I made these digital scrapbooking pages of my Father's funeral.
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Dad's Funeral
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Tractor Show in Gray, TN 2011
My Dad loved going to tractor shows. He loved old farm equipment and tractors and you could ask him anything about them and he would know. He was like a walking encyclopedia on old tractors and farm implements. He would go to all the tractor shows within driving distance. I liked to try and go with him to one or two each year. This one was in Gray, TN back in 2011. Here are my digital scrapbook pages of that day.
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Revelation 14
Where is Mt. Zion?
It's in Jerusalem, Israel on the southeast side of the city. It is the highest point in ancient Jerusalem. Here are some map views for you to get an idea. Then we will discuss it's history. This first one is the way the land looked before a city was built on it.
This satellite map shows the city of Jerusalem and how Bethlehem (where Jesus was born) was right next door.
This map zooms in on Jerusalem. Look for "Mount Zion,""City of David,""Old City,""Gethsemane"
I tried to zoom in closer. The large rectangle on the upper right is labeled "Temple Mount" and is where the Temple was and is where the Dome of the Rock is now.
Here are photos of Mt Zion
Mt Zion essentially means “fortification” or "citadel" and has the idea of being “raised up” as a “monument.” According to the Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 5:7), Mount Zion was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, then renamed and partially rebuilt by him as the "City of David", where he erected his palace. After David’s conquest of the fortress, Jerusalem became a possession of Israel and David made it the seat of Israel's government. Once the First Temple was erected at the top of the Eastern Hill, the name "Mount Zion" migrated there too. The "Mount Zion" mentioned in the later parts of the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 60:14), in the Book of Psalms, and the First Book of Maccabees seems to refer to the top of the hill, generally known as the Temple Mount. When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the meaning of Zion expanded further to include the temple area (Psalm 2:6; Psalm 48:2, 11–12; Psalm 132:13). The last shift of the name Mount Zion was to the Western Hill, which is more dominant than the Eastern Hill. In the second half of the First Temple period, the city expanded westward and its defensive walls were extended to include the entire Western Hill behind them. Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the city almost completely around 586 BE, severing the continuity of historical memory. A long period of rebuilding followed, ending with Jerusalem's second total destruction at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD. Important sites on Mount Zion are Dormition Abbey, King David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper.
Topographical showing levels
You see the Temple and Temple Mount as it was in Jesus' time in upper right corner.
Tower of David
It was actually the Christian Crusaders who built the present memorial on Mount Zion called the Tomb of King David. The Old Testament (1 Kings: 2:10) records that King David was buried in the city of David, which was on the original Mount Zion. In the New Testament, Zion refers to God’s spiritual kingdom.
Temple Mount with Dome of the Rock
Wailing Wall
Exodus 20:18-21 (parenthesis mine) After giving Moses the Ten Commandments... 18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain (Mt. Sinai, aka Mt. Horeb, and the actual geographical location of this Mount is not known) in smoke. And when the people saw this, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 “Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 “Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.” 21 And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Deuteronomy 5:22-27 22 "The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23 And when you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, 24 and you said,
'Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak with a man, yet the man lives. 25 But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. 26 For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived? 27 Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.'”
Hebrews 12:18-24 (parenthesis mine) For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken. 20 For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” 21 The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” (In reference to the above scriptures) 22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels 23 in joyful assembly, to the congregation of the firstborn, enrolled in heaven. You have come to God the judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
1 Peter 2:6 “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame”
Isaiah 52:1-2, 7-10 1 Awaken, awaken,
clothe yourself with strength, O Zion!
Put on your garments of splendor,
O Jerusalem, Holy City!
For the uncircumcised and unclean will not again enter you.
2 Shake off your dust!
Rise up and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem.
Remove the chains from your neck,
O captive Daughter Zion.
...
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,
together they shout for joy,
for every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion.
9 Break forth in joy, sing together,
O ruins of Jerusalem,
for the LORD has comforted His people;
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations;
all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
The earliest extra-biblical Hebrew writing of the word Jerusalem is dated to the sixth or seventh century BC and was discovered in Khirbet Beit Lei near Beit Guvrin in 1961. The inscription states: "I am Yahweh thy God, I will accept the cities of Judah and I will redeem Jerusalem" - Wikipedia
The Gihon Spring attracted shepherds who camped near the water between 6,000-7,000 years ago. Permanent houses only appeared several centuries later, with a small village emerging around 3000-2800 BC. The first settlement lay on what some call the Ophel ridge and the inhabitants were Canaanites. In the Late Bronze Age, Jerusalem was the capital of an Egyptian vassal city-state. Jerusalem is defined as lying within territory allocated to the tribe of Benjamin though occupied by Jebusites until David. Mount Zion and Mount Moriah are the two hills in Jerusalem. Mount Moriah is where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac and God stopped him and gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead.
The first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible occurs in Genesis 14. Abraham rescues his nephew Lot from 5 kings who had conquered the area. Salem is Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew and means "peace". Jerusalem means "dwelling of peace,""abiding place of peace," or "settlement of peace."
Genesis 14:17-24 17 After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
18 And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. 19 Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.”
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered.”
22 Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I solemnly swear to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, ‘I am the one who made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept only what my young warriors have already eaten, and I request that you give a fair share of the goods to my allies—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre.”
Mount Zion is the highest place in Jerusalem and thus the safest for protection for inhabitants in ancient times. The Old City is along the ridge. So Melchizedek probably lived on Mt. Zion. Melchizedek, the first mentioned "Priest of the Most High God," came out of Zion in order to bless Abraham. Jesus Christ was later declared to be a Priest in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). As such, Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of Zion. King David was led to Jerusalem in order to conquer it and establish it as the capital city and seat of the Temple, God's habitation on earth. Once he established his political capital in Zion, David then used his authority to establish Zion as a seat of worship of the only true God. King David placed the Ark of the Covenant in a tabernacle on Mount Zion (1 Chronicles 15-16), which he made as a place of worship where God dwelt in the midst of His people. It will be the location of Christ's rule on earth during the millennial kingdom.
Psalm 132 1 LORD, remember David and all that he suffered.
2 He made a solemn promise to the LORD.
He vowed to the Mighty One of Israel,
3 “I will not go home;
I will not let myself rest.
4 I will not let my eyes sleep
nor close my eyelids in slumber
5 until I find a place to build a house for the LORD,
a sanctuary for the Mighty One of Israel.”
6 We heard that the Ark was in Ephrathah;
then we found it in the distant countryside of Jaar.
7 Let us go to the sanctuary of the LORD;
let us worship at the footstool of his throne.
8 Arise, O LORD, and enter your resting place,
along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.
9 May your priests be clothed in godliness;
may your loyal servants sing for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject the king you have anointed.
11 The LORD swore an oath to David
with a promise he will never take back:
“I will place one of your descendants on your throne.
12 If your descendants obey the terms of my covenant
and the laws that I teach them,
then your royal line
will continue forever and ever.”
13 For the LORD has chosen Jerusalem;
he has desired it for his home.
14 “This is my resting place forever,” he said.
“I will live here, for this is the home I desired.
15 I will bless this city and make it prosperous;
I will satisfy its poor with food.
16 I will clothe its priests with godliness;
its faithful servants will sing for joy.
17 Here I will increase the power of David;
my anointed one will be a light for my people.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but he will be a glorious king.”
Isaiah 62:1-4 1 Because I love Zion,
I will not keep still.
Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem,
I cannot remain silent.
I will not stop praying for her
until her righteousness shines like the dawn,
and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.
2 The nations will see your righteousness.
World leaders will be blinded by your glory.
And you will be given a new name
by the LORD’s own mouth.
3 The LORD will hold you in his hand for all to see—
a splendid crown in the hand of God.
4 Never again will you be called “The Forsaken City”
or “The Desolate Land.” Your new name will be “The City of God’s Delight” and “The Bride of God,” for the LORD delights in you and will claim you as his bride.
Psalm 48:1-3 1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!
His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.
Psalm 133:3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.
Isaiah 4:2-6 2 But in that day, the branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious;
the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel.
3 All who remain in Zion will be a holy people—
those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living.
4 The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion
and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains
with the hot breath of fiery judgment.
5 Then the LORD will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there.
He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night,
covering the glorious land.
6 It will be a shelter from daytime heat
and a hiding place from storms and rain.
The entire land of Israel has also been referred to as Mount Zion. Zion (vs. 1) is contrasted with Babylon (which is introduced in Revelation 14:8). Zion (vs. 1) being the righteous city of God and Babylon (vs. 8) the evil city of anti-Christ. Zion (vs. 1) is the new Jerusalem, the opposite extreme to Babylon (ver. 8). The seat of Christ's government (political authority) and true worship (spiritual authority) will be from here.
Micah 4:1-4 1 In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
2 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
3 The LORD will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The LORD of Heaven’s Armies has made this promise!
5 Though the nations around us follow their idols,
we will follow the LORD our God forever and ever.
There is a heavenly Mount Zion and Jerusalem, just as there is an earthly Mount Zion and Jerusalem. In Revelation 4-5 we saw a heavenly throne room with God on the throne. This would be the heavenly Mount Zion. As we continue to study Revelation, we will see more about God's throne and Jerusalem as a seat of government for Jesus' millennial kingdom and a new Jerusalem for eternity.
Now we see how important Mount Zion, Jerusalem and the land of Israel are to God.
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Who are the 144,000?
Revelation 14:1-5 1 Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and the loud rumbling of thunder. And the sound I heard was like harpists strumming their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They have been redeemed from among men as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.We saw 144,000 earlier in Revelation:
Revelation 7:2-8 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And 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 sea or trees until we have sealed the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
4 And 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,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,
from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,
from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,
from the tribe of Levi 12,000,
from the tribe of Isaachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,
from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,
and from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
Let's look at the Twelve Tribes of Israel first. Who are the Twelve Tribes?
In Genesis we read about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Patriarchs. Abraham had Isaac and Isaac had Jacob and Jacob had 12 sons and a daughter with his wives Leah, Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah. How did poor Jacob end up with 4 wives? Let's see how his father-in-law tricked him...
Genesis 29:14-30 After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month, 15 Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. 17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes,a but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face. 18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”
19 “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.” 20 So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”
22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. 23 But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)
25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”
26 “It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. 27 “But wait until the bridal week is over, then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”
28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.
Now we begin to learn about Jacob’s many children
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. 32 So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The LORD has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.” 33 She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The LORD heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”
34 Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. She named him Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”
35 Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the LORD!” And then she stopped having children.
Genesis 29:1-24 1 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
3 Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.” 4 So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”
9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. 11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!” 12 Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”
14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel
begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”
Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. 17 And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. 18 She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” 19 Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. 20 She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” 21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
22 Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. 24 And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the LORD add yet another son to my family.”
Genesis 35:16-26 16 Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. 17 After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” 18 Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.
21 Then Jacobb traveled on and camped beyond Migdal-eder. 22 While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it.
These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
23 The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Paddan-aram.
Joseph would turn out to be his father's favorite and it caused terrible jealousy among his older brothers. Eventually they threw him in a well with the intention of letting him die there but the eldest, Reuben, came up with a better idea... sell him as a slave to a passing slave trader. They made money and went home and told their father Joseph had been killed. What they certainly meant for evil, turned out to be for everyone's good. As we know, Joseph eventually overcame his many troubles and matured into the man God wanted him to be and God used him to rescue Jacob and all of the family during a famine. Once reunited with his family, he forgave his brothers. Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons so they would have an inheritance and blessing. In essence giving Joseph a double portion:
Genesis 48:2-22 2 When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” So Jacob gathered his strength and sat up in his bed. 3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. 4 He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
5 “Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 But any children born to you in the future will be your own, and they will inherit land within the territories of their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh.
7 “Long ago, as I was returning from Paddan-aram, Rachel died in the land of Canaan. We were still on the way, some distance from Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). So with great sorrow I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.”
8 Then Jacob looked over at the two boys. “Are these your sons?” he asked.
9 “Yes,” Joseph told him, “these are the sons God has given me here in Egypt.”
And Jacob said, “Bring them closer to me, so I can bless them.”
10 Jacob was half blind because of his age and could hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Jacob kissed and embraced them. 11 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!”
12 Joseph moved the boys, who were at their grandfather’s knees, and he bowed with his face to the ground. 13 Then he positioned the boys in front of Jacob. With his right hand he directed Ephraim toward Jacob’s left hand, and with his left hand he put Manasseh at Jacob’s right hand. 14 But Jacob crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys’ heads. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger boy, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, though he was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham
and my father, Isaac, walked—
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life, to this very day,
16 the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—
may he bless these boys.
May they preserve my name
and the names of Abraham and Isaac.
And may their descendants multiply greatly
throughout the earth.”
17 But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 “No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.”
20 So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to Canaan, the land of your ancestors. 22 And beyond what I have given your brothers, I am giving you an extra portion of the land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”
Genesis 49 The blessing of Jacob over his sons:
1 Then Jacob called together all his sons and said, “Gather around me, and I will tell you what will happen to each of you in the days to come.
2 “Come and listen, you sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel, your father.
3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength,
the child of my vigorous youth.
You are first in rank and first in power.
4 But you are as unruly as a flood,
and you will be first no longer.
For you went to bed with my wife;
you defiled my marriage couch.
5 “Simeon and Levi are two of a kind;
their weapons are instruments of violence.
6 May I never join in their meetings;
may I never be a party to their plans.
For in their anger they murdered men,
and they crippled oxen just for sport.
7 A curse on their anger, for it is fierce;
a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob;
I will disperse them throughout Israel.
8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you.
You will grasp your enemies by the neck.
All your relatives will bow before you.
9 Judah, my son, is a young lion
that has finished eating its prey.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down;
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
the one whom all nations will honor.
11 He ties his foal to a grapevine,
the colt of his donkey to a choice vine.
He washes his clothes in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth are whiter than milk.
13 “Zebulun will settle by the seashore
and will be a harbor for ships;
his borders will extend to Sidon.
14 “Issachar is a sturdy donkey,
resting between two saddlepacks.
15 When he sees how good the countryside is
and how pleasant the land,
he will bend his shoulder to the load
and submit himself to hard labor.
16 “Dan will govern his people,
like any other tribe in Israel.
17 Dan will be a snake beside the road,
a poisonous viper along the path
that bites the horse’s hooves
so its rider is thrown off.
18 I trust in you for salvation, O LORD!
19 “Gad will be attacked by marauding bands,
but he will attack them when they retreat.
20 “Asher will dine on rich foods
and produce food fit for kings.
21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.
22 “Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey,
the foal of a wild donkey at a spring—
one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.
23 Archers attacked him savagely;
they shot at him and harassed him.
24 But his bow remained taut,
and his arms were strengthened
by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
25 May the God of your father help you;
may the Almighty bless you
with the blessings of the heavens above,
and blessings of the watery depths below,
and blessings of the breasts and womb.
26 May the blessings of your father
surpass the blessings of the ancient mountains,
reaching to the heights of the eternal hills.
May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
who is a prince among his brothers.
27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
devouring his enemies in the morning
and dividing his plunder in the evening.”
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said as he told his sons good-bye. He blessed each one with an appropriate message.
Jacob's twelve sons (in order of birth), Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin, become the ancestors of twelve tribes.
So, there were actually 13 tribes! You see, the 12 original tribes all came from the 12 sons of Jacob (later renamed Israel). When Joseph’s older brothers sold him into slavery, it was the beginning of a long, painful separation from his father. After reuniting with his father, Jacob/Israel promised to compensate for Joseph’s years of separation by adopting two of Joseph's sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, as his own to be numbered with his sons in place of Joseph, i.e. Joseph get's a double portion through his two sons. So there are two tribes named Ephraim and Manassah. (Genesis 48:5)
Let’s do the math: 12 sons - Joseph = 11 + 2 sons of Joseph = 13
When Joseph’s two sons were counted as tribes in the place of their father, you have 13 tribes. But you continue to hear of only 12 tribes throughout the Bible because after the Tribe of Levi (Levites), were chosen to be the priests for Israel, they were excluded from receiving any specific territory as inheritance. Instead, they were to live among all the tribes as teachers and priests. “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel” (Numbers 1:49).
Also, Reuben suffered a consequence for having disrespected his father by sleeping with his father's concubine. And, if you look at Dan's "blessing" (Genesis 49:16-18) from his father, it seems more of a curse than a blessing. It was actually not a curse but a prophecy. Some say the anti-Christ will come from the Tribe of Dan (I haven't gotten that far yet). These two things will also affect the tribes much later.
The Exodus by James Tissot
After they left Egypt and headed towards the Promised Land of Canaan, they stayed together in tribes and camped in tribes. Exodus 12:37 "And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children." This 600,000 would only include able-bodied, military-age men. You have an army of 600,000 AND all the elderly, handicapped, disabled, women, children and teens on top of that number. So it could easily have been over 1,000,000 people (and some project multi-millions) who left Egypt to go to the Promised Land. When you realize how many it was, it makes you understand Pharaoh a little better. He was looking at losing a significant work force. The Egyptians would be losing workers (and warriors, when needed).
Pharaoh was facing the same situation when Moses came to him and asked him to let the Israelites leave Egypt. How would he keep his country afloat with such a loss in work force? Other countries would eye Egypt during this vulnerable time of upheaval. How would his building projects continue? He wasn't only losing those who walked out of Egypt, but he was losing every increase in the Israelite population in the future. You would lose some to old age and death, but you've added many more due to births (in the days before birth control). The Bible says God blessed the Israelites with an increase in births. So 50 men and 50 women could have 50-500 children, or more, in one generation and it would continue to increase in snowball figures as time went on. So Pharaoh was losing current workers and future workers (and/or warriors in his armies). When you begin to look at the complexities, you understand why Pharoah was so hesitant to just "set them free" and let them go. The Civil War in America cost at least 600,000 (probably much more than that) fighting men to lose their lives. That doesn't take into account the civilian population that died as an effect of the War. It doesn't take into account the cost of property damages, lost and destroyed cities and towns. It was 4 years of horrible misery, at least for the South. And many more decades before recovery. We can lay that at President Abraham Lincoln's feet. He refused to let us go. For Pharoah, it cost him the plagues that God sent via Moses. The final plague cost them all the Egyptian firstborn. I don't know how much time it took between the first plague and the last plague or how many were eventually killed due to the Egyptian plagues, especially the last one. I have a feeling it was far less time, damage and death as the American War of Northern Aggression. But it was bad enough for Pharoah to finally "set them free" and let the Israelites go. We may ask why God would "kill" innocent Egyptians but when we compare it with the American Civil War, God was merciful because it could have been a whole lot worse. It is not God's fault that sin is in this world and that men have a sinful nature. We can thank Adam and Eve for that and our own proclivity towards sin. If Pharoah had let them go the first time Moses asked, he would have avoided all the heartache. But he, and his ruling class, were reluctant to let their slave labor go for very logical reasons. He needed to learn not to rely on his reasoning, logic, education and human experience. God is so far ahead of us in wisdom and insight. He knows all and He maintains all. It's ridiculous for us to think we can out-think God and thus we know better than God. It would be like pitting a supercomputer against a mentally handicapped toddler. God gave us brains and I'm thankful for education and experience. But I have to learn to trust God and walk where He says to walk even when it doesn't make sense to me. In the case of Pharoah, he never learned the lesson and ended up in the bottom of the Red Sea. For the American South, we ended up with a horrendous War and decades of poverty while the North won and we've been forced a gentle tyranny ever since. When we cannot see a way out, that's when it's time to remember God is in control and He knows right where you are and right where you need to be. You can trust Him despite how it looks. All we can see is doom but God knows so much better!
Once God directed Moses to make the Tabernacle, it became the center of the camp and the tribes camped around the Tabernacle, facing it, so all the people had a view of the Tabernacle even from the outer edges of the camp.
Once the Israelites came into the Promised Land and conquered it, God assigned each of the tribes land. Here is how it would have been allocated per tribe. Notice there is no land given to the Tribe of Levi (the Levites) because they were called to be priests of God. The other tribes were to provide and protect them as they ministered to the Lord and acted as priests representing the people to God and God to the people.
It wasn't until King Saul and King David that all the tribes were united under the one name of Israel.
David was the King of Israel, as was his son, King Solomon.
Later, Israel divided into 2 kingdoms: Israel and Judah.
Now let's return to the 144,000 in Revelation 14.
Some take the numbers in Revelation to be symbolic and represents all of God's people throughout history in the heavenly Church. The number 12 is a symbol for totality, which, squared and multiplied by one thousand, is 144,000 and is done this way for more emphasis.
Because God promised that there would be a remnant of Jews who will be saved, some believe the 144,000 are converted Jews who are sent out to bring sinners to Jesus Christ during the seven years of the Great Tribulation. Jewish Tribulation evangelists, God's Special Forces unit. Did God select, empower, and seal 144,000 Jewish servants who will serve Him as prophets during the Great Tribulation? After all, in Revelation 7, it is said that nothing shall be allowed to harm them. These people will worship the true God and speak for God. During the Church Age (from Christ until the start of the Great Tribulation) the Holy Spirit is given work on this earth. He appeals to each human being and presents the Gospel (the good news of salvation) to them to give them a chance to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and be forgiven and cleansed of their sins. Once someone accepts Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit then dwells in this Christian to enable, empower and teach their new spirit in a process called sanctification. The Bible says the Holy Spirit is our seal and guarantee that we are saved and now are Children of God. If we are Raptured just before the Great Tribulation, then true believers are taken to Heaven and the Holy Spirit leaves the world. It goes back to being special dispensations of the Holy Spirit like it was before Christ. If so, God has specially selected and sealed these 144,000 to enable them to endure and speak for God. Is that seal the Holy Spirit like it is for us? Does that mean only 144,000 will have that special dispensation of being sealed, empowered and enabled by the Holy Spirit to supernaturally do what God has called them to do? Or is it a literal mark that can be seen by the human eye? The anti-Christ has his followers marked and God has His followers marked. They have a job and that is to be a witness who testifies the truth about God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They will proclaim God's Word and give this last generation last chances to accept Christ. This shows the love of God, even in the last days, when judgments are being brought to the world, He gives last chances!!! They prepare the world for Jesus’ return.
The Sealed of Israel (my notes on Revelation 6-7)
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 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 anti-Christ'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.
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Revelation 14:6-7 6 Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation and tribe and tongue and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”
I believe the church has been raptured at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (although there are those who have different theories). Jesus, Himself, commanded His followers to go into the world and preach the gospel of salvation, the grace gospel.
Matthew 10:27 "What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs".
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature".
One reason I believe the Rapture occurs before the Great Tribulation is because of the mentions of special messengers throughout the Great Tribulation given the job to proclaim the gospel. I believe it's because Christians are raptured and no longer here to proclaim the gospel so it has to be specially selected people empowered with a special dispensation of the Holy Spirit.
God sent the Two Witnesses earlier in the Tribulation, who shared the Gospel from Jerusalem during the first half of the Tribulation. It's the mid-point in the Great Tribulation. God has sent the 144,000 Jewish Evangelists to evangelize. Now God is going to send angels directly to the people to share the Gospel. Three angels fly through the sky calling out their messages. One brings the gospel and a call to worship God. The second brings an announcement of the fall of Babylon. The third warns of the wrath of God upon all who worship the Beast and have his mark upon them. The first is an angel flying in mid-sky proclaiming the good news of the gospel to everyone throughout the world. He's going throughout the sky, midair. Makes me wonder if the gospel will go out via satellite? I have mentioned earlier that technology to do this is already here and it seems to be a priority to the new world government for everyone to be reachable with their propaganda. With the reduction in population due to judgments in the first half, it's not hard to believe it's possible to reach the residents of the earth with a message and, in this case, the message of the gospel.
Matthew 24:14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."
What is the gospel? The word gospel means good news. What is the good news?
Romans 16:25-26 Praise God! He can make you strong by means of my good news, which is the message about Jesus Christ. For ages and ages this message was kept secret, but now at last it has been told. The eternal God commanded his prophets to write about the good news, so that all nations would obey and have faith.
2 Timothy 1:9-10 9 He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our own works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time eternal. 10 And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,
This gospel-proclaiming angel has a little different message from the grace gospel of the church age. All will be presented with the gospel AND will know they are choosing between Jesus and the anti-Christ. Jesus is the only way to salvation. No person will have an excuse. The gospel is good news to those who receive it and obey it. However, the gospel is bad news to those who reject it.
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Revelation 14:8 Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
Babylon, the capitol of Chaldaea is an example of tyranny. Babylon is a type of the world power which persecutes the Church of God. Babylon is representative of the world, as Jerusalem is of the true Church of God. Like other cities, Babylon is personified as a woman, in this case an immoral woman.
"immorality"= πορνείας (porneias), Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular, Strong's Greek 4202 meaning: Fornication, whoredom; idolatry. From the root porneuo meaning harlotry and figuratively meaning idolatry.
Jeremiah 51:6-7 6 Flee from Babylon; escape with your lives! Do not be destroyed in her punishment. For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He will pay her what she deserves. 7 Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
I believe that the beast may have represented historical empires but also has a future fulfillment in the end time world government headed by a leader inspired and directed by satan. A dual fulfillment. An end time Babylon.
In previous studies on Revelation 12 and Revelation 13, we learned that these beasts are representations of kingdoms. The sea represents the great, restless mass of mankind, an ocean of men, tossed and swirled by every wind and passion. Whoever rises from this chaos of men will rise and rule by fear and intimidation. These beasts are world powers, empires, countries with their governments, kingdoms of the world. They are instigated, inspired and aided by the red dragon, satan - tyrannical, idolatrous, persecuting. The horns symbolize power; the heads, intelligence. Man severs himself from God in self deification and are therefore not much better than beasts.
I believe that the beast may have represented historical empires but also has a future fulfillment in the end time world government headed by a leader inspired and directed by satan. A dual fulfillment. An end time Babylon.
Babylon was the world power in the days of the prophet Daniel. The name Babylon came to represent the wicked world power of the day. In the days of Jesus and his disciples, Rome was the new Babylon because it was the world power of the day. Babylon had fallen. In Revelation, the Roman Empire had not fallen yet. John is prophesying that it will when he calls it Babylon. It is a certainty and John reveals the angel saying it will happen. It has been fulfilled so we know, in hindsight, that both Babylon and the Roman Empire have fallen. Some believe this prophecy was also directed at the Roman Catholic Church. That it would have great power, world wide power, but it would fall. Again, in hindsight, we may have seen this and we may see it again. The Roman Catholic Church became very powerful in Europe and the Americas and with this kind of power and wealth it became very corrupt. It's leaders came up with man-made doctrines in order to increase their power and wealth in direct contrast to God's directions and His Word. The great populace were illiterate and couldn't read the Bible for themselves so they had to depend on the priests and the Catholic Church. The Catholic leaders took full advantage of it. It still has great power and wealth today but not nearly like it had. Could it become a viable world power again? Maybe, if it becomes deceived by the anti-Christ and participates, or even becomes, the world wide religion of the last days. But then so could any other great religious bodies.
The anti-Christ may amalgamate them all to become a new world religion. One that first incorporates them all but in which he becomes the center of their worship. Or he may use one already established to build his new world religion on. One that already has buildings, organization, administration, worldwide links and networks, communications, etc. Catholic, Protestant denomination, Orthodox, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. could become a vehicle for him to declare a world wide religion and once it's established, with he and his false prophet in control, he forces the world to worship HIM.
You could look at almost every Christian denomination and see that the roots were begun with good intentions and pure doctrine. People who have become disillusioned, dissatisfied and offended in an older denomination may have sought God and tried to go back to His roots. They start a new denomination and try to base it on truth and good doctrine. But, as with all man-made organizations, it eventually becomes just as spiritually dense, corrupt and full of pride as the rest of them. When money and people start coming in, we automatically begin organizing around keeping the flow of people and money coming in. We are considered successful if we have high numbers. Before long, we've organized God right into a little box of which we hold the key. And tell Him to stay silent in this little box that we only bring out briefly to impress the people. Then we shuffle Him back into the box and the back room of the church. Eventually we even quit bringing out the box. The box gets thrown out with the trash and church has just become another social club.
But, not to be too hard, there are remnants of true believers in every Christian denomination. They are truly saved, disciples of Christ, read the Word, pray and talk to God and have a good relationship with God. But, for whatever reason, they attend a denominational church that has grown cold. God may be using these remnants to keep the fires lit and burning in their church or bringing the true gospel to the unsaved. There are individual churches within denominations who are on fire for God and have a hunger and thirst for Him. Praise God for these people and these churches who keep God front and center!!!
But here we have a warning: "Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality". In other words, the world empire has drawn people into turning against the one true God. By promising them health, wealth, peace and fun, this empire and it's evil leaders will snooker everyone. They make sin look good. They've turned the world upside down making evil good and good evil. There is a song called "Living Life Upside Down" by Jason Crabb and the chorus is:
What if we've fallen to the bottom of a well
Thinking we've risen to the top of a mountain
What if we're knocking at the gates of hell
Thinking that we're heaven bound
And what if we spend our lives thinking of ourselves
When we should have been thinking of each other
What if we reach up and touch the ground
To find we're living life, upside down
Have we already done this? I mean, our society now tells us homosexuality is not a sin but a lifestyle to be "celebrated". Our government tells us killing babies is not murder but freedom for women. Our courts tell us criminals are more important than victims. And some of our churches and denominations are telling us there is no hell and sin is not sin. So is it any wonder people find themselves living life upside down. We can only anticipate it will get worse. God has not changed. His Word has not changed, it's the world that is tipping over. People love their sin. They want to sin. They enjoy sinning until sin comes full fruit. Then it's too late, the consequences are miserable. They thought taking drugs was fun until they became an addict. They thought free sex was exhilarating until they got an STD or an unwanted pregnancy or found their reputation in shreds and unable to function in a healthy relationship.
God is still waiting for you to turn to Him. It's not too late to turn around. But there comes a time when it will be too late. If you die, or the end time comes, you've lost your chance. Don't put it off. Come to God NOW!
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Revelation 14:9-11 9 And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. Day and night there will be no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
This is the scariest scripture. Through Jesus Christ, I have been saved from this. But for those who reject Jesus Christ and follow after the beast, this is their end!
The unsaved will:
- drink the wine of God's anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath
- tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb
- the smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever
- day and night there will be no rest
God doesn't want a single human being to ever end up here. It's why He sent Jesus Christ, His only Son, to save us. You don't have to end up here. You can be saved! But only by accepting Jesus Christ. There is no other way to be saved. You must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ: He is the Son of God, He died and rose again, He lives at the right hand of the Father ever making intercession for us. You must realize you cannot save yourself and only Jesus can save you. So repent, turn to Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation.
God warns us in His Word, over and over again. But, if we refuse to read His Word, we miss the warning. If we refuse to attend a Bible believing church, we won't ever know about salvation and we won't hear the warnings. If we refuse to accept Jesus when the Holy Spirit calls to us and presents the salvation message to us, we can blame no one but ourselves. In this day and time, we are particularly guilty if we refuse Christ. In America, we have churches on every corner, Bibles are easy to obtain and own. We have free education to teach us how to read so we can read the Bible for ourselves. We have the advantage of the Internet, technology, TV programs, radio stations, study materials are easily available - so we have no excuse for not knowing the truth.
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Revelation 14:12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
endurance = ὑπομονὴ (hypomonē) = Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 5281: Endurance, steadfastness, patient waiting for. From root hupomeno meaning cheerful endurance, constancy.
saints = ἁγίων (hagiōn) = Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's Greek 40: Set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred. From root hagos meaning sacred.
keep = τηροῦντες (tērountes) = Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's Greek 5083: From teros; to guard, i.e. To note; by implication, to detain.
commandments = ἐντολὰς (entolas) = Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's Greek 1785: An ordinance, injunction, command, law. From entellomai; injunction, i.e. An authoritative prescription.
faith = πίστιν (pistin) = Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 4102: Faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness.
"There is a patient waiting for Christ shown by those who keep God's commandments, who cleave to righteousness in spite of much temptation, and who refuse to pay homage to the god of this world because firm in the faith that Jesus is King." - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
If I were to now write this verse in my own way: This is a call of encouragement to God's people who have been called out to be different from the world. Be patient and endure during this time. Despite the great temptations to give in, remain steadfast in your faith in Christ and continue to try to follow God's commands. There will be a day when you will be glad you did!
Let's look at it in a couple of other translations just to be sure we understand.
Amplified: Here is [encouragement for] the steadfast endurance of the saints (God’s people), those who habitually keep God’s commandments and their faith in Jesus.
21st Century King James Version: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Common English Bible: This calls for the endurance of the saints, who keep God’s commandments and keep faith with Jesus.
The Living Bible: Let this encourage God’s people to endure patiently every trial and persecution, for they are his saints who remain firm to the end in obedience to his commands and trust in Jesus.
1 John 2:3 By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
At this point in our study we've learned that the world got steadily worse between natural disasters, wars and just plain evil. These were birth pangs coming on. Jesus warned us about the increasing birth pangs.
I believe the church is raptured at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. If true, it means a significant portion of the population disappeared. This would be shocking and scary in itself. I'm sure an "alien abduction" will be used as an explanation about what happened to these missing people.
After the Rapture, the Great Tribulation begins and God sends cataclysmic disasters of judgment. This will kill many of the world's population and disrupt normal life. In fact, there will be no going back to normal life. The survivors of the judgments will in shock, in grief and desperate. And it's a perfect time for a charismatic leader to rise up and promise to set things straight again and get life back to normal. The anti-Christ promising protection, provision, peace and eventual prosperity. The population will be so ready for it that he will have no trouble taking control and establishing a one world government and religion. Any resistance to this idea of hope will be greeted with extreme hostility.
Having gained power and having the majority of the populace supporting him, this new leader will establish laws and promote new technology to aid in commerce. The mark of the beast will become the only way people can buy and sell which includes food, clothing, shelter, medical care. Those who don't want to take the mark of the beast, will be greatly tempted to give in and take it because otherwise they see themselves and their families starving to death. Those who resist the anti-Christ and his new religion and who don't want to worship him or take the mark of the beast, will be killed for being obstructionists. People will think they are doing the world a service by killing these people because they are the problem. They think by killing off the resisters things will finally roll in the right direction.
It's at this very time when God sends these warnings and words of encouragement to those Christian "resisters".
Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full;
the wine vats overflow
because their wickedness is great.
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Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
"Observe the description of those that are and shall be blessed: such as die in the Lord; die in the cause of Christ, in a state of union with Christ; such as are found in Christ when death comes. They rest from all sin, temptation, sorrow, and persecution; for there the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest. Their works follow them: do not go before as their title, or purchase, but follow them as proofs of their having lived and died in the Lord: the remembrance of them will be pleasant, and the reward far above all their services and sufferings. This is made sure by the testimony of the Spirit, witnessing with their spirits, and the written word." - Matthew Henry Commentary
This will be a time of unprecedented persecution of Christians. Christians have been persecuted from the beginning of the church but this time will be even worse. Today we see thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Christians martyred because of their faith. Many more are imprisoned, tortured, harassed, lose their jobs, have their churches torched, with laws passed restricting the practice of their religion.
Newsweek BY CRISTINA MAZA ON 1/4/18
The persecution and genocide of Christians across the world is worse today “than at any time in history,” and Western governments are failing to stop it, a report from a Catholic organization said.
The study by Aid to the Church in Need said the treatment of Christians has worsened substantially in the past two years compared with the two years prior, and has grown more violent than any other period in modern times.
“Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution,” the report said.
The report examined the plight of Christians in China, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Turkey over the period lasting from 2015 until 2017. The research showed that in that time, Christians suffered crimes against humanity, and some were hanged or crucified. The report found that Saudi Arabia was the only country where the situation for Christians did not get worse, and that was only because the situation couldn’t get any worse than it already was.
Revelation 6:9 I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.
But in the Great Tribulation, persecution and martyrdom will be unprecedented. The Bible does not teach that we should seek martyrdom. Christians don't seek martyrdom in order to get special rewards in heaven. That has an impure motive of selfishness and pride, self glorification. But if we are faced with it, we should face it with faith in God and trust in His grace. There is special honor for those who are faithful even to the loss of their lives for Christ.
Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me".
In Job, satan tells God that God's followers only follow God because of God's blessings, not because of any true love for God. God allowed satan to take everything away from Job, including his health, as proof that Job loved God and not just His blessings. As devastated, shocked and grieved as Job was, he did not turn away from God but turned to God for comfort. And he found God was there and God was enough. In the end, God blessed him more than double of what he had before. Persecution and martyrdom are NOT defeats for the cause of Christ. It certainly doesn't hinder or stop the cause for Christ. It is more like seed sown that brings forth even more plants that bear fruit.
Job 1:9-11 9 Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! 11 But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”
Dandelions are interesting because their seeds have a fluffy end that allows them to blow in the wind and be dispersed. If a dandelion is puffy, fuzzy and white, it means the seeds are ready to be blown by the wind and dispersed. If you try to kill the dandelion by pulling it up by the roots, the seeds will dislodge and be blown by the wind. You may have killed one plant but you just planted 50 others! This is an analogy of Christians martyred. They are faithful sheep whose blood is spilled for God’s sake. They become seed sown.
Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Daniel 12:13 But as for you, go on your way until the end. You will rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.
Isaiah 57:1-2 1 Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
2 For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.
Matthew 10:28-33 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
Knowing what a weak person I am, I used to fear that I would disappoint God if I was faced with torture and murder. Would I turn away from Christ to save my own skin? Yes. But it's not just me. I have the Holy Spirit within me to empower me and enable me to do what I cannot do in my own strength. Where I am weak, He is strong. His grace is sufficient. So if I were called into a terrible situation, I can trust that God will enable me supernaturally to do whatever He calls me to do. It is not me but Him in me. I can take no credit and He alone deserves the glory! So don't worry and be afraid of persecution and martyrdom.
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Revelation 14:14 And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
Strong's Greek 4735: A crown, garland, honor, glory. From an apparently primary stepho; a chaplet, literally or figuratively. Chaplet means a garland or wreath for a person's head
Psalm 23:1 For You welcomed him with rich blessings; You placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
This figure is described as:
- A white cloud
- Seated on the cloud
- One like the Son of Man
- A golden crown on His head
- A sharp sickle in His hand
Matthew 13:3-8 3 And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
8 Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
...
Matthew 13:18-29 18 Consider, then, the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and promptly receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
22 The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23 But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
24 Jesus presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27 The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 ‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
...
36 Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
37 He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. 42 And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
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Revelation 14:15-16 15 Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.” 16 So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
The harvest of the earth is made by Jesus Christ Himself. He gathers His people; an ingathering. This is the good harvest. Jesus reaps a harvest of grain, which refers to the gathering those who confess Christ. The grain is only harvested, not winnowed, threshed or burned. Jesus is specifically associated with the first harvest for it was He who sowed the good grain. It is a harvest of redemption. There is no casting into the wine-press of God’s wrath like the next scene.
On the other hand some would disagree and say this is two analogies of the same event: "That this is the (a harvest of redemption) seems to me very improbable, if not entirely out of the question. According to the record up to this point, the great harvest of the good seed has already been reaped. The Living Ones, the Elders, the innumerable multitude, the Manchild, and the 144,000 all of whom are the good seed, are in heaven before this reaping comes.” — J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse: Lectures on the Book of Revelation, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1966, pg 358.
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Revelation 14:17-20 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Let's look at the difference between the two harvests:
Jesus is described as the "Son of Man" and He is seated on a white cloud and wears a golden crown. Very different from the angel called to harvest the grapes. An angel came out of the heavenly Temple to tell Jesus it was time.
Matthew 24:36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
The Lamb is a victor along with the martyrs. The Lamb blesses and gathers his faithful witnesses.
Let's refresh our memory and look at Revelation 6.
Revelation 6:9-11 9 And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.
The angel, who announces this harvest, comes “from the altar”. This harvest is a response to the prayer of those martyrs under the altar in Revelation 6. Prayers are incense on the altar of God.
Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
In this harvest, the Lamb will reap the harvest of his followers so that they might share in his victory. It is a harvest of redemption, blessing and rest. The other harvest reaps those who will be crushed by divine wrath in the winepress of God’s judgment. A harvest of horror and judgment.
A full winepress would indicate an abundance. But in this case that's not a good thing for we are talking about an abundance of people who have rejected Christ, refused salvation, worshiped the Beast, taken the mark of the beast and followed after evil. God has given every chance and every warning. It was not His desire that any should perish and suffer judgment.
Let's look at some other instances of a winepress in the Bible.
Isaiah 5:2 (Israel) – He broke up the soil, cleared it of stones, and planted it with the finest vines. He built a tower in the middle of it and even dug out a winepress there. He expected it to yield good grapes, but it yielded worthless grapes.
Matthew 21:33-43 Parable of the Wicked Tenants
33 Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.
34 When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit.
35 But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”
41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they declared, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
These references are first of all symbolic of God's relationship with Israel. He chose them, established them, blessed them, prospered them but they chose to run after evil and idolatry. He sent messengers (prophets) to warn them but the majority of Israelites did not listen to them and even went so far as to kill them so they wouldn't have to hear their message. God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to call them to repentance and to save them. But the Israelite leaders had Him tortured and crucified. So the question is, "What else could the owner of the vineyard do? What do the tenants, who have done all these wicked things, deserve?"
Jesus answers by saying He is the cornerstone. To those who accept Him, they can build on Him. But to those who refuse Him, they will be crushed to powder. Those who would attack Him will be dashed to pieces. He, and His, come out untouched and stronger than ever. But those who reject Him are demolished.
We see something similar here in Revelation 14. The wicked; the evil; the ones who chose to reject Christ's free offer of salvation... these are the ones who will be crushed in the winepress of God's wrath.
Joel 3:13 “Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample the grapes because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is great.”
Isaiah 63:1-6 1 Who is this coming from Edom,
from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments?
Who is this robed in splendor,
marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness,
mighty to save.”
2 Why are Your clothes red,
and Your garments like one who treads the winepress?
3 “I have trodden the winepress alone,
and no one from the nations was with Me.
I trampled them in My anger
and trod them underfoot in My fury;
their blood spattered My garments,
and all My clothes were stained.
4 For the day of vengeance was in My heart,
and the year of My redemption had come.
5 I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was appalled that no one assisted;
so My arm brought Me salvation,
and My own wrath upheld Me.
6 I trampled nations in My anger;
in My wrath I made them drunk
and poured out their blood on the ground.”
A 1600 year old winepress and vats being uncovered.
The winepress of Gods wrath is “outside the city,” indicating it will be located outside of Jerusalem. In Revelation 16:16, John pinpointed it at Armageddon, which is about 50 miles northwest of Jerusalem.
The distance between Bozrah in Edom, alluded to in Isaiah 63:1, and the Valley of Megido, the locale of Armageddon, is about 200 miles. The ancient capital of Edom was the city of Bozrah - the Hebrew bosra means sheepfold. It lies 30 miles southeast of the Dead Sea in present-day Jordan. It was on the main North West trade route known as the King's Highway (Numbers 20:17). The site is adjacent to the modern town of Bouseira.
Jeremiah 49:13 "I swear by myself", declares the Lord, "that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse, an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruin forever"
Bouseira (Bozrah)
Megido in Jezreel Valley at it's place above Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
The Jezreel Valley circled in red.
The Megido Mountain overlooks Megido as it sits on the Jezreel Valley floor.
"...the blood that flowed from [the winepress] rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia."
1,600 stadia is about 200 miles long. Blood will flow like a river for 200 miles from Megido in the Valley of Jezreel all the way to Bozrah. And it will be deep for "...it rose as high as the bridles of the horses". This could mean as high as a bridle on a horse (4-5 feet) or as high as the length of a bridle of a horse. Either way, it's going to be a horror! A horror such as has never been known in history. The angel gathers these unrepentant people and Jesus Christ will crush them in the winepress of God's wrath until their blood runs in a river.
Remember, God has offered free salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no need for anyone to experience God's wrath. All it takes is for you to believe in Jesus and ask His forgiveness. Invite the Holy Spirit to live in you. Surrender to God. Then, you too will be saved from this coming judgment and eternal hellfire. But if YOU choose not to accept Jesus Christ, you will experience the wrath of God. The whole reason God sent His Son... the whole reason why Jesus Christ voluntarily came... the whole reason why God sent the Holy Spirit to convict the world... the whole reason why He gave us His Word, is so YOU can be saved.
God is a God of love, mercy and grace. And He proved it by sending His Son to die on the cross to save us from our sins. But God is also a God of justice and righteousness. He has been patient not wanting any to perish. But there will be an end to His patience and there has to be judgment against sin. Things have to be set right. He will get rid of sin and satan once and for all.
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My Dad's Garden Plans
My Dad was always interested in gardening, heirloom seeds, made garden plans, kept his seeds in refrigerators in the shop, experimented to see what came up, what did well, etc. I came across his 2006 plans and seed lists. I decided to scan in his sketches and seed lists and make these digital scrapbook pages. In 2006 he was 70 years old and his handwriting was still strong. After his death over a week ago at 82, we came into his house to find his favorite chair. The table next to it was stacked with seed catalogs and he had his list for his 2019 planting. His handwriting was much shakier.
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Zachariah Montgomery Huneycutt
Zachariah Montgomery Huneycutt (aka Zechariah Montgomery Huneycutt) was born 6/11/1879 in Stanly County, NC to Ambrose Ervin Huneycutt (aka Ambrose Ervin Honeycutt) (DOB 9/18/30 in Montgomery County, NC; DOD 5/20/1914 in Stanly County, NC) and Jane Elizabeth Hinson (DOB Abt. 1838 in NC; DOD 1912 in Stanly County, NC).
Ambrose and Jane had six children:
1) Alvin S. Huneycutt (DOB 11/11/1861 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 11/22/1907 in Wadesboro, Anson County, NC) married 1st Sarah Elizabeth McIntyre (DOB Abt. 1863 in NC; DOD After 1881 in NC). She may have died in childbirth as their only child was Adolphus Franklin Honeycutt (DOB 12/24/1881 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 1/18/1956 in Broughton State Hospital, Morganton, Burke County, NC). Alvin married 2nd Mary Ellen Stafford (DOB 9/15/1871 in SC; DOD 12/26/1954 in Stanly County, NC). They had 9 children.
2) Alexander McKinley Honeycutt (DOB 8/11/1869 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 2/10/1933 in Concord, Cabarrus County, NC) married Nannie Frances Scarborough (DOB 4/14/1873 in Montgomery County, NC; DOD 5/15/1950 in Concord, Cabarrus County, NC). They had 12 children.
3) Sarah Joanna Huneycutt (DOB 12/16/1873 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 6/8/1959 in Stanly County, NC) married Edney David Thompson (DOB 1/7/1872 in SC; DOD 11/26/1967 in Stanly County, NC).
4) William Eli Huneycutt (DOB 7/25/1876 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 12/20/1948 in Stanly County, NC) married Eva Malinda Boon (DOB 3/14/1873 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 2/19/1939 in Norwood, Stanly County, NC). They had 6 children. This is my great grandparents.
5) Zachariah Montgomery Honeycutt (DOB 6/11/1879 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 2/12/1959 in Stanly County, NC) married Victoria Lunora Magdalena "Maggie" Huneycutt (DOB 7/23/1881 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 4/7/1954 in Stanly County, NC). They had 7 children.
6) Lawrence Huneycutt (DOB 6/30/1881 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 7/11/1886 in Stanly County, NC). He is buried at Rehobeth United Methodist Church, Norwood, Stanly County, NC.
1880 U.S. Census of Big Lick, Stanly County, North Carolina; Roll: 982; Page: 320A; Enumeration District: 206, "A. Ervin Huneycutt"
A. Ervin Huneycutt, W(hite), M(ale), 46 yrs old (DOB 1834), Head, Married, Farmer, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
J. Elizabeth Huneycutt, W, F, 42 yrs old (DOB 1838), Wife, Married, Keeping house, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Alvay Huneycutt (sic, Alvin Huneycutt), W, M, 19 yrs old (DOB 1861), Son, Married in year, Farmer, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Alexander Huneycutt, W, M, 10 yrs old (DOB 1870), Son, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Joeanner Huneycutt (sic, Joanna Huneycutt), W, F, 8 yrs old (DOB 1872), Daughter, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
William Huneycutt, W, M, 4 yrs old (DOB 1876), Son, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Montgomery Huneycutt, W, M, 2 yrs old (DOB 1878), Son, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Elizabeth Huneycutt, W, F, 18 yrs old, Daughter (sic, daughter-in-law, Sarah Elizabeth McIntyre), Married in year, Keeping house, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
1900 U.S. Census of Tyson, Stanly County, North Carolina; Page: 10; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1241218, "Charles Henneycutt" (sic, Ambrose Huneycutt)
Charles Henneycutt (sic, Ambrose Huneycutt), Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born Sept, 1834, 65 yrs old, Married, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farmer, Can read and write, Rented farm
Elizabeth J. Huneycutt, Wife, W, F, Born May, 1840, 60 yrs old, Married, 6 children with 5 still living, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Can read and cannot write
Zakeas M. Huneycutt (sic, Zachariah Montgomery Huneycutt), Son, W, M, Born Jan, 1880, 20 yrs old, Single, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Zachariah Montgomery Huneycutt married Victoria Lunora Magdalena Huneycutt on 11/27/1901 in Stanly County, NC. She was born 7/23/1881 in Stanly County, NC to William McKinley Huneycutt (DOB 1/26/1848 in NC; DOD 3/24/1928 in Stanly County, NC) and his first wife, Ellen Frances Maulden (DOB 11/25/1852 in Aquadale, Stanly County, NC; DOD 9/15/1909 in Stanly County, NC).
Zachariah Montgomery Huneycutt and Maggie Huneycutt had 7 children:
1) Valda Huneycutt (DOB 9/19/1902 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 11/9/1994 in Stanly County, NC) married Thomas Hummie Caudle (DOB 5/13/1902 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 4/11/1996 in Stanly County, NC). They had James Bernard Caudle, Katherine Magdalene Caudle, Lee Boyce Caudle, George Everett Caudle, Deny Caudle, Edna Orell Caudle, Ruby Jewell Caudle, Annie Frances Caudle.
2) Charles Spurgeon Huneycutt (DOB 6/21/1904 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 12/6/1987 in Cottonville, Stanly County, NC) married Ada Lee Hill (DOB 2/2/1903 in NC; DOD 6/21/1981 in Cottonville, Stanly County, NC). They had Joisy Mae Honeycutt, William Dean Honeycutt, Coline Huneycutt.
3) Millard Pines Huneycutt (DOB 3/1/1907 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 11/22/1990 in Cottonville, Stanly County, NC) married Janie Mae Luther (DOB 6/26/1913 in Anson County, NC; DOD 1/29/1998 in Albemarle, Stanly County, NC). They had William Pines Huneycutt, Millard Junior Huneycutt, Addie Louise Huneycutt, Clad Joseph Huneycutt.
4) Cora Frances Honeycutt (DOB 6/23/1910 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 11/21/1958 in Cottonville, Stanly County, NC) married Julius Jethro Cooper (DOB 3/28/1908 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 9/15/1972 in Salisbury, Rowan County, NC). They had Iris Cooper, Lois Elder Cooper, Robert Ancil Cooper, Mary Ellen Cooper, Ricky Farrell Cooper.
5) Eddie Ervin Huneycutt (DOB 10/1/1912 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 4/20/1988 in Albemarle, Stanly County, NC) married Emma Lee Clark (DOB 7/12/1917 in Anson County, NC; DOD 8/25/2001 in Stanly County, NC). They had Betty Jean Huneycutt, Minnie Evelyn Huneycutt, Teddy Montgomery Huneycutt, Melvin Douglas Huneycutt, Alice Ruth Huneycutt.
6) Clyde Honeycutt (DOB 4/22/1915 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 9/20/2007 in Stanly County, NC) married Crawford Woodrow Harwood (DOB 9/12/1912 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 12/29/2005 in Albemarle, Stanly County, NC). They had Phyllis Harwood.
7) Paul Alexander Huneycutt (DOB 6/1/1918 in Montgomery County, NC; DOD 9/20/2001 in Cabarrus County, NC) married Ramelle Ross (DOB 10/12/1920 in Stanly County, NC; DOD 1/14/2012 in NC). They had Ross Alexander Huneycutt who married Nancy Norman.
1910 U.S. Census of Rocky River Rd, Center, Stanly County, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1125; Page: 20A; Enumeration District: 0121; FHL microfilm: 1375138, "Zack M. Huneycutt"
Zack M. Huneycutt, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 30 yrs old (DOB 1870), 1st marriage, Married 9 yrs (DOM 1891), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm free of mortgage
Maggie Huneycutt, Wife, F, W, 25 yrs old (DOB 1875), 1st marriage, Married 9 yrs, 3 children with 3 still living, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Vander Huneycutt (sic), Daughter, F, W, 7 yrs old (DOB 1893), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Charles S. Huneycutt, Son, M, W, 5 yrs old (DOB 1895), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Millard P. Huneycutt, Son, M, W, 2 yrs old (DOB 1898), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Ambrose E. Huneycutt, Father, M, W, 76 yrs old (DOB 1834), 1st marriage, Married 50 yrs (DOM 1850), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Jane Huneycutt, Mother, F, W, 68 yrs old (DOB 1842), 1st marriage, Married 50 yrs, 6 children with 4 still living, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Can read and write
Ollie L. Huneycutt, Niece (Ollie Lee Huneycutt daughter of Alvin Huneycutt and Mary Ellen Stafford, they are also enumerated with their parents), F, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1887), Single, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farm laborer
Vance A. Huneycutt, Nephew (Vance Alvin Huneycutt son of Alvin Huneycutt and Mary Ellen Stafford, they are also enumerated with their parents), M, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1882), Single, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farm laborer
U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, Registration State: North Carolina; Registration County: Stanly; Roll: 1766026
Serial #2705, Order #142, Zack Montgomery Honeycutt
No address
39 yrs old, DOB 6/11/1879, White, Native born
Farmer, for self at RFD #2, Norwood, Stanly County, NC
Nearest relative: Maggie Honeycutt, RFD #2, Norwood, Stanly County, NC
32-1-42-C
Medium height, Medium build, Blue eyes, Black hair, "arm has bin broken"
Signed by his mark on 9/12/1918 in Albemarle, Stanly County, NC
1920 U.S. Census of Tyson, Stanly County, North Carolina; Roll: T625_1323; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 150, "Gunny Huneycutt" (sic, Gummy Huneycutt, nickname for Zachariah Montgomery "Gum" Huneycutt)
Gunny Huneycutt (sic), Head, Rents home, M(ale), White), 40 yrs old (DOB 1880), Married, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farmer
Maggie Huneycutt, Wife, F, W, 35 yrs old (DOB 1885), Married, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Valteor Huneycutt (sic, Valda Huneycutt), Daughter, F, W, 16 yrs old (DOB 1904), Single, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Surgeon Huneycutt (sic, Spurgeon Huneycutt), Son, M, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1905), Single, Attends school, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Millard Huneycutt, Son, M, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1908), Single, Attends school, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Cora Huneycutt, Daughter, F, W, 9 yrs old (DOB 1911), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Eddie Huneycutt, Son, M, W, 7 yrs old (DOB 1913), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Clyde Huneycutt, Daughter, F, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1917), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Paul Huneycutt, Son, M, W, 1 yrs old (DOB 1919), Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
1930 U.S. Census of Tyson, Stanly County, North Carolina; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 0022; FHL microfilm: 2341455, "Montgomery Honeycutt"
Montgomery Honeycutt, Head, Rents farm, W(hite), M(ale), 50 yrs old (DOB 1880), Married at age 22 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farmer
Maggie Honeycutt, Wife, F, W, 48 yrs old (DOB 1882), Married at age 20 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Eddie Honeycutt, Son, M, W, 17 yrs old (DOB 1913), Single, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Clyde Honeycutt, Daughter, F, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1915), Single, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
Paul Honeycutt, Son, M, W, 11 yrs old (DOB 1919), Single, Attends school, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC
1940 U.S. Census of Harris, Stanly County, North Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-02975; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 84-14, "Gum Honeycutt"
Gum Honeycutt, Rented farm, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 60 yrs old (DOB 1880), Married, Attended school thru 6th grade, Born in NC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Farmer
Maggie Honeycutt, Wife, F, W, 58 yrs old (DOB 1882), Married, Attended school thru 4th grade, Born in NC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Eddie Honeycutt, Son, M, W, 27 yrs old (DOB 1913), Married, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in NC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Twister hand in cotton mill
Emma Honeycutt, Daughter-in-law, F, W, 23 yrs old (DOB 1917), Married, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in NC
Paul Honeycutt, Son, M, W, 22 yrs old (DOB 1918), Single, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in NC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Frame hand at cotton mill
Betty Honeycutt, Granddaughter, F, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1937), Born in NC
Minnie Honeycutt, Granddaughter, F, W, 1 yrs old (DOB 1939), Born in NC
Thomas Caudle, Head, M, W, 38 yrs old (DOB 1902), Married, Attended 1 yr high school, Born in NC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Farmer
Valda Caudle, Wife, F, W, 37 yrs old (DOB 1903), Married, Attended 1 yr high school, Born in NC, Lived in the same place in 1935
James Caudle, Son, M, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1925), Single, Attends school, Born in NC
Catherine Caudle, Daughter, F, W, 14 yrs old (DOB 1926), Single, Attends school, Born in NC
Lee Caudle, Son, M, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1928), Single, Attends school, Born in NC
Everett Caudle, Son, M, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1930), Attends school, Born in NC
Deny Caudle, Son, M, W, 8 yrs old (DOB 1932), Attends school, Born in NC
Edna Caudle, Daughter, F, W, 6 yrs old (DOB 1934), Born in NC
Francis Caudle, Daughter, F, W, 2 yrs old (DOB 1938), Born in NC
Ruby Caudle, Daughter, F, W, 4 yrs old (DOB 1936), Born in NC
North Carolina, Death Indexes, 1908-2004
Name: Maggie V Honeycutt
Age: 72
Date of Birth: 1882
Date of Death: 27 Apr 1954
Death State: North Carolina
Source Vendor: NC State Archives. North Carolina Deaths, 1908-67
FindAGrave.com
Lunora Victoria Magdalene “Maggie” Huneycutt Huneycutt
BIRTH 23 Jul 1881, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA
DEATH 7 Apr 1954 (aged 72), Stanly County, North Carolina, USA
BURIAL Cottonville Baptist Church Cemetery, Norwood, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 62063198
NC Death Certificate #5309, Registration District #84-80, Registrar's Certificate #31, Zachery Montgomery Huneycutt, DOD 2/12/1959 at 1028 Wood Street, Albemarle, Stanly County, NC (at home)
Male, White, Widowed, DOB 6/11/1879 in Stanly County, NC; 79 yrs old
Occupation Retired farmer
Father's name: Ervin Huneycutt, Mother's name: Jane Hinson, Spouse: Maggie Huneycutt, Informant: Mrs. C.W. Harwood, Albemarle, NC
DOD 2/12/1959 at 10:00pm
Cause of death: Mesenteric thrombosis due to generalized arteriosclerosis
Buried: 2/14/1959 at Cottonville Baptist Church, Stanly County, NC
FindAGrave.com
Zachariah Montgomery “Gum” Huneycutt
BIRTH 11 Jun 1879, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA
DEATH 12 Feb 1959 (aged 79), Stanly County, North Carolina, USA
BURIAL Cottonville Baptist Church Cemetery, Norwood, Stanly County, North Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 50733620
If you have any further information you would like to share or any corrections, please contact me at Mom25dogs@gmail.com
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Revelation 15
"Chronologically speaking, remember that we are first given a graphic description of six seals (6:1-17), but the seventh (8:1) is never described. We are only told that when it is broken, there is silence in heaven (8:1). The implication is that the seven trumpets come out of the seventh seal and actually express the content of the seventh seal (8:1-9:21; 11:15-19). This seventh trumpet takes us up to the return of Christ and includes within its judgments the events of the seven last plagues or bowls of chapters 15 and 16, which occur rapidly at the end. The final great event is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory (19:11-21).
"Again, let’s not forget that chapters 10:1-11:4; 13-14; and 17:1-19:10 are interludes and do not advance the Tribulation events chronologically. They simply fill in the picture of the Tribulation giving important details about key personages, events and concepts." - Bible.org
John is given a "a great and marvelous sign in heaven". The first divinely given sign was a woman clothed with the sun (12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head). The second sign was an enormous red dragon (12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads), and the third sign consists of seven angels with the seven last plagues. A sign points to something important and to give direction. These signs tell us the end times are here, God's wrath will not be withheld any longer, all patience is gone, Jesus will then come in triumph and God's perfect kingdom will be established.
The number seven (or derivatives such as “seventh”, “seventy”, etc.) appears in the Bible 562 times. Revelation uses the word “seven” more frequently than any other book where it appears 55 times. The Hebrew language is structured so that most words are based on three-consonant root words. Adding vowels to the root words produces other derived words with different meanings, but they are related because they share the same root word.
A Hebrew root word is "sh-v-a". Add a vowel and it is “sheva” (Strong’s #7651), Hebrew for “seven”. The Hebrew word “sheva“ is related to other words derived from its same root word. Two other such words derived from sh-v-a are:
“soba” (Strong’s #7647), which carries the meaning of fullness, wholeness, abundance, completeness.
“shaba” (Strong’s #7650), which means swearing an oath.
So the number seven carries with it the meaning of “wholeness” and of a “sworn oath“. A seven-fold entity in scripture generally refers to the wholeness of that entity from start to finish, and it comes as an oath from God. A seven-fold entity is one whole entity revealed in seven stages. For example, creation is one whole event revealed in scripture as seven days. The first use of the number 7 in the Bible relates to the creation week in Genesis 1. God spends six days creating the heavens and the earth, and then rests on the seventh day. So from the very start, the number 7 is identified with something being perfect, finished or complete. In Revelation, the number 7 refers to 7 things but also means whole, perfect, complete and sworn to be true.
Let's look at all the times the number 7 appears in Revelation.
Adam, the first man, was created on the sixth day of creation. Six is associated with mankind. In Revelation “the number of the beast” is called “the number of a man. That number is 666" (Revelation 13:18). God’s number is 7, man’s is 6. Six falls short of seven, just like “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). With the book of Revelation, the Word from God to man was complete.:
Revelation 22:18 "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book"
Leviticus 26:21 If you walk in hostility toward Me and refuse to obey Me, I will multiply your plagues seven times, according to your sins.
The seventh seal includes the wrath of God, which will be dispensed via seven trumpets and seven final plagues. These seven plagues complete the wrath of God. These judgments will accomplish a perfect and complete work on earth.
Many people will lose their lives in the first four seals, aka the four horsemen of the apocalypse (Revelation 6:8). Many more will die during the third trumpet plague (Revelation 8:11), and a third of the remaining population will die through the sixth trumpet (Revelation 9:15, 18). In spite of these apocalyptic horrors, mankind will continue to reject God and will even worship the beast and take on the mark of the beast.
plagues = πληγὰς (plēgas) = Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural Strong's Greek 4127: A blow, stripe, wound; an affliction, plague. From plesso; a stroke; by implication, a wound; figuratively, a calamity.
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Revelation 15:2-4 2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, beside which stood those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name. They were holding harps from God, 3 and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:
“Great and wonderful are Your works,
O Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear You,
O Lord,
and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before You,
for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
First let's look at some of the words in the beginning of this scripture in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:
of glass = ὑαλίνην (hyalinēn) = Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 5193: Glassy, made of glass, transparent. From hualos; glassy, i.e. Transparent.
with fire, = υρί (pyri) = Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 4442: Fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire. A primary word; 'fire'.
had conquered = νικῶντας (nikōntas) = Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's Greek 3528: To conquer, be victorious, overcome, prevail, subdue. From nike; to subdue.
We have seen a "sea" in a couple of previous places in Revelation. Let's look at that:
Revelation 4:5-6 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.
This comes from a description of the throne room of God. This perfectly calm sea is like glass and "clear as crystal". On the other hand...
Revelation 13:1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
This is a very different "sea". This is the sea of humanity and it's anything but calm.
Daniel 7:2-3 2 Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the Great Sea. 3 Then four great beasts came up out of the sea, each different from the others.
Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.
The winds churn up the sea of humanity until the angels hold them back in Revelation 7. But this gives us the idea that the sea of humanity churns and rolls with the tides, crashing waves of war and swirling eddies of intrigue and disasters.
But now, back to this scripture, we see the floor of the throne room of God is not only calm "like glass" but it's "mixed with fire". Fire is purifying judgment. It separates the impurities from metal where it can be skinned off the top and leaving the purest gold. It burns away the trash and dross.
"The wild beast rose out of the sea (Revelation 13:1); the evil-hearted woman sits upon many waters (Revelation 17:1); they draw strength from the wild, and ungoverned, and short-sighted impulses of human passion; in opposition to this near the throne of God is the calm and translucent sea of God's counsels of righteousness and love, now clear as crystal, now ruddy with the fire of righteous indignation, the expression of His eternal will against sin. Such is the appearance of this glass-like sea now that the angels of the plagues are going forth." - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Who are these who hold a harp (we would call it a lyre which is more of a handheld harp, NOT the big floor standing harp) from God and sing the song of Moses? Let's look at a couple of other translations:
Revelation 15:2 (Contemporary English Version - CEV) Then I saw something that looked like a glass sea mixed with fire, and people were standing on it. They were the ones who had defeated the beast and the idol and the number that tells the name of the beast. God had given them harps
Revelation 15:2 (Good News Translation) Then I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. I also saw those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and over the one whose name is represented by a number. They were standing by the sea of glass, holding harps that God had given them.
These standing around the sea of glass and fire and holding lyres and singing... they have conquered, defeated, won the victory over the beast, it's image, it's name and number. They are the ones who refused to worship the beast and refused to have his name/number written on their heads/hands. The very ones who are martyred by the anti-Christ and his false prophet because of their faith in God and their refusal to fall down and worship him. Because of the extremity of their duress during those times, yet they refused to fall to temptation, they are given high honor. We saw them once before when we studied Revelation 7.
Revelation 7:9-17 9 After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, 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 to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.”
So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason,
‘They are before the throne of God
and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
16 Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst;
nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in 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.’ ”
1 Peter 1:3-9 (NET) 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away – and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.
The song of Moses is a song of praise for the victory over Pharaoh. And, so, these martyrs also sing a song of praise for the victory over the beast and satan! Moses and the Israelites stood on the shores of the Red Sea after they had crossed on dry ground. The Egyptians followed them into the Red Sea but had not made it out to the other side. As Moses and the people watched, God let go of the sea and it swallowed Pharaoh and his Egyptian army. They saw God overthrow the world power of their day just like we shall see God overthrow the world power in the end times and overthrow satan in the end. Satan, his demons, the anti-Christ, the false prophet and all who refused Christ will be thrown into a Lake of Fire in judgment. And the martyrs of the Great Tribulation will have front row seats. We shall sing praises to the One who saves us from judgment and the One who overcomes evil once and for all! These two songs are not word-for-word identical but are both songs of praise for God who defeats a world power and shows His mighty strength and His righteous judgment. Praise and worship for the One who saves us from His wrath and who gives us eternal life.
Let's look at the story of Moses' song.
Exodus 14:26-31 26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.
Exodus 15:1-21 1 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said,
“I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2 “The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.
3 “The LORD is a warrior;
The LORD is His name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 “The deeps cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power,
Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.
7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You;
You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.
8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;
My desire shall be gratified against them;
I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.’
10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?
12 “You stretched out Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 “Terror and dread fall upon them;
By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone;
Until Your people pass over, O LORD,
Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.
17 “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”
19 For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.
Psalm 90:14-16 14 Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil. 16 May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.
