A Different Reaction ...

Have you ever noticed how the same written content will often inspire a completely different reaction across a group of readers?  The words on the paper (or in the email) do not change an inch.  But the tone of how it is read, and the agenda behind how we perceive what was written between the lines, changes to nearly every reader who takes the time to read it.  Some folks might have a relationship with you already, and when an email or a post is made, they interpret those writings based on that pre-existing relationship.  Where it comes to matters of religion, specifically Christianity, entire denominations have arisen purportedly because each group of folks reads the same words in the Bible just a little bit differently.  Then those differences became matters of doctrine.  That doctrine then becomes a test of faith.  And before you know it, we are ready to condemn each other for not teaching truth, because of the differences in how we perceive scripture – even though we are not actually arguing about the words themselves – those words do not change.  But how we read them does.

Sadly, in matters of religion, those who are quick to condemn and use the Bible to do so, share another characteristic they are probably not even aware they have.  It is not so much having a “bad” thing, as it is a lack of an “awesome” thing.  Sin is sin.  And sin is never good, should never be endorsed, and frankly is something all of us struggle with, and something all of us want real relief from.  But when we focus on the sin itself, we become people who are quick to condemn.  When we focus on the redemption from sin, on the cure for sin, we become people who realize only love will ever get us to that cure.  It is the love of Jesus Christ, that moves Him to want to cure us.  It is our love for Him, that moves us to want to be cured.  Love then, underlies everything in our own salvation.  And when we are people of love; we start to care about others, in effect, Jesus alters our hearts in the process of salvation to begin to see the treasure of others.  When that overtakes us, we are no longer people who focus on condemnation, we are people who focus on re-creation and redemption in the here and now.  Same words.  Same Jesus.  But a different us.

In our last study, Luke tells us the back story to the gospel of Jesus Christ, by focusing on Zacharias the father of John the Baptist, or rather soon-to-be father.  Zacharias is confronted by the angel Gabriel who “stands in the presence of God”.  Zacharias is given an awesome revelation of what is to come.  But he is old, his wife is too, and they have been barren all their lives.  So Zacharias looks at his humanity, and doubts he could ever accomplish such a thing.  Zacharias was a good man, a blameless man, but he looked in the wrong place for the miraculous.  He looked to human strengths and abilities (namely his own).  Instead He should have looked to God to accomplish what no man (or science, keep in mind Luke is a physician), could ever accomplish.  When God predicts the impossible, He performs the impossible.  He does not ask you to do it.  The same is true of how you will be saved from you.  It is impossible for you to ever reach perfection, so you are not asked to do that work, you are asked to let Jesus do it in you, and for you.  You are not asked to stay in your sins but allow Jesus to lift you out of your sins entirely.  As you submit yourself, your human ideas, strengths, desires, and weaknesses to Jesus – He does exactly that, He does the impossible in you.  The question becomes, how will you respond.  Zacharias was a believer, a priest by trade, and he practiced what he preached every day.  But when Gabriel himself came to him with great tidings, Zacharias doubted. 

Time to change the scene.  Luke will tell the story of another angelic revelation with a very different outcome.  Luke picks up in his letter (chapter one) of our gospel, in verse 26 continuing … “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, [verse 27] To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. [verse 28] And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”  We move from a focus on the men in this story, to a focus on the women.  And Luke starts not with the birth of Jesus, or even the conception of Jesus, but with an angelic revelation of Jesus to a simple virgin girl named Mary.  Now Mary herself was no different then or now, than any other virgin girl engaged to be married.  She was excited about spending her life with Joseph as her husband.  She loved him, and he loved her.  The engagement process was just like a time delay for Joseph to prepare to marry her with a place to live and ability to take care of her.  The engagement delay also allowed for them to be sure of their feelings, and not make mistakes they might regret later in life.  So Mary was like any other girl no real difference there.

