In this sermon, the preacher discusses the idea that no man is an island and emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things. He describes a vision of the fourth angel sounding and causing a disturbance in the sun, moon, and stars. This event leads to cataclysmic events on Earth, including the burning of a third of the trees and grass. The preacher also mentions the opening of the seventh seal, which reveals seven trumpets that will bring further judgments upon the people. The sermon concludes with a call to action, urging listeners to be evangelistic and share the knowledge of what is to come in order to win souls.

At the first chapter it's John, he's writing down the revelation, not the mystery, but the revelation of Jesus Christ, the last will and testament of the risen Christ, sealing the book that is geared to bringing people to himself. And then we saw that he gets the words direct from Christ and he has to write the things that are past, present and future. And in the seven letters to the churches, he deals with the past and present state of those churches with a future warning that they have to adjust or else, and all of those remarks in those first three chapters are to the churches. Chapter four and verse one, we saw last week where John is now cut up into heaven and going to view the things that shall be hereafter as and from and when the church is removed that avoids the wrath to come from there on in, it is the wrath of the lamb. We have nothing to do with the wrath of the lamb. We are delivered from the wrath to come. We are under the great, wonderful panoply of the church and under the love and care and attention and preservation of Jesus Christ. And all the scriptures attest to the fact that we are a people, a preserved people, a people to whom God multiplies his mercy, love and grace so that nothing can take us away from him or separate us from him. And so from four one, it's what's happening on the earth. And we saw that there was that, uh, view of what was taking place in heaven, showing us that Christ was the one that had the sole rights to open the seals, the seven seals. And the first of those seals in chapter six was revealing Christ himself. Now, not as the one that died and rose again and just belongs to the church, but as the one that's now got the right to come and justly have his vengeance upon all that rejected him all down those centuries. And we saw clearly in that chapter all the evidences for his being justified in taking the action that he's taking. And he comes forth to conquer and to, uh, and to conquering and to conquer. And we saw that there was the second seal, third seal, fourth seal, fifth seal, sixth seal, showing us some of the early signs of events taking place on the earth, on the godless that were there. And we finished, um, in chapter six at the very tail end there last week, where who's going to be able to stand against the day of his wrath that is to come. Now, the seventh chapter opens up by taking us into heaven to see some other work that's being done. And, uh, before we have in chapter eight, the opening of that seventh seal. And when the seventh seal is opened, it reveals seven, uh, trumpets that are to sound bringing forth seven more judgments upon the people on the earth. And after these things, chapter seven, verse one, I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying, hurt, not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Now you're going to see the sealing of these people from Israel, the nation of Israel. And they are the ones that are now going to go through this tremendous period of tribulation, but protected by the seal of God. And in effect will become the evangelists of their day because the church has been withdrawn. And, uh, I have the number of them which were sealed and there were sealed 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel. And that's exactly what it means. Out of that nation, there is going to be a great turning back to God. And out of it, there will be sealed at that time, 144,000 of those people. Now in reading the list of the tribes, you will notice that Dan is not mentioned there, neither is Ephraim. But remember that Manassas and Joseph there are replacing the two tribes that are no longer being mentioned. And, uh, Jacob, if you go back to Genesis was the one that said that he was going to give portions to Ephraim and Manassas to Joseph for all that he'd gone through and being estranged from his family and from his relatives. And he gave them a portion in Israel. And although Ephraim is not mentioned here, Joseph is. And and so, uh, that's where they are inclusive in their, uh, Ephraim and Manassas. And, uh, God alone has the main real reason and answer why, uh, there is the disappearance of Dan. And, uh, that's his business. One day you can ask him, uh, what happened to Dan and he'll tell you. And it's amazing down the years how people have loved to go into this seventh chapter and instead of just reading what is being stated that God is sealing and putting a special mark on people in Israel to protect them through that period. They've tried to make out that, uh, the British British Israelite is movement have tried to make out that Britain and America are the two lost tribes. And you have all sorts of other religions. Uh, your Jehovah's witnesses at one time believed that there was only going to be 144,000 Jehovah's witnesses that were the ones mapped out to get to heaven. But on recent mathematical calculations, they've discovered they've gone so far over that number. They've had to adjust the theology because it means that, uh, some of the number might not get in after all, they should have stopped at 144 and not bothered expanding. Um, and that's one of the biggest arguments you can have against them. When they start talking to you about the value of their faith, you can say to them, well, isn't it true that only 144,000 are going to get there? Well, why don't you worry about getting yourself there instead of getting me there and adding me to the number that might not get in. Uh, but all of it, if you just compare scripture with scripture turns out to be absolute nonsense. Of course, they have