{"id":551,"date":"2016-09-04T20:00:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T20:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/?p=551"},"modified":"2018-01-20T03:27:33","modified_gmt":"2018-01-20T03:27:33","slug":"things-of-the-spirit-part-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/?p=551","title":{"rendered":"Things of the Spirit, Part 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_2591\"Romans 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit<\/h3>\n

This is probably the final message on being\u00a0carried away\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>in the Spirit, and probably the last message on the\u00a0things<\/em><\/strong> of the Spirit. \u00a0Lord willing we’ll move on down the line in our study of Romans.<\/p>\n

I want to stress to you that there a lot of things<\/em><\/strong> that we can concern ourselves with. \u00a0God told Daniel, “…even<\/em> to the time of the end: may shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” \u00a0(Dan12:4) \u00a0There’s a lot of things out there that we can gain knowledge about. \u00a0They call this the age of information. \u00a0And I know sometimes, there’s things we need to concern ourselves with. \u00a0But somehow, someway, we must give the things of God preeminence. \u00a0We must set our minds, our hearts, our souls on the things above. \u00a0In many places in the bible, we are admonished, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might.” (Deut 6:5). With all our strength, with all our being, we must attend unto the things of God, the things of the Spirit. \u00a0O that God would fill us with his Holy Spirit. \u00a0That he would pour out his Spirit upon us. \u00a0God does not give such blessings to those that don’t want it. \u00a0“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” \u00a0(Isaiah 55:6)<\/p>\n

We set our hearts upon things of no consequence: fortune, opportunity, ease, toys, and even health… things; things of the flesh. \u00a0Yet out hearts must<\/em><\/strong> be set and our minds set on the things of the Spirit; the same Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters in the beginning of time; the same Spirit that filled the temple with the glory of God; the same eternal Spirit that raised Christ from the dead; the same Spirit that came down on Pentecost in a rushing mighty wind and filled the upper room, filled the disciples and turned the whole world upside down. \u00a0They that are after the Spirit, do mind the things of the Spirit.<\/p>\n

John, the beloved apostle, minded the things of the Spirit. \u00a0John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. \u00a0It says twice in Revelation that he was carried away<\/em> in the Spirit. \u00a0Have you ever heard that expression, carried away<\/em>? \u00a0You reckon where that came from? \u00a0Many expression we use in our language come from the bible. \u00a0“He’s getting a little carried away. \u00a0He’s going a little to far than what we’re comfortable seeing.” \u00a0I want to say, that’s where we need to get. \u00a0That’s what we need to do. \u00a0We need to get carried away with this thing. \u00a0We’ve gone about as far as we want to go. \u00a0We’ve gone about as far as we can go. It’s time to let the Spirit carry us as far as God wants us to go. \u00a0The people around us are too comfortable. \u00a0Our religion doesn’t take us much further than those with false religion. They don’t have the truth. \u00a0They don’t know if they’re saved. \u00a0They don’t believe in heaven, hell, the diety of Christ. Yet, they go as far as we go. \u00a0They got church. \u00a0They got faith. \u00a0They got good times. \u00a0They got it all. \u00a0But we need to get carried away with this thing.<\/p>\n

When God turned Moses staff to a serpent, what happened? \u00a0The magicians said, “Oh. \u00a0No big deal. \u00a0We can do that.” \u00a0And they turned their staffs to serpent. (Ex 7:12) What happened when God had Moses smote the waters in the sight of Pharoah and turned the river into blood? \u00a0The magicians said, “Oh. \u00a0No big deal. \u00a0We can do that.” \u00a0And the bible says that “the magicians of Egypt did so with their<\/em><\/strong> enchantments.” (Ex 7:22) \u00a0What happened when God had frogs come up out of the river and cover the land of Egypt? \u00a0The magicians said, “Oh. \u00a0No big deal. \u00a0We can do that.” \u00a0The bible says “And the magicians did so with their<\/em><\/strong> enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.” \u00a0Oh, but what happened when God had Moses and Aaron smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice throughout all the land of Egypt? \u00a0And the lice was in man and in beast? \u00a0The bible says that “the magicians did so with\u00a0their<\/em><\/strong> enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not.” \u00a0They said “Wait a second. \u00a0Moses and Aaron are going further than we can go.” \u00a0Those magicians turned to Pharoah and said, “We can’t do that. \u00a0This<\/em><\/strong> is the finger of God” \u00a0(Ex 8:19). \u00a0That’s what we need. \u00a0We need the touch of God on our religion. \u00a0We need to get carried away with this thing.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel was carried away in the Spirit. \u00a0The Spirit driveth Jesus into the wilderness. \u00a0John was carried away in the Spirit. \u00a0Talk about the things<\/em><\/strong> of the Spirit; \u00a0John got to see alot of things<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0Over fifty times in Revelation, the Bible says that John either saw or beheld some things. \u00a0God let John see some things. \u00a0But God did not just let John see these things for his viewing pleasure. \u00a0No, Jesus said to John, “Write the things<\/em><\/strong> which thou hast seen, and the things<\/em><\/strong> which are, and the things<\/em><\/strong> which shall be hereafter;” (Rev 1:19) \u00a0And all these things are meant to be a blessing to us, for he said, “Blessed is he that readeth, they that hear the words of this prophecy…” (Rev 1:3) So you see, right off the bat, the fullness of the Spirit comes with responsibility and it comes with rewards. \u00a0John was charged with the responsibility of writing these things, and also rewarded in the fact that others would be blessed.<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

