Bible Studies

BIBLE STUDIES 3 THE BOOK OF REVELATION
CONTENTS These studies were adapted from the notes from Dr. Jack Van Impe's Study Bible, and Escape the Coming Night by Dr. David Jeremiah. . Revelation, Chapter 1 ...Page 2 Revelation, Chapter 2 ...Page 5 Revelation, Chapter 3 ...Page 9 Revelation, Chapter 4 ...Page 12 Revelation, Chapter 5 ...Page 15 Revelation, Chapter 6 ...Page 17 Revelation, Chapter 7 ...Page 23 Revelation, Chapter 8 ...Page 27 Revelation, Chapter 9 ...Page 30 Revelation, Chapter 10 ...Page 35 Revelation, Chapter 11 ...Page 38 Revelation, Chapter 12 ...Page 43 Revelation, Chapter 13 ...Page 49 Revelation, Chapter 14 ...Page 56 Revelation, Chapter 15 ...Page 63 Revelation, Chapter 16 ...Page 67 Revelation, Chapter 17 ...Page 72 Revelation, Chapter 18 ...Page 78 Revelation, Chapter 19 ...Page 85 Revelation, Chapter 20 ...Page 94 Revelation, Chapter 21 ...Page 101 Revelation, Chapter 22 ...Page 106 Presented here for your personal study and edification. If you have any questions, please Email: roycer@adelphia.net Thank you... and God bless!
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 2...
CHAPTER 1
The first important fact to note in beginning the study of the Book of Revelation is that the noun is singular and not plural. It is a singular revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 1, Verse 1. The purpose of the Book is not to reveal Jesus and His work at the end of the Church Age and during the Tribulation. In this Book, we will see Him change from being the Lamb of God to being the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The term revelation comes from the Greek word Apokalupsis which is an unveiling or uncovering. That is why we emphasize that the Book is the unveiling or appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not a book of prophecy, but a revealing of the two appearances of Jesus Christ, the Rapture, which occurs in Chapter 4, verse 1, and His second coming to earth which takes place in Chapter 19, the moment in which Jesus reveals Himself to the inhabitants of the earth. Verse 2 of Chapter 1 tells us that John only recorded what he saw. Verse 3 dispels the theories that the Book of Revelation is a mysterious book that is confusing and difficult to understand. If it were that, why would our Lord pronounce a special blessing on those who read it and decide to live in accordance with its promises and guidelines? One of the main reasons that the believer is to live by what he learns from the study of this book is because the return of Christ is at hand. The term at hand means imminent or impending which means that it could happen in the next five minutes, five months or five years. The next important fact to note is that John focuses his attention in Verse 4 on seven local churches in Asia Minor which is now Turkey. These were not the only churches in existence at this time, but they do represent seven different sets of circumstances which reflect the history of Gods people throughout the Church Age. We also see that in Verse 5 Jesus is called the first begotten from the dead even though He was not the first person to be raised from death. The reason for that is because all the previous persons were raised to eventually die again. Jesus did not die a second time, but was raised from death to immortality. What a glorious heritage is ours! Verses 5 and 6 tell us that Christ loved us so much that He died for us, cleansed us from our sins in His own blood, and has established us as kings and priests to serve His Father.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 3... Chapter 1...continued According to I Peter 2:9, we are all members of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people in order that we might live to give glory to the one who has made it all possible, Jesus Christ, for He has called us from darkness to live in the marvelous light of His presence. In Verse 7, we see the Lords glorious return to earth. This verse gives the reason why we call this Book The Revelation or Revealing of Jesus Christ. Every eye shall behold Him including those who crucified Him as well as all the nations of the earth. There is not a single person who will not see Him. Notice that the inhabitants of the earth are not going to rejoice at His appearing. They will wail in anguish because they will realize that what they have been told about Jesus was right. They have been deceived by Satan into believing a lie. In Verse 8, we see confirmed that Jesus is eternal. He says that He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is, which was and which is to come past present and future. Then in Verse 9, the Holy Spirit confirms the authorship of the Book as John confirms that he is a comrade in arms with all those who are willing to suffer for Christ. The tribulation that he is referring to in this verse is not the tribulation of this book. Revelation 3:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9 confirm the fact that the Church, the Body of Christ, is not going through the Tribulation of the end times. John also confirms in Verse 10 the fact that in deed it is the Holy Spirit who reveals this message to him and thus inspires him, John, to write the Book. He, further, confirms in Verse 11 that the message is for the seven churches of Asia Minor, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. However, do not forget that these seven churches represent seven stages of the Church, thus it is written for the Body of Christ as a whole. The seven candlesticks of Verses 12 and 13 represent the seven churches, with Jesus Christ standing in their midst dressed in high priestly garments of the Old Testament because He is the Risen Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His people.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 4... Chapter 1...continued The description of Jesus in Verse 14 coincides with the vision Daniel had in Chapter 7:9-13. The white color depicts antiquity, ancient of days, the eternal One as well as His righteousness (Hebrews 7:26). The eyes as flames of fire emphasize that Christ is righteously angry with the conduct of the seven churches, thus us as well. Verses 15 and 16 picture judgment as well. The seven stars in His hand represent the seven angels of the seven churches already mentioned. His countenance shining as the sun reminds us of the Transfiguration as well depicting the Christ, the Judge, of the Great Tribulation, Armageddon and the Great White Throne Revelation 20:11-15. In Verses 17 and 18, we see Johns reaction to his vision of the Lord. He is humbled yet frightened to the degree that he appeared to be dead. Yet our Lord assures him that he does not have to fear death at all, for He, Jesus, has overcome them. He has the keys of hell and death. No one, who is truly Born Again, needs to ever fear death or eternity because we are secure in the love of our precious Savior. In Hebrews 2:14-15, we see that He partook of death to set us free. In Acts 2:27, 31, we see that we are not abandoned to Hades. What this means is that there were two sides to Hades prior to Jesus death and resurrection, a comfort side or paradise, and a torment side. When Jesus descended into hell at His death, He emptied the comfort side, releasing the Old Testament saints so that they could enter into the third heaven of II Corinthians 12:2. The torment side remains full awaiting the final judgment of Revelation 20:13 where all the unbelievers will be resurrected to receive their eternal sentence to the Lake of Fire. John concludes Chapter 1 by giving us the order of events in the Book. Verse 19 says write the things which thou hast seen: past, Chapter 1; the things which are, present, Chapters 2 and 3; and the things which shall be hereafter, future, Chapters 4-22. Verse 20 is self explanatory because it is a repeat of Verse 12 which has already been explained.
CHAPTER 2
In Chapter 2, we will be looking at the messages that the Lord gave to the four churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos and Thyatira. So lets begin. The message to the church at Ephesus begins at Verse 1 and extends through Verse 7. We must keep in mind that, not only were these individual churches, but they also refer to dispensations or periods of history in the Christian church as well. Some of the characteristics of all seven churches exist in many, if not all, churches today. The first church, Ephesus, represents the period of church history from its inception in 33 A.D. (Pentecost) to 100 A.D. or the time that John wrote the Book of Revelation. You will note that all messages are to the Angel or Messenger of the Church from the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, in other words, the Glorified Christ, the Son of God. In each of the seven letters, Christ lets them know that He knows their works. He also knows our works and is keeping a record for which we will be judged (II Corinthians 5:10), according to the standards of I Corinthians 3:11-15. The Church at Ephesus had a hatred for evil as noted in Verse 2. They had tried the false preachers and teachers to discover which ones were true and which ones were false. In each of His letters to the churches, Jesus begins by commending them for their good works (Verses 2 and 3) before pointing out their sin and warning them to turn from it and follow Him. However, in Verse 4 we find that the Church at Ephesus had left its first love. They had turned away from the love of Christ to the love of the world. Christ does not tell us why this happened, but we might surmise that they became so busy serving Christ that they forgot to spend time with Him in prayer and worship. This is only a guess, but it certainly is a warning to us today as well not to make the same mistake. They apparently did not listen (Verse 5) because their candlestick is removed (with the conquest of Mohammedanism when the church becomes nonexistent). In Verse 6 we find that Christ commended them for their hatred of the deeds of the Nicolaitans, a group that taught a religious dictatorship of the laity. The elders, leaders of the early church, warned against this and taught that the lay leaders are to be examples to the flock, not lords over them (I Peter 5:3).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 6... Chapter 2...continued In Verse 7 Jesus concludes His message to the Ephesians by encouraging them to hear His message and to overcome the devils work through His shed blood. He promises that anyone who does, will eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God (I John 5:5). In Verse 8, Jesus begins His message to the church at Smyrna by identifying Himself as the writer. In Chapter 1, Verse 11, we find Christ referred to as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. The Smyrna church represents the period of church history from 100 A.D. to 313 A.D. when Constantine made Christianity the State religion of the Roman Empire. It was during this period that the church no doubt suffered its greatest persecution. In Verse 9, He commends them for their works faithfully performed in His name. Their works have brought them great tribulation and poverty, materially, but He has laid up for them great riches in heaven. Their relentless and dedicated efforts spread the Word of God to the entire Roman Empire. Even though they were fed to lions in Roman, perhaps as many as five million were martyred during this time period, the church flourished and grew. It seems that, even as today, the Smyrna church struggled with false teachers as did Ephesus. Romans 2:29 describes them well. They were Jews outwardly, but were not circumcised of the heart and spirit (I John 4:3). The true believers then suffered persecution from within and from without. However, Jesus had a special message for them in Verse 10. If they would endure the ten periods of persecution for His sake, He would reward them by giving to them the crown of life (James 1:12). Final victory would be theirs and ours as well for He assures them and us in Verse 11 that we who overcome will not be hurt by the second death or eternal separation from Him. The message to Pergamos begins with Verse 12 and again, Jesus identifies Himself by the reference to the sharp two-edged sword, Chapter 1:16. This church period extends from 312 A.D. to 606 A.D. It was characterized by materialism, self-indulgence and worldliness. Sound familiar? As in His earlier messages, Jesus begins in Verse 13 by commending the believers at
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 7... Chapter 2...continued Pergamos. A false religion had moved in and was using Pergamos as its headquarters, but the believers had remained faithful in the face of such evil. Jesus says they have not denied the faith. Oh, that we might be so faithful in the church today in the face of false teaching and preaching. The name Pergamos comes from the same Greek word from which we derive the words, bigamy and polygamy. This is noteworthy because Verse 14 tells us that some had begun to embrace the worldly doctrines of them who taught the doctrine of Balaam, thus committing spiritual adultery (Numbers 24-25:3). Spiritual adultery is when we worship anything other than the Lord Himself. We are being unfaithful to Him. They had also begun to tolerate and no doubt teach the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Verse 15) referred to in the message to the church at Ephesus, another deviation from the Word of God to the church. In Verse 16, they were warned to repent or suffer the consequences. Verse 17 speaks of the promises for those who over-come. The hidden manna is the Word of God. The white stone refers to the manner in which decisions were rendered in ancient courts. A white stone was laid down by the juror to indicate innocence. Praise the Lord! If you are washed in the blood of Christ today, a new white stone has been presented to the Father with your name written on it. Like the hymn says, Theres a new name written down in Glory! The message to Thyatira begins in Verse 18. The speaker is once again identified as the Son of God, for the speaker has eyes like unto a flame of fire and His feet are like fine brass (see Chapter 1, Verses 14 and 15). In Verse 19 the church at Thyatira is commended for her good works, love, service, faith, patience and last works. The term last works means that this church was outstanding in its service to the Lord. Her works became greater toward the end of her lifetime than they were at the beginning. Thyatira covers the years 606 A.D. to 1520 A.D. Many scholars believe that this church type still exists in the world today and will until the church is destroyed in Revelation Chapters 17 and 18. Verse 20 begins to point out the fact that, even though this church had many good qualities, there are some deep-rooted problems. We see that they
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 8... Chapter 2...continued had allowed the spirit of the wicked Jezebel to enter into the church and lead people to practice spiritual adultery. Jezebel, you may recall, was the wicked wife of King Ahab who brought Baalism into Israel. She is accused of seducing Gods servants to commit fornication and to eat meat offered to idols. By doing this, the people were breaking two of Gods Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4,5,14). We see in Verse 21 the long-suffering nature of God. The term space means that Thyatira was given approximately 1,000 years to repent but she wouldnt. This of course means that this type of church is existent today. Those of you familiar with the church will find this to be true. Judgment always comes, though (Numbers 32:23). In the next verse, Verse 22, we see that those who fail to repent will be forced to go through the great tribulation with the one world church and all its adulterous partners for their idolatry and unfaithfulness to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. It is at this point that the Lord destroys the adulterous church, Revelation 17:9. I John 4:8 and John 3:17 remind us of Gods love. However, when His love is continually rejected and spurned, His Holiness demands that the offender be punished. Verse 23 confirms that it is possible to waste years of good works and lose our rewards (2 John 8). The only good news is that a remnant remained faithful in spite of the deterioration of this local church. Can we see that the Lord is calling us to remain faithful in these final hours of the church age? I hope so. The final verses of this chapter, Verses 24 through 29, are the words of the Savior encouraging His children. We will have no further burden placed upon us than the one that we are now called to carry. He has promised His faithful children three rewards upon His return: 1) rulership over the nations during the Millennium (Revelation 20:4), 2) sharing in this glorious time of perfect righteousness resulting from Christs personal enforcement and order (Psalm 2:8,9), and 3) the abiding presence of the blessed Savior throughout time and eternity as Christ, Himself reigns (Revelation 22:14, 16).
CHAPTER 3
In Chapter 3, we will be looking at the messages that the Lord gave to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. So lets get started. The Church at Sardis began in 1520 A.D. and extends into the Tribulation period as well. That means simply that many of the characteristics of that church exist in the Church today, both positive and negative. We should never become negative thinkers seeing only the bad things in these churches, for if we do, we will start seeing only the negatives in the Church of today as well. This period of time covers the Reformation to the Tribulation. Many of the churches in the Reformation period were very dead churches because they became protestant without being born again. When Protestantism became the state religion it was embraced by millions who were never born into the Kingdom. For this reason, Jesus tells the Church at Sardis in Verse 1 that they have a name that implies that they are alive but in truth they are dead. This is very similar to the condition of the church today. Few churches are really alive, in that they preach the Gospel of true Salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-6). In Verses 2 and 3, Jesus gives the Sardinians a prescription for returning to spiritual health and vitality. He tells them to salvage the little good that still remains in their dead orthodoxy (Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die Rev. 3:2 KJV). They were also challenged to recall the earlier days when they had heard the truth of the Gospel, to retain this truth and discard the false teachings (ecclesiastical pomp and ceremony staid forms of worship) of the day, to repent (change their minds) and turn back to the worship of Christ. The reason that Christ tells them in Verse 3 that He will come to them as a thief, not knowing the hour of His coming, is that the established church of the Reformation era did not preach a bodily return of Christ to the earth. Verses 4 and 5 tell us that, even like today, there were individuals in the Church at Sardis who did practice holiness unto the Lord and had thus not defiled their garments by compromising with the world, the flesh and the devil (II Corinthians 6:17). As a result, Jesus promises them the reward of being allowed to walk with Him, wearing a white garment. This white garment refers to the garb of the saints in Revelation 19:7,8.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 10... Chapter 3...continued In addition, He promises not to remove their name from the Book of Life. He makes those same promises to believers today! The Church at Philadelphia historically covers the years 1750 A.D. to the Rapture. In Verse 7, we get another description of Jesus proving once again that He is the one speaking to the Churches. Verses 8-10 contain Christs commendation to this church. It was and continues to be a very missionary-minded church (the open door of Verse 8). Another of their great strengths is that they had not denied His name (Verse 8). In Verse 9, He reaffirms the fact that all those of the synagogue of Satan will one day bow before Him and confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11) to the glory of God. Finally, because of their faithfulness to Him (Verse 10) He promises to spare them from having to go through the Great Tribulation of Revelation Chapters 718. However, Jesus also gives us a warning in Verse 11 that we remain faithful to the end or we can lose our rewards, including our crown. The conclusion of this message in Verse 12-13 to the church at Philadelphia includes three blessings promised to the faithful. The first blessing is that they will become pillars in the temple of God. The second blessing is His promise that they will have the name of God written upon them, identifying them and allowing them access into the city of God the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21 and 22. His final blessing is that not only will the new name allow access to the New Jerusalem, but it will allow them to be His servants where they will see His face, Rev. 22:3-4. The seventh and final letter to the churches goes to the church at Laodicea. This church covers the period of history beginning in 1900 A.D. and goes to the Tribulation hour. Verse 14 contains yet another vivid description of our Savior confirming, once again, that He is the author. Our Lords complaint against the Laodicean church is that it is neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm (Verse 15). This comparison stems from the fact that the city of Laodicea had a water problem. They received a stream of cold water and a stream of hot water from two nearby cities. Unfortunately, by the time either stream of water
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 11... Chapter 3...continued reached Laodicea it was lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. Thus Jesus is saying that He wants His people to be cold or hot not lukewarm. Many have misinterpreted this passage by saying cold is bad while hot is good. Verse 14 does not say that. It says, I wish you were either cold or hot, meaning that either is good. Lukewarm is what is not good (Verse 16). The pews of many churches today are filled with worshipers who are very lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. Verses 17 and 18 give a very clear description of the church today. It looks upon itself as being rich and in need of nothing, but instead, as our Savior reminds us, it is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked because He is left out. The message of the gospel is not coming from the pulpits and the good deeds inspired by faith in Him are not the trademark of its service. In far too many cases, the good works being done are a works salvation attempt to win Gods favor and circumvent the salvation of the Cross. The glory is going to the provider instead of to the Lord. People need to see that God will not share His glory with anyone. An excellent illustration of this is what happened to Herod when he took the glory that belonged to the Lord (Acts 12:20-25). He counsels the Church to return to Him and receive the blessings that only He can give. It will then be rich and healed and clothed with His righteousness, not a righteousness that comes from doing good deeds and seeking the favor and compliments of man. (Verse 19) Jesus concludes this message by appealing to the church to return to Him and make Him the centerpiece of its ministry. Verse 20 has been used as the motivation for painting the picture of Jesus standing and knocking at the door with no latch on the outside, meaning that those within must open the door and let Him in. Most Bible Scholars feel that this verse is for the Church - that Jesus is standing outside His own house, pleading to be let in so that He can bless it and return it to fruitful service in the Kingdom. As always, He concludes the message with a promise to allow the over-comer to sit with Him in His throne in His heavenly Kingdom (Verses 2122).
CHAPTER 4
Chapter 3 ends the contemporary section of the Book of Revelation. We will now move into the prophetical chapters beginning with Chapter 4. Chapter 4, Verse 1 begins with the words, After this, meaning that what we are about to study occurs after the conclusion of the messages to the seven churches or the completion of church history. With the words, Come up here, the Lord calls His Church (children) home. Here in Verse 1 we see the Rapture of the church. This of course is the visible, bodily stepping out onto the clouds of Jesus to summon every born again Christian to join Him in Heaven. What excitement should fill the heart of every believer when they realize what this means. We are reminded in I Thessalonians 4: 16-17, that we will be summoned home by a voice as the sound of a trumpet, the exact same words that we see here in Verse 1. Many will argue that, in this verse, only the apostle John is summoned. This is not true at all as we will see in later verses of this chapter and Chapter 5 of this book as well. For further explanation of why this is the Church and not just John, I would refer you to our website and the article on the Rapture. There is overwhelming evidence that the Church will not be here during the Tribulation. Verses 2 and 3 give us a radiant description of our Savior as well as scriptural confirmation that He has ascended back to His home and sits on the throne next to His Father where we, as believers, dwell with Him even today (Colossians 3:1, Ephesians 2:1-7). What a tremendous privilege is ours indeed! We must live our lives like those who are seated in heavenly places with Christ. We learn in Verse 4 that around the throne are twenty four seats occupied by twenty four elders. These are human beings; not angels, for the word elder is never used to describe angelic beings. The twenty four elders represent the redeemed of the human race with glorified bodies like Jesus because they sit down, and an immaterial spirit cannot sit. We can be assured of this fact for in I John 3:2 we are told that, it does not yet appear what we shall be but when He appears we shall be like Him. We should also note that the elders are clothed in white raiment (Revelation 19:7-8) further proving that they have glorified
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 13... Chapter 4...continued bodies because you cannot put a garment on a spirit. It would simply fall to the floor. Notice also that the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians ) has already taken place because the elders are wearing their crowns. We must therefore conclude that the Judgment Seat of Christ occurs immediately upon the Churchs arrival in Heaven. Many Bible scholars believe that the twenty four elders represent the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel. In other words, they represent the Lords people of all ages. Since Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem as having the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on the gates, and the names of the twelve apostles are found upon the twelve foundations, this would certainly make sense or seem to be a reasonable explanation. Obviously, we cannot be totally sure who the elders represent but the important fact to note is that they represent the Church and we are at home with the Lord before the Tribulation starts in Chapter 6. Verse 5 gives us a preview of what is soon to take place on the earth. It is a generally accepted fact that lightning, thunder and heavenly voices predict judgment. Notice also that the Holy Spirit of God appears before the throne. It is also generally understood that the number seven, as in the seven spirits of God in this verse, denotes perfection. We know that God is perfect so what is about to take place on the earth is no mistake in judgment on the Lords part. The earth is about to receive perfect judgment. The sea of glass in Verse 6 represents the Church at rest in Heaven. We will finally experience perfect peace in the presence of our Savior. Verses 7 and 8 describe four beasts that surround the throne as well. Whenever we attempt to interpret scripture, we should always keep in mind that words such as like a and as a denote symbolism or symbolic language. Otherwise, every word of God is to be taken literally. Therefore when these verses use the terms like a the descriptions are symbolic. The Greek word for beast is zoon which literally means living creature. Therefore, we can conclude that these are living creatures. The symbolic language used to describe them depicts their strength and knowledge.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 14... Chapter 4...continued The many pairs of eyes simply imply that they are able to see all things clearly, unlike every finite creature of this earth. If we compare these descriptions of these creatures with Isaiah 6:1-3, we may conclude that these are seraphim as well. The Lord created the seraphim to praise, exalt and adore Him. Many people rush through verses like this thinking that these living creature are weird and ugly, some monstrosity. This is not the case at all. They are really beautiful creations meant to glorify God. If we stop to remember, we will recall that all species of animal have a leader the lion among the wild beasts, the calf among the domesticated animals, the eagle among the birds, and man among all creatures. This is the picture that these two verses have painted for us: Beautiful heavenly beings praising the Lord saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is and is to come! This is a tribute to the eternal nature of God. He always was! He is! And furthermore, He will always be! Verses 9-11 conclude the chapter by illustrating a beautiful scene in heaven which shows part of what we will be doing throughout all eternity. As the beasts give glory, honor and thanks to the eternal Jesus, the one who sits on the throne, the twenty four elders, the Church, fall down before Him in worship and cast their crowns at His feet thus the origin of the song, Well Cast Our Crowns at His Feet. We are earning our rewards crowns in order to have something to cast at the Saviors feet in worship, for truly only He is worthy to receive glory, honor and power. After all, He has done all the work. He not only went to to pay the price for our redemption, but He also wrote the Book that enables us to live for Him and glorify Him in our human bodies. We have to simply obey Him and follow His commands and directives for our lives. In conclusion, He created all things for His pleasure, from where we get the chorus Thou Art Worthy! There will obviously be no evolutionists in heaven because in this scene the angels and the elders, with one voice, praise the Lord for creating them. When it occurs, this will be the greatest praise festival in the entire universe.
