Revelation chapter 14, I'll read verse 11 verses even though we've already dealt with five of these verses before, but I'll read all the first 11 verses of Revelation 14 and pray the Lord will speak to our heart and just give us a nugget for the middle of the week, something to encourage us to keep on keeping on for His honor and His glory. Amen. Revelation chapter 14, verse 1 through verse number 11. Revelation chapter 14, verse 1, And I looked, and lo, a lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard the voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder. And I heard the voice of harping with their harps. And they sung, as it were, a new song before the throng, and before the four beasts, and the elders. And no man could learn that song but the hundred, and forty, and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women, are virgins. These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth. And to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. And worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the foundation, the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture unto the cup of into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast or his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. You may be seated. chapter 14 is a, we've come to this and it's really a seven vision, it's a chapter of visions as John the seer's there on the Isle of Patmos, caught up in the Spirit of course, and, and God pulled back the curtain and gave him some things and said, write them down. and here we saw as we looked in chapter thirteen we saw that the beast that he, he describes the beast coming up out of the sea or meaning the sea of people which is the Antichrist and he's the rule and of course we know he, he'll come on the scene in what we call the seventieth week of Daniel riding a white horse but then of course when he has everything in his grips he'll, he'll cause war to come to put those nations that's not in his grips to put them in his And then, of course, after that causes the red horse rider possibly bloodshed, and then also, of course, that causes death and, of course, famine because of the war and maybe nuclear involvement in that war. And so there's the pale horse rider and then the black horse rider, and then the pale horse rider of death comes on the scene. And that's the first three and a half years of the 70th week of Daniel. Then the devil, well he's not, he's the one that's empowering the Antichrist. He sets himself up as God. It's called the abomination of desolation because he'll go back in the temple and he'll go in the temple and claim to be God. there's going to be a temple rebuilt in the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel and Israel is going to come back and think that he this is the Messiah the Antichrist and they're going to reconstruct the Old Testament type of worship and yet the two witnesses are probably warned them during those days some of those latter days of that first three and a half years we don't know for certain about the time of that but they'll probably warn them you've received the wrong one of course the devil's going to copy that some of his witnesses flying through the air that's going to accuse the true two witnesses of being falsehood and liars, if you please, but the devil's always told a lie. But then after he sets himself up as God, there arises a false prophet, chapter 13, in which he causes people to worship the beast. which is the Antichrist, which he does that by causing men to take a mark, the number 666 some way. I don't know all that's involved in that or how it'll be, but some kind of computer chip probably would be the way it'll be. We know now the situation, but you have to have it to buy or sell, and without that, you can't buy or sell. It means if you can't buy or sell, God will definitely have to take care of you miraculously, or you'll be exposed, and that's when the Bible talks about your family even turning you in. and, and, and giving you up, and then of course they'll kill you. And therefore we saw the souls under the altar that were martyred during that period of time. Oh, an awful time, really. It's really the Great Tribulation is what that is, upon the saints of God. And yet, all at once, it seemed so bad, didn't it? All at once, John got to look over and see the Lamb, not just a Lamb, but the Lamb that John the Baptist had said, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. And he was standing on Mount Zion. Now when he, that means he'd already come back, set his feet upon the earth, and several things had transpired. But he shows you there's hope, shows you God's in control. Now the first vision we saw last week, and we don't know all about, what the wording of it as far as knowing exactly how to put them but there's a hundred and forty four thousand Jews we know they were mentioned in Revelation chapter seven right after the wrath was about to be poured out on the earth. God held back the wrath and give the space for these hundred and forty four thousand to be sealed in their forehead. Not save like you and I would be saved because we have a seal of the Holy Spirit inside. Somebody says well that means they are saved a different way. Now we've got a lot of doctrine out here that's false. There's a there's a doctrine going around and I don't know. I do know where it started about two miles south of here. Amen. But it's a doctrine it says that we have what's called dispensational salvation. In other words, man saved a different way in every so-called dispensation. Now, you realize there's only two dispensations biblically. Man has divided it into seven, and it's all right. There's