, Married 6 yrs, 3 children with 3 still living, Born in TN, Father born in TN, Mother born in NC, Can read and write
Leon Cartee, Daughter, W, F, Born Jun, 1895, 5 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Allen Cartee, Son, M, W, Born Sept, 1897, 2 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Guy Cartee, Son, W, M, Born Sept, 1899, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Ben Greer, Boarder, W, M, Born Aug, 1875, 24 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Cotton mill Weaver, Can read and write

1910 U.S. Census of Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1461; Page: 6B; Enumeration District: 0017; FHL microfilm: 1375474, Lines 78-85, "Geo R. Cartee"
Geo. R. Cartee, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 35 yrs old (DOB 1875), 1st Marriage, Married 16 yrs (DOM 1894), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Contractor home builder, Can read and write, Owns home with mortgage
Willie Cartee, Wife, F, W, 33 yrs old (DOB 1877), 1st Marriage, Married 16 yrs, 6 children with 4 still living, Born in TN, Father born in TN, Mother born in NC, Can read and write
Leona Cartee, Daughter, F, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1895), Single, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN, Attends school
Inez Cartee, Daughter, F, W, 8 yrs old (DOB 1902), Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN, Attends school
Frank Cartee, Son, M, W, 4 yrs old (DOB 1906), Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Ruth Cartee, Daughter, F, W, 1 yr old (DOB 1909), Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN

1930 U.S. Census of Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina; Roll: 2198; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0026; FHL microfilm: 2341932, Lines 46-50, "G.R. Cartee"
G.R. Cartee, Head, Owns home valued at $8,000, M(ale), W(hite), 55 yrs old (DOB 1875), Married at age 20 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Carpenter homes
Willie Cartee, Wife, F, W, 52 yrs old (DOB 1878), Married at age 18 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in TN, Father born in TN, Mother born in NC
Ray Cartee, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1917), Single, Attends school, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Louis Cartee, Son, M(ale), W, 11 yrs old (DOB 1919), Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Bertie Brown, Roomer, F, W, 45 yrs old, Widowed, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Dish, Hospital Kitchen

1920 U.S. Census of Greenville Ward 1, Greenville County, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1698; Page: 33A; Enumeration District: 24, Lines 1-6, "George R. Cartee"
George R. Cartee, Head, Owns home with mortgage, M(ale),W(hite), 47 yrs old (DOB 1873), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Carpenter house
Millie B. Cartee (sic), Wife, F, W, 43 yrs old (DOB 1877), Married, Can read and write, Born in TN, Father born in TN, Mother born in NC
Frank Cartee, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1907), Single, Attends school, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Ruth Cartee, Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1910), Single, Attends school, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Ray Cartee, Son, M, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1917), Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN
Louis Cartee, Son, M, W, 1 yr old (DOB 1919), Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in TN

SC Death Certificate #11349, Registration District #22A, Registered #363, George Robinson Cartee, DOD 6/25/1939 in Greenville, Greenville County, SC
Usual residence: 713 Hampton St, Greenville, Greenville County, SC
Male, White, Married to Mrs Willie Cartee, DOB 6/11/1871 in SC, 68 yrs old
Occupation: Carpenter
Father: Stephen S. Cartee, born in SC
Mother: Malinda Kelly, born in SC
Informant: Mrs. George R. Cartee, Greenville, SC
DOD 6/27/1939 at 6:45pm
Cause of death: Cerebral hemorrhage, other contributing factor general arteriosclerosis
Buried: 6/27/1939 in Paris Mountain

SC Death Certificate #64-010545, Registration District #22A, Registrar's #733, Mrs. Willie Caldwell Cartee, DOD 7/1/1964 in 311 Lloyd St, Greenville, Greenville County, SC (at home)
Female, White, Widowed, Spouse was George Robinson Cartee, DOB 4/24/1876 in Knoxville, TN, 88 yrs old
Occupation: Housewife in own home
Father: George Caldwell, Mother: Louise Nickelson, Informant: Mrs. Inez Gilreath, Greenville, SC
DOD 7/1/1964 at 6:05am
Cause of death: Uremia (duration 48 hrs) due to cardiovascular renal disease (duration 1 yr)
Buried: 7/2/1964 in Paris Mt Holiness Cemetery, Greenville County, SC

SC Death Certificate #62-003883, Registration District #2201, Registrar's #13, Frank Dacus Cartee, DOD 2/25/1962 in A-Way Hospital, Traveler's Rest, Greenville County, SC
Usual residence: 116 Mulberry St, Greenville, Greenville County, SC
Male, White, Married to Julia McC. Cartee, DOB 7/25/1906in Greenville County, SC, 55 yrs old
Occupation: Proprietor of bonding company
Veteran of WWII
Father: George Robinson Cartee, Mother: Willie Bell Caldwell, Informant: Mrs. F.D. Cartee, Greenville, SC
DOD 2/25/1962 at 10:00am
Cause of death: Intractable delirium tremens (duration 18 hrs), obesity and probably heart failure, contributing factor was chronic alcholism
Buried: 2/26/1962 in Graceland Cemetery, Greenville, SC


U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current
Ollie Leona Cartee Turner
BIRTH 22 Jan 1895
DEATH 9 May 1957
BURIAL Travelers Rest Cemetery Travelers Rest, Greenville County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 37469743
Family Members
Spouse:
Walter E. Turner 1890–1976


U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name Inez Gilreath
SSN 249-32-****
Last Residence Greenville, 29601, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Born 9 Jul 1902
Died Jun 1967
State (Year) SSN issued South Carolina - Before 1951


U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name Ruth Bennefield
SSN 251-36-****
Last Residence Greenville, 29611, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Born 25 Apr 1909
Died Sep 1975
State (Year) SSN issued South Carolina - Before 1951


U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name George Cartee
SSN 251-09-****
Born 30 Jan 1917
Died 23 Apr 2002
State (Year) SSN issued South Carolina - Before 1951


U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Louie Edward Cartee [Louie E Cartee]
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birth Date: 18 Mar 1919
Birth Place: Greenville, South Carolina
Death Date: 7 Oct 1987
Father: George R Cartee
Mother: Willie Caldwell
SSN: 247129467
Death Certificate Number: 21109
Notes: Jun 1937: Name listed as LOUIE EDWARD CARTEE; 22 May 1998: Name listed as LOUIE E CARTEE


6) Erastus Walker Cartee (DOB 6/24/1873 in Anderson County, SC, DOD 10/29/1945 in Gantt, Greenville County, SC) married Mary Mamie Odom (DOB 3/24/1874 in SC; DOD 11/7/1964 in Greenville County, SC).

1880 U.S. Census of Liberty, Pickens County, South Carolina; Roll: 1238; Family History Film: 1255238; Page: 142A; Enumeration District: 135, Lines 33-38, "Stephen S. Carte" (sic)
Stephen S. Carte, W(hite), M(ale), 47 yrs old (1833), Head, Married, Farmer, Cannot read or write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Malinda Carte, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Housekeeper, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Faro Carte (sic), W, M, 13 yrs old (DOB 1867), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Anna Carte, W, F, 12 yrs old (DOB 1868), Daughter, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
George Carte, W, M, 9 yrs old (DOB 1871), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Walker Carte, W, M, 6 yrs old (DOB 1874), Son, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC


1930 U.S. Census of Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina; Roll: 2199; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0042; FHL microfilm: 2341933, Lines 89-90, E. Walker Cartee
E. Walker Cartee, Head, Owns home valued at $3,000, M(ale), W(hite), 56 yrs old (DOB 1874), Married at age 23 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Carpenter building
Mamie Cartee, Wife, F, W, 56 yrs old (DOB 1874), Married at age 22 yrs old, Born in SC, Father born in SC, Mother born in NC, Can read and write, Carpenter building

SC Death Certificate #15976, Registration District #2207, Register #18, Erastus Walker Cartee, DOD 10/29/1945 in Gantt, Greenville County, SC
Male, White, Married to Mamie Odom Cartee, DOB 6/24/1873 in Anderson County, SC, 72 yrs old
Occupation: Retired farmer
Father: Stephen S. Cartee, born in SC
Mother: Malinda Kelly, born in SC
Informant: Mrs. Mamie O. Cartee, Greenville, SC
DOD 10/29/1945 at 2:30pm
Cause of death: Peptic ulceration due to hyperacidity, other factors were myocarditis, arteriosclerosis and nephritis
Buried: 10/30/1945 in Graceland

SC Death Certificate #64-017328, Registration District #2209A, Registrar's #40, Mamie Odom Cartee, DOD 11/7/1964 in 661 Rutherford Road, Greenville, Greenville County, SC (at home)
Female, White, Widowed, Spouse was Walker Cartee, DOB 3/24/1874 in SC, 90 yrs old
Father: John J. Odom, Mother: Sarah ? , Informant: Mrs. J.H. Sentell, Jr.
DOD 11/7/1964 at 10:00pm
Cause of death: cerebral vascular accident (duration 3 days), due to arteriosclerosis
Buried: 11/9/1964 in Graceland Cemetery, Greenville, SC

The Man From The Train, The Solving Of A Century Old Serial Killer Mystery was written by a father-daughter team. Being into genealogy and history, I use old newspapers a lot for gleaning facts and stories for my family research. It is amazing how reporters wrote back then. I recently found a short, one paragraph blurb that was at once hilarious and shocking!

The Mount Airy News, 11/24/1910, Pg 2 (parenthesis mine)
Robert Gentry was sent to the roads six months (chain gangs working on the roads) for stealing a sheep. The old fellow lives in the western part of the county and is a worthless, old petty thief and has hardly sense enough to be responsible. He robs spring houses (pre-electricity, people constructed spring houses to use water from streams or underground springs to keep foods cool such as butter, milk cans of milk, etc like we use refrigerators, so he was stealing food) and clothes lines (pre-electricity, people hung their clothes to dry so he was stealing clothes) and is a constant source of annoyance to the people.

So I can only imagine what Bill and Rachel James had to wade through to write this. I can honestly say they both wrote so well that I was hooked from the first page and didn't put it down. I finished it in one day. Thank you for a thoroughly engrossing read!

I do have some comments though.

It seems that there were a rash of murders from 1898-1912 that were the killing of WHOLE families (or everyone in the house) by ax(e)! There were so many I got confused. I appreciate how they must have struggled to put so much together. I would suggest a beginning chapter and then stuck to chronological. The presenting of some murders from 1909-1910 and then going back and forth from 1898 to 1912 made it confusing. It may be that they were presenting the ones they were 100% sure was their killer (The Man From the Train or TMFTT, for my purposes) first and then going back and picking through the many other family murders by axe (which, by the way, can be spelled ax or axe) that could also have been by him. I'm not sure, but maybe that's the reason for the swings and not going chronological. It was confusing. Maybe go chronological and end each chapter with the same summary info they always gave as to how the facts of the case matched the modus operandi (mo) of their killer and their percentage of how sure they are that this killing was TMFTT. Maybe it's just me, but I follow things a lot better in chronological order.

Bill James made it entertaining with his comments such as, "It would be nice to report the J.N. Wilkerson was punished for his actions and died under a bridge, but he wasn't and he didn't. He landed on his feet..." Chapter XVII Villisca 5, Pg 167

But then there were comments and opinions that didn't really make sense. For instance, when the murders were attributed to African Americans, the James team made sure we knew that it couldn't possibly have been the hapless black people accused. They were forced to relay the the information and newspaper articles that were from the times. Because of the times, it was frankly, what we would consider, racist. It is what it is, it happened, but it was a very unsavory part of our history. Nobody today can understand lynch mobs. Well, I say that but then we see the attacks on President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama and I believe there could still be lynch mobs, LOL! We hear many people, who have lost loved ones to senseless and brutal attacks, say they think the perpetrator should be "strung up". Some imagine being able to "tar and feather" someone and "run them out on a rail". Some say they could never forgive the murderer and want to see them "fry". And then there are those who want people to "roast in hell". I'm not trying to judge people who have had their loved ones brutalized, murdered, or abducted never to heard from again. I can imagine I'd have those same emotions if it was my loved one. As a Christian, I'm called to forgive. This would be impossible for us except that the Holy Spirit lives inside us and can do what we cannot. It may take time, but it is in our best interest to let go and let God. Even if the perpetrator is never caught or never received justice, we can know that God is in the justice business.

Anyway, back to the book, I think the authors may have been afraid of the black situation so they overcompensated in their conclusions to avoid being tainted with the racist crap that went on. They didn't do it, they didn't in any way contribute to the racist subject matter but their conclusions may have been oversimplistic to "make up" for the extreme circumstances they had to report. Sort of like, "It couldn't possibly have been a black person because they were a black person." That's kinda reverse racism.

Chapter XXIII, Just When You Thought This Story Couldn't Possibly Get Any Uglier
On 7/28/1904, the Hodge family of 5 was murdered with an ax on an isolated farm near Colfax, GA. Their house was then set on fire.

There were things that didn't make sense. Henry Hodges, the husband and father, was evidently accosted by the murderer (whoever that was) along the road near the house, as investigators found his hat there, signs of scuffle and clotted blood. Yet, he was found in the house with no bloody drag marks. Then there was a kerosene lamp sitting on a lamp post with the chimney removed and it was still burning the next morning. The mother and children were murdered in their beds although the small children's bodies were so burned as to only leave some bones. The adults were murdered by blows to the heads and it was assumed (and I say "assumed" because without a body, how could they tell?) that the children died in the fire rather than being murdered by ax, knife, strangulation, etc. If you have no body, you don't know if their throats were slit, they were stabbed, strangled, smothered, or otherwise disposed of. The reason I bring this up is that TMFTT always killed by axe blows except for a few occasions where he was forced to use a gun. And a bloody knife figured in the evidence. The authors concluded that this family murder was probably done by the TMFTT instead of the people who confessed to doing it. There were reasons to think it possible as the murders occurred at night, it was in the hunt ground at the time, it was 3/4 of a mile from a railroad, the house was rural and secluded which matched his mo AT THE TIME (it changed later), the women were sexually assaulted, it seemed there was no robbery. On the other hand there are things that give evidence that it WASN'T the TMFTT: the husband being attacked away from the house, the killers allowing the man to stagger back to the house, the mother AND the teen daughter being raped (usually the sexual attention was given to the teen girls and it was masturbation, or at least that's what I understood from this book), the bloody knife. If the children were killed in any other way than an ax blow to the head, then it probably wasn't the TMFTT. So why would there have been a bloody knife?

Now the two black men who were accused of the crime were arrested the next day. Paul Reed's wife, Harriet, told authorities a story that implicated the men in the murders. It seems that they had heard that Henry Hodges kept a $300 of coins buried in a kettle behind the chicken coop. It was their "pot 'o gold at the end of the rainbow". They planned on sneaking on the property and digging up the pot of money and stealing it. But Hodges interrupted them. I don't know where the chicken coop was in proximity to the place of scuffle and initial injury on the road?? Was he chasing them and they turned on him? Harriet's account then went on to say that the wife came running out in aid of her husband and was carrying the kerosene lantern, sans chimney (which doesn't make sense), which she set on the fence post before rushing the two murderers with weapons!?! Then the bodies were dragged back to the house (although investigators found "scuffle marks" and blood, they didn't find bloody drag marks) and the house set on fire and the children burned to death (in their beds without waking as their parents were dragged into the house and into the same bedroom and the house set on fire).

Paul Reed then confesses to the crime and implicates others including Will Cato. I can understand that Paul Reed might confess to anything if he was being beaten, harrassed or "sweated" by the police. It happens all the time and for a black man, in the custody of the police, accused of killing a white family, you would be scared white (as the old saying goes). But why did Harriet confess and give such a senseless story? The fact that she pointed the finger at her own husband leads you to think he did it but the senseless story leads you to think he didn't. Paul Reed not only confessed but he implicated others and came up with a story that was so fantastic that it may have been true. It would at least fit the evidence better than Harriet's story or the author's conclusion that it was TMFTT.

Paul Reed said that he and other black men were members of the "Before Day Clubs".

"The Before Day Club was said to be an assemblage of rogue black men who plotted crimes against white people, robbing and killing white people. Reports of 'Before Day Clubs' now popped up all over the region... A white farmer (N.W. Epps) was murdered near Tallahassee; the black man who shot him would claim to be a member of the local Before Day Club." Chapter XXII, pg 237

But the authors say, "The Before Day Clubs almost certainly never existed anywhere except in Paul Reed's imagination, but the reprisal clubs were very real." Chapter XXII, pg 237

This conclusion is simplistic. Obviously African American men and women are perfectly capable of organizing groups for mischief (see the BLM movement) whether it was some sort of protest or just an outlet for theft, vandalism, rape and murder with the justification that it's against "the man". A black man can murder, yes, I said it. They are just as capable of evil as white people.

My conclusion, from reading this chapter, was that at least two men approached the house with the idea of stealing the money they thought Mr. Hodges had. Henry Hodges heard something and pulled on some clothes and went outside. He saw something and the chased the men who then turned and attacked Henry Hodges on the road but didn't kill him there. They taunted him and followed him as he staggered back to the house. They knew they couldn't leave him, or his family, alive because he recognized them. They followed him back to the house knowing they were going to kill a whole family to save their own hides. One had a knife, the other picked up an ax, which, on a farm, would be handy. They raped the women while the farmer was incapacitated. Another way to humiliate and degrade someone you hated. In front of the injured man, you rape his wife and daughter. Then one slit the throats of the children while the other knocked the sleeping wife and the injured husband on the head with the ax. They set the house on fire and ran out with the kerosene lantern to light their way to the road.

Now, I didn't do the research and I didn't live back then and I wasn't there that night. So my conclusions could be faulty. But, at least, I'm not making assumptions just because someone is African American. The killer could have been Paul Reed and Will Cato or it could have been someone else and they were innocent.

But why did Harriet rat out her husband? Why did he confess? Why did they find his shoes nearby? Why did they find a bloody knife in the road near the shoes and it was identified as Paul Reed's knife? Witnesses said Paul Reed had talked about and planned robbing the Hodges.

Now, was it right for the community to drag Paul Reed and Will Cato out of jail, soak them in kerosene, set them on fire and then lynch them? Absolutely not! I, in no way, think it was right. It was nauseatingly wrong! But, then, if we think about how the Hodges died, we can imagine there were those who wanted revenge and we can understand their raw emotions but taking the law into your own hands is dangerous and makes you as just as nasty as the accused murderer. Let us not forget that there were white people who were trying just as hard to stop the mob and the lynching as those trying to murder Reed and Cato. Henry Hodges' brother, stood in front of the mob several times and tried to stop them. The sheriff and others tried to protect the accused.

The Before Day Clubs, like the KKK, could have been formed initially as a protest against injustice and for mutual protection. But, human beings being what we are, can turn something evil and end up being just as bad as what they were organized against. The BLM movement is a good example of this. It might have been protesting against injustice but it turned into a free-for-all where innocent people have been murdered, police officers murdered or assaulted, thievery and businesses, cars, roads, public places vandalized. People will band together to protect themselves but then we can get a feel of power and before you know it we've become the bullies.


Another chapter was Chapter XXXVIII, Clementine Barnabet. There were 11 black families murdered in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi in 1911-1912 mostly by ax. In looking at these, the authors tell us about Clementine Barnabet. The Barnabet family were Raymond, his girlfriend, Dina Porter, Clementine (18 yrs old) and Zepherin, aka Ferran (teenager). In the murder of the Andrus family (2 adults, 2 children), Raymond Barnabet was arrested, tried and convicted of the murders. Dina, Clementine and Ferran told different stories implicating Raymond as the murderer.

"Also, a month after the trial, Clementine would begin to say that she herself had committed the crime, or had led those who committed it. Also, Clementine was just a terrible liar, although frankly we kind of like her anyway." Chapter XXXVIII, Pg 388

So the authors like Clementine who was a liar and confessed ax murderer!?!

"Clementine was eighteen years old at the time of these murders probably fifteen or sixteen when the Oeplousas family was murdered in 1909. She had large doe eyes, a slender figure, and smooth skin. Clementine had what one could describe as a pixie face. The lower half of her face was round but small and delicate. The word to describe her, honestly, is cute - cute being usually nonthreatening, like a child or a puppy. Many of the drawings that are attached to articles about her make her look mature and exotic, but that isn't at all what she looked like. If, in fact, she had done everything she said she had done, she would be a figure without equal in the history of crime." Chapter XXXVIII, Pg 392

Not having a picture, I can't judge how "cute" this teenage confessed murderess was. And we are in the middle of a book on a serial killer who killed over a hundred people so I think TMTT would be the "figure without equal in the history of crime".

Clementine was employed as a domestic by the Guidry family. Just down the block from the Guidry's, the Randall family were murdered. The husband was shot in the head and then the he, the mother and the baby were bludgeoned, as well as, 3 other children. The oldest daughter had spent the night away and when she came home and found the bloody corpses, she ran screaming down the street. Clementine "watched from the Guidry's porch as the little girl ran screaming from the Randall house, and she laughed." (pg 392)

Due to that weird reaction and her father's conviction, the police turned their investigation on her and  "inside Clementine's room police found a dress, apron, and underwear covered in blood and brains. At first Clementine denied it, but soon after she was bragging. Hours after her arrest, she laughed at a judge on the witness stand, laughed and laughed and laughed at all of them and told everyone that she had killed the Randalls, the Andruses, and the family in Rayne, whose name she didn't know." Chapter XXXVIII, Pg 392

She was a member o King Harrison's Christ Sanctified Holy Church and Clementine was a "deaconess". Clementine claimed she was the leader of a group within the Christ Sanctified Holy Church know as the Church of Sacrifice. "She said she had murdered the Randalls (who were also apparently members) because they had disobeyed the church's orders. She also claimed that she had a charm from a local voodoo doctor that would prevent her from being punished." Chapter XXXVIII, Pg 393, parenthesis mine

It seems she believed in voodoo and had bought a "candja" or "conjure bag" from Joseph Thibodeaux who sold these kind of things. It was suppose to protect her against the consequences of her crimes. But I'm not sure how it was going to protect her against her own confessions?!? She not only claimed the murders before she was arrested but claimed to direct other murders by her followers after her arrest.

She was examined by medical professionals (whatever that could be in 1912?) and "she was 'morally depraved, unusually ignorant and of a low grade of mentality, but not deficient in such a manner as to constitute her imbecile or idiot.'" Chapter XXXVIII, Pg 404.

"Clementine confessed to murdering eighteen people, but it would seem to be impossible to believe that she actually did exactly what she said she did." Chapter XXXVIII, Pg 404

Why? They really don't make a good point for why she couldn't have done it. Just because she's black doesn't mean she's incapable. She's just as capable of leading a group in murder as any white teenager. Just see the Columbine High School massacre where 2 teenage boys killed 12 students, 1 teacher and wounded 23 others.

Unfortunately, there is no age limit or race limit or gender limit on evil. Clementine Barnabet confessed, was found to be capable of evil and convicted of the crime. She escaped for a few hours but was recaptured. She was in prison for 10 years. The authors think she was released because someone thought she was innocent. Again, an assumption. Maybe she was released because she had been a female teenager at the time of the murders? She disappeared according to the authors and was never heard from again.

I think she may have been the murderer or instigator of at least some of the ax murders as a sort of teenage femme fatale with dark religious overtones. We see teenagers fall for this kind of svengaliism all the time. She loved the feeling of power and machination and dark religion and it grew into murders. Again, I didn't do the research, wasn't there. But calling Clementine "cute" and innocent was going too far. Don't give her a pass just because she was black and lived during a racist time of history. That doesn't automatically make her innocent.


The traveling ax murderer is scary to think about. How he managed to kill so many families in their sleep and getting away with it via the trains is evil and genius and terrifying. Thankfully, in most cases, they were dead before they could wake up so it was quick but the thought of someone being that quiet, that sneaky, that brazen, that self confident, that capable and that evil is horrifying.

Why did the murders seem to stop after 1912? That was an interesting question. The authors said he could have been arrested for another crime and incarcerated, he could have died or been killed, he could have been institutionalized or he could have left the country.

I won't ruin the conclusions of the authors and their solution. They could be right. They made a good case and I'm willing to admit they sold me. But I think the last chapter was a stretch. I think something happened to TMFTT and he was permanently removed from the killing game. He was probably too old to participate in the First World War. They think he was probably in his fifties by the time he did his last murders and the War wasn't until 1918. I'm not sure leaving the country would have been a solution for a risk adverse person as the War was cranking up in Europe. The War started in 1915 in Europe and who would go back to that?!?

There was something the authors didn't seem to consider - the Spanish Influenze epidemic of 1918-1919.

So did TMFTT die, and if so, how? Or was he incarcerated or institutionalized? I think those are really the only options. Did he die of natural causes, age or the Spanish Flu while incarcerated or institutionalized? He could have been in a state hospital somewhere because of age, illness or mental illness.

I've gone to a lot of trouble reviewing this book. BECAUSE IT MADE ME THINK! And that's what I love. I was engrossed. I read through it in one day. And I couldn't get it off my mind. So I recommend this book and again, I thank the authors for an interesting read!

I got interested in the subject of Angels recently and have been plowing through a lot of information and I wanted to share it. First of all, I'm not a Biblical scholar or expert, just a plain Jane trying to study the Bible. There is a lot of complicated stuff on this subject but I will try to give you background, scripture and the gist of what I've been studying. My word is not definitive on this subject but I'll do the best I can.

It is important to begin this study with the caution that Angels are real but they are NOT God and therefore should not be worshiped or prayed to. They are created beings like we are and we should always worship the Creator, rather than the created.

Matthew 4:9-10 (Amplified - Amp) and [satan] said to [Jesus], “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Revelation 22:8-9 (Amp) I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who heed and remember [the truths contained in] the words of this book. Worship God.”

1 Peter 3:21-22 (Contemporary English Version-CEV) Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death. 22 Christ is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side[a] of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his control.

Colossians 1:15-17 (Good News Bible - GNB) 15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. 16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. 17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

Ephesians 1:15-22 (GNB) 18 I ask that your minds may be opened to see his light, so that you will know what is the hope to which he has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings he promises his people, 19 and how very great is his power at work in us who believe. This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength 20 which he used when he raised Christ from death and seated him at his right side in the heavenly world. 21 Christ rules there above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords; he has a title superior to all titles of authority in this world and in the next. 22 God put all things under Christ's feet and gave him to the church as supreme Lord over all things.

Colossians 2:18 (GNB) 18 Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking.

Hebrews 1:13-14 (GNB, parenthesis mine) 13 God never said to any of his angels: “Sit here at my right side until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.” (which He did say to Jesus!) 14 What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.



The Angels are real. Many people may think that's too supernatural and they avoid the subject. Others take the fact of Angels and run with it and are soon worshiping Angels, commanding Angels and seeing Angels everywhere. It's important to strike the balance. Angels are real but they are servants of God. God is the power, God is the wisdom, God is the miracle worker and God directs the Angels. He created them as He created everything!

Psalm 148: 2-5 (Easy To Read Version - ERV)
2 Praise him, all you angels!
Praise him, all his army!
3 Sun and moon, praise him!
Stars and lights in the sky, praise him!
4 Praise him, highest heaven!
Waters above the sky, praise him!
5 Let them praise the Lord’s name,
because he gave the command and created them all!

Did you know that there seems to be a hierarchy of Angels? The first person to write about the hierarchy of angels was Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 4th or 5th century in his book De Coelesti Hierarchia (On the Celestial Hierarchy). Angels are organized into several orders, or "Angelic Choirs".

Christian Angelogy

• The first sphere of Angels
• Seraphim (see below)
• Cherubim (see below)
• Thrones (Possibly ophranim of Jewish Angel hierarchy and is the wheel within the wheels of Ezekiel and Daniel's visions)
• The second sphere of Angels
• Dominions (The Dominions regulate the duties of lower angels. It is only with extreme rarity that the angelic lords make themselves physically known to humans.)
• Virtues (These angels are those through which signs and miracles are made in the world.)
• Powers (The primary duty of the "Powers" is to supervise the movements of the heavenly bodies in order to ensure that the cosmos remains in order. Being warrior angels, they also oppose evil spirits, especially those that make use of the matter in the universe, and often cast evil spirits to detention places. The Powers are the bearers of conscience and the keepers of history. They are also the warrior angels created to be completely loyal to God. Some believe that no Power has ever fallen from grace. Their duty is to oversee the distribution of power among mankind, hence their name.)
• The third sphere of Angels
• Principalities (Angels that guide and protect nations, or groups of peoples, and institutions such as the Church. The Principalities preside over the bands of angels and charge them with fulfilling the divine ministry.)
• Archangels (Envoys and Guardian angels of nations and countries, and are concerned with the issues and events surrounding these, including politics, military matters, commerce and trade.)
• Angels (Are the ones most concerned with the affairs of living things. They include guardian Angels and are messengers to humanity.)

The study of Angels is called angelology (pronounced angel-ology) and the results of study have formed our doctrine of Angels. Angels are mentioned 196 times in the Bible.

They appear to be organized into various ranks, orders and positions. Michael is called the Archangel or chief angel (Jude 9). Then, in Daniel 10:13 he is called one of the chief princes. Other ranks and orders are suggested by the terms used of angels in Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12, and 1 Peter 3:22.


Seraphim

Isaiah 6:1-7 (MKJV) In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. (2) Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3) And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory. (4) And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. (5) Then I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts. (6) Then one of the seraphs flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, snatched with tongs from the altar. (7)And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.


The Hebrew word "saraph" signifies a fiery serpent. Could this possibly be why satan presented himself in the Garden of Eden as a serpent? But these Seraphim are fiery ones, burning and glowing. They are only so named in Isaiah. They are are not described in detail and are sometimes represented by a storm cloud with flashing lightening. They had faces, feet, hands and wings. The six wings, in three pairs, covered their faces and feet in humility and reverence, and were used for sustaining them in their positions about the throne of God. Two wings were kept ready for instant flight in God's service; two veiled their faces as unworthy to look on the holy God or pry into His secret counsels which they fulfilled. And two cover the lower part of the body in reverence. In the New Testament the only possible equivalent is in “the living ones” in Revelation 4:1-11 and Revelation 5:1-14. They may or may not be the same. In Revelation, as in Isaiah, they appear near the head of God's throne, continually praising His holiness. It was one of these fiery ones who took the coal from the fire and touched it to the prophet, Isaiah's, lips to cleanse them. After Christ ascended into Heaven, tongues of fire fell from Heaven and touched the Disciples who became Apostles. It was the descent of the Holy Spirit to earth on the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:1-4 (MKJV) And in the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, they were all with one accord in one place. 2) And suddenly a sound came out of the heaven as borne along by the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And tongues as of fire appeared to them, being distributed; and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were all filled of the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

But I think it's not a coincidence that holy fire represents the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers, sanctifies, and reveals God to us and that's what the coal did to Isaiah.

The seraphim's occupation was to praise God's holiness and power, and to act as the medium of communication between heaven and earth(Isaiah 6:6). They form a choir that sings so loudly that they shake the foundations of the palace. They protect God from the approach of sin and evil and considered the caretakers of God's throne.



Cherubim

We tend to think of "cherubim" as a chubby little baby boy angel. That is far from the truth!


The cherubs are apparently the attendants of the Deity. As attendants of God, they bear the throne upon which He descends from His high abode.

Psalm 18:9-10 (Modern King James Version - MKJV) And He bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was under His feet.  (10)  And He rode on a cherub, and flew; yea, He soared on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 80:1 (MKJV) To the Chief Musician. A Testimony Concerning the Lilies. A Psalm of Asaph. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You dwelling between the cherubs, shine forth.

Psalm 99:1 (MKJV) Jehovah reigns; let the peoples tremble. He sits between the cherubs; let the earth quake.

Ezekiel 1:4-28 (Modern King James Version - MKJV) And I looked, and behold, a windstorm came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire flashing itself, and a brightness to it all around, and out of its midst, like the color of polished bronze out of the middle of the fire. (5) Also out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was how they looked; they had the likeness of a man. (6) And four faces were to each, and four wings to each. (7) And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like the color of burnished copper.(8) And the hands of a man extended from under their wings on their four sides; and the four of them had their faces and their wings, (9) joining each one to the other by their wings. They did not turn in their going; each one went toward the front of their face. (10) And the likeness of their faces: the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side to the four of them; and the face of an ox on the left side to the four of them; and the face of an eagle to the four of them. (11) So their faces were. And their wings were stretched upward; to each, the two wings of each one were joined; and two wings covered their bodies. (12) And each went toward the front of their faces. To where the spirit was to go, there they went; they did not turn in their going. (13) And the likeness of the living creatures: they looked like burning coals of fire; like the appearance of torches. It was continually circling among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. (14) And the living creatures kept running and returning, like the appearance of a flash of lightning. (15) And as I looked at the living creatures, behold, one wheel was on the earth by the living creatures, with its four faces. (16) The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was the color of beryl, and the four of them had one likeness. And their appearance and their workmanship was like a wheel in the middle of a wheel. (17) When they went, they went on their four sides; and they did not turn when they went. (18) And their rims: they were even high; they were even awesome. And their rims were full of eyes all around the four of them. (19) And in the going of the living creatures, the wheels went beside them; and in the lifting up of the living creatures from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. (20) Wherever the spirit was to go, there they went; there the spirit was to go, and the wheels were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. (21) In their going, these went; and in their standing still, these stood still. And in their lifting up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. (22) And there was a likeness over the heads of the living creature; an expanse, like the color of awesome crystal stretched out over their heads from above. (23) And under the expanse their wings were straight, the one toward the other. Each one had two wings covering on this side, and to each two covering on that side of their bodies. (24) And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty, in their going was the sound of tumult, like the sound of an army. In their standing still, they let down their wings. (25) And there was a voice from the expanse which was over their heads, in their standing still, and they let down their wings. (26) And from above the expanse that was over their heads was a likeness like a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne. And on the likeness of the throne was a likeness looking like a man on it from above. (27) And I saw Him looking like the color of polished bronze, looking like fire all around within it. From the likeness of His loins even upward, and from the likeness of His loins even downward, I saw Him, looking like fire, and it had brightness all around. (28) As the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain looks, so the brightness all around looked. This was how the likeness of the glory of Jehovah looked. And I saw. And I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.

Ezekiel 10:1-22 (International Standard Version - ISV) As I continued to watch, there on the expanse above the heads of the cherubim was a massive sapphire stone that resembled a throne in form and appearance. (2) The LORD spoke to the man who was clothed in white linen, telling him, "Go between the whirling wheels, under the cherubim, and fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim. Then scatter them over the city." So he entered as I watched. (3) Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the entrance to the Temple, when the man entered and a cloud filled the inner court. (4) The glory of the LORD rose above the cherub and moved to the threshold of the Temple. A cloud filled the Temple and the court was filled with the brilliance of the LORD's glory. (5) The sound of the wings of the cherubim, reminiscent of the voice of the Sovereign God when he speaks, could be heard as far as the outer court. (6) He issued this order to the man who was clothed in white linen. "Take fire from within the whirling wheels, among the cherubim." So he went and stood beside the wheels. (7) Then a cherub stretched out his hand to the fire, which was among the cherubim, took some of the fire, and placed it in the hands of the one clothed in white linen, who took it and left. (8) There appeared to be human hands under the wings of the cherubim. (9) As I continued to watch, I observed four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub. The wheels resembled beryl stone. (10) In appearance, the four wheels looked like they consisted of a wheel within a wheel. (11) Whenever they moved, they proceeded without turning around as they moved, but they followed in the direction where their head was facing, without looking around as they moved. (12) Their entire bodies, backs, hands, and wings were filled with eyes around, including each of their four wheels (13) The wheels whose sound I was hearing were called "the whirling wheels". (14) Each had four faces. The first one was the face of cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. (15) The cherubim arose. These were the same beings that I had seen at the Kebar River. (16) When the cherubim moved, the wheels went alongside them. But when the cherubim started to ascend, beating their wings to rise above the earth, the wheels beside them didn't turn. (17) When they stood still, the wheels stood still. When they rose up, the wheels rose up, too, because they were alive. (18) Then the glory of the LORD moved away from the threshold of the Temple and stood over the cherubim. (19) The cherubim lifted their wings and rose above the earth while I watched. They went out, along with their wheels, and stood at the entrance to the east gate of the LORD's Temple as the glory of Israel's God remained above, covering them. (20) These were the living beings that I had seen under the God of Israel on the bank of the Kebar River. I knew that they were cherubim. (21 Each one had four faces. Each one had four wings, and the form of human hands could be seen under their wings. (22) As to the likeness of their faces, they were like what I had seen on the bank of the Kebar River. They each moved straight ahead.

Based on Ezekiel 1, Cherubims are represented as four living creatures, each with four faces, man, lion, ox, and eagle, having the figure and hands of men, and the feet of calves. Each has four wings, two of which are stretched upward, meeting above and sustaining the “firmament,” that is, the bottom of the Divine throne, while two are stretched downward, conformable the one to the other, so as to cover their lower bodies. They resemble "coals of fire" (Ezekiel 10:2, Ezekiel 10:6 f, where the “man clothed in linen” is bidden fill both his hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim), burning like torches, the fire flashing up and down among the creatures, a bright fire out of which lightning goes forth. Thus the creatures run and vanish as the appearance of a flash of lightning. The cherubim do not turn as they change direction, but always go straight forward, as do the wheels of the cherubic chariot with rings full of eyes round about (Ezekiel 10:12).

Ezekiel's cherubim are clearly related to the seraphim in Isaiah's vision (Isaiah 6:1-13). Like the cherubim, the seraphim are the attendants of God as He is seated upon a throne high and exalted; they are also winged creatures: with two they cover their faces, and with two they cover their feet, and with two they fly. The cherubim, seraphim, and all the angels of power constitute the “host of God,”





Let's look carefully at this scripture:
Psalm 89:5-8 (King James Version - KJV)
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

These four verses need a little word study so let's do it!

Psalm 89:5-8 (KJV with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance) And the heavensH8064 shall praiseH3034 thy wonders,H6382 O LORD:H3068 thy faithfulnessH530 alsoH637 in the congregationH6951 of the saints.H6918 (6) ForH3588 whoH4310 in the heavenH7834 can be comparedH6186 unto the LORD?H3068 who among the sonsH1121 of the mightyH410 can be likenedH1819 unto the LORD?H3068 (7) GodH410 is greatlyH7227 to be fearedH6206 in the assemblyH5475 of the saints,H6918 and to be had in reverenceH3372 ofH5921 allH3605 them that are aboutH5439 him. (8) O LORDH3068 GodH430 of hosts,H6635 whoH4310 is a strongH2626 LORDH3050 like unto thee?H3644 or to thy faithfulnessH530 round aboutH5439 thee?

Now we take the numbers behind each word and look them up in Strong's Hebrew and Greek Concordance. If it has an "H" before the number that means it will be found in the Hebrew Concordance. If it has a "G" before the number that means it will be found in the Greek Concordance. They are arranged in numerical order so once you have the number and you know to look in the Greek or Hebrew, just look for the number in numerical sequence. Strong's has two parts: Hebrew for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Since Psalm 89 is in the Old Testament that means it's original language was Hebrew so we turn to the first section of Strong's which is the Hebrew Concordance and look the number up.

Heavens - H8064
Hebrew words: שׁמה / שׁמים
If the Hebrew letters were translated to the English alphabet (transliteration) it would be written like this: shâmayim, shâmeh
It would be pronounced like this: shaw-mah'-yim, shaw-meh'
The etymology or derivation of the word is given: the second form being dual of an unused singular; from an unused root meaning to be lofty
After the etymology, the actual definition is given usually including the various senses of the word in different contexts and usages: The sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):-
After the symbol “:-” appears, is the listing of the English words the KJV translators used when translating the original language word: air, X astrologer, heaven (-s).

Some Strong abbreviations:
"X" is used to describe situations where the word in question appears with another word or in a repeated phrase which multiples the original meaning of the associated word. For example, in Acts 5:42, the word for all/every (pas, Strong's G3956) appears with the word for "day" (hemera) resulting in the idea of "every day" or "each day" which results in the English translation "daily." Hence, the Strong's entry "X daily" means that when pas is combined with the word for "day" it multiplies the idea of "day" to denote "daily" (over and over, day by day).

The plus symbol "+" is used to describe ways in which the original language word is combined with one or more additional original language words to form a related, but different concept or thought. For example, the Strong's entry for pas (G3956) includes “no(-thing)" which means that when pas (all/every) is combined with the Greek word for "no" the resulting idea conveyed may by "nothing" (the negation of "all" or "everything"). The Strong's entry for phroneo (G5426) includes "(be like-, + be of one, + be of the same, + let this) mind(-ed)". What this is saying is that when the word phroneo appears with the Greek words for "be like,""be of one,""be of the same," or "let this," the resulting idea being conveyed by the combined phrase is "be like minded," be of one mind", "be of the same mind," or "let this mind." So the basic meaning of phroneo is "to exercise the mind" but when combined with other Greek words the meaning is altered in subtle ways. When reading the Strong's definition, imagine inserting the key word ahead of each occurrence of "+" as in: "[phroneo] + be of one" = "be of one mind."

For more information about how to read Strong's and how to use the abbreviations click HERE.

So our first word was "heavens" - H8064
שׁמה / שׁמים
shâmayim, shâmeh
shaw-mah'-yim, shaw-meh'
The second form being dual of an unused singular; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve): - air, X astrologer, heaven (-s).
Total occurrences in KJV: 421

I also look at Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Definitions:
heavens
H8064
שׁמה / שׁמים
shâmayim / shâmeh
BDB Definition:
1) heaven, heavens, sky
..1a) visible heavens, sky
....1a1) as abode of the stars
....1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc
..1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from an unused root meaning to be lofty

B.D.B.'s is just for the Old Testament as it gives "Hebrew Definitions". For another source for the New Testament, you can use Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. It rounds out and gives a little more meaning to the Greek words like B.D.B's did for the Hebrew words.

It's really simpler than it sounds. You look up the word, find the number, go to the Hebrew or Greek Concordance and see what you can get from the different shades of meaning. Sometimes it's really nothing new and sometimes it really gives you a whole new way of looking at things. If you aren't satisfied with what you glean from Strong's check Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Definitions or Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

And don't think you have to spend a fortune on study books. I did that long ago and I used them but with the computers and smart phones and tablets of today, you can get free Bible resources right online or with free apps. It takes a little finagling to figure out what you want and how to use it but that's the way it is for all new apps, web sites or ebooks. For your PC or laptop, look up E-sword.net. For Bible study web sites check out BibleGateway.com or BibleHub.com. Then if you want it for your tablet or smart phone, go to your apps store and search for Bibles, Bible study, Strong's, Vine's, Commentaries, Bible Dictionaries, etc. They are all FREE! It's just a matter of learning how to use them just like you learned how to use other apps, web sites and programs. It can be done, free and easy enough. We are educated and able to read, we have the tools and resources easy to hand and free for our use. If you figured out how to use Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, Pinterest... you can figure out how to use these Bible study resources.

Now let's continue with our word study of Psalm 89:5-8. Our next word was "praise". Let's look it up in Strong's first.
praise
H3034
יָדָה
yâdâh
yaw-daw'
A primitive root; used only as denominative from H3027; literally to use (that is, hold out) the hand; physically to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands); intensively to bemoan (by wringing the hands): - cast (out), (make) confess (-ion), praise, shoot, (give) thank (-ful, -s, -sgiving).
Total KJV occurrences: 114

Brown-Driver-Brigg's Hebrew Definitions:
praise
H3034
ידה
yâdâh
BDB Definition:
1) to throw, shoot, cast
..1a) (Qal) to shoot (arrows)
..1b) (Piel) to cast, cast down, throw down
..1c) (Hiphil)
....1c1) to give thanks,, laud, praise
....1c2) to confess, confess (the name of God)
..1d) (Hithpael)
....1d1) to confess (sin)
....1d2) to give thanks
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: a primitive root; used only as denominative from H3027

Next word is "wonders".