John saw alot of things. \u00a0I don’t want to get into a whole series of the things he saw, all 50 things. So I’m gonna narrow this down a bit. \u00a0There’s some things that happen in the first three chapters of Revelation.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • First, the bible says that John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day while he was on the isle of Patmos. \u00a0He heard a great voice behind him, as of a trumpet. \u00a0That voice said to John, “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” \u00a0The bible said John turned around to see who was talking to him and he came face to face with Jesus Christ himself. \u00a0He said it was one like the Son of man. \u00a0He had a garment down to his feet and a golden girdle around his waist. \u00a0His hair was white as snow. \u00a0His eyes were as a flame of fire. \u00a0His feet were like shining brass. \u00a0And his voice like the sound of many waters. \u00a0He had in one hand seven stars. \u00a0And out of his mouth came a two-edged sword. \u00a0And John said he shone like the sun. \u00a0And John didn’t shake his hand. \u00a0John didn’t salute him. \u00a0John didn’t stare at him in amazement. \u00a0One look at Jesus and John fell down as dead. \u00a0Jesus put his right hand on him and said, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen!”<\/li>\n
  • Jesus gave John a message for the seven churches in Asia, or Asia minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodecia. \u00a0Each church, Jesus told John to write a letter. \u00a0And each letter started with the words\u00a0these things<\/em>. \u00a0And each letter ended with the words\u00a0He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.<\/em> \u00a0I want to say today that everything between the beginning of Revelation chapter 2 and the end of Revelation chapter 3 is filled with the\u00a0things of the Spirit.<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0The Spirit of God is concerned with your works, your patience, your tribulation, your poverty. \u00a0The Spirit of God is concerned about where thou dwellest. \u00a0He’s concerned about your charity, your faith, your service. \u00a0Go through all those letters, the good and the bad, and see that\u00a0these things<\/strong><\/em> the Holy Ghost is concerned about and interested about. \u00a0Jesus may speak it in heaven, and John wrote it, but down here on earth, where the rubber meets the road, it’s the Spirit of God that saith it. \u00a0He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.<\/li>\n
  • After John is given the seven messages to the seven churches, a curious thing happens. \u00a0“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was<\/i> opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was<\/i> as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” \u00a0(Rev 4:1) \u00a0I want to spend just a little time on this. \u00a0Revelation 1:19 is used by many as an outline for the entire book of Revelation. John is told to “(#1) Write the things which thou hast seen, (#2) and the things which are, (#3) and the things which shall be hereafter.” \u00a0You’ve got three sections: \u00a0the things which thou has seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be here after. \u00a0The\u00a0things which though has seen<\/em><\/strong> is chapter 1, the vision of the throne and the Lord Jesus Christ. \u00a0The\u00a0things which are<\/em><\/strong> is chapter 2 and 3, the seven letters to the churches. \u00a0And alot of preacher believe that these are prophetic as the rest of the book. \u00a0In other words, those seven churches represent seven distinct time periods in the age of the church, rather than seven distinct cities. \u00a0One of the main reasons is because there’s no historical evidence supposedly of even some of the cities mentioned. \u00a0And John does signify in the beginning that what he was writing was specifically\u00a0prophecy<\/em>. \u00a0Regardless, chapter 2 and 3 are written to the specifically written to the church. \u00a0Then when we get to chapter 4, a transition is made. (Repeat Rev 4:1) Jesus tell John he is going to shew him the\u00a0things which must be hereafter<\/em>.<\/strong> At this point, the church is no longer mentioned. \u00a0Most all of the popular commentaries don’t mention this, but chapter 4, verse 1 many believe signifies, in a mysterious fashion, the rapture of the church. \u00a0(1 Thes 4:16-17) \u00a0“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” \u00a0This is why we believe in a\u00a0pre<\/strong>-tribulation rapture. \u00a0Before all these\u00a0things which must be hereafter<\/em>, we believe that we are going to\u00a0Come up hither<\/em>, or go up thither.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    It’s after these verses, that the bulk of John’s visions are found. \u00a0Chapter 2 & 3 are debatable whether or not they’re actual fortelling, end-time prophecy. \u00a0However, from here on out, there’s no doubt that these words are pointing to (what was then) a distant future. \u00a0But we know “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8) \u00a0“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) \u00a0So, God reserves the right. \u00a0He may tell us\u00a0one<\/em> year, but it may actually be a\u00a0thousand<\/em> years. \u00a0Paul thought that in his days the Lord would return. \u00a0He said, “we which are alive and remain” shall be caught up. \u00a0He thought, “I’m not going to see death. \u00a0I’m going up like Elijah!” \u00a0But in fact, two thousand years have passed by. \u00a0But if you’d ask God, he’d say, “It’s only been two days?” \u00a0So as far as we’re concerned it’s not a distant future, but it’s just around the corner.<\/p>\n

