Category: Uncategorized

by Tammy Phillips
November 6, 2021

“[Let] the high [praises] of God [be] in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand,” (Psalm 149:6 KJV) 

One day this happened!

1. 6:30 AM:I was “Blue Letter Bibling” the phrase “two-edged sword.”  “Blue letter Bibling” is when I use my Blue Letter Bible app as a search engine to discover things in the Bible.   I found five verses, but I was drawn to Psalm 149:6 like a magnet. I heard the Lord say in my spirit, “It is time to sing again.”   Before, I could dissect  the verse…
   
   
2. 6:31 AM:I received this link from one of my closest sisters in Christ… https://www.crosswalk.com/slideshows/7-reasons-singing-is-essential-to-the-christian-life.html  Yes, you read it right.  7 REASONS SINGING IS ESSENTIAL TO THE CHRISTAIN.  (You should also read it.  It is very good.
3. I looked  at the content in verses of Psalm 149 that lead up to verse six…

• Praise ye the LORD.
• SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG.
• Rejoice in Him that made you.
• Let the children be joyful in their King.
• Praise His name in the dance
• Sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
• The LORD takes pleasure in his people.
• He will beautify the meek with salvation.
• Be joyful in glory.
• Sing aloud upon your beds.(Psalm 149:1-5)

4. 8:53 AM:Out of the blue, another dear sister in Christ sends me a song I have never heard before, a NEW SONG, My Worth Is Not In What I Own by Keith and Kristi Getty!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiNnhuw8q2I

“I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other
My soul is satisfied in Him alone”

5. Let me get this right, LORD. I got a verse from You. I heard You say,  “Sing again.”  A sister  sent me an article about the importance of singing. Your word directed me to sing a new song.  Another sister sent me a new song. All of this in less than two and a half hours.  Mind blown.  Living amazed.  I am undone.  Selah.  I just stopped there because I was overwhelmed by God.
   
   
6. Fast forward to the next day between 2:00 and  3:00 AM. I could not sleep so I returned to Psalm 149:6 to dissect it. I “BLB’d” the verse and learned:

High is the Hebrew word, rômmâ which means exalting, uplifting; arising; celebrating; “get oneself up.” I also notice the words, “let, praise and be” are all italicized in the KJV which means they were not in the original Hebrew but added for clarity.  The verse really could read:

The high of God in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand.
The exalting of God in their mouth…
The uplifting of God in their mouth…
The arising of God in their mouth…
The celebrating of God in their mouth…
Wait for it…
The “get oneself up” of God in their mouth…

Why do people drink?  To get drunk and high.
Why do people roll smoke? To get stoned and high.
(Never thought I would be borrowing Hank Williams Junior’s lyrics for an encouragement.)

Want to get high? 

I enCOURAGE you to sing again!  Sing a new song!  Do you know why we need the two-edged sword (word of God) in our hand?  Among other things, it is our song book!   “This is how I fight my battles!  This is how I fight my battles.  It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You!”*  His word is a two-edged sword, inspired and  written into the Bible.  We pick up the sword, repeat His word and then it is a two-edged sword coming from our mouth.  It is how we fight our battles.  It is how we get high.  It is how we pick ourself up.  It is how we do what we are supposed to do and bring glory to God. 

“Even the tumult of our holy war is a part of the music of our lives.”– Charles Spurgeon 

“For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV) 

(To be continued…there is a perfect point #7 that came at 3:26 AM from my Mom,  as I was writing this encouragement.  Stay tuned tomorrow.)

 

*Lyrics for Surrounded, made famous by Michael W. Smith written by Elyssa Smith

by Tammy Phillips
November 5, 2021

“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male [Child]. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So, the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. ” (Revelation 12:13-18 NKJV)

I picture Satan as an angry, enraged, ranting, boiling lunatic who huffs and puffs around.   He has to be crazy to go after God, His chosen, and His adopted people.  I see God calmly sitting and smiling  in heaven shaking His head at the devil.  The LORD God knows the truth and the outcome.  “Satan has even lied to himself.  Satan knows that if he can stop God’s word from coming to pass, he can defeat God.”- Billye Brim.  God does not go back on His word, and He has made many promises to Israel.  He has never lost a battle and never will.