Strong's
wonders
H6382
פֶּלֶא
pele'
peh'-leh
From H6381; a miracle: - marvellous thing, wonder (-ful, -fully).
Total KJV occurrences: 13

BDB
wonders
H6382
פּלא
pele'
BDB Definition:
1) wonder, marvel
..1a) wonder (extraordinary, hard to understand thing)
..1b) wonder (of God’s acts of judgment and redemption)
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6381

Strong's
Lord
H3068
יְהֹוָה
yehôvâh
yeh-ho-vaw'
From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: - Jehovah, the Lord.
Compare H3050, H3069.
Total KJV occurrences: 6521

Lord
H3068
יהוה
yehôvâh
BDB Definition:
Jehovah = “the existing One”
1) the proper name of the one true God
..1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of H136
Part of Speech: noun proper deity
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H1961

Strong's
faithfulness
H530
אֱמֻנָה אֱמוּנָה
'ĕmûnâh, 'ĕmûnâh
em-oo-naw', em-oo-naw'
Feminine of H529; literally firmness; figuratively security; moral fidelity: - faith (-ful, -ly, -ness, [man]), set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily.
Total KJV occurrences: 49

BDB
H530
אמנה / אמוּנה
'ĕmûnâh
BDB Definition:
1) firmness, fidelity, steadfastness, steadiness
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H529

Strong's
congregation
H6951
קָהָל
qâhâl
kaw-hawl
From H6950; assemblage (usually concretely): - assembly, company, congregation, multitude.
Total KJV occurrences: 123

BDB
congregation
H6951
קהל
qâhâl
BDB Definition:
1) assembly, company, congregation, convocation
..1a) assembly
....1a1) for evil counsel, war or invasion, religious purposes
..1b) company (of returning exiles)
..1c) congregation
....1c1) as organised body
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6950

Strong's
saints
H6918
קָדֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ
qâdôsh, qâdôsh
kaw-doshe', kaw-doshe'
From H6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary: - holy (One), saint.
Total KJV occurrences: 116

BDB
saints
H6918
קדשׁ / קדושׁ
qâdôsh
BDB Definition:
1) sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: from H6942

Now let's see how other Bible versions translated this one verse:

New International Version
The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

New Living Translation
All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.

English Standard Version
Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

New American Standard Bible
The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

King James Bible
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
LORD, the heavens praise Your wonders-- Your faithfulness also-- in the assembly of the holy ones.

International Standard Version
Even the heavens praise your awesome deeds, LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.

New American Standard 1977
And the heavens will praise Thy wonders, O LORD;
Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

Jubilee Bible 2000
And the heavens shall praise thy wonder, O LORD, thy truth also in the congregation of the saints.

King James 2000 Bible
And the heavens shall praise your wonders, O LORD: your faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

American King James Version
And the heavens shall praise your wonders, O LORD: your faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.

American Standard Version
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Jehovah; Thy faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The heavens shall confess thy wonders, O Lord: and thy truth in the church of the saints.


Let's look at it in the context of all 4 verses, Psalm 89:5-8, in the various translations:

New International Version
5 The heavens praise your wonders, Lord,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?
7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.
8 Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

New Living Translation
5 All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
6 For who in all of heaven can compare with the LORD?
What mightiest angel is anything like the LORD?
7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
8 O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O LORD?
You are entirely faithful.

English Standard Version
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beingsb is like the LORD,
7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
and awesome above all who are around him?
8 O LORD God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
with your faithfulness all around you?

New American Standard
5 The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD,
7 A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
And awesome above all those who are around Him?
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty LORD?
Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

King James Version
5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?

Holman Christian Standard
5 LORD, the heavens praise Your wonders —
Your faithfulness also —
in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD?
7 God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones,
more awe-inspiring than all who surround Him.
8 LORD God of Hosts, who is strong like You, LORD?
Your faithfulness surrounds You.

Douay Rheims Bible
5 The heavens shall confess thy wonders, O Lord: and thy truth in the church of the saints.
6 For who in the clouds can be compared to the Lord: or who among the sons of God shall be like to God?
7 God, who is glorified in the assembly of the saints: great and terrible above all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, who is like to thee? thou art mighty, O Lord, and thy truth is round about thee.

When I read it the first time, I was seeing it as the heavens, the stars, the planets, sun and moon were evidence of God's glory and no man, no matter how strong, courageous, powerful, famous, rich he is, comes anywhere close to God. Christians will be awed and will reverence Him.

All that is true. But there was more there than I knew. These verses speak of the “assembly” and “council” of the angels. God created everything, including the universe and including these supernatural Angels. No one and nothing can compare to the Lord! He is held in awe and reverence by us, by His creation, by those angelic beings. When I started to meditate on what I learned it was amazing. He created these angelic beings. They are so magnificent that every human who comes in contact with them are awe struck and afraid.,,

Judges 6:21-23 (Amp) Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 When Gideon realized [without any doubt] that He was the Angel of the Lord, he declared, “Oh no, Lord God! For now I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face [and I am doomed]!” 23 The Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.”

Luke 1:8-13 (Common English Bible - CEB) 8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God because his priestly division was on duty. 9 Following the customs of priestly service, he was chosen by lottery to go into the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense. 10 All the people who gathered to worship were praying outside during this hour of incense offering. 11 An angel from the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overcome with fear. 13 The angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been heard.

Seeing an Angel strikes fear in our hearts! And yet, God didn't send Jesus to save them, He sent His Son to save us!?!

Did you know that one of the highest of the created Angels fell? Satan was an Angel of the highest order and yet he got full of pride and wanted to be God and he managed to talk 1/3 of the angels into following him. God judged them and cast them down from heaven and their end is prophesied


Isaiah 14:4-32 (Modern King James Version - MKJV) you shall take up this song against the king of Babylon and say, How the exacter, the gold gatherer has ceased! (5) Jehovah has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers (6) who struck peoples in wrath, a blow without turning away, ruling the nations in anger, a persecution without restraint. (7) All the earth is at rest and is quiet; they break out into singing. (8) Yea, the fir trees rejoice at you, the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since you have fallen, no woodcutter will come up against us. (9) Hell from below is moved for you, to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, all the he-goats of the earth. It has raised from their thrones all the kings of the nations. (10) All of them shall speak and say to you, Are you also as weak as we? Are you like us? (11) Your pride is brought down to the grave, and the noise of your harps. The maggot is spread under you, and the worms cover you. (12) How you are fallen from the heavens, O shining star, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! (13) For you have said in your heart, I will go up to the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. (14) I will go up above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. (15) Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the Pit. (16) Those who see you shall stare and closely watch you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth to tremble; who shook kingdoms; (17) who made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed its cities; who did not open the house for his prisoners? (18) All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. (19) But you are cast out of your grave like a hateful branch, and like the clothing of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trampled under foot. (20) You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you ruined your land and killed your people; the seed of evildoers shall never be famous. (21) Prepare slaughter for his sons, because of the iniquity of their fathers, so that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. (22) For I will rise up against them, says Jehovah of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and son, and grandson, says Jehovah. (23) I will also make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the broom of ruin, says Jehovah of Hosts. (24) Jehovah of Hosts has sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so it shall come to pass; and as I have purposed, it shall stand; (25) to break Assyria in My land, and on My mountains, trample him under foot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, and his burden shall be taken off their shoulders. (26) This is the purpose that is purposed on all the earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out on all the nations. (27) For Jehovah of Hosts has purposed, and who shall reverse it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

Assyria has fallen, but Babylon has taken her place. This double prophecy is against the City of Babylon and the Tyrant of Babylon. The same cruelty and covetousness has only entered a new body. The only change is that wealth and materialism is used with brutality and military victory. The pride, selfshness and atheism is the same. Babylon, is used throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation as a symbol of the enemy of God and the stronghold of darkness. Babylon represents civilisation and the world’s pride and enmity to God. There was a real Babylon and it had very real Babylonian leaders. So the prophecy was fulfilled on this world. But it also has another meaning. It tells of satan and his history and his future. Arrogance, pride, selfishness, and cruelty were the hallmarks of Babylon and it's tyrant. It is also the description of satan and his attempt to take over. But God has the power, not satan, and the fate of satan is one of horror. This next scripture is another double prophecy. The ruler of Tyre was real, but he also symbolized satan. In fact, satan is more real than the King of Tyre.

Ezekiel 28:1-19 (MKJV) The Word of Jehovah came again to me, saying, (2) Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre. So says the Lord Jehovah: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are a man and not God, though you set your heart as the heart of gods; (3) Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; all secret things are not hidden from you! (4) With your wisdom and with your understanding you have made riches for yourselves, and have worked gold and silver into your treasuries. (5) By your great wisdom and by your trade you have multiplied your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches. (6) Therefore so says the Lord Jehovah: Because you have set your heart as the heart of gods, (7) behold, therefore I will bring awesome strangers of the nations. And they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness. (8) They shall bring you down to the Pit, and you shall die the deaths of those slain in the heart of the seas. (9) Will you yet say before him who kills you, I am of the gods? But you are a man, and not God, in the hand of him who kills you. (10) You shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers. For I have spoken, says the Lord Jehovah. (11) And the Word of Jehovah came to me, saying, (12) Son of man, lift up a lament over the king of Tyre, and say to him, So says the Lord Jehovah: You seal the measure, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (13) You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the emerald, and gold. The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. (14) You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy height of God where you were; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you. (16) By the multitude of your goods they have filled your midst with violence, and you have sinned. So I cast you profaned from the height of God, and I destroy you, O covering cherub, from among the stones of fire. (17) Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have spoiled your wisdom because of your brightness. I will cast you to the ground; I will put you before kings, that they may behold you. (18) By the host of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trade, you have profaned your holy places; so I brought a fire from your midst; it shall devour you, and I will give you for ashes on the earth, before the eyes of all who see you. (19) All who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you; you shall be terrors, and you will not be forever.

When you read those two paragraphs, you realize that satan was an Angel, one of the highest in the hierarchy of the Angels. He was created to be beautiful and was one of those around the throne of God, one of those who continually praised God and yet, his desire to be god overcame him. His heart became full of lust, pride and covetousness. He was thrown from heaven by God to earth. "The darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12) is their chain. They are free now to tempt and hurt only to the length of their chain. Like a dog on a chain, their range is limited by the One who holds the chain. He is confined to this world and only for a limited time. He and his anarchic angels are doomed for final and utter destruction. His bondage and destruction is constant and progressive until his end is final!

Jude 1:6 (International Standard Version - ISV) He has also held in eternal chains those angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their assigned place. They are held in deepest darkness for judgment on the great day.

2 Peter 2:4 (ERV) When angels sinned, God did not let them go free without punishment. He sent them to hell. He put those angels in caves of darkness, where they are being held until the time when God will judge them.

Hebrews 2:2 (CEV) The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved.

This is satan's final end:

Revelation 20:10 (MKJV) And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Reading about the history and future of satan, as one of the highest angels, tells us something. These magnificent beings were created by God and those angels that rebelled, have been dealt with in the most severe way. God created Adam and Eve, human beings. They were created perfect and immortal. Satan tempted them and they fell into the same sin that he had fallen into. With the sin came the consequences of sin, death. These parents of ours, shared their sinful DNA with every human born after them. We are born with sin and we sin continually. We deserve the same eternal punishment that satan and his band of demonic angels got.

But God did not leave us in our sin. He sent His very own Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins and to restore our spirit so that we could live forever with God in Heaven. We still live among the consequences of sin and this fallen world, but our eternity is no longer eternal damnation and we are no longer cut off from God!!!

Are you starting to catch what I'm saying!?!

Hebrews 2:16 (CEV) Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham's descendants.

1 Peter 1:12 (CEV) But they were told that they were serving you and not themselves. They preached to you by the power of the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven. And their message was only for you, even though angels would like to know more about it.

Angels exist. According to the Bible, they exist in no uncertain terms. Their magnificence terrifies us when we see them! But they aren't the ones God sent His Son to save! We are!!!! Who do we owe our love? Not Angels, but God! Who do we owe our allegiance? Not Angels, but God! Who do we owe our praise and worship? Not Angels, but God!


If it blows your mind, join me! I have no idea why we seem to be so precious to God. But am I thankful? Oh yes, you'd better believe it! When I start thinking about how much He loves us, how much He has done for us... I have to praise Him! He became personally involved in order to save as many of us as will accept His free offer of salvation. It COST Him and He had to do it. Nothing we do would have saved us so it was ALL Him! That kind of love and grace is beyond our comprehension but I'm so thankful and I love Him.

Samuel Jones Kirby was born 11/23/1885 in South Carolina to Larkin Jones Kirby (DOB 4/15/1852 in NC; DOD 7/13/1922 in Hillsborough County, Florida, USA) and Emily Catherine "Katie" Mabe (DOB 7/16/1859 in Virginia; DOD 7/20/1920 in Hillsborough County, Florida, USA). Larkin J. Kirby and Katie Mabe had Robert L. Kirby, Zebulon Bard Kirby, Maria Kirby, David Franklin Kirby, Marshall Murr Kirby, John M. Kirby.

Samuel J. Kirby married Lula Asbury Norket (DOB 4/6/1896 in Union County, NC; DOD 7/23/1939 in Mecklenburg County, NC). She was born to Mitchell Michael Norket (DOB 3/1844 in NC; DOD ? in ? ) and Mollie Unknown (DOB 1874 in NC; DOD ? in ? ). Mitchell Norket had been married first to Martha Jane Honeycutt (aka Martha Jane Huneycutt). This is where it attached to my tree. My maiden name is Huneycutt. So S.J. Kirby and his wife, Lula Asbury Norket are not blood related to me but I found this story while researching on my Huneycutt line, .

S.J. Kirby and Lula Asbury Norket had a daughter, Ethel Joie Kirby (aka Ethel Joye Kirby, Ethel Joy Kirby) who was born 10/6/1910 in Cabarrus County, NC.

1920 U.S. Census of Ninth Street, Columbia, Richland County, SC, Roll: T625_1707; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 98, Lines 19-22, "S.J. Kirby"
S.J. Kirby, Head, Rented home, M(ale), W(hite), 34 yrs old (DOB 1886), Married, Can read and write, Born in Minnesota, Both parents born in Minn, Insurance Salesman
Lula Kirby, Wife, F, W, 25 yrs old (DOB 1895), Married, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Weaver at cotton mill
Ella Kirby (sic, Ethel), Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1910), Single, Attends school, Can read and write, Born in SC, Mother born in NC, Father born in MN
Mollie Norket, Mother-in-law, F, W, 65 yrs old (DOB 1855), Widowed, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC

Samuel J. Kirby only had one arm and I couldn't find out how that occurred. I don't know if he was born with only one arm or lost it in an accident. He evidently worked in or around cotton mills, as did his wife. There was another accident as well that gave him a serious head injury and his wife claimed he had a silver plate in his head. She would later claim that he experienced periods of insanity but the doctors who examined him said he was sane. It seems he was a trouble maker and a brutal man. Here are the newspaper reports I found on him.

The first one I found was this one in 1915 where he was accused of beating his daughter, chaining her in the yard and shooting at her!

Yorkville Enquirer, York, SC, 8/24/1915, Pg 2
Rock Hill Record, Aug. 23: S.J. Kirby, a one-armed white man who lives in the Highland Park mill village, was arrested last week by Constable Allen on a warrant sworn out before Magistrate Wingate for cruelty to his child. The case was called before Magistrate Wingate this morning, but Kirby asked for change of venue, making affidavit that he did not believe he could get a fair trial before Wingate on account of his (Mr. Wingate) having formed and expressed an opinion on the matter. (Mr. Wingate having seen the child after the beating.) Mr. Wingate granted the change and it is supposed that the matter will come up before Magistrate Glenn of Ebenezer. It is stated that Kirby beat his little six-year-old girl most terribly and the next day chained her to a block and made her get out and sweep the back yard while he sat on the steps with a rifle and told her if she did not sweep he would shoot her in the feet. In fact Constable Allen informs us that Kirby acknowledged to him and others that he did shoot into the yard, but was not shooting at the child.


Next he is convicted of robbery and sentenced to the penitentiary.

Fort Mills Times, Fort Mills, SC, 12/23/1915, Pg 1
Herring and Kirby Sentenced
Lester Herring and S.J. Kirby, the two white men convicted last Monday of robbing Jesse Jarrell in Rock Hill in November, were sentenced by Judge Rice Thursday, Kirby being sent to the penitentiary for two years and Herring to the county chaingang for a like period of time.

Fort Mills Times, Fort Mills, SC, 11/1/1917, Pg 3
Governor Manning a few days ago granted a parole to S.J. Kirby, a York county man who was given two years in the penitentiary for robbery and larceny in this county in 1915. Before beginning his sentence Kirby had remained in jail for a few months and the parole was issued in accordance with the recommendations of the judge and solicitor in order that he might receive credit for the time he stayed in jail before he was sentenced.


A few years later, he and two buddies kill a taxi cab driver. Jesse James Gappins, Casy Otis Fox and S.J. Kirby were put to death in the electric chair for this crime. Jesse James Gappins was the youngest being born 4/15/1899 in Georgia and he was married Liz Clark. Casy Otis Fox was born 4/11/1890 in NC to James Fox and Sarah Huffman. Casey Fox was single at the time of his death and is buried at Stanley Creek, Gaston County, NC.

The Newberry Weekly Herald, Newberry, SC, 9/16/1921, Pg 6
Members of Mob Back In Columbia
Action In Georgia Watched With Interest
Mother of Gappins Tells Sheriff Heise Of Conference Sunday-Officers Make No Move
The State, 12th.
Defeated in their attempt to storm the Richmond county jail at Augusta, Ga., and lunch C.O. Fox and Jesse Gappins, self-confessed murderers of William Brazell, 19 year old taxi driver, hundreds of Columbians, alleged members of the mob, returned to Columbia yesterday to wait further developments in Sheriff Plunkett's tour of Georgia in an effort to locate a jail in which to lodge the two prisoners, who were spirited from the Augusta prison a few hours before the masked men arrived to demand them. A few automobiles, loaded with men, said to be heavily armed, are still patroling roads leading into Columbia and Lexington and threats of mob violence, are still to be heard. "We'll wait until we get them," is apparently the opinion of the men concerned, according to persons known to have conversed with them since their return.
Sheriff Plunkett apparently was successful in eluding all members of the Columbia party, despite the fact that numbers o Columbia men had been in the Georgia city since early Wednesday afternoon, awaiting the arrival of darkness and of reinforcements. The sheriff in leaving the jail with his prisoners shortly after 10 o'clock was pursued by a car which had been parked a block from the jail all afternoon. This automobile is said to have returned to Columbia yesterday afternoon, it's driver reporting that, ignorant of the Georgia roads, he had lost the Augusta officers and two prisoners shortly after leaving Augusta. Plans had been made, it was said yesterday, had the raid on the Augusta jail proved successful to bring the two men back to the spot about three miles from Leesville, where the mutilated body of the young transfer driver was found, and there kill them.
Car to Savannah
When it was learned that the two men had been placed in the Savannah jail to be later moved elsewhere since the Savannah prison was already crowded beyond capacity cars are said to have been dispatched to Savannah to await the developments there, following the sheriff should he have made a dash to another jail.
Sheriff Alex Heise has had a long conference with the mother of Jesse Gappins, one of the two men now held in Georgia. Mrs. Gappins advancing the theory that S.J. Kirby, who confession led to the arrest of the three men, was the moving spirit behind the plot to kill young Brazell and take his car. Kirby visited her home to hold a long conference with Jesse Gappins Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Gappins said, the two men talking in secret for nearly two or three hours. Her son, after Kirby left the house, Mrs. Gappins told the sheriff, told her that he was going to leave on a trip that night and that he would write her in about two weeks and advising her in the meanwhile not to be worried. It was at this conference, Mrs. Gappins believes, that the murder-robbery plot was engineered and her son involved in the scheme.
Kirby has a particularly unsavory reputation among neighbors and county officers, and Sheriff Heise stated yesterday that it was his belief that when the entire truth was revealed that it would be found that Kirby was considerably more involved in the crime than was admitted in his confession. Kirby, in making his statement, told a story of how he had been forced by Fox and Gappins to secure the car, thinking that it was to be used to take the three men to "get some girls" near Lexington, Kirby engaged Brazell's car, he said, under compulsion and then drove to the Seaboard depot and picked up the other two men.
See Weak Link
This, officers think, is a weak link in his statement, absolving himself of blame of the killing, it being pointed out that there was nothing to have prevented him from making his escape from Gappins and Fox at the time. Kirby also had an opportunity, it is thought, to leave the car while the two men carried the body into the woods, as related in his confession. His having only one arm, it is contended, will also explain the alleged fact that he took no active part in the actual killing of the boy and the dragging of the body into the woods.
Kirby is known to have been paroled while serving a two year sentence for robbery and burglary in the penitentiary and at the time of the murder of Brazell was being watched by Sheriff Heise for alleged implication in burglaries in Columbia. He is said to have been educated for the ministry, later turning infidel. This last statement is denied at Kirby's residence, friends claiming that "he never let a day pass without reading his Bible."
"I don't care what they do with the three men," M.W. Brazell, father of the murdered boy, said yesterday. "Lynching would be too good for them and nothing that can be done will restore my boy to me. Nothing can make me satisfied; nothing can make me forget how he was killed." Mr. Brazell also gave it as his opinion that Kirby was as deeply involved as the other two men. Mr. Brazell thanked the various transfer drivers for the evidence of their friendship for his son. "I did not know Bill was so popular," he said. Practically every taxi driver and owner in the city attended the boy's funeral Wednesday afternoon, many also sending floral tributes.
Not Go After Men
No official announcement had been received in Columbia or Lexington from Sheriff Plunkett of his leaving the men in Savannah up to a late hour last night and neither Sheriff E.A.Roof of Lexington or Sheriff T. Alex Heise of Columbia is making plans to go to Savannah to relieve the Georgia officers of the burden of their two mob-sought prisoners.
Sheriff Roof stated last night that he was ignorant of the whereabouts of Sheriff Plunkett and the two prisoners, his only information on the subject being obtained from newspaper dispatches from Savannah, Ga. In the absence of official information, the sheriff said, he could make no move to either go for or to send for the two men. "Arrangements will be made, however," Sheriff Roof added, "to bring the two men back to South Carolina as soon as possible." The Lexington officer also expressed his regrets at the trouble caused Sheriff Plunkett, whom he praised highly for the enterprise shown in capturing the three men and later, preventing a probably lynching. "I was advised," Sheriff Roof said, "to leave the prisoners in Augusta, where it was thought they would be safe from the mob violence."
Sheriff Heise was also without information as to the place where the prisoners are being held and stated last night that he would make no move to bring them to South Carolina at present. Sheriff Heise will also be unable to attend the inquest in Leesville, being called to attend the funeral of Mose H. Mobley, Richland county treasurer, who died yesterday morning.
Two Prisoners Make Confessions
Kirby is at present under arrest in Columbia
The State
Augusta, Ga, Aug 11-After riding an entire night Sheriff J.T. Plunkett early this morning landed C.O. Fox and Jesse Gappins, held in connection with the killing of William Brazell, Columbia taxi driver in the Savannah jail, where they will remain until Sheriff Roof of Lexington county or Sheriff Heise of Richland county comes to take them back to South Carolina. The sheriff would not definitely declare this to be his course, but in his conversations as much was intimated.
He and his party of officers arrived back in Augusta this afternoon shortly before 6 o'clock. They had not slept nor eaten for many hours and were exhausted. The officers were T.E. Norris, deputy, and W.D. Roberts, chief county mechanic who started the case off by arresting S.J. Kirby.
The sheriff, describing the thrilling ride he had in eluding the spy car of the mob, said he soon left it far behind after his departure from Augusta. A Buick roadster with a South Carolina license number was noticed to be standing in the next block from the jail when the officers left with the prisoners at 10 o'clock last night. When the sheriff's car drove off the other car followed. Jailer Whittle and the other officers thought the sheriff had not seen the car following but learned yesterday he had. Roberts, at the wheel, confused the trailing car by taking the sheriff's directions to turn corners, double back and start over, until finally the spy car went up a wrong street in pursuit of a car containing negroes and the sheriff got away down the road. The pursuing car went back across Hamburg bridge and told members of the mob waiting there that the prisoners had been carried to the stockade, and for that reason the stockade was first visited.
Prevents Bloodshed
Had the prisoners not been taken away from the jail and "given a ride," there would have been much bloodshed after the mob arrived, for  the officers would not have given up their men until compelled to do so. The advantage of position would have been with the defenders. A barricade could have been thrown up just inside the main gate and on the stairs leading to the cell corridors, and two men with shotguns could have slain the invaders like sheep as they poured in the front door. They could have got to the cells above by no other route save the stairs and they would have perished in large numbers, even if they killed some of the officers, which would have been improbable if not impossible.
The only reason Sheriff Plunkett moved the men, he said yesterday, was to avoid all the tension incident to rumors of a mob for the next week. He declared he wished to avoid bloodshed so far as possible and certainly would not have given up without hurting someone. "He would have killed his best friends," a county officer said, "rather than deliver up a prisoner. It was his duty to hold."
With the delivery of the men to Chatham jail, Sheriff Plunkett believes his immediate responsibility ended. "If they get away," he asserted, "they will not have gotten away from me."
Mob Disintegrates
The whereabouts of the mob is unknown, for the simple fact that it is believed there is no mob. It has disintegrated upon failure to procure the men and hopelessness of the prospect of getting them later.
Upon the way to Savannah Wednesday night, the officers said, Fox and Gappins, both ? ? automobiles, declared in elated tones that the car of the sheriff "could sure travel." Each mile it burned up put the prisoners farther away from their would be lynchers, and their sympathies were all with the officers. Fox did not have much to say, the officers added, but Gappins did a lot of talking.
The sheriff expected some difficulty in lodging his prisoners in the jail, because of the crowded condition of the cells. He finally succeeded in having them installed after first having to put them in police headquarters lockup.
The sheriff obtained written confessions from Fox and Gappins that they murdered the boy Brazell. In Savannah, while waiting there, he wrote out confessions and the men signed them freely. They were exhibited to reporters here upon the sheriff's return and ? out previous confessions. Kirby has already confessed.
The sheriff will leave early this morning for Leesville, where the coroner's inquest will be held at 10 o'clock.
The State
Augusta, Ga., Aug 11-At 4:45 o'clock Thursday morning 150 men, said to be residents of Columbia, surrounded the Richmond county jail and a committee searched the premises, seeking Fox and Gappins. Earlier the same committee had searched the county stockade, by mistake, after surrounding the premises. At 5 o'clock the mob quietly dispersed when satisfied that the men sought were not incarcerated.
The State
York, Aug. 11-S.J. Kirby, held in the state penitentiary in Columbia in connection with the killing of William Brazell, young taxi driver, near Leesville, Monday, was convicted in the York courts January 31, 1916, of clubbing and robbing a man on the outskirts of Rock Hill and sentenced to serve two years. He was paroled after a year's imprisonment. That there is no doubt concerning the identity of the man is shown by the fact that officers here remember he had only one arm, which tallies with the description of the Kirby held for complicity in the Leesville murder.

The Bamberg Herald, Bamberg, SC, 8/18/1921, Pg 1
Georgia Judge Demands Apology From South Carolina
For Invastion of S.C. Mob Into Georgia
By Judge Hammond
Augusta Judge Writes Letter of Protest to Gov. Hardwick Asking Delivery of Member of Mob
August 15, 1921
His Excellency, Thomas W. Hardwick, Governor of George, Atlanta, GA.:
Sir:
As a citizen of the state of Georgia I respectfully request that you lay the following statement of facts before Hon. Robert E. Cooper, governor o the state of South Carolina, and that you demand from him apology for what has occurred and immediate effective action in righting a grievous wrong to a sovereign commonwealth, of which you are the chief executive:
On the 8th day of August, two o'clock at night, near Leesville, S.C., S.J. Kirby, C.O. Fox, and Jesse Gappins foully robbed and cruelly murdered William C. Brazell, the driver of the taxicab in which they were riding. In the stolen car the three murderers came to Georgia, passed through the city of Augusta and county of Richmond. At McBean, near the Burke county line, the car broke down and while two of the three went forward on foot, the third, S.J. Kirby, sought a nearby chaingang official, W.D. Roberts, to whom he made a statement charging the other two with the robbery and murder. He was arrested and J.T. Plunkett, sheriff of Richmond county, notified. Immediately the sheriff put in motion every force at his command-drove with two deputies sixty miles. At Greens Cut, in Burke county, with the assistance of Frank Hurst, it's sheriff, he effected the arrest of the two fugitives from South Carolina and lodged them securely in the Richmond county jail. More than this; he actively and skillfully and yet by legitimate means obtained from the three conspirators confessions of guilt ample to secure their conviction. The sheriff then immediately got in communication with the South Carolina authorities. One of the prisoners, consenting to return to South Carolina, was taken by sheriff of Richmond county in the death car, which bore blood stains, and was carried to Leesville and led to the scene of the murder. Sheriff Plunkett turned over to Sheriff Ruff, sheriff of Lexington county, at the Lexington county jail the prisoner S.J. Kirby.  Sheriff Plunkett then returned to Augusta, accompanied by Sheriff Ruff, it being his purpose to remove the other two prisoners to Lexington county, but before the prisoners were removed Solicitor T.C. Callison telegraphed Sheriff Plunkett as follows: "Don't let Sheriff Ruff leave Augusta with prisoners tonight. Have him call me.". Sheriff Ruff reported that the solicitor told him over the phone that a mob was forming to waylay him on the road and take his prisoners from him and that he would ask the sheriff to hold them for him. This the sheriff of Richmond county consented to do, and the sheriff of Lexington county left for his home.
Your Excellency is asked to take into thoughtful consideration the foregoing as the first act in the drama which led to the outrage put upon the state of Georgia by the state of South Carolina. On August 10, at 8 o'clock at night Sheriff Plunkett was notified that the Augusta Chronicle had received from the Columbia State a message stating that an armed mob in automobiles was forming in Columbia; that it was going that night to Georgia and take by violence from the Richmond county jail the two slayers of Brazell and lynch them. Upon receipt of this information Sheriff Plunkett immediately called over the telephone Sheriff Heise, Sheriff Ruff, of Lexington County, and Cheif of Police Derrick, of Leesville, asking about the information that had reached him, requesting that he be given further information and that these peace officers, one of them located in the city where the mob was forming, and the others along its proposed line of march, should intercept and use all necessary force to prevent the mob coming to Georgia. He received absolutely no word of warning nor aid of any kind, nor as far as is known was any step taken by these or any other officers to prevent this invasion of Georgia by an armed mob.
The mob formed in Columbia and proceeded in a compact body along the usual highway to Augusta. It is known that Sheriff Heise knew of the formation of the mob before Sheriff Plunkett telephoned him. It is known that Chief of Police Derrick saw and spoke to the members of the mob in the automobiles as they passed through Leesville. On the uncertainty as to whether the mob would or would not attack the jail the Sheriff deemed it best to remove the prisoners to the city of Savannah.
At 4 o'clock a.m. Wednesday night an organized mob of over 100 heavily armed men went to the county stockade on Fifteenth street and with curses and threats forced and compelled an entrance to the stockade, made a search of the premises, arousing fifty or more sleeping convicts. Not finding their intended victims they then went to the Richmond county jail, a brick structure surrounded by a brick wall ten feet high. Again with threats and curses they scaled the wall, entered the jail yard and porch threatening to batter down the doors of the jail unless Fox and Gappins were instantly turned over to them. The jailer assured them that the prisoners had been removed from the jail, but these assurances were set at naught and the jailor compelled to turn over his keys and admit them for the purpose of search. They aroused the inmates of the jail, going from cell to cell in a search for their victims. Not finding them, they again with threats and curses and in tumultuous fashion left the jail. The members of this mob were guilty of a felony under Georgia law and subject to a punishment of from one to twenty years in the penitentiary. Mobs and lynchings have become so much the order of the day that unless some unique feature is presented mere comment upon the condition would seem to be vain. But up to this time mobs have been intra-state. This one was inter-state. Peace officers have been called on to deal with mobs formed within their own bailiwick. Has it come to pass that a sheriff may expect a mob from a neighbor, perhaps from a distant state.
However this may be, as a general proposition, the concrete situation is presented to Your Excellency of your sheriff, exerting almost superhuman effort to render service to the state of South Carolina-successful service, and the reward of such service is the invasion of Georgia territory by an armed, organized mob, the peace and quiet of a great city violated, the state's stronghold assaulted, it's keepers and defenders defied. Must you not require of the state of South Carolina genuine activity in securing and delivering to Georgia authority some of the hundred offenders who have outraged it? Three South Carolina criminals were arrested by Georgia authorities and returned to South Carolina with evidence to convict. Will not South Carolina arrest and deliver to Georgia one of the one hundred men who broke and defied it's laws? Had this very incident occurred between the countries of Mexico and the United States on the south , or the Dominion of Canada and the United States on the north, would not full explanation and apologies have been instantly made, and if not would the occurrence not have been a cause of war? Georgia and South Carolina are as distinct sovereigns as are two countries. A new condition is presented to your Excellency and you should take thought-serious thought-of how you should meet it. Here is invasion of your state by an armed force, defiance of it's laws and your authority. Assault and capture of your jail and stockade, your property seized, and what have you from South Carolina or it's governor in satisfaction of these unthinkable outrages?
What answer does she propose to make or will you exact?
Respectfully,
Henry C. Hammon


The Laurens Advertiser, Laurens, SC, 9/14/1921, Pg 1 and 4
Slayers Of Taxi Driver Go To Electric Chair Oct. 21st
Trials Ended in Lexington Yesterday
Kirby Admits Part In Killing
Three Columbia Men Charged With Murder of William Brazell, Young Columbia Taxi Driver, Found Guilty of Murder In First Degree
All Three Guilty
The Advertiser was informed by long distance telephone message from Lexington last night that Fox and Gappins, the two other men charged with the murder of William Brazell, young Columbia taxi driver on the night of August 9, were found guilty of first degree murder and that they, with Kirby, who was found guilty earlier in the day, were sentenced by Judge T.S. Sease to be electrocuted on October 21.
Columbia, Sept 13-"Guilty" was the verdict of the jury in the case of S.J. Kirby, the first of the three men to be tried in the Lexington court for the murder on August 9 of William Brazell, young Columbia taxi driver.
The verdict is a conviction of first degree murder and will carry the sentence of death in the electric chair.
The verdict was returned at 10:59 a.m., the jury having retired at 10:24. The sentence will hardly be passed until after the trial of Jesse Gappins and C.O. Fox, the other two men charged with the same crime. The trial of Fox and Gappins started immediately after the Kirby case was disposed of. It was not expected to take more time than that occupied by the Kirby case. The two men are being tried together. The Lexington trial was resumed at 9:52 this morning. The cross examination of Kirby by the solicitor was the first thing of the morning. Kirby was excused from the stand at 10:05. A.B. Martin, attorney for Kirby, appointed this morning by the court, spoke for three and a half minutes. He intimated that the jury might recommend mercy for his client. Solicitor Callison's argument occupied about five minutes. He urged the jury to bring a verdict of first degree guilt as an example to the public. He referred to the prevalence of crime and urged that the punishment in this case should be in the extreme. The charge of Judge Sease as to the law in the case was brief.
The State, Sept 13
Lexington, Sept. 12-S.J. Kirby, the first of the trio of alleged slayers of William Brazell, Columbia taxi driver, to go on trial today, charged with murder, taking the stand in his own defense late this afternoon, amended his previous confessions to abandon his hitherto stoutly maintained role of a forced and unwilling accessory to the crime, by admitting that he had assisted Jesse Gappins in holding young Brazell while C.O. Fox calmly proceeded to stab the taxi driver to death. Kirby also admitted that he, with Gappins and Fox, planned the details of the automobile robbery, which culminated in the killing, several days before the murder night, intending, however, he said, only to beat the driver into insensibility, tie him securely, leave him beside the road and then make good their escape in the stolen car. The blackjack, broken over young Brazell's head by Fox was bought by Kirby the Thursday before the Monday morning when the crime was committed, he testified.
Kirby exclaimed dramatically to the jury at one point in his story, "Gentlemen, I've got to die for this and I'm telling the truth. There's only one wish I want to make before I go and that is that God will take care of my wife and baby."
Kirby admitted on the stand that he had not been able to work for over a year and therefore been able to contribute but little to the support of this wife and 11 year old daughter. His only defense as outlined in his previous stories, told in Augusta, at Leesville and in Columbia, was that he was forced into hiring the automobile, was ignorance of the real purposes of fox and Gappins, and that he was forced to continue with the men in their trip to Georgia after the crime had been committed and though all the days intervening between his arrest and the trial Kirby has maintained that he took no active part in the killing, watching the beating and stabbing from the back seat of the automobile.
Kirby Still On Stand
Kirby was still on the stand when the court adjourned at about 5:30 o'clock. Solicitor T.C. Callison to begin his cross examination of the prisoner tomorrow morning at 9:30 o'clock, when the trial will resume. With the exclusion of Kirby's testimony the defense will probably rest, the case going to the jury following short addresses by Solicitor Callison and A.D. Martin, court appointed counsel for Kirby, and the judge's charge. Jesse Gappins and C.O. Fox, also accused with Kirby of the murder of young Brazell, will be tried simultaneously, their case coming up immediately after a verdict has been returned in the Kirby case.
Kirby took the stand late in the afternoon just after the state had rested it's case. Jesse Gappins, co-defendant with Kirby and Fox, being the witness for the prosecution. Gappins took the stand voluntarily and contradicted Kirby's original story in essential details. Kirby, Gappins, said was the only member of the trio who had any idea of stealing the car. Kirby, he swore, met and invited them to make the trip to "get some girls at a house near Lexington," invited Fox and Gappins to join him in a trip to Lexington for this purpose. He also testified that Kirby, instead of asking Fox to spare young Brazell's life, three times attempted to persuade him to take the blackjack and hit the driver over the head. Kirby, he said, instead of sitting idly by watching the other two men kill young Brazell, was the first of the trio to grab the driver, choking Brazell while Fox hit the boy. He swore that Kirby instead of being threatened by Fox and Gappins, threatened his two companions. The blackjack, Gappins also testified was bought by Kirby and was given to Gappins the Thursday before the crime was committed and was later, Gappins said, give by him to Fox, who, "he thought," had the weapon in his pocket the night of the killing.


The Newberry Herald, Newberry, SC, 9/16/1921, Pg 1


William "Willie" Calhoun Brazell was born 9/3/1901 in Richland County, SC to Marion Alexander Brazell (1874-1951) and Louise "Lula" Permelia Bradley (1876-1926). He died 8/8/1921 in Lexington County, SC. In the 1920 U.S. Census he was living with his parents in Edgewood, Columbia, Richland County, SC and was working as a "chauffeur for private family". His father was a "carpenter". Willie C. Brazell had 2 younger siblings.


