Is there a similarity between the Ten Plagues of Egypt and the 21 Judgements of Revelation?

The Ten Plagues of Egypt and the 21 Judgements of Revelation?

Is there a similarity to the Ten Plagues of Egypt mentioned in the Book of Exodus all those thousands of years ago in the times of Moses and the future calamities and Prophecy mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

Is there something to be learned from the Ten Plagues of Egypt and their possible similarities to the Book of Revelation and the 21 Judgements of The Seals, The Trumpets and The Vials? Do the judgements of God change over time in line with changes in different civilisations, or is it a case that times change but God's judgements remain the same, but just demonstrate a slight variation to an already tried and trusted theme?

Something I think about a lot, maybe others do as well.......... hence this article.

The Ten Plagues of Egypt mentioned in Exodus
God gave Pharaoh ten chances to allow the children of Israel to leave Egypt so they could worship their God freely and come out of slavery. The Pharaoh of Egypt and his people were subjected to the Ten Plagues which affected all in Egypt as he would not release the ill treated children of Israel from their bond with Egypt.

According to the Book of Exodus, God hardened Pharaoh's heart so he would be strong enough to persist in his unwillingness to release the people, so that it would serve as a benchmark from which other people would discuss for generations to come. The Pharaoh gave in after the tenth plague, which was the triggering the Exodus of the release of the Hebrew people and their Exodus, hence the name of that particular Book in the Bible.

The Ten Plagues of Egypt are listed below and also the possible parallel verses in the Book of Revelation that either tie up moderately or precisely

1. Water into blood: Ex. 7:14–24. Parallel Rev 8:8-9 Rev 11;6  Rev 16:3-6

2. Frogs: Ex. 7:25–8:15. Parallel Rev16:13-14 But not mentioned as a judgement

3. Lice: Ex. 8:16–19. No real mention in Revelation apart from a possibility in Rev 6:8 as "The Beasts"

4. Flies: Ex. 8:20–32. Possible Parallel Revelation 6:8 "The Beasts"

5. Diseased Livestock (Animal Pestilence:) Exodus 9:3-4   Rev 6:8
6. Boils: Ex. 9:8–12. Parallel Rev 16:2

7. Thunderstorm of hail : Ex. 9:13–35. Parallel Revelation 8:7

8. Locusts: Ex. 10:1–20. Parallel Rev 9:3-4

9. Darkness for three days Ex. 10:21–29. Parallel Rev 8:12 Rev 16:10

10. Death of firstborn sons: Ex. 11:1–12:3. Parallel  Rev 19:19-21

Exodus and Revelation Bible Quotes comparison

Exodus 7:17-18 Rivers to Blood Parallel Revelation 8:8-9

Exodus 7:17-18
17. Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood.

18. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink; and the Egyptians shall lothe to drink of the water of the river.

Revelation 8:8-9
8. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

9. And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

Frogs: Exodus 8:6. Parallel Revelation 16:12-14
Exodus 8:6 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt.

Revelation 16:12-14
 12. And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

13. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Lice: Exodus 8:16-17.  Parallel No direct mention to Lice in Revelation but see Revelation 6:8

Exodus 8:16-17
16. And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

17. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.

Possibly Revelation 6:8
8. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Flies: Exodus 8:21-22 Parallel Rev 6:8 "The Beasts"

Exodus 8:21-22
21. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

22. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

Revelation 6:8
8. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.


Pestilence on Cattle Exodus 9:3-4.  Parallel remotely Rev 6:8

Exodus 9:3-4
3. Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

4. And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel.

Revelation 6:8

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Boils Exodus 9:8-9. Parallels Rev 16:2 Grievous Sore

Exodus 9:8-9
8. And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

9. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.



Revelation 16:2
2. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

Hail: Exodus 9:23-26. Parallel Revelation 8:7

Exodus 9:23-26
23. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.

24. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.

25. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.

26. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

Revelation 8:7
7. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.


Locusts: Exodus 10:13-15. Parallels Rev 9:3-4

Exodus 10:13-15
13. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

14. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

15. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

Revelation 9:3-4
3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Darkness: Exodus 10:21-23 Parallel  Rev 8:12 & 16:10

Exodus 10:21-23
21. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

22. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

23. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Revelation 8:12
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Revelation 16:10

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,

SUMMARY

The Book of Revelation contains 21 judgements and some but not all bear more than a passing resemblance to one of the ten plagues mentioned in Exodus 7-11. This is surely no coincidence.

It has been noted throughout the Bible that four judgements keep recurring and that is The Beasts, The Sword, Pestilence and Famine. The Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse mentioned in Revelation 6 as the Fourth Seal of Revelation contains all four of these Judgements in some shape or form, again this is no coincidence.

The last plague The Torah describes God as actually passing through Egypt to kill all firstborn children and cattle, but passing over the houses which have the sign of lambs' blood on the doorpost and leaving them unaffected, hence the Jewish festival of Passover. A similar situation exists in Revelation but this time the distinguishing mark is in and on the person and not externally on a building.

Revelation 9:4
They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

This distinction was made throughout the ten plagues of Egypt where Moses and The Children of Israel remained unaffected by any one of the ten plagues. In Revelation a similar distinction is made but this time it will be Christians who will be unaffected either by being ruptured out before the tribulation and being present during some of it and being unaffected.

The Locusts in Exodus were real live locusts that destroyed every green thing, but the locusts mentioned in Revelation sound completely different where they are told not to touch vegetation but to seek those with the mark of the beast. They also sound like either helicopters or drones?

The similarities between Exodus and Revelation are not 100% but they are compelling enough to see that there are similarities there that cannot be ignored or denied.

Why is this? It's because the source is constant. It's just another illustrator that times change but God does not change and neither do his judgements, they seem to have an uncanny similarity throughout the Old Testament and seem to repeat themselves in the last book of the New Testament the Book of Revelation but with some updated  new additions with a few twists and turns thrown into the mix to keep people on their toes but the source will never be in denial.

Wrath. One of the Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath and The Seven Deadly Sins

Wrath is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, also it´s off-shoots and variations are Anger, Rage, Fury, Violence,  Temper and Revenge. This is one of the more obvious Deadly Sins when it flares up, but can lay dormant in some people and then appear rapidly from nowhere. Others may have a different temperament and have a cliff edge mentality, always appearing on edge and easy to anger and experience wrath. Either way it manifests itself differently from the previous two Deadly Sins of Greed and Pride or Vanity which have more of a creeping nature about them, but to onlookers it is obvious this person is overcome by Greed or Vanity.

Despite it being one of the more obvious Seven Deadly Sins, Wrath can be a difficult one to overcome just like the others, it´s a bit of a nuclear bomb situation. Even if you try to make changes within yourself, there will always be external influences from other people and the pressures of modern day society that will cause Wrath to manifest itself in your life. We are Fallen Flesh and of Adam and live in a Fallen World.