    It’s after these verses that John sees or beholds many (I want to say wonderful, as in wonder, amazement, awe-striking, terrible, glorious, not necessarily pleasant) things. \u00a0It’s after these verses the bible declares that\u00a0John\u00a0saw<\/em> or that John\u00a0beheld<\/em> something specific over 50 times. \u00a0I want us to remember that these are visions that John was given while caught up in the Spirit of Almighty God. \u00a0I believe that if we would draw nigh unto God, be filled with the Holy Ghost, listen to voice of God, he will make these same things relevant to us in this day. \u00a0John said that he “bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.” \u00a0And the bible declares that\u00a0blessed<\/em><\/strong> is he that readeth, and blessed<\/strong><\/em> are\u00a0they that hear the words of this prophecy, and blessed<\/em><\/strong> are they that\u00a0keep those\u00a0things<\/em><\/strong> which are written therein: for the time is at hand. \u00a0Blessed is he that reads it, hears it, and keeps it. \u00a0Brethren, we will never do that but by the power of the Holy Ghost. \u00a0So I want us to look at this (again like we did Ezekiel) as an experience with the Holy Ghost. \u00a0We’re not going to figure out all the prophesy. \u00a0But we are going to try understand, shed-light on the experience that John had with the Holy Ghost.<\/p>\n

    It’s after these verses that John sees alot of things. \u00a0I want to group them into two different topics: \u00a0The good and the bad.\u00a0You want the good news first or the bad news. \u00a0Most say the bad news. \u00a0So we’re going to look at what John looked at that was bad<\/em>. \u00a0 .<\/p>\n

