In each blog, I often reference many different topics that I've already covered (or will soon cover), and maybe you've missed. Please review my blogs to read more...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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In Part 1 we covered the first four seals of the four horsemen and established their purpose... to cause all to worship Antichrist and warning of God's impending wrath. Christians must choose to worship the Antichrist, or suffer martyrdom.
We also noticed how Yeshua's Olivet Discourse follows, to a "t" the sequence of the first four seals as found in Revelation. He continues to do so through the remaining seals.
The first four seals occur on earth, and now we switch locations in the 5th seal.
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Fifth Seal - Martyrdom and Apostasy
[5] Rev 6:9-11 And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, UNTIL their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
The fifth seal continues where the fourth left off (death). In this seal, martyrdom is specifically mentioned versus the other forms of death that followed the rider of the green horse in the fourth seal.
This picture of the martyrs under the altar is one of suffering and anguish inflicted on those killed for the Word of God and the name of Yeshua.
Notice above they are instructed to wait until the remainder of martyrs is complete. This comes into play in other blogs concerning Revelation 20.
Zec 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, HOW LONG wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years [70 years]?
Continue reading in Zechariah 1 and you'll see him reference the "four horns" which scatter Israel.
The soul is in the blood (Gen 9:4-5; Lev 17:11-14). Yeshua poured out His soul unto death. It represents the suffering and anguish that He endured. The blood of the sin offering was poured at the foundation of the altar (Lev 4:7). In Solomon’s Temple there was a vast pit under the altar to receive the blood of the sacrifices. Abel’s blood cried from the ground, where it had been poured, etc., etc..
So this symbol of the martyrs are accounted by God as sacrifices on the altar. Their suffering calls for vengeance... but it's not quite time - things are going to get worse before it gets better, and there are more martyrs to come yet (Rev 20).
Notice above that vengeance is near, but there are still "fellow-servants" to be martyred... Antichrist is enforcing his "comply or die" rule on earth and is about to decimate Jerusalem.
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
______________________
In Part 1 we covered the first four seals of the four horsemen and established their purpose... to cause all to worship Antichrist and warning of God's impending wrath. Christians must choose to worship the Antichrist, or suffer martyrdom.
We also noticed how Yeshua's Olivet Discourse follows, to a "t" the sequence of the first four seals as found in Revelation. He continues to do so through the remaining seals.
The first four seals occur on earth, and now we switch locations in the 5th seal.
_____________________
Fifth Seal - Martyrdom and Apostasy
[5] Rev 6:9-11 And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, UNTIL their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
The fifth seal continues where the fourth left off (death). In this seal, martyrdom is specifically mentioned versus the other forms of death that followed the rider of the green horse in the fourth seal.
This picture of the martyrs under the altar is one of suffering and anguish inflicted on those killed for the Word of God and the name of Yeshua.
Notice above they are instructed to wait until the remainder of martyrs is complete. This comes into play in other blogs concerning Revelation 20.
Zec 1:12 Then the angel of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, HOW LONG wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years [70 years]?
Continue reading in Zechariah 1 and you'll see him reference the "four horns" which scatter Israel.
The soul is in the blood (Gen 9:4-5; Lev 17:11-14). Yeshua poured out His soul unto death. It represents the suffering and anguish that He endured. The blood of the sin offering was poured at the foundation of the altar (Lev 4:7). In Solomon’s Temple there was a vast pit under the altar to receive the blood of the sacrifices. Abel’s blood cried from the ground, where it had been poured, etc., etc..
So this symbol of the martyrs are accounted by God as sacrifices on the altar. Their suffering calls for vengeance... but it's not quite time - things are going to get worse before it gets better, and there are more martyrs to come yet (Rev 20).
Notice above that vengeance is near, but there are still "fellow-servants" to be martyred... Antichrist is enforcing his "comply or die" rule on earth and is about to decimate Jerusalem.
That the souls of the martyrs were "under the altar" is a way of saying that their untimely deaths on earth are from God’s perspective a sacrifice on the altar of heaven. Paul viewed his coming death as a drink offering to be poured out (2 Tim 4:6; cf. Phil 2:17).