CHAPTER 5
According to Dr. Van Impes notes, there should not have been a break between Chapters 4 and 5. In other words, chapters four and five should have been one chapter. He bases this decision on the fact that both chapters describe the same scene which occurs in heaven thus should have been one chapter instead of two. After all, we do know that chapters and sometimes even paragraphing were man-made decisions. In reality, the book mentioned in Verse 1 of Chapter 5 is a scroll, sealed with seven seals. The subject of this book or scroll is redemption, and its contents are the key to the understanding of the remainder of this chapter. An angel inquires in Verse 2 if there is anyone worthy to open the book or scroll. The question is not about ability but about worthiness. No human being or angel was found worthy to break the seals and open the book which leaves John heart broken. He obviously wanted to learn the contents of the book. Dr. Van Impe believes that Johns lament has to do with the fact that the scroll contains the title deed to the earth which if it remains sealed will leave Satan in complete control of planet earth. However, Good News comes from one of the elders. He announces that Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 19:16), has prevailed, defeated Satan at Calvary, and is worthy to open the book and break the seven seals. The lion is the king of the beasts and Judah is the leading tribe of Israel, thus Christ is depicted as the Lion of Judah a conquering King! Verse 6 confirms that this is the same scene as Chapter 4 because it reveals that in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stands a Lamb as it had been slain. This Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven spirits of God that have been sent forth into all the earth. It is through his death and resurrection (our redemption) that Jesus (Verse 7) has earned the right to redeem the title deed to the earth by opening the seals (John 1:29, I Corinthians 15:3, I John 1:7). The seven horns depict strength (Matthew 28:18), and the seven eyes confirms that He sees everything that we do (Hebrews 4:13).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 16... Chapter 5...continued Notice in Verse 8 that the four beasts and the 24 elders, representatives of all Gods saved people, share in this glorious moment of tribute to the Lamb that was slain by presenting Him with the golden vials containing the prayers of the saints. Verses 9 and 10 remind us again that only Christ is worthy to open the scroll or book because He is the Lamb that was slain for our redemption. However, in addition to that we need to see that by redeeming us, He has made us kings and priests unto the Lord, and as such we shall reign on the earth with Him during the thousand year millennial period. Then in Verse 11 the celebration is joined by the angels as well. They do not sing though. No where in scripture do we find angels singing. They recite their praise. Verse 12 gives us seven reasons why they are praising the Lamb: 1) His power, 2)His spiritual riches, 3) His wisdom, 4) His might or strength, 5) His honor, 6) His glory and 7) His blessing. In Verses 13 -14, the heavenly hosts get a head start on the fulfillment of Philippians 2:9-11, where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Soon after this scene, all created beings will bow to Him because they will be resurrected to stand judgment before the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15), there to receive their judgment for having rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord. Everyone will confess to the glory of God that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a day that will when in His presence we shall live eternally, praising Him for the fact that He and He alone has made it all possible.
CHAPTER 6
I would like to start this discussion with a recap of what I wrote in the discussion of the Rapture about signs. Many sincere believers are clinging to Matthew 24:14 as evidence that the Rapture is not close. In that verse, Christ informs us that the end will not come until the Gospel is preached to all nations. You will see that statement fulfilled when the 144,000 evangelists are sent out during the Tribulation period. There are no signs for the Rapture. All the signs, including Matthew 24:14, refer to Christs bodily return to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives and to rule and reign for a thousand years. Therefore, since the signs of His bodily return are on the horizon, must not the Rapture, indeed, be very close? Seven years must pass between the Rapture and the Second Coming, so as believers, we should keep our eyes upon the eastern sky. As one Bible scholar has said, He may not be standing on the clouds, but I think He is on the edge of His throne." The Revelation, then, is when Christ is revealed to the earth, and the inhabitants realize that they have been deceived by the anti-christ, the beast and the false prophet, in other words, Satan. It should be noted that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke contain exactly the same signs as the Book of Revelation, all of which are fulfilled after chapters four and five. This can only mean that the Church is already in Heaven with our Lord. In Chapters 6-18, we witness first hand the events that will take place on the earth during the Tribulation. This time period will be earths bloodiest hour. In Verse 1, the Lamb begins to open the seals. When He opens seal one, a rider on a white horse is released (Verse 2). This is the Antichrist. This begins the Tribulation hour. We should note that Satan has always been the great imitator. He has always wanted to be God, but has only been able to imitate the Lord. He did so in Egypt by having Pharaohs magicians imitate the miracles or signs of Aaron. So who is He imitating here? The answer is found in Revelation 19:11-16. He is imitating the return of our Lord o the earth. You should note that he has a crown and sets out to conquer. The false Christ begins the Tribulation, but our Savior ends it.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 18... Chapter 6...continued In Revelation 19, we will see that Jesus returns on a white horse also. But on His vesture and on His thigh are written the names, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORD! In Daniel 9:27, we see that the Antichrist comes to power through an international peace plan thus explaining why he carries a bow but no arrows. He conquers through diplomacy as a king, hence the crown. In Revelation 13:7, we find that this peace plan gives him power over all kindreds, tongues and nations. He is in total control. The world will get its wish to be ruled by Satan and not the Lord. This downward spiral can be traced back to the day when Israel asked for a king. They no longer wanted to be a Theocracy, a nation ruled by God, but wanted a human ruler so that they could be like the other nations. How many of the decisions made by the church today represent a desire to be like the world so that the world will be attracted to us and come and worship with us. What a sad commentary on us that we are ashamed of the gospel and want to cheapen it so that the world will be attracted to us and not to Christ. However, we are reminded that if we will not confess/acknowledge Him before the world, He will not confess/acknowledge us before our Father in Heaven (Matt. 10:32). I believe that the words confess/acknowledge here can be interpreted as defend us! I cannot prove that, but I believe that perhaps to be the case. If so, we have much to be concerned about if we are not boldly acknowledging our relationship with Him before the world. The Antichrist is immediately followed by three additional riders of judgment. Together these four horsemen represent the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the title of a revealing book, by the same title, written by Dr. Billy Graham several years ago. Even then he could see them appearing on the horizon. These four horsemen will bring untold misery to this world, such as it never has previously experienced. Man is so deceived, thinking that Satan loves him and wants what is best for him. On the contrary, Satan wants simply to destroy us and force us to live eternally in the Lake of Fire with Him.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 19... Chapter 6...continued He knows his eternal destiny and wants to take as many of Gods children with him as he can. The Antichrist is referred to as the beast because of his character (Revelation 13:2-3), because he ascends from the abyss (Revelation 17:8), and because he receives his power and authority directly from Satan (Revelation 13:2). When the Antichrist ascends to power, the unleashing of the final 20 judgments upon the earth is set in motion. There in no turning back now. Now, in Verse 4, we see a second horse, a red one, appears on the scene. The first horsemen brought peace to the earth (Daniel 9:27); however, we see in this scripture that the peace will only last for 3 years. The rider of the red horse takes peace from the earth. Why is this horse red? Most Bible scholars believe that this depicts Russia. In Ezekiel 38:2, he refers to the armies of the north attacking Israel, using the names Mesheck, Tubal and Rosh. Each of these names refer to places within Russia today. Tobolsk, the eastern capital of the former USSR is the ancient city of Tubal. Meshech is Moscow. Rosh is Russia herself. This great invasion (Ezekiel 38:15,18) ends the Jewish sacrifices and worship in the temple, putting to an end the time of peace brought about by the peace treaty signed with the Antichrist at the beginning of the seven year tribulation period. What a testimony to the validity of prophecy because there was no nation of Israel until 1948, yet Ezekiel thousand of years ago, in chapters 38 and 39, describes this war between the armies of the North and the nation of Israel, calling it by name. In Verses 5 and 6, we see a black horse is released with a rider holding a balance scale in his hands. This rider represents the time of famine that will strike the earth during the Tribulation hour. Combine this scripture with Ezekiel 4:10, 11 and 16 and you will see how expensive food will be at this time. Imagine if you can, a measure of wheat and three measures of barley each costing a penny. In Bible times a penny was a denarious which was a days wage. In other words, it will take a days salary to purchase a loaf of bread. People will have to spend everything they have just for the necessities of life.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 20... Chapter 6...continued Why will this be so, you might ask? The reason will be inflation. Here in the U.S. we do not feel the same effects of inflation as they do in many parts of the world even today. We have a financial system controlled by the Federal Reserve Board that controls the amount of inflation that is allowed to occur. This of course depends on everything working as it is supposed to. Dr. Van Impe feels that inflation will become so bad during the Tribulation that even precious metals will become worthless. The Antichrists numerical system 666 will replace gold, silver and paper money (see James 5:1-3 and Ezekiel 7:19). Verses 7 and 8, When the fourth seal is opened the fourth horseman is released. This one rides a pale horse and the riders name is death and Hell follows him. This may seem difficult to understand, but it really isnt. The Greek word for pale is cloros which is translated green. We get our word chlorine from this word which is used in Mark 6:39 and Revelation 9:4. This rider is by far the most deadly thus his name being death. He will destroy the body and then Hell will swallow up the souls and spirits of those he kills with the sword, hunger and beasts of the earth possibly AIDS produced by the green monkey virus. In any respect, one fourth of the worlds population will succumb to this rider and be destroyed. Given the modern day arsenals of the armies of the world, this could easily happen, when you consider nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Only the most nave would believe that they no longer exist or that they do not exist in huge numbers. Never lose sight of the fact that the devil is the great deceiver. Did not our Master tell us to beware when they were saying Peace and safety? He said that sudden destruction was about to come upon the earth. Verses 9-11, As the fifth seal is opened, we are greeted by the cries of slain martyrs. Jesus warned His people in Matthew 24;9, 10, that they would be delivered up to be afflicted and killed. However, believer in Christ, do not be alarmed. Keep in mind that the church is not here so these verses do not apply to the church. They apply to the elect Israelites and those Gentiles who are converted by the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 21... Chapter 6...continued In verses 9-1, 1, we see further proof that the Church is not on the earth. When these slain martyrs cry out to the Lord to take revenge upon the earth, He tells them to rest yet a little while for there are believers who must join them in being slain for their faith. To give them comfort, the Lord gives them white robes as evidence of their relationship with Him. The church on earth at this time is the one world church which Midnight Call Ministries refers to as Churchianity. This will be the church of the Antichrist, for the real Body of Christ is gone. We should also note that these slain martyrs are in a conscious state. The doctrine of soul sleep is completely refuted by this verse. In II Corinthians 5:8, Paul tells us that, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Those who would have us believe that the soul sleeps until the day of resurrection have a serious problem, for if this were the case, our soul and body would never be separated. However, I Thessalonians 4:14 tells us that at the Rapture, Christ will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep in Him or died trusting Him. This can happen because the dead are in two places. The souls and spirits are with the Lord while their bodies are in the grave. Hence Christ brings the souls and spirits with Him to be reunited with their bodies. But keep in mind that this describes the Rapture. These Verses 9-11, are describing a later time during the Tribulation period. It is during this period that the spirits of the martyred saints cry out to God which shows that they are not lifeless spirits but have a definite form. Lifeless spirits cannot wear robes or cry out to God. This tells us then that the spiritual being has a temporary covering (II Corinthians 5:1). While our knowledge of the spirit world may be limited, one thing we can learn here for sure and for certain, is being in spirit form does not mean a state of unconsciousness. These spirits move, talk, cry and even wear white robes. Anyone who has trusted in the merits of Jesus shed blood for salvation is at home with Him right now. That is our hope (absolute expectation) should we die before He raptures His people.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 22... Chapter 6...continued In the final eight Verses (12-17), with the opening of the sixth seal, we witness the beginning of supernatural judgment from heaven. The first four seals were under the control of the Antichrist. Not so with the opening of the sixth seal. Furthermore, we see the reaction of the even the Kings and the great men who are left on earth to the dreadful things taking place here on earth. In Verse 12, we witness a great earthquake. The judgments in this verse are to be taken literally. They are not prefaced by like a or as a therefore they are to be taken literally. Why not? God has used earthquakes and the other forces of nature before when meting out judgment throughout history (Exodus 19:18; I Kings 19:11). In Luke 21:25, 26, this is exactly what Jesus predicted for the Tribulation hour. The earthquakes and convulsions on the earth are so terrifyingly massive that the stars fall from the skies like figs from a tree (Verse 13). These are accompanied by mighty winds, which may indicate tornadoes and hurricanes, that wreak great havoc on the earth. (Verses 14-17), This scene is so terrifying that even the mighty of the earth, Kings and great world leaders, hide in caves and dens, and even cry out for the mountains to fall on them so that they may die and be relieved from the terrible judgment of Almighty God. Again this was foretold by our Savior in Luke 21:26, Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. In other words, repeating my earlier statement, the situation is so horrifying and unbearable that humanity is pleading to die, begging for obliteration and annihilation (Revelation 6:16, 17). Does it pay to faithfully serve the Lord? Yes, Praise the Lord, the Redeemed are home in Heaven with Him during this horrible period of human history! Note: The horrible destruction of the Tsunamis in Asia can not hold a candle to the Lords judgment on the earth. However, might they not be one of the signs He was talking about when He spoke of earthquakes and wars and rumors of war just prior to His bodily return to earth to take control? If so, His return to earth is imminent. How close then must the Rapture be?
CHAPTER 7
Chapter 7 is a parenthesis or a pause in the supernatural judgment of the world. This chapter is divided into two segments dealing with two groups Verses 1-8 deal with 144,000 Israelite evangelists; and Verses 9-17 the multitudes of Gentiles saved out of the Tribulation. It is this Chapter that I have used as a basis for my message on the Tribulation as a curse or blessing. This chapter portrays our God as being compassionate, merciful and loving (John 3:16; I John 3:16,17). He pauses His plan of judgment to give the people on the earth a chance to reflect and decide whom it is they wish to serve. It will be a most difficult decision because they will be persecuted and probably killed if they choose to follow Christ. You see the Antichrists system of 666 is soon to be in place (Revelation 13:7,8) so they will not be able to buy or sell; making the obtaining of food and the other necessities of life almost impossible. It will be a situation similar to what the Jews encountered in WW II only far worse. If they couldnt find someone to help them, they were totally at the mercy of the Nazi Regime which for most of the Jewish people meant starvation and death. We must always keep uppermost in our minds that it is mans wickedness, rebellion and sin that will produce Gods judgment upon the earth (Romans 6:23; Job 4:8). The judgments of Chapter 6 were unleashed because of the hardness of mens hearts. Man rebelled and continued to rebel for thousands of years. However, God is so loving and kind that He decides to take a time out from judgment and allow man another opportunity to decide to open his mind and heart and come to Him. He still loves the human race and desires to save all who will come to Him in faith and believe that Jesus died for their sin. Therefore Chapter 7 deals with the mercy of God in the midst of the Tribulation. God in His infinite love and compassion creates this lull before the storm in order to call mankind to repentance, salvation and revival. I use the word revival because I believe that there will be people left behind who knew the way and walked away from it at their eternal peril. Therefore, they could be revived in their soul and come back to serve the true God.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 24... Chapter 7...continued Churchianity will be alive and well. They will be worshiping idols and the like, but there will be no lack of religious form on the earth at this time. However, Christianity will be a thing of the past. The term in Verse 1 concerning the angels being at the four corners of the earth does not imply that it is square. This is a Biblical expression depicting the four points of the compass where angels are standing administering judgment. They are now commanded to stop for a time to give the Lord the opportunity to conduct a time of great revival and seal His people with a mark in their foreheads (Revelation 7:2-3). Verses 4-8 tell of a great commissioning of 144,000 evangelists who will lead a great world wide revival. These are Jewish because they are selected from the 12 tribes of Israel. These evangelists are anointed by the Holy Spirit to do their work (Joel 2:28-29). There is some confusion about the work of the Holy Spirit during the Tribulation. Some have heard me say that the Holy Spirit is removed at the Rapture because He indwells the heart of the believer. That is all true. However, we must make a distinction between the entire work of the Holy Spirit and His restraining influence as mentioned in II Thessalonians 2:6. Since the Church, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, has restrained or hindered the Antichrists rise to power, that influence has to be removed. Thus it will be, when we are taken out in the Rapture. However, the Holy Spirit is God and as God is omnipresent (everywhere at all times), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipotent (all powerful). Therefore, the Holy Spirit cannot be removed from the earth (Psalm 139:7-10). Since He is everywhere at all times, it is only His restraining influence over sin that is removed with the Rapture of the Church, during the Tribulation hour. When the Church is removed, the Salt and Light of the world are removed depriving the world of any restraining influence over the sin of the humanity. What is the message of the 144,000 evangelists? In addition to preaching the message of His shed blood, they will proclaim His revelation (Matthew 24:14; Revelation 19:16). Their message will be much the same as John the Baptist.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 25... Chapter 7...continued The message has three parts: 1. repentance (Matthew 3:2), 2. the blood of Jesus is the only cure for sin (John 1:29), and 3. the coming of the King (Revelation 19:16). This message was rejected when John preached it, but it wont be this time. Verses 13 and 14 confirm that a world wide revival breaks out for when John asks one of the elders, who are these people dressed in white robes, he is told that They are those who have come out of the great Tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. We know that this is a great revival for Verse 9 refers to the group as a great multitude. This is why I do not believe that there will be a great revival before the Rapture as some do. The Bible does not record any such revival taking place until Chapter 7, Verse 9 of the Book of Revelation. I feel very strongly that people will need a reason to turn to the Lord; and hardship and punishment will usually do that. These verses give further evidence that they are not the Church because John did not know them. If they had been the Church, he would certainly have recognized his contemporaries for sure. I would like to conclude by explaining the various duties of the different groups that are saved during each dispensation for each one has a different responsibility. The Church is the Bride of Christ and enjoys the 1,000 year honeymoon upon the earth with Him (Revelation 20:4). We will reign with Him as rulers, kings and priests (I Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6). The 144,000 serve as bodyguards of the Lamb and His bride (Revelation 14:4). The Gentiles saved during the Tribulation will be Temple servants, waiting on Christ and His bride (Revelation 7:15-17) serving in the glorious Temple described in Ezekiel chapters 40-48, which is set up immediately after the war with the armies of the North, Gog, Magog, Meshech, Tubal and Rosh, described in Ezekiel 38 and 39.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 26... Chapter 7...continued They will never suffer hunger or deprivation as they did under the Antichrist and his 666 system because the Lord is dwelling in their midst meeting their every need. From this point on and throughout all of eternity, the children of God, from all dispensations, will enjoy the presence of the Lord, never to suffer the heartache and abuse of an ungodly world any more. Note: Todays USA Today reports that China and Russia will be conducting joint military exercises in the Spring. Anyone still doubt that they will combine in a war against Israel? The Bible has predicted it for thousands of years. How exciting it is to be living today and know that we may see Christ at any time as He raptures His Church. WE MUST BE READY! NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS!
CHAPTER 8
As Chapter 8 begins, we see the resumption of supernatural judgment upon the earth with the opening of the seventh seal. The seventh seal contains the seven trumpet judgments. These judgments are so terrifying that, as the seal is broken, all the heavenly host becomes silent. These judgments have been foretold through prophetic history. In the Book of Jude, Enoch speaks of them in verses 14 and 15. The Apostle Paul spoke of them in two places (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:18). Man has no excuse for not knowing that the judgment of God is coming. The Psalmist saw them coming as well (Psalm 96:13). Way back in Genesis, He tells us that His spirit will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3). The major difference in this judgment is that it will be just and fair without prejudice. God has warned man what the consequences of his behavior will be, and for the most part, mankind has ignored His warning and gone on living in disobedience to the Lord and His laws of morality and integrity, In this chapter, man will begin to reap what he has sown (Galatians 6:7-9). However, before the first trumpet sounds, we witness an unusual prayer meeting in Heaven. Verses 3-4 give account of what is taking place in Heaven just before the sounding of the first trumpet judgment. The angel in Verse 3 is the Lord Jesus Himself (I Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:25). He is the only mediator between God and man. He has appeared in the Old Testament many times. He walked the fiery furnace of Daniel 3. He wrestled with Jacob and visited Abraham on more than on occasion. Here in Verse 3, He is adding incense to the prayers of the saints of God on earth. Remember their prayer is for the Lord to take vengeance on the earth for their having been so persecuted then killed. Their prayers are about to be answered. For Jesus fills the censer with fire from off the altar and casts it upon the earth which leads to shouting, thunderings, lightnings and an earthquake. At this point, the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepare to sound their instruments which will begin the judgments upon the earth. In Verse 7, the first trumpet sounds, and is followed by hail and fire mingled with blood. These are cast upon the earth causing a third part of the trees to be burnt up along with all the grass. This same kind of judgment was experienced by the Egyptians in Exodus 9:22-26. Imagine if you can, that one
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 28... Chapter 8...continued third of the earths trees are destroyed along with all the grass of the fields. There will be no food for the grass-eating animals thus taking away a large part of mans food supply. Then in Verse 8, a great ball of fire is cast into the sea causing a third of the ocean water to become blood. Dr. Van Impe suggests that the ball of fire may well be a large meteor because the phrase as it were a mountain means that the mountain of fire is figurative language. A similar thing occurs in Exodus 7:19-21 only that time Aaron strikes the water with his staff causing the water to turn to blood. Here again in Exodus, Satan imitates our Lord by empowering Pharaohs magicians to do a similar thing which causes Pharaoh to harden his heart and bring greater calamity upon his people. As in Exodus, the sea creatures die, but now even a third of the ships on the seas are destroyed. In Verses 10 and 11, we witness a star falling from heaven causing a third of the earths drinking water to become bitter and not fit for human consumption. This one third will become deadly poison. Since the Lord made all the stars, He knows where the star Wormwood is and how to make it fall to accomplish His purpose (Jeremiah 9:15). A similar occurrence took place on March 21, 1823 in the Aleutian Islands when a volcanic explosion caused the water to become bitter and not fit for human consumption. This shows that what these verses are describing can easily happen again. The fourth and final judgment of this chapter deals with earths luminaries the sun, moon and stars. One third of the light produced by these heavenly bodies is extinguished. This also happened in Egypt when God sent Moses after His people (Exodus 10:21-23). It is obvious, however, that the worst is yet to come. In Verse 13, an angel is flying through heavens saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth because the angel can see the judgments yet to come when the final three trumpets are sounded. When He was here on earth, in Matthew 24:8, He describes these first judgments as the beginning of sorrows.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 29... Chapter 8...continued In other words, the first three and a half years would not be nearly as severe as the last three and a half years. He describes the latter half, as the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21). You will see in later chapters that the coming judgments will require several verses to describe not just one or two. What a blessed privilege to live today in the knowledge that we will never have to face these awful judgments because we have accepted Jesus sacrifice on Calvary as payment for our sin. It should stir us however to work more faithfully to see that as many of our family and friends are saved before this terrible day. We must live Godly lives before them to make them thirsty to know Jesus. Are we not called to be salt and light?
