Revelation Explained

May 21, 2011: Not the End of the World

2011-05-23T11:13:00.002-04:00

I suppose I should have posted something before the actual day, but if people would read their Bibles:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36)

We cannot know the day or hour when Jesus will return. He said so himself. Do not fall into the trap of picking dates or believing the dates that others pick. Instead, draw close to the Lord, grow in faith and do the good works that he calls you to do.

Let God take care of the future.

Iceland Volcano

2010-04-17T11:33:00.003-04:00

It is scary how much one volcano can disrupt. This is the third day of major flight cancellations in Europe. Now imagine, many volcanos erupting around the world all at once. That is what John describes in Revelation.

Revelation Study Finished

2009-08-06T18:38:00.002-04:00

Well, after four years, I have finished going through the Book of Revelation in this blog. Sorry, it has taken so long. Like every time I have taught through this Book, I had to re-examine some of my ideas, and even discovered I had previously taught two conflicting opinions of a passage.

If you have questions about any of my teachings, please comment. I will respond. Some of these comments may result in a new post.

I hope this study is a blessing to many, and that it brings God glory.

Come, Lord Jesus

2009-08-03T11:27:00.002-04:00

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Revelation 22:17-21 - King James Version)

There are two views regarding verse 17. Some believe that the Spirit, the bride and him that hears call for Jesus to come. Others that they are calling for the lost to come to Jesus. Both are true.

The Spirit calls upon all people to come to Jesus for salvation. The redeemed who are now with God call upon others to trust the Lord. Those who read and believe God's Word today call upon others to believe it as well.

Whoever will hear the call to come may drink of the water of life freely. There is no charge for salvation. All that a person must do is come to Christ.

John adds a warning to his writing. Before the invention of the printing press, there was the danger that a copyist would change the wording, add to or take away from what he was copying. This warning should be taken as applying to not only such actions but also to doing the same through teaching. Any who deliberately distorts and misuses the Word of God is in danger of great judgment.

One last time Jesus reminds us that He is coming again, and that it will be quickly. John adds his own prayer to this statement. Every born again believer should have the same desire. We should pray, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

This final prophecy and book of the Bible contains both great tragedy and great glory. It tells us of the throne room of God, and of stubborn rebellion against God. It tells us of the horrors of the Tribulation and the wonders of the New Jerusalem. It is meant to encourage, to warn and to inform us.

More than anything else, studying this book should make us more committed to the Lord, and more faithful in reaching those who are yet without Him.

Jesus is Coming

2009-07-24T10:18:00.002-04:00

" 'Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.' Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 'I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.' " (Revelation 22:12-16 - New Living Translation)

Jesus reminds us that when He comes, He will judge and He will reward. We should be prepared for His return.

Those who obey God, those who repent and believe, will enter into the New Jerusalem. They will spend eternity in joy and happiness.

Those who refuse to accept Jesus will not enter into the New Jerusalem. Those who continue in their sin in this life will endure torment in the next.

Jesus is the One who sent the angel to tell John and us this prophecy. Jesus is the root of David; the One who gave David life. Jesus is the offspring of David; born into his family. Jesus is the bright and morning star who will announce the coming of a new and perfect dawn. The dawning of the new heaven, new earth and New Jerusalem.

The Testimony of John

2009-07-21T17:33:00.002-04:00

"And I, John, am he who heard and witnessed these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell prostrate before the feet of the messenger (angel) who showed them to me, to worship him. But he said to me, Refrain! [You must not do that!] I am [only] a fellow servant along with yourself and with your brethren the prophets and with those who are mindful of and practice [the truths contained in] the messages of this book. Worship God! And he [further] told me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near. He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still." (Revelation 22:8-11 - Amplified Bible)

John adds his own testimony to the truthfulness of what has been written. This book is not fiction, and it is not the telling of some dream. It is a true prophecy.

John is again overcome by the glory of what he has been seeing and he begins to worship the angel. The angel stops him.

The angel says that he, like John, is a servant of God. The prophets were servants of God. All who do what this book encourages are servants of God. The Angels, the Apostles, the prophets, faithful Christians, we are all fellow servants of God. We worship Him as creatures before the Creator.

Jesus is the One speaking in verses 10 to 16. He tells us that the prophecy of this book is not sealed. This indicates that its meaning is not hidden. It is to be understood. Remember this is a revelation, an unveiling. The reason for this book being not sealed is that the time is at hand. It will not be long before the events of Revelation come to pass.

The next statement is rather unclear. It does not mean that God does not want the unjust and filthy to repent and be saved. That is what God wants.

Most commentators believe think that this refers to people at the start of the Tribulation. Things will occur so quickly that few will have time to change their ways. The unjust will remain unjust. The filthy will remain filthy. While those who have faith in God, will have that faith strengthened in persecution. This is a warning to people to turn to God while there is time.

Coming Soon

2009-06-15T19:39:00.001-04:00

"The Angel said to me, 'These are dependable and accurate words, every one. The God and Master of the spirits of the prophets sent his Angel to show his servants what must take place, and soon. And tell them, "Yes, I'm on my way!" Blessed be the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.' " (Revelation 22:6,7 - The Message)

The person speaking changes several times during the last part of this chapter. In these two verses, it is Jesus that is speaking. He emphasis the truth revealed in this book. He gives His pledge to its truthfulness. He also reminds us that the God who inspired the prophets of old is the same God who sent the angel to reveal to John and us the things which will quickly come to pass.

Jesus reminds us that he too will come quickly. This does not mean that he would come soon, but that when the events revealed in this prophecy begin to unfold, they will quickly occur one after another. We have waited more than 1900 years since John received this Revelation. We do not know how much longer we will have to wait. However, once the first seal is opened. The events of the Tribulation will occur quickly and without pause.

To keep the sayings of this book makes a person blessed. This is more than just knowing what the book of Revelation says. It is doing what this book encourages: evangelism.

The River and The Tree

2009-06-01T19:28:00.002-04:00

"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 22:1-5 - New American Standard)

The last chapter of Revelation contains more information about the New Jerusalem and some concluding comments. John makes it clear that the Revelation is not meant to distract us from our present circumstance, but encourage us to do all that we can for the Lord while there is time.

In the New Jerusalem, a pure clear river flows out of God's throne. This is the water of life. Also in the city is the Tree of Life which was in the Garden of Eden. After the fall, Adam and Eve were kept out of the Garden and away from this tree. It will have fruit year round. Its leaves bring health to all the people. This does not mean there will be any sickness, anymore than there will be hunger or thirst. The river, the tree and its leaves indicate that all our needs will be provided in the New Jerusalem.

There will be no curse. The curse of sin will be removed. It will be a perfect place.

John tells us that in eternity we will serve God. He does not tell us what that service will be. We will see God.

In the New Jerusalem there will be no night. There will be no need for candles or lamps or light bulbs. There will be no need for the sun or moon or stars to shine. The light of God's glory will illuminate the city.

John ends his description of the New Jerusalem by saying that we will reign with God for ever and ever. He does not tell us whom we will reign over. We must wait for eternity before we will fully understand all that John has told us.

The Glory of New Jerusalem

2009-05-23T17:23:00.002-04:00

"I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:22-27 - New International Version)

The New Jerusalem has no temple. The temple in the Old Testament represented God's presence with His people. There will be no temple in the New Jerusalem because Jesus will be there.

The city will not require the light of the sun or moon. The glory of God will illuminate it. Notice that John does not say that there will be no sun or moon or stars, only that the New Jerusalem will not require their light.

All the saved will walk in the light of God's glory in this city. The gates of the city will never be shut. No sin or sinner will be allowed to enter the city. The redeemed whose names are in the Lamb's book of life will be there.

New Jerusalem Described

2009-05-09T12:16:00.002-04:00

"And the building of its wall was jasper, and the city is pure gold -- like to pure glass; and the foundations of the wall of the city with every precious stone have been adorned; the first foundation jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each several one of the gates was of one pearl; and the broad-place of the city is pure gold -- as transparent glass." (Revelation 21:18-21 - Young's Literal Translation)

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the names used for gems and stones in ancient times do not correspond with the names we now use. We cannot be certain that what we call a type of stone now was what they called it in New Testament times. So we cannot be dogmatic about many aspects of John's description when he compares it to a type of gem.

The walls of the city are made of jasper, most likely, some type of quartz. The city is made of gold like clear glass. This expression has caused a great deal of speculation. Gold is not clear. Either the gold of this city is some new thing, or else John when he says that it is like clear glass, he is speaking of its quality not its appearance. He might be saying that the gold is free of imperfections like a window that is perfectly clear.

John tells us that each of the foundations was decorated with a different type of stone. As we have mentioned, jasper is likely some type of quartz. It might be blue, green or rosy. Sapphire was used of several types of blue stones but not what we call sapphire. Chalcedony may be some kind of quartz but we cannot be sure. Emerald refereed to our emerald and other green stones. Sardonyx is likely onyx which is layers of different colors. Sardius refers to a stone red in color. Chrysolyte refereed to yellow topaz. Beryl is a stone of sea-green color.

Topaz refereed to yellow-green stone. Chrysoprasus was greenish-yellow possibly a hornstone which is a type of quartz. Jacinth may be our modern blue sapphire although this is not certain. Amethyst is a purple quartz.

Each of the gates of the city is carved from single pearls. Some commentaries see a symbolic meaning here. A pearl is created when a grain of sand is taken by an oyster and made into a thing of beauty. Jesus takes people who are dirty with sin and clothes them in His righteousness making them pure before God.

The street of the city is paved in pure gold. Again, the phrase, "as it were transparent glass" may be taken in reference to either the appearance or the purity of the gold.

MEGA-City: New Jerusalem

2009-05-02T13:48:00.003-04:00

"And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel." (Revelation 21:15-17 - New King James Version)

The angel that brought John to see the city had a golden reed in this hand. A reed is an ancient unit of measure equal to about 11 feet or about 3.4 meters. The city is either a perfect cube or a perfect pyramid. It's width, length and height are equal. The angel measures the city and it is 12 000 furlongs wide, long and high.

A Greek furlong is about 607 feet or almost 187 meters. Twelve thousand furlongs would be about 1500 miles or 2400 kilometers. This is about the distance from Toronto to St. John's, Newfoundland or to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The earth's atmosphere is about 18,000 miles high. The New Jerusalem will extend upwards almost this entire distance.

One hundred km or sixty miles is usually considered the boundary between the earth's atmosphere and outer space. Ninety-nine percent of the gases that make up our atmosphere are concentrated in this distance. This city will extend far beyond that. Satellites orbit within the outer part of our atmosphere. The orbit of the International Space Station is at about 350 km (210 miles) above the earth.

The wall of the city is 144 cubits. It is not clear if John is referring to the height or width of the wall. A cubit is about 18 inches, a little less than half a meter. The wall is about 216 feet or 66 .5 meters high or wide. This is about the height of a 22 story building. If it is height, this huge wall will be dwarfed by the city itself. The walls purpose is not defense but decoration anyway.

New Jerusalem Described

2009-04-23T18:43:00.002-04:00

"Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." (Revelation 21:11-14 - King James Version)

This city radiates the glory of God. John tries to describe it. Notice carefully the word: "like." John uses it many times in this passage. The light coming from the city was like that from a precious gem. John goes on to say that it was like jasper, clear as crystal.

This confronts us with a difficult problem. The names used for gems and stones in ancient times do not correspond with the names we now use. We cannot be certain that what we call a type of stone now was what they called it in New Testament times. So we cannot be dogmatic about many aspects of John's description when he compares it to a type of gem.

What we call jasper today is not clear as crystal. Some commentators believe that John is referring to a diamond. Unger's Bible Dictionary suggests that it refers to "several kinds of delicately colored translucent varieties of quartz." (Moody Press, 1957, pg 740)

The light of God's glory shining out of the city, was most likely a mixture of colors. Possibly the colors were slowing changing adding to the beauty of the sight.

John describes the wall in more detail later. At this point, he tells us only that it was great and high.

There are twelve gates in the wall of the city, three on each side. On each gate is the name of one of the tribes of Israel. Forever, we will be reminded that the nation of Israel is God's chosen people. It was through this nation that God brought the Messiah into the world. Jesus was born of a Jewish woman.

Notice carefully what John says next. He says that the wall of the city had twelve foundations. Most commentaries refer to the foundations of the city. John only mentions the foundations of the wall. Maybe these are also foundations for the city, but John does not say that.

A wall around a city with twelve gates would have twelve sections between the gates. For the New Jerusalem, each of these sections has a separate foundation. On each foundation is written the name of the one of the Apostles. Forever, we will be reminded of the great work that these men did in the early days of the Christian Era in taking the Gospel message out to Jew and Gentile. We are still building today upon what they began.

Here Comes the Bride

2009-04-16T19:31:00.002-04:00

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven final plagues (afflictions, calamities) came and spoke to me. He said, Come with me! I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife. Then in the Spirit He conveyed me away to a vast and lofty mountain and exhibited to me the holy (hallowed, consecrated) city of Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God." (Revelation 21:9,10 - Amplified Bible)

John's attention now focuses upon the New Jerusalem; the Holy City of God. Much of what he describes is difficult to imagine. Some of it is unclear because of terminology. We will not completely understand the glory of this city until we see it for ourselves. However, John's description does give us an imperfect glimpse of its wonders. The description covers the rest of chapter twenty-one and part of chapter twenty-two.

Early in Revelation, one of the seven angels which had the bowls of God's wrath had shown John another city called Babylon. That city had been destroyed. Now one of the seven angels shows John the eternal city that will never be destroyed. Whether this is the same angel or another one we have no way of knowing.

The angel tells John that he will show to Him the bride of the Lamb. He then takes John in the spirit to the top of a high mountain upon the New Earth. The angel shows him the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. This is the bride. Of course, it is the people that make a city not the buildings. So the bride includes all who dwell in the New Jerusalem: the redeemed of every age.

All Things New

2009-04-07T19:24:00.002-04:00

"The Enthroned continued, 'Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.' Then he said, 'It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I'll be God to them, they'll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it's Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!' " (Revelation 21:5-8 - The Message)

The new heaven and the new earth will be a totally new experience. All things will be new. John was so overwhelmed at what he was seeing and hearing that he stopped writing. God had to remind him to keep recording the vision.

That we can freely drink of the water of life represents that all our needs will be fully satisfied in eternity. There will be no thirst or hunger.

Those who are saved, the overcomers, will possess all things because we are the children of God. Everything we need will be available. Our relationship with God will be that of father and child.

Lest we become too enraptured with the joys of eternity that we forget, God reminds us that not everyone will enjoy the new heaven and new earth. Many will be excluded because they refused to accept Jesus as their Saviour. All can enter into eternal joy, but they must turn from their sin in sorrow, ask God's forgiveness and trust in Jesus.

Verse eight is not saying that anyone who has done any of these things will suffer eternal torment. All of us have lied. All of us have committed other sins and continue to sin. It is those who do these things habitual because it is their nature that will suffer torment. Those who never received the Holy Spirit so that He could break the bonds of sin in their lives.

Those who are by nature cowards and are more afraid of people than of God are included in this list. Those who reject the Gospel and will not believe what God has said in His Word are in this group. Those who practice and love vile habits are included. Those whose lives are full of hate and anger and the desire to kill other people will not enter the new heaven and new earth.

Those who habitually engage in obscene and immoral relationships are mentioned. Those whose lives are full of occult practices will be separated from God. Those who worshiped idols rather than God will not be with the Lord in eternity. Those who by nature are liars will have their part in the lake of fire.

All these will be separated from God for ever in torment. We can rejoice that we will be in the new heaven and new earth. But that knowledge should not make us unconcerned about others. We must do all that we can to warn those who have not yet turned to God.

The New Jerusalem

2009-04-02T18:50:00.002-04:00

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.' " (Revelation 21:2-4 -New American Standard)

The New Jerusalem, the Holy City, the Bride, the Lamb's wife, the city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10), Mount Zion, the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22): these names describe the place which will be our home for all eternity. We will be free to travel over the new earth, maybe we will even travel into outer space, but the home to which we will always return is the New Jerusalem. It will be as beautiful as a bride on her wedding day and will remain like that for ever.

John hears a great voice making an announcement. Like many other times in this Revelation, John does not tell us whose voice it is.