produced now their own theory as to, um, help to get around the problem. That's always one thing you can do. If you have your mind made up of what you want it to say and want it to mean, and it looks like it's collapsed and just build a new theology around it and devise a new, uh, translation of scripture that translates the scriptures the way you want them to be read so that it proves your point. That's the easiest way to get around theological difficulties. Just always go and write a new translation and, uh, make it say what you want it to say. But we have been cautioned this week by this book to read what's there, to take nothing from it, add nothing to it, just to see what the elephant is that's on the page in front of your nose. And don't start digging under the text, looking for mysteries because it's not a mystery. It's an open declaration. And those who have the spirit of God will be able to receive the confirmation from the spirit as to whether or not what's there is what is being said. But for the simple believer all down the years and simply reading, I had the number of them that were sealed of Israel have read it to be that those of Israel at that time that was sealed of the tribe of Judah sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Reuben sealed 12,000 of the tribe of God sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Asa was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Nephilim was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Manassas was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Simeon was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Levi was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Issachar was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Zabalin was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Joseph was sealed 12,000 of the tribe of Benjamin was sealed 12,000. I think it's pretty indicative that they're sealed. God doesn't send down a ballpoint pen to underline a point. He just keeps saying it until you get the message. They're sealed. Now remember that the seal signifies various things. It signifies identification. If you want to seal something and put it in a bank vault, you will lick it, seal it, and then scribble your name right across the envelope lip so that you would be able to tell if somebody ever opened that. It's security. It's identification. Not only that, it is a sign of value. If you have a Ming vase, you don't put it in the front room. Not these days. You keep it in a vault and go and see it once a year because you didn't have it out. That's why it's dangerous to have Christians too perfected like Ming vases. They're only worth looking at once a year. It's better being one of the cheaper variety that can be used by the Lord all year round. It doesn't matter if you knock it about a bit. Some Christians are so pure that they're like Ming vases. They're only worth looking at once a year. But here you have the seal. The seal not only signifying identification, signifying ownership, signifying security. It means that that's it, but it also signifies unchangeableness. You will find in your Bible that when Ahasuerus marked a law of the Medes and Persians with his ring, sealed with the king's ring, it made it unchangeable. So much so that when he had made the law that Haman could slaughter all the Israelites, he could not alter that law. So he ended up allowing them to create a new one, and that was that the Jews might defend themselves on the same day, and sealed that with his ring, and that helped to combat the two. And therefore they were able to defend themselves because you could never alter the law of the Medes and the Persians once it was sealed. And that's why even in the church, if you move around church people regularly, you will find they still use that statement. And they'll say, well, why don't you try something new in the church? And say, oh, well, the old deacons made that law 90 years ago, and it's like the law of the Medes and the Persians. You can't adjust it. It's fixed, and that's it. And so the church still tends to use that, knowing that once it's sealed, that's it. It is unchangeable. And the seal also signifies an impression. If you have hot wax and put a sealing ring in it, you leave an impression of what was on the ring. And if you're sealed with Christ, you have an impression of Christ left on your life. And so the seal signifies many of these things, and all of those things will take place in the lives of those people. They will be here on the earth as his witnesses, secure, identified, an impression left that they know Christ. They are going to be his living witnesses. And after this, I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, kindreds, people, tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne in their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. So on the earth there are sealed 144,000 of Israel. Then John is being shown something else up there in heaven around the throne at that time that there is the sealing of those on the earth about to move into the great tribulation are all of those saints that have gone before who came out of tribulation, who came out of tribulation, not the great tribulation, but they have come out of great tribulation. And there's a difference between the specific last week of great tribulation for the people of Israel when God starts the the end of the time of the Gentiles and starts that great last week of tribulation on the nation of Israel, but all that were martyred, everybody that's gone before that has suffered for the sake of their faith in the gospel, they're already up there. It's a confirmation they've gone. And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. One smart aleck said that must indicate that there are no ladies in heaven, because how else could you have half an hour with absolute silence? But that's not what it means. You will find that just before any great disaster, there is an awful hush. Even in natural life, it has been known for people to be observant of the fact that birds have stopped chirping. Suddenly there's a hush from nature. It was observed before the great earthquake of San Francisco, later reported by many