natural divisions at that point in time, and they say Adam was saved one way, and Noah saved another, and Abraham saved another, and Moses, of course, under law, and in the grace period, and then there's tribulation period in which they're going to be saved a different way. That's not so. Man's only saved by grace through faith from Adam to the last man will ever get in is by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and no other way. Amen. It's not by works, lest any man should bow. So there, there, there's a false doctrine concerning that coming on the scene. But here we see these were sealed with the seal of God in their forehead, called them virgins, and they believe it, believe it's dealing with a spiritual sense here. I don't know all they are, but we do know that God carried them through upon this earth, through that period of wrath, which is the last part of the 70th week of Daniel. Saints of God are caught up in the rapture, judgment seat of Christ is going on, wrath of God is poured out on this earth, seven seals, seven vows, and seven Well, not the seven seals, but it's a seventh seal, but there's seven vows, seven trumpets, and seven thunders. Wrath poured out, judgment seat of Christ, marriage supper of the Lamb, then the Lord comes back and sets foot back upon the earth. So John's already seen him on Mount Zion, which is where his father David's throne was. Now it could be, and I'm just trying to think, and a lot of this we just don't know about, these 144,000, but it appears they're physical-bodied people, I know that, and it's not appear there, and they're going into the millennium reign with physical bodies, and I got to thinking about this today, you know, God made a promise to Israel, some promises to them, this could this is his preservation of his nation where he's going to rule from his father David's throne and they're going to repopulate their during that time I really believe they're involved in that and then of course they're going to worship the Lord not only them but other nations as well human bodies going to live to a thousand years worship the Lord for a thousand years and have no devil because he's going to be chained amen for a thousand years and there's no choice but to be deceived to go any other way and then at the end he'll be loosed and guess what it seemed that every one of those people who worship the Lord some for as much as a thousand years all chose to follow the devil and turn. I showed you the depravity of man. Amen. that without God's work, listen, you ought to thank God every day for just the little bit that you have, amen? I'm talking about you may not have, think you've got much, but just a little desire, and just a little, it may not be much inside, but I want to tell you, you ought to thank God for it every day, amen? Because you see, that's the Lord working in you, that's Him bringing you to that point, and Holy Spirit working in, and without that, you'd be a goner for sure, amen? and so you just need to continue on, and he said, if you'll continue, you shall know the truth, and the truth make you free. So we, we, like I say, this first vision that he saw there, we, we cannot explain every minute detail about that, and, and as far as accuracy, we don't know for certain, but we do know that they're going to go into the Millennium earth. They were part of that repopulation. John saw the main thing. He saw the Lamb, and knowing He's still in control, no matter how bad it gets, God's still in control, and He's coming back, and He's going to set things in order. He's going to put it in order. Amen? He's going to do that. Well, the second vision here in verse number 6 and 7 in this chapter, the second vision that John, the Beloved, now this is not John the Baptist, this is John the Beloved who's the one who wrote the book of John, 1st, 2nd, 3rd John and Revelation. He's one of the apostles here and he said, I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth. and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him. For the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water. Now this is, as we see this vision, we, we see this as the second vision in chapter 14 and we see a messenger, a messenger here and it calls this messenger an angel. Now the word angel simply means messenger, that's all it means. Now, but who is this angel? The context will have to determine and yet it's hard here in this context to know for certain. But, but sometimes when it mentions an angel, you look at the context and tell what it means. For instance, in the book of Revelation chapter 2 and 3, the Lord wrote letters to seven churches. He wrote them to the angel of the church of Ephesus, the angel of the church. You know who those angels were? It was not a created being. It was not the, the, the angels that he created in Genesis 1-1, but it was the pastor. The Bible talks about those pastors. In other words, he wrote to the pastor of the church of the seven churches and called them angels, not to, not because, see somebody said, boy, I, I, Some people think when you die, you're going to be an angel. Not so. Amen? Don't ever get that all. That's not so. But the angel simply means messenger, and in that context, it's mankind. In other words, it's men that were pastors, literal men, that were pastors of those seven churches. Then over in the book of Revelation we find also in chapter 22 we find verse number 8 and 9 John is seeing some things and he's been showed some things by an angel it calls this individual a messenger if you please and it says here in verse 8 and 9 of chapter 22 And I, John, saw these things, and heard them. And when I heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. then