Beautiful in the Lord's Eyes

by Susan Kohler

  “There seems to be a gap at the start of chapter 10,” Adam said. “The next trumpet does not sound yet. John has other things to tell us, and he does it here. He says he saw another angel descend from heaven, this one is clothed in clouds, and has a rainbow on his head. The rainbow represents God’s covenant. His face, as if it were the sun, is like Christ. The feet, I think, means his legs, not just his feet. This is Jesus. And he had a little book in his hand. Daniel? It’s open. One foot on the earth and one on the sea, covering the whole world. The message in this book is worldwide. He makes a loud shout like that of a lion roaring, and seven thunders uttered something but before John could write down what was said he heard a voice from heaven telling him not to write them down.”

  Adam paused, just resting for a moment. “And Jesus lifted his hand to heaven and swears on Himself, that there should no longer be time. Are the days of the seventh angel, a reference to the seventh trumpet? I’m not sure but the seventh trumpet sounds and the mystery of God will be finished. I’m not sure what the mystery is.”

  “If you were, it wouldn’t be a mystery, would it?” Nicole grinned.

  “The voice from heaven told John to go take the open book which is in the hand of the angel. So John went to the angel and told him to give him the book. The angel told him to eat it up, or get so much into it that it fills him. It will make your belly bitter, but it will be sweet as honey in your mouth. So John did, and it was sweet and made his belly bitter. And he was told to prophesy again, before many people, nations, tongues and kings.” Adam finished.

  “Adam, I need to get home.” Nicole stood up and stretched a bit. “We’ll keep going next time. This is easier than I thought, going chapter by chapter and verse by verse. We may make a mistake but we’re trying.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

  (Revelation 22:16)

  “Where did we leave off last time?” Nicole asked.

  “John had just been told to eat the sweet and bitter book at the end of chapter 10.”

  “So I’ve got chapter 11.” Nicole opened her Bible and looked at her notes. “John was given a reed to use for measuring, and was told to rise and measure the temple and the worshipers. Measure their character? But don’t measure the court of the gentiles and Jerusalem will be crushed underfoot for a time. There will be two witnesses who will speak their prophesies for a time. They will be dressed in sackcloth, which indicates mourning or distress. These witnesses are also referred to as the two olive trees and the two candlesticks. If any man tries to hurt them fire will come out of their mouth and kill them. These have the power to shut heaven so that it won’t rain in the days of their prophesy, and have the power to turn water to blood, and to send plagues when they finish their testimony, the beast will wage war against them and kill them, and their bodies will lay in the street, probably in Jerusalem. People around the world will see their dead bodies for a time, and prevent them from being buried, in fact they’ll rejoice over them because their prophesies hit their conscience. Then the two witnesses will rise up from the dead and scare those who see them.”

  “That would scare me!” Adam interjected.

  “Me too, if I hadn’t read this.” She continued, “Then the witnesses heard a voice from heaven call them and they went up to heaven on a cloud while their enemies watched. The same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell, killing seven thousand men and scaring the rest, who gave glory to God. Now the second woe is past, and the third woe comes quickly. The seventh angel sounded, and voices in Heaven sang: The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” She paused, smiling. “Have you ever heard Handel’s Messiah?”

  “No.”

  “Part of it is called the Hallelujah chorus, I’ll bring it and play it for you. He uses these words as lyrics. It’s fantastic. Anyway the four and twenty elders fell on their faces to worship God.”

  “The nations band together, angry, because they don’t want to face judgment and resent the rewards given to those who serve God. God’s heavenly temple was opened with the ark of his testament. There was thundering, and lightning, and an earthquake and hail. It was the seventh plague,” she finished. “Your turn.”

  Adam started chapter 12.

  “There appeared a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head; she was pregnant and in labor. The church is portrayed as beautiful, delicate, and pure, a virgin. Then a red dragon appeared in heaven. The dragon had seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his head. His tail cast down a third of the stars, leaders in heaven, to earth. He stood before the woman who was in labor ready to devour her child as soon as it was born. She gave birth to Jesus who was to rule all the nations. He was taken up to God and his throne, and she fled to the wilderness where she had a place to stay and be cared for that was prepared for her by God. There was war in heaven, Michael, Christ, and his angels fought against the red dragon, Satan, and his angels. Satan and his angels lost the war and were cast out of heaven.”

  “Of course,” Nicole interjected. “Don’t they get it yet? Christ wins and Satan and his followers end up paying the price for their defiance.”

