Servias Ministries Blog

Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”

The number four represents the four corners of the earth, then entire world.  The horns represent strength and a source of power:

Habakkuk 3:4  And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.

The golden altar of incense is described in Exodus 30 and it is “most Holy to the LORD”.  It is where the life-giving blood is applied for the atonement of sins.  It symbolizes the power of redemption for the entire world, not just a small minority with the rest burning in everlasting hell.  The voice came from this viewpoint of redemption and restoration where the power is hidden.  This altar is where the prayers of the saints emanate from.  The prayers, praise, and worship in the spiritual realm are key factors in bringing forth the word of release.

The Euphrates river was at the border or boundary of Babylon and it had to be crossed either to enter Babylon or to leave Babylon.  The name Babylon means “confusion (by mixing)”.  How appropriate that Babylon plays such an important role in the book of Revelation.  Men have been confused by the revelation of Jesus Christ by viewing it through carnal eyes that cannot behold spiritual truths.  Out of all the books of the Bible, this book has been one of confusion and mystery for generations.  The mysteries have been hidden from our understanding until the fullness of time.  The key to unlocking the mysteries in this book is Love.  Reading it from any other perspective only promotes fear, death, and destruction yet Jesus Christ brings forth life and more abundantly.  Life swallows up death and death cannot be overcome by any other manner.

The voice from the power of the golden altar calls for the release of the four angels who have been bound by the confusion in the world.  This great river separates the confusion of the carnal realm of Babylon from the inheritance of the Spiritual realm of the Promise Land.

Deuteronomy 1:6 “The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying: ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the mountains of the Amorites, to all the neighboring places in the plain, in the mountains and in the lowland, in the South and on the seacoast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—to give to them and their descendants after them.’

These four angels represent the Word to not only leave Babylon but to cross the borders of compromise and fully enter into the Promise Land.  Do not let the border or boundary of confusion impede your crossing over.  You cannot entertain the world’s trappings and fully embrace the inheritance on the other side.  Don’t look back!  We must be fully purged and processed thereby removing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at its roots.  Let only the tree of life prevail in our lives.

Why stand at the border and camp out?  Why look across at the fullness of the SPIRIT and be satisfied with a little fruit here and there.  Why walk sporadically in the SPIRIT when you can be fully apprehended and walk in the fullness?  The spirit of compromise would have you maintain a half-hearted walk between carnality and spirituality instead of being fully perfected IN HIM.  Let no your emotions dictate your path and press on to the high calling.  Don’t settle for anything less than your high calling!  Let us go on to perfection, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;

24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

There is a difference between revelation and possession.  The Promised Land has been revealed to those who have been called.  However those who are chosen are the ones determined to possess the land.  Those are the ones who “do” the Word and are not just hearers only.  Love is active and as you walk in Love you do and become the LIVING WORD.  You condemn not but instead you promote life to those you encounter.  Our inheritance is the fullness of CHRIST, not some piece of land in the Middle East.  It is found in the highest realm and Paul speaks of this inheritance beyond the border of the Euphrates in Ephesians chapter 1:

9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,

10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Let us receive the fullness of this message from the angels no longer being bound by confusion.

Revelation 9:11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

The number 911 is the emergency phone number in the U.S.  You dial 911 when some event occurs requiring an immediate response by first responders- police, fire, and/or ambulance services.  This number is certainly an attention getter.  In this writing, I will pose an unpopular view for the reader to consider but I am not seeking out a vote for “Mr. Popular”.  Instead, I only seek out a greater and deeper revelation of FATHER’S Divine Intent.  In order to do this we must look at the bigger picture.  If we do, we will surely blast away past doctrines and beliefs based on teachings that hung their hat on a handful of Scriptures taken out of context.  A narrow perspective is the enemy to understanding the big picture.

The entire book of Revelation is focused on Jesus Christ overcoming death and destruction.  It focuses on bringing forth a body known as the Elect, the Overcomers, or the Sons of GOD. Everything described in this book of Love is seen by John in the Spiritual realm.  Past interpretations have always focused on the external and the negative resulting in promoting fear among the masses.  Is this what Love does?

Who is king over the bottomless pit?  Who is this “angel” that has been described as Abaddon or Apollyon?  If you believe as I do that the bottomless pit refers to the depths of our heart and not some literal pit found in the physical earth, then you must consider that Abaddon (aka Apollyon) is none other than the King of Kings.  Jesus Christ is truly the only King in the book and has the keys of hell.  He has been given all authority even over death.  He is the conquering Christ who has the key to the bottomless pit and releases or exposes its contents to be dealt with once and for all.