    Bad Things (The Day of the Lord)<\/h2>\n

    Jesus said that the Spirit of God will guide you in all truth. \u00a0I believe that the Holy Ghost will guide us in the truth concerning the\u00a0The Day of the Lord<\/em>. \u00a0The Day of the Lord<\/em> is the single most anticipated day in the entire bible. \u00a0The bible has little to say about the rapture. \u00a0It has little to say about the judgement seat of Christ. \u00a0It has little to say about the white throne judgement. \u00a0It has little to say about the judgement of the nations. \u00a0But the single most prophesied event in the bible is\u00a0The Day of the Lord.<\/em>\u00a0 You say, “What is the day of the Lord?” \u00a0it’s the Day of Wrath. \u00a0It’s the End of the World. \u00a0It’s Judgement Day. It’s the Day of Reckoning. \u00a0Call it what you want, but it will come to pass.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Isaiah said, “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh!”<\/li>\n
    • Ezekiel said, “The day is near, even the day of the LORD!”<\/li>\n
    • Joel said, “Alas! For the day of the LORD is at hand. \u00a0Blow ye the trumpet and sound an alarm, for it is nigh at hand.”<\/li>\n
    • Obadiah said, “The day of the LORD is near.”<\/li>\n
    • Zephaniah said, “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly.”<\/li>\n
    • Paul warned, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The Holy Ghost will make this relevant to you. \u00a0No doubt John had learned what the prophets had prophesied. \u00a0He knew it no doubt. \u00a0But this Sunday, on the isle of Patmos, the Holy Ghost gave him a direct vision of\u00a0The Day of the Lord<\/em>. \u00a0I believe as the reality and eminence of this terrible day becomes clear to us by the power of the Holy Ghost, there will be an urgency to see people saved, there will be an urgency to serve God. \u00a0What you want to do, you’re want to do it quickly. \u00a0The Spirit of God is trying to warn people about this day. \u00a0The Spirit of God is trying save people from this day. \u00a0Paul said, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” (2 Cor 5:11) \u00a0The Spirit of God is trying to persuade men, and if we’re on board, if we’re walking after him, if we’re filled with that same Spirit, I would think that we’re going want to do some of that persuading. \u00a0We’re gonna persuade men that the\u00a0The Day of the LORD<\/em> is coming. \u00a0And it’s\u00a0not a good day. \u00a0No, it’s a bad day.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Amos said, “Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! the day of the LORD is<\/i> darkness, and not light.”<\/li>\n
      • Isaiah said the day of the LORD is “cruel both with wrath and fierce anger.” \u00a0He said “For it is the day of the LORD’S vengeance.”<\/li>\n
      • Jeremiah calls it “the day of the LORD’S anger”<\/li>\n
      • Ezekiel says that it will be a “cloudy day”<\/li>\n
      • Joel said, “For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible!”<\/li>\n
      • Zephaniah declares, “That day is<\/i> a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        And what Jesus reveals to John while in the Spirit about\u00a0The Day of the\u00a0<\/em>Lord<\/em> is just that. \u00a0It’s dark. \u00a0It’s cruel. \u00a0It’s angry. \u00a0It’s terrible. \u00a0It’s wrath. \u00a0It’s trouble. \u00a0It’s distress. \u00a0John saw alot ot things. \u00a0One thing he saw (Rev 5:1) “in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book<\/em><\/strong> written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.” \u00a0He saw a book. \u00a0In Greek, it’s a biblion<\/em>. \u00a0That sounds alot like bible, Amen? \u00a0It was a closed book. \u00a0And it was closed up with seven seals. \u00a0It was sealed shut by seven seals. \u00a0I personally believe that this book is the book of Isaiah. \u00a0I don’t see how it can’t be. \u00a0The bible says “Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89) \u00a0And Jesus is just finishing reading where he left off.<\/p>\n

        In the book of Luke, when Jesus came up out of the wilderness to Nazareth, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and he stood up for to read. \u00a0The bible says that they “delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias.” \u00a0The bible says that Jesus opened the book and he found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” \u00a0That is Isaiah, chapter 61:1:2:<\/p>\n

        \n

        The Spirit of the Lord GOD is<\/i> upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are<\/i> bound;\u00a0<\/b>To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD…<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

        Then Jesus closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. \u00a0There will come a day soon that Jesus will take that book up again, and proclaim the next seven words of Isaiah 61:2, “the day of vengeance of our God.” \u00a0John got to see Jesus take up that book. \u00a0The bible says “behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and loose the seven seals.” \u00a0John said he looked, and lo and behold, “in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain…” \u00a0I wonder if he thought about John the Baptist. \u00a0“Behold, the lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world!” \u00a0The bible says, “And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.<\/p>\n

        And when Jesus took up that book, all heaven went nuts! \u00a0The four beasts and the twenty four elders fell down and worshipped the Lamb. \u00a0Then, they started singing a new song. “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals…” \u00a0Then, ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels began to shout, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to recieve power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing!” \u00a0Then, every creature in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, in the sea, all together said, “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” \u00a0Then the four beasts said, “Amen!” \u00a0And they just worshipped God. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because Jesus picked up the book of Isaiah. \u00a0How would you like to be in a service like that? \u00a0God can do that in our services today. \u00a0Jesus can walk in our midst, and take up the word of God and read it to us. Those two on the road to Emmaus said to each other, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” \u00a0O yes! \u00a0But John was carried away in the spirit. \u00a0We need to get carried away. \u00a0John got to see Jesus take that book and bust those seals open one by one.<\/p>\n