  “Evidently they don’t but they will.” Adam continued, “There was joy because Satan was cast out, letting the salvation and strength and kingdom of God emerge, and Satan the accuser is cast down. Christ and his angels won over Satan by the blood of the lamb, their testimony, and because they would die before betraying God. So if you’re in heaven, rejoice, and if you’re on earth or the sea, woe, for the devil is bound to the earth. And the church is still being persecuted. The devil is infuriated because he knows he only has a short time left. So the devil persecuted the woman who had borne the child, Jesus, and the woman is the church. And the woman was given wings like an eagle so she could fly to that place in the wilderness, where she could stay and be nourished. Water came out of Satan’s mouth to try to flood the woman out but the earth helped the woman by swallowing the flood waters. The dragon was furious with the woman and tried to destroy the Christian church which kept the commandments of God and witnessed for Christ.

  “Poor loser,” Nicole commented.

  “Yeah,” Adam sneered. “He is. But whoever said the dragon was a nice guy?”

  Adam took a deep breath. “In chapter 13 John saw the beast rise out of the sea with seven heads, with crowns and ten horns. The crowns show that the seven heads are heads of state or in power. Upon his heads were names of blasphemy, meaning a false prophet? The beast was made of several animals and got his power from Satan. The beast had a head wound, he was wounded almost to death but he recovered. The world was amazed and began to worship him, saying who can stand up to him? And he spoke blasphemies against God, his church and all who were in heaven. Everyone on earth whose name was not written in the book of life worshiped him. They were led into captivity, and those who killed by the sword, were themselves killed with the sword. This is where the saints really need patience and faith.”

  “And John saw another beast with two horns like a lamb, who spoke like a dragon, persecuting the church and he caused people to worship the first beast, the one who had almost died, but lived. He did great wonders and deceived men so much that they made an image of the beast. The beast had power to give life to that image so that the image would speak. It caused any who would not worship the beast to be killed and everyone receive a mark on their hand or forehead, so that no one could buy or sell without the mark, the number of the beast is 666.”

  “The lamb stood on Mt. Zion with the hundred and forty-four thousand, and His Father’s name on their forehead,” Nicole began. “And a voice from heaven sang a new song before the throne, and the four beasts, and the elders. No one could learn the song except for the 144
,000 which were saved. These are not stained by the false churches, they are innocent. They follow the lamb and are the ones offered to God and the Lamb. The Israelites offered their first fruits as their offering. They had no guile or deception. And an angel came with the message, for the whole world to revere God, and give him glory because the hour of judgment has come. The next angel said Babylon is fallen because she made all nations accept false doctrines and taste the wrath of God, through an evil connection between the church and state. Instead the church should be connected to God. And the last angel said that if any man worships the beast and his image or have his mark they will feel God’s wrath, which is poured out into his indignation, and they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of his holy angels and Jesus, forever and ever. Those who worship the beast have no rest. The patience and faithfulness of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and Jesus are blessed, and the dead which die in the Lord, who may rest from their labor and their good works follow them.”

  “John saw Christ on a white cloud, wearing a golden crown and holding a sickle to reap the harvest. An angel came out of the temple and said to Christ, use your sickle and reap, because the time has come for the harvest. And Jesus thrust his sickle into the ground and the earth was reaped, meaning the righteous were gathered. Another angel told Christ to use his sickle to gather the vines of the earth for the grapes are ripe. And Christ used his sickle to gather the vines and tossed them into the winepress of God’s anger. And the wine was crushed outside the city, completely destroying the evil hosts,” she finished.

  “In chapter 15,” Adam started, “there was another great sign in heaven, seven angels with the seven last plagues. They are the end of the wrath of God, the punishment of the worshipers of the beast; those who had received the warning and rejected the beast had been saved by Christ’s blood and were now secure in the kingdom of God. They even stood loyal when the beast ordered their deaths, and they sang praises to the Lamb, Lord God Almighty, saying great and marvelous are your works, just and true are your ways, who does not revere you and glorify your name? The temple of the tabernacle in heaven was opened and seven angels came out, and one of the four beasts gave the seven angels seven golden vials filled with the wrath of God. The temple filled with smoke from the glory of God, and no man could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were done.”

  “And the voice from heaven, was it God?”

  “I think so,” Adam answered Nicole’s rhetorical question.

  “It told the seven angels to pour out the vial of the wrath of God on the earth. And the first angel poured out his vial which caused painful and severe sores on the men with the mark of the beast, and those who worshiped his image. The second angel poured out his vial into the sea, killing every living thing. And the third angel caused the rivers and fountains to become blood. And the angel of the waters said, you are just for they have shed the blood of the saints, now you give them blood to drink. Another angel said Lord God, your judgments are true and righteous. The fourth angel poured his vial on the sun and scorched men with fire. The men who were scorched blasphemed and did not repent. The fifth angel poured his vial on the throne of the beast and his kingdom turned dark, so dark and cold that they bit their tongues in pain and they blasphemed God because of their pain and did not repent. The sixth angel dried up the Euphrates and unclean spirits came out of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet, and these devils went to gather them for the battle with God. He gathered them together in a place called Armageddon.”

