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[Chaplain]

Why is the understanding of the Rapture important?

The Book of Acts tells us the Berean believers were more noble than their neighbors in Thessalonica because the Bereans searched the Scriptures to validate what Paul taught them (17:11). So, too, I want our church family to be able to say, “Here’s why we believe what we do.” To this end, I would like to submit to you thirteen reasons why I believe the church will be raptured before the Tribulation.

“Well, I have friends who say the church will go through the Tribulation. Why get all concerned about this issue?” you might say. My answer is because I believe one’s view on Bible prophecy and the timing of the Rapture will affect the way one lives out his faith. Why does the debate continue concerning the timing of this event? I believe it is due to misunderstanding in three areas:

The term “elect” refers to three groups of people in the Bible.

The Elect

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened." Matthew 24:21-22

On the basis of this verse, people say “Aha! Here we see the elect in the Tribulation”—failing to realize that the term “elect” refers to three groups of people: Christians (Colossians 3:12), Israel (Isaiah 45:4), and those who will be saved in the Tribulation (Matthew 24:21, 22).

To which of the elect does Jesus refer in Matthew 24:21? I believe the answer lies in the verse preceding it.…

"And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." Matthew 24:20

Even to this day, transportation in Israel is shut down on the Sabbath. Since the Sabbath means nothing to Gentile nations, the application to Israel is clear.

The Trumpets of God.

The Trumpets

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52

On the basis of this verse, people say, “Aha! According to Revelation 11, the seventh, or last trump signaling the Rapture, will take place midway through the Tribulation.” But wait a minute. The seventh trumpet of Revelation 11 is sounded by angels, whereas 1 Thessalonians 4:16 makes it clear that the last trump is sounded by God.

In Exodus 19, God sounded the first trump when the Jews were gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai to hear the law. The last trump will sound when the church is gathered to meet the Lord in the air and taken to heaven. Thus, the Jews hear the first trump; the church hears the last. The following thirteen reasons are why I believe this trump of God will sound before the Tribulation.…

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #1.

1. The doctrine is to be a comforting one (1 Thessalonians 4:18). The belief that the Rapture happens after or in the middle of the Tribulation is anything but comforting because it means believers must endure unbelievable agony before they are taken to heaven.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #2.

2. The Tribulation is the outpouring of the wrath of the Lamb—and God has not appointed us to wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). The wrath that should have been hurled at you and poured out on me was absorbed by our Hero, our Lord, our Savior on the Cross of Calvary.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #3.

3. Rapture before the Tribulation is illustrated in Genesis 19, where we see angels delivering Lot and his family before the destruction of Sodom. How do I know this is a picture of the Rapture? Because in reference to this, Peter writes, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2 Peter 2:9). The word translated “temptations” is the same word translated “tribulation.”

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #4.

4. Rapture before the Tribulation is illustrated in Enoch, who was taken to heaven prior to the Flood (Genesis 5:24). “Wrong analogy,” some protest. “The correct picture is Noah who went through the tribulation of the Flood.” But wait a minute. Noah is not a picture of the church, but of Israel, who will indeed go through the Tribulation—and will at last come to Jesus as a result.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #5.

5. Rapture before the Tribulation is illustrated in Daniel 3. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. But where was their friend Daniel? Either he did, indeed, bow to Nebuchadnezzar—which is completely contrary to the rest of the book—or, his omission is in itself a picture of the Rapture. Bible scholars believe that, very likely, he was away on official business as an emissary. All we know with certainty, however, is that he was taken out of the scene.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #6.

6. Jesus told us to pray that we would be raptured before the Tribulation. In speaking of the Tribulation in His Olivet Discourse, Jesus said, “Watch and pray always that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things” (see Luke 21:36). How are we accounted worthy? One way: We are worthy because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross of Calvary.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #7.

7. Pre-Tribulation Rapture makes sense historically and scripturally. In accordance with Jewish custom, when a man came of age to marry, he would add a room on to his father’s house for himself and his bride. When the addition was complete, and when the father gave the go-ahead, a trumpet would sound, and the bridegroom would go to meet his bride. Following the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom would take his bride to his father’s house, where they would be tucked away for seven days in the newly completed “bridal suite.” At the end of seven days, the bridegroom would come out with his bride and introduce her to the community.

That’s exactly what’s going to happen with us. Jesus, our Bridegroom, is preparing a place for us in heaven, His Father’s house (John 14:2). At the appointed time known only by the Father, a trumpet will sound and Jesus will meet us, His bride, in the air to escort us up to the “Bridal Suite” He has prepared for us. We will remain with Him in heaven for seven years before we are presented to the world, where we will rule and reign with Him.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #8.

8. Pre-Tribulation Rapture follows the outline of the Book of Revelation. If you don’t embrace a Pre-Tribulation view, your understanding of Revelation becomes as twisted as a pretzel because you’ve got to put chapters 4 and 5 after chapter 11, if you hold to a Mid-Tribulation stance; after chapter 19 if you take a Post-Tribulation point of view. Only a Pre-Tribulation placement of the Rapture allows for a consistent flow of the Book of Revelation.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #9.

9. Pre-Tribulation Rapture allows for the conditional aspect of the Tribulation. To the church at Thyatira, Jesus said, “If you don’t repent, you will experience Tribulation” (see Revelation 2:22). If the Rapture won’t occur until after the Tribulation, what would be the reason for this warning of Jesus?

“Well, didn’t Jesus say in this world we would have tribulation?” you ask.

Yes, but the crushing the believer goes through in the world is from Satan. The Tribulation of chapters 6–19, on the other hand, is from God as He pours out His wrath on a Christ-rejecting world. Folks, God will not allow anyone to get hit from both sides. If we experience tribulation in the world because of our faith, we will not experience the Tribulation of those who have none.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #10.

10. Pre-Tribulation Rapture allows for the unknown time of the Lord’s return. According to Daniel’s prophecy, three and a half biblical years (a Biblical year being three hundred sixty days) from the day Antichrist enters the temple and demands worship midway through the Tribulation, the Lord will return. Consequently, if believers were on earth during the Tribulation, they would be able to predict the exact time of the Second Coming—three and a half biblical years, or forty-two months, or one thousand two hundred sixty days after Antichrist enters the temple. The problem is, 1 Thessalonians 5:2 and Matthew 24:36 make it clear that no one knows the hour of His coming. Therefore, it follows that believers must be absent at this time.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #11.

11. The Tribulation is unnecessary for the church. Referred to as the time of Jacob’s trouble, the Tribulation targets Israel, for through it she will be awakened and at last see Jesus as the Messiah (Deuteronomy 4:29-30). The promises God made to Abraham and to the Jewish people have not been forgotten, gang. God will work with Israel in the days of the Tribulation. He will make Himself known to them—and they shall indeed be saved.

The Rapture will occur before the Tribulation reason #12.

12. Pre-Tribulation Rapture squares with the prophecy of Daniel. At the end of Daniel 9, Daniel was given the timetable for all of Jewish history in units of heptads, or weeks. It is clear from this all-important passage of Scripture that the sixty-nine weeks of Daniel refer to the time between the commandment to rebuild the temple, given in 445 B.C. by Artaxerxes, and the coming of Messiah, fulfilled perfectly on Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. But Daniel was also told, “Seventy weeks are determined upon Israel.” To what does the seventieth week of Daniel refer? To the Tribulation. You see, the seventy weeks of Daniel refer to Israel. The church was not present for the first sixty-nine weeks. And the seventieth week doesn’t begin until after the church is raptured. In other words, if the church was not present in the first sixty-nine weeks, why would she be present in the last week? She won’t. She’ll be in heaven.

The Apostle John wrote, "And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure."

Those are twelve reasons I believe the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation. But the most important one is the following:"

A Pre-Tribulation Rapture viewpoint makes one seek first the kingdom. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing” (Matthew 24:45-46). Who is the one who will have authority and purpose in eternity? He who is watching for Jesus’ coming. But this is impossible for those who believe the Tribulation precedes the Rapture because they must first watch for Antichrist, then the rebuilding of the temple, and finally the Abomination of Desolation when Antichrist demands to be worshiped as God.

Two factors kept the early church on fire: the empowering of the Holy Ghost and the belief that Jesus would return during their lifetime. “But He didn’t come back in their day,” you say. And you’re right—but do you think those early believers are in heaven now, saying, “We didn’t get bogged down in materialism or trivial pursuits. We sought the Lord. We witnessed fervently. We lived for the kingdom. If only we knew He wasn’t coming, we could have played more racquetball”? No! They’re ecstatic that they chose to do what Jesus says to do in every generation—to watch, to be ready, to live for His coming.

Whether or not you believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture will not affect where you’ll ultimately end up. If you’re a believer, you’ll be in heaven no matter what position you hold. But your viewpoint concerning the Rapture very definitely affects how you live your life this side of eternity. If you do not believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture, you cannot look for Jesus Christ because, according to your eschatological viewpoint, Antichrist must appear first. Therefore, you find yourself scanning the news, checking out current events, watching the global scene for Antichrist rather than for Jesus. And this puts believers in a “survivalist” mentality. “We’re going through the Tribulation,” they say. “We better get ready.” Is this what Jesus meant? Does He want us storing gold and guns? Or does He want us living every day in hopeful anticipation that today could be the day we go to heaven?

“I want you looking for Jesus every day,” John said, “because he who has the hope of the imminent, sudden appearing of Christ and the Rapture of the church purifies himself” (see 1 John 3:3). That is why I believe your view on the Rapture is of utmost importance. Live in constant expectancy of Jesus’ return, gang. Be watching and be ready.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1687). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Chaplain]

Sunday Morning, June 3rd, 2012 — 7:30 am, 9:30 am & 12:00 pm (PST)
“Creation, Truth or Lie?,” Genesis 1:1 by Pastor Xavier Ries

Live Webcast Video Link

 

[frequency]

I'm nervous to post this, but...
The pastor told a story in the sermon today. I'm sure everyone has heard something similar and it's not new information, but I thought I would share because it really helped me and relates to one of the questions I was struggling with.

Names might be spelled wrong and it might not be all correct factually. I'm just typing from what I can remember and guessing at name spellings. This is supposed to be recent history.

He told the story of a man named Prem, who was a missionary in Nepal when it was illegal to be Christian. He helped a lot of people in prison, including guards and now Nepal has 600,000 Christians.
When I hear stuff like that, I always think about how amazing it would be if I was able to do that. And then I beat myself up because I'm weak and can never do it. I'm just a girl in a nothing town. I'm dumb and I can't even speak to acquaintances without getting nervous, so I can forget about strangers in another place.

But the pastor went on to talk about how Prem came to Christianity. He heard the message from a roadside preacher in India. His name was Bakht Singh. He was talking about a passage in Hebrews. I forget what it was about. But Prem eventually became Christian and went to Nepal.
So after hearing that, I thought, "oh maybe it won't be so hard to be a missionary in my home town." But again, I would be useless at public speaking. And so I continue to tell myself how I'm just not good enough and I must not have enough faith.

The pastor then talked about how Bakht Singh came to Christ. Bakht Singh went to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to study at the University. While he was there, a Christian couple let him live with them and showed him hospitality. While staying with them, he converted to Christianity.
The message was that we don't all have the talents to be a Prem. Or even a Bakht. But that we can all be like that couple and just treat people well. I don't have it in me to be a missionary in a prison in another country. I don't have it in me to be a missionary in my hometown in public. But I do have it in me to just be hospitable and nice to people.

It really put my mind at ease. Of course, I'm not taking that as an excuse to sit back and do nothing. But it really helps me to know that I don't have to be an amazing leader or a good speaker or anything to be able to do right. Even someone as useless and incapable as me can be used for God's work. I can stop hating myself for being weak and useless. I can stop feeling like I'm a terrible person and that God must hate me because I'm not like Prem or Bakht. I learned that what little talent I have is still useful and I am useful.

The one verse from scripture was:
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:2

Thank you if you read this far. I know I'm not very good at telling (writing) stories and that this was probably a jumbled mess of thoughts. But I just felt like I had to share in case someone else felt worthless and like you're not good enough like I felt.

 

[Pollux]

I'm nervous to post this, but...
The pastor told a story in the sermon today. I'm sure everyone has heard something similar and it's not new information, but I thought I would share because it really helped me and relates to one of the questions I was struggling with.

Names might be spelled wrong and it might not be all correct factually. I'm just typing from what I can remember and guessing at name spellings. This is supposed to be recent history.

He told the story of a man named Prem, who was a missionary in Nepal when it was illegal to be Christian. He helped a lot of people in prison, including guards and now Nepal has 600,000 Christians.
When I hear stuff like that, I always think about how amazing it would be if I was able to do that. And then I beat myself up because I'm weak and can never do it. I'm just a girl in a nothing town. I'm dumb and I can't even speak to acquaintances without getting nervous, so I can forget about strangers in another place.

But the pastor went on to talk about how Prem came to Christianity. He heard the message from a roadside preacher in India. His name was Bakht Singh. He was talking about a passage in Hebrews. I forget what it was about. But Prem eventually became Christian and went to Nepal.
So after hearing that, I thought, "oh maybe it won't be so hard to be a missionary in my home town." But again, I would be useless at public speaking. And so I continue to tell myself how I'm just not good enough and I must not have enough faith.

The pastor then talked about how Bakht Singh came to Christ. Bakht Singh went to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to study at the University. While he was there, a Christian couple let him live with them and showed him hospitality. While staying with them, he converted to Christianity.
The message was that we don't all have the talents to be a Prem. Or even a Bakht. But that we can all be like that couple and just treat people well. I don't have it in me to be a missionary in a prison in another country. I don't have it in me to be a missionary in my hometown in public. But I do have it in me to just be hospitable and nice to people.

It really put my mind at ease. Of course, I'm not taking that as an excuse to sit back and do nothing. But it really helps me to know that I don't have to be an amazing leader or a good speaker or anything to be able to do right. Even someone as useless and incapable as me can be used for God's work. I can stop hating myself for being weak and useless. I can stop feeling like I'm a terrible person and that God must hate me because I'm not like Prem or Bakht. I learned that what little talent I have is still useful and I am useful.

The one verse from scripture was:
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:2

Thank you if you read this far. I know I'm not very good at telling (writing) stories and that this was probably a jumbled mess of thoughts. But I just felt like I had to share in case someone else felt worthless and like you're not good enough like I felt.

Great post. Don't doubt yourself, just say to God that you're giving yourself up completely for His plan and that you will do whatever He wishes for you to accomplish and fulfill His plan. If that plan is to be a missionary then that is what will happen, but you also have to take the first steps. God can show you the door, He can't make you walk through it. Sorry I can't post more, I'm on my phone.

 

[Chaplain]

Ty for sharing what you did. I am going to respond to somethings that stuck out to me while I was reading your post a few minutes ago.

When I hear stuff like that, I always think about how amazing it would be if I was able to do that. And then I beat myself up because I'm weak and can never do it. I'm just a girl in a nothing town. I'm dumb and I can't even speak to acquaintances without getting nervous, so I can forget about strangers in another place.

So after hearing that, I thought, "oh maybe it won't be so hard to be a missionary in my home town." But again, I would be useless at public speaking. And so I continue to tell myself how I'm just not good enough and I must not have enough faith.

Paul wrote, "For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh." This applies to each of us. For some reason, we as humans tend to focus on our own abilities, what we can and cannot do. Paul gives a startling revelation. Nothing good comes from our human abilities because they are always tainted by sin and sin tries to control our actions. Then what is the solution? Paul gives it a few verses later:

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

So, the answer to your situation is not you or your abilities, but Jesus Christ. He is the one who will give you the ability to speak, to walk in the Spirit, to be an example to others, etc. All Jesus calls you to do is die your self, and give him permission to live through you, by His Spirit. He will do the rest, but this is up to you to ask.

As long as you focus on yourself, then Jesus will be limited by what he can do in your and through you. Paul experienced (we all do as Christians) what you are going through now and wrote about it also. I encourage you to read the following chapters in the book of Romans.

Romans 6
Romans 7
Romans 8

Pray to the Lord before reading and talk to him as he begins to minister to you while you are reading.

But I do have it in me to just be hospitable and nice to people.

God has given us each different gifts. To some its speaking, to some its helping others financially in need, to some its preaching, and to some its teaching God's Word.

Each of these gifts is given by God. He gives them. There is no method of earning these gifts. God gives His gifts according to his Will.

I can stop hating myself for being weak and useless. I can stop feeling like I'm a terrible person and that God must hate me because I'm not like Prem or Bakht. I learned that what little talent I have is still useful and I am useful.

God doesn't hate you or will ever hate you. God is love. God demonstrated His love to you by sending His Son to die for your sins. God loves you so much that he thinks about your 24/7.

Satan is the one who constantly attacks us, condemns us, points his finger at us and says God hates us. What is my point? My point is that if you ever think those thoughts, remember that the Holy Spirit's job is to always point us to Jesus. Satan's job is to always point us away from Jesus.

The one verse from scripture was:
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:2

Thank you if you read this far. I know I'm not very good at telling (writing) stories and that this was probably a jumbled mess of thoughts. But I just felt like I had to share in case someone else felt worthless and like you're not good enough like I felt.

I have felt worthless many times. This is because I believed Satan's lies about me. Jesus promised to never leave us or forsake us.

I hope you remember that God loves you and that God will never insult you. Maybe remembering the definition of God's love for you will help you out:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

So another way of saying that verse would be like this:

God's love is patient and kind. God's love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. God's love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Have a good night.

Andrew

 

[Chaplain]

Chapter 4

In chapter 4, we begin the third and final section of the Book of Revelation, as John writes of “the things which shall be hereafter” (see Revelation 1:19).

Revelation 4:1 (a)
After this…

The Greek words here are meta tauta. It’s the same phrase used in the divine outline, where John was instructed to write of the things which he had seen, the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter (1:19). After what? After chapters 2 and 3—after church history. I find it interesting that in the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation, the word “church” appears nineteen times. From chapter 4 on, however, it never appears. Why? Because in chapter 4, the church is taken off the scene and into heaven.

Jesus calls the Apostle John up to heaven.

Revelation 4:1 (b)
…I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

This trumpet sound draws my mind back to 1 Thessalonians.…

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Obviously this is speaking of the Rapture—when the Lord appears in the clouds to take us, His bride, to heaven.

Meta tauta—hereafter. Why do you suppose this phrase is used twice in this verse? I suggest it is because the Lord doesn’t want us to miss it. After these things, after church history—when the last person gets saved; when the last one is added to the kingdom; when the bride of Christ is complete—we’re going up!

Which altar do you worship at?

Revelation 4:2 (a)
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne.

The first thing that captures John’s eye is a throne set, or literally “planted” in heaven. I suggest this was a vital concept for Pastor John to pass on to his flock in the midst of terrible persecution. “I saw a throne set,” said John.

Just as the altars whereupon the children of Israel worshiped Baal or Ashtaroth in Old Testament times were portable—able to be moved from one “high place” or grove to another—the high places and altars of today’s pagan deities are constantly in flux. If you’re worshiping at the altar of materialism, you get the house or buy the car and worship there for a week or two, a year or ten—but then it doesn’t work anymore. You have to have a newer house or better car. So you move.

Or, if you’re worshiping at the altar of sensuality, you worship there for a while—until that altar doesn’t work anymore and you have to find someone else. If you worship at the altar of intellectualism and immerse yourself in the study of this philosophy or that concept, a month or a year later, you’re bored with it.

That’s why we live in a culture that says, “Been there, done that, now what?” Not so with the Lord. I’ve been walking with Him for forty years, and I’m not at all bored. My relationship with Him just gets better and more interesting, more challenging and more intriguing because His throne is set.

“There is here no description of the Divine Being, so as to point out any similitude, shape, or dimensions. The description rather aims to point out the surrounding glory and effulgence than the person of the almighty King.” - Clarke

Revelation 4:3 (a)
And He who sat there was like a jasper…

The jasper stone was a clear stone—probably a diamond—and speaks of light. Because God is light (1 John 1:5), He’s not in the dark about your disappointing marriage, your distressing physical affliction, or your depressing financial situation.

“Then why doesn’t He do anything about it?” you ask.

He has.…

Revelation 4:3 (b)
…and a sardius stone in appearance…

The sardine stone was most likely a ruby, which of course, is red. Truly, the ruby-red blood of Christ flowed from His veins as the nails pierced His hands, as the crown of thorns was clubbed into His skull, as the spear sliced into His side. And through it all, He would declare, “There’s nothing more I could ever do or say to prove to you I am in love with you” (see Romans 5:8).

Therefore, when people get angry with God or arrogantly put God on trial, be one who says, “I understand what you’re saying, but you’re wrong because God proved His love for you. What else could He possibly do to show you He’s in love with you and wants the best for you? He laid everything on the line and was slaughtered in your place with you on His mind and on His heart.”

In Exodus 28, we read that the high priest wore a breastplate upon which were twelve stones—one for each tribe. The first of the twelve sons of Jacob was Reuben. Reuben’s name means “behold” or “see, a son.” His stone was the sardine stone. The last of the twelve sons was Benjamin, whose name means “son of my right hand.” Benjamin’s stone was a jasper. Thus, this One on the throne is, “Behold, the Son of My right hand.” It’s Jesus.

What type of people is God looking for?

Revelation 4:3 (c)
…and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

The throne of God is not surrounded by danger signs or warning lights. It’s surrounded by a rainbow emblematic of grace (Genesis 9:16). That is why we are not instructed to come boldly unto the throne of service, intense worship, or clean living. We are invited to come boldly unto the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

I am totally convinced that grace is not the beginning thing—it’s the whole thing. God is looking for people to bless who won’t take credit by saying, “It’s my praying or witnessing, my disciplined spirituality or intense study,” but rather, “It’s only grace that has brought me thus far.” You see, grace is the only thing that truly allows the Lord to get all the glory. That’s why His is a throne of grace. Amazing grace.

Who are the twenty-four elders John refers to?

Revelation 4:4
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.

Because the Old Testament priesthood was divided into twenty-four groups (1 Chronicles 24), and because the church is called a kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:6), some suggest that the twenty-four elders speak of the church, with their white garments symbolizing the righteousness given to us in Christ.

In my opinion, however, the twenty-four elders refer to the twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles because on each of the twelve gates into the New Jerusalem is the name of one of the patriarchs; and on each of the foundations is the name of an apostle (Revelation 21). If this is the case, the twenty-four elders would symbolize God’s people in entirety—the patriarchs representing the Old Testament believers, the apostles representing the New Testament believers.

While we cannot be dogmatic regarding the identity of the twenty-four elders, we can be certain of their ministry, for as the Book of Revelation progresses, we’ll see what these elders do in heaven. They don’t have board meetings. They don’t run programs. They don’t pursue higher office. What do they do? Here we see them sitting in God’s presence. In the next chapter, they seek out John, saying, “Weep not. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has prevailed.” Later, we see an elder ask John questions to spark spiritual discussion and to provide information and enlightenment. We’ll also see the elders singing a new song.

So, too, if we want to be elders, ministers, or servants here on earth, we must be those who sit in God’s presence, those who seek out people who are hurting and point them to the Lord. We must be those who share truth; and those who sing a new song of something God is doing today, in this hour.

Who are the four creatures John refers to?

Revelation 4:5-6
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

These living creatures are described in greater detail in Ezekiel 1 and 10, where we are told they are cherubim. Cherubim are first seen in the Garden of Eden. After driving Adam and Eve out of the Garden after they had sinned, God employed cherubim with flaming sword to keep Adam and Even from eating of the tree of life and living forever in their fallen condition (Genesis 3:24).

In the Book of Exodus, cherubim are seen again on the mercy seat—a fitting place for them to be, as we shall see.…

All scriptures points to Jesus.

Revelation 4:7
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

Since the early days of church history, Iranius and others recognized that the four faces of these cherubim correspond with the four Gospels: Matthew presents Jesus as King, typified by a lion. Mark presents Him as a Servant, the ox representing servitude. Luke presents Jesus in His Humanity, seen in the face of a man. And John presents Jesus as the Son of God, pictured by the eagle who not only soars higher than any other creature, but is the only animal able to look directly into the sun, even as only the Son of God beholds the glory of the Father.

But there’s something else about these four faces that intrigues me. That is, in chapters 1 and 2 of the Book of Numbers, God declares that His people were to camp in a certain order as they traveled through the wilderness.

He told the Levites to surround the tabernacle on the north, south, east, and west sides. Why? Those serving the Lord—whether in their neighborhood, on their campus, or in their church always end up camping closest to where God’s glory is. That’s the beauty of serving the Lord: You get to camp out closest to His glory because when you’re serving Him, sharing your faith, praying for others, teaching Sunday school you experience most fully the chabod—the glory of God. That’s why God lets us serve Him. He doesn’t need us. Rather, He allows us the privilege to serve because in so doing we draw closest to Him.

Numbers 2 goes on to say that on each of the four sides were to be three tribes. Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon, numbering 186,400, were to camp on the east side and were known as the Camp of Judah. What is the symbol, the ensign of Judah? The Lion. Why were they on the east side? Because when Jesus comes back, roaring with authority, He’s going to come from the East.

Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, numbering 108,100, were to camp on the west side, and were known as the Camp of Ephraim. Their symbol was an ox.

Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, numbering 151,400, were to camp on the south side and were known as the Camp of Reuben, whose symbol was a man.

Dan, Naphtali, and Asher, numbering 157,600, were to camp on the north side and were known as the Camp of Dan, signified by an eagle.

With the largest number of people camped on the east, the smallest number on the west, and an almost identical number of people on the north and south sides of the tabernacle, the configuration is that of a Cross—which is as applicable practically as it is significant spiritually.…

Fearing the approaching Israelites, Balak, king of Moab, hired a prophet named Balaam to curse them. No problem, Balaam must have thought. These people have been idolatrous and rebellious, ungrateful and immoral. Surely God will curse them. But Balaam erred greatly in thinking God was angry with His people, for when he attempted to utter a curse over them, all that came out of his mouth was a blessing (Numbers 23-24). Why? Because as he looked over the camp of Israel from the high places of Baal, what did Balaam see?

A Cross.

So, too, we think we deserve to be cursed because we rebel, murmur, and complain. We think we deserve to be cursed because we don’t do what we should and, instead, do what we shouldn’t. But God looks upon us and sees us in light of the Cross. Therefore, all He desires to do is bless us.

Why do the four creatures say, “Holy, Holy, Holy” 24/7?

Revelation 4:8
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Why do the cherubim say, “Holy, Holy, Holy”? Because God is Triune—Father, Son, and Spirit. The word “holy” means “whole”—not eroded by sin, not falling apart at the seams, not hypocritical or flawed in any way. And it is this holiness, this wholeness, which causes the cherubim to fall down in worship. Then, rising to go their way, they see Him again and bow again in ecstasy and awe. And on and on it goes perpetually—not because the cherubim are some kind of wind-up angels programmed to do this, but because they are totally overwhelmed by the beauty of holiness (Psalm 29:2).

Truly, there is nothing as lovely as holiness in a man or woman, in a church or family—for, without even being able to identify it, people are attracted to it. Oh, they might be enamored or seduced by evil or darkness for a season—but when judgment comes, people hate it. Holiness, on the other hand, never becomes disillusioning or disappointing. The more holy a person, family, or congregation is—the more satisfying they are.

Full of vision and insight, the cherubim understand this. And that’s why they can’t take their eyes off this One who is holy.

What are the five crowns that can be unlocked?

Revelation 4:9, 10 (a)
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne…

As the cherubim worship, the twenty-four elders join in, casting their crowns before the throne. The Bible speaks of five crowns available to you and me.…

The crown of righteousness is given to those who love His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). A person who lives in constant expectation of Jesus’ return is going to live righteously (1 John 3:3) because one of the most purifying truths in all of the Bible is the fact that Jesus could come back at any moment.

The crown of life is given to those who love Him (James 1:12). If you love the Lord, you’re going to hang out with the Lord; and if you hang out with the Lord, you’re going to have life abundantly. The degree to which you spend time with the Lord is the degree to which you’ll have abundant life.

The crown of glory is given for servanthood (1 Peter 5:4). One experiences the glory, the weight, and the reality of God to the extent that one serves Him.

The soul-winners crown is given to those who share their faith (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

The martyr’s crown is for those who lay down their lives (Revelation 2:10). It is my opinion that this refers not only to those who die a martyr’s death, but also to those who lay down their lives in obedience to what they know is right. Sure, it might seem easier to leave him, to walk out on the marriage, to do your own thing, but I believe those who say, “I’m going to die to self and do what the Lord would have me do even if it kills me,” will receive a crown because they chose to lay down their lives rather than give in to their own fleshly inclinations.

Well, I’m not into crowns, you might be thinking. As long as I’m in heaven, I’ll be happy. But think of it this way.…

You’re drafted into the army. As you’re getting your hair buzzed, the President of the United States, your Commander in Chief walks in and says, “I have something for you,” handing you a hat covered with gold braid and five stars.

“Thanks,” you say, “but I’m not into hats. I’ll just take one of the khaki caps like everyone else has.”

“You don’t understand,” he would say. “The five stars on this hat open incredible doors. You don’t stay in the barracks—you have the great big mansion on the hillside. You have a staff to iron your uniforms, feed you the finest food, and give you whatever you need. It all comes with the hat.”