Mat 24:9-13 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for MY NAME'S sake [martrydom defined]. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. (Mar 13:9-13; Luk 21:12-19)
And because iniquity shall abound, THE LOVE OF MANY SHALL WAX COLD. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
There's the apostasy spoken of by Paul. It's the "falling away" that must come FIRST:
2 Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day SHALL NOT COME, except there come a falling away [G646 - apostasia, apostasy] FIRST...
Perfect match to the fifth seal.
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Brief Interlude
Here is where we find additional information in the Book of Revelation, Daniel, etc.. I'll likely be adding more references, etc. to this blog in the future. There's a lot of information outside of the Revelation and the Olivet Discourse.
All of these events occur around the midpoint of the 70th week.
The two witnesses come on the scene for 3.5 years (Rev 11:3). They are killed towards the end of those years (Rev 11:7) and their bodies are left in the streets for 3.5 days (Rev 11:9). God brings them back to life (Rev 11:11) and they ascend to Heaven in a cloud in front of their enemies (Rev 11:12).
Satan and his angels are cast from Heaven to the earth (Rev 12:9; Joh 12:31; Dan 12:1) and Satan will deliver his power (Rev 13:2-4) to his earthly agent (Antichrist) to continue for 3.5 years (Rev 13:5).
The woman flees into the wilderness for 1,260 days to be nourished by God (Rev 12:6; Rev 12:14; Eze 20:35-36). See Mat 24:15-16 below.
The woman is chased after, but Satan is defeated and turns his anger on the remaining Israelites in Jerusalem (Rev 12:15-16) who are "keeping the precepts of God and who have the testimony of Yeshua" (Rev 12:17). Israel is persecuted (Rev 12:13) because from her Yeshua was born (Rev 12:13).
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The apostasy is in place and the next thing which must happen is the abomination of desolation will be seen in the Holy Place.
2 Th 2:3-4 ... and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
We're not quite ready for him to be revealed. Luke brings us a piece of information that neither Matthew or Mark revealed:
Luk 21:20 And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh [near].
When we see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, the desolation is near.
The next words of Yeshua are:
Mat 24:15-16 When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet [Dan 9:27], stand in the Holy Place, (whoso reads, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:
Jerusalem will be attacked and crushed. Many will be killed and imprisoned until "the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luk 21:24; Rom 11:25).
Jerusalem will be decimated, prisoners captured, and this victory over Jerusalem will lead to Antichrist sitting in the Holy Place.
Luk 21:22 tells us that "these be the days of vengeance" and Jerusalem shall be trodden under for 3.5 years (Luk 21:24; Rev 11:2).
This is the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week... the Great Tribulation period of 3.5 years is officially underway. This will be the most widespread persecution of Christians and the Jews that the world has ever known.
Dan 12:1 Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise [restrainer ceases restraining]. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time...
Dan 9:27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [7 years]: and in the midst of the week [3.5 years] he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease [in the Temple of Jerusalem], and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
We're told that unless Yeshua cut these days short, none of us would survive:
Mat 24:21-22 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mar 13:19-20)
Note that Yeshua renders Antichrist useless at His appearing when we are raptured out before the Day of Lord begins and Satan's wrath ends.
Notice that at this point we're still here. Yeshua warns again to not be deceived (Matt 24:23-28; Mar 13:21-23) for He is coming soon. Antichrist is given the power to make war with and overcome the saints and all that dwell on the earth (Dan 7:25; Rev 13:7).
The return of Yeshua for the catching away of His Church is about to come...
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Sixth Seal - Celestial Disturbance
[6] Rev 6:12-14 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the [a] sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and [b] the moon became as blood; And [c] the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, [d] even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And [e] the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Here is the sign we've been waiting for.
Yeshua tells "immediately AFTER the tribulation of THOSE days" (the end of Satan's wrath) the celestial signs as noted in the sixth seal will occur.
Mat 24:29-32 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall [a] the sun be darkened, and [b] the moon shall not give her light, and [c] the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of [e] the heavens shall be shaken:
And THEN [not quite yet] shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send his angels with a [f] great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now learn a parable of [d] the fig tree... (Mar 13:24-28; Luk 21:25-27)
This is not quite time yet though...