saith he unto me, See thou do it not? for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book. Worship God. Don't worship me, he said. Worship God. Well, even an angel would say that, if it was a created being. But he said, I'm a fellow servant. I'm one of the prophets. So it's man, it was a man called a messenger or an angel in that sense. Now, here in, in chapter 14, verse 6, when he saw another angel fly in the midst of the heaven, we don't know for certain who this angel is, but it's a messenger of God. And it's possibly, it could be a spirit being of some kind, could be a created being, because he's flying. Now I know that the two witnesses are going to fly through the heavens. And I know that man could fly through the heavens with a lot of, a lot of, a lot of some kind of aircraft if you please. I mean you've got all this modern technology and what not that man can strap things on his back and actually fly through space with some kind of a jet propulsion engine. I mean, I don't want to be on it, amen? I don't want it to be on me. But you realize, I don't know who this could be in one sense, but it may be a spirit being. In other words, it appears to be a spirit being, and you notice the message, and the messenger was an angel, whoever, it doesn't matter. but, but here's the message, it says, it, he said he, having the everlasting gospel to pre-cleach, preach to them that dwell on the earth. Now the word gospel, any time you see the word gospel, do you know what the word actually means as far as the word gospel? Good news. Good news, good news, that's what it means. In other words, if it talks about the Gospel of Christ, it's the good news of the fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again. Here it talks about the everlasting good news, everlasting good news, and that could be the Gospel of Christ in one sense. There's no problem with that, but it's good news and it's all-inclusive as far as the message going out. To who? It's to everyone. Look what he said there in verse number verse number 6 he said to preach and by the way the word preach just simply means to herald forth or proclaim and, and it's a, it's going to them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. Now all inclusive, everyone, in other words it gets this message, no one alive is left out upon this earth at this time. And as this angel flies through the atmospheric heaven, the time probably is, is right after the Antichrist sets himself up as God, a time whenever the devil's having a heyday, a time when it's really the Great Tribulation when the prophet's causing others to worship the beast, the mark of the beast is being taken. And yet all at once, here comes an angel hollering, preaching the everlasting, or proclaiming the everlasting gospel. And you say, but now, what, it's good news, but what do you mean? Well, many teach that this message, in other words, is the one that's going to cause many to be saved after the rapture. Well, the basic thing is the rapture hadn't occurred yet, amen, at this point. And the thing about it is, when you analyze, I disagree with that because of the fact here, if this was a spirit being an angel, angels are not saved and don't understand salvation. I mean the Bible says in I Peter chapter number 1 verse number 10 and 12 he said talking about the salvation of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us that did minister the which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into. The angels are standing over the banister of heaven looking into the thing, this salvation. They do not understand it. They do not, they can't comprehend it. They're not saved. So therefore this angel is not preaching as far as salvation is concerned. And I know it's true that in Acts chapter 10 that God sent an angel to tell Cornelius. He was a man who was a lost man. He prayed. He was a godly man as far as his godly principles, if you please. He wasn't saved, and yet he was desiring to, he was seeking the Lord's what he was doing. He gave alms. He'd done some right things. He was continuing. Amen. and God sent an angel to him and told him what to do. You go get Peter, send men to get Peter and let him come and preach the gospel to you. The angel didn't preach to him, he simply told him what to do. He was God's messenger to Cornelius at that time. Thy prayers have been heard, the angel said. But Peter came and preached the gospel of Christ, which is the good news of the death barrel and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the angel did not make an attempt to explain salvation Cornelius, because they do not understand salvation. And so here, when it talks about they preached an everlasting Gospel, it simply means they, to announce, to herald forth the, the good news. And so it's a, you say, what good news is it proclaiming of God's eternal purpose? here it said, it tells us a little bit about it, what he said in chapter, chapter 14 verse 7, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him. For the hour of his judgment is come, and worship him that made heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water. In other words, he's just proclaiming something here, announced the good news of God's eternal purpose. What was that? The warning of impeding, impending judgment against the Antichrist and all who worship him. It ought to cause those, in other words, if a man was a seeker, somebody said, what's going to happen to a seeker during that time? I want to tell you, it would, it would ought to spur something in you. I'm not saying there will be, because I don't know. they may be already saved by that time, but if they are, this angel flying through, he