CHAPTER 9
Chapter 9 contains the descriptions of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpet judgments. As I mentioned during the discussion of Chapter 8, these are much more terrible than the previous four, covering several verses instead of just one or two. Verse 1 describes Satans fall from heaven to earth (Isaiah 14:12-14). We should note with great interest that when he fell, he was given the key to the bottomless pit for this will be of great significance as we interpret the Fifth Trumpet Judgment. Jesus gives us further proof of His origin in Luke 10:18 when He says that He witnessed Satans fall. This can only mean that He was alive in eternity past when Satan rebelled. This is the same angel described in verse 11 later on in this chapter. The fallen star obviously is a male personage because the verse says to him was given the key to the bottomless pit or the abyss. They are one in the same. He is given the key to the abyss so that he may release those who have been imprisoned there, most likely the fallen angels. We should also be aware that the abyss is not a comfortable place to dwell. Smoke is rising from it as the smoke of a great furnace Where there is smoke there is also heat and fire. It is also a dismal place because the sun and the air are polluted (darkened) by the smoke coming from the pit. The Greek term for the bottomless pit literally rendered means the pit of the abyss. This term is found nine times in the New Testament, and each time that it is used, it means a place to restrain or hold certain beings which have come under the judgment of God. Remember the demons in Luke 8:31 asked the Lord Jesus not to send them back to the deep (abyss) but rather to send them into the swine or pigs. This was because of their fear and dread of the pit. So they would rather be incarcerated in swine than to go back there. Verse 3 describes the creatures that are released from the pit. These are not locust or scorpions. They are given greater power than these would have. They are without any doubt the fallen angels who have been waiting for centuries to be released so that they can carry out their acts of evil against the earths inhabitants.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 31... Chapter 9...continued We see in Verse 4 that they cannot harm the vegetation of the world. They are only permitted to hurt those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. They can only attack those who have the beasts mark of 666. Furthermore, they can not kill any of them. They can only torment them for a period of five months. Their wound will be similar to the sting of a scorpion but no doubt more intense (Verse 5). The result will be that the unsaved will seek death, but will not be able to find it (Verse 6). I do not believe that even suicide will be an option during this awful five month period. The Lord will not allow any escape from His judgment upon the earth. Verse 7 gives us further evidence that these are not just locusts as we know them. The figurative language like unto indicates that we are about to read descriptions that should not be taken literally. Their shape being like a horse would certainly depict power and speed, while the crowns on their heads would depict conquerors, and their faces as men would certainly indicate intelligence. Going on into Verse 8, we see that they are attractive (hair of women) yet cruel (teeth as the teeth of lions). Does this sound like someone who loves mankind and is striving to work out everything for mans good? We need to strive every moment of every day to cut through the deceit and make sure that people see the truth as we live our daily lives. Verse 9 would indicate that these creatures, fallen angels, are invincible as well (breastplates of iron). The sound of their wings as the sound of chariots would certainly denote calamity. Imagine the fear that would come over anyone when they would hear the sounds of hundreds or even thousands of chariots approaching in the distance. The description of the fifth Trumpet judgment concludes with Verses 10 and 11, reminding the reader that these creatures will have stingers in their tails, and they will have free reign to torment the unsaved, those marked 666, for five months. However, the Lord will protect those who are sealed in their foreheads with His seal.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 32... Chapter 9...continued Verse 11 refers back to Verse 1, and confirms that these creatures have a leader and that he is the angel of the bottomless pit whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon, which means destroyer. This could only refer to Satan because there is no other creature seeking to destroy man other than him. Verse 12 then tells us that one of the three woes of Chapter 8,Verse 13 is past, but there are two more yet to come. Verse 13 begins the Sixth Trumpet Judgment. We see that four angels which have been bound by the river Euphrates are about to be released. We should pause here and notice that many of these judgments are linked with Gods plan of atonement, the shed blood of Jesus. They are linked to the golden altar where we observed back in Chapters 4 and 5 the Lamb of God was standing. This no doubt is because so many have rejected the message of Jesus atonement and sought to substitute their own plan for achieving eternal life (Hebrews 10:28-29). In this picture, we see that a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, where the blood was sprinkled for sin, is crying out to God for judgment. The rejection of the Word of God always, notice always, brings severe consequences. Throughout history, man has supposed that, because God is long-suffering and patient, and withholds immediate judgment for mans disobedience, there will never be a day of reckoning. Well, it is about to arrive. Because these four angels are bound, we must correctly assume that they were with Satan when he fell (Isaiah 14:12-14) and thus are fallen angels. In Chapter 7, Verse 1, we saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth holding back the judgment of God. Now four denizens of the abyss are released to wreak their havoc upon the earth. The Euphrates River is in the Middle East and runs through the countries of Syria and Iraq. This can only indicate the focus of their evil deeds will be in this area where the battle of the ages will take place in the not too far distant future. It should be noted that it was in this same area that the original rebellion, with Adam and Eve, against the Lord took place (Genesis 2:10-14). It is also the area where the first murder occurred when Cain killed his brother Abel (Genesis 11:1-4).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 33... Chapter 9...continued However, let us never forget that it is the same area where God made His unconditional covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:18). This land belongs to Israel because the Lord gave it to them, and He will see that they get it (Exodus 23:31; Deut. 11:24; Joshua 1:4). As we see, this area has become the sore spot or focal point of world conflict as history progresses. It serves as the frontier of the promised land as well as the boundary of the ten-toed, tenhorned, western federation of nations that produces the Antichrist (Daniel 2:3643; 7:23-24; Revelation 13:1). Verse 15 begins the description of what these angels are going to do. They will cause the death of an additional one third of the worlds population. Back in Chapter 6 Verse 8 we saw that the rider of the pale horse (famine) causes one fourth of the worlds population to die. That means, that assuming that the worlds population is approximately five billion people, it is now about three billion, seven hundred, fifty million. Now an additional one third or one billion, two hundred fifty million will perish as the four fallen angels are released. Imagine, these angels are today waiting in the wings to be released to wreak havoc and destruction on the earth. This holocaust will also include Russia and it allies (probably China remember the article for the USA Today of 12/28/04 concerning the joint military exercise to be conducted in the Spring of 2005) (Ezekiel 38-39; Joel 2:20). Only Russia meets the qualifications for this text. The desolate area described in Joel 2:20 must be the northern region of Russia or Siberia because what other area faces the eastern and western bodies of water. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, this Northern Army marches to the Holy Land only to be driven back (Joel 2:20). This Northern Army strengthens itself and returns to the land of Israel one more time. This time the intensity of the struggle will increase until it includes all nations because the Lord is gathering them all together at Megiddo for the purpose of destroying them (Zechariah 14:2; Revelation 16:16). Notice the strength of this military force (Verse 16). It will number two hundred million soldiers (Ezekiel 38:16; Nahum 2:3-4). Many Bible scholars agree that this number of soldiers could only be amassed by the inclusion of Red China and her allies (Revelation 16:12).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 34... Chapter 9...continued This verse speaks of kings of the east. However, others believe that because of Verses 17-19, that this will be a supernatural army. One must be careful when making that interpretation. For modern military equipment could give the appearance described in these verses. Attack helicopters firing missiles would certainly issue fire and smoke. They can also fire weaponry from their tails as well as from the front or head of the machine. No matter what interpretation we give it, we can see that it will be a devastating period of time for a third of the earths population will be destroyed by fire, smoke and brimstone, sulfurous, poisonous gas (Psalm 97:1; Isaiah 66:15; Zephaniah 1:18; Joel 2:3 & 20; Malachi 4:1; Revelation 8:7). It may be that this will be a combination of the natural and the supernatural. Men and demons will certainly both be involved in this awful devastation we call the Great Tribulation. We see such a sad conclusion to this awful chapter. Verses 20 and 21 tell us that in spite of all the suffering and devastation, mankind will still not repent and turn to God. They continue to worship idols and the devil (occultism). Neither do they change their behavior patterns at all. They continue to kill and indulge in sorceries drug abuse, fornication (the practice of every conceivable sex sin) as well as stealing and cheating one another. The Greek word for sorcerers is pharmakeus which means the enchanter with drugs the pusher or seller of drugs. This will continue to be a problem from now right into and through the Tribulation period. We should not assume that, in light of Scripture, any of the current anti-drug programs will be effective. Mankind is not listening and will allow drugs to destroy him (Revelation 18:23). This is the sin of witchcraft (Greek word for witchcraft is pharmakeia from which we derive pharmaceutical or pharmacy), where mankind worships something other than the Lord (Galatians 5:19-21).
CHAPTER 10
Chapter 10 is another parenthesis or break between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments, similar to the one we saw in chapter 7. This break extends from chapter 10 through chapter 11 verse 14. The angel of Verse 1 is Christ. Who else would be described as being clothed by a cloud, having a rainbow upon His head, face shining as the sun, and feet as pillars of fire. The key question to be answered here is what do these attributes signify? The cloud signifies His deity (Psalm 97:2; Exodus 16:10; Exodus 19:9, 16; Matthew 17:5; Acts 1:9; Revelation 1:7). Since we know that the Lord gave His promise to never destroy the world again by a flood through the rainbow, this one signifies mercy in the midst of judgment. Christ has also been pictured as the One having a shining face as unto the sun (Acts 9:3-5). Finally, His feet as pillars of fire denote judgment as was pictured in Revelation 1:15 where His feet have been made to glow like bronze heated in a furnace. In Verse 2, the image of Christ holding an open book with His right foot on the sea and His left upon the earth signify that He is about to take control of this earth, which has always been rightfully His (John 1:3). When Jesus came over 1,900 years ago, He was rejected, crucified and buried. However, He arose to ascend back to His throne to make intercession for the believers (Hebrews 7:25) until such time as He is to take control of planet earth. Very soon, He will arise and make a request which is recorded in Psalm 2:6-8. At the granting of this request, He will set foot on planet earth to take control. Until then, the earth will continue to suffer through the judgments that are contained in the book, He is holding in His hand, which He plans to unleash against the earths inhabitants. In Verse 3, He, as the Lion of Judah, cries with a loud voice at which time seven thunders utter their voices. He cries loudly (roars as a lion) to warn of impending judgment. Other scriptures that speak of His roaring to warn of impending judgment include Hosea 11:10; Joel 3:16, and Amos 1:2. We cannot know what the seven thunders meant because God forbids it in Verse 4. The parenthesis is over.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 36... Chapter 10...continued In Verses 5 and 6, the Lion of Judah decrees that there will be no more waiting period (There should be time no longer). Even though we are forbidden to take oaths in this dispensation, it was not forbidden in the Old Testament nor will it be during the Tribulation and Kingdom periods. Therefore, we see Jesus, based upon His position as the eternal creator of Heaven, the earth, the sea and all that is contained within them, swears an oath that time should be no longer or more accurately, that there will no further delay in the executing of the seventh trumpet judgment. However, the voice of the seventh angel does not sound just yet. In fact, it does not sound until chapter 11:15. When he does sound, all the Biblical warnings of the prophets concerning the impending judgment of the earth will be fulfilled and the mystery of God will be finished concluding the Tribulation hour (Isaiah 11:9; I Peter 1:10,11). The glory that is spoken of in I Peter 1:10 and 11 is the glory that would follow Christs return to earth and establishment of His millennial kingdom. Though the prophets foretold this occurrence, as evidenced by their many predictions of it, they could not see that there would be a 2,000 year interval between His rejection and the establishment of His kingdom. However, their writings reflect that a suffering redeemer would precede a ruling King, as can clearly be seen in Psalm 22:12-16 and Isaiah 53:4-6, just to mention two passages. Great rejoicing now begins to take place in Heaven as witnessed by Revelation 11:15, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever. Evil will have been defeated once and for all. What a day that will be! You may find it difficult to understand how the Tribulation Hour can end in Chapter 11 especially in light of the fact that chapters 18 and 19 contain seven more bowl judgments and that the Lord Jesus Christ does not return until chapter 19:11-16. The answer is simple. Chapters 12 through 19:15 run concurrently with the judgments already discussed. They are a repeat of chapters 6-11.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 37... Chapter 10...continued The correct outline for the Book of Revelation is this: Chapter 1 the past; Chapters 2 and 3 the present; and Chapters 4-22 the future, with Chapters 6-11 and 12 through 19:15 running concurrently. The final four verses give us a picture of how the Word of God can be sweet and bitter depending upon where a person stands in his or her relationship with the Lord. In Verse 8, John is commanded to take the Book from the hand of the Angel and to eat it. Eating here refers to reading the Word and assimilating it into our lives through study and application. At times it is sweet (Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:103). Here in these verses, John finds the Word sweet because he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. He can envision the millennial Kingdom, the Bride sitting beside the Bridegroom, and the peace and prosperity that will prevail in the land with Satan bound and sin abolished. However, as he continues to read, the Word becomes somewhat bitter because he learns of the remaining judgments still to be released. This is true for the believer today as well. When we think about the eternal life that is ours through Jesus shed blood and all that He has obtained for us, the Word is sweet (John 3:36). However, when we stop to consider that anyone who rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be damned, the Word is bitter (Mark 16:16). In the concluding verse, we receive our instructions along with the Apostle John. He is faithful to the end as he records what the Holy Spirit reveals to him about the future. He proclaims the good news and the bad, presenting both the bitter and the sweet. He warns of the coming judgments the seven bowls or vials, the Great White Throne judgment, and the dissolution of the present heavens and earth. May we be found as faithful in proclaiming the entire Word of God even to our peril, if necessary, for God has so commanded us (II Timothy 4:2).
CHAPTER 11
At the beginning of this chapter, we see a temple being erected. This may or may not be the final millennial temple. It probably is not. More than likely it is a smaller, less elaborate temple than the one described in Ezekiel 40-48. The reed used for measuring this temple most likely is from the brakes of the and is about ten feet in length. This temple will be built during the Tribulation hour and will be the one that the Antichrist will desecrate when he sets up the abomination of desolation spoken of in Matthew 24:15. Unlike Antiocus Epiphanes, a Greco-Syrian ruler, who stuck a pig in the Jewish Temple, this time the Antichrist will place an image of himself in the temple and order that he be worshiped as God. This temple is very similar to all the others except it has no outer courtyard for Gentiles. Another important fact to notice is that in Verse 2 we see that this temple is for Jews, not Jews, Gentiles and the Church. There are two reasons for this. The Church is gone (Revelation 4:1) and the Gentiles will be desecrating the entire city, in defiance of Almighty God, for 42 months or 3 years. Verse 3 begins an exciting revelation for it is here that we meet the two witnesses which the Lord will send to preach the Gospel to the unsaved. They are sent by the Lord to proclaim His message of doom. Notice that they are dressed in sackcloth. In the Bible sackcloth symbolizes repentance which is demanded of any nation consumed by sinful behavior. This would apply to the entire world at this time. Imagine turning on CNN and watching these witnesses, who the Antichrist cannot overcome or kill, proclaiming a message very similar to the one Jonah proclaimed to so many centuries earlier. In the 4th Verse these witness are described as two olive trees and two candlesticks. This symbolizes why they have come. From the olive tree, we get olive oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and candlesticks are light bearers. This is a beautiful picture of a loving Heavenly Father anointing, by the power of His Holy Spirit two chosen witnesses, to come to planet earth for the specific purpose of giving fallen man, who He dearly loves, the message of light and hope through Jesus Christ. This remains the only way that we can do Gods service (Ephesians ) through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 39... Chapter 11...continued Most Bible scholars believe that the two witnesses are either Moses and Elijah or Elijah and Enoch. Malachi 3:1 and 4:5 are very specific in foretelling the return of Elijah to the earth. We must therefore assume that one of the witnesses is Elijah. Many others reason that the second witness is Enoch because he did not die (Genesis and Hebrews 11:5). However, Dr. Van Impe reasons, no doubt with scriptural accuracy, that the second witness is Moses. His reasoning being that Moses and Elijah appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration a preview of the glory to come in that day when the Lord Jesus will be the only important one! He believes that this preview indicates that, when Jesus does return in glory, Moses and Elijah, representatives of the law and the prophets, will be present, undoubtedly as these two witnesses. No matter what reasoning you use to decide the actual identity of these two witnesses, you must conclude that it will be an exciting time on earth as they perform their chosen ministry. Latter-day terrorists will attempt to thwart them in their chosen task and try to destroy them. However, we will see in the next few verses how the Lord deals with those who try. The Lord will surely prove Himself to be sovereign! In Verse 5, we see that when anyone attempts to hurt these two witnesses, supernatural intervention takes place and the individual or individuals are destroyed. Whether actual fire proceeds from their mouths remains to be seen. However, Dr. David Jeremiah reminds us in his discourse on the book of Revelation that Elijah twice called down fire from Heaven (II Kings 1:&12) to destroy the servants of the wicked King Ahaziah, so fire coming from their mouths is certainly possible. After all, that is what the Bible says will happen. They obviously will possess supernatural power not only to protect themselves, but they will also be able to withhold rain from the earth as well as afflicting it with all plagues, as often as they desire (Revelation 11:5-6).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 40... Chapter 11...continued Verses 7-10 reveal the persecution which will be focused on these two witnesses by the Beast and the False Prophet persecution that leads to their (the two witnesses) temporary death. We should note however, that their death does not occur until they have finished their work or testimony. They were untouchable until their work was complete. Then, in defiance of Jewish law, their bodies are allowed to lie in the street for three-and-a-half days. This would indicate the hatred that has been generated against them that they would not even be accorded a decent burial. Their enemies are delighted. The residents of earth, especially of Jerusalem, will turn their death into an occasion for a holiday, exchange gifts and presents reminiscent of Christmas. The torment, caused by the message of these men, is over which, to the people of earth, is a cause for celebration. This is a stark indication of how deep the depravity of man has now run. Servants of the most High God are killed and their deaths are celebrated like a holiday. However, as always, our Lord has the final say or last word. In Verses 11-13, He resurrects the two witnesses and raptures them to Heaven. Notice they are called to Heaven with the same words that the Church is called to Heaven Come up here (Revelation 4:1). This is another definite confirmation that the Rapture of the Church does absolutely occur prior to the Tribulation. After taking the witnesses home, the Lord again proves His sovereignty by sending a great earthquake that takes 7,000 lives. It should be noted that these were celebrities or men of renown (Jude 15-16) where we are informed that, when Christ returns, He executes judgment on those who have used their influence or flattery great words to gain an advantage over others. It is entirely possible even probable that these 7,000 casualties of the great earthquake are leaders in Jerusalem who have led others away from the truth of the Gospel by their positions of prominence, like many false teachers religious leaders are doing today. We must never attach great significance to any message just because a particular person has delivered it.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 41... Chapter 11...continued Every message that we base our faith upon must pass the litmus test of the Word of God (Acts ). Notice the remainder were terrified at the awesome power of our God, but the Word gives us no indication that they repented of their sin and turned to worship Jesus as Savior and Lord. In other words their praise is the result of astonishment and alarm not from a converted heart. This is very similar to the reaction of the scribes and Pharisees who witnessed the miracle of the healed paralytic. The Scriptures say that they were all amazed and glorified God but they did not get saved. They were just frightened by the supernatural power of Almighty God (Luke ). The second woe is now past, but the third one is coming quickly which will be the seventh and final trumpet judgment. In the concluding verses of Chapter 11, we see a triumphant scene in Heaven. In Verse 15, we see a repeat of what occurs in Chapter 19:11-16. In these concurrent passages, we see the return of Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Verse 16 contains an act of spiritual gratitude. The twenty four elders, representatives of the human family, fall down and worship the Lord. At Christs return in Verse 17, we see the prayer of thanks of these elders for He is addressed as which art, and wast, and hast reigned, meaning of course that the power that was always His is now being exercised to establish His earthly Kingdom. We see the reaction of the earths people in Verse 18. The nations are not happy. Five things transpire at this time: First, as we have already mentioned, the nations are angry. This is also stated in Revelation 19:19. Second, the day of Gods wrath has come with the Kings return (Revelation ). Third, at the conclusion of His 1,000 year reign, the wicked are to be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation -15).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 42... Chapter 11...continued Fourth, the faithful prophets and saints, small and great, are rewarded at the end of the 1,000 year reign as well. This is not the judgment seat of Christ described in II Corinthians. That judgment will be for the believer, where his deeds done in Christs name will be evaluated, and he will be given his reward based on I Corinthians 3:11-15. These rewards are for those who are faithful during the Kingdom age, those who did not rebel and follow Satan at its conclusion (Revelation 20:7-8). Fifth, and lastly, those who destroyed the earth are themselves destroyed. This is a reference to those spirit beings who followed Satan, the destroyer. These are the demons who have been turned loose as emissaries of Satan to wreak havoc upon the earth, Gods creation, during the Tribulation. Satan is the great destroyer thus anyone who follows him is a destroyer of the earth. The final Verse, 19, gives us a picture of Gods love, grace and mercy. The temple pictured in this verse is in Heaven. The temple is opened and we are given the opportunity to look inside. There in the midst of the cataclysmic events of the Tribulation, lightning, thunder, earthquake and a great hailstorm, we see the ark-of-the-covenant, the symbol of Gods presence. The ark represented the power and presence of God in the midst of the Jewish people. The ark, furthermore, represented Gods law because it contained the tablets of the law. During the Tribulation, the ark represents the certainty of Gods Word, Gods provision, and Gods life. This concluding verse reminds His people that He is always there in the midst of the most difficult times of our lives. His covenant promises are the anchor for the soul of everyone who faces extremely difficult circumstances.