people that it was as if everything was holding its breath and the only folks that didn't know something was coming were the people going about their daily business. But the whole of creation knew something was about to take place and it took place. People are very much aware of that. And even after some of the civil war battles in America, the war of independence, there was just that lull before the storm, that silence before the guns started firing. And when the battle finally ceased and men lay there both dead and wounded, within minutes was the first chirp recorded of a bird who lived through all, flew to its nest and went on. Yes, it's amazing how nature itself knows that there's storms coming. It's only mankind and his arrogance that can't even read the signs of the times. And Christ himself said, oh, you people, you can look at the sky and say, if it's a red sky at night, it's a shepherd's delight. It's going to be a nice day tomorrow. If it's a red sky in the morning, that's the warning. It's going to be a bad day. He says, yes, you're pretty good at telling the weather, but you can't even tell when I'm coming because you don't want to believe I'm coming. But the whole of nature, the whole of heaven, everything in heaven will hold its breath. Angels, everything will be silent. All those seraphim we read about earlier that were constantly day and night praising God before the throne, suddenly in the whole of heaven, there's a silence. It's about to happen. That which has been waiting and pending since all eternity, the vengeance of our God upon the planet earth and all the godless that refused to believe the truth. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden sensor. And there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which was before the throne. And here is that memorial going up of all the prayers of all those who came out of great tribulation all down the years, even of the old testament, patriarchal time and prophet time and new testament time, whose prayers went up to God because of what they were being put through for their faith. Now it's going to be remembered in the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the sensor and filled it with fire of the altar and cast it into the earth. Or upon the earth. And John is seeing this from heaven that now here is the answer to the prayers. The fire going down is the answer of the prayers. God, we obeyed your word. Of course, some don't obey it. We are told in Romans, avenge not yourself. Vengeance is mine, said the Lord. Leave that to me. Bless those that persecute you. Be good to them, those that do evil. For I will repay, said the Lord. Vengeance is mine. Bless them and heap coals of fire upon their head. Because one day I will chuck another kind of fire upon the earth. The one they did not want. The fire of my judgment in reply to your prayers in taking that vengeance. But I'm not willing that any should perish. I've waited all these centuries, hoping upon hope that the world would repent. But now I have no alternative. I have to do it. And he cast the fire of the altar onto the earth and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. And the seven angels, which had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded and they're followed. And now you're going to see through John's eyes what happens on the earth again. We're leaving that heavenly scene. Now they're about to let this be eeked out on the earth. So we're back down below seeing what's happening there. And the angel sounded and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood and there were cast upon the earth. And the third part of the trees was burned up and all the green grass was burned up. So it's going to be a tremendous cataclysm on the very planet itself. And you're going to find a third part of the forestry of the entire planet is going to be burned up with this awful event out of the heavens. And the second angel sounded and as it were a great mountain, as it were, he's having a difficulty describing it. It's what he's seeing and vision of something that's going to take place in the future. A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. A planet, a meteorite, something burst out of the heavens. You see, at one time, if you go into folklore and history prior to the exodus, you'll find that men were always writing about things that were taking place in the heavens. There was always great movements in the heavens. When they wrote things about Jupiter's daughter fighting with Venus and all of that in their folklore, it just wasn't somebody sitting down writing a jacanore for the children of that day. Are you sitting comfortably? Well, here is my little story. No, they were trying to put into some sort of language something that was happening in the heavens. And there was always great signs in the heavens. Even David, when the earth was being plagued, saw the sword of the Lord bathed in the sky in a plague upon the earth. Well, if you have ever seen a comet, it looks all for the world like a sword. You have the central star part at the top, almost like a cross to the naked eye. And then if you just look away from it, never look straight at it, but to the side, you will see that the tail of the comet forms almost the rapier blade of the sword, so that with your cross and the tail, it just looks like a sword. And so there was every likelihood that what David was seeing that was bringing about a plague in his day was the near passing to the planet earth of a comet. And we know that anything passing very close, that tail of a comet is spewing out all sorts of ash and debris from the burning up of that which is coming through the heavens and atmosphere near to the earth. There would be ionized red ash. And so you have everything that would look like the color of blood. And if you remember in the Exodus, when the waters were divided and pulled up into heaps, the scripture in Exodus is that the waters were in the right hand and the left hand as they went through the registry piled up in heaps. Well, of course, the effect of the close passing of a comet to the surface of the earth would be such that it would draw a huge tidal wave up off the earth. The