The Newberry Herald, Newberry, SC, 9/16/1921, Pg 6
Kirby Now On Trial On Murder Charge
Defendant Admits Part In Killing
Fox and Gappins Will Face Jury Simultaneously Later-True Bills Returned
The State
Lexington, Sept 12-S.J. Kirby, the first of the trio of allged slayers of William Brazell, Columbia taxid driver, to go on trial today, charged with murder, taking the stand in his own defense late this afternoon, amended his previous confessions to abandon his hitherto stoutly maintained role of forced and unwilling accessory to the crime, by admitting that he had assisted Jesse Gappins in holding young Brazell while C.O. Fox calmly proceeded to stab the taxi driver to death. Kirby also admitted that he, with Gappins and Fox, planned the details of the automobile robbery, which culminated in the killing, several days before the murder night, intending, however, he said, only to beat the driver into insensibility, tie him beside the road and then make good their escape in the stolen car. The blackjack, broken over young Brazell's head by Fox, was bought by Kirby the Thursday before the Monday morning when the crime commenced, he testified.
Kirby exclaimed dramatically to the jury at one point in his story, "Gentlemen, I've got to die for this and I'm telling the truth. There's only one wish I want to make before I go and that is that God will take care of my wife and baby."
Kirby admitted on the stand that he had not been able to work for over a year and had therefore been able to contribute but little  to the support of his wife and 11 year old daughter. His only defense as outlined in his previous stories, told in Augusta, at Lessville and in Columbia, was that he was forced into hiring the automobile, was ignorant of the real purposes Fox and Gappins, and that he was forced to continue with the men in their trip to Georgia after the crime had been committed-and through all the days intervening between his arrest and the trial Kirby has maintained that he took no active part in the killing, watching the beating and stabbing from the back seat of the automobile.
Kirby Still On Stand
Kirby was still on the stand when the court was adjourned at about 5:30 o'clock. Solicitor T.C. Callison to begin his cross examination of the prisoner tomorrow morning at 9:30 o'clock, when the trial will be resumed. With the conclusion of Kirby's testimony the defense will probably rest, the case going to the jury following short addresses by Solicitor Callison and A.D. Martin, court appointed counsel for Kirby, and the judge's charge. Jesse Gappins and C.O. Fox, also accused with Kirby of the murder of young Brazell, will be tried simultaneously, their case coming up immediately after a verdict has been returned in the Kirby case.
Kirby took the stand late in the afternoon just after the state had rested its case, Jesse Gappins, co-defendant, with Kirby and Fox, being the witness for the prosecution. Gappins took the stand voluntarily and contradicted Kirby's original story in essential details. Kirby, Gappins said, was the only member of the trio who had any idea of stealing the car. Kirby, he swore, met and invited them to make a trip to "get some girls at a house near Lexington,"  invited Fox and Gappins to join him in a trip for this purpose. He also testified that Kirby, instead of asking Fox to spare young Brazell's life, three times attempted to persuade him to take the blackjack and hit the driver over the head. Kirby, he said, instead of sitting idly by watching the other two men kill young Brazell, was the first o the trio to grab the driver, choking Brazell while he hit the boy. He swore that Kirby instead of being threatened by Fox and Gappins, threatened his tow companions. The blackjack, Gappins also testified, was bought by Kirby and was given to Gappins the Thursday before the crime was committed and was later Gappins said, given by him to Fox, who, "he thought," had the weapon in his pocket the night of the killing.
Would Save Self
Gappins swore that he and Fox were both misled by Kirby into believing that the three of them were to go to a point about a mile and a half beyond Lexington, where they were to get some girls, and bring them back to town. Kirby, he said, hired the automobile and picked up Fox and himself at the Seaboard station, where they had gone, he claimed, to find out the schedule for the Camden train. Just on the Augusta side of Lexington, Kirby, according to Gappins' testimony, got out of the car and approached Gappins. He told him to "take the blackjack and knock hell out of Brazell." Gappins claims he refused to obey Kirby's orders, saying that such a thing would "get them all in trouble.""Damn trouble." Kirby is alleged to have replied. "They know me well at the penitentiary. I was sent up for life and got out of that and I reckon that I'll get out of this." Twice again Kirby stopped the car, Gappins said, and twice again this converstaion was repeated.
At the scene of the killing Fox had the car stopped, Gappins testified, and while Kirby held the driver, choking him with his one arm, fox hit him with the blackjack, three or four times, finally bursting the leather jacket that held the "lead." Gappins got out of the car, he said, while Fox went around the back of the car, Kirby in the meantime holding to the wounded man. Kirby released his hold on the boy's neck somewhat. Gappins testified, and the boy began pleading for his life, "I'm dying," he said. To which Gappins said Kirby answered, "Yes, damn you, you will be dying when I get through with you." Fox then stabbed Brazall, according to Gappins, and Kirby jumped on the driver as he fell to the ground. Gappins admitted that he "touched" Brazell's arm while the cutting was being done.
Blame on Kirby
Under Kirby's orders, Gappins said, he then got into the car and drove off after assisting Fox and Kirby in placing the body in the car and later in hiding it in the woods. Later on during the drive, Gappins said he became somewhat frightened at what they had done. This, he testified, was noticed by Kirby, who, he said, told him, "Your'e too damn scared. I don't have no more skimption at killing a man than I do for a dog. If I had been convicted of all the crimes I have been  guilty of they'd have to hang six men a day for 12 months to pay for them."
Gappins told his story in a clear, distinct voice, somewhat brazenly as if he were recounting the tale of some fishing trip. The monotone in which it was told gave the story somewhat the aura of a memorized "piece" at a high school commencement, Gappins pausing in his story only to repeatedly mop the perspiration from his face. And Kirby, seated in the prisoner's dock, watched and listened practically emotionless, his head resting on his one arm.
Kirby in taking the stand assumed a forensic attitude, speaking directly to the jurors, whom he addressed as "gentlemen", and delivering his story with almost continuous gestures. Here he showed considerable more emotion, all of which, however, was directed to convincing the jury that his story, in which he accused Gappins of practically everything Gappins had accused him of, was true.
Clyde Hester of Columbia, owner of the "murder car", was the first witness for the state, telling of seeing Brazell last at 9 o'clock Sunday night August 7, and identifying the automobile found in Georgia as his car and the machine that young Brazell was driving.
Dr. D.M. Crosson of Leesville told of his examination of Brazell's body when it was found near Leesville, describing the knife and other wounds in the boy's right chest, about the head and on the right hand. Death, he testified, was caused by a profuse hemorrhage from a terrible wound under the right shoulder, the knife in this instance passing entirely through the lung.
Arrested Kirby in Georgia
W.D.Roberts o 522 Moore Avenue, Augusta, Ga., a chaingang guard, told of Kirby's confessing  to him and of his notifying Sheriff Plunkett of Richmond county and of his arrest of Kirby and later Fox and Gappins. From Kirby's story, Mr. Roberts said, nothing would have prevented the prisoner from escaping from Fox and Gappins had he decided to do so, several opportunities were open to him according to his own story, Mr. Roberts testified.
Mr. Collens, station agent at McBean, Ga., near which Kirby was arrested, told of Kirby's visit to the railroad station at McBean to send a telegram for some money. Fox and Gappins were nowhere in the immediate vicinity, Mr. Collens said, and could not ? Kirby into doing their will in sending the telegram.
M.C. Allen, Columbia detective, described a meeting with Kirby Sunday night, August 7, just before Brazell was engaged for the fatal trip. Kirby, Mr. Allen said, made no appeal to him for protection from anyone.
Court was opened at 10 o'clock, the Kirby-Gappins-Fox case being the first to go before the grand jury, which returned a true bill at 11:45 o'clock. Surrounded by state constables and other guards the three were then brought before the court where they announced that none of them had employed counsel. Judge Thomas S. Sease then appointed attorneys for the three men. The three men were then unhandcuffed and formerly arraigned. The prisoners were then allowed time for conference with their attorney's, the court recessing until 3 o'clock.
At 3 o'clock court was reconvened and counsel for the prisoners announced that they were ready for trial waiving the three days lapse granted by law. Solicitor Callison then moved for separation of the cases, trying Kirby first, to later take up the cases against Fox and Gappins simultaneously. At 3:30 o'clock the drawing of the jury began, the entire panel being completed in 17 minutes. The large majority of the men sitting on the case are farmers and all, with the exception of four, had previously conceived notions as to Kirby's guilt. Members of the jury are: J.S. Addy, Homer Woods, Moses K. Kneece, Jesse I. Sox, E. Simpson Spy, Archie L. Sox, J. Milton Oswald, Killian Oxner, G.J. Bouknight and Jacob H. Bundrick.
Guard for Prisoners
Accompanied by a heavily armed guard the three prisoners were moved from the state penitentiary at 3:05 o'clock this morning, reaching the Lexington court house at 3:35 o'clock. Composing the guard were: State Constable T.A. Berley, Cheif J.D. Dunnaway of the Richland rural police, W.S. Ramsey and C.F. Towne of the penitentiary guard, Chrief S.S. Shorter, J.P. Broom, E.B. Carter and M.C. Allen of the Columbia detective orce, State Constable T.J. Smyrle, State Constable J.L. Poppenheim and State Constable W.C. Eichelberger. Immediately after the adjournment of the court th three men were led down the steps from the court house, escorted to the automobile, the guards being distributed among the three cars. The little caravan took the straight road back to Columbia, running along at a fairly slow pace until the corner of Huger and Gervais streest where it turned off for the state penitentiary.
The court house was crowded far beyond capacity throughout the day's session, it being estimated that approximately 2,000 persons swarmed around the court house eager to catch a glimpse of the three prisoners. The court house has a seating capacity of approximately 400, but at the morning session over 600 men, women and children were packed into the building. Judge Sease announcing that he would have aisles cleared for the remainder of the session and would allow no one inside the rail save newspaper men, ministers of the gospel and attorneys.
In all this superheated mass of humanity there were no signs of mob violence and the trial, it is thought, will be concluded without even the talk of lynching being heard.   G.A.B.
Sentence of Death For Convicted Men
Gappins swung his head from one side to the other while Fox and Kirby were being sentenced. His arms seemd to worry him somewhat also. A slight twitching of the lips was the only sign of worry shown by Kirby during the ordeal.
Mrs. Kirby Overcome
Mrs. S.J. Kirby, Kirby's wife, who with her 11 year old daughter sat through the entire day's session, fainted when sentence was pronounced on her husband. She had apparently stood up under the strain until the verdict was returned. The word "guilty" was read by the clerk and suddenly Mrs. Kirby threw her head over on her daughter's shoulder and broke into tears, while her husband sat in the prisoner's dock, to all outward show, totally unconcerned with the events transpiring around him. Mrs. Kirby and her daughter were seated in the audience, five rows from the railing and the prisoner's dock while Gappins' mother and sister, who also heard the greater part of the trial, sat just inside the rail on a long bench on which were also seated W.E. Brazell and his daughter, the father and sister of the murdered boy. Mrs. Gappins was on the verge of a breakdown several times during the taking of testimony against her son and burst into tears during Solicitor T.C. Callison's address to the jury. Mrs. Gappins and her daughter left the court room when the jury retired, going into a nearby anteroom where later she was told of the verdict and sentence. She was still in tears when she was escorted from the court house to return to Columbia. Mrs. Jesse Gappins, Gappins' wife, was also a witness at the morning session, failing to return, however, when court reconvened after the dinner recess.
J.S. Fox of Stanley Creek, N.C., father of Fox, was also present at part of the trial, breaking down when he learned of the jury's verdict.
Fox on Stand
Fox, like Kirby, admitted the role he had played in the killing, calmly recounting how he had first struck Brazell with the blackjack and then stabbed him to death. Gappins, however, repeated his story as told in Kirby's trial yesterday, insisting on his innocence of actual participating in the killing. He also maintained that he was ignorant of any plan to steal Brazell's car, admitting, however, that he with Kirby and Fox had planned to steal "a car" to be driven from Columbia and sold. Gappins' story was in a large part contradicted by his own signed confession given Sheriff T.J. Plunkett at Savannah, in which he had admitted that he held Brazell's arm while Fox did the stabbing. Parts of his story were also belied by the stories o Fox and Kirby and by the evidence of previous confessions made by Gappins and the other two men to Sheriff Plunkett, State Detective T.A. Berley, W.D. Roberts, and Deputy Sheriff W.J. Leonards of Charleston.
The two prisoners were brought to Lexington fron the state penitentiary at 9:22 o'clock this morning. Kirby took the stand again at 9:52 o'clock and Solicitor Callison began his cross examination eliciting an admission from Kirby that he with the other two men, had lured the taxi driver to his death. Kirby also admitted that he did not repeat "until the car broke down" and that the three men did not come to Lexington to see any girls. With the completion of Kirby's cross examination the defense closed and after short addresses by Solicitor Callison and A.D. Martin, Kirby's attorney appointed by the court, and a brief charge as to the law in the case by Judge Sease the case went to jury at 10:24 o'clock and thirty five minutes later a verdict of guilty was returned.
Two minutes later the trial of Fox and Gappins was bgeun, the jury drawn as follows: Foreman, C.W. Hallman; Davis J. Roof, Claud O. Amiek, W. Ocy Gantt, Archie W. Craft, Simon Smith, Joe D. Sox, Jerome R. Gunter, A. Harper Shull and D.H. Wilson. Ernest B. Craps was excused from service by Judge Sease.
Confessions to Sheriff
The prosecution's case was largely based upon confessions made by the two men to Sheriff T.J. Plunkett of Augusta, Ga., who arrested the prisoners and carried them to Augusta and later took them on a wild ride to Savannah a few hours ahead of a mob which later searched the Augusta jail, looking for them. Sheriff Plunkett testified that both Fox and Gappins had blood on their shirts when arrested while there was a huge spot on the carpet in the rear of the automobile. Fox, Sheriff Plunkett said, admitted to the Georgia authorities that he had hit Brazell with the blackjack and later stabbed him while Kirby and Gappins held the boy's arms. All three of the men, Sheriff Plunkett testified Fox told him, picked up the body and placed it in the rear of the car while Grappins drove to the spot where the car was stopped and all three men picked the body out of the car and carried it up an embankment into the woods. Fox was carrying the feet, while Grappins held the boy's arms and Kirby, his head. according to Fox's story, the sheriff testified. Fox dropped the driver's feet while Kirby turned loose the head. Gappins dragging the body into the woods unaided. Sheriff Plunkett also told of Gappins confessing to the Augusta officers of his holding one of Brazell's arms while Fox stabbed the boy to death. Sheriff Plunkett also told of written confessions signed voluntarily by the two men at Savannah. These confessions were introduced as evidenced.
Sheriff Plunkett's testimony was corroborated in every detail by T.E. Norris, Augusta, Ga., who had written down the confessions of Fox and Gappins at Savannah. W.J. Leonard, deputy sheriff of Charleston county, also testified as to confessions made to him by the two defendants further corroborating Sheriff Plunkett's testomoney.
Witnesses for State
Other witnesses for the state were Clyde Hester, owner of the murder car; Dr. D.M. Crosson, who examined the body of the young taxi driver when it was found by the roadside near Leesville, and W.J. Roberts, Augusta, Ga., chaingang guard, to whom Kirby first confessed.
The state rested it's case at 12:35 o'clcok and Fox took the stand, admitting that he with Kirby and Gappins had planned to steal an automobile; that he first struck Brazell with the blackjack and that he stabbed him twice with a knife. Fox also admitted that the three men left Columbia with Brazell, intending to steal the automobile and sell it. Gappins, he said, was the first person to inform him of the plan to steal automobiles. Although admitting that he stabbed Brazell twice, once when he was standing up, held by the other two men, and the second time when he was on the ground, Fox hinted that Kirby was the man actually to blame for the killing of the driver. "I don't feel like I killed the boy," he said. Court then adjourned for the dinner recess.
Gappins took the stand when the court reconvened at 3:05 o'clock, telling the same story as he recounted yesterday in Kirby's trial, blaming Kirby and Fox for the murder and claiming that he, himself, took no active part in the real killing and instead attempted to deter the other two men in their course. Gappins also claimed that he had no knowledge of any plan to take Brazell's automobile, thinking instead, he said that he, Kirby and Fox, were going to Lexington to get some girls. Confronted with his own signed confession, Gappins admitted that he had signed the paper and heard it read to him but claimed that "something had been left out."
State Detective Berley was the only witness introduced by the state in rebuttal, testifying that Gappins had confessed to him of holding Brazell's hand during the cutting.
McKendree, Barr, representing C.O. Fox waived his right to address the jury, T.C. Sturkie speaking however as Gappin's attorney. Solicitor Callison closed and then after Judge Sease's charge the case went to the jury at 4:34 o'clock, a verdict being agreed upon after 40 minutes deliberation.   G.A.B.


The Watchman And Southron, Sumter, SC, 9/17/1921, Pg



The Watchman and Southron, Sumter, SC, 9/17/1921, Pg 4


Keeowee Courier, Pickens, SC, 5/31/1922, Pg 7

The Laurens Advertiser, Laurens, SC, 6/14/1922, Pg 9


The Union Daily Times, Union, SC, 6/15/1922, Pg 1



The Gaffney Ledger, Gaffney, SC, 6/17/1922, Pg 1

Central Correctional Institute (CCI) was also known as the State Penitentiary. It was located on seven acres at 1511 Williams Street, adjacent to the Congaree River. in Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina.Construction for CCI began in 1866 and it served the state as a prison for 130 years. It was finally torn down in 1994. According to Wikipedia - The first permanent building was the South Wing Cell Block, which served as a cell block until 1927 when it was demolished. Started around the same time, North Wing Cell Block or as it is more commonly known, Cell Block One, was completed in 1886. North Wing stood five stories tall, built from granite with the tops of the walls crenellated. The interior was essentially an Auburn style cell block, but in the Baltimore pattern variation where the cells lined the exterior. The cells were approximately 5'x6' with a ceiling height of 6.5' and door openings of 25". The initial complex comprised two cell blocks and an administrative building. It would later evolve into a more diverse institution, including a hospital and separate blocks for females and juvenile inmates. Significant structures include the boundary wall, made of granite and brick, the North Wing Cell Block, the electric chair building, the Richards building, and the Chair Factory building. The penitentiary remained the only maximum-security prison until 1975.

In this first picture, you see the castle like original building.









In 1907, the first electric chair was installed in New Jersey. Often referred to as Old Sparky (in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia) and Old Smokey (in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee), the electric chairs were thought to be more clean and humane than the hangman's rope. When someone was hanged and it wasn't done right, it could be a terrible way to die with the victim thrashing around, strangling, urinating and defecating. Electricity was just beginning with Tessla, Edison and Westinghouse. Edison, inventor of the light bulb and a pioneer of electricity, was marketing an electric transmission system based on direct current (dc). But, George Westinghouse, was a rival inventing alternating current (ac). Edison falsely claimed that Westinghouse’s AC, with its much higher voltage, was too dangerous. So, in 1887, Edison began a series of bizarre experiments at his lab, shocking to death unwanted dogs, cats and even a circus elephant with AC to prove that the current was deadly. New York soon decided on an AC electric chair as a substitute for hanging. A delighted Edison urged authorities to use the term "Westinghousing" instead of electrocuting. The first electrocution in history was a disaster. The condemned man was ax murderer, William Kemmler. He lived through the first round of shocks. His executioners had to do it all over again. "They would have done better with an axe," Westinghouse commented. New York's executioners began to perfect the combination of amperes and voltage needed to kill a man without cooking him. South Carolina installed "Old Sparky" in 1912 at the Central Correctional Institution (CCI) in Columbia. As of today, the last time it was used was 2008. 243 people were executed by electric chair before the South Carolina Penitentiary (CCI) closed.


The Watchman And Southron, Sumter, SC, 6/17/1922, Pg 1
It is in this article that Lula Norket Kirby claims her husband has a silver plate in his head.


The three men were electrocuted on 6/16/1922. The only time 3 men were electrocuted on the same day for the same crime. S.J. Kirby was pronounced dead at 6:15am. The last word on his death was this article:

The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 11/27/1927, Pg 11

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, 4 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

What is the Rapture of the church? The word for rapture ("rapio")is NOT in the Bible but the concept of being “carrying off” is taught in Scripture (see the above scriptures). It comes from a Latin word meaning “a carrying off, a transport, or a snatching away.” At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air”. He does not step foot on the earth but rather “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment and wrath to be poured out on the earth during the Great Tribulation. God will resurrect all the bodies of believers who have died, reunite the believer's spirit with their new glorified bodies, and take them from the earth. All living believers, will be taken as well and be given their glorified bodies at the same time. The reaping of the good harvest of the earth is the rapture of the church.


John 14:1-4 1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

What if there is nothing left of our bodies but dust and ashes? If God can call creation into existence through His spoken words, then it will be no problem for Him to call back the bodies of those who have been swept into the sea, consumed by fire, blown up, or otherwise disintegrated (by time or by human hand). I firmly believe that we should treat the bodies that God created with respect. I'm not a believer in voluntary cremation because, to me, it is disrespectful to God, the Creator of the work of art called our body, as well as, to the person who inhabited that body. BUT that doesn't mean if someone is cremated that their bodies will not be raised incorruptible. God made Adam from dust and to dust most of us shall return but God can bring back our bodies and this time they will be immortal (as He originally made Adam and Eve), indestructible, and not marred by sin or sins consequences (death, sickness, disease).

1 Corinthians 15:42-49 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”f ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so we shall bear the image of the heavenly man.

Isaiah 35:3-6 3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Romans 8:11 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.


The Rapture will be secret. The unbelievers at the time of its happening, will not know what happened!

Matthew 24:26-27, 36-42 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man...36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,f but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come

1 Thessalonians 5:1-5 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.




The effect of this removal, in the absence of multitudes of people, will, of course, be evident on earth. Personally, I believe that mankind is being "primed" for this event by satan because people will probably believe it was a mass "alien abduction". We have alien programs on TV 24/7. People truly believe they have been abducted by aliens, have seen them, have video evidence, photographs, etc. These programs even point out that ancient civilizations may have been aware of aliens and show us evidence of carved pictures of these "aliens". It's not that I don't believe God is perfectly capable of creating life on other planets. And I'm not calling into dispute people's personal experiences. But I do believe that satan, who can masquerade as a ghost or alien, can deceive people and is deceiving people. For some reason people can believe in ghosts and aliens more easily than believing in Jesus Christ! And when Christians are raptured, it will an easy explanation that a mass abduction has occurred as people would rather believe that than believe they missed the Rapture and are about to experience the Great Tribulation and the wrath of God! Just my humble opinion.

After we are raptured and gone to Heaven, Paradise in the place of the dead (Hades), Christians will come before the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Judgment Seat is not about whether we will enter heaven - we’ll already be there. It will be a time to give an account of the works we have done on earth, and we will be rewarded accordingly. We’ll also be assigned places of authority in the coming Millennium based upon our faithfulness to God when we were on earth. The Bible teaches clearly that all men, both living and dead, saved and unsaved, must give an account to Christ. It is also called the Bema Seat Judgment. In classical Greek it identified the judge’s seat in the arena of the Olympic games. The bema was the seat whereon the judge sat, not to punish contestants, but to present awards to the victors. When Christians stand before the Bema Seat of Christ, it will be for the express purpose of being rewarded according to their works. There is no idea of inflicting punishment.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

1 Peter 4:5 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

Romans 14:10-12 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

1 Corinthians 3:9-15 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

When will the Rapture occur? There is some debate about it happening before the Great Tribulation (Pre-Trib), during the Great Tribulation (Mid-Trib) or at the end of the Great Tribulation (Post-Trib). I believe our earth will see the birth pangs of God's coming Wrath with increased intensity but these "birth pangs" are NOT the Great Tribulation, only the signs of the coming Tribulation. So I believe the Rapture occurs before the Great Tribulation. If you read Revelation 6 about the breaking of the seven seals, I believe that the Rapture occurs at the time of the 6th seal or just after the 6th seal is broken.

Matthew 24:29-31 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Verse 29 here seems to indicate the Sixth Seal. "Then will appear", Jesus comes to rapture His Church, His Bride. It does not say he touches earth but that He comes with an angelic trumpet call and we will be gathered. It says "all the peoples of the earth will mourn". Why? Because Christ has come and gathered people to Himself. The unbelievers who are left behind will be in shock, grieving, fearful. Those who know about the Rapture will be dealing with the shock that it's occurred and they are still here! The news commentators and talking heads will begin to look for explanations for the missing people and it won't be long before they find some reason that will be acceptable in their site and in the site of their audience. And here is where my theory comes in... alien abduction. People would rather believe this because if they believe they missed the boat with Jesus Christ, it could mean eternal damnation. “This generation” in Matthew 24:34, refers specifically to the people who live to see all of the terrifying events that Jesus had just mentioned as increasing immediately before His return; such as wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes in various places, widespread famine and disease, and the Antichrist’s rise to power.

What happens to those left behind? First, God tells four angels to hold back the wrath until 144,000 are sealed with a seal on their foreheads with the name of God in that seal. These 144,000 are Jews (12,000 of each tribe) who will come to know and accept Jesus as Lord and Messiah. And they will be evangelists reaping a harvest of souls. After they are sealed, The Great Tribulation begins. The wrath of God is finally let lose.

I have been studying the book of Revelation by the Apostle John. I have come to the part of Revelation that has the scene of Heaven and the Lamb taking the scroll/book and opening the seven seals.


Revelation 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes which represent the sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.

Who is this Lamb standing before the throne of God? Jesus! John 1:29, 35 has John the Baptist proclaiming Jesus as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."


In the verse before this one, Jesus is described as the Lion of Judah and the Root of David. How do we juxtapose all these word pictures? King David was of the Tribe of Judah and Mary, the mother of Jesus, was descended from David. Christ, as the spiritual head was the origin of David and the Lord of David. But He was also a descendant of David through Mary. A root is hidden underground, unseen by man. But it is from this root that all of us, as born again Christians, spring from and owe our spiritual life to! He bears and supports us with His life and it is through Him that grace flows. If we remain in Him and He remains in us, then from that life flow comes fruit (the fruit of the Spirit). Jesus was the sacrificial lamb who took on our sin and was killed on our behalf. He faced the wrath of God for us so we wouldn't have to. But He didn't stay dead. The Lamb that was slain conquered death. He was victorious over sin, over satan and over death and therefore is the Lion of Judah! He has been given all power and authority (Mt 28:18). As a lion, he has the power, majesty, courage, strength and sovereignty!

But this power was manifested in humility, righteousness, purity, meekness, gentleness. He suffered for us. The Lamb represents His sacrifice, His willingness to suffer for us. In the old Jewish law, a lamb without spot or blemish had to be sacrificed to cover the sins of the person who brought the lamb. Jesus never sinned, He was without spot or blemish. And, in this scripture, the Lamb has the marks of being slain on him. The blood still flows. He has the marks of death on Him, yet He lives, standing before God! The suffering Lamb who died for us, yet He lives! It is Christ crucified who has the power and authority represented by the seven horns. A horn always symbolized strength. Seven is the number of perfection and completeness so His 7 horns represent complete and perfect power. The 7 eyes represent his complete and perfect knowledge, omniscience (all knowing) through the Holy Spirit who was sent to earth. When Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to earth on the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit came to basically do 2 things: work on the hearts of the unsaved to try to bring them to salvation, and, to move into those who accept Jesus as their Savior and live within us to illumine God's wisdom in our hearts so we can grow spiritually. The Holy Spirit illumines and makes clear the things of God to those in whom He dwells. He teaches, trains, opens our eyes, opens our understanding, is the light to show us the things of God; empowers us to grow spiritually.

So Jesus is the majesty and glory of God with all power and authority but He did it as the suffering Lamb who gave Himself for us, a Servant Lord. He was victorious over sin, death and satan. He sits at the right hand of God. They have sent the Holy Spirit into the world to do His work. But, one day, this church age will be over and the days of judgment will be here. The Holy Spirit's work to bring man to the saving knowledge of Christ will be over. I'm about to study the end times in Revelation.

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Revelation 5:7-8 And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne. 8 When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

God has the scroll or book in His right hand, extended, proffered. The only one worthy to take it is the Lamb that was slain, Jesus Christ. He approached the throne of God (a throne that no other creature can approach without a Mediator-Jesus) and is worthy to take the scroll/book. He takes it. In taking it, He takes all the privileges and responsibilities of His Kingdom. Often the scroll with seven seals is depicted and sometimes it's a book with seven seals. In Christian artwork, you may see a white lamb lying on a book with seven seals.






When the Lamb of God does take the sealed scroll (or sealed book), the 4 created beings that surround the throne, and the 24 elders who represent the Church, fall down before Him in adoration. The elders hold a harp which represents the praises of God's people and a golden bowl, vial or censer of incense which represent the prayers of God's people.

Psalm 33:2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Psalm 141:2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you and my upraised hands as an evening offering.

Sometime ago I had done a study on the sacred incense used in the Jewish Tabernacle and, later, the Temple in Jerusalem. God gave very specific instructions on how to make the incense, its' burners and how to use it in the Tabernacle/Temple worship.

Exodus 30: 34-38 34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take fragrant spices—gum resin, onycha and galbanum—and pure frankincense, all in equal amounts, 35 and make a fragrant blend of incense, the work of a perfumer. It is to be salted and pure and sacred. 36 Grind some of it to powder and place it in front of the ark of the covenant law in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. 37 Do not make any incense with this formula for yourselves; consider it holy to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes incense like it to enjoy its fragrance must be cut off from their people.”

I looked up the components:
Stacte may have been distilled myrrh made into drops or it may have been the gum of a storax shrub.

Onycha is the door membrane of a snail like mollusk found in the Red Sea. It is cleaned and then beaten into a powder.

Galabanum is a bitter aromatic gum resin from Ferula plant.

Frankincense is an astringent aromatic gum resin from the African tree.

The Israelites were not use this sacred incense for anything else but the worship of Jahweh in the Tabernacle/Temple. If the incense represents prayer, then that reminds us we should only pray to the one true God. Our prayers are not to be lifted up to idols, angels, saints, etc.

Resins are collected by making cuts in the tree/shrub/plant and letting the resin bleed out. It is then collected, beaten into a powder and mixed.

Jesus was cut, beaten and bled and died for us. His sacrifice is how our relationship to God was healed and therefore our prayers are made acceptable to God. But He also rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven to sit at the Father's right hand and make intercession for us. Just as the incense smoke rose from the ashes of the incense.

Often our prayers come from times when we feel beaten and pounded by life. We mix tears with our prayers. But if we pray, that means that from the ashes of our situation, a small inkling of faith is lifted up and rises to God. That little bit of aromatic smoke (called faith) reaches Him and He hears and answers! That prayer of faith is a sweet aroma to Him and He does not ignore that prayer but rises from His throne and answers. We will realize that we are slowly rising up and putting one foot in front of the other when we thought we couldn't go on. We become stronger and are able to face another day. It is God, using the Holy Spirit within us to empower us, give us life for one more day. He gives us strength and revelation and hope.

We are to bring praise and prayer to God in adoration. When we see it through the prism of Christ, we have no difficulty praising and adoring God for the love He has shown us!

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Revelation 5: 9 And they sing a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation."

The representatives of God's creation (the heavenly beings around the throne and the 24 elders who represent the church) have fallen down before the Lamb and are singing a song of praise. The present tense is used, "they sing", to indicate it is a continual and unceasing song of worship.

Jesus is worthy because He was slain on our behalf and His blood paid the price we owed. Why did the price have to be blood? God created Adam and Eve. We weren't just made like Legos or Barbie dolls. Legos and Barbie dolls can be built but they aren't alive! God used His hands to form and shape Adam and Eve but they weren't alive until He breathed His breath of life into us. God had created the earth, plants and animals by voice, "Let there be...". But when it came to Adam and Eve, God used His hands and His breath. Adam and Eve were perfect and immortal creatures who had body, mind and spirit. They communicated with their God on a daily basis and were friends, companions, of God. Can you imagine!?! But satan tempted them with the same temptation he himself had fallen to. Satan had wanted to be God. He led a rebellion against God in which he and 1/3 of the angels were tossed from heaven and eternally damned. Now satan goes to Adam and Eve and tempts them.

Genesis 3: 5-6 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

"You will be like God". Adam and Eve wanted "to be like God". So, in disobedience to God's direct command, they ate the fruit. It was done in disobedience with the desire to be like God.

We all want to be God. In our pride and arrogance, we want to take God's place. It can be so subtle too. When I think I'm better than anyone else and have all the answers, I'm saying that I want to play God. When I try to take control, I'm pushing God aside and saying, "You aren't doing a good job, here let me do it!"

When Adam and Eve disobeyed and fell to the temptation of wanting to be God, sin entered the world and with sin comes it's consequences - separation from God, death and eternal punishment. Their spirit died and they were now only body and mind. And it is the spirit that communes with God.

God's perfect creation, man and woman, were taken from Him. The creatures He had created and given His very life to, were taken from Him. He no longer had a relationship with them because a holy, pure and righteous God cannot be in the presence of sin. And they would be lost to Him for eternity for there was no way to bring them back. He had lost a dear and precious race. The entire race was infected with sin. Every human being born came from Adam and Eve and we are tainted with sin. We are born in sin. There was no man or woman who could be perfect and pay the price for sin. We had no chance to be rescued because no human is born sinless.

There was no hope! Or was there? God had a plan. God sent His sinless Son into the womb of a human woman named Mary. Jesus was born to a virgin. Mary provided the human building blocks and God provided the divine spirit so that a perfect man and perfect God was born and His name was Jesus. He was fully human and yet fully divine. He lived a sinless life and did not fall to temptation. In fact, when satan tempted Him in the wilderness it was the same old temptation that he, Adam and Eve had fallen to. "You wanna be God, do what I say". But Jesus didn't fall into the trap and didn't give in to sin. When He went to the cross, He was sinless.

Life had been stolen from God by sin. Adam and Eve died and they were never meant to die. But there was no one from the race of man who could pay the price of pure blood for pure blood until Jesus Christ. And when Jesus paid the price, He rescued us. He purchased, redeemed, ransomed, rescued, bought us with His redeeming blood! He took our place and paid the price that we could not pay. If we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, we are set free from sin and death! And our spirit is born again so that we are back to being body, mind and spirit! And the spirit can commune with God! We are no longer separated from God! What a privilege to have our relationship with God again!

Titus 2:14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

And Jesus didn't save a particular nation, group, family or tribe. In Revelation 5:9, it says His blood purchased men from EVERY tribe, tongue, people and nation! His offer of salvation is all inclusive. No one is excluded. Everyone has the offer to be saved through Jesus Christ! In fact, Jesus commanded his disciples, just before ascending to Heaven, to, "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to everyone."

What about those who never hear the gospel? A remote tribe in a jungle or someone kept in a cave? God knows everyone. He created us, each and every one. He knows who has a heart that is receptive to Him and would respond to the good news of salvation through His Son. He knows, and responds, to any heart that seeks Him. And God is not limited. If there is a person who has a heart after God, God will make sure that person will learn of Jesus one way or another. God will send someone to them with the gospel, or He can send them a dream or vision, or a Bible will fall from the sky, but one way or another, God can, and will, reach that person. God doesn't want any to perish and be lost and His Holy Spirit is roaming the earth, seeking all who will respond. God can make Himself known to anyone who has the desire for Him.

My last thought on this verse is, What excuse do Americans have for not knowing the gospel? We live in a free country where we can worship God without consequence. We have free education so almost all of us have the ability to read. We have free libraries, free churches on every corner, free Bibles are available, free Bible study aids and reference books are available on the Internet, free Bible study groups in most churches, free praise and worship music. But what percentage of our American population takes advantage of the spiritual wealth afforded to us? Millions prefer ignorance so they can mock God and revile Christianity. They don't want to know God. Despite the luxury of having all this knowledge available and free, we refuse to take it. Americans are choosing to spiritually starve to death rather than reach out and take what is available for free. It's like going on a cruise. What if someone paid for you to go on cruise. They say there is every imaginable food offered in the dining rooms onboard and the cost is included in the price so it's free. But what if most of the people on the ship chose to stay in their staterooms and starved to death rather than going to the banqueting halls? How stupid would that be? And whose fault is it?

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Revelation 9:10 You have made them into a kingdom, priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

We, who are saved through Jesus Christ, become citizens of God's Kingdom.

Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S And He rules over the nations.

God rules and reigns over all. He is King. We think the President of the United States is the most important man in the nation, maybe the world. But he is just a tool used by God to accomplish His Purposes. Whether Donald Trump is a Christian or not, God can, and will, use him, to accomplish what God wants to accomplish. We are all broken clay pots, some more broken than others, but God uses us. If we participate in God's work, we are greatly blessed. But He can use us even if we are kicking and screaming against God.

Daniel 2:21 He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Acts 17:26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

The nations of Assyria and Babylon were used by God to punish the Jewish nations of Israel and Judah who were falling into apostasy, idolatry. The Assyrians conquered the northern Jewish nation of Israel and, later, Babylon, conquered the southern Jewish nation of Judah. What happened to these tools?

Jeremiah 25:12-14 “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever. 13 I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. 14 They themselves will be enslaved by many nations and great kings; I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

God slew 185,000 Assyrian forces in one night (Isaiah 37:36), and the Assyrian King Sennacherib returned to Nineveh where he was slain by his own sons as he worshiped his god Nisroch (Isaiah 37:38).

So these two heathen nations were used by God as tools. They were not God's people but they were used by God.

The tool does not build the house. A carpenter, who wields the tool, builds the house.

If we think of Jesus and the traitor, Judas, we see where God used Judas to bring about the events that led to Jesus' crucifixion which was God's Will in order to save the souls of millions.

God knows what He's doing and He is in control. This is what has gotten me through several presidencies where the elected man was not my choice. I have to accept that it is what it is and then trust God knows what He is doing and will accomplish His purposes despite who is President. According to the Scripture, our job is to pray for our leaders and trust in God. I must remain close to my God, try to be obedient to Him and live my life according to His directions. The rest is up to Him.

So I am first and foremost a citizen of Heaven. I'm a child of God, saved by Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit lives in me. That makes me a citizen of Heaven and part of the family of God. I am a part of the Church, the Body of Christ, and Christ is the Head.

Before being an American, before being a South Carolinian, before being a member of my family - I'm a member of God's family. After that I'm a Huneycutt/Harris, then a South Carolinian, then a Southerner, then an American. My relationship with God is first and of the highest priority. His law comes before any other. For instance, God says, "Thou shalt not kill". But, in America, abortion is legal. So if I had an unwanted pregnancy, whose law do I obey? Do I obey God and trust Him to work out how my child and I will live? Or do I decide that I know what's best and therefore I'm going to take control and have an abortion because it is legal in America? As a Christian, God's command should be a clear answer to the dilemma. I hope I would obey God's law and trust Him for the outcome even though it's legal in American law.

That example was not to judge anyone and yet to judge us all. Because we all sin, including myself, and that means we are disobedient to God and His laws. But, thanks be to Jesus, we can be forgiven for our disobedience when we repent.

My point is we should see ourselves as citizens of Heaven and God is our king! Before we are anything else, we are part of His kingdom! And His kingdom is over all.

The kingdom of God is both now and not yet. The kingdom has come in fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. A new covenant has been established. Jesus is victorious! But its final manifestation and consummation is in the future. When we pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," we are praying for that future completeness. Right now, I walk the reality of the kingdom while I'm here on earth. One day I will be living the reality of the kingdom of God. When I accepted Jesus as my Savior I joined this Kingdom of God. I still live in this foreign land called earth but I'm a citizen of Heaven. I'm an alien in a strange land. One day I will be at home, but for now, I'm still on earth.

How do we know someone is a foreigner? If I'm in a group of people, how would I recognize someone as being foreign? They look different. They have a different language. They show evidence of their culture as far as how they are dressed, what they eat/drink or what/how they celebrate. Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead. The Chinese celebrate Chinese New Years. Americans celebrate the 4th of July Independence Day. HOW do they celebrate? Russians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. Mexicans celebrate Christmas with 9 prosadas (processions or parades). These celebrate the part of the Christmas story where Joseph and Mary looked for somewhere to stay. The prosada parties have pinatas. Americans celebrate on Dec 25 with Christmas trees, Santa Claus.

As a Christian I dress in a way consistent with being a kingdom citizen. Some Native Americans dress with feathered headdress, beads, fringes, etc. Swiss ladies wear colorful smocked folk dresses with puffed sleeves, tight ribbon crest tops, aprons. As a member of the kingdom of God how do I dress? Modest. God does not require us to cover ourselves from head to toe in a burka like a Middle Eastern muslim. But we dress modestly. Modesty in 1850 was one way, modesty in 2018 is another. I can wear shorts today as long as they aren't short shorts that show things that others shouldn't see. I can wear a skirt as long as it's a modest length. A miniskirt is not modest. I should attempt to wear shirts/blouses not cut too deep or a skirt cut too high. If I don't dress modestly, does God not love me any more? Of course not. God still loves me. I'm just saying, our attire is one way others know we are different from the world. If the way I dress gives the opposite sex crude ideas, then I'm not dressed modestly. Back in 1850, if I had worn shorts and a tank top, the men would have thought I was a prostitute at the very least! If I wore a bathing suit and a pair of shorts in Baghdad today, I would be drawing lustful attention. But it's OK for walking to the beach at the Isle of Palms, SC. We should be aware of the message we are sending with our dress and dress modestly and appropriately. God loves us no matter how we dress but modesty reveals our difference from the world.

Our language often tells others we are foreigners. If we speak a different language or have a heavy accent, people will know we are foreigners. What does that mean to Christians? Our language should be free of cursing, gossip, threats, maliciousness. That's how people of the world talk. If people listen to us, they should be able to tell we are different from the world. Our language should be pure, should be full of faith and praise of God, our King.

We celebrate Christian holidays and should celebrate them as Christians would. Not in selfish, greedy, ungodly ways. How is this translated in a Christian household? Gifts are moderate and given from love, not entitlement. Gifts are received with a grateful heart. Our main focus is on celebrating the birth of Christ not on Santa Claus and getting gifts. The world gets drunk at Christmas parties. The world goes crazy at Christmas sales. The world spends all day drinking beer and watching football. Does this mean a Christian can't watch a football game? No. Does this mean a Christian can't go shopping? No. Does this mean a Christian can't go to a party? No. But we do it as Christians. We show balance, sobriety, good humor, unselfishness, kindness, generosity and respect. And we leave if things take a wrong turn. We are different from the world.

Just as a Frenchman comes to visit America. While he is in America, he is a foreigner visiting. Christians are foreigners with a temporary visa on earth. We will be leaving and going home. This may be a long visit, but it's just a visit. We will go home. And eventually, when Christ returns, He will bring His Kingdom with Him. Anyone can become a citizen of His Kingdom. But there is only one way to do it and that is through accepting Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world. If they refuse this free offer to become citizens, they will suffer the consequences. When Christ establishes His Kingdom, we will be at home but the unsaved will be the unwelcome foreigners and will be deported. They belong to satan and will suffer the same punishment he gets.

When we enter that future Kingdom of God, Jesus says we will reign with Him! We will rule under His authority!

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny and disown and reject Him, He will also deny and disown and reject us.

Daniel 7:18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever.'

Revelation 2:26-28 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

Colossians 1:12-14 May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

We are also priests!

1 Peter 2:4-5, 9 [Jesus] is the living stone people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honored. 5 And now you are living stones being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God...But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done.

Exodus 19:5-6 Now if you will faithfully obey me, you will be my very own people. The whole world is mine, 6 but you will be my holy nation and serve me as priests.

Our life, here on earth, is a time of preparation to become the rulers and priests we are meant to be. Like leadership training! By the Holy Spirit that lives in us, we are being sanctified and transformed to be more like Christ. To be chosen by God to be a priest is such a privilege! Because of Jesus' death upon the cross, all believers now have direct access to the throne of God through Jesus Christ our great High Priest. We are to offer up spiritual sacrifices, and to proclaim the praises of God. By both life (1 Peter 2:5; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10) and by word (1 Peter 2:9; 3:15), our purpose is to serve God and praise Him.

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Revelation 5:11 Then I looked and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.

Psalm 148:1-2 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him all His hosts!

The chorus of the redeemed is followed by the angels and heavenly hosts joining in. It expands to include all the angels of heaven! The number of angels is staggering, incalculable! They join us with one voice, in unity of praise. The praise and adoration is unanimous, full, spontaneous, joyous and loud! Man's redemption gives the angels joy! They rejoice over very sinner's conversion! In Psalm 148, the word for praise is the Hebrew halal and it means to boast, make a show, extravagantly praise, to shine, to rave, to give glory. May we join in the praise of our God!!!

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Revelation 5:12-14 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

This doxology (a hymn containing praise to God) begins with a sevenfold and thus perfect and complete song of praise: power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and praise. They are praising what they observe in Him.

Matthew Henry's Commentary - It is matter of joy to all the world, to see that God deals with men in grace and mercy through the Redeemer. He governs the world, not merely as a Creator, but as our Saviour.

Philippians 2: 8-11 [Jesus] humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name above all names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

We have seen a couple of times in Revelation, where the elders fall down before the Lamb in praise and adoration. The don't just bow before him, they fall before him. Fall on their faces. The word in Greek is pipto and means to fall, to fall prostrate. This reminds me of what we pentecostals call being "slain in the spirit". A temporary, physical response to a spiritual encounter with God that leaves you unable to stand. A genuine encounter with God that causes your physical body to react. The effect of God's presence on an earthly vessel. I know that some people fake it or it may be done out of emotionalism but the times I've experienced it for myself, it was the sudden inability to stand in God's presence. There is no push, no wind, nothing to cause it. You just are on your feet worshipping and then no longer on your feet but prostrate in worship.

Every thing in heaven and on earth and under the earth are praising the Lamb. In Philippians, God says EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. That includes the satan, his demons, the lost and unsaved. They may have refused to acknowledge Jesus in life but they will be made to in the end. But it will be too late for them. The lost had every chance during their lifetime. Every minute they had, every breath they breathed, was a chance to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of their life and they refused. God loved them, wanted them, gave His Son to give them the free gift of salvation. They don't go to hell because God wanted them to. They go to hell because they choose to. God doesn't want anyone to be lost and made every provision for us. If we just accept Jesus. But whether we accept Jesus as Son of God and King doesn't affect that He IS the Son of God and King and we will all admit that, willingly or not.

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Keep in mind, that God releases these horrors. They are under His control and He permits it. God has provided the way to salvation, and during this church age (already more than 2,000 years old), He has sent His Holy Spirit to try to bring men/women to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We also have the Word of God. God has been merciful, gracious, loving and PATIENT! But there is an end to the patience. Evil must be judged. We have had every chance to be saved. If you refuse to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it is not because God wanted it that way, it's because you chose to refuse Christ. There is an end of patience and He will release His righteous judgment and wrath against sin, evil and satan. He will use these tools to bring an end to sin and judge the evil.

Revelation 6:1-2 1 Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!” 2 So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider had a bow. And he was given a crown, and rode out to conquer and defeat.

God had told Daniel to close the book and seal it. Now John sees the seals being opened by the Lamb.

Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased

There are different views of these seals. Some believe these seals happened already either in the history of the Jews before Christ or in the history of the early church. And some think this is in the future and the seals will begin after the rapture of the church.

Much of prophecy has a twofold fulfillment. If we know biblical prophecy and the history of the Jews and the early church, we see that sometimes these prophecies seem to have been fulfilled in the events soon after the prophecy but have a future fulfillment in the end times. Some prophecies in the Bible have both a short-term and long-term fulfillment (types and antitypes). For example, the Olivet Prophecy by Jesus and recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (Matthew 24) was partially fulfilled by the siege of Jerusalem, Antiochus Epiphanes’ sacrifice of a pig on the altar in the Jewish Temple (the Abomination of Desolation) and the destruction of the Second Temple by Titus Flavius. But we also know it will be fulfilled during the Great Tribulation immediately before the second coming of Christ. Are the seals dual prophecies. To John, the seals would have been prophetic (fulfilled in the future) whether it was fulfilled in the first decades of the church or fulfilled in the end times. My belief is that the seals are end times or dual fulfillment prophecies. But I'm no trained scholar.

When the first seal is broken, the first of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse comes forth.

The minor prophet (major prophets are the prophets with the longest prophetic books in the Bible and the minor prophets are those with the shorter prophetic books in the Bible), Zechariah had a vision of these first 4 horses:

Zechariah 6:1-7 1 I looked up again, and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. 6 The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.” 7 When the powerful horses went out, they were straining to go throughout the earth. And he said, “Go throughout the earth!” So they went throughout the earth.

The living creature calls him forth with a command, "Come!". This horse is white and has a rider who is given a golden crown and a bow. The golden crown is a stephanos=a wreath (garland), awarded to a victor in the ancient athletic games (like the Greek Olympics); the crown of victory. The bow is representative of weapons, military power. In Revelation 19, Christ comes on a white horse wearing many crowns but those crowns are diadema=a royal crown: "a narrow filet encircling the brow," a "kingly ornament for the head" and the rider of that horse is called "Faithful and True" and "Word of God". This white horse (in Revelation 6) is not Christ but one given power to go forth and conquer. If this is the end times, is it false religion? Masquerading as the Christ, but NOT the true Christ.

In the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus says:
Matthew 24: 4-5 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

He is a false teacher and this deceitful ministry conquers by deceiving the masses. This could be the anti-Christ. He proclaims himself to be Christ but is not and is actually everything that is opposite of Jesus Christ. As we will see later, the anti-Christ is so deceptive that everyone will believe he has come to save the world but then he turns on them. Whether it is false teaching and deception about Christianity, or the actual anti-Christ, it is deceiving and gives people a false sense of security. They may think they are saved but are not, which is truly heinous. Even today, many think they can go to heaven by being "good", or believing in anything because "all religions lead to the same God". Many even attend Christian churches but have never had a heart conversion. God is very clear that we are only saved through belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only Savior. He is also clear that we must make the personal choice to repent and ask for Christ's forgiveness and accepting Him as Lord. We can't be saved because our parents are saved or because we were raised in a Christian home or because we attend church. It's a personal reaching out to God through Jesus Christ. We are born again (meaning our spirit is born) and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us to empower, teach and train us. The Holy Spirit is the seal that guarantees we are His child and saved.

Today, it seems many will believe anything BUT salvation through Jesus Christ. People believe in ghosts, aliens, Native American "spirits", demons, fairies, angels, ad infinitum. But they can become really hostile if you mention Jesus Christ. We are suppose to be tolerant of all religions except Christianity. The author, Dan Brown, is a genius at using art and history to create a novel and people will believe his fiction books as though they were some kind of gospel because his books attack Christianity. Let me give you a hint, just because Da Vinci believed Mary Magdalene carried the blood line of Christ doesn't mean it's true! Just because a cult grows up around evolution doesn't mean it's true. His latest book has a wealthy man creating his own religion complete with church, sacred text and teachings, disciples and adoration. It's just he's his own god with Darwin and Henry Blake's writings as his sacred texts. As for me, I'm one of those Brown speaks of, if the Bible says 2+2=5, then I believe it. I would believe it because I trust God far more than I trust men. (Now, I've never found 2+2=5 in the Bible, just saying.) For a man/woman to be so arrogant to think he/she knows more than God, is a scary place for a man/woman to be in.

So can false religion conquer and be victorious over the masses? I should say so. It's already been proven, but in the end times it will be the vast majority.

How do you avoid this kind of deception? Accept Jesus as Lord and pray for the Holy Spirit within you to teach you through God's Word. And READ His Word. Sit under good teaching by people of faith.

The rider is also given a bow which usually means military power. Could this be that false religions will usher in wars under the name of their god? We've seen this happen many times in history and even today (muslims believe in world domination and the killing of infidels, non-muslims, to get into heaven). Even false teachers within the Christian church, have led "Christians" in wars like the crusades and the inquisitions.

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Revelation 6:3-4 3 And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.