Satan has tried to destroy Israel and stop God’s word since Adam and Eve in the garden.  Little, tiny, small Israel has always been bullied , picked on, and persecuted by Satan all throughout history.  Jesus defeated Satan.   In Him we defeat the plans and purposes of Satan.  “Yet in all  these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37 NKJV) AND Jesus who is in us is greater than Satan who is in the world. (1 John 4:4 NKJV) Put on your stomping shoes.

In context of today’s scripture, remember, Israel is the woman and Satan is the dragon. In the last half of the tribulation,  Yahweh in essence says, “You can’t touch this…woman!”

God provides a way of escape, “two great eagles wings,”  and a hiding place for His remnant, Israel, from the presence of the serpent, the Antichrist.  He also provides  nourishment for a time.  Eagles wings are a symbol of deliverance to Israel.  This is what God said about Israel’s first escape:  “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and [how] I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” (Exodus 19:4 NKJV).  Don’t know if the USA or a mega transport plane will carry Israel to safety.  We shall wait and see. “The woman” will be safe.

Big baby Satan responds by pitching a fit and spewing water out of his mouth like a flood at Israel.  He comes at them “guns a blazing” and with the greatest persecution ever.

“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:20-21 KJV)

Satan had hoped it would destroy her, but the earth helped the woman.   The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.  Whatever the Antichrist brings, it is swallowed up.  Isn’t that a truth for today?  Whatever the enemy brings at us today is swallowed up and overcome by the word of God!

“The dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. “  The Battle to end all battles is on the horizon.

I enCOURAGE you to never turn your back on  Israel.  Support her.  Pray for her.  Israel is the Holy Land and chosen by God.  He has, is and will defend her to the end. 

by Tammy Phillips
November 4, 2021

“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Revelation 12:10-12 NKJV)

In Revelation 12:7-9 John sees the scene where Michael and his angels fight with the dragon and his angels.  Satan, the serpent, the adversary, the opposition, the Devil, the slanderer, the false accuser,  was kicked out of heaven and thrown down to earth.  Jesus came down to earth to save humanity and to defeat Satan.   He brought salvation, strength, “the force,” the power,  the authority, and the kingdom of God.  How did Jesus, how did “they,” and how do we overcome the dragon?

“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:11 NKJV)

1. They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, the death of Jesus Christ the sacrificial Lamb.

Satan manifests “great wrath”  because he was kicked out of heaven, and He knows his time is short! The devil and his crew run their mouths every day and all day.  They lie, accuse  and slander.  If they cannot get others to come against us, they whisper lies in our ears.  However, Jesus took our place on the cross and we were made righteous in Christ Jesus by his blood.  We have to remind the enemy of whose we are when he comes calling.  We can boldly say, “Satan, Your time is short!! Passover!  We are covered in the blood of the Lamb,” and “thanks [be] to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV).  

“Sin will never be conquered without resistance, and if we fold our arms and suppose that we shall get the victory by believing that we have got it, we shall be mightily mistaken. We must watch, and pray, strive, agonize, and press forward; “this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”  Salvation is not by works, but conquest over sin involves fighting from day to day; victory will not come to us while we lie passive, but we must be stirred up with all the energy of the eternal Spirit to vanquish evil. These Canaanites must be driven out of the land by force of arms ere we can take full possession of our inheritance. Let this, then, be our pi dyer to our great Joshua as we gird on our harness and unsheathe our swords.  You are enlisted, brother, in a lifelong fight: when you shall lie down in your grave then may it be said, “The battle is over,” but as long as you are here you will be within gunshot of the enemy…” –Charles Spurgeon, Sermon May 30, 1875

2. They overcame by the word of their testimony.

A testimony is evidence given, a record, a report, a witness, or a declaration. It is knowing something and sharing it.  Our testimony is our story.  Our testimony is what we know.  I started this blog to encourage my friend who lost her only son.  The LORD knew the devil, that rotten accuser, would be whispering all kinds of garbage in her ear.  I believe the LORD used me to whisper my testimony of faith in Him into her other ear.  Holy Spirit, the Comforter, wanted me to help her overcome great loss, grief, and despair. After sharing with her, I was led to share my testimonies with you.   I pray each word leads you closer to Jesus and  to victoriously overcoming.