CHAPTER 12
The Woman of Revelation 12:1 was depicted centuries earlier in Josephs dream in Genesis Chapter 37:9-11. In this dream, his father Jacob was the sun, his mother Rachel was the moon, and his brothers were the stars. Thus the woman in Revelation 12:1 is a depiction of the nation of Israel. In Verse 2, we see her, the nation of Israel, giving birth to a man child, the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 9:4, 5). Jesus in His flesh comes forth from Israel. His adversary, Satan, is about to strike another blow in Verse 3 (Genesis ). Satan is portrayed as a dragon, having seven heads and ten horns with seven crowns on his head. His identity is confirmed in Verse 9 of this chapter. We know that the number seven speaks of completeness therefore the dragons seven heads denote his wisdom (Ezekiel 28:12, 14). His ten horns speak of his universal power over the world system (II Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, John ). His ten crowns speak of his universal authority to rule the world system. However, since Satan is not omniscient (all knowing) or omnipresent (everywhere at all times), he must rely on demonic hosts (fallen angels) in diversified places to administer his power and carry out his orders. This explains why we, as Christians, are not fighting against flesh and blood only, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). Verses 3 and 4 give us the background of why Satan is universally depicted as having horns and a tail. Unfortunately, this is a symbol and not a picture. Satan does not look like this at all. The stars that his tail threw from heaven are the angels who followed him at the time of his rebellion (Jude 13). These verses, along with the ones that follow, depict the age-long conflict from the beginning to the end. The same devil who attempted to destroy the womans son (Genesis 3:15) is now going to strike out or attack the woman (Israel) herself by way of the greatest anti-Semitic purge in history. During the final 42 months of the Tribulation, described as the great Tribulation because of its intensity and immensity, the Children of Israel are protected by God.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 44... Chapter 12...continued Remember, He took care of them for 40 years in the wilderness, and He is about to do it again, proving once again, His immense and intense love for His ancient people. No matter how much Israel turns its back on Him, the Lord will never stop loving them, proving that it is never about us that causes Him to love us. It is all about Him (Deut. 9:4-29). Israels time of trouble is foretold in Daniel 21:1 and Matthew 24:21-22. Verse 5 clearly refers to Christ. 2,000 years ago, Mary brought forth Jesus to save His people, but they rejected Him. In the future, He will rule all nations with a rod of iron during the millennial period. However, for now, He has returned to His heavenly Father having accomplished His purpose in coming to earth. This is the time period in which we live or otherwise known as the age of Grace. As has already been detailed, in Verse 6, we see the Lord will protect His people. He has done it before and He will do it again. How? We do not know, but His Word is infallible so we know that He will (Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:22). The elect spoken of in Verse 6 are unmistakably the Jews (Isaiah 42:1, 45:4, 65:9, 22). Verses 7-9 described a great war that takes place in heaven. It is clear that the combatants are Michael and his angels against the dragon, Satan, and his angels. The outcome is clear. The scriptures tell us that the dragon and his angels prevailed not, the end result being that Satan and his cohorts are expelled from the aerial and stellar heavens where they have resided since the fall. Verse 9 says that he was cast to earth along with his angels. What causes this battle is open to interpretation. Many Bible scholars believe that it is caused by the Rapture of Revelation 4:1. For you see, the Church will have to pass through Satans domain to arrive in Heaven. He is not going to like that and will do everything he can to thwart and hinder our evacuation. However, Michael and his angels will rush to the rescue thus the battle will be enjoined (Hebrews).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 45... Chapter 12...continued We see Michael mentioned five times in Gods Word, Daniel 10:13, 10:21, 12:1, Jude 9 and here in Revelation 12: 7. Each time he appears, he is connected with the Children of Israel, Gods people, making it very possible that he is at war defending Gods people in the Tribulation period. We are not sure what the battle here is all about, but we do know who wins and the results of that victory. Rest assured that Satan will not be pleased at being thrown out of the heavens where he has resided since the fall, and will make every effort to make sure the Jews and the remaining inhabitants of the earth pay an awful price for his anger. This is not a picture of a god of this world who loves its people and is working for our best on our behalf. This reveals that what we have taught for years is true. Satan is not in hell nor is he an ugly little creature in a red suit with pointed ears carrying a pitchfork. He is a magnificent creature (Ezekiel 28:17). It is just as inaccurate to place him in hell. He is not there and never has been there. Ephesians 2:2 and II Corinthians 4:4 remind us that Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world so the Word definitely shows us that this is not a world ruled by our Lord but by Satan. This explains all the tragedies and natural disasters that befall the people of the earth. God could prevent them but sometimes, He chooses not to. There are many reasons that could be given for that, but they might all be wrong. We must never fall into the trap of trying to explain why the Lord does what He does, for in reality, we do not know. However, we do know that Satan has been in the aerial and stellar heavens since his fall and will remain there until he is thrown out in Revelation 12:9. His demise began in Isaiah 14:12-14 when he was cast out of the third heaven, the dwelling place of our God, and will continue until Verse 9 here in Chapter 12 of our study. The confusion over these issues originates with the belief that Satan was judged and defeated at Calvary. Half of this statement is true. He was judged at Calvary; however, he will not be totally defeated until Christ returns to rule on earth and Satan is bound in chains.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 46... Chapter 12...continued The best way to understand the seeming disconnect between Satans ultimate fate and his present freedom is to remember that the cross was a legal transaction. Christs sacrifice on Calvary appeased the wrath of God and satisfied His justice. Satan was disarmed as the accuser of people before God because the punishment for our sins had been paid for. Once we accept that sacrifice, we can no longer be accused of sin by Satan. However, like any legal transaction, it must be enforced. Satan was sentenced to defeat by Christs death and resurrection, but the Lord will not totally enforce that sentence until the millennial reign of His Son, Jesus Christ. However, the Church can partially enforce that sentence right now by standing against him on the legal ground we have in Christs sacrifice for us. If the Church allows Satan to run roughshod over it, that is no indication that Satan was not judged and disarmed at Calvary. It is an indication that the enforcer, the Body of Christ, is failing to enforce a legal reality. The Church is failing to put on our spiritual armor and resist the devil which will cause him to flee (James 4:7). We will only win spiritual battles with spiritual weapons (II Corinthians 103-6). The most important weapon in our arsenal is prayer. Daniel employed it, and Paul mentions it in his list of spiritual armor as well. We pray on earth and God answers from Heaven. When we persevere in pray, we enforce the sentence levied against Satan at Calvary. As victory came for Daniel, it will ultimately come for us as well. Verse 10 reveals a spontaneous praise session that takes place in Heaven. This occurs for several reasons: 1. salvation from Satans atmospheric control has taken place, 2. Gods strength has crushed Satans might, 3. the kingdom is about to arrive, and
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 47... Chapter 12...continued 4. the power of Christ will be seen as He comes to set up His kingdom. Satan will no longer be able to accuse the brethren before our Heavenly Father. The word devil means slanderer.He uses ministers and church members to accomplish this goal. Every bit of slander against another brother of sister in the faith is simply the devil using a believers mind and vocal cords to accomplish his purpose or purposes (Titus 2:3; Proverbs 6:16-19). Now that Satan has been cast out of heaven, the earth will become the hot spot where all mankind walks and breathes. At this time there will be only one place of safety, and that is in the secure arms of the Lord Jesus through His shed blood. You will see this fact exemplified in Verse 11 because we are told that the inhabitants of the earth will only be able to overcome Satan by the word of their testimony and Christ's shed blood. Satan will unleash all his fury against the earth because he knows that his time is short (Revelation ). He will unmercifully attempt to persecute Israel, (Verse 13), but the Lord intervenes (Verse 14). The eagles wings probably indicate some type of airlift evacuation of His people. The use of wings to describe the Lords sovereign ability to lovingly protect them reminds them of their days in Egypt as well (Exodus 19:4), and His providential protection in Psalm 91. The flood mentioned in Verse 15 undoubtedly refers to a flood of evil propaganda leveled against the Jews in an attempt to turn all the earths population against them (Isaiah 59:19). In Verse 16, we see that the Lord supernaturally thwarts Satan by negating the effect of his flood of propaganda much the way He did when He delivered them from Pharaohs army (Exodus 15:9-12). What the earth opening up and swallowing up the flood actually means is not clear. What we do know is that it will be a supernatural occurrence similar to the parting of the Red Sea. God has done it before and He will most assuredly do it again.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 48... Chapter 12...continued Verse 17 shows that the assault against Israel will be on two levels. It will be toward the Jewish people as has already been mentioned. Furthermore, it will be toward the remnant of Israel, the 144,000 who refuse to take the mark of the beast, but choose rather to go throughout the world preaching the Gospel. Those are the ones in Verse 17 who keep the commandment of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." In the first case, Satan will not care whether the individual is a believer or not. If you are a Jew, you will be his target. In the second case, though, he has a specific goal of preventing the 144,000 Jews from preaching the gospel during the Tribulation. While we dont know how, it seems very clear from this passage of scripture that God intends to remove His people from the direct attacks of Satan and take them away to be protected. Israel will be protected in some way from the attacks of the devil. We do not have to know how God intends to accomplish His purposes in our lives. We only have to put our faith and trust in His promises that He will do what He says. All throughout history, God has used Satan and his minions to accomplish His purpose. The Tribulation will be no different. God allows Satan to work to accomplish his own ultimate destruction which has been our Lords plan for him all along. We only have to wait for the final realization of what is a certainty in the ultimate plan of God. In the meantime, we can overcome our enemy through Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER 13
In Chapter 13, we are going to meet two beasts. The first one, commonly known as the Antichrist, is described or revealed in Verses 1-10, while the second beast, known as the false prophet, is described or revealed in Verses 11-18. The first beast, the Antichrist is political, and the second one, the false prophet, is religious. Both beasts are energized or equipped to perform their assigned tasks by Satan. These two beasts along with the devil form the unholy trinity that will try to emulate or imitate everything that the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit do. The whole purpose of this effort is to usurp Gods position of power and authority on earth and throughout the universe. Satan, the dragon, standing on the seashore depicts his control over the inhabitants of the earth at an appointed time (Revelation Chapter 17:4-5; 20:7-8). The phrase rising out of the sea does not refer to water but to the multitudes of humanity. At first this beast will be inconspicuous, hardly noticed at all. But little by little, he will begin his rise to power until he, along with the false prophet, will have total control. The first beast is a literal man, but demonpossessed, for his power comes out of the abyss (Chapter 17:8). Just as Jesus was God in the flesh, so the Antichrist will be Satan in the flesh. However, we must remember that any privilege or power he has is allowed or permitted by God Himself, thus the phrase he was given (Revelation 13:5), and It was granted to him (Revelation 13:7). Just as God allowed Satan access to Job, so God allows Satan through the Antichrist access to the human race in the end times. The Antichrist is never beyond the control of almighty God in anything he does. God always has the Antichrist on a leash and under His control. The seven heads, loaded with blasphemy, portray the five kings who had ruled up to Johns day. The sixth king is Domitian, who was the current ruler at that time, and the seventh king will be the Antichrist. This is all confirmed in Chapter 17:10. Likewise, the ten horns picture ten nations over which the beast or the Antichrist will rule. The Antichrist will rule over a confederation of ten nations during the end time.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 50... Chapter 13...continued For more information on these kings and nations, we must go the Book of Daniel. In Chapter 2, Daniel is asked by King Nebuchadnezzer to interpret a dream for him. The King sees a statue made of a variety of metals and wants to know what it means. Verses 27-36 of Chapter 2 reveal the history of the world from that time to our present day. Daniel tells the King that, as the leader of the Babylonian Empire, he is represented by the head of gold. The two arms of silver represented the Medes and Persians who would soon overthrow his son Belshazzar, (Daniel Chapter 5) and conquer his kingdom. The stomach and thighs of brass depict the Greeks who would overthrow the Medes and the Persians. Eventually, the Roman Empire, represented by the legs of iron would defeat the Greeks and replace the Greek Empire with the Roman Empire. History details that these events took place exactly as Daniel foretold that they would. It is extremely important that the reader note that the ten toes of iron and clay never defeated the legs of iron. This is because the Roman Empire was never defeated by another Empire or Kingdom. Rome falls because of internal corruption. We then see that the final world power is represented by the tens toes made of a mixture of iron and clay. The iron tells us that these ten nations were part of the original Roman Empire, whereas the clay indicates that the empire deteriorated and weakened through the centuries (Daniel 2:36-44). The ruler of this final days confederation will be the Antichrist. In some form, ten nations of the European Union could well be this end time revival of the Roman Empire or the final piece to the end time puzzle. Daniel 7 describes the beast in Verse 2 very well. He pictures these four empires as a lion, a bear, a leopard and a beast that is a combination of the previous world powers that he has conquered. Note that this again is figurative language and not be taken literally. In other words the beast is not a leopard (note the words: like unto, as the feet of, as the mouth of). There were obviously characteristics about the beast that reminded the Apostle John of a leopard. The beasts empire will contain characteristics of all the preceding empires.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 51... Chapter 13...continued The only real difference between Johns description and Daniels of these empires is that the order is reversed. The reason for that is that Daniel was looking ahead to the conclusion and John is looking back to the beginning. Summing it all up, we must conclude that the message of the ten horns, ten toes, and four beasts, from Daniels and Johns perspective is one and the same, proclaimed from different vantage points. Each writer pictures a world dictator governing a ten nation confederacy at the time of the end. In some way, this ten nation confederacy will constitute a revival of the old Roman Empire dominated by the one world church of the false prophet, whose headquarters will be in Rome. In Verse 3 the beast, the Antichrist, receives a deadly head wound. This wound is referred to in Verses 12 and 14 as well. As we have established in earlier sections of our study that Satan is the great imitator. Once again, he will attempt to imitate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The beast is killed by a deadly head wound but then brought back to life. This gives Satan, the great counterfeiter, the opportunity to perform a resurrection. This will cause the entire world to wonder after him, being overwhelmed by the Antichrists power and authority. Remember back in II Thessalonians 2:11-12, Paul tells us that For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they may all be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness (NASB). I believe that these verses refer to those who heard the truth but would not believe in Christ during the age of Grace. In my opinion, this definitely precludes anyone, who has heard the Gospel now, to be saved during the Tribulation period. They will not believe now so they will gladly believe the false doctrine of the Antichrist and his church, the church of the false prophet. That is why Paul wrote in II Corinthians 6:2b, Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 52... Chapter 13...continued So we can see that Satan will use the death and resurrection of the Antichrist to draw worldwide acclaim to him (Rev. 13:3-4) thus causing the whole world to worship him. Obviously, the entire world will not be deceived, but trust me, a vast majority will be. Imagine if the majority of the worlds population thought the Antichrist was their only hope before this event happened, how much more they will worship him now! If you are in the blood washed band, you should be praising the Lord that the Church of Jesus Christ will be home with Him during this terrifying time on the earth (Revelation 13:4). In Verses 5 and 6, we see that the Antichrist is given the power to blaspheme the name of God for the final 3 years of the Tribulation. Dr. Van Impe puts forth the idea that the reason that the blasphemies are so intense is because when the Antichrist is killed, Satan indwells the body of the Antichrist for the remainder of the Tribulation period. This does make sense because you should remember that back in Chapter 12, Verse 9, Satan is thrown out of the aerial and stellar heavens so he must now dwell on the earth. However, this can not be true in light of Chapter and Chapter 20:1-3. In any event he does get to experience that for which he was cast out of heaven (Isaiah -14). His image is worshiped as God. By setting up his image in the temple to be worshiped, he desecrates the Tabernacle and all of those who worship there. Now the battle is on (Verse 7). Satan prepares to make war with all the saints of the Tribulation hour. This is not the Church. We will do battle with him when we return with Christ (Chapter 19:14). In this scene, Satan is attempting to destroy the millions who washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb (Chapter 7:14) and who refused the mark of the beast. Instead of experiencing defeat, these saints are able to overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Chapter 12:11).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 53... Chapter 13...continued During this time period, Satan is able to exercise complete control through a one world government which is nearly upon us, even as we speak. When one considers the fact that there is a world organization in charge of everything from finances (banks, International Monetary Fund), education, food supply, justice (world court), cultural development (UNESCO), telecommunications, and so on, we can see how a one world government is possible. The formation of these alliances has caused many world leaders (including former President George H.W. Bush) to state that a New World Order is on the horizon. Verse 8 confirms the fact, however, that not everyone remaining on earth will worship him even though they will not be able to buy or sell without the mark (Chapter 13:17). However, they will be greatly rewarded for their love of Christ (Chapter 20:4). But everyone, whose name is not in the Lambs Book of Life, will bow and worship the beast Antichrist. Verses 9 and 10 conclude this section on the first beast, the Antichrist, by reaffirming Pauls warning of Galatians 6:7, For whatsoever a man soweth, that will he also reap. Verse 11 begins with the rise of the second beast, the false prophet. The unholy trinity is now complete: the beast (Antichrist), the false prophet, and Satan, himself. As we have noted earlier, Satan imitates the Father, the Antichrist imitates the Son, and the false prophet imitates the Holy Spirit. This second beast has the appearance of a lamb (identifying him with Christianity) and a dragon (tying him to Satan). This fulfills the prophecy of Jesus in Matthew 24:24, for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive even the elect. This false prophet will cause the entire world to worship the beast whose wound was healed. We now see the alliance that is formed between the one world church and the one world government. This second beast will have as much power as the first one (Chapter 13:12).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 54... Chapter 13...continued The Antichrist is willing to share his power with the false prophet, protecting him and his religious colossus, in return for a promise of absolute loyalty and devotion to the government of the Antichrist. Thus the false prophet will see to it that no one other than the Antichrist is worshiped. The second beast is one of the greatest miracle workers in world history (Verses 13-15). In these verses, he causes fire to fall from heaven, deceiving the inhabitants of the earth by means of his miracles. His lying wonders are not magical but sleight of hand manipulations, but still the result of supernatural power extended to him by the dragon. Since God revealed Himself by fire (Genesis 19:24; Leviticus 10:1-2; I Kings 18:38), the false prophet feels compelled to do the same, equating himself with God. Satan shares his supernatural power for only one reason, that being to deceive all the inhabitants of earth. This prepares the world for idolatry. The false prophet actually entices the people to make an image of the Antichrist and place it in the temple of Jerusalem (Chapter 13:14). This of course is forbidden by the second of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4). This is why it is such an abomination to the Jewish people (Matthew 24:15, the abomination of desolation). Remember, the Antichrist has a peace treaty with the Jewish people. Now he is about to desecrate their temple with an image of himself that the false prophet will insist that they worship. In Verse 15, we see that the false prophet has the power to give life unto the image so much so that it can talk. This very well may be the ultimate achievement of our computer technology. We do not know how he will do this but a computer system seems reasonable. Since he will have a computer system available that contains all the facts pertaining to every individual in the human family, it will be a simple matter for him to include giving the ability to talk to a statue. He even goes so far as to cause anyone who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 55... Chapter 13...continued The concluding verses of this chapter, Verses 16-18 contain the most common information in the book, that being the mark of the beast. However note in Verse 18 that it will be the mark of a man not something supernatural. Again, will this be an actual mark or a computer chip or some other form of latter day technology? That answer is not given to us. However, we know that there will be given, to every human, identification letting the whole world know whose side the person is on. The Lord has already marked his people with a mark in the forehead. Satan will now copy the Lord by identifying his followers as well. However, for the time being, the mark of the Lord is more confining because the Antichrist is ruling the world so he will not allow Gods people to buy or sell, making survival very difficult indeed. However, the eternal consequences are another thing. We are reminded that anyone who takes the identification of the beast will be lost eternally. There is no turning back once that identification or mark is taken (Revelation 14:9-11). One would certainly rather suffer for Christ here than be lost eternally (Philippians 3:10). The information in this chapter seems astonishing to say the least. Some seems almost impossible. However, the believer and non-believer alike need to know that a cashless, check less society is just around the corner. It is already in the planning stages with a number of countries already experimenting with it. Remember there are NO signs for the Rapture. If the signs of Christs return to earth are so evident, might not the Rapture be about to occur? Hallelujah! What a Savior!
