Revelation 14:9-11
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the WINE of the WRATH Of GOD, which is poured out full strength into the CUP of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Crater is the second decan belonging to Leo. Just the name of this one gives me the creeps; and wait till you see the description of it. Yikes!
The Cup.
There are 13 stars that configure this constellation. In case you were not aware, “13,” in Bible numerics is the number of “Rebellion.” You see, there is nothing written in the Bible that is arbitrary, just to make the book thicker. EVERY word, EVERY story, EVERY number, EVERY name has a meaning and they all tell the story of One: Our Lord Jesus.
When the Holy Spirit mentions any number, sit up and pay close attention. He has important information to convey. If you are interested in a more complete discussion of numbers in the Bible and their meanings, you may follow the link below:
Crater is pictured as the same kind of ancient implement that was used for mixing wine. It is sitting on the back of the previous decan, “Hydra,” as if fastened to it. In fact, these two signs are so close together, it is said that the same stars are part of both.
The handles on either side of the cup are actually two serpents that are spewing something out of their mouths. This can be a description of none other than the Cup of God’s wrath about which the opening scripture is talking. The act of worshipping the beast and receiving his mark tell me you have a choice. If you choose to do those things then you get to drink out of the cup of God’s wrath, though it was only meant for the devil and his minions.
Right Side Of Judgment.
If anyone reading this is not sure on which side of Judgment you are, let me make it simple: Believer have nothing to fear because, just like Jesus, for you ALL JUDGMENT IS BEHIND YOU. But if you have not asked Jesus to be your substitute, in other words, to accept His drinking the cup of wrath in your stead, you are about to read what is in store for you and others like you.
As of this writing, the judgment spoken of is still future. The door of salvation is still wide open to whosoever believes in Jesus. John 3:16 still applies! God SO LOVED YOU that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus; that whosoever believes in Him SHALL NOT PERISH, but have ETERNAL life.
When man fell, he became a debtor to God. But it was a debt we could not pay. But God loved us so much that, instead of giving up on the human race and allowing us to be destroyed, He killed His Son instead of killing us. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe for us, who owed a debt we could not pay. He died as us, was raised as us, and when you believe in Him as your substitute, you are now of the company of the redeemed!
How can all this happen if God is Love?
No More “Salt.”
As I said, those who believe in Jesus have nothing to fear. Remember Argo? All who have put their trust in Christ are safely taken out of the way. But we won’t be the only ones missing. The Holy Spirit, the Restrainer, will also be taken out of the world.
You see, for the sake of the redeemed, evil has been kept at bay. Like salt that preserves food and keeps it from spoiling, so He and all believers are the “salt” in the world that keep it from being any worse than it is. But, after we are out of here, this cup will literally rain down judgment upon all the enemies of God, demonic and human alike.
The Church will be safe because God says we are “Not appointed to wrath,” (1Thessalonians 5:9) because Jesus drank our cup of judgment for us! There is nothing left over.
C’mon Church! Give Him all the praise and the glory due unto His Name!!! AMEN!!!
Wrath Poured Out.
Ask yourself: What is it that makes God angry? Some might say, “Sin.” Yes, it’s true that God hates sin because sin destroys. But that’s why He sent His Son: To take it out of the way. So, since sin (for now) is no longer being held against mankind, what is this wrath?
Remember why this kind of cup was used: For mixing “Wine.” Wine comes from grapes. To the Hebrews, the juice from grapes was often referred to as, “The Blood of grapes.” It is a typology of the blood of Jesus! After all Jesus suffered….WILLINGLY, mind you…..to redeem all of us, do you think He would be VERY ANGRY at anyone who slapped His nail-pierced hand away? You betcha He would!
You see, Jesus’ death was for all of us. But you must be on the right side of His death or else you are guilty of the blood of the Lord. Believe me: You don’t want His blood on your hands.
Anyone who thinks they would rather drink from the cup of wrath from which Jesus drank INSTEAD of accepting His “Drinking” on their behalf, be my guest. There’s only problem: The punishment NEVER ends.
Can you even wrap your head around a scene like the one described in the opening scripture? It’s incomprehensible! Now do you see why it’s critical that you say, “Yes,” to Jesus? This is no joke! It’s serious stuff with eternal consequences!
Free Will.
Folks, God is willing that NONE should perish. He doesn’t want anyone to go to hell. But He gave us all free will…..and He is a great Respector of that gift. That’s the rub. When He gives a gift, HE NEVER TAKES IT BACK. It’s yours, pitfalls and all. But you cannot say that you want to stick your hand in the fire and not get burned. If you choose fire, you also choose burn.
So, if you decide to slap Jesus’ hand away and not accept His selfless, loving sacrifice in your place, God will not stop you, even if it means the consequence of your choice sends you to eternal damnation. But make no mistake: Hell was never meant for man.
Jesus Himself talked more about this topic more than anyone else because He doesn’t want any of us to end up there. He died to prevent it. But like any gift, you’re free to either accept it…..or reject it. Salvation is neither universal nor automatic. Consider carefully.
For a more complete discussion of what Jesus talked about regarding Paradise and Hades, the link below may prove helpful:
Ancient Names For The Sign.
This sign was called “Al Ches: The Cup,” by both Jews and Arabs. It so named for the brightest star located on the right side of the cup, and the only star name bequeathed to us. It, along with the second in order of magnitude, both form the base of the cup, though the second star’s ancient name is not known.
Since no other names of either the sign or the other 12 stars have been passed down to us, let’s check once again with the oldest planisphere.
The Denderah.
The Egyptians of the temple at Denderah have quite a different take, as usual. They pictured this sign as a female figure wearing a fancy feather on her head. She is holding what appears to be either a cup or a vase in each hand. Underneath her are hieroglyphic characters that mean “Sent Forth or Poured Forth,” the connotation being, “Poured forth as water from a vase.”
The feather on her head may point to the fact that it is the angels that are given the task of pouring out the vials and bowls of judgment on the earth, spoken of by John in the passage below:
Revelation 7:1-3 “After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then 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 granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
In Conclusion.
The overall message is clear: There is a day of reckoning coming very soon. The door of salvation will slam shut, the Church and the Holy Spirit will be taken out of this world, and evil will have a field day.
But during this time, the enemies of God, both human and angelic, will feel the full weight of God’s wrath. Ultimately, we will see the devil destroyed along with all of his followers.
One more decan to go in this amazing story in the night sky. The process, begun with Crater, will be further advanced in the final piece of the story: Corvus, the Raven. You may follow the link below:
(Link is mis-numbered, please disregard.)
God bless each and every one of you who are following this series. My hope is that, in knowing about the REAL story, it will open doors for you to talk your friends and neighbors who have not yet met this wonderful Jesus!
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