 “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you…that you may also fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ…” (I John 1:3).

3. They overcame because they did not love their lives to the death.

They did not love nor prize their lives so much that they were afraid to die.  Jesus and the Apostles were not afraid to die.  I am not afraid to die.  When we choose not to fear  and resolutely stand in Jesus,  Satan cannot defeat us. We rob him of his power.  Earthly death is the ultimate Christian victory.  As believers in Christ, our bodies are not ours anyways.

“Do you not know that…you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV)

Imprisoned Paul responded to death this way: “For to me, to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain.” (Philippians 1:21 NKJV) and “to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV)

I enCOURAGE you to share your victory stories in Jesus! This world needs our Savior.  If you aren’t sharing, are you knowing?

“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39 NKJV)

 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21 NKJV)

by Tammy Phillips
November 2, 2021 

“The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and …” (Revelation 11:15 CSB)

Remember, when the seventh seal was opened, there was silence in heaven for a half hour.  If Revelation was a movie this is where the music would come to a crescendo.  The third woe will be released as the seventh angel blows his trumpet. The Tribulation is about to end.  Heaven can hardly contain itself!  Heaven, Jesus, the true Christ, the Antichrist, and Satan himself know it really is the last of the last of the last days.  Plagues have been released by the two witnesses at will.  Antichrist could do nothing to control them.  They were allowed to be killed,  resurrected and called away to heaven.  The world is roaring.  The heavens are roaring, and the Lion of Judah is about to release His loudest roar as He literally steps on to the scene to rule and reign FOREVER.

John heard loud voices in heaven:   “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” 

The twenty-four elders fell facedown and worshiped God saying:

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was,
because. you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 
The nations were angry, but your wrath has come.
The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants…the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great.
The time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 

Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple.  There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.“(Revelation 11:15-19 CSB)

IT IS TIME.  IT IS TIME.  We see a Jesus take over.  The time of wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged.  The time of reward  has come to His servants.  The time has come to destroy THOSE who destroy the earth.  It is time for the Antichrist, his servants, the armies, and  enemies of Israel  to be destroyed.  Satan’s time is up! It is time for a Jesus take over.  It is time for heaven to be opened.  It is time for Jesus to be crowned King of Kings and for his kingdom reign on earth. Glory to God.

I enCOURAGE you as a believer of the One True God and Jesus Christ.  I firmly believe according to scripture that we  will be watching these events unfold from heaven.   It is those who continue to rebel against God  by rejecting Jesus, His will, His way, and His word, that will endure the woes of the Great Tribulation.  God has given mankind so many times to choose Him.  Choose Him now.  Choose Jesus, His will, His way, and His words for His glory…and your eternal destiny. 

by Tammy Phillips
November 1, 2021

“And I will give [power] to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:3 NKJV)

Interestingly enough in the eleventh month of the year, we are halfway through the book of Revelation and beginning chapter 11 which is halfway through the Great Tribulation.  The two witnesses are introduced.  Much speculation goes into who these two people are.  We will not know for sure until they show up on earth because that mystery nor their names are revealed.

When they show up, the Antichrist has broken his promise to Israel (Imagine that?).  He has made his headquarters in the Temple in Jerusalem, and he has declared himself to be God. (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

The two witnesses come wielding great power. 

• They prophesy for the last 3 ½ years, 1260 days. “Jesus is coming!” They will be driving the Antichrist crazy. 
• Fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies if any attempt is made to harm them. You know this makes the Antichrist so very happy, not!  I wonder, how many people die trying to kill them?
• If anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed by the devouring fire.
• The two have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy.
• They have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire. Cannot even imagine how earth will be responding.  (Revelation 11:5-6 NKJV)

Next, the witnesses are martyred, but NOT until they have completed their ministry.  What unfolds next is a return to action on earth and it is quite unbelievable but believe it.  It will happen.