Bunches of Christians don’t get this. The purpose of crowns is not to make a fashion statement. They’re highly significant. And this life is the only chance we have to get them. There is no other opportunity for the next thousand, ten thousand, one hundred million years. Therefore, what I’m doing now with my time, money, or energy will directly determine whether I am in the General’s mansion or on kitchen duty for all eternity. No wonder Paul tells us to run the race so that we may win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Can we take credit for the abilities we have?

Revelation 4:10 (b), 11 (a)
…saying: You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power…

Because it is the Lord who gives us the ability to witness, to love Him, to lay down our life in ministry, when we get to heaven, we’ll say, “You are worthy, Lord. Anything good in my life wasn’t accomplished by my own energy or power. It was all You.”

Why is worship so important?

Revelation 4:11 (b)
…for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

First, worship is the program in heaven. If you want heaven in your heart or home tonight, if you feel as if you’re trapped in a hellish situation at work or in a terrible situation in a relationship, you can bring heaven into it by worshiping.

Second, worship is the purpose of creation. You see, everything exists for one reason: to please God. Therefore, to the extent you please Him is the extent to which you will experience fulfillment in the deepest part of your soul.

How do we worship? The word itself tells us. Proskuneo in Greek means “to turn and kiss.” Thus, true worship is any sincere expression intended for the Lord’s pleasure. Worship is the program in heaven, the purpose of creation on earth. May His will be done in our lives, as it is in heaven.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1699). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Gileadxv]

I'm nervous to post this, but...
The pastor told a story in the sermon today. I'm sure everyone has heard something similar and it's not new information, but I thought I would share because it really helped me and relates to one of the questions I was struggling with.

Names might be spelled wrong and it might not be all correct factually. I'm just typing from what I can remember and guessing at name spellings. This is supposed to be recent history.

He told the story of a man named Prem, who was a missionary in Nepal when it was illegal to be Christian. He helped a lot of people in prison, including guards and now Nepal has 600,000 Christians.
When I hear stuff like that, I always think about how amazing it would be if I was able to do that. And then I beat myself up because I'm weak and can never do it. I'm just a girl in a nothing town. I'm dumb and I can't even speak to acquaintances without getting nervous, so I can forget about strangers in another place.

But the pastor went on to talk about how Prem came to Christianity. He heard the message from a roadside preacher in India. His name was Bakht Singh. He was talking about a passage in Hebrews. I forget what it was about. But Prem eventually became Christian and went to Nepal.
So after hearing that, I thought, "oh maybe it won't be so hard to be a missionary in my home town." But again, I would be useless at public speaking. And so I continue to tell myself how I'm just not good enough and I must not have enough faith.

The pastor then talked about how Bakht Singh came to Christ. Bakht Singh went to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to study at the University. While he was there, a Christian couple let him live with them and showed him hospitality. While staying with them, he converted to Christianity.
The message was that we don't all have the talents to be a Prem. Or even a Bakht. But that we can all be like that couple and just treat people well. I don't have it in me to be a missionary in a prison in another country. I don't have it in me to be a missionary in my hometown in public. But I do have it in me to just be hospitable and nice to people.

It really put my mind at ease. Of course, I'm not taking that as an excuse to sit back and do nothing. But it really helps me to know that I don't have to be an amazing leader or a good speaker or anything to be able to do right. Even someone as useless and incapable as me can be used for God's work. I can stop hating myself for being weak and useless. I can stop feeling like I'm a terrible person and that God must hate me because I'm not like Prem or Bakht. I learned that what little talent I have is still useful and I am useful.

The one verse from scripture was:
"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:2

Thank you if you read this far. I know I'm not very good at telling (writing) stories and that this was probably a jumbled mess of thoughts. But I just felt like I had to share in case someone else felt worthless and like you're not good enough like I felt.

It is so awesome to see God tugging at your heart. Game Analyst made some very good points. Right now your biggest struggle is with your identity in Christ. I highly recommend reading the book of Ephesians. Once you fully understand (and more importantly believe) that God views you as righteous and holy, not because of who you are, but because of who HE is. When Christ died on the cross, he took every part of your life (past, present, and future) that is deserving of God's wrath, and paid the price, leaving you perfect and blameless in Christ. This is why we can rejoice and go to God with confidence that He has adopted us as sons and daughters, because through Christ we are now able to approach God as our Father, and take comfort in that He does not view us with reproach, disdain, or disappointment. No, instead he lavishes His love, mercy, and grace upon us. To view yourself in such negative terms is a sin of pride. You are essentially saying that what Christ did on the cross was not enough; that He was not sufficient to cover the multitude of your sins.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 8:33-39

Finally, don't sell yourself short! Do you know who was also terrified at public speaking and full of self-doubt? Moses. The reality is, none of us can do what God has called us to do...that's why we need and depend on Him! God does God sized things with human sized people! All he requires is a willing heart and for you to show up, He will do all the heavy lifting. In fact, God will almost always push you out of your comfort zone so that you have to rely on Him to get it done, and so people will recognize that it is God at work, and not the person.

If you are feeling the calling or tug to be a missionary, engage God in it! It doesn't matter who you are, you will always feel inadequate...because you are! So am I! But God is more than capable and willing. I am currently attending a Missionary and Discipleship school in San Diego, and I can personally attest to the radical transformation God can do in a person if you let him (it can be painful, but it always brings a greater and sweeter victory). Always remember, that God's greatest victories often rise from the ashes of our defeats. Don't be afraid to fail! Failure is just another opportunity to engage God in the greater victory (Read Joshua ch. 7 & 8 regarding the defeat and victory at Ai for a great example of this).

Don't let the world or the Enemy strip you of your inheritance. Embrace your identity in Christ, and know that in Him, victory has already been assured!

Your Brother In Christ,
Andrew (a different one!)

 

[Chaplain]

The history of Bible scrolls and why Satan is the owner of planet Earth.

Revelation 5:1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.

If similar to other scrolls in John’s day, it was made of eight-by-ten-inch sheets of papyrus, which were connected horizontally and wound around a wooden handle. Epistles the size of Jude, Philemon, and II and III John would all be written on one single piece of papyrus. The Book of Revelation, on the other hand, would require a scroll fifteen feet long. Due to the coarse back of the papyrus, the three-inch-wide columns of writing were penned on only the smooth side. Here, however, we see a scroll written on both sides and sealed with seven seals, which can be perplexing until one studies Jewish history—wherein are found numerous examples of a certain kind of document with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals: a title deed to a piece of property.

Initially, a title deed would be written only on the smooth side and sealed with a single seal (Jeremiah 32:6-29). But if the owner became unable to meet his financial obligations, he would have to relinquish his title deed—upon the backside of which would be written his debts and upon which would be placed seven seals. If at any time during the ensuing seven years he could pay off his debts, the seals would be broken and the title deed returned.

All of this explains what is in the hand of the One who sits on the throne here in chapter 5: It’s the title deed to planet earth. The title deed to this planet was originally given to Adam in the Garden of Eden when God told him to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). But Adam forfeited his right to ownership when he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You see, although Eve was tricked into eating the forbidden fruit, Adam’s was an overt, calculated act of rebellion, which is why the Bible speaks of Adam’s sin as that which transferred to Satan the title deed of our planet. This explains why Paul called Satan the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and why Jesus referred to him as the prince of this world (John 12:31).

Therefore, when people say, “Well, if God is so good, why are there wars, cancer, floods, AIDS, depression, rape, and injustice?”—they’re blaming the wrong person. The planet God gave man was absolutely perfect. Man is to blame for turning the planet over to Satan. And he is the reason the people to whom John was writing were watching their brothers and sisters incarcerated or fed to the lions, crucified, or dipped in hot wax. This book was written not only to deal with prophecy, but primarily to deal with the questions with which John’s flock wrestled—and the questions with which Christians have wrestled ever since.

An angel asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”

Revelation 5:2
Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”

In other words, “Who is able to meet the requirements, to pay off the debt?” Notice he does not say, “Who is willing?” Alexander the Great was willing. Genghis Khan was willing. Charlemagne was willing. Napoleon was willing. Hitler was willing. There have been lots of people who have said, “I want to be in power. Give me a crack at it. Let me see what I can do.” But the angel doesn’t ask, “Who is willing?” The angel asks, “Who is worthy?”

No one is able to open the scroll.

Revelation 5:3
And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

When no one comes forward to reclaim earth’s title deed, something happens that probably never happened before in heaven throughout all eternity past: tears begin to flow.

John cries because the future of Earth and it's people are now indefinitely postponed.

Revelation 5:4
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

The Greek word translated “wept much” actually means “sobbed convulsively.” John is overcome with grief when he realizes the earth would remain in Satan’s grasp forever.

One of the elders see Jesus and tells John everything is going to be ok.

Revelation 5:5 (a)
But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah…

The “Lion of the tribe of Judah” takes us back to Genesis 49, where Jacob calls his twelve sons together to pronounce a blessing upon them. As he comes to Judah, Jacob likens him to a lion’s whelp, and then says that power and authority would be his until the coming of Messiah…

The year is A.D. 12. In the springtime, the Romans issue a decree declaring that the Jewish people would no longer be able to carry out capital punishment. The rabbis’ response to the decree was immediate because they believed capital punishment was the cornerstone of government as defined in the Noahic Covenant. When they were denied this fundamental right of government, and thereby rendered powerless as a nation, the rabbis rushed into the streets of Jerusalem, rending their clothes and smiting their breasts. In fact, we are told the whole city was filled with the wailing of rabbis who understood that something terrible was happening. The scepter had departed. The authority was gone. Yet Messiah had not come—or so they thought. For on that very day, guess who was sitting in the temple in Jerusalem as a twelve-year-old confounding the scribes and thinkers of the day: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah—Jesus Christ.

So, too, how often we throw dirt in the air and wail and moan, ripping our clothes and crying, “Where are You, Lord?”—when He’s right in our midst, working everything out perfectly.

Revelation 5:5 (b)
…the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.

Jesus was born of the house and lineage of David, but because He preceded David by all eternity, He’s the Root of David, as well as a Branch from David. “I understand why you’re weeping, John,” said the angel. “But this won’t go on forever. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed.”

At this point, John turns around, expecting, no doubt, to see a massive figure, a roaring lion.….

"Jesus bears the marks of omnipotence (seven horns) and omniscience (seven eyes). What a figure! A slain Lamb, who has the marks of omniscience and omnipotence!" - David Guzik

Revelation 5:6 (a)
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb…

The Greek word translated “Lamb” is in the diminutive form—meaning a pet lamb.

Revelation 5:6 (b)
…as though it had been slain…

According to Isaiah 52, Jesus’ visage is marred more than that of any other man. Marred more than a man in a train wreck, a plane crash, Hiroshima? Yes. You see, it’s not only that Jesus’ beard was plucked out, His back beaten, His side pierced, and His wrists nailed. It’s the psychological and spiritual stress He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane that caused the blood vessels in His face to burst. Jesus experienced marring and scarring in ways we’ll never understand until we see Him.

But here is the interesting thing: The terror that would mar Him psychologically and physiologically was due neither to the physical suffering He would endure nor to the blood He would shed. The one thing that terrorized our Hero was that He knew He would, for a time, lose contact with His Father as He who knew no sin became sin for us.

We shudder at the thought of hearing our boss say, “You’re through,” or of our girlfriend saying, “Goodbye.” But if someone were to say, “You’re going to lose fellowship with the Father for a day,” we wouldn’t care. Why is it that we are nonchalant about that which terrified Jesus—and we are fearful about that which He said, “Let not your hearts be troubled”?

Jesus was close to His Father, drew His life from His Father, was in love with His Father. That’s why He bled from His face at the thought of being out of fellowship with His Father for even a short period of time. That’s why He asked that this particular cup be taken from Him. That’s why He was marred more than any other man in history. Truly, when we see Jesus, we’ll be awed, amazed, and broken by what He did to get us to heaven.

Revelation 5:6 (c)
…having seven horns…

This speaks of perfect power.

Revelation 5:6 (d)
…and seven eyes…

This speaks of perfect insight.

Revelation 5:6 (e)
…which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

This doesn’t mean the Lamb literally had seven eyes. Rather, this speaks of the fullness of God’s Spirit.

Only Jesus could redeem creation and mankind.

Revelation 5:7
Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the Lamb slain is the only One worthy to pay the price for the bankruptcy of mankind.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1699). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Chaplain]

In Heaven, where are our prayers kept?

Revelation 5:8
Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

An angel appeared to Zacharias, saying, “Your prayer is heard. Your wife, Elisabeth, is going to conceive” (see Luke 1:13).

What do you mean? Zacharias must have thought. I haven’t prayed that prayer in decades—which shows us even the prayers we forget about are still in God’s “Active” box. Therefore, I’m convinced that many of the blessings in our lives are answers to prayers we prayed years previously. According to our text, our prayers are kept in vials, or bowls. How full is yours?

Who are the singers of the following song?

Revelation 5:9, 10
And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Who is the only group of people who can say, “Out of every kindred and tongue, nation and people, we have been redeemed by the blood”? Only the church—which means the church is in heaven in chapter 5 before the Tribulation begins in chapter 6.

What happens when we truly see Jesus?

Revelation 5:11, 12
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

When does true worship take place? When a worship leader is giving an exhortation? No. When someone is trying to manipulate the heavenly scene to praise? No. It happens when those in heaven see the slain Lamb. So, too, who are vibrant worshipers today? Not those who are manipulated by a worship leader or pastor, but those who understand that Jesus really died for them. Anyone who truly sees the slain Lamb cannot help but worship.

A few things...

Revelation 5:14-13
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

1. Will there be dogs and cats and pets in heaven? I don’t know. However, this I do know: Jesus comes back to earth riding a horse (Revelation 19).

2. “Amen” simply means “Yes.” In 2 Corinthians 1:20, Paul writes that the promises of God are in Christ Yea and Amen, for Jesus is the Amen (Revelation 3:14).

3. Because the Lamb slain has taken control of the Book—the scroll, the title deed to earth—worship abounds.

First Seal: The Conqueror

Jesus opens the first seal, and why our sins always track us down.

Revelation 6:1
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”

Chapters 6 through 19 describe the seven-year period of the Tribulation—result of the rebellion and sin of mankind.

"Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the Lord your God when He led you in the way? Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you".… Jeremiah 2:17-19 (a)

To the people of Jeremiah’s day, to those who rebelled against the Lord and found themselves threatened by external enemies and internal problems, the Lord said, “It’s not that I will punish you. Rather, it will be your own sin that will come back to bite you.”

So, too, the world has declared corporately, “We will not allow this Man to rule us (John 18:40). We want to do our own thing. We want to call our own shots. We want to live our own life.”

And in response, God says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (see Galatians 6:7).

Our sin will track us down, gang. Which sins? Every sin—every white lie, every questionable late night TV show, every bit of fudging on our income tax. Yes, if we have confessed them, they have all been forgiven and forgotten. But whatever sin in which a man indulges will track him down like a hound dog until it eventually catches up with and bites into him. There is no exception.

I don’t know how old a man has to get or how much he has to go through before he finally realizes God’s Word is right. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). There is no exception. None.

Chapter 6 is the account of mankind’s sin coming back to bite him—for although Jesus is reclaiming the title deed to earth, sin still brings repercussions, still exacts a price.

The antichrist is revealed.

Revelation 6:2 (a)
And I looked, and behold, a white horse…

In chapter 19, we will see a Man on a white horse, who is clearly the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. But we know by the company he keeps that the man on the white horse here in chapter 6 is not Jesus.

Revelation 6:2 (b)
…and he who sat on it had a bow…

The word “bow” tends to conjure up an image of a bow and arrow. But I’m not sure that’s correct. The first time a bow is mentioned in the Bible, it refers to a rainbow—the token of God’s promise that He would not destroy the world with a flood (Genesis 9:13). Now think with me: Right after the church is raptured, Daniel says a man will come, making a covenant with Israel—a seven-year peace treaty. And the whole world will say, “Hooray! At last someone has solved the problem of Jerusalem. There’s peace between the Israeli and the Palestinian, between the Arab and the Jew.” Thus, this bow could be the same type God displayed to Noah—a rainbow.

Revelation 6:2 (c)
…and a crown was given to him…

The Greek word translated “crown” is stephanos. A diadem is a permanent crown. A stephanos, on the other hand, is a wreath made of olive branches that only lasts a short while.

Revelation 6:2 (d)
…and he went out conquering and to conquer.

How will this one riding a white horse, carrying a bow, and wearing a crown of olive branches conquer? As a peacemaker (Daniel 8:23-25). Isn’t this exactly what Jesus prophesied when He proclaimed, “I come in My Father’s name, and you receive me not. But another will come in his own name, and him you shall receive” (see John 5:43)?

• How did Jesus come?
Meekly riding on a donkey.
• What did the world say?
“We will not have this Man rule over us.”
• So who will the world get instead?
Antichrist.

And look who Antichrist brings with him.…

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

The red horse follows the Antichrist, and brings war/conflict with it.

Revelation 6:3, 4
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

The red horse following the white horse of Antichrist is war. Anyone who thinks there can be true political solutions to the world’s problems is sadly mistaken. Politics is solely about gaining and maintaining power. “From whence come wars and fightings?” James asks. “Come they not even from your own lusts?”—from wanting power, wanting property (see James 4:1-2).

Truly, any man who thinks he can bring about peace politically, or any church that looks to the government for a solution to our country’s problems will be disappointed. Power always brings war. And war is always disguised to look acceptable.

I think of the recent Gulf War. It was covered in patriotism and heroism, with the waving of the flag, the singing of the song, the colorful parade. The ugliness and hellishness of war is so heavily disguised that people begin to think war is acceptable, justifiable, okay—but it’s not. Jesus refused to be pulled into politics when the multitude wanted to make Him king (John 6:15). And when Peter unsheathed the sword to fight a “righteous war,” He said, “Put it away. That’s not My way” (Matthew 26:52).

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1703). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Chaplain]

“The wars and famines predicted in the second and third seals are not unfamiliar events in the history of the world, but never before since the time of Noah has a judgment so devastating been consummated as to destroy one-fourth of the earth’s population at one stroke.” - Walvoord

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

The black horse speaks of scarcity.

Revelation 6:5 (a)
When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse…

As we shall see, the black horse symbolizes famine—with reference to an imbalance in nature as well as physical famine. We’re out of balance, gang. People work at machines that pollute the air to purchase machines that travel at lethal speeds over blacktop so they can come home to sit before high-priced boxes that flicker images telling them what to buy. Then they get up the next morning to repeat the process—all the while living in a state of spiritual famine.

What will life be like during the Tribulation ? “A time of famine when life will be reduced to the barest necessities.” - Walvoord

Revelation 6:5 (b), 6 (a)
…and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny…

“A measure of wheat for a penny” means that the time of the Tribulation will be so economically oppressive that the masses will exist on rations. A full day’s wage will only buy a little wheat or barley because of Antichrist’s system that is based on the mark of the beast.

Revelation 6:6 (b)
…and do not harm the oil and the wine.

Biblically, oil and wine symbolize luxury. You see, the wealthy of the world somehow continue to get wealthier even in times of war and famine.

Alfred Nobel, of the Peace Prize fame, made his fortune manufacturing explosives. When his father, also named Alfred, died, an obituary mistaking father for son stated that “he was a rich industrialist who made his fortune in war.” “This is my legacy?” asked a horrified Nobel. And from that day on, he set apart a substantial sum of money to fund prizes for peace and science, medicine and literature.

Nobel is the rare exception, for the famine that follows war never seems to affect the oil and wine of the wealthy.

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

The final horseman is Death.

Revelation 6:7, 8 (a)
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse…

Chloros, the Greek word translated “pale,” is the same word from which we get the word “chlorine”—or bleached—and “chlorophyll”—or green. In other words, this horse is really ugly.

Revelation 6:8 (b)
…and the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

The phrase translated “beasts of the earth” is therion in Greek. Therion does not mean gigantic or monstrous. It means something frightful of any size—even, I suggest, microscopic, as are the HIV and e-coli viruses.

Each of the three preceding horsemen appeared in disguise. Deception appeared as a peacemaker on a white horse; war as patriotism on a red horse; famine as luxury on a black horse. And this fourth horseman is no exception, for what does it say about a culture like ours whose number one industry is health care?

“We’re so advanced!” we think.
No, we’re sick!

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

Who will the people of the world blame for God's judgment during the Tribulation?

Revelation 6:9–11
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.

Things are going badly. The bow of the horseman on the white horse is broken. Blood flows. Famine follows. Disease and sickness run rampant. So who does the world blame? The believers who come to Christ during the Tribulation. This is not new. In the days of the Black Plague, one of every four people died. The one group of people spared was the Jews. Today, we know it is because they were simply following the biblical principles of hygiene. But their contemporaries, convinced the Jews were the reason for the plague, persecuted them.

The same will be true in the Tribulation. Amid sickness and blood, economic disharmony and war—believers will be martyred. And this is where the Lord seems to intervene.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

God pours out His wrath on the world.

Revelation 6:12, 13
I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind.

There’s a cataclysmic, catastrophic shaking going on. Why? Some suggest this describes a nuclear winter—the result of a nuclear exchange in which the sun would be darkened, the stars would fall, and the tectonic plates would shift. But I suggest the shaking and quaking is the result of God Himself getting involved when He sees His kids being attacked.

Bible verses that skeptics laughed at before science verified what God said 3000 years ago.

Revelation 6:14
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Isaiah 42:5 says that God stretched out the heavens. Isaiah 34:4 says the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. Skeptics laughed at this for years—until now. Recent findings not only verify that the universe is indeed expanding, but quantum physics and the findings of the Hubbell spacecraft verify that the universe is indeed curved, or scroll-like in shape.

“What sinners dread most is not death, but the revealed presence of God.” - Swete

Revelation 6:15, 16 (a)
Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne…

Refusing to call on the Rock of Ages, men have no other choice but to cry to the rocks of the earth.

“It is the wrath of love, the wrath of sacrificial love which, having done the absolute utmost for us and our salvation, tells us as nothing else could the certainty with which evil awaits its doom at the hand of God.” - Torrance

Revelation 6:16 (b)
…and from the wrath of the Lamb.

There are those who say the wrath of the Lamb, the real Tribulation, does not happen until midway into this seven-year period. They believe the church is raptured immediately before Antichrist enters the temple, demanding to be worshiped as God. Adherents to this view, called the Mid-Tribulation or Pre-Wrath Rapture, would do well to read Revelation 6 more carefully, because verse 16 makes it clear that the wrath of the Lamb occurs at the beginning of the Tribulation, not halfway through.

“Pray you may be found worthy to escape all of these things,” Jesus taught in His Olivet Discourse—not “that you may be found worthy to escape halfway through” (see Luke 21:36).

How is one found worthy?
Simply by being in Christ (Jude 24).

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." Romans 5:1-2

Revelation 6:17
For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Who can stand? We can. Because God has not appointed us unto wrath, but unto salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9), we’ll be standing in heaven. But we’re not the only ones standing. In chapter 7, we’ll see three other groups who stand in the day of the wrath of the Lamb.…

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

Joyce Meyer - Addictive Behavior: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4gC-BVX_as

Good stuff!

 

[Chaplain]

The Sealed of Israel

"Who can stand in the Tribulation?"

Revelation 7:1 (a)
After these things I saw four angels standing…

Who can stand in the Tribulation? We can because we’ll be in heaven. But there are two other groups who will also stand—one of which is comprised of four angels.

A skeptic verse.

Revelation 7:1 (b)
…at the four corners of the earth…

“Aha!” you say, “The Bible can’t be taken literally because everyone knows the earth is round. How, then, can it have four corners?” Tell that to the Pentagon. The U.S. Marines ran an advertising campaign a few years back that said “Our Marines are stationed on the four corners of the earth.” Thus, it’s a figure of speech we still use today.

"Winds are a destructive force of God’s judgment (Hosea 13:15) or the following verse may refer back to the four horsemen of Zechariah 6:1-8." - David Guzik

Revelation 7:1 (c)
…holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.

In Bible typology, wind speaks of the judgment of God (Jeremiah 49:36; 51:1, 16). The seals have been opened—and suddenly it is eerily quiet.

God seals His people.

Revelation 7:2 (a)
And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God…

The idea of sealing refers to the process whereby a builder would seal with wax the lumber he chose before it was shipped across the Aegean Sea. Arriving at the port nearest him, the builder would carry away whichever trees had his seal upon them.

So, too, the Master Carpenter, Jesus Christ, has chosen us to be the material of His eternal temple. Therefore, He has sealed us with His Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).

The history on why Christians and cults have attempted to take Israel out of the eschatological equation (“Replacement Theology,” “Reconstructionism,” and “Kingdom Now&#8221.

Revelation 7:2 (b)–4
…and he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:

One hundred forty-four thousand will be marked by God as His servants during the Tribulation. And guess what. In chapter 14, verse 1, we see every single one of them surviving the Tribulation to stand with the Lord. Who is this second group who will stand in the Tribulation?

Many groups claim to be the 144,000. Jehovah Witnesses are one, even though they had to change their stance a bit when their group grew to number more than 144,000. Historical Mormonism also claimed to be the 144,000. Ellen G. White and the Seventh Day Adventists claim to be the 144,000. Garner Ted Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God claim to be the 144,000.

Why would such groups want to be these 144,000, considering that during the Tribulation, the world will be falling apart around them?

Because in so doing, they conveniently write the Jews out of prophecy.

You see, throughout history, Christians and cult members alike have attempted to take Israel out of the eschatological equation. Doctrines such as “Replacement Theology,” “Reconstructionism,” and “Kingdom Now” propound that all of God’s promises to Israel were passed on to the church because the Jews rejected Jesus. This is anything but a new idea.…

Following Constantine’s conversion in A.D. 312, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. At this point, Christian teachers, thinkers, and theologians said, “Uh-oh. We’ve been teaching the kingdoms of this world are going to fall—but now we’ve got a Christian in power in the person of Constantine.”

So, Origen, a heavyweight Bible teacher and philosopher of the day said, “I think we’ve been reading the Scriptures wrong. All of the promises given to Israel are simply allegories and illustrations.” And as a result, the power and potency, the effectiveness and impact of the church decreased steadily.

Origen left the scene and was followed by Augustine, who was such a gifted proponent of the case for the allegorizing of the Old Testament, that even in some of today’s King James Bibles, headings of the sections that speak of blessings upon Israel read “Blessings to the Church,” while sections that speak of curses upon Israel read “Cursing Upon Israel” (Micah 6-7).

Augustine was eventually followed by Martin Luther. And Luther, although a giant of the faith, was terribly wrong on one issue: He hated the Jews. That’s why many Protestant pastors supported Hitler well into his regime.

God is not through with His people. His promises to them are firmly rooted in the five covenants He made with them—four of which are unconditional.…

In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised to bless Abraham regardless of what Abraham did or didn’t do (Genesis 12:1-3).

In the Palestinian Covenant, God gave three hundred thousand square miles of land—from the Euphrates River to the Nile—to the Jews, even though at the height of their rule under Solomon, they only possessed thirty thousand square miles (Genesis 13:14).

In the Mosaic Covenant, otherwise known as the Law, God promised to bless Israel if they followed His commandments (Deuteronomy 28). Of the five covenants, only the Mosaic Covenant is conditional.

In the Davidic Covenant, God promised that an eternal King would come from David’s lineage—fulfilled, of course, in Jesus (2 Samuel 7).

In the New Covenant, God promised to give Israel a new heart upon which He would write His will (Jeremiah 31:31-33).

God is not through with the Jew. Because the promises He made to them were unconditional, they cannot be forfeited.

“But Israel failed,” you say.
So do I.
“But Israel was fickle,” you protest.
So are you.
“But Israel faltered,” you whisper.
So do we.

That’s why in Romans 9-11, God says, “Look at Israel. I have not turned My back on them—and I’ll not turn My back on you.”

What will the 144,000 Jews do during the Tribulation?

Revelation 7:5–8 (a)
of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;

Listed by tribe, the 144,000 refer to 144,000 Jews who will preach throughout the world during the Tribulation.

Why is tribe of Dan missing?

Revelation 7:8 (b)
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, step in and take the place of Joseph. But if Joseph is replaced by two in this list and yet the number of tribes remains twelve, a tribe must be missing. The missing tribe is Dan.

Why? The Rabbis have consistently interpreted the ominous word in Genesis 49:17 to mean that a false Messiah, or Antichrist, will come from the tribe of Dan. That could indeed be true. But Dan’s exclusion may also be the result of something else. You see, God specifically says in Deuteronomy 29 that any tribe involved in idolatry would be separated from the remaining tribes of Israel. This is exactly what happened to Dan. When they came into the Promised Land, the people of Dan were given coastal territory. But they weren’t happy. They soon migrated north in search of new land, finally settling above the Sea of Galilee in close proximity to the pagans. Because of their geographic location, Dan fell into idolatry.