          \n
        • When the first seal was opened, he saw a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow and a crown and he went forth and conquered.<\/li>\n
        • When the second seal was opened, he saw a red horse, he had a great sword and he took peace from the earth, and men began to kill each other.<\/li>\n
        • When the third seal was opened, he saw a black horse, he had a pair of balances in his hand, he made food scarce and expensive. \u00a0That means there was starvation, famine and things of that sort.<\/li>\n
        • When the fourth seal was opened, he saw a pale horse, and his rider was named Death, and bible says Hell followed with him. \u00a0And he was set loose to kill a fourth part of mankind with the sword, hunger, death, and beasts of the earth.<\/li>\n
        • When the fifth seal was opened, John heard a cry come from under the altar in heaven from the (bible says) souls of them that were slain for the word of God. They said, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell o the earth?” \u00a0It’s not going to be long now. \u00a0Two more seals to go, and that book will be wide open.<\/li>\n
        • When the sixth seal was opened, John beheld, and lo, there was a great earthquake. \u00a0The sun became black. \u00a0The moon became as blood. \u00a0The stars of heaven fell unto the earth. \u00a0The heaven departed as a scroll. \u00a0Every mountain and island were moved out of place. \u00a0It was a great earthquake. \u00a0The bible says all the people (particularly the kings, the great men, the rich men, the chief captains, and the mighty men) hid themselves in the rocks of the mountains and they begged that the mountains and rocks would fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. \u00a0These were the kings, the great men, the rich men, the chief captains, and the mighty men. \u00a0No amount of strength, affluence, power, money, nobility will save you from the wrath of God.<\/li>\n
        • Jesus has taken up the book of Isaiah. \u00a0He has opened all but one of the seals. \u00a0All heaven has engaged and is watching. \u00a0When that last seal breaks, the book will be open. \u00a0Chapter 6 of Revelations records the openeing of the first six seals. \u00a0And the last verse of chapter 6, the bible says “the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Chapter 7 is a parenthetical, regarding the 144,00 Jews. We’re not going to get into that. \u00a0But in Chapter 8, the opening of the seventh seal occurs and the reading of the bible commences. \u00a0(Rev 8:1) “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” \u00a0When Jesus opened the book, it was not a big boom. \u00a0Not yet at least. \u00a0It was silence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          I did some work this weekend at our little ranch. \u00a0I took the tractor out there and everything I did was while the tractor was on. \u00a0It’s very noisy. (engine) \u00a0I took the tractor down off the trailer. (engine) \u00a0I moved stuff (engine) \u00a0I mowed. (engine) \u00a0I got down and opened and closed the gate. (engine) \u00a0I put up the tractor. (engine) \u00a0When I was finally done, everything locked down ready to go. \u00a0I turned off the tractor, and I noticed it was silent. And I just listened for a little while to the silence. \u00a0And it was nice. \u00a0It was peaceful. It’s not going to be this type of silence.<\/p>\n

          It’s a deathly silence. \u00a0It’s a silence of great anticipation. \u00a0It’s a silence mingled with dread. \u00a0And in this silence, John saw seven angels with seven trumpets prepare themselves. They were preparing themselves to sound. \u00a0Joel the prophet said, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand.”<\/p>\n

          I want to take the opportunity to say something. \u00a0Even though John is going to see these\u00a0bad<\/em><\/strong> things (the wrath of God, the judgment of God, death, starvations…) we have to keep this in perspective. \u00a0It’s angels with trumpets that are preparing themselves. \u00a0The trumpet is the instrument of\u00a0warning<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0These seven trumpets, though they come with judgment, they are still warning. \u00a0To blow a trumpet is to give the call of warning. \u00a0You might think that God’s not being very merciful. \u00a0I want to remind you he’s blowing a trumpet. \u00a0He could have skipped over to Revelation 20 and just wiped away the heaven and the earth; but instead he blows the trumpets one last time. \u00a0One last call to repentance. \u00a0One last chance to receive mercy. \u00a0 God is good, make no mistake about that. \u00a0John hears the trumpets.<\/p>\n