Mary might have been pretty, but likely no super model.  The conditions of life back then required outdoor physical labor to survive.  Preparing food took effort (harvesting, washing, cutting, cooking over open fires, and cleaning in a nearby stream).  There were no microwaves, and prepared meals in plastic containers we simply “throw away” when we are done.  Keeping clothes clean took effort (carrying them to an outdoor water source, hand washing them over grates, using soap if you could afford it, drying them on lines or tree branches, then carrying them home again).  There were no machines that do all the work for you except folding them.  You get the idea, life was much more difficult.  And should bad weather appear, it might change everything for you from what you could do, to what you could eat.  So there were no pampered super models who survived by the publicity of their looks, untouched by the outdoor rigors of life back then.  In this Mary was no different than any other girl in her town, her region, or her age.

Luke continues in verse 29 saying … “And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.”  Notice, Mary is not afraid per se, but troubled at this greeting, because from her point of view, she is far from highly favored and blessed among women.  That pronouncement does not fit with a simple, humble girl, who lives life, like any other simple woman might.  And to keep us men humble – while Joseph may be the love of her life – he is no Brad Pitt such that every other woman in her hometown would recognize her luck by marrying him.  He is just another simple humble man, likely a virgin himself, who is excitedly waiting to marry the love of his life.  And perhaps that love between them might be enough to warrant the angels pronouncement in our day, or any day come to think of it.  But Joseph, while faithful and nice, has nothing to do with this.

Luke continues in verse 30 saying … “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [verse 31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. [verse 32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [verse 33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”  There is immediacy in what the angel proclaims.  This does not sound like a future someday proclamation to her it sounds like a right now kind of thing.  She gets that.  But then, same words different reaction.  We know, because of hindsight, that the angel was describing the Messiah, and the references to a kingdom without end, does not mean the removal and overthrow of the Roman empire, it means a spiritual kingdom where evil is defeated once and for all time.  But she hears these words and can easily associate them with every commonly held belief about the Messiah at that time, meaning He was to ascend to David’s throne, and establish a kingdom (earthly) without end as He grows up.  The words of the angel did not change, but perception, and preconceived ideas about belief would have colored them greatly.

Luke continues in verse  34 saying … “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? [verse 35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. [verse 36] And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. [verse 37] For with God nothing shall be impossible.”  Mary responds by asking the most obvious simple logistical question – how will this be considering she is still a virgin.  Mary knows how it is supposed to work, and this has never happened.  The angel responds by telling her that the Holy Ghost will come upon her, and beyond that, that the power of the Highest will overshadow her.  That could be a reference to God the Father (particularly as she would have understood it).  And all of this to insure there is no doubt as to who the Father of Jesus would truly be – it would not be human – it would be divine.  Jesus would rightly be called the Son of God.

Notice too, Mary does not ask for a sign.  She only asks how it is possible, given how it is supposed to work.  But Mary is given a sign anyway.  The angel refers her to her cousin Elisabeth (perhaps obedience runs in the family) as being already 6 months pregnant.  Elisabeth who is known to her family and around the region as barren.  Elisabeth who is old, WAY too old to be even thinking about being pregnant.  But all of this is to prove, that with God, NOTHING is impossible.  And the parallels to our salvation remain just as pertinent, what we are unable to do to save ourselves, we were never meant to do – but with God nothing is impossible including changing you from who you are, to who He intended you to be.  You cannot cure your sin problem.  But God can.  Not just forgive mind you, but cure.  Not just overlook your past, but make for you a new future, absent of sin altogether.  [Take in that oil of the wise virgins while there is yet time.]  Mary is not meant to solve this problem herself, she is meant to witness the power of the Lord in solving it.

And so Mary responds as Luke continues in verse 38 saying … “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”  Mary does not argue.  Mary does not debate.  She accepts.  And irony of ironies, she accepts no matter the cost to her personally.  For what the angel has said, is how history will view her from those who believe.  But it is NOT how she will be viewed in her own time and age.  Not even the love of her life Joseph will believe her at first (it will take an angelic visit of his own before he is willing to accept the impossible).  And so beyond Joseph, the virgin mother of Jesus will be called an adulterous whore by those who will not believe, and by those who employ common sense to guide their thinking, not faith in an impossible God who routinely does do the impossible.  At best, she will be condemned as breaking her engagement with Joseph to make him the Father earlier than when they were to be formally married.  At worst, she will be no better than a whore that deserved to be stoned for betrayal in which she was caught.  But no personal cost to her or her reputation would be considered.  Instead just a simple yes.