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Revelation 15:5-8 5 After this I looked, and the temple—the Tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven. 6 And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
This shows a scene in heaven and the stage is the "Tabernacle of the Testimony". We can learn about the earthly Tabernacle of Testimony in Exodus. The Children of Israel, the Jews, had been in Egypt for 400 years and they had been made slaves of the Egyptians. They were blessed by God to have many children and their population was growing so much that the Egyptians were becoming afraid that their slaves would soon be able to rise up and overcome their cruel masters. The Pharaoh of the time issued a decree to kill all the babies of the Israelites to slow their growth. Moses was born during this time and his mother tried to save his life by fashioning a basket and leaving the newborn in the basket floating in the river. She instructed her older daughter, Miriam, to watch the basket. While Pharaoh's daughter went to the river with her entourage, she found the basket with the newborn Hebrew boy in it and she decided to adopt the child and raise it in Pharaoh's court. Miriam ran up to her and offered to find the baby a nurse and so Moses' mother was brought in to nurse the baby. Moses grew up and was chosen to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. The story goes on about how reluctant Pharaoh was to let the slave population of the Israelites go and it took an ever increasing destructive set of plagues until he finally conceded to let them go. The Israelites got to the Red Sea when Pharaoh again changed his mind and got his chariot army in order to chase after them. God instructed Moses to walk to the edge of the Red Sea and stick his famous staff into the Red Sea. Immediately the waters parted into towering walls on both sides and the ground dried. The millions of Israelites walked across to the other side. The Egyptians got there and decided to cross too. But as the last chariot entered the depths, God caused the walls of water to let go and drowned Pharaoh and his chariot army. Moses and the Israelites saw it all and Moses and Miriam sang songs of praise to God for His deliverance, protection and provision. The Hebrews were now free, no longer slaves. But they faced a hostile wilderness and there are more stories of how God provided for them and then He began to give them their new religion. He started by calling Moses up to the mountain top and giving him the carved stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them. Later God gave Moses more instructions about holy feasts of remembrance, established a priesthood, gave them Laws and finally gave Moses a pattern for their mobile worship place. God wanted to dwell among His people, so this mobile place of worship would be kept in the center of their camp. The priests would be the ones who put it up and took it down and carried all the pieces, furnishings and implements before the people whenever they moved. This mobile place of worship was called the Tabernacle, a tent of meeting. Let's look at how it came to be:
Exodus 12:35-36 35 Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing. 36 And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.
Exodus 25:1-9 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring Me an offering. You are to receive My offering from every man whose heart compels him. 3 This is the offering you are to accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and fine leather;a acacia wood; 6 oil for lighting; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx and other gemstones to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 8 And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I will show you.
Exodus 31:1-11 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft. 6 Moreover, I have selected Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. I have also given skill to all the craftsmen, that they may fashion all that I have commanded you: 7 the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat upon it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table with its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand— 10 as well as the woven garments, both the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons to serve as priests, 11 in addition to the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you.”
Exodus 35: 4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, 5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, the LORD'S offering; gold, and silver, and brass; 6 and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair; 7 and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins, and acacia wood; 8 and oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense; 9 and onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate. 10 And let every wise hearted man among you come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;
Exodus 35:20-22 20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and brought the LORD'S offering, for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof, and for the holy garments. 22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought...
Exodus 36:5-7 5 and they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. 6 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
Exodus 36-38 sums up all that was made for the Tabernacle of the Lord. This includes the Tabernacle and it's furnishings. When we use the word "furnishings" we think of a couch, table, chairs, etc. But in this case it means the altar, the bronze basin or laver, the table of shewbread (aka altar of shewbread), the candelabra or lampstand, the altar of incense and the Ark of the Covenant with it's Mercy Seat lid. It's a good time to explain that each piece of the Tabernacle from the curtains, to the pillars, to the furnishings, etc symbolize Jesus Christ in some way. Even down to the colors chosen by God for the tapestry curtains! I have done an extensive study on the Tabernacle. Here is Part One, Part Two, The Outer Court, The Inner Court, The Holy of Holies, and What Happened To The Ark Of The Covenant. The Tabernacle is called:
The House of Jehovah
The Temple of Jehovah
The Dwelling of God
The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle (or Tent) of Meeting
The Tabernacle (or Tent) of Testimony
Exodus 38:21 This is the sum of the things for the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.
The outer layer of covering is a waterproof skin.
Ark of the Covenant
When King David was over Israel, he determined to make a permanent place of worship in Jerusalem. God led him to do it and to gather all the materials to start construction of the Temple. But it was actually his son, King Solomon, who would build the permanent Temple. It was magnificent. It was built along the same pattern as the Tabernacle, only permanent and much bigger and more magnificent.
If the Tabernacle could be that intricate and gorgeous and the Temple could be that huge and magnificent... imagine what the Tabernacle of Testimony is in Heaven!!!! You see, what was made on earth, according to God's pattern, would replicate, in a small way, the Tabernacle of Testimony in Heaven.
Exodus 25:8-9 (God speaking to Moses) 8 And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. 9 You must make the tabernacle and design all its furnishings according to the pattern I will show you.
Exodus 25:40 See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
The building of the permanent Temple in Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 28 1 Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem... 2 Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Listen to me, my brothers and my people. It was in my heart to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of the LORD and as a footstool for our God. I had made preparations to build it, 3 but God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for My Name, because you are a man of war who has spilled blood.’... 9 As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. 10 Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple,a its buildings, storehouses, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the mercy seat. 12 The plans contained everything he had in mind for the courts of the house of the LORD, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the house of God and of the dedicated things, 13 for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of service in the house of the LORD, and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD... 19 “All this,” said David, “all the details of this plan, the LORD made clear to me in writing by His hand upon me.”
20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished. 21 The divisions of the priests and the Levites are ready for all the service of the house of God, and every willing man of every skill will be at your disposal for the work. The officials and all the people are fully at your command.”
Earlier in Revelation, we saw some descriptions of the heavenly dwelling place of God, let's review:
Revelation 4:2-11 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. 3 The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6 And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying:
“Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!”
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things;
by Your will they exist, and came to be.”
Revelation 5:5-14 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in 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 sent out into all the earth. 7 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 were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals,
because You were slain,
and by Your blood You purchased for God
those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10 You have made them into a kingdom,
priests to serve our God,
and they will reign upon the earth.”
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. 12 In a loud voice they said:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And I heard every creature in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and in 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
forever and ever!”
14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 7:9-19 9 After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, 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 to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. And they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”
14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.”
So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason,
‘They are before the throne of God
and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and the One seated on the throne
will spread His tabernacle over them.
16 Never again will they hunger,
and never will they thirst;
nor will the sun beat down upon them,
nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in 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.’"
18 The nations were enraged, and Your wrath has come.
The time has come to judge the dead,
and to reward Your servants,
the prophets and saints,
and those who fear Your name,
both small and great,
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
I put this together from my imagination on how the throne room of God might look. And I'm sure it's WAY better than this!
Acts 7:44-50 44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony with them in the wilderness. It was constructed exactly as God had directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 45 And our fathers who received it brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations God drove out before them. It remained until the time of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built the house for Him.
48 However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.
What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord,
or where will My place of repose be?
50 Has not My hand made all these things?’
Hebrews 8:5 (New International Version - NIV, parenthesis mine) They (the Jewish priests) serve at a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. That is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle, “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did He enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But He has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
Now the 4 living creatures give out the 7 bowls (or vials) of judgment to 7 angels to be poured out in judgment.
In looking back through Revelation we have seen the Seven Seals (7 Seals), the Seven Trumpets (7 Trumpets) and now the Seven Bowls (7 Bowls). Lets briefly review what we learned about the Seven Seals and the Seven Trumpets.
In Revelation 6 we see the Seven Seals. The first four are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A white horse, a red horse, a black horse and a pale horse. Use this chart to refresh your memory.
There is an interlude between the 6th and 7th seal where the 144,000 are sealed (see Revelation 7). With Revelation 8, the 7th seal is the start of the Seven Trumpets. When it is broken, there is silence for half an hour and then an angel hands out the Seven Trumpets.
The 7th trumpet is another interlude and then begins the 7 bowls, or vials, which is where we are now.
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Fast, Easy Super Bowl Recipes
Fruit - This might take more time but everyone in the family loves it, especially in the winter! I get some fruit. Whatever I can get. If I do blueberries, strawberries, fresh pineapple chunks, and some cantaloupe then I'll cut them up, throw in a bowl and toss with powdered sugar. The powdered sugar keeps the fruit fresh and adds sweetness. If I make an apple salad then I cut the apples up, finely chop some celery, throw in some black walnuts and then toss with a dressing I make. I use Duke's mayo (not meant to be an endorsement, it's just the only mayo I use), add some balsamic vinaigrette and sugar to sweeten. I throw in some poppy seeds and whisk. Taste and adjust the ingredients until you like it. If these don't appeal to you, make a congealed fruit salad with some mandarin oranges, orange Jello and grated coconut. Throw in some nuts (everyone likes fruit and nuts together) and whisk in some Cool Whip and put in the refrigerator to set. Not to endorse Jello and Cool Whip, just what I use.
Beanie Weanies - My two fast rules are to only use Hebrew National hot dogs and Bush's Baked Beans. I chop up the wienies in bite size pieces, throw them into a casserole dish and add the baked beans. Pop in the oven and there you are! By the way, I don't mean to endorse a product, I make no money from endorsing them, it's my own opinion and it's just what I use. Make your choices based on what your family prefers.
Homemade Salsa - I use my Vitamix mixer (you can use a food processor, blender or emulsifier). I throw in either canned roma tomatoes (for more flesh and less seeds) or fresh tomatoes, depending on the season. I add washed chopped fresh cilantro leaves, chopped onion, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper. You can add something hot if you like it that way. Turn on the mixer and pour into a bowl! Serve with tortilla chips.
Homemade Guacamole - For this I use my emulsifier. I use 2 ripe avocados, some chopped onion, a clove of fresh garlic, washed and chopped fresh cilantro leaves, salt and pepper, a little lemon and/or lime juice. Emulsify and you're done! Serve with tortilla chips.
Sausage Cheese Crockpot Dip - Brown a lb of sausage and a lb of beef, drain and throw into your crockpot. Add a package of taco seasoning and 2 cans of diced roma tomatoes. Throw in a package of cream cheese and a 16 oz package of Velveeta white cheese (again, not meant to be an endorsement, it's just what I use). Heat up your crockpot but keep it on warm. If it's too hot, it tends to separate and it can get real thick if it's too cool. So use your trusty crockpot on a low setting. Serve with tortilla chips.
Wings - You can do this on the grill or in the oven. Throw your wings in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, add the BBQ sauce of your choice. As soon as the wings come to a boil, drain the water and toss the wings in the mixing bowl of BBQ sauce. Then bake or grill to finish them off. Some variations to the recipe are some hot sauce for some spice; use Ranch dressing instead of BBQ sauce; sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro leaves over the finished wings; toss the wings in a mustard sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds on top; use a wasabe sauce for a dip. Cut you some celery sticks to go with it.
We have a Krispy Kreme here so my dessert would be donuts. Can't get any easier or more delicious. If you don't have a KK, then maybe some cookies or cupcakes. Leave off the dessert if you are worried about empty calories.
This may not be the healthiest but it's not bad either. You have fruit, vegetables (avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, celery, onion), carbohydrates and protein (cheeses, beans and meats).
I used to love watching football and the Super Bowl usually meant a small family party. I haven't watched football since they began "protesting" by refusing to show honor during our National Anthem. My way of protesting is by turning them off and not going to any games. It's one thing to protest injustices but it's quite another to disrespect our entire country, government, military and democracy because of the perceived injustices done by a few. Of course there is some injustices and some racism because, with human beings, you are always going to have a few rotten apples in the bushel. But America is one of the few places in the world, and in the history of mankind, where injustice and racism are no longer wanted and we have striven to make our country a more level playing field (excuse my pun) for everyone: black, white, male, female, rich, poor, young, old, etc. So to target America (the place where everyone wants to live BECAUSE we offer better opportunities) is silly. Especially protests done by privileged, highly paid players of a game who are usually treated like superstars. It's a little hard to see past their bank accounts, their expensive sports cars and their shiny gold chains to see what injustices they are talking about. They seem to have risen through the ranks despite any "injustices". Their hard work and commitment to their sport has paid off BECAUSE they have the opportunity, in America, to excel. If there were real injustices, they wouldn't have had the opportunity to excel and become sports superstars with big checks no matter how much they wanted it or worked hard to get it. So, excuse me, if I don't feel your pain. Go protest a real injustice and I'll be behind you. But don't protest my country when it's the best humanity has ever come up with! I won't be watching the Super Bowl, even for the commercials. I think I'll stick to the Puppy Bowl or Kitten Bowl!
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Jenny In Profile
Jenny bought some new crawler earrings and snapped this profile photo to show them off. She has such a beautiful profile. We are so proud of our niece. Here is my digital scrapbook page of her profile.
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Savannah and Will
I made this digital scrapbook page of Savannah and Will. I tried to make the scrapbook page look like a dream catcher.
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Jenny's Funny Stories
Our niece, Jenny, can tell some funny stories about life with 4 children and she's good at writing them. I have to scrapbook her stories as she shares on Facebook. Sometimes I have to find a way to do it without pictures of the actual "event". This first scrapbook layout I used a photo from a couple of weeks ago of Jenny and Brooke in the car. Then I located photos of Chic-Fil-A I found on the internet to create the visuals for the digital scrapbook page. Chic-Fil-A is one of Jenny's favorite fast food restaurants and her story referenced their support of Christian values so I wanted to include a little history and company philosophy on Chic-Fil-A that I got from their website. I included this in the journaling section of the layout. Then I copied Jenny's story and some of the funny comments from Facebook.
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On this digital scrapbook page, Jenny did snap a photo that I could use with her story. The photo showed her nice purse and Starbucks coffee cup against a grocery store background. So I was seeing it as a mixture of formal and casual like wearing a mink coat with bluejeans. So I tried to accentuate that with using some formal elements with casual elements on the scrapbook layout. Then her story was about some "me time" away from her 4 children's chaos so I added the doodles and scribbles in the background. Not overpowering since they weren't there. But in the background to show they are always on her mind.
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On this digital scrapbook page, Jenny did snap a photo that I could use with her story. The photo showed her nice purse and Starbucks coffee cup against a grocery store background. So I was seeing it as a mixture of formal and casual like wearing a mink coat with bluejeans. So I tried to accentuate that with using some formal elements with casual elements on the scrapbook layout. Then her story was about some "me time" away from her 4 children's chaos so I added the doodles and scribbles in the background. Not overpowering since they weren't there. But in the background to show they are always on her mind.
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William Ashby Lee Kelly Murdered By His Son
William Ashby Lee Kelly is my husband's 3rd great uncle. As I was working on the Kelly line I came across his story. Unfortunately, I have no details or backstory to help me understand what happened. But here is what I know.
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William Ashby Lee Kelly (aka W.A.L. Kelly and sometimes found as Ashley Kelly instead of Ashby Kelly) was born 7/17/1863 to Jamison Gazaway Kelly (aka Jameson Gazaway Kelly, Jamison Gasaway Kelly, Jamison Gassaway Kelly, J.G. Kelly, Jimison Gazaway Kelly, Jemmison Gazaway Kelly) (DOB 4/15/1836 in Pinckneyville, Union County, SC to Thomas Norman Kelly, Sr and Melissa Elizabeth Hames; DOD 10/5/1906 in Pinckneyville, Union County, SC) and C. Elizabeth Free (DOB 1/25/1835 in Union County, SC; DOD 1/5/1901 in Pinckneyville, Union County, SC). He was the 5th of 10 children. Jimison Kelly and Elizabeth Free had 4 boys and 6 girls and W.A.L. Kelly was the 4th child, the 3rd boy in the family.
1870 U.S. Census of Pickney, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1510; Page: 484A; Family History Library Film: 553009, "J.G. Kelly"
J.G. Kelly, 35 yrs old (DOB 1835), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, $1,800 Real Estate Value, $800 Personal Estate Value, Born in SC, Can read and write
Elizabeth Kelly, 35 yrs old (DOB 1835), F, W, Born in SC, Can read and write
Christiana Kelly (sic, Christiann Melissa Kelly), 15 yrs old (DOB 1855), F, W, Born in SC
Belton Kelly, 14 yrs old (DOB 1856), M, W, Born in SC
Silas Kelly, 11 yrs old (DOB 1859), M, W, Born in SC
Ada Kelly, 9 yrs old, M, W, Born in SC
Ashly Kelly (sic, Ashby Kelly), 7 yrs old (DOB 1863), M, W, Born in SC
Selma Kelly, 5 yrs old (DOB 1865), F, W, Born in SC
Listia Kelly (sic, Letha Kelly), 3 yrs old (DOB 1867), F, W, Born in SC
Lella Kelly (sic, Ardella "Della" Kelly), 4/12 mos old (DOB 1/1870), F, W, Born in Jan, Born in SC
1880 U.S. Census of Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: 1242; Page: 584B; Enumeration District: 158, "Jameson Kelly"
Jameson Kelly, W(hite), M(ale), 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Head, Married, Farm laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
C. Elizabeth Kelly, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Keeping house, Farm laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Thomas B. Kelly, W, M, 23 yrs old (DOB 1857), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
A. Silas Kelly, W, M, 21 yrs old (DOB 1859), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Addie Kelly, W, F, 18 yrs old (DOB 1862), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Ashby Kelly, W, M, 16 yrs old (DOB 1864), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Selma Kelly, W, F, 14 yrs old (DOB 1866), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Della Kelly, W, F, 10 yrs old (DOB 1870), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mary Kelly, W, F, 7 yrs old (DOB 1873), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wallace W. Kelly, W, M, 2 yrs old (DOB 1878), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
William Kelly married Josie Thompson Turner about 1883. She was born 10/1864 in SC. They had 9 children:
1) J. Edgar Kelly (DOB 10/19/1884 in Union County, SC; DOD 7/18/1933 in SC) married ?
2) Bessie Kelly (DOB 2/25/1887 in Union County, SC: DOD 9/1978 in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC) married Benjamin Griffin Faucett (DOB 9/6/1891 in SC; DOB 12/25/1957 in Union County, SC). They had William Monroe Faucett, Jack Griffin Faucett, Sr., Bessie Kelly Faucett, Helen G. Faucett, Marjory H. Faucett.
3) Barth Jeter Kelly (DOB 8/5/1889 in Union County, SC; DOD 6/26/1968 in Jonesville, Union County, SC) married Beatrice Faucett (DOB 2/14/1888 in SC; DOD 8/17/1969 in Jonesville, Union County, SC). They had Mattie Louise Kelly, Frances W. Kelly, Mary Josie Kelly, Margaret Evelyn Kelly, Barth Jeter Kelly Jr., Letha Faye Kelly, Martha Ferol Kelly.
4) William "Billy" Thomas Norma Kelly (DOB 2/22/1892 in Union County, SC; DOD 7/24/1922 in Union County, SC) married Lady Pauline A. Lancaster (DOB 7/4/1898 in SC; DOD 5/27/1934 in Union County, SC). They had Robert Hayne Kelly, William "Billy" Kelly.
5) James Barto Kelly (DOB 8/6/1894 in Union County, SC; DOD 11/27/1953 in Union County, SC) married Ossie Mae Proctor (DOB 6/14/1907 in SC; DOD 6/26/1981 in Union County, SC). They had William Ashby Kelly, James Ellis Kelly, Geraldine Kelly, Bill Kelly.
6) Andrew Broadus Kelly (DOB 1/19/1897 in Union County, SC; DOD 7/1982 in Inman, Spartanburg County, SC) married Grace Sprouse (DOB 6/9/1904 in SC; DOD 8/13/1968 in Union County, SC).
7) Elizabeth Kelly (DOB 2/1/1900 in Union County, SC; DOD 6/13/1994 in Pauline, Spartanburg County, SC). Never married.
8) Dewey Kelly (DOB 6/21/1903 in Union County, SC; DOD 2/10/1993 in Union, Union County, SC) married Myrtle Eaves (DOB 10/9/1917 in Union, Union County, SC; DOD 6/21/2007 in Union, Union County, SC). They had Louise M. Kelly, Elizabeth Catherine Kelly, Thomas Turner Kelly.
9) Wallace T. Kelly (DOB 11/26/1906 in Union County, SC; DOD 11/1/1944 in ? ). Never married. Died during WWII. He was in U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, Co. D, Sergeant.
1900 U.S. Census of Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0073; FHL microfilm: 1241544, "W. Ashby Kelly"
W. Ashby Kelly, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born July 1863, 36 yrs old, Married 17 yrs (DOM 1883), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Josie T. Kelly, W, F, Born Oct, 1864, 35 yrs old, Married 17 yrs, 7 children with 7 living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Edgar Kelly, Son, W, M, Born Oct, 1884, 15 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Bessie Kelly, Son, W, F, Born Feb, 1887, 13 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Barth Kelly, Son, W, M, Born Aug, 1889, 10 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
William Kelly, Son, W, M, Born Feb, 1891, 9 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Barlow Kelly (sic, Barto Jeter Kelly), Son, W, M, Born Aug, 1894, 5 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Brandus Kelly (sic, Andrew Broadus Kelly), Son, W, M, Born Jany, 1897, 3 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Elizabeth Kelly, Daughter, W, F, Born Feb, 1900, 4/12 mos old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
1910 U.S. Census of Union and Kelly Road, Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1474; Page: 25B; Enumeration District: 0118; FHL microfilm: 1375487, "William A. Kelly"
William A. Kelly, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 46 yrs old (DOB 1864), 1st Marriage, Married 27 yrs (DOM 1883), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Josie T. Kelly, Wife, F, W, 45 yrs old (DOB 1865), 1st Marriage, Married 27 yrs, 9 children with 9 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Edgar Kelly, Son, M, W, 26 yrs old (DOB 1884), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Bessie Kelly, Daughter, F, W, 23 yrs old (DOB 1887), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Barth Kelly, Son, M, W, 21 yrs old (DOB 1889), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Norman Kelly, Son, M, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1892), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Bartow Kelly (sic, Barto Jeter Kelly), Son, M, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1895), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Broadus Kelly, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1897), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Lizzie Kelly, Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1900), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Dewey Kelly, Son, M, W, 6 yrs old (DOB 1904), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wallace Kelly, Son, M, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1907), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
1920 U.S. Census of Jonesville Rd, Pickney (sic Pinckney), Union County, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1713; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 138, "William A. Kelly"
William A. Kelly, 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, Farmer
Josie T. Kelly, Wife, F, W, 55 yrs old, Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Barto J. Kelly, Son, M, W, 25 yrs old (DOB 1895), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Andrew B. Kelly, Son, M, W, 22 yrs old (DOB 1898), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Lizzie Kelly, Daughter, F, W, 19 yrs old (DOB 1901), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Dewey Kelly, Son, M, W, 16 yrs old (DOB 1904), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, No occupation
Wallace Kelly, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1907), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, No occupation
SC Death Certificate #12905, Registration District #4205, Registered #8, Thomas Norman Kelley (sic), DOD 7/24/1922 in Pinkney (sic), Union County, SC
Male, White, Married, DOB 1892 in SC, 30 yrs old, Occupation: Farmer
Father: W.A.L. Kelley (sic), Born in SC
Mother: Josie Turner, Born in SC
Informant: (blank)
DOD 7/24/1922
Cause of death: T.B. Pulmonalie (sic)
Buried: 7/25/1922 in Foster Chapel
1930 U.S. Census of Main Highway, Pickney (sic, Pinckney), Union County, South Carolina; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0013; FHL microfilm: 2341949, "W.A.L. Kelley" (sic, W.A.L. Kelly)
W.A.L. Kelley, Head, Owns farm, M(ale), W(hite), 66 yrs old (DOB 1864), Married at age 20 yrs old (DOM 1884), Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Josie T. Kelley, Wife, F, W, 65 yrs old (DOB 1865), Married at age 19 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Edgar Kelley, Son, M, W, 46 yrs old (DOB 1884), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Broadus Kelley, Son, M, W, 34 yrs old (DOB 1896), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Dewey Kelley, Son, M, W, 27 yrs old (DOB 1903), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Lizzie Kelley, Daughter, F, W, 29 yrs old (DOB 1901), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wallace Kelley, Son, M, W, 24 yrs old (DOB 1906), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
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Josie Turner Kelly died 4/29/1931 in Pinckney, Union County, SC.
SC Death Certificate #8818, Registration District #4207, Registered #16, Joseph Thompson Kelly (sic, Josephine Thompson Turner Kelly), DOD 4/29/1931 in Pinckney, Union County, SC
Female, White, Married to W.A.L. Kelly, 65 yrs old, Born in SC, Occupation: Housewife
Father: Thompson Turner, Born in SC
Mother: Elizabeth Turner, Born in SC
Informant: W.A.L. Kelly, Rt #4, Union, SC
DOD 4/29/1931
Cause of death: Chronic fibroid phithis
Buried: 4/30/1931 at Foster Chapel
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Josephine Thompson “Josie” Turner Kelly
BIRTH 13 Oct 1864, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 29 Apr 1931 (aged 66), Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Foster Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 57352805
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J Edgar Kelly
BIRTH 19 Oct 1884
DEATH 18 Jul 1933 (aged 48)
BURIAL Foster Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 112580402
I could not find a death certificate for him. He was living at home for his 1918 WWI Draft Registration. He was not living at home in 1920 and I couldn't find him in the 1920 U.S. Census. But he was back to living at home in the 1930 U.S. Census.
William Ashby Lee Kelly was killed 3/24/1934 in Pinckney township, Union County, SC. It seems his son, Dewey Kelly, crushed his head with two blows from an ax.
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SC Death Certificate #6542, Registration District #4207, Registered #13, William Ashby Lee Kelley (sic), DOD 3/25/1934 in Pinckney, Union County, SC
Male, White, Widowed, 71 yrs old, Born in Union County, SC, Occupation: Farmer
Father: Jemmison Kelley (sic), Born in Union County, SC
Mother: Elizabeth Free, Born in Union County, SC
Informant: A.B. Kelley, R#1, Jonesville, SC
DOD 3/25/1934
Cause of death: "I held post-mortem killed by axe - skull crushed"
Homicide at home, skull crushed with axe, killed by man
Signed: A.P. McElroy, Union, SC
Buried: 3/26/1934 in Foster Chapel
Undertaker: Bailey Und. Co., Union, SC
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W A L Kelly
BIRTH 17 Jul 1863
DEATH 25 Mar 1934 (aged 70)
BURIAL Foster Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 112580354
The Index Journal, Greenwood, SC, 3/26/1934, Pg 1
Farmer Is Found Beaten To Death In Union Home
W.A.L. Kelley (sic) Of Pea Ridge Section - Son Is Questioned
Union, Mar. 26 - W.A.L. Kelly, 71, farmer of the Pea Ridge section of Union County, was found beaten to death in the dining room of his home last night and authorities today were conducting an intense investigation.
Coroner George Noland who began an inquest and then adjourned it until Thursday said Dewey Kelley, 22, son of the dead man, was being held in jail for questioning.
Noland said he found no apparent reason for the slaying of the aged Widower farmer who was found with the front and back of his head crushed.
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The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 3/29/1934, Pg 3
Kelly Inquest To Be Held 3 O'Clock
Union, Mar. 28 - Dewey Kelly is in the Union county jail held for questioning when the coroner's jury will resume the investigation of the death of W.A.L. Kelley (sic), 71, with one fracture of the skull in the forehead and another in the back of the head early Sunday afternoon.
The investigation will be held at R.F. Fowler's store at Kelly's on Thursday afternoon at 3 O'Clock.
Mr. Kelly's body was found in the dining room of his home on Pea Ridge Sunday evening and an examining physician was the only witness called to testify Sunday evening. He stated that the deceased came to his death from blows struck by some blunt instrument.
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The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 4/1/1934, Pg 2
Charge Son With Slaying Father
Dewey Kelly Held By Coroner's Jury In Union - No Motive Revealed
Union, Mar. 31- Dewey Kelly, 25, was charged with murder today following an inquest into the death of his father, W.A.L. Kelly, found dead from axe wounds in the yard of his home near here several days ago.
The coroner's jury found the elder Kelly met death from two blows on the head with an axe in the hands of the son.
The motive for the slaying was not brought out.
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The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 5/26/1934, Pg 1
Convict Son Of Killing Father
Dewey Kelly Gets Eight Years After Being Found Guilty Of Manslaughter
Union, May 25 - Dewey Kelly was convicted of manslaughter by a general session court jury here today in connection with the killing of his father, W.A.L. Kelly.
Judge Thomas S. Sease sentenced him to serve eight years on the chaingang or in the state penitentiary.
The trial lasted for two days.
The killing occurred several months ago.
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The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 1/15/1935, Pg 1
Time Cut Down
The eight-year sentence of Dewey Kelly, convicted of manslaughter in Union, was commuted to three years.
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Dewey Kelly married Myrtle Eaves (DOB 10/9/1917 in Union, Union County, SC; DOD 6/21/2007 in Union, Union County, SC). They had 3 children:
1) Louise M. Kelly (DOB 1934 in SC; DOD ?) married Jack Garner
2) Elizabeth Catherine Kelly (DOB 1940 in SC; DOD ?) married Arnold England
3) Thomas Turner Kelly (DOB After 1940 in SC; DOD ?) married ?
1940 U.S. Census of Union, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-03843; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 44-17, "Ben G. Faucett"
Ben G. Faucett, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 49 yrs old (DOB 1891), Married, Attended college 1 yr, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Manager of Tea Room
Bessie K. Faucett, Wife, F, W, 52 yrs old (DOB 1888), Married, Attended high school 2 yrs. Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Asst Mgr Tea Room
Monroe W. Faucett, Son, M, W, 23 yrs old (DOB 1917), Single, Attended college 4 yrs, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Clerk in US Post Office, Income $894
Jack G. Faucett, Son, M, W, 19 yrs old (DOB 1921), Single, Attended college 2 yrs, Attends school, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Typist in college office, Income $425
Bessie K. Faucett, Daughter, F, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1922), Single, Attended college 1 yr, Attends school, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Helen G. Faucett, Daughter, F, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1928), Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Both parents born in SC
Margie H. Faucett, Daughter, F, W, 11 yrs old (DOB 1929), Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Dewey Kelly, Lodger, M, W, 37 yrs old (DOB 1903), Married, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Laborer oil mill, Income $560
Myrtle L. Kelly, Lodger, F, W, 22 yrs old (DOB 1918), Married, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Waitress in private home, Income $250
M. Louise Kelly, Lodger, F, W, 5 yrs old (DOB 1935), Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Elizabeth C. Kelly, Lodger, F, W, 0/12 mos old, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Oscar Sullivan, Lodger, M, W, 23 yrs old, Single, Attended high school 4 yrs, Born in SC, Lived in Gaffney, SC in 1935, Service station operator in gas industry, Income $1040
Clyde R. Bratton, Lodger, M, W, 24 yrs old, Single, Attended high school 4 yrs, Born in SC, Lived in Newberry, SC in 1935, Insurance agent life insurance company, Income $1600
Martha Maylin, Lodger, F, W, 23 yrs old, Single, Attended college 1 yr, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Bookkeeper for retail furniture company, $850
Lolan T. Adams, Lodger, M, W, 40 yrs old, Attended school thru 6th grade, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Deliver salesman oil products, Income $1027
Barlow T. Stranger, Lodger, M, W, 53 yrs old, Widowed, Attended high school 4 yrs, Born in NC, Salesman candy co, Income $960
U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Dewey Kelly
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 21 Jun 1903
Death Date: 10 Feb 1993
Claim Date: 25 Mar 1968
SSN: 24709****
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name: Dewey Kelly
SSN: 247-09-****
Last Residence: 29379 Union, Union, South Carolina, USA
Born: 21 Jun 1903
Died: 10 Feb 1993
State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (Before 1951)
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Dewey Kelly
BIRTH 21 Jun 1903, Union County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 10 Feb 1993 (aged 89), Union County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Union Memorial Gardens, Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 179832275
Myrtle Eaves Kelly
BIRTH 9 Oct 1917, Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 21 Jun 2007 (aged 89), Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Union Memorial Gardens, Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 58210866
Obituary of Dewey Kelly
Union - Dewey Kelly, 89, of 314 S. Mountain St., died Feb. 10, 1993, in Wallace Thomson Hospital after a long illness.
A native of Union, he was the husband of Myrtle Eaves Kelly and son of W.A.L. and Josie Turner Kelly. He was a member of Unity United Methodist Church and was retired from Excelsior Mill.
Also surviving are two daughters, Louise Garner and Catherine England of Union; a son, Thomas Turner Kelly of McBee; a sister, Elizabeth Kelly of Spartanburg; eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Visitation will be held from 7 to 8:30 tonight at the S.R. Holcombe Funeral Home. Services will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the funeral chapel by the Rev. Manley Campbell. Burial will be in Union Memorial Gardens.
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name: Myrtle Kelly
Last Residence: 29379 Union, Union, South Carolina, USA
Born: 9 Oct 1917
Died: 21 Jun 2007
State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (1952)
So that's the facts. Why did Dewey Kelly hit his father twice with an axe? Front hit and back hit. But only twice. So he hit once and then again. But not a frenzy of multiple blows. If it was somehow an accident, he wouldn't have hit his father twice, front and back. If it was a rage killing, would there have been more blows? According to the newspaper reports, no motive or reason was given and he was sentenced to "manslaughter" and not "murder". His sentence was only 8 yrs and then commuted to 3 yrs. This leads me to believe there was a motive and one that was understood by the authorities, judge and jurors because the charge was downgraded to manslaughter and the sentence was pretty lenient for an ax murder.
Dewey Kelly evidently was married to a young Myrtle Eaves because their first child was born in 1934, the year of the murder. The following two children were born after he got out of prison. So Myrtle stayed with him the rest of his life. If he was a scary man, would she have waited for him? She didn't divorce him.
In the 1940 U.S. Census, Dewey, Myrtle, their first child and their new baby were living with his sister, Bessie Kelly, and her husband Ben Griffin Faucett. If there were hard feelings in the family, they wouldn't be living with his sister even as a lodger. Also Dewey stayed in Union, SC. I.e. he was still accepted in the community where he had committed patricide with an axe. He was working in the 1940 census and his obituary said he was retired from Excelsior Mill. So his incarceration didn't keep him from getting a job.
So we have an ax murderer who killed his own father. But there must have been some unsaid extenuating circumstances. What motive could give Dewey a lenient sentence for an ax murder?
If you have any further information or corrections, please contact me at Mom25dogs@gmail.com.