moon does it as it is. As the moon goes around the earth, we find that it's drawing the water as our world spins and the moon is there. It's that your tide is your waters have been drawn towards the pool of the moon and your high tides are at full moon. Well, if there is any comet comes nearer than that and anything bigger and gets nearer, it's going to draw water off. And you'll remember that the land, the rivers, the first plague in Egypt became like blood of all of that ash, red ash fell on the ground and red ash fell on the and the rivers that would put a skin as it were on top of it that looked like blood. And of course, the tail of a comet is spewing out all sorts of radiation, radioactive material. And of course, the first thing that would be affected would be the genes of insects, then to animals, then to man. And if you look at the plagues of Egypt, they increased from lice to frogs to plaguing the cattle and to eventually killing the first born in the land. And there is all of those things can be almost reckoned to be the side effects of the close approachment of a planet. And if God used a planet to draw the waters off to let them go through the Red Sea and then as it went off into the distance or past the planet, those waters would come back over and drown all your Egyptians. It's a thing that the past attests to that has happened. But from the day of Christ, during this day of grace, there has been no activity in the heavens of that nature. None. And yet we're told in the epistle of Peter, we're told in Isaiah, that in the latter days of this world's history, once again, men are going to look up because they're going to be observing things taking place in the heavens. All sorts of things happening in the heavens. The earth will be reeling and tottering like a drunken man. The system will be moving, stars will be shifting. And once again, the heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament declares his handiwork. They're going to be his instruments for bringing about part of that judgment on the earth. And here in this section, the mountain burning with fire cast into the sea and the third part of the sea became blood. It could well be some vast comet coming through the atmosphere, landing in the notion and polluting it with its radioactivity and its ash and everything in it. The third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died. And the third part of the ships were destroyed. There's going to be awful cataclysm at that event on the earth and shipping will be destroyed all over the oceans. And the third angel sounded and there fell a great star from heaven. Here's more coming in our direction. Burning as it were a lamp and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountains of waters. And so even the streams from which we get our water are going to be affected by radiation and pollution. I'm glad I'm not going to be there. That's why I said in the opening of the week that we started this, if there's anything revelation does for me, it makes me want to go out and tell more men to come to Christ before it starts. So that none have to go through all of this. And the name of the star is called Wormwood. And the third part of the waters became Wormwood. And many men died of the waters because they were made bitter. Yes, the effects of radiation on water. We don't know if the star that fell from heaven could be part of a localized nuclear conflagration. We don't know. We certainly know in one of the prophets, he saw a disease. Men while they stood, he said, were plagued with an unusual plague where the skin rolled up and rolled off their body and their eyes disappeared in their sockets while they were still standing on their feet. Well, there's nothing more descriptive of what happens when there's a nuclear blast than that. And so there may well be at that time as God's instrument, something of nuclear devastation. It may not necessarily be a bomb. It could be some of the things that we have set up that are because of the movements of those earthquakes and everything that could be releasing and destroying nuclear power stations, things of that nature, releasing some of that radiation that would affect all the water streams and things in life. We don't know. We're just talking. But it's very evident that there is bitter waters. Incidentally, the Russian word for Wormwood is Chernobyl. It's interesting that a thing like that took place there with a nuclear station and how that as it took place in the Soviet Union, we couldn't sell the sheep in Cumbria because of radiation. No man is an island anymore. It just happens in one spot and it affects what you thought was too far away to be affected. But now we know that that's far from being the truth. And the fourth angel sounded and the third part of the sun was smitten, which means there is a somehow or other now, whether that third part of the sun, whether something leapt out of the sun and hurtled itself through space and was part of the sun falling on the earth, but it would appear that it's either darkened or it's lost a portion of its molten mass that's hurtled through space. We don't know. And a third part of the moon, was that part of what fell to the earth, first the sun and then dragged a piece of the moon with it as it fell and passed it? We don't know. And the third part of the stars, so as the third part of them was darkened and the day shone not for a third part of it in the night likewise. And I beheld and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven saying with a loud voice, whoa, whoa, whoa. You thought that was bad? Hold on. To the inhabitants of the earth, not those that are around the throne, worshipping the lamb, having washed their clothes in the blood of the lamb and arrayed in white. This is to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound. And the fifth angel sounded and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And remember the Thessalonians were told that once the church is taken out of the way, then the evil has got to be released into this world to vent its fury upon the people that it deluded. But remember their delusion was by choice because God made man in his own image and that meant God gave him the mind and the ability and the choice to be responsible for his actions and men loved, not the truth. Now the enemy of their souls is going to reveal himself and all his fury upon those that are still upon the earth that are not sealed. And he opened the bottomless pit and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace and the sun and the air were darkened by the reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth and unto them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads, not the Israelites that are sealed. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months. And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man. Scorpions don't kill you, but my, there is no pain like the pain you get from a scorpion sting. I've talked to many a missionary who's trodden on one and they tell me that if it strikes your foot or your ankle, the poison seems to go straight to the groin. And it's in the groin that you roll in agony. And they say there is no pain like it. You don't die and after days it subsides, but apparently it attacks the groin of man. And this torment is going to be theirs. You know, you're apt to think that surely if things let that happen to men on the earth, surely they're going to say, Oh, this must be the judgment of God. Now we better do something about it. Don't you believe it? This shows you the true nature of why this judgment is just because men will not adjust. And in those days shall men seek death. They want to die. And shall not find it. And shall desire to die and death shall flee from them. God is going to see to it that they stay alive and well and tormented. And we seem to think that health is always an indication of the blessing of our God. Not necessarily so. It certainly would put a cap on man's idea all down history that he can determine when it's time for a person to die. God has the power of life over death and he can stave off a death until his right time. That's why I've always said it. We Christians die on time and learn to die on time. Don't hang around if you shouldn't be here and create lots of problems for other people and for the church. If it's time to go, go. You're going somewhere better. Don't be a nuisance. Sometimes I think medicine today has done us a disservice. I was talking to a surgeon just a few weeks ago and he said yes medicine is doing a disservice. Where in past generations the population of the world just eked out nicely because people just get elderly and in the right time they would go to bed and have pneumonia. They would just slip away in the night. But now the hardest thing to do is to die. Because they keep them alive with all their cleverness and think that that is a gift. My own mother-in-law who's 93 in a few days time who's just been like sleeping beauty for several years now. We lift the body daily. We toilet it, wash it, dress it, sit it in its chair, feed it off a spoon, tell it to open the mouth, put the food in. Sometimes it swallows, sometimes it doesn't. Blind, deaf, Parkinson's disease, no conversation, just a heap of flesh. And yet if we stopped the pills for a month I'm supposed that mother would slip away but would be had up for euthanasia. So we have to keep administering the pills. But it was amazing that a week ago just for it's almost like sleeping beauty waking it up suddenly she'll have a day when she can remember things back to childhood and want a pencil to write a recipe to make cakes because Billy and Grace and the children might be here this afternoon and there she is wanting to write a recipe to her daughter who's retired to bake a cake and telling her how to bake it and halfway through she's gone again. Maybe months before she comes out again. But this last time she came out just a few days ago she said to my sister-in-law, I'm hearing a song. I don't know where I ever heard it and to our knowledge mother has never professed to her faith but she says and it's a song about oh lord why do I keep knocking the door and you won't let me in. Now there isn't even a hymn by that but what's being expressed is no doubt what's going on inside this shut inside person. She's tired, she's locked up in a body and would love to be out of it in a way rather than be held inside it but we think it's clever to keep them going. Yes as a family we are asking God to show his mercy on mother and the condition she was in she is in I wouldn't like to think she's going to go on till well over a hundred. It's a living death to just sit there like that. But you see even here in this section you're finding God is the one that determines when men die and when they don't and we should be leaving him to that and not taking that responsibility on and thinking we are the ones that can determine when. In the shapes verse 7 of the locusts were like unto horses prepared to battle. He doesn't know what it is he's seeing and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold and their faces were as the faces of men it's vision and they had hair as the hair of women and their teeth were as the teeth of lions and they had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. Did he see an airplane? Don't know. And they had tails like unto scorpions and there were stings in their tails and their power was to hurt men five months. Well instead of getting bogged down in what are these creatures just notice the elephant what they're doing. The elephant is their punishing irrespective if we can decide what they are or what they are not we can see what they're doing and what they've been given power to do and they had a king over them which is the angel of the bottomless pit whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon but in Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon the destroyer one woe is past and behold there come two woes more hereafter you think that would be bad enough and the sixth angel sounded and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates and the four angels were loose which were prepared for an hour and a day and a month and a year for to slay the third part of men there's going to be a such a global catastrophe a third of the population remaining at that time excluding those