            \n
          • With the first trumpet came hail, fire, and blood come down upon the earth. \u00a0And ALL vegetation was burned up.<\/li>\n
          • With the second trumpet came a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. \u00a0One third of the sea became blood, and one third of all sea life died, and one third of all water vessels were destroyed<\/li>\n
          • With the third trumpet came a great burning star from heaven upon the rivers and fountains of water. \u00a0One third of all waters became bitter, and many men died from the water.<\/li>\n
          • With the fourth trumpet, one third of the sun and one third of the moon was smitten. One third of the day was darkness, and one third of the night was utter darkness.<\/li>\n
          • With the fifth trumpet, came locusts out of the bottomless pit. \u00a0These locusts had the sting of a scorpion. \u00a0These locusts were commanded not to hurt the grass, not to hurt any green thing. \u00a0They were commanded to torment men. \u00a0The bible says, “in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”<\/li>\n
          • With the sixth trumpet, came a voice from heaven. \u00a0It said, “Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.” \u00a0With these four angels came a two million man army on horseback. \u00a0Out of the horse’s mouth came fire, smoke, and brimstone. \u00a0One third of mankind was slayed by these four angels. \u00a0Now at this point I want you to see something that John saw. \u00a0There were seven trumpets. \u00a0All but seven had sounded. \u00a0They were not just judgement, but warning. \u00a0In this, we see the hand of mercy still extended out. \u00a0Yet after all this, the bible says, “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet\u00a0repented not<\/em><\/strong> of the works of their hands.” They went on worshipping devils, and idols of gold, silver, and brass. \u00a0The bible says “Neither\u00a0repented<\/em><\/strong> they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”<\/li>\n
          • Chapter 11:15 \u00a0“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            What’s next is chapter 12, and some of you might be familiar with this. \u00a0It’s about the woman clothed with the sun, the child that is birthed, the great red dragon. \u00a0If you’ve never read it. \u00a0I suggest you read it. \u00a0It’s another vision that John sees. \u00a0I’m not going to get into it as to what it all represents, but I do want to bring your attention to one thing. \u00a0when the seventh trumpet sounds I want you to see an important things that happens. \u00a0Verse 9: \u00a0“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. \u00a0And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” \u00a0See the devil still has access to heaven. \u00a0He still goes up there and accuses us. That’s why we need an advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. \u00a0 In the book of \u00a0Job, it says, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” \u00a0Satan still has access to the throne of God. \u00a0But thank God, when that seventh trumpet sounds, things are gonna change. \u00a0When that seventh trumpet sounds, God is going to kick that devil out of heaven. \u00a0He will lose his admitting privileges in heaven. \u00a0He will lose his license to practice law in the bar of heaven. \u00a0So heaven will rejoice. \u00a0But earth won’t.<\/p>\n

            Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye<\/i> heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

            The devil persecuted the remaining Jews on the earth. \u00a0John saw a beast rise up out of the sea. \u00a0He saw a beast rise up out of the earth. \u00a0These beasts blasphemed God and caused all that dwell on the earth to worship them, and deceived them. \u00a0They worshipped the dragon and the beast.<\/p>\n

            After that seventh trumpet sounded, John “saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angles having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. \u00a0The seven angels came out of the temple, clothed in pure and white linen, girded with golden girdles. \u00a0The bible says that one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God. \u00a0(16:1) \u00a0“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”<\/p>\n

              \n
            • The first vial was poured out. \u00a0They that had the mark of beast and worshipped his image sores that were noiseome and grievous.<\/li>\n
            • The second vial was poured out in the sea. \u00a0It became as the blood of a dead man. \u00a0Every living thing died in the sea.<\/li>\n
            • The third vial was poured out on the rivers and fountains of water and they all became blood.<\/li>\n
            • The fourth vial was poured out on the sun. \u00a0Men were scorched with great heat.<\/li>\n
            • The fifth vial was poured out on the seat (or throne) of the beast, and all his kingdom was full of darkness, and in darkness they gnawed their tongues for pain and blasphemed God because of their pains.<\/li>\n
            • The sixth vial was poured out on the great river Euphrates to make way for the kings of the east that will gather to do battle with the Jews and the Lord<\/li>\n
            • The seventh vial was poured into the air. \u00a0There “was a great earthquake, such was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.” \u00a0Every island was gone and every mountain was gone. \u00a0Great hail out of heaven came down upon men. \u00a0There was a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, and Seven Vials. \u00a0John saw all these things. \u00a0John saw the wrath of God. \u00a0Let me say this though. \u00a0Paul said (Rom 5:8,9) “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. \u00a0Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” \u00a0John, while in the spirit, was showed alot of things. \u00a0He was showed what we were saved from: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. \u00a0He saw just about every living soul on earth die. \u00a0He saw alot of bad things. \u00a0But he did see some good things too.<\/p>\n