William Ashby Lee Kelly (aka W.A.L. Kelly and sometimes found as Ashley Kelly instead of Ashby Kelly) was born 7/17/1863 to Jamison Gazaway Kelly (aka Jameson Gazaway Kelly, Jamison Gasaway Kelly, Jamison Gassaway Kelly, J.G. Kelly, Jimison Gazaway Kelly, Jemmison Gazaway Kelly) (DOB 4/15/1836 in Pinckneyville, Union County, SC to Thomas Norman Kelly, Sr and Melissa Elizabeth Hames; DOD 10/5/1906 in Pinckneyville, Union County, SC) and C. Elizabeth Free (DOB 1/25/1835 in Union County, SC; DOD 1/5/1901 in Pinckneyville, Union County, SC). He was the 5th of 10 children. Jimison Kelly and Elizabeth Free had 4 boys and 6 girls and W.A.L. Kelly was the 4th child, the 3rd boy in the family.
1870 U.S. Census of Pickney, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1510; Page: 484A; Family History Library Film: 553009, "J.G. Kelly"
J.G. Kelly, 35 yrs old (DOB 1835), M(ale), W(hite), Farmer, $1,800 Real Estate Value, $800 Personal Estate Value, Born in SC, Can read and write
Elizabeth Kelly, 35 yrs old (DOB 1835), F, W, Born in SC, Can read and write
Christiana Kelly (sic, Christiann Melissa Kelly), 15 yrs old (DOB 1855), F, W, Born in SC
Belton Kelly, 14 yrs old (DOB 1856), M, W, Born in SC
Silas Kelly, 11 yrs old (DOB 1859), M, W, Born in SC
Ada Kelly, 9 yrs old, M, W, Born in SC
Ashly Kelly (sic, Ashby Kelly), 7 yrs old (DOB 1863), M, W, Born in SC
Selma Kelly, 5 yrs old (DOB 1865), F, W, Born in SC
Listia Kelly (sic, Letha Kelly), 3 yrs old (DOB 1867), F, W, Born in SC
Lella Kelly (sic, Ardella "Della" Kelly), 4/12 mos old (DOB 1/1870), F, W, Born in Jan, Born in SC
1880 U.S. Census of Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: 1242; Page: 584B; Enumeration District: 158, "Jameson Kelly"
Jameson Kelly, W(hite), M(ale), 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Head, Married, Farm laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
C. Elizabeth Kelly, W, F, 44 yrs old (DOB 1836), Wife, Married, Keeping house, Farm laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Thomas B. Kelly, W, M, 23 yrs old (DOB 1857), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
A. Silas Kelly, W, M, 21 yrs old (DOB 1859), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Addie Kelly, W, F, 18 yrs old (DOB 1862), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Ashby Kelly, W, M, 16 yrs old (DOB 1864), Son, Single, Farm Laborer, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Selma Kelly, W, F, 14 yrs old (DOB 1866), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Della Kelly, W, F, 10 yrs old (DOB 1870), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Mary Kelly, W, F, 7 yrs old (DOB 1873), Daughter, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wallace W. Kelly, W, M, 2 yrs old (DOB 1878), Son, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
William Kelly married Josie Thompson Turner about 1883. She was born 10/1864 in SC. They had 9 children:
1) J. Edgar Kelly (DOB 10/19/1884 in Union County, SC; DOD 7/18/1933 in SC) married ?
2) Bessie Kelly (DOB 2/25/1887 in Union County, SC: DOD 9/1978 in Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC) married Benjamin Griffin Faucett (DOB 9/6/1891 in SC; DOB 12/25/1957 in Union County, SC). They had William Monroe Faucett, Jack Griffin Faucett, Sr., Bessie Kelly Faucett, Helen G. Faucett, Marjory H. Faucett.
3) Barth Jeter Kelly (DOB 8/5/1889 in Union County, SC; DOD 6/26/1968 in Jonesville, Union County, SC) married Beatrice Faucett (DOB 2/14/1888 in SC; DOD 8/17/1969 in Jonesville, Union County, SC). They had Mattie Louise Kelly, Frances W. Kelly, Mary Josie Kelly, Margaret Evelyn Kelly, Barth Jeter Kelly Jr., Letha Faye Kelly, Martha Ferol Kelly.
4) William "Billy" Thomas Norma Kelly (DOB 2/22/1892 in Union County, SC; DOD 7/24/1922 in Union County, SC) married Lady Pauline A. Lancaster (DOB 7/4/1898 in SC; DOD 5/27/1934 in Union County, SC). They had Robert Hayne Kelly, William "Billy" Kelly.
5) James Barto Kelly (DOB 8/6/1894 in Union County, SC; DOD 11/27/1953 in Union County, SC) married Ossie Mae Proctor (DOB 6/14/1907 in SC; DOD 6/26/1981 in Union County, SC). They had William Ashby Kelly, James Ellis Kelly, Geraldine Kelly, Bill Kelly.
6) Andrew Broadus Kelly (DOB 1/19/1897 in Union County, SC; DOD 7/1982 in Inman, Spartanburg County, SC) married Grace Sprouse (DOB 6/9/1904 in SC; DOD 8/13/1968 in Union County, SC).
7) Elizabeth Kelly (DOB 2/1/1900 in Union County, SC; DOD 6/13/1994 in Pauline, Spartanburg County, SC). Never married.
8) Dewey Kelly (DOB 6/21/1903 in Union County, SC; DOD 2/10/1993 in Union, Union County, SC) married Myrtle Eaves (DOB 10/9/1917 in Union, Union County, SC; DOD 6/21/2007 in Union, Union County, SC). They had Louise M. Kelly, Elizabeth Catherine Kelly, Thomas Turner Kelly.
9) Wallace T. Kelly (DOB 11/26/1906 in Union County, SC; DOD 11/1/1944 in ? ). Never married. Died during WWII. He was in U.S. Army, 7th Infantry, Co. D, Sergeant.
1900 U.S. Census of Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina; Page: 2; Enumeration District: 0073; FHL microfilm: 1241544, "W. Ashby Kelly"
W. Ashby Kelly, Head, W(hite), M(ale), Born July 1863, 36 yrs old, Married 17 yrs (DOM 1883), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Josie T. Kelly, W, F, Born Oct, 1864, 35 yrs old, Married 17 yrs, 7 children with 7 living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Edgar Kelly, Son, W, M, Born Oct, 1884, 15 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Bessie Kelly, Son, W, F, Born Feb, 1887, 13 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Barth Kelly, Son, W, M, Born Aug, 1889, 10 yrs old, Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
William Kelly, Son, W, M, Born Feb, 1891, 9 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Barlow Kelly (sic, Barto Jeter Kelly), Son, W, M, Born Aug, 1894, 5 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Brandus Kelly (sic, Andrew Broadus Kelly), Son, W, M, Born Jany, 1897, 3 yrs old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Elizabeth Kelly, Daughter, W, F, Born Feb, 1900, 4/12 mos old, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
1910 U.S. Census of Union and Kelly Road, Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1474; Page: 25B; Enumeration District: 0118; FHL microfilm: 1375487, "William A. Kelly"
William A. Kelly, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 46 yrs old (DOB 1864), 1st Marriage, Married 27 yrs (DOM 1883), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer, Can read and write, Owns farm with mortgage
Josie T. Kelly, Wife, F, W, 45 yrs old (DOB 1865), 1st Marriage, Married 27 yrs, 9 children with 9 still living, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Edgar Kelly, Son, M, W, 26 yrs old (DOB 1884), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Bessie Kelly, Daughter, F, W, 23 yrs old (DOB 1887), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Can read and write
Barth Kelly, Son, M, W, 21 yrs old (DOB 1889), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Norman Kelly, Son, M, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1892), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Bartow Kelly (sic, Barto Jeter Kelly), Son, M, W, 15 yrs old (DOB 1895), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Broadus Kelly, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1897), Single, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer, Can read and write
Lizzie Kelly, Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1900), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Dewey Kelly, Son, M, W, 6 yrs old (DOB 1904), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wallace Kelly, Son, M, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1907), Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
1920 U.S. Census of Jonesville Rd, Pickney (sic Pinckney), Union County, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1713; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 138, "William A. Kelly"
William A. Kelly, 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, Farmer
Josie T. Kelly, Wife, F, W, 55 yrs old, Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Barto J. Kelly, Son, M, W, 25 yrs old (DOB 1895), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Andrew B. Kelly, Son, M, W, 22 yrs old (DOB 1898), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farm laborer
Lizzie Kelly, Daughter, F, W, 19 yrs old (DOB 1901), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Dewey Kelly, Son, M, W, 16 yrs old (DOB 1904), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, No occupation
Wallace Kelly, Son, M, W, 13 yrs old (DOB 1907), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, No occupation
SC Death Certificate #12905, Registration District #4205, Registered #8, Thomas Norman Kelley (sic), DOD 7/24/1922 in Pinkney (sic), Union County, SC
Male, White, Married, DOB 1892 in SC, 30 yrs old, Occupation: Farmer
Father: W.A.L. Kelley (sic), Born in SC
Mother: Josie Turner, Born in SC
Informant: (blank)
DOD 7/24/1922
Cause of death: T.B. Pulmonalie (sic)
Buried: 7/25/1922 in Foster Chapel
1930 U.S. Census of Main Highway, Pickney (sic, Pinckney), Union County, South Carolina; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0013; FHL microfilm: 2341949, "W.A.L. Kelley" (sic, W.A.L. Kelly)
W.A.L. Kelley, Head, Owns farm, M(ale), W(hite), 66 yrs old (DOB 1864), Married at age 20 yrs old (DOM 1884), Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Josie T. Kelley, Wife, F, W, 65 yrs old (DOB 1865), Married at age 19 yrs old, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Edgar Kelley, Son, M, W, 46 yrs old (DOB 1884), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Broadus Kelley, Son, M, W, 34 yrs old (DOB 1896), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Dewey Kelley, Son, M, W, 27 yrs old (DOB 1903), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Lizzie Kelley, Daughter, F, W, 29 yrs old (DOB 1901), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Wallace Kelley, Son, M, W, 24 yrs old (DOB 1906), Single, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC, Farmer
Josie Turner Kelly died 4/29/1931 in Pinckney, Union County, SC.
SC Death Certificate #8818, Registration District #4207, Registered #16, Joseph Thompson Kelly (sic, Josephine Thompson Turner Kelly), DOD 4/29/1931 in Pinckney, Union County, SC
Female, White, Married to W.A.L. Kelly, 65 yrs old, Born in SC, Occupation: Housewife
Father: Thompson Turner, Born in SC
Mother: Elizabeth Turner, Born in SC
Informant: W.A.L. Kelly, Rt #4, Union, SC
DOD 4/29/1931
Cause of death: Chronic fibroid phithis
Buried: 4/30/1931 at Foster Chapel
FindAGrave.com
Josephine Thompson “Josie” Turner Kelly
BIRTH 13 Oct 1864, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 29 Apr 1931 (aged 66), Pinckney, Union County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Foster Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 57352805
FindAGrave.com
J Edgar Kelly
BIRTH 19 Oct 1884
DEATH 18 Jul 1933 (aged 48)
BURIAL Foster Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 112580402
I could not find a death certificate for him. He was living at home for his 1918 WWI Draft Registration. He was not living at home in 1920 and I couldn't find him in the 1920 U.S. Census. But he was back to living at home in the 1930 U.S. Census.
William Ashby Lee Kelly was killed 3/24/1934 in Pinckney township, Union County, SC. It seems his son, Dewey Kelly, crushed his head with two blows from an ax.
Male, White, Widowed, 71 yrs old, Born in Union County, SC, Occupation: Farmer
Father: Jemmison Kelley (sic), Born in Union County, SC
Mother: Elizabeth Free, Born in Union County, SC
Informant: A.B. Kelley, R#1, Jonesville, SC
DOD 3/25/1934
Cause of death: "I held post-mortem killed by axe - skull crushed"
Homicide at home, skull crushed with axe, killed by man
Signed: A.P. McElroy, Union, SC
Buried: 3/26/1934 in Foster Chapel
Undertaker: Bailey Und. Co., Union, SC
FindAGrave.com
W A L Kelly
BIRTH 17 Jul 1863
DEATH 25 Mar 1934 (aged 70)
BURIAL Foster Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Jonesville, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 112580354
The Index Journal, Greenwood, SC, 3/26/1934, Pg 1
Farmer Is Found Beaten To Death In Union Home
W.A.L. Kelley (sic) Of Pea Ridge Section - Son Is Questioned
Union, Mar. 26 - W.A.L. Kelly, 71, farmer of the Pea Ridge section of Union County, was found beaten to death in the dining room of his home last night and authorities today were conducting an intense investigation.
Coroner George Noland who began an inquest and then adjourned it until Thursday said Dewey Kelley, 22, son of the dead man, was being held in jail for questioning.
Noland said he found no apparent reason for the slaying of the aged Widower farmer who was found with the front and back of his head crushed.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 3/29/1934, Pg 3
Kelly Inquest To Be Held 3 O'Clock
Union, Mar. 28 - Dewey Kelly is in the Union county jail held for questioning when the coroner's jury will resume the investigation of the death of W.A.L. Kelley (sic), 71, with one fracture of the skull in the forehead and another in the back of the head early Sunday afternoon.
The investigation will be held at R.F. Fowler's store at Kelly's on Thursday afternoon at 3 O'Clock.
Mr. Kelly's body was found in the dining room of his home on Pea Ridge Sunday evening and an examining physician was the only witness called to testify Sunday evening. He stated that the deceased came to his death from blows struck by some blunt instrument.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 4/1/1934, Pg 2
Charge Son With Slaying Father
Dewey Kelly Held By Coroner's Jury In Union - No Motive Revealed
Union, Mar. 31- Dewey Kelly, 25, was charged with murder today following an inquest into the death of his father, W.A.L. Kelly, found dead from axe wounds in the yard of his home near here several days ago.
The coroner's jury found the elder Kelly met death from two blows on the head with an axe in the hands of the son.
The motive for the slaying was not brought out.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 5/26/1934, Pg 1
Convict Son Of Killing Father
Dewey Kelly Gets Eight Years After Being Found Guilty Of Manslaughter
Union, May 25 - Dewey Kelly was convicted of manslaughter by a general session court jury here today in connection with the killing of his father, W.A.L. Kelly.
Judge Thomas S. Sease sentenced him to serve eight years on the chaingang or in the state penitentiary.
The trial lasted for two days.
The killing occurred several months ago.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 1/15/1935, Pg 1
Time Cut Down
The eight-year sentence of Dewey Kelly, convicted of manslaughter in Union, was commuted to three years.
Dewey Kelly married Myrtle Eaves (DOB 10/9/1917 in Union, Union County, SC; DOD 6/21/2007 in Union, Union County, SC). They had 3 children:
1) Louise M. Kelly (DOB 1934 in SC; DOD ?) married Jack Garner
2) Elizabeth Catherine Kelly (DOB 1940 in SC; DOD ?) married Arnold England
3) Thomas Turner Kelly (DOB After 1940 in SC; DOD ?) married ?
1940 U.S. Census of Union, Union County, South Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-03843; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 44-17, "Ben G. Faucett"
Ben G. Faucett, Head, M(ale), W(hite), 49 yrs old (DOB 1891), Married, Attended college 1 yr, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Manager of Tea Room
Bessie K. Faucett, Wife, F, W, 52 yrs old (DOB 1888), Married, Attended high school 2 yrs. Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Asst Mgr Tea Room
Monroe W. Faucett, Son, M, W, 23 yrs old (DOB 1917), Single, Attended college 4 yrs, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Clerk in US Post Office, Income $894
Jack G. Faucett, Son, M, W, 19 yrs old (DOB 1921), Single, Attended college 2 yrs, Attends school, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Typist in college office, Income $425
Bessie K. Faucett, Daughter, F, W, 18 yrs old (DOB 1922), Single, Attended college 1 yr, Attends school, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Helen G. Faucett, Daughter, F, W, 12 yrs old (DOB 1928), Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Both parents born in SC
Margie H. Faucett, Daughter, F, W, 11 yrs old (DOB 1929), Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Dewey Kelly, Lodger, M, W, 37 yrs old (DOB 1903), Married, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Laborer oil mill, Income $560
Myrtle L. Kelly, Lodger, F, W, 22 yrs old (DOB 1918), Married, Attended school thru 7th grade, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Waitress in private home, Income $250
M. Louise Kelly, Lodger, F, W, 5 yrs old (DOB 1935), Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Elizabeth C. Kelly, Lodger, F, W, 0/12 mos old, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935
Oscar Sullivan, Lodger, M, W, 23 yrs old, Single, Attended high school 4 yrs, Born in SC, Lived in Gaffney, SC in 1935, Service station operator in gas industry, Income $1040
Clyde R. Bratton, Lodger, M, W, 24 yrs old, Single, Attended high school 4 yrs, Born in SC, Lived in Newberry, SC in 1935, Insurance agent life insurance company, Income $1600
Martha Maylin, Lodger, F, W, 23 yrs old, Single, Attended college 1 yr, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Bookkeeper for retail furniture company, $850
Lolan T. Adams, Lodger, M, W, 40 yrs old, Attended school thru 6th grade, Born in SC, Lived in the same place in 1935, Deliver salesman oil products, Income $1027
Barlow T. Stranger, Lodger, M, W, 53 yrs old, Widowed, Attended high school 4 yrs, Born in NC, Salesman candy co, Income $960
U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Name: Dewey Kelly
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 21 Jun 1903
Death Date: 10 Feb 1993
Claim Date: 25 Mar 1968
SSN: 24709****
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name: Dewey Kelly
SSN: 247-09-****
Last Residence: 29379 Union, Union, South Carolina, USA
Born: 21 Jun 1903
Died: 10 Feb 1993
State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (Before 1951)
FindAGrave.com
Dewey Kelly
BIRTH 21 Jun 1903, Union County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 10 Feb 1993 (aged 89), Union County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Union Memorial Gardens, Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 179832275
Myrtle Eaves Kelly
BIRTH 9 Oct 1917, Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
DEATH 21 Jun 2007 (aged 89), Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
BURIAL Union Memorial Gardens, Union, Union County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 58210866
Obituary of Dewey Kelly
Union - Dewey Kelly, 89, of 314 S. Mountain St., died Feb. 10, 1993, in Wallace Thomson Hospital after a long illness.
A native of Union, he was the husband of Myrtle Eaves Kelly and son of W.A.L. and Josie Turner Kelly. He was a member of Unity United Methodist Church and was retired from Excelsior Mill.
Also surviving are two daughters, Louise Garner and Catherine England of Union; a son, Thomas Turner Kelly of McBee; a sister, Elizabeth Kelly of Spartanburg; eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Visitation will be held from 7 to 8:30 tonight at the S.R. Holcombe Funeral Home. Services will be at 3 p.m. Friday at the funeral chapel by the Rev. Manley Campbell. Burial will be in Union Memorial Gardens.
U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014
Name: Myrtle Kelly
Last Residence: 29379 Union, Union, South Carolina, USA
Born: 9 Oct 1917
Died: 21 Jun 2007
State (Year) SSN issued: South Carolina (1952)
So that's the facts. Why did Dewey Kelly hit his father twice with an axe? Front hit and back hit. But only twice. So he hit once and then again. But not a frenzy of multiple blows. If it was somehow an accident, he wouldn't have hit his father twice, front and back. If it was a rage killing, would there have been more blows? According to the newspaper reports, no motive or reason was given and he was sentenced to "manslaughter" and not "murder". His sentence was only 8 yrs and then commuted to 3 yrs. This leads me to believe there was a motive and one that was understood by the authorities, judge and jurors because the charge was downgraded to manslaughter and the sentence was pretty lenient for an ax murder.
Dewey Kelly evidently was married to a young Myrtle Eaves because their first child was born in 1934, the year of the murder. The following two children were born after he got out of prison. So Myrtle stayed with him the rest of his life. If he was a scary man, would she have waited for him? She didn't divorce him.
In the 1940 U.S. Census, Dewey, Myrtle, their first child and their new baby were living with his sister, Bessie Kelly, and her husband Ben Griffin Faucett. If there were hard feelings in the family, they wouldn't be living with his sister even as a lodger. Also Dewey stayed in Union, SC. I.e. he was still accepted in the community where he had committed patricide with an axe. He was working in the 1940 census and his obituary said he was retired from Excelsior Mill. So his incarceration didn't keep him from getting a job.
So we have an ax murderer who killed his own father. But there must have been some unsaid extenuating circumstances. What motive could give Dewey a lenient sentence for an ax murder?
If you have any further information or corrections, please contact me at Mom25dogs@gmail.com.
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Brooke Isn't So Sure About Great Aunt Sharon's Matchmaking
As a genealogist, I come across unusual, peculiar names all the time. I started keeping a running list and collecting them. It's a family joke about me and my odd collection of names. I tease the kids all the time about what I would have named them if they had been mine. And we laugh and giggle about all the strange names. Recently, I was teasing them again and telling them I had found them a perfect boyfriend or girlfriend to marry. I was texting with our niece, their mother, Jenny. I was saying they may not be goodlooking but they have weird names and then I would throw out some of the weirdest on my list of names. The older ones were howling in laughter. When I got to Brookie, she wasn't sure what to think! Her mother snapped the picture and you can tell she wasn't sure whether to laugh or if I was really serious. Anyway, we had so much fun with it and I had this picture so I had to make a digital scrapbook layout. I'll continue to tease them with awful names and they will continue to think I'm a little crazy but it sure makes us all laugh.
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Enjoying An Early Spring Day
Our grandnieces, Reagan and Blaire, were enjoying an early spring day playing outside last week. It was so warm. Their grandmother, Stan's sister, Kathi, snapped these photos and they were so cute that I had to make this digital scrapbook layout. It was a sparkly day (thus the scatter of gems), the sun was shining thus the rays and the chartreuse graphic. I used colors from the photos. It makes you think of Spring so the flowers reflect springtime.
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Uncle James At Auburn University In The 1960's
Both of my maternal uncles, Glenn and James, attended Auburn University. I made these digital scrapbook pages of James during his years there in the 1960's. I included photos, college annual pages, his graduation photos and being in the R.O.T.C. He went on to the University of TN for his doctorate and when he got out, Vietnam was just ending and he didn't have to serve after all.
Just before his death, James pulled their old films, slides, negatives and photos had them digitalized. He shared their college films with Auburn who wrote a magazine article on them which is what the last digital scrapbook page is about.
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Just before his death, James pulled their old films, slides, negatives and photos had them digitalized. He shared their college films with Auburn who wrote a magazine article on them which is what the last digital scrapbook page is about.
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Valentine's Day Scrapbook Pages 2019
Here are the Valentine's Day digital scrapbook pages I made from photos of some of our grandnieces. The first one is Brooke, then sisters Reagan and Blaire, and Brooke's sister, Natalie, is the last one.
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Boyce Lee Harris Murder
Boyce was the son of Iona Lee Linder
Iona Lee Linder was the daughter of Mary "Mollie" Quinn Linder
Mary "Mollie" Quinn Linder was the daughter of James Wofford Quinn, Sr.
James Wofford Quinn, Sr. also had a daughter named Susan Ann Quinn (or Susannah Quinn) who married Zadoc Coan. They were Stan's 2nd Great Grandparents. Therefore my husband, Stan, is Boyce Lee Harris' 2nd cousin two times removed.
I don't know of any relationship between Boyce Lee Harris' father, James Samuel Harris, Jr. and Stan's Harris line.
1920 US. Census of Morgan, Cherokee County, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1690; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 15, "James S. Harris"
James S. Harris, Head, Rent farm, M(ale), W(hite), 35 yrs old (DOB 1885), Married, Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farmer
Onnie Harris, Wife, F, W, 28 yrs old (DOB 1892), Married, Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Thomas C. Harris, Son, M, W, 5 yrs old (DOB 1915), Single, Born in SC, Father born in NC, Mother born in SC
Boyce Lee Harris, Son, M, W, 3 yrs old (DOB 1917), Single, Born in SC, Father born in NC, Mother born in SC
Carrie Louise Harris, Daughter, F, W, 4/12 mos old, Born in SC, Father born in NC, Mother born in SC
1930 U.S. Census of Spartanburg, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 0063; FHL microfilm: 2341946, "James S. Harris"
James S. Harris, Head, Owns farm, Owns radio set, M(ale), W(hite), 36 yrs old (DOB 1894, sic), Married at age 29 yrs old (DOM 1923), Can read and write, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Farmer
Onie Harris, Wife, F, W, 30 yrs old (DOB 1900, sic), Married at age 18 (DOM 1918), Can read and write, Born in SC, Both parents born in SC
Boyce L. Harris, Son, M, W, 14 yrs old (DOB 1916), Attends school, Single, Born in SC, Father born in NC, Mother born in SC
Carry L. Harris, Daughter, F, W, 10 yrs old (DOB 1920), Attends school, Born in SC, Father born in NC, Mother born in SC
Sarah Harris, Daughter, F, W, 6 yrs old (DOB 1924), Attends school, Born in SC, Father bron in NC, Mother born in SC
A photo of a small town fair in 1935
SC Death Certificate #9548, Registration District #40-A, Registered #321, Boyce Lee Harris, DOD 6/14/1935, Spartanburg General Hospital, Spartanburg, Spartanburg County, SC
Male, White, Single, 19 yrs old, DOB 4/1915 in SC
Occupation: Farmer
Father: James Harris, born in SC
Mother: Onie Linder, born in SC
Informant: James Harris, Converse, SC
DOD 6/15/1935 at 11:50pm
Cause of death: "Stab wound in left ventricle of the left ventricle of the heart"
Homicide
Buried: 6/16/1935 in Linder Cemetery
FindAGrave.com
Boyce Lee Harris
BIRTH 16 Jan 1916
DEATH 14 Jun 1935 (aged 19)
BURIAL Linder Cemetery, Cowpens, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, USA
MEMORIAL ID 29310809
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 6/15/1935, Pg 6
Youth, 19, Fatally Stabbed At Clifton
Spartanburg, June 15 - Boyce Lee Harris, 19, died here at 12:30 o'clock this morning shortly after having been stabbed in the heart at a carnival at Clifton.
James Hicks was given emergency treatment at a hospital here for wounds on the neck. Both men resided in the Clifton section.
Sheriff Sam M. Henry began an investigation of the stabbing early this morning.
Harris was a son of J.S. Harris.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 6/16/1935, Pg 7
Hicks Held In Fatal Stabbing
Witness Says Saw Him Cut Boyce Lee Harris At Clifton Carnival
Spartanburg, June 15 - A coroner's jury today held James Hicks of Converse for further investigation in connection with the fatal stabbing last night of Boyce Lee Harris, 19, Clifton, at a carnival at Clifton mill No. 1.
Luther Gossett, Pacolet youth, told the jury he saw Hicks stab Harris after Hicks had walked up to him and asked, "Do you want to settle it now?", and after Harris had replied, "I'd just as soon settle it here as anywhere."
Both men were taken to the General hospital here where Harris died 45 minutes later, Hicks was transferred to the county jail.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 6/21/1935, Pg 14
Boyce Lee Harris
Clifton, June 20 - Funeral services for Boyce Lee Harris, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Harris who died at a local hospital early Saturday morning, were conducted from the graveside in Linder cemetery at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon. The Rev. Thomas B. Wilkes, pastor of the Methodist church, conducted the services, assisted by the Rev. W.H. Long, and the Rev. Jess Tomlinson.
Mr. Harris is survived by his parents, one brother, Thomas C. Harris; three sisters, Louise, Sara and Bettie Harris.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 7/25/1935, Pg 2
Jury Considers Fate Of Emory At Spartanburg
Tucapau Operative Charged With Slaying Of Bivings, Negro Fireman
Spartanburg, July 24- Twelve jurors early tonight deliberated on the fate of Fred Emory, Tucapau mill operative, on trial for the murder of Gus Bivings, a negro fireman, in the mill village at Tucapau on June 7. No verdict had been reached after 10 hours of deliberation...
James Hicks, charged with murder, growing out of the fatal stabbing of Boyce Lee Harris at a carnival near Clifton mill, No. 1, June 15, went on trial today after the Emory case had been given to the jury. The evidence was completed this afternoon.
Witnesses for the state in the Hicks trial testified the defendant provoked the assault, cutting Harris while his arms were folded. Defense testimony indicated Harris advanced on Hicks with a knife when Hicks drew a weapon and fatally stabbed Harris while his back was against a tent at the carnival.
The Greenville News, Greenville, SC, 7/26/1935, Pg 2
Emory Gets Life In Slaying Case
Tucapau Man Convicted Of Slaying Negro - Jury Out For 12 Hours
Spartanburg, July 25 - Fred Emory, found guilty of murder by a jury in the court of general sessions last night, this afternoon was sentenced to life imprisonment by Judge G. Dewey Oxner. Sentence was passed after Judge Oxner overruled a motion of defense counsel for a new trial. The jury hearing the case brought in the guilty verdict with a recommendation of mercy after it had deliberated 12 hours. Emory was charged in an indictment with shooting and killing Gus Bivings, a negro boiler-room worker at Tucapau mills June 7, during the progress of a strike of textile workers...
James Hicks was sentenced to a term of three years this morning after a plea of manslaughter was agreed upon Wednesday between opposing counsel and after most of the evidence in the case had been heard. Hicks was charged with murder growing out of the fatal stabbing of Boyce Lee Harris near Clifton June 14.
In ruling out the motion for a new trial for Emory, Judge Oxner told attorneys had he been sitting on the jury he "could not have accepted" Emory's self defense testimony. He said he rarely had seen a petit jury more intelligent than the one that tried the case.
Judge Oxner passed sentence on Hicks with the remark he was convinced both he and Boyce Lee Harris cut each other. Testimony of prosecution witnesses and defense evidence conflicted on this point.
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Peculiar Names I've Collected
If you follow my blog, you know that I'm deeply into genealogy. I come across unusual, peculiar, bizarre names and I started a little collection. These are all first names or first-and-middle names, NOT last names. It's possible that I saw a misspelling of the names, but I have no way of knowing that unless I'm researching that person. Most of these names I come across doing my genealogy research through American records (not foreign names unless they are being used in America). I have yet to cross the ocean in my researches. These names are amazing and I have them grouped by male unusual names and female unusual names.
