Prophets and the coming darkness: Is Covid-10 an End Times plague?

Prophecies on the coming darkness: Is #Covid-10 an End Times plague?

Photo by UN.org

One of the intriguing End Times prophecies in the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) has an echo in other parts of the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments. It has to do with an unusual darkness that is supposed to come on the earth. 

It also parallels one of the 10 plagues - three days of darkness - that the Lord brought on the Egyptian pharaoh that refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt. The story is a familiar one. The Lord sent a message to pharaoh through Moses for the Jews to be set free so they could worship the Lord in the wilderness. The story is found in Exodus, chapters 5-14.

A minister recently asked me on Christian television whether I thought the #Covid-19 virus was one of the Tribulation judgments. In my opinion, the virus that has upended the world is not part of the Great Tribulation. I do not believe that the Lord created this virus to afflict humans. However, it is obvious that He has permitted it, and He does so to serve His purposes.

For example, the plagues of Egypt served to expose the hardened and prideful heart of a pharaoh who refused to acknowledge the God of creation. Historically, humanity suffered and survived devastating pandemics that killed millions. However, the current coronavirus - a mere microscopic organism - regardless of how it originated - has brought to its knees our modern society as we know it. We have no idea how or when the #pandemic will end.

Several prophetic voices claim to have received divine warnings, some going back years, about an extraordinary and frightening darkness that the Lord plans to send (allow?), and which will cover the earth for three days. The darkness is intended to stir people to repentance, according to the messages. In the case of pharaoh, the darkness was a plague meant to get him to take the Lord seriously. We know how the story ended. What ultimately killed Pharaoh was his pride, something that ought to serve as a lesson for us. [ Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) - "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."]


Exodus 10:21-22 (NLT):

"21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward heaven, and the land of Egypt will be covered with a darkness so thick you can feel it.” ²² So Moses lifted his hand to the sky, and a deep darkness covered the entire land of Egypt for three days. ²³ During all that time the people could not see each other, and no one moved. But there was light as usual where the people of Israel lived."

"Darkness" in other scriptures

There are three references in Revelation to a future darkness, and which perhaps will occur more than once; it is associated with God's End Times judgments:
 
Revelation 8:12 - "The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night."

Revelation 9:2 - "He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft."  

Revelation 16:10 - "The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish." 

Jesus also foretold this

Jesus Christ, in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, vividly described several signs of the End Times period, including a certain darkness, following unusual events in the heavens:

Matthew 24:29 - “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

Mark 13:24 - "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, " 
 
The death of Jesus on the cross was also marked with an event of darkness: 

Mark 15:33 (NLT) - "At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock." 

Old Testament prophecies

Several Old Testament scriptures include references to a coming darkness that is beyond what could be interpreted as simply symbolic:

Joel 2:10 - "All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God."  

Amos 5:18 (NLT) - "What sorrow awaits you who say, “If only the day of the Lord were here!” You have no idea what you are wishing for.That day will bring darkness, not light."

Amos 8:9 - "And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight."

Ezekiel 32:8 - "All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God."

Isaiah 8:22 - "And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness."

Isaiah 60:2 [a] - "For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;"

Jeremiahs' warning against pride

The prophet Jeremiah is given a warning from the Lord to share with the people so they would repent and turn back the pending divine punishment. As it was in the case of pharaoh, the root sin that Jeremiah addressed was pride:

Jeremiah 13:15-17[a] (NIV) - 





"15 Hear and pay attention,
    do not be arrogant,
    for the Lord has spoken.
¹⁶ Give glory to the Lord your God
    before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble
    on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
    but he will turn it to utter darkness
    and change it to deep gloom.
¹⁷ If you do not listen,
    I will weep in secret
    because of your pride;"

Darkness can take on different forms, but what the Bible describes in several places is a literal and frightening darkness as a potential pre-Tribulation "plague" or as a Tribulation judgment. Once the 7-year Tribulation begins, the punishments will be unrelenting and without precedent. Covid-19 could be a wake-up call for us. If plagues of this magnitude continue, then we know we are on the threshold of a new era in God's calendar. Let us respond accordingly, with repentance and intercessory prayers.