              Good things<\/h2>\n

              John saw just about every living soul on earth die. \u00a0He saw them thirsty and starving. He saw them die of famine. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw them burned. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw them suffer with sores. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw them stung by horse-sized locusts with a tail of scorpion. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw them killed by fire. \u00a0Killed by smoke. \u00a0Killed by brimstone. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw them killed by hail. \u00a0Killed by stones. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw them kill each other. \u00a0Yet they didn’t repent. \u00a0He saw the devil cast down. \u00a0Instead of repenting and seeking God, they worshipped the beast. \u00a0They received his mark. \u00a0They made war with the saints. \u00a0They blasphemed God. \u00a0John saw the wickedness of man, the utter depravity and contempt of man. \u00a0But in the midst of all that, the bible says (14:1) \u00a0“And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” \u00a0Even though all hell broke loose. \u00a0Even though the world is crumbling apart, there’s the Lamb on mount Sion. \u00a0And there is his people with him. \u00a0The eternal question that Isaac asked his daddy Abraham, as they headed up the mount to do a sacrifice. \u00a0“Where is the lamb?” \u00a0O The Lamb is still on mount Sion. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.<\/p>\n

              The day of the Lord is coming. \u00a0John saw all these bad things. \u00a0One bad thing after another. \u00a0But praise God, after that last vial, after THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS and the armies of the earth gathered to make war with the Lamb, even though things are about as bad as they could be, the bible says that John heard a voice of much people in heaven, saying “Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God.” \u00a0The bible says John “heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” \u00a0And then…<\/p>\n

              And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was<\/i> called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were<\/i> as a flame of fire, and on his head were\u00a0<\/i>many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was<\/i> clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.\u00a0<\/b>And the armies which were<\/i> in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.\u00a0<\/b>And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on\u00a0his<\/i> vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. \u00a0(Rev 19:11-16)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

              John saw Jesus coming out of heaven. \u00a0He wasn’t on a donkey, he was on a white horse. He didn’t have a crown of thorns, he had the royal diadem. \u00a0He didn’t come meek and lowly. \u00a0He came with authority and power. \u00a0The beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies made war with the Lord Jesus Christ. But John got to see the end. \u00a0John saw the beast taken and the false prophet taken. \u00a0And John saw Jesus cast them alive into a lake of fire buring with brimstone. \u00a0And then he saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. \u00a0That angel laid hold on the dragon that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit.<\/p>\n

              Amen. \u00a0I want to say that John saw some good things. \u00a0There were a few more bad things: \u00a0He saw Satan will be loosed for a season. He saw the white throne judgment and he saw all those sould cast into the lake of fire. \u00a0But I want to take you to Revelation 21. The bible says, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and first earth were passed away… \u00a0And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven..”<\/p>\n

              John saw probably the greatest sight, the holy city. \u00a0The day of the Lord is probably the most anticipated events in the entire bible. \u00a0But I want to say that one of most anticipated promises of God is the holy city. \u00a0The celestial city. \u00a0The great city, the holy Jerusalem. The bible says that one of the seven angels with the vials came over to John and said, “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”<\/p>\n

              The bible says that he carried John away in the spirit. \u00a0He carried him away to a great and high mountain, and shewed him that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. \u00a0John saw it all, the celestial city that many have longed to see.<\/p>\n

                \n
              • Abraham looked for it.\n
                  \n
                1. Hebrews 11:9,10\u00a0 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:\u00a0 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                2. David desired it.\n
                    \n
                  1. Psalm 23:6\u00a0 …I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.<\/li>\n
                  2. Psalm 27:4\u00a0 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.<\/li>\n
                  3. Psalm 84:10\u00a0 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.\u00a0 I rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.<\/li>\n
                  4. Psalm 127:1\u00a0 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it….<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                  5. \n

                    Solomon tried to built it.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. 1 Kings 8:27\u00a0 But will God indeed dwell on the earth?\u00a0 behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?<\/li>\n
                    2. Isaiah 66:1\u00a0 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; where is the house that ye build unto me?\u00a0 and where is the place of my rest?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
                    3. \n

                      Jesus is preparing it.<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. John 14:1-3\u00a0 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.\u00a0 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.\u00a0 I go to prepare a place for you.\u00a0 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                        John saw it all! \u00a0That angel gave John a personal tour of the Holy City. \u00a0He saw the twelve gates that are made of pearl. \u00a0He saw on each gate the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. \u00a0He saw the twelve foundations of the city. \u00a0He saw the names of the apostles of Lamb on each foundation. \u00a0I wonder what he though when he looked real close and saw his name on one of those foundations? \u00a0“Hey that’s my name on there!”<\/p>\n

                        He saw it all! \u00a0He saw the throne of God. \u00a0And on that throne, he saw the Lord God Almighty. \u00a0He saw the Lamb in that city. \u00a0He saw the light and the glory coming from the Lord and the Lamb. \u00a0He saw the pure crystal river proceeding out of the throne. \u00a0he saw the tree of life straddling that river. \u00a0He saw the fruit growing and coming forth from the tree of life. \u00a0He saw the street of gold. \u00a0He saw it all. \u00a0He saw the Holy City coming from above.<\/p>\n