Male Names
Abel Everel
Abie Dubert
Agee
Alanson
Allefaire
Alma Zemira
Alopholus
Aloysius
Alti Minton
Ambrister
Ammons Hollingsworth
Amzi
Amzy
Aradara
Arbutus
Arenus
Armester
Armistan
Armister Heath
Arphad
Asaberry
Asaph
Asberry
Asbury
Ashcraft
Ashery
Atticus Granville
Aubrey
Auburn
Aulyses
Aven
Averitte
Avon
Aydlette
Azry
Balthazar
Barnabotte
Bathus
Beriah
Berius
Berriman
Besar
Bevlin
Birdell
Bolin
Bowater
Boxter
Breckinridge Stovall
Breece
Brockden
Brockholst Livingston
Bronny
Broughton
Brownlow Onis
Bruice
Buell
Burgin
Burgwyn
Burlin
Burnan
Busta
Cadwallader Colden
Calleflower
Carlos Felda
Carmi
Carmon Selathian
Caulie
Charner
Chesley
Chevis
Chrisanberry/Christenberry
Cicero
Clegg
Clennie
Cleophus
Clois/Cloyce
Clonnie Elgin
Clynch
Clyton
Constant
Coriolanus
Coyett
Craighead
Croker Candor
Croson
Crowson/Croson
Cryel
Curge
Curgus
Cuthbert
Cutliff
Cyldren
Damcold
Darling
Daven
Deck
Dellard
Deotis
Deusenberry
Devaud
Devotion
Diecary
Doctor Gradon
Dolphus Shadric
Dorris
Doss Dee "Dossie"
Doyne
Drifty
Drude
Dunston
Durwood
Earsy Orville
Eben
Eiman
Elbrage
Elcana
Eldon
Eldredge Bryson
Electer
Eleven
Eliphelet
Elippalett
Eliphus/Eliphas
Elivan
Elkanah/Elcanah/Elcana/Elkana/Elcany
Elmer Alberta
Elzaja
Elzaphan
Elzie
Ephrioditus
Epter
Ersey Orville
Esculapius
Esmore Durant Ashmore
Espie Aldon
Estill
Eulas/Eulis
Evastus
Exie
Falkan
Festus
Fidelia
Finis
Flake
Flave
Flay
Fleenor
Floy
Folane
Fontain
Free
Freebie
Frontes
Gadberry
Garnold
Garriot
Garson
Gassaway/Gazaway
Gaved
Gemirah
Gibboney
Gillom
Girley
Gland
Goolspring
Gotch
Grandison
Granville
Green DeBerry
Greenberry/Greenbury
Greenlee
Greenup
Grogan
Gurdine
Gust
Hanch or Hanche
Hannibal Hill
Hant
Harcanus
Harce
Harkel
Harleston
Havones
Hegwood
Helpher
Hermes
Hieronymous
Hilbred
Himerick
Hinshaw
Hinton Helpher
Hobgood
Homa
Hord
Hovey Bristow
Hudie
Hummie
Hurley
Hurstel
Ibson
Ignitions
Ireland
Irenus
Irenus Portepart
Isham
Ivor
Japaul
Jaran
Jarvis Selathian
Jehiel
Jerusha
Jock Delves
Joeberry
John Fant
Josslyn
Judethan
Juel
Juke
Kasmer
Kindred
Kinion
Knighton
Lacy
Lake Carnegie
Lawful Wright
Leander
Leaner
LeCont
Lecoy
Lemming
Lemon
Leonidas
Lessie
Lightner
Lihue
Lince
Lippitt
Locke
Loda
Lovere
Lowe
Loyon
Lycurgus
Lyntine
Lyther Foy
Malice or Milas
Manatheniel
Mancil
Mangle Minthorne
Manly Dolphus
Manzona
Masirah
Mastin
Mawgan
McCagga
Melchoir
Melmoth
Melmouth
Meribah
Merida
Micager
Michaelberry
Milas
Milledge
Milligan
Mina
Mitt
Mixon
Monco
Mondon Brisco
Montravile/Montreville
Montseniur
Moosebruggers
Morlton
Mostyn
Mott
Needham
Neely Pameanus
Netherton
Oberian
Offie
Offut
Oklah
Oliphant
Omer
Oneomous
Oney
Orlistus
Otheniel
Otho
Othur
Pallas
Pardee Chapel
Parley
Parthemus
Partridge
Paschal
Percival Clovis Adelbare
Perno
Perno D. Head
Petticord
Pettigrew
Pharmon
Phibben
Philander
Philpott
Picket
Pinckney Decalve
Pines
Pingree
Pizort
Pleadus
Pleas
Posey
Power Weathers
Poweton
Pranklin
Prather
Preserved Fish
Preserved Orphansent Fish
Prettyman
Purthenia Purple
Purvey
Puryear
Ranselear
Ransom
Rasberry
Rasmus
Rastus
Realis
Relief Crappo
Relius Dixon
Rial
Rosen Burnside
Rounae
Rouvin
Ryker
Sacheverell
Salathial
Sansberry
Sarsenet
Sefton
Selders
Selton
Shafter Arel
Sheard Sherdie Loag
Sherod
Shofford/Shufford/Showford
Shuler Lebert
Siphrous
Snepmard
Solden
Spyers or Spirus
States Rights
Straughlin
Swan/Swann
Swim
Talton
Tapley Gee
Tarpley
Tazwell
Thayer Soule
Theron
Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve "Gildy" (old radio show)
Thurl
Tolson
Torquhil
Toseland
Toy Delno
Trace
Traywick
Tresvan
Treven
Treveril
Tulius Otto
Tyre
Ubert/Urbert
Ulys
Vance Goodson
Vandyne/Vandine
Varner Vestal
Venie Joe
Venoyd
Veritas
Vites
Vogel
Void
Voille Vernell
Von
Waite Angell
Waitstill
Waitsill
Waitus
Whilden
Wiggs
Williamson
Winsberry
Wint
Workman Hardlabor
Worley
Wrestling
Yoder
Youell
Zadick
Zadock
Zaydyn
Zealotus
Zealous
Zebrel
Zenas
Zimri
Zin
Zollicoffer
Zurbey
*****************************************************************
Female Names
Achsa/Achsah
Acmira
Adalyn
Adora
Airy
Alalee
Allifair
Alabama
Almeta
Almeta
Alpha
Alsingbeth
Althea Vertillie
Alvertia
Amassa
Amazing Grace
Amberzine
America
Americus
Ammerier
Amorette
Amorit
Annever
Appalonia
Aquilar
Arabella
Araminta Cornelia
Arbie
Arburty
Arcelia
Ardenia
Argentine
Arpantha
Artemisia
Ellafair
Artimisse
Artinsey
Asenath
Assie
Athaliah
Athlea
Aureline
Avenell
Avera
Awilda
Azubah
Azzie Lepsy
Bank Minervia
Barzella
Bashi
Beada
Benona Anceline
Berdell/Byrdelle
Bertia
Bethia/Bethiah
Bineta
Bliss
Bomhardina
Booke Trout
Brynlee
Burtis
Cansadia
Catterout
Ceovia
Charlsie
Charolette
Chassie
Civilla
Clarcia
Clemia Euphemia
Clemmie
Clevie
Clora
Cloris
Cloteel
Clovie
Colista
Conette
Crescentia
Cunigunda
Decia
Delcuria
Deliska
Delodious
Dessie
Diadema
Dimariah
Dimple
Dixie Mahatma Fair
Domasina
Dorvigella
Dosha
Dossie
Dozena
Edelyn
Edith
Evalena
Elender/Ellender
Elgeva
Elizime
Ellissiffe Americanus
Elsabe
Elvena/Elvine/Elvine
Elzada
Elzina
Era Necoma
Ercel Mae
Eshy
Estalena
Etelka
Etha Bell
Ethelwynne
Ethens
Etrulia
Eufazene
Eunicie
Eupherzine
Eusenia
Eyelebeth
Fairlee/ Fairleigh
Felicina
Fleeter Ola
Floride
Frace
Gaffelia
Gay
Gaynelle
Gertha
Glodean/Glowdeen
Goldena
Gova
Graceola
Gry
Gulielma
Gwladys
Hachaliah
Hadessa
Hamo Leaky
Hartintha
Haseltine
Helopika
Hepsabeth
Hulliett
Hypolite
Idella
Idina
Inkabo
Iola
Ione
Ipolene
Iretus
Isaphene
Isla
Istelena
Izora
Lowetia
Jalane
Jaylene
Jerene
Jestine Avalena
Kansas
Katron
Keturah
Kiziah "Kizzie"
Laborious
Ladora
Laney Calpernia
Laodicea "Dicey"
Launia
Leava Little
Lebishea
Legare
Legunia
Leila Ransom
Lemma
Lenia
Leoma
Leonabelle
Leota
Lessie
Letherenda
Leuranah
Levicy
Lidabell
Lignum Vitae
Lockee Lou
Lodema
Loma Dessie
Loma Jenica
Londyn
Lotha Mehelia
Loudema
Loy
Luexa
Lujeet
Luldes
Lura
Lurinda
Luzena
Maclama
Madama
Madie
Mahalia
Malisega
Mardecil
Marilla "Rilla"
Mary Belzora
Mary Willie Laura Benilla Belle
Mehetible
Melcena
Melona/ Melonia
Merle
Metra
Milberry/Milbry
Minetta
Minta Lezetta
Mintor
Mittie Zelpher
Mohri Winona
Moon
Mozella
Munira
Mylantha
Nacy
Napossie
Narie
Neta
Netty Brasilla
Nevaeh (Heaven backwards)
Noaty
Noirfalise
Nomina
Northa
Obelia
Octa Ora
Octava/Octova
Odeline
Omi (sometimes it's short for Naomi, but not always)
Ondina
Ora/Orrie
Orda
Oressa
Orga
Ornali
Other
Ouida
Ozelle
Palina
Palisa
Pansey Blossom
Pardina
Parthina
Perlixna
Permelia
Phetoma
Phillypenia
Poplin
Punella
Purchase
Quadaisha
Racie
Ramouth
Rebelgia Hestella
Rejoice
Return
Retzy
Rhetta
Rintha Aletha
Roaney
Roburla "Burlie"
Roosevelt
Rovenia
Roxcillan
Rozella
Ruhama
Rulaney
Saba/Sabey
Sabra
Sabret
Safonsbay
Salathiel
Salomea
Samira Medlin
Saphria Louvenia
Saptrony
Sarepta Egusta
Savilla
Scholastica
Seawillow
Sedera
Sequa
Serepta Egusta
Severine
Shakema Uraih
Sharla
Sibbie
Sina
Sonora
Sophronia
Stelma
Submith
Surrilda
Tansas
Tecoa
Telitha Cumiah (Talitha is a feminine name meaning "little girl" in Aramaic, given in reference to the Biblical story in the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus Christ was said to have resurrected a dead child with the words "Talitha cumi" )
Telola
Temperance
Flowerdew
Thankful
ThankTheLord
Thazella
Theopa
Theophylline
Theresia
Thessaly
Thursey
Tintia Louvenia
Tobiatha
Tommie
Topia Lula
Trelia
Tursia
Tilmena
Uldine
Una
Ur
Urza
Valda
Valina
Vanita/Vanneta
Vara
Vatiina
Veranda
Vernelle
Vernetta
Versie
Vertia
Vestena
Vestina
Viogy
Volnora
Vunavesta
Wanema
Wealthy Sunshine
Whelempe
Ximena
Yallie
Zoda
Zelemal
Zella
Zelpha
Zelphia
Zene
Zeola
Zora Velula
Another thing I've come across are the MANY ways the name "Elizabeth" can be remade. The nicknames and variations of Elizabeth seem to go on and on! It is one of the top female names throughout the world and for a very long time. Mary, Margaret and Martha have always been very popular names as well.
The variants of Elizabeth:
Ailsa, Alsingbeth, Alzbet, Alzabeta, Alyssa, Alizabeth, Babette, Belita, Beta, Betta, Bettina, Beth, Betsy, Betty, Bett, Bet, Bella, Bethan, Bess, Bessie, Bizzy, Buffy, Elisabeth, Elisabetta, Ellspet, Ellspeth, Eliza, Elissa, Elyssa, Ellyza, Ellie, Ellen, Elsie, Elsa, Elspeth, Elza, Etti, Etty, El, Elle, Iza, Ilse, Ilsa, Issa, Isa, Izzy, Isabelle, Isabella, Isabela, Isabel, Isabelita, Lib, Libby, Lisa, Lilibet, Lilabeth, Lisa, Lissa, Liz, Lizzie, Lizzy, Lily, Lilly, Liza, Lizbeth, Lizbet, Liset, Lisette, Lyzette, Lizanne, Lisanne, Sabella, Tess, Tibby, Tizzy, Ysabel
For boys the top names have always been William, John, James. William has a lot of variants and nicknames:
Will, Willie, Willy, Wills, Willis, Bill, Billy, Billie, Liam, Willem, Illiam, Gil, Guy, Wim, Wimble, Wilby, Willaby, Wiliby,
Now I will end with a list of names that I like. If I'd had a couple of dozen children, they would have been well named! LOL!
Male Names I Love:
Robert Edward Lee "R.E.L." Harris
Jefferson "Jeff" Finis Davis Harris
William Ambrose Harris
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson Harris
Julian Rhett Harris
Worthington Calhoun Harris
August Southerland Harris
Micah Malachi Harris
Hezekiah "Kie" Southerland Harris
Garrison Clark Harris
Hamilton Knighton Harris
Gregory Mark Harris
William Granville Harris
Jamison Gazaway Harris
Laird Stanson Harris
Eldredge Bryson Harris
Aubrey John Harris
Giles Vander Harris
Gamewell Calhoun "Cal" Harris
Armister Heath Harris
Conrad Cutlass Harris
Avery (girl or boy)
Jackson
Grayson/Greyson
Treven
Wythe
Scout
Auburn
Moncrief
Trace
Locke
Male Names
Abel Everel
Abie Dubert
Agee
Alanson
Allefaire
Alma Zemira
Alopholus
Aloysius
Alti Minton
Ambrister
Ammons Hollingsworth
Amzi
Amzy
Aradara
Arbutus
Arenus
Armester
Armistan
Armister Heath
Arphad
Asaberry
Asaph
Asberry
Asbury
Ashcraft
Ashery
Atticus Granville
Aubrey
Auburn
Aulyses
Aven
Averitte
Avon
Aydlette
Azry
Balthazar
Barnabotte
Bathus
Beriah
Berius
Berriman
Besar
Bevlin
Birdell
Bolin
Bowater
Boxter
Breckinridge Stovall
Breece
Brockden
Brockholst Livingston
Bronny
Broughton
Brownlow Onis
Bruice
Buell
Burgin
Burgwyn
Burlin
Burnan
Busta
Cadwallader Colden
Calleflower
Carlos Felda
Carmi
Carmon Selathian
Caulie
Charner
Chesley
Chevis
Chrisanberry/Christenberry
Cicero
Clegg
Clennie
Cleophus
Clois/Cloyce
Clonnie Elgin
Clynch
Clyton
Constant
Coriolanus
Coyett
Craighead
Croker Candor
Croson
Crowson/Croson
Cryel
Curge
Curgus
Cuthbert
Cutliff
Cyldren
Damcold
Darling
Daven
Deck
Dellard
Deotis
Deusenberry
Devaud
Devotion
Diecary
Doctor Gradon
Dolphus Shadric
Dorris
Doss Dee "Dossie"
Doyne
Drifty
Drude
Dunston
Durwood
Earsy Orville
Eben
Eiman
Elbrage
Elcana
Eldon
Eldredge Bryson
Electer
Eleven
Eliphelet
Elippalett
Eliphus/Eliphas
Elivan
Elkanah/Elcanah/Elcana/Elkana/Elcany
Elmer Alberta
Elzaja
Elzaphan
Elzie
Ephrioditus
Epter
Ersey Orville
Esculapius
Esmore Durant Ashmore
Espie Aldon
Estill
Eulas/Eulis
Evastus
Exie
Falkan
Festus
Fidelia
Finis
Flake
Flave
Flay
Fleenor
Floy
Folane
Fontain
Free
Freebie
Frontes
Gadberry
Garnold
Garriot
Garson
Gassaway/Gazaway
Gaved
Gemirah
Gibboney
Gillom
Girley
Gland
Goolspring
Gotch
Grandison
Granville
Green DeBerry
Greenberry/Greenbury
Greenlee
Greenup
Grogan
Gurdine
Gust
Hanch or Hanche
Hannibal Hill
Hant
Harcanus
Harce
Harkel
Harleston
Havones
Hegwood
Helpher
Hermes
Hieronymous
Hilbred
Himerick
Hinshaw
Hinton Helpher
Hobgood
Homa
Hord
Hovey Bristow
Hudie
Hummie
Hurley
Hurstel
Ibson
Ignitions
Ireland
Irenus
Irenus Portepart
Isham
Ivor
Japaul
Jaran
Jarvis Selathian
Jehiel
Jerusha
Jock Delves
Joeberry
John Fant
Josslyn
Judethan
Juel
Juke
Kasmer
Kindred
Kinion
Knighton
Lacy
Lake Carnegie
Lawful Wright
Leander
Leaner
LeCont
Lecoy
Lemming
Lemon
Leonidas
Lessie
Lightner
Lihue
Lince
Lippitt
Locke
Loda
Lovere
Lowe
Loyon
Lycurgus
Lyntine
Lyther Foy
Malice or Milas
Manatheniel
Mancil
Mangle Minthorne
Manly Dolphus
Manzona
Masirah
Mastin
Mawgan
McCagga
Melchoir
Melmoth
Melmouth
Meribah
Merida
Micager
Michaelberry
Milas
Milledge
Milligan
Mina
Mitt
Mixon
Monco
Mondon Brisco
Montravile/Montreville
Montseniur
Moosebruggers
Morlton
Mostyn
Mott
Needham
Neely Pameanus
Netherton
Oberian
Offie
Offut
Oklah
Oliphant
Omer
Oneomous
Oney
Orlistus
Otheniel
Otho
Othur
Pallas
Pardee Chapel
Parley
Parthemus
Partridge
Paschal
Percival Clovis Adelbare
Perno
Perno D. Head
Petticord
Pettigrew
Pharmon
Phibben
Philander
Philpott
Picket
Pinckney Decalve
Pines
Pingree
Pizort
Pleadus
Pleas
Posey
Power Weathers
Poweton
Pranklin
Prather
Preserved Fish
Preserved Orphansent Fish
Prettyman
Purthenia Purple
Purvey
Puryear
Ranselear
Ransom
Rasberry
Rasmus
Rastus
Realis
Relief Crappo
Relius Dixon
Rial
Rosen Burnside
Rounae
Rouvin
Ryker
Sacheverell
Salathial
Sansberry
Sarsenet
Sefton
Selders
Selton
Shafter Arel
Sheard Sherdie Loag
Sherod
Shofford/Shufford/Showford
Shuler Lebert
Siphrous
Snepmard
Solden
Spyers or Spirus
States Rights
Straughlin
Swan/Swann
Swim
Talton
Tapley Gee
Tarpley
Tazwell
Thayer Soule
Theron
Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve "Gildy" (old radio show)
Thurl
Tolson
Torquhil
Toseland
Toy Delno
Trace
Traywick
Tresvan
Treven
Treveril
Tulius Otto
Tyre
Ubert/Urbert
Ulys
Vance Goodson
Vandyne/Vandine
Varner Vestal
Venie Joe
Venoyd
Veritas
Vites
Vogel
Void
Voille Vernell
Von
Waite Angell
Waitstill
Waitsill
Waitus
Whilden
Wiggs
Williamson
Winsberry
Wint
Workman Hardlabor
Worley
Wrestling
Yoder
Youell
Zadick
Zadock
Zaydyn
Zealotus
Zealous
Zebrel
Zenas
Zimri
Zin
Zollicoffer
Zurbey
*****************************************************************
Female Names
Achsa/Achsah
Acmira
Adalyn
Adora
Airy
Alalee
Allifair
Alabama
Almeta
Almeta
Alpha
Alsingbeth
Althea Vertillie
Alvertia
Amassa
Amazing Grace
Amberzine
America
Americus
Ammerier
Amorette
Amorit
Annever
Appalonia
Aquilar
Arabella
Araminta Cornelia
Arbie
Arburty
Arcelia
Ardenia
Argentine
Arpantha
Artemisia
Ellafair
Artimisse
Artinsey
Asenath
Assie
Athaliah
Athlea
Aureline
Avenell
Avera
Awilda
Azubah
Azzie Lepsy
Bank Minervia
Barzella
Bashi
Beada
Benona Anceline
Berdell/Byrdelle
Bertia
Bethia/Bethiah
Bineta
Bliss
Bomhardina
Booke Trout
Brynlee
Burtis
Cansadia
Catterout
Ceovia
Charlsie
Charolette
Chassie
Civilla
Clarcia
Clemia Euphemia
Clemmie
Clevie
Clora
Cloris
Cloteel
Clovie
Colista
Conette
Crescentia
Cunigunda
Decia
Delcuria
Deliska
Delodious
Dessie
Diadema
Dimariah
Dimple
Dixie Mahatma Fair
Domasina
Dorvigella
Dosha
Dossie
Dozena
Edelyn
Edith
Evalena
Elender/Ellender
Elgeva
Elizime
Ellissiffe Americanus
Elsabe
Elvena/Elvine/Elvine
Elzada
Elzina
Era Necoma
Ercel Mae
Eshy
Estalena
Etelka
Etha Bell
Ethelwynne
Ethens
Etrulia
Eufazene
Eunicie
Eupherzine
Eusenia
Eyelebeth
Fairlee/ Fairleigh
Felicina
Fleeter Ola
Floride
Frace
Gaffelia
Gay
Gaynelle
Gertha
Glodean/Glowdeen
Goldena
Gova
Graceola
Gry
Gulielma
Gwladys
Hachaliah
Hadessa
Hamo Leaky
Hartintha
Haseltine
Helopika
Hepsabeth
Hulliett
Hypolite
Idella
Idina
Inkabo
Iola
Ione
Ipolene
Iretus
Isaphene
Isla
Istelena
Izora
Lowetia
Jalane
Jaylene
Jerene
Jestine Avalena
Kansas
Katron
Keturah
Kiziah "Kizzie"
Laborious
Ladora
Laney Calpernia
Laodicea "Dicey"
Launia
Leava Little
Lebishea
Legare
Legunia
Leila Ransom
Lemma
Lenia
Leoma
Leonabelle
Leota
Lessie
Letherenda
Leuranah
Levicy
Lidabell
Lignum Vitae
Lockee Lou
Lodema
Loma Dessie
Loma Jenica
Londyn
Lotha Mehelia
Loudema
Loy
Luexa
Lujeet
Luldes
Lura
Lurinda
Luzena
Maclama
Madama
Madie
Mahalia
Malisega
Mardecil
Marilla "Rilla"
Mary Belzora
Mary Willie Laura Benilla Belle
Mehetible
Melcena
Melona/ Melonia
Merle
Metra
Milberry/Milbry
Minetta
Minta Lezetta
Mintor
Mittie Zelpher
Mohri Winona
Moon
Mozella
Munira
Mylantha
Nacy
Napossie
Narie
Neta
Netty Brasilla
Nevaeh (Heaven backwards)
Noaty
Noirfalise
Nomina
Northa
Obelia
Octa Ora
Octava/Octova
Odeline
Omi (sometimes it's short for Naomi, but not always)
Ondina
Ora/Orrie
Orda
Oressa
Orga
Ornali
Other
Ouida
Ozelle
Palina
Palisa
Pansey Blossom
Pardina
Parthina
Perlixna
Permelia
Phetoma
Phillypenia
Poplin
Punella
Purchase
Quadaisha
Racie
Ramouth
Rebelgia Hestella
Rejoice
Return
Retzy
Rhetta
Rintha Aletha
Roaney
Roburla "Burlie"
Roosevelt
Rovenia
Roxcillan
Rozella
Ruhama
Rulaney
Saba/Sabey
Sabra
Sabret
Safonsbay
Salathiel
Salomea
Samira Medlin
Saphria Louvenia
Saptrony
Sarepta Egusta
Savilla
Scholastica
Seawillow
Sedera
Sequa
Serepta Egusta
Severine
Shakema Uraih
Sharla
Sibbie
Sina
Sonora
Sophronia
Stelma
Submith
Surrilda
Tansas
Tecoa
Telitha Cumiah (Talitha is a feminine name meaning "little girl" in Aramaic, given in reference to the Biblical story in the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus Christ was said to have resurrected a dead child with the words "Talitha cumi" )
Telola
Temperance
Flowerdew
Thankful
ThankTheLord
Thazella
Theopa
Theophylline
Theresia
Thessaly
Thursey
Tintia Louvenia
Tobiatha
Tommie
Topia Lula
Trelia
Tursia
Tilmena
Uldine
Una
Ur
Urza
Valda
Valina
Vanita/Vanneta
Vara
Vatiina
Veranda
Vernelle
Vernetta
Versie
Vertia
Vestena
Vestina
Viogy
Volnora
Vunavesta
Wanema
Wealthy Sunshine
Whelempe
Ximena
Yallie
Zoda
Zelemal
Zella
Zelpha
Zelphia
Zene
Zeola
Zora Velula
Another thing I've come across are the MANY ways the name "Elizabeth" can be remade. The nicknames and variations of Elizabeth seem to go on and on! It is one of the top female names throughout the world and for a very long time. Mary, Margaret and Martha have always been very popular names as well.
The variants of Elizabeth:
Ailsa, Alsingbeth, Alzbet, Alzabeta, Alyssa, Alizabeth, Babette, Belita, Beta, Betta, Bettina, Beth, Betsy, Betty, Bett, Bet, Bella, Bethan, Bess, Bessie, Bizzy, Buffy, Elisabeth, Elisabetta, Ellspet, Ellspeth, Eliza, Elissa, Elyssa, Ellyza, Ellie, Ellen, Elsie, Elsa, Elspeth, Elza, Etti, Etty, El, Elle, Iza, Ilse, Ilsa, Issa, Isa, Izzy, Isabelle, Isabella, Isabela, Isabel, Isabelita, Lib, Libby, Lisa, Lilibet, Lilabeth, Lisa, Lissa, Liz, Lizzie, Lizzy, Lily, Lilly, Liza, Lizbeth, Lizbet, Liset, Lisette, Lyzette, Lizanne, Lisanne, Sabella, Tess, Tibby, Tizzy, Ysabel
For boys the top names have always been William, John, James. William has a lot of variants and nicknames:
Will, Willie, Willy, Wills, Willis, Bill, Billy, Billie, Liam, Willem, Illiam, Gil, Guy, Wim, Wimble, Wilby, Willaby, Wiliby,
Now I will end with a list of names that I like. If I'd had a couple of dozen children, they would have been well named! LOL!
Male Names I Love:
Robert Edward Lee "R.E.L." Harris
Jefferson "Jeff" Finis Davis Harris
William Ambrose Harris
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson Harris
Julian Rhett Harris
Worthington Calhoun Harris
August Southerland Harris
Micah Malachi Harris
Hezekiah "Kie" Southerland Harris
Garrison Clark Harris
Hamilton Knighton Harris
Gregory Mark Harris
William Granville Harris
Jamison Gazaway Harris
Laird Stanson Harris
Eldredge Bryson Harris
Aubrey John Harris
Giles Vander Harris
Gamewell Calhoun "Cal" Harris
Armister Heath Harris
Conrad Cutlass Harris
Avery (girl or boy)
Jackson
Grayson/Greyson
Treven
Wythe
Scout
Auburn
Moncrief
Trace
Locke
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Article 0
Our niece, Jenny, has her hands full with her husband, Kyle who is in the Air Force, 4 children, 2 dogs and a big extended family. She is beautiful inside and out. She is truly my blue jean and mink coat inspiration. She tried coloring her hair pink and the first picture is my digital scrapbook layout with her pink hair.
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The pink is fading out in this next photo taken a week later. She was encouraging other Mom's who may be in the midst of a struggle on Facebook. I made this digital layout of her post and her picture.
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The pink is fading out in this next photo taken a week later. She was encouraging other Mom's who may be in the midst of a struggle on Facebook. I made this digital layout of her post and her picture.
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Our Elementary Schools
My husband can remember every teacher and every student he went to school with. He went to the same school (Houston Elementary) and had the same classmates every year. But I can't. I have no recollection of the names of my 1st, 2nd and (half the) 3rd grade teachers in Elizabethton, TN. I remember the schools but not the names of the teachers. My First grade was at a new school called Harold McCormack Elementary School. But, for some reason, they moved me to Lynn Avenue Elementary School. Lynn was an old school. Someone said it had originally been the high school. It was only a few blocks from McCormack. But I spent Second grade and half of Third Grade there before we moved to Spartanburg. Elaine went to half of the First grade at Lynn before we moved and she attended Whitney the rest of her First grade and all of the Second Grade. Melinda attended all her elementary school years at Chapman. I attended a church kindergarden, then McCormack, next Lynn, then Whitney and finally Chapman during my elementary school years. That's a lot of changes for a little girl who was shy and introverted! But I did enjoy my elementary school years. Here are the digital scrapbook layouts I did of elementary school before we moved to Spartanburg.
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Lynn Elementary has been torn down but I took photos of where it used to be.
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Then we moved to Spartanburg, SC and Elaine and I went to Whitney Elementary.
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The old photos of Whitney were shared by Peggy Garrett Kelly on Facebook and I used them to make my digital scrapbook pages of Whitney Elementary. The school was built in 1919 on the edge of the Whitney mill village. Just a little further on was the Lawson's Fork Creek and Whitney Mill was built on Lawson's Fork in 1880. They started tearing it down in 2000. Whitney Elementary is located on Hwy 221 (aka Chesnee Highway). Established in 1932, US 221 was connected from North Carolina, from north of Cowpens National Battlefield to Greenwood, connecting the cities of Spartanburg, Woodruff, Laurens, and Waterloo. It eventually replaced SC 110, SC 10 and SC 670. It runs from Perry in northern Florida to Lynchburg in central Virginia. In South Carolina, the highway runs north to south from the Georgia state line near Clarks Hill to the North Carolina state line near Chesnee.
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In the third grade, Elaine and I both had Miss Ida Beatrice "Bea" Hewitt (11/14/1907-7/24/2000). She was a sweet lady and we have fond memories of her class. Every year she had her students make paper mache birds. She would assign each one of us a bird and we had to do a report about that bird and read it to the class. Mine was the bob white quail. It seems Miss Hewitt (who never married) had lived in or near Whitney her entire life and spent her teaching career at Whitney Elementary. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Hewitt, moved to Whitney in 1904.
In the fourth grade, I had Miss Ameille Rigby (5/10/1896-9/6/1995). She was also a very sweet teacher and I have good memories of her class. We spent our recess in the mown grass at the back of the school. In the Spring, I picked her a bouquet of violets during recess. I've loved violets ever since. Our class was in the basement with windows facing the back yard of the school. She read to us Charlotte's Web. Mother had read Heidi to us and Mrs. Rigby reminded me of my Mother reading to us. Every day, after lunch, she read us a book. I didn't particularly like Charlotte's Web because it was about a spider and the spider dies. But I loved her reading to us.
They built Chapman Elementary and it opened so that I attended 5th and 6th grades there. Elaine attended 3rd-6th grades there and Melinda attended 1st-6th grades at Chapman. Just last year, Chapman closed it's doors. It has been merged with the old Houston Elementary (where Stan and his siblings went) into the new Drayton Mills Elementary (across the street from the old Houston Elementary). Here are the digital scrapbook pages I did on Chapman Elementary.
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My 5th grade teacher may NOT have been Miss Rigby as this page says. I believe she was my 4th grade teacher and Mrs. Helen Bishop Kanipe was my 5th grade teacher. Or vice versa. Both were sweet teachers and I get them mixed up. I have changed it on my scrapbook page that would be used to in a printed book. Mrs. Helen B. Kanipe (3/16/1922-6/9/2014) was married to Clarence Earl "Smokey" Kanipe, Sr. She was a teacher for 45 years mostly at Whitney and Chapman. She was living in Mauldin when she and her husband died. In the Sixth grade I had Mrs. Boston. I don't remember her first name so I'm guessing here based on Google searches. She may have been Roenia Holland (6/28/1929-12/25/2000) married to a Boston and then a Foster. She was the first black teacher I had and, despite all the civil rights upheaval going on in the 1960's, it never occurred to me that it was unusual. My parents had made sure we knew that God loved every person despite color or any other characteristic. Otherwise they kept us fairly protected from the ugliness in the world. So I was not shocked or confused when I had my first black teacher. She was just my teacher and I liked her. She was, as my previous teachers had been, a very sweet woman. I seem to remember her as being a little more quiet in nature, but then all my teachers in elementary school had been gentle women. The one thing in her class that I do remember was her letting us debate a subject with half the class assigned to one side of the subject and the other half of the class assigned to the other side. I found out I was a pretty good debater, LOL! Thank you Mrs. Boston!
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It was junior high and high school that I began to have a lot of problems. I had to have major surgery in the Sixth grade. It was a life and death situation and took me a long time to recover. I was very fearful and nervous, sensitive and depressed. I think I suffered my first bout of depression in the 6th grade. After that I was so high strung. I guess the hormone changes worked with my health problems and depression to create a perfect storm type scenario. I was not always in my right mind during those last 2 high school years. I didn't do drugs, sleep around or things like that. I did begin drinking and didn't know my body well enough to know how it affected me yet so I had some problems there until I learned what I could tolerate and what I didn't want any part of. I hate to feel out of control and being drunk gives me a violently sick hangover the next day. I learned, after a couple of times, that I NEVER wanted to feel that way again so I learned to stop before it got that far. But you don't know until you experience it. Unfortunately, there are those who experiment with alcohol but become addicted. So it's not something I would suggest trying. It's really best to don't do it at all because if you do experiment you could figure out how much your body tolerates and when it's time to stop OR you could find out you're an alcoholic and, having seen alcoholism up close, it's not something I would wish on my worst enemy. So it's not worth it. To insure you never become an alcoholic, DON'T even start, don't take the first drink! My problems were more depression and suicidal ideation. And I still struggle with it. Fortunately, the last 6 months of high school, I met that Harris family. Elaine had started dating Ronnie (whom she married when she turned 18) and I met the family through her. I was at a point of deep depression and needing an answer. I had been saved at 8 years old (back when we were still living in Elizabethton) and was baptized in 1967 before we moved. I was a believer and I think, if I had died, I would have gone to Heaven. I really don't remember a time in my life when I didn't know and believe in Jesus Christ. But, in high school I had gotten confused and was struggling emotionally. Just before we met the Harris', their older daughter, Kathi, began to have migraine headaches and she thought she might be dying. She went to the little church in the neighborhood where they had grown up and she got saved. Then, it spread through the family. Each one, one after the other, got saved. Elaine began attending church with Ronnie and I went with them. I re-dedicated my life and I've never looked back. Stan, the oldest, was the last one to come to church. I was sitting with Elaine and Ronnie in the tiny church. The front doors opened directly into the little sanctuary. We had just got settled when we heard the doors open and close. I looked back and there was this gorgeous man sitting in the back pew. I punched Elaine and whispered, "Who is that?!?" and she said, "That's the oldest, Stan." It was love at first sight for me. I mean, I could almost hear the angels singing and heavenly light focus on him!!! LOL!!! Sure enough, Kathi and Elaine set us up for our first date. He was 5 years older than me so he was 22 when we met and I was 17. He didn't know where to take a Christian girl so his mother suggested the Billy Graham Crusade in Asheville. We went and he got saved that night on our first date! We got married in 6 months, 3 weeks after I turned 18 years old. As of 2019, We've been married 42 years. God is good! Elaine and Ronnie have been married 40 years and Melinda and Mike have been married 38 years. We all got married at 18 yrs old, as did our Mother and both Grandmothers. It sounds very young but it worked for all of us.
Here are the digital scrapbook pages I did of Stan going back to Houston Elementary School. In 2018 they closed the doors of Chapman and Houston Elementary. They merged them into Drayton Mill Elementary School. They had an open house for "alumni" to get a last look and we went up there.
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Then we moved to Spartanburg, SC and Elaine and I went to Whitney Elementary.
In the third grade, Elaine and I both had Miss Ida Beatrice "Bea" Hewitt (11/14/1907-7/24/2000). She was a sweet lady and we have fond memories of her class. Every year she had her students make paper mache birds. She would assign each one of us a bird and we had to do a report about that bird and read it to the class. Mine was the bob white quail. It seems Miss Hewitt (who never married) had lived in or near Whitney her entire life and spent her teaching career at Whitney Elementary. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Hewitt, moved to Whitney in 1904.
In the fourth grade, I had Miss Ameille Rigby (5/10/1896-9/6/1995). She was also a very sweet teacher and I have good memories of her class. We spent our recess in the mown grass at the back of the school. In the Spring, I picked her a bouquet of violets during recess. I've loved violets ever since. Our class was in the basement with windows facing the back yard of the school. She read to us Charlotte's Web. Mother had read Heidi to us and Mrs. Rigby reminded me of my Mother reading to us. Every day, after lunch, she read us a book. I didn't particularly like Charlotte's Web because it was about a spider and the spider dies. But I loved her reading to us.
They built Chapman Elementary and it opened so that I attended 5th and 6th grades there. Elaine attended 3rd-6th grades there and Melinda attended 1st-6th grades at Chapman. Just last year, Chapman closed it's doors. It has been merged with the old Houston Elementary (where Stan and his siblings went) into the new Drayton Mills Elementary (across the street from the old Houston Elementary). Here are the digital scrapbook pages I did on Chapman Elementary.