The voice announces that the tabernacle or temple of God is with men. Jesus is the temple of the New Jerusalem. God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, will live in the New Jerusalem. We are constantly be in His presence. In eternity, we will often worship the Lord.

Many things which are common on this world will not exist on the new earth. There will be no death. No one will ever die. There will be no sorrow or crying. There will be nothing to make us sad. There will be no pain, no suffering, no sickness. This world will know none of the effects of sin with which we must now daily struggle.

A New Heaven and A New Earth

2009-03-23T19:42:00.002-04:00

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." (Revelation 21:1 - New International Version)

In Chapter 21 of Revelation, the Apostle John begins to describe the Eternal Age. Satan and his demonic allies have been defeated. All of mankind has been judged. The saved are now in the presence of God forever. John's description of this time is majestic. The true glory of it will be greater than we can imagine. So we must approach the last two chapters of Revelation with a sense of humility and wonder.

Heaven is used in the Bible to describe the atmosphere, outer space and God's dwelling place. The passing away of the first heaven refers to the atmosphere and outer space, the physical heaven. It will be destroyed and remade along with the earth.

The Apostle Peter wrote, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (II Peter 3:10 - KJV)

Peter tells us that the heaven and earth will melt away or be burned up. If this refers to the passing away of the first heaven and earth, then it would seem that God will use the same physical matter when he creates the new heaven and new earth.

The Greek word for new that is used in this verse means a new kind. So the new heaven and new earth will have a different nature than the one in which we now live. There will be both physical differences and spiritual differences. John describes some of both of these.

One physical difference is that the new earth will have no seas or oceans. There will be rivers and possibly lakes, but no large bodies of water. The present earth is about three quarters water so the new earth even if it is the same diameter will have about four times the land area. As well the climate will be effected by the absence of seas, because now they greatly effect our weather patterns.

Great White Throne Judgment

2009-03-02T18:15:00.002-05:00

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him who is sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven did flee away, and place was not found for them; and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is that of the life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the scrolls -- according to their works; and the sea did give up those dead in it, and the death and the hades did give up the dead in them, and they were judged, each one according to their works; and the death and the hades were cast to the lake of the fire -- this [is] the second death; and if any one was not found written in the scroll of the life, he was cast to the lake of the fire." (Revelation 20:11-15 - Young's Literal Translation)

This is called the Great White Throne Judgment. It is when those who had no part in the first resurrection will be judged. Jesus will sit on the throne to judge. He will be so somber that the physical creation will not be able to bear His appearance.

The exact meaning of the last part of verse eleven is difficult to determine. From the context, it would seem that this is the time when this universe will be dissolved in preparation for the creation of the new heaven and earth. There are several other passages that suggest that this world will be destroyed. Jesus Himself said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away. . ." (Matthew 24:35)

Those who stand before Jesus at this judgment will be judged out of books. It is generally believed that these books include both the Bible which is God's law, and records of all that people have done in their lifetimes.

Hal Lindsey, in his book There's a New World Coming, graphically describes the scene:

As each man steps before the throne, God will first open the "Book of the Law." He'll show the man what was required of him if he was to come to God by merit of his own good deeds. He'll patiently go over each point of the Law, showing afresh that the standards are so high that no man could keep them. Then God will remind the offender that this is why He sent His Son - to perfectly fulfill the demands of the Law for us and in us.

After this God will open the "Book of Works," with this man's name on it. God will painstakingly compare it point-by-point with the "Book of the Law," showing the man how he failed to measure up to what the Law of God demanded in the way of righteousness. He'll show the many times that he failed to heed the prompting of God's still, small voice in his conscience which told him to get right with God while there was still time.

Then God will quietly lay down these two books and pick up the "Book of Life." It's quite evident by now that the first two books have confirmed the condemnation that has brought the man to this bar of judgment, but just to prove beyond doubt there has been no mistake, God checks His final record.

He solemnly opens the "Book of Life" and begins to scan the pages for the man's name. Those nail-scarred hands turn first one page, and then another, all the time wishing the man's name could be found there. Tragically, it can't be found on any page, and God slowly closes this final book of judgment and says with great reluctance: "Depart from Me, accursed one, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the Devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:41)

The man begins to tremble, and frantic words rush to his defense - "Lord, Lord, didn't I prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?" (Matthew 7:22,23)

The Father slowly shakes His head and says, "I never knew you."

Those words will ring in the condemned man's ears for all eternity - "I never knew you, I never knew you, I never knew you. . . ."

(There's a New World Coming, Hal Lindsey, Bantam Book, 1975, pg. 273, 274)

Whether this is how it will be or not we do not know. Certainly the spirit of this judgment is shown in this description. Those who never accepted what Jesus did for them will be judged according to their own works and the law of God and will be found guilty.

All the dead, where ever and how ever they died will stand before God in judgment. Those who did not trust in Christ and have their names entered into the Book of Life will be cast into eternal torment in the Lake of Fire.

For a Christian, there can be only one proper response to this passage. We must warn all who will listen of the judgment that they will face while they have time to repent and be forgiven.

The Final Battle

2009-01-13T19:45:00.002-05:00

"Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:7-10 - New King James Version)

For a thousand years, people will live in a perfect environment. Jesus will rule in righteousness and perfect justice. Glorified saints, in sinless bodies, will rule under His authority. At the beginning of the thousand years, everyone that is alive, in mortal bodies, will be saved. Satan will be bound and unable to influence people.

For those thousand years, there will be no war. There will be no corruption in government. There will be very little crime. Wrong doing will be quickly punished. People will live for hundreds of years. It will be utopia. If you think that such a perfect situation would result in perfect people, you are very wrong.

Satan in fury comes out of his prison. He finds that there are many people, maybe even the majority, who have been born physically but not spiritually during the thousand years. They are rebels in their hearts against the government of Jesus. They are willing to follow Satan into battle against the world's capital, Jerusalem. Satan will be able to gather millions of people.

This will prove beyond all doubt that man is sinful by nature. Even living in an utopia, man will build up rebellion in his heart. He will take the first opportunity he has to express his rebellion.

This will also remove the excuse that some may seek to use when God judges them that if they had lived at a better time than they would have been better people. Regardless of circumstance, it is up to the individual to decide how he will respond to the work of God in his life. Some in the worst situations have trusted the Lord. While many in this time of peace and prosperity will reject Jesus.

This battle is over very quickly like the Battle of Armageddon. Satan and the army that he has gathered surrounds Jerusalem. God sends fire down from heaven and destroys them.

Satan is then cast into the Lake of Fire. He will remain there for eternity.

Those Who Reign With Christ

2008-12-08T20:12:00.002-05:00

"Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:4-6 - English Standard Version)

John tells us that there is a group of people who will reign with Christ during these thousand years. This group is made up of those who were beheaded for Christ, those who did not worship the beast and those who have a part in the first resurrection. If we only had this passage to help us identify who this group is, we might conclude that they are the Tribulation saints who were martyred. However, we must consider other passages as well.

Jesus told the twelve, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28 – New American Standard) The Apostles will reign with Jesus during the thousand years.

The Apostle Paul told Timothy, “If we endure, we will also reign with him.” (2 Timothy 2:12a)

This promise would apply to all saved of all times. The Tribulation saints will reign with Christ. The Apostles will reign with Christ. New Testament saints will reign with Christ. Old Testament saints will reign with Christ. All believers, who have died up to that time, will reign with Jesus in their glorified perfect bodies.

At the beginning of the thousand year reign, Jesus will judge all those still alive on the earth. Those who are saved will enter into the thousand year kingdom in their physical mortal bodies. Those who rejected Jesus will be cast into hell to await final judgment. At the beginning of his reign, Jesus will be ruling from Jerusalem. Glorified saints will be serving him and ruling with him. We will be ruling over an initially small population of saved people. It will be earth's golden age.

Some Old Testament passages that describe this coming kingdom are:

Haggai 2:6-9
Micah 4:1-7
Joel 3:18
Amos 9:11-15
Daniel 7:13,14
Zechariah 2:10-12; 14:9-11
Isaiah 2:1-5; 11:1-9; 35:1-10; 65:17-25

Satan Bound

2008-11-18T20:03:00.002-05:00

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." (Revelation 20:1-3 - King James Version)

To us it may seem strange that a spirit being such as Satan can be bound. However, our view of the spirit world has been greatly influenced by movies and television. The Bible clearly teaches that spirit beings can be confined and prevented from going certain places.

The souls of those who have died without Christ are now confined to hell; they cannot escape. Jesus told us that the souls of those who are believers cannot enter hell; it is off limits to them. Daniel was told by an angel about how other wicked spirit beings, demons, had kept him from coming to Daniel.

So, at the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit. This is the fourth passage in Revelation that refers to this pit. In previous lessons, I said that the bottomless pit is the center of the earth. This may be where hell is located.

John uses in the passage all four names that he uses for the devil in Revelation: the dragon, the old serpent, the Devil (which means accuser) and Satan (which means adversary). For a thousand years, man's accuser and adversary will be prevented from working upon this world. Then he will be allowed freedom again, a future blog will deal with that.

Battle of Armageddon

2008-10-29T19:41:00.002-04:00

"Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: 'Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.' Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies." (Revelation 19:17-21 - New Living Translation)

An angel calls to all the birds that eat flesh to gather to the scene of the battle. Vultures, ravens and other meat eating birds will eat the flesh of the fallen army of the Anti-Christ. Kings, captains, soldiers, horses, riders, slaves will all die on the battle field. The birds will eat their flesh.

John does not really describe the battle itself. He simply tells us that it will result in the supper of the great God: this supper is the dead bodies of the army that the birds will eat. There is a great contrast between this supper and the marriage supper of the Lamb spoken of earlier in this chapter.

Satan knows that the end is near. He gathers together the largest human army possible. Although John does not mention it, the great demonic army must also be gathered for this battle. Again, against all reason, Satan throws his forces against those of heaven. As before, the result is certain. Satan cannot win.

The Anti-Christ and the false prophet are taken alive in the battle. They are immediately thrown into the Lake of Fire. They are the first ones to enter this place of final suffering. The rest of those who have rejected Jesus will not be cast into the Lake of Fire until a thousand years later!

Jesus speaks, and his enemies fall down dead. The battle will be short and one-sided. Now that Jesus has returned, and defeated his enemies, he can set up his Kingdom on Earth.

The King of Kings and His Army

2008-10-22T15:06:00.002-04:00

"And the troops of heaven, clothed in fine linen, dazzling and clean, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth goes forth a sharp sword with which He can smite (afflict, strike) the nations; and He will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler (the Almighty, the Omnipotent). And on His garment (robe) and on His thigh He has a name (title) inscribed, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:14-16 - Amplified Bible)

The army of heaven follows Jesus upon their own horses. Certainly this will include the angels of God who have been waging a long and bitter war with the demonic forces. Most likely, it will also include all the glorified people who will have been in heaven since they were raptured.

This sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus represents the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It would seem that Jesus will battle his enemies with his word. He will speak and his word will cut down the enemy like a blade harvesting wheat.

We are told that he will rule with a rod of iron. During his reign, Jesus will not be the soft man he is often pictured as. He will be a strong and firm ruler. He will quickly punish any who oppose his rule.

The image of the winepress is used in Scripture of God's punishment. In my last posting, I quoted Isaiah chapter sixty-three verse three, where the Messiah says, “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.” (King James Version)

This passage describes the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returning to earth to establish His eternal Kingdom.

Rider on the White Horse

2008-09-21T09:34:00.002-04:00

"Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as 'Word of God.' " (Revelation 19:11-13 - The Message)

The Great Tribulation is at its end with the last half of this chapter The rule of the Anti-Christ is finished. Satan's hold on this world will be broken. Evil will be put down. After this battle, there will be a long and prosperous peace. John describes the leader of heaven's army and then the results of the battle.

John sees a rider upon a white horse. The rider is Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of hosts, the leader of heaven's army.

He is faithful: trustworthy, loyal, incorruptible, steady. He is true; there is no falsehood in him. His actions are righteous; they are pleasing to God; they are right, just, proper, fitting. He is not acting according to wrong motives. He judges according to what is just. This battle is a just one.
His eyes are like fire. They are bright, penetrating, lively. They seem to look right into and through people and things.

On his head are many crowns. This is the King of kings and Lord of lords coming to claim his throne.

Jesus has a name that no one knows except himself. This would imply that there are aspects and depths of the nature and character of Christ of which we, and even the angels, are unaware. We will never fully understand God.

Jesus is wearing a garment dipped in blood. There is some debate over this verse as to whose blood this is. It is either his own blood that he shed on the cross for our sins, or the blood of his enemies. This second possibility is based upon Isaiah chapter sixty-three verse three, where the Messiah says, “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.” (King James Version)

Since John sees this vision before the battle is joined, it would seem most likely that is is his own blood that stains his clothes. So as Jesus rides into battle, his enemies will see the blood that was shed for their sins. They will the scars in his hands from when he was crucified for their sins. They will the one who died for them. The one they rejected.

The Marriage Supper

2008-05-15T20:54:00.002-04:00

"Then he said to me, 'Write, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb" ' And he said to me, 'These are true words of God.' Then I fell at his feet to worship him But he said to me, 'Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' " (Revelation 19:9,10 - New American Standard)

The celebration of the Marriage Supper will occur after the Battle of Armageddon when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven. To this feast will be invited all the saved who are in glorified bodies whose home will be the New Jerusalem and all the saved in fleshly bodies who enter into the Millennial Reign of Christ.

In New Testament times, marriage suppers were the most joyous and festive events which the average person ever attended. This Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be the most joyous and festive event of all time.

At this point, John is so overwhelmed with emotion that he falls down before the angel who is showing him these things and begins to worship him. The angel immediately stops him. The angels of God do not desire our worship.

This great and mighty angel is but a fellow servant of God with us. He is our brother in the service of the Lord. We worship God. He worships God.

We should not give worship to any created being. No angel, no saint, no creature is to be given the praise, glory, worship and adoration that belongs to God. With the conclusion of heaven's Hallelujah chorus, the army of heaven is ready to march. The Battle of Armageddon is about to begin.

The Bride is Ready

2008-05-03T19:55:00.003-04:00

"The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: 'Amen, Hallelujah!' Then a voice came from the throne, saying: 'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!' Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: 'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.' (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)" (Revelation 19:4-8 - New International Version)

As the worship continues, the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures join the multitude praising God. A voice from God's throne calls upon all God's servants to praise him.

The voice that John hears in verse six was loud, melodious and powerful. He does not tell us who it was that spoke. This voice announces that God Almighty reigns.

God has always reigned in heaven. However, this passage should be seen in relation to ruling the earth. God's reign on earth is about to begin. The god of this world, Satan, is about to be dethroned.

Who is the bride of Christ in Revelation? Most commentators state that it is the Church. Ephesians tells us that the relationship of Christ and the Church is like the relationship between husband and wife. This is figurative.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Revelation is also figurative. There is not going to be an actual marriage ceremony. Jesus is not going to actually marry some person. In Revelation, John uses the term bride four times. He speaks of marriage twice. He writes of a wife twice. Of these eight times, seven refer to Christ and his bride in two passages. The first passage is the one we are studying. This passage does not tell us who the bride is.

The other passage is Revelation chapter twenty-one verses nine and ten. This passages does tell us who the bride is.

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.' And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” (New International Version)

The bride of Christ in Revelation is a city: the New Jerusalem. When we get to chapter twenty-one in our study, we will discuss the symbolism of this if more detail. For our understanding of the passage before us, we only need to understand that the bride is this city.

At the time to which our passage relates, the city will be ready. It will be ready to descend from heaven to the earth.

The beauty of the New Jerusalem is described in more detail latter. Her beauty will be based upon both the work of God and the work of the saints. She will be decorated with the glory of God and the godly deeds of the redeemed. This is figurative.

Heaven's Hallelujah Chorus

2008-04-21T06:23:00.002-04:00

"And after these things I heard a great voice of a great multitude in the heaven, saying, `Alleluia! the salvation, and the glory, and the honour, and the power, [is] to the Lord our God; because true and righteous [are] His judgments, because He did judge the great whore who did corrupt the earth in her whoredom, and He did avenge the blood of His servants at her hand;' and a second time they said, `Alleluia;' and her smoke doth come up -- to the ages of the ages!" (Revelation 19:1-3 - Young's Literal Translation)

This passage is the only place in the King James Version where the word Alleluia or Hallelujah appears. In the Old Testament, it is always translated: Praise ye the Lord. It is not found anywhere else in the New Testament.