said, God's impending judgment is coming on all those who worship the Antichrist, and that means I can't take the mark of the beast at that time. You say, well, does that mean you'll be saved? If you'll continue, you will be saved. He that endures to the end shall be saved, and that's not talking about works, it's just going to be the grace of God that carries you there. Somewhere, sometime, you stay true to the truth and don't take that mark of the beast and you'll, if you're not in, you'll get in because he said and he'll carry you in. Amen. That's God's promise that he said there. So there's hope. So this is good news of God's impending judgment on the Antichrist and all who worship him. I don't want to cause some to say, I don't want to worship him. because there's impending judgment upon me if I worship him because this angel is there. Now there's nothing in the message mentioned about the grace of God, nothing mentioned about the blood or redemption or forgiveness, but But it's good news to the saints of God, warning of impending judgment against the Antichrist and all who worship him. Now, no doubt the devil's going to copycat what God's doing, and he's going to put up his messengers flying through, going against that. I mean, you let some, you let truth get out, and I'll tell you, you speak up truth, there'll be four or five areas come back and try to combat it. Amen? You get on the radio and TV and what do you have? you'll have more untruth proclaiming coming from every side, devil's messengers if you please, trying to go against the truth. And so no doubt the devil will have a false message. But God's already told us about that. And the Bible says over in the book of Galatians chapter 1 verse number 8 and 9, he said, But though we are an angel from heaven, listen to what Paul said, and this is written almost 2,000 years ago, but he said, We are an angel, a messenger from heaven. preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. So these people who are preaching that you're saved by doing things or works or in the dis-dispensation they call it, that's not another gospel. There's only one gospel as far as the gospel of Christ is concerned. But there's still good news to the saints. during this time there's impending judgment upon the Antichrist and he's going he's a defeated foe and all who worship him and that'll be good news to the saints of God that'll be good news at that time well the main thing is there's going to be a lot of, a lot of confusion going on. You say, but boy, I don't, wouldn't know what to believe. Listen, if you've had truth and heard truth and embraced truth, it, it, the truth will set you free. If you'll continue in my word, you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. And the Bible said in Matthew 24, 24, even in that day, the Antichrist doing all those miracles and wonders that would deceive the very elect if it were possible. It's not possible to deceive the very elect, amen? And you'll not be deceived. Oh, you say, well, I'm afraid I'll take the mark. No, there won't be no accidental things about that. If you're saved, you'll not take the mark. You'll die instead of that, amen? You'll, God may feed you with a raven by Brook Charedith or with a, somewhere, of Zarephath with a barrel, you know, the crews of oil and the barrel of meal that's empty. but he can do what he wants, amen, I mean, but at any rate, you'll not be deceived, and so therefore you just stay true, and you'll go through, just keep on. So here we see there's a good news of the impending judgment upon the Antichrist, and all those that follow him as John sees that second vision. Now the third vision that he sees in chapter 14 is in verse number 8 when he says, And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Now the Greek construction reveals this repetition as a solemn announcement of as a solemn announcement. In other words, of the, it's of the solemn announcement of the certainty of the fall of, of Babylon. And that's 2,000 years ago this was written down, and yet it hadn't even been revived, I guess you could say. Well, you know, God can do what He wants to. He's the one who can say things as, as certainty, even though it's not yet finalized for instance on the cross did he not say it is finished and yet it seems like some other things had to be added to it but there was a certainty of it because the Lord said that so you're here it's so certain that Babylon in other words that that she is so certain she's going to fall that he says here is if she's already fallen even though she's not even been revived yet in that sense now first mention of Babylon's Genesis chapter 10 And we find there's a city that was founded by a God-defying rebel named Nimrod, a hunter. Not a hunter as far as lions and tigers, but a hunter of men is what it amounts to. And then, of course, that's the place where Judah went into captivity. the nation of Babylon in Nebuchadnezzar's day. It was the first great Gentile world power, if you please, that oppressed the nations. It was a stronghold of pride and idolatry. And that was what it was in that day. Now that's gone off the scene. The Medes and Persians overrun it. Alexander the Great overrun the Medes and Persians and the Roman Empire overrun that as a world empire. and it seems like we think that the Roman Empire is destroyed, but it's not. It's just sort of squelched a little bit. It's in recession, but she's going to be revived one day, and that is the Babylon the Great, if you please, is going to, in a sense, coming on there. and so therefore I think it refers to the revived Roman Empire one day coming on, and her fall is announced with certainty, and she calls her a great