There
is a distinction between “hosts of Heaven” and “angels.” When the Bible uses
the term “host” it is a female word. When it uses “angels” there is a male
connotation to the word. For the purpose of the workbook we are using the term
“Heavenly hosts” to refer to all of God’s servants in Heaven, as does most of
the Christian community.
What
are our rights concerning God’s servants? Knowing the boundaries will keep us
out of trouble. Stepping outside our authority may limit what authority we
have.
The first three
seals saw the emergence of the Antichrist and two of the “horsemen of the
apocalypse.” These occur in the first
part of the tribulation or the final of Daniel’s weeks. Let’s continue looking
at the remaining seals the Lamb of God will break before God’s wrath is
unleashed on this earth.
Fourth Seal
And when he had
opened the fourth seal… behold a pale
horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And
power was given to 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. (Revelation
6:7-8)
Death quickly follows famine for we see hunger
is one of the tools used for death to take life. It is interesting to note that
only one-fourth “part of the earth.” Since it is part of the earth and not a
percentage of mankind, it is likely that only some countries will experience
the effects of this seal.
If we look at Daniel and Revelation, then we will know when the seven-year tribulation will begin as certain key events occur. Much of the world may be unaffected at first, so knowing what to look for is vital!
When you therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand
in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15 AMPC)
We were told by our Lord that we should look
for and recognize this event as being close to persecution and His return to
rule and reign. This also means Christians will be around when it happens. What
is the “abomination of desolation?” Discussing the events surrounding the
return of our Lord should show us what to look for and help us pinpoint this
event.
Studying the events around the second coming
should invigorate the body of Christ. After all, we are all expectantly waiting
for this time. Unfortunately, instead of uniting us as a body working for the
Kingdom of Heaven, it often creates division and strife. As we continue looking
into the Book of Revelation, please remember that what we choose to believe
concerning the return of the Lord doesn’t affect our salvation.
We are all brothers and sisters, adopted into
the family of God. If what you believe doesn’t line up with what I believe,
that is okay. We can agree to disagree and celebrate the fact that one day, we
will all know the truth!
If we go back to the Book of Genesis, we can see God’s original intention and plan for mankind through His created beings, Adam and Eve and how, through the fall and the ongoing influence of sin down through the generations we became damaged in our souls and bodies.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them…” (Genesis 1:26–27 NKJV)
and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)
There are two important things to note in these accounts of the creation of mankind.
Now may the God of
peace Himself sanctify you through and through; and may your spirit and soul
and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonians
demonstrates that we are a three-part being, just like our creator. God is a
spirit, and we are spirit beings who have a soul and live in a body. This is
why Paul listed the three parts to every human in this order. Many Christians
have been taught we have a spirit, soul and body but not too many understand
the role of each of them. Some believe the soul and spirit are the same but as
you can see, that is not what the Bible says.