This Hallelujah chorus in heaven is before the return of Christ for the Battle of Armageddon. The forces of the Anti-Christ prepare for the battles with curses and blasphemy. Heaven's army prepares with worship and praise.

The Apostle John hears a great crowd in heaven. He does not tell us who make up this crowd. It may include angels and saved human beings.

They praise God. They declare him to be the source of salvation, of glory, or honor and of power. They give both a general and specific reason for their praise.

The general reason is that God's judgments are true and righteous. The word true carries with it the thought of being ideal. Righteous has a similar idea. God's judgments are just. The punishment fits the crime.

The specific reason for the praise of this crowd is that God has judged the great prostitute. This refers to both Religious Babylon of chapter seventeen and Commercial Babylon of chapter eighteen. Both will draw people away from God. Both will kill those who do not submit to their authority. Both will make war on God's children. Their destruction as described in Revelation fits their awful deeds.

Babylon Thrown Down

2008-04-19T19:57:00.002-04:00

"Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore. The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.' ” (Revelation 18:21-24 - New King James Version)

The angel in verse twenty one throwing the stone into the sea symbolizes the complete and final destruction of Babylon. It will be quickly destroyed. It will never again be built.

The destruction of Babylon will be complete. There will no more singing or music in the city. There will be no one working a trade. There will be no one preparing food. There will be no light in the city. There will be no rejoicing. It will be totally destroyed. If any survive the destruction, they will leave and never return.

This city will be the center of the world. All will adore her. Yet the respect and admiration she gets will be based upon lies. Satan will blind people's eyes to the ugly truth.

Her destruction will come because she will kill God's people and all others who might oppose her rule. This will happen near the end of the Tribulation just before the battle of Armageddon. Chapter nineteen tells us about that battle.

Rejoice, Babylon Has Fallen

2008-04-12T15:37:00.002-04:00

"The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, 'Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.' And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, 'What city was like the great city?' And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, 'Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.' Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets,for God has given judgment for you against her!" (Revelation 18:15-20 - English Standard Version)

The third group who mourn for the city are those who made their living bringing the merchandise to the city: the sailors and ship owners. These mourn more than the others, even throwing dust on their heads. With her sudden destruction, their jobs are gone.

While those who profited from the wickedness of Babylon mourn, those who are godly are called upon to rejoice. God has avenged the blood of his servants. We are not to be glad because people suffer or die. We are to be glad that wickedness will be destroyed and that good will prevail. It is the end of their wicked deeds that cause us to rejoice.

God is not happy that the wicked are destroyed. He is happy when the wicked repent, turn their lives over to him and change their ways. He is happy when evil is no longer practiced. Unfortunately some will never turn to him, and their evil will not end until they are destroyed.

Mourning for Babylon

2008-03-31T19:50:00.001-04:00

"And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all." (Revelation 18:9-14 - King James Version)

When God destroys this city, the rulers of the world will mourn. They will miss the pleasures and luxuries that they enjoyed there. Her destruction will make them sad.

However, they will mourn her from afar. They will not go to her aid. They will simply watch her burn. They do not want to suffer the fate of her residents. The destruction is so sudden that the rulers describe it as occurring in one hour.

The items listed in verses twelve and thirteen are all luxuries. During the last part of the Tribulation, most people will be struggling just to survive. Those connected to the government will be living well. With the destruction of the capital, no one else will be able to afford these things. There will be no market for them.

Babylon will have enjoyed fine jewelry, the latest fashions, expensive furniture and ornaments, spices, perfumes, strong drink and exotic foods. It will also attract those whom it can use for their pleasure: people so desperate that they will sell themselves to survive. The citizens of this city will use them like slaves, like animals, and think nothing of it.

This city will never again enjoy those things after which she lusted. Those who supplied this city's desires and became rich will also stand afar off and mourn. They will not try to help but be sad that no one will buy their goods any longer.

Both the rulers and the merchants will be sad because Babylon is destroyed. Not because they cared about the city. They will be sad because her destruction will be bad for them.

Commercial Babylon Destroyed

2008-03-25T12:59:00.001-04:00

"Repay to her what she herself has paid [to others] and double [her doom] in accordance with what she has done. Mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed [for others]. To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled in her wantonness [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that measure impose on her torment and anguish and tears and mourning. Since in her heart she boasts, I am not a widow; as a queen [on a throne] I sit, and I shall never see suffering or experience sorrow--So shall her plagues (afflictions, calamities) come thick upon her in a single day, pestilence and anguish and sorrow and famine; and she shall be utterly consumed (burned up with fire), for mighty is the Lord God Who judges her." (Revelation 18:6-8 - Amplified Bible)

Verses six through eight make it clear that what happens to this city is according to justice. It is the result of their own wickedness.

God will do to them what they have done to others. What she has made others drink, she will drink in double portion. The misery, torture and death that she has caused will be brought upon her. According to how she has lifted herself up, and exalted herself and lived in luxury while others suffered, so will be the measure of her downfall. This city will think itself invincible, secure and strong. God will destroy it in one day.

The fifth bowl of God's wrath will bring darkness upon this city. The seventh bowl will bring her complete destruction. Revelation chapter sixteen verse nineteen tells us that God will remember great Babylon and “give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath!”

The great earthquake of that day will destroy the city and the volcanic activity that follows will bring more death and destruction. The city will burn.

Come Out of Her

2008-03-22T16:35:00.003-04:00

"Just then I heard another shout out of Heaven: 'Get out, my people, as fast as you can, so you don't get mixed up in her sins, so you don't get caught in her doom. Her sins stink to high Heaven; God has remembered every evil she's done.' " (Revelation 18:4,5 - The Message)

John hears another voice from heaven. He does not tell us whose voice it was. The context would suggest that it is the voice of Jesus.

God's people are called upon to remove themselves from the city of Babylon. This call is a warning for those who will live during the Tribulation to avoid compromise with the government, system and religion of the Anti-Christ. Its application, however, extends to all Christians who live at any time. We are to avoid becoming a part of the worldly and immoral society in which we live.

Those Christians who compromise or ignore the social evils of their society will soon fall victim to the sins around them. Their morals will slip and soon they will be in bondage to sinful habits that will greatly limit their ability to serve God. Such things may destroy their testimony and even their lives. “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins!”

Jesus warns that those who ignore his warning face the same destruction as is reserved for this city. Lot and his family suffered because they were living in Sodom when God destroyed it. They lost all their possessions. Lot's wife lost her life. It is dangerous to continue a love affair with the things of the world.

People may think that God does not see their sinful ways. They may think that judgment and eternal punishment are outdated concepts. They may continue in wickedness for a long time. But God sees. He remembers. And his wrath will fall upon this world. It is certain. We should not doubt it.

Commercial Babylon

2008-03-17T06:20:00.002-04:00

"After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.' " (Revelation 18:1-3 - New American Standard)

Chapter seventeen of Revelation dealt with Religious Babylon. This represented the great united world religion that will exist during the first part of the Tribulation. This system will eventually be destroyed by supporters of the Anti-Christ and replaced by the worship of the Anti-Christ. Some commentators believe that chapter eighteen describes the same religious system.

However, most commentators take the position that chapter eighteen is dealing with commercial Babylon. This will be a city which reaches a position of world wide influence and power during the Tribulation. This will likely be the capital of the world government. Some believe that this city will be on the site of ancient Babylon in modern day Iraq. Others believe that it will be Rome. Rome is more likely but it could be any city selected by the Anti-Christ as his capital.

We are not told who this angel is. His description indicates that he is an angel of great authority and responsibility. There is much that we do not know about the positions and duties of angels.

This angel speaks in the past tense announcing the fall of Babylon. John freely mixes past, present and future tenses in this chapter. This should not be considered strange in prophetic writing.

Babylon was the capital city of the great Babylonian Empire. in the book of Daniel, it is the first of the five great Gentile powers. It represents the wicked immoral system of this world as opposed to the kingdom of God. In this chapter it represents the capital of the great world government of the Anti-Christ.

This city will be a place of much occult activity. Its ruler will be possessed by Satan. Demons will come and go constantly. It will be given over to witchcraft, astrology, drug addiction, immorality and corruption.

All nations will submit to the power of this city. The authority of the Anti-Christ will be world wide. All the world's rulers will visit this place and partake of her immoral pleasures. The large multi-national corporations will supply all for which this city lusts. Wealth will flow in from all the nations, and will be spent on luxuries. While the rest of mankind suffers under the terrible disasters of the Tribulation, this city will enjoy prosperity and unrestrained revelry.

The Prostitute Destroyed

2008-03-09T09:40:00.002-04:00

" 'This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.' Then the angel said to me, 'The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.' " (Revelation 17:9-18 - New International Version)

The angel says that the woman sits upon the seven mountains. This would seem to indicate that her headquarters will be in a city that is built on seven hills. Ancient Rome was built on seven hills. This is most likely the location. Although there are other possibilities that have been suggested, one of which is Jerusalem.

The angel then speaks of seven kings. Five are past. One existed during the time of John, One is yet to come. The Anti-Christ will be the eighth and the seventh.

These seven kings represent the seven world empires. The five that are past are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Greece. The one that existed when John wrote was the Roman Empire. The seventh will be the kingdom of the Anti-Christ. The eighth will be the kingdom of Satan ruling through the body of the Anti-Christ.

During the early stages of the Tribulation, there will be ten rulers who will support the Anti-Christ in his rise to power. They will be fully committed to the Anti-Christ. Many have suggested that these will be European rulers. This is a strong possibility, although one or more of these may rule in another part of the world.

Verse fourteen skips forward to the Battle of Armageddon. Then, Jesus will once and for all overthrow all his enemies and all those who oppose the truth. The saved will return with him at the time of this battle.

The ten kings who support the Anti-Christ's rise to power will see the influence of the world's religious system as a potential threat to their plans and to the authority of the Anti-Christ. They will wait for the right time to destroy the prostitute.

After the resurrection of the Anti-Christ, they will act. They will establish a new religion centered around the worship of the Anti-Christ. Once it is fully established, they will turn upon the great prostitute and destroy her. This will happen sometime after the middle of the Tribulation. During the last part of the Tribulation, all people will be required to worship the Anti-Christ or be killed.

Drunk with the Blood of the Saints

2008-03-04T01:46:00.002-05:00

"And I saw the woman drunken from the blood of the saints, and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, and I did wonder -- having seen her -- with great wonder; and the messenger said to me, `Wherefore didst thou wonder? I -- I will tell thee the secret of the woman and of the beast that [is] carrying her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns. `The beast that thou didst see: it was, and it is not; and it is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go away to destruction, and wonder shall those dwelling upon the earth, whose names have not been written upon the scroll of the life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that was, and is not, although it is.' " (Revelation 17:6-8 - Young's Literal Translation)

Once this world-wide religious system is established, it will persecute all those who will not conform to it teaching. It will be intoxicated with blood. The blood of true Christians will be addictive. The more she kills; the more she will desire to kill.

John is amazed by this prostitute. He admires her beauty and wealth and is repelled by her evil and immorality.

The angel tells John that he will explain to him the vision that he has seen. To some commentators, the angel's explanation is just as difficult to understand as the vision itself. However, if we keep in mind an overview of the Tribulation events, things will come into focus.

The angel says that the beast was, and is not and yet is. This beast is the Anti-Christ. In what way does this strange description apply to him. In chapter thirteen we studied the Anti-Christ. Three times in that chapter, John mentions a fatal wound that the Anti-Christ receives. Satan will resurrect the Anti-Christ by possessing his body and animating it. It will be an imperfect imitation of the Resurrection of Jesus.

So the Anti-Christ was alive. Then he died and is not. Then Satan resurrects him and he yet is.
This also explains the reference to the bottomless pit and perdition. Satan will ascend out of the pit to possess the body of the Anti-Christ. At the end of the Tribulation, all those whose names are not in the Book of Life will go into perdition.

The entire world will honor the Anti-Christ when he is resurrected. Only the saved will see things as the truly are. Only the saved will understand what has actually occurred.

The Woman on the Beast

2008-03-01T03:15:00.001-05:00

"And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Revelation 17:3-5 - American Standard Version)

The beast is the Anti-Christ. This ungodly religion and the Anti-Christ will be partners. They will assist each other as one seeks to rule the world spiritually and the other seeks to rule the world politically. They will unite their efforts early in the Tribulation.

Verse four is a picture of great wealth. In New Testament times, purple and scarlet dies were expensive. Only the wealthy could afford such colors. So this religious system will be very wealthy.

The golden cup represents the teachings of this religion. On the outside, it looks good and beautiful. However, the truth is that it is full of wicked and immoral teachings and practices. In God's eyes, this religion will be dirty and disgusting. From God's view, there will be nothing good in this religion.

The name of this new religious order is a mystery. It is something that must be carefully considered.

She is Babylon. Babylon was an ancient city. Its ruins are in modern day Iraq. This city is considered to have grown out of Babel. Babel is man's first city and is described in Genesis chapter eleven.

There are many parallels between the Babylon of Revelation and the Babel of Genesis. Both seek to unite mankind politically and spiritually. Both are opposed to the truth and to God. Both are destroyed by God.

This Babylon the Great will be the mother of all false religions. All of them will unite under her leadership.

The Great Prostitute

2008-02-27T03:00:00.002-05:00

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. He said, 'Come, and I will show you the punishment that will be given to the great prostitute, the one sitting over many waters. The kings of the earth sinned sexually with her, and the people of the earth became drunk from the wine of her sexual sin.' " (Revelation 17:1,2 -New Century Version)

Chapter Seventeen, like many others in Revelation, is not in chronological order. There are, however, some clues that give us a good idea of when this chapter fits into the Tribulation period.

This chapter describes a great religious system that will exist during the first part of the Tribulation. This religion will be used by the Anti-Christ as he consolidates his position as world ruler. There is much symbolism in this chapter; most of it is easy to understand.

Often in Revelation, an angel speaks with John and points out to him something of importance, or explains what John is seeing. This angel does both. This angel is one of the ones who poured out the bowls of God's wrath. He now wants to show John the judgment that will come upon the great prostitute.

In the Bible, adultery and prostitution are used in both a physical and spiritual sense. Spiritually these terms speak of false religion and being unfaithful to God and the truth.

So the great prostitute represents a wicked and immoral religious system. She claims to offer peace with God. In fact, to accept her seductive ways brings damnation.

Verse fifteen tells us that the waters upon which this woman is sitting represents all people groups. This will be a world-wide religious system. All ethnic groups, all nationalities, all languages will be represented within this immoral religion. This religion will be multi-faith and ecumenical. It will seek to please everybody but God.

This religious system will have political power because of its world-wide nature. The kings of the earth will join this new religion.

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath

2008-01-13T09:09:00.000-05:00

"Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great." (Revelation 16:17-21 - New King James Version)

When the seventh bowl is poured out, God speaks. He says a single word. It is the same word Jesus used on the cross that is translated, “It is finished.”

With the pouring out of the last bowl of God's wrath, the reign of man is finished; the power of Satan is finished; the waiting for justice is finished. It is time for Christ to lead his army to victory. However, John has a lot to tell us before he describes the battle in chapter nineteen.

The seventh bowl introduces another series of natural disasters: thunder, lightning and another earthquake. Earlier in Revelation under the sixth seal, John tells us about a great earthquake that caused men to hide in the mountains and cry out in fear. Under the seventh seal, there was another earthquake. Under the sixth trumpet, there was another great earthquake. Through out the Tribulation, there will be other minor earthquakes and tremors.

Under the seventh bowl will occur an earthquake greater than all the others. An earthquake more powerful than any that has ever occurred in the history of man. Every place on earth will move! No place will escape the effects of this earthquake.

Jerusalem will be divided into three sections because of the movement of the earth. Cities all over the world will face great destruction. The capital of the Anti-Christ will be especially hard hit.

Following this earthquake, volcanic activity will be world-wide. As we mentioned before the Greek word used for hail in Revelation means anything that falls. This hail will be huge rocks thrown into the air be the volcanoes. Some of these rocks will weigh 45 kg (100 pounds).