The Hebrew name Abaddon means “destruction”.  The Greek name Apollyon means “destroyer”.  They are one and the same.  Fear would suggest to us that this angel is an adversary to our wellbeing.  I would suggest that if this book focuses on the internal maturing process rather than solely and external commentary of future events, the actions of this angel must ultimately be to our benefit.  The conquering Christ is an adversary to all His enemies.  Our Heavenly Father is an adversary to anyone who promotes lawlessness.  Consider the following Scripture:

Numbers 22:22  And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.  KJV

The word “adversary” in this passage is the Hebrew word satan:

1. adversary, one who withstands

   1. adversary (in general – personal or national)

2. superhuman adversary

   1. Satan (as noun)

This angel of the LORD was sent by FATHER on a mission to resist Balaam who had been hired to proclaim a curse on Israel.  This was after FATHER told Balaam to refrain from doing so.  An adversary is anyone who is against the current acceptable state of being.  If you go against the will of Our Heavenly Father then you are HIS adversary and HE is yours.  HE is an adversary to our carnal nature, HE resists the proud.

Who is able to release the locusts?  Who has this power to enter the depths of the bottomless pit with those keys?  Only Our Lord Jesus Christ has this power and authority, no one else.  Let’s go back to chapter one of the book and reread the words Jesus spoke to John:

16  He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

17  And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.

18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Satan has no power or authority over death, no keys to the bottomless pit, and no ability to be omnipresent.  All of creation no matter what the realm is subject to Our Lord Jesus Christ and His power and authority.  He looses the bands of wickedness, He undoes the heavy burdens, and lets the oppressed go free.  Our bottomless pits must be cleaned out and He is just the One to do the job.  He is the Word of GOD made manifest thus:

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Our biggest adversary is in the mirror, not some being walking around with a pitchfork.  When Adam disjoined himself from walking with FATHER, death entered in.  Through Jesus Christ, death is removed.  Jesus has the keys to bring this to pass.  He is King over everything and everyone, even death.  Now let’s consider Revelation 20:

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Who is this angel?  Is it not the same “angel” of 9:11 with the same authority?  Jesus is the ONE who has power and authority to shut or open, not Satan.  Satan is the great deceiver and would have us believe that he has power and authority over us.  He would also have us believe that Jesus would not be called a “destroyer” or an “adversary”.  This is promoted by the fact that Jesus has only been associated with the right arm of Grace but not the left arm of judgment.  Judgment requires destruction of doctrines that are in opposition to the revelation of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was an adversary to the scribes and Pharisees.  He was an adversary to the moneychangers.  Love operates as a scale of equal weights and measures and the task of ruling and reigning requires both aspects in righteous balance.  Has the elect been somewhat deceived by focusing only on the external?  Has there been a misdirection away from the revelation of what it takes for the perfecting of the saints?  We must be willing to consider the higher levels of understanding that are adversarial to our current understanding, doctrine, and knowledge.  There are higher laws to embrace that nullify the effects of lower laws.  Jesus will deal with any deception found in our hearts no matter how deep they run.  He has the key to unlock and expose them.  Are you willing to let them go or will He become an adversary to you as well?  With this in mind, consider what Paul wrote:

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,

12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

FATHER, open the eyes of our understanding so that we may embrace the fullness of what you have called us to be.  Let nothing deceive us and draw us away from ascending to the fullness of Spiritual maturity and Love!

Revelation 9:7   The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.

8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth.

9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.

10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. (NKJV)

This fifth trumpet is the beginning of the three woes and necessitates greater focus.  In the above passage, the word “like” is used eight times and in the King James Version the word “as” is used interchangeably.  These locusts appear to have strength as horses but really don’t.  They are perceived to have divine authority (gold crowns) but neither is that the case.  In each description there is an implied power but it is only for appearance but not in truth.  These misrepresentations refer to the deceit and illusions of men and their various religious, social, economic, and political systems.  They would have you think they are tied directly to the Will of FATHER but indeed they arise out of the deceitful hearts of men.

Horses denote man’s earthly strength for battle.  These locusts represent men who operate under their own strength rather than trusting in the Living Word of FATHER.  They will often use the “legal” word from Scripture rather than its Divine Intent to support their actions.  They will make things happen under their own strength rather than to carry out FATHER’S Word.  “I can” is their rallying cry and their conversation always points back to “self”.