Mat 24:33 So likewise you, when ye shall see ALL THESE THINGS, know that it is near, even at the doors. (Mar 13:29; Luk 21:31)
Luk 21:28 And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then LOOK UP, and LIFT UP YOUR HEADS; for your redemption draws nigh [near].
This is going to happen in the "twinkling of an eye":
1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for [f] the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Act 2:20-21 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable Day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
There are many more passages that deal with this event, but we don't need to cover them now.
The only other thing I want you to notice is "then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn" (Mat 24:30).
Rev 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
When the world sees Yeshua coming, they'll know it's too late. Fear will consume them to the core. It will be as in the Days of Noah. The door to the ark will have been closed and the floods are about to come as described by Yeshua:
Mat 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
No more chance for salvation by Grace through Faith. That's it... the door has been closed. Everyone from here on out will be judged according to their works.
There's something else we know about the "days" of Noah also... they were in the ark for exactly 1 year and 10 days. Keep that in mind for a future blog.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Before proceeding, I want to mention that I believe this is also near the point in which the 144,000 are sealed.
John says "After these things [the six seals] I saw..." (Rev 7:1).
The 144,000 are 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel. They are "celibates, virgins, firstfruits" (Rev 14:4). The tribes of Levi and Joseph replace Dan and Ephraim because the latter introduced idolatry into Israel (Deu 29:8-16; 1 Ki 12:28-30; Hos 4:17).
Notice in Rev 7:1 there are four angels holding back the wind so that nothing on earth would be harmed UNTIL they are sealed (Rev 7:3). I believe this is the calm before the coming "wrath" storm which we're about to see the start of.
These 144,000 are sealed so that no harm comes upon them during God's Wrath on the earth.
John then says "After this I beheld..."
Rev 7:9-10 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Who are they?
Rev 7:14 ... these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Chapter 7 is a good one for you to read the entirety of before proceeding.
Which brings us to...
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Seventh Seal - Wrath
[7] Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour.
More than likely this half hour of silence is to give reverence to our Father and His Son upon our redemption and to note that the terrible Day of the Lord is about to begin. You'll notice in verses 3-4 the prayers of the saints ascend up to God.
This silence, precedes the Day of the Lord as noted by Zephaniah:
Zep 1:7 BE SILENT before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
The most important thing to notice here is that it is only now, after the completion of the seventh seal being opened, that the seven angels are given their trumpets.
They do not sound them yet.
Some claim that the trumpet and bowl judgments are concurrent with the seals. This is the only verse needed to show that belief to be wrong.
The trumpet judgments follow the opening of all seven seals, and as we'll soon see - the bowl judgments follow the conclusion of the trumpet judgments.
The saints are with Yeshua. We were not appointed unto wrath... we have been caught up into our glorified bodies and are now with Yeshua.
It would appear that at the end of this half an hour of silence is when the angel cast fire upon the earth - signaling the beginning of God's wrath upon its inhabitants.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake (see Joe 2:1-15).
While this signals the beginning, the first trumpet has not blown yet.
Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
That is where the seven seals comes to a conclusion!
Notice in the Olivet Discourse that Yeshua didn't mention a single trumpet or bowl judgment. The answer is clear.
He was speaking directly of the seven seals and the pre-wrath rapture of His Church before God unleashes His Wrath upon this earth.
As seen in these two blogs, the harpazo does not occur until after after the sixth seal has been opened and the seventh seal is under way. The breaking of the seventh seal allows the opening of the large scroll, and the beginning of the Day of the Lord (God's wrath). Christians will see a good portion of Daniel's 70th week. We will see the abomination of desolation setup in the Temple in Jerusalem before Yeshua comes for us but we will not see the sounding of the first trumpet of seven... not from earth anyway!
______________________
More later on the trumpet and bowl judgments.
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
The return of Yeshua for the catching away of His Church is about to come...
________________________
Sixth Seal - Celestial Disturbance
[6] Rev 6:12-14 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the [a] sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and [b] the moon became as blood; And [c] the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, [d] even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And [e] the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Here is the sign we've been waiting for.
Yeshua tells "immediately AFTER the tribulation of THOSE days" (the end of Satan's wrath) the celestial signs as noted in the sixth seal will occur.