My 5th grade teacher may NOT have been Miss Rigby as this page says. I believe she was my 4th grade teacher and Mrs. Helen Bishop Kanipe was my 5th grade teacher. Or vice versa. Both were sweet teachers and I get them mixed up. I have changed it on my scrapbook page that would be used to in a printed book. Mrs. Helen B. Kanipe (3/16/1922-6/9/2014) was married to Clarence Earl "Smokey" Kanipe, Sr. She was a teacher for 45 years mostly at Whitney and Chapman. She was living in Mauldin when she and her husband died. In the Sixth grade I had Mrs. Boston. I don't remember her first name so I'm guessing here based on Google searches. She may have been Roenia Holland (6/28/1929-12/25/2000) married to a Boston and then a Foster. She was the first black teacher I had and, despite all the civil rights upheaval going on in the 1960's, it never occurred to me that it was unusual. My parents had made sure we knew that God loved every person despite color or any other characteristic. Otherwise they kept us fairly protected from the ugliness in the world. So I was not shocked or confused when I had my first black teacher. She was just my teacher and I liked her. She was, as my previous teachers had been, a very sweet woman. I seem to remember her as being a little more quiet in nature, but then all my teachers in elementary school had been gentle women. The one thing in her class that I do remember was her letting us debate a subject with half the class assigned to one side of the subject and the other half of the class assigned to the other side. I found out I was a pretty good debater, LOL! Thank you Mrs. Boston!
It was junior high and high school that I began to have a lot of problems. I had to have major surgery in the Sixth grade. It was a life and death situation and took me a long time to recover. I was very fearful and nervous, sensitive and depressed. I think I suffered my first bout of depression in the 6th grade. After that I was so high strung. I guess the hormone changes worked with my health problems and depression to create a perfect storm type scenario. I was not always in my right mind during those last 2 high school years. I didn't do drugs, sleep around or things like that. I did begin drinking and didn't know my body well enough to know how it affected me yet so I had some problems there until I learned what I could tolerate and what I didn't want any part of. I hate to feel out of control and being drunk gives me a violently sick hangover the next day. I learned, after a couple of times, that I NEVER wanted to feel that way again so I learned to stop before it got that far. But you don't know until you experience it. Unfortunately, there are those who experiment with alcohol but become addicted. So it's not something I would suggest trying. It's really best to don't do it at all because if you do experiment you could figure out how much your body tolerates and when it's time to stop OR you could find out you're an alcoholic and, having seen alcoholism up close, it's not something I would wish on my worst enemy. So it's not worth it. To insure you never become an alcoholic, DON'T even start, don't take the first drink! My problems were more depression and suicidal ideation. And I still struggle with it. Fortunately, the last 6 months of high school, I met that Harris family. Elaine had started dating Ronnie (whom she married when she turned 18) and I met the family through her. I was at a point of deep depression and needing an answer. I had been saved at 8 years old (back when we were still living in Elizabethton) and was baptized in 1967 before we moved. I was a believer and I think, if I had died, I would have gone to Heaven. I really don't remember a time in my life when I didn't know and believe in Jesus Christ. But, in high school I had gotten confused and was struggling emotionally. Just before we met the Harris', their older daughter, Kathi, began to have migraine headaches and she thought she might be dying. She went to the little church in the neighborhood where they had grown up and she got saved. Then, it spread through the family. Each one, one after the other, got saved. Elaine began attending church with Ronnie and I went with them. I re-dedicated my life and I've never looked back. Stan, the oldest, was the last one to come to church. I was sitting with Elaine and Ronnie in the tiny church. The front doors opened directly into the little sanctuary. We had just got settled when we heard the doors open and close. I looked back and there was this gorgeous man sitting in the back pew. I punched Elaine and whispered, "Who is that?!?" and she said, "That's the oldest, Stan." It was love at first sight for me. I mean, I could almost hear the angels singing and heavenly light focus on him!!! LOL!!! Sure enough, Kathi and Elaine set us up for our first date. He was 5 years older than me so he was 22 when we met and I was 17. He didn't know where to take a Christian girl so his mother suggested the Billy Graham Crusade in Asheville. We went and he got saved that night on our first date! We got married in 6 months, 3 weeks after I turned 18 years old. As of 2019, We've been married 42 years. God is good! Elaine and Ronnie have been married 40 years and Melinda and Mike have been married 38 years. We all got married at 18 yrs old, as did our Mother and both Grandmothers. It sounds very young but it worked for all of us.
Here are the digital scrapbook pages I did of Stan going back to Houston Elementary School. In 2018 they closed the doors of Chapman and Houston Elementary. They merged them into Drayton Mill Elementary School. They had an open house for "alumni" to get a last look and we went up there.
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Revelation 16
This voice comes from the heavenly Temple so it must be the voice of God Himself. He directs the angels to pour the 7 bowls (or vials) of God's wrath upon the earth.
I have worked on Revelation so there are other posts previous to this one. You need to see how patient, tolerant and long suffering God has been. He didn't just suddenly decide to punish human beings because He's in a sudden rage. If you only read this post, you will not see the whole, long picture of how God has consistently and steadily warned and given chances to these people. The history of God with human beings has been one of constant and careful work to bring as many as will choose Him into safety so that we won't suffer God's wrath! He provided the way of safety through His very Son, Jesus Christ. No one has to suffer God's wrath because God provided the solution. But there are many who refuse to acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ. We are all sinners and no matter how badly you've sinned, Jesus can forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. You are not too far gone and you are not too damaged for Jesus to save!!! If you think you are then you are limiting God. If you really think what you have done is unforgivable (and maybe it is according to human beings) then you are saying the work Jesus did on the cross was not enough and therefore He can't be God. As a Christian, Jesus directs me to forgive anyone who has harmed me. But I'm also a flawed human being and that makes it really hard to obey this command. As a Christian, I will try to forgive, I will struggle, eventually, over time, maybe I can truly forgive. That's between me and God and He will continue to work this out in me. But let me tell you, Jesus Christ is GOD and He forgives you as soon as you really want forgiveness. As soon as you turn your heart to Him and cry out, He is there and forgives. Your sins are washed away by His very blood and you are covered by His righteousness and you are saved! He doesn't have to have time, He doesn't have to struggle, He doesn't have to work on it. He did that work on the cross and you can benefit from it by simply believing in Him and crying out to Him. His love never fails. Now, you may still have the consequences of your sins and your sinful choices to deal with. But you aren't in it alone any more. As soon as you are saved, you are born again and He sends the Holy Spirit into your heart to help you learn about God and how to live as a Christian. The Holy Spirit is a very patient and consistent teacher. You may flounder like the rest of us, but He is there to continue to point you to Christ and lead you in a right direction. He is there for the rest of your life continually trying to prod you, teach you, show you, reveal to you, explain to you, etc. There is no teacher better than the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, many people will still refuse God. They prefer their sins and they reject every invitation to accept Jesus Christ. Their hearts become so hard, cold and evil that they no longer hear the calls of the Holy Spirit. They laugh, mock and jeer at God; declare He is dead; spit on and blaspheme Him. (Again, if even one turns to God in repentance, no matter how they've treated Him in the past, God loves them and will forgive them if they will accept Jesus Christ and repent of their sins. They are not beyond saving, but it has to be their choice.)
Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet. Dante was born in 1265 in Florence, Italy into a family of lower nobility. His mother died in his childhood, and his father died when Dante was 18. While in political exile, Dante began writing his masterpiece... The Divine Comedy. It is made up of three sections: Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise. The most famous is the story about Dante's trip through Hell, The Inferno. The Ancient Roman poet Virgil, who is the symbol of reason, serves as Dante's guide through Hell. On this tour of Hell, Dante meets mythological, historical, and contemporary people. Each character is symbolic of a particular sin and their punishment corresponds to their sins on Earth. They wind down through many levels and circles to the very pit where satan resides in the center of a frozen lake, not a lake of fire as the Bible says. Cast from Heaven for rebelling against God, satan is fixed for eternity with his upper body above the frozen lake. Frozen into the ice from which flow all the rivers of guilt, satan tried to escape by batting his wings but just freezes himself into place. Just as satan was a traitor against God, all traitors are frozen in the ice of the lake in the pit of hell. Virgil leads Dante down, climbing down Satan's back and leads Dante through a crack in the ice and out the other side. From this point they begin to ascend because they have passed through the center of Earth and face an upward climb to the Mountain of Purgatory. Without stopping, they follow a winding path toward Earth's surface. Just before dawn on Easter Sunday they emerge.
Let's look at the Seventh Circle on the spiral to the pit of Hell.
Woodcuts by Gustav Dore
Blasphemers- stretched out on hot, sterile sand
Homosexuals - run in circles
Usurers - huddled on the ground
Punishment that fits the crime: fiery rain symbolizes God's wrath.
The third ring--inside the first two--is a barren plain of sand ignited by flakes of fire falling like snowflakes that torment three separate groups of violent offenders against God: those who offend God directly (blasphemers: Inferno 14); those who violate nature (sodomites: Inferno 15-16); and those who harm industry and the economy (usurers: Inferno 17).
A huge and powerful warrior-king who virtually embodies defiance against his highest god, Capaneus is an exemplary blasphemer. Dante's portrayal of Capaneus in Inferno 14.43-72--his large size and scornful account of Jove striking him down with thunderbolts--is based on the Thebaid, a late Roman epic poem. He climbs atop the walls protecting the city and directly challenges the gods: "come now, Jupiter, and strive with all your flames against me!" he deity gathers his terrifying weapons and strikes Capaneus with a thunderbolt. His hair and helmet aflame, Capaneus feels the fatal fire burning within and falls from the walls to the ground below. He finally lies outstretched, his lifeless body as immense as that of a giant.
Identifying the sins of the last two groups with Sodom and Cahors, Dante draws on the biblical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone (Genesis 19:24-5) and the medieval condemnations of citizens of Cahors (a city in southern France) for usury.
Based on biblical passages--fallen man must live "by the sweat of his brow" (Genesis 3:19), Jesus' appeal to his followers to "lend, expecting nothing in return" (Luke 6:35)--therefore lending money at interest was thought to be sinful. Thomas Aquinas warned that suicide violates the natural law of self-preservation, harms the community at large, and usurps God's disposition of life and death.
The point I wanted to make, is we are all sinners and all deserving of hell. Hell is not a place anyone should want to go whether it resembles Dante's imagination or not. In fact, just like we can't imagine how wonderful Heaven will be, we probably can't imagine how horrible hell will be. God's wrath is not something to trifle with. God has shown us love in providing a way of escape through His Son, Jesus Christ. But there is an end to His extension of mercy and grace. If you die without choosing Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have lost all further chance of mercy and grace. If you are here when the day of judgment comes and you have continued to reject God's offer of escape, you have lost all further chance of mercy and grace. Throughout your entire life, the Holy Spirit has called you and reached out to you and invited you. The love of God is yours for the taking but you have to choose to take it and accept Jesus Christ. Please don't put it off another second! If you died today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?
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So now we see the last of God's wrath poured out in the seven bowls. Some of these bowls contain plagues like the plagues God sent the Egyptians when Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go. Let's look at those plagues to refresh our memory.
1. Water into blood: Exodus 7:14–24
2. Frogs: Exodus 7:25–8:15
3. Lice: Exodus 8:16-19
4. Mixture of wild animals: Exodus 8:20-32
5. Diseased livestock: Exodus 9:1–7
6. Boils: Exodus 9:8–12
7. Thunderstorm of hail and fire: Exodus 9:13–35
8. Locusts: Exodus 10:1–20
9. Darkness for three days: Exodus 10:21–29
10. Death of firstborn: Exodus 11:1–12:36
Exodus 7:6-25 6 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “Pharaoh will demand, ‘Show me a miracle.’ When he does this, say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh, and it will become a serpent.’”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the LORD had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! 11 Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. 12 They threw down their staffs, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the LORD had predicted.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go. 15 So go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes down to the river. Stand on the bank of the Nile and meet him there. Be sure to take along the staff that turned into a snake. 16 Then announce to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, “Let my people go, so they can worship me in the wilderness.” Until now, you have refused to listen to him. 17 So this is what the LORD says: “I will show you that I am the LORD.” Look! I will strike the water of the Nile with this staff in my hand, and the river will turn to blood. 18 The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’”
19 Then the LORD said to Moses: “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and raise your hand over the waters of Egypt—all its rivers, canals, ponds, and all the reservoirs. Turn all the water to blood. Everywhere in Egypt the water will turn to blood, even the water stored in wooden bowls and stone pots.’”
20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron raised his staff and struck the water of the Nile. Suddenly, the whole river turned to blood! 21 The fish in the river died, and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn’t drink it. There was blood everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 22 But again the magicians of Egypt used their magic, and they, too, turned water into blood. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted. 23 Pharaoh returned to his palace and put the whole thing out of his mind. 24 Then all the Egyptians dug along the riverbank to find drinking water, for they couldn’t drink the water from the Nile.
25 Seven days passed from the time the LORD struck the Nile.
Exodus 8 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs across your entire land. 3 The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into your ovens and your kneading bowls. 4 Frogs will jump on you, your people, and all your officials.’” 5 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise the staff in your hand over all the rivers, canals, and ponds of Egypt, and bring up frogs over all the land.’” 6 So Aaron raised his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the whole land! 7 But the magicians were able to do the same thing with their magic. They, too, caused frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, “Plead with the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people. I will let your people go, so they can offer sacrifices to the LORD.”
9 “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. Then you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
10 “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
“All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that there is no one like the LORD our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials, and your people. They will remain only in the Nile River.”
12 So Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh’s palace, and Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had inflicted on Pharaoh. 13 And the LORD did just what Moses had predicted. The frogs in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields all died. 14 The Egyptians piled them into great heaps, and a terrible stench filled the land. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had predicted.
16 So the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise your staff and strike the ground. The dust will turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” 17 So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them. When Aaron raised his hand and struck the ground with his staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the land of Egypt turned into gnats. 18 Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered everyone, people and animals alike. 19 “This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the LORD had predicted.
20 Then the LORD told Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand in Pharaoh’s way as he goes down to the river. Say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 21 If you refuse, then I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and all the houses. The Egyptian homes will be filled with flies, and the ground will be covered with them. 22 But this time I will spare the region of Goshen, where my people live. No flies will be found there. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that I am present even in the heart of your land. 23 I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
24 And the LORD did just as he had said. A thick swarm of flies filled Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his officials. The whole land of Egypt was thrown into chaos by the flies.
25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “All right! Go ahead and offer sacrifices to your God,” he said. “But do it here in this land.”
26 But Moses replied, “That wouldn’t be right. The Egyptians detest the sacrifices that we offer to the LORD our God. Look, if we offer our sacrifices here where the Egyptians can see us, they will stone us. 27 We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, just as he has commanded us.”
28 “All right, go ahead,” Pharaoh replied. “I will let you go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God. But don’t go too far away. Now hurry and pray for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the LORD, and tomorrow the swarms of flies will disappear from you and your officials and all your people. But I am warning you, Pharaoh, don’t lie to us again and refuse to let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD."
30 So Moses left Pharaoh’s palace and pleaded with the LORD to remove all the flies. 31 And the LORD did as Moses asked and caused the swarms of flies to disappear from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not a single fly remained. 32 But Pharaoh again became stubborn and refused to let the people go.
Exodus 9 1 “Go back to Pharaoh,” the LORD commanded Moses. “Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 2 If you continue to hold them and refuse to let them go, 3 the hand of the LORD will strike all your livestock—your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats—with a deadly plague. 4 But the LORD will again make a distinction between the livestock of the Israelites and that of the Egyptians. Not a single one of Israel’s animals will die! 5 The LORD has already set the time for the plague to begin. He has declared that he will strike the land tomorrow.’”
6 And the LORD did just as he had said. The next morning all the livestock of the Egyptians died, but the Israelites didn’t lose a single animal. 7 Pharaoh sent his officials to investigate, and they discovered that the Israelites had not lost a single animal! But even so, Pharaoh’s heart remained stubborn, and he still refused to let the people go.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a brick kiln, and have Moses toss it into the air while Pharaoh watches. 9 The ashes will spread like fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
10 So they took soot from a brick kiln and went and stood before Pharaoh. As Pharaoh watched, Moses threw the soot into the air, and boils broke out on people and animals alike. 11 Even the magicians were unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians. 12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.
13 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. 14 If you don’t, I will send more plagues on you and your officials and your people. Then you will know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth. 16 But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth. 17 But you still lord it over my people and refuse to let them go. 18 So tomorrow at this time I will send a hailstorm more devastating than any in all the history of Egypt. 19 Quick! Order your livestock and servants to come in from the fields to find shelter. Any person or animal left outside will die when the hail falls.’”
20 Some of Pharaoh’s officials were afraid because of what the LORD had said. They quickly brought their servants and livestock in from the fields. 21 But those who paid no attention to the word of the LORD left theirs out in the open. 22 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky so hail may fall on the people, the livestock, and all the plants throughout the land of Egypt.”
23 So Moses lifted his staff toward the sky, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed toward the earth. The LORD sent a tremendous hailstorm against all the land of Egypt. 24 Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that, with such devastating hail and continuous lightning. 25 It left all of Egypt in ruins. The hail struck down everything in the open field—people, animals, and plants alike. Even the trees were destroyed. 26 The only place without hail was the region of Goshen, where the people of Israel lived.
27 Then Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he confessed. “The LORD is the righteous one, and my people and I are wrong. 28 Please beg the LORD to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.”
29 “All right,” Moses replied. “As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the LORD. Then the thunder and hail will stop, and you will know that the earth belongs to the LORD. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God.”
31 (All the flax and barley were ruined by the hail, because the barley had formed heads and the flax was budding. 32 But the wheat and the emmer wheat were spared, because they had not yet sprouted from the ground.) 33 So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and went out of the city. When he lifted his hands to the LORD, the thunder and hail stopped, and the downpour ceased. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he and his officials sinned again, and Pharaoh again became stubborn. 35 Because his heart was hard, Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the LORD had predicted through Moses.
Exodus 10 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Return to Pharaoh and make your demands again. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can display my miraculous signs among them. 2 I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. 4 If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will bring a swarm of locusts on your country. 5 They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields. 6 They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses in Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt have your ancestors seen a plague like this one!” And with that, Moses turned and left Pharaoh. 7 Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the LORD their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the LORD your God. But who exactly will be going with you?”
9 Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the LORD.”
10 Pharaoh retorted, “The LORD will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. 11 Never! Only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and devour every plant that survived the hailstorm.”
13 So Moses raised his staff over Egypt, and the LORD caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 And the locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt, settling in dense swarms from one end of the country to the other. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never been another one like it. 15 For the locusts covered the whole country and darkened the land. They devoured every plant in the fields and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not a single leaf was left on the trees and plants throughout the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you,” he confessed. 17 “Forgive my sin, just this once, and plead with the LORD your God to take away this death from me.”
18 So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the LORD. 19 The LORD responded by shifting the wind, and the strong west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea.b Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. 20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart again, so he refused to let the people go.
21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” 22 So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. 23 During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived.
24 Finally, Pharaoh called for Moses. “Go and worship the LORD,” he said. “But leave your flocks and herds here. You may even take your little ones with you.”
25 “No,” Moses said, “you must provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to the LORD our God. 26 All our livestock must go with us, too; not a hoof can be left behind. We must choose our sacrifices for the LORD our God from among these animals. And we won’t know how we are to worship the LORD until we get there.”
27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart once more, and he would not let them go. 28 “Get out of here!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses. “I’m warning you. Never come back to see me again! The day you see my face, you will die!” 29 “Very well,” Moses replied. “I will never see your face again.”
Exodus 11 1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country. In fact, he will be so eager to get rid of you that he will force you all to leave. 2 Tell all the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (Now the LORD had caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the people of Israel. And Moses was considered a very great man in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s officials and the Egyptian people alike.)
4 Moses had announced to Pharaoh, “This is what the LORD says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt. 5 All the firstborn sons will die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the oldest son of his lowliest servant girl who grinds the flour. Even the firstborn of all the livestock will die. 6 Then a loud wail will rise throughout the land of Egypt, a wail like no one has heard before or will ever hear again. 7 But among the Israelites it will be so peaceful that not even a dog will bark. Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites. 8 All the officials of Egypt will run to me and fall to the ground before me. ‘Please leave!’ they will beg. ‘Hurry! And take all your followers with you.’ Only then will I go!” Then, burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.
9 Now the LORD had told Moses earlier, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, but then I will do even more mighty miracles in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed these miracles in Pharaoh’s presence, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let the Israelites leave the country.
Exodus 12:1-42 1 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4 If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. 5 The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.
6 “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. 8 That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. 10 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.
11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,a wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the LORD’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD! 13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD. This is a law for all time. 15 For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel. 16 On the first day of the festival and again on the seventh day, all the people must observe an official day for holy assembly. No work of any kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food.
17 “Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation. 18 The bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of that month. 19 During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These regulations apply both to the foreigners living among you and to the native-born Israelites. 20 During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.”
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal. 22 Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning. 23 For the LORD will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.
24 “Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants must observe forever. 25 When you enter the land the LORD has promised to give you, you will continue to observe this ceremony. 26 Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ 27 And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped.
28 So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron. 29 And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.
31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.” 33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!”
34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders. 35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. 36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!
37 That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children. 38 A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock. 39 For bread they baked flat cakes from the dough without yeast they had brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare the bread or other food. 40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. 41 In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the LORD’s forces left the land. 42 On this night the LORD kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.
Let's compare them to the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath in Revelation 16.
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Revelation 16:2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
Let's look at some of these words in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:
loathsome, κακὸν (kakon) Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 2556: Bad, evil, in the widest sense. Apparently a primary word; worthless, i.e. depraved, or injurious.
malignant, πονηρὸν (ponēron), Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 4190: Evil, bad, wicked, malicious, slothful.
sores, ἕλκος (helkos), Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 1668: A (festering) sore, a wound. Probably from helkuo; an ulcer.
There are those who see this as more symbolic than literal. I.e. there is someone or something or some group that is like a festering sore. Can you think of a group of people that can be like a festering, rotting sore in our society? Takers and not givers? Those who would steal from others so they can live in ease themselves? It could be drug addicts that are so addicted they no longer care about anything but getting the next fix. They would rob, steal, kill, and live in utter filth and sloth as they drag themselves through from one drug fix to another. They are worthless as long as they are in bondage to the drugs. Or could it be those who refuse to work, but don't mind taking handouts from the government on taxpayers expense? They continue to have children they don't take care of in order to get more government money. They are slothful and worthless. If they do exert themselves it's to do evil. They would sell drugs on a street corner or sell their bodies to get money to waste on themselves rather than taking care of their children or families. They would rather lay around all day and party and club all night as they waste any opportunity to do better. Their god is their appetite whether it's for sex, money, drugs, gold chains, glittering cars, or the latest fad in fashion. And if you get in their way, you can expect the evil, maliciousness to come out. They'd shoot you over a pair of tennis shoes or knock you over the head for the $20 bill in your wallet. Or maybe it's those rich people who seem to have all the money in the world and they waste and spend it on so much nothing. They have millions and billions so they spend it on any whim that crosses their minds. Week long parties on their latest yacht, with bags of drugs and alcohol. Everyone stays in a perpetual drug fueled haze and when someone comes down from it, it's time to end that party and go to something else. So they drop any problem people around them and head to the next thing. Maybe a new house in the best section of beach in California and they start another party. Or they take their private jets to their house on Monte Carlo or Aspen and start another party. Their kids are forgotten in boarding schools. When they finally get loose from the schools, they mimic others just like them and go from one fancy to another. Nothing has meaning, nothing is worth working for, no one has any higher purpose. They are depraved and mostly live to ruin and besmirch anything, or anyone, they come into contact with. A beautiful beach... they know how to trash it. A beautiful home... they know how to destroy it. A beautiful girl... they know how to ruin her. A beautiful country... they know how to drag it down and stomp on it.
Yes, I can imagine that these loathsome, malignant sores could be symbolic. But they can also be very literal.
In the history of mankind, many diseases cause sores that cause festering sores. The Black Death is thought to have originated in the dry plains of Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, North India and Uganda. Due to climate change in Asia, rodents began to flee the dried out grasslands to more populated areas, spreading the disease. Flea bites allow for the Yersenia pestis bacteria to pass the skin barrier. Epidemics that may have included plague killed an estimated 25 million Chinese and other Asians during the fifteen years before it reached Constantinople in 1347. It traveled along the Silk Road either via the traders or the Mongol Armies, reaching Crimea by 1343. During a protracted siege of the city by the Mongol army under Jani Beg, whose army was suffering from the disease, the army catapulted infected corpses over the city walls of Kaffa to infect the inhabitants. The Genoese traders fled, taking the plague by ship into Sicily and the south of Europe, whence it spread north. FIt was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships, spreading throughout the Mediterranean Basin and Europe. The Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60% of Europe's total population. It took 200 years for the world population to recover to its previous level. The plague reached Sicily in October 1347, carried by twelve Genoese galleys.
After people catch the plague, the symptoms start 1-6 days later. You feel very sick and weak and may have a fever, chills, and headaches. Other symptoms depend on the three main kinds of plague:
Bubonic plague. This is the most common type. It causes buboes, which are very swollen and painful lymph nodes under the arms, in the neck, or in the groin. Without treatment, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body.
Septicemic plague. This type is more dangerous than bubonic plague. It’s when the bacteria have moved into the blood. Signs include:
Bleeding under the skin or from the mouth, nose, or bottom
Blackened skin, especially on the nose, fingers, and toes
Belly pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and shock
Pneumonic plague. This is when the bacteria are in the lungs. It’s the rarest form of the disease. It’s deadly without treatment. It’s also very contagious because the plague can spread through the air when a person coughs. Symptoms include:
Cough, sometimes with blood
Trouble breathing
Nausea and vomiting
Antibiotics can be used to treat the rare cases of plague that still happen every year.
Smallpox is another disease that caused horrible blisters and usually resulted in death.
Pellagra is a disease caused by niacin, also known as vitamin B-3, deficiency. It's marked by dementia, diarrhea, and dermatitis, also known as “the three Ds”. The sores it causes are horrible. Before scientists found out what caused pellagra, it was a horrible way to die. The pellagra epidemic lasted for nearly four decades beginning in 1906. It was estimated that there were 3 million cases and 100,000 deaths due to pellagra during the epidemic.
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a is a chronic, progressive, long-term infection by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy is spread between people, however extensive contact is necessary. It is thought that it is spread via nasal droplets but it still remains a mystery. The two main types of disease are based on the number of bacteria present: paucibacillary and multibacillary. The first noticeable sign of leprosy is often the development of pale or pinkish patches of skin that may be insensitive to temperature or pain. This is sometimes accompanied or preceded by nerve problems including numbness or tenderness in the hands or feet. Nerve damage is often irreversible. This is sometimes accompanied or preceded by nerve problems including numbness or tenderness in the hands or feet. The skin lesions are like ulcers. Without feeling pain, people injure themselves and the injuries can become infected, resulting in tissue loss. Fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as the cartilage is absorbed into the body. Leprosy originated in East Africa or the Near East and traveled with humans along their migration routes, including those of trade in goods and slaves. The four strains of M. leprae are based in specific geographic regions. Strain 1 occurs predominately in East Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region; strain 2 in Ethiopia, Malawai, Nepal/north India, and New Caledonia; strain 3 in North Africa, Europe, and the Americas; and strain 4 in West Africa and the Caribbean islands. For centuries, the very word, "leprosy," caused panic. It was a death sentence for thousands of years and a way or dying that was truly a horror. Hundreds of thousands still contract it each year. It is treatable now with leprostatic agents. But thousands still die.
Shingles is a rash with shooting pain. The virus is varicella zoster that causes chickenpox. After the chickenpox runs its itchy course, the virus retreats to nerve tissues near your spinal cord and brain, where it hides out. Doctors don’t know why, but sometimes the virus “wakes up” and travels along nerve fibers to your skin. That’s when it lands its second punch-shingles, also called herpes zoster. A weakened or compromised immune system can make you susceptible. The rash eventually turns into painful, red, fluid-filled blisters. They should begin to dry out and crust over within 7 to 10 days. You can spread the varicella zoster virus to people who’ve never had chickenpox and haven’t been vaccinated. You are contagious until all of the sores have crusted over. There are vaccines that are 90% effective now.
These are just a few of the most well known diseases or viruses that cause "loathsome, malignant sores". I don't recommend you use your imagination to come up with more like skin melanoma, etc.
It also particularly mentions that these sores come on people who took on the mark of the beast. Could it be some kind of reaction to whatever the mark of the beast is? For instance, if it's a microchip, could there be some reaction to the metals in the microchip? If it's more like a tattoo could there be some reaction to the ink of the tattoo?
It should remind you that this is something you don't want to have to live through if you can help it!
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Revelation 16: 3 Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.
The Red Sea is so named because it becomes filled with blooms of cyanobacteria algae, called trichodesmium erythraeum, which, upon dying, turn the usually blue-green water, reddish-brown. Trichodesmium erythraeum algae, which clouds and muddies the usually translucent blue-green waters appear as red and pinkish blankets on the surface of these waters.
Many organisms around the world can cause these harmful algal booms (HABs), which are also known as red tides for their common rust-red color. In Florida, the culprit is usually the tiny, plant-like alga known as Karenia brevis, which produces toxins, dubbed brevetoxins, that cause both gastrointestinal and neurological problems when eaten. The salinity, temperatures, light saturation, chemistry, and currents around Florida all conspire to produce a bloom that may be blown to shore by the wind. Then Runoff from cattle farms and residential developments feed it. Each year brings more nutrient-rich waters—often laden with slimy cyanobacteria—flowing from Lake Okeechobee down the Caloosahatchee river out into the Gulf of Mexico.
Salt Lake Tuz in Turkey
In Egypt, the Nile was their strength, and it became worse than useless when its waters were turned to blood. Earlier in Revelation the sea represented the tide of humanity. For those who see this verse in symbolism, the free movement of peoples, like the ocean, is the environment of nations. Swayed by impulse, and directed by worldliness, greed and evil, the sea of humanity becomes corrupt, killing any vestige of better life.
With all Christians gone from the scene in the late Tribulation period, I see these bowl judgments as more literal than symbolic but it could be both. Christians don't suffer the wrath of God, therefore we are safe in the ark of Christ and no longer here during the bowls of wrath. That means that only the unsaved, the lost, are left on earth. They are led by either satan himself in disguise or a satanically inspired leader with his false prophet and his world government and religion. So the sea of humanity, if this is what is meant, is utterly evil before the bowl is poured out. So I think it will be more of a literal pouring of something into the earth's seas that will turn them red and make them toxic.
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Revelation 16:4-7 4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5 And I heard the angel of the waters say: “Righteous are You, O Holy One, who is and who was, because You have brought these judgments. 6 For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink as they deserve.” 7 And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments.”
"Red" Rivers in China and Russia
Even what feeds into the sea is corrupt. The rivers, streams, underground springs, etc. are no longer fresh but are corrupted, polluted too. The Earth is covered in water but 97% of this water is salt water. The rest is fresh water but more than half of it is in polar ice caps, glaciers and permafrost. Every year, unsafe water sickens about 1 billion people and in 2015, 1.8 million people died from contaminated water. Every year, 3.5 million Americans contract health issues such as skin rashes, pinkeye, respiratory infections, and hepatitis from swimming in sewage-laden coastal waters. Groundwater can also spread contamination far from the original polluting source as it seeps into streams, lakes, and oceans. What happens if animals drink contaminated water? Their meat or their products (such as eggs, milk, etc) can be contaminated. What about contaminated water's effects on the soil and sinking into underground springs? When you try to farm using soil contaminated by polluted waters, the pollutants can find their way into the produce. Then there is seafood. We love fish and shellfish but how safe is it to eat when the seas are so polluted? Even fresh water fish can be contaminated by polluted waters or unsanitary conditions in fish farms. What happens when you don't have clean water to drink, or to cook in? What about clean water to bathe in, to wash clothes in? What happens when you can't rinse your vegetables in clean water or you can't wash your hands? In America, we are spoiled to having clean water right to our homes. Some have experienced how precious water is when we go through periods of drought or we live in an area that doesn't have natural water sources (such as Las Vegas and other desert communities) or where too much sea water has caused contamination of fresh water supplies (such as after a hurricane or wet season in Florida and Louisiana). But have you really ever thought what if there was NO more safe water and how it affects everything! The desperation would be immediate! Any "safe" water would become more valuable than gold.
If seen in a symbolic way, that which feeds into the mass of humanity, the seas of mankind, is also corrupt and polluted. So what would that be? What feeds the minds and actions of mankind? My first thought was media in all it's variances. Books, newspapers, magazines, television, radio, podcasts, internet websites. Art in all it's forms such as movies, plays, music, sculpture and paintings, etc. Then there is education. What is being taught to children and young people and adults? What is fed to them?
We have definitely seen how corrupt and polluted all of these forms of feeding mankind already are and the results. The filth that is poured into movies and television shows, books and the internet, is truly shocking. In my generation... just one generation... we've gone from television with shows that never used any offensive language, no blood or even a suggestion of sex to shows that do not stop the stream of filth running from the mouths of every character, even children. We are subject to constant sex and all it's perverted forms. The violence is explicit, extreme and continuous. They even slow it down so we can enjoy bullets blowing out brains in slow motion! And every. single. movie. has to show someone vomiting and going to the bathroom. Men and women are shown peeing and vomiting as though we are interested in these actions. Actors and actresses are paid big money to entertain us by showing us how they vomit and go to the bathroom?!?
Last night I was watching a movie which turned out to be a singularly bad movie. No story, no ending, and everything in it was stupid. But one thing I remember was an "artist" who invited an "art critic," who owned a gallery, to his "studio". In this huge room was a pile of trash bags full of trash and a single very large canvas with 2 blobs of paint on it. The "art critic" couldn't tell which was the artist's "work". Was it the pile of trash bags ready to go to the dumpster or the canvas with two blobs of paint on it? When he began to study the pile of trash bags, the artist said, "That's just the trash" and brought the critic to the canvas. It was so much nothing and the critic had nothing to study but he began to try and make something up. Finally the artist looked at the critic and said, "It's nothing. Nothing inspires me. It's your job to find something that inspires me."