(Note: Except where indicated, scriptures references were taken from the ESV Bible translation. United Nations photo is of health professionals in Iran conferring about Covid-19.)

If you do not know Jesus Christ as

Savior, then you must be born again

The sinless Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world AND the punishment for those sins so that we could be saved. 

Today, if you do not know Jesus, receive His free offer of salvation and put all your trust in Him.

John 1:29 (NLT) – “The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

2 Corinthians 6:2 – “ For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

Acts 2:38 (NLT) – “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Shalom!

Diana Washington-Valdez

Faith Today Christian Ministries

Exalting the name of Jesus!

 

The Covid-19 pandemic is shaking the Christian church

Matthew 16:18 (ESV) - "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 

Open Bible image

The #Covid-19 crisis no doubt is having a significant, and probably measurable effect, on churches locally, nationally and around the world. Hopefully, professing Christians will use this time to draw near to the Lord and grow stronger in their relationship with Him.

Prayer, fasting, worship and praise, reading the Bible, spending time with the Lord and hearing from Him should help to make us all stronger. Intimacy with the Lord naturally leads to a stronger faith in Him.

From this entire experience, hopefully again, many Christians will "discover" that the Christian church is not a building, whether the structure is a grand cathedral or a warehouse. The infinite God cannot be contained inside a building. He will be present wherever He wishes, and chances are His spirit already left many churches long ago, which is why some are dead on arrival or on life-support.

Jesus said He would build His "church," and that the gates of hell would not be able to prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Not if He built it, meaning our local church(es). He also warned churches of Asia Minor mentioned in the Book of Revelation that if they did not shape up (repent), He would remove their lampstand (His light). Jesus made it clear that He is the head of the Christian church. Jesus can also shut down - spiritually - and physically - a church. Once Jesus shuts down a ministry, that's it.

What is a church? We are told throughout the Gospels and Epistles that we - who profess to be Christians - make up the church community (1 Peter 2:5). The church, as conceived in the Bible, does not consist of denominations or personality cults. Even the title "non-denominational" can be a trap, depending on what's going on in a particular congregation.

The worldwide church that Jesus founded includes people from all nations, ethnic backgrounds and languages. The Holy Spirit of God knows no borders. If we grieve the Holy Spirit in one place, He will take God's presence somewhere else (Revelation 2:5). What is left behind simply becomes a museum to the memory of what once was. The leaders of such a congregation must be willing to "start over," in heartfelt repentance, or move on if the Lord leads them to do that.

I believe that the #coronavirus #pandemic is bringing about a great shaking in the Christian church (Hebrews 12:26-29). Only what is real and genuine (individually and corporately) will remain standing, with or without a building. Let us not waste this opportunity to draw near to the Lord because we may not have another chance like it in the future (James 4:8).

Shalom!

Faith Today Christian Ministries - Exalting the name of Jesus!
Diana Washington-Valdez

Scriptures

Matthew 16:18 (ESV) - "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 

1 Peter 2:5 (NLT) - "And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God."

Revelation 2:5 (NLT) - "Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."

Hebrews 12: 26-29 (NLT) - 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.
28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire.

James 4:8 (NLT) - "Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world."

End Times Prophetic Warnings

A warning and possible #prophetic message: 

Isaiah 60:2 - "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you." 

Candle lights

Warning: A darkness is coming over the land that will have worldwide impact.

This is not the usual "darkness" we associate with sin in the world. It will be an extraordinary darkness that is coming no matter what. We might even experience cyber attacks (hint: make paper copies of all your contacts).