These locusts wear their crowns of something like gold whereas the overcomers cast their crowns of true gold before the throne.  These are counterfeit ministries that would have you believe they are personal representatives of Our Heavenly Father and you must follow them and their revelation in order to make it to Heaven.  The true overcomers learn to hear FATHER’S voice and follow only Jesus the Great Shepherd.

The locusts’ faces denote the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of men, not FATHER.  They are intelligent, witty, and convincing.  Their reasoning abilities allow them to provide superior arguments of logic and sound convincingly superior to anyone else.  You are led to believe that they must be divinely appointed to rule over you.

“Hair like a woman” expresses the beauty of the outward appearance often found in movie and television stars.  Their beauty implies they have a special anointing and the carnal nature exalts them above others.  Their looks or talent cause the average person to want to associate with them as though some of it will rub off on them.

Teeth as a lion promotes the notion that these people are able to devour their prey.  They are destructive to life and will attack anything that challenges them.  They will destroy you if you let them.  They will hinder your growth toward Spiritual maturity.

Breastplates as iron would have you believe they are indestructible.  They point to their past successes as proof that their way is THE way and any other path will result in failure.   They come across as guardians of the truth and may have some truth, also known as half-truths.  The other half is a lie but well hidden.

Those with wings are movers and shakers.  Their constant activities such as building programs, running here and there as though their actions are all ordained by FATHER in order to convince us of their special calling.  They will use such attention grabbers in an effort to focus our attention away from FATHER’S Voice and our own callings.  They are constantly “doing” rather than “being”.

The stinging tails “like a scorpion” denote the effects of the interaction with these locusts.  The sting represents deceit, lies, and focus resulting in false doctrines.  These false doctrines are designed to hurt men for five months.  This is the time where strong delusion comes forth in order to turn men away from FATHER’S call:  Many are called but few are chosen.  Jesus warned us of these locusts who would attempt to deceive us:

Mark 13:19   For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it.

22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

In Luke 21, Jesus is quoted as follows:

25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;

26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Men would have us believe their appearance of Divine support when in fact their carnal nature is the source of their apparent power and authority.  Their so-called anointing is conjured up and is convincing to those who do not have ears to hear the FATHER.  This is why I continue to urge the readers of this site to focus on hearing the FATHER for yourselves.  My responsibility is to encourage you to ascend to the higher levels of Spiritual understanding and revelation and to caution you concerning men’s cunning devices that would move you away from the mark.  I don’t have all the answers but I serve the ONE Who does.  Let us all ascend together to HIS high calling.  Let us set aside any weight that would hinder us from this high calling.  Let not the swarm of locusts arising out of the bottomless pit redirect our attention but instead let FATHER empty and remove anything that would prevent us from having a pure heart.  It is HIS good pleasure to bring us to full maturity! 

1 Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

​55 ​​“O Death, where is your sting?

​​O Hades, where is your victory?”

​56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 9:5   And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

6  In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

The locust were given no power over death but were only allow to “torment”.  This word torment is defined as:

1. to test (metals) by the touchstone, which is a black siliceous stone used to test the purity of gold or silver by the color of the streak produced on it by rubbing it with either metal

2. to question by applying torture

3. to torture

4. to vex with grievous pains (of body or mind), to torment

5. to be harassed, distressed

   1. of those who at sea are struggling with a head wind

The torment of the locusts is to try and test us as we move toward Spiritual maturity.  The touchstone was used to test the purity of gold (Divine nature) and without sufficient testing how can one be certain of their Spiritual state?  Adversity reveals the depth of maturity and until then you can only guess how mature one really is.  A friend of mine works that the State Testing facility for highway road materials.  They must put core samples through stress tests to verify their ability to withstand the stress of sustained heavy traffic.  They compare the core against a standard that has been established by the Department of Transportation when accepting a bid by a contractor.  This standard must be met in order for the contractor to fully satisfy the bid requirement and performance.  The aspiring overcomer must almost meet quality criteria and be stress tested.  How much pressure can you take?  Those with the mind of Christ are not moved by what the world dishes out.

1 Corinthians 2:14  But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.

16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?”  But we have the mind of Christ.

The power of the locusts centers around fear of loss and fear of the unknown.  These locusts want to consume everything of the earth which includes  health, happiness, material wealth, and anything else the carnal mind can think of as being fulfilling even if only of a temporary basis.  When Joshua was to confront the five kings of the Amorites, “the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.””