• The Antichrist, the beast, will make war with them, conquer, and kill them.
• Their bodies will lie in the main street of the great city for three and a half days.
• The remaining earthlings will celebrate their death and throw victory parties.
• They will send gifts to one another because the two prophets had tormented the remaining earthlings. (Rev. 11:7-10)

BUT GOD…Don’t you love His sense of humor? 

• After three and a half days, one blow, and the breath of life from God will enter them.
• The earthlings left will be glued to the television or internet. They will see the witnesses stand on their feet.
• Great fear will fall.
• The two witnesses will hear a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.”
• They will go up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watch. ((Rev. 11:11-12)

Then…

• A violent earthquake will take place.
• A tenth of the city will fall.
• Seven thousand people will be killed in the earthquake. Seven thousand. Devastation like never seen before at one time.
• The survivors will be scared to death and give glory to the God of heaven.
• Second woe passed.
• COMING SOON: The Third Woe.  A real-life event you do not want to be part of.  (Revelation 11:13-14)

I bet the Antichrist is in full on panic.  He thought he  had taken care of the two witnessed and God showed him up, once again.  The stage for the seventh trumpet is set.

I enCOURAGE you to see the grace in Revelation 11.  You may see death and destruction.  The LORD,  even until the very last days before the return of Jesus is attempting to turn people.  The two witnesses will do the job that we should be doing today.  Even though they will endure to the end, they will be killed, BUT GOD!  Glory to God.  They will be resurrected.  They will hear, “COME UP HERE!”  Don’t you want everyone you know to hear those words?  Share Jesus now so they can come up on the first call.

by Tammy Phillips
October 31, 2021

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24 CSB)

Satan is the author of tricks.  He wants us to believe that we still fall short. He wants us to live with shame of our past and our sins.  Satan is a liar.  Hear the truth, today!

If you have grown up in church like me, you have heard this verse all your life.  I absolutely love God and how Holy Spirit gives life to a verse like this that we have heard repeatedly.  In our prayer group somebody prayed this verse and the phrase “fall short”  stuck in my spirit.  I went digging.  Let’s look at what I found. 

First, all means each, every, everyone, and anyone.  The whole of creation from beginning to end, including you and I have sinned.  Every man and every woman with the exception of Jesus has sinned.  All means all.  All have sinned, missed the mark, made a  mistake, wandered from the path of uprightness and honor, done the wrong thing or went the wrong way. 

Secondly, all fall short.   “Fall short” is one Greek word, hystereō, which means, to be late; lag; be behind; to come late or too tardily; to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal; to fall short of the end; to fail to be a partaker.  Hello?  We ALL have been a little late and felt  a lot behind, right?  We all definitely “fall short” of the glory, excellence, magnificence, majesty, and the absolutely perfectness of Christ.  The Lord knows this old gal is far from it…BUT GOD!

Thirdly, we fall short, BUT GOD stands us tall!  Romans 3:24 says that all are justified.  Justified is the Greek word, dikaioō,  meaning rendered, shown, or declared to be righteous or to be such as one ought to be in the sight of God;  to be innocent and to be declared guiltless; acquitted of a charge; to be absolved; to be freed;  to be just; to be straight and upright.

Where we have fallen short, God says wait just a minute!  Paul tells us a different story.  By God’s grace, good will, loving-kindness, and unmerited favor, He has provided our redemption.  God has released us and  paid our ransom in full with the blood of Jesus Christ.  He has delivered, liberated, and saved us by paying our ransom. 

We might have fallen short, but in Jesus…

We are as we were meant to be!
We are innocent in the eyes of God!
We are guiltless!
We are acquitted!
We are free!
We are justified!
We are realigned!
We are upright!
We stand tall!

I enCOURAGE you to see yourself as God sees you.  Once you choose Jesus as Lord and Savior, the LORD GOD does not look at you and feel ashamed.  Romans 3:24 is your explanation. God looks at you and sees you as you are meant to be.  He does not see you as falling short nor not measuring up.  He sees you standing tall and upright in Jesus.  Once and for all, be free from the shame of your sin and see yourself as God sees you.  He paid for it.  It is your gift to take.  Take it and BE FREE!  Stand tall.

by Tammy Phillips
October 30, 2021.