Wrath. One of the Seven Deadly Sins in Modern Society



Wrath can cause arguments, destroy relationships and friendships, lead to health problems including heart attacks, lead to violence and in extreme cases serious injury. It can lead to loss of employment and financial problems and it can lead to imprisonment or even death. Wrath has been the precursor to almost all wars throughout history and is playing a part in the recent World War 3 headlines that have subsided of late.

Although many think of the Seven Deadly Sins as something from the Victorian era that do not really apply in this modern day and age as "times have changed", these Deadly Sins probably apply more now than they did back in the Victorian times. They were especially prevalent in the Middle Ages.

Modern Day Examples of Wrath

Modern day examples of Wrath include Computer Rage, Road Rage, Football hooligans, Black Friday Rage, Domestic Violence, Riots and Speech Promoting Violence

Wrath Symptons and Warnings

The symptons of Wrath or Anger include Irritability, Impatience, Raised Voice, Glaring Eyes, Hurtful Words and Bad Language, Explosive Actions, Relational Breakdown, Attitudes of Superiority and Physical Tension.

Wrath is just like the other Seven Deadly Sins and shows the same viscious cycle of Buzz or Adrenaline Rush, a feeling of Power and a releasing of tension then coming back down to earth followed by Guilt and then Depression which then leads to the next cycle for the whole process to be repeated again. Strangely Wrath is not a desirable trait in this modern day and age but many jobs and pressures in society produce this Deadly Sin in abundance and it is also promoted in TV, Hollywood Movies and the Media.

The Christian way of dealing with Wrath?
Christians will keep a close eye on Wrath and Anger as it is mentioned in the Bible as one of the symptons of the Flesh and Christians are supposed to control the flesh and not the other way round. If you are Truly Born Again and Indwelt with the Holy Spirit, there will be an inner stillness and peace inside you that no matter what goes on in the outside world that inner peace and calmness will remain. The Fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as mentioned in Galatains 5:22-23. You could say the opposite are The Seven Deadly Sins.

The Christian way of dealing with Wrath will be to let the storm blow over and then confront the situation afterwards when that other persons mind is more rational and not during a Wrath episode. There is a Righteous anger in some Christian doctrines, righteous anger is considered the only form of anger which is not a sin. A Christian should not be angry, but if our constructive outrage results in restoring people into a loving, healing relationships with Jesus, it then can be classed as righteous anger.

An example of this would be Jesus who overthrew the money lenders tables in the Temple in Matthew 21 in The New Testament. Joshua and also David and Goliath would be other examples in The Old Testament

Matthew 21.12-13
12. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Also in the Synagogue in Mark 3

Mark 3:1-5
1. And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.
2. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.
3. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
4. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.
5. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

The Wrath of God

Even God has Wrath as mentioned many times in the Bible, but he always gives warnings, many warnings and is slow to anger, with the Wrath building over a long period of time such as decades or many hundreds of years, before the Wrath in the form of Judgement is released when there was no other option left.  This is always tempered with forgiveness in the End demonstrating a never ending and deeper love for mankind knowing that we are essentially flawed in nature.

Romans 1:18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

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.

Conclusion.
Wrath will not have you wearing Gucci or Prada or have hair by Vidal Sassoon as in the Deadly Sin of Vanity nor will it have you, wearing Rolex Watches, driving Ferrari´s or living in the best part of town as in the Deadly Sin of Greed. Wrath works differently and is difficult to see on the surface until it flares up, the warning signs will be there, but by then it is normally too late and the Genie will be out of the bottle.  The only signs will be the trail of destruction in your life that will surface in the future such as applying for a job. There are courses in Anger Management, a hilarious film by the same title gives a good insight, you can take  tablets, change your job or even just work from home and never leave the house, but eventually this Wrath will flare up again in some shape or form. The only total solution to overcome this Deadly Sin just like the others is to be "Born Again". Check out the Video which gives other examples including some of my personal experiences before I was "Saved"

Bible Quotes:

(Ephesians 4:26–27, 30–32).

26. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27. Neither give place to the devil.

30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Proverbs 15:18 - A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:22-26
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Colossians 3:8 - But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 - Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

James 1:19-20 - 19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Proverbs 29:11 - A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Proverbs 16:32 - He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

James 1:19 - Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

Proverbs 15:1 - A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Ephesians 4:31 - Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Psalms 37:8 - Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Proverbs 14:29 - He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.

Ephesians 4:26 - Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

The Seven Vials (Bowls) of Revelation

The Seven Vials  (Bowls) of Revelation

Part 3 of the 21 Judgements and this features the last 7 Judgements called "The Seven Vials" which are often referred to as "The Seven Bowls". I use the KJV Bible and it states Vials often depicted as a small perfume bottle, so Vials is the word that will be used in reference to these judgements.

These last 7 judgements are the most severe of the 21 judgements in the Book of Revealtion and whilst the other 14 judgements are ramping in nature or fractional in their delivery, the Seven Vials are 100% judgement, not fractional but total and absolute. They are the pure wrath of God!. These are judgements that will affect the whole planet, from which there is no escape.

The 7 Vial Judgements come quite a way after the 7 Seals and the 7 Trumpets and arrive after the arrival of The Anti Christ and the False Prophet and the key event known as the "Abomination of Desolation" when the Anti Christ stands in the Temple in Jerusalem and declares himself God and rules the world and the "Mark of the Beast" is implemented or the "One World System". Further details on where we are if at all on this timeline, will be debated in the closing of this article.

Again just like The Trumpets the intensity increases and each judgement is more intense than the previous and also each event is a warning of the next to follow until all 7 are fulfilled. The introductory verses in Revelation 15 give a taste of what is to come. It heralds the decline of The Beasts ruling and basically this planet will become hell itself. You could say it will be "hell on earth".

Revelation:15:6-8 is an introduction to the Seven Angels and The Seven Vials
6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

There is further mention of the Seven Angels with the Seven Vials in the first verse of Revelation 16

Revelation:16:1 The Beginning of the Vial Judgements
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

The First Vial: Sores on those who have taken the Mark of the Beast

Revelation:16:2
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

The Second Vial: The Sea becomes Blood, everything in the sea dies

Revelation:16:3

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

The Third Vial: Freshwater sources become Blood

Revelation:16:4-7
4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Revelation:16:5
6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

The Fourth Vial: The Great Heat

Revelation:16:8-9
8 And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

The Fifth Vial: The Great darkness

Revelation:16:10-11
10. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

The Sixth Vial: The River Euphrates dries up

Revelation:16:12
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The Seventh Vial: The Voice from the Temple of Heaven Thunders, Lightnings, Great Earthquake, Mountains and Islands disappear. The Great Hail

Revelation:16:17-21
17: And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
18: And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
19: And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
20: And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21: And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Where are we on the Seven Vials and Revelation timeline.