sealed are going to be destroyed and the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand and I heard the number of them and thus I saw the horses in the vision and then that sat on them having breastplates of fire and of jacinth and brimstone and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone by these three were the third part of men killed by the fire by the smoke by the brimstone which were issued out of their mouths could have been a great battle was it gunnery and tanks he saw with shells coming out of the guns and firing across the terrain I mean if it was he still had an awful job finding words in his day to describe that but all we know is that there's a massive battle and a great amount of death for their power is in their mouth and in their tails for their tails were like unto serpents and had heads and with them they do hurt and the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship demons and idols of gold and silver and brass and stone and of wood which neither can see nor hear nor walk neither repented they of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their fornication nor of their stealing you wouldn't believe that it's possible and you know you're apt to think oh surely surely if some great catastrophe happened tomorrow the world would say ah the Christians were right let us repent and turn to God before it's too late because in your evangelism you'll discover that one of the major excuses that's given is I've time yet I'll wait and if I see something like that happen believe me if I saw the rapture happen I'd believe before it all happened no they won't remember in Thessalonians I'm going to send a great delusion that they will believe a lie because they loved not the truth when they heard it and had the choice and they said no and they didn't repent and if you remember in the gospels you have the rich man and Lazarus and when the rich man died and went to the place of the departed dead wicked and saw Abraham afar off in paradise he shouted oh oh father Abraham come and just cool my tongue and help me out of this torment I pray these now praying but it's too late and Abraham said sorry there's a great gulf fix and now that you're an evangelical but in the wrong place and remember that's the great thing about these people they'll all be evangelicals don't panic but the thing is that they're going to be in the wrong place because it's in time that you make your mind up not eternity and he says even if we wanted to come to you and help you we can't and even though you want to come to us now we can't come to you and help you there's a great gulf fix and he says well I'll tell you what send somebody to my father's house because I have brothers there and tell them if somebody went to them from the dead to tell them they would repent which means I didn't that was my problem I knew it and I didn't tell them do you remember the answer they got they have genesis exodus leviticus numbers deuteronomy the prophets the psalms they have the scriptures let them hear them and if they cannot listen to what God's word says they wouldn't believe though somebody rose from the dead walked into the house tonight and said I'm alive from the get your heart right with God or else because the word has spoken the spirit witnesses to that word to the hearts of people on the earth and always remember that as you do your word of witness stop witnessing coming home because you don't see them repent and get converted and saying oh let's tear that wee message up I must make it theologically better if I had 10 more years seminary training all the books of the pastors then I would be able to write better sermons to turn the world to Christ the answer is no you will not and your simple word of testimony is sufficient to be backed up by the holy spirit to bring home to these people's hearts the necessity to turn to Christ and the problem is not that you've written a bad message it is they are unrepentant in heart and will not repent and right through to the end of the age they will not repent you can see all of these vials these seals that have been broken these trumpets that have been sounding and they still won't repent because that's the nature of sin and what Jesus said is true that the majority of the world's population will not repent they will go down the broad way that leads to destruction many there will be that go in there at but only a few find the way to the throne and to the blood of the lamb to cleanse themselves and I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven clothed with a cloud and a rainbow was upon his head and his face was as it were as the sun and his feet as pillars of fire and he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth and he cried with a loud voice as when a lion roareth and when he cried seven thunders uttered their voices and when the seven thunders had uttered their voices I was about to write and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered and don't write them John heard something he was not to tell us that's why I'm never in a panic when there are certain portions of the word I read and they just don't make sense to me and I don't have the answers and I can't give the proper answers and usually if there's something I can't tell you and I don't have the answer for it's because at the moment I'm not supposed to God has the capacity to tell us when to shut up as well as when to talk up and there are some things that he says no not yet don't tell them that write it not so we're not going to be told what it was that he heard may angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven and swear by him that liveth forever and ever who created heaven and all the things that are there in and the earth and the things that are there in and the sea and the things which are there in that there should be time no longer and remember that time is a creation of God it is a creation of God eternity is normal time is a creation I've always likened time to like the bubble inside a spirit level if you look in the spirit level beyond the bubble on either side is oil it is a bubble in the midst of something else that's moving backwards and forwards in there and to me