Several dreams highlighted the end of one season and the beginning of a new one. Symbols in those dreams also pointed to "judgment." The Lord's correction will come first to His church - us. We must repent personally and also stand in the gap for others. Followers of Jesus need to seek the Lord's shelter - under the shadow of His wing for safety (Psalm 91). We should not panic or be alarmed.

Besides the darkness, the Lord is going to pour out His spirit in a mighty way, and He will empower His followers for what He wants them to do next. Seek the Lord about where He wants to you be and what He wants you to be doing. It will be different for everyone. Minister to your families. Get your house in order. Stock up on supplies again, but without hoarding. 

According to others, [a major U.S. city] may be the target of an attack or for some kind of fiery event. Tsunamis are coming to both coasts; they don't know which will occur first. More earthquakes. However, the events will occur quickly. Around the world

If you look at watchers.news, you will see that unusual things are happening all around the world. Maybe the 5.0 earthquake in West Texas will serve as a reminder that we are not an island and not immune to calamities that others are experiencing.- (Watching in Texas: Ezekiel 33)

Pray for confirmation

Scriptures

Haggai 2:21 - "Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:"

Haggai 2:6 - "For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: "Once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land."

Hebrews 12:26 - " When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”

Luke 21-36 - "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Apocalypse: A dreadful silence in heaven before the judgements

Silence in heaven before the judgements

End Times Bible #Prophecy: Revelation, Chapter 8:1-5

John the apostle, who wrote the Revelation (Apocalypse) at the direction of Jesus Christ, recorded an astonishing event from the visions he received for the book.

In a previous chapter, he described the constant worship that goes on in God’s throne room. This time, he was shown that prior to the Lord’s End Times judgments, there will be silence in heaven for half an hour. It is a solemn silence. 

We are acquainted with holding moments of silence to remember people who passed away, often out of respect for their memory. But we’ve never had a worldwide moment when that took place. Imagine everything in the world going quiet for half an hour. I believe the silence in Rev. 8:1 reflects the great reluctance and deep sadness on God’s part for what He is about to do. The angels are on standby before being sent to carry out their seven trumpet assignments on the earth. All of heaven is watching, holding its collective breath at what is about to take place, events that some scriptures attribute to a dreadful period in humanity’s history:

Joel 2:31 (NLT) – “The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives.

Acts 2:20 (NKJV) – “The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.

Zephaniah 1:14 (NLT) - “That terrible day of the LORD is near. Swiftly it comes— a day of bitter tears, a day when even strong men will cry out.

According to Rev. 8:3-4, an angel offers incense to God, along with the prayers of people. We can imagine the prayers of humanity, pleas for salvation, healing and deliverance, many of them desperately pleading with their Maker...

Rev. 8: 1-5: “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.

⁴ The 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.”

Next: The Seven Seals of Judgment

Salvation and Victorious Living

Today, if you know Jesus, then you too can lead a victorious life

John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”

1 John 2:16 (NIV) – “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.

1 John 2:16 (NLT) – “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”

If you do not know Jesus Christ as

Savior, then you must be born again

The sinless Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world AND the punishment for those sins so that we could be saved. 

Today, if you do not know Jesus, receive His free offer of salvation and put all your trust in Him.

John 1:29 (NLT) – “The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

2 Corinthians 6:2 – “ For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

Acts 2:38 (NLT) – “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Background: John the apostle wrote the Apocalypse during his exile in Patmos. He received what appears to be a series of visions about far future events. Jesus instructed him to write down what he saw and send the writing to the seven churches in Asia Minor (region of Turkey today). John was the last surviving member of the 12 apostles that the Lord called to lead the church and its mission. Except for John, by now, when he wrote the Apocalypse, the rest of the apostles had died as martyrs for the faith. The church, however, continued to grow and spread. Persecution caused the early believers to scatter from Jerusalem to other parts of the world. According to church tradition, John lived out his remaining life in Ephesus after he was released from Patmos. 

Shalom!

Diana Washington-Valdez

Faith Today Christian Ministries

Exalting the name of Jesus!