As mentioned in the previous article if all the 21 judgements are in sequence and it doesn´t make much sense if they are not, we are most definitely not in this last series of judgements known as the Seven Plagues or The Wrath of God. These events have not come to pass yet. The 7 Trumpets as mentioned in The 7 Trumpets of Revelation conclusively you could say none of those events have happened either which brings us finally onto the Seven Seals. In my opinion we could be on the 5th seal waiting for the 6th to be opened as stated in The Seven Seals of Revelation article. That is the furthest that we could possibly be on the 7 Seals timeline BUT we could be in the run up to the opening of the 7 seals which means none of them have been opened yet, which is what I´m leaning towards. Many people will not agree with this theory, and many others will have other theories, but just like mine, they are just theories. All these judgements will be unmistakable as acts of divine intervention, instantly recognised and there will be no confusion at all.

The only anomaly in the whole of this Revelation timeline is a recent headline and tweet that was put out today stating that the River Euphrates is drying up. This is quite clearly stated in Revelation 16:12 above and signifies the 6th vial! Verse below

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The Sixth Trumpet also mentions the River Euphrates and a vast movement of troops

As mentioned in the previous article, all these events are the result of divine intervention and are not man made. The Euphrates River has in recent times had many dams built on it including one of the biggest known as the Atatürk Dam, located circa 55 kilometres (34 mi) northwest of Şanlıurfa. This 184-metre (604 ft) high and 1,820-metre (5,970 ft) long dam was completed in 1992; thereby creating a reservoir that is the third-largest lake in Turkey. With a maximum capacity of 48.7 cubic kilometres (11.7 cu mi),. Get this, the Atatürk Dam reservoir is large enough to hold the entire annual discharge of the Euphrates! Information courtesy Wikipedia

This significantly changes the prophecy implications of the Euphrates as man has the potential to totally dry up the Euphrates (which is happening as we speak) which would not be the result of divine intervention as specified in Revelation 16:12.

Quite clearly Vials 1-5 have not happened yet and the in the between period of the Abomination of Desolation which occurs at the very mid point of the 7 year? Tribulation period and before the Trumpets and Vials has not happened either. Others may disagree and many theories abound about certain Religious leaders and World Political figures, stating one is the Anti Christ and the other is The False Prophet. Problem is the pieces don´t fit. Yes these key world leaders are forerunners for sure, they have roles to play in the laying of the foundations of the One World System commonly known as The New World Order along the guidelines of the 2030 Agenda,. The problem is these characters are just the chess pieces on the board. It´s the players and not the pieces that need to be looked at.....again just my opinion. Here´s an indication of the powers of the False Prophet to put things into perspective, that would need to materialise for any world leader Religious or otherwise to even be remotely considered as THE False Prophet.

Revelation 13:11-15
11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

This is yet another event that has clearly not happened yet. This Bible verse shows how powerful this false prophet will be and how many people will be deceived. The Anti Christ and the False Prophet is a massive and highly controversial topic, subject to huge debate and is a completely separate article in itself that may be covered in a future article.

Summary.
The Seven Seals, The Seven Trumpets and The Seven Vials (Bowls), form the backbone and the 21 Judgements of God in the Book of Revelation. They share many similarities to other judgements throughout the Bible such as The Great Flood, The Tower of Babel and Sodom and Gomorrah amongst others. There are many other plot lines and threads that run throughout this Prophecy Book but the Seals, Trumpets and Vials are up their as the most memorable, vivid and horrific parts. The whole purpose of these events is to gradually turn up the heat on mankind to make him  repent, realise the truth, that God is the Creator and The Almighty. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who´s name is simply..... Yahweh. A living God that has no equal. The beginning and the end, the first and the last. In his love and mercy he gives mankind endless warnings to change his ways, but in the end just as in The Old Testament, the final judgements are the only alternatives left, BUT even then the judgements are incremental giving even more chances to acknowledge that as the Lord´s prayer says "Our Father, Which Art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will be Done".

As has been said many times and it will be said again.........."No one knows the day or the hour...........but we are in the season". Anybody that says otherwise needs to read the Bible quote below!

Bible Quote:
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

25 Signs you have the Holy Spirit

25 Signs you have the Holy Spirit?

An in depth look at 25 signs that definitely say you have received the Holy Spirit and are indwelt by it which is part of the process of being "Born Again" and "Saved". If you have it, basically you really do not need to ask this question, there will be no doubts in your mind ....you just know and if you have checked, it has been confirmed by scripture. But just in case you do not know or do have doubts, for whatever the reason maybe you got "Saved" by dubious means via a False Preacher , here are the signs that you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit and that it is working in your life. Some of these are from my personal experience and others are mentioned in scripture, some are both. As always check everything against THE WORD!

7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We need the Holy Spirit in order to obey and follow Jesus Christ. You receive it by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is something that cannot be performed by man and is different to a normal Baptism, that is performed by man. These are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom: giving us Grace to see things the way God sees them.
Understanding: the gift of knowing how people are feeling deep down inside
Right Judgement: which way to act in difficult circumstances knowing the difference between right and wrong and good and evil
Courage: this is not freedom from fear but it´s being afraid and still carrying on. Gives the strength to carry on doing what´s right even when people or situations will oppose us
Knowledge: Not just knowing the facts but knowing the meaning behind those facts. This is particularly relevant to the Bible. The ability to see the TRUE meaning of the Word.
Reverence: helps us to understand what is Holy in this world, not just places and buildings but people and not just the obvious but ordinary people
Awe in God´s Presence: seeing the wonder of God´s presence and work all around us in this world and beyond

A video featuring the founder of The Twelve Gates talking about 12 signs you have the Holy Spirit My personal experience.



The 25 signs you have the Holy Spirit

1. God is No1 in your life. You become a servant of God and your everyday thoughts, movements and actions will certainly be a reflection of that. God will be No1, there is no compromise. You may or may not be aware of it, but others especially those close to you will. Instead of focusing on the self you are aware that you become a vessel on this world that he is working through reaching out into the world in a physical form.

2. The Before and After. The differences. Life changes. The Old self and old ways will fall away. The new self will have a different way of seeing things and will have different goals and objectives. The change could be dramatic or it could be slower, each situation is different.

3. The Gifts. Almost all will have Discernment. This is a given and is an essential item in the armoury of a Born Again Christian who has the Holy Spirit. The others will be one or some or maybe all of the following: Teaching, Preaching, Prophecy, Healing, Speaking in Tongues. One thing you will receive regardless is you will not be afraid of death!

