Shalom, shalom; peace, peace. This is Crystal Sharpe and welcome to the Ancient Scrolls program. (December 1, 2019)
I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. We were so blessed to have been able to share it with friends. It is now, I believe, 30 days until the new year.
Last program I mentioned that the outpouring of Joel 2 and Acts 2 is here. It will accelerate over time. As the days progress people will become more sensitive, more responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, 3000 were saved in one day. We are in the last days and Christians will need the extra anointing to get through the persecution that is already here. To some the persecution is not yet obvious because networks do not want to focus on the reality of it. Persecution of Christians is the norm in Egypt, other Muslim nations and Asian countries. Europe experiences 2 churches a day being desecrated or burned. Our brothers and sisters in the Lord face a variety of torments and death every day. They die for the gospel. They are true heroes and heroines of faith. The world is already at war with Christians. It is war. The system, Babylon, New World Order, is preparing for the beast antichrist. To do that Babylon must destroy the Word of God and Christians.
Persecution is here but not yet to the degree we see it in Europe where the synagogues have guards stand at the door with weapons in their hands. The networks report attacks against synagogues in America are increasing. There is no safe place anywhere in the world. California two or three years ago put forth a bill to ban the Bible. The homosexual who introduced the bill withdrew it after a few months. The Word is banned in certain arenas of sexual deviance in New York, and a few more states followed suit. The Bible is being censured a little at a time until it will be completely prohibited.
We are in the end days and the pressure of it will increase as we press toward 2030. We need the outpouring to be able to endure the next few years ahead. This outpouring of His Spirit is the sign that His physical kingdom is very near to being a reality here.
I am going to do a review from last week and continue to discuss the plagues in Revelation 16 where we will make some comparisons to the plagues in Exodus.
Shema:
Shema (Hear) O Israel, the LORD GOD, the LORD is one.
Psalm 24;
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof; the earth and those who dwell therein.
Father YHVH,
We recognize You as King over the universe, King over heaven and the earth. We ask You to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, so that our prayers will be effective against the kingdom of darkness. We pray to be conformed to Your likeness and image. We thank You for Your word and for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the latter day persecution. We thank You for the Messianic Age that is now close at hand. We bless Your name, YHVH. In Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Alright, let us look at last week’s program. I am still teaching on the resurrection occurring at the last trumpet, the seventh trumpet, it is the third and last woe. We are still following Paul’s teaching that the resurrection and the caught up will occur at the return, or the coming of Yeshua, and at the last trump. I Thessalonians 4 and I Corinthians 15:52.
What do we know so far in Revelation 16? Well, as I have said we are at the last trump, but Yeshua has not yet returned. So, according to Paul there must be these two events and we only have the one event—the last trumpet. According to Yeshua in Revelation 16:15, He is still warning of His imminent return and He instructs people to be watchful because He is coming upon the unprepared as a thief. Those who keep watch will keep his garments intact.
This is an allusion to the Temple guards who might fall asleep on duty. The high priest would come in the night to check out the posted guards. If they were asleep, the High Priest would rap him harshly with his stick, and he also had the authority to burn the clothing of the guard. If this happened everyone would see the guard’s nakedness.
Last program I began the process of making some comparisons of the plagues in Exodus 8 through 10 with those that are mentioned in Revelation 16. These plagues, or curses, on Egypt was God’s military offensive measure against the Egyptians. We sort of picked up on this imagery in Revelation 11:19 where the Ark of the Testimony was seen in the heavenly Temple. On occasion, and times at God’s direction, the Israelites would take the Ark into battle with them. This pattern we see of God going to war against His enemies in Exodus is witnessed here in Revelation 16.
The other thing is, the Hebrews, those Hebrews obedient to God did not have to endure all the plagues, just the first two, the Nile turning to blood and frogs. After these God made a distinction between the Egyptians and His obedient people. Here is the pattern, the Hebrews saw the curses falling on their enemies and in Revelation 16, it is the same. The Christians will not have to endure the curses, unless they stay in Babylon. Revelation 18:4 specifically stresses His people to get out of Babylon lest they share of her sins and receive of her plagues. It is clear what is in the beginning occurs at the end. Let’s move on . . .
I think last time we had looked at Revelation 16 and verse 1 concerning the eruption of sores upon humans that worship the beast; and we made some comparison with it to Exodus 9 where the Egyptians and their beasts had boils to erupt on their flesh.
