Gospel of Matthew (Visual Bible)

False Christs of the Last Days

Could this be The 7 Trumpets of Revelations?

 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. Revelations 8: 10-11

   I am still contemplating on these two video presentations whether all the detail assumes by the producer of this video corresponds to the actual events listed in The Book of Revelations; although I agree on some the undeniable detail like that of the scorpions and lions, which I've sometime ago share on this blog. About the stunning illustrations that St. John describes regarding vehicles and weapons of war around two thousands of years ago. 

   Obviously there is no way how John could have described helicopters and tank without actually seeing them in a vision. John's First century vocabulary was limited and therefore would simply compare the visions on things he already knew like chariots, horses, scorpions, and lions... 

   In the clip it was noted that Chernobyl was the same English word Wormwood in Ukraine and that Saddam in ancient Persian means the destroyer. There were also other detail pointed out that maybe you can help me discern with the help of the Holy Spirit of course whom Jesus promised to aid us in recognizing the truth. 

   Who are the four angels release at the Great Euphrates river?

    I've included the two chapters being studied here and highlighted the important detail that we must look into...I also would like to focus on the last two verses at the bottom of this article because that is the whole essence why Revelations was written--as a WARNING! 

Revelation 8

The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

 ¹ When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

 ² And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

 ³ Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

The Trumpets

 ⁶ Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

 ⁷ The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

 ⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, ⁹ a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

 ¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood.  A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

 ¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

 ¹³ As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

Revelation 9

 ¹ The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. ² When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. ³And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

 ⁷ The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. ⁸ Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.¹⁰ They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. ¹¹They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

 ¹² The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

 ¹³ The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. ¹⁴ It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” ¹⁵ And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. ¹⁶ The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

 ¹⁷ The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. ¹⁸ A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. ¹⁹ The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

 ²⁰ The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. ²¹ Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani

"Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying,  'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is,  'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' " (Matthew 27:45-46, NKJV)

   Just before Our Lord died on the cross, he uttered somewhat a cry of defeat: Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani, in Hebrew. Did Jesus really doubted His Father at that time? After all, when Jesus volunteered to become just a man, He removed some of His God qualities. Therefore He was now susceptible to pain just like any mortal men. The agonizing pain of being hanged there for  hours plus the fact of a pain unimaginable aren't something any ordinary human could easily bear as expert have to invent new word to describe the terrible torture which was then called excruciating. Excruciating literally mean from Greek "out of the cross". 

   The people present who have heard it thought He was calling unto Elijah and they shouted "Let him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to save him." (verse 49) The people at that time failed to realized that Jesus was actually revealing who he really was. He is not complaining to God the Father but revealing his real identity; even up until his time of death. 

   It is interesting that even at the cross, in moment of near death, Jesus is still quoting a Psalm. 

   "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?  Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?  O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;  And in the night season, and am not silent." (Psalm 22:1-2)

  THE FULFILLMENT 
  Is Jesus simply praying a Psalm to strengthen his spirit?  Probably, but then if you read further into that specific Psalm you will read this stunning revelation in verse 16 to 18...

¹⁶ Dogs surround me, 
   a pack of villains encircles me; 
   they pierce my hands and my feet. 
¹⁷ All my bones are on display; 
   people stare and gloat over me. 
¹⁸ They divide my clothes among them 

   and cast lots for my garment.  (Psalms 22:16-18)

   Isn't it amazingly accurate!!! Jesus was trying to point out to the people what was happening at that very hour was actually a fulfillment of that Prophetic Psalm. Christianity detractor and unbeliever even agree that it was incredibly so accurate that they suspect the thousand year old Psalm was a modern forgery.  

   The hoax can't be possible, since the Jewish sect who hated Jesus and His disciple would easily expose the plagiary. IF the above verses from Psalm 22 was inserted by early Christians then it would fail to convince the skeptic Bereans who double check the Scriptures every time they speak.  
   Historical record also had no contest against that statement. In the Book of Acts, there was a very brave statement coming from Peter, that none of there enemy can retaliate. Let us focus on some of the verses that caught the attention of the people in Judea: 

¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. ¹⁵ For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.

   The speech would have been easily discredited by those people listening. Peter is saying "Hey! You were there when Jesus was crucified, he was buried in a landmark (Remember the tomb of a Sanhedrin Joseph of Arimathea was used as burial site). You have witness that Jesus was risen again. He ate with us, he was with us for 40 days...and that 500 or so men have seen him taken up into heaven..."
   Peter was speaking to eyewitnesses here. The silence of historian and contemporary opposition was enough proof already...Tacitus the respected Roman historian of that time recorded the death of Jesus was factual and there was no argument coming from any source about the matter. Except Nero who intentionally burn Rome and blame them to Christ follower. 