It is particularly interesting to me, the contrast in response of Zacharias and of Mary.  Zacharias was a good man, there is no condemnation here of him by me, nor should there be.  Yet even a priest was prone to human doubt.  The simple virgin bride to be, made no request for a sign, and simply submitted even when she did not have to, and even when it will cost her reputation forever.  Even though it might even cost her, her pending marriage.  She responded with a simple yes.  For the Bible being a book that is supposed to be hard on women, that is not what I read.  I read women who keep defining themselves of those with cast iron faith, while the men around them do far less, in the same circumstances at the same time and age.  I see women who follow God without question, while men seem to have so much harder a time trying to do the same.  Mary will have a normal life after the birth of Jesus.  She will be wife and mother of several more children.  She will go on to be nothing more extraordinary than any other woman of her age, but in this single act of submission and faith, she will carry the honor of having been mother to Love incarnate.

Perhaps it was the love within her, that made all the difference.  Perhaps it is the love in you and I, that can still make all the difference.  For we serve a God where nothing is still impossible, no matter what it looks like in our age.  I pray our responses are different when we are yet called …

 

A Small Scroll, An Open Book ...

Near the end of the sounding of the sixth trumpet outlined in John’s book of Revelations of Jesus Christ is presented a new scene and description of events.  Indeed in what has been foretold of 3 great woes in the sounding of the last 3 trumpets; it is this scene that takes place BEFORE the second woe is completed.  Based on our earlier examination in the study of the series of the seven trumpets then, the timing for what John is going to reveal here must be near “the last days”.  Whether the sixth trumpet is to be interpreted in a political, or spiritual, or modernistic method; all interpretations point to a time period in the mid 1800’s that continues till Jesus returns, the central idea being it is a last message that goes out prior to the permanent establishment of kingdom of our Lord.  So as we examine what John reveals to us of Jesus Christ within chapter 10 of his book of Revelations, we find a sense of urgency for us as readers, for it appears this message is directed more to those who live on the earth in the last days before He returns.

John begins in verse one saying … “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 the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:”  John here refers to an angel, a mighty angel coming down from heaven.  The description of this angel is reminiscent of Christ.  His face shining as the sun, his feet as pillars of fire, clothed with a cloud and a rainbow upon his head – all indicators and descriptions of Jesus as outlined in other passages.  However, John knows Jesus personally.  John has Jesus revealed to him in the form of the Lamb of God in an earlier vision.  He has seen Jesus glorified as the Son of God walking amidst the candlesticks and delivering messages of love and redemption to His churches in the earlier visions recorded in this book.  So given that John knows Jesus in His earthly form, and has seen Him in His divine form, it is possible that this is a different angel coming to our world, and not Jesus Himself.  Perhaps the angel descending is Gabriel who had replaced Lucifer when he abandoned his post as angelic leader.  Lucifer at one time was the third highest created being second only to the Godhead.  He was at one time chief servant of all, and lead servant of the most high.  With that proximity to God the Father, His countenance might well have an effect on those who are near Him.  When Moses returned from Mt. Sinai, his hair was white, and face carried a radiance that did not originate within him, but was reflected by him as he had been in the presence of our God.  So too might this angel having been so close to God, might be reflecting characteristics of the Most High in his assigned mission to our world.

John continues in verse 2 … “And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,”  The mighty angel carries to our world a little book, that is both open and unsealed.  Unlike the book John earlier described that was sealed seven times, this one is made open to begin with.  The destination of the angel is to put his right foot upon the sea, and his left upon the earth.  This may indicate that the message contained in this open book will be one of world-wide consequence.  It is not intended only for a small group, but for all of our world, across every sea.  There are those who believe the open book is a representation of the Bible.  However the designation “little” might preclude this idea.  But perhaps a particular book within scripture, perhaps the previously sealed up book or prophecies of Daniel that are a part of scripture (i.e. small), but not the whole of it, might be the message that is here conveyed.