4. The deeper understanding of the Word. You will live your life by Scripture as in the Bible and the words contained within it will leap off the page. You will see beyond their surface 2 dimensional meaning that everybody sees, but also their hidden meaning, a third dimension to the Bible that is hidden from most, but is shown to those who are meant to understand. This will reveal itself to those who have the Spirit and from deeper study including cross referencing rather than reading the Bible like a novel.
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5. Spirit knows spirit. You will recognise others who have the Spirit and they will recognise you. You will come to realise there are not as many around as many people think and it will be like meeting a close family member who you have not seen in decades.

6. The Fruits of the Spirit. Patience, Love, Understanding, Joy, Peace, Humbleness, Meekness, Caring , Wisdom. You are a Giver rather than a Receiver...................

7. A greater Understanding of how God works and how he communicates. He doesn't work and think like us, his ways are different. We are of the flesh, he is of the Spirit. When you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit you will bridge that divide. You will experience bizarre forms of communication but you will always know where it is from as it will always check out with Scripture.

8. Circumcised heart. You feel the pain and suffering of others. You will find it hard to walk past someone living on the streets without at least acknowledging them. You will cry or even weep more than you did before and sometimes over the most extraordinary things. A circumcised heart is mentioned in the Old and New Testament

9. Feeling of deep peace. An inner peace you have never felt before that will make itself known in your outer appearance accompanied by a sound mind.

10. The craving for worldly material things becomes minimal or non existent. There  will be not the slightest interest in the latest Samsung S7 or the Iphone equivalent. You learn to not buy the latest technological gizmo and buy something that´s not so cutting edge, but was a year or so ago and "does the job". That will be your mentality with everything. You will be concerned with "storing treasure in heaven" and the world is concerned with "storing treasure here on earth". That is a big indicator that you are indeed indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

11. You sin considerably less. You will still sin, but you feel so bad afterwards that any sin you do, you immediately repent. Always. The spirit will control the flesh rather than the other way round.

12. You will have a presence, something that people can't put their finger on but they will be aware of. Not something you will notice... but others will.

13. The problems of the world will seem more acute. You will look at people in a different way and the world and it´s problems will seem more prominent than you noticed before and this could have powerful ramifications in your life maybe bringing about a career change or setting up a charity.

14. You will argue much less. Not trying to win an argument or have the last word..........those are things of the world you learn to rise above.

15. Righteousness will be strong and the urge to shine your light into the darkness and expose it will be strong also. The urge to seek the truth will also be strong.

16. A sense of freedom but also a sense of separation from the world and an understanding that you live in the world but cannot be part of it. Your goals are spiritual and striving towards holiness, most other people are caught up in the "rat race" and concerned with striving toward worldly goals. The two are at odds with each other and it will become painfully apparent the further you go down that narrow way spiritual journey.

17. Strange things will happen, you will see strange things, signs and wonders and come across what can only be described as "not your normal everyday people".

18. Persecution. People will try to drag you down or worse for your obvious obedience to God but you will continue to follow the Lord even if you suffer affliction or persecution for doing so, even death. The Holy Spirit will give you an utterly unshakable faith to endure such scenarios.

19. Fellowship. You will seek the fellowship of other people that are like yourself, because you realise the things you do and say and the things you see will make most people feel uncomfortable, therefore fellowship with Christians who are like yourself is desirable and essential.

20. The inability to blaspheme. You will be aware that you no longer swear or blaspheme especially against the Holy Spirit. If you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit you cannot blaspheme, it cannot be done.

21. Avoidance of mind altering substances: You will probably either reduce alcohol intake or avoid it all together, drugs and narcotics will be avoided also and if you were a smoker you may again cut down or maybe think about quitting.

22. Awareness that your body is a temple: If you were a junk food eater, you will again cut down or avoid such food or even lose the taste for it. You will be distinctly aware that to approach holiness your body and mind must be as pure as possible.

23. Evangelism: You will be driven to spread and share the Word in any shape or form. Those who are vaguely interested will have questions and will seek you out and be drawn to you, looking for life answers without even knowing that you are a Christian. Basically you will walk as Jesus walked, another proof that you are indwelt by The Holy Spirit!

24. Prayer and Worship. Worship: You will have an overpowering urge to worship and praise The Lord on at least a daily basis, even multiple times during the day. Prayer life: You see the Lord both inspiring you to pray for certain things or people and answering your prayers. You will have a personal relationship with the Lord, one that cannot be replaced by any man made service saying pre-scripted words.

25. Fear of the Lord: You may be a Servant of God but you are also aware of an overpowering fear of him if you do not follow his statutes, commandments and laws that are there for good reason, but you are also aware he always gives warning when you are straying from "the narrow way"

Bible Quotes: (KJV)

1 John:3:24
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

1 John:4:2-3
2: Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

1 John:4:6
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

1 John:4:13
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

1 John:5:6
This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

1 John:5:8
And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

2 Timothy:1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

John 10:28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 3:15
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Galatians 5:22-25
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

1 Corinthians 12:7-11
7. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Deuteronomy 30:6
6. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

Colossians 3:1-2
1. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Matthew 6:19-21
19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

John 16:12-14
12. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

2 Timothy 2:21
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Proverbs 1:7
7. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Psalm 145:19
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

The Rapture and Tribulation. Which will come first?

The Rapture is surrounded by controversy but in these End Times it is a topic that draws increasing amounts of interest. It cannot be denied that we all know we are in the season as in "The End Times", but we do not know the day or the hour that the Second Coming will take place. The time of the end is drawing near and among those signs of the times would include the rebirth of Israel, which took place in 1948, we are seeing the recent alignment of countries against Israel, we are seeing the escalation of apostasy in the church, there’s a move toward globalism and global socialism, a continued move toward a cashless society and increasing signs of temporary martial law being labelled as "States of Emergency". The worlds moral compass is going haywire and there is confirmation in the natural world and in the Cosmos with Biblical signs that undeniably are saying......... the time is near.

This article is written with the True Believer in mind and not really for the Non Believer, but it makes an interesting read for the Non Believer regardless, but again has to be approached with an open mind. I´m not date fixing, making prophetic predictions or any such things in this article, just really trying to cut through the fog and confusion surrounding this topic and hopefully answer a few questions to make things clearer in these troubling times. There is nothing worse than waiting for something to happen and well......it doesn´t happen.

End of the World - When is Rapture



We are in trying and also deceptive times, if you are a Christian, I mean the real deal. Recently you are probably experiencing things you may not have experienced before. Visions, strange dreams, strange goings on and a general feeling and unease that seems to be increasing on a daily basis. You may be also be experiencing a form of persecution in some shape or form, it could be harassment or victimisation or something similar or general hostility. As the days get darker your light shines that more brightly and will attract unwanted attention, you will find out who your true friends are in these times . I have experienced all of these things increasingly over the past few months, but minus the visions, you may have experienced all.