time is like a capsule a bubble that God placed into the oil of eternity but now he's going to destroy the creation called time but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets yes were told in the epistle of Peter that much of what they prophesied was a mystery to them they had no idea what it was they were seeing even Daniel fainted and the angel raised him up and he said what is it the angel said none of your business you'll die go to the grave and it's for a people yet to be born it doesn't concern you you will not know that one day you'll rise and stand with your own feet again and you'll know what all these things mean it's for a people yet to be born you see we're living in a day and an age when we seem to think everybody should know everything and God is still the one as almighty God that shows that he still has his freedom and independence to the extent there are still some things that we are not going to be able to know and I'm glad for that I'm glad knowledge is sorrow said Solomon and every new truth you read from scripture and I'll tell you something one of the most dangerous things you've done has come to this series your lives will never be the same again because when the series is over you may say sort of casually to one another or in your own heart oh well that was interesting but in the years to come you're going to find the spirit of God reminding you each time you feel like putting your feet up and doing nothing there's a world to be won remember what you have heard about what's going to happen to this earth and it will all come back every time you feel like just being indifferent and letting the whole of this community just go to the devil and you find that one of the outcomes of this weeks of study is you're going to end up being a little bit more evangelistic you probably never thought this was a class on personal evangelism but it is and without a single lesson on how to do it just getting a good knowledge of what's going to happen afterwards is enough to drive you to it and you'll do anything you'll be ready instant in season out of season to give any any kind of word and witness to anybody that by all means you might win some and some of the great texts of scripture will suddenly become a reality to you because you'll know what people are going to go through and there's so much you still don't know so much i still don't know but my problem is not with what i don't know it's with what i can tell clearly and know clearly that is my problem i've got to see to it that i let it drive me to winning my world before i have no more opportunity and the voice which i heard from heaven spake unto me again and said go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth and i went unto the angel and said unto him give me the little book and he said unto me take it and eat it up and it shall make thy belly bitter for it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey yes the word of god is likened unto that which is sweeter than honey finer than wheat but when we really know what it says and we really understand what it's declaring it makes you bitter inside it's not going to be palatable because here john is being told hey don't write it swallow it eat it you'll enjoy knowing what it's saying you'll enjoy having seen what you've seen but your sorrow is you're not going to be able to share it there are some things people are not ready to get yet and i took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it up and it was in my mouth sweet as honey and as soon as i had eaten it my belly was bitter and he said unto me thou must prophesy again before many peoples and nations and tongues and kings remember that john in vision is up in heaven watching this but he's being told john this is just vision this vision will end and you'll suddenly find yourself again on the isle of patmos and you'll be back there a prisoner and you've yet some prophecies and some witnessing to do before you come to heaven and so there are certain things that i'm declaring to you that you're not going to be able to share with any and the person that's giving him this word is the lord himself if you compare this angel with statements throughout revelation the rainbow clothed with a cloud feet as pillars of fire you find that it's the lion of judah you're finding it is christ and he's giving him this knowledge this vision but some of it is not going to be able to express some of it is not going to be able to share and yet god is doing everything well he's showing very clearly what's going to happen on this earth and what the people will be like and if there's anything i would like you to learn out of tonight's gallop through these chapters is that we must remember to let people know and above all don't panic if they do not repent don't quit yourself and think that you're an inferior evangelist a poor christian i witness and they don't respond expect it then you'll be more surprised when you meet one of the people that find a narrow way and do come to christ through your word and witness then you will believe in miracles you will know someone has their eyes open and it is marvelous that a thing like that can happen that people can still get their eyes open today but that shows you that conversion is not something you teach in a sunday school or that you get from a lesson out of a book or even through personal witness conversion is the miracle of god opening the eyes of the blind and coming down into a person's life by his presence to forgive and to live there as a risen savior our task is just to supply the information if they don't want it that's their business we just leave them with it but at least we know we told them and i've often told many a person that thinks it's clever to leave a conference or a church or an evangelistic crusade still unsaved because they never responded that that's not clever and one day when you stand before the king of the whole earth to be judged you will not be able to say excuse me i didn't know because there will be people from flixen just look out from behind the lord and say hello effie remember and she'll take a look at you and say oh no i didn't think you'd be here hi harry remember oh