Consequently, just as Deuteronomy 29:21 prophesied, Dan was blotted out as a tribe. But when the Lord comes back and establishes His kingdom in Israel, guess who is the first tribe given their allotment. Dan (Ezekiel 48:1–3). Such is the incredible grace, mercy, and forgiveness of our God.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

“The palm, the ensign of triumph, indicates most certainly a conflict and conquest. As on earth palm would not be given if not won, we may conclude that the Lord would not have distributed the prize unless there had been a preceding warfare and victory . . . From the very fact that the glorified carry palms, we may infer that they did not come from beds of sloth, or gardens of pleasure, or palaces of peace, but that they endured hardness, and were men trained for war.” - Spurgeon

Revelation 7:9–11
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.

This company causes the angels to hold a heavenly hallelujah hoe-down, giving worship and adulation, praise and glory.…

"As these other created beings hear the worship the great multitude brings to God, they see more clearly the power and wisdom and majesty of God. They can worship God all the more by seeing the salvation He brought to the great multitude." - David Guzik

Revelation 7:12
They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

What would cause these angels, elders, and living creatures to burst forth in such ecstasy? The company described in verse 9. Who are they? Read on.

What is an elder suppose to do?

Revelation 7:13
Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?”

I find it intriguing that one of the elders answered—even though no one was asking. That’s exactly what an elder, a mature brother or sister, is supposed to do: answer even though no one’s asking. If you go to work or school, saying, “Lord, use me. Bring me someone today who will ask me about the meaning of life—it’s possible that will happen, but more than likely you’ll wait a long time for that to occur. An elder is one who doesn’t wait for someone to ask. Just as this elder did, he initiates spiritual discussion.

"People saved during the Tribulation are not the church."

Revelation 7:14 (a)
And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”

In chapters 4 and 5, John recognized the church. Yet he doesn’t recognize this multitude before the throne. Therefore, they cannot be the church.

Revelation 7:14 (b)—17
Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

Who is this company? First of all, keep in mind the angels are thrilled to see them arrive in heaven. Jesus said that when one lost person is found, all of heaven breaks out in a fabulous chorus of praise (Luke 15:7, 10). Therefore, these are people who were lost, but who have come to believe in Jesus during the Tribulation. Be faithful in sharing, precious people—even if you’re not presently seeing people respond. Keep proclaiming the Word because the greatest revival in world history will take place after the Rapture.

As we read through the book, we’ll see angels flying across the sky, and two witnesses preaching in Jerusalem. Then suddenly, a “great multitude which no man could number” will turn to the Lord. But their repentance could very well cost them their lives, as Antichrist declares war on those who refuse his mark.

“I’ll wait to get saved until I see the Tribulation really happen,” some say. “So what if I’m martyred in the process? It will be worth it.”

I answer, “You must understand that people saved during the Tribulation are not the church, and therefore are in an entirely different position than the church.…

• This company stands before the throne (verse 9).
• The bride of Christ sits on the throne (Revelation 3:21).
• This company serves the Lord (verse 15).
• The bride of Christ is served by the Lord (Luke 12:37).

Precious people, today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Don’t wait until you see everything happen with your physical eyes. Be a man or woman of faith, and come, be part of the bride of Christ.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Chaplain]

Jesus Breaks the Seventh Seal

"This silence in heaven demonstrates a sober, awestruck silence at the judgments to come, now that the seals are off and the scroll can be opened." - Guzik

Revelation 8:1
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

As the prayers of the saints, mixed with the incense of Christ’s intercession rise to the ears of the Father, God silences everything in heaven to zero in on the prayers being offered to Him.

“It is not said that the angel presents these prayers. He presents the incense, and the prayers ascend with it. The ascending of the incense shows that the prayers and offering were accepted.” - Clarke

Revelation 8:2–4
I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets. Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out.

“Make everything according to pattern,” God told Moses concerning the tabernacle (Exodus 25:9). It was imperative Moses followed God’s plan because the tabernacle was an earthly shadow of heavenly reality…

• Just as heaven has a door, so did the tabernacle.
• As heaven has a sea, the tabernacle had a brass laver, or “molten sea.”
• As heaven has a lampstand, the tabernacle had a candlestick.
• As heaven has an altar of incense, so did the tabernacle.
• And as heaven has a throne of grace, the tabernacle had a seat of mercy.

Revelation 8:5
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

We see the impact and power of answered prayer as the prayers of the saints are hurled back to earth.

First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

Are the two following verses speaking of the detonation of a nuclear warhead?

Revelation 8:6, 7
Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow their mighty blasts. The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

It is very possible that these trumpet judgments that include flowing blood, pelting hail, and consuming fire describe what would happen in a nuclear holocaust. Keep in mind, history verifies that weapon systems have never been developed that have not been used. Therefore, it would be an aberration of history if all of the countries that presently have nuclear weapons—including Russia, France, England, Israel, India, China, the U.S., and a host of others—failed to use them.

I am not saying this passage can only refer to a nuclear holocaust. However, the fact remains that upon the detonation of a nuclear warhead, two hundred fifty-mph winds of fire follow. In addition, aboveground nuclear tests on the island of Bikini caused the surrounding water to shoot thousands of feet into the air, where it froze and returned as hailstones big enough to destroy the equipment intended to monitor it.

Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck

"What does it mean that the great mountain is burning with fire? What does it mean that it was thrown into the sea? What does the sea symbolize? Who are the living creatures in the sea? What are the ships on the sea? What is their destruction a symbol of? All these questions make us say that the best solution is to see this as some literal mass of land, probably a meteor or asteroid, falling into the sea and bringing ecological disaster." - Guzik

Revelation 8:8 (a)
Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea…

The text does not refer to a literal mountain, but to something that looked like a mountain. Again, it could be the mushrooming of a nuclear cloud.

Revelation 8:8 (b), 9
…and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Water covers three-fourths of the earth, one-third being the Atlantic Ocean. Interestingly, one-third of the ships afloat today are in the Atlantic region. Thus, this passage may refer to one specific site where the firing of weapons causes ecological catastrophe.

“Come on,” some say. “These judgments are allegories. You can’t take them literally.” In response, I challenge them to compare the trumpet judgments with the plagues that befell Egypt (Exodus 7-12). Were those plagues allegorical or literal? Ask Pharaoh.

Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck

A few views on the following verses.

Revelation 8:10
Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

Aboveground nuclear testing has been banned largely due to the discovery of radioactive Strodium 90 in fresh-water supplies surrounding the areas of detonation.

Revelation 8:11 (a)
The name of the star is Wormwood.

Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not—the Russian word for “wormwood” is “cherynobyl.”

"Some say the star means Attila and his Huns; others, Genseric with his Vandals falling on the city of Rome; others, Eleazer, the son of Annus, spurning the emperor’s victims, and exciting the fury of the Zealots; others, Arius, infecting the pure Christian doctrine with his heresy, [and so on and so on]. It certainly cannot mean all these; and probably none of them. Let the reader judge.” - Clarke

Revelation 8:11 (b)
A third of the waters became wormwood…

“Wormwood” alludes to prophecy. But I believe it also speaks of Jesus, who became a worm as He became sin for you and me (Psalm 22:6).

Revelation 8:11 (c)
…and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

After the Israelites traveled through the wilderness for three days without water, it is no wonder they dove into the first pool of water they encountered. But discovering it bitter, they called it “Mara” or “bitter.” To remedy the situation, the Lord directed Moses to cast a nearby tree into the water—whereupon the water became sweet. It is interesting that in the Exodus 15 account it is a tree that makes the water sweet. The tree is always a picture of the Cross. When you add the Cross to the bitter water in your life, the result will be sweetness. In this passage, however, just the opposite transpires because those who reject Christ’s work on the Cross will drink the bitter water of the Tribulation.

Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

Jesus said the following about the Last Days, "Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken."

Revelation 8:12
Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

When Mount St. Helens erupted, the dust that shot into the air made the sky hazy for weeks. Can you imagine what would happen if nuclear warheads were being detonated all over the world? If a nuclear exchange took place in the summertime, scientists tell us the high temperature on the west coast of the United States would be fifteen degrees. Obviously, crops would not grow, and starvation would result. Thus, when Scripture talks about a thirty-three percent reduction in the light of sun, moon, and stars, it could be speaking of what scientists ominously term “nuclear winter.”

"The angel’s woes are well founded, because one-third of the earth’s population will die in the next three trumpets." Guzik

Revelation 8:13
And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

In other words, the angel is saying, “The worst is yet to come because the last three trumpets are worse than the first four.”

As we will see in chapter 9, the next three trumpets to blast judgment upon the earth are much more devastating than the first four. The first four trumpets dealt with the arena of the natural. The last three deal with the supernatural—specifically demonic activity.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1710). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Chaplain]

Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit

"The text clearly shows us that this star is a person (to him), not a literal star. The verb tense (fallen) indicates that he already had fallen." - Guzik

Revelation 9:1 (a)
Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth.

Who is this star? Lucifer, or Satan, who also bears the name “Shining One.”

There was Another who also saw Satan fall from heaven.…

“Master,” said the excited disciples, returning from their first missionary venture, “even the demons are subject to us as we minister in Your Name.” “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning,” answered Jesus. In other words, “You guys are so excited about the power you’re experiencing in ministry, but be careful: I saw Satan fall from heaven because he got wrapped up in the power he possessed as heaven’s worship leader. No longer a servant, he wanted heaven to serve him. Therefore, do not rejoice in what you are doing or what you have seen happen in your service for Me. Rejoice instead in the fact that your names are written in the Book of Life—that you’re saved by the goodness and generosity of God” (see Luke 10:20).

The sober warning to anyone in ministry is to make sure that seeing demons flee or lives changed doesn’t become your passion. Rejoice, instead, in what God has done for you in rescuing you from the fires of hell.

"Where is the bottomless pit? The most straightforward answer is that it is in the center of the earth, because there, one might say that all is “top” and nothing is “bottom.” But the “bottomlessness” of the pit may be symbolic." - Guzik

Revelation 9:1 (b)
To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

When Lucifer fell from heaven, Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, and Revelation 12 tell us one-third of the angels went with him and became demons. The worst of these demons—those who “left their first estate” (Jude 6) and had the audacity to have relations with women, producing the “nephilim,” or giants, seen in Genesis and Numbers—God cast into the abussos, or bottomless pit. But now watch what happens as the plot thickens.…

Are demons real?

Revelation 9:2
And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.

If you were transported to seventeenth-century London, you would find yourself enveloped in the smoke of cannons and fires burning day and night. You would soon learn that the intelligentsia of the day had identified fresh air as the cause behind the epidemic claiming one out of four lives. You alone would know the culprit was not fresh air, but rather the fleas on the rats that carried the Bubonic Plague. However, were you to target fleas as the problem, you would be laughed to scorn.

So, too, educated people today scoff at the very idea of demons. “You don’t really believe in demons, do you?” they chide. “We now know that demons are only another name for fears, phobias, and psychological imbalances.” Gang, they were blowing smoke in 1666, and they’re blowing smoke today. The Bible says demons are at work presently causing people to experience depression, emotional distress, and relational trauma. Inspired by the Spirit of God, Paul said we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the very real entities of principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

These locusts are “A visual representation of the hordes of demons loosed upon the earth.” - Walvoord

Revelation 9:3, 4
Then locusts came from the smoke and descended on the earth, and they were given power to sting like scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass or plants or trees, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

As we have seen, the sounding of the trumpets would have been especially significant to John’s congregation—bringing to mind the victory of Jericho, the freedom of the Year of Jubilee, the call to worship from the temple in Jerusalem. In fact, some of John’s readers would have been on the scene when Jesus Himself talked about the angel who would blow his trumpet to gather the elect (Matthew 24). Jerusalem, Jericho, Jubilee, Jesus—all these images would stir the hearts of John’s flock as he told them of the trumpets which would sound. But there’s another image that would enter their minds as well: Joel.…

Suicide will not work when people try to kills themselves.

Revelation 9:5, 6
They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months with pain like the pain of a scorpion sting. In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!

Due to these scorpionlike locusts, men will try to take their own lives.

“There can be no specific answer to the question of exactly who or what is symbolized by the plague of locusts. All we can know for sure is that in the period immediately before the end the wicked will be subjected to a time of unprecedented demonic torment. Exactly how this will take place will remain unknown until disclosed by history itself.” - Mounce

Revelation 9:7–10
The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like gold crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like human faces. They had hair like women’s hair and teeth like the teeth of a lion. They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle. They had tails that stung like scorpions, and for five months they had the power to torment people.

Even this description of bizarre and horrific demons would remind John’s congregation of God’s promise. You see, in Joel 2, we find a parallel passage to Revelation 9.…

Historically, the prophecy of Joel 2 was fulfilled in Joel’s day when Israel was besieged with locusts.

Symbolically, the prophecy was fulfilled in 722 B.C. when the Assyrians marched south and carried the ten northern tribes into captivity.

Prophetically, the locusts speak of the demons that will be released from the abussos in Revelation 9.

But nestled among the dire warnings of this terrible invasion is a wonderful promise.…

"The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced." Joel 2:25-26

Gang, whenever we obey Scripture—when we listen to the trumpet, repent, and seek the Lord with sincerity—the Lord not only forgives us but makes up to us what was lost. Amazing! I would have thought it would be enough for God to forgive us. But He says, “No, I’m going to do more than that. I will restore to you what the locusts ate.”

You might be fifty, sixty, or seventy years old, and you might be saying, “There’s a big chunk of my life eaten away by grasshoppers.” Good news for you: Whenever you choose to humble yourself and call out to the Lord, He’ll make up for lost time.

Who is the leader of the demons that come out of the bottomless pit?

Revelation 9:11
Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.

Both names mean “destroyer.” No matter what your language or culture, the devil always does the same thing: He’s an equal opportunity destroyer. He destroys everyone.

Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates

“Most of Satan’s angels are yet free - being the principalities against which we wrestle, but some terrible offenders of high rank have been bound.” - Newell

Revelation 9:12–14 (a)
The first terror is past, but look, two more terrors are coming! Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels...

According to Joel 2, the priests were to lead the people in repentance. We see the same thing happen in heaven. Who is the Priest at the altar of intercession here in Revelation 9? Who speaks to the sixth angel as He orchestrates the judgment of the Tribulation? It’s none other than Jesus Christ. You see, God desperately desires to see people who have rejected salvation wake up. Therefore, He will do whatever it takes in their families, financial situations, health, or marriages to get them on their knees where they can finally call out to Him. The question is, what kind of locusts will God have to allow in our lives to wake us from our lethargy, to wake us from our apathy? Whatever it takes, He loves us enough to let it happen.

Revelation 9:14 (b)
…who are bound at the great Euphrates River.

The Euphrates was part of the original boundary of the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:14). It also marked the east boundary of the Promised Land God deeded to Abraham (Genesis 15:18).

"The Euphrates is also associated with the first sin (Genesis 2:10-14), the first murder (Genesis 4:16), the first organized revolt against God (Genesis 11:1-9), the first war confederation (Genesis 14:1), and the first dictatorship (Genesis 10:8-10)." - Guzik

Revelation 9:15
Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth.

When the demons that reside in the Euphrates are loosed, they will kill one-third of humanity. Added to the number of those already killed, 50 percent of humanity will be dead. How will this take place? Read on.

“It is possible that the number is not to be taken literally, but simply suggests an army that is impossible to count and is greater than anything mankind has ever seen.” - Hocking

Revelation 9:16–19
I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops. And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths. One-third of all the people on earth were killed by these three plagues—by the fire and smoke and burning sulfur that came from the mouths of the horses. Their power was in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people.

What is this army? John’s readers must have thought, Oh, no, the armies of Rome will march once again—as indeed they would. Yet read carefully, there is reason to agree with many commentators who say this is John’s attempt to describe guns and tanks, troop personnel carriers, and missile launchers—a description of what we know today as modern weaponry.

But because this army is set in motion by the four fallen angels of verse 15, it’s comprised of much more than military generals or political coalitions. From his heavenly vantage, John sees that the demonic realm directly affects nations.

The demons are stinging. The armies are marching. Jesus is interceding. What’s the response of the people? Read on.

How does mankind respond to God's judgment?

Revelation 9:20
But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk!

“Well,” you say, “this can’t apply to us today. We don’t have idols of brass, metal, or gold.” But have you looked in your garage lately?

Sins that people will refuse to repent of during the Tribulation.

Revelation 9:21 (a)
And they did not repent of their murders…

As bills to stop funding for human cloning fly through the House and Senate even as abortion runs rampant, we launch into frontiers that frighten not only the Christian community, but those in the political arena as well.

Revelation 9:21 (b)
…or their sorceries…

The word translated “sorceries” is pharmakeus in Greek, from which we get our word “pharmacy.” And now we begin to see the access point into an individual, a people, a generation, a nation. When a person smokes marijuana, drinks alcohol, uses cocaine, it’s a spiritual issue. Why did hippies in the ’60s shout, “I am Jesus Christ!” as they dropped acid? Because drugs and mysticism are related. The world thinks drugs tamper only with the mind, but they’re about much more than that. They affect the soul.

Revelation 9:21 (c)
…or their sexual immorality…

This is why many of your friends and co-workers are going through their own tribulation right now. “Oh, but I haven’t hurt anyone,” they say. Wrong. There is a demonic component to pornography, to fornication, to adultery that puts a hook into one’s soul.

Can Christians be possessed?

Revelation 9:21 (d)
…or their thefts.

It’s tax time, folks. “Oh, well, everyone steals,” we say. Maybe that’s why so many folks are experiencing tribulation today. Is giving Satan access to your world worth twenty dollars?

“I’m confused,” you say. “I thought you taught demons cannot possess believers.” They can’t. You’ll never see a demon possess a believer in Scripture because He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). For a believer, there’s no such thing as demon possession. But there is such a thing as demon oppression. Your life and family will be oppressed continually if you allow demons entry points through drugs or alcohol, pornography or thievery.

The Jews returned to Israel following their Babylonian captivity and rebuilt the temple under Ezra’s leadership. As the temple was a picture of the spirit, and the Land representative of the body, physically, and spiritually the Jews were okay. But the walls—emblematic of the soul, the place where decisions are made—were in ruins.

And we’ve all been there. Our spirit is born again. Our body is functioning. But our soul is constantly attacked by the Enemy. Perhaps it’s lust; maybe it’s just lousy attitudes. We know we’re saved; we know we’re going to heaven, but our soul—the seat of government in our life—is vulnerable to attack. And that’s where Nehemiah comes in.

You see, Ezra built the temple. But the repair of the walls—the soul—was left to Nehemiah. This one whose name means “comforter” rode around the city for three days, saying nothing to anyone. A picture of the Holy Spirit, Nehemiah looked around and saw destruction. Then he began speaking. And the people had a choice to make. They could either listen to what Nehemiah was saying about their broken-down condition, or they could say, “Beat it, Comforter. We’ll put up with the attacks of the enemy.”

The people wisely heeded Nehemiah’s cry, and Scripture says they “had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6). They got busy and rebuilt the walls that were destroyed. It wasn’t easy. There were attacks from within as when Judah, the strongest tribe said, “Let’s give up.” And there were attacks from without, as they were taunted, harassed, and harangued. But Nehemiah set the example—as the Holy Spirit always will—and kept on working. The people responded and the wall was rebuilt.

Tonight, the Holy Spirit may be speaking to you, saying, “You’re being stung badly. You need to repent.” If you listen to His voice, He will begin to rebuild and restore the walls of your soul.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[Chaplain]

A mighty angel comes down from heaven.

Revelation 10:1–3
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. 2 And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders answered.

Many good Bible teachers believe this angel is Jesus Himself because the angel’s description is very similar to the description of Jesus in chapter 1. In addition, “angel,” or aggelos in Greek, means “messenger”—a term that could theoretically apply to Jesus. But I have a problem with this view because the appearance of Jesus on the earth at this time would interrupt the flow of the book. I suggest this is an angel of importance who, like Moses in Exodus 34, takes on characteristics of the Lord because he is in the presence of the Lord. This encourages me because the same thing is true for us. If we spend time with the Lord, we begin to sound like Him, look like Him, and act like Him a little more each day.

“This illustrates the principle that while God has revealed much, there are secrets which God has not seen fit to reveal to man at this time.” - Walvoord

Revelation 10:4-6
When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.” Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand toward heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer.

“Thy kingdom come,” we pray. “But where are You, Lord?”
“I’m on the way, but I have chosen to delay,” He says.

Why? I believe Peter gives us the reason: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, but is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Truly, the Lord is longsuffering, waiting for people to receive Him, to hear the Good News, to be part of the kingdom. But there’s coming a time when there will be no more delay.

“The mystery of God which is declared as subject to fulfillment is unfolded therefore in the Old Testament in the many passages which speak of the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.” - Walvoord

Revelation 10:7
but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

Because John’s readers were seeing family members killed, friends beat up, terrible things take place, he writes, “There’s coming a time when all of the questions you have and all of the pain you’re experiencing will be alleviated.”

“This figure of eating the book is familiar, and suggests the feeding of the soul on the Word of God.” - Morgan

Revelation 10:8-10
Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.” So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.

Like the book the angel gave John, the Word is sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10; 119:103). But if the sweet Word we take in through devotions or Bible study doesn’t create a sour taste, something’s wrong. You see, the fact that we’re saved is sweet indeed—but the fact that people we love are going to hell is bitter.

It was only after Ezekiel ate the book that was sweet to his mouth but bitter to his belly that he was able to share boldly with those of whom he had previously been afraid (Ezekiel 3:3, 14). The bitterness in his belly motivated Ezekiel to share truth.

What happens when we stop doing what God says we should be doing?

Revelation 10:11
And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

The idea of “must” here is not a command, but a statement of what will inevitably happen when one takes in the Word. How do you know you’ve really heard the Word? When you have compassion for the sinner and conviction of your own sin.

“Then why go to Bible study?” you ask. “Who wants a bitter belly? I want sweetness.” And I understand this.…

I’m watching CNN on TV when a commercial for Compassion International suddenly appears: Sally Struthers showing starving kids in Africa or Southeast Asia. “Oh no,” I say to myself. “I don’t want to deal with this now.” Click. Sally disappears. So do the kids.

That’s what people do with church and devotions and witnessing. “I don’t want to go anymore,” they say. “It makes my belly hurt.” Click, Wednesday night Bible study, gone. Click, Thursday morning worship, gone. Click, devotions gone. “I don’t want to deal with this sin, these attitudes, that cynicism. Just give me the sweet stuff.”

But you know what happens to those people? Their lives begin to unravel because staying in the Word is the only way to experience prosperity and success (Joshua 1:8). Yes, it will trouble you. No doubt it may upset you. But as time goes on, you will begin to see that your life is centered and grounded, fruitful and prosperous because the Word always does its work.

My prayer is that we will be those who, like John, devour and digest Scripture—the bitter portions as well as the sweet—in order that we, like John, would impact our world for the kingdom.

The history behind each of the four temples of God.

Revelation 11:1
Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers.

Midway into the Tribulation, John is told to measure the temple, which presupposes there is, indeed, a functioning temple at this point.

Throughout Scripture the temple plays a key role.…

Solomon built the first temple on Jerusalem’s Mount Moriah in 1050 B.C. More than four hundred years later, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and decimated the temple in 586 B.C.

About seventy years after Babylon’s first invasion of Israel, Zerubbabel rebuilt the temple in 536 B.C.

A “third” temple was built in 20 B.C. However, not all scholars deem this the third temple because it was simply an expansion of the old. Wanting to obtain the favor of the Jewish people, King Herod enlarged and expanded the temple—a project that took decades to complete. Jesus referred to this temple when He said, “There shall not be left one stone standing” (see Matthew 24:2).

Forty years after Jesus’ resurrection, His prophecy came to pass. While sacking the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, a Roman soldier disobeyed the orders of General Titus and threw a torch into the temple. The ensuing fire was so hot that it caused the gold to melt and run down the temple walls into the cracks of the hundred-ton stones. The soldiers pulled down every stone from the walls to extract the gold—fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy to the letter.

But there is a fourth temple, yet to be built. In the Institute of Temple Treasures in Jerusalem, you can see preparations for this fourth temple being made even now. Sixty percent of all instruments needed for temple worship, according to Old Testament regulations, are completed. And two yeshivas, or schools, are training young men with the last name of Cohen—Cohen meaning “priest”—to sacrifice animals in the temple tradition.

Why? Because the Orthodox Jewish community understands that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). And since they do not believe Jesus is the Messiah who died for their sins, they realize they must make sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sins. Does this mean we will see the temple rebuilt before the Rapture? Not necessarily, for there’s a rather large obstacle in the way: A mosque known as the Dome of the Rock.…

The history behind the Dome of the Rock and where it is located.

Revelation 11:2 (a)
But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it…

In the late 600s, a man named Omar built a mosque on the thirty-five-acre platform over the rock believed to be the site of the Holy of Holies. This renders a temple rebuilding on this site impossible because the Muslims would immediately invade Israel if anything happened to the mosque.

But twenty years ago, after spending sixteen years studying the temple mount area, a physicist and archaeologist at Hebrew University named Dr. Asher Kauffman came to some remarkable conclusions. In his landmark article in the March/April 1983 issue of Biblical Archaeological Review, Dr. Kauffman declares that while the Mosque of Omar has been assumed to sit on the Holy of Holies site, the true location is actually one hundred meters north.

What is one hundred meters north of the Dome of the Rock? A small gazebo-like structure, below which is the only other place the original bedrock of the temple is exposed. As opposed to the jagged rock in the Dome of the Rock, however, the stone one hundred meters to the north is flat—providing a much more likely setting for the ark of the covenant within the Holy of Holies.

Not only more logical, this site seems more historical. You see, according to the Mishna—the highly esteemed book of Jewish oral traditions—when the priest stood in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he could look through the veil, through the door, and see the Eastern Gate directly before him.

The results of a secret excavation in 1970 confirmed that the original Eastern Gate is directly below the present Eastern Gate. This makes Kauffman’s assertion even more intriguing. For if you stand one hundred meters north of the Dome of the Rock, the Eastern Gate is in plain view.

In addition, when the Muslims built the gazebo-like structure in A.D. 6, they gave it two names: The Dome of the Spirit, and the Dome of the Tablets. Thus, even Islam recognized this site as the spot where the tablets (the Ten Commandments within the ark of the covenant) and the Spirit (the shekinah, chabod, glory of God over the ark of the covenant) had been.

So, according to Kauffman and most scholars, the temple could be rebuilt and the Dome of the Rock would remain standing. But the Dome of the Rock would be in the outer courtyard of the temple—which brings us to the rest of verse 2.…

Revelation 11:2 (b)
…for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

During the Six-Day War of 1967, the Israelis launched a preemptive strike against the Arabs and recaptured the city of Jerusalem. General Moshe Dayan could have easily booted the Muslims off the temple mount at this point, saying, “You lost. Too bad.” But he didn’t. In a gesture he himself never fully explained, he let them retain control of the thirty-five-acre parcel. Thus, the outer court of the temple remains “given to the Gentiles” to this day.

Why God sends two witnesses.

Revelation 11:3
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.

Why are there two witnesses? Because “in the mouth of two witnesses every word shall be established” (2 Corinthians 13:1). Thus…

• Two spies of the twelve commissioned were correct (Numbers 13).
• Joshua sent in two spies to scope out the land (Joshua 2:1).
• There were two angels in the tomb on Easter morning (John 20:12).
• Jesus sent out His witnesses two by two (Mark 6:7).

“Just as these two witnesses were raised up to be lampstands or witnesses for God and were empowered by olive oil representing the power of the Holy Spirit, so the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will likewise execute their prophetic office.” - Walvoord

Revelation 11:4
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.

The two witnesses are likened to the two olive trees in Zechariah 4 that provide a perpetual supply of oil and are emblematic of the Spirit’s anointing in ministry (Zechariah 4:3-6).

Why Elijah is probably one of the two witnesses.

Revelation 11:5, 6 (a)
If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die. They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy.…

Who are these men hinted at in Zechariah 4, clothed in sackcloth in Revelation 11, with power to bring about drought and scorch anyone who hassles them?

• Elijah called down fire from heaven that destroyed one hundred soldiers (2 Kings 1).
• Elijah prayed, and the heavens yielded no rain for three and a half years (James 5:17).
• Elijah never died, but instead rode to heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11).
• The Old Testament ends promising Elijah’s return (Malachi 4:5).

Thus, I believe Elijah is one of the two witnesses, who, anointed with the oil of the Holy Ghost, will shine as brightly as candlesticks in the midst of the Tribulation.

Why Moses is probably one of the two witnesses.

Revelation 11:6 (b)
…and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

While some have suggested Enoch or Zerubbabel as the second witness, I believe it is Moses.

At Moses’ command, Egypt was plagued with darkness, frogs, and death; at his command, the water of the Nile turned to blood (Exodus 7-12).

Moses, representing the law, appeared with Elijah, representing the prophets, on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17).

Satan and Michael the archangel argue over the body of Moses (Jude 9)—very likely in order to prevent his resurrection as the second witness.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

 

[JGS]

Many groups claim to be the 144,000. Jehovah Witnesses are one, even though they had to change their stance a bit when their group grew to number more than 144,000. Historical Mormonism also claimed to be the 144,000. Ellen G. White and the Seventh Day Adventists claim to be the 144,000. Garner Ted Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God claim to be the 144,000.