Observe Holy Communion (Lord's Supper) at home during coronavirus quarantine

Observe the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion) at home during coronavirus quarantine

Communion elements

Many churches are closed as a precaution to prevent the spread of the fast-moving, highly contagious coronavirus. However, you can worship, pray and read scriptures at home during the quarantine periods - and also observe the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion.

What you need:

Bread - set apart what you will use only for this purpose
Grape juice - set apart what you will use only for this purpose

What to do:

Confess your sins to the Lord
Repent of your sins to the Lord

Suggested prayer of confession:

Please forgive me dear Lord for any sins, in thought, word or deed, that I committed against you. Please give me dear Lord for any sins, in thought, word or deed, that I committed against others.

(Matthew 22:36-40: Jesus tells the greatest commandments deal with our relationship with the Lord and others.)

Thank Him for His forgiveness

Take the elements in the order shown in the scriptures and read aloud before taking each communion element:

Luke 22:19-10 (NKJV)

^"19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

²⁰ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you."

 or, you can use:

Matthew 26: 26-27 (NKJV)


^"26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Never take the Lord's Supper while in a state of willful sin:

1 Corinthians 11:27-29 (NLT) - ^"27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 

²⁸ That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.

²⁹ For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself."

Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the name of Jesus!

Bible End Times Prophecy Series: Christian perspective on coronavirus TV interview

 "Day of Reckoning" - Mary-Yoly Moore interviews 
     
 Diana Washington Valdez about the coronavirus

Diana Washington Valdez

One of the questions I answered to be best of my ability is whether coronavirus is a prophetic  #EndTimes plague.

The answer was settled for me two days ago with this verse, which the Lord had directed me to read earlier in the week:

Isaiah 57:18-19

"I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the LORD. “And I will heal them.” 

If coronavirus was a Tribulation-era plague, then we would see massive extermination without a pause or end. We are not there yet, and no one should want to live to see the 7-year judgment of God that John the apostle wrote about in Revelation. We have time to seek the Lord's mercy for ourselves and everyone else.



Coronavirus interview

The video link is for the March 20 interview

Shalom!

Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the Name of Jesus!

The Lord of Heaven's Armies: He is the God who Heals

Scriptures affirm that the Lord is our Healer. He is Jehovah-Rapha (the God who heals):

Image from Bible Study Tools

"I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners, creating praise on their lips. Peace, peace, to those far and near,” says the LORD. “And I will heal them.” - Isaiah 57:18-19

"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." - James 5:14-15

"For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!" - Ezekiel 18:32
 

"He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” - Exodus 15:26

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." - Isaiah 53:4-5

“See now that I myself am he! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand." - Deuteronomy 32:39

In light of the coronavirus and other health issues, we will be praying for people to be healed during a program at 11 a.m. March 20, 2020 on KSCE-LIFE (Channel 38 TV or Cable Channel 16). Tomorrow, in general, I will be in prayer for people to be healed. The Lord is still on His throne and has the power to heal. Repent of any unbelief, unforgiveness and uncleanness in your life, and ask Jesus Christ to heal you.

If you do not know Jesus, then you must be born again. Repent sincerely of your sins, ask Him to come into your life and decide to make Him lord of your life, He will fill you with the gift of the Holy Spirit; seek to be baptized. After that, your name will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. See Acts 2:38 and Revelation 21:27. Let someone know you did this - asked Jesus for His FREE gift of salvation.

Faith Today Christian Ministries

Exalting the Name of Jesus!

Diana Washington-Valdez

What would Jesus advise: Pray and help each other during the coronavirus outbreak

Set up support networks - The Golden Rule

Let's get through the coronavirus crisis together. Set up networks of friends, relatives and neighbors to help each other with trips to stores, doctor appointments and so forth. Help each other by sharing the latest information on the virus, such as closures, lockdowns, etc.