There is a time designated for the conquering of the enemies placed before as we ascend through the levels of Spiritual maturity.  We must conquer anything that is not of the Mind of Christ and we can be assured that trials and testing will come our way.  We must see the level of our maturity revealed by those events.  This will prepare us for those robes of righteousness.

The Mind of Christ is the seal on the forehead and with this seal, we no longer fear but have the assurance of Our Heavenly Father’s Love being greater than anything man can do to us.  We no longer fear the sting of death and no longer concern ourselves with the ways that lead to death and destruction but instead place our priority on responding to HIS Word.  We now walk by faith, not by sight.  Our hope is in the high calling of Love from Above.

The religious church would have us believe that GOD will wipe away 95% of all HIS creation because they just couldn’t get it together thus painting HIM as a mean, unrelenting taskmaster.  They would extract “tithe” money by heaping fear and guilt on your head until you have submitted to their demands.  “Your money for souls” might be their rallying cry but instead they simply wanted to build a bigger edifice to fit their ego.  How many building programs did Jesus contribute to?

Perfect Love casteth out all fear!  Hang your hat on 1 John 4:18.  This is a passage from the same disciple called to write the book of Revelation.  Do you see why John was called to write the first Gospel and the last Gospel (the book of Revelation)?  Both are books of good news but you must be able to have eyes to see the Spiritual Truths of the second book.  Only from the perspective of Love can you see the intent of the last book of the Bible.  It’s message of Love has been hidden from those with a carnal mind for centuries until such a time as this.  Only those who pursue a revelation of Love will this book’s mysteries be unlocked, opened, and revealed.  There is a time of testing but during this testing we are empowered by HIS Love:

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

Before you know it, the time of testing will be over and will be a distant memory!

Revelation 9:. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

The smoke represents the dark intent of of the heart, one of deceitfulness.  Arising and originating from the smoke is an army of locusts and they are the outward expression of this deceit coming from the bottomless pit.  Theses locusts represent governments, systems, ministries, businesses, organizations, and any other outward expression of man’s intent apart from the FATHER’S DIVINE INTENT.  These locusts ultimately lead toward death and destruction of life.  They have power associated with them to bring their intent to pass.

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

These systems of deceit are focused on men without the seal of GOD on their foreheads.  Without the mind of Christ, men are destined toward death and destruction by the very systems, governments, and religions put in place as the result of the lies arising out of deceitful hearts.  These systems are empowered by laws, traditions, manipulation, and control.  Greed has to be placed at the top of the list.  This evil will consume all men in its path except those with the seal.

5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.

6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

This manifested deceit arising out of the smoke is designed to torment the people like the sting of a scorpion.  The ignorance due to the lack of understanding, the mind being darkened by this smoke brings forth captivity, pain, and suffering.  Those with the seal are able to rise above this smoke of darkness and the results of the life-threatening locusts.  Seeing man’s intent manifested in governments, laws, religions, and any other vehicles used to manipulate and control, those who have been apprehended by Christ walk in the peace which surpasses all understanding.  They are not moved by man’s deceitful intent but see through their devices.  Attempting to heap fear and guilt on to their heads by those who in charge no longer has any impact for they have been given Divine revelation exposing their dark intent.  Jesus speaks of this Divine revelation in Luke 10:

17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Those with the seal have their names written in the book of Life and have the power over the scorpions arising out of the smoke.  They overcome the deceitfulness of the heart.  This deceit has stolen much blessing from those who Love the FATHER but they are given a promise in the 2nd chapter of the book of Joel:

23 ​​Be glad then, you children of Zion,

​​And rejoice in the LORD your God;

​​For He has given you the former rain faithfully,

​​And He will cause the rain to come down for you—

​​The former rain,

​​And the latter rain in the first month.

24 ​​The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,

​​And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

​25 ​​“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,

​​The crawling locust,

​​The consuming locust,

​​And the chewing locust.

​My great army which I sent among you.

26 ​​You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

​​And praise the name of the LORD your God,

​​Who has dealt wondrously with you;

​​And My people shall never be put to shame.

27 ​​Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:

​​I am the LORD your God

​​And there is no other.

​​My people shall never be put to shame.