How will man react in the face of this destruction? He will curse God! Rather than recognize that this had been brought on by his own wickedness, mankind will blame God.

Armageddon

2007-11-22T06:05:00.000-05:00

"An evil spirit that looked like a frog came out of the mouth of the dragon. One also came out of the mouth of the beast, and another out of the mouth of the false prophet. These evil spirits had the power to work miracles. They went to every king on earth, to bring them together for a war against God All-Powerful. But that will be the day of God's great victory. Remember that Christ says, 'When I come, it will surprise you like a thief! But God will bless you, if you are awake and ready. Then you won't have to walk around naked and be ashamed.' Those armies came together in a place that in Hebrew is called Armagedon" (Revelation 16:13-16 - Contemporary English Version)

Satan puts all his efforts into gathering a great physical and spiritual army. He plans one more attempt to gain the throne of heaven. All his efforts, however, are only serving God's purpose. Satan is gathering his forces for the battle of the great day of God Almighty. It will be the day when God proves once and for all that he is in control and all opposition will be humbled.

Jesus, in verse fifteen, interjects a warning at this point in John's account. Jesus is coming at a time when most people will not expect him. Most people will not be ready for his appearance. Those who are spiritually prepared will be blessed by his return. Those who are saved but who are spiritually naked, unprepared and living selfishly and sinfully at his return will be ashamed.

Armageddon means either the hill or city of Megiddo. Megiddo means place of troops or place of slaughter. This town was located on the southern rim of a huge plain. This valley is about 22 km (14 miles) wide and 32 km (20 miles) long. Napoleon called it “the most natural battlefield of the whole earth.”

This area has seen many battles. The Israelites under Barak defeated the Canaanites here. Israel under Gideon defeated the Midianites. The Philistines defeated Israel in this valley and killed her first king, Saul. Pharaohnechoh and the Egyptians defeated Judah and killed king Josiah at Megiddo while on their way to battle Nebuchadnezzar. General Titus and a Roman army marched across this valley on their way to destroy Jerusalem. The Crusaders fought here. During World War I, the British General Allenby used the valley in defeating the Turkish army. At least one more battle will be fought here: the Battle of Armageddon.

The Sixth Bowl of Wrath

2007-09-26T06:31:00.000-04:00

"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east." (Revelation 16:12 - English Standard Version)

Depending upon how we understand previous passages in Revelation, this verse may or may not be difficult to interpret. In our study of Revelation chapter 12, we considered the very real possibility that the Euphrates River will be diverted because of the earthquake activity during the Tribulation. This would occur around the middle of the Tribulation.

If the Euphrates was diverted into the Jordan River system about 42 months before the sixth bowl is poured out, the drying of the Euphrates at this point is puzzling. There are two possibilities, either only part of the water was diverted then and the rest now dries up, or else, the head waters of Euphrates are dried up at this time which in turn dries up the Jordan River system into which these waters now flow. If the kings of the east are to easily enter into the Valley of Megiddo, they must cross the Jordan.

God will prepare the way for all peoples to move toward Jerusalem. He will dry up rivers. He will squeeze the sides of the Gulf of Suez together to allow the kings of the south easy access. Isaiah 11:15 says, “And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.” (King James Version)

The next verses in Revelation tell us who will come and gather in this valley. It has been called the Valley of Jezreel, the Valley of Esdraelon and the Valley of Megiddo. Christians usually call it Armageddon.

The Fifth Bowl of Wrath

2007-08-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." (Revelation 16:10,11 - King James Version)

The first bowl of wrath causes painful sores to break out on those who follow the beast. The second destroys all sea life. The third pollutes all rivers and fountains. The fourth causes the sun to burn men with great heat.

These are direct acts of God. There are no scientific explanations for them. Yet rather than throw himself upon the mercy of God, mankind, as a whole, curses God. God continues to judge the wickedness of man.

Darkness thick enough to be felt falls upon the capital city of the beast. This may be Rome or a re-built Babylon or some other city. Wherever it is, the darkness will be complete. This will be a clear indication of God's disapproval of the Anti-Christ.

They will sit in darkness. The pain of the sores of the first bowl and the burning caused by the fourth bowl will continue to torment them. They will continue to blaspheme and curse God. They will continue in their rebellious sinful ways. They will refuse to repent and turn from wickedness.

The Fourth Bowl of Wrath

2007-06-11T05:17:00.000-04:00

"Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory." (Revelation 16:8,9 - New Living Translation)

Under the fourth bowl, God allows the sun to burn people. Mankind is scorched. Possibly, God removes some of the protection of the ozone layer. Whatever occurs, it is caused by a direct act of God. People will suffer greatly from this heat.

Four times God will directly act in judgment upon man. He will send a plague of sores upon people. He will turn the sea and the rivers into blood. He will cause the sun to burn people. Yet rather than seek him, they will be harden in their rebellion. They will curse God and blaspheme. They will not repent.

When God sent His plagues upon Egypt, the Pharaoh's spiritual wickedness and hardness grew. When God sends these final plagues, they will only serve to increase the rebellious spirit of man. They will not repent.

The Third Bowl of Wrath

2007-03-12T18:22:00.000-04:00

"Then the third [angel] emptied out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into (became) blood. And I also heard the angel of the waters say, Righteous (just) are You in these Your decisions and judgments, You Who are and were, O Holy One! Because they have poured out the blood of Your people (the saints) and the prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. Such is their due [they deserve it]! And [from] the altar I heard [the] cry, Yes, Lord God the Omnipotent, Your judgments (sentences, decisions) are true and just and righteous!" (Revelation 16:4-7 - Amplified Bible)

With the pouring out of the third bowl, God miraculously changes all rivers and fountains into blood. Fresh water will be almost impossible to find. An angel praises God for this judgment because it is fitting. The Anti-Christ and his followers have shed the blood of many people. Now they must drink blood. The wicked people of the earth are worthy to receive such punishment.

This reminds us that although God's wrath is terrible, it is also appropriate. It is what sinful man deserves. God is willing to forgive all people, but those who refuse to turn to him face judgment for their rebellion.

The Second Bowl of Wrath

2007-01-29T05:14:00.000-05:00

"The second Angel poured his bowl on the sea: The sea coagulated into blood, and everything in it died." (Revelation 16:3 - The Message)

Verse three in the Greek, reads, “it became blood as of a dead man.” John clearly distinguishes the blood here from that in early passages. Blood, in the Bible, can refer to anything with a blood red color. In chapter eight, it referred to the Red Tide which is a natural occurrence in the ocean. In chapter fourteen, it referred to molten lava.

However, in this passage, John tells us that he is speaking of blood like the blood of a dead man. It seems clear that under the second bowl of wrath, God turns the oceans into actual blood. The natural result will be the death of all marine life.

The First Bowl of Wrath

2007-01-21T16:47:00.000-05:00

"Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.' So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image." (Revelation 16:1,2 - New American Standard)

God's patience with man will once again run out. He will pour out judgment upon mankind because they rebel against him. These seven bowls of wrath are poured out one after the other in rapid succession over a period of a few weeks. Any longer and no one would be left alive at the end of the Tribulation.

The voice in verse one must belong to God. No one else is allowed in the temple during this time. The angels are ordered to pour out their vials or bowls. This shows the speed with which these things will happen. The angels go together one after another to pour out their bowls.

The sores of verse two are loathsome, foul, evil, malignant and painful. They are not treatable and last at least until the fifth bowl is poured out and likely until the end of the Tribulation when these people are cast into torments. These sours afflict the majority of mankind; those who worship the beast and his image. Those who have not accepted the mark of the beast will be spared.

The Seven Angels

2007-01-11T06:34:00.000-05:00

"After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed." (Revelation 15:5-8 - New International Version)

The tabernacle that Moses built and the temple built by Solomon were both patterned after the true temple in heaven. John sees seven angels coming out of the temple. They have just left a personal and private audience with God. These angels are dressed in white with golden sashes. Some think they are dresses as priests; others that they are dressed as ancient generals.

One of the four beasts, who are constantly in God's presence, hands each of the angels a bowl. These bowls are filled with God's anger.

The temple fills with the glory of God in the form of a thick cloud of smoke. The fate of the earth has been sealed. God's judgment is about to fall. No man is allowed into God's presence during this time.

This chapter should remind us that God always acts in holiness and justice. When he pours out his wrath it is the right thing to do. It also shows how serious heaven takes these events. These plagues are not sent to the earth arbitrarily or hastily. Only after an audience with God himself in the heavenly temple do these angels take the bowls and go to the earth.

We should neither question God's character because of his anger, nor underestimate the horror of it. Sometimes what is right and true is not pleasant.

The Victorious Ones

2007-01-04T05:14:00.000-05:00

"And I saw as a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who do gain the victory over the beast, and his image, and his mark, [and] the number of his name, standing by the sea of the glass, having harps of God, and they sing the song of Moses, servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, `Great and wonderful [are] Thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty, righteous and true [are] Thy ways, O King of saints, who may not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? because Thou alone [art] kind, because all the nations shall come and bow before Thee, because Thy righteous acts were manifested.' " (Revelation 15:2-4 - Young's Literal Translation)

We were told in chapter four that the sea of glass is before God's throne. If the sea of glass in verse two is the same one then these people are standing before God's throne. These are the ones who had victory over the beast: the Tribulation martyrs. In God's eyes, we win the victory when we give up all for him. As Jim Elliot, one of the missionaries killed by the Auca Indians, said, “A man is no fool to give up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

These men and women, of whom the world is not worthy, stand before the throne of God with harps. Verse three tells us what they sing. They sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb.

It is debated what the Song of Moses is. Some believe that it is the song that Moses and the people of Israel sang after crossing the Red Sea as recorded in Exodus fifteen. If this is the case then these saints in heaven would see the Pharaoh as symbolic of Satan and the forces of evil.

This is what Moses sang:
I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.
The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power.
Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.
In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble.
By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
The enemy boasted, 'I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.'
But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them.
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall upon them.
By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone— until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people you bought pass by.
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance— the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.
The LORD will reign for ever and ever.
(Exodus 15:1b-18 – New International Version)

The Song of the Lamb is that which John records in Revelation. Notice that although these are martyrs who gave their lives for the Lord, they do not speak of the things which they suffered and endured. They do not praise their own faithfulness or courage. Instead their praise is centered upon God's greatness.

They praise him for being all powerful. They praise him for his pure character. They proclaim him King of the nations. They announce that all peoples will worship the Lord. Their song is a beautiful song of praise.

The character of God as praised in this song should be constantly in our minds as we continue in Revelation. His wrath comes from a pure heart. We need to remember this.

The Seven Last Plagues

2007-01-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

"Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete." (Revelation 15:1 - New King James Version)

Chapter fifteen is a short interlude before God's wrath is poured out upon the earth. It reminds us that the judgment of God is not vindictive but just. It is not based upon anger but upon holiness. To lightly skip over this chapter would prevent us from seeing the wrath of chapter sixteen from the correct perspective.

Verse one is like a title for the chapter. The subject of this chapter is the seven angels who carry the bowls filled with God's wrath. John calls them a sign. These angels and their actions teach us about the holiness and justice of God.

There is a finality in the words of this verse. These angels carry the seven LAST plagues. These will bring an end to the Tribulation. The wrath or anger of God is filled up in these seven last plagues. The word for filled up or complete means finished. It is the same word Jesus used on the cross when He said, “It is finished.”

These plagues will finish the wrath of God. They will satisfy his justice.

The Winepress of the Earth

2006-12-21T05:36:00.000-05:00

"And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs." (Revelation 14:17-20 - King James Version)

Notice the difference in the actions of the first angel who harvests and the one in verses seventeen to twenty. The first thrust his sickle on the earth. This one thrusts his sickle into the earth. The first was harvesting the lives of men. The second is preparing a winepress.

Notice also that the angel commanding this one has power over fire. Remember that in the Bible, Isaiah 25:21, the earth is said to have blood, referring to the molten magma inside the earth.

This winepress will not be filled with human blood. It will be filled with the blood of the earth, red hot lava. The angel will strike the earth with his sickle opening up the Fault of Arabah which runs the length of Israel. For 300 km (about 180 miles), the lava will flow four feet deep.

The Earth is "Harvested"

2006-12-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

"Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, 'Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.' So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested." (Revelation 14:14-16 -New Living Translation)

There is great disagreement on whether the person sitting on the cloud in verse fourteen is Jesus or an angel. There are strong arguments for both views. However, it is most likely an angel. Because if this was Jesus, then in verse fifteen, we have an angel giving a command to Christ. This is unlikely. As well there is no definite article before “son of man” in the original. This person was like a son of man. He is not the Son of Man, Jesus.

This angel is of high rank since he wears a crown. In his hand, he holds a sickle. He is waiting to harvest the wicked, that is, cut off their lives. An angel comes from the heavenly temple and commands the harvest to begin.

The word the angel uses for ripe means to dry up or wither. The picture is of a rotten crop which needs to be cleared from the field. It is not a good harvest. God has held back his wrath until the wickedness of man has become overwhelming. It is time to bring it to an end.

The angel puts his sickle to the earth, and the clearing of the wicked from the fields begins. When God's wrath is finished and the events of the Tribulation come to an end, there will be no unsaved people alive.

Torment or Rest

2006-11-28T06:36:00.000-05:00

"Then another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a mighty voice, Whoever pays homage to the beast and his statue and permits the [beast's] stamp (mark, inscription) to be put on his forehead or on his hand, He too shall [have to] drink of the wine of God's indignation and wrath, poured undiluted into the cup of His anger; and 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 respite (no pause, no intermission, no rest, no peace) day or night--these who pay homage to the beast and to his image and whoever receives the stamp of his name upon him. Here [comes in a call for] the steadfastness of the saints [the patience, the endurance of the people of God], those who [habitually] keep God's commandments and [their] faith in Jesus. Then I heard further [ perceiving the distinct words of] a voice from heaven, saying, Write this: Blessed (happy, to be envied) are the dead from now on who die in the Lord! Yes, blessed (happy, to be envied indeed), says the Spirit, [in] that they may rest from their labors, for their works (deeds) do follow (attend, accompany) them!" (Revelation 14:9-13 - Amplified Bible)

Verses nine to eleven directly link the mark of the beast to the worship of the beast. To receive the mark of the beast during the Tribulation will only be possible if you worship him. It will be a mark of allegiance and submission to the Anti-Christ.

Those who worship the beast will drink of God's wrath. “Without mixture” means undiluted. It was common in New Testament times for people to add water to their wine as it become fermented to reduce the alcoholic content. However, God's wrath will be poured out in its full strength.

Those who accept the beast and reject Jesus will be tormented for eternity in the Lake of Fire. This is an awful warning. Yet so many ignore it and will ignore it.

What allows those who suffer and die because of their faith to endure their trials with patience, hope and faith? It is the knowledge that God will judge the wicked and will reward his servants. This knowledge should cause us to keep God's commands.

During the Tribulation, those who die for their faith in Christ will be blessed. They will then have rest from their troubles. They will then be rewarded for what they did for the Lord.

Two Angels and Their Messages

2006-11-20T05:28:00.000-05:00

"I saw another Angel soaring in Middle-Heaven. He had an Eternal Message to preach to all who were still on earth, every nation and tribe, every tongue and people. He preached in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory! His hour of judgment has come! Worship the Maker of Heaven and earth, salt sea and fresh water!' A second Angel followed, calling out, 'Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon ruined! She made all the nations drunk on the wine of her whoring!' " (Revelation 14:6-8 - The Message)

God allows an angel to preach to mankind. This angel will fly through the sky proclaiming his message! This message will be threefold.

First he will tell mankind to fear God. The people of the earth at this time will fear and reverence the Anti-Christ. Yet he will only rule a short time; God will rule forever.

Second, he says to give God glory. They should worship God not the Anti-Christ and his statue. The judgment of God is about to be released on the earth. A person's only hope of avoiding eternal torment is to seek after God and his gift of salvation.

Finally, the angel tells people to worship the Creator. If a person will consider God's creation, they will see the power of God. They should be able to recognize his goodness and wisdom. If they will seek after God, God will draw close to them.

John sees another angel in verse eight making an announcement. Wicked Babylon, which represents both the political and religious structure of the Anti-Christ, is fallen. This is further explained in chapter seventeen. We will discuss it more fully when we get to that chapter.