We as many are aware are in the Jewish Shemitah Year of Jubilee and are approaching the "Feast of Trumpets", these are prophetic and historic times. September and October 2016 look particularly prominent and ominous and everybody is watching closely. You may be hearing stories of people having visions about the Rapture is coming in September, The Rapture is delayed 3 years, The Rapture isn´t coming at all, The Rapture will not be Pre Trib, the Rapture this and the Rapture that and the Rapture the other. Personally I have had no visions regarding the Rapture at all, but feel an increasing uneasiness. A tap on the shoulder from the Lord has prompted this article being brought into existence. This article will dive deeply into this topic. The Rapture is a vitally important one in the Christian faith and ties up very closely with the Great Tribulation which we will just skim in this article. The Tribulation is a massive whole stand alone topic in it´s own right, although intrinsically linked, the Tribulation is too vast to cover here.

A few words from the owner of this website on The Rapture



To understand what the Rapture and the Tribulation are we have to define them.

The Rapture Definition
The rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth. The rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air.

The Tribulation Definition
A period that many theologians say will be a difficult and chaotic period characterised by natural disaster, war, famine, disease, extreme weather and other climate chaos and unprecedented events in the Cosmos with persecution and great suffering after/before the second coming of Jesus Christ. The period of the ACTUAL Tribulation is confirmed 7 times in the Bible and is 3.5 years

Bible Quotes
3 1/2 Times - Rev 12:14, Dan 7:25, Dan 12:7
1260 days - Rev 11:3, Rev 12:6
42 Months - Rev 11:2, Rev 13:5

A word of Warning
First off I´m going to say this, and it´s not something people want to hear. Don´t get too reliant on this Rapture. I mean don´t think it´s not going to happen, but don´t be so reliant on this thing that it has the potential to destroy your faith, if it doesn´t happen at the time you are hoping it´s going to happen, or even if it happens at all. My attitude is when it comes.... it comes, if it doesn´t come it doesn´t come, just always be ready IF it does. Also my attitude is be prepared to go through this coming Tribulation, the same as everybody else but just remember, if you are truly a servant of God.........he will be by your side. The old adage "Put your trust in the Lord" and "The Lord will provide" are very relevant here. With that attitude if the Rapture doesn´t turn up on a certain date mentioned by somebody with a big following on Twitter or You Tube or a website or anywhere else, you have your options covered. If you are receiving dreams and visions yourself and you know otherwise fine, but I´m just warning you, if you are getting your info from the web, there are a lot of fakers out there, ( yes I watch this stuff as well)which just like the big name False Preachers or the False Prophets will lead you to a place but it will not be a Christian one. A little tip with such people, if you are getting confused, the jigsaw pieces just don´t seem to fit and things do not line up with scripture....evacuate! Don´t take my words and choice of videos as Gospel truth either, if something isn´t right, let me know or again.........beat a hasty retreat.

Popular Rapture Films
Films are cashing in on this Rapture with the most recent being “The Remaining,” released Sep 2014, and “Left Behind,” which was released just afterwards in October 2014. just remember who are they are made by!



Current Events
The current events taking place around the globe are paving the way for an event to take place. The emergence of a New World Order (see 2030 Agenda) is now under way and is building in intensity and urgency and the extreme weather, natural disasters and the appearance of cracks in our modern day society and the early stages of martial law starting to appear are warnings signs and milder versions of what is to come. This is ushering in a new period where the world is rapidly heading towards a state of Great Tribulation and the acceleration of global events are the early warning signs of something much worse around the corner and signals the coming of the Anti Christ. You could say what we are witnessing are the birth pangs

Why is there so much debate about the Rapture in Christian Circles.
As you can imagine, IF the Rapture is coming, the time it comes in relation to the Tribulation, has a huge bearing on how much time a Christian will be spending suffering during that Tribulation period. The Tribulation is not something any mortal would want to experience, so obviously the shorter the better, if at all. If the Rapture comes before or just at the beginning, then a Christian will be effectively air lifted out and spared having to experience the extreme adversity, suffering and misery that such an event would throw at them. If the Rapture comes at the end of the Tribulation, then Christians would be experiencing exactly the same as people of other faiths and non believers during those times. Obviously not a desirable situation. So the time of the arrival of the Rapture is one that is fiercely debated but in reality no one really knows when the rapture is coming or even whether it is coming at all, but the scripture according to each Pre, Mid and Post have their fans. The Pre Argument seems to be the strongest and obviously the most favourable but read on for convincing arguments otherwise.

Rapture Might be Like This!



What is the purpose of the Tribulation?
As demonstrated many times in the Bible including Babylon, Sodom and Gomorrah and The Great Flood in the times of Noah, there have been destructive periods in the Bible where the world has seen God´s wrath, but these events have always happened for a reason. Babylon was punishment for Arrogance, Sodom and Gomorrah was punishment for Pride and the Sin of Homosexuality and The Great Flood in the times of Noah was in effect a system reboot of the planet to eradicate mankind who had become totally corrupted and start again afresh. Tribulation has appeared many times throughout the Bible on a personal basis and The Book of Job is a good introduction into this and a recommended read.

In this modern age, we have reached a time where mankind has become corrupted again and the Tribulation this time is designed not as a reboot for the world to start from scratch, but to separate the wheat from the chaff, to separate true believers from the rest and prove as a reminder (just like Sodom and Gomorrah) that sin comes at a terrible price. Only those who are "Saved" are spared the misery of the Tribulation either by being Raptured before the event or being protected during the event and Raptured half way through or at the end.

Strangely enough the Word Rapture does not appear in the Bible but is clearly referenced in the following 4 Bible verses, one is clearly pre tribulation on it´s own, 3 are more leaning towards Mid or Post depending on how you view the last Trumpet

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 This is the infamous Pre Tribulation Rapture Bible Quote. Asleep means Dead. This Bible quote has NO TIME MENTIONED, does not mention whether the Rapture is Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation

13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Matthew 24:29-31 TIME MENTIONED VERY CLEARLY After the tribulation

29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53 TIME MENTIONED CLEARLY The last trumpet.

50. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Revelation 20:4-6 TIME MENTIONED CLEARLY After the Tribulation. Chapter 20 is aftermath after The Tribulation.

4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

It´s part of the Christian Faith to face Tribulation
The Bible is packed with names that had to face severe adversity including Moses and the Exodus, Samson, John, Paul, David v Goliath, Noah and the infamous Job, and not forgetting God´s only begotten son.... Jesus. They were NOT airlifted out before their respective tribulations, they had a job to do and had to go through those Tribulations and guess what....God was by their side..always. If you are a True Christian you will know the good side is Joy, Peace and Humbleness, Wisdom and Understanding along with certain gifts, amongst other things, but with it comes pain, suffering and persecution. It has been like that throughout history. It goes with the Territory of being a Christian, think Jesus on the Cross. An airlift out via the Rapture before the Tribulation starts, I just don´t think fits in with the scheme of things or God´s plan, everybody is going to suffer through those times including Christians. I hope I´m wrong on this and as we delve deeper we will see what is revealed and that I am hopefully proven wrong.