yes god won't have to say a thing they'll be speechless because we will just simply look away from our celebration at the throne and just look at them and they'll remember they told me in flixen i deserve what i'm getting well we'll stop there for this week and ask if there's any questions okay the question is isn't there a danger in a christian getting this information about these partial judgments coming on the future generations that we can go out and share that with these people and terrify them more than bring them a sense of hope and salvation well of course the instruction is not to go and tell them those things the instruction tonight has been let that be your motivation to go and give them the good news never preach judgment if you study christ's message it was good news it was for now it was change your mind and get it all repent for the kingdom of god is at hand believe and receive it was good news and peter did the same on the day of pentecost this is that now then he presented the christ in his kingdom and told them to repent and receive judgment must be always the last word you give a person remember they're sinful and hopeless they need lifting up and so we come to them with good news but if a person sitting with me tells me that he understands what i'm saying about a way out of the dark paths of sin and he understands what i'm telling him about forgiveness through the lord jesus christ and how to get a new daily dynamic in his life through the indwelling of the living christ to become a better person and to stop all of that bad living and he understands that as well as the side benefits of change of location and eternity from hell to heaven and he understands that and then ends up saying well thank you very much i understand everything you're saying but i don't want it then my last parting shot is then i have no recourse but to tell you you are still in your sin and under the judgment of god and that you are moving towards awful times both in your life and this planet is moving towards its end and unless people are saved then there is a judgment but i would think that our duty is first and foremost the good news then the judgment but the what we are being shown only spirit people will understand these things that are being declared here it's not there to take out as a message to the world it's to drive us out to give them the good news this will happen anyway and uh i don't believe in frightening people into kingdom but i do believe in letting them know that if they tell me blatantly to my face i've understood it for years but i don't want it then i say well excuse me for telling you but you're playing a dangerous game then i can tell them of the impending judgment that will be coming not only in life but also in eternity any other question verse 10 in chapter 10 a simplification if willie is able to do it my dear willie will try 9 10 verse 10 of chapter 10 and i took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it up and it was in my mouth sweet as honey well here is those last pieces of information if you remember the little book was first opened in chapter 5 a book written within without and the backside sealed with seven seals and only christ was able to open that book and now he's handing the book to john with the remainder of the information in it and telling him there are things he's now heard and he's seen that he has not to write about and that in getting this knowledge all knowledge at first is is marvelous but then it can become sorrow and so the bitterness would be equal to the sorrow of knowing what you know but knowing you can do nothing about it and uh i think that that's true of any knowledge of course it's great for a scientist to discover nuclear fission that could bring to the world so much in the way of clean energy and everything but then in getting that knowledge man is now full of sorrow because being sinful he's misusing the positive that he could get out of nuclear fission to create the biggest bombs to destroy life and so many a man that sat down and discovered these things and passed them over to a world that made them into weaponry has testified that the worst thing they ever did was to pass on that scientific discovery that at one time they were happy about because it gave them a sense of having discovered something marvelous but now they're sorry they even gave it. Oppenheimer was the same he was full of regret before he died at having unleashed on the world what to him at one time was his cleverness of discovering new information and so John here is being told the same thing when you see things and hear things and get revelation from God you're at first happy it's like eating honey I'm seeing things and hearing things no other man in the earth knows but now comes the bite because you're not going to be able to tell them for one thing they wouldn't understand and in the unrepentant condition they're in that it's not going to make any difference to you and you'll have to carry the sorrow the bitterness of knowledge that you know they will not respond to anyway and they would misuse it if they got it. So Joseph and Manasseh and Ephraim were not one of the original twelve. If you go back to Genesis and Deuteronomy where both Jacob and Moses give out final prophecies and utterances and all of the tribes you will discover that Manasseh and Ephraim were not tribes but old Jacob because he finally got Joseph back again and took the two boys and blessed them and he was giving them a portion in the land because of his displeasure against some of his children who were living wrongfully he didn't like Reuben he thought Levi was brutal and cruel and various others you see and so you find here that he gave a portion of the promised land to Manasseh and to Ephraim and although Ephraim was the elder he blessed Manasseh was the elder he blessed Ephraim first and it was Ephraim and Manasseh well here in the vision he's putting down Manasseh as being a tribe but also putting down Joseph but Joseph was never a tribe it was a term used to denote Ephraim and Manasseh therefore since Manasseh is mentioned you can conclude that Joseph would be indicative of Ephraim. Anything else? Then back to you.