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Revelation - Part 9

So...

This section (chapters 14 through 16) was today's reading. Chapter 14 includes language that I really like (in verse two) regarding the voice of the Lord. It says here (and in other places) that the Lord's voice is as the rushing of many waters. I like that a lot, because the rushing of water - as in over rapids or in a fast-moving stream - has always appealed to me. It is at once powerful and soothing, constantly in motion but smooth and steady. When I hear the voice of the Lord, I hope that I recognize it as the voice of many waters...

Besides, Christ is the Fountain of all righteousness. He is the Source of living waters. And His words heal all, making clean and pure that which had become sullied and trammeled.

Verse five speaks of being found without guile. Guile means trickery or deceitful cunning. Thus, to be found without guile means to be found with pure motive, with honest intent, and with clear actions that are beyond reproach. This is further expounded in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 121, where we can find that we should use pure knowledge which will greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy and without guile. Our motives to help others, to instruct them and to help them come to a greater knowledge of the truth should always stem from the basis of love and respect and deference, using meekness and humility as our aids.

Verse six is well known amongst LDS readers. This is the inspiration for the statue Moroni found on almost all temples around the world. This angel, having the everlasting gospel to preach to the earth, is Moroni. Moroni, as a resurrected being, appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith and gave to him gold plates from which the prophet translated the Book of Mormon. This book contains the fullness of the gospel, as does the Bible.

Other angels follow in subsequent verses, each proclaiming a particular woe on the earth and those that do wickedly. The last two angels come down and thrust in a sickle into the earth, reaping the vine of the earth and throwing it into the winepress. Incidentally, a furlong is 660 feet, so 1600 furlongs is 200 miles.

Chapter 15 finds us meeting the seven angels again, each with the last seven plagues filled with the wrath of God. It also includes the song of the redeemed praising God. It is very lovely and quite poetic.

One of the things I like most about this is the use of contrasts. You have the wrath of God about to be poured out on the earth, while in the next verse you find the angels and the redeemed praising God. Then the angels are described, wearing pure and white linen, and having golden vials. These vials contain the wrath of God and will be poured out on the earth. It is a powerful and beautiful juxtaposition...

So these angels pour out their vials: the first pours out on the earth a soreness; the second pours out on the sea and it becomes blood; the third pours out on the rivers and fountains and they become blood (representing and avenging the blood of the martyrs); the fourth pours out on the sun, which is given power to burn people up; the fifth pours out on the seat of the beast (the seat is a representation of the power of the the beast) which makes the kingdom of the beast full of darkness; the sixth pours out on the Euphrates (the Euphrates was/is a great river for commerce and shipping, so this may be a representation of the financial distress that will come/has come(?)); and the seventh angel pours out into the air, bringing hail and destruction, and it is proclaimed that it is done.

After the sixth angel pours out, there are three frogs - which are false prophets - that come out of the mouth of the dragon and perform miracles. They deceive the whole earth with their miracles and gather people to battle at the last battle at Armageddon. I've always wondered about this. How is it that people can be deceived by this? We have the witness right here in front of us... How can people be so blind? Hmmm... Christ says that He will come as a thief in the night, and that we should all always remain watchful. Yet it would seem that these great events would be pretty obvious and would bring people to repent. They do not repent, however, in spite of this warning and the warnings of the plagues that come.

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