Revelation 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit
When Jesus opens the bottomless pit with the Key, smoke arises out of the depths of the pit. Smoke hinders our ability to see and we are warned not to drive into smoke on the highway. The smoke ascends into the air and its thickness keeps us from seeing the sun.
Genesis 19:28 Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace.
This smoke relates to our understanding or ability to see. The deceitful heart cannot see the truth but operates on illusion and perception. Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities where this deceitfulness had reached its apex and the perversion was so great, judgment would wait no longer. Lot had been drawn toward Sodom by his eyes. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life were all working together to get Lot and his family to reside in the depths of the bottomless pit. His understanding had been darkened to the point where he could no longer move about the city but had to be rescued from certain destruction. The whole area had to go through the purifying fire. The result- smoke billowing up as though from a furnace.
When the bottomless pit is dealt with, the darkness of our understanding will be exposed. This darkness contains the smoke or deceitfulness of our heart. When Jesus opens this pit, this deceitfulness rises up to be judged. This deceitfulness is so great it even darkens the light from above.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Those who believe in the rapture have hung their hat on the above passage. The carnal nature of man want to externalize the truth of this passage and assign a physical departure from earth just in time before the earth gets destroyed by judgment. It assumes that FATHER is not great enough to resolve the issues of mankind and intervene in the affairs of men. They have no problem with FATHER physically blasting away Sodom and Gomorrah but don’t think HE can resolve today’s unrighteousness. The CREATOR of the universe is not so limited as to find it necessary to disintegrate this earth in order to start over. In the Old Testament, death and destruction are metaphors for conversion and transformation in the New Testament.
We will meet the Lord in the air by having our understanding enlightened. Put away your anti-gravity shoes, we’re staying here to minister life to all mankind. All of the end-time prophets were unburdened with the truth and reality. Their predictions kept missing the mark over the years. “But wait!” they would proclaim. They forgot one detail or another in their pontificating. The fact is if they really heard FATHER, every word would come to pass.
The deception of the heart keeps our understanding darkened like the smoke arising out of the furnace. The air is where understanding occurs. Could this be why the Book of Love (Revelation) has been so misunderstood for centuries? Could it be that we are finally unlocking the true revelation of Jesus Christ which has been in plain sight all this time?
Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
The devil would keep all our thoughts in captivity if possible. But thankfully, Jesus took the keys of death and Hades and has the power and authority over this “prince of the air” in our lives. We were once sons of disobedience, vessels of dishonor, but now we are being redeemed by the One who has the Key of Love. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul urged us:
20 Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.
As our understanding is enlightened, the air will dissipate the smoke arising from the deceitful heart. As the heart is purified, we will see the Sun of righteousness and no longer submit to the prince of the air but instead the King of Kings. Jesus will clear the air originating from the darkness of our bottomless pit. He will release and clear out the smoke from that burning furnace some call hell. The deceitful and darkened heart is surely hell on earth for out of it can come no good thing. As we get cleaned out in our progression through the seven trumpets (specific Words) toward the fullness of Spiritual maturity, we can fully understand the words of Paul in Ephesians 1:
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
Jesus is clearing the way for the full revelation of HIM being manifested in us as sons so that we will be fully equipped to rule and reign on this earth. Once our bottomless pit is cleaned out and we are emptied, we will then meet him in the air and will always by with Him in spirit and understanding.
This smoke arose as though it was from a great furnace but none is found in the bottomless pit. It was a deception. Deception has no real power behind it, only a perception of power. People living their lives in an illusion will one day come to the stark reality of the emptiness of their life. Their carnal understanding will be revealed by the light of HIS Glory. It will be like the noonday sun where no shadow is cast and there is no longer any darkness of understanding. The Sons are called to the greater works where they will don the white robes of righteousness and function as priests according to the Order of Melchizedek. Our spiritual darkness must be first removed in order for us to provide light to others. This light will spread the truly good news of Jesus Christ, the Initiator of the restoration of all mankind and the eternity of hell doctrine will have no place once their understanding is enlightened and the smoke is cleared away.