Sometimes, I write like John.  I jump around, go forward and backwards in a story.  Revelation is not in chronological order.  As we navigate through the Revelation journey, we expect to hear about  the seventh angel blowing the seventh trumpet in Revelation 10.  John gives us another brief interlude instead and some general information about what he saw. 

1. A mighty angel and a little book are the next topic of brief discussion.The angel is clothed with a cloud, a rainbow is on his head, his face is the sun and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book in his hand.  He cried aloud and seven thunders had something to say.  John was told by  a voice from heaven: “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down! ” (Rev. 10:1-4)
   
   
2. The mighty angel raises his right hand and swears, “There will be no more delay.” (Rev. 10:6)
   
   
3. The angel says: “When the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet…

• God’s mysterious plan will be completed.
• It will happen just as he told his servants the prophets. .” (Rev. 10:7)

4. John was told by the voice from heaven:“Go and take the open little book from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” (Rev.10:8)
   
   
5. Angel tells John to eat the little book and that it will be sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach.John eats it. (Rev. 10:8-10)

Revelation 10 really is a chapter of unknowns to us.  We do learn that when the seventh trumpet blows what God has told the prophets will be fulfilled. However,  we can’t know what the seven thundering voices said, nor what was in the little book, nor why John had to eat it. 

I know one thing.  The book of Revelation is a little book at the end of the Great Book. It is the final chapter and the completion of the end of days. When I began chomping into Revelation, it was “sweet as honey.” Jesus was revealed in so many wonderful ways.  The past two “encouragements” have been tougher and really hard to stomach.  I guess one could say, “bitter to the belly.”   The word of God is to be devoured even when we may not know EXACTLY what we are eating, nor love exactly what it says.  Holy Spirit will always show us what we need to know, when we need to know it. 

I enCOURAGE you to have a steady diet of the Word of God.    As we grow in faith, we move from the easy milk of the word to the meat of it.  It is a little tougher to chew.  We must eat to grow.  We cannot starve ourselves of spiritual food, then wonder why we are so weak, and our faith is not strong. Our faith will grow if we feed it faith food.

by Tammy Phillips
October 29, 2021

“And I looked, and I heard an eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!” (Revelation 8:13 )

Yesterday, we looked at the first four trumpets in Revelation 8.  Today we are going to see what the two of the last three trumpets release.  It cannot be good because John sees an eagle flying through heaven yelling, “Woe, woe, woe.”  Woe is an exclamation of grief  and sorrow.  We should stop and take notice.  Like I said before, if we think the first four trumpets are bad news, we have not seen anything yet.  Let’s see what John saw in Revelation 9 and 10 as the three remaining trumpets are blown.

THE FIFTH TRUMPET

• Blown and an angel unlocks the  bottomless with a key. (Rev. 9:2)
• Smoke rose from the pit and darkened the sun and air. (Rev. 9:2)
• Locusts, given power like scorpions, rose from the pit in the smoke. (Rev. 9:3)
• They couldn’t harm the grass ,so the other plague had not been released yet to destroy the grass. (Rev. 9:4)
• Their mission is five months of torment to any man not sealed by God. (Rev. 9:4-5)
• Torment but cannot kill. Death is put on pause for five months. (Rev. 9:5-6)
• The locusts look like this…Read about them in Rev. 9:7-11

THE SIXTH TRUMPET

• Blown and the four angels who had been held back at the Euphrates were released.
• They were prepared and their assignment was to kill one third of the human race!
• They were an army of 200,000,000 horsemen with breastplates of red, yellow, and blue.
• The horses breathed fire, smoke, and brimstone and had tails like snakes.            
• Honestly, I do not know if this a literal army or a gathering of Satan’s demonic minions.  I just know their mission is to kill.