CHAPTER 14
As we begin Chapter 14, we want all our readers to understand that the major distinguishing characteristic of this Chapter is its seven visions. These visions are not chronological but are a panoramic view of the entire Tribulation period. The first vision deals with the Lamb and 144,000 Jewish believers who had the Lords name sealed in their foreheads back in Chapter 7, Verses 1-8, standing together on Mount Zion. This represents their reward for their faithfulness in ministry during the Tribulation period. These 144,000 Jewish evangelists will get to reign with Christ from Mount Zion during the millennial period. As you already know, these 144,000 believers represent the 12 tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8). This passage is not looking at their earthly activity but is speaking to their rewards for faithful ministry. The Lord rewards them because of several unique characteristics which should be noted by every believer. The first characteristic for which they are rewarded is their perseverance in ministry. Unlike many believers today, they did not take a passive or neutral position by simply avoiding taking the mark of the beast 666. They were proactive by taking the mark of the Lord in their foreheads. They left no doubt as to which side they were on. What a scene is before us! In spite of their aggressive approach to ministry in an extremely hostile environment, the 144,000 all make it through the Tribulation, for you see this picture before us depicts a scene after the Tribulation is over. The lesson for todays believer is that when you are Gods person, doing Gods work, you are immortal until God is through with you. This certainly means that you are under His protection and in His control until your job is finished (II Timothy 4:7). When any believer is working for the Lord, his or her timetable is in Gods hands. Verses 2 and 3 give us characteristic number two for which they are rewarded. They were peerless in their ministry. These verses tell us that they sang a new song that no else in heaven had ever heard, not the 24 elders or the four living creatures. The reason for that is that no one else had ever
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 57... Chapter 14...continued experienced what they experienced. Up to the time of the Tribulation, no one has ever been sealed and preserved by the Lord like they will have been. This is another testimony to the uniqueness of all the groups in heaven. The Church will be the only group that can sing the song of the redeemed because we will be the only group there that are washed in the blood of the Lamb. No group will be better or worse than other, rather all will be unique. Each group has been commissioned and equipped by the Lord to a specific and special task unique to its strengths and abilities. This confirms the fact that, even in todays church, we are not in competition with anyone nor should we compare ourselves with anyone. We are simply to take the ministry given to us and accomplish the work for which we have been called. Our song will then be like the song of the 144,000, unique and unsingable by anyone else. Why? Because no one else has been called to do exactly what we are called to do. The third characteristic for which they are rewarded is noted in Verse 4, they were pure. At first the text makes it sound like they are men: they had not defiled themselves with women; for they are virgins, and this sounds like they are women because the word chaste is usually associated with the concept of being a virgin. However, that is not what this verse means. John is not speaking about sexual activity. He is speaking to spiritual purity. This verse has the same meaning as II Corinthians 11:2, For I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. We are all very aware that the church in Corinth was not a body of physical virgins. It was anything but. However, like the 144,000, they were virgins unto the Lord, having devoted themselves to remaining faithful to the Lord, free from the pollution and corruption of sin and spiritual adultery. The greatest preparation that any believer can make for ministry is to prepare our hearts and minds to be singularly devoted to God. The fourth and final characteristic is found in Verse 5, they are peculiar in their ministry. Paul wrote earlier in Titus 2:14, His own special people zealous for good works. In this verse special or peculiar does not
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 58... Chapter 14...continued mean strange or out of touch with reality. It means to be set apart for service to the Lord. It means to be uniquely Gods own people different from those who do not belong to Him. These 144,000 were certainly a unique or peculiar people because Verse 5 tells us that in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God. Anyone who speaks truth will be unique during the Tribulation period. They will stand out in stark contrast to the Antichrist and his followers; Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44; II Thessalonians 2:9, 11; I John 2:22). The prophet Zephaniah foretold of this group of people in Chapter 3:13, a remnant whose ears and tongues were totally innocent in the ways of the world. Dr. Jeremiah compares this chapter to a Greek Drama. In it we see a series of announcements by angels, announcing dramatic events which are about to take place on the earth. We need to remember that these visions, which are complete in themselves, are not chronological in order. They are announcing coming events in prophetic history which will effect the lives of all those who are alive on the earth during the Tribulation. In Verses 6 and 7, God sends an angel who will fly through the heavens and declare the Gospel of Salvation one final time before the Lord brings judgment upon the earth. According to the Scriptures, this Gospel message will be slightly unusual in that it does not appear to contain anything about the blood of Christ, repentance, forgiveness, or faith. The two main segments of the message are fear God and Worship Him. Verse 7 places the emphasis on God the Creator of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water. Dr. Henry Morris points out that if Christ is not the Creator, He can hardly be Savior and coming King. These men of the last days must first be called back to believe in a true creation and therefore a real Creator God before they can ever be constrained to come to Him as Savior. Imagine, if you can, how much greater the ungodly influence of the evolutionists will be at this time since the Holy Spirit has been removed with the Church (II Thessalonians 2:3-6). We know that the message is basically the
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 59... Chapter 14...continued same, however, because Verse 6 calls it the everlasting Gospel which indicates that it is the original Gospel from God, the same in every age. There is absolutely nothing deficient about a Gospel that calls people to worship and fear our eternal heavenly Father. These two verses also remind us that God is eternally merciful and gracious. In the midst of judgment, He extends one final opportunity to earths inhabitants to be saved. In addition to all the ways that the Gospel will be preached during these days, the Lord will send an angel to circle the earth and call mankind to Him. No one, during the Tribulation period, will be able to accuse the Lord of being unfair. Anyone who wants to find their way to Him will be able to hear the Gospel and accept Jesus as the Savior. When we read the word Babylon and its destruction in Verse 8, we should understand that this is not a reference to the actual city by that name, but rather a reference to the ungodly world system that has been ruling the world for the past seven years. Its destruction will be detailed in Chapters 17 and 18. Babylon is Gods name for the system instituted by the Antichrist during the Tribulation, a system that He, God, will destroy. Dr. Jeremiah is of the opinion that the ancient city of Babylon will be rebuilt and become the center of operations for the Beast and the False Prophet. No matter what one believes concerning the ancient city, we would all agree that the spirit of Babylon will dominate the world under the influence of the Antichrist, and it is that humanistic world system that God will most certainly destroy. Verses 9-11 give a detailed account of what will happen to those who take the mark of the Beast, 666. If you worship the Beast, you will be destroyed by the Lord. The opposite is true as well. If you worship God, you will be condemned by the Beast. This is the Lords warning to anyone who takes the mark of the Beast. He is telling them beforehand, that if they take the mark, there is no turning back. They will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. Make no mistake, the pressure will be tremendous to take the mark, for without it, no one
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 60... Chapter 14...continued will be able to buy or sell what they need to survive. How long will people be able to hold out seeing their children going without food? But the angels message here is to remind people of the eternal consequences of selling ones soul for a loaf of bread. There will be no middle ground. A person will have to choose to either serve the Lord or the Beast. One reason that so few people are frightened by this possibility is because so few ministers in the mainline churches believe in a literal hell. Since they do not believe in it, they never warn against the possibility of going there for eternity. A professor at Northwestern University did some research on the subject of which ministers do not believe in a literal hell. Here are the results: Congregational 96 percent Episcopalian 96 percent Methodist, 92 percent Presbyterian 85 percent Lutheran 30 percent Baptist 50 percent No wonder there is so little preaching of the Jonathan Edwards type, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, warning people of spending eternity in Hell. You will not preach on something that you dont believe. When was the last time you heard a sermon warning people against spending eternity in an actual hell? God's Word is very clear. Anyone who accepts the mark of the beast will share in the cup of Gods wrath. That is not figurative but literal. The same Word of God that assures all Christians of the love and grace of God extended to them through Christ, is unequivocal in its absolute pronouncements of judgment upon those who refuse to believe in Him and accept His gift of salvation. In Verses 12 and 13, we see the death of the Saints in the Tribulation period. These individuals have not accepted the mark of the Beast, nor have they defiled themselves in any way. They have remained true to the Word in spite of the consequences. The number of these saints cannot even be numbered (Revelation 7:9).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 61... Chapter 14...continued They receive a special blessing here in Verse 13, because it specifically says, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. As we have been saying throughout this entire study, God does not forget His people. He will be merciful in the face of persecution and death. He is there (Hebrews 13:5). He will be there for them, and He is here for us today. We have no excuse to fail Him. Anyone (Christian) who dies during the Tribulation, too late for the Rapture and too early for the coming Kingdom of our Lord, will still be blessed. The term rest usually means a person who has died in the Lord (John 11:11; Mark 5:39; I Thessalonians 4:13-14). We want to be absolutely clear here that this in no way should be interpreted to mean soul sleep as some teach. Death for the believer simply means that he can now rest from his earthly labors, waiting to have his soul and body reunited when the Lord appears on the clouds to rapture His church. It is simply a way to say that those who die in faith in during the Tribulation hour are blessed because they have gained their rest. The picture in Verses 14-16 is one of a harvest. While here on earth, Jesus describes, using two parables, the separation that will take place, at the end of the time, between the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 13:37-43; 47-50). Here in these verses, we see the harvest taking place or the separation Jesus taught about being fulfilled. The separation will be between true Christians and non-Christians. The many of the non-Christians will belong to the church of the Antichrist, but will be lost, lacking the covering of Jesus blood. This separation will be easy to accomplish because everyone will be carrying a mark; the non-Christian the mark of the Beast, and Christian the mark of God. The wheat (the Christians) will be gathered to spend eternity with the Lord, and the tares (the non-Christians) will be gathered to be burned where they will spend eternity with the Beast, the False Prophet and Satan. Finally, we notice that Jesus does not do the harvesting Himself. He sends forth His angels to do the harvesting, thus the imagery of the sickle.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 62... Chapter 14...continued The final scene of Chapter 14 (verses 17-20) describes the work of two angels. The angel of Verse 18, who comes out of the altar, is the angel in charge for he has the power over fire. He immediately commands that the vine of the earth, another name for the vine of Satan, be cut off and thrown into the great winepress of Gods wrath. We need to remember that back in John 15:5, the true children of God are branches of the true vine Jesus Christ. However, the member of the one-world church of the Antichrist and false prophet are called members of Satans vine. The time for their pruning or destruction has come at last. They will be cut off and cast into the great winepress of Gods indignation. The conflict will begin in the valley of Jehoshaphat and becomes centered in the valley of Jezreel, which is on the plain of Esdraelon near the hill of Megiddo (Chapter 16:16; Joel 3:2, 10-14). Eventually, the battle will encompass the entire nation of Israel. The Battle will be global in scope because all the armies of the world will meet there in the Middle East for the final holocaust of history, the Battle of Armageddon (Zechariah 14:2). The result of this Battle will be a 200 mile-long area soaked in blood. Interestingly enough, the nation of Israel is 200 miles long, from north to south. Ezekiel 39:8-16 tells us that it will take seven months to simply bury the dead while the armaments of war will be burned for a period of seven years afterward. The Battle of Armageddon will certainly be the most devastating battle in the history of the world. However, our Lord will triumph which, of course, means so will we.
CHAPTER 15
Justice, what is it? One of the most frustrating things for the average citizen of the world today is how slow the wheels of justice turn. Years pass, many times, before high profile criminals and/or world leaders are brought to justice. Sometimes, after hiring high profile attorneys, they never are made to answer for their crimes against society. Justice seems to get lost in the system of justice. However, in Revelation chapter 15, the God of judgment takes action against the spiritual gangsters and criminals who have terrorized the earth during the Tribulation. His actions come in the form of the last set of seven judgments to be meted out upon the earth (Revelation 15-16). The seven seal judgments are described in Revelation Chapters 6, 7 and 8. In Chapter 8, the seventh seal judgment releases the seven trumpet judgments in the same chapter. Likewise, the seventh seal judgment releases the seven bowl judgments which are introduced in Chapter 15 and described in Chapter 16. Chronologically, the seven seal judgments may take several years to fulfill while the trumpet judgments occur much more quickly. Interestingly enough, the bowl judgments are the fastest of all in occurrence. They take place in rapid-fire form near the end of Tribulation, occurring perhaps in just a matter of months. The events of Chapters 15 and 16 are the last things to happen on earth prior to the second return of Christ in Revelation 19:11. Chapters 17 and 18 are not further events of the Tribulation period. They are simply a detailed explanation of the fall of Babylon but do not add to the chronology of events during the Tribulation period. Verse 1 of Chapter 15 gives us the description of another heavenly event. While it is not popular to speak of end time judgments that will befall the earths inhabitants, ignoring them wont make them go away. The most helpful way to view any of these judgments of God is to see if they are consistent with His character. Our God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice. While the majority of people today view Him as a grandfather type figure who does not punish his children or grandchildren, that doesnt make it to be so. He is not
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 64... Chapter 15...continued a parent who indulges His childrens misbehavior without consequences. He is a holy and just God who will most assuredly deal justly and fairly with all those who deserve His wrath. His judgments are not the result of His anger or His impetuousness. They are the supreme evidence of His holy justice, His divine nature. For centuries, He has been stretching out His hand of grace and mercy to the human race, offering compassion and forgiveness. Those who will be judged during the Tribulation are those who have failed to respond to the Gospel message of grace. Judgment, suffering the consequences of ones choices, is not a negative thing, but rather it is the righteous or right thing for God to do. Verse 1 emphasizes that the plagues about to be visited upon the earth are the final judgments in Gods plan for planet earth. The judgments that God directs toward the inhabitants of earth at this time, while terrifying and sobering in their implications, are no less just than the judgment that He laid on His Son at Calvary to deal with our sin. The scene in Verse 2 of the sea of glass speaks of tranquility. This calm and stable scene typifies the church at rest. However, notice that the sea of glass is mixed with fire. Dr. Van Impe suggests that this is a picture of believers standing firmly for Christ under the test of fire, having their feet firmly planted on the Word of God. The Apostle Peter does mention something like this in I Peter 1:7. We notice that these believers have victory over the Beast in four areas or ways: 1) his image, 2) his mark, 3) his number and finally 4) over him. They are enabled to achieve this victory by the Word of God and prayer. Unlike those who took the mark, accepting the beast and became losers, these believers became conquerors through death for Jesus (Philippians 1:21). They are also serenaded and soothed by heavens harpists.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 65... Chapter 15...continued Verses 3 and 4 contain two songs; the first one being a song of Moses and the second one is the song of the Lamb. You may recall that after their deliverance from Egypt the Israelites had a praise service on the other side of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-18). However, the song sung here is probably not this song of Moses but rather the song of Moses recorded in Deuteronomy 32:39-43. It was in this song that Moses wrote of retribution and judgment against the enemies of God. You should recall that in Revelation 6:9-11, the martyred souls under the altar are crying out to God asking Him how long it will be before He takes retribution or vengeance upon their enemies on the earth. We can conclude then they are no doubt singing the second song of Moses because it is consistent with the need for justice. In the second song, the song of the Lamb, we detect four definite themes: 1. His works: which are great and marvelous! Worship, especially in the Old Testament, always includes a review of or praise for Gods works on the worshipers behalf. Should our worship be any different? Worship is never about the worshiper. It should be all about the Lord and His works on our behalf. 2. His ways: which are always just and true! God is truly the King of nations and is being praised for beginning the preparations to exercise His Kingship by applying His justice. 3. His worth: God is always holy! The song began with praising God for what He has done, moved to praising Him for how He has done it, and now begins to praise Him for His worthiness for He is holy. 4. His worship: He will be universally worshiped! All nations will bow before Him (Philippians 2:9-11) worshipping and praising Him because of the manifestation of His judgments on the earth. There is obviously a sanctuary in heaven according to Verses 5 and 6. In Verse 5, we see the words, And I beheld. These words in the Book of Revelation always signify something new that has not been seen before. In this case, John sees the Holy of Holies in the heavenly temple, the tabernacle of
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 66... Chapter 15...continued the testimony, where the tablets of law were kept in the Ark of the Covenant. In Old Testament history, you should recall that only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only after sacrifices and stipulations had been observed. Here we see that the Holy of Holies is open and the seven angels are coming out holding the seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God. This is because the Holy of Holies is where judgment took place under the law. It is fitting that the angels dressed in white should come from the Holy of Holies bearing the bowels of Gods holy judgment upon sin, since it was always there on the Day of Atonement that the High Priest would offer the annual sacrifice to satisfy Gods justice against sin for another year. Seeing the angels coming from there is a perfect way to illustrate that Gods justice flows from His holiness. Each of the pan shaped bowls in Verse 7 is filled with the wrath of God. In Chapter 16, the angels will walk out upon the earth and turn them upside down and empty the judgments of God on the earth. We get the impression in Chapter 16 that these judgments follow one another in rapid succession here in the final days of the Tribulation. In concluding this chapter, we see the temple is filled with smoke from the glory of God and His power, which prevents anyone from entering until the seven bowl judgments have been completed. Why smoke? Smoke has often appeared throughout the Bible whenever Gods presence is made known, as in Exodus 19:18; Isaiah 6:1-4; Leviticus 16:12-13. The smoke continues as long as Gods judgment continues, signifying that the contents of the bowels are His judgment upon the earth. In summarizing this chapter, we can safely say that anyone who does not drink of the cup of Gods salvation will most assuredly drink from the cup of His wrath. There is no middle or neutral ground with the Lord. We must either accept the plan of God for salvation or experience His wrath. Thus we must conclude by saying that all ways to God are not equal (John 14:6)!
CHAPTER 16
According to Dr. Jeremiah, the Book of Revelation is organized around three sets of symbols: seals, trumpets, and bowls. 1. the Seal judgments, when the earth is ruined by man (Revelation 6 and 8), 2. the Trumpet judgments, when the world is ruined by Satan (Revelation 8 and 9), 3. the Bowl judgments, when the world is reclaimed by God (Revelation 16). The big difference between the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments is that in the bowl judgments God no longer works through an intermediary such as man or Satan, He takes control of the bowl judgments Himself. They will be poured out on His direct command. Chapter 16 is easily organized around the pouring out of these seven bowl judgments. The seven angels respond at Gods command in Verses 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, and 17. There appears to be little or no pause between the judgments. They will apparently follow one another almost immediately. The effects of them may actually overlap one another. The Bible does not specifically say whether they are separate in entity or whether they may actually overlap each other. In Verse 2, we see the first of the seven bowl judgments poured out. It will create foul and loathsome sores on all who have taken the mark of the Beast, and who have worshiped his image. Dr. Jeremiah believes that these sores and the accompanying pain are just a foretaste of what will be their plight for all eternity. It is a generally accepted medical fact that a sore is an outward sign of an inner infection. In this case, the sores are a manifestation of an inner spiritual corruption that exists in the individuals heart. These sores are a direct consequence of the spiritual hardness of the peoples hearts. Oftentimes, spiritual blindness can be concealed by a righteous exterior as was the case of the Pharisees in Jesus day (Matthew -28). Up until this very moment, the individuals worshiping the Beast have exhibited a form of righteousness.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 68... Chapter 16...continued However, the Lord is now exposing their false religion by using the sores to mirror the sickness of their souls. These sores may actually be a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Deuteronomy 28:27, 35). In these verses, Moses warns the Jewish nation that the Lord would judge them with boils and other skin diseases if they do not walk righteously in His covenant. The penalty for disobedience would be that the plagues God poured out upon the Egyptians (which included sores and boils Exodus 9:9) would be visited upon . The second vial is poured out in Verse 3 which results in the oceans of the world turning to blood which results in the death of every living creature in the sea. This bowl judgment is similar to the second seal and second trumpet judgments. The second seal judgment releases a fiery red horse (Revelation 6:3-4), while the second trumpet judgment releases a burning mountain (perhaps an extremely large meteor) which is thrown into the sea turning a third of the worlds water into blood. This is very similar to what takes place in (Exodus -21). The third vial proceeds to contaminate the fresh water supply turning it into blood. Our Lord brings this judgment upon the earth because those on the earth have killed the people of God during the Tribulation (Revelation 16:6). This interpretation is validated in Verse 7 where the voices from the altar pronounce that His judgments are true and righteous. Remember we said earlier that because the Lord is perfect then His judgment upon the earth will perfect as well. God can not betray Himself by being unjust. The fourth vial pours out fire upon the earth scorching the residents who did not repent and give Him glory. How the Lord does this is not certain. It will be much worse than the most severe sunburn any human has ever suffered. If He does not shorten the days (Matthew 24:29), no one will survive. This verse does not mean that He shortens the Tribulation period. He simply reduces the amount of daylight hours in order for some to survive. Isaiah, centuries earlier, spoke of this event (Isaiah 24:6; 42:25). This combined with all the water being turned to blood will cause great famine because the one thing needed during a heat wave is water, but there wont be any.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 69... Chapter 16...continued In the fifth bowl or vial judgment, God turns His focus from the earth to the Beast and the location of his throne. The focus of the fifth judgment is the center of satanic activity, darkness. The Bible is not clear where the throne of Satan is set up in the world today, but some believe that during the Tribulation it will be in rebuilt . That was the city of mans original rebellion against the Lord (the Tower of Babel ). Many Bible teachers believe that it will be rebuilt and become the seatof satanic power on earth. The darkness which the Lord brings on the earth will cause mankind such anguish that they gnaw their tongues because of the pain. We must keep in mind Deut. 28:27, 35 ,because darkness was one of the plagues visited on Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23). The remarkable fact is that during the Egyptian period of darkness, the Hebrew slaves had lights in their homes. In much the same way, we believe that the Lords people, who remain on earth, will be spared this intense darkness directed toward the Beast. The inhabitants of earth have lived in spiritual darkness and will now live in physical darkness as well ,as a reflection of their heart condition. If you are wondering how anyone can survive these terrible days, remember this is a judgment, not annihilation. Gods purpose is not to kill the people on earth because they still must stand before Him in judgment at the Great White Throne (Revelation -15). Just as He did not kill the Egyptians while shielding the Hebrews during the time of the Plagues, so He again will exercise His will to protect the righteous during the Tribulation. The sixth vial being poured out causes the Euphrates River to dry up (Revelation -14). This is similar to the sixth trumpet judgment of Revelation 9:13-21. This judgment is in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon which takes place at the end of the Tribulation. The drying up of the Euphrates River allows for the passage of an army of 200 million to cross through it and enter the nation of Israel. We will see a much more complete picture of this event in Revelation Chapter 19. This marks the third time that the Lord has dried up a body of water to accomplish His purposes. He did it first at the Red Sea then He dried up the Jordan River to allow His children to enter the Promised Land.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 70... Chapter 16...continued Verse 13 reveals three unclean spirits like frogs coming forth from the mouths of the unholy trinity, the dragon (Satan), the Beast (the Antichrist), and the false prophet (head of the one world church). These three are controlled by the power of evil spirits in an age of occultism as was noted in Chapter 9. The symbolism of frogs (for the text says like frogs) denotes uncleanness. The plague of frogs in Egypt produced an horrendous stench that filled the entire land with indescribable odors and filth (Exodus ). In addition, this unholy trinity produces supernatural miracles through the power of the devil and his demonic spirits. These miracles will convince the kings of this world that these three are gods. Because of their belief in their deity, the kings will willingly follow them to the Middle East where they will be defeated by the Lord our God at the Battle of Armageddon. Just before the seventh and final bowl judgment is poured out, we see again our Lord of grace and mercy giving the lost a chance to repent. Even here in the midst of a time of horrendous judgment, God sends forth a final plea to the earth-dwellers to repent and accept His free gift of Salvation. All the while God is extending His hand of grace and mercy, Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet are going about the earth gathering the armies of humanity to war against the armies of the Lord at the final battle (16:13-15). Amidst the voices of the demons, Gods final warning can be heard, Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see His shame. In other words, those who will keep themselves unstained from the Antichrists world system and remain watchful for the Lord to come will be blessed. This invitation is accompanied by a warning: anyone who does not remain watchful will be found naked and ashamed upon His return. This final invitation again demonstrates the balance of Gods character, judgment tempered by mercy and grace. The seventh and final bowl judgment brings the Tribulation to a close (16:17-21). These final five verses of the chapter contain a brief description of the final battle or the Battle of Armageddon which will be discussed in detail in Chapter 19. It is to win this battle and finally defeat Satan and his forces that
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 71... Chapter 16...continued Jesus returns to earth, just prior to the establishment of His kingdom. The statement It is done in Verse 17 reminds us of the final statement of our Savior on the cross, It is finished (John 19:30). At the end of this judgment, like at Jesus crucifixion, there are earthquakes and other physical signs which occur, some greater than any others up to this point. It is simply impossible to understand or explain why men, after all that has taken place, will still blaspheme God for His acts rather than submit to Him and accept His grace and mercy. It is no doubt these men that the apostle Paul was writing about in II Thessalonians 2:7-12. For those who hear the Gospel now, this is the hour to believe. I believe it will be impossible later for anyone, who hears the Gospel of Salvation now and rejects it, to be saved during the Tribulation. They will believe the lie spoken of in II Thessalonians 2:11-12 and be lost eternally.
