A R C H I V E S Click for links to all prior posts P I N G   L I S T Typical posting frequency is five or six threads weekly To receive new-posting alerts, either request below or FRmail me

Feel free to comment below. No expertise is needed, either in Scripture or in art— so please jump right in! A FRIENDLY FORUM

THE FOURTH ANGEL sounded his trumpet, and A THIRD OF THE SUN was struck, A THIRD OF THE MOON, and A THIRD OF THE STARS, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.THE FOURTH ANGEL sounded his trumpet, and A THIRD OF THE SUN was struck, A THIRD OF THE MOON, and A THIRD OF THE STARS, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

That is exactly what would happen if a large, house sized asteroid was to strike on land, but not the sea.

Glorious stained glass windows and the fresco at #4.
Thank you, Dan.

Noted this before - shame for the ancient mindset that angels have wings......takes away from the truth of the narrative.

Nowhere in the Bible are angels said to have wings. Other creatures - yes. Angels - no.

I’m just a stickler for “not going beyond what is written”. Almost always inserts man and flesh and adds error to truth.

Flame away.

And it exactly will happen.

Thanks, Alba. I’m happy when you’re happy.

It is amazing how exact the description is, coming from a supposed uneducated hermit living/hiding in a cave on Patmos....................

This is when the REAL fun begins.

Monster movies don’t hold a candle to the terror and horror that’s coming next - flying horse-scorpion-monsters, so unimaginably frightening that people will want to die but can’t (Rev. 9:6), followed by 200 million flying horse-like monsters who grant their wish to die and kill 1/3 of the earth’s population (Rev. 9:18).

1/4 of the earth’s population were previously killed by the time the four horsemen were done (Rev. 6:8). Now after this Monster Mash, another 1/3 of the earth’s population is dead. That’s a total of 1/2 the earth’s population dead in the first half (Jesus called “The Beginning of Sorrows” (Matt 24:8)) of the seven-year tribulation - and the worst is yet to come. Interesting how demonic terror are seen as horses and horse-like creatures.

Again, thank the Lord for our wonderful salvation (we’ll be watching from Heaven’s Mezzanine) and our not being appointed to this astonishing seven years of the wrath of the Lamb (1 Thess. 5:9).

And, again, when it’s the Lord’s turn, He and we will ride white horses to destroy the beast and his evil minions. Here, God’s vengeance on wickedness rides on hoses, but these are White, Heavenly Horses. Horses seem to symbolize battle and death, especially in Revelation.

How ‘bout the two cherubim with wings on the Ark of the Covenant?

No flames: you make a reasonable point--if somewhat cantankerously, LOL.

Physical descriptions of angels in the Bible are scant. We do have winged creatures around God's throne, which artists have taken as normative for heavenly beings.

It boils down, I suggest, to artists needing some way to differentiate in their works between angels and humans, with wings readily serving that purpose.

If you had an opportunity to consider your otherwise excellent essay at length before posting, do you suppose you might want to substitute another word for “fun” in its first phrase? Perhaps “action” or “drama” or “climax”, or even a phrase like “rubber meets the road”?

Good Morning Dan, and glad day to all.

The story of future events continue... awesome and terrifying each of them.
What is ‘wormwood’ and the resulting ‘bitter waters’ ?

Glad to see the many comments and ideas.

Thank You Dan!

What is ‘wormwood’ and the resulting ‘bitter waters’ ?

I'm not planning to linger here in order to find out.

Well, I’m a tongue-in-cheek kind of guy. You run though a lot of emotions when you’re watching a “drama” or “action” movie. Often, the anticipation is of fun. Remember these are God’s righteous judgements on those who have refused him and have themselves caused or consented to the deaths of many innocent babies and people who belong to God (2 Thess. 1:6-10).

Is it your position, tongue-in-cheek or otherwise, in real life as opposed to a movie, that God takes pleasure in doling out well-deserved punishment, thereby granting us justification for emulating Him?

Oh my gosh. I didn’t mean anything by it. Off the cuff. Nothing.

God takes pleasure in righteous judgment, but doesn’t want any to perish. However, the unrepentant, as here, do perish and God will take pleasure in exercising righteous judgment of such although he does not want any to perish.

Hey, don’t take everything too seriously. It’s OK.

Thanks for clarifying, Jim. There are indeed Christians who take overt pleasure in the deserved punishment and suffering of sinners, a bastardization of God’s pleasure in the justified imposition of His righteous wrath.

Albrecht Durer (#38) has appeared frequently lately...I don't think there are many artists who supersede him in detail!
Wowsa!

Yes, his works are chock-full.