  “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Revelation 16:15. The seventh angel poured his vial in the air and the voice of God came from his temple saying, it is done. And there were voices, and thunder and lightning, and the worst earthquake ever. And Babylon was divided into three parts, the cities of the nations fell, as God gave Babylon the wine of his wrath. And islands and mountains disappeared. There was a hailstorm with massive hailstones, and men blasphemed God because of the hail. It says the hailstones were about the weight of a talent, I looked it up and it was estimated at over fifty pounds.”

  “That could kill a man.” Adam looked up as though there could be hailstones coming down inside the small visiting room. “Let’s see what happens next, in chapter 17.”

  “One of the seven angels with vials said come here, I will show you the sentence of the great whore that has power over many nations,” Adam started. “Who the kings of the earth have fornicated with and who have been made drunk on Satan’s deceptions. So he took me, in spirit, to the wilderness and I saw a woman, apostate people, on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemy with seven heads and ten horns. She was covered with purple and scarlet, and gold and precious stones. She had a cup in her hand full of abominations and the filth of her fornication. On her forehead it said, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. She was drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I was amazed. The angel asked why I was amazed, and said I will tell you about the woman and the beast that carried her with seven heads and ten horns. This beast had been active but disappeared. It will come from the bottomless pit and go to destruction, and the people who were not written in the book of life will wonder when they behold the beast. And the seven heads, heads of state, are seven mountains, or places, the woman sits on. There are seven kings, five are gone, defeated, one still exists and one is yet to come, and must remain a short time. The beast that was and is no longer is an eighth, who comes out of the seven, and goes to perdition.” Adam paused. “The ten horns are ten kings, who get their power from the beast only, they are not heads of state. They have one thing in mind, to give the capability and authority to the beast. They go on to make war on Christ, and lose. And he was told the waters where the whore sat are peoples, nations and tongues. And the ten horns shall hate the whore, they will make her desolate and naked, they will eat her flesh and burn her up. For God has put it in their hearts and minds to carry out his will against her. And to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s word is complete. And the woman is the city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

  Nicole moved on to chapter 18.

  “After this, he saw another angel come down from heaven with great power and glory. That angel said Babylon is fallen and has become the home of devils and foul spirits, and a cage of every unclean bird. All nations have swallowed her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and merchants have become rich from her. And a voice from heaven said, come out of her, do not participate in her sins so you do not get her punishments. Her sins have reached heaven and God remembers those sins. Her cup of punishment is doubly filled. Whatever amount she has glorified herself with and lived in sin that much sorrow give her, because in her mind she’s a queen; she acts as if she’s Christ’s bride, but she is not. She does not expect anything bad to happen to her, she thinks she can get away with her deception. She’s very wrong. So her plagues will come, death and mourning and famine. She will be burned up because the Lord God who judged her, is strong. And the kings who have fornicated with her and lived evilly with her shall mourn her when they see the smoke from her burning. They stand far off to avoid her torment, and say: Wow, great city of Babylon, in an instant your punishment has come. The merchants weep and mourn because no one will buy their corrupt merchandise anymore. They want nothing to do with anything from Babylon, not gold, silver, precious stones, or anything, even slaves or the souls of men. The fruits you desired are gone, your luxury is gone, and you will never find them again. The merchants who were made rich by her stood off in the distance, afraid, and weeping and wailing, saying that this great city was so rich! And now it’s gone. And the ship captains and sailors stood far off and cried, asking what city is like this city? And they threw dust on their heads and wailed, because the city made all the mariners rich, and now they are desolate
.” She paused for some water. “Rejoice over her, heaven and holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you. A strong angel took a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, that with sudden violence Babylon is torn down, and gone forever. The musicians will not be heard again, and the craftsmen will be gone, all manufacturing has ceased. There will be no more light, all social life will end. Your merchants were great men of the earth, and your deceptions deceived all nations. In her was the blood of prophets and saints, and of all that were slain on earth.”

  “Next, John heard a voice from crowds in heaven saying Alleluia and power to the Lord our God. For his judgments are true and righteous. He judged the great whore who corrupted the earth and avenged the blood of his servants. And the four beasts and the twenty four elders also fell down and worshiped God. And a voice from the throne said Praise our God, you servants and followers. And the voice of great multitudes were saying Alleluia for the Lord God. Let us rejoice for the marriage of the Lamb is now, and his wife is ready. She is dressed in fine linen, clean and white. The fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he said write, Blessed are the ones called to the marriage supper of the lamb, these are the true sayings of God. And John fell at the angel’s feet to worship him and was told not to, because the angel is a fellow servant to him and to other Christians, worship God. And John saw the heavens opened and a white horse appeared, and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True, in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name that no man knew except himself. And he was clothed in a vestment dipped in his own blood, and his name is the Word of God.”