John continues in verse 3 … “And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. [verse 4] 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 write them not.”  This is most unfortunate.  When engaged in the study of our God, the more information we have, the more details we have, the more we want.  We can and will spend an eternity getting to know who our God truly is, and trying to grasp the enormity of His love.  Here, John alone is privileged to know the meaning of the messages contained in the seven thunders.  What might they have said?  What clarity might they have added to this vision?  What might the world, and our faith have benefited from the revealing of what now will become secrets to us?  The seven thunders were preceded by a loud cry (as when a lion roars).  There is no clear discernable message in the loud cry, other than perhaps like the trumpets to garner our attention.  Perhaps it is designed to wake us from our spiritual slumber to the reality of our position in the soon ending fabric of time.

John continues to relay what he witnesses in verse 5 … “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, [verse 6] And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:”  First, it is worthy to note that we humans are forbidden to sware by anything in heaven or earth.  To do so, is to attempt to make a promise fueled by our own will, determination, and control.  Since we control nothing, we are to simply let our “yes” be yes, and our “no” be no.  This angel however, seems to want to call our attention to the source of his mission.  He points out in his oath, the nature of the God his declaration is coming from.  God, as his oath attests, is the God who “lives forever”.  God is immortal and the source of all life.  It is God who FIRST created heaven and the things that are there.  BEFORE we were created, before this world was transformed from a dark asteroid in the void of space that was without purpose into the blue green orb of abundant life that it is today; God created heaven and its inhabitants.  Angels predate mankind.  The other sentient life forms John describes as the four beasts predate mankind.  The city of heaven predates mankind.  Lucifer and the fallen angels predate mankind.  Creation is NOT isolated to us alone, but is instead a characteristic and manifestation of the love of God that has existed as long as God has.

Those who believe the big bang theory happened on day one of our creation are likely a bit misguided.  “Let there be light” might well have been about the positioning of our planet out of the void of deep space and into a solar system or galaxy where light would be present to the face of our world.  But as creation predates mankind, so too could a different declaration of the separation of light from darkness would have been the result of our God’s power many eons before our existence came to be.  And for those who would restrict the power of our God, who is to say, that the creation of “this” universe is the “only” universe He may have made?  Perhaps like the innumerable cells that make up our bodies, this universe is only one of many collections of galaxies that make up a greater vision of what existence means than what we are today able to discern. 

But as the oath of this mighty angel points out, creation did not end in the broader universe, or in heaven.  It continues in the creation of “this” world, and of “these seas”, of the life that exists in both of them.  It is interesting that the angel identifies the 2 traits of God that can quickly distinguish Him as God.  He is immortal and the source of all life, and He has demonstrated His unique ability to bring into existence the contents of His imagination and creativity.  The life He creates, becomes the object of His love.  He cares for His creations, loves them, and shares with them the joy of learning to love others.  It is these 2 characteristics that Satan is always attempting to get mankind to deny, in order that they quit believing in an all-powerful, all-loving God.  Satan attempts to deny that God created life, and that God is the author of this world in particular.  If evolution can supplant creation, then the “need” for a God disappears into the random abyss of meaninglessness, and the worship of self can be elevated and unrestrained.

After describing the nature of the God who this angel takes his oath by, he declares that there should be time no more.  If we were to ponder this text for a deeper meaning, we must ask ourselves, in the light of eternity and a God who made life to be infinite through His power, does “time” still have any relevance?  There may come a day, or a point in our existence, when measuring the linear passage of seconds on a clock, or rotations of planets around a sun that have no end, is not still something we spend any attention on any longer.  Will you really celebrate your 10 thousandth birthday with the same vigor as your 50 millionth birthday, or 50 billionth?  At what point do birthday celebrations lose their meaning when you retain the perfection of agelessness, when you cannot discern the difference between parent, child, grandparent, or 7-generations decedent?  The relevance of time may be changed when our minds truly understand what it means to see His gift of life in us on an eternal basis.