Zechariah 1:8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him.

Zechariah 6:2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses

Red=the color of blood. Throughout history we've seen wars and man's inhumanity to man. There have been times of such brutality that we could imagine it was the end times as talked about in this prophecy. For instance, Rome's brutal conquests and violent rule, especially over the Jews. Or World War I, the first war that encompassed countries from around the world and led to millions of deaths. Or World War II which literally involved EVERY country in the world and led to more millions upon millions being killed. Every time people thought this could be the end times talked about in these scriptures. But now we are afraid of a World War III with nuclear capabilities. Yes, it can get worse.

There has always been prejudice, hatred, racism, sexism, jealousy, lust, greed and selfishness. There has always been men who are willing to annihilate others to have power and riches. There have always been men who enjoy the pain and suffering of others and the feel of power it gives them. It is the nature of unregenerate man. But this will be complete and total violence as to be worse than any we've known so far.

Matthew 24: 6-7a You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Matthew 10: 33-39 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven. 34 Do not assume that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn ‘A man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. 37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; 38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Jesus was fully aware that those who accepted His salvation and lordship would become hated. We are anathema to the unsaved. Even natural affections that would normally knit us together as family will be tossed aside. It is the natural enmity of son, daughter, and daughter-in-law, to everything divine, spiritual, and evangelical. We are hated and persecuted because we have chosen Christ and are saved. But Jesus calls us not to return hatred and ill will to those who persecute us. We are hated because they hate Jesus and because we have a relationship with Him. The number of Christians systematically exterminated in Nazi Germany was a million, while the number of Orthodox Christians and others murdered in Russia between 1917 and 1950 at 15 million. In China, at least 200,000 Christians and foreigners were killed in the Boxer Rebellion of 1898 to 1900, just 2 yrs time. Another 700,000 were killed in communist China between 1950 and 1980. The number of Catholics killed in Mexico from the late 1800s to 1930 is estimated at 107,000, while 300,000 Christians are believed to have been killed under Idi Amin in Uganda between 1971 and 1979. It is increasing! Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, with 900,000 martyred just in the decade from 2005-2015. According to Open Doors Ministries, Christian persecution across the world has steadily increased over the last three years and 2016 was "the worst year of persecution on record." The Middle East accounts for a majority of countries ranked in the top 10 for extreme persecution of Christians today. In order, the countries are as follows:
1. North Korea
2. Somalia
3. Afghanistan
4. Pakistan
5. Sudan
6. Syria
7. Iraq
8. Iran
9. Yemen
10. Eritrea
21. Egypt

This map shows the areas in the world that have the highest rates of Christian persecutions for 2015.


According to the Open Doors Christian advocacy group, one in 12 Christians today experiences high, very high or extreme persecution for their faith. **Warning! The following photos are horrible and disturbing but it's happening people!**






These numbers are shocking to an American who has the right and freedom to practice their religion built into the U.S. Constitution. Our forefathers knew of religious persecution and ensured this freedom for us. And yet, even in America, we face persecution although not to the extent of martyrdom. In our society today, Christians are demonized, mocked, ridiculed and demeaned. We are called narrow-minded, fanatical, judgmental, Puritanical, Medieval, homophobic, Neanderthal, racist bigots. And those who call us that are applauded. It is politically correct in America today to demean, insult and marginalize Christians. We are told that we are intolerant and we must be tolerant of other lifestyles and religions or else! It doesn't seem to occur to them that they are thus being intolerant of our lifestyle and faith. They are what they accuse us of being. Throughout all of this, Jesus calls His children to not return insult for insult. We are to turn the other cheek and not hate in the face of hatred. We are to forgive and show kindness. We are to attempt to keep our heart pure of anger, revenge, hatred. In my human-ness, it goes against the grain. "You've got on my last nerve and now I'm about to open up a can of whoop-a**!" We want to defend ourselves and that's natural. What Jesus calls us to do is unnatural. How do we do it!?! By remembering that the Holy Spirit lives inside us to empower us to follow God's commands to love others. He can help us forgive and turn the other cheek. So we stay in the Word, we pray and ask God to forgive us for any bad feelings. Then we ask the Holy Spirit to help us to live as Christ calls us to live. If we continue to do this, eventually we will find that we are living it. Remember, if it's God's command and we want to obey His command, then the Holy Spirit within us will insure that we can follow His command. He didn't leave us helpless in this world. He sent a strengthener, a comforter, a power, a teacher to live in us to enable us to obey God's commands.

Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are truly suffering and being martyred!

But it's bad even in the civilized world now. **WARNING! I warn you that some of the pictures are vulgar but it shows you to what level they will go.** These topless women screamed and threw water all over this priest.










With these statistics and history, we can see what Jesus calls the "birth pangs" of the end times. We've been building up to this end time total war since Christ ascended to heaven. Our population has grown and our technology has grown to the point that we can annihilate millions whereas before, it was only thousands, tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. If we had a world population of 5 million people and bow, spear, and sword technology then wars couldn't kill as many. But our population ranges in the billions today and we have the technology to kill millions of our population. In the last 100 years we've seen two World Wars and technology that produced the atom bomb and now nuclear technology. So we have killed each other in unprecedented numbers and have the technology to kill even more in the next world war.

Zechariah 14:13 On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the LORD with great panic. They will fight their neighbors hand to hand.

In 2017, in America, we saw liberals and conservatives fighting, Republicans and Democrats, Antifa and BLM, White Supremacy and LGBT, old and young, white and black, male and female FIGHTING in the streets! The hate and intolerance on both sides is horrible to see! Each side is so uncompromising, vulgar, belligerent and enraged that it's turned into rioting in the streets in "protests", beatings, attacks, assaults, and arrests. More and more women are joining the men in violence and vulgarity. They don't seem to understand how they are demeaning themselves by dressing as vaginas, going naked and carrying signs with vulgar, disgusting statements. It's sad to think women believe they should lower themselves to the filthy pit of hell to be "equal" with men. Men shouldn't be down there either!!









And notice the red horse follows the white horse of religious deception as prophesied by Christ. This horrendous violence will be world wide and so bad that mankind would become extinct if not for the shortening of the time.

Matthew 24:9- 9 Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and killed, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. 10 At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another, 11 and many false prophets will arise and mislead many. 12 Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. 13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come...21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened. 23 At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

"In the midst of wrath God thinks on mercy. He providentially ordained that the days of vengeance should not be indefinitely prolonged" - Pulpit Commentary

In a recent article, Justin D. Long emphasized the startling fact that more people have died for their faith in the Twentieth Century than in all of the previous centuries combined. “During this century, we have documented cases in excess of 26 million martyrs. From AD 33 to 1900, we have documented 14 million martyrs.”

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Revelation 6:5-6 5 And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. 6 And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not waste the oil and the wine.”

Black is typical of woe and mourning. distress and calamity, want. There seems to be two interpretations on this third seal. One is that true spiritual food, as in the Word of God, will become scarce and people will starve in the knowledge of God. The other is that there will be famine and foods that we rely on to sustain ourselves will become scarce and we will physically starve.

I have said this before, we have printing technology and the computer capability to print Bibles in every known language. We have scholars who have studied the original manuscripts and texts in original languages. They have written resource material that is available to us. We have their multiple translations and study guides. In America, we have churches on every corner with free Bible study in multiple services during the week. We have Sunday School classes, training union, Men/Women/Teen Bible studies for free, Bible colleges, private Christian schools. We have it on TV, radio and Internet. Our churches are live streaming services and keeping libraries of past sermons. In America, we have public school education that is available to every child so that we can all read and write. And, yet, we seem to be more ignorant of the Bible and of Christ and His teachings than ever before! We have talking heads pontificating about things they know nothing about. They make judgments based on ignorance. If you were to go out and ask people to recite the simplest and most fundamental of Christian commands in the Bible, they couldn't do it! They can't tell you the Ten commandments or recite the Lord's Prayer or John 3:16. But they don't mind mocking Christianity or making ridiculous statements as though they knew what they were talking about. People who have read the Bible, studied it, sat under teachings, meditated on it, studied it for themselves are few and far between. I remember memorizing the Golden Rule, John 3:16, 23rd Psalm, the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments IN SCHOOL along with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. But we aren't allowed to do that any more. Families used to attend church, but many do not so children don't learn it at church. Parents used to be able to train their children because of how they were taught but now we have generations who have never stepped foot inside a church and are proud of it! So the children don't learn from their parents. All they hear is the mockery, insults and talking points from TV, movies, music, books or magazines. They can sure repeat the words of a song they like or tell you every word the actor is going to say next in a movie they watch over and over again. It's not that they are stupid. They are simply not taught and a relationship with God is not exampled in a meaningful way to them. So they grow up ignorant. Opinionated but ignorant! Knowledge and practice of true religion have become scarce.

So I can definitely see where a famine of spiritual truth and the Word of God could be meant here. Matthew Henry's Commentary says, "When a people loathe their spiritual food, God may justly deprive them of their daily bread. The famine of bread is a terrible judgment; but the famine of the Word is more so."

What happens when the truth is so despised and ignorance is so total? Heresies and heretics with their deceit, words of vanity and empty, meaningless religions will fill the void. How do you avoid falling into their webs? Know the Word for yourself. Read the Bible. Make it a resolution that you will get an easy to read paraphrase to start with. Then read it all the way through. Once you've read it from cover to cover, pick a different translation and read it again. As you go through reading the most important book that has ever been written, be sure to underline, highlight, maybe take notes and jot down questions as you go through it. Also begin attending a Bible believing church. Unfortunately, even going to a church does not guarantee that you are going to a church where the pastor and leaders believe in the Bible. You have to find one that believes and teaches from this belief. Take some Bible study classes from teachers who are believers. There are video classes, Internet and Youtube, books, workbooks. There are ways to study and learn. Eventually you will begin to use the study techniques you learned in school (hopefully) and apply them to your study of the Bible. If you have diligently read and studied it for 10 years, then you might be able to form opinions and make intelligent conversation about the Bible. Otherwise, just keep your mouth shut because your ignorance is showing!

But the other interpretation of this third seal and the black horse is literal famine. In the Bible, wheat is measured and not weighed. Balances (or scales) are used to weigh precious things, but here a scale is used for measuring wheat as though it were so precious you can't waste a bit of it. The wine and oil are so scarce that it also cannot be wasted or harmed. You wouldn't want to spill a drop by being careless.

This interpretation is also not hard to envisage. We've seen it in the past and even today. When all able bodied men are drafted for war, and no one left to sow and harvest the crops, then famine is sure to follow. It's what happened in the South during the War of Northern Aggression. There weren't enough men left at home to defend the farms and to run the farms. When families began starving, men felt compelled to leave their military positions, and try to get back home to help their wives, children and elderly parents. Many deserted even if just for a time to get home and help. Some came back. Some never made it home or back to the lines if they died or were killed. Many families starved to death and were never heard from again. Men who might have made it through the War came home to nothing and no one. Labor intensive crops would especially suffer. It's easier to get a loaf of bread out of grain than it is to harvest, process and produce oil and wine.

The prices charged for the grain are twelve times normal prices. It seems that common families would spend all their money on grain to keep from starving and would have nothing left to spend on better things. Of course, the rich will always live comfortably and will charge exorbitant rates to make money. Many businessmen have no qualms about taking advantage of people to make a dime even in the most serious situations. It's why our government tries to stop thievery, hoarding and profiteering during natural disasters.

Micah 6:9-15 (New Living Bible)
9 Fear the LORD if you are wise!
His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:
“The armies of destruction are coming;
the LORD is sending them.
10 What shall I say about the homes of the wicked filled with treasures gained by cheating?
What about the disgusting practice of measuring out grain with dishonest measures?
11 How can I tolerate your merchants who use dishonest scales and weights?
12 The rich among you have become wealthy through extortion and violence.
Your citizens are so used to lying that their tongues can no longer tell the truth.
13 “Therefore, I will wound you!
I will bring you to ruin for all your sins.
14 You will eat but never have enough.
Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain.
And though you try to save your money, it will come to nothing in the end.
You will save a little, but I will give it to those who conquer you.
15 You will plant crops but not harvest them.
You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your wine.

And, God is involved here. It is He who is in control and He can withhold rain, sun, wind, natural nutrients, even seed in order to allow a famine in the land.

Amos 4: 6 “I brought hunger to every city and famine to every town. But still you would not return to me,” says the LORD.

We are talking about His righteous justice! The Lord has given us every chance. He has provided the way. He has consistently, patiently and lovingly invited every one of us to salvation. Yet, we turn our backs to Him and refuse His every effort. If we do this, then it is not His fault. It is our own choice if we suffer His wrath and judgment. He has held out His hand in love and mercy, yet many refuse to take His hand. That is their choice. Judgment will come one day. It is inevitable. I'm saved through Jesus Christ and you can be too. If you haven't, please take this time to reach out to Him because we never know when it will be too late.
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Revelation 6:7-8 7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Ezekiel 14:21-22 21 For thus says the Lord GOD, "How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it! 22 "Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.

The word for "pale" is actually "greenish white, livid". This is the color of disease, horror, terror, and death. Death kills and Hades swallows up. Hades is the Greek term and Sheol is the Hebrew term for the place of the dead. What is this place of the dead? It's where all souls, saved and unsaved, go after death. But there are two distinct places in this realm of the dead: the place of torment for the unsaved and the place of Paradise for the saved. And there is a huge, uncrossable chasm that divides the two realms. Paradise in Hades is also referred to as "Abraham's bosom".

Luke 16:19-31 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side (in King James' it's Abraham's bosom). The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Notice that the rich man said, "but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent." Jesus came back from the dead and many still refuse to listen to Him and so, Abraham, tells him even that wouldn't work.

When a Christian dies, according to Jesus, we go to Paradise. Luke 23:43 Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."

This place of Paradise will be with Jesus and we will safely remain there until it is time for Jesus' Second Coming when He will establish the new Heaven and the New Earth and we will be ushered into His eternal kingdom! So we have no worries about where we go when we die. But for those who have refused Christ, when they die, all hope is gone and they enter a place of torment. On Judgment day they will be sentenced to an eternity of torment in the Lake of Fire.

Please, realize that God does NOT want anyone to go to the place of torment and eternal damnation! It's why He provided His very Son to die for us. All we have to do is accept Jesus as our Lord and ask for forgiveness! But if you refuse every attempt, then it's on your own head. The Holy Spirit will continue to try to bring the truth and the gospel (good news) to you but after repeatedly rejecting it, your heart may become too hard to hear any more.

So the pale horse is the one that brings horrible death. We've seen death by war and violence, death by famine and now death by plague/disease/epidemics, and wild beasts! Today, we don't think of death by wild beasts. But Christians were placed in ampitheaters and wild beasts sent in so the audience could WATCH and be ENTERTAINED by the mauling, maiming and deaths. This reminds me of us as we watch TV, movies and video games to see all the ways people can be killed in gruesome ways for our entertainment. The more blood and guts, the more we like it. So we haven't really evolved very much from those Romans and their ampitheaters. It could also mean that men become like wild animals attacking for little reason but their hatred. Not for war, not for conquest, not for revenge or gain but just to roam and kill as they wish. Animalistic, little logic or reason, just brute strength and desire to inflict pain. Of course, if you look at it that way, most animals don't even do that unless they've gone crazy. They usually attack to defend themselves, for food or for domination.

In history, we have seen epidemics that have killed huge swaths of humanity. The Bubonic Plague (aka Black Death or the Black Plague) is estimated to have killed 75-200 MILLION people during the Middle Ages. That was 30-60% of the population! To put it an understandable context, if you have 10 people in a room, 3-6 of them would die of the Bubonic Plague. It is thought it started in the dry plains of Central Asia, where it then traveled along the Silk Road, reaching Crimea by 1343 and then on into Europe. It is thought that it was carried by fleas on rats and humans. It was a horrible death with oozing sores. People had no idea how it was transmitted and had no defense against it. They didn't understand about viruses, germs, bacteria. It was the worst pandemic earth has ever faced.

This doesn't even take into consideration the other major diseases that humanity faced before modern science. Diseases such as typhoid fever, malaria, cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, tuberculosis. In modern times, we had the Spanish Flu epidemic that killed approximately 75 million during 1918-1919. Then there was the polio epidemic in the 1940-1950's. Those who survived the early epidemics that had devastated Eurasia in the Middle Ages, went on to explore and inadvertently passed on the same diseases to other continents who then went through the same holocaust of diseases and deaths. Today, we've come across diseases and viruses that still have no cure such as AIDS, cancer, flu viruses.

Jesus described the finals days as a woman in labor; they will be days of contractions that increase in the frequency of pain and the intensity of pain as we draw closer to the end. So although all these things have been seen in the past, they will increase which is a scary thought. But, as God's children, we are well taken care of. I'm not saying no Christian will die. As you know, Christians die every day now. But our spirits are eternally secure and the Holy Spirit will supernaturally aid us and see us through and into the presence of God. Can I be martyred like Christians have been throughout the last 2,000 years? It's possible. Should I be afraid? Should I fear what could happen? What if I'm one of those that is burned alive on a pyre or set upon by wild animals or beheaded? I used to really fear that because I was afraid I couldn't withstand and therefore would lose my salvation. But I finally came to the conclusion that I am saved through Jesus Christ who KNEW we could not do it alone. Then He sent the Holy Spirit to enable us. If God calls me to be martyred, then He will supernaturally provide the strength and help that I need until I stand in His presence and He looks at me with love and says, "Well done!". He doesn't want to lose me any more than I want to lose Him! I cannot do it on my own. I would cave and give in. But I'm not alone. I have a secret weapon and God will step in and take over so that I can do all things through Him! So I try not to be afraid and live in fear. It may or may not happen to me. I could walk outside and an airplane fall on me this afternoon and I would have worried for nothing. Either God won't ask of me what I cannot do OR He will provide what I need to do what He asks. It's faith or it's nothing. And I have faith.

Who are the riders? They are not angels but demons who have been given this power over the earth. But they are totally harnessed by God. They cannot do anything without the permission of the One in control, God the Father! These demonic forces have worked in this world since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and fell into sin. Satan was cast out of heaven and has been given limited power and limited time by God as the prince of the earth. But God is in control and NOTHING can touch His children unless He allows it. And if He allows it, He will supernaturally, miraculously see us through. We may hurt, experience pain, but we will survive and make it into His arms and it will all be worth it. But where I am weak and incapable, He is strong and very capable. So I try to trust in that and have faith in that. There will be a remnant. Those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord, are the remnant. And just like Noah and his family were rescued by the Ark, Jesus is our Ark and we will be rescued through Him.

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Revelation 6:9-11 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were unleashed. Now the fifth seal is broken by the Lamb. It is not introduced by the voice of the living beings, and the cry "Come." There is no horse and rider called forth. The voice which is now heard is the oppressed and persecuted Church. John now sees the souls of the martyred about an altar. Yesterday we talked about Hades, the place of the dead. The unsaved go to the place in Hades that is a place of torment and regret. The saved go to the place in Hades called Paradise where they are with Jesus, safe and at rest until His Second Coming. The martyred souls that John sees are safe and at rest although they are in great anticipation of the culmination of all things and the establishment of Christ's Kingdom! Their blood, poured out at the foot of the altar, cries out for justice. Life is in the blood. This reminds us of Cain and Abel. They were Adam and Eve's sons. Out of jealousy, Cain killed Abel. Abel's innocent blood called out for justice and vengeance.

Genesis 4:8-10 8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.

Christ's blood called out forgiveness.

Hebrews 12:24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Our blood is precious in His sight.

Psalm 72:13-14 13 He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. 14 He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight;

These Christians were "slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained". The Bible is the truth,and the inspired revelation of God. The more I study it, the more I believe EVERY word and the more exciting it becomes. God assured that we would have His Word. He miraculously gave His Word, protected His Word, provided a means for His Word to be passed down, and that His Word could be read by all who seek Him. It's not a coincidence that God's revelation to men has come down to the book that sits dusty on your coffee table. People take it for granted; pass over it and think it's some boring text. In America, it's so readily available that people don't see it as valuable and precious. God revealed Himself in human words to help us understand Him. The Bible is His love letter to us. It is history, poetry, adventure, parable, mystery, romance, how-to and self improvement. But beyond all that, it is the living Word of God to us! It is more precious than diamonds, more costly than gold. Do you realize how many people have died to bring the Bible to us in a readable format? It was in it's original languages until it was translated into Latin. But for centuries, the common people could not read and understand Latin. They had to rely on the priests to interpret for them. When some scholars decided to translate it into common languages, the Catholic church felt threatened and men were put to death for translating the Word of God into English or other "common" languages! But, even if it was written in a common language, before the technology of printing presses, the Bible had to be copied BY HAND and it took inordinate amounts of time. Each page had to be reviewed for any errors. If an error was found, not only was the page destroyed but the pages that had TOUCHED the incorrect one were also destroyed. I.e. if page 2 was incorrect, then pages 1, 2, and 3 were destroyed. It was a time consuming and expensive endeavor only educated men could do. Remember, most of the population were uneducated and illiterate. So if they had a Bible in hand, they couldn't read it. Today, we have widespread literacy with free public school education. We have printing presses. And the Bible is available free or very inexpensively. But we don't treasure it!?! These martyred Christians treasure it as the Word of God. They see it as truth and are willing to die for it. They believe its message is personally vital, current, and authoritative, and they are willing to die rather than compromise its instruction. They were also killed for the word of their testimony. This means they know first hand of something and are willing to swear to it. They can give testimony as first hand observers. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?" They testify that Jesus Christ is Lord and is the Son of God. They testify that He forgives sins and saves us. They testify that He is the Christ, and the Savior of mankind. Their testimony is something so precious that they hold it fast, bear it, maintain it, keep it in trust, possess it, consider it, believe it, and adhere to it.

Luke 21: 12-19 But before all these things [the heavenly signs of the sixth seal], they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will send some of you to your death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost. In your patience possess your souls.

John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.

Evangelist Billy Graham died 2/21/2018 and this is what one feminist writer, Lauren Duca tweeted, "The big news today is that Billy Graham was still alive this whole time. Anyway, have fun in hell, bitch." 11:02 AM - Feb 21, 2018. Later she added, "'Respecting the dead' only applies to people who weren't evil pieces of shit while they were living, thanks." 11:19 AM - Feb 21, 2018.



Gill's Exposition of the Bible "Christ may be meant by the altar here, as he is in Hebrews 13:10, who is both altar, sacrifice, and priest, and is the altar that sanctifies the gift, and from off which every sacrifice of prayer and praise comes up with acceptance before God; and the souls of the martyrs being under this altar, denotes their being in the presence of Christ, and enjoying communion with him, and being in his hands, into whose hands they commit their souls at death, as Stephen did, and being under his care and protection until the resurrection morn, when they shall be reunited to their bodies which sleep in Jesus: and they were slain."

Christ alone makes our obedience, and even the sacrifice of our life for the truth, acceptable to God.

In the Old Testament, the animal sacrifices were sacrificed on the brazen altar which stood at the door of the tabernacle (later the Temple in Jerusalem) (Exodus 39:39 and 40:29), and the blood was poured out at the foot of the altar (Leviticus 4:7). The martyrs are therefore regarded as having offered themselves as sacrifices upon the altar of God by yielding up their lives for him. The Apostle Paul said, "For I am now ready to be offered ['to pour out as a libation], and the time of any departure is at hand;" (2 Timothy 4:6)



Deuteronomy 32:43 "Rejoice, O nations, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And will render vengeance on His adversaries, And will atone for His land and His people."

These martyrs are given a white robe. This is symbolic of their righteousness and justification through Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ purifies and makes us white as snow.

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.

Then God reassures them and asks them to be patient a while longer. They will have to wait until the start of the second half of the Tribulation, when the Bowl Judgments will pour out God’s wrath upon an unrepentant world. Then the number of martyrs will be complete. God knows the exact number as it has been fixed according to His Plan and Purpose from the beginning of time. The Day of Judgment cannot come until this number is reached. There is a limit placed on the number of martyrs which means the suffering will not go on forever. There will be a point at which it is over, when the Lord's justice will finally be seen by the world and when there will be no more tears. Let me leave you today with this...

Luke 12:4-9 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 8 “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.

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Revelation 6:12-17 12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

Matthew 24:32-33, 37-42 32 Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that the time is near, right at the door...36 But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

The first five seals describe the birth pangs of the end times. They grow increasingly in intensity. With each seal we've seen how our world, in history, has suffered and how it will increase. All of these things have been happening in the world since before Jesus ascended to His throne. The volume and magnitude of them has increased, but none of it is new. Famines, pestilences, death, earthquakes, war...these are not new events. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells His disciples about the end times and it's a summary of Revelation 6. Here are the corresponding verses in Matthew 24 with today's 5th seal:

Matthew 24:29-31 29 Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
30 Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Here we have cosmic events. It starts with a great shaking and is translated as earthquake. "Earthquake" is not the best translation as the shaking extends to heaven and earth. Haggai 2:6 For this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land.

The worst earthquake had a magnitude 9.5. The Valdivia Earthquake that struck in Chile in 1960 created a tsunami, which together killed an estimated 5,700 people. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami registered a 9.3 magnitude. Sumatra, Indonesia, Dec. 26, 2004, Magnitude 9.1, 227,898 deaths. Haiti Magnitude 7.0., According to official estimates 222,570 people killed. On March 11, a magnitude 9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that killed an estimated 29,000 people and damaged some nuclear reactors. This earthquake is the largest ever recorded in Japan. Hurricanes, wild fires, tornadoes, floods, mud slides, volcanos, monster waves, shark attacks, droughts are constantly in the news. Also in the news are the regular meteorite showers, eclipses, red and blue moons, lunar eclipses, etc.





"The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red". Sackcloth is the Greek sakkos and it was a coarse cloth, a dark coarse fabric made of the hair of animals; a garment of the like material, and clinging to the person like a sack, which was usually worn (or drawn on over the tunic instead of the cloak or mantle) by mourners as a sign of grief, It was furthermore a sign of submission, self-humiliation; as a self-imposed means of mortification of the flesh. Sackcloth made of goat's hair was often used as tent cloth. The goat's hair made it water proof. It was a coarse, rough, thick cloth and very uncomfortable to wear. Sackcloth and ashes were used as an outward sign of one’s inward condition. Such a symbol made one’s change of heart visible and demonstrated the sincerity of one’s grief and/or repentance. The sun itself is in mourning. These signs demonstrate the sovereignty of God over the heavens. Is it possible that with the shaking, came such a volcanic action as to release smoke, ash, dust into the air which obscures the sun and moon?

Joel 2:30-32 30 I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. 31“The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32 And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Amos 8:9 "It will come about in that day," declares the Lord GOD, "That I will make the sun go down at noon And make the earth dark in broad daylight.

Acts 2:19-20 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

"And the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind" Meteor showers? Asteroids? Nuclear missiles?

Isaiah 34:4 All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

Luke 21:25-26 25 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. 26 Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Unbelievers from all walks of life will be terrified. But will these panic stricken people call on Jesus to save them? No! They will call upon mountains and rocks! They would rather die than turn to Jesus Christ. They realize that their money, power, fame will not save them so their terror is great. They try to hide. Just as Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after they disobeyed and sinned. Genesis 3:8-10 "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. 9 Then the LORD God called to the man, 'Where are you?' 10 He replied, 'I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.'” When God came to fellowship with Adam and Eve, they hid from Him. A clear indication that something was wrong. As if we could hide from God!?! God's questions are not because He doesn't know. His questions are to prompt Adam and Eve to think and contemplate. God knew, and he wanted them to know, that hiding and lying were in vain. We deny, obfuscate, justify, deceive, lie, i.e. try to hide behind ridiculous "fig leaves". Whereas, before, when God came to the Garden to fellowship, the two had run joyfully to God in innocence. Now they were afraid, hesitant, trying to hide, withdrawn from the Father. In the time of the 6th seal, the unsaved can no longer deny that there is a God. In terror they still do not repent and turn to God. Rather, they flee and try to hide and call upon the rocks and mountains to kill them. But the day will come and who can stand it?

Isaiah 2:19 Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.

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For more details on The Rapture of the Church see my study on that.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, 4 that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54 50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

What is the Rapture of the church? The word for rapture ("rapio")is NOT in the Bible but the concept of being “carrying off” is taught in Scripture (see the above scriptures). It comes from a Latin word meaning “a carrying off, a transport, or a snatching away.” At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air”. He does not step foot on the earth but rather “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment and wrath to be poured out on the earth during the Great Tribulation. God will resurrect all the bodies of believers who have died, reunite the believer's spirit with their new glorified bodies, and take them from the earth. All living believers, will be taken as well and be given their glorified bodies at the same time.

After we are raptured and gone to Heaven, Paradise in the place of the dead (Hades), Christians will come before the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Judgment Seat is not about whether we will enter heaven - we’ll already be there. It will be a time to give an account of the works we have done on earth, and we will be rewarded accordingly. We’ll also be assigned places of authority in the coming Millennium based upon our faithfulness to God when we were on earth.

When will the Rapture occur? There is some debate about it happening before the Great Tribulation (Pre-Trib), during the Great Tribulation (Mid-Trib) or at the end of the Great Tribulation (Post-Trib). I believe our earth will see the birth pangs of God's coming Wrath with increased intensity but these "birth pangs" are NOT the Great Tribulation, only the signs of the coming Tribulation. So I believe the Rapture occurs before the Great Tribulation. If you read Revelation 6 about the breaking of the seven seals, I believe that the Rapture occurs at the time of the 6th seal or just after the 6th seal is broken.

Matthew 24:29-31 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Verse 29 here seems to indicate the Sixth Seal. "Then will appear", Jesus comes to rapture His Church, His Bride. It does not say he touches earth but that He comes with an angelic trumpet call and we will be gathered. It says "all the peoples of the earth will mourn". Why? Because Christ has come and gathered people to Himself. The unbelievers who are left behind will be in shock, grieving, fearful. Those who know about the Rapture will be dealing with the shock that it's occurred and they are still here! The news commentators and talking heads will begin to look for explanations for the missing people and it won't be long before they find some reason that will be acceptable in their site and in the site of their audience. And here is where my theory comes in... alien abduction. People would rather believe this because if they believe they missed the boat with Jesus Christ, it could mean eternal damnation. “This generation” in Matthew 24:34, refers specifically to the people who live to see all of the terrifying events that Jesus had just mentioned as increasing immediately before His return; such as wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes in various places, widespread famine and disease, and the Antichrist’s rise to power.


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An interlude occurs between the breaking of the 6th seal and the 7th seal.

Revelation 7 1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. 5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,
from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,
from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The Great Multitude in White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, a nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

The Sealed of Israel
The angels will take up key positions on earth, the 4 corners of the earth. Their job was to control the four winds of His wrath until God says to release them.  The wrath is held back until those who must be sealed are sealed. This shows God's grace and salvation. The winds depict God's judgment of the earth, and the four angels are restraining agents who hold back the judgment until God's special servants can be sealed. The 144,000 will be on the earth during the Great Tribulation but they will be protected, for they are sealed with God's name on their forehead in full view. God has said throughout the Bible that there would be a remnant of Jews. It was common in John's day for masters to seal, or brand, their slaves on the forehead or hand to show ownership. This mark also gave them protection from those who would steal or abuse them. It was a sign of ownership but also a sign of security. In future days, the Antichrist requires his followers to be sealed, have marked his followers, with 666. God's witnesses will be sealed as well, with the name of the Father "in their foreheads". This reminds us of Saul of Tarsus (Paul) who was miraculously brought to faith on the road to Damascus. In multiple miraculous incidences, 144,000 Jews will be brought to faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God, and will become powerful evangelists. They are the beginning of a greater harvest (Revelation 14:4, Romans 11:1, Romans 11:26, Matthew 23:37-39).

“They are not a part of the Church proper; for their repentance comes too late for that. They are a superaddition to the Church – a supplementary body – near and precious to Christ, but made up after the proper Church has finished its course.” (Seiss)

The 144,000 servants will be marked men on earth, working directly counter to the interests of the global leader. They will be under attack by the Antichrist's forces as well as demonic powers unleashed upon the earth. They will suffer from hunger, exposure, ridicule, torture and imprisonment. But they all will be miraculously preserved to continue their witness throughout the Great Tribulation period. It will be perilous to aid and abet them. They will no doubt be on the Antichrist's "most wanted list". But God's man, or woman, is indestructible until God's purpose is fulfilled on earth. At the very end, the 144,000 witnesses will stand triumphantly on Mount Zion with Jesus. Jesus refers to them as "these brothers of mine". They bring in a great harvest of souls during the Great Tribulation.

Two tribes are missing and 2 others have been substituted in their places. Why? Some scholars believe the tribe of Dan is missing because the Jewish Antichrist, known as the False Prophet, will be a descendant. This certainly seems to be the meaning of an ancient prophecy that Jacob gave about the tribes of Israel in the last days:

Gen. 49:17 "Dan will be a serpent in the way, a venomous viper by the path, that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward".

This may or may not be the case, but without doubt, Dan was the tribe that introduced idolatry into the nation of Israel (Genesis 49:17; Judges 18:30). There is a wonderful redemption for the tribe of Dan. Dan is the first tribe listed in Ezekiel’s millennial role call of the tribes (Ezekiel 48).

From this list of 12 names both Dan, and Ephraim are omitted. Dan was omitted because of the evil in his life. On the other hand, Levi, Joseph, and Manasseh help to make up the twelve. Levi was not listed before, because he received no land. He was of the priestly tribe which inherited no land. Joseph was represented by two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. Since the tribe of Manasseh is mentioned, by elimination, the tribe of Joseph must mean the tribe of Ephraim – who is listed, but not by name. Perhaps Ephraim was slighted because the tribe of Ephraim was also associated with great idolatry (Hosea 4:17). But, when all is said and done, God says these 144,000 will be Jews who will be saved and they will evangelize and lead many to salvation during the Great Tribulation.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

“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.”

These are martyrs from the great tribulation. The presence of so many tribulation saints is a powerful statement of God’s grace and mercy. Even in this time of judgment and wrath on the earth, many are saved. Because the great multitude are mentioned right after the 144,000, many think they are – at least in part – due to the work of those 144,000 servants of God. Perhaps the 144,000 are evangelists who help reap this huge harvest for the kingdom during the great tribulation. Those saved in the great tribulation are saved just like everybody else, by the blood of the Lamb. Even if they are martyred, their martyrdom does not save them. Only the work of Jesus can cleanse and save.

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Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

This 30 mins of silence in heaven must have been a heavy silence. For those of us in Heaven, our focus is on what is about to be revealed. For the unsaved on earth, it is the lull before the storm. We've seen 6 seals opened and there seems to be a Sabbath rest on the 7th seal. When a nation, and now the world, is so far gone into rebellion against God with no repentance, The Lord removes His Holy people and allows for a period of “silence”, right before His judgements are unleashed onto the world.

When Noah was commanded to build the Ark, God intended for the Ark to be Noah's refuge, his safe place, where he could ride out the flood in safety. Why did God send the Flood?

Genesis 6:1-4,9,11-12 1 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown 5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These [are] births of Noah: Noah [is] a righteous man; perfect he hath been among his generations; with God hath Noah walked habitually... 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

It seems the people on earth had been breeding with "Nephilim". Who are they? These scriptures indicate they are "sons of God". These were the angels who had rebelled against God with satan. God had cast them out of Heaven and on earth where they roam a temporary time. We call them demons. Satan and his rebellious angels (1/3 of the angels in Heaven participated in the rebellion) are temporarily relegated to earth. These demonic angels were breeding with human women and the result was what I would call halflings. Half human, half demon. They are the evil giants that the Bible mentions. For more information see my post on Giants In The Earth.

So the human race had been polluted by demons and they were becoming more and more evil. So God had to bring judgment and wrath and destroy them. Why did He have to destroy all those people? Because they weren't fully human beings. They were halflings and halflings could not be saved by God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. If God didn't save someone who was still pure human, then there would be no humans to save. In Genesis 6:9 "Noah [is] a righteous man; perfect he hath been among his generations;". This tells us that not only was Noah a man after God and a man of faith, but he was still undiluted human being. God would remove Noah and his family from the judgment and wrath and keep them safe in order to start the human race again. Evidently, in Noah's sons' wives, there must have been some of the Nephilim blood because we see giants later but they were very rare and finally killed off. Goliath was probably one of those.

Now you see that the Flood was God's wrath expended for the evil. It was righteous judgment! What does this story have to do with the period of silence in Heaven? Look at these verses.
Genesis 7:1,4,6-7,10 1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation... 4 "For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made... 6 Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. 7 Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood... 10 It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth.

God commanded Noah, his family and the animals into the Ark and then there was 7 days before the rain started. Seven days before judgment began. Do you think Noah and his family were wondering, "OK, God, we obeyed and here we sit. Did we 'miss the boat'"? (Pun intended) Or maybe they were feeling safe and secure in the Ark because they knew it was their refuge? Maybe a little of both? The 7 days are like the lull before the storm (pun intended, I know, I know, LOL!) It was a Sabbath rest before the wrath was expended. You see, Jesus is our Ark, our refuge of safety. He is the one who saves us from God's wrath and judgment. In Him, we are safe. He will come and rapture us before the Great Tribulation just as he brought Noah and his family into the Ark before the rain began.

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Revelation 8:2-6 2 And I saw the seven angels who stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire from the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Let's read Jesus' Olivet Prophecy in it's entirety:
Matthew 24:3-30 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15 So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’a spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29 Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

We have seen the first six seals as the birth pangs. Of course, there are some who believe that the seals begin the Great Tribulation so the rapture of the church would come midway through the Great Tribulation. I believe they are the birth pangs before the Great Tribulation and the rapture occurs before the Great Tribulation begins. I think I've explained my reason thus far.

What is the "abomination of desolation"?

Daniel 9:20-27 20 I was still confessing my sins and those of all Israel to the LORD my God, and I was praying for the good of his holy mountain, 21 when Gabriel suddenly came flying in at the time of the evening sacrifice. This was the same Gabriel I had seen in my vision, 22 and he explained: Daniel, I am here to help you understand the vision. 23 God thinks highly of you, and at the very moment you started praying, I was sent to give you the answer. 24 God has decided that for 70 weeks, your people and your holy city must suffer as the price of their sins. Then evil will disappear, and justice will rule forever; the visions and words of the prophets will come true, and a most holy place will be dedicated. 25 You need to realize that from the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Chosen Leader, it will be 7 weeks and another 62 weeks. Streets will be built in Jerusalem, and a trench will be dug around the city for protection, but these will be difficult times. 26 the end of the 62 weeks, the Chosen Leader will be killed and left with nothing. A foreign ruler and his army will sweep down like a mighty flood, leaving both the city and the temple in ruins, and war and destruction will continue until the end, just as God has decided. 27 For one week this foreigner will make a firm agreement with many people, and halfway through this week, he will end all sacrifices and offerings. Then the “Horrible Thing” that causes destruction (Abomination of Desolation) will be put there. And it will stay there until the time God has decided to destroy this one who destroys.

The AntiChrist will masquerade as the savior of the world and many will believe him. But at some point he will unmask himself for the true AntiChrist he is. He will demand to be worshipped as God.

Contained in the seventh seal are all the subsequent developments, including the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of the wrath of God. The “Seven trumpets” are of greater intensity than the seals, but not as destructive as the final vial or bowl judgments. Just before the Seven Trumpets will be "thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake". People will not be able to deny these "acts of God".

Each time one of these trumpets are blown, it announces another judgment. Trumpets can call an army to mobilize, a call to assemble, or a command to march (see Numbers 10:1-10). These are usually done with silver trumpets. The fourth annual holy day is the Feast of Trumpets, a "memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). For this purpose, a ram’s horn (or shofar) was used. The piercing blast of a shofar also symbolized an alarm of impending attack or war. Only the sons of Aaron, the priesthood, had the authority to blow these trumpets. Jesus Christ is our High Priest (Hebrews 6:20). In addition, God caused the walls of Jericho to fall after seven successive days of trumpets sounding (Joshua 6:4-20). Trumpets draw attention and sound alarms.

Each trumpet plague will affect part of man’s physical world. First, plant life will be affected—the primary food source. Second, the seas will be affected—another source of food. Third, water will be affected—without which life cannot exist. And fourth, light is to be affected.

This is the end of my study on the Seven Seals. I plan to continue studying Revelation.

I am not a fan of the tiny house movement. Once you've had to live in a small space, you really value living space. Our first house was built on the family farm. I drew the plans and my Dad taught the sons-in-law how to build it. We had little money and we lived in it as we built it and paid for it as we went. It took 3 years to finish 900 sq ft. Over the next 16 years we added on to more than double it's size to 2,300 sq ft. When it was finally finished we lived in it a year before deciding to move. We went to a 2,500 sq ft house then to our current 3,000 sq ft house. Last year, we tried to downsize into a 1,600 sq ft luxury apartment. But within a month, we knew we'd made a mistake and thank God our house hadn't sold. We moved back home.

Now I fully realize that some people don't have a choice. Due to finances, availability, you may not have a choice but to live in a small environment. I also realize that some people seem to prefer a compact environment or they wouldn't chose to live in boats, campers, cabins, etc. For the life of me, I don't understand the ones who really choose this way of life despite having other options. I know they are out there, I accept their choices, I just don't understand them.

Back in the old days, families often lived in very cramped quarters. Let's say you were a frontiersman and you brought you wife and little child to the wilderness to live where the nearest neighbor was 10 miles of walking distance. A man, by himself, could only cut down so many trees, drag them and stack them to build a log cabin. His wife would help but that would be your only help besides, hopefully, the horse, mule or ox you had brought with you. You have to get shelter up before winter sets in so your time is limited. You also need to clear land, plant crops, harvest and process the crops so you don't starve. Your available time and energy is split between building shelter and providing food for the winter as well as cutting wood for the fire for the winter. As you can see, a man would be hard put to get a reliable shelter built quick enough. So, it was going to have to be small. Maybe when you had sons big enough to help, you can build a bigger cabin but that's going to be some years in the future.

Some of those log cabins lasted a long time and were used as other structures or as homes for other people in the family. During the Great Depression, many were put back to use as shacks for homeless people.







During the homesteading years, thousands of families moved into the interior of the United States with the promise of free land if they lived and worked the land for so many years. They faced the same problems the early frontiersmen faced. Getting a shelter built and getting food and wood in before winter came. But those plains didn't have a lot of wood or rock, so how do you build a house out there? Sod houses. Soddy's were made of thickly rooted prairie grass. Prairie grass had a much thicker, tougher root structure. "Construction of a sod house involved cutting patches of sod in rectangles, often 2'×1'×6" (60×30×15 cm) and piling them into walls. Builders employed a variety of roofing methods. Sod houses accommodate normal doors and windows. The resulting structure was a well-insulated but damp dwelling that was very inexpensive. Sod houses required frequent maintenance and were vulnerable to rain damage. Stucco or wood panels often protected the outer walls. Canvas or plaster often lined the interior walls." - Wikipedia










Poor sharecropping farmers had to spend their time on farming to pay the rent or be tossed out. So they didn't have large homes either.






Then there were mountain cabins where people were so isolated that they were self sufficient. There was no running to Lowes or Home Depot for supplies. They had to forge their own nails, cut down their own logs with hatchet and crosscut saws. They had to use rocks to set the house on because there were no concrete blocks and cement trucks.






During the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years (drought), many lost their farms and were homeless. They lived wherever they could camp out. Shanty towns (aka Hoovervilles) sprang up in urban areas where homeless people put together whatever they could find for shelter. Migrant workers would make camps beside the fields they were hired to harvest. Hobo camps along railroad lines were for those men who traveled the rails.




















There were the city tenements. Small apartments where the poor lived. Crowded and cramped they lived and worked in their one room apartments.








When cotton mills sprang up in the South, they built workers homes in what is known as a mill village. These homes were new, with wood floors, real windows and doors and right next door to the mill so it was convenient. These communities were nirvana to those who came down from mountain cabins and farm log homes with their dirt floors and windowless, cramped spaces. Mills were able to entice families to move. But, the homes were not large. Much better than from what they came from but not large. No indoor plumbing, no indoor bathrooms, no electricity. That would come later. They had the house, the coal shed and the outhouse. Some of the home were duplexes with 2 rooms on one side and 2 rooms on the other side. Those were usually for single or newly married couples. The homes for families were usually 4 room homes and sometimes the family would rent out a room to make some extra income. Even renting the same room twice! The 1st shift worker had it for the night to sleep and the 3rd shift worker had it during the day to sleep. Later they would add an addition on the back to have an indoor bathroom. My husband's family had mother, father, and 6 children. They lived in a 4 room mill house and they always had other people staying with them like a grandmother, uncle, aunt. You paid the mill rent money by the room. So if you had a 2 room duplex, 4 room or 6 room house, you paid accordingly.



So, as America progressed and people had better income, they naturally wanted to improve their living and having a bigger house was a sign of better times.