                        And the best thing he saw when he looked in that city, the bible says he saw the nations of them which are saved. \u00a0Hey! \u00a0That’s me. \u00a0He saw me walking around in the light and in the glory. \u00a0He saw me walking up and down the street of gold. \u00a0He saw me eating that fruit off the tree of life. \u00a0He saw me drinking from the the crystal river. \u00a0I know he saw me because I’m saved, saved, saved!<\/p>\n

                        Oh would the Holy Ghost grant us a vision of the glory which would soon be revealed. \u00a0Every time we drive the streets, and we hit the pot holes, and we go over the railroad track, and through the mud, let the Holy Ghost remind us we wont have to travel these old roads for long and one glorious day we tread the street gold. \u00a0Every time you fret when the clock don’t stop, you can never catch up with all the work that has to get done, it seems like there’s just not enough hours in the day, let the Holy Ghost remind us that God is making us a place where there will be no more night, the Son will always shine, \u00a0the glorious day will never end, and time shall be no more. \u00a0When your house is falling apart, the kids are stacked like sardines in their room, you don’t have a dining room, you don’t have a living room, you move from one home repair to the next home repair, the water line is always busting, the yard floods, and rats can get in, let the Holy Ghost remind us “This world is not my home. \u00a0I’m just a passing through. \u00a0My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue!”<\/p>\n

                        The other day something came to me. \u00a0I was thinking about when Patty and I first got married. \u00a0We lived in an apartment, but when Franky was born we moved into a house that was on street called Southland. \u00a0It used to be my grandma’s house. \u00a0This house was an old house, built in the 1940’s or 50’s. \u00a0It was built on pillars, the beams were rotten, you could see the ground through little cracks in the floor. \u00a0But the floor was never straight. \u00a0The doors wouldn’t close, the windows wouldn’t open. \u00a0I remember if you dropped anything on the floor, it would always roll to one side of the house. \u00a0Then we moved out of there and moved into a house in Sandia. \u00a0And if you’re familiar with Sandia, you’ll know that the soil our there is sandy loam. \u00a0And that house was literally on bricks. You talk about building your house on sinking sand. \u00a0The floor in the middle of the house was about a foot higher than the floor on the edges of the house. \u00a0And then we moved out to Sinton, to a trailer that is set once again on bricks. \u00a0And we got the same problems. And I’ve complained to my wife, “Why can’t we just have a house that has a concrete foundation? \u00a0Why do we have to always live on pillars and bricks? \u00a0And have the floor floating around all over the place?” \u00a0Then it came to me the other day. \u00a0I’m going to place that has\u00a0TWELVE FOUNDATIONS<\/strong>! \u00a0Praise God. \u00a0I won’t have to worry about that anymore.<\/p>\n

                        John saw it all. \u00a0He saw the Holy City. \u00a0He saw some good things. \u00a0Even though he saw some bad things… He saw alot of bad things. \u00a0But even though he saw all that bad, he saw some good, and I believe that’s why he was able to say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Come!” \u00a0O, if we would let the Spirit carry us away and give us a vision of the things to come, maybe we’d say along with the Spirit, “Come, Lord Jesus. \u00a0Come.”<\/p>\n

                        I know that in Revelation 21:17 it says “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.” Together, the Spirit and the bride say “Come.” \u00a0This is a joint operation. \u00a0They that walk after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit. \u00a0I want to go where the Spirit goes. \u00a0I want to walk where the Spirit walks. \u00a0O, that God would give us a holy hunger and heart for the things of God, and the things of the Spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        I want to stress to you that there a lot of things that we can concern ourselves with. God told Daniel, “…even to the time of the end: may shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan12:4) There’s a lot of things out there that we can gain knowledge about. They call this the age of information. And I know sometimes, there’s things we need to concern ourselves with. But somehow, someway, we must give the things of God preeminence. We must set our minds, our hearts, our souls on the things above. In many places in the bible, we are admonished, “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might.” (Deut 6:5). With all our strength, with all our being, we must attend unto the things of God, the things of the Spirit. O that God would fill us with his Holy Spirit. That he would pour out his Spirit upon us. God does not give such blessings to those that don’t want it. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:” (Isaiah 55:6)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-romans8","category-romanscommentary"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/IMG_2591.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7qg4l-8T","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":661,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions\/661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thereisnewsinthetruth.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}