But more likely in this context, the angel is declaring that there should be time no more for a specific purpose.  Whatever the delay has been, whatever the period of time that was allocated for a particular purpose, that purpose has reached its fruition.  John then reveals the contents of the angel’s declaration, “time is no more” and in verse 7 the angel further states … “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.”  This declaration appears to be one of great hope for us.  It identifies that in the days of the seventh angel, the angel who is intended to sound the seventh trumpet.  We will read later about the events that occur when the seventh trumpet is blown, but most all interpretations identify the seventh of any of these series as the permanent establishment of His kingdom.  This message however is targeted in the days of the seventh angel, and only as he “begins” to sound.  So prior to His second coming and return to take us home, something is about to occur.  “The mystery of God should be finished” as he had declared it to his servants the prophets. 

I believe the “mystery” of our God, is His ability to create, or more precisely in our case, to re-create in us what has been broken by our choice to embrace evil.  I believe it is a mystery to us, how we can be remade at all, because we do not perform any work at it, at all.  It is His work.  It is His love that sees us transformed by His power.  All we do is permit it.  But in so doing, we see ourselves transformed from the sin craving self-loving degenerates we are, into a harmony with His law, and His love for others we have never truly known before.  It is the work of our perfection He offers to us.  This is a work only He can perform.  This is a mystery to us, because we cannot comprehend how His love could have this effect in us.  We cannot comprehend why love would do this for us.  We cannot comprehend the extent to which we will be remade and how different we will think and want and do. 

The mystery of our God is His power to redeem and reconcile unto Himself, in the perfection of His love, you and I who today know only the pain of our lives of slavery to self.  This was the promise of our God to His servants the prophets who carried his messages of love to this world.  The prophets carried His attempts to see us redeemed unto Himself.  Every message, even those of the great consequences of our disobedience were designed to call us to repentance that we might accept His gift of our salvation, and see ourselves embrace perfection before it is too late.  This is a gift we should long to receive right here and right now, without any delay.  For it is His gift, that frees us and gives us a life worth living, both now and forever. To delay receiving that gift, is to deny ourselves what is truly in our own best interests, to deny ourselves the freedom to love, and the joy that comes in the loving.  It is not just the absence of sin that is our goal, but in its place is the immeasurable joy of relationships founded on unselfish love.  We have yet to imagine how good, “good” really is.  We struggle so much against our sins, we have not the imagination to know what it is like to be freed from them, and see what was intended in its true light.

John continues in verse 8 … “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.”  It is important to note, that the direction to go and take the book from the angel comes for the voice in heaven, presumably Jesus Christ.  The attainment of this book, the opening and discovery of this book, is being directed to occur from the voice in heaven.  John continues in verse 9 … “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, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.”  At this point the conversation shifts from hearing the voice in heaven, to discussing with the angel what has been directed.  John asks for the book, and the angel tells him to “eat it up”.  In effect to open this small scroll (perhaps the prophecies of Daniel which until now have been sealed up and little understood), and “dive in” to it.  John is to study this book.  What follows is an analogy of what will occur as John follows the directions given to him.

The angel predicts that the book will be sweet as honey in John’s mouth.  Or in other words, the first response to the opening and understanding of the prophecies of Daniel will bring John great joy.  But this will be followed by bitterness in the stomach.  Upon digesting what was thought to bring great joy, follows greater disappointment.  It is not that Daniel was wrong, mistaken, or attempting to conceal bad news.  The problem which has occurred many times in history, and likely continues in our day, is that we may first misinterpret the meaning of prophetic scriptures and thus find ourselves disappointed.  The Pharisees were bitterly disappointed when the Messiah came with a mission of peace, instead of sword to drive out the Roman oppressors.  We modern Christians sometimes too become equally disappointed when we realize our own efforts to see us rid of sin, fail repeatedly.  We prefer the control of our own salvation, but come to the realization we have no control at all.  We are wholly dependent on Christ to be MADE free from sin, and are unable to make ourselves free of anything. 