FATHER is in the restoration business.  The deceitfulness of the heart brings forth regret but Our Heavenly Father restores us with hope and fruitfulness.  We are able to see the vanity of man’s systems, ideas, laws, and intent.  We now see the Divine Intent of Love of the FATHER in our lives.  Those trials and tests were to bring us forth to Spiritual maturity and redeem us from the futility of man’s religious traditions that produced no fruit in our lives.

The space of five months speaks of the age between Pentecost and Tabernacles, the second month and the seventh month.  This is the time of maturing from sanctification to glorification.  It refers to the wilderness where we learn to hear HIS Voice and be not moved by the outward elements but instead to rely on HIM to meet all our needs.  The former rain refers to the initial outpouring of the HOLY SPIRIT at Pentecost and the latter rain refers to the full anointing brought forth at Tabernacles where the full revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is manifested in the hearts of the called out ones, those who have been processed and ascended through the seven phases of spiritual maturity.  “As HE is so are we” will not only be a profession of faith but one of reality:

1 John 4:17  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

These locusts can no longer swarm, crawl, consume, or chew to strip away the life-giving leaves associated with our gifts and callings.  Leaves are designed to convert light to nourishment for the plant to ultimately produce fruit.  Without the leaves the fruit will rot and wither away.  Let not those religious, political, social, and/or economic systems suck the life out of us!  Let us see the works of the deceitful hearts of men so that we may be loosed from their captivity.  Let the locusts of deceit consume no more.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!

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.

The focus of the firth trumpet is the heart of man and Jesus Christ has the key to the problem.  A key is used to unlock something to be released.  After all, He did come to set the captives free.

In Jeremiah 17, FATHER makes an emphatic statement about our heart:

9 ​​“The heart is deceitful above all things,

​​And desperately wicked;

​​Who can know it?

10 ​​I, the LORD, search the heart,

​​I test the mind,

​​Even to give every man according to his ways,

​​According to the fruit of his doings.”

Only Our Heavenly Father knows what is in the depths of our hearts and thus HE is the only One who can truly deal with its contents.  HE gave His Son the power and authority to judge and deal with the bottomless pit where the gross impurities lie.  The roots of the Adamic nature are located here and must have an axe laid to those roots.  This surgery is an act of Love.  What is the result of this surgery?

Matthew 5:8  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

This is the location of “Intent” and our intent must be purified in order to qualify as Sons of Love.  Any motive other than pure Love must be removed so that righteous judgment can come forth from the Sons who have been give the rod of iron.  The Psalmist understood the importance of this as he penned in Psalm 51:

10 ​​Create in me a clean heart, O God,

​​And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 ​​Do not cast me away from Your presence,

​​And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

​12 ​​Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

​​And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

13 ​​Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

​​And sinners shall be converted to You.

The deception of the heart brought forth the Adamic nature and the exposure and removal of deception is what restores life in its fullness.  Eve who represents our soul was deceived by the serpent.  When Adam joined Eve in her deception, he became “disjoined” with FATHER in spirit.  The communion ceased and Adam began of process of dying.  Yes, the heart is deceitful above all things.  The Sons are to be joined to THE FATHER once again and the judgments of the trumpets are necessary for this process to come to fulfillment.  Death came by deception and life will come by dealing with and removing the deception and wickedness found in the bottomless pit of the heart.  Romans chapter 1 states this deceitful state quite clearly:

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

And in the book of Ephesians, Paul further states:

4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;

19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

The deceitful heart is the first thing to overcome and those who externalize the book of Revelation are being deceived into thinking there is no internal work to be done.  “Let’s call a spade a spade!”  All the past prophecies concerning the Book of Revelation did not come to pass and a multitude of excuses have been given to rationalize why those prophets missed it.  I say to you the deceitful heart will send you in any direction In order to protect that bottomless pit from being accessed by CHRIST.  Once we finally accept this reality, we are giving Christ access with HIS key to the innermost depths of our heart where all the secrets lie.  We must be emptied of self in order to be filled with HIM.  It is time to quit dancing around this gross deception and deal with the truth of the matter.  Quit looking elsewhere for some event to occur that would signal your redemption.  The heart is where the issue lies:

Hebrews 10:22  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Once we are finally willing to deal with the internal rather than the external, those of us with a pure heart SHALL SEE GOD!  What a sight to behold!  In 2 Timothy chapter 2, Paul redirects the focus to a pure heart:

22 Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

23 But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife.

24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Let us come to our senses and get back to the issue at hand- The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.  Now is the time to change.