This part isn't actually true. Jehovah's Witnesses, being one of the more humble religions imo, openly acknowledge that many mistakenly thought that the significant event of 1914 was indeed Armegeddon. The ones who were annointed knew they were annointed while the ones over that number never felt they were a part of that group anyway. So the clarification wasn't regarding who was annointed which was a known fixed quantity, but rather who was the Great Crowd which is limitless.

Why would such groups want to be these 144,000, considering that during the Tribulation, the world will be falling apart around them?

Because in so doing, they conveniently write the Jews out of prophecy.

This is incorrect too. Although the 144,000 aren't race based, all 144,000 could have been from the Jewish race. They had a big enough population at the advent of Christianity to easily fill the number.

Further the Jews make up a huge chunk of prophecy if in no other way simply by foreshadowing a bigger better picture of all races having the opportunity to be a part of God's chosen people.

 

[Chaplain]

The Two Witnesses Killed

"This passage illustrates the difference between being a witness and giving testimony. Witness is not something we do; it is something we are. Giving testimony is what a witness does." Guzik

Revelation 11:7, 8
When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them. And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified.

Jerusalem, the only city God calls His own, the city over which Jesus wept compassionately, is now likened to Egypt and Sodom because she has rejected Christ.

“To have his dead body lie in view of all was the worst humiliation a person could suffer from his enemies.” - Johnson

Revelation 11:9
And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them.

For hundreds of years, commentators did not understand how the whole world could see this event. Then enter CNN, 20/20, and Tom Brokaw. I have a piece of advice for Brokaw and the boys: When this story breaks, leave your camera crews in place because it’s not over yet.…

Revelation 11:10
And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

The only time people rejoice in the Tribulation is over the death of the two witnesses. “Hey, the guys who made us feel uncomfortable, who talked to us about stuff we didn’t want to hear are dead! Leave them in the gutter, and let’s celebrate!”

If you’ve been beaten down or left out, rejoice. You’re in good company.

The Two Witnesses Resurrected

God resurrects both witnesses and a great fear fell on everyone who sees this happen.

Revelation 11:11, 12
But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.

These witnesses are examples of what you can be in the last days in which we live. You’re to share the gospel with people. Yes, you’ll be beat up emotionally and verbally, ostracized, left out, not invited to the party. But you know what will happen? Three and a half days later, you’ll rise. There will be a spring in your step and joy in your heart as you find yourself soaring emotionally. Truly, gang, there is nothing, nothing, nothing like sharing your faith. Even if you’re put down, beat up, left out, you’ll find yourself revived.

If you feel your relationship with the Lord is stagnant or tedious—witness. I guarantee, like the two witnesses in Revelation 11, you’ll be caught up into heavenly places. Witnessing is the single most important way I have found to see my own faith revived and renewed.

Jesus didn’t tell us to preach the gospel because He wants us to be miserable. On the contrary, He said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (see Luke 6:38).

God shows the people of the world that judgment is occurring for rejecting his two witnesses.

Revelation 11:13-14
At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.

1. Not only is the world shaken up emotionally by the resurrection of the two witnesses but it is shaken physically in a great earthquake.

2. If this earthquake, originating in the fault of the Rift Valley that runs through Israel to North Africa, claims the lives of seven thousand notables, it must also take the lives of multiplied thousands of unknowns in Jerusalem.

Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

Thanking God when do not understand His plan.

Revelation 11:15-17
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.

“See,” say those who believe in a mid-Tribulation Rapture, “the seventh trumpet sounds and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord.” But they don’t take into account the fact that the verb translated “now become” is in the aorist active indicative tense, which means the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdoms of our Lord. It is what is referred to as a proleptic statement. That is, it is an event so certain that it is spoken of as if it has already taken place.

In Isaiah 53:5, we read, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.” Of whom is this speaking? Jesus. Had this already happened when Isaiah penned these words? No. But Isaiah wrote it in the past tense because it was as certain as if it had already happened.

In Romans 8:17, we read that we were glorified because one day, we, indeed, will be.

How do you speak? Those who are spiritually dyslexic say, “I can’t make sense of what’s going on. Everything’s backward. Why even worship? What’s the point of praying?” On the other hand, those who are proleptic say, “Even in the middle of my tribulation, the midst of my difficulty, the center of my pain, I know God is on the throne and He is good.”

A baby girl was born thirty-one days prematurely to Matt and Cyndy McCollum, missionaries in Honduras. Little Maria Nicole stopped breathing and began to turn blue. Since the tiny airport at La Ceiba was closed, it was doubtful whether she would survive. But I was so blessed talking with Matt’s dad, Jerry, the next morning because before he even knew the outcome, he said, “Certain members of Cyndy’s family who aren’t interested in the things of God are now praying and seeking Him about this situation. And the health care official in Honduras has rededicated her life to Christ watching Matt and Cyndy go through this trial. Great things are happening.”

Jerry could have said, “My kids are serving God, and this is what He does?” Instead, he was proleptic.

It was after they made it through the Red Sea on dry ground that Miriam led the multitude—who moments before had wanted to kill Moses—in worship (Exodus 15:20). While praise is always fitting, how much better if they had praised God before the Red Sea parted?

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord. Such is the language of heaven. If you want heaven in your heart or home, speak proleptically as you praise God prolifically.

“Religion is decent, but surrender to God is intolerable to the nations of this world.” - Newell

Revelation 11:18
The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.

1. As the earth quakes, are people repentant? No, they’re angry.

2. Those who destroy—or, literally, “corrupt or pollute” the earth will be destroyed, while those who serve God will be rewarded.

The ark of the covenant is “The symbol of God’s faithfulness in bestowing grace on His people, and inflicting vengeance on His people’s enemies.” - Alford

Revelation 11:19 (a)
Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.

Sometimes I am asked if the “ark of his testament,” or the ark of the covenant, will be found. I don’t think so because Jeremiah 3:16 says in the last days the ark will not be mentioned—probably because no one remembers it. But as the temple is merely a shadow of the reality in heaven, the true ark will be seen in heaven.

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

"This woman clothed with the sun should be identified with Israel, according to Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37:9-11). In that dream, the sun represents Jacob, the moon represents Joseph’s mother Rachel, and the eleven stars are the sons of Israel which bow down to Joseph. In this sign with twelve stars, Joseph is now “among” the other tribes of Israel." - Guzik

Revelation 12:1, 2
Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.

Who is this woman? Throughout history, there have been a number of suggestions.…
Many believe this is the Virgin Mary. But I disagree because if this was Mary, she wouldn’t experience birth pains in heaven—a skewed image on many counts.

Others believe this is Mary Baker Eddy, and Christian Science is the birthed child.

Others believe it’s the church. But again, this interpretation paints a twisted picture of the church giving birth to the One who will rule and reign. The church doesn’t give birth to Jesus. Jesus gives birth to the church. How so? It was the rib taken from Adam’s side that birthed Eve. So, too, as He hung on the Cross, it was the blood and water flowing from the side of the Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) that birthed the church.

I believe the only contextual and theological solution to the question of the identity of this woman in Revelation 12 is Israel.

Contextually, while the church is the bride of Christ, Isaiah and Hosea identify Israel as the wife of Jehovah.

Theologically, the answer to questions regarding any particular issue can most often be found by looking to its first mention in Scripture. Employing this principle of first mention, we first see sun, moon, and stars in a dream that pertains directly to Israel (Genesis 37).

And it is Israel who births the One who will rule with righteousness, for Jesus was born of the tribe of Judah.

The red dragon “symbolically suggests his fierce power and murderous nature . . . a picture of the fullness of evil in all its hideous strength.” - Johnson

Revelation 12:3 (a)
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon.…

Throughout the remainder of Revelation, the dragon refers to Satan, as it does elsewhere in Scripture (Isaiah 27:1; 51:9).

“From the similar description given in 13:1 and the parallel references in Daniel 7:7-8; 7:2, it is clear that the revived Roman Empire is in view . . . The seven heads and ten horns refer to the original ten kingdoms of which three were subdued by the little horn of Daniel 7:8, who is to be identified with the world ruler of the great tribulation who reigns over the revived Roman Empire.” - Walvoord

Revelation 12:3 (b)
…having seven heads…

The seven heads refer to the city from which Antichrist will reign—the city referred to throughout history as the City of Seven Hills: Rome.

Revelation 12:3 (c)
…and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

While the seven heads refer to a geographical place, the ten horns refer to Satan’s political base. The horns, like the ten toes of Daniel 2, typify the ten-nation confederation that will emerge from the old Roman Empire.

“God never made an evil being; but He made angels, principalities, and powers capacitated for mighty joys and distinctions in His glorious domain, yet with free will, implied in the very creation of moral beings, which they could exercise for their everlasting weal or woe. Many have remained steadfast, to wit, ‘Michael and his angels.’ But some abode not in the truth, but revolted against the rule of Heaven, and became unchanging enemies of God and His Kingdom.” - Seiss

Revelation 12:4 (a)
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.

Lucifer was chief of all created beings in heaven. When he launched a rebellion against God, one third of the “stars”—a biblical term that refers to angels—were cast out of heaven with him.

"Why have the Jews been perpetually persecuted?"

Revelation 12:4 (b)
And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

Satan’s attempt to annihilate Israel is an overriding theme throughout both biblical and secular history. Whether it be through Cain or Pharaoh, Haman, Herod, or Hitler, Satan has been so relentless in his drive to destroy God’s people that at one point, only one son of the house of David was left alive.

Why have the Jews been perpetually persecuted? The only explanation must be the one we see here in Revelation 12: The dragon is determined to devour the child of the woman. You see, if there is no Jerusalem, if there is no Israel, if there are no Jewish people, how could Jesus fulfill the prophecies of His return to rule and reign His people in Jerusalem? Consequently, the plan of the dragon is to keep Messiah from returning to Israel by annihilating the Jews. If you don’t grasp this, you’ll never have a satisfactory answer for the mystery of anti-Semitism.

“After a conflict with the Prince of this world, who came and tried Him, but found nothing in Him, the Son of the woman was taken up to heaven and sat on the right hand of God. Words can hardly be plainer than these.” - Alford

Revelation 12:5
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

This One who will rule all nations, who ascended into heaven, is, of course, Jesus.

"This helps us to understand with certainty that the woman is Israel and not Mary. How could Mary possibly flee into the wilderness in this way?" - Guzik

Revelation 12:6
Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

As we shall see, when Antichrist enters the temple and demands to be worshiped, the great Tribulation Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24 begins. And 1,260 days, or 3.5 biblical years, of unparalleled hostility will break loose against the Jews. That is why Jesus told the Jews to flee to the wilderness when they see this day dawn (Matthew 24:15). Isaiah tells us exactly where this wilderness is:

"Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, From Sela to the wilderness, To the mount of the daughter of Zion. For it shall be as a wandering bird thrown out of the nest; So shall be the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon. “Take counsel, execute judgment; Make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; Hide the outcasts, Do not betray him who escapes. Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab; Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler. For the extortioner is at an end, Devastation ceases, The oppressors are consumed out of the land." Isaiah 16:1-4

As your margin might say, “Sela” means “Rock” or “Petra.” Petra is truly an amazing city. Located in Moab, or present-day Jordan, this city carved of stone has stood for centuries, preserved largely because the sole entrance is a passageway only twelve feet wide.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from Study Guide for Revelation 11 and Study Guide for Revelation 12.

 

[Chaplain]

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven

Satan is finally denied access to heaven and, is Michael is actually Jesus?

Revelation 12:7, 8
And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them[a] in heaven any longer.

“Wait a minute,” you say. “I thought Satan was already cast out of heaven.” He was, but as seen in Job 1, he still has access to heaven.

i. Some say Michael must be Jesus, because he has his angels. But if Satan - a fallen angelic being - has his angels (Revelation 12:7), which can’t Michael - an unfallen angelic being - have his angels?

ii. Some say Michael must be Jesus, because his name means One like God. But if this were a title of Jesus, it could argue against His deity, not for it - because it would say that Jesus is like God, but not God. “There is also an unquestionable Godlikeness in all holy beings, which must be very exalted in those preeminent among the ministers of the throne.” (Seiss)

iii. Some say Michael must be Jesus, because he is called the archangel (Jude 1:9), which means leader or prince among the angels, and they say that only Jesus is the leader of the angels. But we know from Daniel 10:13; 10:20-21 that Michael is one angelic prince among others. Also, Paul refers to an archangel in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 in a way that presupposes other archangels.

iv. Some say that Michael must be Jesus, because Paul says that at the rapture, the Lord will call His people with the voice of an archangel (1 Thessalonians 4:16). But Jesus can use an angel to call out for His people without being that angel, just as much as God can use a trumpet to sound out a call without being the trumpet.

v. Jude 1:9 says that Michael would not rebuke or accuse Satan on His own authority, but only say “The Lord rebuke you.” This shows that Michael isn’t Jesus, because Jesus often rebuked Satan and demons in His own authority (Matthew 17:18; Mark 1:25; 9:25; Luke 4:8; 4:35).

vi. “Michael is not to be identified with Christ, any more than any other of the great angels in this Book. Such identification here would confuse hopelessly the actors in this heavenly scene.” (Alford)

Is the serpent in the Garden of Eden Satan?

Revelation 12:9
This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

The word “devil” means “accuser” or “slanderer.” “Satan” means “adversary” or “one who lies in wait.”

“The title ‘Devil’ is from the Greek diabolos, from the verb diaballo, which has the meaning of ‘defaming’ or ‘slandering.’ He is the master accuser of the brethren.” - Walvoord

What is the difference between condemnation and conviction?

Revelation 12:10
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

When rewards are given to believers at the judgment seat of Christ, Satan—the accuser of the brethren—says, “What? Him? Her?! Why are they getting rewards?”

And what happens in heaven occurs every day on earth as Satan whispers in your ear, “You’re not worthy to be blessed. You’re not good enough to be used.” Please understand the difference between condemnation—which is from Satan, and conviction—which is from the Holy Spirit. The condemning work of Satan always pushes you away from God. The conviction of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, always draws you closer to God. The condemnation of Satan is always about self, about never measuring up, about hopelessness. The conviction of the Spirit is always about forgiveness, about going on, about God’s glory and grace.

“First, you are to regard Satan this day as being already literally and truly overcome through the death of the Lord Jesus. Satan is already a vanquished enemy. By faith grasp your Lord’s victory as your own, since he triumphed in your nature and on your behalf . . . Come, my soul, thou hast conquered Satan by thy Lord’s victory. Wilt thou not be brave enough to fight a vanquished foe, and trample down the enemy whom thy Lord has already thrust down? Thou needest not be afraid, but say, ‘Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’” (Spurgeon)

Revelation 12:11, 12
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.

Satan is overcome in heaven. He can be overcome on earth the same way.…

The Woman Persecuted

“The persecution of Israel is part of the satanic program to thwart and hinder the work of God . . . Israel is hated by Satan not because of any of its own characteristics but because she is the chosen of God and essential to the overall purpose of God for time and eternity.” - Walvoord

Revelation 12:13
When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.

Unable to accuse the believers in heaven, Satan makes his last attempt to thwart fulfillment of the prophetic plan as he spews his anger upon God’s people.

Eagle’s Wings and the Exodus deliverance.

Revelation 12:14
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

What are these two wings? The eagle being the symbol of America, some suggest this could be a reference to United States military power. Could it be America, the only country who has consistently stood by Israel since her return to the Land in 1940?

Could it be the firepower of the sixth fleet stationed off the Mediterranean Sea? Could it be that the United States will airlift the people of Israel to Petra?

I don’t know. I don’t think so. But somehow the Lord will take His people to the place He has prepared for them in the wilderness. Although we can’t be certain of the identity of the two wings of the eagle, this much we do know: God has used this terminology before.…

"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself." Exodus 19:4

"For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him." Deuteronomy 32:9-12

After choosing a site on a rocky cliff sometimes thousands of feet above the ground, a mother eagle constructs her nest. For protection, she arranges sharp sticks along the perimeter. But inside, the nest is soft and comfortable for the eggs. So, when Ernie Eaglet pops out of his shell, he finds his accommodations quite to his liking. “Wow! What a view!”

And with Mama Eagle dropping breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an after-dinner mint into his beak every day, he’s a happy eaglet indeed—until his girth increases and he begins to bump into the sharp sticks Mama purposefully placed around the nest. Suddenly, the once-cozy abode becomes a little uncomfortable.

The same goes for us. When what was once so cozy—that group you were in, those people you were linked to, the job you had—gets a little irritating, you may have a tendency to grumble. But you must realize God does this intentionally because He will not allow you to perpetually nest in a place of fatness and flightlessness.

Then, just when Ernie thinks he can’t stand one more poke, Mama Eagle comes and, with her powerful wings, bumps the nest—sending Ernie tumbling out. Flapping his little wings frantically yet futilely, he falls hundreds of feet and is about to crash when Mama Eagle scoops him up on her wings and takes him back to the nest. “Whew! What was that about?” Ernie wonders.

And for a couple of days, he’s happy again, being served breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. But then the pesky sticks begin to bother him again, and after a couple of days—bump goes the nest and out he falls. Once more, right when he thinks his life is over, there’s Mom bearing him on her wings, returning him to the nest. Now Ernie’s really wondering. “Every time I get comfortable, every time I settle back in, Mama comes and turns my nest over. What kind of parent is she, anyway?” Yet the process is repeated five or six times, until one day—Ernie soars. And as he does, he understands that the pokes, the overturned nest, the perilous plummeting were all about spurring him to do what he never would have done on his own. They were all about teaching him to fly.

Precious saint, if you’ve been flapping or squawking or crying, this word is for you: God says, “I found you in a wasteland. You are the apple of My eye. I’ve got nothing but the best in My heart for you. You’re not going to crash. I’ll always be there to catch you. But I’m going to continue working with you that you might fly.”

As a result, I am slowly learning not to be quite so squawky, quite so angry, quite so fearful—but to remember the plan of the Father to bear me on eagles wings. The pokey sticks are preparatory for the overturning of the nest. And the overturned nest is absolutely essential to teach me to fly.

Jesus said, "The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones." - Matthew 24:15-22

The following verse is what Jesus was referring to...

Revelation 12:15
So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

Satan, through Antichrist, spews his hostility and anger upon the Jewish people, chasing them like a flood. How many Jews will survive? According to Zechariah 13:9, two out of three will die. But the end result will be that one-third of Israel will finally acknowledge the Lord and will enter the kingdom, the Millennium, the thousand years of peace.

“It is precisely when Satan has lost the battle for the souls of saints in heaven that he begins the fruitless persecution of their bodies.” - Farrer

Revelation 12:16, 17
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In the Book of Numbers, we find another account of the earth ingesting someone. After rebelling against Moses, the ground “clave assunder” under the feet of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, swallowing not only them, but their possessions and allies (Numbers 16).

“That may be,” you may say, “but the text before us is not the account of a few men, tents, and camels being swallowed. This is about an entire army complete with bombers and missiles, troop carriers and helicopters. How could this be?”

Look at recent history.…

When diplomacy failed to bring about the release of Americans held hostage in Iran in the 1980s, we decided to unleash our military prowess. After months of planning, we sent our most advanced technology and our finest fighting men to Iran. However, as they approached the Iranian Embassy, a sandstorm broke loose so severe that it shut the mission down—and, in so doing, eventually contributed to the demise of the Carter Administration.
The Middle East is a tricky place, folks. The earth could easily swallow an army through a sandstorm or a multiplicity of other events. However it transpires, this much is sure: The army of Antichrist will be thwarted in its attempt to decimate the Jews.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 12.

 

[Chaplain]

The Beast out of the Sea

What is the Antichrist and what are antichrists?

Revelation 13:1 (a)
Then I[a] stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast...

The beast John sees is Antichrist. “Antichrist” literally meaning “in place of Christ,” John would go on to write that there are many antichrists—not the Antichrist, but anything that takes one’s focus off Jesus (1 John 2:18). Here in Revelation 13, however, the reference is to the Antichrist.

Guzik - The Antichrist will instead be more of an “instead of Jesus.” He will look wonderful, be charming and successful. He will be the ultimate winner, and appear as an angel of light. In this sense the Antichrist will be a satanic messiah, instead of the true Messiah Jesus Christ. Though we commonly call this coming world leader the Antichrist, the Bible gives him many names or titles. He is known as:

• The little horn of Daniel 7:8
• The king of fierce countenance of Daniel 8:23
• The Prince that shall come of Daniel 9:26
• The willful king of Daniel 11:36-45
• The one who comes in his own name of John 5:43, whom Israel will receive as a messiah
• The son of perdition, the man of sin, the lawless one of 2 Thessalonians 2:3

Where will the Antichrist come from?

Revelation 13:1 (b)
…rising up out of the sea…

“The sea” in Bible typology always referring to Gentile nations as opposed to “the land” referring to Israel, the mention of the sea here indicates that Antichrist will not come from Israel. In fact, Revelation chapter 17 goes on to say that the beast will come from the ten Gentile nations that stem from the old Roman Empire and that make up the last world empire. But this doesn’t necessarily mean Antichrist will be a Gentile, for he could be a European Jew.

What is the identity of seven heads?

Revelation 13:1 (c)
…having seven heads…

Revelation 17 identifies the seven heads as the seven mountains of Rome. Thus, Antichrist’s government will initially be based in the city of Rome.

What do the ten horns and ten crowns mean?

Revelation 13:1 (d)
…and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns…

There are ten crowns on only seven heads because, according to Daniel 2 and 7, when Antichrist comes to power, he will initially grab the reigns of three nations from the ten-nation confederation. As you study history, you catch glimpses of men who wanted to revive the glory of Rome. But it won’t happen until Antichrist comes, for he alone will be able to reignite the fire of the Roman Empire.

"In Daniel’s vision, the ten horns specifically represented ten kingdoms that this final world dictator has authority over (Daniel 7:24). In John’s vision the ten crowns on the ten horns emphasize this idea." - Guzik

What does a blasphemous name mean?

Revelation 13:1 (e)
…and on his heads a blasphemous name.

The beast has blasphemy upon his heads because he has rebellion on his mind. The image of a seven-headed, ten-horned beast is meant to be monstrous and hideous, for such is the nature of the one who is rebellious, who is blasphemous, who is—as we shall see—the devil incarnate.

What do each of the three animals symbolize?

Revelation 13:2
This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.

The four successive empires that would rule during the time Israel was a nation are described as a glorious statue in Daniel 2. Such is man’s perspective. God’s perspective, however, is seen in Daniel 7 through a series of monstrous beasts—the same beasts described here, although in inverse order: the leopard symbolizing Alexander the Great’s ability to pounce; the bear symbolizing the Medes and the Persians, the lion symbolizing Babylon. Why is the order inversed in Daniel? Because Daniel is looking ahead, while John is looking back.

How the Antichrist will imitate Jesus in His death and resurrection.

Revelation 13:3
And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.

At this point in the Tribulation, Antichrist is mortally wounded. According to Zechariah 11:17, there will be an assassination attempt on Antichrist that will evidently cause his eye to be poked out and his right arm to be paralyzed. Because the Greek text can either be rendered “wounded to death” or “wounded to the appearance of death,” there are those who believe Antichrist will only appear to be dead as a result of this wound. My opinion, however, is that he truly will die and descend to hell (Revelation 17:8).

"As people worship this beast and bow down before his government, it may be that they do not know they are bowing down to Satan himself; but it is worship of Satan none the less." - Guzik

Revelation 13:4
So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

At the point this popular, powerful figure—who captures the affection and imagination of the entire world with all of his grand ideas and peace programs—ascends from hell, he truly is the incarnation of Satan. Just as Jesus Christ comes from heaven and is God, it would seem as though Antichrist will truly be the incarnation of the dragon, of Satan. Put yourself in the shoes of those who will see this great leader come back to life after being assassinated, and you will understand why they will give Satan what he has desired ever since he was cast out of heaven before the fall: worship.

"“Blasphemer” may be a more accurate title than “Antichrist” for this end-times dictator. As much as anything, this beast is a man who speaks against God and everything God stands for (His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven)." - Guzik

Revelation 13:5 (a)
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies…

Antichrist is on a roll. He’s on Larry King, Oprah, World News Tonight declaring that he truly is deity.

Revelation 13:5 (b)
…and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

How long is forty-two months? Three and a half years, 1,260 days, or “a time, times and a half time.” All of these phrases pop up throughout Revelation and describe the last half of the Tribulation—the Great Tribulation. And now begins the hellish last half of Antichrist’s seven-year reign.…

Is there more than one group of people in the Bible referred to as saints?

Revelation 13:6, 7 (a)
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints…

Some people believe that the church must be on earth during the Tribulation in order for Antichrist to “make war with the saints.” But they fail to understand that there are three groups of people in the Bible referred to as saints: Simply meaning “separated one,” throughout the Old Testament the word “saints” refers to Israel. In the New Testament it refers to the church. And after the church is raptured, it refers to those who are saved in the Tribulation.

Why the church is not on Earth during the Tribulation.

Revelation 13:7 (b)
…and to overcome them…

“I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” Jesus said (Matthew 16:18). The church will not be overcome. Therefore, this passage cannot refer to the church.

Why will all of the people on the Earth worship Satan?

Revelation 13:7 (c), 8 (a)
…and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him…

“Dwell” meaning “to be at home with,” and earth referring to the world system, those who are comfortable with the worldly scene will end up worshiping Antichrist.

"This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them." - 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

"The Book of Life contains the names of all God’s redeemed (Revelation 20:15). The idea is that worshipping the beast and having your name in the Book of Life are mutually exclusive." - Guzik

Revelation 13:8 (b)
…whose names have not been written in the Book of Life…

The book of life includes the names of those who get saved during the Tribulation.

"This deeply meaningful title for Jesus reminds us that God’s plan of redemption was set in place before He even created the beings who would be redeemed. God wasn’t “surprised” by the fall of Adam or any other evidence of the fallen nature of man. God isn’t making it up as He goes along. It is all going according to plan." - Guzik

Revelation 13:8 (c)
…of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

• God the Son had a relationship of love and fellowship with God the Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24)
• The work of Jesus was ordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20)
• God chose His redeemed before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4)
• Names are written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world (Revelation 17:8)
• The kingdom of heaven was prepared for the redeemed before the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34)

The book of life belongs to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world—or from before the foundation of the world, as the newer translations render this verse. Too many people have far too small a view of what Christ did in dying for the sin of humanity—including me.

Growing up, I was under the distinct impression that Jesus died on the Cross and remained there for six hours, paying the price for my sin. While that is true, it’s not the full picture. You see, the Old Testament makes unmistakably clear the fact that every sin needs to be dealt with individually. That is why Old Testament believers were required to lay their hands on the animals they sacrificed and confess their sins specifically (Leviticus 1:4). Yes, there was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement for the nation, but every individual was still required by the law to make sacrifice for his personal transgressions in the trespass offering. Multiply all of the sins of those in your church—add to that the sins of all of the people in our country, all of the folks who have lived throughout history—and the amount of sin staggers the imagination.

That is why I believe that when the Word speaks of Christ being slain before the foundation of the world, only heaven will allow us to understand that He was slaughtered and slain in a way we cannot understand in the time/space continuum in which we live. Consequently, when we see Him, we will worship Him with an intensity and an explosion of praise never before experienced because we will at last see Him as a Lamb having been slain—newly slain. “I thought He was on the Cross for a few hours one Friday,” we’ll say. “I had no idea what my sin cost Him.”

"Though these things are prophesied and part of God’s predetermined plan, it does not lessen in the slightest way man’s personal responsibility." - Guzik

Revelation 13:9, 10 (a)
If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.

What is John saying? I can hear his heart, can’t you? He’s saying to those in his day, just as he would say to me and you today who are in tribulation or difficulties, “The one putting you in prison, unsheathing the sword, marching you into the coliseum is himself going down.”

"Why do we need to read the Book of Revelation over and over again?"

Revelation 13:10 (b)
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Do you realize how blessed we are because we know the end of the story? You may be in a difficult marriage, persecuted on the job, fighting illness, undergoing severe pressures financially, or weary of your flesh that rears its ugly head constantly. But we know one day it will all be solved. That’s what John told his people. And that’s what the Spirit would say to us. We who have been saved awhile take this for granted. But what if this was the first time you understood that everything that plagues you presently will be gone in a heartbeat; that you’re going to heaven, where everything will be wonderful forever and ever?

“If any man has an ear, let him hear. Listen up,” says Pastor John. “I don’t care if you miss everything else, get this: The forces against you are soon going to be done away with: The beast, persecution, problems, will undo themselves.”

That’s why I need to read the Book of Revelation over and over again. It’s not about deciphering the mark of the Beast. It’s not written to help us figure out who the false prophet or Antichrist is. It’s written to give us hope and to bring us back constantly to the fact that life is short and we’ll be in heaven soon.

The person who doesn’t understand the Book of Revelation will go through life in his own personal tribulation. The person who grabs hold of Revelation, on the other hand, will live in a state of anticipation and celebration. Every single one of us will either go through this week in tribulation or celebration.

Life is short. The Lord is in control. We’re going to heaven. That’s what this book is about.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 13.

 

[Chaplain]

The Beast (the false prophet) comes out from the Earth

The false prophet - The third person of the unholy trinity.

Revelation 13:11 (a)
Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth.

When Jesus ascended to heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity (John 14:16). The other beast named here—the false prophet, as we shall see—is to Antichrist what the Holy Spirit is to Jesus.

"The dragon is the anti-Father, the beast rising from the sea is the anti-Christ, and the beast rising from the land is the anti-Holy Spirit." - Guzik

What type of leader will the false prophet be?

Revelation 13:11 (b)
He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.

Minus the horns or crowns of Antichrist, the false prophet comes across like a lamb. He seems to be so humble and gentle. Whereas Antichrist is the political leader, the false prophet is the religious leader who will unify the world religion as the public relations man for Antichrist.

What is the ministry of the false prophet?

Revelation 13:12
He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.

Who’s the first beast? Antichrist. The ministry of the Spirit is to put the focus on Jesus. The ministry of the false prophet is to put the focus on Antichrist. The parallel is exact.

How to spot a counterfeit.

Revelation 13:13, 14
He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.

Although this false prophet will appear to be as gentle as a lamb, he’ll also have the ability to call fire down from heaven. This should be a practical word of warning to you and me. You see, there are those who come on the scene appearing to be so spiritual and so “on fire.” But Pastor John the Revelator would have us be aware of the very real ability of Satan to transform himself into an angel of light and to perform all kinds of miracles.

Gang, whenever someone comes on the scene pointing to some movement, man, mantra, or method, saying, “This is the hot thing”—I would encourage you to run in the opposite direction. When a person or group is more excited about what’s happening in Canada or Korea than they are about the character, work, or Person of Jesus—stay away. You can always spot a counterfeit. Like the false prophet, a counterfeit calls attention to “Antichrist,” to something “in place of Christ.”

"It may seem strange to us to have the whole world give this kind of worship to the image of a man, but the personality cults of totalitarian governments in the twentieth century are a good example of this kind of worship. All we have to do is remember totalitarian states like the Soviet Union or Communist China, and their omnipresent pictures of Stalin or Mao and we see a pattern that will be ultimately fulfilled by the Antichrist." - Guzik

Revelation 13:15
He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

What is this statue evidently erected in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem? Computer chips are presently based on sand, on silicon. But the new computer chips will be based on living matter, on protein. When these protein-based computer chips finally get perfected, the computing power will immediately increase fifty thousand times. So it could be that this image is a sophisticated automaton. Or it could be an image that is powered demonically. Whatever it is, it will appear to have life.

"The economic strategy of the first beast and the second beast." - Guzik

Revelation 13:16, 17
He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” This is the “shema” of Deuteronomy 6:4 that is so essential to Jewish belief that it is placed in phylacteries and worn on the head and arms of Orthodox Jews to this day.

I find it interesting that even as Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet counterfeit the Trinity, so their mark worn on the head and arm counterfeits the command of God in Deuteronomy 6:4–8.

““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes." - Deuteronomy 6:4–8

I am reminded of Pharaoh’s magicians who could do no more than mimic the miracles God did through Moses. Because God is the only Creator, Satan is left to do no more than copy.

Regarding the mark, Digital Angel’s Dr. Peter Zhou: “I’m particularly excited about Digital Angel’s ability to save lives by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and providing emergency rescue units with the person’s exact location. I also see great potential for Digital Angel in the area of ‘location-aware’ e-commerce. This is a whole new wireless and Web-enabled frontier in which a purchaser’s actual location is integral to making a successful sale or providing a valuable, location-critical service.”

666

Revelation 13:18
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Throughout the Old Testament when God gave dietary regulations and health procedures to His people, He never explained His reasons. He simply said, “I am the Lord” (Leviticus 11:44). In the ensuing centuries, as scientific and medical knowledge caught up, man slowly understood the wisdom behind God’s commands. So, too, the reason God’s command in Leviticus 19:28 not to mark our bodies becomes ever clearer in light of the demand of Antichrist to receive his mark in one’s body.

“Trust Me,” says the Lord. “I love you passionately and want nothing but the best for you eternally.” Truly, here is wisdom.

The Lamb and the 144,000

“And who were these people, ‘having his Father’s name written in their foreheads?’ Not Bs for ‘Baptists,’ not Ws for ‘Wesleyens ‘not Es for ‘Established Church.’ They had their Father’s name and nobody else’s. What a deal of fuss is made on earth about our distinctions! We think such a deal about belonging to this denomination, and the other. Why, if you were to go to heaven’s gates, and ask if they had any Baptists there, the angel would only look at you, and not answer you, if you were to ask if they had any Wesleyans, or members of the Established Church, he would say, ‘Nothing of the sort;’ but if you were to ask him whether they had any Christians there, ‘Ay,’ he would say, ‘an abundance of them: they are all one now - all called by one name; the old brand has been obliterated, and now they have not the name of this man or the other, they have the name of God, even their Father, stamped on their brow.’” - Spurgeon

Revelation 14:1
Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

In chapter 7, we read of twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel who will go throughout the world preaching the gospel. Although they will be targets of Antichrist’s persecution, here in the middle of the Tribulation, we see not 143,999 witnesses, but 144,000. In other words, they all make it through.

“Heaven is not the place to learn that song; it must be learned on the earth You must learn here the notes of free grace and dying love; and when you have mastered their melody, you will be able to offer to the Lord the tribute of a grateful heart, even in heaven, and blend it with the harmonies eternal.” - Spurgeon

Revelation 14:2, 3
And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together. This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

Why could no one else sing the song of the 144,000? Because they alone went through testing and Tribulation—yet maintained their integrity. Thus, they alone could sing of what they were able to observe the Father do on their behalf in the time of Tribulation. Every one of us goes through times of tribulation. God’s intention is that they might produce in us “as it were, a new song”—a symphony.

There they were—in a damp, dark dungeon—without even a crust of bread to eat or the ACLU to plead their case. Yet what were they doing? They were singing. At midnight—in the darkest hour—Paul and Silas sang. They weren’t singing to try to get God to do something. They sang simply because the Lord was with them (Acts 16:25).

“Well, that hasn’t been my experience,” you might be saying. “My marriage,” or “my job,” or “my health is a dungeon to me, and I’m not happy.”

Precious brother, dear sister—God’s intent is to give you a new song. But there’s one thing that will stand in the way: sympathy. You see, I can either go through challenges and hard times with a symphony in my heart because the Lord has promised not only to strengthen me in them (Isaiah 41:10), but to walk with me through them (Matthew 28:20)—or I can choose to get sympathy from people. If I choose to tap into sympathy, it will always be at God’s expense because the underlying though unspoken implication is that what is happening in my life is out of God’s control.

God is totally, absolutely, completely faithful to meet us in every trial, in every difficulty. Don’t let His plan get short-circuited by those who say, “I feel sorry for you.” Instead, say, “God is good. Sure, what I’m dealing with right now is a challenge. But I am discovering the Father is exactly who He claimed to be—a God who comforts me completely.”

It’s tempting to let people feel sorry for us, but we mustn’t, because it puts God in a bad light. Don’t settle for sympathy, gang. Go for the symphony.

The 144,000 are the beginnings of a greater harvest; the are firstfruits, the “godly nucleus of Israel which is the token of redemption of the nation.” (Walvoord)

Revelation 14:4, 5
These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

“Parthenos (virgins) can be applied to men as well as women,” the great Greek scholar A.T. Robersto.

These 144,000 are blessed. They speak with authority They have the Lord on their minds constantly. They have a song in their heart personally. They see the Lamb’s directives very clearly. It’s all built and based on the fact that they are virgins—people of purity.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 13.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 14.

 

[Chaplain]

The Proclamations of Three Angels

Angels that are evangelists?

Revelation 14:6 (a)
Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth…

The 144,000 have been the infantry. Now here comes the air support: angels. I believe angels have been itching to get into the fray, to preach. Why? Because they’ve been going to school for a long time to get ready for this ministry. Peter says that the angels are studying, earnestly looking into the things of salvation (1 Peter 1:12).

Paul goes on to say that when we meet together, we need to be sensitive to the angels in our midst (1 Corinthians 11:10). I truly believe angels are studying right along with us. Studying what? The Scriptures? No. They already know Scripture. They’re studying us. Why? They’re trying to figure out this thing called grace. Having never fallen into sin, how are they to learn about grace? By watching us. How could God use Jon? Why would He put up with Linda? How could Kent be part of His chosen priesthood? they wonder. But the time is coming when their schooling will be over, and they’ll be released in the Tribulation to preach the everlasting gospel.

Matthew 24:14

Revelation 14:6 (b)
…to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people,

Jesus declared that the end of the world as we know it will come after the gospel of the kingdom is preached to the entire world. Consequently, you will hear people say, “We’ve got to get out there and preach to every nation so the Lord can come to rapture the church.” Not true. The Lord can rapture the church today, even though there are people groups who have not heard the gospel directly because the angels will preach the gospel to every nation, every tongue, every kindred, every people.

When will the evolution/creation debate end?

Revelation 14:7
“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”

“Worship the One who made everything you see,” the angel will declare—putting a conclusive end to the evolution/creation debate.

“Prophetically, ‘Babylon’ sometimes refers to a literal city, sometimes to a religious system, sometimes to a political system, all stemming from the evil character of historic Babylon.” - Walvoord

Revelation 14:8
And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

Two Babylons are spoken of in Revelation: religious Babylon and commercial Babylon—the false religious system and the oppressive economic system. The second angel declares both are powerless.

The following "reminds us that there is a connection between worshipping the beast and his image and receiving his mark on his forehead or on his hand. No one will “casually” or “accidentally” take the mark. The connection between worshipping the beast and taking the mark will be clear enough." Guzik

Revelation 14:9, 10 (a)
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.

The third angel says, “Don’t take the mark of the beast.” But the world, by and large, will buy into Antichrist’s diabolical plan..

"The idea that God holds a cup of wrath, which He makes those under judgment drink is expressed more than thirteen times in the Bible (Psalm 75:8 and Jeremiah 25:15 are examples). This is the idea behind the cup that Jesus wanted to avoid if it were possible (Matthew 26:39). Jesus willingly took the cup of the Father’s wrath that we deserved; here, the enemies of Jesus have no choice - the cup is forced upon them." - Guzik

The third angel declares that Hell is a literal place where people are punished for eternity.

Revelation 14:10 (b), 11
…and they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.

Those who suggest either that hell is not a literal place or that it won’t last for eternity haven’t read the Bible. In fact, Jesus taught more on the subject of hell than on the subject of heaven. That is why this angel cries with a loud voice, warning people to reject the mark of the Beast.

Walvoord says of the phrase forever and ever: “Literally ‘into the ages of ages,’ the strongest expression of eternity of which the Greek is capable.”

There’s lots of talk about angels these days as cute, cuddly creatures. But when you read this passage, you realize they are creatures who plead passionately, proclaim loudly, and preach vehemently because hell is real. It’s not a game. I think of the twentieth chapter of Isaiah, where a most amazing thing happens.…

Although the Assyrians were headed in their direction, the people of Israel didn’t take the threat seriously. Oh, come on, they thought. Certainly we won’t be wiped out by the Assyrians. So God said to Isaiah—the eloquent orator, the educated, articulate prophet—“The stakes are high. But the people aren’t listening. So I want you to take off your sandals, take off your clothes, and walk naked throughout this region for three years.” Now, whether this was three years continually or three years sporadically, Bible scholars disagree. But the fact remains that stately Isaiah did, in fact, obey. Why was he told to do this? Because the people had grown so calloused to the prophets’ words, they weren’t heeding the message. So God used this bold move to get their attention and to illustrate the fact that, as captives of the Assyrians, the Israelites would be led naked across the desert into captivity.

Like Isaiah, we, too, live in crucial times, gang. You have relatives. I have friends. We have co-workers who are going to hell because, like the Israelites, they have become calloused to the threat of hell. But the stakes are too high for us just to say, “Well, whatever.” No, we must share the naked truth with them—not baring our bodies, but baring our souls.

“But they’ll laugh at me,” you say.
What do you think they did to Isaiah?

Here in Revelation, the angels preach with a loud voice, “Don’t take the mark. You’ll be tormented forever.” People are in tribulation even today. Share the everlasting gospel with them, and, like the angels, you’ll soar in the heavenlies. I guarantee it!

"We can only imagine what courage and comfort this passage will give embattled, persecuted saints during the Great Tribulation. Clearly, God wants to encourage His people to be steadfast in times of trial, focused on what blessed rest and reward awaits them in eternity." - Guzik

Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

“Be patient” is the word given to those who become Christians during the Tribulation—to those who respond to the evangelism of the 144,000, the message of the angels, the powerful testimony of the two witnesses in Jerusalem.

The following believers “are the only glorious dead . . . they die in the cause of God, they die under the smile and approbation of God, and they die to live and reign with God for ever and ever.” - Clarke

Revelation 14:13
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

The voice saying, “Blessed are those who die after they become believers during the Tribulation, because they will have rest from the hell on earth surrounding them,” would be unnecessary if the church is to go through the first part of the Tribulation, as some believe. If that were the case, the word would not be, “Blessed are you if you die,” but, “Blessed are you who hang on because the Rapture is about to occur.”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

“How different it will be to see him with a crown of gold upon his head from what it was to see him wearing that terrible crown of thorns which the cruel soldiers plaited, and thrust upon his brow! The word used here does not usually refer to the diadem of power, but to the crown won in conflict; and it is very remarkable that it should be said that, when Christ comes to judge the world, he will wear the garland of victory, the crown which he has won in the great battle which he has fought. How significant of his final triumph will that crown of gold be about those brows that were once covered with bloody sweat when he was fighting the battle for our salvation!” - Spurgeon

Revelation 14:14 (a)
Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown…

Clouds are significant throughout Scripture because they represent the visible presence of God.…

• When the law was first given, a cloud covered the mountain (Exodus 19:16).
• When the law was given a second time, a cloud again appeared (Exodus 34:5).
• Upon its completion, a cloud covered the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34).
• Whenever the Israelites were to break camp on their journey to the Promised Land, a cloud led the way (Numbers 9:17).
• When the temple was dedicated, a cloud filled the holy of holies (1 Kings 8:10).

What a tragic sight it must have been for the Jews to see the glory of God leave the temple, the city of Jerusalem, the land of Israel because of their sin (Ezekiel 9:3).

But wait. God is never through with Israel. The cloud reappears in Israel when Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5) and again when He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9).

“It must be remembered that evil has its harvest as well as good. There is a harvest of misery and woe, - a harvest for the gathering, binding, and burning of the tares, - as well as for the gathering of the wheat into the garner of heaven.” - Seiss

Revelation 14:14 (b)—16
…and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

According to this passage, it would seem that there comes a point in the Tribulation when salvation is no longer possible. The 144,000 have been called to heaven. The angels have made their proclamation. And now there will be a separation between those who become Christians in the Tribulation and those who don’t.

So, too, in your own tribulation you need to understand there comes a time when your own heart—even as a believer—can become hardened. The Bible speaks of a root of bitterness that can take hold in the soil of a man’s soul (Hebrews 12:15). I’ve seen believers go through tribulation, and rather than allow the Lord’s work of grace to take place in their hearts, they choose, instead, to be bitter and unforgiving. Don’t let that happen. Don’t be unforgiving. Don’t be cynical. Don’t be bitter. Don’t play that game because if you let bitterness and unforgiveness continue, there will come a point in your own tribulation when it will become an irreversible part of who you are.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath

The following “allusions seem to indicate that the angel is acting in response to the prayers of the saints for divine judgment on wickedness.” - Walvoord

Revelation 14:17, 18
Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.

Referring to the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13, the previous passage spoke of a harvest of grain. The second harvest here in verse 18 speaks of a harvest of grapes.

Fully ripe “pictures grapes fully grown in the prime almost bursting with juice . . . The spurting of the grape juice from under the bare feet of those treading the grapes in the winepress is compared to the spurting of blood and speaks of the awful human carnage.” - Walvoord

“What strength have grapes against the weight and power of a man when he comes to set his feet upon them? And the riper they are, the more helpless . . . The heel of Omnipotence is upon them, and they can only break and sink beneath it.” - Seiss

Revelation 14:19, 20 (a)
So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city…

At this point, the harvest of separation has begun; the end of the world is at hand. “The city” in Scripture always referring to Jerusalem, it is fitting that the grapes are pressed “without the city,” for it was “without the city” that the True Vine, Jesus Christ, was pressed to the Cross for our sin (John 19:17).

The following "vivid, powerful description shows how complete the judgment of God is. Revelation 14 is the perfect answer to Revelation 13. At the end of Revelation 13, it almost seemed like Satan and the Antichrist might win. But Revelation 14 shows who is really triumphant, powerful, and in control: God, His Messiah, and His people; not Satan, his messiah (the Antichrist) and his followers." - Guzik

Revelation 14:20 (b)
…and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle.

The blood resulting from the second—and last—harvest will flow from the valley of Armageddon down Jordan’s Rift Valley past Jerusalem one hundred eighty miles to the city of Bozrah.…

"Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress?" Isaiah 63:1-2

Who is this One?
None other than Jesus Christ.

And now I begin to understand that I have two options: I will either drown in the horrific bloodbath of Armageddon, or I will bathe in the gracious Blood of the Lamb. Truly, the greatest bloodshed in all of history took place not in a world war, but when Jesus died on the Cross in order to wash us in His blood.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 14.

 

[Chaplain]

The Song of Moses and of the Lamb

Is God being unjust for His judgment against a Jesus-rejecting world?

Revelation 15:1 (a)
Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues…

Chapter 15 unfolds in the period of time known as the Tribulation—the seven-year period following the Rapture of the church. In chapter 15, we’ll begin to see God pour out His wrath on the world that rejected His payment for their sin—an understanding vital to the events that follow, for it is only a clear understanding of Revelation 15 that keeps us from thinking God unfair in chapters 16 through 19.

"Leviticus 26:21: Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. These seven last plagues are God’s judgment on a disobedient and contrary world." - Guzik

Revelation 15:1 (b)
…for in them the wrath of God is complete.

In Revelation 15, God says, “I have been patient with human rebellion and depravity—and now the bowls are full.” In Genesis 15:13-16, God says to Abraham, “You’re going to be the father of a nation that will sojourn in another country for four hundred years. Your people will be afflicted and enslaved because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” In other words, while Israel was held captive in Egypt for four hundred years, God was giving the Canaanites an opportunity to repent and turn to Him. Tragically, however, they didn’t.

“Destroy the Amorites,” God commanded Joshua upon the Israelites’ entry into Canaan (see Deuteronomy 20:17). This only seems extremely unfair and brutal when one fails to take into account the fact that God waited four hundred years for these same Amorites to turn from the horrific perversion and cruelty that defined their culture and destroyed their souls.

Four hundred years is a long time. For twice as long as our nation has existed, while Israel was held captive in Egypt, God waited for the Amorites to turn from their bizarre, evil practices. But they didn’t. So finally, when the iniquity of the Amorites was full, God said, “Enough is enough. Destroy them.” Did He do so because He is cruel? No. The Amorites were already doomed, damned, lost, gone, toast, curtains, dust. They were so sick that in ordering their annihilation, God was simply putting them out of their misery.

I camp on this point because people who read the Bible casually or hear a story in a Sunday sermon occasionally can think God is cruel. We must explain to them how patient God is—but that we must not mistake His patience for apathy, impotence, or approval of sin. For while the wheels of God’s judgment turn slowly, they do, indeed, grind thoroughly.

“The sea is designed to reflect the glory of God. In chapter 4 its description ‘like unto crystal’ speaks of the holiness of God. Here the sea mingled with fire speaks of divine judgment proceeding from God’s holiness.” - Walvoord

Revelation 15:2 (a)
I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire.

In addition to seeing the seven angels about to pour out the fullness of God’s wrath, John sees a sea of glass. Because the tabernacle was a shadow of the reality of heaven (Hebrews 8-9), I believe the sea of glass is actually a glassy sea of literal water, of which the laver in the temple was a picture (Exodus 30:18).

"Even though the Antichrist kills them, they have victory over the beast - they are not losers. The early church consistently described the day of martyrdom as “a day of victory." - Guzik

Revelation 15:2 (b)
…and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.

It is intriguing to me that those who lose their lives in the Tribulation because they choose to listen to the message of the 144,000 and believe God rather than take the mark of the Beast or bow before the image are seen not around, but on the sea of glass.

Why does this intrigue me? Because it reminds me of another tribulation.…

Out on the sea with the wind blowing and the waves rolling, the disciples were understandably terrified. Seeing the Lord walking toward them, Peter cried, “Lord, if that’s really You, bid me come.” Jesus said, “Come,” and Peter did just that (Matthew 14:28).

So, too, in our text, these guys are walking on water. On earth they didn’t. Having been persecuted and destroyed by Antichrist, on earth they would have been seen as losers. Not so in heaven. In heaven, they’re water-walkers.

If you don’t factor in heaven, none of biblical Christianity works. Without heaven, folks, you’re going to go down the wrong path in your experience of spiritual life. You’ve got to factor heaven into every single equation. If you get nothing else out of the Book of Revelation, my prayer would be that you would first of all see Jesus Christ on the throne in control, and, secondly, that you’d understand it’s all about heaven.

What is the first song in the Bible?

Revelation 15:3 (a)
They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God…

The song of Moses, recorded in Exodus 15, is the first song in the Bible. With their backs to the Red Sea, three million Jews looked up to see Pharaoh’s army barreling down on them. “Moses, you’ve led us into a trap!” they cried because not one of them knew that God was about to do something totally unexpected, unpredictable, unprecedented. So it was not until after God intervened, after the Red Sea parted, after the children of Israel crossed safely to the other side that they sang, “The Lord has triumphed gloriously.”

"Only one song is sung, but this song goes by two titles (the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb). The two titles refer to a single song. Here is a perfect union between law and love, between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant." - Guzik

Revelation 15:3 (b)
…and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!

• The song of Moses was sung near the Red Sea.
• The song of the Lamb is sung near the glassy sea.
• The song of Moses dealt with rescue.
• The song of the Lamb deals with Rapture.
• The song of Moses was sung by those brought out of Egypt.
• The song of the Lamb is sung by those brought into heaven.

Are we making sure we are ready for the trials and issues that are bound to come?

Revelation 15:4
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.

“All nations shall come and worship before You,” sing the overcomers in Revelation 15, fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy.…

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." Zechariah 14:16

When the Lord comes back, the Feast of Tabernacles—the week-long celebration, wherein throughout history the Jews commemorated how God brought them through the wilderness—will be reinstated. Instead of commemorating how the Lord brought His people through the wilderness, however, it will celebrate how He brought His people through the world.

Everyone will be invited, but not everyone will come . .

"And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain." Zechariah 14:17

Those who don’t come will experience drought, limited fruit, restricted harvest. The Lord says the same thing to you and me today, “Come and dine. Worship Me.” And we say, “Well, I’m kind of busy.”

We don’t have to come. But I’ll tell you this: When I don’t come, I get real dry because God is into corporate worship. Those of you who say, “But I’ve heard Revelation already,” or, “Why should I hear the Book of Acts being taught again? I studied it a year ago,” consider this.…

I talked with a precious couple from Missouri who said, “When your daughter, Jessie, went to heaven, we ordered the videotape of her memorial service. After watching it, we decided to hang on to it because we knew someone would need to see it. Almost a year to the day after Jessie went to heaven, our son was killed in an automobile accident. We pulled out the video, and you know what? It was for us.”

It had only been a year since their son went to heaven, yet they shared with me maturely, wisely, deeply because, you see, although they had heard about heaven many times before, now they truly had the bigger picture of heaven burned into their hearts.

Saying, “We don’t need to go to Bible study because we’ve heard that before and have been there already,” is really foolish because we don’t know what lies right around the bend.…

King Asa was wise. During the ten years of peace and prosperity under his reign, he built up the walls of his kingdom. He put bars on the gates. He raised up 280,000 men from Judah and gave them shields and spears. He raised up another 200,000 men of Benjamin and armed them as well. Why? Because knowing there would be a battle ahead, he used the time of peace and prosperity not to kick back, but to build up (2 Chronicles 14).

This world isn’t a playground, dear saints. It’s a battlefield. And wise is the one who, over the weeks and months and decades, says, “I’m going to build the walls of my faith. I’m going to fortify the city. I’m going to get the shields and weapons ready because I know sooner or later there will come trials and difficulties through which the Enemy desires to make my faith collapse. I need to be forewarned that I might be forearmed, prepared that I may be preserved.”

The Seven Bowls of the Seven Plagues

The following "angels bring God’s judgment. It is significant that they come directly from heavenly temple, from the presence and throne of God. They do not act on their own authority, but God’s." Guzik

Revelation 15:5, 6 (a)
After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen…

As the period of the Tribulation begins here in chapter 15, we see the angels dressed in spotless white linen—like a surgical team, if you would.

Revelation 15:6 (b)
…and having their chests girded with golden bands.

The girdles of gold across their chests symbolize the heart of gold within. That is, the judgment they are about to administer to the earth stems not from cruelty but from love.

The repercussions of sin.

Revelation 15:7, 8
Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.

Knowing that sin bites, burns, brutalizes, and butchers His children (Romans 6:23), God sends His surgical team of angels with vials of the bitter medicine of judgment in their hands in order to deal with the sin that destroys humanity.

In a parallel passage, we see David dealing with the repercussions of his own sin following his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, and the subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah.…

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice." - Psalm 51:7-8

When a lamb repeatedly jeopardized his own safety by continually wandering away from the flock, the shepherd would break its leg. Then, throughout the healing process, the shepherd would carry the heretofore straying lamb on his shoulder, during which time something amazing transpired in the lamb. You see, when after five or six weeks, his bone could again support his weight, the lamb remained close to the shepherd, never to wander again—not because he feared another broken bone, but because he had become attached to the shepherd. So it is as a shepherd that David cries, “Lord, I know that the bones which Thou hast broken shall rejoice again.”

Precious people, if we wander away and continue in sin, the Good Shepherd will do what He did with David and what David did with his own sheep: He’ll break the bone of our self-sufficiency in order to force us to draw close to Him in ways we never would have otherwise.

But lest you think the vials of judgment about to be poured out in the Tribulation are still unfair, take another look at our Shepherd, and you’ll realize that the Good Shepherd is also the Lamb of God who suffered not a broken bone, but a broken body and a broken heart as He died for our sin.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 15.

 

[Chaplain]

This part isn't actually true. Jehovah's Witnesses, being one of the more humble religions imo, openly acknowledge that many mistakenly thought that the significant event of 1914 was indeed Armegeddon. The ones who were annointed knew they were annointed while the ones over that number never felt they were a part of that group anyway. So the clarification wasn't regarding who was annointed which was a known fixed quantity, but rather who was the Great Crowd which is limitless.

Why would such groups want to be these 144,000, considering that during the Tribulation, the world will be falling apart around them?

This is incorrect too. Although the 144,000 aren't race based, all 144,000 could have been from the Jewish race. They had a big enough population at the advent of Christianity to easily fill the number.

Further the Jews make up a huge chunk of prophecy if in no other way simply by foreshadowing a bigger better picture of all races having the opportunity to be a part of God's chosen people.

JW are a cult, they deny basic Christian foundations, especially when it comes to Jesus, so their idea of who or what the 144K are, is the least of their troubles. They have gone back and forth in so many things throughout out the years as they are found out wrong, just like the rest of the cults, LDS and others.

That being said, here is the Wiki fact on their 144,000 beliefs:

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful Christians will be resurrected to heaven to spend eternity with God as spirit beings. They believe that this number is made up of first-century Christians, and other servants of God since then who were "anointed" (or became part of "spiritual Israel"), rather than being composed of literal descendants of Jacob. Witnesses believe that the 144,000 have been selected by God since Pentecost 33 CE. They believe the 144,000 (which they consider to be synonymous with the "little flock" of Luke 12:32) will serve with Christ as king-priests for a thousand years, while all other people accepted by God (whom they identify as the "other sheep" of John 10:16 and "the great crowd" of Revelation 7:9,14), will be given an opportunity to live forever in a restored paradise on earth. According to the Witnesses, the first of the 144,000 were resurrected as spirit beings in 1918 and others who die after 1918 are immediately resurrected to heaven. Nearly 12,000 Witnesses worldwide—an increase of more than 3,000 since 1995[9]—claim to be of the anointed "remnant" of the 144,000. The "remnant" is considered to constitute the faithful and discreet slave of Matthew 24:45 and Luke 12:42, with teaching authority over Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide. In practice, all doctrinal and organizational decisions are made by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, which is said to represent that "slave class".

A good article on their beliefs:

Jehovah's Witnesses in a Nutshell

According to Jehovah's Witness' theology, God is a single person, not a Trinity, who does not know all things and is not everywhere. He first created Michael the Archangel through whom He created all "other things," including the universe, the earth, Adam and Eve, etc. This creative work took God 42,000 years. At one point, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system. They have since modified this to say that the "Pleiades can no longer be considered the center of the universe and it would be unwise for us to try to fix God's throne as being at a particular spot in the universe."1 Such changes and even contradictions in teaching are frequent in the Watchtower organization and when a doctrine changes, they tell their followers that the light of truth is getting brighter.

After Adam sinned, the paradise which God had created for them was ruined. So, God instituted a system of redemption which was revealed in the Bible and would ultimately lead to the crucifixion of Jesus the messiah. But, in the meantime, God needed to have a visible, theocratic organization on earth to accurately represent Him. Throughout history, this true organization had a remnant of faithful Jehovah's Witnesses (Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, etc.) but it wasn't until the late 1800's that Charles Taze Russell formally began what is now known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society which is run out of Brooklyn, New York. This organization claims to be the only true channel of God's truth on earth today and that it alone can properly interpret God's word since it is the angel directed prophet of God on earth.