CHAPTER 17
Chapter 17 describes the end of False Religion. This is not another event in the chronological events of the Book of Revelation. It is a detailed description of how the Lord destroys the one world church. Chapter 17 explains Revelation 14:8 and chapter 18 expounds upon Revelation 16:9. Believer, rest assured that it is possible to be part of a church of which the Lord approves. However, His approval will not be based on size of buildings, membership rolls, or financial giving. When Jesus commended the church at Philadelphia, He not base His commendation on modern day standards of success. In 1858, Alexander Hislop wrote a book entitled The Two Babylons. In his book, he describes the historical Babylon of ancient history, but more importantly, he describes the system of religious thinking characterized by Babylon of old, but which touches our lives today. Babylon first came into Biblical history in Genesis Chapter 10 with the building of the Tower of Babel. The leader who instigated the building of this tower is considered to be Nimrod. Ancient records of Babylon record that Nimrod had a wife named Semiramis. In Assyria, she was known as Astarte; in Egypt, Isis; in Greece, Aphrodite; in Rome, Venus. Semiramis, who originated in Babylon, was the first high priestess of idolatry in the world. As you well know, much of ancient history is recorded from legends. Well, the story of Semiramis is no different. According to ancient legendary history, Semiramis miraculously conceived a son by a sunbeam. In gratitude, she offered him up as the promised deliverer of the earth. Her sons name supposedly was Tammuz. When Tammuz reached manhood, he supposedly was killed by a wild boar but raised from the dead after 40 days of his mothers weeping or mourning his death. As one might expect, according to the legend, a mother-child cult developed and spread throughout the ancient world. In Assyria, it became Ishtar and Tammuz; in Phoenicia, it became Astarte and Baal; in Egypt, it became Isis and Osiris or Horus; in Greece, it became Aphrodite and Eros; and finally, in Rome, it became Venus and Cupid.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 73... Chapter 17...continued It is said that this cult developed a liturgy of worship offering of wafers to Semiramis as queen of heaven. They then instituted 40 days of abstinence (Lent) which memorialized the 40 days of weeping. After this a feast would follow the abstinence to celebrate Tammuzs resurrection. Part of the later celebration included the exchanging of Ishtar eggs, symbolizing new life (our word Easter comes from the word Ishtar). Even the sign of the cross used in many liturgies was the pointing of the letter T which stood for Tammuz. We should pause here and note that there are aspects of modern Christianity in these descriptions which have their origin in the pagan religion of Babylon. There are many references to the pagan religion in the Old Testament. Jeremiah sharply condemns the nation of Israel for her worship of the queen of heaven (Jeremiah 44:15-18). Then Ezekiel refers to Israelite women weeping for Tammuz in the temple (Ezekiel 8:13-14). They were directly involved in the 40 days of weeping and abstinence for Tammuz, part of the cult liturgy. Eventually, the mother-son cult ended up in Rome, where it is incorporated into the pagan religious practices under the Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Rome. History records that when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome in 313 A.D., he incorporated pagan temples and practices into the Christian worship. When the first pope of Rome assumed the title Pontifex Maximus from his pagan predecessor, it was clear evidence that the Roman branch of Christianity was adopting the pagan worship of Rome. Many of the practices of a large segment of what Midnight Call Magazine calls Churchianity (false Christianity), have their roots in this pagan mystery religion of Babylon, not the Word of God. The Antichrist is going to revive the Babylonian false cult and marry it to his satanic political system during the Tribulation. The Antichrist will be leading the political arm of the government and the False Prophet will be leading Churchianity (the religious arm). Churchianity (this revived Roman-Babylonian church) will be ruling the religious world. Revelation Chapters 17 and 18 confirm unequivocally that the Lord is going to destroy this revived cultish religion which will be based on a false Christianity.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 74... Chapter 17...continued In the first six Verses of this chapter, we see this system, which is both political and religious, compared to a woman, arrayed in purple and scarlet (Rev. 17:4). She is also described as the great harlot who sits on many waters (Rev. 17:1). This system is described by the Apostle John in this offensive language because it practices spiritual adultery by joining itself to the Antichrist and not to the Lord. In Verse 3, we see the woman riding the Beast which is indicative of the fact that her support comes from the Antichrist. She is like an adulteress because she has forsaken God and joined herself to the Beast. That is what spiritual adultery is, worshipping anything other than the Lord. It can be materialism as well. John Walvoord explains why the term adultery is used here to refer to this religious system. He says that normally, the symbolism of adultery is not ordinarily used in referring to heathen nations who know not God, but only when referring to people who outwardly carry the name of God while actually worshiping and serving other Gods. Thus it is used here to describe Churchianity, the woman riding the Beast. Dave Hunt of The Berean Call ministries has a terrific book entitled, A Woman Rides the Beast which everyone would find interesting reading. It is available from them or Barnes and Noble. Dr. Jeremiah firmly believes that the woman in this chapter is referring to the city and Church of Rome. He states that Rome is the only possible city which would fit that description in Johns day. When John sees the scarlet woman, he sees the vast political and religious system based in Rome. Verse 9 specifically states that the woman is seated upon seven mountains, which of course are the seven hills upon which Rome is built. The leaders of the current church in Rome even wear purple and scarlet vestments as is pictured in Verse 4. The woman sitting on many waters in Verse 1 refers to peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues (17:15). This simply means that she sits above in authority over all other peoples on the earth, which was certainly true in Johns day. Today the power of the Roman church is not what it used to be, but it is still the only religious body in the world that is recognized as an independent state. No other religion has that kind of political power.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 75... Chapter 17...continued The woman will hold a unique position in the world because of her alliance with the Beast. They will have a powerful political-religious partnership unique to the world order. The seven heads and ten horns of the Beast suggest the numerous political positions he will have established during the Tribulation. The woman will have these same positions, due to her ties through her partnership with the Beast. She will also possess unlimited prosperity as noted in Verse 4. She will be clothed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, and will be holding a gold cup in her hand. She is portrayed as being very wealthy. Remember Christs description of the latter day church when He was speaking to the church at Laodicea. (Revelation 3:17). To take this comparison one step further, we should note that she is described here as holding a cup filled with abominations and the filthiness of her fornication which refers to her spiritual adultery. Verse 5 tells us that her name is BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. This name recalls what we were saying earlier in the summary of this chapter that her idolatrous religious practices have their roots in the ancient pagan religions of the Babylonians. John is connecting the ancient Babylonian mystery religion with the end time church in Rome. Church history records that when Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire in 313 A.D., he incorporated many of the Babylonian practices into the church: the queen of heaven (Mary), purgatory, holy water, priestly absolution, bells and candles, celibacy of the priesthood, dedicated virgins; all of these were pagan beliefs and/or practices of the ancient Babylonian religion. In A.D. 378, Damascus, the Bishop of Rome, was appointed Pontifex Maximus (the title of the former pagan high priest) and became, in essence, the first pope of the church at Rome. In Verse 6, John records how the unholy alliance with the Beast has affected the woman or the one world church. She is pictured as being drunk with the blood of the saints. One might expect political Rome to kill Christians, but we should not see the church taking part in this horrendous carnage. After
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 76... Chapter 17...continued all, these are true believers in Christ which should have made them off limits to persecution from the church. However, again, if we go back in church history, we will see that this is only a continuation of what has happened throughout our history. After the Reformation, there were many inquisitions in Europe which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Protestant believers. Verses 7-15 move from the description of the woman to the monster of Babylon, the Beast. Verse 8 contains a bit of a riddle for it says the Beast that wasis notBut shall be (Revelation 17:7, 8, 11, 13). It is really quite simple to understand. When the Beast first comes on the scene, he came out of the sea, the mass of world humanity. In Verse 8, we see him arising from the bottomless pit. The reason for that change has everything to do with the Beast being killed and coming back to life in greater satanic power and influence than before (Revelation 13). After his resurrection, he arises from the abyss with greater satanic power in order to deceive the world. We must pause here to note that there is a small difference of opinion among Bible scholars about his resurrection. There are those who think that the term wound unto death as in some translations, may mean that he receives a wound that should have killed him but doesnt. He miraculously recovers from what should have been a deadly wound. No matter what position one holds, he or she should be totally aware of the satanic power that either restores him to life or keeps him alive when he should have died. This act is in keeping with Satans desire to deceive the worlds inhabitants (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). We have already detailed the seven mountains of Verse 9 as the seven mountains on which Rome sits: 1)Aventine, 2) Caelian, 3) Capitoline, 4) Esquiline, 5) Palatine, 6) Quirinal, and 7) Viminal. The seven heads are seven kings. Five of the kings represent five emperors who reigned prior to Johns writing of Revelation; the sixth is Domitian, who is the current ruler in Johns day and the seventh is the Antichrist who has not yet come. The ten horns of Verses 7, 12 and 16 are ten rulers or heads of state which the Antichrist and False Prophet will use to administer their influence and power.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 77... Chapter 17...continued Many believe that this will be a form of the old ten nation Roman Empire. In any event, it will be headquartered in Rome. These are the same nations that Nebuchadnezzer saw in the image in his dream of Daniel 2:42, except in his dream they were ten toes instead of ten horns. This government has yet to be established. This ten nation confederacy will reign over the entire world under the leadership of the Antichrist during the Tribulation. Verses 16-18 contain a rather surprising end to the Babylonian System. At the end of Johns vision, the Beast, instead of supporting the woman, the church, he turns on her and destroys her. Like everything else in the Tribulation, the Beast will only use the church as long as it fulfills his purposes. When he no longer has a need for the support of the church, he destroys her. We saw this recorded first in Revelation 14:8 and 16:19. Chapter 17 simply gives more detail as to the influence and power of the church and then its destruction at the hands of the Antichrist. In summary then, we must conclude that with the Rapture of the real church of Jesus Christ, a religious vacuum is formed. The false church of paganism moves in to fill the void and flourishes under the leadership of the False Prophet. For a time, religion will join with the political system, creating a world-dominating coalition of power and persuasion. Then when the Antichrist has used the religious system for his advantage and no longer needs its support, he will destroy it totally. The warning to the Church of Jesus Christ today is to be vigilant and maintain an unadulterated Gospel, free of religions traditions from sources outside of the Bible. We, also, must be vigilant not to look to politics or the state for partnerships leading to power. We were never intended to be the people in power or to govern any nation. Lastly, we must be certain that we remain the Church, the ones called out from the world to fulfill the Great Commission. To abandon our relationship with a living Savior for the practices of occultism or ancient Babylonian practices, would hasten the end of our faith in Jesus Christ. We could continue to pretend through outward practice that we were following Him but there would be no power (II Timothy 3:5). Ultimately, this will lead to an individual spending eternity in the Lake of Fire with the Beast, Satan and the False Prophet.
CHAPTER 18
In this Chapter, we will see the collapse of the world economic system or the world market. Today, we live in an era of global markets which are very dependent upon each other. When one major nation has a problem, it is reflected in the economies of all the other nations. This will be an even greater problem under the Antichrist because he will have every national economy consolidated under his control. It will only be natural then, that when he falls, the worlds economy will fall with him. Before you finish reading this study, you may want to reread Revelation 16:19, because Chapter 18 simply explains in detail that verse. Chapters 17 and 18 are parenthetical accounts in the flow of the chronology of the Book of Revelation. As was noted earlier, Chapter 17 describes in detail the fall of religious Babylon. Chapter 18 will describe the fall of political Babylon (Revelation 16:19). Chapter 19 will give a detailed account of the seventh bowl judgment described in Revelation 16:17-21. To understand this Book, one must understand the chronology. Where Chapter 17 laid out the religious ramifications of the end time system, Chapter 18 will describe the economic and commercial aspects of it. We will see that even this consolidated economic system, powered by Satan himself, will not be able to withstand the judgment and wrath of Almighty God. The destruction of this system takes place immediately before the second coming of Christ. Reports have been circulating for years that Iraq wants to rebuild the ancient city of Babylon. I tried to find some current information on progress of this venture and was not able to find too much. The Left Behind people, Tim LaHaye and others, agree with Dr. Jeremiah that Babylon may be rebuilt to be used as the headquarters or base for the commercial and financial system of the one world government. We know that the one world church will have its headquarters in Jerusalem, the political system will have its headquarters in Rome, and so the commercial and financial base will need a city for its headquarters.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 79... Chapter 18...continued While it makes sense for it to be Babylon, if it is rebuilt, we cannot state that as a fact for now. There are those Biblical scholars who believe that the reference is not to the actual city of Babylon which is the focus in Revelation, but the spirit of the city or the worldview. Should this be the case, Babylon could be any of todays modern, world-class cities, all of which are centers of humanistic thought and action. This is what I believe will happen. God alone knows for sure. Wherever Babylon is located, one thing we know for sure is that the spirit of Babylon will be pervasive throughout the earth during the Great Tribulation, and that by the end of this period, both the city and the spirit of Babylon will be destroyed. Did you know that Babylon is the most frequently mentioned city in the Bible besides Jerusalem? Well, it is. It is mentioned more than 260 times. Unlike Jerusalem, the holy city of David, Babylon is always mentioned in reference to activities that are opposed to God and His Kingdom. That was the purpose of the original Tower of Babel. The Tower was to prove mans independence from the controlling influence of God. That spirit, while not being referred to as the spirit of Babylon, is still very much evident in our world today. Today, that spirit is called humanism, life where man is the center of the universe. Is that not what the modern day preachers are saying when they teach that the real problem of man is that he does not esteem himself highly enough? I believe it is. Paul has warned us in I Corinthians 3:10-15 that we are not to build on any other foundation other than Jesus Christ. The only acceptable foundation for building our faith or a body of believers is the Gospel according to Jesus. Any other foundation is sand and will crumble in the storms of life. We are seeing that all over our country. People leave churches in droves when they face crises in their lives. They believe that God has failed them because they were deceived into believing that coming to Christ meant health, wealth, prosperity and success. When problems come, they depart from the faith, believing that God does not love them so they can not love a God that
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 80... Chapter 18...continued they cant understand or control. How foolish of mankind to believe that he can control and order the sovereign Lord of the universe to do anything! My key verses in all of lifes situations are Romans 8:28 and 29. Those who have heard me speak know these verses well, Im sure. In Revelation 18, Verse 1, we see an angel, whose radiant splendor illuminated the entire earth, descending to pronounce judgment on commercial and financial Babylon. The angels repetition of the phrase is fallen depicts the two-fold judgment of Babylon, ecclesiastical Babylon and now commercial Babylon as well. The word used in the Greek for fallen means to fall instantaneously. The destruction of Babylon will not take place over a long period of time. Our text says that it will fall in one hour (Revelation18:19). There are four reasons for the fall of Babylon: The first reason is her iniquity. Her sins have reached unto heaven and God has remembered her iniquities. Again, the Greek word for reach is kallao which means to glue or weld together, signifying that Babylons sins have been stacked upon one another like building blocks until they have reached heaven, Gods domain. I believe that this is an obvious reference to the aforementioned Tower of Babel. The city has allowed every sort of unclean spirit and demonic power to take up residence within its borders. In Isaiah 13:21-22, we see that the original Babylon literally became inhabited by wild animals when she was destroyed. However, here in Revelation, this is not the case. The reference here is to the satanic, demonic forces which will inhabit the city during the time of the Antichrist. The end time Babylon will become the epitome of depravity in the last days of the world. Everything that happens in Babylon will be carried out under the specific direction of Satan and his demons. The second reason that Babylon will be judged is because of her influence. Not only have her inhabitants lived a wicked and evil existence, but they have influenced others to follow in their lifestyle. The leaders of the nations have been seduced by her wealth and have sold out themselves to her charms (18:3). The allure of Babylons social, political, cultural and commercial life will
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 81... Chapter 18...continued cause all the nations of the earth to come under her control. Wanting to gain those same riches for themselves will cause the nations to drink of the wine of her immorality and become entrapped in her world-view, one of materialism and humanism, hallmarks of the world system. The gods of the nations will be commercial advantage and gain as they come under the Babylonian influence. The third reason for the judgment of Babylon is her infidelity. In Verse 7, we see that she considers herself immortal and invincible. She lives in iniquity and appears to boast about it, never fearing anyone who might hold her accountable. Her words are so much like those of Satan when he boasted that he would be like the most high God (Isaiah 14:14). God, then, will judge her for her spiritual infidelity setting herself up as the ruler of the earth under the satanic authority of the Antichrist. The fourth and final reason that Babylon will be judged is because of her inhumanity (Revelation 18:12-13). Most of the merchandise mentioned in these two verses are articles that speak of material indulgence except for the horses and chariots. Gold, silver, precious stones, precious wood, metal, ivory, perfumes and other luxuries are luxury items not necessary for daily living. Babylon is characterized by our Lord as a city in pursuit of luxury with no regard for the needs of the poor and underprivileged, for Verse 13 concludes with the statement, slaves and human lives indicating that mankind will become nothing more than a commodity to be traded in the last days. When God is taken out of the equation, as He will be in the Antichrists economic system, human beings will be dehumanized. Since God is rejected, His image has no value in the end time culture or society. This is already true in many parts of the world today where children and women are sold into slavery as property to be nothing more than objects of mens passions and lusts. The rulers of the nations will mourn her demise (Revelation 18:9-10). They will have invested themselves and their nations in her worldliness only to see their hopes for power and wealth vanish as she is destroyed. The city and
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 82... Chapter 18...continued world view which they thought would be their salvation are destroyed along with their hopes for continued indulgence and prosperity. Verses 11-17a contain lists of all the various kinds of merchandise which will no longer be bought and sold around the world. Every kind of necessity as well as luxury items will become unavailable. Banks and stock exchanges will fail due to the collapse of the worlds financial and economic system which has been destroyed by our God. It will be the darkest day the merchants of the world have ever known, much worse than any recession or depression the world has ever experienced to this point in time. Even the mariners will mourn (18:17-19) because they have prospered delivering Babylons merchandise. They are filled with terror as they watch her destruction, mourning their own doom. Verses 21-23 confirm that Babylons judgment is real. The Greek words for anymore or any longer are the strongest way that the language can express the concept of not at all. Six times in these verses the phrase anymore or any longer appears regarding a particular activity. No more music will fill the streets; no more craftsmen will work their trades; no more will the wheels of commerce turn; no more shall brides and bridegrooms join together in marriage; no more will the sound of the mill grinding grain be heard, and no more the light of a lamp shine in her. The city once characterized by boisterous materialism, indulgence, and commerce will be no more. The Lord will silence the sound of worldly humanism in the space of one hour. How awesome is the power of our God! We have seen that three classes of men mourn the destruction of Babylon; kings, merchants and mariners. However, in heaven three other classes of people will rejoice over her destruction: saints, apostles and prophets Unrestrained jubilation breaks out as the people of God are at last vindicated. Retribution in the form of Godly justice will be finally meted out upon the city which persecuted and martyred His people (18:20, 24).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 83... Chapter 18...continued In Verse 21 a strong angel casts a great millstone into the sea signifying the violent and sudden destruction of the city. Dr. Jeremiah refers us back to Matthew 18:6 where Jesus issued the warning about causing another person to stumble. You must remember that His warning said that anyone who causes another to stumble would be better off having a millstone placed around his neck and be cast into sea. This city has caused multitudes to stumble so it seems that the Lord is following through on His warning and placing the millstone around its neck and casting it into the sea of His judgment. Verse 20 is the first time that, in this book of tears, the command is given to rejoice. But the reason for the command is clear. The church has been at home in heaven since Chapter 4. They have been worshiping, giving praise and honor to the Lord for the glories of Heaven. Now the saints are called back to look down upon the city that they have left behind and see its destruction. They see that vile Babylon, which caused them so much pain and heartache, which poured out its scorn upon them, has come to its final doom. They now realize that this vile world system, against which they had struggled, will never rise again. This is full cause for rejoicing indeed. The plea of the saints from under the altar has been finally been heard and answered (Revelation 6:9-11). What should our response be as we read this account (Revelation 18:47)? The Lord commands His people all throughout His Word that we are to separate ourselves from the world. Come out from their midst and be separate (II Corinthians 6:14-18). Dr. Jeremiah points out two reasons for us to flee from Babylon. The first reason is that judgment is coming on the world system of Satan and if we separate ourselves from her, the judgment will not fall on us. The second reason to flee has already been discussed in previous chapters. We will escape the plagues and judgments coming upon the Antichrist and those who follow him. I cannot conclude this summary without giving you one more point of view on who mystery Babylon may be. There are those, Dr. Van Impe being one of them, who feels that perhaps Babylon is the United States. He has solid reasons, not all of which I agree with, for believing the way he does. He
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 84... Chapter 18...continued cites chapters 50 and 51 of Jeremiah as possibly referring to the United States. His key verses are: Jeremiah 50:37; 50:12; 51:31; 51:7, and 51:53 He also points out that Isaiah 18:1 and 2 point to a latter day nation that could possibly be the United States as well. For the born again believer it really doesnt matter because we will be at home in Heaven when all this takes place. I simply want to share as much truth with my readers as I can, letting the Word of God speak for itself. I personally believe that mystery Babylon is a world system headquartered in a city rather than a single nation. I believe that the Word of God supports this point of view. Follower of Jesus Christ, dont be deceived. While ancient Babylon lies in ruins today, be assured that the spirit of Babylon is alive and well. We must guard our hearts in these days to make sure we do not fall into any of the false belief systems that will lead us away from the true Gospel. We must live in the power of Acts 1:8 in order to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20.
