Pastor Marc Bertrand

"The Sixth TRUMPET" Sixth trumpet This is the "second woe", where four angels are released from their binds in the "great river Euphrates". They command a force of two-hundred million mounted troops whose horses exude plagues of fire, smoke, and brimstone from their mouths. One-third of mankind will die! Woe! Woe to the earth! Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:13-14 John saw the sixth angel sound his trumpet and then he heard a voice (literally the text says “one voice”). The voice came from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God. The voice was speaking to the sixth angel who had the trumpet. It said, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” This is so very interesting… Revelation 8:3-5 referred to the g...

"Abaddon aka Apollyon Angel of the Bottomless Pit" In the New Testament Book of Revelation, an angel called Abaddon is described as the king of an army of locusts; his name is first transcribed in Greek (Revelation 9:11—"whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, The Angel of Death") as , and then translated ("which in Greek means the Destroyer" "Who or what is Abaddon/Apollyon?" Answer: The name Abaddon or Apollyon appears in Revelation 9:11: “They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.” In Hebrew, the name “Abaddon” means “place of destruction”; the Greek title “Apollyon” literally means “The Destroyer.” In Revelation 8–9, John describes a period during the end times when angels sound seven trumpets. Each trumpet signals the coming of a new judgment on the people of earth. When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, the Abyss, a great smoking pit, will open, and a horde of demonic “locusts” wil...

"What is the Annunciation?" The feast of the Annunciation marks the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he told her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. ... Humanity's willing acceptance of God's action in Mary's freely given acceptance of the task of being the Mother of Jesus. The word annunciation comes from a Latin word meaning “to bring news.”  The Latin Vulgate uses the phrase annuntiatio navitatis Christi (“the announcement of Christ’s birth”) to refer to the announcement made by the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary about the impending birth of Christ. The Annunciation brought news of the Incarnation. In Luke 1:26–39, Gabriel arrives at the home of a young Jewish girl named Mary, a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, to tell her that she would become pregnant by means of the Holy Spirit. When the baby was born, she was to call Him Jesus, a name that means “The Lord Is Salvation.” The angel also tells Mar...

"The Fifth TRUMPET " The Fifth Trumpet & First Woe. " The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. (Revelation 9: 1-2)" The last three trumpets are referred to as the three woes because they are extremely horrible. Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but ...

"The First TRUMPET" "What are the seven trumpets of Revelation?" The seven trumpets are described in Revelation 8:6–9:19 and 11:15–19. The seven trumpets are the “contents” of the seventh seal judgment, in that the seventh seal summons the angels who sound the trumpets (Revelation 8:1–5). The judgments heralded by the seven trumpets will take place during the tribulation period in the end times. The first trumpet. When the first angel sounds his trumpet, the world experiences “hail and fire mixed with blood” (Revelation 8:7). One third of the world’s trees are burned up in this plague, and all the grass is consumed. This judgment bears some similarities to the seventh plague in Egypt (see Exodus 9:23–24). The second trumpet. In heaven, a second angel sounds a trumpet. The result is that “something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea” (Revelation 8:8). A third of the sea turns to blood, a third of the ships sink, and a third of ocean life dies ...

"The Second TRUMPET" Revelation 8:8-9 The Second Trumpet Judgment. The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:8-9 That's a lot—just do the math on those fractions. The first trumpet sounded, and although death wasn’t mentioned, a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned, all the green grass was burned. Then the second trumpet sounded and something like a burning mountain was thrown into the sea. It wasn’t truly a mountain, but something like a mountain. Whatever it was though, it was huge and blazing. It was thrown, not onto the land, but into the sea. The first trumpet will cause destruction on the land, this second trumpet will cause similar devastation in the sea. Just how much devastation? One-third of the sea will become...

"The Third TRUMPET" The third trumpet: Revelation 8:10-11. Rev. 8:10-11 – The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. 11The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter (HCSB). This is the third of the first four trumpet judgments that affect natural objects, in this case fresh water, resulting in the death of many. The final three trumpet judgments, which we will address in later lessons, affect men’s lives with pain, death and hell. In this judgment, John sees “a great star, blazing like a torch,” falling from heaven and striking a third of the rivers and springs of water. This star is called Wormwood, which means absinthe, a bitter herb, and many die from drinking the water. Is this “star” an object from outer space – a meteorite, perhaps? Is it an angel or demon? A...

"The Forth TRUMPET" What does Revelation 8:12 To this point, three angels have sounded their trumpets, each resulting in horrible calamity on earth. Most of these seem to be focused on environmental issues: raining hail and fire, destruction of the sea, and poisoning of fresh waters. When the fourth angel blew his trumpet, stellar catastrophes occurred. A darkness covered a third of the sun, a th ird of the moon, and a third of the stars. A third of the naturally-occurring light was plunged into darkness. As was the case during the Exodus, these phenomena show God is in control of nature. The events described here would drastically affect crop growth, solar power, global climate, and energy use. Jesus predicted in Luke 21:25–26 that "there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the h...

"The Seventh Seal" "What are the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls (vials) in the Book of Revelation?" The seven seals (Revelation 6:1–17; 8:1–5), seven trumpets (Revelation 8:6–9:21; 11:15–19), and seven bowls/vials (Revelation 16:1–21) are three series of end-times judgments from God. The judgments get increasingly worse and more devastating as the end times progress. The seven seal s, trumpets, and bowls are connected to one another. The seventh seal introduces the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:1–5), and the seventh trumpet introduces the seven bowls (Revelation 11:15–19; 15:1–8). The seven seals include the appearance of the Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2), great warfare (Revelation 6:3–4), famine (Revelation 6:5–6), plague (Revelation 6:7–8), the martyrdom of believers in Christ (Revelation 6:9–11), a devastating earthquake causing terrible devastation, and astronomical upheaval (Revelation 6:12–14). Those who survive the six seals are right to cry out...

How will Satan's head be bruised? The Biblical prophecy of Genesis 3:15 seems to foretell that Satan's head will be bruised. It also says Eve's seed will have their heel wounded or bruised. What does all this symbolize? Answer: The verse in question, which twice mentions someone being bruised, prophetically refers to both Jesus Christ and Satan the devil. You ask a good question as to the symboli sm of each wound. Many Bible students, for years, have especially pondered the meaning of Satan's head being bruised. Genesis 3:15 is important because it is Scripture's first Messianic prophecy and its first recorded overall prophecy. The Bible verse you are asking about is, "And I will put enmity (hostility, hatred) between you and the woman, and between your seed (Satan the devil's spiritual offspring) and her Seed (her offspring); He will bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15, HBFV). The Hebrew word from which we get "bruise...

How rich were the Magi? How rich were the wise men, or Magi, who came to worship Jesus (Matthew 2:2)? Did they give enough money to support his ministry? The economic status of Jesus' family was anything but rich before his birth. This situation, however, would dramatically change with the appearance of the Magi (wise men). Before the Magi's arrival, Mary and Joseph could not afford much beyond the necessities of life given Joseph's job as a skilled craftsman or carpenter (Matthew 13:55). The family was not rich by any means but rather lived (in our modern terminology) from paycheck to paycheck. After the birth of our Savior, the family travels to Jerusalem's temple to present him before God and to give the required offering. Unable to afford the more costly offering of a one-year-old lamb and either a dove or pigeon (Leviticus 12:6) they give the fall less expensive two pigeons or doves (Leviticus 12:8, Luke 2:24). The appearance of the Magi, shortly after the family...

What is the beauty of the Lord? What is the beauty of the Lord? Who are the only two Biblical writers who wrote about it? The word "beauty" appears in only 49 verses in the King James Bible. Of those occurrences only two, Psalm 27:4 (written by King David) and 90:17 (originally composed by Moses and likely written down by priests who served during David's life) use the term "beauty of the Lord." One thing have I desired . . . to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple (Psalm 27:4, KJV) And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it (Psalm 90:17, KJV). King David never thought of the beauty of God as inconsequential, but as a valuable gem to be desired. He saw things in him that most people overlooked and still overlook today. Like a gemologist who looks beyond the outward appearance of a diamond or other stone to see the beauty that is inside, ...

Visions of the apocalypse. Timeline of the last days The phrase "the last days," as it relates to prophecy, occurs exactly seven times in the King James Bible. It occurs in Isaiah 2:2, Micah 4:1, Acts 2:17, 2Timothy 3:1, Hebrews 1:2, James 5:3 and 2Peter 3:3. Jesus directly discusses the last days and the events that both lead up to it and are in it in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The last days (also referred to as the End Time or the Great Tribulation) is a period of roughly 3 1/2 years or 42 months (Revelation 11:2 - 3) that will shortly come upon the entire earth. It will a time, just before Jesus' Second Coming, when the Beast and the False Prophet will rule the world through their counterfeit version of God's kingdom. The 42 months (1,260 days, see Revelation 11:3, 12:6) of the last or final period before Jesus return can further be divided into two relatively distinct pieces. The first piece is about two years (24 months) in length. The second or last piece, Biblica...

WHAT DO YOU THINK? We have all sinned and deserve God's judgment. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Jesus, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He died for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was buried, and rose from the dead according to the Bible. If you truly believe and trust t his in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your Savior, declaring, "Jesus is Lord," you will be saved from judgment and spend eternity with God in heaven. What is your response? Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus I still have questions

What is the key to understanding Revelation? What is the key to understanding the prophetic book of Revelation?. Some believe the Bible's last prophetic book is closed, meaning no one as yet can understand it. We find, however, a key verse which refutes this claim which states, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants the things that are ordained to come to  pass shortly" (Revelation 1:1, HBFV). The Father gave to Jesus something to reveal, a key not to hide. In the book's last chapter God reiterates that his words were given to reveal and not to be sealed (Revelation 22:10)! The key to understanding is the mysterious book of Revelation is comprehending its story flow. The theme of the book is the events leading up to the Jesus' second coming. The book's second and third chapters contain vital warnings to the seven churches that existed in Asia Minor in the first century A.D. Many believe these churches represent Christi...

What Does Paul Say About the Resurrection of Jesus Paul covers many questions, topics, and occurrences throughout his letters. Paul deals with the resurrection of Jesus, because there were those who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Paul discusses the resurrection of Jesus on the heals of dealing with other questions and problems the Corinthian church was having. Paul starts out i n 1 Corinthians 15 by reminding them that Jesus did die and was raised from the dead for the salvation of man. This is the foundation of the gospel. Next Paul states that there were witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus, not only by His disciples but by more than 500 people. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians approximately 20 years after Jesus' death and resurrection. It would be very hard to argue or dispute that many credible witnesses. Paul begins his discourse on the resurrection of Jesus by stating that salvation is not possible without Jesus' resurrection, and those who were preaching thi...

"Christ feeding the Multitude" "What can we learn from Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000?" Aside from the resurrection, the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Obviously, the Gospel writers considered this a significant miracle. When Christ fed the masses that day, He began with only “five barley loaves and two fish,” borrowed from a boy’s lunch (John 6: 9). To feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish is indeed miraculous, but the Greek term used in Matthew 14:21 specifies males, and Matthew further emphasizes the point by adding, “Besides women and children.” Many Bible scholars believe the actual number fed that day could have been 15,000—20,000 people. Jesus’ disciples had wanted to send the people away because evening was approaching and they were in a remote place (Matthew 14:15). They knew the people needed to reach surrounding villages soon to buy food, find lodging, etc., or they would likely go hungry (Mark ...