Today, people are choosing a tiny house to simplify their lives. But, is it simplifying to try to cram all the things you need, enjoy and want into a tiny environment? To me, it would complicate matters to try to live in 200-300 sq ft.

Let's look at the reasons people give for going tiny.

• Saving money, living debt free
• Living greener or leaving a smaller footprint, environmentally friendly
• Freedom from upkeep, maintenance of house and stuff
• Portability
• More time for other activities

Saving money and living debt free - Paying $40,000+ for a tiny house is a lot for what you get. Paying over $10,000 is a lot for what you get. Heck, paying $10 for a place you can't stand to live in is a lot. You couldn't give me some of these places if I had to actually live in them. Maybe use them as a garden shed but otherwise, no thank you. Anyway, people are paying premium prices for houses that very few people will be interested in buying if you ever decide to sell. I know from experience. We bought a 35' camper one time with 3 slide outs. We got it used for $10,000. We put in another $5,000 and sold it for $5,000. We took a bath. There are not that many people in the market for a used luxury camper. If you have a house and you want to sell it, you look at the market and price it accordingly. But with a portable tiny home, you are looking at a MUCH smaller market. In order to unload it, you will have to price it accordingly because there aren't that many people interested in a used tiny house.

Living greener - Purchasing a tiny house just because it's a fad is not really living greener. Human beings are human beings no matter what size shelter you live in. We are still going to have to poop, pee, take a bath, brush our teeth, wash our clothes, etc. That means you need the facilities to do this easily. A compost toilet isn't going to make you happy for long. You need water, sewer and electricity. And, we are spoiled to need a LOT of electricity for our lights, cooking, laptop, TV, washing machine, etc. So, for most of us, we are going to still be using the same amount of water to shower or bathe in, the same amount to brush our teeth in, the same amount to wash our clothes in, etc. Being uncomfortable in a cramped bathroom doesn't stop the need for that bathroom and the uses for that bathroom. Unless you want to go back to the 1800's, and use an outhouse, it's the same. (And those outhouses weren't necessarily environmentally friendly either.)

Freedom from upkeep, maintenance of house and stuff - Now this was why we tried downsizing last year. We thought it would be nice not to have to mow the lawn, replace leaking faucets, paint the outside, etc. But moving into the luxury loft apartment was still too much of a culture shock for us. We had to walk so far and go up and down an elevator to bring things in from the car or to go out to the pool or use the outdoor kitchen. We had to be so quiet so as not to bother the neighbors. That meant getting and using earphones for the TVs, talking in a low voice, worrying if the dogs started barking (it was very pet friendly), hearing an argument, etc. And the bedrooms and bathrooms were too tiny. I live in my bedroom. The kitchen and living room were open and huge with fantastic windows. But the bedrooms and bathrooms were tiny and claustrophobic. Yes, you can spend less time vacuuming and mopping in a smaller house. Less time in cleaning bathrooms if you go from 3 to 1. But to us, it came down to where we felt more comfortable and more ourselves and had more privacy. I've never had to live in an apartment with people right next door on either side of you. Some people are very comfortable with that and maybe have never lived any other way.

Portability - When we had that camper we learned that moving it put stress on it. All that swaying as you go down the road, stressed seams. We always had to worry about leaks. Campers and RVs are suppose to be made for the road. So portable tiny houses are nothing new, they were just called campers and RVs. Our huge camper was nothing but a maintenance nightmare. From stopped up toilets (who knew that all toilet paper is not the same and camper toilet paper is the pits), to broken heat/air conditioners, to sliders that quit working, to having to replace appliances as they gave out, etc. Every single time we tried to use it for a vacation, my husband ended up having to spend half the time repairing or replacing something. Between gas, campground fees and constant repairs, we weren't saving money over hotel rooms. At least in hotel rooms, you don't have to cook, clean, wash linens, etc. We tried to store it and that was as expensive as taking it back and forth from home. I mean, it wasn't like we could use it the whole summer. We usually could use it 2 weeks of the summer. We had to borrow a truck to haul it or pay for a hauler. By the time you buy a truck that will haul it, you've spent a mint and you are stuck with a vehicle you only use occasionally as it's too expensive to drive. A truck that size drinks gas or diesel pretty heavily. (This also has to mean something to those of you who are thinking it's greener to have a portable tiny house. Don't forget the large truck you have to have to move your tiny house.)

More time for other activities - Well, as I said before, we spent most of our vacation time repairing, setting up and taking it down and securing it. Instead of sitting by a hotel swimming pool, I was making breakfast, washing the breakfast dishes by hand, sweeping out the camper, making the bed, washing the clothes and linens... hmmmmm, everything that I would do if I were AT HOME! Now, granted, if you do everything outside the house and only use the house to sleep in, maybe that works for you.
There is another thing to keep in mind. Some people are able to live in a portable tiny house and keep everything neat and tidy. But a lot of people end up expanding. They don't just have the tiny house on wheels but they begin adding a deck, a covered porch, a shed, an outdoor shower, little fences, indoor/outdoor carpet and furniture. Have you ever been to a campground where they've made their camping area like a little Disney World. Sometimes it's very neat and tidy but then there are those who are lazy and their camper spot begins to look like a hoarders'. Either way, you are actually expanding your living space with all these additions. You may still sleep in your tiny house, but you've added a porch, etc. So you are no longer living as tiny as you though you would. We need storage for all those things we forget we need like outdoor furniture, grills, dog crates, coolers, etc.









If you aren't careful, before you know, you have it looking like this.



Let's face it, we are spoiled to our amenities and, if there is no real reason for not having them, we still expect to enjoy them. There is a lot of difference between the tiny houses of necessity and the luxury tiny houses they are showing us on the Tiny House TV shows.

















You will notice that all these tiny houses are luxuriously appointed with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, refrigerators, etc. Very different from the pictures I showed you of the log cabins, and shanty towns! Those people had to live like that. Most of us don't. But these pictures of luxury tiny houses leave out one thing. The people actually living in them. Notice, there are no dirty dishes sitting by the sink, no books stacked by the bed, no rows of medicine bottles in the bathroom, no family pictures, no dog/cat food dishes, no dirty clothes hamper. I.e. they aren't lived in yet. I'm not a petite woman. Never have been. So I need space. It would be very difficult for me to adjust to living in tiny quarters for any length of time. I'm a neat and clean person but I have the luxury of closets to organize in and that keeps the clutter from accumulating. If you don't have those closets, cabinets, drawers, storage rooms, what do you do?



I have lived in smaller spaces so I know from experience that I prefer space. Be very sure you honestly take into consideration all the ramifications.

Before the invention of the brass trumpet, God had Moses make two silver Trumpets (Numbers 10:2), but the traditional sacred horn of the ancient Hebrews was the ram's horn called a shofar. Joel 2:1 Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the Day of the Lord is coming; Surely it is near. Trumpets can call an army to mobilize, a call to assemble, or a command to march (see Numbers 10:1-10). These are usually done with silver trumpets. The fourth annual holy day is the Feast of Trumpets, a "memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1). For this purpose, a ram’s horn (or shofar) was used. The piercing blast of a shofar also symbolized an alarm of impending attack or war. Only the sons of Aaron, the priesthood, had the authority to blow these trumpets. Jesus Christ is our High Priest (Hebrews 6:20). In addition, God caused the walls of Jericho to fall after seven successive days of trumpets sounding (Joshua 6:4-20). Trumpets draw attention and sound alarms.

Revelation 8:5-7 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were rolls of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. 6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. 7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

Luke 12:49-50 49 I have come to ignite a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

Psalm 11:5-7 5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. 6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. 7 For the righteous LORD loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.


The first six trumpets are used to serve as a wake up call to the sinners on Earth and a call to repentance. One of the Egyptian plagues was "There was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous . . . and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field" (Exodus 9:23-25). The trumpets declare God's judgments on the world, not the trials of the Church, just as the plagues had been against Egypt and not Israel. But this plague differs from the Egyptian with the introduction of blood. The common feature of the first four trumpets is, the judgments under them affect natural objects, the accessories of life, the earth, trees, grass, the sea, rivers, fountains, the light of the sun, moon, and stars. The last three, the woe-trumpets (Re 8:13), affect men's life with pain, death, and hell.

A few days after the global earthquake and a physical display of God’s powers, Revelation says much of Earth will be set on fire by a giant firestorm of burning hail. The fiery hail will ignite massive fires around the world, burning up a third of the trees and all the green grass!

The 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires were a complex of wildfires which began in late November 2016. Some of the towns most impacted were Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN. The fires claimed at least 14 lives, injured 134, and are one the largest natural disasters in the history of Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains wildfires were the deadliest wildfires in the eastern U.S. since the Great Fires of 1947, which killed 16 people in Maine.



The Northern California firestorm, were a series of 250 wildfires that started burning across the state of California, United States, beginning in early October. 21 of the wildfires became major fires that burned at least 245,000 acres. The October 2017 were the costliest group of wildfires on record, causing at least $9.4 billion in insured damages, surpassing the 1991 Oakland firestorm, which until then had been the single costliest fire on record. In addition, the Northern California fires were predicted to cost the US economy at least $85 billion. The Northern California fires have killed at least 44 people and hospitalized at least 185 making the week of October 8, 2017, the deadliest week of wildfires in California history. Collectively, this event constitutes the largest loss of life due to wildfires in the United States since the Cloquet Fire in 1918. In total, an estimated 8,900 structures were destroyed. A series of 29 wildfires ignited across Southern California in December 2017. The wildfires burned over 307,900 acres. The largest of the wildfires was the Thomas Fire, which grew to 281,893 acres and became the largest wildfire in modern California history. They forced over 230,000 residents to evacuate their homes and two deaths.




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Revelation 8:8-9 8 Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Asteroids are rocky, airless worlds that orbit our sun, but are too small to be called planets. Tens of thousands of these minor planets are gathered in the main asteroid belt, a vast doughnut-shaped ring between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids that pass close to Earth are called Near-Earth Objects, or NEOs. If a large asteroid hits in water, then there would be an increase in water vapor in the atmosphere. This would result in an increase in rain resulting in landslides and mudslides. Regionally there might be earthquakes, hurricanes and resulting mega-tsunamis, super-heated dust clouds, and years-long dusk. The combination of dust from the impact and soot from the forest fires will remain in the Earth's atmosphere for a long time, blocking the light of the sun. Without sunlight, much of the Earth's plant life, on land and in the sea, will die. Seaports and coastal cities will destroyed with overwhelming loss of life.

Luke 21:25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.






The Asteroid Asteroid 2017 001 came 12,3031 kilometres within range of Earth, a third as close as the moon. It flew past on the 7/20/2017 at fairly safe distance, what is scary is that nobody knew about it till July 23rd three days after it passed Earth.



Some people believe that, rather than an asteroid striking the earth, this trumpet will be a volcano. The Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands is a good candidate. The result would be a giant tsunami that destroys ships. Close to Tenerife, Cumbre Vieja (meaning “Old Summit”) previously erupted in 1949 and 1971. Recent seismic movements of a low magnitude raised concerns over the volcano’s emerging activity, ranging between 1.5 and 2.7 on the Richter scale and up to 17.4 miles underground. The eruption could cause a huge chunk of the volcano to collapse and crash into the ocean with the power of an atomic bomb. The La Palma Island is prone to catastrophic flank failure events. The flanks of accumulated rock masses become unstable over time and sometimes slide down into the ocean as giant landslides along large detachment faults, triggering potentially huge tsunamis.

And others see this as more symbolic with the burning mountain being Babylon cast into a sea of peoples such as a nation. The word "mountain" is often used to refer to a kingdom or empire (Psalm 48:1-2; Psalm 78:68; Isaiah 2:2-3; Isaiah 13:4; Isaiah 31:4; Isaiah 41:15; Isaiah 65:25; Jeremiah 17:1-3; Jeremiah 51:24-25; Obadiah 8-9; Daniel 2:35,44). Ships are mentioned as a reference to a nation’s commercial pride and dominance (Isaiah 2:16-17; Ezekiel 27:25-27). God had used Babylon as a tool to discipline Israel but the evil of Babylon, itself, was dealt with by God's judgment. In the time of John, the Babylonian kingdom had already fallen. The mountain was used as a symbol for Babylon, and Babylon as a symbol for another power - a power opposed to God’s sovereign authority - Rome. God sets the great mountain on fire. God is bringing His judgement on these nations. God “removes kings, and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21). The demise of the Roman Empire came about on many fronts, political, economic, and military. There were religious tensions between the Western and Eastern portions of the Empire. Waves of barbarian tribes began swallowing up Roman territory. As the Roman Empire was sinking, they became covered with blood. Bloodshed was abundant. The role ancient Rome played in Christ’s crucifixion and in the persecution of the Christians did not go unnoticed by God.

Jeremiah 51:7-8, 25, 7, 40-44 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad. 8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her!... 25 “I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the Lord. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain... how desolate Babylon will be among the nations! 42 The sea will rise over Babylon; its roaring waves will cover her. 43 Her towns will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives, through which no one travels. 44 I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon will fall."

What happened to Babylon and Rome are in the distant past now but there may be a future fulfillment. In studying prophesy we know often it had a more immediate fulfillment, as well as, a future fulfillment in the end times. If it has a future fulfillment you might be looking at a great nation such as America, Russia, China, being the burning mountain. And could that burning mountain be destroyed by the fire of nuclear holocaust?

No matter how you look at it, as asteroid, volcano or the demise of a mighty nation, the results will be catastrophic to the world and it's inhabitants. It's one more reason I am glad I won't be here. I believe that the Church will be raptured before the 7 trumpets. I am saved through Jesus Christ and, if I'm alive when Jesus calls, I will be raptured and I will not be here to experience the horrors of the 7 trumpets. You can be saved too.

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Revelation 8:10-11 10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

Jeremiah 9:13-15 13 The LORD said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” 15 therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.

The word “wormwood” is mentioned only here in the New Testament, but it appears eight times in the Old Testament, each time associated with bitterness, poison and death. The Greek word is believed to refer to a plant of the genus Artemisia: Artemisia absinthium, or Mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris and was a known Biblical metaphor for things that have a strong smell and are horribly bitter. The English rendering "wormwood" refers to the dark green essential oil produced by the plant, which was used to kill intestinal worms. One third of the fresh water of our planet will become so poisonous and bitter that people can die from drinking it. What happens when 1/3 of potable water is poisoned? We have to have water. We cannot survive without it. So desperation will drive people to desperate measures.

How can that much water be affected? The star called "Wormwood" falls from the sky to affect the waters. We know how pollution has effected our waterways. Could it be pollution, algae blooms, industrial wastes that are allowed to pollute our rivers? Who is responsible for allowing this to happen? Government and government leaders who don't establish and enforce environmental protection laws are allowing this to happen. Sometimes the Bible uses a star to symbolize a leader of a country or armed force.


The Daldykan River contaminated by red pollutants. NBC News indicated that the red color is likely due to a toxic spill from a nearby metals plant located close to Norilsk, known as one of the most polluted cities in the world. Norilsk is known for its metal plants processing and mining nickel and other metals.




Toxic foam chokes Brazil's most polluted waterway, the Tietê River, on September 4, 2017 in the town of Pirapora do Bom Jesus. The foam is caused mostly by untreated household runoff from nearby São Paulo.



The Bah Bolon river in Indonesia suddenly turned blood-red on August 7, 2017. Some residents think it's from an unknown industrial waste, while others think it may be a natural cause such as an algal bloom which occurs when conditions are right to form uncontrolled growth of deadly forms of algae. No one is really sure yet what caused it.



This bright orange river is the Animas River in southwest Colorado. A million gallons of wastewater pouring out of an abandoned century-old mine. Abandoned mines in the area have long been a problem, filling up with acidic wastewater that leaches heavy metals out of rock and leaks into the river creating environmental problems. In this case, the EPA was working on analyzing and cleaning at Gold King Mine and accidentally blew out a plug, releasing the contaminated water.



The Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia runs through a basin that’s home to millions of people who use it for drinking, fishing, agriculture and industrial applications. The thousands of factories lining the river routinely dump their waste into it without cleaning the water first. While they’re supposed to clean their waste first, these factories are rarely monitored or prosecuted for breaking this rule. The lead pollution in the river is 1,000 times the acceptable level set by America’s EPA. Recently the Asian Development Bank loaned Indonesia $500 million within fifteen years for the purpose of cleaning up the Citarum River. But the pollution continues due to how many people and factories use the water.



The Yellow River, or Huang He, is the third longest river in Asia. It's name comes from it's naturally occurring color due to the large amount of fine-grained loess carried by the river from the Loess Plateau. This tremendous amount of silt and soil is carried by the river. So much so that the river moves slowly and can clog up causing natural dams and changing the course of the river. This has caused disastrous floods in it's history. The 1931 flood killed an estimated 1,000,000-4,000,000 people and is the worst natural disaster recorded (excluding famines and epidemics). The water also happens to be so badly polluted that it can’t even be used for agriculture. More than four billion tons of sewage is dumped into the river each year. With China’s increasing industrialization, the river has also become a toxic waste dump, turning the river more colors than just yellow. (see 7th photo)

If it's not pollution, could it be eco-terrorism? When someone intentionally sabotages a water supply with the intent to kill and destroy in the name of a nation, political group, religious group or terrorist organization, they are bioterrorists. Biological warfare releases agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or toxins to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants.

In 1984 members of the Rajneeshee religious cult contaminate a city water supply tank in The Dalles, Oregon, using Salmonella and infecting 750. In 1972 police in Chicago arrested two college students, Allen Schwander and Stephen Pera, who had planned to poison the city's water supply with typhoid and other bacteria. In June 1993, the religious group Aum Shinrikyo released anthrax in Tokyo. In 2003 Jordanian authorities arrested Iraqi agents in connection with a failed plot to poison the water supply that serves American troops in the eastern Jordanian desert near the border with Iraq. So, yes, it can be done and has been done.



Could it be the poisoning of the water supply from nuclear bombs? These verses do seem to indicate something falling from the sky that affects the water. Could it be bombs, or nuclear bombs, or missiles directed at water supplies? A detonated nuclear bomb produces a fireball, shockwaves and intense radiation. A mushroom cloud forms from vaporized debris and disperses radioactive particles that fall to earth contaminating air, soil, water and the food supply. When carried by wind currents, fallout can cause far-reaching environmental damage. In April 26, 2011, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visited the “Star of Wormwood” memorial. The two presidents also visited a statue now standing on the site: An enormous angel blowing a trumpet! Chernobyl is the Russian word for "wormwood". On 4/26/1986, a Soviet reactor crew turned off the safety systems on the Unit 4 nuclear reactor to perform an unauthorized safety test. Within 36 seconds the reactor went out of control and a steam explosion pierced the roof. Deprived of coolant, 150 tons or uranium fuel melted into lava that oozed into the basement of the reactor. A second hydrogen explosion ignited blocks of graphite, rocketing a hot plume of radioactive particles a mile into the sky. For three weeks the fire spread. An 18-mile radius was found to have extraordinarily high-level “gamma fields” and authorities had to evacuate 170,000 people. Over 200 million people have experienced excess exposure to radiation; an estimated 125,000 people in the Ukraine have died; and disease rates in some regions are three times higher for children and 4-5 times higher for pregnant women. Three million acres of farmland is considered lost for a century. Wild animals who live there are shot if found outside the area as they can carry the radiation to clean areas. Heavy rains made the disaster worse because it brought the radiation to the soil and water. The water traveled and took radiation with it. Nations incapable of exploding a nuclear bomb can still build a dirty bomb, which spreads radioactivity using only conventional explosives.


Could it be a meteor, comet or asteroid that hits the earth?



Some believe the burning star that falls is actually the AntiChrist coming into the world and the waters are the people and nations of the world.

Some believe it's actually talking about Satan's fall from heaven with 1/3 of the angels who followed him. These angels are called demons. Satan’s fall to earth poisons mankind. The peoples of the earth take on the character of the evil one and become “wormwood” too. Satan is bitter and full of hatred and his influence on man makes him bitter and full of hatred. From this hatred and evil, many people die.

Ezekiel 28:14-17 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.


Luke 10:18 So [Jesus] said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven".



Finally, some think the leader referred to as a sudden blazing star, bringing bitterness upon Rome, was Attila, the Hun. Called “The Scourge of God,” he and his hordes of barbarian horsemen, raped, murdered and destroyed city after city without mercy.

Remember, that Biblical prophecies often had multiple fulfillments. For instance, John's vision of the 3rd trumpet could have been first fulfilled with the fall of satan before mankind was created; later, fulfilled a second time with Attila the Hun; and a future fulfillment with what happens in the Great Tribulation. So I have included all the theories I could find and will leave it to you to put it together in your mind. No matter how this prophecy is fulfilled, suffice it to say that it's an unimaginable horror and, again, I'm glad I won't be here for it.

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Revelation 8:12 12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

Matthew 24:29 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days: 'The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.'

Joel 2:10, 31 10 Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness...31 The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

Ezekiel 32:7-8 7 "And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light. 8 "All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land," Declares the Lord GOD.

Job 9:7 7 He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars.

We are at the 4th trumpet now. Some take this symbolically to mean Christ, who is the sun and light of the world, is shadowed by heresies. The church, as the moon, is shadowed by corruption. The stars are the ministers who are shadowed by carnality and greed. People bring on darkness and God’s judgment upon themselves because they reject the Source of Light. As people move away from God and reject the truth, they go deeper into darkness. This would prepare the world for the arrival of the antiChrist.

"The doctrines of the gospel, the springs of spiritual life, comfort, and vigor, to the souls of men, are corrupted and made bitter by the mixture of dangerous errors, so that the souls of men find ruin where they sought refreshment." - Matthew Henry Commentary

Some believe that this refers to the fall of the Roman Empire. Often, the sun, Moon and stars are metaphors for empires, nations, government leaders.

Others believe that because of pollution or smoke/ash, the sun, moon and stars could be dimmed by a third. The first three trumpets send megatons of dust, soot, smoke, ash into the air. This cloud could circle the earth with the jet stream bringing darkness. Think of the vast changes in temperatures that will occur and how these will affect human health and food growth. It is evidently a temporary situation because in Revelation 16:8-9, the sun becomes so intense as to burns and scorches people.

On the fourth day God created the sun, Moon, and stars in order to provide light for man; under the fourth trumpet He shall withdraw the light He created.This judgment parallels the ninth plague in Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23), which lasted three days. The darkening of the sun, Moon and stars is often associated with God’s judgments over His enemies (Ezekiel 32:7-8; Isaiah 13:9-11; Joel 3:15), and His own people (Amos 5:18; Joel 2:1-2,10). The darkness was so intense in the land of Egypt, that it could be felt (Exodus 10:21). But the darkness was not global but only in Egypt. It was focused on those rejecting God’s commands. "One of the main points of this passage is that only those rejecting the truth stand in darkness. Exodus 10:23 tells us that the Israelites 'had light in their dwellings"”. - Hello-Bible.

When Jesus was crucified, the Bible says that darkness came in the middle of the day for 3 hours.

Luke 23:44-46 44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”e When he had said this, he breathed his last.

‘the sun failed’ (in Greek, ‘tou heliou ekleipontos’). Helios = the Sun. Ekleipo = ‘to fail, to come to an end.’

Matthew 27:45-46 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

Was this an eclipse? "Luke in fact used a word that gave rise to our present word ECLIPSE, an astronomical event, the cause of which lies beyond the confines of the Earth’s atmosphere. But we must not think that the strange darkness was caused by an extended eclipse of the Sun, for there was no way for that to occur on the day of the crucifixion. This is because an eclipse of the Sun only occurs when the Moon is directly between the Sun and us, thus blocking out its light. And on this particular day (Passover - the 14th Nisan, Luke 22:13-15), the Moon was full and therefore on the FAR side of the Earth away from the Sun (Passover was always on a full moon). There can be no possibility of an eclipse of the Sun that day. Furthermore, no eclipse of the Sun can last more than 7 and a half minutes in any one place, and this strange darkness lasted for 3 HOURS." - Oxford Bible Church

Psalm 22:1-2 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.

This Psalm prophesied about Jesus and Jesus quotes from this Psalm while on the cross. Look at verse 2. "I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest." Jesus calls that time, where the sun stopped shining for 3 hours, "night". Secular accounts of this worldwide darkness say that stars were seen. This was the point that Jesus took on all the sins of the world. And sin separates from God so Jesus was separated, for the first and last time, from His Father. God signified this separation with darkness.

So can the God who created the sun, Moon, stars and earth - the entire universe - by speaking them into being... can this God obscure the sun, Moon and stars by 1/3 and cause the shortening of the days and nights by 1/3? I would say so. I tend to believe that the 4th trumpet will be an actual event of judgment and the sun, Moon and stars will be dimmed and the days and nights shortened, just as this verse says.

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Revelation 8:13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Deuteronomy 32:9-11 9 For the people of Israel belong to the LORD; Jacob is his special possession.
10 He found them in a desert land, in an empty, howling wasteland. He surrounded them and watched over them; he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.
11 Like an eagle that rouses her chicks and hovers over her young, so he spread his wings to take them up and carried them safely on his pinions.

The eagle soars high and with it's piercing eye, can see the judgments coming and cries a warning, "Woe, woe, woe". Three times according to the three coming trumpets. It is not as if God has not sent warning. He has warned by the written word, by ministers, by men's own consciences, and by the signs of the times. So His judgments should be no surprise. Now a final warning before these next three trumpets. If the judgments up to now have not been horrible enough to turn men to God, then the world must expect even harsher judgments.

The King James Bible has "angel" rather than "eagle". But most scholars believe that "eagle" is the better rendering based on ancient manuscripts. Today we have discovered even more ancient manuscripts than King James' scholars had and the consensus has been that "eagle" is a better choice. Either way, the eagle (or angel) sounds a warning and is a messenger, a harbinger. He is soaring, circling, sees and gives warning but is not the instrument of judgment.

Rome's symbol was an eagle. If you believe these things have already happened, it's possible that Rome gave warning.

America's symbol is the eagle. Could that play a part symbolically? Will America try to give the world warning about coming judgments?

The first 4 trumpets are divided from the last three. The first four bring devastation to the world, God’s creation. The last three target mankind. The number 4 is generally accepted as the number of the world. Why? (From Bible . org)

(1) On the fourth day God finished the material creation, i.e., the heavens and earth (Gen. 1:14-19).
(2) Revelation 7:9 gives us four divisions of mankind: nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues.
(3) There are four directions or regions: north, south, east, and west.
(4) There are four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.
(5) In presenting the Lord Jesus to men, there are four gospels.
(6) There are four kingdoms: animal, mineral, vegetable, and spiritual;
(7) Finally, in Daniel’s portrayal of the times of the Gentiles, we are given only four great world powers or kingdoms of prophecy, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. We are living in the times of the Gentiles, or the Church Age, where Gentiles (non-Jews) can become a child of God through Jesus Christ.

This is a good time to talk about the 1/3's. Have you noticed the use of 1/3? The quantity of "one-third" is used 12 times throughout the description of the seven trumpets:
1/3 of Earth will be burned up
1/3 of the trees will be burned up
1/3 of the sea will turn into blood
1/3 of the sea creatures will die
1/3 of the ships on the sea will sink
1/3 of the rivers and springs will become contaminated
1/3 of the light from the Sun will be taken away
1/3 of the light from the moon will be taken away
1/3 of the light from the stars will be taken away
1/3 of the day will be without light
1/3 of the night will be without light
1/3 of mankind will be killed in the sixth trumpet war

God could justifiably completely (100%) destroy the earth and mankind. But in His mercy, He holds back, only destroying 1/3, in His attempt to give mankind every chance to turn to Him, to repent. God is merciful and desires all men to be saved. He continues to warn, to give chances. God is being generous with a rebellious, evil world. But, so many, would rather die than turn to God.

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The preterist usually views that John was given an accurate vision, of a course of events that would occur over the next several centuries, to fulfill the prophetic seals.

The historicist associates symbols with historical persons, nations or events.

The Futurist sees events that may have taken place in the past but have a future fulfillment.

The Idealist does not take Revelation seriously but it's symbolism and imagery is the struggle between good and evil.

The last 3 Trumpets are called the Woe trumpets and the 5th trumpet is the first of the Woe Trumpets.

Revelation 9:1 1 Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the abyss.

This star cannot be interpreted literally like the star in 8:10 because the star here was given the key of the pit of the abyss. The Egyptian Plagues of Moses' time were a shadow of these trumpet plagues. You will recall the plague of locusts.

Who, or what, is the "star that had fallen from heaven to earth"? I've found quite a few different understandings of this 5th trumpet. Those who believe these things have already happened see it as Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who leads successful campaigns against the Eastern Roman Empire in the 7th century. God used them to punish the Romans who had killed 10 million Christians. We can remember that Abraham and Sarah were promised by God that they would have a son. But as years went by and Sarah didn't become pregnant, she came up with a plan to "help" God. She gave her maid, Hagar, to Abraham to marry and to bear a child. Abraham unwisely participated in the plan and married Hagar. Hagar had Ishmael. But Ishmael was the product of Abraham and Sarah's plans and machinations, he was not the son of promise by God. They took matters into their own hands and tried to force a solution instead of waiting on God's miracle. Eventually, in His timing, God miraculously gives Abraham and Sarah a child. By that time they were both old, she had gone through menopause and had been barren even as a young woman. So the conception of a child was out of the question in human terms. It had to be a miracle and it was. The result was Isaac, the son of promise. Ishmael was the result of the arm of flesh and Isaac was the result of the arm of the Spirit. The Jews descended from Isaac, the son of promise. Most of the other Arab peoples descended from Ishmael, the son of the flesh.

This has been a problem ever since. These descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs (who are mostly Muslim now), say they are descended from the firstborn son and therefore Abraham's inheritors. The Jews say they are the descendants of the promised son of Isaac and they are Abraham's inheritors. Let's look at God's prophecy over Ishmael:

Genesis 16: 11-12 11 (Amplified) “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears), Because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering). 12 “He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against every man [continually fighting] And every man’s hand against him; And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”

The Arabs have fought the Jews ever since and America has traditionally supported the Jewish nation of Israel since it was formed in 1947. So the Arabs hate America.


















Back to our scripture, is the fallen star Muhammed and his unleashing of the Muslim religion? The Hebrew word for locust is ‘arbeh‘, and the Hebrew word for Arab is “arbe". Mohammed opened the bottomless pit of Satan’s lies, when he stayed in the cave of Hera for three years, and received a vision from an angel in white (no doubt Satan, as 2 Cor. 11:14 says, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”), The Koran says that Mohammed was given the power of heaven and the fire below, “I have been given the keys of all the treasures of the earth.” The Koran denies the deity of Jesus. The Arabs have an Islamic tradition, which says “Locusts fell onto Mohammed’s hand, and on the wings of the locusts it was written: “We are the army of the Great God“. The rise of Islam came with the shedding of much blood. Is Mohammed the destroyer called Abaddon or Apollyon in the next few verses?

But this is not all the interpretations. Some say the star fallen from heaven was a Pope from the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic means "universal". The Roman Catholic Church descended from the early church where Peter was considered the first "pope" if you will.

Matthew 16:15-19 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Peter's name was petra meaning rock. Catholics believe that Jesus was saying Peter would be the head of the early church whereas protestants believe Jesus was saying the belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God would be the foundational rock of this new church.

From the time of Peter, the universal church picked a leader, later titled Pope, upon the death of the previous leader. Eventually, the church gained power and wealth and with power and wealth comes corruption. Many Popes were not Christlike but satanic and led people into all kinds of evil to secure wealth and power for themselves.

Still others believe that the barbarian tribes that helped bring about the downfall of Rome are meant by these locusts. Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s “barbarian” groups like the Goths had encroached beyond the Empire’s borders. The Romans weathered a Germanic uprising in the late fourth century, but in 410 the Visigoth King Alaric successfully sacked the city of Rome. Finally, in 476, the Germanic leader Odoacer staged a revolt and deposed the Emperor Romulus Augustulus.


Some believe the star referenced is one of the asteroids that hit earth, although how an asteroid wields a "key to the abyss" makes that theory seem odd.

I could go on. We must remember that prophecy often has a dual fulfillment. If it was prophetic to John then it was in the future for him, but after 2,000 years, his prophesies may have been fulfilled and by studying history (since John's time), we may see a fulfillment that has already happened. But there may also be a future fulfillment yet to come in the end days. So, I can see how historicists would see fulfillment of these verses in history but I believe the complete fulfillment is during the Great Tribulation. Having said that, my belief is that there is an historical event related that effects the end times.

I believe this "star that had fallen from heaven to earth" is satan. The historical event was when he rebelled against God and God cast him and his followers (1/3 of the angels) out of heaven to earth. Satan and his demons have been allowed rule on earth but his final destination is eternal damnation to the Lake of Fire. God has allowed satan to rule this earth to accomplish His Purposes. Satan is a TOOL, he is on a leash, his rule is temporary, his end is certain.

Angels were created before the earth (Job 38:4-7). Satan fell before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3:1-14). Satan’s fall, therefore, must have occurred somewhere after the time the angels were created and before he tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. While these two passages are referring specifically to the kings of Babylon and Tyre, they also reference the spiritual power behind those kings, namely, Satan, his fall and his end.

Isaiah 14: 4, 9-16 4 you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end!
How his fury has ended!
...
9 The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you—
all those who were leaders in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
all those who were kings over the nations.
10 They will all respond, they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us.”
11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,
along with the noise of your harps;
maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate:
“Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,

Ezekiel 28:1-2, 11-19 1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"In the pride of your heart you say, 'I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.'
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god."
...
11 The word of the Lord came to me: 12 Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
"You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountingsc were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence,
and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
and I expelled you, guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.
So I threw you to the earth;
I made a spectacle of you before kings.
18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
So I made a fire come out from you,
and it consumed you,
and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.
19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you;
you have come to a horrible end and will be no more."

Luke 10:18 18 So He (Jesus) said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

In Revelation 9:1, the star "that had fallen from heaven to earth". You will notice the past tense in the verse, "had fallen". I believe satan is referred to here as he was the morning star and had been cast out of heaven and fallen to earth. He is the one given the key to the abyss.

"The verse before us suggests the picture of a vast depth approached by a pit or shaft, whose top, or mouth, is covered. Dante's Inferno, with its narrowing circles winding down to the central shaft, is somewhat similar. The abyss is the lowest spring of evil, whence the worst dangers arise." - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

Historicists who believe this woe has already happened either through Mohammed, a Pope or some other leader point to a “star” representing a leader. The “bottomless pit” comes from the Greek word “abbusos,” where we get our word “abyss,” and means a desolate empty place; a void. For those who believe this woe is referring the rise of Islam, the first 4 trumpets reveal the history of the destruction of the Roman Empire. The last 3 trumpets are the terrible events that were to take place after the fall of Rome and with the spread of the false religion of Islam. The cloud of Islam has obscured the truth. But those who object to this theory say that Mohammed was never a Christian, nor a leader in the church, and therefore how could he "fall from heaven to earth"?

For those who believe it refers to a Pope (or Popes) feel that: " the pope of Rome is meant by the star, seeing the bishops of that city had shone out in great light and purity of doctrine and practice formerly, but now about this time most sadly apostatized; they had been indeed gradually declining for some time, but now they may be said openly to fall from heaven, when Phocas, who murdered his master, the Emperor Mauritius, and took the imperial crown to himself, gave to Pope Boniface the Third the title and power of universal bishop, about the year 859, which he and his successors exercised in a most haughty and tyrannical manner." - Gill's Exposition of the Bible


Pope Boniface III was able to convince the emperor of Constantinople to recognize the bishop of Rome as the head of all churches, as the supreme patriarch, "Universal Bishop". Giving papal claims to supremacy over all churches. Over time this developed into Pope Gregory VII’s Dictatus papae, which asserted that the pope was the final authority everywhere. This was dangerous power that corrupted.

For me, I believe satan is the fallen star and God gives him a key to the abyss, the abode of satan and his demons. I believe satan will release something during the Great Tribulation. We will look at that next.

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Or could it be something that science unleashes on the world like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC is the world's largest and most powerful particle collider. A scientific organization in Switzerland, known as CERN has built the largest, most complex experimental facility ever built, and the largest single machine in the world.


Or could it be as simple as what is released behind the simple door of a conference room. Financial, political, medical, spiritual - all kinds of hell can be released in simple conference rooms. Greed, tyranny, hate, lust for power and egomania reside in most conference rooms.


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Revelation 9:2 2 The star opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

The bottomless pit is locked—not to keep things out, but to keep things in. God locked this abyss and He has the key.

Jude 1:6 6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment.

Revelation 1:18 18 Jesus says, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment

Jude 6 You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.

Luke 8:26-35 26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened.

The swine running into the water was certainly a judgment and was perhaps symbolic of the fact that Christ was sending them into the abyss. Tartarus means “the abode of the judged”. It is a bottomless, unfathomable pit that is total darkness. It's possible that somewhere in the ocean is the bottomless pit that is locked until this time. The Greek Word abussos means “deep, ocean, large body of water,” and is where we get the word "abyss". Revelation 21:1 and 22:1f describe the new Heaven and the new Earth as having no oceans but rather only the River of Life flowing from the throne of God.

The Bible frequently speaks of keys as representing control or authority. Satan is given a key to, or control over, the bottomless pit. Satan is given keys to the bottomless pit for a specific time and purpose to accomplish God’s plan. We should praise God that nothing in heaven, or earth, or in places under the earth is left to itself. God is King, He is Sovereign and He is in control. Even the lowest hell and death bow to His government.

"The metaphor of keys is intended, no doubt, to set forth the double thought of our Lord’s possessing both the rightful and the actual dominion over death and hell. The rightful dominion, I say, for often it has been the custom, when kings have come to the gates of loyal cities, for the mayor, or high bailiff, or governor of the city to present the keys in formal state, in recognition that His majesty was the lawful owner and rightful sovereign of the borough. So Christ has the keys of hell and death—that is to say He is rightfully the Lord over those dark regions, and rules them by indefeasible title of sovereignty. But in most common life the key is associated with actual possession and power. When the tenant gives up the key to the landlord, then the owner has the house again under his power, and in his possession, by that act and deed. So Christ is not only de jure (according to right), but de facto (according to fact), Lord over hell and death; He actually rules and manages in all the issues of the grave, and overrules all the councils of hell, restraining the mischievous devices of Satan, or turning them to subserve His own designs of good. Our Lord Jesus Christ still is supreme! His kingdom, willingly or unwillingly, extends over all existences in whatever regions they may be." - CHRIST WITH THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HELL. BY C. H. SPURGEON, SERMON DELIVERED ON 10/3/1869

The “bottomless pit” is the abode of demons according to Luke 8:31. It is here that Satan himself is confined for a thousand years during the reign of Christ on earth (Revelation 20:1-3). Demonic and satanic oppression is released.

A massive amount of smoke rises out of the pit to block the light of the sun.

During the Gulf War, Iraqi soldiers ignited over 700 oil wells around the deserts of Kuwait, which were some of the largest, underground wells of oil on the planet. From the seemingly bottomless hole in the ground, smoke entered the atmosphere and blocked sunlight for three months.

Could it be the smoke of wild fires?





Could it the smoke from a nuclear bomb? This is a photo of the atomic bomb test in Bikini lagoon on July 1, 1946



Could it be the smoke and ash from a volcano?
Spectacular picture captures lava spewing down the side of Kilauea, ash spitting from craters and plumes of smoke rising thousands of feet in the air.


Iceland’s highest volcano, Öræfajökull, in November, 2017. Photo by Gardar Olafsson.


Smoke from volcano mixes with sunset. Photography By: Claudio Santana



Could it be fog like the deadly London fog of 1952? A period of cold weather, combined with an anticyclone and windless conditions, collected airborne pollutants—mostly arising from the use of coal—to form a thick layer of smog over the city.



Or could it be smog from air pollution?


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Revelation 9:3-11 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. 7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

Real locust swarms in the last few years!




Damage by locusts swarms:

The picture on the left is after the locust swarm, the picture on the right is before the locust swarm.

It may be real locust swarms like the plague of locusts in Egypt. But there is a detailed description of these locusts and they seem different. Let's look at their description.

Locusts:

• Look like horses prepared for battle
• Something like crowns of gold on their head
• Faces resembled human faces
• Hair like women's hair
• Teeth like lion's teeth
• Breastplates of iron
• Wings, that sound like thundering horses and chariots
• Tails with stingers like scorpions

Someone's rendition based on the description. What could these swarms of "locusts" be? Here are some things I thought of. See what you think?

Military jets can swarm!




Military helicopters look peculiarly like locusts.


Drone spy planes can reconnoiter and use missiles.



Military drones can swarm, reconnoiter, spy, use weapons, etc.






Soldiers in the near future will have armor, exoskeletons, builtins.



Tiny robots can do some damage!


Swarms of tanks


Trying to think outside of the box, could it be some type of biological weapon using viruses?
These locusts supposedly make you miserable but don't kill you. So I was thinking of something like the Shingles virus that stings, burns, itches, drives you crazy but you usually don't die from it.


Aliens?



And, of course, you may have other ideas and there is always the possibility that it will be nothing we can imagine as it's not been seen on earth before. It's been locked in the bottomless pit.

Historicists see the destruction by the Muslim hordes or of the Roman Empire by the German barbarians or the destruction done by Attila the Hun as the locusts.


The Idealist see symbolism and imagery in a struggle between good and evil. The locusts represent demonic forces unleashed upon the earth, with Satan as the angel of the abyss, and the abyss itself the prison of demons. The “five months” are symbolic of a limited period of time, although the demonic torment is so intense its victims wish for death. It is a spiritual plague which is depicted here. A "locust" doctrine that people begin believing in and that torments their minds. Hitler's "locust" doctrines of Arianism and Nazism became a roaring tornado of worldwide destruction. In Germany, the "locust" doctrine began when men burned Bibles at Nuremberg, denied the Scriptural truth that God loves all races (Acts 17:26), renounced the Biblical doctrine of the sanctity of life, and ended with the death of millions. Another historical example is the Muslim religion. It began with the idea that Mohammed was a prophet of God and that there was a new "Bible", the Koran. It has become a nightmare religion to the world and caused untold horror and suffering. Darwinism and evolution is another such "locust" doctrine. Giving millions a substitute religion with it's own creation theory. How many people have believed Darwin and his theory of evolution and rejected God and His intelligent creation? "Locust" lies that turn people from God and lead to the torment of their minds and the destruction of their lives.


What do these locusts do?

• Given power like scorpions
• Could not harm the grass, any plant or tree
• Could only hurt those who do NOT have the seal of God on their foreheads
• Didn't kill but tortured for 5 months
• The suffering caused was like a scorpion sting, enough that people will want to die

"They are locusts, but they have the malice of scorpions; they advance like horse-soldiers to battle; they wear crowns; they bear a resemblance to men; there is something womanlike also in their appearance, and in their voracity they are as lions. The exigencies of the symbolism are quite beyond the features of the ordinary locust: the sacred writer shows us a plague in which devastation, malice, kinglike authority, intelligence, seductiveness, fierceness, strength, meet together under one directing spirit, to torment men. Some parts may be purely graphic, as Alford says, but surely the vision shows us a great symbolical army multitudinous as locusts, malicious as scorpions, ruling as kings, intelligent as men, wily as womanhood, bold and fierce as lions, resistless as those clad in iron armour." - Ellicott's Commentary

This is why I got the idea of a biological attack. It disables but doesn't kill and doesn't affect nature. Face it, bombs, missiles, tanks, soldiers... are going to destroy nature and people die. Most biological warfare kills. So maybe it's not bio-terrorism but just a disease unleashed. A microscopic look would see a swarm of viruses that cause the illness. Maybe, in the microscope, they would look more like the description? Anyway, just pondering.

Five months, if taken literally, is 150 days. This is the same time period of the Flood!

Genesis 7:24 24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.

Another 5 month (150 day) period is the story of Elizabeth. An angel told Elizabeth's husband that she would conceive and have a son. After Elizabeth conceived: she hid for five months. She was pregnant with John the Baptist, the man who would come and cry out in the wilderness “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23). In Elizabeth’s 6th month of pregnancy, Gabriel announced to Mary the conception of Jesus (Luke 1:24-27).

Luke 1:24-27 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” 26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

Could this be the length of the virus or allergen? Or the length of the of time between a"locust" ideology and it's implementation? A time of indoctrination and propaganda before the purges begin. Or could it be a siege by an army and this is the tormenting time before the citizens finally give in and surrender out of their desperation?

Historicists seem to think this was a time in years rather than days so that this might be a time of 150 years.