When it came time for the savior to be born, Michael the Archangel became a human, in the form of Jesus. Jesus grew and kept all the laws of God and never sinned. Finally, when Jesus died, it was not on a cross, but on a torture stake, where he bore the sins of mankind -- but this did not include Adam's sins. Jesus rose from the dead as a spirit, not physically (his body was dissolved and taken by God) and during his visitations to people on earth, he manifested a temporary physical body for them to see and touch. Thus began the true Christian church of Jehovah's followers.

Throughout history there have been faithful Jehovah's witnesses who have managed to keep The Truth in spite of the "demonic" doctrine of Trinitarianism that has permeated the Christian church in "Christendom." Christendom is filled with pastors who are antichrists, in churches run by Satan, and who support the earthly governments which are all of the devil. In other words, all of Christianity is false and only the Jehovah's Witness "theocratic" organization led by several men in Brooklyn, New York, is true.

In the late 1800's, a young man of 18 years, by the name of Charles Taze Russell, organized a Bible class in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1879 he sought to popularize his ideas on doctrine so he co-published The Herald of the Morning magazine with its founder, N. H. Barbour and by 1884 Russell controlled the publication and renamed it The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom, and founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (now known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society). Russell served as the teacher and guide for the organization which taught that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and is now reigning in heaven. When Jesus finally returns physically to earth, which will happen at the time of the Battle of Armageddon, He will set up his earthly 1000 year kingdom.

During this 1000 year period, people will be resurrected and have a second chance to receive eternal salvation by following the principles of Jehovah's Organization on earth known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. After the millennium, those who reject God and His organization will be annihilated; that is, they will cease to exist. The rest of the Jehovah's Witness who have faithfully followed God's organization on earth will be saved from eternal annihilation and reside forever on Paradise earth. Heaven, however, is a place for a special group of 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses -- the only ones who are "born again" and who alone are allowed to take communion in their annual communion service. These are the ones who have "immortal life," all other Witnesses have "everlasting life." Those with immortal life do not have resurrected bodies. They have "spirit bodies." Those on Paradise Earth have everlasting life and consists of a resurrected body that must be maintained through eating, rest, etc.

When you study with the Jehovah's Witnesses, you agree to attend five meetings a week where you are taught from Watchtower literature. You cannot be baptized until you have studied their material for at least six months and have answered numerous questions before a panel of elders. Men are not supposed have long hair or wear beards and women are to dress in modest apparel. They refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing the "Star Spangled Banner," celebrate birthdays or Christmas, won't take blood transfusions, and they can't join the armed forces. A schedule of door-to-door canvassing is required where you distribute the Watchtower literature, acquire donations, and forward all monies to the headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.

If you ever leave the Jehovah's Witness organization, you are considered an apostate and are to be shunned.

Some more articles for those that are interested.

Introduction

Jehovah's Witness' Beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses in a nutshell
Jehovah's Witnesses' History
Is the Jehovah's Witness religion Christian?

Regarding Jehovah's Witnesses

If you are a Jehovah's Witness, please read this first
Jehovah's Witnesses are really "Watchtowerites."
Questions for Jehovah's Witnesses
Has the Jehovah's Witness' god performed the greatest act of love?
Response to "Has the Jehovah's Witness' god performed the greatest act of love?"
Arianism and Its Influence Today

Issues and Answers

Responding to the Jehovah’s Witness attacks on the deity of Christ
Responding to the Jehovah's Witness attacks on the Bible
A Biblical Response to Jehovah's Witnesses
The Lord's Supper and the 144,000 Anointed Class of Jehovah's Witnesses
1914 A.D., 607 B.C., 586 B.C. and the Jehovah's Witnesses
Why 1914 A.D. is Important to the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses and Mental Health
The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Resurrection of Jesus
Is the Jehovah's Witnesses Organization the "faithful and discreet slave?"
Do Annihilation and Resurrection Make Sense?
Does the Watchtower say the Bible teaches the Trinity?
A Test: Do you have the True Jesus?

Problems in the Watchtower Organization

Jehovah's Witnesses and their many false prophecies
Jehovah's Witness doctrine is not from the Bible alone
Contradictions in Watchtower Literature
Salvation according to the Watchtower Organization, Part 1
Salvation according to the Watchtower Organization, Part 2

Jehovah's Witness attacks on Jesus

If Jesus is God, then who did He pray to?
If Jesus is God, then why did not know the time of His return?
If Jesus is God, why did He say the Father was greater than He?
Did Paul think Jesus was God?
Did Jesus rise from the dead in the same body He died in?
Did Jesus die on a stake or a cross?

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Bible

Bad translations of the Jehovah's Witness Bible
The New World Translation and "Proskuneo" (worship)

Bible Verses Examined

1 Chronicles 29:20, is Jesus worshipped the same way David was?
Isaiah 40:3; Mal. 3:1; Matt. 3:3, Prepare the way of the Lord.
John 1:1, "The word was a god."
The Word and The Watchtower: An Exegesis of John 1:1
John 5:18, "...making Himself equal with God."
John 5:30-32, "By Myself I can do nothing."
John 8:58, "Before Abraham came into existence, I have been."
John 8:58 and 10:30-33, "I am."
John 10:30-33, What made the Jews want to kill Jesus?
John 14:28, "The Father is greater than I."
John 17:3, "The only true God."
1 Cor. 1:2, Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus
Col. 1:15, "firstborn of all creation"
Col. 1:16-17 - "...all [other] things were created by him..."
Heb. 1:6, "Let the angels do obeisance to him."
Heb. 1:8 and Psalm 45:6, "God is thy throne."

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church Fathers

Justin Martyr and the Watchtower

Interesting Quotes from Watchtower Literature

Does the Watchtower organization control the JW's thinking?
Regarding the Watchtower Organization and Salvation
The Watchtower Organization points to itself as the truth.
Regarding the Trinity, Jesus, Adam, and the immortality of the soul

Documentation from Jehovah's Witness Literature

• Regarding the faithful and discreet slave

Charles Taze Russell is the faithful and discreet slave
Charles Taze Russell never claimed to be the faithful and discreet slave
Watchtower Organization is faithful and discreet slave
The faithful and discreet slave is the anointed overseers of the Watchtower Org.

• Regarding Jesus

Jesus is present since 1874
Jesus is Abaddon and Apollyon the Destroyer
Jesus mediates only for 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses
Jesus became the Christ at His baptism

• Regarding Salvation

Four requirements for salvation in Watchtower Organization
The Jehovah's Witness must do God's will the rest of his life to be saved
A Jehovah's Witness must become worthy of salvation

• Regarding sin

The impulse to sin is in the blood

• Regarding the Jehovah's Witnesses and their Organization

The Jehovah's Witness Organization is the prophet of God
Knowing the Bible is possible only through Jehovah's Witness organization
Watchtower is necessary to understand the Bible
The Jehovah's Witnesses are the Christ

• Regarding opposers and apostates

Opposers of true worship are skilled at deception
Have no dealings with apostates

 

[JGS]

I'm not quite sure why I would listen to someone who has already gotten information wrong about JW's to find ut more information about them. The information about the Christian religion is is readily available on their website. I don't need someone to regurgitate it incorrectly do I?

 

[Chaplain]

I'm not quite sure why I would listen to someone who has already gotten information wrong about JW's to find ut more information about them.

The information about the Christian religion is is readily available on their website. I don't need someone to regurgitate it incorrectly do I?

I wouldn't share information with you that would point you away from Jesus. I will never point people to cults or men that will deceive them and hurt their relationship with Jesus. Whether you choose to ignore what I share with you and tell you is up to you. But I know that I am going to be held responsible to God for what I have shared with you and others in my own life.

I would rather die right now than lead anyone to one of Satan's belief systems or chosen instruments.

 

[JGS]

I wouldn't share information with you that would point you away from Jesus. I will never point people to cults or men that will deceive them and hurt their relationship with Jesus. Whether you choose to ignore what I share with you and tell you is up to you. But I know that I am going to be held responsible to God for what I have shared with you and others in my own life.

I would rather die right now than lead anyone to one of Satan's belief systems or chosen instruments.

How would I know that you are directing me away from a cult and not toward one?

If you send me to information that either restates the "cult" teaching or lies about it, then why should I hold value in it more than the teaching you are trying to protect me from?

 

[Chaplain]

How would I know that you are directing me away from a cult and not toward one?

You should be searching God's Word to see if what I or others are telling you is the truth. I would also hope that you are praying and asking God to to reveal to you lies that you come across and truth that you might not currently believe.

If you send me to information that either restates the "cult" teaching or lies about it, then why should I hold value in it more than the teaching you are trying to protect me from?

If a teaching is true, it will always be taught by Christ, through one of His Apostles or through one of the books of the Bible.

The sources I am pointing you to are saying God's Word is the final authority and expose the teachings of others that do not align with God's Word.

Here is one example:

This chart shows why each of these beliefs systems are not Christian. Knowing this info should make a believer walk closer with the Lord, because they can see and know the truth that keeps them free.

Did that make sense?

 

[Gileadxv]

I haven't been to CARM in a while, I didn't realize they were so thorough. Thanks for the info Game Analyst!

 

[JGS]

You should be searching God's Word to see if what I or others are telling you is the truth. I would also hope that you are praying and asking God to to reveal to you lies that you come across and truth that you might not currently believe.

I've already done that and been called a cultist lol.

Looks like JW's are in the same boat.

If a teaching is true, it will always be taught by Christ, through one of His Apostles or through one of the books of the Bible.

The sources I am pointing you to are saying God's Word is the final authority and expose the teachings of others that do not align with God's Word.

Here is one example:

This chart shows why each of these beliefs systems are not Christian. Knowing this info should make a believer walk closer with the Lord, because they can see and know the truth that keeps them free.

Did that make sense?

The chart doesn't mean much since it's selecting about as many scriptures as anyone can use to refute them. For example, reading the Bible and following Christ's direction leads me to believe he is not a part of a trinity & that JW's may be the most complete example of a Christian religion doing his will.

 

[Gileadxv]

JGS, I'm curious as to your view of God in general, as well as who Jesus and the Holy Spirit are. My intention is not to argue the point or change your mind (I know I won't!), but rather, I'm genuinely curious as your belief in this.

 

[blame space]

man sometimes i just love Jesus so much.. it's crazy.

 

[JGS]

JGS, I'm curious as to your view of God in general, as well as who Jesus and the Holy Spirit are. My intention is not to argue the point or change your mind (I know I won't!), but rather, I'm genuinely curious as your belief in this.

In general and based largely on reading the Bible itself:

God (Yahweh or Jehovah) - The Universal Sovreign. Nothing is equal to him in wisdom, power, love, or justice. All creation's goal should be to live in harmony with his wishes. This is not only because it's the right thing to do, but also it's his right to demand such from us.

Jesus - God's Son. Inferior to his father but mirrors him perfectly. Makes sense considering he has spent more time with God than anyone. Only Begotten in the sense that he was created by God directly and used to create other things.

Holy Spirit - God's power which is used to carry out his will/wishes which includes helping those asking for it as well as direction.

Angels - God's workers in heaven. They don't exists for us, but they are usually discussed in connection with humans which makes sense considering the Bible is about the relationship between God and humans. Like humans, angels can be good or bad and have free will.

God's Kingdom - God's rule. It has never disappeared but other kingdoms have been allowed to rule alongside it, chief of which is Satan's. TheBible prophesies that God's kingdom will put an end to all others & Jesus is key to accomplishing that in a way that exercises Godly justice.

Punishment - Death. Eternal torment/torture is a wicked action by God's own standard. Death is more than fair and sufficiently harsh for ones opposed to God.

Salvation - Open to everyone despite most refusing the offer. There is no way for us to know who is who. It is not our place to determine who is a cult or not (Quite frankly GA is wholly unqualified to make that call). That's God & Jesus' call, but the shoe-ins are readily apparent based on Scripture. Some of the unrighteous (Heck, maybe most of them) have an opportunity for salvation as well.

All in all, it's silly for someone who is professed to be non-denominational to chastise the actions of other religous groups based on Scriptural cherry picking. One day, I'll go to town on the chart in question for it's ridculousness. There's one part that literally makes me lol.

I don't mean disrespect, but the chart is geared, not on Biblical origins, but on whatever religious belief is already in place at the time the chart was written, so I can't take it seriously at all. There's no particular reason for me to respect it even if GA does.

 

[Chaplain]

"Since no one could enter the temple (Revelation 15:8), this loud voice from the temple must be God Himself, who personally initiates the horrific judgment of the bowls." - Guzik

Revelation 16:1
Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.”

The world is not well, folks. It’s suffering from the cancer of carnality, the plague of perversion, the sickness of sin. Therefore, in the period of the Tribulation, the Father will deal with the sin that permeates and pollutes our world. Now, you can either undergo the brutal and bloody radical surgery of the Tribulation—or you can undergo open-heart surgery in this day of grace by opening your heart to Jesus Christ. You see, sin must be judged one way or another. I highly recommend bypassing the Tribulation and letting the Lord do surgery on your heart today!

First Bowl: Loathsome Sores

Many times we suffer because we choose to do things are way and not God's way.

Revelation 16:2
So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sores came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.

The first strong medicine poured out upon the earth results in “loathsome sores” upon those who take the mark of the Beast. Initially, taking the mark of the Beast would seem to be so logical, so technologically sophisticated, so wise. I mean, why deal with credit cars that can be stolen, checks that can be forged, or cash that can be lost when you can enter into a brand-new economic order where you can buy and sell with simply a number?

“Don’t take the mark of the Beast!” the angels will cry as they fly across the sky. “Don’t take his number,” the 144,000 Jewish evangelists will preach on the streets. But most will not heed the message. And their refusal to do so will bring about its own pain.

That’s always the way it is with sin. “The reason you have so many problems and pains and difficulties is because of your own sin. It’s not Me punishing you,” says God. “It’s the result of your own backsliding” (see Jeremiah 2:19).

Second Bowl: The Sea Turns to Blood

"The sea doesn’t necessarily become blood, but as of a corpse’s blood. It will match the appearance and sickening character of the blood in a dead body." - Guzik

Revelation 16:3
Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died.

An abnormal multiplication of plankton causes not only a depletion of the oxygen supply in the surrounding water, but ushers in a phenomenon known as “red tide”—wherein the phosphorous in the plankton causes the water to turn red as blood. It could be that this is a “red tide” taken to the extreme. I don’t know. But whatever it is, it will be absolutely horrible.

Third Bowl: The Waters Turn to Blood

The people of the Earth “thirsted after blood and massacred the saints of God; and now they have got blood to drink!” - Clarke

Revelation 16:4
Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood.

As hard as it is to imagine, every creek, lake, and river will turn to blood. Every faucet, every hose, every drinking fountain will run blood instead of water. If you think that’s a bit extreme, read on.

"Even in the midst of judgment, it is right that the angel declares You are righteous, O Lord. Not only is God’s justice fair, it is also pure and appropriate. There is no “vigilante justice” with God." - Guzik

Revelation 16:5, 6
And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”

Through the centuries, people have questioned how He who is supposed to be love can be so judgmental, so brutal, so bloody. Yet here in verse 5, we hear the angel say that the very turning of the water to blood is an act of righteousness.

Why?
Think with me.…

As Jesus hung on the Cross, praying forgiveness upon those who nailed Him there, water and blood flowed from His side (John 19:34). Medically indicative of a broken heart, the water and blood meant nothing to the crowd at Golgotha who cursed Him, spat upon Him, and turned their backs on Him. Thus, here in Revelation, the water is turned to blood physically because mankind rejected the blood that flowed with water redemptively.

"This “speaking altar” may be God’s altar - the cross, where His greatest sacrifice was made, and which here testifies of His righteous judgment, both in the past and soon to come. This is altar where God in His love offered a way of escape from these judgments." - Guzik

Revelation 16:7
And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Whether this voice be figurative or literal, I cannot say. But this much is sure: The voice that cries, “True and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord,” originates at the altar.

In our own times of trial and tribulation, there can be a tendency within us to question the fairness of the Father. But the altar, the place of sacrifice, the Cross speaks just the opposite. If you don’t see this, you’ll go through life one day blessing the Lord in the amphitheater and the next day cursing Him because of your troubles at work. God demonstrated His love for you in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Therefore, it is through the lens of God’s love as demonstrated on the altar of Calvary that I must look at every trial I face and every hard time I endure.

“What shall we say then? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (see Romans 8:32) Because God loved me enough to hang on the Cross in my place, to pay for my sin, to die for me, I know everything He does in my life—whether or not I understand it at the time—is right.

Complaining about my job, boss, paycheck, kids, singleness, or employees only means I am not listening to the cry of the altar, that I have forgotten Calvary. Allow the Cross to “altar” your view, precious people, as you look at everything in the light of Calvary.

Fourth Bowl: Men Are Scorched

“The wishful thinking of some that men would repent if they only knew the power and righteous judgment of God is shattered by frequent mention in this chapter of the hardness of the human heart in the face of the most stringent and evident divine discipline.” - Walvoord

Revelation 16:8
Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.

This could be referring to a supernova—the stage directly preceding the death of a star, wherein the star becomes intensely hot. Be that as it may, because men turned their backs on the Son, they will experience the burning of the sun.

Revelation 16:9
And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.

The judgments poured out upon the earth in rapid succession result in blistered bodies, stinking seas, blood-red rivers, and a scorching sun. Yet man chooses through it all to blaspheme rather than repent. This is vital to understand because it answers the charges of those who say, “If God is a God of love, wouldn’t one thousand, ten thousand, or even one million years be sufficient punishment for mans’ sin and rebellion? Be reasonable. What kind of God would allow someone to burn in hell forever?”

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus speaks of everlasting fire and in Mark 9:43-45 of hell as being a place where the fire is not quenched. Hell is eternal. Why? Because men are eternally unrepentant. As we see in our text, no matter how hot the sun becomes or how red the rivers run, man refuses to repent.

“Oh, but I repented,” you say. Yes—but it was only by God’s grace because there is none righteous (Romans 3:10). That is why you and I must be forever grateful that the Lord, by His grace, initiated His work of salvation in us.

Fifth Bowl: Darkness and Pain

“Judgment may produce a carnal repentance - a repentance that is of the flesh, and after the manner of the sinful nature of men. In this repentance the depravity of the heart remains the same in essence, though it takes another form of showing itself. Though the man changes, he is not savingly changed: he becomes another man, but not a new man. The same sin rules in him, but it is called by another name, and wears another dress. The stone is carved into a more sightly shape, but it is not turned into flesh. The iron is cast into another image, but it is not transformed into gold. This carnal repentance is caused by fear. Does not every thief repent of robbery when he is convicted and sent to jail? Does not every murderer repent of his crime when he stands under the fatal tree?” - Spurgeon

Revelation 16:10 (a)
Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness…

The seat of Antichrist’s government is Babylon—the city constructed on the same site as the tower of Babel. “We don’t need God. We’ll build a tower, study the stars, and let our horoscopes run our lives,” declared Nimrod and his fellow inhabitants of Babel.

Revelation 16:10 (b)
…and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.

At the tower of Babel, men’s tongues were affected in that they no longer spoke the same language. In the city of Babylon, men’s tongues will again be affected when they are gnawed as a result of pain.

Revelation 16:11
They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

Even though they can barely speak due to the pain that overwhelms them, men still find it in their hearts to blaspheme God.

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

“Christ expelled unclean spirits, but His enemies send them forth.” - Swete

Revelation 16:12-14
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

As the Tribulation nears its end, three froglike demons croak, “GotoMegiddo, GotoMegiddo,” in the ears of world leaders. It’s a demonically induced suggestion because Satan is actually orchestrating the entire scenario.

Jesus gives a quick shout-out to be prepared for His return.

Revelation 16:15
“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.”

Because of the admonition given to us in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, we know what’s ahead. We’re looking for the Rapture. But these left behind, having been in darkness, receive this word of encouragement in verse 15: “Take hope. Even though the armies are marching, I’m on My way. My coming is not only imminent—it’s immediate.”

"Garments are pictures of spiritual and practical righteousness. We are given the righteousness of Jesus as a garment (Galatians 3:27), but we are also called to “put on” the nature of Jesus in terms of practical holiness (Ephesians 4:20-24). Above all, we must not be “naked” - that is, without a covering, or trying to provide our own covering like Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:7), which is like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6)." - Guzik

Three reasons why the final battle of Armageddon will be at Megiddo.

Revelation 16:16
And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.

Located sixty miles north of Jerusalem, the Jezreel Valley has been filled with warfare. When Gideon and three hundred men overcame the Midianites, it was at the valley below a little hill called Megiddo. When Samson took on the Philistines, one of the key battles was at Megiddo. King Josiah was killed at Megiddo. Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera at Megiddo.

The Turks, Muslims, Syrians, Egyptians, and the Europeans have all waged war in this valley. In his disastrous excursion into Egypt, Napoleon passed through the Jezreel Valley. “If ever there is a place on earth where the last war must be fought,” he declared, “it is here.”

The armies of the world will indeed gather at Armageddon. And Antichrist, the false prophet, and Satan himself will meet them there.

Why?

First, to devour Israel. The ultimate anti-Semite is Satan. If He can destroy Israel, Bible prophecy will fail, for how can Jesus return to rule and reign from Israel if Israel ceases to be?

Second, to destroy believers. Having wiped out the nation Israel, Satan would then wipe out all who oppose him.

Finally, to determine who will rule. Satan knows he will ultimately encounter God at Megiddo. Daniel 11:40-47 outlines the actual strategy that will be used in this final battle: While Antichrist is headquartered at Babylon, the king of the south—Egypt and the northern African nations—will launch an insurrection against him. At the same time, the king of the north—Russia—will come south in order to assist the Egyptians and the northern African nations in their rebellion against Antichrist. But the Russians will fool the king of the south, continue on into Egypt, and carry off the treasures of Egypt.

So we see Egypt coming north, Russia coming south, Antichrist coming from the east—and they all converge in Megiddo.

Seventh Bowl: The Earth Utterly Shaken

"This announcement (It is finished!), coming from the throne itself tells us that there will be no more delay. In mercy, God has stretched out this scene as much has He could. The seals were followed by trumpets; the trumpets were followed by bowls; but there will be no more judgments upon the earth after this - It is finished!" - Guzik

Revelation 16:17–20
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne in the Temple, saying, “It is finished!” Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth. The great city of Babylon split into three sections, and the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled.

The armies gather. The earth shakes. The blood flows in this event in which the topographical changes described in this passage are consistent with the effects of nuclear warfare.

“I have known people say, ‘Well, if I were afflicted I might be converted. If I lay sick I might be saved.’ Oh, do not think so. Sickness and sorrow of themselves are no helps to salvation. Pain and poverty are not evangelists; disease and despair are not apostles. Look at the lost in hell. Suffering has effected no good in them. He that was filthy here is filthy there. He that was unjust in this life is unjust in the life to come. There is nothing in pain and suffering that, by their own natural operation, will tend to purification.” - Spurgeon

Revelation 16:21 (a)
And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.

One of the surprising results of the 1950s nuclear testing on the Bikini Islands were the hailstones that formed when the surrounding water shot so high into the atmosphere that it froze before returning to earth. The bombs detonated at Nagasaki and Hiroshima are BB guns in comparison to the power of the bombs presently in the arsenals of numerous nations, so one talent—or one-hundred-pound—hailstones are certainly possible.

Revelation 16:21 (b)
Men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great.

What was the Old Testament punishment for blasphemy? Stoning (Leviticus 24:16). What’s happening here? Stoning by hundred-pound hailstones.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 16.

 

[Gileadxv]

Thanks for sharing, JGS. One question I have (and again, this isn't to argue a point) is regarding this:

Holy Spirit - God's power which is used to carry out his will/wishes which includes helping those asking for it as well as direction.

According to your beliefs, what do you mean by "God's Power"? Does the Holy Spirit act independently, though always in line with the will of God (and if so, what implication does that present relationally between the Holy Spirit and God), or are you saying that the Holy Spirit is the force behind God's actions (i.e. the power behind a fist as it punches a punching bag), and therefore not capable of independent action?

 

[Chaplain]

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

“The woman pictures false religion that will dominate the world in the tribulation period.” - Hocking

Revelation 17:1 (a)
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot…

At this point in the Book of Revelation, although the church is in heaven, the structures, systems, and stuff of religion—referred to here as the great harlot—remain intact on earth.

"Religious Babylon intoxicates kings and peoples. Karl Marx was partly right when he said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” He was partly right because empty religion is the opium of the masses." Guzik

Revelation 17:1 (b), 2
…who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Note the universal power of the false religious system as the harlot consorts with the political leaders of “many waters,” or many nations.

“Her position, that of riding the beast, indicates on the one hand that she is supported by the political power of the beast, and on the other that she is in a dominant role and at least outwardly controls and directs the beast.” - Walvoord

Revelation 17:3
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Note the unique position of the false religious system as the harlot is seen riding the Beast, or Antichrist. At this point, all true believers—be they Baptists or Catholics, Episcopalians or Pentecostals—are in heaven. This leaves only the trappings of religion atop the Beast.

“We find in the course of church history that one of the deadliest marks of ecclesiastical corruption is the lust for temporal power.” - Barnhouse

Revelation 17:4 (a)
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls…

Note the unlimited prosperity of the false religious system as seen in the purple robes and precious jewels with which the harlot is attired.

Revelation 17:4 (b)
…having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

Note the unholy passion of the false religious system as seen in the golden cup in the hand of the harlot, full of the fruits of her fornication.

“These two Women, thus related, and set over one against the other as opposites and rivals, must necessarily be interpreted in the same way. As Antichrist corresponds to Christ as a rival and antagonist of Christ, so Great Babylon corresponds to the Woman that bears the Man-child, as her rival and antagonist.” - Seiss

Revelation 17:5
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The Bible could rightly be called The Tale of Two Cities, for from cover to cover, two cities pop up over and over again: One is Jerusalem, the city of God. The other is Babylon, the city of rebellion.

Mentioned more than three hundred times in Scripture, Babylon was founded on the plain of Shinar near the Euphrates River by Nimrod, a man whose name literally means “we will rebel.” Babylon was centered around the tower of Babel—a ziggurat used for the practice of astrology.

"As a religious system, Babylon came into being long before Christianity, but in Satanic imitation it anticipated the coming true Messiah. According to religious history and legend, the Babylonian religion was founded by the wife of Nimrod (a great-grandson of Noah), named Semiramis. She was a high priestess of idol worship, and she gave birth to a son who she claimed was conceived miraculously. The son, named Tammuz, was considered a savior. Many ancient artifacts remain with the familiar motif of the mother Semiramis holding the savior-infant Tammuz, which predate Christianity. It was also said that Tammuz was killed by a wild beast and then miraculously brought back to life. Baal was the local, Canaanite name for the Babylonian Tammuz." - Guzik

Guzik - "Why is John amazed? Because this isn’t pagan persecution (such as he knew in his day), but religious error and persecution. This is a psuedo-church, thirsty for the blood of the saints. “False religion is always the worst enemy of true religion.” (Walvoord)"

Revelation 17:6
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

Note the unsettling persecution perpetrated by the false religious system. Bear in mind that John wrote the Book of Revelation in the midst of ten waves of persecution that would ultimately claim the lives of six million believers.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

"It appeared that the harlot ruled (rode) the Antichrist’s system, but he is the dynamic factor, using her as tyrants have always used religion - as a mere tool to accomplish their purposes." - Guzik

Revelation 17:7-8
But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

John gives a seemingly enigmatic description of the beast carrying the woman when he writes of the “beast that was seen and is not, and yet is.” But then he goes on to give further illumination.…

The Catholic Review: “The unity of religion promoted by the Holy Father Pope John Paul II and approved by His Holiness the Dalai Lama is not a goal to be achieved immediately, but a day may come when the love and compassion which both Buddha and Christ preached so eloquently will unite the world in a common effort to save humanity from senseless destruction, and leading to toward the light in which we all believe.”

Revelation 17:9
“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

Only one city in history is known as “The City of Seven Mountains”: Rome.

Seven kings and kingdoms.

Revelation 17:10 (a)
And there are seven kings…

At the time John wrote this, there had been seven Roman emperors: Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Tiberias, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, and Domitian.

Revelation 17:10 (b)
…five are fallen…

Of the original emperors, the lives of five were cut short. Julius Caesar was assassinated. Tiberias was poisoned. Caligula was stabbed. Claudius was smothered. And Nero committed suicide.

Revelation 17:10 (c)
…and one is…

When John penned this book, Domitian was on the throne.

Revelation 17:10 (d)
…and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short time.

This is a reference to Antichrist.