Despite the prediction from the angel, which should be as clear as any revelation given to John … he continues writing in verse 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: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”  What the angel had just predicted came to pass exactly as proscribed.  Knowledge of the outcome must also have been doubted or ignored, as nothing was done to change what was predicted.  The “loud cry” of the early 1800’s messages that was preached and taught around the world at nearly the same time, had a consistent message.  The interpretation of the Daniel prophecies led to the conclusion that the cleansing of the Sanctuary would be the return of Christ.  As study evolved, a specific date was selected upon which this event would occur.  Knowledge of the outcome did NOT prevent the “sweet as honey” in our mouths message from going out.  People ignored this analogy.  The bitterness of disappointment that was to follow was ignored or doubted or disregarded.  Christ had said that “no man knows the hour” except His Father in heaven.  Yet a worldwide message was taught naming exactly the day in which His return would occur.

The timing of the prophecies was correct, but the interpretation was not.  The same was true of the Messiah on His first appearing.  He came on schedule.  But He did not come as political conqueror, He came as spiritual conqueror.  He came to show us how to enter His kingdom, not the change the temporary governments of this world.  The interpretation of the cleansing of the temple occurred on schedule, but it did not result in the cleansing of this world.  It had a different context.  It had a different interpretation.  We were warned of our disappointment.  But we paid no heed.  We took the book, ate it, and found it sweet in our mouths.  But in our stomach, came the bitterness of our neglect of the warnings and prediction of the inevitable outcomes.  And still, to this day, various churches, groups, denominations, continue to try to predict the exact day of His return.  They live lives of anticipation, always looking forward, but failing to see a change in their day to day behavior.  And inevitably the council of Christ is ignored, “no man knows the hour”.  Despite calling ourselves Christians, we ignore our leader, and predict His return anyway.  You would think we would learn.  But attempts to lead, and teach scripture, sometimes see us get ahead of Christ, and like all those who came before, we fail.

People wanted to believe the 1844 message.  People wanted to think they knew how much time they had left.  But they did not.  We do not.  It is not for us to live as if a certain future date is when our hopes will be realized.  It is for us to see our hopes fulfilled TODAY.  We can experience the beauty of salvation right here and right now.  We can find the freedom of His re-creation of us right now.  We do not have to look forward to tomorrow or any other date certain.  We can see His redemption in us today.  We prefer the known to the unknown.  We prefer the certain to the things that require our faith.  We prefer control to dependence.  Interpretations of prophecies that give us the feeling of certainty, can take away our dependence on Christ to know “His truth”.  The problem is that we have not learned submission, we have learned to prefer taking control.  But it is our self-deception about the notion of control, that sees us remain bound in slavery to self.  To submit, to let go, is to be made free by His power.  This was the lesson to learn from what history has shown us of the 1844 “great disappointment”.

The angel then gives a message of hope to John at the conclusion of this vision as he continues in verse 11 … “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”  Perhaps the angel referred to the idea that “prophesy” itself, the study and interpretation of John’s revelations, would once again emerge as important in the last days.  I am sure John would have preferred a more literal interpretation that he might be resurrected to reveal to us the messages bound in those thunders he was told not to disclose as yet.  But in our day, is there any who would accept the idea that the apostle had risen from the dead?  Do we even think it possible?  As it is, we are skeptical by nature of all those who claim the “gift” of prophecy.  We doubt them, because we doubt ourselves, and our own lack of faith that could see the gift in us.  We judge the messenger before we listen to the message, almost of incapable of separating the two.  Yet all Biblical authors would pale in the spotlight of the misdeeds done throughout their lives.  To open ourselves to the ideas of prophecy in our day, even when it does not conflict with scripture but rather amplifies it, seems almost unfathomable.  Yet the angel foretells it.

Are we to repeat our mistakes in ignoring the predictions of sweet taste, and bitter stomachs?  The angel foretells prophecy being important again.  Are we to doubt this prediction as we have done so often before?  If we are to trust in our God, then we must trust in what He says.  It does not matter if it makes sense to us.  It does not matter if we can see the feasibility of it, or not.  It only matters that He does not lie, and has never been wrong.  To that end, we who live in the days of the beginning of the sounding of the seventh angel, are to see the mystery of God fulfilled in us.  When this occurs, to prophecy is only to reveal what has been revealed to us.  His gift is more than we can imagine.  But the second woe was not completed as yet …