Education is suppose to educate children so they can then follow whatever line of inquiry that interests them. We should be teaching the basics such as reading, writing, arithmetic, science, history. We should also be teaching them some skills such as organization, time management, research skills, and study habits so they can pursue further education. And then there are some basic life skills to help them handle a job. Being on time, commitment, typing/keyboarding skills, how to use a computer, how to use a library. And, finally, job skills in whatever career they want to get into such as medicine, law, welding, construction, retail/marketing, business administration, programming, finance, etc. Time in school is expensive to someone even if it's the taxpayers. So wasting time that would be better spent on real education is inexcusable. Sports is a sideline NOT a necessary part of education. You teach health and teamwork by adding some gym classes but for the VAST majority of the student body, they will not go into a sport as a career! It's a leisure time activity not a career. But for some reason high schools think they must each have a stadium, custom buses for the football team, a training facility and the highest paid "teachers" are the football coaches. Much of the budget for construction and for annual expenses goes to sports, most specifically for football, baseball and basketball. Why? Because parents desperately want those sports scholarships to college because college is too expensive. The inordinate amount of money spent on college sports that only helps 2% of the college student body who go on to professional sports is absurd. Every parent thinks like this: My children HAVE to go to college; college is super expensive today; I can't afford college; my children don't apply themselves in education so there will be no education scholarships; therefore my children will have to get a sports scholarship because those are handed out like candy to entice kids into college and then they get college loans at high interest rates because once they get started they HAVE to finish. It's a circular argument that is based on perceived necessities created by marketing strategies. First, your kids don't HAVE to go to college. Most college students aren't mature enough to value college. They use it as a party time and waste money by failing classes and having to re-take them. Second, a parent doesn't HAVE to pay for someone else's education. Let them pay for it themselves and if they can't, they don't go. It makes for hard choices which is also a learning tool. If they really want to go to college then they will be forced to make some decisions. Apply themselves in school and compete for educational scholarships, apply themselves in sports and compete for full college scholarships (not those $1000, $5000 kiddie scholarships), work to put themselves through college, work and save and wait to go to college. With fewer kids entering college because their parents aren't paying for them to party and waste time at a college, colleges will become more competitive in tuition. But universities have paid big money to consultants and marketing to create a need in parents' and teens' minds. And they cultivate that "need" in every way to keep bringing in new students and to keep stringing them along in order to squeeze every dime from every kid and parent out there.
Now back to our scripture. I can understand how someone would see this symbolically but I also know that our water sources can literally become polluted, or even infected by terrorism, so that our water supplies are compromised and the chaos it would cause. If a terrorist drops a biological warfare germ or virus or pollutant into our water supply that multiplies and causes death, then you could say the rivers and seas run red with the blood of the dead. As we saw earlier, there are algae blooms that can literally turn our seas and fresh water supplies into red tides of toxins and toxic fumes. So anyway you look at it, it can be done. Once polluted, an aquifer may be unusable for decades, or even thousands of years.
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Revelation 16:8-9 8 Next, the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire. 9 And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues; yet they did not repent and give Him glory.
I learned a long time ago about how the earth was protected from the sun when God created the heavens and the earth. Let's look at the Creation in Genesis 1.
King James Version - KJV
Genesis 1:6-10 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Let's look at this in a couple of translations.
New International Version - NIV
6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Contemporary English Version - CEV
6 God said, “I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it.” 7 And that's what happened. God made the dome 8 and named it “Sky.” Evening came, then morning—that was the second day.
9 God said, “I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground.” And that's what happened. 10 God named the dry ground “Land,” and he named the water “Ocean.” God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.
Now let's look at these words in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.
an expanse - רָקִ֖יעַ (rā·qî·a‘), Noun - masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 7549: An expanse, the firmament, visible arch of the sky
between - בְּת֣וֹךְ (bə·ṯō·wḵ), Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's Hebrew 8432: A bisection, the centre
If I read these 4 verses, stopped and thought about it, I might draw it like this.
Genesis 5:3-5 3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 And after he had become the father of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.
I noticed two things: 1) Adam had just died when Noah was born! and, 2) Notice how the lives shortened after The Flood. Let's go back to Genesis and look at something else.
Genesis 2:5-6 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
Wait a minute! There was no rain! You read that right. What happens in a hot house environment? Ever been to a greenhouse, conservatory or hot house? It's a very damp environment isn't it? High humidity.
Now, much later, God sees the earth being filled but with evil!
Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And He decides to protect Noah, and his family, who believes in God but send a Flood to wipe out all the others.
Genesis 6:8-9 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
He commands Noah to build an Ark, then to gather food an animals for a long period of time. When it was time, God drew the animals to the Ark and shut Noah, his family, and the animals in the Ark for safety.
Genesis 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation...7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood... 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
Then the rain started. Remember, humanity had not experienced rain before. And this was no ordinary rain. It was a deluge! It would have to be to flood the whole earth. Where did that much water come from?
Genesis 7:10-12 10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
And here is where we see the ice canopy that had protected the earth from the sun, melt and deluge the earth.
God did not entirely leave the earth without a protective layer from the sun. We still have the ozone layer.
We all know how important the ozone layer is to earth. It is a layer in the earth's stratosphere at an altitude of about 6.2 miles containing a high concentration of ozone, which absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun. We have been seeing a thinning of the ozone layer and we already have holes in at the North and South Poles. So what happens if we lose the ozone layer altogether? Without this barrier in place, all of the radiation would reach Earth, damaging the DNA of plants and animals. Within days the plant life would be dead. The intensity of the sun's radiation would make photosynthesis impossible. Without plants, the food chain would collapse. Herbivores would starve. Omnivores and carnivores could feed off their bodies for a time, but their food supply would dwindle and cause widespread extinction. UV radiation can interfere with DNA and cell division processes in animals and humans leading to mutations, skin cancer, cataract in eyes, weakness in human immune response. Even with our ozone layer, we can’t stare at the Sun for more than 60 seconds without risking blindness - with a 100% decrease of ozone, blindness could set in immediately. Any humans left would have to go underground. But without vegetation, animals and crops, sustainability is gone. Without plant life, oxygen in the atmosphere decreases and CO2 increases. We couldn't breath. The ice caps would melt flooding like tsunamis deep into the interior of continents. But the water will begin to evaporate too. Losing the ozone layer is an extinction event.
So we've opened our minds to what would happen if God removed the ozone layer and let the sun hit our earth full blast. This would be a somewhat literal translation of Revelation 16:8-9. What if you look at it more symbolically? Could this represent nuclear bombs going off? One is incinerated at the point of the impact of a nuclear weapon or bomb. Nuclear radiation can cause a person's skin to blister and burn. Radiation sickness depends on the dosage of radiation you are exposed to. Acute Radiation Syndrome can result in death. The cause of death in most cases is the destruction of the person’s bone marrow, which results in infections and internal bleeding. Cells are damaged and may not can recover. Nerve cells (neurons) and brain blood vessels can die, leading to seizures. High doses of radiation can damage the cells in the blood vessels that feed the heart, reducing cardiac function. Sensitive cells in the intestinal lining can be damaged, leading to nausea, bloody vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. Rapidly dividing lymphatic cells die and damaged bone marrow may have trouble replenishing these immune-boosting cells, increasing the risk of infection.
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "It is believed that 50% of a population would die within 30 days after receiving a dose of between 3500-5000 mSv (3.5-5 Sieverts) to the whole body, over a period ranging from a few minutes to a few hours."
It could also be a meteor hitting the earth. On February 15, 2013 a meteor exploded in the sky over Chelyabinsk, southern Russia. Although no people or buildings were hit by the resulting meteorite, the shockwave from the exploding object injured about 1500 people and caused damage to 7200 buildings in the region.
Meteors are glowing fragments of rock matter from outside the Earth's atmosphere that burn and glow upon entering the Earth's atmosphere. They are more commonly known as shooting stars. Some meteors, particularly larger ones, may survive passage through the atmosphere to become meteorites, but most are small objects that burn up completely in the atmosphere.
A Meteoroid is a meteorite before it hits the surface of the Earth.
A Meteorite is a piece of rock from outer space that strikes the surface of the Earth.
Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. Most of them live in the main asteroid belt.
A Comet is a body that orbits around the Sun with an eccentric orbit. As a comet approaches the sun, solar radiation generates gases from evaporation of the comet's surface. These gases are pushed away from the comet and glow in the sun light, thus giving the comet its tail. While the outer surface of comets appear to composed of icy material like water and carbon dioxide solids, they likely contain a more rocky nucleus. Because of their eccentric orbits, many comets eventually cross the orbit of the Earth. Many meteor showers may be caused by the Earth crossing an orbit of a fragmented comet.
Large meteorites striking the earth would be catastrophic. The impact of a space object with a size greater than about 1 km (0.621371 miles) would be expected to be felt over the entire surface of the Earth. Smaller objects would destroy the ecosystem in the vicinity of the impact similar to a volcanic eruption, but a large impact could have a worldwide effect. Massive earthquakes up in the area of 13 on the Richter scale with many aftershocks that would be, on their own, considered large earthquakes. The dust it would put in the air would cause a cloud that would keep the sun from reaching the earth and therefore causing crops to fail. Blockage of solar radiation would also diminish the ability of photosynthetic organisms, like plants, to photosynthesize. Since photosynthetic organisms are the base of the food chain, this would seriously disrupt all ecosystems. Water sources would be choked with mud from the dust. Fire would rage out of control and the smoke would contribute to the air pollution. If it were to hit the ocean, a steam vapor with CO2 would enter the atmosphere. Huge tsunamis would ravage all coastlines wiping out coastal areas deep into the interiors. Large amounts of nitrogen oxides would result from combining Nitrogen and Oxygen in the atmosphere due to the shock produced by the impact. These nitrogen oxides would combine with water in the atmosphere to produce nitric acid which would fall back to the surface as acid rain, resulting in the acidification of surface waters. The loss of human life would be catastrophic and the effects to the earth as we know it might make survivors wish they hadn't survived. According to scientists who study our earth's past, there may have been mass extinctions a few times in the millions of years this dirt and rock has been around.
As a Christian, I believe God created the earth and our current human history is in the thousands of years, not the millions of years scientists claim. But that doesn't mean God hasn't had His Hand mixing this ball up for millions of years prior to our current human history. There may be millions of years between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? I don't know. But if they are right, then meteors have hit this earth in the past and caused mass extinctions.
One way or another, I don't want to be around to see it.
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Revelation 16:10-11 And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness, and men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish 11 and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
throne - θρόνον (thronon), Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 2362: From thrao; a stately seat; by implication, power or a potentate.
kingdom - βασιλεία (basileia), Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 932: From basileus; properly, royalty, i.e. rule, or a realm.
plunged into darkness - ἐσκοτωμένη (eskotōmenē), Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 4656: (lit. or met.) I darken. From skotos; to obscure or blind.
[men] began to gnaw - ἐμασῶντο (emasōnto), Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's Greek 3145: To bite, gnaw, chew. From a primary masso; to chew.
tongues - γλώσσας (glōssas), Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's Greek 1100: The tongue; by implication, a language.
anguish - πόνου (ponou), Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 4192: (a) labor, toil, (b) pain, anguish, distress, suffering. From the base of penes; toil, i.e. anguish.
What if the sun disappeared? Total darkness would ensue. Anything in orbit around the Sun is basically moving fast enough to keep them from a freefall towards it. I.e. if the planets suddenly stopped moving they would immediately be pulled towards the Sun and fall into it. The suns gravity would no longer keep us in orbit and all the planets, asteroids, comets would retain their forward motion and would fly in a straight line into space. The Moon would disappear as it no longer has the Sun’s light to reflect. The planets in the sky would follow suit, disappearing one by one as the wave of darkness reached them. Within days the world would be a hundred or so degrees below freezing, and within weeks it’d be just 50 or so degrees above absolute zero. The atmosphere itself would also freeze and fall to Earth, leaving us exposed to the harsh radiation travelling through space. Sunlight is the catalyst for photosynthesis and without it, plants won't get the nutrition they need and they won't process Carbon dioxide to Oxygen. All plants die. Animals follow suit.
God could easily remove the sun. He created the earth and all of the universe. He could remove the sun. Or maybe He obscures the sun in some way.
On April 5, 1815, Indonesia's Mount Tambora erupted, it spewed approximately 36 cubic miles of rock and ash to heights of 18 miles, in what was the biggest eruption in recorded history. The ash cloud over the region expanded to cover an area approximately the size of Australia, and air temperatures there dropped as much as 20F. The ash obscured the sun for the next three years. Lord Byron wrote a poem about it:
Darkness
By Lord Byron (George Gordon)
I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;
Morn came and went—and came, and brought no day,
And men forgot their passions in the dread
Of this their desolation; and all hearts
Were chill'd into a selfish prayer for light:
And they did live by watchfires—and the thrones,
The palaces of crowned kings—the huts,
The habitations of all things which dwell,
Were burnt for beacons; cities were consum'd,
And men were gather'd round their blazing homes
To look once more into each other's face;
Happy were those who dwelt within the eye
Of the volcanos, and their mountain-torch:
A fearful hope was all the world contain'd;
Forests were set on fire—but hour by hour
They fell and faded—and the crackling trunks
Extinguish'd with a crash—and all was black.
The brows of men by the despairing light
Wore an unearthly aspect, as by fits
The flashes fell upon them; some lay down
And hid their eyes and wept; and some did rest
Their chins upon their clenched hands, and smil'd;
And others hurried to and fro, and fed
Their funeral piles with fuel, and look'd up
With mad disquietude on the dull sky,
The pall of a past world; and then again
With curses cast them down upon the dust,
And gnash'd their teeth and howl'd: the wild birds shriek'd
And, terrified, did flutter on the ground,
And flap their useless wings; the wildest brutes
Came tame and tremulous; and vipers crawl'd
And twin'd themselves among the multitude,
Hissing, but stingless—they were slain for food.
And War, which for a moment was no more,
Did glut himself again: a meal was bought
With blood, and each sate sullenly apart
Gorging himself in gloom: no love was left;
All earth was but one thought—and that was death
Immediate and inglorious; and the pang
Of famine fed upon all entrails—men
Died, and their bones were tombless as their flesh;
The meagre by the meagre were devour'd,
Even dogs assail'd their masters, all save one,
And he was faithful to a corse, and kept
The birds and beasts and famish'd men at bay,
Till hunger clung them, or the dropping dead
Lur'd their lank jaws; himself sought out no food,
But with a piteous and perpetual moan,
And a quick desolate cry, licking the hand
Which answer'd not with a caress—he died.
The crowd was famish'd by degrees; but two
Of an enormous city did survive,
And they were enemies: they met beside
The dying embers of an altar-place
Where had been heap'd a mass of holy things
For an unholy usage; they rak'd up,
And shivering scrap'd with their cold skeleton hands
The feeble ashes, and their feeble breath
Blew for a little life, and made a flame
Which was a mockery; then they lifted up
Their eyes as it grew lighter, and beheld
Each other's aspects—saw, and shriek'd, and died—
Even of their mutual hideousness they died,
Unknowing who he was upon whose brow
Famine had written Fiend. The world was void,
The populous and the powerful was a lump,
Seasonless, herbless, treeless, manless, lifeless—
A lump of death—a chaos of hard clay.
The rivers, lakes and ocean all stood still,
And nothing stirr'd within their silent depths;
Ships sailorless lay rotting on the sea,
And their masts fell down piecemeal: as they dropp'd
They slept on the abyss without a surge—
The waves were dead; the tides were in their grave,
The moon, their mistress, had expir'd before;
The winds were wither'd in the stagnant air,
And the clouds perish'd; Darkness had no need
Of aid from them—She was the Universe.
Super volcanos - Debris that is "blasted into the upper atmosphere and beyond" would have been capable of quickly encircling the globe. There would be quantities of ash from wildfires following the event. As this ashy cover extended across Earth's atmosphere, it wouldn't block the sun completely, as a total eclipse does. But it would dim the sun's light enough to kill photosynthesizing plants and the animals that eat them.
A supervolcano is a volcano that ejects more than 240 cubic miles of pumice and ash during a single eruption. To put this into perspective, a super-eruption contains the force of 1,000 Hiroshima nuclear bombs exploding per second. A great deal of ash would fall in the surrounding region and a giant caldera depression would result as the ground collapses following the eruption due to the withdrawal of magma from within the volcano. Millions of tons of sulphur would be blown into the atmosphere. There is the potential for a supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park. If it fully erupted, the ash would bury a huge chunk of the United States and kill millions of people. The ash inhaled would form a cement-like substance in the lungs. Most of the magma of a supervolcano would not become lava but would instead be blasted into the atmosphere, and would float around as extremely hot and sharp particles. Some parts of the world would experience drought while others would suffer rainfall that would cause mudslides. Acid rain would be destructive. Water sources would be poisoned. People would become thirsty and dehydrated. When your body is dehydrated your brain could actually shrink and then begin swelling. Your blood thickens and makes it harder for your heart to pump. When thirst kicks in, your body clings to all remaining moisture. Your kidneys stop functioning. Your skin shrivels. Your mouth dries and your lips are parched. Your blood pressure drops, making you prone to fainting. You stop sweating, and without this coolant, you start to overheat. You could experience seizures Liver failure could kill you. Or toxic sludge builds up in your blood, and you have kidney failure.
Or will the earth be covered by smoke, dust and debris from an asteroid hitting the earth, or nuclear explosions?
If we take these verses symbolically, we might see it as the anti-Christ's world empire crumbles. The vial of judgment dissolves the integrity and organisation of his kingdom. Instead of the peace and prosperity he promised, the world begins to fall into chaos. The kingdom which boasted it would be bring a new light to mankind brought darkness instead.
"When men shut out the higher light, the smoke of their own candles will soon obscure the whole heaven." - Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers.
Who is the "higher light"?
John 8:12, Jesus speaking, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
John 12:46, Jesus speaking, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."
But these have rejected Jesus Christ. We cannot have a sunbeam without the sun. All those who are saved in Christ have been removed from the world and there is no spiritual light to lighten the darkness of men's hearts.
Isaiah 8:22 And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
All the good they anticipated evades them and they cannot understand what has happened. They are blinded. They were told that if they submitted to the world ruler, supported him, joined his new religion, worshiped him, became his fervent follower, stamped out all opposition, took his mark, gave all to his cause, then the dawn of a new day would come upon mankind and there would be social justice, equality, harmony and peace, prosperity. But it's all fallen into chaos.
They can't face that they backed the wrong pony. They sold their soul for the promise of a better life only to find it's worse and their eternity is hell. They are in denial, blinded, mental and spiritual darkness. Unable to see, they refuse to repent.
"they gnaw their tongues in anguish" To bite, gnaw, chew their tongue or language. Boy, this reminds me of all the talk shows on television. I absolutely HATE them! You have news shows with pundits giving their opinions, shouting over each other, not letting each other get a word in edgewise, berating each other, etc. I think debate is good, but it's no longer a debate when everyone is talking and shouting at once to where no one can hear what the other is saying. It's simply arguing. They go round and round and no one is giving in or listening or practicing any social manners. Men and women talking over each other, berating each other until it's absolute madness. Then there are those opinion shows like The View where they sit around gossiping, opining, demeaning and berating others as though they were somehow superior. And they get into conflicts where Whoopi Goldberg walks off the show or they fire this one or that. There are the gossip shows where they critique what others wear, how they behave, someone's marriage, and pull apart anyone they focus on. And the tabloid talk shows where people mock, jeer, shout, curse and literally fight on the show. Are they not biting and gnawing on people with their language? Causing pain, anguish and despair?
"men began to gnaw their tongues in anguish and curse the God of heaven for their pains and sores; yet they did not repent of their deeds."
Instead of crying out to God, they "curse the God of heaven". They blame God for their distress and pain. Chance after chance after chance, warning after warning after warning, God has given them but they rejected and refused every time. Now it's come home to roost and instead of blaming themselves, they blame God. The very One who gave His Son so that they might live is now blamed and cursed. How hard, dark and evil our hearts can be to blame the One who held out His Hand to rescue for so long. He gave us a way out, He provided it, His love and mercy has been extended every second of our life. He sent the Holy Spirit to reveal Him to mankind and to call each heart to salvation through Jesus Christ. He implanted a seed of faith in each heart that could be activated if we chose to believe. Jesus gave His blood, His life, to rescue us. But we have to accept it. We have to choose to believe and reach out and grasp that Hand of mercy! If we choose not to, we live with the consequences of our own choice. But how desperately wrong is it to blame God for your own choice? I guess it's easier to live with to blame someone else for misery you created and chose. Misdirected anger is an age old human dodge.
Sometimes people who are hurt get angry at someone but direct their anger at the person closest to them. They pour their venom on an innocent person because they know that person will take it and stick around. They are projecting their mistakes, or misdeeds, onto others. It's a psychological defense mechanism. A psychological defense mechanism is a way to avoid or escape from something whether it's escaping worse consequences or escaping upsetting, shameful, or anxiety-laden feelings we don't know how to cope with. For instance, if your boss makes you mad you can't explode all over him/her because you would lose your job. The consequences of your anger would be too financially devastating. So you bite your tongue and stew inside. Then you go home and jump down your wife's throat because dinner isn't cooked yet. You pummel her with your words and fury because she can't do anything about it and she will let you demean and abuse her and still be there cooking your dinner. In your eyes, she is the object of your wrath and you have "every right" to be angry but in reality, it's a dodge. You are really angry with your boss and you just took his face and put it over hers like a mask and you dumped on her as though she was your boss. Another example would be if your teenager is failing a grade because he won't attend classes, or refuses to do the work. As a parent, you have to live with this kid and he makes your life a living hell if you chastise him. It's too much trouble for you to stay after him and make sure he does his homework, to discipline. So you take out your anger on his teacher. You blame her. If she was "doing her job" he wouldn't be failing. If she was a "real teacher" he would be learning and would engage but she's not a good teacher and should be fired. You go off on her. Or let's say your husband is cheating on you and you find the evidence. It's too painful to face what this means in your life so you blame the other woman. You call her in a rage, you meet her in the parking lot wanting to fight, you devise ways of revenge to ruin her life. You are dumping all those pent up emotions on the other woman because you can't acknowledge what your husband has done and the results. Does it mean divorce? Are you financially able to support yourself as a single again? What about the children? How will this affect them? Does this mean you weren't lovable and will never have anyone who will love you? Will you be alone in your old age? How do you break apart and separate a whole life that has been knit together?
And then there are those things which you have done yourself, but you can't face the consequences, the shame, the guilt so you project them onto an innocent person. In your mind it really is because the waitress forgot to bring you a glass of water. But your reaction is so blown out of proportion it should alert you that it's not really her. Unfortunately, once we've spewed all over someone else, our pride refuses to let us acknowledge that we made a big mistake and apologize. So we smugly cling to our rags of rage and waltz out the door without an apology or a tip. We harumph and prevaricate and make up all kinds of reasons and excuses to justify our behavior.
Have you ever watched a group of monkeys on a show or Youtube? In their little social setting, they exhibit so many of our human tendencies but in a more primal way. It's funny to watch them. But it's embarrassing to see simple monkeys acting out how we do as humans. Let's say Monkey A steals a banana from Monkey B. Monkey A is a big monkey and is higher in the hierarchy so Monkey B, despite being mad about losing his banana, runs over to Monkey C, the runt monkey, the little monkey, and starts screeching and thumping his chest. Monkey C has no idea what all the fuss is about and is confused. Meanwhile Monkey B is picking up tufts of grass and throwing them on Monkey C, screeching and dancing around, chasing Monkey C. All this while Monkey A is calmly and peacefully eating the banana. When you see it this way, it's right shameful how we behave. Like the lower animals.
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Revelation 16:12-16 12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.
15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”
16 And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
The Euphrates is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis as one of the rivers of Paradise.
Genesis 2:10-15 10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:
11 The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria.
And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
"It is next mentioned in connection with the covenant which God entered into with Abraham (Genesis 15:18), when He promised to his descendants the land from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates (Compare Deuteronomy 11:24; Joshua 1:4), a covenant promise afterwards fulfilled in the extended conquests of David (2 Samuel 8:2-14; 1 Chronicles 18:3; 1 Kings 4:24). It was then the boundary of the kingdom to the north-east" - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Euphrates
Genesis 15:18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,"
Joshua 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
"Just as the Nile represented in prophecy the power of Egypt, so the Euphrates represented the Assyrian power (Isaiah 8:7; Jeremiah 2:18)". - Easton's Bible Dictionary - Euphrates
Isaiah 8:6-8 5 The Lord spoke to me again:
6 “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
and rejoices over Rezin* and the son of Remaliah**,
7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—
the king of Assyria with all his pomp.
It will overflow all its channels,
run over all its banks
8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it,
passing through it and reaching up to the neck.
Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel
* King Rezin of Aram or Rasin of Syria in DRB ruled from Damascus during the 8th century BC. During his reign, he was a tributary of King Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria. Rezin conspired with a number of Levantine kings (e.g., Hiram II of Tyre) to rebel against Tiglath-Pileser III. When he took Damascus, he killed Rezin.
** Pekah was the son of Remaliah. He was a captain in the army of king Pekahiah of Israel, whom he killed to become king. He reigned twenty years. When Pekah allied with Rezin, king of Aram to attack Ahaz, the king of Judah, Ahaz appealed to Tiglath-Pileser III, the king of Assyria, for help. This the Assyrian king obliged, but Judah became a tributary of Assyria. According to 2 Kings 16:9, the population of Aram was deported and Rezin executed. In 2 Kings 15:29, Tiglath-Pileser attacked Israel and deported the people to Assyria. Soon after this Pekah was assassinated by Hoshea ben Elah (that is, Hoshea the son of Elah) - a captain from Pekah's own army - who then took the throne.
Jeremiah 2:2-3 2 “I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
and disaster overtook them,”...
5 “What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols
and became worthless themselves."...
7 "I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable."...
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water."...
18 "Now why go to Egypt
to drink water from the Nile?
And why go to Assyria
to drink water from the Euphrates?"...
36b "You will be disappointed by Egypt
as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also leave that placewith your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped by them."
Jeremiah 51:63-64 (The Lord speaking to Jeremiah) "When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and cast it into the Euphrates. 64 Then you are to say, In the same way, Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.”
The Euphrates formed the barrier between Israel and the hostile northern and eastern kingdoms. Back then, the river was a barrier, hard for an army to cross and thus an impediment to war. But if it's dried up, there no longer is a barrier. The meaning is that a barrier that wards off hostile armies is removed. Babylon would signify the kingdom of the beast. The kings of the east would represent God's judgments or be used to bring God's judgments. The "kings of the east" are the forces ranged on the side of God. The sun rises in the east and the sun is a frequent figure of Christ in scripture.
Luke 1:76-79 (parenthesis mine) 76 And you, child (speaking of Jesus), will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 to give to His people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
79 to shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
The great dragon, satan, will collect all his forces, to make one desperate struggle before all be lost. No longer constrained.
Isaiah 44:27 When I speak to the rivers and say, 'Dry up!' they will be dry.
Revelation 16:13-14 And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.
These three spirits represent the influences of the dragon, the first beast and the second beast. The devil, the anti-Christ and the False Prophet. The devil, the world, the flesh. The evil trinity. These demons look like frogs because frogs catch their prey with their tongues. They lie, deceive, charm, flatter, delude, persuade to rebel against God. They are ready to use every trick in the book. They come out of the swamp of darkness and evil. They jump around instigating rebellion against God. They fill the air with their croaking meaningless noise.
The second plague in Egypt in the days of Moses was the plague of frogs. They came “out of the river” and infiltrated everywhere even in their beds. When God removed the plague “the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages and out of the fields. And they gathered them together, upon heaps, so that the land stank” (Exodus 8:13-14). Similarly the frog spirits will gather the nations to rebel against God and they will be slain. Like the Egyptian frogs, there will be so many of them that it will take 7 months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39: 12). Why frogs? The Egyptians worshiped many gods and one was a woman with a frog head named Heqet. Their false god could not help them.
These frog spirits "perform signs". Pharaoh's occult priests copied the frog plague:
Exodus 8:7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
Satan and his minions often counterfeit the supernatural works of God to entice unbelievers.
In researching these three frog-like spirits I saw so many different interpretations of them that it was confusing. Everything from Pope/papacy/Roman Catholicism to aliens and everything in between. Let's look at exactly what the scripture says:
Revelation 16:13-14 And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God, the Almighty.
- First, the unclean spirits come out of the mouths of the devil, anti-Christ, and the False Prophet. It as if they vomited these spirits out.
- Second, these are "unclean spirits that look like frogs". Not necessarily frogs but look like them.
- Why frogs? According to Jewish dietary laws all reptiles and amphibians are considered unclean animals and cannot be eaten. They are "unclean".
- These are demonic spirits.
- The perform signs.
- They go out to all the kings of the earth.
- Why? To assemble them for battle on the great day of God
Matthew 12:34 (Jesus speaking) "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks".
Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Psalm 14:1 Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good.
Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
The definition of "word" is a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation, that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. I.e. our words express meaning. It's not just sound, our words have meaning. We intend to express something when we speak words. According to the Bible, we speak what is in our hearts, good or bad.
First two stanzas of Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
This doesn't make any sense does it? Words strung and made up but convey nothing, nonsensical. There is no interpretation, no understanding. So our words come out of us as a way to express what we are thinking, what we want, imparting information, a method of communicating. So what are these frog-like demonic spirits trying to do? They are communicating and they come from an evil heart.
So how does a world leader and his religious leader, inspired by the devil, communicate to all the kings of the earth? Back in John's time on the Isle of Patmos, there were no satellite communications, no television, no Internet, no 24 hour news channels, no printing presses. But today we have all those things. Communication on a world wide scale is imperative to the evil trinity to get their messages out and to control people. Maybe the frog-like demons are talking heads of the devil's own, and only, 24/7 news channel. Any other news channels will have been stopped because the anti-Christ will not tolerate any other views than his own. He will control the media and it will be used for propaganda on his behalf. People will be told what to think and what to do. The devil's own propaganda will be drilled into the population day after day. Or maybe they will manifest as the press agents of the anti-Christ ruler and his false prophet, the High Priest of his world religion in which he is worshiped. Or would they be revealed in those who would travel around the world like Secretaries of State promoting his agenda which is now an all out war. A once-and-for-all, winner-take-all, survival-of-the-fittest battle!
We may be assuming too much because we are basing it on the world as we know it today. But by this time so much has happened. Natural disasters that have no prior parallel, deaths of millions of people, acts of God in judgments, and the rapture of the church. This is going to leave a society on earth in shambles, refugees surviving day by day, resources disrupted. The ones left are survivors of some horrendous stuff. Without the Holy Spirit and the influence of Christianity, it may be total evil and chaos. I believe that is how a one-world government will be accepted to begin with. The promise of order, peace, provision, prosperity will be the highest desire of most of those left behind. But, they have been under the rule of this new world order and it's world religion for a few years now and it's not getting better but worse. There will have to be the ability to communicate world wide. So some form of communication will still be available. The propaganda machine will be grinding out the message of the anti-Christ and now the orders to start gathering for the Battle of Armageddon.
These demonic spirits, or whoever they may inhabit, will "perform signs". If anyone is reluctant, they will be persuaded by some type of sign.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
"that perform", ποιοῦντα (poiounta) - Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's Greek 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.
"signs", σημεῖα (sēmeia) - Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's Greek 4592: Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of semaino; an indication, especially ceremonially or supernaturally.
So what is the "sign"? It may, or may not, be something supernatural. If you look at the definitions it says they will "perform" which means to make, manufacture, construct or cause some type of sign which is an indicator.
In the 1961 James Bond movie, Thunderball, one scene has the Spectre leaders around a conference room table. With the flick of a switch on his control console, master villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld can electrocute a seat's occupant. The dead body is disposed of by the floor opening up and seat/body drops through the hole. Blofeld uses this equipment to execute No. 9, who he believes is guilty of embezzlement. "Here's your sign!"
Is it possible that the sign(s) could be something like that. Sudden death if you don't do what the anti-Christ demands of you? Therefore anyone who would be reluctant is dealt with and the rest are too scared to say no.
No matter what, we know from this verse that these are evil, demonic communications out of the mouths of the devil, the anti-Christ and the false prophet and they are drumming up war. They are calling for all the leaders of nations to gather armies together. Somehow they are persuasive enough using some type of signs.
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Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains awake and clothed, so that he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed.”
New Living Translation - NLT "Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed."
We have seen similar phrases in other scripture, let's look:
Matthew 24:42-44 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
Luke 12:35-38 Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. 36 Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them. 38 Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night and finds them alert, those servants will be blessed!
2 Peter 3:9-11 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be dissolved in the fire, and the earth and its works will not be found. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness
1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 Now about the times and seasons, brothers, we do not need to write to you. 2 For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brothers, are not in the darkness so that this day should overtake you like a thief. 5 For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So then, let us not sleep as the others do, but let us remain awake and sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night; and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation.
9 For God has not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.
I love those last two verses! They are the promise that I will NOT suffer the wrath of God because I'm saved through Jesus Christ! Praise God! And since it's in the context of the last days, end times, I'm safe because I am saved. Are you?
First, these verses remind us to be ready for whatever the Lord would have us do. As Christians, we should strive to be ready to obey and serve as He commands.
Some Christians (including me) can get slothful, lazy in their Christian walk. They aren't reading the Bible regularly; they aren't attending church regularly; they aren't praying or praising regularly. Their relationship with God has become stale. God has not moved but we tend to back off from Him to do our own thing. But we need contact with the Father just as much as we need sleep, food, water. It's that basic of a need. As Christians our spirits are born and our spirit is now just as much a part of us as our physical bodies and our emotional souls. We are a three part being like God is a Trinity. If we feed our body nutrients to keep it working, then we should feed our soul good things to keep our minds sharp and good and we should feed our spirit with contact with our Creator, God!
I have a vitamin regimen. I have found certain vitamins to be effective in helping me and I try to remember to take them every day. There are some vitamins for menopause that I need daily or I suffer horrible hot flashes. I was having hot flashes 2-3 times an hour round the clock! It was out of control for years. I tried everything from hormone replacement therapy (worst thing I ever did! I warn you, don't do HRT!), different vitamins and powders, shakes, patches, creams, shots, etc. It was like my body rejected all of it. Nothing worked until I found a particular vitamin. If I take two per day, I have rare hot flashes. So, do I take it every day? Your darn tootin' I try to take it every day. Same with other vitamins that I've found, over long experience, help me. Exercise is another way to help my physical body.