"Read the history of the Saracens, and you will find that their greatest exploits were performed, their greatest conquests were made, between the year 612, when Mohammed first opened the bottomless pit, and began publicly to teach and propagate his imposture, and the year 762, when the Calif Almansor built Bagdad, to fix there the seat of his empire, and called it the city of peace. Syria, Persia, India, and the greatest part of Asia; Egypt, and the greatest part of Africa; Spain, and some parts of Europe, were all subdued in the intermediate time. But when the califs, who before had removed from place to place, fixed their habitation at Bagdad, then the Saracens ceased from their incursions and ravages, like locusts, and became a settled nation; then they made no more such rapid and amazing conquests as before, but only engaged in common and ordinary wars, like other nations" - Benson's Commentary

"The Saracens and Papists; or in their doctrines, the prophet being the tail, Isaiah 9:15; with which both Mahomet, who set himself up for a prophet, and the Romish clergy, who set up their decrees and unwritten traditions above the word of God, have poisoned and destroyed multitudes of souls:" - Gill's Exposition of the Bible

The first church (Catholic) was, at first, a success; it gained footing in the world, but it became infected and became it's own worst enemy. The church (catholic and protestant denominations) becomes timid and seeks false alliances. The leaders become Hezekiahs - men of great faith in hard times but they become timid with safety and security (2 Kings 20:12-19). Worldliness creeps into the church and spreads. Corruption begins it's work and weakens the church. People seeking entertainment rather than God. Leaders, who seek to entice and placate congregations for money, growth and fame rather than for saving souls, begin to take over. They begin developing "policies" with rules, regulations, and legalities. Christian organizations that rely on insurance, budgets, pension plans, attorneys, security experts, corporate decisions, consultants and marketing strategies are supplanting the churches and leaders who trust in God and Him alone. They busily replace God with their own creations and crowd God out of His own church. There is judgment coming.

Even in the midst of judgment, God is still being merciful. The purpose of this 150 days (or years) is to give people another chance to repent and turn to Him. They will be tormented but they aren't dead and as long as we are still breathing, we have the opportunity to turn to God. Once we are dead, there are no second chances. The faithful people of God will not be harmed during this time, just as Noah was protected inside the Ark. For Christians, our Ark is Jesus Christ. Noah experienced the flood but God kept Noah safe throughout the flood. Noah saw the rain, heard the thunder, felt the movement of the Ark, felt stabs of fear, heard the animals bellowing in their pens, had to feed and attend to the animals in the Ark, had to try to walk in the Ark while it was moving with the waves... but he was safe in the Ark.

If you believe, as I do, that the church has been raptured before these end time events, we have nothing to fear. But even if Christians did have to go through these horrendous times, we are in God's Hands. Just as He took care of Noah, so He will take care of His people who are in the Ark of Jesus Christ.

Who are the ones who have the "seal of God on their foreheads"? In Revelation 7:3-4 3 “'Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.' 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel."

If this is the end times (versus an historical event), then the church has been raptured. But Revelation 7 says there will be 144,000 Jews who come to know the truth and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. This Jewish remnant will be witnesses to those left behind. See my post on the Seven Seals for more.

If this is an historical event then the sealed of God are those who have been saved and have the Holy Spirit living in them. The Holy Spirit living within us is the seal. It means we are genuine Christians, believers, followers of Christ, disciples. "Thus the plague of locusts is a plague of lies, false theories, evil philosophies, selfish proverbs elevated to the status of law, etc." - Coffman Commentaries

Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 1:13-14 13 And in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, having heard and believed the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 14 The Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.

For the Idealist, false "locust" ideas run their course and are discredited. No one today effectively preaches the doctrine of Aryan supremacy; but there are swarms of locusts, and as soon as one dies, a hundred others take its place! The evil ideas are never ending.

Revelation 9:11 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

Abaddon - Hebrew אֲבַדּון, a noun representing the abstract idea "destruction" (Job 31:12), but more frequently employed to designate the netherworld (Job 26:6; Job 28:22; Proverbs 15:11; Psalm 88:12).
Apollyon - From the Greek ἀπώλεια - "to destroy." The word properly denotes "a destroyer". Perdition is personified.

Destruction is this king's main characteristic. He is the "destroyer," the one who causes "perdition" to mankind. Satan is the ultimate destroyer who intends destruction with everything he does.

John 8:44 (Jesus is speaking) You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

1 Peter 5:8-9 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

Satan is allowed to open the pit and unleash the demonic forces. They are led by a leader who is satan himself or inspired by satan.

If it was an historical event, this could have been Mohammed or one of the Roman Emperors or one of the leaders of the Germanic barbarians.



If Muhammed (Mohammed, Muhammed, Mahomet), "A 'destroyer';... very applicable both to Mahomet, who by his imposture has been the cause of the destruction of multitudes of souls, as well as by his wars, and those of the Saracens and Turks, of the lives of millions, and of the ruin of many kingdoms, countries, cities, and towns." - Gill's Exposition of the Bible

For the Idealist, "The locusts are supernatural instruments in the hands of Satan to torment, and yet not kill, the ungodly, under this fifth trumpet. Just as in the case of godly Job." - Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

The smoke of the pit makes for darkness and confusion. In it are hatred, rebellion, evil ideas, lies, deceptions, evil plots and machinations, murderous intentions, enmity against God, hostility towards truth, lusts and greed, arrogance and all types of maliciousness. From this darkness and confusion comes a swarming army that are intent on tormenting and destroying. They have a leader but they are a leash. God holds control and He only allows them to torment for 150 days (or years) to give a chance for some to repent and turn back to Him. All of those who are faithful to God, the sealed, are protected during this time.

Ezekiel 2:6 Son of man, don't be afraid of them or the things they say. Don't be afraid, even though thorns and thistles are around you and you live among scorpions. Don't let the things they say frighten you. Don't be terrified in their presence, even though they are rebellious people.

But those who refuse to repent and accept Jesus as their Savior, will suffer. They would rather suffer and die than turn to God. In fact, they will want to kill themselves. I don't know if you've noticed like I have, that suicide is now being presented in movies as the ultimate solution rather than the worst and cowardly way out. It seems if things become intolerable, they take the easy way out with suicide, rather than humble themselves, repent and trust in God. And I think, from this, many more people are committing suicide today. They find themselves in a fix and can't see a tolerable way out so they give up. I'm not trying to be judgmental as I've suffered with depression and have attempted to take my own life. I know how far down you can go because I've been there. But I'm trying to show anyone, who is in that dark place, that it's sinful to try to murder yourself. It's selfish; it's weakness; it's cowardly. I've had to repent and ask God's forgiveness for my attempts to commit suicide and for my faithless thought patterns that take me to that dark place. You may not see a way out, but you are discounting God's miracles for He can make a way where there is no way. It takes strength, bravery, courage to keep standing and to trust that God is in control even when you don't see it or feel it right now.

It's shocking how many teenagers are committing suicide. They are only focused on the bad things but most of them have life, health, energy, strength and years ahead to make the most of those gifts. These are things that I don't have much of as I've aged and become disabled. But I can't focus on the bad things either. Because I have intelligence, experience, education, spiritual depths and I'm still breathing and have time to use these gifts.

Lets say you are in the worst case scenario: you have a terminal illness, living in prison surrounded by evil and with the threat of death and torture. There are still things to thank God for. If you are saved, you can thank God that this torment is temporary and that you will live with God in Heaven for eternity! You can thank God that you still have a voice and can sing and testify about God's goodness. You can thank God that you woke up and are able to move. You can thank God that you know your time is limited and therefore have the motivation to be prepared to meet God and use your time wisely. You can thank Jesus for forgiving you and saving you and that you are safely in the Ark of Christ.

When God is for us, what can man do to us? I mean, worst case scenario again: man can kill us. But for us who are saved, that means being immediately in the presence of our Savior and being welcomed into Heaven for eternity! So what satan means for our destruction, God has, and always will, turn it and use it for our good!

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Revelation 9:12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

The powers of evil have not exhausted themselves. The sixth trumpet resembles the last, though much worse.


Revelation 9:13-15 13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

Altars have been mentioned before in Revelation:

Revelation 6:9 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.

Revelation 8:3-5 3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

What is this golden altar?

God gave very specific instructions on how to build the Tabernacle (or Tent) of Meeting. Every detail was instructed. It was to be so many feet long and so many feet wide, the curtains were to be made a certain way, the tent poles were to be made a certain way, etc. While the Israelites were wanderers, they had a mobile Tent of Meeting called the Tabernacle. When they finally got into their own land and became settlers, eventually they built a permanent Temple and it was built along the same lines as the mobile Tabernacle had been built. I have studied the Tabernacle in detail and it makes for a fascinating study. Not only is every detail outlined by God but every detail gives a picture of Jesus Christ who is the Sacrificial Lamb, The High Priest of His People and the Tabernacle of worship.

The Tabernacle had 3 areas: a large Outer Court that was enclosed by curtains but had no roof. The inner court, or Holy Place, was the first room (curtained and with ceiling) and the last area was the smaller Holy of Holies. This room was curtained off and inaccessible to anyone but the High Priest and He only went there once a year to atone for the sins of the people. There were pieces of the Tabernacle (Temple) that were called "furniture". These included the large burnt offering altar made of acacia wood and covered with bronze and the large bronze laver of water for gazing and washing that were located in the Outer Court. In the Holy Place (the first room in the tent) was the golden lampstand, the table of shewbread and the golden altar of incense. In the Holy of Holies (the second room in the tent) was the Ark of the Covenant and it's lid, called the Mercy Seat.






The altar of incense

This scripture describes the bronze burnt offering altar:
Exodus 27:1-8 1 “Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide.b 2 Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze. 3 Make all its utensils of bronze—its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. 4 Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. 5 Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar. 6 Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8 Make the altar hollow, out of boards. It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

This scripture describes the golden altar of incense:
Exodus 30:1-10 1 “Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense. 2 It is to be square, a cubit long and a cubit wide, and two cubits high —its horns of one piece with it. 3 Overlay the top and all the sides and the horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. 4 Make two gold rings for the altar below the molding—two on each of the opposite sides—to hold the poles used to carry it. 5 Make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 6 Put the altar in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law—before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law—where I will meet with you. 7 “Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. 8 He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come. 9 Do not offer on this altar any other incense or any burnt offering or grain offering, and do not pour a drink offering on it. 10 Once a year Aaron shall make atonement on its horns. This annual atonement must be made with the blood of the atoning sin offering for the generations to come. It is most holy to the Lord.”

Acacia wood is a type of wood that hardens as it ages. It is enduring and incorruptible, i.e. not susceptible to rot. Wood represents humanity. Jesus Christ came as a human. Bronze represents God's judgment. Jesus bore our judgment. He shields us from God's wrath. He took it upon Himself so we wouldn't have to. Gold on the altar of incense symbolizes Christ's divinity. Although He was fully human, He was also fully divine. The golden altar had a crown which points to Jesus being our Priestly King. Not only High Priest, but our King of kings! The horns of the altar are intended to signify mercy. Running to the temple and clinging to these horns, a man could seek sanctuary (I Kings 1:50-51). There are four horns as there are four gospels that have been sent to the four corners of the earth. The good news of the gospel with the message of salvation has been heard throughout the earth.

The brazen altar was the place for burning animal sacrifices. It showed the Israelites that sinful man could only approach a holy God by the blood of an innocent and pure sacrifice. For a sin offering, a person had to bring an animal - a male without spot or defect - to the priests at the tabernacle gate. By laying his hand upon the head of the offering, the person was identifying with the sacrifice. Sin and guilt was transferred to the animal. The priest slaughtered the animal, sprinkled its blood in front of the veil of the Holy Place, burned the sacrifice, and poured the rest of it at the foot of the altar. Blood makes atonement. They had to repeat the sacrifices year after year. But Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, was the ultimate and final sacrifice when He offered His life. Christ was like a lamb led to slaughter and pierced for our transgressions. His blood was sprinkled and poured out at the cross for us. Horns were a symbol of power and strength in biblical times. When the sacrifice was made, blood was dabbed on the horns of the altar, signifying the power of the blood to atone for sins. There is mighty power in the blood of Christ. Jesus is the “horn of our salvation” (Psalm 18:2, Luke 1:69). We saw this altar in the fifth seal judgment as the martyred souls beneath it cry out to God for vengeance (Rev. 6:9-11).

The altar of incense was in the Holy Place before the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The fire used to burn the incense was always taken from the altar of burnt offering outside the sanctuary (Leviticus 16:12). The altar of incense was not to be used for a burnt offering only for the burning of incense (Exodus 30:9). Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest was to put blood on the horns of the altar of incense to cleanse it. Psalm 141:2 “May my prayer be set before you like incense”. Our prayers must be kindled with heaven’s grace just as the incense was burned with fire from the altar of burnt offering. The incense was always burning meaning we should always pray. The altar of incense was holy to the Lord and was atoned for with the blood of the sacrifice; it is the blood of Christ applied to our hearts that makes our prayers acceptable to a holy God. The altar of sacrifice in the outer court was a type of Christ’s death on our behalf. The altar of incense in the Holy Place was also a type of Christ’s mediation on our behalf. Placing the altar of incense before the curtain into the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat is a picture of Jesus standing in the presence of the Father (Hebrews 7:25; 9:24) mediating on our behalf. The continual burning of incense reminds us of Christ's neverending mediation for us. The horns on the golden altar of incense signify the power of Christ's blood in prayer as we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. James 5:15 "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven." We saw this altar in Revelation 8:3-5. An angel with a gold incense burner is given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of the saints. The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, arises into the presence of the Lord, while the angel fills his incense burner with fire from the altar and hurls it to earth in a prelude to the seven trumpet judgments. John's attention was directed toward the golden altar after the angel blew the sixth trumpet. This judgment is an answer to the prayers for justice.

1 Peter 3:12 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

The Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle was the place where God dwelled among His People. God wanted His dwelling to be a place where people could approach Him and pray to Him.

I wanted to build a little background on the altars of the Tabernacle so we can look at this altar in Revelation 9. This is the golden altar so it is the golden altar of incense. This altar has always been symbolic of mercy. The blood of the sacrifice and the prayers of intercession have always been for mercy, for salvation, for forgiveness. Our prayers have been for mercy and forgiveness. Jesus intercession on our behalf has been for mercy and salvation. The altar of incense had been a place to seek refuge and mercy. The one who took hold of the horns of the altar, and was righteous, was given mercy and lived, while the wicked died (1 Kings 1:50-53, 1 Kings 2:28-33 vs 2 Chronicles 26:14-16, 2 Chronicles 26:17-20). But now the voice coming from the four horns is for judgment. God’s way for a man to be saved is in the blood. Jesus Christ is the only way. For those who refuse the free offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, they must accept judgment. The four horns on the altar represent the power and authority of God to extend mercy to the righteous, being covered by the blood of the Lamb, or let loose judgment on the wicked.

"However, from the parallelism of this sixth trumpet to the fifth seal (Revelation 6:9-10), the martyrs' cry for avenging their blood from the altar reaching its consummation under the sixth seal and sixth trumpet, I prefer understanding this cry from the four corners of the altars, to mean the saints' cry from the four quarters of the world, incensed by the angel, ascending to God from the golden altar of incense, and bringing down fiery judgments." - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Robert Jamieson, D.D.; A. R. Fausset; David Brown.

These four angels are not the same four angels restraining the four winds in Revelation 7:1. These angels were "bound" or imprisoned at the Euphrates River. These evidently are not holy angels but fallen angels. God reserved them and held them back until the appointed time. Their intent to kill humans is evil, not just out of obedience to God. In mercy, God has restrained them until this time.



Babylon is the site of the Tower of Babel in Genesis. It was on the Euphrates River, half on one side of the river and half on the other side of the river. According to Wikipedia, it was originally a small Akkadian town dating from the period of the Akkadian Empire c. 2300 BC. Hammurabi built Babylon up into a major city and declared himself its king, and southern Mesopotamia became known as Babylonia and Babylon eclipsed Nippur as its holy city. It was destroyed but then rebuilt by the Assyrians. The city came under the rule of the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, Roman, and Sassanid empires.

It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from c. 1770 – c. 1670 BC, and again between c. 612 – c. 320 BC. They have a long and complicated history. The original beginnings of Babylon were the nomadic Amorites. The land of the Amorites is associated with Mesopotamia which included Canaan. The Amorites were descendents of Noah's son, Ham. (Genesis 9:20-25 and Genesis 10: 6, 15-18). Babylonians were the ancient enemy of God's people. They were used as tools of God's discipline. God gave Abraham the land of Canaan and one of the borders was the Euphrates River. The Amorites didn't take kindly to that.

Genesis 15:18 18 On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates...."

The Euphrates River is a symbol of rebellion against God. The Euphrates River flowed out of the Garden of Eden where sin began (Genesis 10:2-14). Like sin, it flowed out to the world. It was also the place of the first organized rebellion against God with the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:3-9). According to Joshua 24:2-3, 14-15, idolatry originated out of Babylon. God told the Prophet Jeremiah to bind the prophecy about Babylon's destruction to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River, which will be fulfilled in Revelation 18.


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Revelation 9:15-19 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

Revelation 9:16 The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

The words translated as "twice ten thousand times ten thousand" are δύο μυριάδες μυριάδων duos dismyriades myriadōn meaning two myriads of myriads, an essentially countless number. Some translations leave you to think it was 200 million, 200,000, 20,000 or innumerable. But John is specifically TOLD this, he doesn't count the number himself which leads you to believe that it is a literal military force. Why does this matter? Well, if it's 200 million or more, can a human army (or armies) make up that total? And if it's not human armies, then is it God's heavenly army or a demonic army? To amass such an army in one place would be impossible for humans at this stage of our existence. But, for the last 150 years, our technology has grown to such an extent that we could be nearing the capability of a world war like this. Think about it. For human existence, up until the last 150 years, we've been a primitive people relying on swords, one shot guns, catapults or cannons. But in the last 150 years we've got the technology to mow people down, bomb them with nuclear bombs, etc. We have the communications ability, the air power, the missiles, bombs, biological warfare capabilities, etc like nothing seen in human history before. So, is it possible that we will soon be able to amass, train, outfit, supply and kill with armies that are in these numbers?

This army is not the "locust" army of before. The locust army specialized in terror, not killing. This army kills. But what makes up this army? It's controversial. Some think that the 4 bound angels are let loose to confront God and accuse humans (as in Job) and then God sends His heavenly army to bring righteous judgment and kill 1/3. He is still restraining Himself and being merciful in only killing 1/3. God's heavenly army is made up of angels who appear fiery in the scriptures.

2 Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Others believe that the 4 bound angels lead a demonic army of supernatural origin. That these innumerable, myriads upon myriads, of fiery soldiers are demons. This makes more sense to me because they are led by 4 fallen, previously bound angels. Could it be demonic attack? Could the demons be other fallen angels who roam the earth now (not all are bound and chained in the bottomless pit)? Or could they be the spirits of the dead Nephilim, the giant halflings? Nephilim were hybrids, the result of fallen angels mating with human beings and procreating. These giants were half human and half demon. They were mostly killed during the Flood but one of Noah's daughters-in-law must have carried the gene as there were some giants in the Bible after the Flood. Goliath was one of them. They were eventually eradicated.

The army is amassed at the Euphrates River right smack dab in the Middle East where Babylon is/was (it still exists but as a tourist attraction now, rather than a major city). This Mesopotamian Valley was the "cradle of civilization". Somewhere in this area was the Garden of Eden. So it's where the fall of Adam and Eve happened. It's where the first lie was told, the first murder occurred, where the Tower of Babel was built in the first organized rebellion against God.

This army will kill 1/3 of mankind. In today's numbers that would be around 2 billion people (2,000,000,000) which is more than we can comprehend. They kill with "fire, smoke and sulfur". Brimstone is sulfur. It is a yellow colored stone. Put a match to it and it burns; lets off toxic fumes irritating your throat causing your throat to close; and melts like wax, dripping. It starts off under the earth as molten rock and spews out in the lava of volcanoes. Brimstone means, "burning stone" or, "the stone that burns." It is often converted to sulfuric acid today for many commercial uses. These weapons are often used in the Bible in judgment.

Luke 17:28-30 28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed."

God has used these natural elements in the past for judgment and wrath. It could literally be fire, brimstone and the noxious, poisonous fumes in the smoke that kills. Or it could represent fiery weapons. If John were to see a flame thrower today, wouldn't he describe it to his readers as a weapon of fire and brimstone? Napalm is a firm jelly made by mixing gasoline with aluminum salts. It can be used in flamethrowers, tanks, boats, bombs laid by airplanes.



Because the dense jungle provided cover for the North Vietnamese and their allies, they were deadly places for our soldiers. Hiding in trees, tunnels, vegetation were snipers, units, headquarters, trip mines, booby traps, etc. So the US used napalm to burn everything and leave no place to hide. It cleaned out the tunnels, left the enemy no supplies or natural cover or provision, as well as, killing or incapacitating any personnel (and, unfortunately, any human being whether combatant or noncombatant). The weapons of this army could be any type of chemical weapons.

This army is described as:

• breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur
• the heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions
• out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.
• the power of the horses was in their mouths
• and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury

Some interpreters have suggested they represent modern weapons that shoot both forward and backward, such as missiles, tanks, war ships, etc. If it's a literal battle between human beings then our weapons will be able to shoot the equivalent of fire and brimstone from front and back. Notice, it's less about the soldiers and more about their transport. The descriptions are about the transport weapon. And maybe there isn't even a man in them? Could it be robotic, drones, an army of soldier-less machines?

Could it be aliens attacking? Such bizarre descriptions may lead some to think of aliens. I mean, our media has primed us to believe in aliens over the last 70 years. Science fiction, alien "reality" shows, Star Wars, etc have opened our minds to this possibility. I don't believe or disbelieve, just putting it forward. I know God is capable of creating other life forms. But I'm not convinced that other life forms have contacted earth. I don't discount it, I just have not been convinced.

Historicists seem to think it's talking about a particular war, or all wars together, which have led to the deaths of 1/3 of mankind. They see this vision as describing the courage, power and brutality of the Romans and their confederates in the Jewish War of the first century. Or these colors reveal the identity of the army as the Turks, who defeat the Byzantine Empire and capture Constantinople in 1453. Others believe the fire, smoke, and sulfur are apt symbols of the gunpowder and artillery introduced in Europe and used by the Turks in their conquest of Constantinople.

Idealists see this horror as symbolizing the spiritual damage of false religions – such as Islam or cults. They point to scripture where mankind is compared to horses (Jeremiah 5:8, 8:6, James 3:1-9). The lion's heads represent the natural mind of man, or carnal nature (Psalm 22:13, 21; 2 Peter 2:12). The bridles, and bits in the mouths of horses signifies words and speech.

Joel 2 describes an army much like what is described here. But in the middle of the devastation, God still calls on them to repent. They don't have to face God's wrath! In His mercy, He has provided a way of escape through repentance and believing in Jesus Christ.

Joel 2:12-14 12 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before.

But, unfortunately, the survivors of this horror, do not repent...

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Revelation 9:20-21 20 The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.



This post still under construction...

Weekly blogging prompt through GENEABLOGGERS: Week #52 – Advice Week 52. Advice. Do you have any advice for future generations who may be researching your family?

As concerning cremation versus burial...
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men. . .”

With sin came separation from God. This separation, while initially a spiritual one, affected the body, soul, and spirit. Spiritually, man lost the right to have fellowship and communion with God; he was spiritually dead. But the body also suffered in that it took on the properties of corruption, began to grow old, decay, and counted its existence in time -- culminating in death. God creates every human being and we have the very breath of God's life in us. We were made in His Image. He creates the original DNA that makes us unique and separate from every other human being. The sanctity of the human body, as made by God, is to be protected as much as it lays within our power.

There are situations where Jews/Christians' bodies are so scattered, burned or decayed as to have returned to the dust from which we were created. Things such as airplane disasters, incineration or disposal by a murderer, those drowned and eaten by sea creatures, or the total disintegration into dust by decay over time... these things do not pose a problem to God in re-assembling and re-creating our resurrected bodies. As I said earlier, God created our very DNA, the very building blocks of who we are. We are created from dust and to dust we return. I trust God, who made everything out of nothing, to sort out the molecules. So, in our belief that Jesus will return and resurrect our mortal bodies and convert them into immortal bodies, I am not afraid that my body is too disintegrated to be put back together again.

Here are some background scripture to read that discusses the origin of our earthly bodies and how they will be resurrected in the End Times when Jesus Christ returns:

Genesis 1:26-27 And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creepers creeping on the earth. And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.

Genesis 1: 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

Genesis 2: 6-7 But there went up from the earth a mist and watered all the face of the ground. And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2: 21-23 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. And He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh underneath. And Jehovah God made the rib (which He had taken from the man) into a woman. And He brought her to the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman because she was taken out of man.

Genesis 3:19 (God speaking to Adam and Eve after they had sinned) "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return."

Genesis 18:27 And Abraham answering said, Truly, I, who am only dust, have undertaken to put my thoughts before the Lord:

Psalm 103: 13-18 As a father pities his children, Jehovah pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our form; He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and its place shall know it no more. But the mercy of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness is to sons of sons; to those who keep His covenant, and to those who remember to do His Commandments.

Ecclesiastes 12: 7 then the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.

Daniel 12: 1-3 And at that time Michael, the chief of the angels, shall stand up, the great ruler who stands for the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation; until that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the sky; and those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever.

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Resurrection Scriptures

John 5: 28-29 Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil to the resurrection of condemnation.



Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of the One who raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised up Christ from the dead shall also make your mortal bodies alive by His Spirit who dwells in you.

1 Corinthians 15: 35-44 and 51-55 "But someone will ask, 'How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come back?'
You fool! The seed you plant does not come to life unless it dies, and what you plant is not the form that it will be, but a bare kernel, whether it is wheat or something else.
But God gives the plant the form he wants it to have, and to each kind of seed its own form.
Not all flesh is the same. Humans have one kind of flesh, animals in general have another, birds have another, and fish have still another.
There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of those in heaven is of one kind, and that of those on earth is of another.
One kind of splendor belongs to the sun, another to the moon, and still another to the stars.
In fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.
This is how it will be at the resurrection of the dead. What is planted is decaying, what is raised cannot decay.
The body is planted in dishonor but raised in splendor. It is planted in weakness but raised in power.
It is planted a physical body but raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.
...Behold, I speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
But when this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and when this mortal shall put on immortality, then will take place the word that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?'"

Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which also we are looking for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our body of humiliation so that it may be fashioned like His glorious body, according to the working of His power, even to subdue all things to Himself.

In summary, I am fully aware that God can restore our decayed or obliterated bodies and can change them back to being the immortal bodies that He always intended. Adam and Eve were created to be immortal beings but sin brought death. God will raise our bodies and make them immortal, unable to decay or die, incorruptible. When we are saved and accept Jesus as our Savior, we have this to look forward to! God breaths life into our spirit and gives our born-again spirit eternal life. When we die, our spirits go to be with God until Jesus' Second Coming. When Jesus returns, He will raise our bodies, change them to glorious, eternal bodies and our spirits shall rejoin our resurrected bodies.

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Pagan Cremation

If God can do this, even though our bodies are but dust or ashes, why have Christians traditionally chosen burial versus cremation?

Here are how old wills used to begin:
"...being in perfect health, mind and memory, thanks be unto almighty God, and calling to mind the uncertainty of this life and the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament that is to say.
First and principally I give and recommend my soul into the hand of God that gave it and my body I commit to the Earth to be buried in a Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executors nothing doubting but at the day of Resurection I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God. And as touching such an Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give and dispose of in the following manner..."

"In the name of God amen this second day of January seventeen hundred and ninety six I, ______________ ________________ of ________________, Planter, being very sick and weak but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to God, therefore calling to mind the mortality of any body of knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die first of all I recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors and as touching such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life I dispose of in the manner and form following..."

"In the name of God Amen The twelfth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty nine I ______________ ______________ of _____________ in calling to remembrance the Mortality of My Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last will and testament (that is to say) Principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Executors nothing doubting but at the general resurection I shall receive the same again by the Mighty Power of God and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give dismise and dispose of the same inthe following manner and form..."

"I, ____________ ____________ of __________________ being very sick and low in flesh but in perfect sound mind and memory thanks be to God for the same, do make and ordain this to be my last will and testament in manner following-- to with, first of all I resign my soul in the hands of almighty God who gave it and my body to be buried in a Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named"

"In the name of God amen the fifteenth day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five I ______________ ______________ of _________________ being within body and in perfect mind & memory, thanks be given almighty God for the same, and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing principally and first of all I recommend once to die make and ordain this my last will and testament and that is to say principally and first of all I recommend my soul into the hands of God and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in Christian funeral at the discretion of my executors nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall revive the same again by the mighty power of almighty God and as touching such worldly estate where with it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give dismiss and dispense of the same in following manner and form..."

"In the name of God Amen I, _______________ ____________ of sound and disposing mind and memory but in view of the uncertainty of all human offices do make and declare this my last will and testament in this year of One thousand Eight Hundred and Nine.
Item I. I give my soul to God who gave it and my body to decently buried..."

So, wills used to be started like that. It was accepted among Christians that we would be have a "decent Christian burial".

The Israelites and, after Christ, Christians have always upheld burial as the proper way to take care of the body after death. If it is within our power, we believe in treating the body, given by God, with respect. Families who have lost loved ones, yearn to have their bodily remains returned to the family so they can be decently buried in a place where family, and future family, can visit. Those who have had loved ones disappear, killed in foreign wars, missing in action, etc. cannot seem to have closure until bodily remains are returned home. There was a time that the cremation of Jews during the Holocaust was considered shocking and horrible but cremation is a "fashion" now. In respect, the ovens of the Holocaust burned Jewish victims alive more often than not so I don't mean to casually refer to that. But cremation was seen as pagan and scandalous up until the last 15 years. It's shocking how casually we treat the magnificent bodies that God, Himself, created. We treat it as so much trash to be burned as though these people never existed. Where is the respect, the honor to the dead and to the One who created those bodies? Those people we loved so much, where is their respect? And where is the honor for the One who will raise them from the dead at the end of time? If at all possible, our bodies should be treated respectfully and left to God. After our body is decently interred, it is in God's Hands.



And, yet, in this day, it seems that cremation is becoming more and more popular. It's cheaper, there is no further maintenance (such as occurs when you have a buried loved one and cemeteries, tombstones and graves must be kept up), and valuable land is not lost to cemeteries so it seems to be more efficient. And, yet, traditionally, Christians are buried. Many are buried on hilltops facing the East as a symbol of their belief in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ who will then raise their mortal bodies to be changed into immortal bodies and so shall they ever be with the Lord, Amen. Some believers have been cremated out of ignorance and God knows that.

Although there is not a scripture, an 11th commandment, that says, "Thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not cremate your mortal bodies upon death", there are plenty of scriptures that support burial as the proper way for Jews/Christians to dispose of their dead. Let's look at them.

First, let us see how God speaks to satan:
Ezekiel 28:18-19 (In a dialogue about the King of Tyre which most scholars agree is a type or shadow of satan, italics are mine) By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
All they that know thee among the peoples shall be astonished at thee: thou art become a terror, and thou shalt nevermore have any being.

If we will remember our scripture, satan was created as a perfect angel of light and yet, pride made him desire to be like God. This pride caused him to sin and God tossed him out of heaven along with 1/3 of the angels who had listened to satan. This rebellion against God resulted in satan and his following angels (demons) to be forever separated from God and their end result will be forever to burn in the Lake of Fire along with any who are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life (those who have NOT accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior).

Revelation 20: 10-15 And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were . And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and Him sitting on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And a place was not found for them.
And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead in them. And each one of them was judged according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.
And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.

It seems that final disposition in fire is more a symbol of punishment. Let's look at some other examples of fire used as punishment.

Genesis 19: 24-25 Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from Jehovah out of the heavens.
And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.

Joshua 7: 14-15 (the Lord speaking to Joshua) "Tomorrow morning everyone must gather near the place of worship. You will come forward tribe by tribe, and the LORD will show which tribe is guilty. Next, the clans in that tribe must come forward, and the LORD will show which clan is guilty. The families in that clan must come, and the LORD will point out the guilty family. Finally, the men in that family must come, and the LORD will show who stole what should have been destroyed. That man must be put to death, his body burned, and his possessions thrown into the fire. He has done a terrible thing by breaking the sacred agreement that the LORD made with Israel."
...
(It was determined that it was Achan and Achan confessed) Then everyone took Achan and the things he had stolen to Trouble Valley. They also took along his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys, and sheep, his tent, and everything else that belonged to him.
Joshua said, "Achan, you caused us a lot of trouble. Now the LORD is paying you back with the same kind of trouble." The people of Israel then stoned to death Achan and his family. They made a fire and burned the bodies, together with what Achan had stolen, and all his possessions. They covered the remains with a big pile of rocks, which is still there. Then the LORD stopped being angry with Israel. That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley. (italics mine)

Deuteronomy 18:9-11 (God's commandment is that they should NOT sacrifice their child and burn them to death or cremate them unto idols) When you come to the land which Jehovah your God gives you, you shall not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, an observer of clouds, or a fortune-teller, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or one who calls to the dead.

Jeremiah 19:4 The people of Judah stopped worshiping me and made this valley into a place of worship for Baal and other gods that have never helped them or their ancestors or their kings. And they have committed murder here, burning their young, innocent children as sacrifices to Baal. I have never even thought of telling you to do that.

2 Kings 16: 2-3 Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do right in the sight of Jehovah his God, like David his father.
But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. Yes, and he made his son to pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom Jehovah cast out from before the sons of Israel.

Joshua 11: 10-11 And Joshua at that time turned back and took Hazor (a city), and struck its king with the sword. For Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms.
And they struck every soul in it with the edge of the sword, destroying them. And he left none breathing. And he burned Hazor with fire.

Psalm 11: 6 On the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone; and a horrible tempest shall be the portion of their cup.

Psalm 21: 9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your presence; Jehovah will swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Psalm 97: 3 A fire goes before Him and burns up His enemies round about.

Psalm 106:18 And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.

Hosea 8: 14 Israel, I created you, but you forgot me. You and Judah built palaces and many strong cities. Now I will send fire to destroy your towns and fortresses.

Jeremiah 16: 1-4 Then again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "You are not to take a wife for yourself or have sons or daughters in this place.
For this is what the Lord has said about the sons and daughters who come to birth in this place, and about their mothers who have given them birth, and about their fathers who have given life to them in this land:
Death from evil diseases will overtake them; there will be no weeping for them and their bodies will not be put to rest; they will be like waste on the face of the earth: the sword and need of food will put an end to them; their dead bodies will be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth."

Amos 2: 1 The LORD said: "I will punish Moab for countless crimes, and I won't change my mind. They made lime from the bones of the king of Edom..."

As you can see, there are many places in the Word of God that portray fire and burning as a method of punishment. God is so holy that fire goes before Him burning up any unholy thing before Him. We are only made holy by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and that is the only thing saving us from eternal burning.

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Now let us look at the history of burial for, first the Jews, and, later, the Christians.

Abraham and Sarah are buried.
Genesis 23: 19 Now the years of Sarah's life were a hundred and twenty-seven.
And Sarah's death took place in Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan: and Abraham went into his house, weeping and sorrowing for Sarah.
And Abraham came from his dead and said to the children of Heth, I am living among you as one from a strange country: give me some land here as my property, so that I may put my dead to rest. And in answer the children of Heth said to Abraham, My lord, truly you are a great chief among us; take the best of our resting-places for your dead; not one of us will keep back from you a place where you may put your dead to rest.
And Abraham got up and gave honour to the children of Heth, the people of that land.
And he said to them, If you will let me put my dead to rest here, make a request for me to Ephron, the son of Zohar, That he will give me the hollow in the rock named Machpelah, which is his property at the end of his field; let him give it to me for its full price as a resting-place for my dead among you.

Genesis 25: 8-10 And Abraham came to his death, an old man, full of years; and he was put to rest with his people.
And Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, put him to rest in the hollow rock of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite, near Mamre; The same field which Abraham got from the children of Heth: there Abraham was put to rest with Sarah, his wife.

Isaac's burial.
Genesis 35: 28-29 And Isaac was a hundred and eighty years old.
Then Isaac came to his end and was put to rest with his father's people, an old man after a long life: and Jacob and Esau, his sons, put him in his last resting-place.

The burial of Rachel.
Genesis 35: 16-20 So they went on from Beth-el; and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, the pains of birth came on Rachel and she had a hard time...
And in the hour when her life went from her for death came to her, she gave the child the name Ben-oni: but his father gave him the name of Benjamin.
So Rachel came to her end and was put to rest on the road to Ephrath which is Beth-lehem.
And Jacob put up a pillar on her resting-place; which is named, The Pillar of the resting-place of Rachel, to this day.

Jacob/Israel died in Egypt but he carefully instructed his sons to carry his remains back to Canaan and bury him with his people.
Genesis 49: 29-33 And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.
There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.
In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.
And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.

Genesis 50:2-3 And Joseph gave orders to his servants who had the necessary knowledge, to make his father's body ready, folding it in linen with spices, and they did so.
And the forty days needed for making the body ready went by: and there was weeping for him among the Egyptians for seventy days.

Genesis 50: 12-14 So his sons did as he had given them orders to do:
For they took him into the land of Canaan and put him to rest in the hollow rock in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham got with the field, for a resting-place, from Ephron the Hittite at Mamre.
And when his father had been put to rest, Joseph and his brothers and all who had gone with him, went back to Egypt.

Joseph's remains were carried back to Canaan for burial.
Joshua 24: 32 And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had taken up from Egypt, they put in the earth in Shechem, in the property which Jacob had got from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred shekels: and they became the heritage of the children of Joseph.

Miriam, Moses' sister, is buried.
Numbers 20: 1 In the first month all the children of Israel came into the waste land of Zin, and put up their tents in Kadesh; there death came to Miriam, and they put her body to rest in the earth.

Joshua is buried.
Joshua 24: 29 Now after these things, the death of Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, took place, he being then a hundred and ten years old.
And they put his body in the earth in the land of his heritage in Timnath-serah, in the hill-country of Ephraim, to the north of Mount Gaash.

2 Chronicles 32: 33 So (King) Hezekiah went to rest with his fathers, and they put his body into the higher part of the resting-places of the sons of David: and all Judah and the people of Jerusalem gave him honour at his death. And Manasseh his son became king in his place.

Saul had been chosen by God to be the Israelites first king. But, King Saul, disobeyed and turned away from God. He and his sons were killed in battle and the Philistines mutilated and displayed their bodies on poles. Cremation was only practiced in unusual circumstances, as in the case of Saul's and his sons' mutilated, headless bodies, where regular burial was impossible and there was a possibility of the Philistines coming and mutilating them still more. However, the bones were not burned but buried.
1 Samuel 31: 11-13 And when they heard about it, the people of Jabesh-gilead, what the Philistines had done to Saul, then all the brave men arose, and they traveled all night. And they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burned them there.
And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh. And they fasted seven days.

Burial of King David.
Chronicles 29: 28 And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.

His exact place of burial is unknown today but his tomb, which became the general sepulchre of the kings of Judah, was pointed out in the latest times of the Jewish people. The edifice was known at the times of the Crusades as being on the southern hill of modern Jerusalem commonly called Mount Zion

Nehemiah 3: 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Beth-zur, repaired across from the tombs of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men.

Act 2:29 "Men, brothers, it is permitted to say to you with plainness as to the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day."

Burying the dead after battle with Gog. Even enemies received burial.
Ezekiel 38:2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn Gog, that wicked ruler of the kingdoms of Meshech and Tubal in the land of Magog. Tell him: "I, the LORD God, am your enemy,...
Ezekiel 39: 11-16 After Gog has been destroyed, I will bury him and his army in Israel, in Travelers' Valley, east of the Dead Sea. That graveyard will be so large that it will block the way of anyone who tries to walk through the valley, which will then be known as "The Valley of Gog's Army."
The Israelites will spend seven months burying dead bodies and cleaning up their land.
Everyone will help with the burial, and they will be honored for this on the day the brightness of my glory is seen.
After those seven months, the people will appoint a group of men to look for any dead bodies left unburied. This must be done for seven months to make sure that the land is no longer unclean.
Whenever they find a human bone, they will set up a marker next to it. Then the gravediggers will bury it in "The Valley of Gog's Army" near the town of "Gog's Army." After that, the land will be pure again.

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Even criminals received burial according to the Jewish Laws given by God.
Deuteronomy 21: 22-23 If a criminal is put to death, and you hang the dead body on a tree, you must not let it hang there overnight. Bury it the same day, because the dead body of a criminal will bring God's curse on the land. The LORD your God is giving this land to you, so don't make it unclean by leaving the bodies of executed criminals on display.

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Any lack of proper burial is still regarded as an indignity, even punishment by God. It was seen as the greatest distress that can befall a person.
Jeremiah 15: 3-4 I will punish you in four different ways: You will be killed in war and your bodies dragged off by dogs, your flesh will be eaten by birds, and your bones will be chewed on by wild animals.
This punishment will happen because of the horrible things your King Manasseh did.



2 Kings 9:30-37 Jehu headed toward Jezreel, and when Jezebel heard he was coming, she put on eye shadow and brushed her hair. Then she stood at the window, waiting for him to arrive.
As he walked through the city gate, she shouted down to him, "Why did you come here, you murderer? To kill the king? You're no better than Zimri!"
He looked up toward the window and asked, "Is anyone up there on my side?" A few palace workers stuck their heads out of a window, and Jehu shouted, "Throw her out the window!" They threw her down, and her blood splattered on the walls and on the horses that trampled her body.
Jehu left to get something to eat and drink. Then he told some workers, "Even though she was evil, she was a king's daughter, so make sure she has a proper burial."
But when they went out to bury her body, they found only her skull, her hands, and her feet.
They reported this to Jehu, and he said, "The LORD told Elijah the prophet that Jezebel's body would be eaten by dogs right here in Jezreel.
And he warned that her bones would be spread all over the ground like manure, so that no one could tell who it was."

"For a corpse to remain unburied and become food for beasts of prey was the climax of indignity or judgment (2 Samuel 21: 10, 2 Samuel 21: 11; 1 Kings 13: 22; 1Kings 14: 11; 1 Kings 16: 4; 1Kings 21: 24; 2Kings 9: 37; Jeremiah 7: 33; Jeremiah 8: 1; Ezekiel 29: 5; Psalm 79: 3; Revelation 11:9), and uncovered blood cried for vengeance (Ezekiel 24: 6; Ezekiel 39: 11-16)..." International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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Now, we look at how profane it was to disturb the graves and remains of the dead.

2 Kings 23: 16-18 And as Josiah turned, he spied the tombs which were there in the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the Word of Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who spoke these words. And he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel. And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. And they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria.

Jeremiah 8: 1-2 At that time, says Jehovah, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its rulers, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem, out of their graves. And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of the heavens, whom they have loved and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be as dung on the face of the earth.

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In all things we strive to follow the steps of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We try to imitate His example. The term, "Christian", means little Christs. We are His followers, we believe in Him, we are His disciples. We must ask ourselves, "How was Jesus' body treated after it was taken down from the cross?"

His body was treated with respect. Joseph of Arimathea offered to give his own tomb to place Jesus' body. His body was taken down from the cross, wrapped in clean linens, spices were placed around him and he was sealed in Joseph's tomb. After the Jewish Sabbath, the women, who had followed Him, came back to anoint his body with oil and to carefully wrap His body in spices and linen. But He had risen from the dead. His linen wrappings were carefully folded and left in the empty tomb.

John 19: 38-42 Joseph from Arimathea was one of Jesus' disciples. He had kept it secret though, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders. But now he asked Pilate to let him have Jesus' body. Pilate gave him permission, and Joseph took it down from the cross.
Nicodemus also came with about seventy-five pounds of spices made from myrrh and aloes. This was the same Nicodemus who had visited Jesus one night.
The two men wrapped the body in a linen cloth, together with the spices, which was how the Jewish people buried their dead.
In the place where Jesus had been nailed to a cross, there was a garden with a tomb that had never been used.
The tomb was nearby, and since it was the time to prepare for the Sabbath, they were in a hurry to put Jesus' body there.

John 20: 1-8 On Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
She ran to Simon Peter and to Jesus' favorite disciple and said, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb! We don't know where they have put him."
Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.
They ran side by side, until the other disciple ran faster than Peter and got there first.
He bent over and saw the strips of linen cloth lying inside the tomb, but he did not go in.
When Simon Peter got there, he went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth.
He also saw the piece of cloth that had been used to cover Jesus' face. It was rolled up and in a place by itself.
The disciple who got there first then went into the tomb, and when he saw it, he believed.
Now to look at a few last things about how we should treat our dead.

If we follow Jesus by participating in the Lord's Supper, repeating the Lord's Prayer, being baptized, following His teachings, then we should be willing to follow Him in the dispensation of His body before it was resurrected.

