"The Secret of GOD," as revealed by John in the Revelation of Christ, between the chapter notes of chapter 16-1, with a renewed mind and our victory as foretold.

We are now looking at the authors notes on "The Brazen Altar," as seen from the eyes and understanding of the Redeemed mindset. Who receive the light spoken so often in Scripture but remains little understood and misused or applied in the religious community. For us of the Galatians 2:20 inspiration, we know like few do these days the distinction between them.

Revelation 16:1 "And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." (KJV)

Revelation 16:1 "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." (ESV)

Revelation 16:1 "Then I heard the sound of a loud voice coming out of the inner shrine, commanding the seven Shepherd-Messengers to pour out upon the earth the weight of the passion of GOD which had been loaded onto the golden fire-pans they received from the brazen altar of sacrifice." (A golden "fire-pan" was used for the purpose of carrying fire, in order to burn incense on the day of Atonement once a year in the ultimate place of worship. Rev. 8:3, This was a preparation peculiar to the day of expiation (to explain in great detail). "On other days it was the custom of the priests to take fire from the brazen altar (each in his family order, this once each, as was the ranking system of Levites, the office held by their high priest, this being his duty.) in a silver censer, but on the great Day of Atonement the high priest took the fire from the great altar in a golden censer; and when he was come down from the great altar, he took incense from one of the priests, who brought it to him, and went with it to the golden altar; And while he offered the incense the people prayed without in silence." Quote take from the writings of Sir Isaac Newton.

The source of every reference to fire in the Book of Revelation would always be from the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice, symbolizing the Cross where the Lamb of GOD died humanity's death in judgment. See the extended note on the Lake of Fire at the end of chapter 19.

In each of these plagues we have a graphic picture of the extent of the Lamb's suffering - wounded by humanity's plagues - see Isaiah 53.

There is a likeness between the seven trumpets and the seven vessels in some things, especially in the first four; For as the first four trumpets affect the earth, the sea, the fountains, and rivers of water, and the sun, so the first four vessels are poured out on the same, and that in the same order. Earth and sea represent mankind's natural life and habitat, sustained by water and sunlight.

There is in many of these vessels an allusion to the plagues of Egypt; In the first, Rev. 16:2 to the plague of boils, Ex. 9:8 in the second and third, Rev. 16:3 to that of turning the waters of Egypt into blood, Ex. 7:19 in the fourth, Rev. 16:10 to the darkness that was over all the land of Egypt, Ex. 10:21 and in the fifth there is a manifest reference to the frogs that distressed the Egyptians, Ex. 8:5 and in the seventh, to the plague of hail, Ex. 9:23 and they have much the same effect, even the hardening of those on whom they fell, being far from being brought to a change of heart by them, Rev. 16:9.

Again and again, the obstinate slave-mindset of the earth-dwellers are addressed in graphic judgment imagery, in order to overcome and persuade every single individual to awaken them out of their slumbering to see the triumph of the Lamb on their behalf! The coals from the brazen altar, then the altar of incense and worship at the torn veil, gives new context to everything! The symbolic vessels contains the interpretation and implication of the sacrificed Lamb. as in Isaiah 52:10, "The LORD has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of GOD." Isaiah 52:14-15, "Just as many were astonished at You - so was he marred in His appearance, more than any human and His form beyond that of human semblance ---so will He startle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him; For what had not been told them, they will see and what they had heard, they will understand."

Yet, initially, we, of humanity, esteemed Him not! He had no form or comeliness that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. we thought He was stricken by GOD! Not realizing that in the drama of the ages, the Son of GOD presented Himself as humanity's scapegoat to be butchered by His own creation! Isaiah 53:3-8, 10 He was despised and rejected by His own people; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with our grief; And as one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by GOD, and afflicted. (See verse 10 in the Septuagint! No! It did not "please the LORD to bruise Him!" The LORD desires to cleans His wounds - and in the offeering of His life as sacrifice he shall see His seed afar off! See verse 11 - the joy that is set before Him! The offspring is the fruit of the travail of His soul! Heb. 12:2, for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame!) But He was wounded by our transgressions, He was bruised by our iniquities; Upon His was the chastisement that made us whole, and by His stripes we are healed! all we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned every one to his own way; And Jaweh gave Him for our sins. (The Septuagint renders it, The LORD gave Him for our sins. See Rom. 4:25 - He was handed over because of our sins - he was raised because of our Redeemed innocence!) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not His mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken by the transgression of My people? He was not bruised by GOD, but by the very humanity he was about to Redeem! You may ask, "But what about Isaiah 53:10?" [It pleased the LORD to "crush" Him!] Translators of the New Revised Standard version say in their footnotes to this verse: "Meaning of Hebrew uncertain." The Septuagint [Greek version] of this verse, written 200 years before Jesus, by 70 Hebrew and Greek scholars [with access to much older manuscripts than what we have today;] have rendered the Hebrew text as follows. "The LORD desires to cleans His wounds!" The word, plege means a wound. [The Septuagint is 1000 years older than the Masoretic text from which our OT is translated!]" (the Mirror, with editing.)

May the LORD raise our understanding of the hidden things that are His. Our next visit will bring us to the notes on "Armageddon," a word that bring fear within the hearts of many.