The necromancers could not stop the plagues, nor the magicians, nor the idols they worshiped. Pharaoh could not stop the plagues. II Timothy 3:8, gave us two names of the appointed magicians under Pharaoh: Jannes and Jambres. It is like history is being repeated here in Revelation 16, and by that I mean the beast, the false prophet, the image of the beast, they are not able to stop the curses. We are told in Revelation 13, the beast that comes from the earth is able to perform great signs and even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth. But this beast is not able to stop the curses in Revelation 16. Pharaoh’s magicians could no more imitate the curses after the second plague of frogs on Egypt.
We will move on to Revelation 16
We see in this chapter there are 7 angels and each performs a specific task. I was reading Enoch the other night and came across some information on angels. Angels are thought to be without number and each serve specific functions for the universe, the constellations, the sun and moon, the wind, the waters, the months, the seasons, earthquakes, the waters, mountains; you get the picture. In the book of Revelation these angels are performing many functions in heaven and on the earth as well.
The angels in heaven have specific functions to perform and in this chapter, 7 angels have specific bowls to pour out on the beast worshipers. I was reading the book of Enoch and
Alright, verse 1 and 2 was done last time . . .
Second bowl: The sea turns to blood
3. Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.
Some would understand sea in this verse to be an ocean like the Atlantic or the Pacific. I do not, right now, hold to that view because, in Revelation 13, the first beast comes up out of the sea. Then I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. The 7 heads are Muslim nations that surround this sea. In Greek, sea is the word thalassah, and it is used in every verse of Revelation that has sea. I am guessing it is the same sea where the Arab nations are since the antichrist beast will come from there.
Now, the Arabian Sea is the largest sea in the Middle East. It is a northwestern extension of the Indian Ocean, positioned between India, Oman, Pakistan and Yemen, and Cape Guardafui in far northeastern Somalia. The sea connects with the Persian Gulf through the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. In the southwest, the Gulf of Aden connects it with the Red Sea. It has an estimated area of approximately 1,491,000 square miles (3,862,000 sq km) and an estimated average depth of 8,970 feet.
The angel Michael is said to be over the water. This is the first curse that Egypt experienced in Exodus.
Third bowl: The waters turn to blood
4. Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. 5. And I heard the angel of the watersaying:
You are righteous, O, Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. 6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just do.
The angel here is thought to be Phul.
In past wars, a foreign military would pollute the waters of their enemies. They would stuff plague infested corpses down wells, in springs, and ponds. It would create fear and panic and destroy the morale of the occupants of an area.
It is similar in this first act of war of God against Egypt, in the book of Exodus the first plague was the Nile turning to blood. It is interesting because it looks like a measure for measure situation much like we see here in Revelation 16 where it states: You have judged these things. 6. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just do.
The Egyptians would take the male babies of the Hebrew women and throw them into the Nile river to drown them. Later, the blood of the innocent is reciprocated and the Egyptians were not able to drink from the river. Exodus 7:24 So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the waters of the river. In Revelation the blood of the innocent is reciprocated as well. Babylon spills innocent blood and blood is returned for them to drink.
7. And I heard another from the altar saying: Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.
Fourth bowl: Men are scorched
Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
In some writing Uriel is said to have dominion over the sun. According to the Book of Enoch, Uriel is the one who spoke to Noah about the flood. He is also the one with dominion over thunder and terror.
There is another angel in Enoch named Galgaliel who controls the wheels of the sun.
Fifth bowl: Darkness and pain
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. 11. They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.
Darkness was the 9th plague upon the Egyptians in Exodus 10:21. This curse lasted six days from what the Chumash states. For the first three days of this curse, the darkness during the day was darker than that of a normal night, and at night it became even more intense. After this, the first three days, the darkness entered a new stage: it was so dark and thick the Egyptians could not move. It being this dark, one would lose track of time.
Exodus 10:23
They (Egyptians) did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Sixth bowl: Euphrates dried up
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world,to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
I am getting to end the program
This is preparation for the war of Armageddon, also called Har Megiddo, the final earthly, demonically inspired battle of the ages. It is called by the sages as the war of the Great Day of the Lord of Heavenly Armies. This event is marked by the armies of the whole world coming against Israel.
We will continue this next time if it is God’s will. Remember to walk by faith, not by sight. Keep your spiritual garments clean from spots, wrinkles and blemishes. Do two things this week: love and forgive. Love God, love your neighbor.
Rico Cortes will sing the Aaronic priestly blessing.