144,000 Sing

2006-11-17T06:14:00.000-05:00

"And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless." (Revelation 14:2-5 - New American Standard Version)

John hears a voice from heaven. This is God's voice. We are not told what He says. Then the orchestra of heaven plays and the 144,000 sing. Of all the people on the earth at this time, they alone can sing this song. It is a song of redemption and salvation. At this time, they will be the only ones on the earth who are believers. Their song comes up to heaven and is heard by God and the angels.

Verses four and five describe the 144,000 to us in more detail. We learned from chapter seven that they are Jewish. Here we learn that they are men. They are not married and are virgins. Upon being saved, they become committed followers of Christ. They are called first fruits, because they are the first to be saved after the rapture. When they are saved, they are the only Christians on earth.

They are prepared to go wherever the Lord leads them. They tell the truth not lies. Though not sinless, they quickly ask forgiveness, and stand faultless in Christ before God. They will bring many to a saving knowledge of Jesus. However, they are not God's only witness during this time.

144,000 Saved

2006-11-15T06:44:00.000-05:00

"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads." (Revelation 14:1 - New International Version)

Most commentators believe that Mount Zion in this passage refers to heaven. However, there are several problems with this interpretation. First, of the twenty three times that Mount Zion is mentioned in the Bible, only one refers to heaven, all others refer to Jerusalem. Second, in verse two, John hears a voice from heaven. If Mount Zion is in heaven, then how could this voice come from heaven? Third, at the second coming of Christ to rule, there will be many saved Jews on earth and many others who will be ready to immediately accept him. It makes sense that these 144,000 Jewish believers will be witnessing to their fellow Jews and others, just before the return of Christ at the end of the Tribulation.

Taking this verse literally, it would teach that after the seventh trumpet and the rapture, before God's wrath is poured out, Jesus appears in Jerusalem to the 144,000 Jews who had been sealed by God against death. Like the Apostle Paul, they are converted when they see Jesus. He commissions them to preach the Gospel during the final weeks of the Tribulation.

The Mark of the Beast

2006-11-13T06:03:00.000-05:00

"And it maketh all, the small, and the great, and the rich, and the poor, and the freemen, and the servants, that it may give to them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads, and that no one may be able to buy, or to sell, except he who is having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is the wisdom! He who is having the understanding, let him count the number of the beast, for the number of a man it is, and its number [is] 666." (Revelation 13:16-18 - Young's Literal Translation)

The mark of the beast has been the source of much useless speculation. We cannot know the details of this event until it happens. However, we can understand the implication.

In order to buy or sell anything, it will became law that a person must have a certain mark on their hand or forehead. This mark may or may not be directly related to the transaction. It may be a magnetic strip or similar object containing bank account information or it may not. That is not clear.

What is clear is that this mark will be directly tied to the worship of the Anti-Christ. To get a mark, a person will have to worship the Anti-Christ as god. No one else will be able to have this mark. So those who will not worship him will not be able to legally buy or sell anything.

We are told that the number of the Anti-Christ is 666. This number may help us to identify the Anti-Christ when the Tribulation comes. It is a waste of time to attempt to do that before then.

Six is the number of man because he was created on the sixth day. Three sixes would indicate that this man is great. The number of the Anti-Christ, 666, is the number of a “super man.” That is what the world will think of him.

This chapter warns us of the danger of accepting religious leaders by their appearance. This man will appear to be harmless; he will do miracles that will be seen as divine; he will be a man of religion. However, the truth will be that he speaks Satan's words; he does great things by the power of the devil; and he will lead people into hell. He will be the False Prophet.

Statue of the Anti-Christ

2006-11-10T06:40:00.000-05:00

"He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed." (Revelation 13:13-15 - New King James Version)

The False Prophet will have the ability to do miracles. He will even be able to call down fire out of the sky. People will be awe struck by his deeds. The world will be convinced that he is a man of God. They will be ready to believe whatever he tells them in regard to religion.

He will tell the world that they should worship the Anti-Christ. He will have a statue made of the Anti-Christ. This statue is the abomination of desolation. It will be placed in the new Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

The False Prophet's miracles will include the supernatural animation of the statue of the beast. Through the powers of darkness, the False Prophet will cause the image to speak.

The image will declare that all who do not worship the Anti-Christ should be killed. Of course, those who are not willing to go along with the policies of the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be considered traitors against humanity. The words of the image will just be further encouragement to seek out and destroy true Christians, those Jews who reject the message of the False Prophet, and any others who are not willing to go along with their plans.

The Beast of the Earth

2006-11-07T06:31:00.000-05:00

"Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed." (Revelation 13:11,12 - English Standard Version)

The last few posts have examined the second member of the unholy trinity: the Anti-Christ. He is Satan's imperfect imitation of Jesus. The last part of chapter thirteen describes the third member of the unholy trinity: the False Prophet. He imitates the work of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit seeks to draw attention to Jesus. The False Prophet seeks to draw attention to the Anti-Christ. The Holy Spirit encourages people to do what is right. The False Prophet will encourage people to do what is evil. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth. The False Prophet is a deceiver.

John sees a second beast. This beast has the same character as the first. The word translated another means another of the same kind.

This beast comes up out of the earth not out of the sea. The sea represents the Gentile nations. The Anti-Christ is a Gentile. The False Prophet, on the other hand, will be Jewish. The earth represents the Hebrew people.

The horns on the first beast represent kings. It is possible that the two horns on this beast represent the two ancient Israelite kingdoms: Israel and Judah. This would then indicate that, at first, he has the support of all Israelites.

He appears as a lamb: innocent and harmless. However, the words he speaks are the words of the dragon: Satan. His ideas and teachings are harmful and dangerous. He supports the work of the Anti-Christ who obeys the orders of the devil.

The Anti-Christ will give his full support to the work of the False Prophet. This man will seek to unite all religions. He will encourage all people to view the Anti-Christ as their savior and god.

War with the Saints

2006-11-04T13:20:00.000-05:00

"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." (Revelation 13:5-10 -King James Version)

God allows Satan to control the Anti-Christ for forty-two months, the last half of the Tribulation. God allows the Anti-Christ to make war upon the saints and kill them. God allows him to rule over the entire world. God allows it; Satan wants to do these things; and mankind freely follows the commands of the Anti-Christ. Only the saved, and those who will be saved, do not worship the Anti-Christ.

Verse ten has been much debated. There are several different readings among the various Greek texts and none of the readings have strong enough support for us to be certain of the original. However, the major readings contain similar thoughts.

The King James Version carries the idea that God will avenge His children who suffer during the Tribulation. Those who take them captive will become captives. Those who kill them will be killed. This is a direct application of the universal law of sowing and reaping. This law is stated in Galatians 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall we also reap.”

The New International Version is based upon a different Greek reading and teaches us a different lesson. It reads, “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”

This reading deals with accepting God's will. It is not fatalism. It is recognizing that when things happen that we cannot control, we should accept them as part of God's will for our lives. We will be taken captive if God allows. We will be killed if God allows. This teaches us that when difficult times come, we must with patience and faith believe that Romans 8:28 is still true: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

The New American Standard Version is based upon a third reading which combines the thoughts of the other version we have examined. It reads, “If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”

This reading teaches that if God allows we may be taken captive; we may even be killed. But God will avenge us. Those who do evil will be punished. Most commentaries seem to favor this last reading.

The Fatal Wound

2006-11-01T06:15:00.000-05:00

"I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. 'Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?' " (Revelation 13:3,4 - New Living Translation)

Three times in this chapter, the Anti-Christ's wound is mentioned, in verses three, twelve and fourteen. Verse twelve describes it as a deadly wound. Verse fourteen states that it was caused by a sword. Verse three describes it the same way as the wound of the Lamb are described in chapter five.

It seems that the Anti-Christ receives a fatal wound in either a battle or an assassination attempt. The Anti-Christ dies from this wound. However, before the world can mourn the loss of their leader, Satan resurrects him. I do not believe that Satan can bring a person back to life. Rather, he indwells the body of the Anti-Christ and animates like a puppet. So that Anti-Christ is Satan in the flesh. The Anti-Christ's miraculous recovery causes the entire world to wonder at the beast.

As a result of his amazing recovery from death, the people of the world proclaim him to be a god. He is worshiped and through him the dragon is worshiped. Not only is he given adulation, he is also feared. It seems that no one can match his abilities in diplomacy, war or charisma.

The Anti-Christ, indwelt by Satan, is wicked beyond belief. Yet it is only because God allows him and the people of the earth to fulfill their sinful desires that they can accomplish their wicked plans. The Tribulation period will demonstrate how wicked man is. When God removes the limitations which He now has in place, man deteriorates into greater sin.

The Beast of the Sea

2006-10-16T06:14:00.000-04:00

"As I stood on the sandy beach, I saw a beast coming up out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads. On his horns he had ten royal crowns (diadems) and blasphemous titles (names) on his heads. And the beast that I saw resembled a leopard, but his feet were like those of a bear and his mouth was like that of a lion. And to him the dragon gave his [own] might and power and his [own] throne and great dominion." (Revelation 13:1,2 - Amplified Bible)

Satan wants to be God. So he often imitates God. This chapter describes his attempt to imitate the Trinity. He is Satan the father. The Anti-Christ is the son of Satan. The False Prophet is the unholy spirit. Like all of Satan's imitations, this one is imperfect and evil.

Some Greek manuscripts say, “He stood upon the sand of the sea” instead of “I stood on the sand of the sea.” The he would refer back to the dragon of chapter twelve. This would suggest that Satan is always watching for the one who will be the Anti-Christ. Satan has always had those whom he has used to promote wickedness. However, he is waiting for the one man who will bring him the worship of the world.

The sea represents the Gentile nations. The Anti-Christ will be a Gentile. According to chapter seventeen, the seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings. The ten horns are ten kings who support the Anti-Christ in his rise to power. When we get to chapter seventeen I will discuss this symbolism more fully.

The description of the Anti-Christ is similar to the description of the dragon in the previous chapter. This shows how closely related the two are. Satan is the true power behind the Anti-Christ.

Upon the ten heads are written a name or names of blasphemy. This man will be ungodly from the beginning. He and his supporters will be opposed to the truth. They will speak blasphemous things.

The description of the beast reveals to us his connection with the past world powers. According to Daniel, the leopard represents the Greek Empire; the bear represents the Media-Persian Empire; and the lion represents the Babylonian Empire. The fourth beast that Daniel describes representing the Roman Empire is like the beast described by John.

“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” (Daniel 7:7,8 – New International Version)

This fourth dreadful beast represents the Roman Empire. The Anti-Christ will rule over a revived Roman Empire. His initial power base will be in Europe. The little horn that Daniel describes is the Anti-Christ. At first the ten rulers represented by the horns will support him. But Daniel tells us that for some reason three of the rulers will eventually oppose the Anti-Christ and he will turn upon them. They will be removed from power.

The great things that the Anti-Christ speaks are to be equated with the blasphemous names that John mentions. The Anti-Christ will make himself out to be god-man. He will oppose the truth of the Lord.

Flood

2006-10-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

"The Serpent vomited a river of water to swamp and drown her, but earth came to her help, swallowing the water the Dragon spewed from its mouth. Helpless with rage, the Dragon raged at the Woman, then went off to make war with the rest of her children, the children who keep God's commands and hold firm to the witness of Jesus." (Revelation 12:15-17 - The Message)

God's use of the earth to help the Israelites will anger Satan. He will seek to use the earth to destroy the fleeing Jews with a great flood. Satan will divert the waters of the Euphrates River.

Tom McElmurry wrote, “The headwater tributary system of the great river Euphrates begins in the same general area as the headwater tributary system of the Jordan River. And oddly enough, a tremendous subduction fault zone runs through Turkey and northern Lebanon beneath both headwater tributary systems. . . . These massive structure changes in Turkey and northern Lebanon will cause the runoff waters of the tributary system of the Euphrates River to be diverted into the Jordan River system. This additional runoff water in the upper headwaters will greatly increase the depth and width of the Jordan River.” (page 46, The Tribulation Triad, Tom McElmurry, Bogard Press, Texarkana, 1983)

Satan will send a massive flood of water into the Jordan River. This will flow towards the Jews fleeing into the Jordan River Valley from Jerusalem. God will then use the earth to not only prevent this flood from destroying these refuges but to cut off those pursuing them.

We know from Ezekiel chapter forty seven that during the thousand year reign of Christ, there will be a great river about 1850 meters from Jerusalem. Today the Jordan River is about 30 km away. So God will divert the Jordan River into a new course much closer to Jerusalem. This new river will flow behind the fleeing Jews cutting off those seeking to pursue them. This flood which Satan hoped would destroy them will protect them.

Unable to reach those Jews who are protected by God in the wilderness, Satan increase his persecution of Christians, especially Jewish believers. The Tribulation will be a horrific time. Yet even in it, God will be at work and for those with spiritual vision, His hand will be clearly seen.

The Woman Flees

2006-10-06T06:19:00.000-04:00

"And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent." (Revelation 12:13,14 - New American Standard)

The events of this passage on the surface seem mysterious. However, when combined with some other prophetic passages and geological facts; they fall into place.

In the last few posts, we learned that the dragon is Satan and the woman is Israel. Around the middle of the Tribulation, there will be a great war in heaven. Satan and his demons will be cast out of heaven never to be allowed to return. Satan will be enraged. Satan will promote the greatest persecution of the Jewish people ever.

Regarding verse fourteen, Hal Lindsey writes, “Some kind of massive airlift will rapidly transport these fleeing Jews across the rugged terrain to their place of protection. Since the eagle is the national symbol of the United States, it's possible that the airlift will be made available by aircraft from the US Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.” (page 165, There's A New World Coming, Hal Lindsey, Bantam Books Inc, NY, 1975)

This presents one possible interpretation of this passage: that the wings of a great eagle refer to an airlift. If this is the case, we have no idea what nations will be involved. Many nations use the eagle as a symbol. Besides the United States, nations that have used the eagle as a national symbol include: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Austria, Russia, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Spain, Mexico and the Philippines.

There is another possible interpretation. This is one based upon another passage of Scripture. God told Moses to tell the people of Israel, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto Myself.” (Exodus 19:4 – King James Version)

How did God carry the people of Israel on eagle's wings out of Egypt? He opened up a path through the sea for them. God gave them a way of escape from the army of Egypt. During the Tribulation, Israel will once again need a way of escape. God will provide one.

The prophet Zechariah wrote, “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; . . .” (Zechariah 14:4,5a – King James Version)

When those in Jerusalem need to flee from the Anti-Christ, it will not be the Red Sea that blocks their path, but the Mount of Olives. The Lord tells us that He will split this mountain in two creating a valley that goes east out of Jerusalem. This will provide a smooth and easy means for the Jews to escape the Anti-Christ. They will flee to a place of refuge where God will protect them for three and a half years from the Anti-Christ.

Woe on the Earth

2006-10-04T19:41:00.000-04:00

"Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short" (Revelation 12:12 - New International Version)

Those who are in heaven rejoice that Satan has been cast out. Those on earth should fear. Satan will be angry. He will know that the prophetic events of Revelation are winding down. He will seek to do as much damage to God's creation as he can in the time left to him.

Heaven Rejoices

2006-09-30T16:36:00.000-04:00

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.' " (Revelation 12:10,11 - New King James Version)

Heaven will rejoice that God has finally shut the door to Satan. The accuser has been silenced. It is another step towards the final victory of Jesus over the powers of evil.

We are told in this passage how to overcome Satan. He is defeated by the blood of the Lamb. We cannot defeat the devil in our own strength. It is what Christ has done for us that gives us victory. We must hide ourselves behind the cross of Calvary.

We are not good enough to enter heaven. Satan can truthfully accuse us of many sinful thoughts and actions. However, true Christians are not trusting in their goodness to satisfy God. They have asked God to forgive them trusting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is the blood of Christ that washes away our sin. It is what he has done that allows us to approach God, not what we do. So Satan is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

For those who have trusted Jesus, we can daily defeat the powers of evil through the word of our testimony. When a Christian is seeking to be a daily witness to the goodness of God and the power of the cross, he will find it easier to resist sin. He will realize that if he commits public sins, he will lose his testimony and his witness will be in vain.