city, but says she's fallen, she's fallen. Now the reason, a reason is announced here in verse, last part of verse number 8, we said, Because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornications. that language is probably taken from the book of Jeremiah chapter 51, verse number 7 and 8 where it said, Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken. The nations have drunken of her wine. Therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed. How for her take balm for her pain if so be she may be here well I know she failed back years ago as far as when the Medes and Persians came in but still there's an implication of a prophetic implication she's going to fall so this is probably taken from Jeremiah. Now the phrase, the wine of the wrath of her fornication here in verse number 8 is that the nations who participate in the spiritual condition and corruption induced by Babylon ultimately will share her divine condemnation and judgment. All nations, and who make up nations, people do. Amen? She made all, it says there, She made all nations drink. In other words, a religious system headed up by the false prophet who caused all to worship the Antichrist. Now, it's been in existence since Nimrod. In fact, I don't know all the history about that. I mean, sometimes you can get caught, and there's nothing wrong with studying some of that to a degree, but the main thing is studying the real, amen, finding the real. But Nimrod had a Madonna and child situation, and I've studied a little bit about it. It's not fresh on my mind, but Madonna and child. Now, have you all heard that in the last few years? 100 years Madonna and child virgin and child in other words see that's been around a long time and it goes back and it was said she had a had a child that was without the aid of a man and and whatnot and and see there was just see the devil even setting up the seed of the woman and Genesis 315. He done knew something about it, so he concocted this world religion back yonder that's, it's really centered in the Roman Catholic Church today, the Virgin Mary, Mary and, and so, so forth. And, but anyway, here we, we find it's, these, whoever, the Harlot Church is what we're talking about. That's the, the Roman Catholic Church is a Harlot, Harlot Church, amen? In fact, she's not even a church in that sense, but she's a harlot church, and in the last days, she will ally herself with the political powers and thereby seduce the world into an unholy alliance. It's already happening, and they'll go as far as they can. America don't realize it today, but I'm going to tell you what, they'll kill missionaries in other countries. They're doing it now. They'll go to the extent they can. The devil will go as far as he can, and it may happen in the United States of America before it's over with. Amen. If some of these moderates, so-called, that's really a bunch of liberals, if they get their way, They don't know, but they're signing the death warrant of the United States of America is what they're doing. Amen. But at any rate, and by the way, it's in the making already. It has been for years in the World Council of Churches. I'm talking about this unholy alliance. They're headed up here. In other words, and we need to be warned, whatever or whoever seduces the affections of anyone away from the Lord Jesus Christ must be the object of God's wrath. In other words, that's the warning. Don't let them seduce you away from it. Stay with truth. Truth won't hurt you. I'm amazed at how many will shy away from the truth and will not even listen to the truth, in fact, get angry about the truth. Listen, even error won't hurt you if you've got the truth. will hurt you. And so therefore you see Paul in Galatians 1, 8 and 9, and this easy believism is moving on today, but Paul again I say, he comes back to the thing there where he says, I'm amazed that you're removed from the gospel so soon, which is another gospel, which is heteros, another of a different kind, which is not of the same saving kind. And then he says in verse 8 and 9 again of Galatians 1, But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Just let him go on to hell, Paul said. And he said, As we said before, so say we now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, and he's talking to He said, let them be accursed. There's only one way. You say, that's narrow. It is narrow. Amen. But God is narrow in that sense. And so this easy believism is killing us today. And so there's the, the third vision that John saw, and it's certain that Babylon's going to come to an end. Amen. And all this one world political system and eco, religious system, whatever, however it moves from time to time before this happens, will all wind up coming to an end. She's fallen. She's fallen. And, and that ought to, that ought to be good news to the saints of God. Amen? Verse number 9 through 11, then we see the fourth vision here, and he said, The third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever. And they have no rest, day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Now, this fourth vision is a solemn announcement that the beast worshippers are doomed. Wrath is coming. Wrath is coming. God's wrath. The Bible says in John 3, 36, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. That means it's upon you as a sentence of doom upon every person that's the child of wrath in fact Ephesians 2 3 he said that talking about the what they were before they were saved among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath even as other in other words every one of us were children of wrath when we reach the knowledge of accountability Romans 2 for when he said there are despises