General Service in Malang, August 04, 2019 (Sunday Morning)

Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 9:13-21 is about the sixth trumpet or the sixth condemnation of Son of God to men in the earth, so a third of mankind will die and perish in hell because of the great war.

Revelation 9:16-19
9:16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.
9:17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.
9:18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed--by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.
9:19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm
.

It is called a great war because of the following things:
  1. The number of the army of the horsemen is two hundred million.
  2. The victims are a third of mankind in the world.
The armies of the horsemen wear colorful breastplates which cannot be destroyed by the weapon of men, but only God's
The fire, smoke, and brimstone come out from the mouth of the horse. Those are the weapon which are used in the great war.
  1. The fire.
    Physically, it was used in the first world war. Spiritually, it refers to the tongue which is ruled by the trinity of Satan to kill the body, soul, and spirit of men.

  2. The smoke.
    Physically, the smoke or the atomic bomb and nuclear were used in the second world war.

  3. The brimstone.
    Physically, it is the biologic weapon which will be used in the third world war.
ad. 2. The smoke.
If the atomic bomb explodes, it will produce smoke like the furnace which goes up to the heaven and makes the death of men. But, Satan is not satisfied if he only kills the body of men. He wants to kill the body, soul, and spirit until they perish forever in hell through the spiritual smoke.

Revelation 9:2-5
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.
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.
9:4 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.
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.

The spiritual smoke refers to the sting of death.

1 Corinthians 15:56
15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

The sting of death is sin.

How small the sin is, if one keeps and hides it, it will increase and culminate to the peak, namely the sins of eating-drinking such as smoking, getting drunk, and drugs abuse and the sins of marrying-being given in marriage such as adultery between man and woman who are not legal spouse, homosexuality, lesbianism, sexuality to own self, mixed-marriage, divorce-remarrying, et cetera. The sin will go up high to the presence of God until it explodes and the condemnation of God to men happens.

On the contrary, how big the sin is, if one can confess it to God and other people, the blood of Jesus is able to stop the speed of sins. The blood of God is able to justify and sanctify us.

The matter of sin goes up high to the presence of God, so it bursts to be the condemnation of God has happened in the age of Noah and Lot. It will happen again on the last days.

At Nineveh, there was sins up to the peak which went up high to the presence of God, but the explosion of the condemnation of God did not happen.
Jonah 1:1-2
1:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
1:2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me."


Jonah 3:8
3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.

Genesis 6:11-12
6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  
6:12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth
.

The sins of Nineveh were the same as the ones in the age of Noah, namely the wickedness and violence, so the life of men was corrupt. The men fell in sins of eating-drinking, marrying-being given in marriage, and lie.

Nahum 3:1
3:1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs.

Why did Niniveh do the sins which went up high?
Jonah 4:11
4:11 "And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left--and much livestock?"

The people of Nineveh did the sins because they could not discern between their right hand and their left. It means that their spirituality was like a child who did not grow. It the same as not experiencing the spiritual growth to the spiritual maturity.
Why? Because they only drank the milk, not the solid food. It means that they were happy in hearing the gospel word, but did not continue to the true teaching word.

A shepherd must feed the congregation doubly, namely with gospel word to new people and the true teaching word to the people who have been saved to make them grow in spirituality.

The fact found in one who cannot discern between the right hand and his left is that he cannot discern between the true teaching word, service and ministry, and marriage, until everything and the wrong ones, whether they are sinful or not.

Actually, the sins of Nineveh have come up to the presence of God and would have been condemned.

Jonah 1:2
1:2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me."

Jonah 3:4
3:4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried outand said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

Before condemning Nineveh, God sent Jonah there.
Now, in the last days, He sends us to help many people.

He commanded Jonah to cry out with a loud voice.

Matthew 25:6
25:6 "And at midnight acrywas heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'!

At midnight, approaching the second coming of Jesus where the sins up to the peak have raised up, the only word of God which must be cried out is "the Bride Tidings".
The Bride Tidings or the true teaching word which is sharper than any two-edged sword preaches the second coming of Jesus as the King of all kings and the heavenly Bridegroom to sanctify and perfect us. So, we become the heavenly bride who is ready to welcome His second coming on the glorious clouds.

The functions of the Bride Tidings are as follows:

Jonah 3:3-9

3:3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent.
3:4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.
3:6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.
3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water.
3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and
cry mightilyto God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?


If we hear God when He speaks, He will hear us when we cry out.
The attitudes of the king and the people of Nineveh or one who is mature in spirituality are as follows:
  1. Receiving, hearing, and obeying the preaching of the teaching word although it is hard and hurts the flesh.
    Hebrews 5:14
    5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

    We experience the sanctification to the five senses or heart, so we can differentiate between the right thing and the wrong one. We can live in righteousness and choose the right things.

  2. Fighting, namely fasting and praying as well as doing All Night-Long Prayer like the ones which have been exemplified by Jesus.
    Numbers 1:2-3
    1:2 "Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male individually.
    1:3 "from twenty years old and above -- all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies
    .

    Praying and fasting make our heart gentle, so we can repent and confess that we are only dust and have many weaknesses and mistakes. We can confess our sins to God and other people. After being forgiven, do not do the sins anymore.

    Matthew 6:17
    6:17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

    Praying and fasting refer to giving the wide opportunity for Holy Spirit to sanctify our heart and mind.

    Jonah 3:9-10
    3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
    3:10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it
    .

    Praying and fasting also make the heart of God gentle so that He has mercy not to condemns us, but forgive and help us.
In the age of Jonah, God sent him. Now, He sends us to preach the Good News and the Bride Tidings to the family, other people, and the Israelites.

We must be watchful, because there is a negative attitude, namely egoism or self-interest.
The facts found in it are as follows:
Jonah did not have love to God and other people. He was without love or the two tablets of stone.

Matthew 18:6
18:6 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea..

Consequently, he became the stumbling block which was drowned in the depth of the sea.

Jonah 1:17
1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:1-2
2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly.
2:2 And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice
.

His life was in weariness, heavy-burden, tears, atmosphere of fear, worry, and stress.
His life was in the darkness. It means that there was no future life or he was in total failure and sins up to the peak.

Revelation 18:21
18:21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.

Jonah 4:2
4:2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.

But, God is full of mercy and slow to anger. He watches, cares, and struggles to lift us up from the drowning.
"After three days" refers to the sacrifice of Christ or the power of His death and resurrection, Jonah was lifted up from the drowning.
The proofs are as follows:
God will struggle to stretch His hand to lift us up from the drowning. It means as follows:
God blesses you.