When you get into what is called "The Rapture of the Church" to fulfil the Second Coming and the time of the Millenial, with the Church being a body of believers, you will realise there are three distinct camps on when the Rapture will take place with a fourth camp also adding another point of view. Christians either believe that the Rapture will happen Pre Tribulation, Mid Tribulation or Post Tribulation with the fourth believing there will be no Rapture at all......just Tribulation.

The key to all of this is the Bible Verse Daniel 9:25 ( a whole separate article) and the Seventy Weeks with the last week being assumed to be the last 7 years of the world. The beginning is marked as where the Anti Christ signs the Peace Treaty with Israel and the End is when the Anti Christ and The Beast experience their last days. The Bible states that the length of the Tribulation will be 3.5 years and begins when the Anti Christ reaches the peak of his power and becomes the leader of the One World Government. Hence why many believe within the 7 year period of the Anti Christ on this earth, the Rapture will happen when the Anti Christ becomes supreme World Leader which is at the exact mid point of this 7 year period and this is when the Tribulation will begin for 3.5 years. Those who have taken the Mark (Christian Believers or Non Believers) will be left and those who have not taken the Mark as in True Christian Believers will be Raptured, hence the Pre Tribulation view point if the whole 7 year period as Stated in the Book of Daniel is classed as part of the Tribulation.

Pre or Post Tribulation Rapture
So who is right? Will the Rapture (if it happens) be Pre Tribulation, Mid Tribulation or Post Tribulation. A look at some views from various Bible scholars and other general people from You Tube that come up with an intelligent and valid point for whether the Rapture is Pre, Mid or Post Trib with some backing up with the word where appropriate.

1. The Pre Tribulation Camp

Dr. David Reagan talks to Dr. Ron Rhodes about several Bible Prophecy events, including the Rapture of the Church. Video 2010




A Watchman Report - The Rapture Controversy Aug 5 2016




2. The Post Tribulation Camp


Beyond Today -- Is the Rapture Real? and Proof the Rapture is Post Tribulation?




SUMMARY
Most people will be aware that when things are going well in their lives they do not need God, but in times of trouble people start turning to God in those times of crisis. This period in the worlds history will be that time. There is a war going on that most people are unaware of between angels of light and darkness in the spiritual realm and a way is being paved for something sinister that eventually will run the world, but it is part of God´s plan before the Second Coming. It´s in the scripture. The Tribulation as mentioned in the Book of Revelation is not something that anybody would want to be around for and the Rapture is the perfect answer to get airlifted out before the Tribulation starts.

There are cases for both pre and post rapture scenarios but after reading this article you really have to form your own opinion. Many videos were watched to arrive at these final ones. Both Pre and Post rapture are equally convincing but you just have to decide for yourself which camp you are in. The possibility of no rapture has not been mentioned in this article because it is so clearly stated in scripture, but again it is something to mentally take on board. All the big names in the Bible went through some form of Tribulation in their lives and us here now will be no exception. These will be testing times and your faith will be tested to the extreme also. It has to be that way.

My personal view is, yes I do believe in the Rapture and yes we are very close to the start of The Tribulation. My attitude though is to be mentally prepared for "No Rapture" unless nearer the time you hear otherwise, that way your faith remains rock solid. If you are in daily prayer you will know when it´s time. BUT be Rapture ready and be ready for it to come at any time, make sure you are "Right with God" and that your "House is in Order". Remember though if it does not happen Pre Tribulation, if you are a True Believer and have faith you are equipped to go through the Tribulation and have a powerful ally that will "show you the way" and "will provide".

On a final note, there are is so much noise out there about Christianity especially End Times with people talking on TV, You Tube, on websites, just everywhere, do what I do and just turn it all off for a couple of hours and just listen to the Spirit and read The Word, pray and you will find your answers.


Bible Quotes:

John 16:33
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:2
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

Revelation 16:15
Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.


Matthew 24:21-22
21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Deuteronomy 4:30
When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

1 Samuel 26:24
And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:


Acts 14:22
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Romans 5:3
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Romans 8:35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

1 Thessalonians 3:4
For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.


Revelation 2:10
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.


Revelation 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

After being Saved what next? My personal experience

Life after you´re saved. What´s it like? This is a "been there and got the T shirt" style article. So what happens after being Saved, what next?

This is not an article about Being Saved as in the process or a Testimony see my Testimonial. This is not an article about the question whether you are saved or not, see How do you know you are saved. This is an article on Post Saved, the journey after you are Saved, what´s it like from a personal perspective. How you feel, how you see yourself, your expectations of life, how other people see you, the internal changes, what you get given, the problems, the gifts, what you see, and a host of other things that go along with being "Born Again" or "Saved"

This is probably more aimed at Believers rather than Non Believers, but can be read by either, but be warned if you are a Non Believer..........you´re going to need an open mind. Certainly if you don´t believe the Bible, you will not believe any of this. This is not a blueprint or template for the act of being Born Again, each case will be different, some happen quick, others more slowly, some people get a slight nudge in the right direction others (like myself) need a much more violent and radical reboot to achieve the same effect.....the end result though regardless of the process and journey will be the same....you become a servant and messenger of God....a Born Again Christian.

What is the Holy Spirit. My attempt to explain what it is?



First off the picture from this article and how it came about, it´s important as it´s how this whole article came about. Was in a Supermarket (Morrisons) the other week and normally the music is your A Typical supermarket blandness then on came this song a clubby Ibiza style number from way back in 2001 called "Another Chance" by Roger Sanchez. Memories came flooding back (songs do that don´t they) and a semi bop mode came over the normally painfully dull supermarket experience. Left the store with a smile on the face and didn´t think any more of it.

A couple of days later, tried to remember the music video for the song, couldn´t remember it. Did a search on You Tube hit play and straight away the memories came flooding back. Watched it, watched it again and the thought came into the head, there´s something very Christian about this video, it would make a good backdrop for an article at The Twelve Gates............but what. Pondered this for a couple more days and a light bulb went off "This video is a good explanation for what it is like to be saved". Why not write an article about that and weave this music video into it to give some sort of idea to the less well informed what it´s actually like.



Lyrics
If I had another chance tonight
I'd try to tell you that the things
We had were right [Repeat: x 2]

If I had another chance tonight

The song itself "Another Chance" is a typical repetitive club number, but it´s catchy, hard to get out of your head and the title is very relevant to the Christian faith as in being "Born Again" or "Saved". Why? You get given this big heart and a bright light, you feel amazing, free and happy and you want to share this with the world, but not everybody shares your views or wants to hear them, and this video demonstrates that very clearly. You hit a point where you realise you are not like you were before, you go through a realisation phase (the small heart phase) then you enter the next realisation phase that you have been given this "THING", you´re not the same as everybody else and you have to get on with life, do what you have to do and be this new person, carry this big heart around, don´t be ashamed of it, shine your light and relish the gift you have been given. You then realise you will never be 100% accepted by the world (I call non believers The Grey´s) and do what you have to do.