CHAPTER 19
The 19th Chapter of Revelation can be divided into two sections. The first section, Verses 1-10, deals with a celebration in heaven which culminates in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). The second section, Verses 11-21, deals with the Lords actual bodily return to the earth to fight, with His armies, the Battle of Armageddon. We will naturally look at verses 1-10 first. This first section deals with a celebration that takes place in heaven, celebrating our Lords victory over Satan and his forces, and culminating with the marriage of Christ to His bride the Church. The tone of the Book changes dramatically from the first 18 chapters until now. In the first 18 chapters, the tone is one of devastation and judgment. We now see the tone changing to one of celebration and rejoicing for the most anticipated event in human history is about to take place, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to planet earth. This single event forms a bridge between the gory days of the Great Tribulation and the glory days of Christs Millennial Kingdom. There are several reasons for the Hallelujah Chorus of Verses 1-6. Some of the words to Handels great chorus by that name come from these verses. The Greek word for hallelujah is alleluia. Some songs use the words interchangeably. The words hallelujah and alleluia literally translated mean praise ye the Lord. The first reason for the praise celebration is that every person who makes it from earth to heaven has been personally redeemed or saved by the Lord in Jesus death and resurrection. Only He is worthy of our praise for that reason. A second reason that the celebrants are praising the Lord is for the severity of His judgment against Satan and his followers. Since they know that Gods judgments are true and righteous, they praise Him for destroying anti-God systems, such as the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication (19:2), because it is fair and just. Not only is it fair and just, but it also brought a measure of revenge for those who were martyred by the Beast. Revelation 19:3 proves that not even the judgments of God will cause those at enmity with Him to repent and change their minds. The smoke rising for ever and ever is evidence that Dr. John Walvoord was correct when he said,
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 86... Chapter 19...continued So long as the Godhead is to endure and so long as the believers are to reign with Him in glory, so long must the wrath of God be poured upon those who know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no evidence in the Bible that the lake of fire will ever turn one heart toward God or cause one guilty sinner to relax in the slightest the enmity against God that characterizes the carnal mind. It seems that no matter what judgment God may bring or what mercy He may extend, the carnal sinner will continue to rebel against Him. Dr. Jeremiah concludes this section by saying, Gods judgment is praiseworthy because it is just. A third reason the inhabitants of heaven are praising the Lord is for the sovereignty of God. In Verse 4 we see the word amen used as affirmation that Gods act of judgment against Babylon is righteous and true. The words amen and hallelujah are two words that believers from all around the world can use to establish instant fellowship and communion because they are pronounced the same in every language, including the original Hebrew language. When heaven and earth join in agreement by saying amen to Gods actions, they are celebrating His sovereignty over all things. The fourth and final reason for the celebration of these first six verses is for the supremacy of God (19:5, 6). The words of these two verses are both a conclusion to the acknowledgment that God acted sovereignly in His judgment of the Babylon, and an introduction to His sovereignty in saving a multitude from earth that will be united for eternity with His Son in a spiritual marriage. This celebration can be compared to the music that is played for the hour preceding a wedding ceremony. Like all appropriately chosen wedding music, this heavenly music speaks of the greatness of the ceremony that we are about to witness. Verses 7-9 describe the event which all believers should be looking forward to with great anticipation, perhaps more than any other, the moment in which they become one with their Savior, the union between the bride of Christ (the Church) and the Head of the Church (the Lord Jesus Christ).
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 87... Chapter 19...continued Under-standing the steps involved in a Jewish wedding ceremony will help to make sense out of the process by which we have become the bride of Christ. In the Jewish tradition, step one was the legal marriage. This was often arranged or consummated by the parents, usually the fathers, of the bride and bridegroom. These arrangements involved the payment of dowry which resulted in a legal marriage. This often occurred before the bride and bridegroom had ever met one another. The second step, after the legal marriage, the groom, usually accompanied by his friends, would go the house of the bride and claim her for himself. He would then proceed to take her back to his own home The third and final stage to the Jewish wedding would be the bridal procession followed by the marriage feast. This third stage would often take several days. How then does this compare to the spiritual wedding of the believer to our Savior? Well it is quite simple. Stage one, the legal marriage, takes place when we are saved or converted. Positionally, we are already united to Him by faith. As His bride, we are now awaiting the time when He will return and claim His bride for Himself, taking us back to His own mansion which He has been preparing for us (John 14:2). Finally, the marriage supper of the Lamb will be celebrated after He has taken us to His home to be with Him, as the Groom, throughout all eternity. So here are the three steps in case someone missed them: Step one, through conversion we are legally married or united to Him; Step two, at the Rapture, He will return for us to take us to His home to live with Him forever, and Step three, will be the marriage supper of the Lamb where we celebrate our eternal union with Him (19:7-9). However, this wedding ceremony will be quite different from the ones we are accustomed to. In our weddings the attention is focused on the bride. However, our marriage to Christ will be more like the Oriental weddings where the focus of attention is on the Groom. The Lamb of God, who has taken away the sin of the world, will be the central figure in this marriage and marriage supper. Until this all takes place, we, though legally married, are still in the
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 88... Chapter 19...continued engagement period (II Corinthians 11:2), waiting for the day when Christ will return in the clouds to claim us for His own (I Thessalonians 4:16-18). Here then is what I believe is the scriptural chronology of events: Rapture, judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10), the marriage ceremony, the marriage supper, and the second coming of Christ. Since the Rapture and the second coming are the bookend events of the Tribulation, the marriage and the marriage supper must take place during that time. We know that the marriage ceremony takes place after the judgment seat of Christ because of Revelation 19:7-8. In these verses, we see that the bride is arrayed in clean and bright linen which are the righteous acts of the saints. We know that all of our unrighteous acts will be burned up (I Corinthians 3:11-15) so only our righteous deeds remain. Many wonder why Jesus comes to the wedding as the Lamb (Revelation 19:7) instead of King, Creator, Servant or one of His other 700 titles. Dr. Jeremiah believes, as do I, that it is because we fell in love with the Lamb. We were saved by Him as the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29, 36). Now here is where the chronology gets a bit confusing. Both Dr. Van Impe and Dr. Jeremiah agree that the marriage feast takes place on earth so that all born again believers can come as guests. When you stop to think that the bride and bridegroom are never guests at a wedding, then this makes sense in light of Verse 9. One must conclude then that Johns vision here jumps ahead to complete this scene and that Verses 11-21 must occur after the wedding but before the wedding feast. The wedding definitely occurs in heaven, but the feast must occur on earth (Matthew 25:1-13). John 3:29 speaks of a friend of the Groom. This can only be Israel. It would seem then that the marriage feast takes place on earth in order for the redeemed of Israel, who have gone through the Tribulation and survived the persecutions of the Antichrist, to attend and rejoice with all the other redeemed at the marriage supper.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 89... Chapter 19...continued Picture this if you will, the marriage supper of the Lamb will a redemptive meal which celebrates the uniting of all the redeemed Jews and Gentiles into one body, married to the Head of the Body, Jesus Christ. Because it takes place on earth, it will be a prelude to the thousand years the Bridegroom and Bride will spend reigning over the earth during the Millennium. In concluding this first section, I would remind us that the Father has sent His Spirit into the world to call out a bride for His only Son. The bride (the Church) has been legally transferred from her former domain to the domain of the Father, and our citizenship is now in heaven. In the meantime, the Groom is preparing a heavenly home for His bride. One of these days, He will return to take us to His home, and join us to Himself in a wedding ceremony, the likes of which, no matter how extravagant, has never been witnessed. The second section, Verses 11-21, herald the long awaited return of our Savior, the second coming of Christ. They also announce the end for the Beast and the False Prophet. The Battle of Armageddon (19:17-19) concludes the Tribulation period as Christ will defeat His enemies with the Sword of His Word (19:15). The Bible is filled with references to the second coming of Christ, 1,845 in all. 17 Old Testament Books and 70 percent of the chapters of the New Testament make reference in some way to His return. What a shame that many so-called Christians today struggle to understand it and embrace it. It is the only hope of the Church and the world (II Peter 3:4). Only the Christians saw Him at the Rapture, but the entire world will see Him at His Revelation, His second coming to stand atop the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11). His return will illumine the dark days at the end of the Tribulation like lightning illumines the darkness of a thunderstorm. Riding in the midst of all that brilliance on a white horse will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16). Verse 11 records the second time that we see heaven opened. The first time was in Revelation 4:1 when the Rapture of the Church takes place. Since then, we have not seen any mention of the door of heaven being open.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 90... Chapter 19...continued The main difference in these two events is that at the revelation of Jesus Christ every person will see Him. He is revealed in all His glory to come and destroy the enemies of God at Armageddon and set up the Kingdom of God on earth, the thousand year millennial reign. There are four main differences in these two events. They are: 1. Rapture: Christ comes for His saints Revelation: Christ comes with His saints 2. Rapture: the church meets Jesus in the air Revelation: Jesus descends to earth, to the Mount of Olives 3. Rapture: coming of the Lord with blessing in mind Revelation: coming of the Lord with judgment in mind 4. Rapture: imminent Revelation: always no less than seven years away (from the Rapture) Verse 11 gives us one of the three names for Christ in this chapter. Here he is called Faithful and true. The others in this chapter are Word of God (19:13) and King of Kings and Lord of Lords (19:16). His appearance is as important as His names. In Verse 12 we see His eyes are a flame of fire (1:14; 2:18) which burns up all that is false as He gazes on the hearts and minds of mankind. The diadems are crowns which speak of His sovereignty, denoting the fact that no one is above Him in rule. Furthermore, we know that His robe dipped in blood speaks of the redemption He secured for us on the cross as the Lamb that was slain. Throughout all eternity, the redeemed will celebrate the shed blood which brought about their redemption from the penalty of sin. Revelation 1:7 says that every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. For years, it has been assumed that this will be possible because of satellite and cable television. However, many feel that this will not be the case. They feel that it will be His glory that will be visible from anywhere on earth. In either case, through technology or the radiance of His glory, the entire world will know that Jesus Christ has returned to earth. But, Hallelujah, He does not return alone. What a day that will be when, with Jesus, we come back to claim this world for Him.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 91... Chapter 19...continued The armies mentioned in Verse 14 will consist of every believer who died before the Rapture or went up to be with the Lord at the Rapture. Every one of these believers will return with Him to Armageddon. The purpose of our return will be to execute judgment upon those who denied Christ during the Tribulation (Jude 14-15). Can you imagine that Enoch saw this coming back in the Book of Genesis? What a marvelous Book the Bible is! During the Tribulation period, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists preached to them, God sent two faithful witnesses to preach to them, and plenty of Bibles and Christian literature were available to discover the truth, but these rebellious inhabitants of earth would not turn from their evil ways, but continued to blaspheme God in spite of His judgments upon them. We should note that the word here is armies and not army. What this means, we arent sure. It is obviously plural and not singular. Dr. Jeremiah speculates that this may refer to Old Testament Saints, New Testament Saints and Tribulation Saints that are all combined into one army. These armies will not be dressed like soldiers, but will be dressed in white garments. The reason for that is these armies will not fight. They will be spectators who will watch the defeat of the armies of Satan at the Battle of Armageddon by the words coming from Jesus mouth. This sword does not represent the Word of God referred to in Ephesians 6:17. Dr. Jeremiah believes that the word sword here is used symbolically to represent a sharp instrument of war with which Christ will smite the nations and establish His absolute rule. On the other hand, Dr. Van Impe interprets Verse 15 literally, teaching that it is the Word of God because the Word always smites men in their consciences and lives. He cites the incident of John 18:6 where the officers of the chief priests and Pharisees who came to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, drew back and fell to the ground when Jesus said, I am He. Therefore, according to Dr. Van Impe, Christ and His Word alone smash the nations at Armageddon. He does agree with Dr. Jeremiah that these armies will only observe as Jesus treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 92... Chapter 19...continued Almighty God. This moment brings about the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 2:34 which predicts that a stonecut out without hands pulverizes the image, the ten nation confederacy. This stone will instantly expand and fill the entire earth with a new kingdom which will never be destroyed. Its leader will be Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Verses 17-21 present the vengeance of Christ against the enemies of God. An angel invites all the birds of heaven to the valley of Megiddo for a great feast. They will clean up the flesh of the mighty men who the Lord has summoned to the Battle. The Greek word here used for bird is orneois which literally means vulture. We should note that no class of people is spared. The birds will clean up the flesh of captains, and kings, along with the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great (19:18). This feast is known as the supper of God (19:17). What a contrast to the marriage supper of the Lamb. There will be rejoicing and celebration at the marriage supper of the Lamb, but at the supper of God there will only be wailing and lament as those who fall in the battle against Christ are consumed. We get a choice of which supper we will attend. However, every living person will attend one of them. One of the great mysteries of this Book is that in spite of all the suffering and judgments against him, mankind will remain defiant to the very end, the Battle of Armageddon. They will gather together at the Mountain of Megiddo under the leadership of the Antichrist and the kings of the earth who follow him. Their army will consist of the kings and soldiers of the 10 nations of the revived Roman Empire, as well as the Beast and the False Prophet. If you are wondering where Russia is in this picture, you should remember that she was destroyed in the middle of the Tribulation hour. When she moved against Israel during the time of peace, the Lord destroyed her and sent her back to the North (Ezekiel 39:1-6). This last Battle described here in this chapter occurs as the Lord destroys the Antichrist and his ten-horned empire. Joel 3:1, 2, 11-17 vividly portray the terrible, catastrophic judgment which occurs in preparation for and fulfillment of Armageddon. Finally, the one who made life so unbearable upon
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 93... Chapter 19...continued earth, who forced the inhabitants of earth who wished to buy and sell, to take the number 666, and who had millions of believers beheaded because they refused his number, is judged by God Himself. What a conclusion to one of the saddest days in human history! Two world leaders, one political, the other religious; one posing as God, the other promoting the imposter. now discover that their charade is over. They are cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, the final abode of all Godhaters and Christ-rejecters for time and eternity. A thousand years later, Satan will join them (Revelation 20:10), where they and all their followers will suffer torment day and night. In light of the scripture, what does God want from His people so that we will not suffer through the Tribulation? As we watch for the Rapture, we should live Holy lives in obedience to His Word, while being compassionate toward all those who dont know Christ. Dr. Jeremiah concludes this section by giving us 10 things that the Word of God teaches us to do to maintain our purity and live in holiness before Him: 1. Refrain from judging others (I Corinthians 4:5) 2. Remember the Lords table, communion (I Corinthians 11:23-26) 3. Rivet our minds on heavenly things not earthly (Colossians 3:1-4) 4. Relate to fellow believers in love (I Thessalonians 3:12-13) 5. Revive and encourage the bereaved (I Thessalonians 4:13-18) 6. Recommit ourselves to ministry (2 Timothy 4:1-5) 7. Refuse to neglect church attendance (Hebrews 10:24-25) 8. Remain steadfast (James 5:7-8) 9. Refrain from sinful practices in our lives (I John 2:28-29) 10. Reach the lost- fulfill the Great Commission (Jude 21-23; Matt. 28:16-18)
CHAPTER 20
The hymn Joy to the World, which we sing as a Christmas carol, was not written for that purpose at all. Issac Watts wrote the song based on Psalm 98 to celebrate the second coming of Christ, not His first coming. If we examine the words closely, we will see that most if not all of them are yet to be fulfilled. What a blessed time it will be when the words of this song can be sung in truth because they have been fulfilled. Revelation Chapter 20 is the only scriptural reference to the Millennial (thousand years) reign of Christ in the New Testament. Verse 4 says, And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. In the first seven verses, the Apostle John mentions the thousand year period no less that six times. Some have refused to take these verses literally in light of 2 Peter 3:8 which says that, to the Lord, a thousand years is like a day. Some of these same people argue that the Creation in Genesis 1 can not be taken literally either. They believe that the Creation took thousands of years. Which way do they want it? It is better to let the Bible speak for itself. The Bible says a thousand years, so as far as I am concerned it will be a thousand years. After all Millennium means a thousand year period of time. This will mark the first true period of peace on earth because as we see in Verses 2 and 3, Satan is bound and returned to the abyss for a thousand years. There is also a first resurrection that takes place at this time. This first resurrection will be the raising to life all of those who were martyred for the Lord during the Tribulation so that they can live and reign with Christ and His bride during the Millennium. All other believers were resurrected at the Rapture. The unsaved dead will be resurrected at a second resurrection later in this chapter. There are differing views on the Millennium, but I am going to present only one, the one that I believe is taught by scripture, the Premillennial view. This view teaches that the bodily return of Christ occurs prior to the thousand year period of peace on earth. Since the Bible teaches that Christ will reign from the throne of the city of David (Jerusalem) during this time, it only seems logical that He will return and live and reign here on the earth. This view is based on the literal reading and interpretation of Scripture.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 95... Chapter 20...continued There are four basic reasons why a literal, earthly kingdom is necessary to fulfill the plan of God: The first reason is that a Kingdom is necessary to reward the people of God. God teaches us in His Word that He intends to reward His faithful people for their commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission. The Millennium is one of those rewards. There are several scriptures that teach us that we will coreign with Christ during this time (Isaiah 40:10; Matthew 16:27; 25:31-34; Colossians 3:24; Revelation 22:12). One of the many rewards for faithful and fruitful service to our Lord is the reward of ruler-ship and authority during the Millennium Kingdom. The second reason that the earthly kingdom, the millennial reign, is necessary is to respond to the Disciples prayer. In Luke 11:2 and Matthew 6:10, we see Jesus teaching His disciples to pray for the Lords Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. That prayer has not been literally answered as yet. The prayer is not about Christ ruling in our hearts, as He does today, but it is that the will and rule of God would fill the earth just as it fills heaven. For this part of the Lords Prayer to be answered, the Kingdom of God needs to come and cover the earth. When that happens, Gods will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The third reason that the earthly kingdom is necessary is to redeem creation. In Genesis 3:17-19, the Lord cursed the earth because of mans sin. From that point on, the earth has groaned under the weight of that curse. We may think that the earth today is beautiful, and it is. However, what we see today is only a shadow of what it was before the fall, and what it will be again once the Lord restores it to its original beauty during the millennial kingdom (Romans 8:19-22). The fourth and final reason that the earthly kingdom is necessary is to reemphasize mans depravity. All throughout the Bible, man has demonstrated that even in the best of circumstances, he cannot keep his depraved nature under control. Our fallen human nature will not be eliminated until the end of the
millennial reign of Christ. Even during the Millennium, when Jesus Himself is
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 97... Chapter 20...continued ruling the earth, the depraved nature of man will manifest itself. For you see, those faithful saints, who survive the Tribulation period, will, though redeemed, be fallen human beings, just like all of us. They will obey the Lords command and be fruitful and multiply over all the earth for a thousand years. At the end of the Millennium, according to Revelation 20:7-10, Satan will lead a rebellion of deceived human beings against the rule of Christ. This final revolt will once and for all demonstrate that apart from the intervention of God, man is totally incapable of righteous living on his own. Gods judgment of man will once again, and for the final time, be vindicated. If you wonder why this happens, you need to remember that all those born during the Millennium will serve Christ because they had no choice. Thus they need to be given the same opportunity for choice that all mankind has been faced with down through the centuries. After all, we have stressed over and over during this study that God is just and fair. To be just and fair, every man must be given the opportunity to choose who he wishes to serve (Joshua 24:15). What will the Millennium be like? It will be a time of peace (Micah 4:23). Military implements will be re-tooled for agricultural use because nations will no longer go to war with each other. This peace will extend even to the animal kingdom (Isaiah 11:6-9). Secondly, it will be a time of prosperity (Isaiah 35:1-10). There will be no desert or wilderness or brown landscape due to the lack of water and the scorching heat of the sun. It will be like living in a tropical paradise such as Hawaii or the tropics where everything is lush and green all the time. Thirdly, it will be a time of purity. Holiness will pervade the earth because the Ruler is holy whose influence of holiness will extend to every part of His kingdom (Isaiah 11:9; 25:9; 66:23; Zechariah 13:2-3). The inhabitants of earth will constantly be worshiping God and pursuing righteous living. Fourthly, it will be a time of perpetual health (Isaiah 65:20). Remember back in Genesis that the life spans of people were in the hundreds of years? That will be the norm again. Sickness, disease, infirmity, birth defects and mental illnesses such as retardation will all be done away with. There will be births in abundance with population growing rapidly, filling the earth with a healthy
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 98... Chapter 20...continued human race. Lastly, the Millennium will be a time of personal joy (Isaiah 9:3-4; 12:3; 14:7-8; 25:8-9; 30:29; 42:1, 10-12). Todays world does not know this kind of deep-seated joy. There is an abundance of shallow laughter, but no real joy,the joy that flows from a clear conscience and sense that we and our world are right with God. The pain, agony, despair and superficial happiness that characterize our world will be replaced by the joy of the Lord (Jude 24). Verses 11-15 describe the White Throne Judgment of the unbelievers. All of the unsaved will be resurrected in the second resurrection to stand before our Savior and receive their sentence for rejecting His gift of salvation. This court scene, unlike so many in our world today, will be characterized by absolute and total justice. There will be no mistakes, no unfair sentences. The Great White Throne Judgment represents the final bar of justice in Gods plan for the inhabitants of earth. Again, unlike our courtrooms, there will be a Judge but no jury, a prosecutor but no defender, and a sentence without any opportunity for appeal. It will be the place where sinners stand before a holy God to give an account of their sins, the greatest of which is their rejection of Christ as Savior. The second resurrection and the White Throne Judgment occur one thousand years after the first resurrection of the Tribulation saints, and will include those spiritually dead, those who rejected Christ during the Millennium, as well as the physically dead. While we are not sure exactly where the Great White Throne Judgment takes place, we do know that it does not take place on earth or in heaven. It cannot take place on earth because at the appearance of our Lord the earth and the heaven fled away (20:11 ). Since no sinner can enter the presence of God in heaven, we know that it cant take place there either. So then, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that it takes place somewhere in the stellar heavens between heaven and earth, the former abode of Satan. If we break each word down into its significant meaning we get the following; Great speaks of the Infinite One who is the Judge; White speaks of divine holiness,
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 99... Chaper 20...continued purity, justice and integrity; and Throne speaks of the majesty of the One who has the right to determine the destiny of His creation. The Judge will be Jesus, Himself (John , 27). Peter refers to Christ in Acts as, was ordained by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. The spiritually living will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians ) and the spiritually dead will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. The phrase great and small indicates that all classes of people will be judged. No position or standing in this world, or lack of it, will excuse anyone from standing in judgment before Christ. The only thing for which every man will be judged is what they have done with Jesus sacrifice for their sin. Did they accept His free gift or did they reject it? Many believe that the judgment at the Great White Throne will be to determine whether a person is saved or lost. That is not true. Everyone who appears before the Great White Throne is lost on the basis of what they did with Jesus sacrifice. This judgment will be to judge the deeds of the unsaved very much like the judgment seat of Christ for the believer (II Corinthians ). You will notice that in Revelation Verse 12, the Word says that they will be judged from books. While the Bible does not specifically state what the books are, it does give us some clues. The first book may very well be the Book of Conscience (Romans ). This verse suggests that the human conscience may play a role in judging the nonbeliever. There is no one, saved or unsaved, who can say that he or she has obeyed his or her conscience 100 percent of the time. However, when the conscience is brazenly violated or ignored when making decisions and choices, it demonstrates an attitude toward a willingness to sin that may be used against the unbeliever at the judgment. A second possible book is the Book of Words (Matthew -37). Scientists tell us that no spoken word is ever lost. The sound waves created by the spoken word continue on indefinitely, able to be recaptured some day. Whether this is true or not, the concept illustrates that once our words are spoken they can never be recaptured. Therefore, it is possible that their spoken words may act as the accusers of the unsaved on the day they stand before Christ at the Great White
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 100... Chapter 20...continued Throne. A third possible book is the Book of Secret Works (Romans ). We often think that our thoughts are secret and that no one will ever know. Not true! All of the thoughts that are not under the Blood will be exposed one day. Every evil, unforgiven thought will be exposed before God. Those things which men thought would never be used against them because they were secret thoughts will stand as testimonies against them on judgment day. The fourth possible book is the Book of Public Works (II Corinthians ). Jesus said, The son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works (Matthew ). God will have a complete record, not only of our thoughts, but of our public deeds as well. Who a person is will be revealed by what he has done, how he has lived. The most important Book is the Book of Life. We know that Books title because Verse 12 specifically states the title. The Book of Life is referred to many times in the Bible (e.g. Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28; Daniel 12:1; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12; 21:27; 22:19). Most of these verses are referring to believers not unbelievers. This fact ultimately raises the question whether a Christian can have his name blotted out of the Book of Life. Dr. Jeremiah teaches that every person born into the world has his or her name entered into the Book of Life. If that person should die having rejected Gods offer of salvation, their name is blotted out of the Book. When we stop to consider this sobering fact, we see that there is merit in this position. We know that babies and small children are not lost, but enter heaven to live with Christ. Their name must then be in the Book of Life or they would be lost. Hopefully, this clears up the misunderstanding that some may have had about the subject. William R. Newell gives us four things to be noted about the Book of Life: 1. It is the absence of ones name, not ones good works that dooms a person. 2. Evil works are not the issue. Many of earths greatest sinners names are recorded in the Book of Life because they accepted Gods offer of salvation.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 101... Chapter 20...continued 3. Those whose names do not appear in the Book are cast into the Lake of Fire (20:15). 4. All names found in the Book were written before the judgment day. There is no record of names being recorded (decisions being made) on that day. The final purpose of the Great White Throne Judgment is to determine degrees of punishment. It is a little known fact among Bible students that there are degrees of punishment in hell built into Gods system of justice (Luke -48). Jesus taught in these verses that those who are given more will be held more accountable than those who did not receive as much. These Scripture verses appear to say that a person who has continually rejected, time after time, a clear presentation of the Gospel will be held more accountable by God than someone who has never heard the Gospel clearly. In conclusion, it can be stated that Revelation 20:14 and Matthew 25:41 and 46 clearly teach the concept of eternal punishment in hell. While this doctrine is no longer popular, it is plainly taught in Scripture. Mans denial of truth in no way negates the facts. Jesus, in His compassion for the lost, spoke three words about hell for every one word He spoke about Heaven. We must be as compassionate as He was in warning people about the punishment to come if they do not accept Gods plan for their salvation. The best way we can do that is through living a Godly, holy life in front of them, giving evidence of how the Lord is changing us into the image of His dear Son (Romans 8:29).