"The beast (the Antichrist) is clearly identified as the eighth king." - Guzik

Revelation 17:11
The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

The Beast yet to come is “of the seven.” In other words, Antichrist is one of the original seven emperors. Consider with me Caesar Nero—the sixth of the original Roman emperors.…

It was to Caesar Nero that Paul appealed (Acts 25:11). History verifies that it was after meeting with Paul that Caesar Nero went on a rampage that resulted in the martyrdom of tens of thousands of believers. This coupled with the fact that the Hebrew numeric value of the letters of his name equal 666, I personally believe Caesar Nero will one day reappear as Antichrist. Oh, he’ll not come wearing a toga, playing a fiddle, saying, “I’m back.” Rather, the perverted spirit of Caesar Nero that caused massive bloodshed under his reign will reappear in Antichrist.

“They are ten kingdoms which shall arise out of the fourth great kingdom there: ten European powers, which in the last time, in concert with and subjugation to the antichristian power, shall make war against Christ. In the precise number and form here indicated, they have not yet arisen . . . What changes in Europe may bring them into the required tale and form, it is not for us to say.” - Alford, 1866

Revelation 17:12-14
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”

Daniel 7 tells us that the ten horns of the beast signify the ten nations of the revived Roman Empire. Since the Rapture has happened at this point, Antichrist and this ten-nation federation will be of one mind.

"Once his power has been consolidated, the Antichrist no longer needs the help of religious Babylon. He will then work to dismantle and destroy her and her one-world religion." - Guzik

Revelation 17:15-16
Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire.

Once the Beast has used the false religious system to gain power, he will then turn against her. So, too, we will be disgraced, denuded, and devoured by any sin we attempt to control rather than confess. Oh, perhaps, like the harlot, we can ride the sin for a season, arrayed in the pearls, precious stones, and purple robes of confidence—but eventually, like the harlot, we will be burned and eaten up by the very sin we thought we controlled. I believe the language in this verse is purposely horrific because, truly, the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23).

"God has ordained the political support of these ten kings for the Antichrist. In doing so, God gives the world exactly what it wants: godless religion and godless rulers." - Guzik

Revelation 17:17
For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

According to His own will, God will use the Beast to destroy the false religious system.

"Again, the association of this harlot - of religious Babylon - with Rome doesn’t mean that the Roman Catholic Church is identical to religious Babylon, though apostate Roman Catholics will definitely be a part of this great harlot." - Guzik

Revelation 17:18
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.

This chapter has dealt with all of so-called Christendom being united by the power and potency of Rome. But one must not equate Rome with Catholicism. There are wonderful brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church, just as there are wonderful brothers and sisters in the Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, and Orthodox church. But after these brothers and sisters are raptured, the remaining power and prestige of the church in Rome will be manipulated by Antichrist. And although the Roman Church will think she’s in control, she’ll inevitably suffer the same fate as that of her own Pope Pius.…

In 1804, Napoleon summoned Pope Pius VII to leave Rome and to come to Paris in order to crown him emperor of France. Knowing the one who crowns the emperor will always have a voice of power with the emperor, Pius showed up with crown in hand. But just as he was about to place the crown on Napoleon’s brow, Napoleon grabbed it from Pope Pius and crowned himself. Horrified, Pius immediately understood the implication: Napoleon had wrested all power from Rome.

And the day is coming when Antichrist will do the same.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 17.

 

[Chaplain]

The Fall of Babylon the Great

“In chapter 18, the context seems to indicate that Babylon here is viewed in its political and economic character rather than its religious aspect.” - Walvoord

Revelation 18:1 (a)
And after these things…

After what things? After the destruction of Babylon (Revelation 17:15). What is left of the one-world religious system will join with Antichrist and the ten-nation confederation of Europe. Playing right into his hands, the religious system will initially work with Antichrist and the European Union—the revived Roman Empire.

The religious system based in Rome will appear to control the European coalition of the revived Roman Empire—but only for a certain season, for these kings will ultimately turn against Rome and, after using her to gain control of the reigns of world power, will trash her. That’s why Babylon is called a harlot in chapter 17. She’s used, abused, and thrown away.

"The phrase "fallen, fallen" is “repeated like a solemn dirge of the damned.” - Robertson

Revelation 18:1 (b), 2 (a)
…I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…

Why do we see Babylon again in chapter 18 after seeing her destroyed in chapter 17? Because chapter 17 deals with the false religious system Babylon represents, while chapter 18 deals with the literal city of Babylon. Chapter 17 deals with religious Babylon. Chapter 18 deals with political and economic Babylon.

This explains the seeming discrepancy between 17:16, which reads: “…and the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore…” and 18:9, which reads: “…and the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her…” You see, although the kings of the earth hate the religious system, they love and embrace the economic system of Babylon.

The following is “A prophetic picture of absolute desolation where the proud achievements of man become the demonic haunts of unclean and horrible creatures.” - Mounce

Revelation 18:2 (b)
…and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

As also seen in Jeremiah 51, the utter destruction of Babylon is reiterated in the Book of Isaiah…

"Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean pride, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep. Desert animals will move into the ruined city, and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Owls will live among the ruins, and wild goats will go there to dance. Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive." Isaiah 13:19-22

Although destroyed by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., there have always been small communities of inhabitants in Babylon. Isaiah, however, prophesied that not even shepherds and their flocks would hang out there, that it would simply be a place for weird birds and wild animals. Thus, Isaiah’s prophecy concerns a future destruction, which will come to further light as Revelation 18 unfolds.…

"Babylon’s sin is not only idolatry (referred to with the term fornication), but also pride, greed and selfishly held and wealth." - Guzik

Revelation 18:3
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.

Here we see interaction and commercial intercourse with Babylon. And because every nation has interaction with Babylon, every nation is affected by Babylon. All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

"It is inconceivable that a child of God could be a part of religious Babylon (though elements may creep in). But commercial Babylon, with its materialistic lure, is a constant threat to be guarded against." - Guzik

Revelation 18:4
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

The voice from heaven speaks to those who become believers during the Tribulation. The church is already in heaven, but the Lord will still save souls—so many that in the Tribulation there will be a large number of people who finally understand the gospel message and are converted to Christ. To them, this clarion call comes from heaven, saying, “Stay away from Babylon.”

The following "is the destiny of the materialistic world, but towards believers, God says I will remember their sins no more (Hebrews 8:12)." - Guzik

Revelation 18:5
For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

The goal of the builders of the Tower of Babylon’s birthplace was to “build a tower whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11:4). In reality, the only thing that reached to heaven was their iniquity.

"A call to those who will carry out Babylon’s judgment." - Guzik

Revelation 18:6
Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her.

In other words, Babylon is about to receive twice the wrath and destruction ever perpetrated by her.

Revelation 18:7 (a)
In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow…

She who has had interaction with all nations and with whom all nations have been involved in fornication now says, “I’m a queen, not a widow. I’m neither impoverished nor in need of anything.”

Revelation 18:7 (b)
…and will not see sorrow.

This doesn’t mean Babylon will not experience sorrow—but that she refuses to see it. Consumed with a “let them eat cake” mentality, Babylon is so absorbed in her own delicacies, her own materialism, her own economy that she does not see the sorrow of people even within her own boundaries.

Revelation 18:8
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

“You claim to be a queen and you see no sorrow. But I look at you differently,” declares God. “You’re going to be judged thoroughly.”

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 18.

 

[JGS]

Thanks for sharing, JGS. One question I have (and again, this isn't to argue a point) is regarding this:



According to your beliefs, what do you mean by "God's Power"? Does the Holy Spirit act independently, though always in line with the will of God (and if so, what implication does that present relationally between the Holy Spirit and God), or are you saying that the Holy Spirit is the force behind God's actions (i.e. the power behind a fist as it punches a punching bag), and therefore not capable of independent action?

Sorry I missed this. It does not act independently of God. It isn't even alive. It is power and it can be used in any way God sees fit whether that is display his acts of power, to encourage/his followers his followers, or to inspire Biblical writings.

 

[Chaplain]

Sorry I missed this. It does not act independently of God. It isn't even alive. It is power and it can be used in any way God sees fit whether that is display his acts of power, to encourage/his followers his followers, or to inspire Biblical writings.

Peter contradicts your belief though:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” Acts 5

 

[JGS]

Peter contradicts your belief though:

Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” Acts 5

That doesn't contradict. It is not uncommon for qualities & traits to be personified.

Since the holy spirit is used to inspire and help God's followers, it how they receive the standards for being Christian. Holy Spirit is what was used to help Peter realize Ananias was a liar since he didn't have the ability within himself and God was sitting right next to him to tell him.

 

[Chaplain]

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

“With a touch of grim humour he paints them as standing at a safe distance from the conflagration, and contenting themselves with idle lamentations.” Swete

Revelation 18:9, 10 (a)
The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!…

Not wanting to be tormented with the same torment with which Babylon is tormented, the kings of the earth will lament and mourn—but “standing afar off”—at a safe distance.

Revelation 18:10 (b)
…For in one hour your judgment has come.

The utter destruction of a city like Babylon taking place in one hour would most likely be the result of a nuclear exchange—the fallout of which would help explain why the kings of the earth “stand afar off.”

“The combined picture is one of complete abandonment to the wealth of this world and complete disregard of the God who gave it.” Walvoord

Revelation 18:11
The merchants of the world will weep and mourn for her, for there is no one left to buy their goods.

No one is saying, “Oh, those poor people in Babylon.” No, they’re saying, “Oh no, the world economy is wiped out.” And as the results of the destruction of Babylon are described, it feels as if we’re on a floor-by-floor tour of a huge department store like Saks Fifth Avenue or Bloomingdale’s.…

Revelation 18:12 (a)
merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls…

First floor: Jewelry

Revelation 18:12 (b)
…fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet…

Second Floor: Clothing

Revelation 18:12 (c)
…every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble.

Third Floor: Home Furnishings

Revelation 18:13 (a)
and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense…

Fourth Floor: Cosmetics

Revelation 18:13 (b)
…wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep…

Fifth Floor: Food Court

Revelation 18:13 (c)
…and horses, and chariots…

Sixth Floor: Automotive

Revelation 18:13 (d)
…and slaves, and souls of men.

The word “slaves” literally meaning “bodies,” this is the basement—the Adult Bookstore.
Please note not one of the aforementioned deals with life’s necessities. They’re all luxuries. Babylon specializes in materialism gone mad.

Revelation 18:14–17 (a)
“The fancy things you loved so much are gone,” they cry. “All your luxuries and splendor are gone forever, never to be yours again.” The merchants who became wealthy by selling her these things will stand at a distance, terrified by her great torment. They will weep and cry out, “How terrible, how terrible for that great city! She was clothed in finest purple and scarlet linens, decked out with gold and precious stones and pearls! In a single moment all the wealth of the city is gone!”

Babylon is the city that drives world economy, so everyone who exported from or imported to her is saying, “Oh no! How will we buy and sell now?”

"Should God’s people rejoice when judgment comes? Yes, but we don’t rejoice in the destruction in judgment. Rather, we rejoice in the righteous resolution God’s judgment brings." - Guzik

Revelation 18:17 (b)—20
And all the captains of the merchant ships and their passengers and sailors and crews will stand at a distance. They will cry out as they watch the smoke ascend, and they will say, “Where is there another city as great as this?” And they will weep and throw dust on their heads to show their grief. And they will cry out, “How terrible, how terrible for that great city! The shipowners became wealthy by transporting her great wealth on the seas. In a single moment it is all gone.” Rejoice over her fate, O heaven and people of God and apostles and prophets! For at last God has judged her for your sakes.

The peoples’ response to the destruction of Babylon is to weep and wail. But heaven’s response is to rejoice.

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

The following scriptures "reminds us of what Jesus said in Matthew 18:6: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." This applies to Babylon in Revelation 18, because she led others into sin. It is a terrible thing to sin unto yourself; it is even more terrible to lead others into sin." - Guzik

Revelation 18:21–23 (a)
Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, “Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again. The sound of harps, singers, flutes, and trumpets will never be heard in you again. No craftsmen and no trades will ever be found in you again. The sound of the mill will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The happy voices of brides and grooms will never be heard in you again.

The entire life of the city comes to a complete, abrupt halt in the aftermath of what is most likely a nuclear exchange. To John, the destruction in a single hour of the economic capital of the world would have been unimaginable. To our culture, having seen even the infancy of nuclear warfare demonstrated at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this is completely possible.

Revelation 18:23 (b)
For your merchants were the greatest in the world…

Who, where, what is this city of Babylon? The first clue is that her merchants were the great, or wealthiest, men on earth.

Our government’s historic and continued support and subsidy of the tobacco industry is an example of the “get rich at all costs” mentality that will do anything for a dollar—even if it means hiring Joe Camel to sell cigarettes to our own children.

What does sorceries mean?

Revelation 18:23 (c)
…and you deceived the nations with your sorceries.

The word translated “sorceries” being pharmakeia, or “drugs,” the second clue concerning Babylon’s identity is that this city has caught the entire world in her web of drug traffic.

The evidence is conclusive that due to the availability of money and to the demand of a culture that sinks so low as to glorify heroin addiction on its fashion models, the country that drives the drug industry today is unquestionably the United States.

"The ultimate reason for commercial Babylon’s judgment: she has killed the prophets and saints." - Guzik

Revelation 18:24
In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.

"God takes the persecution of His people as a personal offense. Those who attack His people really attack Him." - Guzik

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 18.

 

[Chaplain]

Songs of Victory in Heaven - Heaven Exults over Babylon

Sometimes, prayers take years to be answered.

Revelation 19:1 (a)
After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Alleluia! Salvation…

"A part of this great multitude - those martyred saints who fell at the hand of Antichrist during the Great Tribulation - cried out for God’s righteous judgment in Revelation 6:10. Here, finally, their prayer is answered." - Guzik

The world says there’s an alternative to salvation. They call it optimism. “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow,” they sing. “Inch by inch, anything’s a cinch,” they say. “If it’s to be, it’s up to me,” they declare—not realizing that nothing short of salvation will truly alter the tribulation that threatens them daily.

Why people in heaven do not question God about do all of the difficulty, tragedy, and pain in this life.

Revelation 19:1 (b), 2
…and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.

The people on earth wail following the destruction of Babylon. But heaven rejoices. Why? Because, although the natural tendency of people is to say, “Wasn’t that a bit brutal, Lord? Did You really have to drop hundred-pound hailstones? Wouldn’t thirty-pounders have done the job? What are You doing, Lord? Why do You allow such difficulty, tragedy, pain?” chapter 19 shows us there is no such questioning in heaven. It’s not because there’s a “No Questioning Allowed” sign in heaven—but because in heaven, the full picture becomes clear. And that which seemed to be so terrible, painful, and unnecessary on earth will seem brilliant, perfect, and righteous from the vantage of heaven.

The same is true regarding trials in our lives presently. Why doesn’t the Lord just show us the whole story now? Because He is teaching you and me to walk by faith and not by sight. Why? Because He knows that developing faith in you and me is absolutely necessary in light of what we will be doing throughout eternity.

What do “Amen” and “Alleluia” mean?

Revelation 19:3-6
Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia! Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!

“Amen” means “so be it.” “Alleluia” means “praise the Lord.” Interestingly, “Amen” and “Alleluia” are the only universally known words. That is, they are understood in every language, by every culture. The elders—or mature ones—are those who say, “So be it. Praise the Lord.”

What is the "marriage of the Lamb"?

Revelation 19:7
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

"The marriage of the Lamb, who is the Messiah, is a picture used frequently throughout the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, Israel is presented as God’s wife, who is often unfaithful (Hosea 2:19-20; Isaiah 54:5; Ezekiel 16). In the New Testament, the church is presented as the fiancé of Jesus, waiting for this day of marriage (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32)." - Guzik

“In Biblical times a marriage involved two major events, the betrothal and the wedding. These were normally separated by a period of time during which the two individuals were considered husband and wife and as such were under the obligations of faithfulness. The wedding began with a procession to the bride’s house, which was followed by a return to the house of the groom for the marriage feast. By analogy, the church, espoused to Christ by faith, now awaits the parousia when the heavenly groom will come for his bride and return to heaven for the marriage feast which lasts throughout eternity.” - Mounce

"Believers are created for divinely prepared good works. These righteous acts are what fill the “hope chest” of the bride of Jesus." - Guzik

Revelation 19:8
And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

In the Book of Isaiah, we see what “the righteousness of saints” is.…

"I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit
or a bride with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10

It’s not my righteousness that saves me, for Isaiah goes on to say that my righteousness is as filthy rags (64:6). No, it’s the robe of righteousness the Lord places around me that affords me entrance to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.

"Jesus Himself eagerly anticipates this marriage supper. He spoke longingly of the day when He will drink of the fruit of the vine again, with His disciples in the kingdom (Matthew 26:29)." - Guzik

Revelation 19:9
Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

“The Bride of Christ is a sort of Cinderella now, sitting among the ashes. She is like her Lord, ‘despised and rejected of men’; the watchmen smite her, and take away her veil from her; for they know her not, even as they knew not her Lord. But when he shall appear, then shall she appear also, and in his glorious manifestation she also shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.” - Spurgeon

“John either felt that the angel represented God or he was beside himself with excitement over the glorious consummation.” - Robertson

Revelation 19:10
And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

“Don’t worship me. I’m just a fellow servant,” the angel declares. Throughout the Gospels we see people worshiping Jesus.…

Peter fell down and worshiped Him, saying, “Depart from me. I’m a sinful man” (see Luke 5:8).
Thomas said, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

Yet Jesus never says, “Don’t worship Me. I’m just an angel.” Therefore, the contention of the Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness that Jesus is nothing more than an angel is completely erroneous. Jesus receives worship because He is more than an angel. He is God Incarnate (Romans 9:5).

"Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy." Luke 24:50-52

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 19.

 

[Chaplain]

Christ on a White Horse

How often does the door to heaven open?

Revelation 19:11 (a)
Now I saw heaven opened…

It is only in the Book of Revelation that we see the door of heaven open. In chapter 4, verse 1, the door is opened for the entrance of the raptured church. Here in chapter 19, the door is opened for the exit of the church seven years later when she returns to earth with Jesus at His Second Coming.

"Jesus has amply displayed His nature of mercy, forgiveness and grace to this fallen world. He comes now to judge a world hardened and totally given over to their rebellion against Him." - Guzik

Revelation 19:11 (b), 12 (a)
…and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire…

“The world likes a complacent, reasonable religion, and so it is always ready to revere some pale Galilean image of Jesus, some meager anemic Messiah, and to give Him a moderate rational homage.” - Torrance

“Any view of God which eliminates judgment and his hatred of sin in the interest of an emasculated doctrine of sentimental affection finds no support in the strong and virile realism of the Apocalypse.” - Mounce

“All of these passages point to the sad conclusion that in the day of judgment it is too late for men to expect the mercy of God. There is nothing more inflexible than divine judgment where grace has been spurned. The scene of awful judgment which comes from this background is in flat contradiction of the modern point of view that God is dominated entirely by His attribute of love.” - Walvoord

"The last time this earth saw Jesus He wore a crown of thorns, but not in Revelation 19. Now, He wears many crowns. The ancient Greek word used for crowns here is the diadema, the crown of royalty and authority, not the stephanos, the crown of achievement." - Guzik

Revelation 19:12 (b)
…and on His head were many crowns.

Perhaps the “many crowns” in this passage signify all of the denominations within the church who crown Jesus Lord. After all, the leaders of some churches wear big hats and sprinkle water on people. The leaders of other churches wear fancy suits and slicked-back hair. The leaders of other churches wear baseball hats and Birkenstocks. But guess what. God has His people in the congregations of every one of them as He breaks through the barriers that divide them and makes Himself known.

"Clarke is among those who believe that the name written that no one knew except Himself is actually the tetragrammaton, the four letters YHWH that make up the name Yahweh, the sacred and secret name of God." - Guzik

Revelation 19:12 (c)
He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

Name speaks of nature. Thus, this verse suggests that, due to the fact that there’s a part of Him that is not understood by any but Himself, we will be amazed when we see Jesus because none of us knows Him presently the way we will know Him eventually. The neat thing is that we will spend eternity exploring the nuances of His nature, astounded by His beauty, awed by His holiness, amazed at His love that we only see “through a glass darkly” this side of heaven (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Are we pure because of our own efforts?

Revelation 19:13
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

It’s His blood that cleanses me from my impurity and washes me from my stupidity. I am pure not because of my efforts, but because Jesus died for me.

"These are God’s people (Revelation 17:14, Jude 14-15). There is little doubt that angels will also accompany Jesus and His people, but the main idea is that the Son of God leads the people of God from heaven against earth." - Guzik

Revelation 19:14
And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horse.

The door in heaven is open and, clothed in white linen, here we come with the Lord—not to fight, but rather to observe Him secure the victory.

“Christ conquers by the power of His Word.” - Johnson

Revelation 19:15
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

I’ve seen artists render this scene with a literal sword protruding from the mouth of the Lord. I don’t believe such is the proper view. I believe the “sharp sword” that comes forth from His mouth is simply the Word He speaks—sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

"And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron" - “does not mean the leavening of existing governments with Christian principles, the spiritual conversion of countries and empires, leaving them in existence, and simply Christianizing them so as to exhibit something of Christ’s spirit in their administrations; but the total displacement of all this world’s sovereigns and governments, the taking of all dominion and authority out of their hands and putting it in the hands of Christ, as the true and only King of the world.” - Seiss

The Beast and His Armies Defeated

“The (human) race has walked in carnal enmity against God, living after the flesh, and now the day of His patience is at an end.” - Barnhouse

Revelation 19:16–18
And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

Here is Dinner Number Two. If you don’t want to take part of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, you’ll be part of this horrendous “supper of the great God.”

"This is the incurable insanity of sin, which wars away in spite of defeat after defeat, against a holy God." - Newell

“The battle of Armageddon is the laughter of God against the climax of man’s arrogance.” - Barnhouse

Revelation 19:19-21
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies

The armies of the world gather in the plain of Jezreel, the valley in northern Israel called the Valley of Megiddo—the place we know as Armageddon. Two hundred million men have come from the East; Antichrist is storming into Jerusalem to secure his power base. According to Daniel 11, the South, which would include the Pan African nations and the Arab states banded together, also head toward Israel, to which the Northern armies come from Europe. They all converge to fight one another. But as the battle begins, everyone looks up and sees One whose eyes are like fire, crowned with many crowns, riding a white horse, leading an innumerable army. And suddenly, all of the weapons of all earth’s armies are turned upon this One—which was Satan’s intention all along.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 19.

 

[Chaplain]

Satan Bound (put in prison) 1,000 Years

Satan is not God's counterpart.

Revelation 20:1, 2
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.

Satan is bound not by the Lord, not by a host of angels, not even by Michael the archangel—but by a single, unnamed angel. We often imagine a huge cosmic struggle going on constantly between God and Satan. Oh, we know God will win ultimately—but for now, we assume it’s touch and go.

Not true. Satan is not the evil counterpart of God. God is God. There is none like Him, none who can even begin to challenge Him (Deuteronomy 4:39). Satan, previously known as the archangel Lucifer, has always been a created being. Thus, if there is a counterpart to Satan, it would be an archangel like Michael or Gabriel—but not God.

That is why when we see Satan from a heavenly perspective, we will say, “Is this the one who troubled the whole world?” (Isaiah 14:16) Holding a chain in his other hand, it only takes one hand of a single angel to detain Satan.

“Is this a literal transaction? Certainly it is. The battle is literal; the taking of the Beast and the False Prophet is literal; the slaying of the kings and their armies is literal; Satan is literal; and his binding must be equally literal. It will not resolve itself into anything else.” - Guzik

Revelation 20:3 (a)
The angel threw him into the bottomless pit…

The bottomless pit, or abussos into which Satan is tossed is the place wherein the worst demons are presently incarcerated—a place so horrific that the demons of Matthew 8 begged to be cast into a herd of swine rather than be sent there.

“The truth is ever against him; therefore falsehood is his particular recourse and instrument. But naked falsehood is only repulsive. What we know to be a lie cannot command our respect . . . Untruth can only gain credence and acceptance by being so disguised as to appear to be the truth. Falsehood can have no power over us until we are led to believe and conclude that it is the truth. And this deluding of men, getting them to accept and follow lies and false hopes, under the persuasion that they are accepting and following the truth, is the great work and business of Satan in every age.” - Seiss

Revelation 20:3 (b)
…and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more…

What did Satan try to do to Jesus? He tried to seal Him in a tomb (Matthew 27:66). But Jesus didn’t stay there. Now the tables are turned.

"The Millennium is important because it will reveal the depths of man’s rebellious nature in a perfect environment. Some people seem to believe that man is basically good, and deep down he really wants God’s righteous rule. Many believe that man is really innocent, and corrupted only by a bad environment. The Millennium will answer these questions before the great judgment (Revelation 20:11-15)." - Guzik

Revelation 20:3 (c)
…until the thousand years were finished…

Satan will be in the abussos for one thousand years. This explains how the wolf can lie down by the lamb, how the lion and bullock shall graze together, how snakes shall eat only dust—how peace will reign (Isaiah 65:25). It explains how every man will abide under his own vine (Micah 4:4), how no one will have to work for anyone else (Isaiah 65:23)—how prosperity will abound. The Millennium will be a fantastic time of unparalleled peace and total prosperity because Satan will not be on the scene.

Guzik: Through church history, there has been many different ways of understanding the Millennium.

i. The Bible speaks powerfully to other aspects of the millennial earth. Tragically, the Church through history has often ignored or denied the promise of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. The early church until Augustine almost universally believed in an earthly, historical reign of Jesus, initiated by His return. Tyconius (in the late 300’s) was the first to influentially champion a spiritualized interpretation, saying that this Millennium is now (amillennialism) and must be understood as a spiritual reign of Jesus, not a literal reign. His view was adopted by Augustine, the Roman Catholic Church and most Reformation theologians.

ii. Growing out of amillennialism is the doctrine of postmillennialsim is an outgrowth of amillennialism, saying the millennium will happen in this age, before Jesus’ return - but that the church will bring it to pass. But the clear teaching of the Bible isn’t amillennialism or postmillennialism, but what is called premillennialism - the teaching that Jesus Christ will return to this earth before the millennial earth, and He is establish and govern it directly.

iii. But there is no need to say that Satan is only bound in a spiritual sense, and Jesus only rules in a spiritual sense. When we consider the rest of the Scriptures, the earthly reign of Christ and His people on this earth is plainly taught in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, we see it Psalm 72, Isaiah 2:2-4, Isaiah 11:4-9, Jeremiah 23:5-6, and many, many more passages. In the New Testament we see it in Luke 1:32-33, Matthew 5:18, Luke 19:12-27, among other passages. All in all, there are more than 400 verses in more than 20 different passages in the Old Testament which deal with this time when Jesus Christ rules and reigns personally over planet earth.

iv. Who will be on the earth in the Millennium? Even after the rapture and the vast judgments of the Great Tribulation, there will be many people left on earth. After Jesus returns in glory, He will judge those who survive the Great Tribulation in the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). This is not a judgment unto salvation, but a judgment of moral worthiness, and entrance into the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus. The unworthy will be sent into eternal damnation, and the worthy will be allowed in Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom.

Revelation 20:3 (d)
…afterward he must be released for a little while.

Rather than being cast into outer darkness, or Gehenna, Satan is held in the abussos, the bottomless pit, for one thousand years because God will still have a job for him to do—as we will see in verse 7.…

The Saints (that's us) Reign with Christ 1,000 Years

"Who sits on these thrones? Perhaps the twenty-four elders representing the church (Revelation 4:4) or the apostles (Matthew 19:28) or the company of saints as a whole (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). Perhaps this is the “judging of angels” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, but it is more likely that these are the saints ruling on and over the earth." - Guzik

Revelation 20:4 (a)
Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge.

The “sheep” of Matthew 25 are the remaining one-third of the nation of Israel who don’t die in the Tribulation, along with those who stand by her during the Tribulation. When Jesus returns at His Second Coming, this remnant of Israel will ask Him, “Where did You get those wounds?”

“In the house of My friends,” He will answer, (Zechariah 13:6). And at this moment, Israel will at last acknowledge Him as her Messiah—and all of the remaining house of Israel will be saved (Zechariah 13:9).

These are they whom we, the bride of Christ, will judge (Luke 19:15-19). You see, even though those living in the Millennium won’t be influenced by Satan, they still will have their human nature to deal with. So when they think of ripping off a Butterfinger, we will be those who enforce Christ’s righteousness. That is, before the guy can even develop the plan to steal the Butterfinger, we’ll say, “Don’t even think about it.” It will be an enforced righteousness that governs the Millennial kingdom and that allows a glorious time of peace on earth.

“I don’t like this idea of ruling or of judging,” you might be saying. But let me tell you something: Jesus would not have taught us to be seizing opportunities to use our time and treasure wisely here on earth if He thought we wouldn’t like the reward for doing so. And Paul would not have told us to run so that we might win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24) if the prize was not something to be greatly desired.

"This first resurrection is the granting of resurrection life in resurrection bodies to all those who are dead in Jesus." - Guzik

Revelation 20:4 (b), 5
Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)

The first resurrection is not a single point in time. Rather, the first resurrection begins with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as the firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23). It continues on to include those who believe in Jesus but died before the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:14), believers who are alive at the time of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17), those who are martyred in the Tribulation for their refusal to take the mark of the beast (Revelation 20:4), and the Old Testament saints who believed in Yahweh but did not have opportunity to be a part of the church because they died before Jesus came.

Thus, the first resurrection speaks of all those who are included in the grand plan of salvation.