Another help in defeating Satan is not loving ourselves. If our love for God and others is greater than our love for life, than Satan will find it harder to defeat us.

War in Heaven

2006-09-24T07:59:00.000-04:00

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." (Revelation 12:7-9 - English Standard Version)

In verse seven, John's focus shifts from the earth to heaven. This war in heaven will occur around the middle of the Tribulation. Satan will know that his time is running out. He will seek again to take by force the throne of heaven. The archangel, Michael, and the angelic army of heaven will oppose him. A great spiritual battle will take place between the angels of light and the angels of darkness.

Satan and the demons will be defeated and will conclusively be cast out of heaven. Satan has been allowed to come before God and accuse God's children. This is what he did to Job. (Job 1:6) It is what he is doing now, but at the middle of the Tribulation, this will be brought to and end.

The Child

2006-09-17T07:36:00.000-04:00

"His tail dragged down one-third of the stars, which he threw to the earth. He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her child, ready to devour the baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a boy who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And the child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to give her care for 1,260 days." (Revelation 12:4-6 - New Living Translation)

The third part of the stars that the dragon casts to the earth are taken to represent the angels who followed Satan in his original rebellion. Satan's original name, Lucifer, means day star. It would seem then that one third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion against the Lord. These angels are now demons or devils. They seek to promote evil on the earth.

Satan was waiting for the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As soon after the birth as possible, Satan hoped to destroy Jesus. He used his puppet, Herod the Great, to slaughter the infants of Bethlehem. However, God warned Joseph. Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus fled Bethlehem before the soldiers arrived to carry out Herod's wicked command. Satan failed in all his attempts to destroy or tempt Jesus.

So the man child of verse five is Jesus. He will one day rule the world with a rod of iron. Psalm two in speaking of the king that God would set up in Zion states that he would break his opponents with a rod of iron. (Psalm 2:9) Revelation 19:15 also speaks of Jesus ruling with a rod of iron.

John in a single sentence jumps from the birth of Christ to his ascension into heaven. The ascension of Jesus shows that Satan was completely defeated. Jesus is the victor and will soon return to claim his prize.

The fleeing into the wilderness described in verse six is described in more detail later in this chapter. God has prepared a place of safety for the Jewish people. For the last three and a half years of the Tribulation, they will hide in this refuge to escape the persecution of the Anti-Christ.

The Dragon

2006-09-13T19:07:00.000-04:00

"Then another ominous sign (wonder) was seen in heaven: Behold, a huge, fiery-red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven kingly crowns (diadems) upon his heads." (Revelation 12:3 - Amplified Bible)

In verse nine of this chapter, the dragon is clearly identified as Satan. A dragon is a mythical creature found in many different cultures in different forms. It is a fitting symbol for Satan because it is usually described as wicked, cunning, savage and cruel. In form, it is sometimes pictured as a winged serpent or crocodile.

This great dragon of Revelation is red in color. This may be symbolic of the immeasurable amount of blood that this dragon has caused to be spilled. The seven heads and ten horns will be discussed more fully when we study chapter thirteen. The beast of that chapter is described using similar terms.

The seven heads with seven crowns represent the seven great world governments that the dragon has setup: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and the final government of the Anti-Christ. The ten horns represent ten kings or rulers who will support the Anti-Christ when he comes to power.

The Woman

2006-09-10T07:24:00.000-04:00

"A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth." (Revelation 12:1,2 - New American Standard)

This section of Scripture is a flashback. John covers a period going back to the birth of Christ and forward to the end of the Tribulation. It begins with a sign in the sky.

The woman in verse one represents Israel. The symbolism is taken from one of Joseph's prophetic dreams.

“Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. 'Listen,' he said, 'I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.' When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, 'What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?' His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” (Genesis 37:9-11 – New International Version)

In this prophetic dream, the sun represents Jacob, the moon Joseph's mother, and the stars his brothers. Revelation uses the same symbols to represent the nation of Israel which descended from Jacob and his twelve sons.

Israel is pictured by John as about to give birth to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Although Mary was the mother of Jesus, it is Israel as a nation that was God's means of bringing his son into the world. The prophet Isaiah said, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” (Isaiah 9:6a – King James Version) The “us” is the nation of Israel.

So John sees a woman representing Israel who is about to give birth to the Messiah. She is at the time of delivery. The Greek word translated in pain means tortured.

Inside the Temple in Heaven

2006-08-09T20:34:00.000-04:00

"Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm" (Revelation 11:19 - New International Version)

The temple of God, after which the wilderness tabernacle and the Jerusalem temple were patterned, is opened. John looks inside and sees the heavenly ark. The ark represents judgment because it contained the Law. It also represents mercy because upon it is the Mercy Seat and upon it the High Priest would offer the blood on the Day of Atonement.

There are more signs of coming judgment. If these heavenly events parallel events on earth, then at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, there will be severe storms, another earthquake and more volcanic eruptions. Remember, the word for hail means anything that comes down. Violent volcanic eruptions throw rocks into the air which come down upon people.

Worship The King

2006-08-03T09:58:00.000-04:00

"And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:16-18 - King James Version)

The announcement that Jesus is about to take over the world and establish his kingdom results in the 24 elders worshiping God again. Heaven is a place of constant worship. They praise God because he is about to use His great power.

While heaven rejoices, the men of earth are angry. They do not want Christ to reign. They do not want to give up their sinful ways. They do not want to serve God.

The anger of man is set against the wrath of God. God is angry as well. He is acting upon that anger. Like He did in Noah's day, God is about to judge the earth. Only this time, he will not destroy all life.

The elders also refer to judgment. There are four aspects to God's final judgment. There is his wrath which is a judgment for the sin of man. After the battle of Armageddon, all who followed the Anti-Christ will be placed in hell. Then all the saved will be judged. After the thousand year reign of Jesus, there will be a final judgment. The words of the elders cover all these judgments.

The last part of verse eighteen deserves to be noticed. God will “destroy them which destroy the earth.” The earth is God's creation. Those who destroy it are indirectly attacking God through his creation.

Christians should be “green.” We should be among those who are concerned about the environment and do what we can to protect it. Of course, our motive is very different from many today who seek to protect the environment. We do it because it is part of God's creation.

The Third Woe

2006-08-01T12:10:00.000-04:00

"The second woe (calamity) has passed; now the third woe is speedily to come. The seventh angel then blew [his] trumpet, and there were mighty voices in heaven, shouting, The dominion (kingdom, sovereignty, rule) of the world has now come into the possession and become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (the Messiah), and He shall reign forever and ever (for the eternities of the eternities)!" (Revelation 11:14,15 - Amplified Bible)

John, in his vision, now comes to the third and final woe. We might expect after the first two woes that this one would immediately cause some great disaster. This is not the case. Rather the third woe immediately leads to an announcement and worship. However, as we will see, it also ushers in the seven vials of God's wrath!

The sounding of the last trump leads to the announcement that Jesus has won the victory. The physical kingdom of Christ is about to begin. The seven vials of wrath are the divine means used to destroy the kingdoms of this world and set up the kingdom of the Lord.

This is when I believe the rapture will occur. The Bible says that “God hath not appointed us to wrath.” (I Thessalonians 5:9a - King James Version) The seventh trumpet is just before God pours out his wrath.

The Bible says that we will be raptured at the last trump. The seventh trumpet is the last trumpet to sound, as far as the Bible records, in the Tribulation.

The Rapture

2006-07-27T15:55:00.000-04:00

"Then, after three and a half days, the Living Spirit of God will enter them—they're on their feet!—and all those gloating spectators will be scared to death. I heard a strong voice out of Heaven calling, 'Come up here!' and up they went to Heaven, wrapped in a cloud, their enemies watching it all. At that moment there was a gigantic earthquake—a tenth of the city fell to ruin, seven thousand perished in the earthquake, the rest frightened to the core of their being, frightened into giving honor to the God-of-Heaven." (Revelation 11:11-13 - The Message)

After lying in the street for three days, God resurrects these two men. They stand up. Television again broadcasts this picture to the entire world and people shake in fear. The great victory of the Anti-Christ has turned into bitter defeat.

Then a voice out of heaven calls to the Two Witnesses, and the world watches as they are raptured into heaven. This is about the time, when I believe, the rapture will occur. As we will observe later in this chapter, this rapture of the Two Witnesses occurs at the sounding of the seventh or last trumpet.

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16,17 - King James Version)

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:52 - King James Version)

At the same time as the rapture of the Two Witnesses occurs, there is a great earthquake centered in Israel. The tenth part of the city fallling refers to the physical layout of Jerusalem. This is the beginning of geological changes in the city of Jerusalem which will be completed with the great earthquake of the seventh vial. Seven thousand men will die in this earthquake.

The result of the resurrection and rapture of the Two Witnesses followed by this earthquake will be recognition of the God of heaven. Those who have not taken the mark of the beast will turn to God. Many will be saved. These will be the ones who enter into the Millennial reign in physical bodies.

This passage teaches us that even when Satan appears to have won a great victory, it is only an illusion. God is in final control. He will destroy the work of evil. Good will triumph.

Death of the Two Witnesses

2006-07-25T13:14:00.000-04:00

"When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth." (Revelation 11:7-10 - New American Standard)

Until their work for God is done, they cannot be destroyed. This is true for all believers. God will keep us until our work for Him is complete.

At the end of the 1260 days, God will allow the Anti-Christ to kill the Two Witnesses. They will be killed in Jerusalem. By means of television, the entire world will see their dead bodies lying in the street. For three and a half days, their bodies will lie where they fell. No one will bury them.

As they lay dead, the people of the earth will celebrate. The Anti-Christ will have finally destroyed two of his greatest enemies. Mankind no longer needs to fear the fire, drought and plagues which these two used to torment the earth. However, this celebration will be short lived.

Ministry of the Witneses

2006-07-23T07:22:00.000-04:00

"These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want." (Revelation 11:4-6 - New International Version)

The Two Witnesses are called the two olive trees and the two candlesticks, or lamp stands. The symbolism of the two olive trees comes from the writing of Zechariah.

“Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two ancient ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zechariah 4:11-14 - King James Version)

This would seem to an Old Testament reference to the Two Witnesses of the Tribulation. That the Two Witnesses are the two lamp stands indicates that they shine out brightly in a dark and immoral world.

The Anti-Christ will seek to destroy these two men, but God protects them. They are given the ability to do great miracles. Like Elijah, they use fire to destroy their enemies and they cause a drought. Like Moses, they turn water into blood and send plagues upon the earth. While Satan should be rejoicing as he rules the world and accepts the worship of most of humanity, these two will be a constant thorn in his side.

The Two Witnesses

2006-07-21T15:38:00.000-04:00

"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." (Revelation 11:3 - New International Version)

The two witnesses are individual men who will be like the Old Testament prophets calling the world to repentance and denouncing the Anti-Christ. These are not Moses and Elijah, or Enoch and Elijah, or any other combination of men from the past. These are two men who will be alive when the Tribulation starts whom God will raise up to preach in His name.

We are told that they will preach for 1260 days. This is almost 3 ½ years which would be about 1278 days. The reason for this number of days being given is usually that the Hebrew prophetic years is 360 days. This sounds good until you read the last three verses of the book of Daniel. He is also writing about the last half of the Tribulation.

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” (Daniel 12:11,12 - King James Version)

Daniel mentions two important lengths of time the begin with the setting up of the Anti-Christ's statue with the temple. There will be a period of 1290 days and then something will occur. And there will be a period of 1335 days. Those who survive that period of time are called blessed.

All three of these periods, John's 1260 days and Daniel's 1290 days and 1335 days are connected with the last half of the Tribulation. Most commentators ignore these numbered days but they are too specific to be just symbolic.

I believe that from the time the Anti-Christ defiles the new temple with his statue until the end of the Tribulation period and the casting of Satan into the bottomless pit will be 1335 days. From the defilement until the sounding of the seventh trumpet will be 1290 days. Which would mean that the seven vials of God's wrath are poured out over a period of 45 days.

If this is true, then the Two Witnesses begin preaching about 26 days after the Abomination of Desolation is set up in the temple. They preach until, as we will see, a few days before the sounding of the seventh trumpet. These Two Witnesses will be preaching during the last part of the Tribulation, during the Great Tribulation.

They are clothed in sackcloth. This is a rough material like burlap that was worn as a sign of grief. These two men will be grieving because of man's sin. Isaiah 22:12 shows the symbolic meaning of sackcloth. “And in that day did the Lord of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth.” (King James Version)

The New Temple

2006-05-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

"Then I was given a stick like a measuring stick. I was told, 'Stand up and measure the temple of God and the altar. Count those who worship there. But do not measure the temple courtyard. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.' " (Revelation 11:1,2 - God's Word)

John is given a measuring rod in order to measure the temple. The last Jewish temple was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. The site of the temple is now occupied by a Muslim mosque and the Dome of the Rock; the third most important structure in the Islamic faith. Some believe that the temple can be rebuilt on its original site without removing the Dome of the Rock.

Sometime early in the Tribulation period or before, the temple will be rebuilt. Ezekiel chapters forty to forty two are believed to describe this temple. Ever since Israel became a nation in 1948, there have been Jewish groups seeking to have the temple rebuilt. There is said to be a school in Israel that is training priests to work in the new temple.

John is told to measure the temple and the inner court where people worship the Lord. However, he is not to measure the Court of the Gentiles. If the Dome of the Rock is left in place, it will be in the Court of the Gentiles. This may be why John was not to measure this area. It will be used by the Muslims.

For the first half of the Tribulation, the Jews will peacefully worship at their new temple. Then the Anti-Christ will break the peace treaty with Israel and for forty two months the holy city will be again under Gentile control.

The Announcement of the Angel

2006-04-24T19:36:00.000-04:00

"Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up-- that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed. The voice out of Heaven spoke to me again: 'Go, take the book held open in the hand of the Angel astride sea and earth.' I went up to the Angel and said, 'Give me the little book.' He said, 'Take it, then eat it. It will taste sweet like honey, but turn sour in your stomach.' I took the little book from the Angel's hand and it was sweet honey in my mouth, but when I swallowed, my stomach curdled. Then I was told, 'You must go back and prophesy again over many peoples and nations and languages and kings.' " (Revelation 10:5-11 - The Message)

The angel now makes an important announcement. He begins this with an oath. Some Christians believe that we should never use an oath. However, if an angel of God swears that something is true by using an oath, then it must not be wrong for us either.

Jesus said, “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; and anything beyond these is of evil.” (Matthew 5:34-37 – New American Standard)

The problem that Jesus was dealing with in this passage was people whose word was not reliable. They used oaths as a way to try to convince people they were telling the truth. But even their oaths were not to be trusted. Jesus is not condemning the use of oaths but the telling of lies.

The entire context of this passage is filled with hyperbole, as Jesus tries to get across his message to his hardhearted listeners. If we take this statement regarding not ever using an oath as a law, then we must go back just a few verses and take Jesus comment about “if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off” (Matthew 5:30a – New American Standard) as a law as well.

The angel states under oath that there shall be delay no longer. The King James says “there should be time no longer.” But delay is the proper meaning. God is finished waiting. His patience and longsuffering is at an end. His wrath is about to fall upon the earth.

John is now instructed to take the little scroll from the angel and eat it. In his mouth, it tastes sweet, but after swallowing it, it is bitter. God's message has a sweet side and a bitter side.

We can be glad that God will bring an end to evil. But this also means horrible judgment for many.

We can rejoice in the grace and mercy of God. But we are sad when we think of those who have rejected Jesus and will experience wrath and destruction.

As we share the truth with people, we need to speak with love and compassion. To us the message is wonderful, but to many, it is difficult and harsh. We should be sensitive but we must show people that they need God, and be firm about Jesus being the only way.

Another Mighty Angel

2006-03-16T07:01:00.000-05:00

"I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land; and he cried out with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voices. When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken and do not write them.' " (Revelation 10:1-4 - New American Standard)

Several times in the book of Revelation, there is a pause in activity. In these passages, John focuses upon a particular item that has caught his attention. Chapter ten is one of these passages. John's attention is caught by a powerful angel holding a small scroll.

Revelation is filled with the appearance and activity of angels. They are mentioned more than 60 times in this book. In our lives, we are mostly unaware of angelic activity, but this book reveals how important these spiritual beings are in God's plan.