CHAPTER 21
In Chapter 21, Verses 1-5, we see the apostle John beginning to describe the New Heaven and New Earth. If we read the Scriptures carefully, we will see that after the Great White Throne judgment, the Lord makes all things new. One of the principal characteristics of this New Earth is that it has no sea. Now that is definitely new and different from the current planet Earth. The scientist-theologian Dr. Henry Morris gives us an interesting explanation for the lack of water on the New Earth. He says that there will be no need for the sea because the hydrologic cycle (more commonly know as the water cycle) and the water-based ecology and physiology of the animal and human inhabitants of earth will no longer be used. In the new earth, there will be no animals and the men and women will all have glorified bodies that will not require blood to sustain them, so there will be no more need for water. Their resurrected bodies will be like Jesus composed of only flesh and bone (Luke 24:39; Philippians 3:21) with apparently no need for blood (I Corinthians 15:50) to serve as the cleanser and restorer of the bodys flesh as is now the case. Since our blood is 90 percent water and our flesh 65 percent water, our glorified bodies will eliminate the need for water on the earth. How is the Lord going to do all this you may ask? The Bible gives insight but no definite answers. 2 Peter 3:10-12 suggests that the Lords renovating process will be accomplished through intense heat. Over the last several decades, most people have assumed that this refers to nuclear war. Dr. Jeremiah does not believe this nor do I. While not out of the realm of possibility, it is hard to imagine that our Lord would need to blow up the earth to change it. Dr. Jeremiah and I agree that the Lord is going to remake, renew, refresh or refurbish the existing heaven and earth through cleansing fire. Every evil, polluted, and carnal thing will be cleansed from the planet just like we clean something old and make it new again. With the new earth will come a new city. This longing for a new city goes all the way back to the time of Abraham. Hebrews 11:10 tells us that Abraham was looking for a new city whose builder and maker is God. Every child of God has longed for something better beyond this life. Revelation 21 and 22 reveal
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 103... Chapter 21...continued what this better city will be like. The description of the New Jerusalem may be hard to fathom in its literal context, but we need to let the Bible speak for itself. Many have questioned the statement in Verse 2 that the new Jerusalem comes down as a bride adorned for her husband. After all, isnt the church the bride of Christ? The reason for that is the city is composed of people thus we are in the city as the Bride of Christ. The dimensions of the New Jerusalem must be large enough to accommodate all the saved individuals from the beginning of time. In Verses 15 and 16, we see that it will be a cube, 1,500 miles on a side. That means that the area on which it sits will be 2,250,000 square miles. However, the New Jerusalem is a cube so it must have height as well as length and width. Therefore, the total volume of the city will be 3,375,000,000 cubic miles. The naturally inquisitive mind quickly asks, How will this work? Will there be floors or levels like in a tall office building? As is always the case, our heavenly Father has left out many of the details. However, our faith says that, since Jesus has been preparing a place for us, it will be fantastic beyond belief, more magnificent than anything we have ever seen. Those who are afraid of heights, like me, need not fear, for all fear will be wiped away in the Lords presence. Our glorified bodies will allow us to move around through space as Jesus did, with no concern about flying. What a day that will be! Besides the size, what else do we know about the city? Unlike any city in the world today, it will be a holy city (2 Peter 2:13). All the cities in todays world are filled with sin, pollution, crime, poverty, disease, anger and turmoil. They are not cities of God. Why the difference, because every resident will have been made holy by the redeeming grace of God and will stay that way for eternity. Since the Lord and every one in the city is holy, the city will remain holy. Throughout the centuries, we have heard of the gates of pearl. We now see according to Revelation 21:21 this really is true. Many scoffers use this as an example of why the Bible cannot be believed. They obviously say that no oyster can produce a pearl the size of a gate. The problem with that reasoning
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 104... Chapter 21...continued is that they do not understand the God we serve. If He wants a pearl the size of a gate, He can produce one in an instant. We should also note that above the gates will be inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of Israel and are part of the wall made of jasper that surrounds the city. One last thing about these gates that is so significant is that they will never be closed, for you see the purpose of these walls and gates is not to keep people in or out. Their purpose is to define the dimensions of the city. Every structure must have a solid foundation especially a city! Verses 19 and 20 give us the description of the citys foundation. It contains 12 different precious stones common to Johns time. Since many of them are not familiar to the readers, we have a hard time really picturing what the 12 foundations will look like. Suffice it to say that they will be more beautiful than anything we can imagine. Dr. Jeremiah thinks that these 12 foundations are not individual but are laid on top of one another. This would mean they are blended and assimilated into 12 strata of beautiful and precious stones with the light penetrating and reflecting off of them. While we may not be able to picture this in our minds, we must accept the fact that the New Jerusalem will reflect the beauty of the Son of God and the infinite blessings of the redemption He provides for His children. Lastly, the size and creativity of this city of God, the New Jerusalem, only serve to produce a picture reflecting the majesty and creativity of our God. What value does the Lord place on gold? He paves His streets with it. However, the gold seen in Verses 21:18, 21 is not like our gold at all. Our gold is opaque where this gold is transparent as glass. It is so pure that light does not reflect off from it, but passes right through it. The brilliance and beauty of this kind of gold is simply a reflection of the beauty of God Himself, indescribable. And what about the light? This is not light from the sun or the moon. Verse 23 tells us that the city is illuminated solely by the glory of God. So this light is not produced by a combustible substance such as a fossil fuel. It is light similar to the light produced by the burning bush in Moses time which
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 105... Chapter 21...continued did not consume the bush. This is the light of Gods glory, not of heat or fire. Entrance to the city will be denied to many types of people (Revelation 21:8, 27). Reservations for admittance must be made well in advance, long before this day arrives. Chapter 21 gives us a list of things that will not be in heaven as well as the things that will be. Verses 3 and 22 tell us that there will be no sanctuary because the Lord will be in the midst of His people making a sanctuary or temple unnecessary, just as He started off doing in the Garden of Eden. Because He is with us there will be not need for a sanctuary for Him to dwell in. There will be no sun or moon in heaven (21:23). The glory of the Lamb will be the light. When Jesus said in Matthew 5:14 that we are the light of the world, He meant that we are the light of the world when we reflect Him or His light. Since there is no sun or moon, there is no night as well. We have already noted earlier in the study of this chapter that there will be no sickness or disability in heaven (21:4). All of us are touched by the pain of sickness and infirmity, both physical and emotional, ours and others as well. Often, one of the greatest disappointments we deal with is our inability to relieve the physical and/or emotional pain of our spouse or our children. Just think, all those who are blind, deaf, lame, mute, congenitally impaired or deformed will receive completely whole resurrection bodies for their eternal stay in heaven. All of todays healthcare professionals will be out of business for ever. There will also be no sadness in heaven (21:4) for Jesus will be there to wipe away all our tears. This is first mentioned in Chapter 7 Verse 17. Many have stumbled over this verse because they have been taught that there would be no tears in heaven. These are tears caused by our sense of failure at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Much like Peter in Matthew 26:75 who went out and wept bitterly over his denial of Christ, we will weep over wasted opportunities, broken promises, words spoken in anger, sins not repented of, all of which will be brought to our attention and result in tears in our eyes. Praise the Lord! These tears will be temporary as our forgiving Savior will be there to wipe them away.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 106... Chapter 21...continued The pain of separation will be gone forever as well. We will be able to be in the presence of anyone at any time. We will never have to say goodbye again. Lastly, there will be no sin in heaven (21:8, 27; 22:15). What a wonderful experience to be with the Lord never to be tried, tempted or tested ever again by the sin of this world. Never again will the Lords name be profaned in our presence where we will have to decide the most appropriate response to defend Him and our relationship with Him. Once and for all, we will know what it means to live in the peace of God.
CHAPTER 22
I can remember back when I first began this journey to write a summary of this wonderful Book of Revelation. I remember thinking that I was crazy to think that I was qualified to do such a thing. However, I also remember thinking that I was not alone. The Holy Spirit was going to guide my mind and my hands to combine the writings of two of the Lords most faithful servants, Dr. David Jeremiah and Dr. Jack Van Impe, into a study that would be understandable and true to the Word of God. Now that I am about to finish the journey, I want to thank all those who have so faithfully prayed for me to be able to complete the task. My deepest and sincerest prayer is that it has been and will continue to be a real comfort and instrument of guidance in your lives and that you decide to live by the truth contained therein. If anything praiseworthy has been accomplished, please direct that to God. Without His power to persevere, I would have quit weeks ago. My mind has gotten so weary sitting here concentrating on the text with the deepest desire to be true to the Word of God so as not to misguide anyone, including myself. May the Lord richly bless you as you continue to break down in your mind what He is saying. There is quite a lot here, but what a blessing awaits those who attempt to understand it and follow it. If any of you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me by e-mail, snail mail or phone. All the information you will need to contact me is given to you on the website (check our Home page, http://rosses.serving-christ.com). I would like to thank my wife Becky for the effort she has put forth to proof-read all the manuscripts and find my mistakes. She is the student in this marriage for sure. My grammar is not always the best to say the least. I really never mastered subject-verb agreement and the like. My final thanks go to Sharon Maxwell who has so faithfully read and reread each manuscript for mistakes as well, before uploading them on the website. Without her tireless effort none of this would be possible. My computer skills are only slightly better than my grammar. Well, enough about the process. Lets finish the Book...
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 108... Chapter 22...continued As I have told you previously, many times, chapters were made by man where none were intended or were put where they werent appropriate. I feel that the first five verses of Chapter 22 should have been left with Chapter 21. They continue the description of the new Heaven by talking about the River and the Tree of Life. Notice that the River, unlike most of ours, is not polluted. Crystal-clear water flows from the throne of God with the Tree of Life on either side. What a tree! It bears 12 different kinds of fruit. Imagine if you will, the Tree forbidden to our forefathers will be abundantly available to the residents of the City of God, the New Jerusalem. This unequivocally proves that we will be eating in Heaven. The Word contains several instances where heavenly residents ate. When the angels visited Abraham, they ate (Genesis 18:8). After His resurrection, Jesus cooked fish for His disciples and ate with them (Luke 24:42-43). Not only will we be able to consume food, but we most definitely will drink as well (Matthew 26:29). Verse 2 of Chapter 22 tells us that the Tree of Life renews itself once a month. This would indicate that its fruit is being consumed. However, our eating will be to the glory of God, thus there will be no weight problems because over-eating/gluttony will be eliminated. Questions are often raised about what we will do in Heaven. There will definitely be singing. Everyone who has struggled here to sing on key will have no problem in heaven. All physical handicaps will be eliminated. We will all be as one in glorified bodies. The Book of Revelation has more songs in it than any other except for the Psalms. What a thrill it will be to sing in Heavens choir with the thousands and thousands, perhaps even millions, of voices singing our precious Lord and Saviors praises. Everyone will have perfect pitch. Then there will be serving. Revelation 22:3 says, and His servants shall serve Him. Since it comes in the context of the Throne of God and the Lamb of God, it suggests priest-like service of worship. All who have been used by the Lord on earth have been referred to as servants (Revelation 1:1; 7:3; 10:7; 11:18; 15:3; 19:5; 22:6). In every one of these, except 10:7, the words used are
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 109... Chapter 22...continued bond-servant which means we serve by choice. A bond-servant was a slave who had been freed but chose to stay and work freely for his master. He would have a hole punched in his ear to allow everyone to know that he was serving by choice. What mark do we use to indicate to our world that we serve our master freely by choice. To be called a bond-servant or servant was the most honoring of titles in Scripture. Dr. Jeremiah believes that: We will be doing exactly what would fulfill the desires of our heart, that thing which we feel most fulfilled doing, that thing we always thought we were made to do' . There will also be sharing in heaven. Heaven will include the greatest experience of fellowship that we will ever have. Think about it! All of our Christian friends, plus millions of Christians we have never met, along with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit will be there. Even more amazing is the fact that all the Old and New Testament saints will be there as well. We will get to meet them all and have unlimited opportunity to spend time with them along with the great spiritual leaders here on earth like Dr. Jeremiah and Dr. Van Impe, whose teachings have meant so much to us. Finally, we will be able to thank them face to face for their tireless efforts on our behalf. In conclusion, we must discover, What we are to do until then! Dr. Jeremiah says that there are five things that we are to do. I will list them, then discuss them one at a time according to Scripture. 1. We are to walk submissively. 2. We are to worship triumphantly. 3. We are to witness urgently. 4. We are to work fervently. 5. We are to watch expectantly. Since we now know what the future holds, we must know how to live as Christians until these things begin to unfold, which many already have. Imagine, you dont have to dial a 900 number now because you know the future, and it is certain. There is no doubt because the Lord has foretold it in His Word. Since He has never lied, we know that it is totally accurate and true.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 110... Chapter 22...continued First, while waiting, we are to walk submissively. Verses 6 and 7 of this chapter leave NO doubt that we are expected to keep all the things that John has revealed to us in this book, The Book of Revelation. It is now revealed to us. What possible excuse do we have? Jesus, in Verse 7, even promises a blessing for obedience, Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this Book. We should never doubt that the Lord places a high value on His prophetic Words (Revelation 22:18-19). These verses contain a dire warning to anyone who would add to or subtract from this prophecy. The Greek word here for keep means to adhere to, to follow, to be submissive to, or to walk under the authority of. We must conclude than that our top priority as believers is to walk in obedience to the Word of God which will make us walk out of step with not only secular society but much of the prevailing Christian culture (Churchianity) as well. Second, we are to worship triumphantly (22:8-9). Every time John received news of Jesus soon appearing, his immediate response was to fall down and worship. While worshiping an incorrect being, an angel, his heart was in the right place. Our response should be no different. Our worship should be patterned after the heavenly worship which focuses on the attributes and actions of God, who He is and what He has done (Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:9-10, 12, 13; 7:10, 12; 11:15). It is important to notice that the worship in heaven never loses sight of the fact that, throughout the prophetic calendar of the Church and the world, the Lord remains in control. He remains on the Throne, reigning supreme over the affairs of this world, bringing to perfect completion all of His intended purposes. Third, we are to witness urgently (Revelation 22:10). While Daniel is told to seal up the words of his prophecy, John is not. Why? Because the time is at hand (Revelation 22:10). We should not be able to read these words of prophecy and not be stirred to tell everyone we know how to escape the coming darkness of the Tribulation and the wrath of God. Verse 11 of this chapter specifically indicates that the only agent for change is the Word of God. People will remain in whatever state they are in without the impact of the truth of Gods
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 111... Chapter 22...continued Word. Thats exactly why these words of John must not be sealed up. As we saw in Revelation 21:8, 27, in their present condition, the unsaved will not be allowed into heaven. Fourth, we are to work fervently (Revelation 22:10; John 19:4). The judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) should immediately come to our minds when we think of the Rapture. Our opportunity to fulfill the Great Commission will be over. There will never be another opportunity to witness in any way to our neighbors, friends and loved ones. Believers need to understand that it will be a frightful experience to stand before the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and have His eyes, as flames of fire, penetrate our hearts and minds, revealing whether our lives have been lived for Him or not. Our works will be evaluated according to kind, motive and results. If we are going to have crowns to throw at His feet, our works must survive His refining fire (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Every day we live will determine the outcome of our appearance at the judgment seat of Christ. A lackadaisical attitude about being His witness before the world will not get it done (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:16-18). Last, we are to watch expectantly (Revelation 22:7, 12, 17). These verses do not necessarily suggest soon in terms of calendar time, but quickly in terms of the suddenness of the event. There will be no warning for the Rapture (Matthew 24:43-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). His return for His church will happen so quickly that no opportunity will be available to change a persons status or condition (Matthew 25:1-13). He wants us to be ever committed to His imminent return, living as signal lights in a dark world until He comes, walking, worshiping, witnessing, working and watching, all in the light of His sudden return. We need to close our study by noticing that the Lord closes this, the final chapter of world history, by extending one final invitation to the lost (Revelation 22:17). His invitation echoes Isaiah the prophet back in the Old Testament (Isaiah 55:1-2). We must always remember that people are not saved by their intellect or their emotions. They are saved by exercising their will.
BIBLE STUDIES 3, REVELATION ...Page 112... Chapter 22...continued Emotional appeals will fail. The prodigal son did not head home until he made a choice (Luke 15:18). His deliverance from the pigs did not come about as a result of intellect or emotion, but a choice of his will. He had known for a long time that his situation was hopeless. He had understood that his fathers servants had it better than he did. However, it wasnt until he exercised his will power to go home that his situation changed. My sincerest prayer for anyone reading these studies is that if you dont know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you have never exercised your will to follow Him, you will do it right now. I pray that you will not let another moment pass before bowing in your heart and asking for the forgiveness of your sins through His shed blood; repent (turn from your wicked ways) and decide to live in obedience to His Word that you may spend eternity with Him. All of these prophecies are coming true. Dont wait to see if Gods Word is really true. By then, it will be too late! May the Lord bless you abundantly as you faithfully serve Him! Serving Christ because of Calvary, Royce A. Ross

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BIBLE STUDIES 3 THE BOOK OF REVELATION

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