Jesus described two resurrections: "Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment." - John 5:28-29

Revelation 20:6 (a)
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.

Gang, even if nothing else in your life goes right, you are so blessed because you are part of the first resurrection. You are going to heaven.

Revelation 20:6 (b)
Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

The first death is physical. The second death is eternal. Yes, we will die physically unless the Lord raptures us first. But the second death is for those who are damned eternally. Glory be to God, over us this second death has no power.

The Defeat of Satan - Satanic Rebellion Crushed

Releasing Satan “will be proved once more that man, whatever his advantages and environment, apart from the grace of God and new birth, remains at heart only evil and at enmity with God.” - Hoste

Revelation 20:7, 8 (a)
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth…

Who will Satan try to deceive? Those born in the Millennium—those living in enforced righteousness and peace because there’s no other choice, those who never had an opportunity to decide whether or not they would follow the Lord. You and I have made such a choice. We have “chosen to be chosen.” We have “selected to be elected.” Here, those born during the Millennium are also given this choice.

I am blown away by the fact that somehow Satan will be able to persuade a great number of people to rebel against the One who will have done nothing but good for them and who will have given them a perfect environment wherein plenty, prosperity, peace, and perfection prevail. But I am only blown away until I stop to realize how good the Lord has been to me; how He gave His life for me; how He provides for me, walks with me, blesses me—and how often I turn my back on Him, fail to learn of Him, refuse to talk to Him.

And then I understand how Satan will be able to get a number of those living in the Millennium to echo the cry of Jerusalem: “We will not have this Man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).

Why will the Lord allow this to happen? Because God is love, and love requires a choice.
If my wife, Tammy, agreed to marry me simply because I was the only man on earth or only because I held a gun to her head—our relationship wouldn’t be based on love, but on the absence of any other choice.

So, too, God lets Satan loose for a short season in order to give people a choice.

Revelation 20:8 (b)
…Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

At this point, Russia already having been destroyed on the hills of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39), I believe the usage of “Gog and Magog” in this passage is similar to our usage of “Waterloo.” Because Napoleon was defeated by Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo, the term “Waterloo” has come to signify a decisive battle or turning point. So, too, I believe the reference to Gog and Magog in this passage speaks of a cataclysmic, monumental battle in which Satan attempts a final rebellion.

"We don’t know if the saints referred to here are glorified saints who reign with Jesus, or earth-inhabitants who come to faith in Jesus during the Millennium. Either way, the strategy of this vast Satanic army is clear: to destroy God’s people, and the “headquarters” or “capital city” of His administration, Jerusalem (the beloved city)." - Guzik

Revelation 20:9 (a)
They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

The rebellious group led by Satan encircles the city of Jerusalem in a futile attempt to wrest power from the One who reigns within.

"We shouldn’t even call this a final battle, because there is no battle. The fight is over before it begins. At this point, God finally deals with the devil and his followers forever." - Guzik

Revelation 20:9, 10 (a)
But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet.

Satan’s purpose in God’s plan having been accomplished, he is cast into the lake of fire to join the Beast and the false prophet.

Guzik: Is this really eternal punishment? Yes it is; the words mean exactly what they appear to mean. “There would be no way possible in the Greek language to state more emphatically the everlasting punishment of the lost than here in mentioning both day and night and the expression ‘forever and ever,’ literally ‘to the ages of ages.’” (Walvoord)

Revelation 20:10 (b)
And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The cartoons are wrong, and Hollywood is terribly mistaken in portraying hell as a hot place where people play poker and talk to one another amidst flickering flames and an occasional jab by Satan’s pitchfork. You see, in addition to being called a lake of fire, hell is called a place of outer darkness (Matthew 8:12). Consequently, the torment in a place so dark even the flames of the lake of fire don’t shed any light is exceeded only by the inner torment people feel throughout eternity as they recall the sermons they heard and the invitations to salvation they ignored.

Jesus said specifically that hell was not created for people, but for the devil and demons (Matthew 25:41). Peter said God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). Yet, God, being Light, if man says, “I don’t want God,” he will be consigned to darkness. God, being health, if man says, “I don’t want God,” he will be relinquished to a place of pain. God, being a Father, if man says, “I don’t want God,” he will spend eternity in isolation.

God, on the other hand, says, “I would rather die than live without you.” And He did just that when He died on the Cross in order that, forgiven of our sins, we might live with Him forever.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 20.

 

[Chaplain]

The Final Judgment - The Great White Throne Judgment

The Bible says that the Judge (at the Great White Throne Judgment) is Jesus (John 5:22-27).

Revelation 20:11, 12 (a)
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God…

Will believers stand before God at this White Throne Judgment? No.

If you’re a Christian, this judgment doesn’t apply to you, for you were judged when Christ was on another throne—not a white one, but a wooden one; when He wore a crown not of gold, but of thorns as He died to cleanse you from every sin you ever have or ever will commit.

“Their standing (the lost) posture means that they are now about to be sentenced.” - Walvoord
“The issue is not salvation by works but works as the irrefutable evidence of a man’s actual relationship with God.” - Mounce

Revelation 20:12 (b), 13
…and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hell delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

If you’re a Christian, your name is written in the Book of Life. The names of those who said, “I didn’t buy into that Christian stuff they were always trying to cram down my throat,” or, “I needed my space,” or, “I had to explore various aspects of spirituality,” aren’t.

“But I lived a pretty good life,” they’ll protest.

Yet the books wherein are recorded the reasons for everything they ever did will prove otherwise.…

“I was an outstanding member of Rotary.”
Yes—but the books indicate it was to make some business contacts.
“Oh, but I gave blood.”
Perhaps—but the books indicate you were paid twenty-five dollars in return.
“But I saved the whales, marched for peace, built homes for the homeless.”
All well and good—but you did so to hear the applause of men.

You see, God made us in such a way that we are spared from remembering the sins we have committed. He let us remember enough sin to make us aware of our need for salvation—but not every motive, every word of gossip, every cutting comment, every angry feeling. When the books are opened, the utter weight of all one’s sin will come to light. God sends no one to hell. By the time Volume 167 of one’s sins is opened, it’s as if he will cry, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man,” and will send himself to the lake of fire.

That’s why I am so glad I’m saved. The Bible says the “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us”—all of our mistakes, sins, and failures—were blotted out by the blood of Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:14). In other words, the pages and pages containing my sin are all illegible because they’re covered with the red blood of Jesus.

“As there is a second and higher life, so there is also a second and deeper death. And as after that life there is no more death, so after that death there is no more life.” - Alford

Revelation 20:14, 15
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Maybe you’re saying, “What will happen at the end of the world is all very interesting, but the bottom line is that I’m a believer, and I know I’m going to heaven. I’m far more concerned about the problems facing me right now.”

So was John. The Book of Revelation was written specifically to a group of people facing far greater problems than you’ll ever face. And the message it contains is as vital for us as it was to them: It’s not over yet. Satan and death itself will be cast into the lake of fire. They lose. And all who embrace what Jesus did on the Cross when He plunged into hell on their behalf—all whose names are written in the Book of Life—win.

Guzik: When a person refers to “Hell,” the lake of fire is what they usually have in mind. The Bible uses three main words to describe where the ungodly may go when they die.

i. Sheol is a Hebrew word with the idea of the “place of the dead.” It has no direct reference to either torment or eternal happiness. The idea of Sheol is often accurately expressed as “the grave.”

ii. Hades is a Greek word used to describe the “world beyond.” In the Bible, it has generally the same idea as Sheol. Revelation 9:1 speaks of the bottomless pit; this place called the abyssos is a prison for certain demons (Luke 8:31; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Or more generally, it is considered part of the realm of the dead (Romans 10:7 uses it in the sense of Hades).

iii. Gehenna is a Greek word borrowed from the Hebrew language. In Mark 9:43-44, Jesus speaks of hell (gehenna). Hell is a Greek translation of the Hebrew “Valley of Hinnom,” a place outside Jerusalem’s walls desecrated by Molech worship and human sacrifice (2 Chronicles 28:1-3; Jeremiah 32:35). It was also a garbage dump where rubbish and refuse were burned. The smoldering fires and festering worms of the Valley of Hinnom made it a graphic and effective picture of the fate of the damned. This is the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Men only go to this place prepared for the devil and his angels if they reject God’s salvation and condemn themselves.

All Things Made New

“In this chapter we see that the history of time is finished; the history of eternity is about to begin.” Barnhouse

Revelation 21:1 (a)
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth…

Due to the pollution and destruction of our planet, we understand the need for a new earth. But what is the reason for a new heaven? According to Job 15:15, the heavens are not clean in God’s sight. Why? Because Satan’s presence has polluted them (Revelation 12:10).

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create a Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (Isaiah 65:17-19)

Of old, You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes all of them will grow old like a garment, like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. (Psalm 102:25-27)

Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat . . . Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:12-13)

Revelation 21:1 (b)
…for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

"Though some disagree, such as Seiss, who argues passionately that this earth will never be destroyed - we should also understand that this is truly a new heaven and a new earth, not merely a “remade” heaven and earth. We know this because Jesus said that heaven and earth shall pass away, but His word would live forever (Luke 21:33). Also, in Isaiah 65:17 God says prophetically that He will create a new heaven and a new earth, and the ancient Hebrew word for “create” (bara) means to “create out of nothing,” instead of re-fashioning existing material." - Guzik

Revelation 21:1 (c)
Also there was no more sea.

This speaks of a new creation.…

"Man has never known a community unmarred by sin. Adam and Eve only knew a limited community, and community in a larger context only came long after the Fall. Here, in the New Jerusalem, we have something totally unique: a sinless, pure, community of righteousness, a holy city." - Guzik

Revelation 21:2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Here is the new capitol of the new creation.

“I do not think the glory of Eden lay in its grassy walks, or in the boughs bending with luscious fruit-but its glory lay in this, that the ‘Lord God walked in the garden in the cool of the day.’ Here was Adam’s highest privilege, that he had companionship with the Most High.” Spurgeon

Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

This speaks of a new communion. Presently, as we partake of the bread and drink of the cup at the Lord’s table, we long to have close communion with Him. But Paul was right when he said we only see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12). In the New Jerusalem, however, we’ll at last see the visible glory of God. It won’t be fuzzy any longer. My vision of the Lord won’t be different from yours, for we’ll all be in His presence.

“‘Every tear,’ for they be many; - tears of bereaved affection, such as Mary, and Martha, and the widow of Nain wept; - tears of sympathy and mercy, such as Jeremiah and Jesus wept over the sins and the calamities of Jerusalem; - tears of persecuted innocence, tears of contrition and penitence for faults and crimes against the goodness and majesty of heaven; - tears of disappointment and neglect; - tears of yearning for what cannot now be ours; - these, and whatever others ever course the cheeks of mortals, shall then be dried forever.” - Seiss

Revelation 21:4
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain…

“Being with the Lord in a new heaven and new earth sounds wonderful,” you might say. “But if my daughter or dad or husband or son isn’t there, won’t I weep eternally?” No, because when God creates the new heaven and earth, “the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17). That is, when we get to heaven we will not have memory of those who aren’t there.

“Presumably this means not only that everything will be made new, but also that everything will stay then new. The entropy law will be ‘repealed.’ Nothing will wear out or decay, and no one will age or atrophy anymore.” - H. Morris

Revelation 21:4 (b), 5
…for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

There may be believers about whom you presently say, “I don’t want to spend eternity with her,” or “I don’t want to see him in the mansion next door to mine forever and ever”—but when we get to heaven we will find ourselves blown away by the very people who bugged us. The former things are passed away. There will be a glorious transformation of every believer, for when we see Jesus we shall all be like Him (1 John 3:2). The things that irritate you now about your spouse or neighbor will be eradicated in heaven. That is why Paul said, “I know no man after the flesh” (see 2 Corinthians 5:16). The flesh will be absent from heaven.

"God’s eternal purpose in Jesus is now accomplished. Ephesians 1:10 has been fulfilled: that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; in Him. At this point, all things have been resolved or “summed up” in Jesus - it is done!" - Guzik

Revelation 21:6
And he said to me, It is done.

“It is done,” is the statement of a carpenter who has completed his work. Two thousand years ago, our Master Carpenter said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Here in verse 6, He doesn’t say, “The place I prepared is a fixer-upper,” or, “It’s a good starter home,” or, “It’s got charm.” He says, “It is done.”

How many of us have bought our dream house only to say a little while later, “If we knock out a wall there, add another bathroom here, take out this counter, and reshape the patio, this place will be a lot better”? Such will not be the case in heaven. Not one person will say, “This is great—but it could use a skylight or two.…” No, we’ll say, “This was designed perfectly for me. It’s exactly what I’ve been craving but could never articulate. It’s done.”

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 20 and 21.

 

[Chaplain]

"Drinking and thirst are common pictures of God’s supply and man’s spiritual need. Drinking is an action, but an action of receiving - like faith, it is doing something, but it is not a merit-earning work in itself." - Guzik

Revelation 21:6
And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.

There are three elements essential to any community. Here we see the first: resources. The water in the city of the new Jerusalem flows freely.

“What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? He drinks. Perhaps there is no better representation of faith in all the Word of God than that. To drink is to receive-to take in the refreshing draught-and that is all. A man’s face may be unwashed, but yet he can drink; he may be a very unworthy character, but yet a draught of water will remove his thirst. Drinking is such a remarkably easy thing, it is even more simple than eating.” (Spurgeon)

"Those who overcome (by faith in Jesus, as in 1 John 5:5) enjoy a special relationship with God (I will be his God and he shall be My son)." - Guzik

Revelation 21:7 (a)
He who overcomes shall inherit all things…

Second, we see responsibility. The inheritance here is that of a father who’s sharing the family business with his son. Thus, the inheritance spoken of incorporates not only acquisition but also administration. That is, in eternity, there will not only be stuff to acquire but also things to do. In Luke 19, Jesus says if we’re faithful in our responsibilities here on earth, we’ll be given cities to rule over in the ages to come eternally.

Revelation 21:7 (b)
…and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

In addition to resources and responsibility, there will be a relationship in heaven unlike anything we’ve known on earth. In John 3:16, we read that God gave us His Son. In Luke 11:13, we read He gives us His Spirit. Here in Revelation 21:7, He gives us Himself.

"The Jesus-rejecting and apostate are specifically prohibited from entering the New Jerusalem." - Guzik

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Regarding the cowardly: “John is not speaking of natural timidity, but of that cowardice which in the last resort chooses self and safety before Christ.” (Morris)

Vastly more comforting than the fact that murderers and sorcerers and liars won’t be in heaven is the fact that I will be. You see, all of these tendencies are inherent within me, but they will be burned up, not allowed in my eternal destination. There’s coming a time when I will truly be set free from the flesh of which I grow ever wearier as I grow older. Heaven will be a safe place because the flesh within me will be cast away. And for that I am so grateful.

The New Jerusalem

"This heavenly city is literal, but it is called the bride, the Lamb’s wife because it is the place where all God’s people are gathered. In this sense the New Jerusalem is certainly like the bride; but this association doesn’t diminish the reality behind the image. The city is associated with the bride to awe us with a sense of its beauty." - Guzik

Revelation 21:9, 10
Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.

The New Jerusalem descends from heaven. But the language implies it doesn’t land on earth. Rather, it hovers above the earth, suspended between heaven and earth.

What is the purpose of the fiery trials that we go through?

Revelation 21:11
It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal.

Due to its description as being clear as crystal, most scholars believe the jasper of verse 11 is actually a diamond. A diamond would be a fitting description of the city wherein dwells the church—not because as the bride of Christ we deserve diamonds, but because, like diamonds we are simply chunks of worthless coal made brilliant by heat and pressure (1 Peter 4:12-13).

"The names of the tribes on the gates communicate the unity and heritage that the people of God have with Israel. God will never forget the tribes of Israel, even unto eternity." - Guzik

Revelation 21:12, 13
The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west.

Regardless of what you’ve heard, there’s not one mention of Peter at the gates of heaven. Instead, there are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. As Gentiles, we were lost without the covenants, without any understanding of Yahweh before we were grafted into the olive tree of the faith (Romans 11:17). Thus, the names of the twelve tribes remind us that we are indebted to the people of Israel as we are to no other people.

"The foundations are an eternal testimony to the apostles, and their permanent place in God’s plan. If it isn’t build on the foundation of the apostles, it’s isn’t the right place for God’s people." - Guzik

Revelation 21:14 (a)
Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations…

Because Abraham looked for a city with foundations (Hebrews 11:10), because he understood that what he longed for would not be found on earth, he lived his whole life in a tent. Like Abraham, we will be truly free when we understand that what we really crave is not a better car or a bigger house, but rather the city with not one foundation but twelve: the New Jerusalem, heaven.

Revelation 21:14 (b)
…and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The names of the twelve apostles remind us that although we were originally granted access to an understanding of God through the gate of our Jewish heritage, our faith is founded on the message committed to the apostles: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"The size of the New Jerusalem is enormous; twelve thousand furlongs equals 1,500 miles. This is the same distance from Maine to Florida; the square footage would approximate the size of the Moon." - Guzik

Revelation 21:15, 16
And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

A city of this size is too large for the imagination to take in. John is certainly conveying the idea of splendour. And, more importantly, that of room for all.” (Leon Morris)

Henry Morris, guessing that there will have been 100 billion people in the human race, and that 20% of them will be saved, calculates that each person would have a “block” with about 75 acres on each face to “call their own.”

Guzik: John’s use of material riches to describe the city “is his way of bringing out the very great value of what God has for His people.” (Morris)

Revelation 21:17-20
Then he measured the walls and found them to be 216 feet thick (according to the human standard used by the angel). The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.

In Old Testament times, if one had a question regarding what he should do, he would go to the high priest, who would, in turn, seek God through the Urim and the Thumim, or literally, “lights and perfections” (see Numbers 27:2; Nehemiah 7:65).

Most Orthodox rabbis teach that the twelve stones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel on the breastplate of the high priest would light up in such a way that direction would be given. Some have suggested it was through the lighting of the twelve stones that the desired answer would be given, perhaps through the letter associated with the tribal name each stone represented.

A fundamental element of this Old Testament practice—the stones of which, I believe, are seen in the foundations of the walls in the New Jerusalem—is equally valid today. That is, you’ll know God’s will for your life if you hang out with God’s people. Believers are vulnerable when they are no longer in fellowship with other “tribes,” when they try to figure things out on their own independently from of the rest of the body. Satan’s plan is always the same: to isolate believers. Therefore, the safest place to be is surrounded by the “walls” of God’s people.

What do the pearls represent?

Revelation 21:21 (a)
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl.

The pearl represents God’s people. How do I know? In Matthew 13, Jesus told the story of a man who sold everything to purchase a pearl. That’s just what Jesus did. He gave everything He had—even His very life—to purchase us. This makes us the pearl—a fitting description, since a pearl is nothing more than an irritating grain of sand or a tiny parasite coated by the lustrous nacre of an oyster. We’re irritating indeed, parasitic beyond question. But God robes us and covers us and thereby makes us trophies in order that all of creation throughout eternity might marvel at His grace.

“The constant mention of transparency indicates that the city is designed to transmit the glory of God in the form of light without hindrance.” (Walvoord)

Revelation 21:21 (b)
And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

So highly valued is gold on earth that throughout history, man has lived by the golden rule: He who has gold rules. Such is not the case in heaven, where gold is used as casually as asphalt. Gang, whatever you value most on earth will be as commonplace as asphalt in comparison to the glory of the New Jerusalem.

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 21.

 

[Chaplain]

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

“The inhabitants need no place of worship or sacrifice, the object of all worship being present, and the great sacrifice Himself being there.” (Alford)

Revelation 21:22
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Have you ever been at a camp or a worship service or a Bible study where you sensed God’s presence so powerfully that you didn’t want to leave? That’s the way heaven will be all of the time. That’s why there’s no need for a temple.

"Light speaks of joy, for in the Scriptures light and joy go together. Light speaks of beauty, because without light there is no beauty. Light speaks of knowledge and in heaven we will all know Him as He knows us." (Guzik)

Revelation 21:23, 24 (a)
And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light…

In the Millennium of chapter 20, the moon will be as bright as the sun is presently, and the sun will be seven times brighter than it is now (Isaiah 30:26). But in the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for the sun or moon at all because the glory and brilliance of the Lord will illuminate the entire city.

Revelation 21:24 (b), 25
…and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.

As freshmen at Biola University, we were excited to go to Disneyland one fall evening. Cruising into the parking lot at 5:59 P.M., we were disappointed to learn that the gates of the Magic KingdomTM closed at 6:00. This is not true of the gates of the true kingdom. They never close.

The following "exhortation warns present readers that the only way to participate in the future city is to turn one’s loyalties to the Lamb now.” (Johnson)

Revelation 21:26, 27
And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

As chapter 21 draws to a close, I hear Pastor John, by the inspiration of the Spirit, saying to his flock in the midst of tribulation and persecution, “The key to victory, the antidote to despondency is one thing: heaven.”

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:1-2

Saint, if you take your focus off eternity and get caught up in the present world, like Peter on the water, you’ll sink into the ocean of depression. But the extent to which you set your heart on things above is the extent to which you will be free from defeat and discouragement.

May we be a heavenly minded people as we book ourselves and as many others as we can on the flight to the New Jerusalem.

The River of Life

“One of the gladdest things on earth is water. There is nothing in all the world so precious to the eye and the imagination of the inhabitant of the dry, burning and thirsty East, as a plentiful supply of bright, pure, and living water.” (Seiss)

Revelation 22:1
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

According to Zechariah 14, as Jesus comes back to earth, He will set foot upon the Mount of Olives—which will usher in a radical topographical change in Israel. The Mount of Olives will split in two from north to south, causing a river to flow to both the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The infusion of fresh water into the Dead Sea will, in turn, cause it to come back to life to such a degree that a fishing industry will thrive in the region (Ezekiel 47).

It is fascinating to me that Ezekiel’s account provides not only prophetic information, but practical application.…

As Ezekiel was given this vision, a man appeared to him, saying, “Step into the river.” Ezekiel did, and the water was up to his ankles. “Come out,” said the man and took Ezekiel downriver one thousand cubits or so, where Ezekiel was told to go into the river once more. This time the water was up to his knees. “Come out,” said the man and took Ezekiel one thousand cubits farther downriver, where he told Ezekiel to go into the river yet again. This time the water was up to Ezekiel’s waist. When he was told a fourth time to go into the river, the water was over his head, and Ezekiel was caught up in its flow.

Dear saint, the Lord won’t force us to go any deeper in Him than we choose—but He will take us as deep as we wish.…

Some get their feet wet up to their ankles. They are standing on the promises, born again, saved.

Others, wanting to go deeper, go up to their knees—that speaks of prayer. “I want to do more than get my feet wet, Lord,” they say. “I want to be part of what You are doing. Use me in prayer.” And they get involved in intercessory ministry—praying in the Spirit.

Others, wanting to go deeper still, wade in to their waists—signifying reproduction. Not only are they standing on the promises, or up to their knees in intercessory ministry, they are adding to the kingdom by witnessing to their family, friends, and neighbors.

But there comes a point where some are just over their heads, saying, “Lord, I’m going to just let go. Have Your way in my life. I’m giving it to You without reservation. I don’t know where this will take me, but I’m Yours totally. Do what You want to do in and through me for Your glory.”

Maybe right now you’re in the doldrums in your walk. If so, I encourage you to launch out into the deeper waters of faith. Oh, maybe your kayak will get overturned in the rapids a few times and maybe you won’t know exactly where you’ll land. But I guarantee you won’t regret it. I’m so glad that the water of life flows right through heaven because it means that the Lord’s Spirit is on the move even there and that we can continue going deeper and deeper in Him throughout eternity.

“Now at last, almost at the end of the great drama of the Bible, man may return and legitimately enjoy the blessing which he was banished for illegitimately desiring.” (Preston/Hanson)

Revelation 22:2 (a)
It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month.

The Bible begins with a tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24) which man was not allowed to eat from after the sin at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now we see the tree of life again.

(John Walvoord) - “The visual picture presented is that the river of life flows down through the middle of the city, and the tree is large enough to span the river, so that the river is in the midst of the street, and the tree is on both sides of the river.” Others see that the word tree is a collective reference, speaking of rows of trees that stand on either side of the river. “The picture presented to the mind’s eye would appear to be that of a wide street, with a river flowing down the center, like some of the broader canals of Holland, with trees growing on either side, all of them of the same kind, all called the tree of life. I do not know how we can make the figure out in any other way.” (Spurgeon)

With a fresh crop each month: From all indications, this describes the world of the new heaven and the new earth, yet we are given a time indicator. Apparently, heaven will still mark time, but not be subject to it in the same way we are on this side of eternity.

(Guzik): Even though this great chapter of the Bible tells us of heaven, we should think deeply about it and take in now what we can. “We do not suppose that a man is shooting at a target if he does not look that way; nor can we imagine that a man’s ambition is fixed on heaven if he has no heavenward thoughts or aspirations.” (Spurgeon)

Revelation 22:2 (b)
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

“Wait a minute,” you say, “if the leaves are for healing, does that mean there will be sickness in heaven?”

No. The Greek word translated “healing” is literally therapeia, from which we get our word “therapy.” It doesn’t mean healing from sickness, but rather a maintaining of health. In fact, the original language also implies exhilaration and invigoration.

Do you ever get tired of being tired? I do. What a grand day it will be when we are in heaven, shooting the rapids of the river of life, eating of the fruit of the Spirit, revived eternally by the leaves of the Tree of Life.

“Henceforth, eternal praises to his name, the throne of God is the throne of the Lamb. It is a throne of righteousness, but no less a throne of grace. There, on the throne of the Almighty, mercy reigns. According to the merit of the sacrifice and the virtue of the atonement all the statutes and decrees of the kingdom of heaven are issued. The altar and the throne have become identical. From that throne no fiery bolt can ever again be hurled against the believer, for it is the throne of the Lamb as well as the throne of God.” (Spurgeon)

Revelation 22:3 (a)
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there…

The fallout of Adam’s bomb in the Garden of Eden is felt to this day as a result of the curse that followed (Genesis 3:17-19). In heaven, however, the curse is gone, replaced by the throne of God and of the Lamb.

“Heaven is not a place of indolent leisure, but a place where service is done, centering on God.” (Morris)

Revelation 22:3 (b)
…and His servants shall serve Him.

The interests and inclinations that the Lord built into each of us will at last be fully utilized in heaven, where, free from time limitations or financial obligations, we’ll use them to serve the Lord. Ours will not be the service of one who drags into work at the last moment, dreading the day ahead. No, ours will be the service of one who says, “Oh, boy! This is what I always wanted to do!”

We are going to see God's face: “By which I understand two things: first, that they shall literally and physically, with their risen bodies, actually look into the face of Jesus; and secondly, that spiritually their mental faculties shall be enlarged, so that they shall he enabled to look into the very heart, and soul, and character of Christ, so as to understand him, his work, his love, his all in all, as they never understood him before.” (Spurgeon)

Revelation 22:4 (a)
And they will see his face…

What will happen when we see His face? Like David, we shall at last be truly satisfied (Psalm 17:15) because when we see Him, we’ll be like Him (1 John 3:2).

"Heaven will be a place where God’s people will forever be identified with their God, and there will never be any doubt that they belong to Him." (Guzik)

Revelation 22:4 (b)
…and his name will be written on their foreheads.

I’ll see the Lord’s name on all of you—but not on myself because no one can see his own forehead. That’s the way it should be here on earth as well. “I know no man after the flesh,” said Paul (see 2 Corinthians 5:16). In other words, he chose to see past the fleshly tendencies of others and, instead, saw others positioned in Christ. What do I do? All too often, just the opposite. Far too frequently, I see myself as forgiven and robed in God’s righteousness but others as a disgrace to the body of Christ.

"Heaven will be a place where the darkness of this age will be forever gone. The light is not artificial, even from the sun - God Himself is the light." (Guzik)

Revelation 22:5
And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

“As the Bible opens with the story of ‘Paradise Lost,’ so it here closes with the story of ‘Paradise Regained.’” (Erdman)

Guzik - We see the return of Paradise in the ideas of a river, a tree of life, revocation of the curse, intimacy restored, and reigning resumed. It is a perfect consummation:

No more curse - Perfect Restoration
Throne in their midst - Perfect Administration
Servants shall serve - Perfect Subordination
Shall see His face - Perfect Transformation
Name on foreheads - Perfect Identification
God is the light - Perfect Illumination
Reigning forever - Perfect Exultation

Taken from Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Taken from David Guzik's Study Guide Study Guide for Revelation 21 and 22.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Hey, I've made a thread on body/mind/spiritual self-improvement, and am looking for people interested in writing up a guide on how to improve one or several aspects of spirituality.
Feel free to write them with other Christians in mind if you so desire, but anything applicable to people of other religions and no religions would be great.


Thread.

 

[mrbagdt]

GA got banned! does that mean we need to lock the thread for awhile?

 

[Gileadxv]

GA got banned! does that mean we need to lock the thread for awhile?

That sucks Hopefully it's just a short one.

 

[Jbird34]

Even though GA is banned at the moment (and I hope not for long) I want to thank him for his posts, it really does my heart good to see this thread, also thanks to everyone else that has contributed to it. God Bless!