Introduction
To delve deeper into the Born Again life here´s a quote from a typical End Times Video about The Times of Noah and the fact these times are here again it´s by Barney Winner 5 at You Tube. and reading it now it still brings a tear to eye.
This needs to be read to adjust your mind for what is to follow, it sets the tone as this is not your normal everyday sort of read.


Remember you are washed by the Blood of the Lamb. You are.
You are washed by the blood of the lamb.
You did not come to Jesus on your own.
The father sent you to Christ.
You acknowledged that call that the father had on your life.
And you said YES.
So yes, you´re struggling , Yes, you´re striving.
But you belong to Christ.
You do not belong to the fallen Angels

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Post Testimony
I was "Saved" or "Born Again" on 6 October 2015 which at the time of writing is almost ten months ago. Strange things led to that night (See Testimony) and strange things have continued to happen after the event but I no longer consider them strange, it´s just how God works. The saying "God works in mysterious ways" is something quoted by many including myself, but that quote isn´t actually in the Bible, it´s from a hymn. For those who have the spirit will know that more to the point and the correct term would be "God works in the way that the "Word" says he works".

Old Testament quote from Isaiah 55:8-9.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

In short the journey you embark on to reach the final destination leads you to become a Holy Spirit filled Believer. You will find Spirit knows Spirit. One can talk to another without feeling uncomfortable or awkward, whereas normal people will feel uncomfortable, or think you´re a bit odd or eccentric or you´ve lost your marbles. You leave the old person behind and become this new creation. There is no urge to go back to that old person, many destroy what remnants there was of their past, some leave bits and pieces lying around just to remind themselves what they used to be like. I´m in the latter category. Being Born Again varies from person to person, it´s not a hard drive wipe and installation of a new operating system, some changes are more dramatic and quick, others more subtle and slow. Again this varies from person to person


From what limited conversations I have had with other Born Again Believers or what limited stuff I´ve seen online the following observations are common.
1. No one will believe your story, only True Believers
2. Become like a child and you gain a new father as in God
3. Feel others pain and suffering (circumcised heart)
4. Get an overpowering urge to help others that are struggling in life
5. Get an overpowering urge to go to Church
6. Get an overpowering urge to read The Bible
7. Get an overpowering urge to pray
8. Feel an overwhelming sense of peace
9. Become a lover of people regardless of who they are
10. Live the simple Life not interested in the World and it´s material bias
11. You pursue more spirtual objectives in life
12. Discernment: Ability to see others who have the Spirit. There are not many
13. Sin is something you avoid, if you do sin (and you will but not as much) you have an overpowering urge to Repent

From my personal experience and the following observations have been made
1. Weird things happening, weird conversations with people I wouldn´t normally meet prior to being Saved
2. You see the glaringly obvious difference between right and wrong and think "No I can´t do that" .If you do, you will feel terrible afterwards and you will not do it again.
3. Some people report seeing the world differently like the colours are brighter. Myself that didn´t happen but my taste buds have changed. Used to have an incredibly sweet tooth at addiction levels, now struggle to eat a fruit yoghurt, find it way too sweet. Used to live off takeaways, now hardly touch them. Haven´t had my favourite Chicken Cottage for nearly 10 months now. Not once!
4. For some reason don´t seem to watch much TV these days, have no interest in it apart from the news.
5. The hair trigger temper has gone, haven´t lost my temper in 10 months
6. You are aware you are carrying a light, do get looks a lot these days (even in Central London), but you are also aware you cannot turn down this light or hide it.
7. Do cry more than I used to in the most bizarre situations.
8. Way more patience with everything these days and slowed down instead of what one customer said to me before I was Saved in a Supermarket once who called me a "Damned Motorway shopper"
9. Not really interested or bothered with the Self anymore, more interested in other people and putting them first.
10. You will be guided to places which you have n oreason why you aregoing there but when you get there the reason is abundantly clear.

This list could reach a hundred but you get the idea from 10.

The Gifts
When you are Born Again or Saved the Spiritual Gifts will include one or more of the following, 1) Wisdom, 2) knowledge, 3) faith, 4) healing, 5) working miracles, 6) prophecy, 7) distinguishing between spirits, 8) speaking diverse tongues, 9) interpretation of tongues and other matters , 10) teaching, 11) encouraging, 12) giving, 13) serving, 14) leading, 15) showing mercy, 16) evangelism, 17) pastoring, 18) prophet (Ephesians 4: 11-14), 19) helping others, and 20) administration. Spiritual gifts equip an individual to do tasks beyond what is naturally conceivable.

Out of that list I would say personally I have Wisdom, Knowledge (in a very sort period of time) obviously Faith, some Prophecy, definetly distinguishing between Spirits, teaching, encouraging, definetly giving, definetly serving and leading, showing mercy and forgiveness and helping others. I wouldn´t class myself as an Evangelist, Pastor or Prophet. Not yet anyway. I can´t speak in tongues although I haven´t tried and don´t have the gift of healing (haven´t tried that either).

Answered Prayers.
I would say that is the biggest test whether you are Born Again or not and that is are you in touch with the Lord and are your prayers getting answered. Prayers I find may get answered quickly or they could take months or longer but they should be answered. Some people say they hear God, others say they see signs, others something else, it works differently for different people but you will get some form of communication in one way or another, something that cannot be denied. I have heard the Lordś voice twice, once quietly and one very distinctly on Christmas Day last year in a church that I´ve never been to in my life that I found in the middle of nowhere that I felt strangely led to, that was open and empty. I remember having tears streaming down my face and I heard him, nobody else was there and my question was answered. The question was asked in a silent prayer! I have to say it freaked me out but I´ve heard nothing since but these days there is always an unmistakable sign, always.

Following the Spirit
The spirit will lead you away from darkness and always towards the light, it´s an inner voice thing you receive, that non believers do not have. You see things that other people cannot see, you sense things other people cannot sense and you see danger where others see no danger. Certain things will pop out at you for no apparent reason, could be something you are reading, something online, something you see as you walk down the road, something in the news or in a newspaper and you will realise it has some importance. It may not be immediately apparent but it becomes apparent within a time frame and you act upon it. I use it when I´m trying to find True Believers on line, they probably do the same thing. A sort of seperating the wheat from the chaff. You´re not judging somebody from their outward appearance or their personality or mannerisms or what brand of designer shades they are wearing, you are judging them by what is coming out of their mouth and what they are saying in written form. You are judging what´s on the inside not the externals.

Any major events in life or even minor ones, the Spirit has been used every time and it shows me without fail which way to go, what to do and when and how and why.