now the riches of his goodness and forbearance which means holding back that wrath that abides upon us and longsuffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance my God's been good to us. over and over and over again, holding that rest. See, we've gone through life, we don't even see that doom that's over, that cloud that's over our head. I mean, if you had a big old thunderstorm come up and a cloud come over your head, boy, you'd say, boy, if you was afraid of a tornado, you'd be looking at it, amen? If you thought a tornado might drop out of it, you'd be trying to find cover. If you thought it was just going to pour, you'd still find cover if it's just going to pour rain. Amen? If you saw that cloud, but oh, the cloud of the doom of the wrath of God abides on everyone that's not saved. But God is forbearing. He's holding back that wrath. impending judgment, though, is going to come for all the Antichrist and his system and all who worship that system. In other words, the severity of this wrath, we cannot fully imagine. Now we've talked about, already about the trumpets and the vows and the thunders and thunders, you don't even, it's so bad John couldn't even record it. We've talked about at least the trumpets and we'll deal with the vials again, but this in context, this vision refers to more than just that wrath upon this earth that men are going to have to be faced with. Of all those things, and those thunders, one of them is so bad, and number five is so bad that men try to blow out their brains and can't kill themselves, because He's got the keys of death. Amen? and therefore they run around with holes in their heads and their brains hanging out, their head and cape die. Pain and agony they have during that time. But God holds back the wrath from even the lost today. They're giving you an opportunity that you might be saved. And so we've talked about this in context, this vision here, verse number 9 through 11 is really referring to hell. referring to hell. Luke 16, 24, the rich man, he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. He died and in hell lifted up his eyes and he said, Have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. before I am tormented in this flame. The Bible says a little more about this in the book of Mark, chapter 9, verse number 43 through 48. He said, If I hand a fin, thee cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into the life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire. that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter halt into life than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not. and the fires not quench. And if I offend thee, pluck it out. It's better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire, where there worm doth not, and the fire is not quenched. So you see, in other words, you realize, in other words, man here, the wrath of God he's talking about here, this vision, he's talking about hell, and then the dead will be cast into the lake of fire. which is, we only know how to describe it. The impending judgment, wrath is there. He saw that. For who? All those who, the Antichrist and his system and all those who worship the Antichrist. Well you say it's just for that day. No. You realize something, the spirit of Antichrist is already alive and when we give allegiance to the Antichrist today, we're really worshiping him instead of the God. What did that, what did the man who was a fellow servant and a prophet say? Worship God. Not man, not anybody else but man, but God. Worship Him. In other words, what he told John. And so therefore, whenever the great white throne judgment, it says, Revelation 20, 15, it said, whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So we're talking about the wrath of impending wrath is abiding on every person, but God's holding it back. What's it consist of? Yeah, the vows of trumpets and thunders. I understand that up on this earth, but oh, it's hell. And then the lake of fire where man will be forever and ever, and worms doth not. It's no way to describe that, amen, what it's going to be like. And many mock the idea of hell and say, oh, that's not so. How could a loving God cast someone in hell? Listen, God never made hell for you. He made hell for the devil and his angels. And when man rejects the grace of God that's been showered on every man, the light that, who has been given to every man, then God has no choice but to, but to send, to cast you in, in a lake of fire one day. When you reject the, the God's goodness and, and long suffering and forbearing holding back that wrath, that space of time. And we, we, we're walking through life and flipping about it. Well, you know, and over your head is a doom, a, a black more than a tornado, more than a hurricane. I mean there it is, it's the wrath of God, but God's holding it back from you today, giving you a space. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just trying to get you to see that's upon us today. And in that time, John saw that, all those, and so many mocked the idea of hell, and they mocked the idea of coming judgment. but what we need to do is let these verses serve as a warning, even though the Antichrist is not upon the scene today, at least that we know of at this time, and this all remains in the future. There's still the spirit of Antichrist present, and one must heed the warning given today and turn from the spirit of Antichrist, or they will experience the wrath of God one day. It's what God says in His Word. Even during the times these angels actually fly through the air and making their announcements, men will have to make a choice. Man's always been able to make a choice. I know we talk about man doesn't have a free will. Well, that's a word terminology sometimes. Listen, God gave you the ability to choose. Choose life, choose light. If you choose right, God will carry you through. Amen? But if you don't, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself. Well, my mama didn't raise me right. My daddy didn't raise me right. It still boils down to when you stand before God, it'll be just you will be there, and you'll have to give an account. Well, the preacher didn't tell me right. You still chose darkness. You still chose wrong if you die and go to hell, because God gave you light. God gave you truth. Amen? Enough. If you will respond to that light, God will give you more light and allow truth to cross your path. so you can choose. Right. In that day, men will have to make a choice, that of rejecting the message of those flying, flying messengers, whatever the message might be, that would warn them of pending judgment upon them if they follow the Antichrist, or they will accept the Antichrist. In other words, they've got a choice to accept the message and reject the Antichrist or choose to heed the warning and denounce the Antichrist even though they will be put to death instantly. But you know something? It would be better, far better, to lose one's life on earth prepared for heaven than to, than to scoff, to suffer the torments of the, of eternal lake of fire. Amen? And that's what's upon us. I mean, it's out there. We, not trying to scare you because, but we need to be awakened to the fact. I'm afraid we're too lax in going through life as if everything's okay. Well, we've got tomorrow and forever. And boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Amen. And I'm as guilty as any of us are. Amen. But God, help us to see. Next time you see a dark cloud, you think about the cloud that's over you, you can't see if you're not saved. The wrath of God, that God's so good with His big old hands, is holding it back. You see this dam holds back the water down the Tennessee River. If that dam was to break, I don't know what's the height of that dam, 50 foot at times, sometimes, I don't know, any of y'all know, but it's pretty high, amen? But if that thing was to crack and that wall, all that lake of water was to gush down through the Tennessee River, it'd wipe out, Gilbertsville'd be wiped out, and in fact, it would wipe out Paducah down there. It would literally destroy Paducah. But see, the dam holds it back. holds it back. God's holding back. All he's got to do is just let it slip through. and in hell you'll be in the next split second, amen, if you're not saved. I'm not trying to scare you, you know that, but this is what the visions are there to show all who identify with the Antichrist, which even though he's not riding the white horse yet, as far as we know, he's not on the scene yet, as far as we know, but his spirit is, and those who choose the spirit of the Antichrist make a choice to do so. Oh, choose light, choose life, reject the Antichrist, reject those things, and even though it may cause you to suffer and lose your life during that period of time, instantly you'd probably die, but it'd be worth it. And even now, it'd be better to obey light and let God bring you to the place that He might do a work, impending judgment. warning, heed the warning, that's what I see from these, and all in the midst of all that evil stuff, he said the Lord is standing, amen. My, the Lord's been good to us, amen. He's been so good to us. All the time, He's been good to us. May the Lord help us and speak to our hearts and help us to get honest. Why is it we don't want to get honest? Why is it we don't want to? And I'm not chiding you, I'm just saying that's our nature. We just don't want to get honest, and yet we call ourselves honest at times. And yet we won't admit. What I have is not real. Yeah, and you say, well, God's not done. There it is, black and white sometimes. God said, this is what salvation is. And we won't look at it sometime and say, hey, I don't have what that is. If you don't have what God said, you may be a member of Baptist Church, you may be baptized, and you may have done this and grown up here in Marshall County and the state of Kentucky and the United States of America, a so-called Christian nation, in a so-called godly home, Christian home, a good mama and a good daddy. But if you're not saved by the grace of God, there's a cloud hanging over you, but oh, look at the hands of Almighty God that's holding back that cloud and giving you a space of repentance. Take heed to the warning that one of these days He's going to let it fall and man's life will be over. May God speak to our hearts and just help us. Father, I pray today that we'll recognize the impending judgment impending wrath is coming upon this nation, this world, and Lord, I, I, I know I'm as guilty as anybody of just being lax and, and just going about daily activity and, oh Lord, help us to see something that would awaken us to the, our need and help us to see the, just a glimpse of that cloud of doom over every person that's not saved. but also see the hands of an almighty God, the one who's put the stars in space. Let us see the hands holding that back, loving hands holding that back at the same time allowed his son to go to the cross of Calvary to die that we might have life. I plead the blood and ask that you'd help us to see something that would awaken us and challenge us to move towards you to obey light, choose right, and continue in your word, and we'll thank you for what you do. For we ask it in Jesus' name, for his sake we pray. Heads bowed, eyes closed, altars opened. Will you mind the Lord tonight as she plays?