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The nature of the procedure of cremation makes dishonesty difficult to prevent and honesty hard to enforce. For example, how would you know if the crematorium actually cremated your loved one, rather than just disposing of the body? How do you know if they aren't selling tissues, bone, organs or whole bodies out the back door and then charging you for a cremation that never happened? There have been scandals over this very issue. It's like vultures pulling apart a body to scavenge for every last dime that could be made. Can you imagine how you would feel if you knew it was done to your loved one? It's been hard to catch these criminals even with burial, but a supposed cremation would destroy evidence. How do you know your loved one's ashes are in that urn they give you? You don't. Those ashes could be the ashes of wood, animal or other human. When you take a beloved pet to the vet to be put down, some choose to have their pet cremated and the ashes returned in an urn. The crematoriums offer this service for a hefty price. But how do you know what you are getting back? Wouldn't it be cheaper for the crematorium to load up the carcasses and take them to the landfill, take some wood ashes out of their fireplace at home and put it in an urn and tell you it's your pet? Wouldn't it be cheaper for them to place 10 dogs in the incinerator rather than one at a time? You are paying for a service but there is no guarantee that those ashes are your beloved pet and that you haven't been cheated in some way. And the same would be true of your loved one. You get an urn of ashes but who is to say it's really your loved one or the remains of the cremated animals or just plain wood ash? You have no way of knowing if they have scavenged your loved one's remains and then charged you for a cremation that didn't actually happen. If they can get paid twice, don't you think someone would take advantage of grieving families? They can sell organs, bones, tissues and whole bodies and body parts to research facilities and companies who re-sell to hospitals for use on the living, etc. A human body can bring in $200,000 dollars and that's not counting what they charge the unknowing, grieving family for "cremation". The demand for human bodies and body parts is HIGH, therefore the price is HIGH and this draws criminals to find ways to make money twice: charging you for a cremation that never really happens and selling body parts out the back door for the big dollars.
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Now I will cover just a few last things about this subject.

The rapidity of decomposition in the hot Middle East, and the uncleanness associated with a dead body according to the Jewish Law, made immediate interment necessary. As a genealogist I was amazed at the practice of burying the dead the day after death. This seemed to be the practice up until the middle of the last century. I'm sure it was because of the lack of embalming like they can do today. Today, we take a few days before we bury them. It's the custom for white Southerners to bury someone on the 2nd-3rd day after death. I believe the custom is different for the black Southerners who may take a few more days. In some places it's to allow people who live out of town to get back home in time for the funeral. Some now wait until the weekend.


A napkin was bound around the head, and linen bandages wound round the body (John 11:44; John 19: 40, Mark 14: 8). Costly spices were wrapped up in the linen swathes round the corpse, and also were burnt at the funeral (2 Chronicles 16: 14); so Nicodemus honored Jesus with 100 pounds weight of "myrrh and aloes." This mixture of myrrh and aloes together was a very large quantity, and very expensive in honour and respect to Him. By this they showed the value they had for His person. Myrrh was one of the principal spices in the anointing oil and holy perfume. Christ's garments are said to smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia in Psalm 45: 8. This is comparable to our embalming practises today.

"In conformity to this example, we ought to have regard to the dead bodies of Christians; not to enshrine and adore their relics, no, not those of the most eminent saints and martyrs (nothing like that was done to the dead body of Christ himself), but carefully to deposit them, the dust in the dust, as those who believe that the dead bodies of the saints are still united to Christ and designed for glory and immortality at the last day. The resurrection of the saints will be in virtue of Christ's resurrection, and therefore in burying them we should have an eye to Christ's burial, for he, being dead, thus speaketh. Thy dead men shall live, Isaiah 26: 19. In burying our dead it is not necessary that in all circumstances we imitate the burial of Christ, as if we must be buried in linen, and in a garden, and be embalmed as he was; but his being buried after the manner of the Jews teaches us that in things of this nature we should conform to the usages of the country where we live, except in those that are superstitious." (Matthew Henry's Commentary on John 19: 39, italics his)

Mark 14: 3-9 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as He reclined, a woman came with an alabaster vial of pure, costly ointment of spikenard. And she broke the vial and poured it on His head.
And some were indignant to themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and be given to the poor. And they were incensed with her.
And Jesus said, Let her alone! Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work towards Me.
For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you desire you may do them good. But you do not have Me always.
She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for the burying.
Truly I say to you, Wherever this gospel shall be proclaimed in all the world, this also that she has done will be spoken of for a memorial of her.

Alabaster was thought to hold such precious perfumes and ointments without it allowing any decay of the contents. It would have been a sealed box and she probably "broke" the seal rather than the entire box. She may have dropped the box to loosen the seal and then poured the contents upon her Savior. She would have scraped all the ointment out so none was left. In her way, she was giving liberally, extravagantly... "The costliness of Mary's offering, (300 pence = $45), may best be seen from the fact that a penny, (denarius, 15 to 17 cents), was, in those days, the day-wages of a laborer (Matthew 20: 2)." - Smith's Bible Dictionary. A token of the highest respect. Where there is true love for Jesus Christ, nothing is too good to bestow upon him. But, in those days, it was not unusual for people to begin, during their lifetimes, preparing for their deaths. Much as we buy life insurance, purchase burial plots, make funeral arrangements ahead of time. Mary would have had this on hand for her own burial but she, instead, used it to anoint Jesus. She was giving her very best and something that meant a lot to her. It was a sacrifice, a gift that cost her. She was anointing Him as her sovereign king and she gave Him her tears and kisses as a sign of love and allegiance. She may or may not have had a word from God that Jesus would die soon. But, consciously or unconsciously, she was doing this prophetically. Jesus would die soon and she would not be there to anoint and prepare His body upon His death. Jesus recognized all of this.

To get back to our discussion...the point is that Joseph and Nicodemus had a tomb and burial spices on hand for their own use, but they busied themselves with using their resources for Jesus. While Joseph went to beg Pilate for Jesus' body, Nicodemus was going home to gather his own burial spices. He and his servants met Joseph and the mourners at the graveyard and they positioned Jesus body in the tomb and sealed it.

In those days hired mourners would weep and wail.

There would be shrill pipes which increased the sound of wailings for the dead (Matthew 9: 23; Jeremiah 9: 17; 2 Chronicles 35: 25). It was a way of announcing the death to the close knit community much as we do with newspaper obituaries, calling friends, and having the greeting before the actual funeral.

They didn't use coffins in those ancient days. Those who were wealthy used sarcophagi and had their own private family tombs.



They began as natural caves in which niches were carved and the dead laid in these niches. The mouth of the caves were sealed with a rock. Later, handhewn tombs were dug. We've all heard of the catacombs under Rome.

Loved ones would often dress in "sack cloth" and put ashes on their heads as a sign of mourning.

When they were in utter despair, there were more than just a few ashes, but later it became a smudge of ashes on the forehead.

Much like those who wore black or a black armband for a certain time period to honor the dead. We don't do that much any more.

The body, without any coffin, was carried to burial on a bier (Luke 7: 12). Much like we carry the dead in the back of the funeral car to the cemetery.










After burial the funeral feast followed (Jeremiah 16: 6-8) like we have receptions and meals at the family's home. Churches today have committees who take food and drink to the homes of the bereaved in the congregation so the family doesn't have to worry about cooking and cleaning during their time of bereavement. It's their way of ministering to a hurting family.

Many times, after the body has had time to decay, the bones were collected into a stone ossuaries.

Ordinary graves were marked by the heaping of crude stones, but hewn stones and sometimes costly pillars were set up as memorials of the dead (Ezekiel 39: 15; 2 Kings 23: 17) much like we set up tombstones today. As a genealogist, I wonder about those who are cremated and their ashes scattered. Will there be a stone or bronze memorial in a cemetery for them? I love going to cemeteries and looking for gravestones of my ancestors. Will someone, in the future, look for a tombstone that is not there? It is the longest lasting memorial someone has that he/she walked this earth. I particularly love to find a gravestone that has all the information (not just "J.Smith, 1834-1867") and has something unusual that represents the deceased such as a saying, scripture, engravings.

I hope this answers your questions about traditional Christian burial.

The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' time took pride in the fact that they were Abraham’s seed. By blood they were descended from Abraham through Isaac, the son of promise. The Arab nations are descended from Abraham through his son, Ishmael.

But Ishmael was not the promised son, the son God had promised Abraham and Sarah. Abraham and Sarah got impatient and decided to help God. God had promised they would have a son, but they still hadn't had a child and they were both past the time for having children. So they came up with a plan. Sarah offered Abraham her maid, Hagar, to marry. This was not God's idea, this was Sarah's big idea.

"God helps them that help themselves" is NOT a scripture in the Bible. People say it all the time and many probably think it is biblical. But it really isn't! God is perfectly capable of getting things done without our help and when we try to push Him out of the way and do it ourselves we tend to make a big mess. Abraham and Sarah were tired of waiting and thought every day that went by was a day further from having a child as they were aging. Sarah had gone through menopause and normally couldn't get pregnant, much less carry and deliver a healthy child. So Sarah came up with a scheme. Essentially saying, "God, You aren't coming through. Evidently You don't know what You are doing and don't have the power to make your promise come true. So move over, I'm taking over and I'll do it right. I'm smarter and more capable than You so just get out of the way and I'll take over and get this thing done". It sounds really silly put like that doesn't it? But don't we do this all the time? We also get impatient and think we know it all and we manipulate and scheme, making monsters from our machinations.

When we manipulate and try to force something to happen so we can have what we want, when we want it, then we tend to make our own monstrosities.

Remember Frankenstein? Victor Frankenstein was a young scientist who created a grotesque monster in a science experiment. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelly wrote this novel when she was just 20 years old and published it in 1818. Victor Frankenstein became obsessed with his ambition to create life without the help of God. When his mother died of scarlet fever; Victor buried himself in his experiments to deal with the grief. At the university, he excelled at chemistry and sciences. He spent extended periods of time in tombs observing bodies decay. His ruthless pursuit of knowledge about creating life became utterly consuming. He decides to try and create a man. He begins constructing the creature's body one anatomical feature at a time from raw materials supplied by "the dissecting room and the slaughter-house". He is using dead tissue to try to create a man. Dr. Frankenstein believes he can embue this creature with life which is something divine and only God can do. But Frankenstein becomes his own god by creating the monster and giving it life only to find he's made a terrible mistake that causes endless tragedy. Dr. Frankenstein realizes too late that man should not play God. We are ill fitted for that role. Victor cannot even stand to look at his creation and the creature is so rejected and feared that he becomes the monster he looks like and begins killing people, innocent people, who had nothing to do with his creation. Dr. Frankenstein then sees it as his responsibility to kill the monster he created. So the beginning of the story is Victor Frankenstein taking on the God-role of creating life and the ending of the story is Victor Frankenstein taking on the God-role of ending life.


Let's look back at Adam and Eve for a moment.

Genesis 3:1-7 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

When we read the story of Adam and Eve, we see that satan tempted them to "be like God". He made it even seem like they were being godly by disobeying and eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He appealed to their weak spot - wanting to be God.

Lest we be too hard on Adam and Eve (or Dr. Victor Frankenstein), let's look at examples of how we apply this in our own lives. In Abraham and Sarah's example, they tried to be God by creating a son in their own way. God had promised them a son and if God wasn't going to do it, then they would take matters into their own hands and CREATE a son. At first, Abraham had thought he would give sonship (maybe like adoption) to his Number One Servant, Eliezer.

Genesis 15:1-5 1 Later the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision, “Abram, don't be afraid! I will protect you and reward you greatly.” 2 But Abram answered, “LORD All-Powerful, you have given me everything I could ask for, except children. And when I die, Eliezer of Damascus will get all I own. 3 You have not given me any children, and this servant of mine will inherit everything.” 4 The LORD replied, “No, he won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.” 5 Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have.”

But God told Abraham that it would not be a son through adoption. "You will have a son of your own." So, they waited and still nothing and then Sarah comes up with the brilliant idea of Abraham having a blood son but through Hagar. Then she and Abraham would raise the son. Genesis 16.

So they "made" it happen and Ishmael was born. But Ishmael was not the promised son. He was Abraham's son, his first born, blood son. But he was not the promised son. They had forced the issue and made a son in their own way without waiting on God's way. They forgot that God is in the miracle making business. Where there is no way, God can make a way and we don't have to help Him do it.

So, the result of Abraham and Sarah's scheme was a little Ishmael. And from day one, little Ishmael was a problem. First Hagar thought she should be Number One Wife instead of Sarah because she had been able to give Abraham a son. So the contention between Sarah and Hagar grew so bad that Hagar ran away.

Genesis 16:6-12 6 Abram said, “All right! She's your slave—do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai began treating Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away. 7 Hagar stopped to rest at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. While she was there, the angel of the LORD came to her 8and asked, “Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She answered, “I'm running away from Sarai, my owner.” 9 The angel said, “Go back to Sarai and be her slave. 10-11 I will give you a son, who will be called Ishmael, because I have heard your cry for help. And someday I will give you so many descendants that no one will be able to count them all. 12 But your son will live far from his relatives; he will be like a wild donkey, fighting everyone, and everyone fighting him.”

Who are the descendants of Ishmael?

Genesis 17:17-21 17 Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost 100 years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing. 18 Then he asked God, “Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?” 19 But God answered: "No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants. 20 However, I have heard what you asked me to do for Ishmael, and so I will also bless him with many descendants. He will be the father of twelve princes, and I will make his family a great nation. 21 But your son Isaac will be born about this time next year, and the promise I am making to you and your family will be for him and his descendants forever".

Genesis 25: 12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

Assyrian and Babylonian royal inscriptions and North Arabian inscriptions from 9th to 6th century BC, mention the king of Qedar as king of the Arabs and king of the Ishmaelites. By the time of Muhammad, all Arabs were descendants of Ishmael according to historians Hisham Ibn Al-Kalbi and al-Sharqi who believed that all Arabs were descendents of Ishmael. The descendants of Isaac are the bloodline Jews (those who are biologically descended from Isaac) and the descendants of Ishmael are the other Arab groups and tribes. There has been contention between the Jews and Arabs ever since. God said Ishmael and his descendants would be of a quarrelsome temper, warlike disposition, continually engaged in fighting, animosity, hostility, conflict and anger. And so they have!

Genesis 21:9-21 9-10 One day, Sarah noticed Hagar's son Ishmael playing, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that Egyptian slave woman and her son! I don't want him to inherit anything. It should all go to my son.” 11 Abraham was worried about Ishmael. 12 But God said, “Abraham, don't worry about your slave woman and the boy. Just do what Sarah tells you. Isaac will inherit your family name, 13 but the son of the slave woman is also your son, and I will make his descendants into a great nation.” 14 Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar an animal skin full of water and some bread. Then he put the boy on her shoulder and sent them away. They wandered around in the desert near Beersheba, 15 and after they had run out of water, Hagar put her son under a bush. 16Then she sat down a long way off, because she could not bear to watch him die. And she cried bitterly. 17 When God heard the boy crying, the angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven and said, “Hagar, why are you worried? Don't be afraid. I have heard your son crying. 18 Help him up and hold his hand, because I will make him the father of a great nation.” 19 Then God let her see a well. So she went to the well and filled the skin with water, then gave some to her son. 20-21 God blessed Ishmael, and as the boy grew older, he became an expert at hunting with his bow and arrows. He lived in the Paran Desert, and his mother chose an Egyptian woman for him to marry.


Abraham loved his firstborn son, Ishmael. But he was not the Son of Promise. He was created using the arm of the flesh (human schemes) whereas, Isaac's miraculous conception and birth was made by the Arm of the Spirit. Isaac was God's provision, given miraculously, in God's time and in God's way. Ishmael brought division, conflict, pain, misery, depression, hardship on all those around him. He brought out the worst in people. We even see Sarah and Abraham in their worst light because of the issue of Ishmael.

Today, the Arab nations think that they are descendants of Abraham's first born son, Ishmael, and therefore are the inheritors of the promises of God. But the Jews say they are the descendants of the promised son and therefore they are the inheritors of the promises of God. The Jews and Arabs have fought over the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, ever since. The Arabs say that Ishmael was blessed by God and promised descendants and land, they would become a great nation. But the Jews point out that Isaac was the son of promise and was blessed with innumerable descendants and the land. God also promised all the earth would be blessed through Isaac. Let's look at these promises:

Genesis 12:1-3,6-7 1 The LORD said to Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be blessed because of you"... When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram went as far as the sacred tree of Moreh in a place called Shechem. The Canaanites were still living in the land at that time, 7 but the LORD appeared to Abram and promised, “I will give this land to your family forever.” Abram then built an altar there for the LORD.

Genesis 13:14-17 14 the LORD said to Abram: "Look around to the north, south, east, and west. 15 I will give you and your family all the land you can see. It will be theirs forever! 16 I will give you more descendants than there are specks of dust on the earth, and someday it will be easier to count those specks of dust than to count your descendants. 17 Now walk back and forth across the land, because I am going to give it to you".

Genesis 15:4-6 4 The LORD replied, “No, [Eliezer, the servant] won't! You will have a son of your own, and everything you have will be his.” 5 Then the LORD took Abram outside and said, “Look at the sky and see if you can count the stars. That's how many descendants you will have.” 6 Abram believed the LORD, so the LORD was pleased with him and accepted him.

Genesis 15:8-20 8 Abram asked, “LORD God, how can I know the land will be mine?” 9 Then the LORD told him, “Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon.”
10 Abram obeyed the LORD. Then he cut the animals in half and laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground. But he did not cut the doves and pigeons in half. 11 And when birds came down to eat the animals, Abram chased them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and everything became dark and frightening. 13-15 Then the LORD said:
"Abram, you will live to an old age and die in peace. But I solemnly promise that your descendants will live as foreigners in a land that doesn't belong to them. They will be forced into slavery and abused for 400 years. But I will terribly punish the nation that enslaves them, and they will leave with many possessions. 16 Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished. 17 Sometime after sunset, when it was very dark, a smoking cooking pot and a flaming fire passed between the two halves of each animal. 18 At that time the LORD made an agreement with Abram and told him: "I will give your descendants the land east of the Shihor River on the border of Egypt as far as the Euphrates River. 19They will possess the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, 21the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites".

Genesis 17:1-8, 17-19 When Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him again and said, “I am God All-Powerful. If you obey me and always do right, 2 I will keep my solemn promise to you and give you more descendants than can be counted.” 3 Abram bowed with his face to the ground, and God said: 4-5 "I promise that you will be the father of many nations. So now I'm changing your name from Abram to Abraham. 6 I will give you a lot of descendants, and they will become great nations. Some of them will even be kings. 7 I will always keep the promise I have made to you and your descendants, because I am your God and their God. 8 I will give you and them the land in which you are now a foreigner. I will give the whole land of Canaan to your family forever, and I will be their God"... 17 Abraham bowed with his face to the ground and thought, “I am almost 100 years old. How can I become a father? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a child?” So he started laughing. 18 Then he asked God, “Why not let Ishmael inherit what you have promised me?” 19 But God answered: "No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants".

So Ishmael was blessed and given land and descendants but Isaac, as the son of promise and God's provision, was Abraham's descendant and inheritor of the promises of God. Isaac would be the one from whom God's people came and he was the one in whom the land of Canaan was promised to.

God didn't forget Ishmael. God took care of Ishmael, made sure he didn't die in the wilderness. He gave him land and descendants. But Ishmael was NOT the promised son. Isaac was the promised son. If we look at the Middle East, we see that the Arabs have been given plenty of land, rich with oil. But they will fight over Israel!?! They insist that the tiny country of Israel is their's too.

Now, to go back to our original thought here, we see when we try to make things happen, scheme, manipulate and play God, we get a whole heap of mess (or monsters). Can you ever think of a time when you wanted something so bad that you MADE it happen? Maybe it was someone you fell in love with. You wanted to marry that person and make them your soul mate and you tried to MAKE it happen. This is what gets people into trouble on soap operas all the time. They lie, scheme, manipulate to get that "perfect" someone to "love" them. But they only get burned. You may end up married to the person from hell!

Or maybe you wanted that big house in the fine neighborhood and you had to have it. So you work around all the financing, do all the right things to make it happen. But once you move in, you find out your neighbor is a real character who makes your life miserable. Or the house had termite damage and it's costing you a mint to fix it. Or maybe you find you can't afford the mortgage after all and you fall into bankruptcy. There are all kinds of hell created from our machinations, scheming and playing at God.

Can you think of examples of people playing God and the ruin it's brought on them? Maybe someone who was childless, like Sarah, and they began scheming on how to have a baby but then, once they've accomplished their desire, it backfired on them. There are plenty of horror stories of adoptions gone bad; in vitro taking all the savings you had and still no child; surrogates who want to keep the baby after all; etc.

Or those who are naturally beautiful, but they age and so they get into a cycle of cosmetic surgery. They've expended all their money to keep looking good only to find that they look ghoulishly unnatural.

What about sports figures that take steroids or hormone therapies in order to bulk up and "be the best" so they can get the multimillion dollar contracts only to find their bodies and brains fall to pieces due to the steroids and body abuse they heap upon themselves? It's one thing to work out, take vitamins, live right to be healthy, but it's another thing to go overboard because you want to be in the NFL. And you become willing to do anything to reach that goal and willing to take any shortcut. But how many have reached that goal only to find out it's cost them too much? Their bodies are destroyed, their brains are mush from CTE, the pressure is so bad they become hooked on drugs, the fame so hellish they can't have normal relationships with anyone and the money goes just as fast as it came.

So often we think we know better than God and can do a better job so we leave Him in the dust and take on the job and try to make things happen. All we've done is create monsters that we have to live with. If we would just accept that God knows best and knows what is best for us and let Him be God, then our lives might be much easier. If we would trust God loves us and wants what is best for us and let Him be the one in charge and in control, we would avoid so many of life's miseries. What He hands us is sweetest and more life giving than what we would snatch for ourselves.

 Our nephew, Luke, had to go to Las Vegas on some training. What a hard life! LOL! No, really we are very proud of him and he does work hard at home with his family, on his job and doing National Air Guard. He took these photos from the plane and here is my digital scrapbook page of it.
Luke and Hannah got to go for a much needed weekend to the beach without the kids. Hannah got these photos of their good time and these are my digital scrapbook pages.


Our niece, Jenny, and her husband were expecting their 4th child. Baby Natalie was born in March. These are digital scrapbook pages I did of Natalie and her growth, as well as, the other 3 children and how they are handling a new baby (very well, I'm proud to say).







Baby shower for Jenny and Natalie. Some of her friends in California gave her a shower and I was so glad they took these photos. Being across the country from your loved on is so hard, especially for family events. But I was able to do this digital scrapbook page of the Baby Shower. I especially loved how Brooke got to participate. I mean, she's learning how to be a girl and this is one of the rights of passage!


 Reagan at Easter. Here is my digital scrapbook page of her Easter.

Reagan and her cousins are very close. I wanted to document their sweet relationship with a little cousins digital scrapbook page.

Landry is in her stroller in the Spring sunshine. She's also listening to a vintage Fisher Price baby radio that was her Daddy's when he was a baby 30 years ago! Here is my digital scrapbook page of this.




 Cash began playing soccer this year. Here is my digital scrapbook page of him as a Green Grasshopper.




Our niece, Katie, had a funny story with her two girls and I had to scrap it on this digital scrapbook page.





Will's mother got this Easter photo and it's so good. This is my digital scrapbook page with his Easter photo.


Savannah and Will were enthralled with a rainbow and their mother, Hannah, got this photo so this is my digital scrapbook page of it.




Jenny told a funny story on her son, Ryan. He just comes up with the funniest stuff. So here is my digital scrapbook page of the story. I didn't have a real photo to use so I made it up. I used one of his other photos that seems to show his impish side. I used some cartoons, made the colors to match and then tried to create a fun layout.





Ryan loves his new little sister, Natalie. One day, she was crying and Jenny overheard Ryan comforting her and it was so sweet. I had to scrap the story so here is my digital scrapbook page of their story and all the Facebook comments that it prompted.

 Ryan loses his first tooth so here is what I did for his digital scrapbook page.
Brooke, Brett and Ryan bonding with their new baby sister, Natalie. This is my digital scrapbook page for the event of meeting new baby.
Brooke and Ryan were playing with face stickers and Jenny snapped these photos. So cute so I had to make a digital scrapbook page.


Brooke and her new baby sister, Natalie. I had to scrap the sisters bonding so here is my digital scrapbook page.



Snow is rare in California. Jenny took the kids with some friends to see some snow and got these pictures. Here are my digital scrapbook pages.




Jenny took the kids to a friend's wedding in HOLLYWOOD! So they got to clowning around about being actors in Hollywood and she got these adorable pictures! Here is my digital scrapbook page of the little starlets!

Revelation 10:1 1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.

Chapter nine ended at the blowing of the 6th trumpet, the second of the last three "woe trumpets". For my post on those first 6 trumpets see my post HERE. Before the seventh trumpet (the third of the three "woe trumpets"), there is an interlude called the Trumpet Interlude. Revelation 10 thru Revelation 11:1-14 is a gradual transition from the sixth to the seventh trumpet. The end of chapter nine says that despite the warnings, wraths and the extension of God's mercy to save even in the midst of judgment, they didn't repent. To repent means to have a change of heart and to turn away from evil and turn to God. These people refused to repent, they have refused every opportunity to turn to God. Men are no nearer to God so the last final punishment must now fall.


Some have suggested this "mighty angel" is Christ Himself. But this angel is described as "another mighty angel" so others say he is but one of God's created angels.

He is described as:

• Mighty angel
• Coming down from heaven
• Robed in a cloud
• Rainbow over his head
• Face like the sun
• Legs like fiery pillars

Let's compare:

Jesus
This "another" angel would be to distinguish from the seven angels who had trumpets given them. Jesus Christ is sometimes called an Angel of the Lord. Sometimes the "Angel of the Lord" appears to be Jehovah himself as the second Person of the Trinity (Genesis 16:7, 22:11, 31:11, etc). The Son of God, who appeared in a human form, and spoke with an voice we can hear in the Old Testament. Sometimes the Angel of God's presence (63:9). Angel, or messenger, of the covenant (Malachi 3:1). God is mighty, strong, stronger than any other.

"Come down from heaven". Jesus came to earth as a human being. He took on the human form as God incarnate. A human that we could see, hear, touch, and who had the complete human experience, yet without sin. Jesus promises to come back for us, His return from heaven. But His incarnation as a human was in the past to John and His return to establish His eternal kingdom is in the future. As a contrast, satan's representative comes from the bottomless pit, but Jesus would come down from heaven. This may be Jesus spiritually coming to those who have accepted Christ during this, the darkest time in history to encourage and strengthen.

"Clothed with a cloud" refers to His celestial dignity and majestic presence but also veils His glory as humans cannot yet see Him as He is. Also shows that the unrepentant man cannot see Him and His Work and understand. Mankind is blind in the times of anti-Christian darkness. Spiritual blindness. A cloud was a sign of God's presence among His people in the Old Testament. When Moses came to the burning bush, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush. (Exodus 3:2) When God gave manna to the Israelites, the “glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud”. (16:10) When God came to Mount Sinai to give the covenant, there was a cloud, lightening and smoke. (Exodus 19) When God’s presence came to the Tabernacle, there was a cloud by day and fire by night. (Exodus 40:38)

"Rainbow over his head" The Rainbow is a sign of the Covenant and Jesus is the Head of His church and His people. His New Covenant is always on His mind and He will not allow the gates of hell to prevail against them. John described the throne of the Father as having around it a rainbow in Revelation 4:3 “rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald”

His "face like the sun" reflects God's glory. He is glorious as part of the Holy Trinity. Each person of the godhead is holy, glorious, pure, perfect and complete. They work in perfect unity. Christ's countenance would reflect this with a radiance of glory we can only imagine!

His "legs like fiery pillars" could represent that we, as His people, find Him well able to support us and they are like fire because He consumes His enemies and trods upon them, they are easily consumed. This being seems to stand as triumphant owner taking possession, the whole world under his feet.


Created Angel
Although Jesus might appear as an angel in some places in the Old Testament, it is odd that He would be called "another mighty angel" here. Other angels have been called forth, given authority and power to do God's bidding. A “strong angel” is referred to three times in Revelation (here, Revelation 5:2 and Revelation 18:21).

Is this "another" angel like those before? The Greek word translated “another”, means one of the same kind, that is a created being. After Jesus' resurrection, would He appear as an Angel of the Lord any more? Wouldn't He appear as Himself if this were indeed Him. John was one of the original disciples and had known Jesus as a close friend, one whom Jesus loved. He had seen Jesus as a human being AND after His resurrection in His glorified body.

"Coming down from heaven" - This angelic messenger seems to have come with the mission of revelation, dispensing understanding and strengthening those who have accepted Christ during these dark days. It reminds me of when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and God sent angels to strengthen Him so that He could endure what was coming. Luke 22:43-44 43 "An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. 44 And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."

A cloud has always been a sign of divine presence. See Exodus 13:21; Ezekiel 1:4; Matthew 17:5; Acts 1:9. It could also be representative of God's presence with Israel, God's people in the Old Testament. When the Israelites (Hebrews, Jews) left Egypt, God's presence in their midst was a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night.

The rainbow is a token of God's love and covenant with His people. His covenant faithfulness. When God makes a covenant, He doesn't break it! In Noah's time God had sent wrath and judgment against mankind because in Genesis 6:5 "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." So he rescued Noah and his family by instructing him to build an Ark. Then he sent the Great Flood to destroy all the rest of evil mankind. After the Flood, Noah and his family safely debarked from the Ark. God sent a rainbow as a sign of His covenant with Noah and his descendants. It confirmed God's righteous judgment but also of God's mercy in saving mankind through Noah. Today, our Ark is Jesus Christ who saves us from God's righteous wrath and judgment. The message the angel is carrying is so important that it is surrounded by the presence of God.

"Face like the sun" could be from the angel being in God's presence! Moses had a similar change to his countenance.

Exodus 34:29-35 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

"Legs like fiery pillars" is the angel's treading the earth in judgment at God's bidding like the other angels. Meaning a worldwide message with global implications.

Further in Revelation 10, at verse 6, we see this being swears by "Him who lives forever and ever". He doesn't swear by himself.

"And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it..."

According to Hebrews 6:13, "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself,"

So if this were Jesus, wouldn't He swear by Himself rather than swear by the One who lives forever and ever? If this is a created angel, he would not swear by himself but by the One who lives forever and ever!


We have a similar description in Daniel 10. Daniel has a vision and scholars aren't sure if it's a theophany (a revelation of Jesus Incarnate; a visible manifestation to human beings of God) or angelophany (a revelation from God but through an angel)

Daniel 10:5-6 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.


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Revelation 10:2(Berean Study Bible) 2 He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

Revelation 10:2(King James Version) 2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

What is this little book, or small scroll? The Greek word βιβλαρίδιον (biblaridion), "little book," is a rare word and only found in the Bible in Revelation 10:2. In Revelation 5, another scroll, or book, was described. That Greek word is βιβλίον (biblion) "book" or "scroll", a document with writing.

Revelation 5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.

The book, or scroll, in Revelation 5:1 contained all God's plan and purpose and no one but the Lamb was able to open it, it was closed to man. The Lamb took it from God's hand and began opening the seals and we saw the seven seal judgments.

This smaller book, or scroll, contains only a partial revelation. The book is open so it can be read. It contains a smaller portion of the overall prophecy; a part that John could know and tell. Later, we see that John is commanded to eat the book which means he could ingest it. Once ingested, he could digest it or think on it, ponder it, meditate on it. Then he was to reveal it to others. We see a similar description in Ezekiel 2 and 3.

Ezekiel 2:1-4, 9-10 1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn... 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
Ezekiel 3:1-4. 14-15 1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them... 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.

What is actually contained in the little book is another matter of discussion. The book is open so it's contents are meant to be known. Could it be a prophetic revelation that has not yet come to pass? It being smaller indicating that a goodly portion of the End Times prophesy has already occurred.

Or could it be the message of salvation through Jesus Christ? He is the only way and John is being commanded to take this message to the world. Is it the whole New Testament? Or one/all of the gospels in the New Testament? Or the whole Bible, both Old and New Testament? The entire Bible is God's revelation to mankind of who He is and how much He loves us, enough to give His Son as a sacrifice so that we may be saved and have a relationship with God once again. That truth is a summary of the entire Bible. "That sums it up". Jesus is in every book of the Bible, front to back. He IS God's revelation of love. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". The Word was Jesus Christ. The name, "Jesus," is not in every book, but the revelation of Christ is in every book. For example:
in Genesis, He is the Seed of the woman
in Exodus, He is he Passover Lamb
in Leviticus, He is the High Priest
in Numbers, He is the Cloud and the Fire
and I could go on through every book.

The "sweet" message of salvation is offered to all men and is sweet to those who accept the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. But it is bitter with judgment for those who reject Jesus Christ. It also reveals how sin can taste sweet to the sinner but it's results are bitterness. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Satan deceives us by making sin look good. Because of our evil human nature, we enjoy sin. But sin takes hold of us and is destructive, the consequences are bitter in every way with the final result being eternal damnation. For those who accept the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and set free from our sins. That is the good news!

In Ezekiel, the Prophet Ezekiel is commanded to tell Israel about the coming judgment for their idolatry. The message is the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel told the people and wrote it down for them. Ezekiel did not write the entire Bible but only the book of Ezekiel. Here John is the Prophet receiving revelation from the Lord and in verse 11, he is told to prophesy to the people of the world. So maybe this book represents the book of Revelation? The book John wrote is what God revealed to him: the coming judgment and the establishment of Christ's eternal kingdom. Those who are saved during these judgments (after the Rapture of the Church) will have to endure the bitterness of this time of wrath as more judgments are poured out. But they are saved with the hope of eternal life with God before them. They will not face the final judgment of being sent to the Lake of Fire and eternal punishment.

Whichever way you look at it, the people of the world are able to know the contents. It is revealed. We have the Bible in every language, it has been revealed and people have the opportunity to read it. The prophesies it contains reveal coming judgment for sin, satan, and those who reject Jesus Christ and His salvation. The End Time prophesies are written and can be read by anyone. The message of salvation has been given and is known to all. What is the message? The way of sin is destruction and eternal damnation. The way of salvation through Jesus Christ, is forgiveness and eternal life with God.

The angel has his feet set on earth, one on the land and one on the sea. This indicates triumphant ownership and is meant that the message of the little book/scroll is a global message, a message for all people.

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Revelation 10:3-4 3 and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

The angel's voice was roaring like a lion and his thunderous voice gave a message that John was not allowed to write down.

Psalm 18:13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens. and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

Joel 3:16 16 The LORD roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel.

Jeremiah 25:30 The LORD will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth.

Isaiah 42:13 The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies.

The secret things are God's mysteries and God, alone, deals with these matters. There is knowledge related to human events and history that is not meant for man to discern or to recognize when it occurs. This restricted knowledge means what God has revealed to us belongs to us for our edification but those things which God has chosen not to reveal, belong to God alone. There are things that man is not permitted to know and man should not seek to know.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Apostle Paul speaking about something that happened to him: 2 Corinthians 12:3-4 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

Paul means that there are certain things which God had chosen to reveal to individuals but it was not permissible to reveal to others. The point being that there is knowledge and wisdom that only God knows and it must remain a mystery to us, at least for the time being.  We must have faith and trust that He knows what He is doing and that what He is doing is to His children's best benefit. He is a God of love and everything He does is derived from that love. There is no need for us to seek to know and understand EVERYTHING. We know the One who knows everything and we are His children and thus He reveals, or conceals, according to His sovereignty and for our best benefit. Just think, if suddenly everything God knows was poured into my finite brain, my brain would explode. It is not possible for my finite mind to understand the infinite ways of God. So let us trust in Him and let Him be God!

The number 7 always indicates perfection and completeness. God's word here is perfect and whole or reveals perfection and completeness. The seven voices are describing judgments to come upon the earth during the second half of the Tribulation, the darkest days man has ever faced.

Perhaps the thunders are withheld because the exact details of the judgment was too horrible to share. There will be no further delay. The final judgments are not limited like the previous ones, to give people a chance to repent. They have proven that the judgments don't bring them to repentance. Therefore, final judgment will now come and it will be the worst mankind has ever seen.

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Revelation 10:5-7 5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! 7 But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

Earlier in this post we discussed that this being swears by "Him who lives for ever and ever, who created..." This leads me to think that this being is a created angel rather than Christ Himself. Jesus was with God from the beginning as part of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. There has never been a time when the three Persons of the godhead didn't exist. And They created all things.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

"The Word" here is Jesus Christ the Son of God:
John 1:1-2 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Jesus speaking in John 10:30 "I and the Father are one.”

Colossians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.

Colossians 1:15-17 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

So, if this being were Jesus Christ, would He not swear by Himself rather than swear by "Him who lives for ever and ever"?


This angel swears by the One who lives forever and ever. This is one of the mysteries of God that we cannot comprehend. There has never been a time when God didn't exist! He has always been. The words that describe Him include: eternal, forever, everlasting, etc.

Deuteronomy 32:40 "Indeed, I lift up My hand to heaven, And say, as I live forever,..."  (Also notice the similarity here in Deuteronomy with the angel in Revelation 10. Here God swears by Himself whereas the angel swears by the One who lives forever and ever.)

Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Job 36:26 Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable.

Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Psalm 102:26-27 Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. "But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.

Psalm 103: 17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,

Psalm 9:7a But the LORD abides forever

Daniel 7:14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Psalm 90:1-4 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.” For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your refuge


This angel swears by the One who made heaven and earth.

Nehemiah 9:6 You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.

2 Peter 3:5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

Acts 14:15 Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

Hebrews 1:2-3 But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Amos 9:6 Who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the Lord is his name.

Psalm 89:11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

This angel has his feet solidly planted on earth, with one foot on land and one on the sea. He has the open book in one hand and lifts his hand to swear that "There will be no more delay!"


"There will be no more delay" means no more waiting. God has given men their chances to repent and be saved. The judgments so far have not turned the majority back to God so there is no need to delay any further. It is time for God's plans to be accomplished.

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Revelation 10:8-11 8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’a ” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

The prophet, in this case, John, was to carefully receive the Word from God, digest it thoroughly in order to deliver it faithfully.

Ezekiel 2:1-2,4b-5,7,9-10 1 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me... Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious people—they will know that a prophet has been among them... 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious... 9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
Ezekiel 3:1-4,10,14-15 1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them... 10 And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you"... 14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15 I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days—deeply distressed.

Both John and Ezekiel receive the Word of God with pleasure as it is sweet. But once they realize the purport of the message, it turns to grief at the terrible judgment they are to declare. God's Word is wonderful and brings life for those who receive it and repent. But it brings judgment on those who refuse to receive it and refuse to repent.

Imagine being the prophet, God revealing Himself and His plans to you. How full of wonder and awe you would feel. Then God gives you instruction and tells you to go and prophesy to the people and tell them what is coming. Can you then imagine how you would begin to be distressed? Afraid? Grieving? Overwhelmed? You would be sent to your family, friends, co-workers, countrymen with a message from God. A message that they don't want to hear. A message that is anathema to them. A message that says, "Turn to God, repent, or be judged and experience horrors you cannot even imagine"! In the books of the major and minor prophets in the Old Testament, as well as, the current book we are studying (Revelation) you can read what some of those judgments are and they are quite frightening. You and I both know human nature. People will look around and say, "I don't see any judgment coming" and go on about their business as usual. Before long, you may be just written off as a nut case. These have to be the thoughts that go through your minds. God knows what goes through our minds and He knew exactly what Ezekiel was thinking in Ezekiel 2-3 so He told Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 2:6-8 6 "And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”

and Ezekiel 3-9: 7 "But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.”

All those who are prophets called by God, have a message to the people and the audience is a hostile audience. Sin looks too good and we want our sin. We enjoy it for a time until it get's it's claws deep into you and then you have a monster that destroys your life and sends you to hell for eternity.


Our pastor, Manning Strickland, gave a fantastic analogy one time and I will always remember it. He said Sin was a cute little baby we like to dandle on our knee and play with. Not realizing this cute little baby Sin will grow. Before you know it, you've decided to add on a nursery for it, buy it a crib, cute clothes and dress it up, showing it around to all of your friends. But that Sin grows. It no longer is satisfied with a bottle every once and awhile. It wants to be fed constantly. Then it's not able to fit in that little crib any more and you have a harder time taking it out with you so you buy a baby buggy. Then you are having to spend more money on food, clothes, and bedroom furniture to accommodate it. It's not just a hobby any more, it's becoming a burden. Then it's not content to stay in the nursery so it begins taking over your whole house, room by room. You can't go anywhere without it and it's becoming so grossly ugly that you are ashamed for others to see it. Before you know it, this cute little baby Sin has taken over every part of your life and controls everything you do and requires constant attention and money. You no longer have a life, you just live to feed and care for that monster called Sin!



Have you ever noticed how the Japanese have a way of trying to make everything "cute"?  "Kawaii is the culture of cuteness in Japan. It can refer to items, humans and nonhumans that are charming, vulnerable, shy and childlike. Examples include cute handwriting, manga and Hello Kitty."-Wikipedia

Cuteness is well-established and a very prevalent part of their culture. The word "kawaii" is derived from a phrase that means "a radiant face" which refers to the blushing of an embarrassed person. But it has taken on the meaning of "cute" and the Japanese written word for it is "able to be loved." Teenage girls would add cute little drawings to their handwriting which became emojis. Women and men partake of the culture of cuteness.

Kimo-kawaii (“gross cute”) is a newer phenomenon in Japanese television, music, and even local government in the last few years. A set of dwarf-like creatures with weird faces became popular. Think of the famous cartoon children's movies today such as Shrek, Monsters, Inc., Minions! Then video-game characters like the mushroom-come-alive Nameko and the American cartoon characters like Sponge Bob Square Pants. I mean, even poop is cute!


But we all know that monsters don't stay cute and little!

There is nothing wrong with cute. It brings a smile to your face and scientifically they say it helps you focus and makes you more productive. But, sin is not cute! Don't let sin take over your life!

God is in the business of dealing a death blow to sin. If you find that you are being controlled by sin and it's making a hell on earth for you, turn to Jesus Christ. Repent, ask His forgiveness and ask Him into your life. Allow Him to begin the process of sanctification - killing off the desire for sin in your life. As you allow the Holy Spirit in you to work, you will find sin less and less "cute" and you lose more and more of your desire for it.

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Revelation 11:1-2 1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

We are not told here who commanded John to measure or who it was that gave him the measuring rod. It may be the same angel who had given him the book. The measuring rod, for Jews at the time, was 6 cubits long. For the Romans and Greeks it was 10 cubits long. A cubit is the length from the elbow to the tip of middle finger which is generally 18 inches, give or take, maybe up to 24 inches.


By the time of Jesus, the permanent Temple in Jerusalem was the third Temple called Herod's Temple.

God gave specific instructions, down to the last detail, for Moses to make a Tabernacle which was also called the Tent of Meeting. It was a mobile temple that was carefully carried wherever God directed the Israelites to go and set up wherever God told them to stop. I've done an extensive study on the Tabernacle and it's accessories so I won't go into all that detail here. God wanted to dwell amongst His people.

During King David's time, at his peak, he established himself in Jerusalem, the capital of his empire. But he had such a heart after God and he wanted to build God a permanent place. So he began accruing the materials to build a gorgeous Temple on the highest place in Jerusalem. This story is told in 2 Samuel 7 and repeated in 1 Chronicles 17.

2 Samuel 7:1-2 1 King David was living in his palace, and the Lord had given him peace from all his enemies around him. 2 Then David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar wood, but the Ark of God is in a tent!”

2 Samuel 7:4-16 4 But that night the Lord spoke his word to Nathan, 5 Go and tell my servant David, "This is what the Lord says: Will you build a house for me to live in? 6 From the time I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until now I have not lived in a house. I have been moving around all this time with a tent as my home. 7 As I have moved with the Israelites, I have never said to the tribes, whom I commanded to take care of my people Israel, 'Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?’" 8 You must tell my servant David, "This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: I took you from the pasture and from tending the sheep and made you leader of my people Israel. 9 I have been with you everywhere you have gone and have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you as famous as any of the great people on the earth. 10 Also I will choose a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them so they can live in their own homes. They will not be bothered anymore. Wicked people will no longer bother them as they have in the past 11 when I chose judges for my people Israel. But I will give you peace from all your enemies. I also tell you that I will make your descendants kings of Israel after you. 12 ‘When you die and join your ancestors, I will make one of your sons the next king, and I will set up his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for me, and I will let his kingdom rule always. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will use other people to punish him. They will be my whips. 15 I took away my love from Saul, whom I removed before you, but I will never stop loving your son. 16 But your family and your kingdom will continue always before me. Your throne will last forever.’”

Why didn't God allow King David to build His Temple? 1 Chronicles 22:8 “You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.” and 1 Chronicles 28:18 But God said to me, "You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood."

God didn't want a man of war to build His Temple.
Isaiah 56: 7 7 "these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

God loved King David. Not because David was sinless or perfect. We all know how badly King David did sin. But God called David "a man after His own heart". Why? Because David was humble, trusting, devoted, repentant, obedient and he worshiped God from sincere love and devotion. When David did sin, he turned back to God, truly repentant and sincere in his acknowledgment of sin. He accepted God's work and trusted in God to do what was best for the nation of Israel, the Jewish people, himself and his family.

