I wanted this particular “Evening Meditation” class to be the “lead-in” to the blowing (sounding) of those terrible Trumpets of judgment yet to echo over the world.

“1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”

Seven angels …

I think NOT these are the angels of the seven Churches!

(Do not mix the Church and the world or the Church and the Jew!)

1 Corinthians 10:32 … Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God.

We must rightly divide the Word of Truth!

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One reason I now suspect (teachers learn too) that Michael may be just one of God’s archangels …

Daniel 10:13 … But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

In fact, before Satan fell from Heaven, actually was expelled due to rebellion (Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28) …

Ezekiel 28:14 … Thou (Satan) art the anointed cherub that covereth (sakak = defendest); and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

He defended, covered, abode at the very Throne of God!

That’s archangel territory for sure!

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On “incense” as a picture of prayer …

Psalm 141:1-2 … LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Verse 3 which follows is also a great “tongue tamer” challenge, a powerful daily prayer to God …

Psalm 141:33 … Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

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There is a Temple in Heaven right now …

Exodus 25:40 … And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.

(The earthly tabernacle was constructed after the patters of the heavenly tabernacle/temple!)

Hebrews 8:5 … Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Revelation 7:15 … Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

But there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem, in the glorious Heavenly City to come …

Revelation 21:22 … And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

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These are just some “jottings” I did not have time to include in the video class. Now, watch that if possible …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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This “great crowd” consists primarily of Gentiles, not Jews only as were the 144,000 of last lesson.

Matthew 24:14 is being fulfilled …

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

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I did not have time to include the following information about the “palm” tree and its branches … copied from my unedited notes!

They can grow up to 200 feet high!

Can live more than a century, Song of Solomon 7:7!

Thrive when bathed in water!

Come (sago palm) in diminutive sizes! Love the shade! Must be pruned! Bear fruit, dates for example!

The older it gets, the sweeter the fruit as well!

Large seeds, 60 pounds in weight and 20 inches in diameter!

Symbols of victory in Scripture!

Linked to oases in the Bible …

Exodus 15:27 … And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.

Associated with Feast of Tabernacles …

Leviticus 23:40 … And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days.

Psalm 92:12 … The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psalm 92:14 … They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.

Jeremiah 10:5 … They are upright as the palm tree.

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I want to learn this verse. The “noise” of Heaven … “praise!”

What a sound!

Psalm 89:15 … Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

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This is neat as well …

Verse 17 … the Jesus the Lamb is now Jesus the Shepherd!        

The Good Shepherd … Psalm 22 … Which looks to the Past, to the Cross!

John 10:11 … I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

The Great Shepherd … Psalm 23 … Which looks to the Present, to Still waters and green pastures!

Hebrews 13:20 … Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant …

The Chief Shepherd … Psalm 24 … Which looks to the Future!

1 Peter 5:4 … And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

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I did not give this specific Reference during class …

New Jerusalem … Revelation 21:22-25 … And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

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Watch the video if you can …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Our Text …

“1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”

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We often hear of the “Ten lost Tribes” of Israel. Well, God has found them! And is preparing them, Tribe by Tribe, to witness for Him during the Tribulation! All the mentioned Tribes except Judah and Benjamin are from that (so-called “lost”) northern Kingdom of Israel.

Do not fall for the false doctrine sometimes called British-Israelism. It wrongly suggests that the Anglo-Saxon people are true Israelites! That is NOT the case! God’s people the Jews are descendants from Abraham through Isaac.

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As we mentioned in Class … the Tribe of Dan was totally omitted from this list! Because of sin …

Amos 8:14 … They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again. (Idolatry in the Tribe of Dan!)

Judges 18:30-31 …  And the children of Dan set up the graven image: and Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. (More proof!)

But now let me show you an example of God’s inexplicable Grace …

During the Millennium, Dan is clearly restored to full status as a Tribe of Israel and is given an inheritance!

Ezekiel 48:2, a Millennial Passage, says so … “And by the border of Dan, from the east side unto the west side, a portion for Asher.”

Wow!

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There is no mention of Joseph’s Son Ephraim either! (Joseph’s other son, Manasseh, is mentioned!) Apparently the omission is for the very same reason …

Isaiah 7:17 … The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

Hosea 4:17 … Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

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I also failed to give this data about Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, who was demoted on the list …

Genesis 35:22 … And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it.

Immorality!

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In class I called Revelation chapter 7 “parenthetical,” an “aside” to explain certain necessary concepts or events for us to grasp.

There are at least three such “interludes” in Revelation …

Here in Chapter 7, all 17 verses! (The 144,000 Preachers and their martyred converts!)

Revelation 10:1 through 11:13! (The Two Witnesses!)

Revelation 12:1 through 14:20! (The Dragon and the Two Beasts!)

Very helpful information!

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A few other little nuggets ought to be mentioned, but I will just wait and insert them in the next video lesson or two.

Now, may I invite you to watch the whole class?

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Actually, in our most recent class I was able to share all my prepared notes, an unusual occurrence!

So, I thought I might share this …

Recently I read the “crux” of this thought in a book I had heard. Yes, an audio book, godly and Christian in nature.

Look at this Psalmist’s (Moses by name) prayer to our Lord …

“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” the very wise request from Psalm 90:12.

Paul, in similar manner, wants us to “Redeem our time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16 and Colossians 4:5)

Another way of wording this maxim … “Make every day count!”

In other words … “Be aware than none of us is immortal. Count every day a blessing. tomorrow may never arrive!”

Yes, Lord … help us to number our days.

That little Hebrew verb “to number” is spelled “manah.” It is used 47 times in the Old Testament. And 14 of those occurrences it is translated “number,” in the King James Version anyway.

But … in the little Book of Jonah “manah” appears again (though only 4 times) with this meaning … “to prepare.”

Jonah 1:17 … Now the LORD had prepared (manah) a great fish to swallow up Jonah.

God also prepared (manah) other things in Jonah! A gourd in 4:6, a worm (tola) in 4:7 and a storm, a violent east wind in Jonah 4:8!

Wow!

Therefore, I am not only to count my days for the Lord. Living each hour as if it could be my last! I have now learned I am to prepare each day as well. Prepare it for godly conversation, for godly companionship, for Bible study and reading, etc.

This is enlightening and thrilling in some ways. Here is God’s Word teaching me how to live “right” day after day! Pleasing the Lord in all I do!

One verb, two meanings, both applicable to the growing Christian’s life!

So now, the Lord willing, let’s all …

… number our days and prepare our minutes and hours as well!

Wow, Amen …

Now, here’s the video class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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