All of this is bad, really bad!  If the first four trumpet plagues were not bad enough, the fifth and the sixth are out of an unimaginable horror movie.  However, the saddest thing to me is:

“The rest of the people, who were not killed by these plagues, DID NOT REPENT of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk.  And they DID NOT REPENT of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21 CSB). 

Sorceries in this verse is the Greek word, pharmakeia, meaning the use or administration of drugs; poisoning; witchcraft; the occult.   There is no regard for life, private property,  nor purity.  Sounds a lot like the time we are living in, but it is going to get so much worse.  I cannot even imagine this scene.  Think about what we have seen over the last few years and still, it is no comparison to what it will be like during the Great Tribulation.  Yet, people are still given the opportunity to repent and turn to God.

I enCOURAGE you to turn to Jesus in every area of your life.  When you think you cannot do it, call on Jesus.  He will help you through.  I encourage you to be bold and courageous.  Share Jesus.  Encourage others to submit to Jesus as Savior and LORD.  The LORD God gives us innumerable chances to repent and turn to Him!   Can you hear my heart?  I am woeful and feel a pit in my stomach when I think of my worst enemy experiencing any of these woes!   Life is absolutely amazing with Jesus, but woe to you who continue to turn your back on Him, His words, and His ways.  I do not want anybody to go through the “woes” mentioned in the horror of Revelation 9.  It is past time to get serious.   If you are not for God, you are against Him. 

“God [is] jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and [is] furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves [wrath] for His enemies;” (Nahum 1:2 NKJV)

 

by Tammy Phillips
October 28, 2021

Revelation 8 brings us to the midpoint of the Great Tribulation and gives us a preview of what is about to be unleased in the last three and a half years.  The Antichrist is trying to put together his government to rule the world.  Three of the original ten nations have backed out on him.  It is about to get really ugly in the Middle East as He starts to act up.

The episode of Revelation 8 opens unusually.  We have been waiting to see what is behind the seventh seal.   “When he [Jesus] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”(Revelation 8:1 CSB)  Heaven has been described as a place where the Lord is praised continually.   In the opening of seventh seal what caused the awkward pause in heaven for thirty minutes?  Can you imagine a news reporter going silent for thirty minutes on air?  We cannot even attempt to guess what was unsealed.  We will have to wait.

What happens next? Judgement!  Seven angels were given seven trumpets.  Another angel with a gold incense burner stood at the altar.  He was given a lot of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints. (Rev. 8:3) The smoke of incense and the prayers went up . The angel took the incense burner and filled it with fire which was also a combination of prayers and incense.  He threw it down to earth which resulted in thunder, lightning, and an earthquake.  The last 3 ½ years started with a bang. 

The angels then prepared to blow the trumpets as an alarm to what was heading to earth.

THE FIRST TRUMPET  (Rev. 8:7)
Blown and hail, fire, mixed with blood was  hurled to earth.
Results:  A third of earth, a third of trees burned up, and all the grass was burned up.

THE SECOND TRUMPET (Rev. 8:8-9)
Blown and something like a fiery, great mountain was hurled into the sea.
Results: A third of the sea became blood. A third of  living sea creatures die. A third of ships will were destroyed.

THE THIRD TRUMPET (Revelation 8:10-11)
Blown and a great star named Wormwood, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven.
Results:  It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water.  A third of the waters became wormwood, and bitter. Many people died from the waters.

THE FOURTH TRUMPET
“The fourth angel blew 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 were darkened. A third of the day was without light and also a third of the night.  (Revelation 8:12 CSB).

Things get a lot darker.  However, If you think these warnings are bad, you have not seen anything yet.  

“I looked and heard an eagle flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound! “  (Revelation 8:12-13 CSB)

I enCOURAGE you to go silent before the Lord.  Ask Him what He wants to show you as we journey through Revelation.  I also encourage you to take this time to pray for family, friends, and all to choose Jesus.  He is salvation and a way to escape the Great Tribulation.  I do not know when the Lord is going to come and take His bride.  I do know that we need to watch and be prepared to meet Him in the sky.  Who knows the hour or the minute of His return?  Just be ready and watching, please?  Don’t put off turning to Him any longer.