Mat 24:29-32 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall [a] the sun be darkened, and [b] the moon shall not give her light, and [c] the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of [e] the heavens shall be shaken:
And THEN [not quite yet] shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send his angels with a [f] great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Now learn a parable of [d] the fig tree... (Mar 13:24-28; Luk 21:25-27)
This is not quite time yet though...
Mat 24:33 So likewise you, when ye shall see ALL THESE THINGS, know that it is near, even at the doors. (Mar 13:29; Luk 21:31)
Luk 21:28 And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then LOOK UP, and LIFT UP YOUR HEADS; for your redemption draws nigh [near].
This is going to happen in the "twinkling of an eye":
1 Cor 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for [f] the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Act 2:20-21 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable Day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
There are many more passages that deal with this event, but we don't need to cover them now.
The only other thing I want you to notice is "then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn" (Mat 24:30).
Rev 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
When the world sees Yeshua coming, they'll know it's too late. Fear will consume them to the core. It will be as in the Days of Noah. The door to the ark will have been closed and the floods are about to come as described by Yeshua:
Mat 24:37-39 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
No more chance for salvation by Grace through Faith. That's it... the door has been closed. Everyone from here on out will be judged according to their works.
There's something else we know about the "days" of Noah also... they were in the ark for exactly 1 year and 10 days. Keep that in mind for a future blog.
Mat 24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Before proceeding, I want to mention that I believe this is also near the point in which the 144,000 are sealed.
John says "After these things [the six seals] I saw..." (Rev 7:1).
The 144,000 are 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel. They are "celibates, virgins, firstfruits" (Rev 14:4). The tribes of Levi and Joseph replace Dan and Ephraim because the latter introduced idolatry into Israel (Deu 29:8-16; 1 Ki 12:28-30; Hos 4:17).
Notice in Rev 7:1 there are four angels holding back the wind so that nothing on earth would be harmed UNTIL they are sealed (Rev 7:3). I believe this is the calm before the coming "wrath" storm which we're about to see the start of.
These 144,000 are sealed so that no harm comes upon them during God's Wrath on the earth.
John then says "After this I beheld..."
Rev 7:9-10 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Who are they?
Rev 7:14 ... these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Chapter 7 is a good one for you to read the entirety of before proceeding.
Which brings us to...
____________________
Seventh Seal - Wrath
[7] Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour.
More than likely this half hour of silence is to give reverence to our Father and His Son upon our redemption and to note that the terrible Day of the Lord is about to begin. You'll notice in verses 3-4 the prayers of the saints ascend up to God.
This silence, precedes the Day of the Lord as noted by Zephaniah:
Zep 1:7 BE SILENT before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
The most important thing to notice here is that it is only now, after the completion of the seventh seal being opened, that the seven angels are given their trumpets.
They do not sound them yet.
Some claim that the trumpet and bowl judgments are concurrent with the seals. This is the only verse needed to show that belief to be wrong.
The trumpet judgments follow the opening of all seven seals, and as we'll soon see - the bowl judgments follow the conclusion of the trumpet judgments.
The saints are with Yeshua. We were not appointed unto wrath... we have been caught up into our glorified bodies and are now with Yeshua.
It would appear that at the end of this half an hour of silence is when the angel cast fire upon the earth - signaling the beginning of God's wrath upon its inhabitants.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake (see Joe 2:1-15).
While this signals the beginning, the first trumpet has not blown yet.
Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
That is where the seven seals comes to a conclusion!
Notice in the Olivet Discourse that Yeshua didn't mention a single trumpet or bowl judgment. The answer is clear.
He was speaking directly of the seven seals and the pre-wrath rapture of His Church before God unleashes His Wrath upon this earth.
As seen in these two blogs, the harpazo does not occur until after after the sixth seal has been opened and the seventh seal is under way. The breaking of the seventh seal allows the opening of the large scroll, and the beginning of the Day of the Lord (God's wrath). Christians will see a good portion of Daniel's 70th week. We will see the abomination of desolation setup in the Temple in Jerusalem before Yeshua comes for us but we will not see the sounding of the first trumpet of seven... not from earth anyway!
______________________
More later on the trumpet and bowl judgments.
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