John begins this chapter by describing another strong or mighty angel. The other strong angel is mentioned in chapter five verse two. He is the angel that asked, “Who has the right to break the seals on the scroll?”

John describes the appearance of the angel in detail. He is clothed with a cloud. Clouds in the Bible are often symbolic of majesty and glory. When God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, the mountain was covered by a cloud. Several passages speak of God's voice coming from a cloud. Jesus ascended into the clouds and will return in the same way.

There is a rainbow upon the head of this angel. The rainbow was given by God as a reminder of his promise not to utterly destroy the earth as he did with the flood in Noah's day. The events of the Tribulation will be tragic, but they will not be as universally destructive as the flood. Only eight people survived it.

The angel's face shines like the sun. His feet are the color of fire.

Some commentators suggest that this angel is actually Jesus, but there are two strong arguments against this. Although in the Old Testament, there are cases where the Lord appeared as an angel, there are no examples of this in the New Testament. I know of no where in the New Testament where the word angel is used in reference to any member of the Trinity. Also John specifically says that this is “another” angel.

This angel holds in his hand a small scroll that is open. Unlike the scroll that John saw early, this one is not sealed. It is open for all to read.

The angel places one foot on the sea and the other on land. This indicates that his message relates to all the earth. It is a message of universal importance and application.

The angel cries out with a loud voice. A voice that reminds John of a roaring lion.

Now a strange thing occurs. The seven thunders speak. John starts to write down what they said, and a voice from heaven forbids it. This raises more questions than it answers.

Who are the seven thunders? What did they say? Why was John forbidden to write it down? No one knows the answers to these questions.

Whatever the thunders said, this message was for the ears of John alone. There is no use speculating about it. Not everything that God has revealed to individuals through the ages is recorded in Scripture. The Bible contains all that we need in our spiritual journey. Many things that we might want to know are not in the Bible, because these are things that we do not need to know.

Second Woe: Battle

2006-03-08T06:18:00.000-05:00

"The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury." (Revelation 9:17-19 - New International Version)

I believe in verses seventeen to nineteen, John is trying to describe a modern army in terms familiar to him. There are three distinct colors that he observes among this force. Some are wearing armor the color of fire, which would be orange or red. Some are wearing the color of jacinth, probably sapphire, which is blue. Some are wearing the color of brimstone, which is yellow.

It is impossible to identify this army based on these colors. However, the only soldiers, of which I am aware, that wear blue are those operating under United Nations control. This army, in my opinion, will be multinational.

An even more difficult question is the cause for this battle. According to the writing of many, the Antichrist at this time, should have an iron grip upon the nations of the world with a worldwide government firmly in place. This view makes good preaching but is both unrealistic and unnecessary to the fulfillment of prophecy.

The Antichrist will establish a loose worldwide government. But even in the face of great problems, many national governments will be slow to accept his authority. Throughout the Tribulation, he will be embroiled in the political turmoil of trying to enforce his policies. These policies will be implemented to varying degrees in different parts of the world.

The events described in this passage would indicate that at this time, there is a full fledged rebellion against the world government. Possibly led by the Asian countries tired of being told what to do by the West. The Antichrist mobilizes an army to suppress this challenge. The combined forces of these opposing sides number two hundred million.

From John's description and the results of the fighting, the battle may go something like this. In the beginning, it is a conventional fight. However, either as part of their plan going into the battle, or because they are losing the fight, one side decides to use tactical nuclear weapons. These are missiles with small warheads of limited range capable of totally destroying an area a few miles in radius.

Such an attack would bring an immediate counter attack using similar weapons. This quickly escalates into a limited nuclear exchange that directly and indirectly will kill one third of the world's population. When the smoke clears, the Antichrist has won the war.

Rather than dismantling what is left of his huge army, the Antichrist turns his attention toward another troublesome area: Israel. He turns his army towards Jerusalem and begins moving in that direction. At this time, the battle of Armageddon is only a few weeks away.

Second Woe: A Great Army

2006-02-28T19:54:00.000-05:00

"Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them." (Revelation 9:16 - New King James Version)

John sees a vast army under the influence of these four demons. The army is so vast that it could not be counted. But John is told the size of the army. It contains 200 million soldiers.

Most commentators doubt that this is a physical army. They suggest that this is a demonic force. However, there is no reason for this not to be an army of men. Although vast in size, it would not be impossible for such an army to be raised if the entire world was up in arms.

There are unsubstituted claims going back to the 1960s that China had enough trained militiamen to field an army of this size. According to the CIA's website (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html#Military), the estimated manpower fit for military service in China in 2005 was over two hundred eighty million. Add to this the armies that the rest of the world could field if the need existed and an army the size John described is possible.

That these armies are under the influence of the four demons does not mean it cannot be a physical army. The book of Daniel makes it clear that demonic forces influence the course of history. The angel Gabriel told Daniel, “Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” (Daniel 10:20 – King James Version)

The Persian king was under the influence of a demon who had taken the title prince of Persia. The angels were fighting against this demon and its human puppets. However, Gabriel know that soon Alexander the Great and his Greek army would march against Persia under the influence of another spiritual being. Although, we might not like the idea, our government is strongly influenced by spiritual powers both evil and good. There is a vast spiritual war raging, and its battles often spill over into the physical realm resulting in riots, conflicts and wars.

Second Woe: Four Demons

2006-02-26T17:57:00.000-05:00

"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." (Revelation 9:13-15 - King James Version)

Under the second woe, the great fear of modern man comes to pass: Nuclear War. We are not give all the details, just enough to let us envision the horror of this time.

When the sixth trumpet sounds, the Apostle John hears a voice from the golden altar. This altar has already been mentioned twice in Revelation. Both times it is connected with the prayers of the saints.

In chapter six, it is the prayer of the Tribulation martyrs. This prayer is, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10 – King James Version)

This prayer will be answered fully under the seventh trumpet. However, what happens here under the sixth trumpet is to some extent the beginning of the answer. The events described begin with an act of God, the releasing of four powerful demons.

These four demons are even now bound in the Eurphrates river. We do not know why God imprisoned these demons in this location. God has planed a specific moment at which they will be released. After thousands of years of confinement, they will once again be able to act out their wicked desires. The end result of their freedom will be the destruction of one third of the world's population.

Early in the Tribulation, under the events related to the Fourth Horsemen: Death, we were told that a quarter of the world's population died. The combined effect of just these two elements of the Tribulation will be the death of half of the people on the earth.

We are not told how many die as a result of the other events: the wars, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami waves, poisoned waters and all the horrors that would accompany such disasters. The Tribulation will be a time when billions of people die. There will be few people left when it is over.

First Woe: A King

2006-02-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

"They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things." (Revelation 9:11,12 - New American Standard)

Verse eleven is an additional argument for the locust being demonic in nature. Abaddon and Apollyon, both mean destroyer. This would seem to be a reference to Satan. He is the one who comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (See John 10:10) Either these locust are demons lead by Satan, or they are creatures under demonic control. Which ever is true, the suffering endured by people will be intense.

There are two trumpets left to sound. Two more woes yet to come. They will be worse than this first woe.

The events of the Tribulation should make us realize just how vain it is to live for the things of the world. They will be destroyed. We should rather be trying to reach all that we can with the Gospel before these evil days come.

First Woe: Locust Described

2006-02-21T06:51:00.000-05:00

"The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months." (Revelation 9:7-10 - New International Version)

Some things about John's description of the locust seem fantastic while others fit another Biblical description of actual locust. The book of Joel was written during a terrible plague of locust in Israel. This plague was an attempt by God to turn the people towards repentance. He describes the locust this way:

For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. . . . The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (Joel 1:6; 2:5,6 – King James Version)

The description of John is not that different from Joel's. There is only one element of John's description which makes these locust abnormal; their tail like a scorpion's tail. It is not impossible that some experiment produces these locust which do not eat plants but feed on animals and have a poisonous venom which they store in their scorpion like tails. If this is the case, then possibly the meteor which strikes the earth sets off another round of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes which in some way allows the escape of these genetically altered creatures into the open.

The more common view of this passage is that John is describing demons which attack man and cause this painful condition. From Scripture, we know that demons can cause many types of physical ailments.

First Woe: Out of the Smoke

2006-02-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

"Then 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 only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death flees from them." (Revelation 9:3-6 - New American Standard)

The locust in verse three are described in terms which apply to no locust that exist. For this reason, they are generally believed to be of a demonic nature: either insects altered by demonic power, or else demonic beings directly tormenting people. However, we should not discount the possibility of these creatures being a result of some genetic experiment.

Normal locust are vegetarian. They destroy all plants in their path. Man suffers because they destroy his food source.

The locust of Revelation are not vegetarian. They attack people. Only those with the seal of God on their forehead are protected. Most commentators take this as a reference to all the believers of the Tribulation period. I think it more likely refers just to the 144,000 of chapter seven.

The bite of the locust is not deadly but causes great torment like that of a scorpion's venom. There are many types of scorpions and the sting of most is not deadly. Some scorpion stings are said to cause unspeakable pain. Other effects can include sweating, increasing heart beat, high blood pressure, blurred vision, slurred speech, twitching, seizures, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac failure or coma. Those who die a result of scorpion venom are often found to have internal bleeding. Death from a scorpion sting is avoidable in almost all cases with appropriate medical help. Most deaths occur in undeveloped countries or remote areas.

The pain caused by the locust of Revelation will be so intense that those afflicted by it will want to die. But the wound will not be deadly. Verse six could also mean that they will be too weak to take their own lives. They will have to endure the torment.

First Woe: Fallen Star

2006-02-13T06:15:00.000-05:00

"Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit." (Revelation 9:1,2 - New King James Version)

Chapter nine is one of the most difficult passages in Revelation to understand. The Apostle John may even have had trouble comprehending what he saw. In this chapter, he uses the words as and like twelve times, attempting to describe what he saw using familiar images.

The first puzzle in this passage is the identity of the star mentioned in verse one. The language seems to indicate not a physical heavenly body such as a star, comet or meteor, but to an intelligent being. Although, I think we should not rule out the possibility of it being a meteor.

In the original the word for fall is in the past tense. This is a star that had fallen to the earth, John does not say that he say the star fall. He says that he saw a fallen star. Angels in the Bible are sometimes called stars. Jesus said that he saw Lucifer fall to the earth. So if this star is in individual, Satan is a likely candidate.

To the star is given the key to the bottomless pit. The bottomless pit is literally, the shaft of the abyss. This is the center of the earth. The earth has no bottom; if we could travel to the center of the earth, our sense of weight would slowly decrease as we approached the middle until we reached a point where gravity would be pulling equally in all directions and there would be no up or down, no top or bottom. So the earth is bottomless!

The opening of the bottomless pit or shaft of the abyss, should be related to the context of the ecological disasters of the first four trumpets. The shaft of the abyss is a volcano. The smoke is the result of a tremendous eruption.

If this star is not Satan but an actual meteor, than the crashing of this large meteor into the earth will set off this volcanic eruption.

The Fourth Trumpet: Darkness

2006-02-09T06:39:00.000-05:00

"The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way. Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!' " (Revelation 8:12,13 - New American Standard)

I believe that the forth trumpet will sound around the beginning of the fifth year of the Tribulation. By this time, the volcanic ash will be so thick in the atmosphere that there will be total darkness where it is overhead. In these areas, it will be as if the sun, moon and stars do not exist.

In verse thirteen, most Greek texts have the word for eagle. Others have the word for angel. Regardless, the meaning is clear. The last three trumpets will usher in disasters worse than the first four. On the basis of this verse, these last trumpets are called the Three Woes. Mankind might think at this point of the Tribulation that he has survived the worst that could possibly happen; if so, he would be wrong.

The Third Trumpet: Wormwood

2006-02-07T06:27:00.000-05:00

"The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter." (Revelation 8:10,11 - New International Version)

Verses ten and eleven describe a great star named Wormwood. This star could be a star, a meteor or a comet. The one which best fits the description would be a comet. There is no record of a comet of significant size hitting the earth, so we have no historical event upon which to understand what might occur.

In his book, Tibulation Triad (Bogard Press, 1983, page 67), Tom McElmurry writes about what might happen if a comet hits the earth:

The main parts of a comet are the tail, the nucleus, and the coma. The nucleus is made up of dust, frozen hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and cyanogen. . . . Cyanogen [is] a poisonous gas that liquefies at minus 21 degrees centigrade. Cyanogen may be thought of as the parent substance of cyanides of all types. . . . Our most recent spectrographical observations of a comet, the comet Kohoutek, at radio wavelengths revealed the presence of methyl cyanide and hydrogen cyanide. “Wormwood” means “undrinkable” - and I believe that the chemical composition of a comet is capable of generating sufficient poison into the earth's water supply to kill the “many men” of Revelation 8:11.

The Second Trumpet

2006-02-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:8,9 - King James Version)

The second trumpet announces further natural disasters which are related to the movement of the tectonic plates. Notice carefully what John wrote. He does not say that a mountain was cast into the sea. He says, AS IT WERE a mountain was cast into the sea. The point is that all of a sudden a mountain appeared in the sea where none had been before.

Many of the fault lines along which earthquakes and volcanic activity occur are under water. What John saw was a new island created by a volcanic eruption on the sea floor.

John also states that a third of all the oceans turn a blood red color. In salt water, there are little microscopic creatures called dinoflagellate. Normally they are harmless. However, when they multiply at a great rate, this creates what is called a Red Tide. The Red Tide is deadly to fish and other sea creatures. John tells us that a third of all life in the sea will be destroyed. Although scientists are not sure what causes a Red Tide to occur, an increase in water temperature is one factor that is mentioned. Lava heating large areas of the ocean, along with other factors, could cause Red Tides on the scale that John describes.

We are also told that one third of the world's ships are destroyed. This is caused by another natural event which is caused by the movement of tectonic plates. Because of the awful events of December 2004, the world is now familiar with the power of tsunami waves. Out in the ocean these waves are harmless because the pressure is spread over a a large water column. But as they approach land, the water depth decreases and the wave rises from the sea to a height of several stories. They are very destructive.

It is estimated that about one third of all ships are in port or coastal waters at any given time. These ships will be smashed to pieces when the tsunami waves caused by the world-wide earthquakes hit the world's coast lines.

The First Trumpet

2006-02-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

"Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up." (Revelation 8:6,7 - New International Version)

It is important in taking a literal view of Revelation to understand the terms used and to seek a reasonable meaning for what is said. The English translation of verse seven has resulted in many strange interpretations.

Two terms in particular are important to understand. The Greek word translated hail has as its basic meaning, that which is let loose. It can refer to any object which falls out of the sky. Of course, hail is one such object but, by no means, the only object to which this word could apply. The Greek word translated blood can refer to any blood red liquid.

In the context of the intense earthquake activity which has just occurred and what we are told in the last part of verse seven, a reasonable interpretation of this verse can be reached.
Earthquakes are caused by movement in the earth's tectonic plates. These plates make up the surface of the earth and form a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. These plates are in constant movement. The forces and pressures caused by their rubbing against one another results in earthquakes. This movement also cause other natural events.

In the book Planet Earth by Jonathan Weiner (Bantom Books, 1986, page 29), the author writes of the interaction between the Pacific Plate and the Asian Plate which meet near Japan. He writes:

Because the sea floor is made mostly of basalt, which is much denser than the continental rock, the Asian Plates rides over the Pacific Plate, and the Pacific sea floor sinks back into the interior of the Earth. Japan is on the edge of a precipice more than 6000 meters deep, known as the Japan Trench. At this trench, the Pacific Plate begins its long slide into the bowels of the earth. . . . The rude burial of so much rock releases a great deal of energy, and as the edge of the plate slides downward, friction causes frequent earthquakes. In addition, though just how it happens is still debated, friction and pressure apparently melt some of the rock, which rises back to the surface in long, hot plumes, and causes volcanic eruptions. Thus, for its burial, the sea floor takes a double revenge – first in earthquakes, then in volcanoes.

From this specific example, we see the close relationship between earthquakes and volcanoes. The cause of one is the case of the other. With the amount of intense earthquake activity occurring at this point in the Tribulation, we would expect an equally violent increase in volcanic activity.