1 Samuel 13:14 (parenthesis mine) But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart (King David), and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou (King Saul) hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

Acts 13:22 And when he had removed him (King Saul), he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

But as King David accumulated the materials, his son, Solomon, was growing up. When Solomon became king, he was the one, as prophesied, who built the first Temple of God. It was called Solomon's Temple (also referred to as the First Temple) and was one of the wonders of the world. It stood for over 400 years.

It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon c. 605 BC – c. 562 BC, after the Siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The Book of Jeremiah contains a prophecy about Nebuchadnezzar as the "destroyer of nations" (Jeremiah 4:7) and gives an account of the siege of Jerusalem (587 BC) and the looting and destruction of the First Temple (Jeremiah 39:1–10; Jeremiah 52:1–30). After destroying the Temple, Nebuchadnezzar II, deported thousands of Jews in several mass deportations. God used Babylon as His agent of judgment against Israel for their sins of idolatry and rebellion against Him.

After 70 years of captivity, exiled Judeans were permitted to return to Judah and Jerusalem. (After King Solomon, eventually David's kingdom split into Israel and Judah. Judah had the capital city of Jerusalem.) Babylon fell to the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, in 539 BC. As prophesied in Scripture, the Jewish people would be allowed to return to Jerusalem and they rebuilt the Temple, called the Second Temple. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra tell the story.

Ezra 1:1-7 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:
2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. 4 And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’”
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. 7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.

The Jewish Holy Temple, the Second Temple, which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, between 516 BC and 70 AD. The Second Temple was originally a modest structure built by Jewish exile groups who returned.

Some of the original artifacts are not mentioned again after the destruction of 597 BC. They are presumed lost:
The Ark of the Covenant containing the stone tablets that had the Ten Commandments written on them by the finger of God, the jar of manna and Aaron's rod
The Urim and Thummim
The holy oil
The sacred fire

During the reign of Herod the Great, the Temple was completely refurbished and added to and made into a magnificent structure again. It was enlarged to about 35 acres. This is called the Herod's Temple and was the Temple that Jesus would have gone to.




Titus, the Roman general, besieged Jerusalem and burned down the temple in AD 70. The gold melted and ran between the stones so the Roman soldiers took the gold as they tore the Temple apart, stone by stone. The Temple was deliberately left in ruins. Technically, this is not the Third Temple as it's the Second Temple re-done.

The Jews today say that there will be a Third Temple built on the Temple Mount one day. Right now, the Temple Mount is known as the Dome of the Rock and is the third holiest place to Islam. The Muslim conquest of the city by the Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab in 638. He ordered the clearing of the site and the building of a house of prayer. Fifty years later, the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock to enshrine the outcrop of bedrock believed to be the place of the sacrifice on Mount Moriah where Abraham took Isaac. After the conquest of Jerusalem by the crusaders, the Dome of the Rock was converted into a church and called Templum Domini (the Temple of the Lord) and al-Aqsa became a church called Templum Solomonis (Solomon's Temple). They were reconverted into Muslim houses of worship after Saladin's conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 and have remained so ever since. It is the most fought over piece of land in the world.

The literal temple at Jerusalem shall be the typical forerunner of the heavenly Jerusalem.

What Temple is John suppose to measure? Let's look at another time when God commanded a prophet to measure the Temple.

Ezekiel 40-42 40:1-51 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there. 2 In visions of God he took me to the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, on whose south side were some buildings that looked like a city. 3 He took me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. 4 The man said to me, “Son of man, look carefully and listen closely and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here. Tell the people of Israel everything you see.”
The East Gate to the Outer Court
5 I saw a wall completely surrounding the temple area. The length of the measuring rod in the man’s hand was six long cubits, each of which was a cubit and a handbreadth. He measured the wall; it was one measuring rod thick and one rod high... (The angel takes Ezekiel throughout the Temple to measure it all.)

Ezekiel 42:15-20 15 When he had finished measuring what was inside the temple area, he led me out by the east gate and measured the area all around: 16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod; it was five hundred cubits. 17 He measured the north side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 18 He measured the south side; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 19 Then he turned to the west side and measured; it was five hundred cubits by the measuring rod. 20 So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall around it, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.

Ezekiel 43:6-7 6 While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.

Ezekiel began his prophetic ministry before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC. Jeremiah and Ezekiel warned the people that God’s judgment was coming. Ezekiel went into exile to Babylon probably in 597 BC. In exile, he encouraged Israel that judgment would not last forever, but that God would restore Israel and once again live among them.

So what Temple was being measured in front of Ezekiel in chapters 40-42? It wasn't King Solomon's Temple, the Second Temple or Herod's Temple as the measurements are far larger.

So it seems there is another Temple that Ezekiel saw and now John is seeing. Is it a future Temple built on earth? Groups such as The Temple Institute believe it is incumbent upon them to make all possible preparations in advance (like King David did for Solomon) - and to build the Third Temple when the freedom to do so is gained on the Temple Mount. Other Jews believe only the Jewish Messiah will rebuild the Temple. So will the Jews be able to take the Temple Mount back and build a fabulous Temple according to these measurements?

Is it to be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom, a 1000-year reign of Christ upon the earth?

Or is this "Temple" representing God's People. Those who are saved through Jesus Christ become the Temple of God.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

1 Peter 2:4-5 4 Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honored. 5 And now you are living stones being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God.

Ephesians 2:19–21 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Christ is the cornerstone of this temple. The apostles and prophets are the foundation of the temple. With the Holy Spirit living in us, we are the Temple of God. I am a living stone!

There are various opinions then on what John (and Ezekiel) saw. For me, I believe it is another one of those dual fulfillment prophecies. I believe there will be a real Temple built to these measurements. I mean, Ezekiel's recorded measurements are very detailed just like the details God gave Moses when he built the Tabernacle. But I also believe that God has made clear that true Christians are His People and we are His Temple. He lives in us! He knows each one of us (we are measured and He knows the first one and the last one) and there will not be one of us lost to eternal judgment and punishment. Jesus is our rescue and through Him we are saved. God will once again dwell with His people in a perfect relationship.

Let me say, again, that studying this is not scary to me because I AM SAVED through Jesus Christ! I am safe and secure in the Ark of Christ. I may experience some pain here on earth but my eternity is secure in Jesus. I will experience none of the judgments, wrath or eternal punishment. You can too. The more I learn about God, the more in love with Him I am and it's exciting to think of how things will be set back to perfection and I will be able to enjoy it forever!




Jesus is the chief cornerstone that holds us all together.



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Revelation 11:2 2 But don't measure the courtyard outside the temple building. Leave it out. It has been given to those people who don't know God, and they will trample all over the holy city for 42 months.

What God has measured is preserved and safe. But He says not to measure the courtyard outside the Temple building. Looking at a diagram again of the Temple grounds. Look for the Courtyard of the Gentiles.


It is the largest area within the walls. Surrounding the Court of the Gentiles were a series of "porches" or cloisters through which ran double rows of Corinthian pillars, each cut from marble and measuring 37 feet in height and covered by a flat roof. The entire court was paved with marble. The southern of these porches was known as "Solomon’s Porch" (Acts 3:11). Herod began re-construction of the Temple in Jerusalem began in 20 BC and included this large courtyard around the original Temple. It was not there originally. By Jesus' time, this courtyard had become a market place with vendors selling souvenirs, sacrificial animals, food as well as there being currency changers present.

This was where Mary and Joseph took Jesus

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord” ), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismissd your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.e She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.


This was the place that Jesus was when his parents found Him missing when He was 12 years old. They found Him teaching in the Temple courtyard.

Luke 2:41-50 41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.


This would have been where Jesus overturned the tables of the cheating money makers and drove them out with a whip.

John 2:13-17 13 When the Jewish Passover was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. 15 So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

Matthew 21:12-13 12 Then Jesus went into the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. 13 And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Luke 19:45-46 45 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. 46 He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Anyone was allowed into the Court of the Gentiles. The Court of the Gentiles was the outer Court around the Temple. Despite the whole of the Temple being considered holy, this was the least holy court in the Temple. This was where pagans could discuss issues of faith with Jews. Here were the rabbis and teachers of the Jewish law ready to listen to people's questions about God, and to respond. Gentiles (anyone who is not Jewish) were permitted into that area only but were forbidden to go any further upon penalty of death.

As far as selling and merchandising in the Courtyard of the Gentiles, that was a fairly recent development. Not only was the Court of the Gentiles a rather new addition but it may have only been allowed to accommodate vendors around 30 AD, about the time Jesus would have come into His ministry. It was probably Caiaphas, the High Priest during Jesus' ministry, that opened up the courtyard to vendors and money changers. When Jesus came for Passover, Jerusalem would have been crowded with pilgrim Jews from out of town coming to worship according to the Jewish Laws. With the glorious new Temple to see, and a religious holiday, the place would have been crowded with Jews and Gentiles. Jesus was was making a point by challenging the authority of the High Priest; he was accusing Caiaphas, the High Priest and chief custodian of the Temple, of defiling the Temple. This courtyard could have been a place of learning about God and His Ways, His Laws for those who were not born Jewish. Instead, it had become a sight seeing stop and money making "mall" catering to those from out of town who were being taken advantage of. Those people from out of town had not been able to bring their own sacrifices with them. They had to purchase them once they got there. But those selling were asking exorbitant prices during the religious feasts and holy days and taking advantage of people. I'm sure they paid rent to the priests or gave them part of the profits or kickbacks in order to be allowed to set up a booth in the courtyard. It reminds me of an amusement park. Once you park and walk all the way inside, buy your ticket, then you are at the mercy of the vendors. You can't take a cooler inside and it's too far to walk to the car so you have to buy drinks and food inside the park and we all know that a $3 hamburger becomes a $8 hamburger and a $2 drink becomes a $4 drink.

You see, there was a whole system set up for "worshiping God" in Jerusalem. When Jesus came on the scene there was a lavish Temple, a powerful priesthood, the Levites who made their living in the Jewish Temple system. The sacrifices meant people could make money breeding, raising and selling animals for sacrifice. The priests lived/ate/made a living within the Temple system as some of the offerings were for their food and maintaining them. They had a tolerable agreement with the Romans so everything was peachy keen. Then Jesus comes striding into Jerusalem to say that He was the Son of God and there was no need for the Temple, the High Priest, the priesthood, the levitical system, sacrifices, etc. He could wipe all that out so that everyone who would accept Him could be saved. As Christians, people would no longer have to make pilgrimages throughout the year to Jerusalem (money). No longer have to purchase and present sacrificial animals (money). No longer have to have a High Priest, priesthood or Levites to mediate between the people and God. No longer have to maintain an expensive Temple as we become God's Temple. No longer have to learn, memorize and follow all the Laws. Jesus was threatening their power base, their political base, their economical base, their livelihood, their careers! So He wasn't just upsetting tables in the Court of the Gentiles, He was upsetting the whole system! No wonder the High Priest, Caiaphas grew to hate Him. Accepting Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah (yes, the Jews were, and are still, waiting for their Messiah) meant Caiaphas, and many underlings, lost everything! They all thought the Jewish Messiah would come and set up a world empire with Jerusalem and the Temple as the center of everything. Surely, the Jewish Messiah would work with the priests and make Judaism the world religion giving them even more power and money! But Jesus was going to wipe it all out so that God was accessible to anyone and everyone who would believe! They could not accept Him as the Messiah and still remain in control. That was why they felt so threatened and hated Him so much.

Lest we be too hard on the Jewish leaders, let us think about how this has happened in our Christian denominations. Most denominations started out with a love and zeal for God. But it doesn't take long for us to slide into our own pride, idolatry and greed. The first church began after Christ died and the Apostles (formerly called the Disciples) began starting churches. Within just a few years after Christ's death, that churches began having petty problems and the Apostles had to deal with them. When you read the letters written by the Apostles in the New Testament, like 1 and 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, etc. you see the Apostles dealing with problems cropping up, so among their teaching are admonitions and guidance. This church eventually became the Catholic Church. Catholic means "universal". If you know any European history, you know how much power the Catholic church garnered and it wasn't used well. Frankly, they built themselves an empire with money, real estate and power and it was all based on greed, lust, pride and control. You see, back in the ancient days, people weren't all educated. So they had to rely on the priests to tell them about God and the priests could make up anything and tell the people that if you don't do this or that, you were going to hell for eternity. Sure enough the Catholic leadership began making up all kinds of things such as the worship of saints, crusades, services only in Latin, Bible only in Latin, etc, etc, etc. Basically whatever brought in more money. "We will pray your loved one into heaven for (so many dollars)"; "Buy a candle and say a prayer and you will get (whatever you are praying for)"; "Go on this crusade and no matter how much you sin, you are guaranteed a place in heaven"; "Give us this property and we will allow you to divorce your wife (called an annulment)", ad infintum.

Eventually, the Catholic Church became so corrupt and evil that people began to look more closely. Educated men, who could read the ancient languages and Latin began to read the Bible for themselves. Desiring God and accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior (Catholics can be just as saved, or lost, as you and I) meant the Holy Spirit was living in them to teach them through the Word. It took great courage to buck the money making power system of the Catholic Church! But finally some did. It cost many lives. It was the Protestant Reformation. What really helped was when the Bible was interpreted into their language, instead of just being in the ancient Hebrew and Greek, or Latin. Very few people could read Hebrew, Greek, Latin but more could read English. The King James Bible was commissioned by KING JAMES and was to translate the Bible into the language of the day, the King's English. He appointed scholars to translate it. The Catholic Church was livid because this meant they would have less control over what people thought and did. No longer did they have to rely on a priest to interpret for them, giving the priest all control. So people died so that we could read the Bible in English! The Catholic leadership said the Word of God shouldn't be handled and misinterpreted by every Tom, Dick and Harry. It should only be handled by church educated men. To make the Bible "common" was anathema. But, it happened and more and more people learned the truth about grace and love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Just like the Jews, the Catholics had such a stronghold in the world, running things like their own empire, with money, power, control... and Jesus ruined it all for them. You see, with Jesus as our High Priest, we no longer need a priesthood to tell us about God, mediate between us and God. We no longer need to be slaves to win our salvation and eternal life. We don't have to pay our way into heaven. People began to realize that the Catholic Church had them in a bondage that they didn't have to submit to in order to be saved, they were set free in Jesus Christ!

Lest we be too hard on the Jews and the Catholics, let's look at what happened with the Christian protestant denominations. Whether Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Lutheran, etc. they each started with those who were on fire for the Lord and had a zeal for God. But each denomination begins to force God out of their sanctuary and into some kind of box. As long as God stays in that box and only comes out when the preacher/priest tells Him to come out, then everything is good. We have people who write liturgies, prayers, sermons and everyone has to read those liturgies, prayers, sermons. That way they can control what is being read, prayed and sermonized. We have hymnals so we can control the words people sing about God. We have an order of service and we must follow that order regardless of what God may want to do. Heavens, we must be finished at 11:55am so the congregation can go to the restaurants! We must have a hierarchy or bureaucracy in order to take care of any problems and control the churches. We have to have a printing company so that we can print all the Sunday School books, Books of Prayer, Devotionals, denominational magazines, etc so that everyone reads the same things. We have to control what they read and think! We have denominational universities so we can turn out ministers that are under our control! It just goes on and on. And each denomination has become just as greedy, power hungry, controlling and prideful as the Jews and the Catholics. I believe it's just the way of man. Due to our sin natures, we have such a problem with pride, greed, control and lust that it can get out of control in a NY minute. Pastors are under such pressure to become mega-church pastors in order to be considered successful. And once the numbers go up and money starts coming in, it's very easy to slip into controlling and pride that all the rest fall into.

We need Jesus and Him only! Jesus wants to wipe out the bureaucracies, the legalism, the politicking, the power struggles, the greed for money. None of that is needed to be saved and to have a relationship with God, our Father! Jesus took care of all of that for us and we have access to God through Him! In fact, one of the tenets of the Baptist faith is "the priesthood of the believer". I.e. we don't need anyone to mediate between us and our Father God. Jesus is the only Priest we need. He sits at the right hand of God making intercession for us. All we need is to be saved through Jesus Christ and we have a relationship restored with our Father! No need for a preacher/priest. No need for a big church building. No need for a Bible college degree, etc. Once saved, the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts and He teaches us if we let Him. We must read the Word to get it into our heads and we must dialogue with God so that He can guide our thoughts through the Holy Spirit. So if I was marooned on a desert island, I could still get saved, and I could still have a relationship with God and I could still learn about God with no one else to guide me!

Now, that doesn't mean I shouldn't go to church. Because church can be a good thing. We learn so much from the trained preachers and Bible teachers and materials and resources. But they are not necessary for us to be saved and have a daily relationship with God. They are wonderful resources and give us relationships that can strengthen our walk in the Lord and Jesus wants us to be a part of a church. What I'm saying, is that we don't have to have the denomination organization and bureaucracy to have a relationship with God. And too many times, it can actually get in the way of God's move. For instance, let's say that God knows each person in the congregation and knows there are some very heavy hearts. He wants to meet with them and touch their hearts and relieve their anxieties. But the pastor has to follow the order of service, he feels he has to present his sermon (to justify his salary) and everyone must be cleared before 12:00pm or he will have complaints that the service ran too long. And you don't want members upset because they will go to another church and take their money with them. So basically God has to stay in His box and out of the way. If the pastor let's God out of the box, the service might run too long, he won't get his sermon in, there will be complaints from members and his minister of music has had the choir rehearsing the cantata for 2 weeks now and won't take kindly to not presenting it today. So, yes, it's better to leave God in the box and hope everyone will go home and do their praying and meeting with God at home.

But what if God has enough of being stored in a box? If He isn't welcome in His church to do as He sovereignly pleases, then He might just walk out the door. And that's the one thing you DON'T want to happen. You don't want God to walk out of your church, your denomination. It's hard for us humans to understand that there are more important things than money, power, control, our pride, our ego, our organization, our talents, our schedules, goals and agendas.

It's also hard for us to understand that success has a different meaning to God than it does to the world. We think a mega-church pastor with 5,000 people, a multi million dollar budget, 25 people on staff, a big salary, $2,000 suits and $75 ties, drives a $75,000 Cadillac Escalade is a "successful pastor". That equals success in our world and therefore he must be blessed by God and more spiritual. We think if the church has a fancy building, a megatron screen in front, computerized graphics and videos, a youth building all it's own and a children's wing that has a hallway made into a Wild West street scene... we've arrived! It's a success. And as long as 5,000 people come every Sunday and we are having to have 2-3 services and can pay for all the staff it takes to keep people entertained and happy, then it's a success. Maybe it is. But too often we are finding out that behind the scenes, behind the curtain, there are problems with ego, pride, greed, etc just like in any secular organization. There are marketing strategies, consultants on "how to build your church", seminars, training weekends, how-to books on how to get your church back on track. There are gimmicks to try to draw people to the big church! Remove the book store and make it into a coffee house! Add some strobe lights! Hire a media person to make videos and snatchy grabs to get people's attention! Buy the latest hymnals or the most impressive choir robes! Make sure the head pastor has a stylist, an expensive wardrobe, a makeup artist and get him on TV! Do podcasts, live streaming on Facebook! It's become a never-ending, money-making scheme.

None of this, on it's own, is sinful. Using Facebook to inter-relate with your members is great. Live-streaming your service for your shut-ins is wonderful! Having a pastor who is clean, dressed and presentable is a good image. Nothing wrong with a coffee shop, seeing as I love coffee! Strobe lights don't bother me. What I'm saying is that it can become just as much a circus that has nothing to do with God, as the Jewish system and the Catholic system. The Baptists can fall into it just like the Lutheran and the African-Methodist-Episcopal denominations. One church can fall into it but the next one hasn't. Once the bureaucracy, the organization, the money base is involved, it becomes real hard for any leader to be willing to give it all up for Christ. The pastors begin to feel like they would be letting the congregation down, that they are failures. By all means, let's keep the slick, shiny surface looking slick, shiny and problem-free. But pastors shouldn't feel like that. Congregations shouldn't put those expectations on pastors. Pastors should be seeking God and ministering to their members and then if GOD tells them to add a 2nd service, do it. But be sure it's from God. And keep checking with God to make sure that God is in control of the service.

To be quite honest (and I could be wrong), I have to wonder if it's not the small churches that give their members more sustenance from God than the big churches and the mega-churches. They may have more money and facilities to offer your family a cafeteria of choices for fun and entertainment. But I have to wonder why so many people go there. If it's for ANYTHING other than to worship, meet with and learn from God, it's idolatry. Church is for worship, meeting with God, learning about God and making relationships with those in the church so you can edify them and they can edify you in Christ. It's not to entertain you; to give fun amusement park babysitting service for your children; it's not to give your teenager a long list of "fun" activities to keep them safely occupied and out of your hair; it's not a place to go take a morning nap on Sunday morning; it's not a social club; it's not a network of potential customers for your business. And it's especially not a place for getting your ears tickled, making you feel special and like you've wracked up points with God.

If you see yourself, or your church, as being like the Jewish system in Jesus' day, then liken it to the Court of the Gentiles. What you need is to go past the outer court and into the Holy Place. You need to humble yourself before Jesus and be willing for Him to do away with any religiosity, legalism, organization and bureaucracy. Let Him be the One and Only need that you have in life and let Him, and Him only, fill that need. If you can do that in your church, then you have a good church. But if your church doesn't allow you to get on your face before God, then think about where you are going to church. You don't need more busy-ness. You need more one-on-one time with God. Of course, you don't need church to spend that time with God. You can do it right now in your car, your home, your garage even! But if you are a member of a church and yet you don't feel like you could go to God while you are in that church, then something is wrong and out of balance. If you don't feel like you can worship God in freedom of expression then something is out of balance in you or your church. The only thing that is absolutely necessary in a church meeting is that God be first and He be worshiped with all our heart, all our mind and all our strength. All else should flow from that.

Let's get back to the Court of the Gentiles and what it means in the context of Revelation. True believers go through the outer court and into the Holy Place, the Temple proper. Has your church or denomination become a Courtyard of the Gentiles? Go past it and into the Holy Place with God. The only access to this Holy Place is through Jesus Christ. Once inside, this is where you will be counted as measured within the Temple. If you are with God through Jesus Christ, then you are saved. You are in the Ark of Jesus Christ and you are safe and will be rescued! You are a true worshiper of God!

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.

The Courtyard of the Gentiles will allow anyone in and it will be trampled by sightseers and gawkers and those who have no real relationship with God. It will even be taken over by those who hate the true God. They will set up their idols but have nothing to do with the only living God!

But those true worshipers are counted, measured, within the Temple of God and are safe.

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Revelation 11:2 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Whether this is a real Temple on earth or a spiritual Temple made up of true believers (and I personally believe it's both), it will be measured. But the Courtyard of the Gentiles will not be measured and is "given to the Gentiles." The Gentiles in this context are non-believers. Not just non-Jews. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are God's People. We've been adopted into the family of God. The Jewish nation had been selected as God's people in the Old Testament through Abraham. But, when Jesus Christ came as the Jewish Messiah, He was rejected by the Israelites. Not all, of course, but the nation as a whole, rejected Jesus as their anticipated Messiah. So then, the offer was made to the Gentiles and the Gentiles could then be saved and adopted into the family of God.

Romans 6:14-17 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Galatians 3: 5-9 5 God gives you his Spirit and works miracles in you. But does he do this because you obey the Law of Moses or because you have heard about Christ and have faith in him? 6 The Scriptures say that God accepted Abraham because Abraham had faith. 7 And so, you should understand that everyone who has faith is a child of Abraham. 8 Long ago the Scriptures said God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. This is why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him. 9 This means everyone who has faith will share in the blessings given to Abraham because of his faith.

Galatians 3:26-29 26 You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 Now if you belong to Christ, then indeed you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name

Ephesians 1:5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Romans 4:11-14 11 Abraham let himself be circumcised to show he had been accepted because of his faith even before he was circumcised. This makes Abraham the father of all who are acceptable to God because of their faith, even though they are not circumcised. 12 This also makes Abraham the father of everyone who is circumcised and has faith in God, as Abraham did before he was circumcised. 13 God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable. 14 If Abraham and his descendants were given this promise because they had obeyed a law, then faith would mean nothing, and the promise would be worthless.

Sonship does not depend on physical descent any more. It is not based on a bloodline but a faithline. The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' time took pride in the fact that they were Abraham’s seed. By blood they were descended from Abraham through Isaac, the son of promise. But they didn't recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah. You see, the Jews believed that the Jewish Messiah that was promised by the prophets would be a world leader. He would come and lead the Israelites in victory and set up a world empire and the Jewish nation would be exalted here on earth. Jesus didn't do that so He must not be their Messiah. They believed that instead of doing away with the Temple, the priesthood and the sacrificial system of worship, that their Messiah would make it a worldwide religion and the Jews, because of their bloodline descent from Abraham would be in the cat bird seat! They would rule the world!

But here came a lowly Savior, who insisted on being a servant by washing His disciples feet. A Messiah who came into the city of Jerusalem (which every Jew believed was the navel of the world and would be the world's capital city when their Messiah took over) riding a donkey's cold wearing a ragged coat. A Messiah who plaited a whip and went into the Temple's outer Courtyard of the Gentiles and began driving out the vendors and overturning the money changer's tables. He said the Temple was suppose to be a House of Prayer, a place to worship, not a "den of thieves"! Jesus died on the cross to give us unfettered access and restored communication with Jehovah God. If we are saved, we are children of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are sons and daughters of God! We are royalty. We are princes and princesses! As children of the God of the Universe, the only God, we are of higher royalty than any descendant of a royal line on this earth! We think Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, President Trump are some type of royalty. But think of who we are! We have been adopted in the family of GOD! The Holy Spirit dwells in us as our mark of royalty!

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 21 Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, 22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.

Now, so we don't think too highly of ourselves, this relationship with God is open to anyone who will accept Jesus as the only way to salvation. If you accept Jesus in faith that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, and the one who died to forgive us our sins and give us eternal life, then you can be saved and be adopted into the family of God. The only thing required of you is to humble yourself, ask forgiveness and believe on Jesus Christ. You cannot work your way into the family. You cannot buy your way into the family. You cannot be talented enough to become part of the family. It doesn't depend on who you know. We all come to the same place for adoption. On our knees, in humility, with sincere desire and faith in Jesus Christ. That's how we all became Christians. There is no other way, no shortcut. The work was done by Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, could do what was required for us to be saved and He did it. So, based on what He did, we can come to the Father and have a relationship with Him and be a prince/princess of royal lineage. To God we are His Children.

Circumcision was a sign that a person was an Israelite, a Jew. Every Jewish male baby was, and is, circumcised. The first to be circumcised was Abraham and his family. God commands Abraham to circumcise himself and his offspring as a sign of faith in the covenant of God with Abraham and his descendants. The circumcision ceremony, the brit milah or bris, takes place on the 8th day. A mohel (pronounced like boil) is the person who performs the circumcision. A mohel is trained in the Jewish laws concerning circumcision, as well as in surgical hygiene. In the Mosaic law, a spiritual interpretation was imposed upon the procedure when the Israelites were instructed to circumcise their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16). They were to recognize that the physical mark of covenant membership, circumcision, was just a mark. They were also to manifest spiritual qualities of commitment and obedience to the Lord's will.

Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart.

Circumcision was just a mark but it should be more than that, a consecration to the Lord and holiness (Leviticus 11:44). A true covenant member is not just physically circumcised but would be motivated by love of God (Deuteronomy 6:5) and love of fellow man (Leviticus 19:18) and, therefore, the heart is circumcised. John the Baptist was circumcised (Luke 1:59), as were Jesus (Luke 2:21) and Saul of Tarsus, later called Apostle Paul (Philippians 3:5). When uncircumcised Gentiles received God's outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:44-48, the Apostles saw that the prophecies of Ezekiel, in which the Lord promised a clean heart and an indwelling of his Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:25-27) were now being fulfilled. Through the prophet Joel God promised He would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28 ; Acts 2:17). The spiritual circumcision had been achieved by divine grace without the physical circumcision. Peter opposed Judaizers who were insisting that new Christians be circumcised. He embraced faith in Christ alone (Acts 15:8-11), and denied the necessity now of circumcision for the Gentiles. But there was dispute. To resolve it Paul and Barnabas consulted with the elders in Jerusalem, where it was agreed that Gentiles should not have to be circumcised (Acts 15:13-21). What was important to God was being a "new creation" (Galatians 6:15) and keeping God's commandments (1 Corinthians 7:19). Circumcision or uncircumcision are meaningless but allowing faith to work through love is what is important.

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Paul taught that the new covenant made salvation by grace and faith alone and not through works (Ephesians 2:8). What really counts was faith and obedience. This is what characterizes the covenant between God and man.

Romans 4:11 [Abraham] was circumcised later, and his circumcision was a sign to show that because of his faith God had accepted him as righteous before he had been circumcised. And so Abraham is the spiritual father of all who believe in God and are accepted as righteous by him, even though they are not circumcised.

So the Courtyard of the Gentiles in Revelation 11:2 will be "given over to the Gentiles and They will trample on the holy city for 42 months". This means those who are unsaved and are not true believers in Jesus Christ. It could mean all of mankind who are lost or it could mean those who rely on the Church but who are not true believers themselves. They would say they are Christians but they are not true believers. I call them cultural 'christians' and some call them nominal christians or carnal christians. In Ellicott's Commentary on this verse, he says, "Church life there will be 'the ebbing and flowing mass,' who 'sit in the way of knowledge,' who 'stand idle in the market-place,' who have no oil in their lamps, and who indirectly pave the way for utter worldliness and practical heathenism". Gill's Exposition of the Bible says, "who have only the name, but not the nature of living Christians, have a form of godliness, but deny its power, are Jews outwardly, but not inwardly, and worship only in an external manner, attend to outward forms and ceremonies, but know nothing of true doctrine, pure worship, or spiritual religion". Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says, "The holy city, the visible church, is trodden under foot; is filled with idolaters, infidels, and hypocrites".

Psalm 79:1 A psalm of Asaph. O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.

Luke 21: 23b-24 For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

This trampling of things sacred will last for 42 months, half of 7 years (3 1/2 years), or 1260 days. Some times this is called a "time, times, and half a time". See Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7; Daniel 12:11. There will be no respect for our God or His people.

Isaiah 1:11-20
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the Lord.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
14 Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”

For the historicists, who believe this has already happened, they point to this time as 1,260 years and that this refers to the length of the Roman Empire. Others say it refers to the Catholic church's empire. When the Catholic church had such power that they crowned kings, ran governments and Popes had control over Europe. The papacy began its reign in 538 AD under Emperor Justinian. If you add 1260 years to 538 AD, you get 1798 AD. On February 10, 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte sent General Louis Alexandre Berthier, with his army into Rome, Italy. "In 1798 General Berthier made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one." -Encyclopedia Britannica 1941 edition. The Pope at that time died soon in exile.

For those who see details in Revelation as symbolic rather than literal, the numbers have symbolic meaning. It's an indefinite period but indicates there is an ending at some point. They don't take it as literally 1260 days (or months or years) but a a certain time period that has a beginning and end.

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Revelation 11:3-12 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.” 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. 7 Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. 10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on.

First, the Lord says, "I will appoint MY two witnesses". The personal pronoun, "my", indicates ownership. There is a definite relationship between God and the two witnesses. They belong to Him and are put here on this earth to serve Him. So anyone who tries to harm them has to deal with God.

The two witnesses have been variously identified by theologians as two individuals, as two groups of people, or as two concepts. Do the two witnesses refer to the Churh and Israel? In Romans 11:24-25, the Apostle Paul refers to Israel as the tame olive tree and to the Gentiles as a wild olive tree. Both witnessing about God. But then, this prophecy goes on to say they will be killed, lie in the public square and resurrected to ascend to Heaven. So can this very specific description be the Church and the Jews?

The Anti-Christ and False Prophet are satan's two witnesses. But there will be God's two witnesses. They will preach the full truth of God’s Word as a counterbalance to the lies of satan. Once again, in mercy, God makes sure the truth is made known. They will witness and testify God's divine truth. They will prophesy, or speak forth, a message from God. It will be a foretelling of the wrath and judgment to come, but also giving God's message of salvation still available for those who will repent and turn to Jesus. Is their message directed just towards the Jews or to everyone that some may receive?

Malachi 4:5 Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Some believe these two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah because they were two individuals whom God took to heaven without experiencing death (Genesis 5:23; 2 Kings 2:11). They were raptured to heaven. Both were prophets, and one was a Gentile (Enoch) and the other was a Jew (Elijah). Others see Moses and Elijah as the two witnesses because the witnesses' have power to turn water into blood (Revelation 11:6), which Moses is known for (Exodus 7), and they have power to destroy people with fire (Revelation 11:5), which Elijah is known for (2 Kings 1). They were present at Jesus’ Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Others believe God chooses two new individuals to be witnesses. I.e. two men who will come in the power, spirit, and character of Enoch and Elijah or Moses and Elijah. John the Baptist was the prophesied forerunner of Jesus Christ. The prophecy had said the prophet Elijah would prepare the way for the Messiah (Matthew 17:10-13). But it was John the Baptist who fulfilled this prophecy. He came as a virtual Elijah, not a reincarnated Elijah. He came in the power, spirit, character of Elijah.

Exodus 25:31-40 "You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower-- and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand."
"On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. You shall make seven lamps for it, and they shall arrange its lamps so that they give light in front of it. And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain."

Zechariah 4 1 The angel who explained the visions woke me from what seemed like sleep. 2 Then he asked, “What do you see?” “A solid gold lampstand with an oil container above it,”
I answered. “On the stand are seven lamps, each with seven flames. 3 One olive tree is on the right side and another on the left of the oil container. 4 But, sir, what do these mean?”
5 Then he asked, “Don't you know?”
“No sir,” I replied.
6 So the angel explained that it was the following message of the LORD to Zerubbabel: I am the LORD All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit. 7 Zerubbabel, that mountain in front of you will be leveled to the ground. Then you will bring out the temple's most important stone and shout, “God has been very kind.”
8 The LORD spoke to me again and said: 9 Zerubbabel laid the foundation for the temple, and he will complete it. Then everyone will know that you were sent by me, the LORD All-Powerful. 10 Those who have made fun of this day of small beginnings will celebrate when they see Zerubbabel holding this important stone. Those seven lamps represent my eyes—the eyes of the LORD—and they see everything on this earth.
11 Then I asked the angel, “What about the olive trees on each side of the lampstand? What do they represent? 12 And what is the meaning of the two branches from which golden olive oil flows through the two gold pipes?”
13 “Don't you know?” he asked.
“No sir, I don't,” was my answer.
14 Then he told me, “These branches are the two chosen leaders who stand beside the Lord of all the earth.”

A lamp is a symbol for the Word of God, "Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). Olive oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. It takes the olive oil of the Spirit to illuminate the lamp of God's Word. It is the fuel. The two witnesses will be anointed and full of the Holy Spirit shining God's truth in a dark world. God will give them whatever they need to fulfill their task and accomplish their purpose. The Lord always provides the resources necessary to accomplish whatever He sends us to do.

Deuteronomy 19:15 states: “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established”

In the Law, it took two witnesses to convict someone of a crime. Not one, but two. God sends TWO witnesses. He is following His own law as He warns people to repent through the two witnesses.

When the Church is raptured, the Holy Spirit no longer indwells every Christian as He does today. This universal indwelling won't happen again until the Millenium. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit will be selective to certain believers. These two witnesses will be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, a steady stream of God's Spirit poured into them to enable them to do what they are purposed to do.

Their ministry is characterized in conduct by four great miraculous powers:

1. They can kill their enemies with fire
2. Withhold rain for three and a half years
3. Turn water into blood
4. Bring plagues upon the earth

These powers not only defend and protect the two witnesses until their work is done, but they are also significant to Israel and the Jews and would be used to turn the hearts of the Jews to God in preparation for the coming King.

The Beast of Revelation 13 is the one who kills the two witnesses. We will look at the beast later. But, for now, their work is accomplished and the Beast is let off the chain to kill the two witnesses. Their bodies are left on display for the world to see. Probably via 24 hours news channels, the obscene event will be played out all over the world on TV.




There will be parties and gifts handed out as the world celebrates the death of the two witnesses. They think the prophets have been silenced and they've been conquered, overcome, by the Beast. But their celebration will end when, after 3 1/2 days, the corpses come alive again. Not only are they resurrected from death but God’s voice from heaven is heard and the two witnesses are taken up in a cloud, perhaps the cloud of Shekinah glory, God's glory. Can you say "jaw dropping"? It will be caught on camera for the world to see.

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Revelation 11:11-13 11 But three and a half days later, God will breathe life into their bodies. They will stand up, and everyone who sees them will be terrified. 12 The witnesses then heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, “Come up here.” And while their enemies were watching, they were taken up to heaven in a cloud. 13 At that same moment there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were frightened and praised the God who rules in heaven.

Malachi 2:2 If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

Not only has God raised the two witnesses up from the dead and translated them into heaven right before their eyes, He also sends a great earthquake killing 7,000 people. Israel sits on a large fault line. The last major earthquake to hit Israel was in 1927, which killed around 500 people and damaged every house in Jerusalem or Hebron.

For the historicists, they see the earthquake as the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, where the Lord is taking His “tithe” (tithe is 10%) of Jerusalem and warning His people of further judgment. Of 70,000 people, 10% would be 7,000 people, leaving 63,000 people.

The word translated as persons is the Greek is anthrōpōn, literally, “names of men.” It's possible that 7,000 people can be named who died. Or it could be that 7,000 titles of men are destroyed. Such as during the French Revolution where the nobility of France fell. Seven is a symbol of completeness in the Bible. Is it literally 7,000 or symbolically meaning everything or a completion.

Is the earthquake a reference to the political upheaval that shook Europe after the Reformation? Or is it the shaking caused by false religions, false gods, false teachings that cause many to go to hell. Those who would have called themselves Christians but have not truly accepted Jesus as their Savior, fall out of the church by this great shaking.

For those who see it as symbolic it could mean the shaking and persecution of the saints; a political upheaval like the Fall of Rome or the French Revolution that brought in the "Enlightenment"; or, a spiritual upheaval like the Inquisition, Crusades, the Reformation.

Sodom and Egypt are symbolic of the wickedness of people. A great city is later, in Revelation, named as Babylon, a symbol of a wicked world power that deceives the nations. Or is it Jerusalem where the two witnesses were based? Jerusalem is the capital of the world in God’s sight.

”..The remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Remnant=loipos and means the rest of those that remain. So the ones who are left, "gave glory to the God of heaven". Does this mean they are saved and are the remnant? Or do they "praise the God who rules in heaven" but without repentance and asking for Jesus Christ to save them. They know there is a God but they refuse to repent and accept Him as Lord of their life?

Comparing the three earthquakes in Revelation:
Revelation 6:12-17 - A great earthquake; Every mountain and island were moved out of their places; who shall be able to stand on the day of His wrath?; Men hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, wishing to hide from the face of the One who sits on the throne

Revelation 11:13 - A great earthquake; The tenth part of the city fell; 7000 men were slain; The rest were frightened, and gave glory to the God of heaven

Revelation 16:18-21 - A great earthquake; The great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; Great hail out of heaven fell upon men; men blasphemed God

Are these different occurrences of 3 separate earthquakes or telling of the same earthquake but with three different voices?

In Revelation 11:1, the Jews have been worshiping for three-and-a-half years in their rebuilt temple. In Revelation 11:2, the Gentiles will overrun Jerusalem. The two Witnesses are warning the Jews about the false covenant they made with the Antichrist, or Satan incarnate. The Two Witnesses were testifying to win men to Christ as their Messiah. Their message could be God’s last warning to Israel, to the world, before the Antichrist breaks his covenant and seeks to destroy them.

A lot of questions, but don't be afraid. We, who are saved, are safe in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our Ark. We don't have to have any fear of God's wrath or judgment. If you are not saved, what are you waiting on? Accept Jesus and come into His ark of safety!


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Revelation 11:14-19 14 The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon. 15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.


The interlude between the 6th and 7th trumpets is over. The seventh trumpet sounds. Remember in chapter 8, the last three trumpets of the seven are called the Woe Trumpets. So the seventh trumpet is the third Woe Trumpet.

Revelation 8:13 I looked and I heard an eagle flying in mid heaven saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound."

The fifth trumpet was the first Woe Trumpet and when it sounded, demon hordes were released. The sixth trumpet was the second Woe Trumpet and when it sounded, the 200 million man army was released from the Euphrates River. What happens in the seventh trumpet extends all the way through the rest of the book of Revelation to chapter 20

Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He proclaimed to His servants, the prophets.

The mystery of God will be fulfilled! When we pray the Lord's Prayer, there is a phrase that says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". The prayer, "Thy kingdom come", is about to be answered! This 7th trumpet blows the final judgment which stretches all the way through the judgment to come. It will encompass five pairs of visions, both on earth and in heaven that will lead us all the way to the end when Christ establishes His kingdom. You have seven seals and then out of the seventh seal comes the seven trumpets, and out of the seventh trumpet comes the seven bowl judgments. This is a judgment trumpet like Joel 2:1

Joel 2:1 1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—

We can see this from two different perspectives. From the perspective of the unsaved and lost, all these judgments are horrific and terrifying, signaling their punishment and eternal damnation. From the perspective of the saved, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, all these events are leading up to what we've hoped for! Christ bringing in His Kingdom. His glory being shown forever! Jesus reigning as King and ushering us into an eternity of wonder and delight. We will be worshiping at His feet for all that He has done for us, as you can see from our passage. Those who are saved will be worshiping, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign...The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small". But for those who have refused Jesus Christ, it will be a time of horror, "The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead,...and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

Which perspective will you see it from? You can be saved by accepting Jesus Christ.


Once you have repented, asked for forgiveness, accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and and as the Son of God, then two things happen. You see, we were originally meant to be a tri-part being: body, soul, spirit. Just like God is a tri-part being: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. They are three distinct individuals but they work in such harmony, unity and perfect completeness that they are as one - the God head, three in one. It should be the same with us. We have our physical body. We have our personal being, our soul, what makes us who we are as a distinct individual. But, because of Adam and Eve's sin, the spirit part of their being died. When they sinned, their spirit died. And it is with the spirit that we communicate with God. Every human being since then has been born with body and soul but no spirit. When we accept Jesus as our Savior and He forgives our sins, our spirit it born! That is why Christians call it being "born again". So the first thing that happens is our spirit is born the minute we repent, believe and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. We are back to being a tri-part being! Our spirit can commune with our God once again! No longer separated from our Creator and Father! Jesus made that possible.

The second thing that happens is the Holy Spirit - that part of the God head - will enter into you. He comes to dwell in your heart to help your new spirit to grow and become strong. It is the Holy Spirit within us that helps us to learn more about God, shows us how to pray, teaches us through the Bible, warns us of danger to our spirit and empowers us to overcome the dangers when we cooperate with Him.

Now, will you walk through the rest of your life without sinning? No. We still have our human bodies and souls and are tempted and we fall. Does that mean we aren't saved? NO! Our salvation is not based on our performance (thank God!!!) but rather on the saving work done by Jesus Christ and He didn't fail! If we are saved through Jesus Christ, and we were to die right in the middle of a sin. We are still saved and would go to Heaven. His grace and His work are sufficient to cover all sin. Does that give us a license to sin? No. You see, we have been changed. Our spirit has been born again and the Holy Spirit now dwells in us. We won't be happy in our sins. We will know we are doing something wrong and there will be an internal struggle because we know we aren't behaving right. We may try to ignore the warnings of the Holy Spirit because we want to sin. But eventually, we will humble ourselves and ask forgiveness and try to do it right the next time. And we are forgiven. We may have some consequences to our sin that we have to face. And God may allow us to go through those consequences in order to teach us so we don't repeat the problem. But our relationship with God and our eternal security in Him are not in jeopardy because it's based on Christ and what He did on the cross. It's not based on how good or bad we are, or how much we do or don't do for God. That would be salvation through human works and we can't be good enough to trust in our own works for salvation. We must trust that Jesus' work was good enough. We have to have faith that Jesus paid the price once and for all on the cross and that He took all our sins, and the punishment and wrath that sin brings, upon Himself.

This lifelong process of spiritual growth is called sanctification. It's the work of the Holy Spirit and He teaches and empowers our spirit to grow up, mature, get stronger. If we cooperate with the Holy Spirit then our baby spirit doesn't stay a baby. It grows up. Some people get saved but they leave it at that. Their spirit stays immature, weak, and there is little cooperation with the Holy Spirit. This is sad. There is so much to God, we can never plumb the depths of Him and it's a wonderful experience to grow, commune with Him, to learn more and more about Him. The more we grow in Him, the less worldly minded we are and the more spiritual minded we become. Sin is less attractive, the demands and attractions of the world are less attractive. The more we will want God and the more we will desire His kingdom come and His will be done!