I've also found that my soul (my emotions, intelligence, personality, experiences) needs some attention too. I'm a very sensitive person with emotions always teetering, jeering and bouncing. Not manic but highly nervous and depressive. I've suffered depression since I was a child and have had breakdowns. I finally started taking anti-depressants in my late 30's and I wish I had had them all along. It's helped slow down my mind so I can have more control over my thoughts and I try to guide my thoughts in better ways. Not always successful but God is good and He's taken the reigns on days when I'm out of control because I'm still here. So do I take my prescribed medications? Yes I do! I never miss a day taking my antidepressant because that's one place I don't want to go ever again! I try to exercise my brain both in puzzle solving and creative ways (right and left brain sides). I try to learn new things. I try to build on my experiences to be a well rounded person. I read a lot.
So what about my spirit? Am I doing what it takes to keep my spirit healthy, strong and growing? I can take vitamins and prescribed medications all day long but it's not going to help my spirit. My spirit needs something different. It needs contact with the Father, daily. I can't coast for long without my Father. Like a fetus needs that umbilical cord attached to the mother to receive nutrients that help it grow and develop, I need to attach to the Father and receive His life and strength for my spirit. How do I do that? One way is reading and studying His Word.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
He gave me a written communication from Himself to me (and to everyone). It's a very long love letter where He describes Himself and His love for me. He also tells me the things I need to do to stay healthy in mind, body and spirit. He warns me and gives me visualization stories to help me see what obedience and disobedience can result in. But it's not only a written communication... He endued it with power.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
"The Bible holds supreme authority by virtue of its Author, who is the King of creation and thus Ruler over all the earth. The Bible’s authority is inherent in its every word. Scripture is God’s revelation in history. Just as there is no higher authority in an earthly kingdom than a king – there is no higher authority you and I can appeal to than the Word of God in God’s kingdom." - Tony Evans
"The Bible is not simply words about God, it is the Word of God. Many people learn about God from the Bible, which is good – but that is not where you are to stop. The Word of God is the voice of God in print." - Tony Evans
I'm one of those "fundamentalists" who believe every word in the Bible. The more deeply I study it, the more truth I find and so I don't try to find fault in the Bible, I dig to find truth. Some people, who only have a nodding acquaintance with the Word (and even those are getting rare as no Biblical references are taught outside of church and home), will say there are too many differences and inconsistencies. But every time I find something that I think is an inconsistency and study it, I find I was the one that was wrong.
Once we went to visit Monticello, the home of one of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson. I was shocked to find that he saw the Bible only as a manual to teach good and virtuous habits but he did not believe everything in the Bible. So he literally took scissors and cut out the things he believed and pasted them to make his own Bible. It's called the Jefferson Bible and you can buy it today. But I had to think... "Who were you to think you knew what was worth keeping and what was worth throwing away in the Bible? What an ego! You thought you could decide what should and shouldn't be in the Bible? Wasn't pride in your own intelligence really your god? Did you really think you were so much smarter than the God of the Universe and therefore you set yourself up as god (on a pedestal in a shrine like Monticello or the Jefferson Memorial)? You really thought you knew what was, and was not, a communication from God?" Now, I realize people wrote the Bible and people decided what would go into the Bible but study your Bible history before you make an assumption or a leap. Also, the fact that the Bible has changed lives over centuries is a powerful testimony to it's efficacy and fidelity. And I can attest to the power it's had in my own life.
I've studied not only the Bible but the history of the Bible to be sure in my mind every word is from God. But then, I came to it in faith. Maybe that's the difference. I was raised in a Christian home, went to church and learned early the songs and the stories of the Bible. I've been a big reader and studying the Bible has always been important to me. So there has never been a time in my life when I didn't hold the Bible in high regard. I remember as a 10 year old wanting to read the Bible from start to finish. My parents had given me a Bible (I still have it) but it was the King James Version and when I would try to read it, I would get just past the Noah and the Ark story and I'd start getting confused. So I gave up. But then as a teenager, my Aunt Judy gave us all a Living Bible (modern paraphrase) and I devoured it! It was written in a language I could understand and I was older with a lot of reading and comprehension skills by then. I decided that I would go up a notch and next I read the New American Standard Version. Then I went to the NIV and then to the New King James Version. I haven't tackled the original King James Version because all those "thee"s and "thou"'s are confusing. My point is I started studying it and reading it with faith that it was real. I didn't read it in the context of "I'm going to find fault" but in the context of "I'm going to find the truth about what that really means because it's from God. I's my misunderstanding that's the problem, not His Word."
I'm not a trained Bible Scholar. I never learned Greek and Hebrew and didn't go to universities. But I have a long history of study and attending church and Bible study classes. And everything that I have found, discovered, and learned, has shown me the Bible is truth. We may not understand something, but if we dig deep enough, we learn that the misunderstanding is on our side, not His. The truth comes out and I slap my head and say, "Of course! That makes sense now!" There are so many things I can add to my list of "Things To Study In The Bible" that I never grow tired of studying it. As I read it, I come across something I may not understand. I can add it to my list and go back later and research it and read up on it. The Internet has helped me tremendously. It's all at my fingertips now. But I used to have the normal study reference books like Bible dictionaries, Bible commentaries, Bible concordances, study Bibles. I would (and sometimes still do) drag them out with my notebook and pen. I can journal what I learn. Usually I blog it. I blog my meditations on it too (as you can see in this post). The thoughts that come to me, the direction of my thoughts as I read the Word.
What is another way of making contact with the Father for the health of my spirit? Prayer and praise. Actually talking to God. You can love on Him, have a grateful heart and thank Him. You can tell Him your problems. He not only listens but can do something about them. You know, when I go to a counselor I know the most they can do is help guide me through my thought process. But when the time's up, they go on about their business and I'm still stuck with my problem. God listens AND can do something about the problem. He never goes on about His business and forgets me. He is always near and watching over me and working to my best interest. You can get mad at Him, scream, cry and yell at Him. He's a big God and He can take it. But the thing is to do it WITH Him and let Him hold you as you cry and yell. Don't freeze Him out and ignore Him or walk day after day in sullen anger against God. If you do, you are hurting yourself not Him. It gives time for anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, jealousies, resentments to take root, grow and fester in you. None of these do you any good. Physically, mentally, spiritually... you are self-harming. What is healthy for you, in every way, is to learn to go to God with it, then let it go and let God deal with it. It helps me to write it down, every detail in some type of order. My actions, thoughts, what I feel about the whole situation. But I don't stop there. I also write down what I know God would have me do. Sometimes I write this part as a prayer. For instance, I know unforgiveness is not of God but it's very hard to forgive. So I write it down and then ask God to help me forgive and not let bitterness and anger take root. I'm a prolific writer if you haven't already guessed. Some people then take these writings to God, they pray over them, give up their rights and let God go to bat for them. Then they like to burn the papers as a symbol of letting go. A friend recently told me she went one stop further. She made a cross of glue on good paper and glued the ashes to the paper. She framed it and says now, when she looks at it she is reminded that God is the one in control and she doesn't have to worry or go back over it again! Whatever helps you to let go and let God is the point.
Second, these verses remind us to be ready because we never know when it's our time to die. I had a friend whose father left the YMCA after working out. He got in his car, started driving home and his heart stopped. His car coasted to the side of the road. He was gone. My own father recently died just 4 months and 3 days after we lost my mother. My mother died of dementia so it was a long, slow process and we grieved the whole way. Thank God she had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as a child and had lived her life according to godly principles as much as she was able. What if she had waited and gone into dementia where she couldn't make a decision? But she was saved and we know she was saved. My Dad was healthy and strong for 82 yrs old and had been splitting wood for his wood stove over the weekend. That night he began having some chest pains. He thought it felt like when he had a pulmonary embolism 8 yrs ago. They kept him in the hospital for 3 days on Heparin and he was fine. So the next morning he got my sister to take him to the ER thinking it was just more of the same. I went up there and they had taken him straight in. They ran a Cat scan and, sure enough, a pulmonary embolism. He went in under his own steam, not much pain, we were laughing, joking, talking while we waited for the tests and then they started the Heparin. Within 2 1/2 hours he was dead. He was hungry so I had left to get lunch when my sister called and said his heart had stopped and they were trying to revive him. I rushed back and they had managed to revive him but were having a hard time keeping his blood pressure up. We don't know if the Heparin dislodged the blood clot and it moved to his heart or what. He was conscious, able to talk. My sister asked him if he was afraid and if he was ready in case he died. We knew he was, but she asked anyway. He said he wasn't afraid and he was ready. He went into cardiac arrest again and they tried for 15 mins to revive him but this time they couldn't. I have grieved over the loss of my parents. I miss them so bad. But I know they were saved and they are in Heaven. They are so much better off, living in pain free bliss and freedom with their Savior and all their loved ones who went before. I miss them terribly but at least I have that comfort and the comfort of knowing I will see them again. I don't know how someone goes through losing a loved one when they don't know if they are saved or suspect they weren't. Of course, I realize that we don't know what is going through someone's mind even at the last minutes. Maybe they did make a decision for Christ and we just don't know it. But, if they lived their lives without Jesus and died suddenly, there is a good chance they didn't. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. We can be prepared, like my parents were. We can accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the Son of God, who died to forgive me of my sins and who rose again to give me eternal life in Jesus Christ. If you died this minute, are you saved? Have you told your loved ones that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, so they know?
Third, these verses are telling us that we should be prepared for when Jesus returns! If we are still alive when Jesus comes back for us, we will be raptured. I am saved so I will be raptured if I'm still here when He comes. The Bible says He comes and gathers us to Himself in the air. His feet don't touch down on earth on this coming. He pulls us up to Himself. This is NOT the Second Coming where He wins the Battle of Armageddon and judges the world. This is the Rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
15 By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17 After that, we who are alive and remain 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.
Did you notice verse 15, the Apostle Paul wrote, "By the word of the Lord, we declare to you..." This is NOT Paul's opinion, not his personal view, not his interpretation! He says this is a "word of the Lord". What do these verses tell us?
- Those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who are dead. (1 Thessalonians 4:15)
- The dead in Christ will resurrect first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
- The living and the resurrected dead will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
- The rapture will occur during the Parousia. "those who are alive and remain unto the coming (Parousia in greek) of the Lord, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
- We will meet Him "in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
- The meeting with the Lord will be permanent. "And so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
If Jesus came in the clouds to rapture His people, would you be ready? We never know when it will be, are you ready? I am!
Fourth, there will be people who were not saved, and thus raptured at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (I believe it's at the beginning but others believe it happens halfway through or even the end of the Great Tribulation last days). But they get saved during the Tribulation. He is warning them to be ready in case of death or when He comes again.
"he will not go naked and let his shame be exposed." God is bringing righteous judgment upon an evil world. Their shameful doings are humiliating. God is warning everyone to be prepared by accepting Jesus Christ who throws His garment of righteousness and salvation over us to cover our wicked shamefulness. But to those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ, their wicked, evil hearts and deeds will be uncovered, revealed, exposed and they will be ashamed.
Isaiah 47:3 Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.
Have you ever noticed how people can be really ashamed of their behavior but instead of changing their behavior, they just keep trying to find out new ways to hide it? All that effort, energy, money and time they spend covering up their shamefulness rather than give it and walk away from it!?! A politician who is a serial womanizer makes all kinds of plans to get what he wants. I think of Bill Clinton and how he used security teams to bring women to his hotel rooms. I think of how much money has been paid in hush money to cover up their sexual infidelities so they can keep doing it. I think of all the time, effort and wasted tax dollars used to pin them to the wall for all to see! You know what would have saved them, and those around them, all the money, heartache and effort? Is if they had stopped their behavior, put an end to it. Quit!
Policitians aren't the only ones. Have you ever been around an addict? They become master manipulators. They know how to lie, push all your buttons, have you tied in a knot, hide and deceive. They do it all so they can cover up their shameful addiction. They can be rolling on the floor in their own pee, vomiting all over someone's house or car, used for sex to buy drugs. But as long as no one sees, they think they got away with it. They can be pole dancing and lap dancing for money to use to buy drugs but as long as their Mama and Daddy don't see them or their old church friends from their small town, then they got away with it. They will put on a proper dress when they go home to visit Mom and Dad. They may join them in the pew on Sunday, but they go back to their pig slop as soon as no one is watching. They would be so ashamed if Mom and Dad walked into the bar and saw their little girl wiggling and gyrating to get to the deepest evil part of a man's (or woman's) mind. But instead of stopping it, quitting the addiction, walking in a new life... they just try to find better ways to cover up.
A man who will use prostitutes and have affairs with other women would do anything to keep it covered up so his wife and children don't find out. A preacher who will do anything to keep the church from finding out he spends his days watching pornography. A woman who will do anything to keep her family and friends from finding out that she spends all her time and money on the computer talking to catfish men/women. But do they stop their behavior or do they just burrow further underground?
I recently read an article on Facebook about shocking things people find after a loved one's death. Some found that their loved one was a hoarder and lived in utter filth and degradation. Some found pornography and sexual "toys". Some found that their loved one had whole other families. Yes, their loved one had affairs with resulting children and had kept it hidden. Some found out that a female loved one was actually a male or vice versa because they lived as transvestites. Some found that they had hoarded weapons or food or money, etc because of their fears. Some run up extreme debts because they wouldn't live within their means. Their children will be left paying off the debts and without any inheritance. It's one thing to have to use a credit card to buy medicine and food to eat. It's another thing to run up debt because you gambled your money away or you were buying drugs or spending it on lap dances or other women! My mother and Dad were young children during the Great Depression and then WWII. But they had lived with the fear of not having enough food. They always tended to have more than they could use hidden away. They weren't hoarders in the bad sense, but it showed an underlying fear of being without. Some people don't have the commonsense and go way to the extreme and live in such fear that they aren't functioning within normal bounds. If you dropped dead right now, what would your loved ones find as they cleaned out your house and settled your estate?
There will be a day when it will all come to light. You may think you got away with it but there are a pair of eyes that watch you every minute... God's! You can't fool Him, you can't cover it up. Adam and Eve tried to cover up what they had done when they ate the forbidden fruit. The first thing they did was try to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. What are your fig leaves? What excuses, justifications do you use? Next they tried to hide behind bushes. Notice it's gotten bigger? What are your bushes? What do you hide behind? Do you have a nice, bright, shiny cardboard cutout of yourself that you hide behind whenever you go out in public? Next they tried blaming everyone else. Adam said Eve made him do it, Eve said the serpent made her do it. Who do you blame? Who do you try to push up front and hide behind? Your parents didn't treat you right so you blame them for your alcoholism? Your wife isn't pretty enough so you blame her for your adulteries? Your husband doesn't make enough money so you blame him for your extreme spending habits? Your children aren't good enough so you blame them for driving you to drugs? Your job or boss is the excuse you give for stealing time at work or not doing a good job or for stealing money out of the till?
God sees you for what you really are. You aren't getting away with it. You probably aren't even fooling those around you like your family! All you are doing is fooling yourself. There is one cure. Quit the behavior and you won't have to be ashamed any more. Don't look for ways to cover up and hide. Don't pull out the fig leaves, the bushes and the justifications and blame. Just stop doing it.
Before you get the idea that God is watching you in order to punish you, let me remind you that He sent His Son to die while men were sinners. We can't clean up ourselves and God knew that. At our very worst, He still loved us enough to die for us. He gave us a way to be clean, to start new, to have help. Jesus can rescue you. He can wash you with His blood and you will be cleansed of all your sins. He has sent the Holy Spirit who will come and live inside of you when you are saved. He will help you walk in newness of life. He gave us His Word to help retrain our minds and He gave the Word power to help us. He provided a way out. And He forgives us every time we ask!!! All we have to do is accept it, turn to Him, give Him our trust. He doesn't want to swat us or send us to hell. If He did, then He wouldn't have sent Jesus Christ! He loves us and wants to help us out of the mess we create! But we have to accept His help. If we don't, our sins will be exposed and we will face judgment.
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Revelation 16:16 And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Har-Magedon = Har = mountain, mount; therefore "Mountain of Megiddo;"
Strategically perched above the Jezreel Valley, it guards the most important land route in the Ancient Near East--the Via Maris leading from Egypt to Mesopotamia. Megiddo dominated international traffic for over 6000 years--from c.7000 BC through the Biblical era.
The Fertile Crescent is a crescent-shaped region in the Middle East where agriculture and early human civilizations. The east of the Fertile Crescent is between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamia) while the west of the Fertile Crescent is the Nile River (Egypt). The Fertile Crescent includes a roughly crescent-shaped area of relatively fertile land which had a more moderate, agriculturally productive climate. Throughout the region, irrigation is necessary. The Fertile Crescent is called the "Cradle of Civilization". The civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Levant which included the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, and Phoenicians, were responsible for the development of civilization. It is the birthplace of agriculture, urbanization, writing, trade, science, history and organized religion. Trade routes grew up to form long-distance travel to the Kingdom of Saba in southern Arabia, Egypt, and the Kingdom of Kush in Africa. There is evidence that the area was populated as early as 10,000-8,000 B.C. Abraham left his native city of Ur for the 'promised land’ of Canaan. Ur is in the Fertile Crescent. Abraham left Ur following the Euphrates River up to Haran. He then left Haran (also in the Fertile Crescent) and went to Canaan, the Promised Land, also in the Fertile Crescent.
The modern road follows the ancient trade route through the mountains.
Megiddo was a site of great importance because it guarded the western branch of a narrow pass on the most important trade route of the ancient Fertile Crescent, linking Egypt with Mesopotamia and Asia Minor and known today as Via Maris. Because of its strategic location, Megiddo was the site of several historical battles: Deborah over Sisera (Judges 5:19); Gideon over the Midianites (Judges 7); Pharaoh over Josiah (2 Kings 23:29)(2 Chronicles 35:22). Over 200 battles have been fought in the region, from 1468 B.C. (with Pharaoh Tuthmosis III) to 1917 (with Lord Allenby of the British).
Deborah the Prophetess
In the story of Deborah, two women saved the Israelites and gave them victory. She is the only female judge, or, indeed, female ruler of any kind in Jewish history. She may have been the wife of a man named Lappidoth, although there are varying views on this. Lappidoth seems to mean "flames,""lamps," or "splendours". It could possibly then be interpreted as "Deborah, a woman of lamps". Could this refer to her making lamps or lamp wicks? Or could it be referring to her shining in the darkness and her fiery spirit. She may have been all of the above. It doesn't change the story in any way no matter which way you look at it. She was "one instructed in Divine knowledge by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. She judged Israel as God's mouth to them; correcting abuses, and redressing grievances." - Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
Judges 4 1 After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, because Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he had harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
9 “I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh, 10 where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali; ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-lawa of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
12 When it was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor, 13 he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone before you?”
So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
16 Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Do not be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
19 Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.
20 “Stand at the entrance to the tent,” he said, “and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’”
22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple. 23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.
Gideon
Gideon is called by God in Judges 6
Judges 6:11-12 Then the Angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
We remember Gideon because when God told him what to do, he was hesitant. He wanted to be sure he was really hearing from God. So we see the story of Gideon's fleece at the end of Judges 6.
Gideon Defeats the Midianites
Judges 7 1 So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. 3 Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
4 But the LORD told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.”
7 The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” 8 So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him.
The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon. 9 That night the LORD said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count! 13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the LORD. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the LORD has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” 16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.
17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. 18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. 22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
23 Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian. 24 Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to attack the Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-barah.”
So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told. 25 They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.
So we are at the place where the frog like demons are speaking to the nations and they are told to gather at Armageddon for a great battle. Just like the battles that have gone on before except this is the final battle. Drawing inspiration from the stories of Deborah and Gideon, the Israelites were considered the underdog.
Judges 4 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, because Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he had harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
and
Judges 7 7 The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” 8 So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him.
With warriors being brought in from all over the world, with the modern weapons they will bring with them, it will look like they can't possibly be defeated. Everyone wants to be on the winning side and all the show of power, as the army gathers, will make people think they can defeat anyone. Instead of iron chariots, I imagine it will be bomber jets, tanks, drones. Instead of spears and arrows, it will be automatic weapons, shoulder launchers, missiles, bombs, machine guns. Instead of helmets, shields and armor there will be modern body armor.
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Revelation 16:17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!”
The Seventh Bowl (or vial) is poured out. This is the last of the plagues sent forth.
"Babylon's downfall is finished. The church triumphant in heaven saw it and rejoiced; the church in conflict on earth saw it and became triumphant." - Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
The angel poured his bowl "into the air".
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
air = ἀέρα (aera) = Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 109: Air, the lower air we breathe. From aemi; 'air'.
It seems to be poured into the lower heaven, the actual air we breath. It is also the habitation of the evil spirits. In this case, the world and air would be almost synonymous, both representing a realm, or sphere of influence.
Ephesians 2:1-2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience...
The word "air" in Ephesians 2:2 is aeros which indicates the same as aera used in Revelation 16:17. There are other things that are in the air around us. Airplanes, satellites, drones, helicopters, missiles, sound waves, radio transmissions, wireless transmissions, television, gases, airborne diseases, air pollution, vibrations. Something to think about.
Those who have not trusted Christ as Lord and Savior are sons of disobedience.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, the unsaved are subject to satan’s influence. They share his nature of sin and exist in rebellion against God. They respond naturally to satan's leading and to the influence of his demons.
Isaiah 59:1-3 1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
nor His ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden His face from you,
so that He will not hear.
3 For your hands are stained with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies,
and your tongue mutters injustice.
Demons, who were once angels but followed satan in his fall, are sons of disobedience as well. Satan rebelled against God. In his pride he wanted to be God so he was disobedient and rebellious. One third of the angels followed him in disobedience and rebellion. Humans who exhibit the same pride and desire to be god will be disobedient and rebellious just like satan and his demons. Thus the sons of disobedience.
Satan is called a prince because he is a ruler and possesses power to manifest evil in the world by influencing people and commanding demons. But he is not a king for there is only one KING! Satan's rule on earth is limited because God is sovereign and holds ultimate power. God has given him temporary power. It is for a set time and a set purpose but God is the one in control.
Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that He, Jesus, drives out demons”
“The air” in Ephesians 2:2 may refer to the invisible realm above the earth where Satan and his demons move and exist. This space, of course, is the location of the earth’s atmosphere or “air.” In Ephesians 6:12, Paul writes, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This evil realm called the “air” could be an actual locality, but it could also be synonymous with the “world” of John 12:31. This whole world is Satan’s domain (Matthew 4:8–9). - GotQuestions.org
This next scripture is one I would like to sit on for a few minutes. Let's look at it in several translations:
Romans 8:5-9a (King James Version - KJV) 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Romans 8:5-9a (New Living Translation - NLT) 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
Romans 8:5-9a (Contemporary English Version - CEV) 5 People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. 6 If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. 7 Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God's laws. 8 If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.
9 You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God's Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:5-9a (NET Bible - NET) 5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. 6 For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
Romans 8:5-9a (New International Version - NIV) 5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
We see here very plainly that without Jesus, we can never reconcile with God. When we are born, we are made up of a physical body and a soul. Our body is our earthly tent, our physical body, the house our soul (and spirit) live in while on earth. The soul, in this context, is our personality, intelligence, experiences, our mind, our thoughts, what makes us who we are; the inward man. Sometimes the word "soul" is used in the Bible to indicate the "spirit". But let's differentiate it as Body, Soul and Spirit. We are born with a body and a soul. But we do NOT have the third part, the spirit, unless we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and are born again. It's at the time of conversion that our spirit is born. God created Adam and Eve as a tri-part being just like God Himself is a tri-part Being. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This trinity works in such perfect union and harmony that the Three are One. He created mankind "in our image".
Genesis 1:26a "Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule"
Adam and Eve were created to be a tri-part being as God is. But when Adam and Eve desired to be like God and disobeyed Him, the part of their being that communicated and communed with God died. Their spirit died. Their physical body was still alive, although it would die eventually. Their soul was still there. They were still Adam and Eve. But their spirit died. When we are born from our mother's womb, our bodies and souls are born, but not our spirit. Jesus said we must be born again which means we must accept Jesus as our Savior and then our spirit is born. We once again become a tri-part being and we once again can commune and communicate with God! There is only one way for this to happen and it's through Jesus Christ. He made the way!
In Romans 8 we find our flesh and our souls are naturally hostile and rebellious to God. We cannot follow God, obey all His Laws or please Him. Our bodies and human natures are rebellious, prideful, and weak. We cannot save ourselves. We might could follow most of the Laws that God laid out in the Old Testament but we can't follow all of them. And we might follow the letter of the Laws but we miss the spirit of the Laws. In our human-ness we can't remember them all, we are weak, we take the easy way out when we are tired or hungry, etc. Remember Esau sold his inheritance from God for a bowl of stew! Our souls don't WANT to follow God's Laws. We want what we want when we want it and don't get in our way or make us feel bad about it! And even if we were able to remember to do every jot and tittle of the Law, our heart wouldn't be in it and therefore the letter of the Law is followed but not the spirit of the Law. One is obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the "letter") of the law, but not necessarily the intent (the "spirit") of the law.
2 Corinthians 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
John 8:43-44 Jesus speaking "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies."
Matthew 5:27-28 You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 5:17–18 Jesus speaking “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Romans 10:1-4 (NLT) 1 Dear friends, my greatest wish and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know they love God, but they don't understand 3 what makes people acceptable to him. So they refuse to trust God, and they try to be acceptable by obeying the Law. 4 But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable to God by faith.
What we could not do, Jesus did for us. We were born with a sinful nature. We have the tendency, the desire, the weakness, to sin. We could not keep the Law, we could never be righteous and pure. So Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth as a human being (Son of Mary) but sinless and divine (Son of God). He was born pure and did not fall into the temptation to sin. So He was born without sin and lived without sin. This made Him the only one who could pay the price for us. He was one of us (Son of Mary) but He was sinless. He died in our place.
You see, satan had tempted Adam and Eve and when they sinned, their spirits died. Something created by God, in His own image, with His breath of life, had been stolen by sin when they rebelled. He lost the life He had designed, created and breathed into. We were separated from God and He yearned for that relationship again. He loved us so much that He sent His Son to pay the price for us so we could reconciled to Him and live eternally with Him. And not only is our spirit born, but He sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts to enable us, empower us, train us, teach us to commune with God. He has done everything for us because we couldn't do it for ourselves. And He has given us everything we need to do whatever He calls us to do if we just trust Him. He has given us salvation, eternal life, the Word of God (Bible) and the help of the Holy Spirit who actually lives in us. His Power lives in us!!! Let that sink in! "We can do all things through Jesus Christ our Lord."
2 Peter 1:3-9 (NLT) 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
Once this last judgment is poured out, God says, "It is finished!" Where have we heard that before? When God's work is done, He declares it. God completed His creating work.
Genesis 1:31, Genesis 2:1 1 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. 2:1 So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. 2 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.
When Jesus completed His atoning work on the cross, He declared His triumph. We tend to think He may have whispered "It is finished" as His life ebbed away. Sort of like when we are at the end of our rope, defeated and we say, "I'm done." But Jesus obviously said it loud enough for those around Him to hear it. He was up on the cross and He declared "It is finished!" loud enough for those there to hear it. He didn't say it in defeat, but in triumph. He had accomplished His work, fulfilled His mission with His last breath. As His life ebbed away, He knew He had won the victory.
John 19:30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
He shouts, “It is finished!” because He has vanquished the evil one and released those bound to him in captivity. And like the high priest on the Day of Atonement, He shouts, “It is finished!” because no more sacrifices will be accepted. Both the Roman soldiers and the Jews around the cross have a clear context for understanding the significance of the Lord’s declaration. Jesus has fulfilled the law through His sinless life; fulfilled the types and shadows of the Old Covenant; fulfilled the prophecies of Messiah’s suffering; and completed the task for which the Father sent Him and the Spirit empowered Him. The work of redemption – it is finished! ...The work of redemption is completed on the cross, but all that God has promised us in redemption will not come to pass until we rise from the dead in glorification. Satan, sin, and death must be entirely done away with, and at this point in Revelation it seems that it is about to happen. - Rob Phillips, OnceDelivered.net
God’s divine purpose in judgment, regarding the Tribulation Period, is completed.
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Revelation 16:18-21 18 And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake. 19 The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.
20 Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found. 21 And huge hailstones, about a hundred pounds each,a rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.
Let's look at Revelation 16:18 in different translations:
New Living Translation Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck--the worst since people were placed on the earth.
Berean Literal Bible And there were flashes of lightning, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since men were upon the earth--so great was the earthquake, so mighty,
New American Standard Bible And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
King James Bible And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
rumblings = φωναὶ (phōnai) = Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's Greek 5456: Probably akin to phaino through the idea of disclosure; a tone; by implication, an address, saying or language.
When we hear thunder, it's an impressive sound. The cracks of lightening, the rolling thunder, the sounds can be tremendous. Sometimes we imagine it sounds like God talking! Does this verse mean just the sounds of thunder and lightening? The word means tone, language and voices. God has declared, "It is finished!". Maybe that is what is meant. Or are there other voices on the airwaves at the time this occurs? I can imagine frantic and desperate radio transmissions going on; news reporters and newscasters trying to explain and warn; people desperately trying to contact people via their cell phones. It will all be for nought. The voice that had called to their heart and invited them to salvation through Jesus Christ, now calls them to judgment. They had refused to hear Him when He called them in love but they can no longer ignore His voice.
These verses are actually the introduction to chapters 17 and 18, which feature the description of Babylon the Great. We will go into that in following posts.
"a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake"
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
earthquake = σεισμὸς (seismos) = Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 4578: A shaking (as an earthquake); a storm. From seio; a commotion, i.e. a gale, an earthquake.
Isaiah 29:6 you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with windstorm and tempest and flame of consuming fire.
Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered.
Matthew 24:21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.
Let's look at the point when Jesus died. There was an earthquake then too:
Matthew 27:48-54 48 One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.
49 But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”
50 When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. 51 At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Upon Christ's death, an earthquake shook the area. There were three gates in the Tabernacle/Temple. The one to the Outer Court of the Temple; the door from the Outer Court into the Temple, aka Holy Place or Inner Court; and there was the veil between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The "veil of the temple" was the tremendous and magnificent curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant stood. This was a doorway for the High Priest to go in annually. Only once a year could he go in and that was to atone for the sins of the people. This curtain was very thick and probably 60 feet tall and beautifully decorated. Notice that the verse says this veil was "torn in two from top to bottom". No human hand could tear it. Only God could tear the veil from top to bottom. Why did God tear the veil? The veil kept the people from entering the Holy of Holies and being in God's Presence. The veil was a separation. Each doorway or gate was a separation. From the outside looking in were the people. On the inside, in the Holy of Holies, was God looking out. But there was separation. Jesus accomplished the work of redemption and now anyone who comes to the Father through Jesus Christ, His Son, has direct access to God. There no longer has to be a separation. We can only have communication and access to God's Presence through Jesus. There is no other way! He is the only Mediator between God and man.
This earthquake in Revelation 16 is the shaking of the kingdom of evil. Satan, the anti-Christ, and the False Prophet... all that they tried to accomplish will come tumbling down. Babylon represents their one-world government, their empire, their kingdom, their one-world religion. It will be split apart.
I recently watched a movie called Layer Cake starring Daniel Craig. We see him as the center character around which the other characters play off. He is a criminal wanting to retire with a last job, surrounded by criminals from low levels to the highest levels. He tries to make sense and order out of a job that is peopled with those who cannot be trusted. Whether it's from taking drugs or just lying for lying's sake. There are other ulterior motives he's not aware of yet. Craig's character tries to stand steady on a surfboard that is launched on a sea of writhing and inexplicably stormy seas. I.e. you can't make sense, logic, or base your decisions on the word of people who make it their aim in life to steal, kill, lie and destroy. From the lowest level to the highest level, there is no safe place to put your foot down and then your weight down. Just as you think you've found a place to stand and rest, someone tackles you and knocks you over. There is no trust. There is no truth. Its all a fluid, moving, morass of evil where someone is always waiting to take you down.
Let's look at it from the lowest standpoint. A homeless person is as destitute as it gets. They have nothing. People might leave them alone because they have nothing to take. But the minute someone comes along and, out of the goodness of their heart, offers the homeless person something of value... a meal, a blanket, a place to spend the night, a job, a change of clothes, etc... then the people in the homeless community get jealous and covet what has been given. Those who are stronger will then overpower and take it from the homeless person. They will steal that blanket or pair of shoes! They will beat up the poor person to take what they can or ruin it for them. "If I can't have it, they can't have it either." I once saw an article about a homeless person who was sleeping on the street in front a good hearted person's home. So this good hearted person made it his mission to construct a tiny home on the street for this homeless person. A dry, safe place. Of course, this simple kindness creates a host of problems he probably hadn't anticipated. First being that other homeless people will want the same treatment and will start camping out in his yard expecting, and demanding, a similar tiny house. If they don't get it posthaste, they will roust the original homeless person from her dry, safe space and take it over and the kind man will have a bully on his property. Then there are squatter's rights to contend with, trash and sanitation, blah, blah, blah. That's a simple, low level example of what happens. You can take this to the highest level. Watch House of Cards for a look at how wealthy, high level politicians play the same game of Gimme-Gimme. We hear in the news all the time of the corruption of charities, ministries, non-profit organizations who take what generous, goodhearted people give and steal it or use it to barter with. Try to feed the starving in Africa and you will find food drops commandeered by bully gangs in the area and the food sold. Try to send a shipload of relief supplies to a third world country after a hurricane and you will find politicians selling it to put the money in their own bank accounts instead of distributing it to their starving, homeless citizens. And then get on television and demand the United States do more! It goes on and on.
What I'm trying to say is the kingdom of evil that comes about in the days of the Great Tribulation is never going to make it. People will put their trust in it at first because the anti-Christ tells them what they want to hear. People are desperate for someone to take over, run things and bring about peace and prosperity. But you can't trust, or depend on, something that is based on pride, evil, corruption, deceit, jealousy, covetousness, greed, perversion. It's like Craig trying to stand on a surfboard on a rolling, stormy sea of evil. If you've ever been on a boat in the middle of a storm... you can't stand, you can't walk, you can't put your weight down, you can't rest. There is constant motion and violent motion at that. You will be crawling, crying and trying to find something to hold onto. But there is nothing. In that movie, even Craig's surfboard of "self" couldn't hold him up. He found out he was just as evil as the rest.
There is going to be a physical, emotional and spiritual earthquake that rocks this world and knocks the kingdom of satan down for the last time. His Babylon will have been exalted to global domination but it will come apart quickly and definitively.
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