A network could include many people but breaking them down into smaller groups, with someone appointed at the lead contact, will help distribute the effort. Check up on each other with phone calls and or texts. Remember that many elderly people have landline phones only so they cannot receive texts. Check on relatives and friends in other cities and states and countries by email, phone, Whatsapp, etc. 

The Golden Rule: Jesus said it! - "Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12 (NLT)

Look up Bible in different languages Bible online

Check back to view more Bible studies and messages  

Early reports on the coronavirus indicate that elderly people may be more vulnerable to serious symptoms. In light of this information, please read or re-read the previous post on 85-year-old Caleb - it's been one of the most popular posts on this site: 

https://faithtodaypage1.blogspot.com/2019/01/caleb-at-85-years-of-age-was-still.html

Numbers 6:24-26: The Lord bless you and keep, the Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you, the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace (shalom).

Diana Washington-Valdez
Faith Today Christian Ministries
Exalting the Name of Jesus!

Disaster will not harm those who bear the Seal of God, Revelation

Bible End Times Prophecy – The Seal of God

Revelation, Chapter 7

Apocalypse image by Shutterstock.

2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV) – “Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Chapter 7 of Revelation (the Apocalypse) refers three times to the “seal of God:”

Rev. 7:2 (NLT) – “And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea,

Rev. 7:3 (NLT) ^- “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.”

Rev. 7:4 (NLT) – “ And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:”

We can find other such references in the New Testament:

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” - John 6:27 (ESV). [Jesus has the Father’s seal.]

13 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV).

“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.” – Rev. 9:4 (NIV).

The Lord will save those who are His; they are marked for Him

Comment: These passages inform us that God’s children bear a supernatural mark or seal that sets them apart from those who reject the salvation that Jesus Christ obtained for anyone who comes to Him with His suffering, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us that God’s own Spirit marks us at the moment of salvation.

In Acts, Chapter 2 – The apostle Peter tells a crowd gathered at Jerusalem that “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38 (NLT)

Chapter 7:4-8 appears to highlight the role of the Jewish nation in the End Times. Some Christian scholars believe that the 144,000 believers mentioned here come from the Christian Church. However, the passage clearly refers to Jewish people who accepted Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah and who are to play a pivotal role during the Tribulation. 

In fact, John the apostle and author of Revelation, lists the 12 tribes of Israel that the 144,000 will come from and represent. Their role coincides with the arrival of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3-4) that the Lord will send during the Tribulation, and who some believe could be Elijah and Enoch or Elijah and Moses.

This strongly suggests that Christians may be absent from the earth by then, raptured if you will, which explains the new emphasis in Revelation on Israel and the Jewish people during the End Times. 

The Christian Church as such is not mentioned again, not specifically, after Revelation Chapter 6. The “saints” (the generally non-Jewish or Gentile believers) reappear in Revelation, Chapter 19, with Jesus to defeat the armies of antichrist that will assemble to fight against the Lord.

Next: Another mark that we are warned to avoid, the mark of the beast 

Salvation and living as an overcomer

If you do not know Jesus Christ, the Savior, then you must be born again

The sinless Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world AND the punishment for those sins so that we could be saved.

Today, if you do not know Jesus, receive His free offer of salvation and put all your trust in Him.

John 1:29 (NLT) – “The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

2 Corinthians 6:2 –

 “ For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

Acts 2:38 (NLT) – “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Today, if you know Jesus, then you too can lead a victorious life

John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”

1 John 2:16 (NIV) – “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.

1 John 2:16 (NLT) – “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”

Comment: A 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center indicated that 79 percent of Christians in the United States believed in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. That sounds like good news, but we must keep in mind the warning in 2 Timothy 2:19 for those who profess to be Christian to “turn away from wickedness.”

Link to Upper Room spontaneous worship music video inspired by Revelation, Chapter 7 Open the Scroll

Shalom!

Diana Washington-Valdez

Faith Today Christian Ministries

Exalting the name of Jesus!