Views on Born Again types in society.
Non Believers: May believe you but deep down they don´t and probably think you need some sort of therapy. Others react in a shocked way but still think you are bonkers. Others will react and say "Oh.... that´s nice" and maybe just the odd one may start to show some interest and ask questions. Always the potential signs of someone possibly starting that journey to becoming a believer themselves.
Believers: There are different sorts of Believers out there, but even many of these who sort of believe will take what you say with a pinch of salt. Some will think you are strange, or think you have the opinion of yourself that you are something special and more Christian than the rest. Some get envious (not a Christian Trait), others who I call True Believers, will have what you have, see you have it as well and see you as a Brother or Sister and shake your hand looking deep in your eyes or give you a hug. As I´ve found online and in the world at large, these types are very few and far between.
Churches: From my personal experience, the Institional Church without a shadow of a doubt does not like Born Again or Saved types and I´m talking the real deal here not the "little prayer" types. I think they see you not as a "True Believer" but somebody that is operating outside the Church or using the Church but bypassing the Institution which in their eyes is Heresy. They also realise and don´t like to admit it that you have something they don´t have, you have a presence, they realise you don´t really need a Church (although it is important) to lead you in your spiritual affairs. You are led by the Spirit and The Father. They also realise that you could be a disruptive influence amongst other church goers and are a threat to their authority. It´s a tricky situation to be in. My attitude these days when it comes to anything involving Institutional Religion is keep quiet, do what is expected of you, be polite and leave and return the following Sunday.

People I follow Online.
I use You Tube a lot not only for The Twelve Gates website content and articles but also for my personal viewing. It´s difficult to find a True Believer on this plaform, some are blatantly not Christian but just playing at it, some do what I call "put the Christian Coat on" and look the part but as soon as they open their mouths you know these are just normal people with you guessed it a "Christian Coat On". I currently follow two "Sisters", one is married with two kids the other is a bit younger and a bit more hip but she talks the talk but also walks the walk. The videos they produce are basic, sometimes sitting in a basement with boilers going, other times in their cars but it´s what they say is what matters. One we pray together at the end, another she sometimes start crying about her experiences she´s had with helping needy people. It´s powerful stuff and I would say on many occassions better than what I hear in Church. I will not give these women´s names out or their channel names, I think it´s best to cultivate and find your own but if you are in the faith you need to find people to learn things that maybe you were not aware of but always check them out, otherwise more harm than good is done. I used to follow a few Pastors on Twitter but recently deleted most of them, (something the Spirit told me to do), I now just follow a Nun and some general Christian News websites.


Changes in my Life
This is not a trumpet blow, but just a contrast to illustrate the power of being "Born Again" My old life condensed down in a nutshell.

My Old Self:
Occupation: Celebrity Photographer and Celebrity Photo Sales. photographing the rich and famous within the London area
Character: Aggressive, short tempered, go getter, impatient, ladies man, cold and no heart, loud, selfish and self centred but it has to be said a Creative Type
Food: Junk Food and Massive Quantities of anything with Sugar
Website: Famefad.com (still out there as a reminder of my old self)
Church: No
Bible Reading: No way
Prayer: You can´t be serious?


The Born Again:
Occupation: Book of Revelation and End Times News Website Founder and Author
Character: Patient, Calm, Caring, Big Heart, Put others first, Humble, Quieter
Food: Healthy non processed non fast and REAL food. Not a fan of Sugar not even in Tea.

What´s my typical day and week
Church Monday to Friday in Central London
Saturday Day off
Sunday Church Hertfordshire Where I Live

Prayer Psalms First Thing in the Morning. Psalms and Personal Prayer in Church (except Saturday just Psalms Morning and Evening). Psalms before I go to bed
Study the Bible At least 1 Chapter everyday, sometimes more, except Saturday Day Off.

Websites:
Running of this The Twelve Gates website and associated Social Media (Twitter) and You Tube Channel. Monday - Friday. Weekends off
London Homeless: Recently launched on 1 August 2016 a website to help the homeless in London called London Homeless. This will become part of a wider program to raise awareness of the issue of Homelessness in London and provide help and information to those who are homeless in London or living rough.

Looking to help more in the community especially with the Homeless. Also other things I have hadpersonal experience with before being saved such as Family Problems, Suicide and Financial Problems amongst others. It´s only been ten months, when I´m ready the Lord will let me know what to do. I feel strongly a Ministry is some way down the line, again that´s not for me to decide but the powers that be.

Summary
This is really just skimming the surface of what it´s like to be "Born Again" or "Saved" but it gives a good idea, what it´s like living as you are in the real world. A lot of the weirder stuff has been left out but all True Believers will have similar stories. The Roger Sanchez "Another Chance" video sums it up superbly. Do not expect to be welcomed with open arms by everybody. I didn´t mention demonic attacks (I´ve had them, they have and will happen), if you are in the same job at work after being "Born Again" people will look at you differently, so will your family and friends and other half. Churches will look at you differently from the rest of the congregation and so will the congregation. So will the World. That´s the negatives.

There are many positives, firstly you have something that trust me not many people have, it´s liberating and freeing, you will crave to be with other True believers and crave to get closer to God through Prayer and Fasting (didn´t mention Fasting either). You will not worry about what direction you are heading in life, these will be revealed to you over time and your direction will be taken care of by the powers that be. You will have many questions but you will always find and get answers. You will have a peace that you never felt before and will be able to cut through the fog of confusion that hangs in our world and get straight to the truth every time.

For me I feel I´ve gone through the narrow gate and I am on the narrow path, if I stray off that path I´m on a dog leash and brought back in line, but it´s a spiritual leash not a physical one. It also feels like I´m one of those Shire Horses and given a plough and a field and told to find some seeds and plough that field in your own good time. You are conscious of "The Eye" and "the Tongue" and watch these constantly. You will also be aware of the term "Let it Go" especially when it comes to arguments. You will have enemies but their efforts will come to nothing and they will be silenced.

Can you lose your Salvation and be Unborn Again. In my experience, I think you get this thing and there is no going back.....ever!

Finally here´s some advice if you are the on the narrow path or narrow way to being "Saved" or "Born Again" or have recently said "Yes".

Advice
All the signs and wonders that you see, you must keep to yourself.
Follow the Spirit no matter what. Do not follow the flesh
If you say "Yes" make sure that you are 100% sure, but if you are in that situation you will know with every cell of your body... make no mistake.
You must realise you have been chosen, but you will have an important job to do, but you will be given all the tools to do that job.
You live in the world but you cannot be part of it.



Bible Quotes:

Matthew 7:13-14
13. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

I John 2:3-4
"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1 John 3:22)

1 John 2:15
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (

1 John 3:14
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death"

John 8:31
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, *IF* ye continue in my word, *THEN* are ye my disciples indeed;

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Job 28:23 God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

James 4:8-10 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1 John 4:13
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit"