From the river to the sea:

"When we're looking at the 'bottomless pit' in the Book of Revelation, we're looking at the most center; the lowest, deepest heart of all this torment, this judgment, and when we get to Revelation these creatures are being let loose and it's just horrendous stuff.

"Trumpet No. 5, you've got these locusts coming out. Trumpet No. 6, there's 200 million horsemen out there as an army, which means they're engaging in battle with some forces upon the earth. The four fallen angels, they're coming out of the river Euphrates," explains Alex Kurz.

"When the depths of hell are described, it's rather interesting that the word 'deep' is used and Scripture uses that word in reference to water. These fallen angels are released from the river Euphrates and there's something interesting going on there because in Jeremiah that river's going to get dried up. So, there's something happening with those 2000 million horsemen that come out as well.

"Remember with Pharoah and his army and the chariots and so forth, and God opened the Red Sea--you know the Egyptian army was so terrified, but they were ordered to pursue Israel and we know what God does with the Red Sea, consuming the Egyptian army. Satan is Leviathan; he's in the sea.

"There are in psalms some passages that describe the experience of the wicked that are actually descending into the lower parts of the earth. There is very descriptive language that's used describing that experience.

"Jonah 2, in the first 6-7 verses, describes the experience of going to hell and he talks about the waters. Not just physical water, but there are spiritual waters that are consuming.

"Psalm 69 is actually the Lord Jesus Christ describing His experience: [1] Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.

[2] I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
[3] I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.

"Can you imagine a lost person who steps out of that physical body and starts to sink? What do you do when you're sinking? Can you imagine the mire; can you hold onto mire? There's nothing to latch onto, but you're sinking. The Lord Jesus is sinking through the muck and the mire; He's descending. Can you imagine the terror of no footing whatsoever?

"Look at verse 4: [4] They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

"You see, this is the Lord Jesus from John 14. This is the Lord Jesus who is actually experiencing the death of a lost person; the death of the wicked consigned to the lower parts of hell.

[13] But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.
[14] Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
[15] Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.

"We can appreciate what Jesus is experiencing for each and every one of us, and you know there aren't any friends down there. The verse says 'from them that hate me.' There's a welcoming party down there.

" 'Don't let the deep swallow me up. Don't let the pit shut her mouth upon me.' This is amazing stuff but praise God for verse 16: [16] Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Verse 18: [18] Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

"Redeem it from what? From the pit; from the attempt. Don't get me wrong; He's not there, but there is this attempt. Death and the soul, but as we understand, 'Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell.' "

*****

II Chronicles 5:12: [12] Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)

"Asaph was not just a song writer; he was a seer and in your Bible a seer is a prophet," explains Richard Jordan. "Someone who can SEE and foretell the future. When you have the words by him, they're not just psalms, but they're oftentimes telling the future.

"I Chronicles 25:1 is about some of his family: [1] Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:

"Here's Asaph's boys. So when they're writing the things, they're prophesying . . . When you read the psalms of Asaph, you're not just reading psalms, prayers and songs. The one's that are collected in Scripture are obviously there because they relate to everything else in the Bible and they're going to be prophetic.

"The first psalm Asaph wrote was Psalm 50. Now, you notice Psalm 73 and Psalm 83 are also psalms of Asaph. The reason that's important is the Book of Psalms is in five sections. Psalms 73 through 89 represent the third book of the psalms.

"If you look at Psalm 72:19, you see it says, 'Amen, and Amen,' and that's telling you it's the end of that second book of psalms. Psalm 41:13 says, [13] Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.

"Each time one of the collections of psalms ends, it ends with 'Amen, and Amen.' The reason that's important is the five books of psalms match the five mandates of the Davidic Covenant."

(new article tomorrow)