If we connect this volcanic activity to the first trumpet, its meaning falls into place. The hail is not ice but large rocks thrown into the atmosphere to fall back to the earth when these volcanoes blow their tops. The fire mixed with blood is lava flowing after these eruptions.

The destruction of the trees and grass is caused by the volcanic ash which will cover the surface of the earth. Those trees covered with a thick layer of ash will die, about a third of all trees. Most trees will survive because of their deep roots.

However, all grass will die because with their shallower roots, they will not have the means to withstand the effect of the ash. This destruction will not occur over night but over a period of weeks and months as the ash thrown into the atmosphere slowly descends upon the face of the earth.

The Seventh Seal

2006-01-31T06:47:00.000-05:00

"When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:1-5 - New American Standard)

Revelation chapter eight marks the beginning of the second half of the seven year period; this is often called the Great Tribulation. The natural disasters that began after the opening of the sixth seal will increase in frequency and intensity. Chapter eight describes this. Later chapters focus upon the activity of the Antichrist during this period.

The vast destruction which is described in this chapter is horrible. It is frightening, because when taken literally, what is described is possible.

We would expect something dramatic to happen with the opening of the seventh seal. What does happen is dramatic but not what we would expect. There is complete silence in the throne room of God. This silence lasts for thirty minutes. This is the calm before the storm. The angels and saints in heaven silently wait for the Lord's plan to unfold.

Seven angels are each given a trumpet by God. Trumpets were used in ancient times for several purposes: to warn of danger, to call people to a certain place, and to give instructions to troops. These trumpets warn of danger.

Incense in the Bible is symbolic of prayer. “Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayers be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:1,2 – King James Version)

The eight angel that appears offers up incense along with the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar. The prayers referred to are prayers for Christ to return. At this point, his return will be only about three years away.

Verse five is a picture of judgment. Although, God is not yet ready to pour out his wrath, he is involved in judging the wickedness of man. All natural disasters are a result of the curse of sin which man brought into this world. It is part of God's judgment upon sin.

Voices, thunderings and lightnings are symbolic of judgment. This may also indicate unusually violent weather patterns upon the earth at this time, including tremendous thunderstorms and the tornadoes they produce.

Another earthquake is mentioned. Beginning with the earthquake that occurs with the opening of the sixth seal, there will be frequent violent world-wide earthquake activity.

Tribulation Martyrs

2006-01-24T22:08:00.000-05:00

"Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, 'These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?' I said to him, 'My lord, you know.' And he said to me, 'These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.'" (Revelation 7:13-17 - New American Standard)

The Apostle John is approached by one of the elders who ask a puzzling question. John does not know who these people are. However, the purpose of the question was not to get John's answer but to make John consider the importance of this group.

John has no problem in confessing his ignorance. There are many people that need to expand their vocabulary to include, “I do not know.” I know some people who rather than saying this when asked a question will begin to guess and make up answer. There is no need to do this. John asks the elder to tell him who the people are.

The elder tells us that these people have come out of the Great Tribulation. So, during the seven year Tribulation unnumbered Christians will be martyred. Millions will give their lives for the Name of Christ.

The elder further emphasizes that these are saved and made pure because of the work of God and the Lamb. It is the blood of Jesus that makes a person clean before God. It is the blood shed at Calvary that makes a person white as snow. The good works of a person can not cleanse him.
There is a small clue in this passage about the nature of eternity. These martyrs will serve God day and night. That is what we are to do on earth, and that is what we will do in eternity. How we will serve him, we will discover when we reach eternity.

Verse sixteen gives us an indication of the suffering which brought these martyrs to heaven. As fugitives from the Antichrist, they suffered hunger and thirst. They fled through deserts. I am sure that we could add many other things to this list. Those martyrs from Canada would have suffered from the cold winds of winter without proper shelter.

Verse seventeen describes the wonders of eternity with God. We will be feed by the Lamb, we will enjoy living water and we will have nothing to cry about any more. There will be no pain, no sorrow, no suffering, no sin.

These martyrs traveled a rough and hard road on their way to glory. However, their suffering is insignificant beside the joys of eternal life with God. This great future is God's gift to those who simply trust in his son, Jesus, as the one who died in their place.

A Great Multitude

2006-01-21T05:34:00.000-05:00

"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.' All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!' " (Revelation 7:9-12 - New International Version)

The first half of chapter seven speaks of a numbered group of Hebrews; the last half tells us of an unnumbered group of all types of people. The first group were on earth; this second group is in heaven. The 144,000 had not yet begun their work for God; the great multitude had finished their work. The first was chosen by God; the second rejected by man. The first were protected from death; the second had died.

John used four phrases to emphasis how all encompassing this group is. There are people in this group from every nation or ethnic group; every kindred or tribe which refers to people having a common ancestor; every people or community; and every tongue or language. There is no group left out.

This multitude stands before the throne of God and before the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. They wear long white robes. This is symbolic of purity. The palm branches indicate that they are rejoicing.

The Amplified Bible brings out the meaning of verse ten. It reads, “In loud voices they cried, saying, [Our] salvation is due to our God Who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb – to them [we owe our] deliverance!”

These people have been saved. They recognize that their salvation is not based upon anything which they have done. They deserve no praise. They are saved because of what God and the Lamb have done. Salvation is God's gift. Man cannot earn and does not deserve it.

All of heaven begins to proclaim the greatness, glory and goodness of God. How great a scene this will be: a vast multitude of people standing before God, and all around them angels worshiping God.

The angels begin their praise with a loud amen, indicating their agreement with what the multitude has said. Even the angels know that no person could be saved except that God saves them without any work on their part.

Then the angels ascribe to God, seven attributes. In the original Greek, there is a definite article in front of all these which suggests that God is the root of these things. So the angels tell us that God is the source of all blessing, all glory, all wisdom, all thanksgiving, all honor, all power and all might. This is similar to the praise offered to the Lamb in chapter five verse twelve.

Twelve Tribes

2006-01-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

“Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.” (Revelation 7:5-8 - King James Version)

John now lists the twelve tribes from which the 144,000 are taken. This list is unusual in two respects.

First, remember that Joseph's sons, Manesseh and Ephraium, were adopted by Jacob giving them an equal inheritance with the other tribes. This makes a total of thirteen tribes. Usually when the twelve tribes are listed, Levi is left out because it is the priestly tribe and did not receive an inheritance in the land because the Lord is its inheritance.

However, in this list, Levi is included, as are Manesseh and Ephraium. Instead of Levi, the tribe of Dan is left out. This may be because this tribe was soon given to idolatry.

Second, Ephraium is included not under his own name but under the name of his father, Joseph. This may be because the tribe of Ephraium was the leader in the Northern Kingdom which quickly went away from the Lord.

God will not leave himself without a witness. I believe that even before the rapture, God prepares a group to continue preaching the Gospel during the worst period of the Tribulation. We should trust God that he will work things out for what is best. Whatever he allows in our lives today is meant to reap benefits in the future.

144,000 Hebrews

2006-01-14T04:48:00.000-05:00

"And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." (Revelation 7:4 - King James Version)

These 144,000 men (see Revelation 14:4) are chosen by God from the tribes of Israel. What is the purpose of this sealing? There is a similar passage in the Old Testament which may help us to understand this one.

“Then He cried out in my hearing with a loud voice saying, 'Draw near, O executioners of the city, each with his destroying weapon in his hand.' [These are angels.] Behold, six men came from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each with his shattering weapon in his hand; and among them was a certain man clothed in linen with a writing case at his loins. And they went in and stood beside the bronze altar. Then the glory of the God of Israel went up from the cherub on which it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed in linen at whose loins was the writing case. The LORD said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.' But to the others He said in my hearing, 'Go through the city after him and strike; do not let your eye have pity and do not spare. Utterly slay old men, young men, maidens, little children, and women, but do not touch any man on whom is the mark; and you shall start from My sanctuary.' So they started with the elders who were before the temple.” (Ezekiel 9:1-6 – New American Standard)

These people that Ezekiel saw in his vision were given a seal or mark by an angel. Those without the mark were in danger of dying. Those with the mark were protected. Although, the individual's attitude towards the sin of the land was a criteria in regarding to whether the angel placed the mark on them or not, these is only an indirect relationship between this sealing and salvation.

The 144,000 Hebrews of Revelation chapter seven are sealed or marked. This means that they are protected. They will not die in the disasters which will come with the seven trumpets. God and his angels will protect them.

Personally, I do not believe that these 144,000 are saved at this point. God is protecting them because he has selected them to be his servants. They are yet unaware of this.

Remember, God has often selected people before they accepted him. Examples are Samson (Judges 13:2-5), Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1), John the Baptist (Luke 1:13-17) and Paul (Acts 9:15,16).
God is setting aside these 144,000 men to be witnesses during the final period of the Great Tribulation. We will learn more about them when we study chapter fourteen.

A Purposeful Pause

2006-01-11T08:43:00.000-05:00

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (Revelation 7:1-3 - King James Version)

This is one of the most misinterpreted passages in all of Revelation. It has been grossly abused by cults. It has been symbolized away by those who reject Israel's future place in God's plan. In understanding this passage, we should follow one of the basic rules of interpretation: when the simple sense makes sense seek no other sense.

John tells us that this event occurs after the events of chapter six. So this occurs after the opening of the six seals, around the middle of the Tribulation.

After the great events of chapter six, which included the greatest earthquake ever, the angels of God cause a pause to occur before any more natural disasters happen. We have an indication here that the angels are involved with the happenings of nature. We understand very little of the ministry of angels. Most of us will be greatly surprised when we learn how much they have done for us.

John sees another angel approach who seems to be of a higher rank than the original four. We know from various passages that there are different groups among the angels of God. This fifth angel tells the first four and us why God wants a pause in the events that are unfolding. These angels are to seal certain people who are to be servants of God.

Mankind Hides From God

2006-01-07T18:33:00.000-05:00

"Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?' " (Revelation 6:15-17 - New American Standard)

The terrible events of the seals, especially the earthquake, will leave mankind in fear and terror. People will think that the end of the world has come. They will think that God is going to destroy the world. They will fear God's wrath, but these events are not God's wrath. His wrath will be much worse than the events of the seals.

The events that occur under the opening of the seals are either caused by man or nature. God's wrath is yet to come.

The fifth and sixth seals present quite a contrast. Man goes about killing those who are God's children. Then he cries out in fear of God when a great earthquake occurs. Man thinks that he can defy God. Yet he has no power over natural events, yet alone over true acts of God.

Those of us who are Christian should learn to trust and depend fully upon the Lord. We can then face human cruelty and threats or natural disasters with hope, faith and trust in the sovereign and good will of God.

Sixth Seal: A Great Earthquake

2006-01-05T07:43:00.000-05:00

"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." (Revelation 6:12-14 - New International Version)

Earthquake activity and that which comes with it is a sign of the end times throughout the Bible. Joel in describing the Day of the Lord states, “The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: ... The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.” (Joel 2:10, 31 - King James Version)

Haggai wrote, “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land.” (Haggai 2:6 - King James Version)

Jesus said, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29 - King James Version)

This earthquake that occurs upon the opening of the sixth seal will be great but it is only the beginning. Increasingly violent earthquakes will occur until the end of the Tribulation.

Earthquakes are a result of the movement of the world's tectonic plates. There is another natural event associated with the tectonic plates: volcanic eruptions. These often accompany strong earthquakes. From John's description of what follows this earthquake, it will trigger incredible volcanic activity.

The sun become black as sackcloth is a result of the heavy layer of volcanic ash thrown into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions around the world. The moon becoming a blood red color is a result of light refraction in the atmosphere. This refraction is what makes the sky blue and makes sunsets red. It also makes the moon look orange when it is close to the horizon. Atmospheric refraction is increased when there is a lot of air pollution: such as ash. This will make the moon look red.

Verse thirteen may describe a meteor shower. Or this verse may just indicate that the stars are no longer visible due to the air pollution.

The sky receding like a scroll must be understood in light of what is occurring. As a scroll is rolled up from both ends the area in the middle that is visible steadily decreases. What is being described is the area of unpolluted atmosphere disappearing as the volcanic ash rolls across the atmosphere. Over a period of time this huge cloud of ash rolls up the entire sky and totally encircles the globe. The sun, moon and stars will disappear from sight behind an unending veil of dark clouds.

The mention of every mountain and island being moved gives us the extent of this earthquake. It will be the result of a great shifting and realigning of all the tectonic plates. Every place on earth will actually move when this earthquake hits!

If you want to know more about earthquakes, check this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake. For more infomation on volcanos, go to this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano.

Fifth Seal: Martyrdom

2006-01-03T18:41:00.000-05:00

"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." (Revelation 6:9-11 - New International Version)

I believet the fifth and sixth seals will open in the third year of the Tribulation. During this time, the Antichrist is seeking to consolidate his position as world leader. With a powerful UN or EC army behind him, he uses the economic collapse and world famine to take direct control of the world's governments. By the time, the fifth seal opens, over a billion and a half people may have died: a quarter of the world's population.

John sees another vision of heaven. Only this time, he is shown the altar. There stand the martyrs who have been killed for their Faith. They would not compromise the Word of God. They would not deny the One Who died for them.

John hears them call out to God to judge the wicked. This is not a cry of revenge, but a cry for justice. They want an end to wickedness and evil.

The white robes represent the righteousness which these martyrs have found in Christ. They are told to rest and wait a little longer. There were yet others to be added to their ranks.

During this time of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will be encountering resistance from those who recognize who he is. Those who oppose his efforts to establish a world government will be accused of being traitors against humanity. They will be hunted down and destroyed.

We may find this hard to believe. Yet we must understand the conditions that will exist. The fighting in the Middle East will lead to the collapse of the world economy. Hundreds of millions will be facing starvation as the lack of oil increases transportation costs and food prices increase.
Most people will be ready to do and believe anything if told it will make things better. As has happened before in history, measures and actions that would be considered crimes against humanity in better times will be overlooked.

As Christians speak out against the world government and its leader, they will be slaughtered. The prophet Daniel tells us that the Antichrist “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.” (Daniel 7:21 - King James Version)

Personal Message

2006-01-03T18:37:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Over the holidays, I was on vaction with my family in the Philippines. During my vacation, I stayed off the Internet so there have been no new postings on this site during that time. However, I will be making a new post on Revelation today.

The Fourth Horseman: Death

2005-12-14T23:26:00.000-05:00

"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:7,8 - New International Version)

We should keep reminding ourselves that these events will occur over a period of time. By the time the fourth seal is opened, we may be well into the second year of the Tribulation.

The rider of the fourth horse is death and hell follows him. During the period represented by this seal, one quarter of the world's population will die. The world now has over 6 billion people. This would mean the death of over a billion and a half people!

These people will be killed in one of four ways. There will continued fighting in many parts of the world in spite of the Antichrist's efforts to contain it. Famine will take a terrible toll. Disease (translated, death in the King James Version) will be at epidemic levels. Wild beasts will begin to roam the empty streets searching for prey as civilization crumbles.

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse picture a horrible time that is coming. This should make us understand how vain it is to build our hopes upon this world. This things of this world can be destroyed. Eternal treasures cannot.

The Revelation should also make us aware of how little time we may have left. Soon destruction may come, and many of those we know may die. We need to prepare them for the Tribulation by sharing the Gospel with them.

The Third Horseman: Famine

2005-12-12T18:13:00.000-05:00

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come' I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.'" (Revelation 6:5,6 - New American Standard)

The third horse is black. The horseman carries scales for weighing food. The measure used is about a liter or quart. The denarius is equal to a laborer's daily wage. The prices here are about eight times what would have been normal.

So during this time, food prices will increase eight hundred percent. People will struggle to buy enough food to survive.

The last part of verse six is ironic. Oil and wine were luxury items in New Testament times. It seems that while most food will be much more expensive; the rich will still be able to afford their luxuries.

This famine will be a direct result of the war of the second seal. We have recently seen how volatile the world oil market can be. Any fear of disruption can cause a spike in the cost of oil.
The war of the second seal will be centered in the Middle East. Oil production will be effected. Oil fields will be set on fire. Refineries and storage facilities will be destroyed. Oil tankers may be sunk. World oil prices will sky rocket. There will be rationing and shortages of all petroleum products.

This will result in an economic collapse such as has not occurred since the Great Depression. The entire world will suffer. Many will not be able to purchase enough food to keep themselves and their families alive.