    Did You see? the Roman government can't find any loopholes against first Christians claim that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. They have to resort to other means to destroy this faith. The enemy of Jesus could have just parade His body to the street of Judea and proclaim "Here's your Messiah, Look!" But they could not because they can't find the body.

   

HOW CAN I KNOW IF I AM SAVED? A SELF-TEST

(The following are 12 point test written by David Bay)


HOW CAN I KNOW IF I AM SAVED? A SELF-TEST
Since the evidence of genuine salvation is the presence of the Holy Spirit within the individual, how can this be verified? How can we be reasonably certain about ourselves, as well as others, without being guilty of judging? To answer this, let's take our own case first-there are several "tests" that we can take to determine His presence within us: (all Scripture quotes from Parallel Bible, KJV/Amplified Bible Commentary).

1. Romans 8:16 tells us: "The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God." First and foremost, we have the unshakable testimony from within us! The indwelling Holy Spirit of God constantly reassures us that we belong to Jesus Christ.
2. The entire book of First John was written as a "test" for determining the reality of salvation. Verse three of Chapter one tells us: "What we have seen and [ourselves] heard we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have (which is a distinguishing mark of Christians) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah." The fellowship enjoyed by genuine Christians is proof positive of salvation. Those who claim Christ, but yet rarely attend church to worship God and associate with other believers, are possibly fooling themselves! A backslidden Christian can stay out of church and away from other believers, but I can guarantee you from first-hand experience that there will never be a time when you will be comfortable with it! On the other side of the coin, verse 8 teaches us that if we deny the existence of sin within us, the Truth is not in us. Verse 3 of Chapter two teaches us that we are genuine and "growing in grace and knowledge of Christ", if we keep His commandments. Verse 10 teaches us that we are of Christ if we love the brethren. Again, those who habitually absent themselves from God's house and do not make it clear that they love being around God's children, are very likely to be tares and not wheat. Verse 15 teaches us that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. "Worldly Christians" is almost a contradiction in terms and those who claim Christ, but yet cling to the value system of this world-are suspect.
3. 1 John 5:13 informs us that the entire Book of 1 John was written so that we can know that we possess eternal life in Christ. Do you know for absolute certainty that, if you were to die tonight, you would go to Heaven?
4. The Word of God teaches that the Bible is incomprehensible to the "natural man"-the unsaved individual. It is a spiritual book and the unsaved person is not only spiritually blind, but 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that he "is incapable" of knowing that which is spiritually discerned. Do you understand the Bible? Does it make sense to you and speak to your heart? Does it convict you of your sin and teach you the right way?
5.  The Bible is very clear that an unregenerate individual will not seek God (Rom.3:11). Are you painfully aware of your sinful nature and cry out to God from your heart for forgiveness when you sin? If so, this is one of the signs of having been born again.
Is your soul, your conscience, sorely vexed when you see sin in the culture around you? When you see blatant sin in public, or on TV, or in Entertainment, or anywhere else you encounter it, do you feel a severe vexation in your spirit? The Bible says of Lot, who was foolish enough to live and do business in Sodom: "(God) delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds)" [2 Peter 2:7-8]
If your heart is "vexed" by the terrible sin in our daily culture, that is a good sign you are saved. If your spirit is not vexed by this sin, that is a good sign you are not saved.

6.  The Bible says that an unregenerate individual is a slave of Satan and incapable of doing anything about it (Eph.2:2). Have you been able to turn your back upon this world and its sinful ways? Are all of your close friends Christians? If you have been born again, your unsaved friends will drop you like a bad habit! (Just as an illustration, spray a small amount of "WD-40" lubricant on a surface wet with water and watch how fast the water retreats! A genuine dose of salvation is like the WD-40 where reprobate buddies are concerned.)
7.  Do you love--really love--Christians and would rather be with them than anyone else? Can you meet a total stranger, find out that they are a believer, and then have instant fellowship with them? Is there "something" in your heart that draws you to them and establishes a closeness which cannot be explained any other way? [We alluded to this feature in Paragraph 2, above]
8.  Do you actually enjoy giving to the Lord's work? Do you give generously of your time, talent, and treasury?
9.  Do you sin less now than you did prior to receiving Christ?
10. Have other people seen the "fruit of the Spirit" at work in your life? That is, can they see genuine love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc., (Gal.5:22), being wrought in and through you by God's Holy Spirit? Do they sense that you are a different person from the one you used to be?
11. Have you experienced persecution because of your faith in Christ? (Former friends who back away because of your testimony for Christ, are a subtle form of persecution).
12. Are you eagerly expecting and anticipating the any-moment return of Jesus Christ for His Church?

If you can truthfully answer "yes" to these questions, you are a child of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within you! If you cannot truthfully answer "yes" to these questions, then you are probably not saved and you need to go to the bottom of this page to the Salvation message and go through the steps in honesty and sincereness of heart so you can be saved!


Click this for Salvation> YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN