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The following is a commentary on The Book of Revelation which I wrote for my doctoral thesis. I am in the process of enlarging the text which will be included as soon as the revision is completed.
A Walk ThroughRevelation:
Verse By Verse
Melvin Payne
A WALK THROUGH REVELATION VERSE BY VERSE
Melvin L. Payne, Thd.
This book is dedicated to my precious wife, Dot who encouraged me to complete my doctorate. She is now in the Presence of of Lord
Acknowledgments:
Special mention of appreciation to Gordie and Vikki Ellison who put the manuscript into book form.
I also owe a debt of gratitude to Lynda Briggs for her many hours of editing and proofing of the book.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction......................................................................................................... iiiII. Commentary........................................................................................................ 1Chapter 1...................................................................................................... 4Chapter 2...................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 3...................................................................................................... 4Chapter 4...................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 5...................................................................................................... 4Chapter 6...................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 7...................................................................................................... 4Chapter 8...................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 9...................................................................................................... 4Chapter 10.................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 11.................................................................................................... 4Chapter 12.................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 13.................................................................................................... 4Chapter 14.................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 15.................................................................................................... 4Chapter 15.................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 17.................................................................................................... 4Chapter 18.................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 19.................................................................................................... 4Chapter 20.................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 21.................................................................................................... 4Chapter 22.................................................................................................... 4 III. Appendix............................................................................................................ 6 IV. Works Cited....................................................................................................... 6
INTRODUCTION
As we begin our study of the Book of Revelation, there are some unique features about this book that we should call attention to.
1. Revelation is the only prophetic book in the New Testament, while there are seventeen in the Old Testament.
2. John reaches further back into eternity past than any other writer in Scripture. He opens his gospel with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Then, when he writes the Book of Revelation, he reaches farther on into eternity future and the eternal kingdom of our Lord.
3. A special blessing is promised to the readers of this book. On the other hand, a curse is upon any who dare to add to or remove from this book any of its writings.
4. Revelation is not a sealed book. When you read the prophecies of Daniel, you learn that Daniel was told to seal up some things. Now we read in Revelation where John is instructed not to seal up the prophecies.
5. There are a series of visions that have been revealed to John. These visions are expressed in symbols which deal with reality. There are different methods of interpretation but it is obvious that the literal interpretation is preferred unless John makes it clear that it is otherwise.
6. You will find that the Revelation does not originate anything, nor will it begin anything. You will, however, find that it brings together and concludes the things that were begun in other parts of the Scriptures. There are different schools of thought on the details of interpretation of Revelation. When it comes to the broad interpretation, there are four major systems.
1. The pretreist interpretation holds that all of Revelation has already been fulfilled in the past. This teaching claims that it all had to do with John’s day and with the days of the Emperors of Rome. Those who hold this view see Revelation as a comfort to those Christians who were being persecuted, and were written with symbols that the Christian would quickly understand. If this is true, then this book should be taken out of the Bible, because it has no meaning for today.
2. The historical interpretation holds that the Revelation is being fulfilled at all times, from John’s day to the present time. This is true as far as the seven churches are concerned, but as we look closer, it is obvious that the Book of Revelation is a prophetic book.
3. The historical-spiritualist interpretation is just a refinement of the historical theory. This theory states that the two beasts are imperial and provincial Rome. They claim that the book is to encourage Christians. According to this theory, Revelation has been largely fulfilled and contains only spiritual lessons for the church today. This teaching that we know today as amillennialism has, for the most part, adopted this view.
4. The futurist interpretation is held by all premillennialists. This is the view that I take as I attempt to write a brief commentary on this great book. The futurist view follows a certain form of interpretation.
The futurists are divided into three different types of interpretation. Let us begin with the Post-tribulation view. This theory holds that the church will continue on earth until the second advent at the end of this present age, at which time, the church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as He comes from heaven on His way to earth for the second time. The church comes on back to earth with Jesus. In order to support this theory, they must bypass some important criterion used in interpreting prophetic scripture. (1) Post-tribulationism must be based on a denial of dispensationalism. This is the only way they can place the church in the period called “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” (Jeremiah 30:7) (2) Consequently, the position rests on a denial of the distinctions between Israel and the church. (3) The position must rest on a denial of the Scripture's teaching concerning the nature and purpose of the tribulation period. Whereas Scripture uses such terms as wrath, judgment, indignation, trial, trouble, and destruction to describe this period, and states that the divine purpose in the period is to pour out judgment on sin, the advocates of this position must deny this essential teaching of the Word. (4) The post-tribulationist must deny all the distinctions observed from the Scriptures between the raptured and the second advent, making them one and the same event. (5) The post-tribulationist must deny the doctrine of imminence, which says that the Lord may come at any time, and substitute the teaching that a multitude of signs must be fulfilled before the Lord can possibly come. (6) The post-tribulationist must apply major passages of Scripture that outline God’s program for Israel (Matthew 13; Matthew 24, 25; Revelation 4-19) to the church in order to support his views. This system is based primarily on denials of the interpretations held by the pre-tribulation rapturist, rather than on a positive exposition of Scripture. A view that is less prevalent than the post-tribulation rapture, is the mid-tribulation theory. According to this interpretation, the church will be raptured at the middle of the tribulation. The church will endure the events of the first half of the seven years of tribulation. This theory claims that the beginning of great tribulation begins with the sounding of the seventh trumpet and the catching away of the two witnesses in Revelation 11. This view is only a weakened version of post-tribulationism, and the same six errors of interpretation that bring down post-tribulationism are essentially the same that destroys mid-tribulationism. The third prevalent interpretation is the pre-tribulation interpretation. This holds that the church, in its entirety, will, by resurrection and translation, be removed from the earth before any part of the seventieth week of Daniel begins. Pre-tribulation rapturism rests essentially on one major premise – the literal method of interpretation of the Word of God. The church and Israel are two distinct groups with whom God has a divine plan. The church is a mystery, unrevealed in the Old Testament. This present mystery age intervenes within the program of God for Israel because of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah at His advent. This mystery program must be completed before God can resume His program with Israel and bring it to completion. Pre-tribulationism holds that the church will be raptured out at the beginning of the Tribulation. There are some types and shadows in the Old Testament that indicate this. One such type is that of Enoch. Enoch walked with God and the record says that God took him, that is, God caught him up to heaven. This took place just before the flood judgment, therefore giving us a picture of the church. On the other hand, Noah and the Ark gives is a picture of Israel during the Tribulation. Noah entered the ark and survived the flood, then came out to live in the land. As pre-tribulation believers, we hold that the rapture of the church is imminent, and the tribulation will begin immediately after the rapture of the church. We believe that the tribulation will last for a duration of seven years as corresponds with the seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecies. Pre-tribulation belief also holds that the tribulation will be divided into two equal parts of three and one-half years. The last half being the Great Tribulation. During the Tribulation, the Antichrist will be revealed, a one-world system will emerge, and great persecution of believers will take place. Great changes will take place on earth as earth comes under the judgment of God. In the final end of that age, Jesus will come to conquer the nations of the world and to lock Satan up for a thousand years. Then Christ will reign with a theocratic rule during the millennium that follows. Satan is then loosed for a short time. God then steps in and casts Satan into the lake of fire for eternity.
THE RELATION OF JESUS CHRISTCHAPTER 1
Revelation 1:19 gives the three main divisions in the book of Revelation. “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;” I. “The things which thou hast seen” (Revelation 1:1-20)
A. Introduction (Revelation 1:1-3)
Verse 1: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.”
1. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” The word “revelation” means unveiling, appearing, coming; therefore we are to understand the meaning here to be the unveiling of things to come. It is quite clear that the Revelation is from the Lord Jesus Christ, and not the Revelation of St. John the Divine as has been attributed to John by translators of the Holy Bible.
2. “Which God gave unto him.” Jesus already knew what was to happen, therefore the scripture here refers to God giving to Jesus Christ all the glory of the Revelation because of His finished work on the cross of Calvary.
3. “To shew unto His servants which must shortly come to pass.” “Servant” means a bondslave – one who served out his time and because of love for his master wished to remain in service for him. “Shortly” means surely, or speedily.
4. It is in the remainder of the verse that we learn it was given to John as the human writer to record the message as Jesus Christ sent it by His angel.
Verse 2: “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.”
1. John recorded in his gospel things from the beginning, Jesus the Word, etc. in the Gospel of John.
Verse 3: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those thins which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
1. A blessing is passed on to the individual who will study the Word, or even listen to someone else read or teach the word of this prophecy. McGee calls this verse the “Beatitude of Bible Study.”1
B. Salutation (Revelation 1:4-8)
Verse 4: “John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.”
1. John sends greetings to the seven churches located in Asia.
2. “Peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.” John uses an oriental greeting “Peace be unto you” but also adds the word grace, for without grace it is totally impossible to have peace.
Verse 5: “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”
1. “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness.” This greeting was also extended from Jesus Christ Himself. The fact the He is faithful proves that the Revelation will come to pass.
2. “The first begotten” He is the only Son of God “and the prince of the kings of the earth.” “Prince” is rendered ruler in the center column of the Scofield Bible. Surely, He is the ruler of all the kings of the earth.
3. “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” John is giving praise for salvation that was purchased at Calvary. We should be able to rejoice when reading this part of the verse if indeed our sins are under the blood.
Verse 6: “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
1. “Made us kings and priests” read “A kingdom of priests.” Believers are never called king.
2. As he reflects on the greatness of Jesus Christ, he shouts out “Amen.”
Verse 7: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”
1. “Behold, he cometh with clouds” reminds us of His ascension in the Book of Acts. The heavenly messenger stated that He would return in like manner as they had seen Him go. However, this is not the rapture event that is described here, but the second coming of our Lord.
2. “Every eye shall see him.” This was not possible until modern technology developed the Tel-Star system. Now with satellite, an event happening on the other side of the world can be seen here at the same moment.
Verse 8: “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
1. Jesus states that He is the A in the alphabet and the z as well. He is clearly declaring that the only way to God if through Him.
C. The Resurrected Christ Judging His Church (Revelation 1:9-18)
Verse 9: “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
1. “John.” Here again John’s name is use. The other two are at the end of the book.
2. “Brother.” John uses this term to describe his relationship to the believers.
3. “In tribulation.” This does not refer to the coming tribulation of the world. John was in great trouble because Domitian (AD 96), the emperor of Rome had put him in prison on the isle of Patmos. He was there because of this faithfulness in preaching the Word as is further stated in this verse.
Verse 10: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.”
1. “In the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” This is interesting when you consider that John was locked up in a prison, yet he still took time to worship on the Lord’s day.
2. “In the Spirit.” This is a book that was birthed in the Holy Spirit, and the only way it can ever be understood is through the Spirit. The reason so many intellectual minds have a problem with the book is because they are trying to understand it from a position of human reasoning. It will never work.
3. John heard a voice like a war trumpet, and it spoke to him
Verse 11: “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”
1. Jesus states that He is the “Alpha and Omega”; these are the first and last letter in the Greek alphabet. This is repeat of verse 8. 2. John is commanded by Jesus to write down all that was about to be revealed to him, and to send the written letter to each of the seven churches listed.
3. These seven churches, when located on a map, are in a rough circle. This gives us a complete picture of the church cycle.
Verse 12: “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.”
1. John hears a thundering voice that startled him and as he whirls around he sees seven golden lamp stands. These are individual land stands and are different from the lamp stand in tabernacle.
Verse 13: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.”
1. The lamp stands were positioned in a circle and John saw someone standing in the middle.
2. The person is none other than the post-resurrection Jesus Christ.
3. The garments are those of the high priest (Exodus 28:2-4). The garments represent the inherent righteousness of Christ. In Him is no sin, and He knew no sin.
4. The girdle is about the breast, and speaks of Jesus’ judgment in truth.
Verse 14: “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire.”
1. Jesus is the Ancient of Days (see Daniel 7:9) and white hair speaks of His eternal existence.
2. “His eyes were as a flame of fire.” These are the penetrating eyes of His holy love.
Verse 15: “And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.”
1. “Feet like unto fine brass.” This tells us He is also the judge.
2. The voice John hears is not the voice of the meek and good shepherd. Jesus’ voice is so powerful it sounded “as” the voice of many waters. This is the judgment voice of God, which we have heard throughout the scriptures. The prophet Jeremiah heard it. “The Lord shall roar from on high” (Jeremiah 25:30, and also the following scriptures: Joel 3:16, Amos 1:22, and Hosea 11:10).
Verse 16: “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”
1. The stars in Jesus’ right hand is explained in Verse 20. McGee says this shows that Jesus has the whole universe in His hands.1 While I agree that Jesus does have the whole universe in his hand, I am compelled to accept the Bible’s own interpretation of it.
2. The “sharp two-edged” sword represents the Word.
3. “His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” You can’t even look at the sun.
Verse 17: “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.”
1. John’s vision of the resurrected Christ has a paralyzing effect on him.
2. Jesus speaks comfort to John and removes the fear.
3. “First and last” refers to His deity.
Verse 18: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
1. Jesus left the celestial portals of glory to come to this low ground of sin and sorrow. He came to die that the believer might live.
2. “Evermore” means “into the ages upon ages.”
3. Jesus Christ removed the sting of death, broke the bonds that held the helpless person captive. Jesus also took possession of the key from Satan.
D. John is instructed to write. (Revelation 1:19-20)
Verse 19: “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.”
1. John is commanded to write down the things that will be revealed to him concerning things that happened in the past, things that were presently happening as well as things that would happen in the future.
Verse 20: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
1 An explanation of the ”hereafter” in verse 19 is given.
2. Notice Jesus says that He is holding the stars in His right hand. The stars are his ministers, the pastors of the church. A better word to use would be messengers.
CHAPTER 2
I. “The things which are” (Revelation 2:1-3:22)
Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the church history from the early church to the last stage of apostasy. Each church represents a period during which the conditions that prevailed in that church were the denominating influences of the particular period. The instruction is given to the angel of the church. This is not an angel assigned to the individual church, but rather the pastor. The proper meaning to the word used here as angel is “messenger.” It is understood, however, that each messenger to the local assembly is the pastor.
A. The Letter to Ephesus
Verse 1: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”
1. “Ephesus.” The Apostolic church (AD 30-100). Ephesus is considered by Bible scholars to have been one of the largest and finest churches in New Testament times. Of the seven churches, it is the only one that has a mention of apostles with it.
Verse 2: “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.”
1. “Works.” According to Lahaye there is strong evidence that the early church preached the gospel around the world.1 Romans 10:18, Romans 16:26, Colassians 1:6, as well as Colassians 1:23 are scriptures supporting this theory.
2. “Tried them which say they are apostles.” The early church was very strict about who they listened to. They made sure that the person was really called a man of God.
Verse 3: “And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake has laboured, and hast not fainted.”
1. The early church faithfully preached and practiced the Word.
2. They faced opposition but did not fall by the wayside.
Verse 4: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.”
1. “Nevertheless.” In spite of all their good works, the faithful adherence to the truth, they fell victim to human nature. They lost sight of the real reason for their service. The love for the Lord and His work was lost. They were just going through the motions of serving.
Verse 5: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
1. Counsel is given to repent and return to the excitement and energy that was displayed at the beginning.
2. Failure to do so would bring the withdrawal of the Spirit of the Lord from that church. The light would go out.
Verse 6: “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicholaitanes, which I also hate.”
1. The doctrine of Nicholaitanes is synonymous with modern day eccesilasticism according of Lahaye.2
2. The word “Nicholaitanes” comes from the Greek “nikao” – to conquer – and “laos” – the people. There is no record of a sect of people by that name, but the word refers to the earliest form of the notion of a priestly order, or clergy. That was later divided into the “priests” and “laity”.
Verse 7: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
1. A spiritual ear is referred to here.
2. The tree of life is the same one mentioned in Revelation 22:2.
B. The Letter of Smyrna
Verse 8: “And unto the angel at the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive.”
1. The period of this stage in church history is to AD 316. The word “Smyrna” is the same word for “Myrrh,” which is a sweet smelling perfume. This church sent up a beautiful fragrance to the Lord. It was also necessary to crush myrrh in order for the fragrance to come forth. It was during this time of extreme persecution that the church exalted the glory of God. According to “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” five million Christians were put to death.
2. “Which was dead, and is alive” was real to these people and they needed to know that all of this was still in the plan and purpose of Almighty God.
Verse 9: “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”
1. “Works,” “Tribulation,” “Poverty.” This church did not meet in the beautiful buildings, nor were their assemblies necessarily in buildings at all. Their congregation consisted of slaves, ex-slaves, freed slaves, run-away slaves, poor people. If any rich people were saved, their property was confiscated.
2. “But thou art rich.” There are some valuable things that money can’t buy. Those in possession of these commodities are far richer than material wealth.
3. “The blasphemy of them which say they are Jews… but are the synagogue of Satan.” The implication is that the Jews in Smyrna who had come to Christ were Jews inwardly as well as outwardly. In Romans 9:6, Paul says that not all Israel is Israel. It is his religion that makes a Jew a real Jew.
Verse 10: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”
1. Jesus encourages them not to fear.
2. “Be thou faithful.” God challenges those persecuted saints to remain strong, not to turn aside, and for their faithfulness, they would be greatly rewarded.
Verse 11: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.”
1. “Second Death.” D. L. Moody put it like this, “He who is born once will die twice; he who us born twice will die once.” And if the Rapture takes place he will die not once if he is saved.
2. The first death concerns the body. The second death concerns the spirit and soul; it is eternal separation form God. No believer will have to undergo that.
C. The Letter to Pergamos – The Church Under
Verse 12: “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges.”
1. “Pergamos” means marriage or elevation. This church period was under imperial favor, when the church began to settle down in the world. Its history begins in A.D. 312 and runs to A.D. 606.
2. “Sharp sword with two edges” is the Word of God. In Pergamos, this was needed because of the fake religions that flourished there. This also shows absolute certainty of the theme.
Verse 13: “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.”
1. “I know thy works.” We cannot hide ourselves form Him.
2. “Dwellest.” The Christians were in a dangerous environment because of the pagan worship.
3. “Satan’s seat” probably is a reference to the giant altar to Zeus, elevated about 800 feet from the plain below and visible for miles.3 It oculd also refer to all that was dominating and controlling the life and culture of this city, the snake god, Asklepios, would also serve as a symbolic picture of Satan and his power.
4. From this verse we learn that this was a worldly church.
5. “Thy holdest fast my name.” They believed that Jesus was the Son of God.
6. “And hast not denied my faith.” They were straight on the plan of salvation, yet they were worldly.
7. “Faith martyr.” The word martyr means witness. There was one who was faithful to give the true witness unto death.
Verse 14: “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”
1. “Doctrine of Balaan” was Balaam’s teaching Balac to corrupt the people who could not be cursed (see: II Peter 2:15, Jude 11, also Numbers 31:15-16) by tempting them to marry women of Moab, defile their separation, and abandon their pilgrim character.
2. Pergamos had lost their pilgrim character and was “dwelling” where Satan’s throne is – in the world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).
Verse 15: “So has thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.”
1. The deeds of the Nicolaitanes mentioned in verse 6 becomes the doctrine or teaching of the church at Pergamos.
2. God shows His holy displeasure of this practice to priest and laity.
Verse 16: “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
1. The only cure for backsliding is to repent.
2. The object for rebuking error is the Word of God.
Verse 17: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
1. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna.” God has hidden truths to teach us, but He will not let us understand them if we are living in the world.
2. “White stone.” Lahaye says the basic tone of agreement among Bible commentators is that it means assurance. White in the Bible refers to righteousness of God. He also says that in ancient times a white stone meant acquittal. The jurors voted by placing down a white stone, signifying that they acquitted the person of the crime.4
D. The Letter to Thyatira
Verse 18: “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.”
1. “Thyatira.” In Smyrna, the problem of Nicolaitanism began to take root. In the church of Pergamos, Nicolaitanism became a doctrine, or teaching, along with Balaamism. But in the church of Thyatira it triumphed to engulf and currupt the church. The word Thyatira means “continual sacrifice,” and we see this practice as the Roman Catholic Church begins to practice the Mass.
2. “Eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.” This denotes He is looking with piercing eyes of judgment on the church because she has permitted the false teaching to creep into her midst and “seduce my servants.”
Verse 19: “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.”
1. Six good things are listed that the Lord has to say about this church: works, charity, service, faith and patience.
2. “And the last more than the first.” History records the good works of the Catholic church in building hospitals, schools, etc. that have been a great help to society.
Verse 20: “Notwithstanding I have a few things againt thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel which calleth herself prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”
1. “Notwithstanding.” “Nevertheless” or “in spite of” all the good mentioned in verse 18, the Lord says there are some things He cannot tolerate.
2. “Jezebel.” A cult religion is identified in the Scriptures as a woman. Here our Lord is speaking of a religious system that has caused His people to unite the church with the world.
Verse 21: “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.”
1. “Fornication.” This is spiritual perversion.
2. God has given her time to repent of her false teachings and practices and return to the sound Word of God, but she refuses.
Verses 22, 23: “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
1. “I will” shows a future action on God’s part. A threatening judgment is issued against this church, and be sure He will execute it!
2. This will be done during the tribulation period. A further, more detailed account appears later in Chapter 17.
Verses 24, 25: “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.”
1. There is always a remnant of true believers that hold to the faith and will not waver.
2. The charge is verse 25 is to hold fast, or continue in the apostles doctrine until Jesus makes His second advent.
Verses 26-29: “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
1. In these verses there is clear evidence that the saints of God will judge and rule during the tribulation.
2. Jesus Christ will rule with righteous rule.
3. Jesus is the “bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16).
CHAPTER 3
E. The Letter to Sardis
Verse 1: “And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.”
1. “Sardis.” The word means “a remnant” or “escaping ones” or “those who came out.” This is the beginning of the great Reformation period.
2. Though there is little life in the church, God is still in control.
3. The tragedy of the Sardis or Reformation Church that earned them the condemnation of being a “dead” church was twofold. First, they became state churches. The danger of this is that it included the entire population, thus eliminating salvation on a personal basis. Second, the Reformation churches did not sufficiently change many customs and teachings that were practiced in the Roman Catholic Church. Some of these were: sprinkling, ritualism characteristic of pagan worship.
4. Repentance is still the answer to a right relationship with the Lord.
Verse 4: “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.”
1. There were some in this church that refused to give in to the compromising of the truth regardless of the cost.
Verses 5, 6: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
1. To those who resisted the temptation to succumb to the trends of the day was promised a white garment to wear. Actually, these overcomers were the true born-again believers.
F. The Letter to Philadelphia
Verse 7: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openth;”
1. “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love.”
2. The open door of the gospel resulted in a flourishing period that many theologians agree started about 400 years ago. This was a time when the Bible was translated into the language of the people and all could understand it. Thus broke out great national revivals and a wave of evangelism swept across Europe and eventually to North America.
Verse 8: “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou has a little strength, and hast kept my word, and has not denied my name.”
1. Though attempts have been made to try to stop the evangelistic movement, they have been unsuccessful.
2. There was a real return to religious faith, in reading as well as practicing the teachings of the Bible.
3. These churches which held to the truth for the most part were small: “little strength,” yet God has multiplied them into a mighty force that is hard to stamp out.
4. “Kept my word.” The Reformation churches, past and present, believe the Word of God, but are not characterized by obedience to it. The church of Philadelphia in contrast to this practice, is characterized by obedience to His Word.
5. “And hath not denied my name.” Satan has tried to counter an effective work of God. It is interesting to notice that the greatest increase in false Christs and false religion began during this period of time.
Verse 9: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
1. Christ promised that all the false religionists (religious impostors and false teachers) who claim to be Jews, but are not, would someday be subdued before them. These heretics will realize that, in persecuting the faithful church of Christ, they have turned their backs on Him.
Verse 10: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
1. Because of their faithfulness, the promise is given that they will be spared the tribulation that is coming on earth for seven years.
Verse 11: “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
1. The Lord’s counsel to the church of Philadelphia is based on His promise of His second coming. Notice that the challenge is made on the basis that the church of Philadelphia will be in existence at His coming.
2. The Philadelphian church is characterized by a spirit of revival and promotes evangelism and a missionary-minded church. The churches that are practicing this formula are enjoying unprecedented growth. This is in sharp contrast with the Sardis or Laodicean churches which are having a hard time maintaining status quo. Many are losing more members than they are gaining. Their problem is they have not kept His word and they have denied His name.
Verse 12: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
1. To the overcomer the challenge is three-fold. First, a pillar speaks of stability. Second, the writing of the names of God is indicative of the fact that the believer is identified with Christ by the seal of the name of God, which entitles him to have entrance into the city of God. Third, the believer not only has the name of God which entitles him to enter God’s city, but he also has the name of Christ which entitles him to be “His servant… and they shall see his face.”
Verse 13: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
1. The believer is challenged to listen.
G. The Letter to Laodicea
Verse 14: “And unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."
1. “Laodicea.” The word means “rights of the people.” It is during this period that the church becomes apostate. Some Bible theologians believe this period set in when Israel became a nation in 1948.
2. Though most of the teaching is false, or mixed with error, Jesus says He is “the Amen, the faithful and true witness.” Many are teaching a new way to salvation, but it is filled with corruption. Jesus is still the door of salvation.
3. ”The beginning of the creation of God.” It is during this stage of church history that the theory of evolution begins to be accepted as fact without any valid proof. God says He alone is the creator.
Verse 15: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot, I would that thou wert cold or hot.”
1. The church is lukewarm. It is not “hot”, meaning “zealous of good works,” not is it “cold”, meaning “lifeless”. Instead, it is lukewarm or indifferent having all kinds of organizations, programs, committees, activities, but no power. These churches are usually more interested in social action than Gospel action, more interested in reformation than transformation more interested in planning than praying.
Verse 16: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
1. Because of this condition of “lukewarmness”, it will make God sick, and He will vomit them up.
Verse 17: “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."
1. They are deceived about themselves. All deception is evil, but the most devastating is self-deception.
2. Deception number one (rich). Her buildings are the finest. She has fund raising organizations and a large but unconsecreated church membership.
3. Deception number two (“I have need of nothing”). She does not realize her poverty-stricken state. Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing.” Man can organize. Man can build. Man can promote. Man can preach. Man can teach. But only the Spirit of God can transform the lives of men. Only the Holy Spirit of God can glorify Jesus Christ, who said of the Holy Spirit, “He shall glorify me” (John 16:14). This is the only test of any work claiming to be performed in the name of Jesus Christ. If it glorifies man, it is not the work of the Spirit.
4. Jesus Christ says the true nature of the church, with all the trappings pull back, reveals her destitute condition. “Wretched and miserable.” Even though she gives herself lessons on positive thinking and reads books on how to have peace, inwardly her people are unhappy, for riches never satisfy the hungry heart of man.1 (Poor). They had material things, but did not know Jesus. (Blind). Although they thought they knew and understood through their sophisticated education and appropriation of “wisdom.” They did not understand the ways of God. (Naked). This twentieth century Laodicean church is clothed with religion. Christ sees her as “naked”, for she is not clothed with the garment of righteousness.
Verse 18: “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
1. “Gold tried” indicates a metal superior to the glittering money that does not produce spiritual gain.
2. “White raiment” indicates a holiness that must be put on a person. It pictures justification.
3. “Anoint… with eyesalve” commands them to be spiritually anointed, awakened, so that they might see the love which they should have for Christ and the hatred they should have for sin.
Verse 19: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”
1. The words of this verse, coming after a strong denunciation and exposure, inspire hope, love, and action.
Verse 20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
1. Jesus is seen at the end of the church dispensation standing on the outside seeking entrance to the church. You will notice that in the beginning He was standing in the midst of the churches (lamp stands).
2. He wants fellowship and His rightful place in the church, but they are so busy with their own “religiosity” that they do not realize Jesus is gone.
Verse 21: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
1. The promise is simply to share His throne as He shares the Father’s throne.
Verse 22: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
1. Again the challenge is to listen with a spiritual ear to the message given.
CHAPTER 4
III. “Things That Shall Be Hereafter: (Revelation 4:1-22:21)
As the third division of the Book of Revelation opens, we see the church not on earth, but in heaven. This is quite clear due to the fact that the church history on earth is given in chapters 2 and 3, with the closing letter to Laodicea showing the church in apostasy. We then follow the church to heaven. How does the church get there? Paul tells us how in I Thessalonians 4:17. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Also read I Corinthians 15:51-52. This third major division is divided into six groups of sevens. It also has five parenthetical passages, or breaks, which when the church division is included, brings the number to seven sevens. They are: the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven personages, the seven vials, the seven dooms and the seven new things. The five parenthetical breaks are: The Jewish remnant and the tribulation saints, the angel, the little book, the two witnesses, the Lamb, the Remnant, and the everlasting Gospel, the gathering of Kings at Armageddon, and the four alleluias in heaven. According to Scofield, these passages do not advance the prophetic narrative.1
A. Introduction – The Seven Seals (Revelation 4:1-5:14)
Verse 1: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
1. It is quite obvious that we are now looking at the church from a different vantagepoint. Chapter 3 closes with the church on earth, while Chapter 4 opens with the scene now in heaven.
2. The “Come up hither” could be a type of the rapture.
Verse 2: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”
1. John was no longer in control of his body, he was being controlled by the Holy Spirit.
2. John’s first visual that is mentioned of the heavenly vision was that of a throne set in heaven. It was either “sitting” or “being set” (the Greek allows both).
Verse 3: “And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.”
1. “He that sat.” The same one in verse 2 is seen here.
2. “Jasper.” Phillips says that this stone represents “hardness” connected with the government of God.2 Dr. Harry Iornside says this stone is a crystal (chapter 21:11) and is probably a diamond. This reveals the glory of the One seated on the throne. This stone was the first on the breastplate of the High Priest (Exodus 28:17), while the “Sardine” stone is the last on the breastplate. Sardine was blood red, speaking of Christ’s sacrificial atonement. As these stones bore the names of the tribes of Israel, arranged according to the births of the twelve patriarchs, the one would suggest at once the name of Reuben, “behold a son,” and the other, Benjamin, “son of my right hand.” It is Christ enthroned; the Son about to reign in power Who was before the seer’s vision.3
3. “Rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Here we see a complete circle. As geometric figure, a circle symbolizes perfection. Oliver Green states that the emerald color spoke of Judah’s stone in the breastplate, denoting eternal freshness and eternal endurance. It was the wedding stone of ancient oriental times.4 According to John Phillips, it emphasized that the judgment has to do with the earth. The rainbow reminds us of judgement.5 However, Oliver Green states that the unbroken circle denotes the absolute sovereignty of God… the unbroken power, the unbroken love, the unbroken mercy of God. Green is the pleasant color of earth’s vegetation and signifies the remembrance of God’s grace to earth even when He is about to deal with the race in judgement.6 I feel most comfortable with Green’s interpretation, or understanding of this particular verse. Hendriksen adds however, that it signifies to the children of God that the storm is over.7
Verse 4: “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”
1. Twenty-four elders seated around the throne represents the twelve patriarchs of Israel and the twelve apostles of both the Old Testament and New Testament economy.
2. The robes of white are the garments of holiness and their crowns are not diadems, but rather the victor’s crown.
Verse 5: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices; and these were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”
1. The thunder and lightning have long been associated with judgement.
2. The seven lamps or seven Spirits of God are apparently referring to the sevenfold characteristics of the Holy Spirit as revealed in Isiah 11:2.
1. The Spirit of the Lord 2. The Spirit of Wisdom 3. The Spirit of Understanding 4. The Spirit of Council 5. The Spirit of Might 6. The Spirit of Knowledge 7. The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord
The seven Spirits do not mean seven different Spirits, but the seven characteristics of the one Holy Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, we not only have the fruit of the Spirit, but we should expect to manifest these characteristics as well.
Verse 6: “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”
1. “Sea of glass.” Two suggestions for the sea itself are (1) the church at rest, or (2) the Word of God, the latter taken from the sea of glass in Solomon’s temple, which symbolized the Word of God for the means of sanctification. So we are cleansed by the “washing of water by the Word.” (Ephesians 5:26) It would seem that the sea of glass represents the sure foundation, the Word of God, our means of cleansing.
2. “Four beasts” are not wild beasts, but four living creatures. According to Lahaye, these living creatures are seraphim, described by Isaiah in his vision of the throne of God (Isaiah 6:1-3). He concludes that there are only four of them in all.8
Verse 7: “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”
1. Lion denote majesty and power. The calf or ox denotes humanity and patience, and the beast of labor. The Third beast had a face of a man, denotes wisdom, reason and intelligence. The fourth beast described by John was a flying eagle showing keenness of sight and swiftness of action. The characteristics of the living ones are that of Jesus Christ. In Matthew, He is the King (lion). In Mark, He is the suffering Servant (calf). In Luke, He is the Son of Man (face of a man), while in John, He is the Son of God (eagle).
Verse 8: “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
1. “They were full of eyes” denotes “all knowing.”
2. They are the directors of worship around the throne of God.
Verse 9: “And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever.”
1. This shows a continuation of worship.
Verse 10: “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying.”
1. The twenty-four elders representing the Old and New Testament saints fall down as they join in the worship.
2. “Cast their crowns.” These are the victor’s crowns that have been given to the saints. During the worship of God, they willingly take off their crowns and lay them at Jesus’ feet, because He alone is worthy of honor and praise.
Verse 11: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
1. This is the cry of the saints in worship.
CHAPTER 5
THE SEVEN SEALED BOOK
Verse 1: “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.”
1. The book is actually a scroll and when it opened it unrolls down to the first seal of wax. Then that seal is broken and one can roll the scroll to the next seal.
Verses 2-4: “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.”
1. There are many varied opinions as to what this book is, but it appears that this has to do with earth and its redemption. Lahaye concludes that the book has to do with mankind and his relationship with the earth.1 He further states that for all intents and purposes, the seven-sealed scroll is indeed the title deed to the earth. It was given to Adam by God, lost to Satan through sin; for that reason Satan is in control of the world from the time of Adam until the glorious appearing of Christ.
2. It is because no one was found worthy to open that book that caused John to weep.
Verse 5: “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”
1. Notice that John is comforted by one of the elders, and assured that there is one who is worthy.
2. “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” John saw the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” but here He is seen as a Lion, indicating that Christ is now ready to come as king and rule.
3. “Root of David.” This is the earthy lineage to the throne of David.
Verse 6: “And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
1. “Lamb…slain” shows the complete redemptive work of Christ.
2. “Seven horns.” Christ is not weak when being described as a lamb.
3. “Seven eyes” describes the seven Spirits of God which are the characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
Verses 7-8: “And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, with golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”
1. The recipient of the book in Jesus Christ.
2. When the book is taken, it brings a response of worship from the “living creatures” and the “four and twenty elders.”
3. The “elders” representing the saved believers have already received a harp and golden vials.
Verse 9: “And they sung a new song, saying, thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and has redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation.”
1. There is spontaneous singing of the worthiness of the Lamb, rejoicing because He has redeemed them from sin.
Verse 10: “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
1. This clearly states that the saints will reign (rule) during the millennium reign of Christ.
Verses 11, 12: “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts 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 that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
1. There is an innumerable number that join in the worship of the Lamb.
Verse 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, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
1. “Every creature” includes the entire universe. They are seen in a grand and glorious worship. This also answers the question about other life in the universe. Man is trying to get there by his own power in order to see for himself, but God has already told us in His book.
Verse 14: “And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”
1. The living creatures say “Amen,” even so let it be, and once again the born again believers hit the floor in worship.
CHAPTER 6
B. The Seals (Revelation 6:1 – 8:1)
Chapter six begins a period in earth’s history that is the most awesome period ever known. The seven year period decreed by God is for the primary purpose of shaking man loose from a false sense of security. Under the seal judgments, we see the world is ruined by man. Events recorded under the seals are extensions of things that are very evident in today’s world. The chief difference is that the church will be gone, and to a great extent will be removed. The evil seed men have sown will come to flower and fruit. Under the trumpet judgments, the world is ruled by Satan. A vast and new dimension of the supernatural is introduced. Satan is cast down to earth; the planet is invaded by hordes of evil spirits. Satan’s plans for this earth are matured. Under the vial judgments, the world is rescued by God. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Satan’s empire is dealt blow after by God Himself, until at last Lord, accompanied by His saints, returns from glory to put an end to this world’s woes.
Verse 1: “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”
1. Jesus begins to open the seals, one at a time.
2. “Noise of thunder.” This speaks of an approaching storm.
3. One of the four beasts tells John to come and witness what is going to happen in the tribulation.
THE FIRST SEAL: ANTICHRIST
Verse 2: “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”
1. This verse introduces us to the four horsement of the Apocalypse.
2. The rider of the white horse has been called Jesus Christ, but a closer look tells us that this is not so.
3. “A bow and a crown was given unto him” Notice that no arrows were given. The Antichrist will have a great military force, but will take over with personal attributes which will cause the “kings” of the earth to willingly give him control of their governments.
4. The Antichrist will take peace from the earth. This rider symbolizes the false Saviour who will come upon the distraught world with him humanistic schemes of world deliverance.
THE SECOND SEAL: WARFARE
Verses 3, 4: “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”
1. The White Horseman brings on the bloodshed of the second horse, the Red Horse. The color of blood and the sword show that now revolutions and wars are caused at an unheard of level of intensity. Wars break out everywhere, and peace is gone from the earth.
THE THRID SEAL: FAMINE
Verses 5, 6: “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances 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; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”
1. The Black Horse rider represents famine and is holding a pair of scales. During this portion of the tribulation, food will become so scarce that rationing will be needed to try to distribute the meager supplies around the world. When you have global warfare, there will not be enough manpower to farm, and you can’t farm in the middle of a battlefield. These are the main casues of famine which are a result of the first two horse riders.
2. “A measure of wheat for a penny.” Do not be mislead by the world penny. It has no comparison to the penny of today. The Roman Coin “denarius” is really the word used here, and it was the payment for one day’s wages during the Bible times. Here we see inflation out of control.
3. The “measure of wheat” represents the better quality of food on the food chain. One will work all day just to eat one meal. This does not include the wife and children; nor does it include the elderly. We see abortion on a wide scale now and talk of terminating the life of the elderly and physically unfit people. This will probably come to realization during this time.
4. “Three measures of barley.” The quality of food will change because of inflation. Barley was the food of slaves and peasants as well as animals in Biblical times. Families will turn to this kind of food in order to survive. Three meals a day could be provided from barley whereas only one meal could be produced from wheat.1
5. It seems that the rich are not affected by this inflation as seen in “hurt not the oil or wine,” which are typical of the food of the rich.
THE FOURTH SEAL: DEATH
Verses 7, 8: “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
1. “Pale” represents death. The color is really that of yellow-green or pale green. The word comes from the Greek word “chloros” from which we get the word “chlorophyll.” Death personified rides this horse, and fittingly Hell or “Hades,” the “unseen world,” trails behind to gather up the victims. Man refuses God, now God unleashes man to devour one another.
2. The scope of this impact affects one fourth of the world’s population.
3. This massive number of dead will occur by four methods: sword, hunger, death and beasts. The sword refers to murder or governmental action against citizens. Hunger, which was pictured by the third rider will continue. People will die of starvation by the thousands. Death indicates death by plague or pestilence (Ezekiel 14:21). AIDS and other diseases are surfacing that have no known cure, while old diseases are becoming resistant to the known cures. This is becoming an increasing problem, but will be out of control during the tribulation. Beast seems to indicate that wild beasts will kill many by their ferocious attacks. Probably because of a shortage of foods for the animals.
THE FIFTH SEAL: THE MARTYRED SAINTS
Verse 9: “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.”
1. According to Green, the first four seals represented live horses and their riders while the last three are different, showing that these are set apart from the others.2
2. These are not New Testament saints that are seen under the altar. They are not under the altar of incense, but rather the altar of sacrifice.
3. “The testimony which they held” speaks of the testimony of the coming Kingdom. Antichrist does not want this being preached. Therefore he has them killed, according to Green. To be saved during the tribulation is to be ready for martyrdom
Verses 10, 11: “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
1. You will notice that their cry is not “Forgive them for they know what they do,” but rather the cry is for revenge. This is definitely another dispensation. The “grace” dispensation is over, and these are crying in keeping with Psalm 94:1-3: “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to who vengeance, shew thyself. Left up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph.”
2. “White robes” speaks of righteousness. God does not rebuke them for their request, but give to each a robe and comforts them to rest a little while. According to this scripture, the saved dead might receive an intermediate body (between death and the resurrection) because they are able to wear robe.
3. Their “rest” was to continue until all the tribulation believers were killed.
THE SIXTH SEAL: COSMIC DISTRUBANCES
Verses 12-14: “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”
1. The disasters described here can, of course, be taken as literal. Drastic changes in the heavens could result in earthquakes and drastic changes in the topography of the plant. It is also possible that the description is symbolic an depicts total collapse of the establishment. The earthquake might suggest that everything stable in society will be shaken. The disasters to the sun, the moon, and the stars could suggest the downfall or the plunging into confusion of all governing bodies. The moving of islands and the mountains also might indicate tremendous changes in constituted governement.3
Verses 15-17: “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
1. We see the results of the disasters in verses 15-17. Whether these are natural occurrences or symbolic of the breaking down of social order, all are affected, both small and great. The fact that man tried to hide when they realize that the wrath of God has started leads me to believe that these are natural happenings.
CHAPTER 7
C. Parenthetical Break: Tribulation Saints
The next chapter deals with whether people will be saved during the Tribulation period or not. Many people are expecting a great sweeping revival to move across the earth, but instead of revival, it seems that people are growing colder and colder. There will come a time however, when there will be a great worldwide revival and we are introduced to it in this chapter. It will probably be the greatest revival during a seven-year period that the world has ever known.
Verses 1-3: “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
1. It is interesting to note that angels are in charge of the wind currents or jet streams. The unusual change in weather patterns that are now beginning to take place verify that God is going to use atmospheric disturbances to bring judgment to this earth. God is in control! Man says “Mother Nature”, but God has the last word. In verse one, the four angels are instructed to hold back the storms or judgments until a particular number of people have been sealed or protected by God for His service.
2. “Seal of the living God.” Some have been so stupid as to say God is dead, but here we find Him very much alive.
3. Judgment is held up until the work of the angel out of the east is completed. This task is to seal or place the identifying mark of ownership by God of His servants on earth. This is in sharp contrast to the marking of the followers of Antichrist seen in a later chapter.
Verses 4-8: “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”
1. We see first that there are 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel. These are Jews, not Jehovah’s Witnesses as that cult teaches. There are twelve thousand from each tribe of Israel, therefore this distinctly states they are “Jews”.
Verse 9: “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.”
1. This multitude of people which man cannot number are the people who believe the message of the real “Jehovah’s Witnesses” during the tribulation. This is explained later in this chapter. The people come from every nation and race on earth.
2. “White robes” speaks of righteousness while “palms” denote a praise to the one on the throne.
Verse 10: “And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
1. Notice their cry of worship. Truly salvation is only available through our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation has always, and will continue to be available only through the blood of the slain Lamb of God. Here we see Him in His resurrected glory.
Verses 11, 12: “And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
1. Angels do not understand salvation by grace. It is totally foreign to them, but here they appreciate the one through whom grace is extended and join in the worship.
Verses 13, 14: “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
1. One of the elders representing the Old and New Testament dispensation raises the question about this new group that has arrived on the heavenly scene. John did not recognize them, indicating that they were not Old or New Testament saints; otherwise, he would have been able to identify them. As has previously been stated, these saved ones come out of the tribulation period. These are the people who did not receive the mark of the Beast; but instead turned in faith to Christ for salvation at the pleading of the 144,000 Jewish missionaries.
Verses 15-17: “Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
1. These saints are before the throne of God and serve him continually. You will notice that these are serving while the saints of the body of Christ (the church) will reign with Christ.
2. Their needs are supplied. This probably refers to the horrible treatment they receive while on earth after they have turned to Christ. Their terrible treatment is contrasted by the great blessings awaiting them in heaven.
3. “Wipe away all tears.” This probably means removing the ability to remember unpleasant things.
CHAPTER 8
D. The Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8:2-11:19)
The seal judgments resume at this point when the seventh seal is opened. Out of the seventh seal comes the seven trumpet judgments which have to do with atmospheric judgments. While the seal judgments were primarily judgments God allowed man to bring on himself, the trumpet judgments are actual divinely ordered judgments.
1. Introduction: Jesus Christ Who is Our High Priest
Verse 1: “And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. “
1. This silence is like a calm before the storm. Something of great importance is about to happen. All heaven is breathless according to G. E. Jones.1
Verse 2: “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.”
1. It has been suggested that these seven angels are the Archangels. We have the names of some that are mentioned in the Bible.
Verse 3: “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.”
1. “Another angel” stands before the altar. Some think that this is Jesus since the angel is before the altar performing a priestly duty. Jones once again suggests that this scene indicates everything is now back on Jewish ground, and God is dealing with Israel again.2
Verse 4: “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.”
1. The prayers of the saints crying our from under the altar are about to be answered.
Verse 5: “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”
1. Here we see how powerful prayers are for they are bringing on the continual judgments on earth.
Verse 6: “And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
1. There is no mention as to what preparation are needed by the angels. God does not say, so let us not speculate.
2. The Trumpet Judgments
THE FIRST TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Verse 7: “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”
1. The first trumpet is sounded and there is an unusual storm that strikes earth. This must be taken literally. We have seen the effect of great hailstorms, but nothing to compare with this storm. All we have to do is look around at the strange weather patterns that are now changing our weather. The devastating storms that are so destructive. We must take “fire” as literal. God allowed fire to fall for Elijah and He can do it again.
2. “Mingled with blood” could refer to deaths caused by the ail and fire that fall on earth. There will be a great loss of life as well as property when this judgment is unleashed.
3. This must be literal fire because it caused one-third of the trees to be burned up as well one-third of the grass. Can you imagine what effect this will have on the food supply, not to mention the soil erosion caused by the lack of trees and grass? The forests also help to protect from the winds.
THE SECOND TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Verses 8, 9: “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”
1. The second trumpet sounds and a strange sight occurs. Some have theorized that this is an asteriod that falls and when entering earth’s atmosphere burns with the appearance of a mountain on fire. Dr. Wim Malgo, on the other hand, suggests that this is an atomic or nuclear explosion.3
2. Regardless of the actual cause, we learn that the third part of the sea and land are affected. Dr. Pentecost proposes the land to speak of Palestine or Israel, while the sea represent the gentile nation4. This does not explain, then, the destruction of sea life and ocean going vessels.
THE THIRD TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Verses 10, 11: “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”
1. As the third trumpet is sounded, John sees a star fall from heaven. Here again there is an atmospheric happening that will rain judgment on earth. Hendriksen says that in the first trumpet God used vegetation, and after the second trumpet the sea, so now the Lord Jesus Christ uses the inland waters as instruments against the wicked.5
2. Some scholars have thought the falling star to be angel. In order to prove their point, they refer back to Chapter one, verse 20, “The seven stars are seven angels”. But the Lord says that these seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches. This is not said of this star, but that its name is “Wormwood” which means “bitter”. We must take notice also that this star falls from heaven and some type of poison is released on the waters. It is possible that a rocket filled with chemical warfare could be released on the middle east, but since these judgments are form God and not man, this is highly improbable.
THE FOURTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT
Verse 12: “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”
1. As the fourth trumpet sounds, John immediately sees the heavenly bodies affected. Hendriksen says that one third of the sun is blasted,6 thus decreasing the amount of light. It is interesting to note that on the fourth day, God said let there be light. Here we see the fourth trumpet judgment beginning to extinguish that light. By whatever measure, God does reduce the amount of light that reaches earth.
Verse 13: “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”
1. “Beheld, and heard.” John was both eye witness and also heard the voice from heaven.
2. Three times “woe” is cried out, for the last three trumpet judgments will be the ”woes”. Green says the “woes” are especially upon those who have their settled place on earth. Those who refuse to hear the solemn warnings from Heaven, and in spite of all the announcements of judgment, cling to this earth as their home and their dwelling place, as if they would abide here forwever.7
CHAPTER 9
3. The Trumpet Judgments (Woes)
The last three trumpets are separated from the first four by the fact that they are called “woes”. This brings us to a section that is very wild and extremely weird; it simply is not in human reasoning as we study this chapter.
These woes make the point of the most painful and the utter darkness that previals during the Great Tribulation. This is associated with the last 3 ½ years of the Seventieth Week of Daniel. It most definitely will be the darkest period in all of human history.
Even though the things described seem to be so difficult to accept, we must continue to interpret in the literal line. If another interpretation is proper, John will furnish us the key.
THE FIFTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT: THE FIRST WOE
Verse 1: “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.”
1. “Star fall from heaven.” This is no celestial body because John says a key was given to “him”. This is a person, and many scholars say it is Satan because of the activity that follows. Hendriksen suggests that power is given to the devil by God’s permissive decree and God does not prevent the devil from carrying out his wicked designs in the hearts of the children of men, a wickedness for which he, not God, is responsible.1
Verse 2: “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.”
1. “Bottomless pit” is otherwise known as the pit of the abyss.
2. The smoke that proceeds out when the pit it opened fills the air. This picture resembles that of a volcanic eruption. There is no mention of an eruption in the Bible concerning this. But, could it be that this is where the opening to the abyss is?
Verse 3: “And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.”
1. John uses symbolic language which describes creatures so frightful that this is the only way he could describe them according to McGee.2
2. We see that these are not ordinary locusts, but appear to be a form of satanic cherubim. They are supernatural and are incapable of being killed.
Verses 4, 5: “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.”
1. The ordinary locust descends on earth in a dense cloud and devours every green thing in sight. These creatures are commanded not to hurt the grass, or any green thing or trees, but only to torment those people who were not sealed by God.
2. Their instructions are to torment men, but not to kill him. These demons are so locust-like in their voracious appetites that they have to be divinely restrained and forbidden to touch those whom God has sealed.
3. They are limited as to the time they are allowed to hurt mankind. Five months is also the duration of a season of natural locusts.
Verse 6: “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.”
1. The sting produced from the demonic creatures will be almost intolerable. Because of the tormenting sting, men will try to find death; anything to get away from the torture.
Verses 7-10: “And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.”
1. “Horses prepared to battle.” They are intrepid, ready and eager to fling themselves forward on their mission of doom.
2. “On their heads were, as it were, crowns like gold.” They conquer all in their path.
3. “Faces were as the faces of men.” These are intelligent beings.
4. “Hair of women.” The long hair of these demons suggest that there is something horrible and seductively attractive about these creatures. They use this attraction to lure men to their doom.
5. “Teeth of Lions.” They rend and tear and destroy.
6. “Breastplates of iron.” They are completely insensitive to the suffering they cause, and the cries and agonies of their victims leave them unmoved. They feast on human pain as on a tasty morsel. The shriller the shriek of pain, the sharper, the tangier the taste!
7. “Wings as the sound of chariots.” They travel like the wind, flying swiftly toward their prey.
8. “Tails like unto scorpions.” This statement has been repeated, and when the Holy Spirit repeats a detail, it is because that detail is important. Here, the fact is once again emphasized that these creatures have only one aim – to injure men.
Verse 11: “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”
1. We see that these locust have a king. This is another indication that they are more than ordinary locust, for natural locust have no king.
2. This king is an angel from the bottomless pit (the abyss), and his name is given in both Greek and Hebrew. Abaddon and Apollyon both mean destroyer, and that is exactly what this king and his followers will do.
Verse 12: “One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”
1. The first woe brings in demons. Man is now in the hands of demons who drive the human race from one insanity to another.4
THE SIXTH TRUMPET JUDGMENT: THE SECOND WOE
Verse 13: “And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God”
1. Now that the fifth trumpet has sounded and the awful demonic spirits are unleashed on man, the judgment trumpets continue with the sounding of the sixth. As the sixth angel sounds his trumpet, we see him standing before the golden altar before God.
Verse 14: “Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.”
1. When the trumpet is blown there are four angels turned loose who have been bound in the Euphrates river. In II Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, we learn that there are fallen angels that are reserved unto judgment. Here we are told of “the four” as though they are a special four. Phillips suggests that these four could be associated with the Euphrates river, because all the world powers of Scripture are associated with the Euphrates and Babylon. He says that the four angels might be the ones who controlled the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greek, and the Roman empired on Satan’s behalf.5
Verse 15: “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”
Verse 16: “And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.”
1. They are great in number, 200,000,000 to be exact, riding on horses.
Verses 17-19: “And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.”
1. These horses are not ordinary horses according to Green.6 He maintains that they are literal satanic or demonic creatures just as they are described. Phillips, on the other hand, states that the riders are an army of men driven by demons.7
2. The description of the horses lead some Bible scholars to believe that this is referring to airplanes, both fighters and bombers. While this could be symbolic, there is no indication in the sentence structure to safely say this not literal.
Verse 20: “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:”
1. With all the death and destruction that has already taken place on earth, man still refuses to cease from worshipping the god of materialism (“works of their own hands”), nor the worship of Satan.
Verse 21: “Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”
1. There is no repentance for the wide-spread taking of human life. We see in our present day the lack of respect for a human life. There is no repentance for the devastating drug traffic. There is no repentance for the unnatural appetite for sexual perversion.
2. There will be a total lack of respect for other people’s property, especially food. The law of this jungle will seem to prevail over earth with the survival of the fittest.
CHAPTER 10
E. Parenthetical Break (Revelation 10:1-11:14)
Chapter 10 is the interlude between the sixth and the final seventh trumpet judgments. You will notice that there was an interlude that occurred between the sixth and seventh seals as two groups were sealed and redeemed during the Great Tribulation. But on this occasion we find three personalities are introduced. The mighty angel is first introduced, followed by the two witnesses, though not identified.
Verse 1: “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:”
1. Many Bible scholars seem to agree that this angel is in fact Jesus Christ because of the description that is given of Him. There are some, however, that say Jesus is not called an angel in the New Testament. If this is an angel as some believe, then the fact that he is called a mighty angel places him in a special group, probably the arch angels.
Verse 2: “And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,”
1. The little book must be the title deed to earth that has been previously mentioned.
Verses 3-4: “And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”
1. As the angel cries, great sounds like a roaring lion were heard.
2. John was instructed not to write these utterings down, but to seal them up.
Verses 5-6: “And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:”
1. The angel of verse 2 is seen standing with tine foot on the land (Israel) and the other on the sea (Gentile nations).
2. Since there is none greater to confirm by, the angel confirms by Jesus Christ that there would not be any more delay in bringing the judgments to a finish.
Verse 7: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
1. “Mystery of God.” This means God is about to disclose a truth that is only possible to understand or know in the word of God.
2. Forty-two months of the Tribulation have already passed when this statement is given, and, as we shall see in Chapter 12, there are only 1,260 days left of man’s known history, apart from the kingdom age (Revelation 12:6).
Verses 8-10: “And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
1. While some say that the “little book” is the title deed to earth, others suggest that it is a new revelation to John of the events from that point to Chapter 19.
2. John is instructed to eat the “little book”, indicating to digest it. Upon doing so, he finds it sweet, then bitter. The sweetness reminds John of Jesus’ soon return to earth, however the bitterness is brought about when John realizes the fact that judgment is pronounced upon the earth. The Gospel is much like this. It is sweet to those who hear and respond, however, for those who reject the Gospel, only judgment and damnation await them.
Verse 11: “And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
1. Green says the literal rendering of this verse should be “Thou must prophesy again concerning many poeples…” John was to prophesy of them, not to them. And he does just that in the following chapters of Revelation.1
CHAPTER 11
The first 14 verses of this chapter continue the interlude that occurs between the sixth and the seventh trumpet. And then comes the blowing of the seventh trumpet. It is in this chapter that we learn that there are forty-two months left of the Times of the Gentiles. The second woe is introduced as the seventh trumpet is blown. This chapter also brings us back to Old Testament ground. Some have suggested that the temple, the dealing with time periods, and the distinction which is made between the Jews and Gentiles all indicate that everything is now back under the Old Testament economy. Chronologically, the sounding of the seventh trumpet brings all the way to the second coming of Jesus Christ, which brings an end to the Great Tribulation period.
Verses 1-2: “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
1. “Reed like unto a rod.” This is a measuring stick, about ten feet in length.
2. The instruction to measure the temple, the altar, and those that worship in the temple, indicates that the temple and those who worship there will be protected.
3. Verse 2 tells us that the Gentile domination will come to an end.
THE TWO WITNESSES
Verse 3: “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”
1. The two witnesses are not named, but reading verse 6 gives a clear indication as to who they are. Though there are difference of opinions, most Bible scholars agree that they are Moses and Elijah. Moses, because it is said they have the power to turn water into blood and to smite the earth with plagues. Elijah, because it also says they have power to call fire down from heaven.
2. These witnesses are clothed in sackcloth, a symbol of calamity and judgment. The message that they preach is repentance.
Verse 4: “These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
1. David Hocking says this verse to Zechariah’s vision (Zechariah 4:9) referring to Joshua and Zerubbable in challenging the people of Israel to return and rebuild the temple. He suggests this will have the same impact upon the Jewish people during the tribulation period. Perhaps it is impact upon Jewish people during the tribulation period. Perhaps it is their preaching that motivates the Jews to rebuild the temple once again.1
Verse 5: “And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.”
1. One would not want to hurt these two men! They are supernaturally protected by God who has given to them awesome power.
Verse 6: “These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.”
1. This verse has been explained when dealing with verse 3.
Verse 7: “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”
2. It is amazing that the Antichrist is able to kill the two witnesses since they are able to destroy their enemies with fire out of their mouths.
Verse 8: “And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”
1. Their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem three and one half days.
2. The spiritual condition of Jerusalem is characterized by that of Sodom and Egypt, which was immoral and worldly.
Verses 9, 10: “And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.”
1. The entire world looks on as they lay in the street. This is accomplished by the network of satellites around the world. They are not even given a decent burial. There is so much hatred for them that a day of celebration is declared.
2. From the description of exchanging gifts, it appears that this will be a reinstating of Christmas, only with another name.
Verse 11: “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.”
1. After three and one half days, life will be restored to the witnesses by God.
2. They stand to their feet, which causes great fear to enter the hearts of those watching the event. CNN will probably by there with their commentators, as well as the other news reporters from all over the world.
Verse 12: “And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”
1. They probably were not buried because of their unusual powers. This showed a divine characteristic about them, and the fact that their message was repentance and a rallying of the Jews caused the people to suspect something about these two men. They probably remember another time when One was put in the grave, but on the third day, He came out. They could have been watching to be sure this did not happen again.
2. The first time the Voice said “this is my beloved Son”, but now says “come up hither.” The first time He sent His Son to bring deliverance, this time He is removing His witnesses to bring judgment.
Verse 13: “And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
1. The woe is a curse on Jerusalem and it takes place immediately after the life is restored to the two witnesses and they have been raptured.
2. This woe is confined to the Jewish people. The earthquake hits Jerusalem and seven thousand people are killed, while one tenth of the city of Jerusalem is destroyed.
3. Notice in the latter part of this verse, the Jewish people begin to have their eyes opened spiritually as they realize this great thing that has happened is definitely caused by the hand of Almighty God.
Verse 14: “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”
1. Announces that the third and last woe will arrive shortly.
Verse 15: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
1. The seventh trumpet is the third woe, which according to Larkin covers the rest of the week of prophecy which is three and one-half years in length.2
2. In this verse, there is an announcement that the time has finally arrived for Jesus Christ to reign over “the Kingdom”, though this does not fully come to pass until the three and one-half years has been completed.
Verses 16-18: “And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
1. The “sayings” of the twenty-four elders look forward to resurrection of the dead and the judgments of Chapter Twenty.
Verse 19: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”
1. The scene is located in Heaven. It is there that John hears the trumpet sound, and sees the “temple of God” opened. John also hears the “voices and thunderings” that accompany the devastation of the earth by “earthquake” and “hail”.
2. The third woe includes the vials and other judgments down to Chapter 20, verse 30.
CHAPTER 12
The main thrust of this chapter is the final conflict that occurs between Israel and Satan after he is cast out of heaven. We are now introduced to seven personages or performers who appear after the seventh trumpet is sounded. As we learn that the seventh trumpet brings us through the Great Tribulation and the Millennium to the very threshold of eternity, a great deal of detail is omitted. Therefore, beginning here at Chapter 12, this is beginning to be explained with the presentation of these seven personages. After that comes the pouring out of the bowl judgments of wrath and finally the destruction of Babylon, both commercial and religious.
These seven personages are representative of persons, both natural and supernatural, physical and spiritual, rulers and nations. It is important to clearly identify them in order to properly understand the Revelation.
Verses 1, 2: “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”
1. She is not a literal woman, but a nation. The twelve stars identify her as Israel.
2. The reference to her being with child speaks of Israel being the birthplace of Jesus.
Verses 3, 4: “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
1. The dragon is identified in verse 9 as Satan.
2. The seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns on his head speak about his sevenfold perfection of power. He is the “prince of the power of the air”, and the “prince of this world” (Ephesians 6:12, John 12:1, 14:30, 16:11).
3. The third part of the stars refers to the third part of the angelic host that he draws with him when he is cast out.
4. The dragon was prepared to kill the Christ Child as soon as it was born. Records show that Herod killed all children under two years of age in order to try to kill Jesus.
Verse 5: “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”
1. There can be no question as to who this is. He is Christ. The second Psalm says “…Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron.”
Verse 6: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
1. Israel flees into the wilderness for the remaining duration of the Great Tribulation. Theologians have suggested that this place which has been prepared by God is the rock city of Petra.
Verses 7, 8: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.”
1. The “war in heaven” is started with an attempt to expel Satan and his angels from heavenlies. Satan has not been cast out until this time. Read Job 1:1, and 2:8.
2. We also see that his opposing “Commander in Chief” is Michael, who lead the angelic host.
Verse 9: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
1. Here we find that four names that Lucifer has been called: the dragon, serpent, Devil and Satan. Each of these names identifies his character.
Verse 10: “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
1. Satan and his host have finally been removed from the second and third heaven.
2. Notice that Satan had been able to have access to the throne room as the accuser of the brethen, but this has been stopped forever!
Verse 11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
1. The only way to overcome Satan is by the blood of the Lamb.
Verse 12: “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
1. The rejoicing in heaven is justified, for they have been cleansed of the forces of evil.
2. The “earth” (land) which represents Israel and the “sea” which represents the Gentile nations have been cursed. “Woe” because Satan is now dwelling on earth.
3. Satan’s great wrath is limited to 3 ½ years.
Verse 13: “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.”
1. Here we see Israel and Satan in the tribulation.
2. This will be Satan’s last anti-Semitic crusade.
Verse 14: “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
1. A remnant of the Jews will rush to the wilderness, probably the city of Petra, where that will be protected by God from the Antichrist.
Verses 15, 16: “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
1. Some believe this will be a literal flood that tries to drown the fleeing Jews, while the earth receives the water to dry up the flood.
Verse 17: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
1. Satan realizes his efforts are not working, therefore, in his anger he continues to try to destroy the Jews.
CHAPTER 13
We were introduced to the first five personages of the blowing of the seventh trumpet. In this chapter, we have the final two brought before us. The sixth is the Wild Beast, which John saw come up out of the sea. This Beast is going to be both political power and a person. Then the seventh Beast that rises up out of the land will be a religious leader. There is a great deal of disagreement among Bible scholars as to who these beasts are, or rather their identities. While some consider the Beast to be a person, others believe it is the last form of the Roman Empire. Some believe that the second Beast is Sin, still many other qualified Bible scholars consider him to be merely a prophet for the first Beast. Though it is tough to really say for certain, I believe that the first Beast is in fact the personal Antichrist who will rule over the revived Roman Empire. That would conclude then that the second Beast is a man, the false prophet, the religious leader who leads in the worship of the first Beast.
Verse 1: “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”
1. “Sea” has always represented the Gentile nations. “sand of the sea” leads some scholars to believe that the Beast (Antichrist) will come from the Mediterranean Sea area.1
2. “Seven heads and ten horns.” Notice that the crowns are on the horns, not the head as Chapter 12, verse 3 says of Satan. This means that the source of his power is Satan. Some have suggested that the ten horns are the ten toes in Daniel 2 and the ten horns of the nondescript beast which represents the Roman Empire in Daniel 7. Then, more recently, some even suggest that the ten horns are ten regional divisions of a new world government.
3. “Name of blasphemy” speaks of total disregard of God and any of His teachings.
Verse 2: “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”
1. “Leopard” is the Macedonian swiftness of conquest. “Bear” is the Persian tenacity of purpose, and “lion” is Babylonian voracity. All speak of the characteristics of the Roman Empire. Here we see a beast uncharacteristic of any creature in the past. This will be the nature of the Antichrist.
2. “Dragon” represents Satan. Satan will be his strength and source of power, as has already been mentioned. “Seat” or his throne represents his riling position and “great authority” speaks of his total control of the world.
Verse 3: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”
1. “Head … wounded to death.” Some believe Satan will allow his Antichrist to be killed and the resurrect him. Others say this is impossible since Satan does not have power to give life, only take it. To answer this question, they put forth two explanations. First, that God gives Satan power of life for this one case. Second, others contend that there will be a hoax, an attempt to fool the world into thinking that the Antichrist was killed and then resurrected. Still others say that when Satan was cast out of heaven as is mentioned in the 12th chapter, he actually enters the slain body of the Antichrist, and during the last 3 ½ years, he is actually clothed in the body of the Antichrist.
2. Regardless of how this is accomplished, it will have profound effect on the world as they stand in amazement. Some theologians have suggested that this is the lie referred to in II Thessalonians 2:11.
Verse 4: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
1. The end results will be a return to Caesar worship as in the old days of the Roman Empire. This will really be Satanic worship.
2. The people are so deceived that they believe nothing can stop the Beast (Antichrist).
Verse 5: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”
1. “Speaking great things.” The Antichrist will be a charismatic person with great allure. He will be able to sway the masses of the world to do his bidding.
2. “Blasphemies” indicates that he will also have a total disrespect for God and any thing that would remind the world of God. This will continue for the duration of the tribulation period.
Verses 6, 7: “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
1. The Antichrist will attack the believers during this time and will kill them.
Verse 8: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
1. Only the blood-bought saved who become believers during the tribulation period will refuse to receive the mark of the Beast and also refuse to worship him.
2. Satan has always wanted to be worshipped. The temptation of the first Adam was an attempt at having the human race worship him. The temptation of the second Adam (Jesus Christ), was also an attempt to have God bow down and worship him.
3. “The book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Those who are recorded in this book are not predestined ones who will be saved regardless. This talks about the One who brings salvation in order that our names might be recorded. In the mind of God, Jesus was already slain when the foundation of the world was laid.
Verses 9, 10: “If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”
1. “He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” This is scriptural capital punishment.
Verses 11, 12: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”
1. The second beast comes up out of the land (earth). This refers to Israel in the scriptures. Many Bible scholars believe that this person will be a Jew based on this scripture. The person is called the false prophet in Revelation 16:13 and 19:20. He is the third evil person we see working together. Here we see a comparison of the Holy Trinity with the unholy trinity. The Father gives to Christ His power. The Dragon will give to the Beast his power. The Holy Spirit works on behalf of the Son, and causes us to worship Christ. The false prophet will work on behalf of the Beast and cause men to worship the Beast. Christ is God manifest in the flesh. The Beast is the Devil manifest in the flesh.
2. “Horns like a lamb.” He looks like a messiah, but his speech betrays his true nature.
3. He receives power to direct the unsaved of the earth to worship the Antichrist.
Verses 13, 14: “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”
1. The things that the false prophet is able to accomplish are astounding. Whether this is literal fire or missiles we can’t be sure, but it will have a profound effect.
2. The fact that the people are deceived would lead one to believe that this will be some kind of phenomenon.
3. The last part of this verse is unusual. The Beast has ordered an image to be erected. A replica of the Antichrist. We will learn later that this image will be placed in the temple that is to be rebuilt in Jerusalem.
Verse 15: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
1. This image appears to be alive. Some say it is a computer, others say it is a robot. Regardless of its abilities and mechanisms, it will watch over the worship of the Beast and all who refuse will be killed.
Verses 16, 17: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
1. This mark is literal. It will be necessary to buy or sell. This will head up all commerce in the Beast. This will be a final move to bring all ment into conformity to the will and worship of the Beast, and to acknowledge him and his false claims.
Verse 18: “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
1. It is plainly stated that the number is the number of a man. This is definite proof that the man to be worshipped is a man.
2. Many attempts have been made to identify the Antichrist by numerical formulas, but none have worked. This person will be revealed in God’s own time.
CHAPTER 14
Parenthetical Break: In this chapter, we will get a vision of the Lamb and the one hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish missionaries who have been sealed by God for the work of evangelism on earth. Their mission is the proclamation of the everlasting gospel. We also find the announcement of the terrible judgment that will fall upon Babylon. Also revealed is the judgment which will fall on all those who receive the mark of the Beast. We have already seen seven personages, and it is only fitting and proper that this interlude follow after the two beasts who are the sixth and seventh characters. It would be impossible to separate the two, therefore the logical sequence of this book unfolds in a logical, chronological, and mathematical order. We also notice in this chapter that all of those who are numbered and sealed by God made it through, not one was lost. Although many of Christ’s own will become martyrs during the Tribulation, they will not be lost.
Verse 1: “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”
1. John saw the impostor in Chapter 12:1, but here once again he has a vision of the Lamb of God standing on the holy mountain. Standing beside the Lamb are one hundred and forty-four thousand that have overcome or were martyred during the tribulation period.
Verses 2, 3: “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”
1. John hears the voices of 144,000 people as they lift up their voices in a song of praise to the Lamb of God who is standing by as the great choir sings to Him. You will notice that this is a new song that has never been sung before and only those of the 144,000 are able to learn this song. It probably has something to do with the fact that they are a select group with a definite ministry and they have been killed because of the faithfulness of their testimony while on earth.
Verses 4, 5: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
1. That these are called virgins can be puzzling. Some hold that this is literal and explain that the reason for remaining unmarried is due to the harsh times of the Tribulation. This could also have a spiritual application in that these have not committed spiritual fornication with the harlot church.
Verses 6, 7: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
1. The gospel message has always been placed into the hands of men to carry until it comes to the everlasting gospel. This message will be declared by an angel, and it is heard by the entire earth. This message is definitely not one of hope and joy, but rather a severe message of doom and destruction; one of judgment. However, to Israel and those believers who are struggling just to stay alive, this is a time of rejoicing at the news of judgments on the system and its people who have so horribly mistreated God’s people.
Verse 8: “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
1. The announcement finally comes that God is on the verge of destroying the Babylonian system, both religious and political. This system had its beginning with Nimrod and the building of the Tower of Babel. That system that has controlled the course of nations throughout the centuries.
Verses 9-11: “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
1. The issues are made very clear, the alternatives are unmistakable. The cry comes from the Beast and his cronies that they must bow down and worship the Beast or be doomed. On the other hand, the Lamb is saying that those who do bow down and worship the Beast will be doomed .1 We see then that those who follow God will be doomed by the Antichrist, and those who follow the Antichrist will reap the wrath of God.
Verse 12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
1. The people of God are encouraged to hold on, to remain strong in their faith, because all the suffering will soon be over.
Verse 13: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”
1. The Tribulation is so great that death for those saved during this time will be a blessing.
Verse 14: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.”
1. This is none other than the Lord Himself. After this reference as the Son of Man, He will never again be referred to in that manner. It is in Matthew 8:20 that we find the first time he is addressed as the Son of man, and that was in reference to His first advent. This final use of that title refers to His second advent, or second coming. It relates to the Lord’s dominion over the earth.
2. It is at this point that we begin to get a vision of Armageddon. Jesus is wearing a golden crown which shows His total authority and carries the sharp sickle that is in His hand speaks of His wrath that will come on earth.
Verses 15, 16: “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
1. Please notice that the angel comes from the temple. It is not clear as to which temple this scripture has reference to. The fact that this angel speaks to the Lord who at this time is sitting on a cloud might indicate an earthly scene, because it has been predicted that Jesus would return on clouds in the same manner that He ascended into heaven.
2. The reaping is definitely done on earth. The harvest has reached its full growth and iniquity prevails everywhere.
3. You will notice that the Lord is in total control of this matter. The battle is going to be so devastating, nothing like the earth has ever seen before.
Verse 17: “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.”
1. There is no difficulty identifying the temple site in this verse, for we are told that it is in heaven, which would strengthen the thought that the one mentioned in verse 15 is the earthly temple that is to be rebuilt in Jerusalem.
Verses 18-20: “And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.”
1. Still another angel becomes active, and his point of origin is from under the altar.
2. As this angel gives his cry, it signals the other angel to move into action. The result is the great slaughter that will result in blood being spilled so much that it is splattered as high as a horse’s bridle.
CHAPTER 15
This chapter reveals another sign in heaven, the seven angels as well as the seven last plagues. Some Bible scholars think that Chapter 15 and Chapter 17 should have been linked together since both deal with the mixing bowl wraths. These seven bowls of wrath will be far worse than the seal judgments or the trumpet judgments. You might wonder if any believers will be able to stand during this terrible outpouring of god’s wrath on the inhabitants of earth as the Antichrist tries in his last efforts to extinguish all signs of God from the earth. We will see here that the believers will be enabled to stand.
Verse 1: “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.”
1. We now reach the point of no return. God is about to unleash the seven last plagues against the earth. But before describing this dreadful judgment, John is given one more view of heaven.
Verse 2: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”
1. John saw a beautiful, crystal clear sea with flames of fire leaping out of it. Some say this relates tot he laver in the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, because it is called the Sea of Glass. Larkin says that it is the same sea seen in Chapter 4:6. Then its surface was clear and plain, now its surface is of a “fiery” aspect, symbolizing the “fiery trails” of its occupants who came out of the Great Tribulation.1
Verses 3, 4: “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”
1. They have harps and sing the “Son of Moses” and the “Song of the Lamb” which implies that they are all or in part Israelites.
Verses 5, 6: “And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.”
1. This is the Heavenly Temple.
2. The seven angels coming out of the temple are clothed in priestly garments. Their duty is not to offer sacrifice in worship, but rather to finish the judgments of God.
Verse 7: “And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.”
1. One of the “living creatures” gives to the seven angels, seven golden vials. The word “vial” means “mixing bowl”. This gives an idea how terrible these last plagues will be.
2. Notice that John is reminded that it is God who lives for ever and ever. This is in direct contrast to the teaching that God is dead.
Verse 8: “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.”
1. The smoke fills the temple from the glory of God. When Moses finished the Tabernacle and Solomon finished the Temple, the Shekimah Glory was in a cloud. Here it is in smoke. Smoke speaks of judgment while cloud speaks of grace.
CHAPTER 16
The theme of this chapter is the pouring of the seven bowls of God’s judgment. They are poured out during a very brief period of time. There are many definite comparisons to the judgments that are poured out and the judgments that God sent to Egypt through Moses.
Verse 1: “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
1. Instructions come to the seven angels who hold the mixing bowls (vials) that the time has come that they must pour out their judgments on earth.
Verse 2: “And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”
1. The first angel pours out his bowl of judgment and immediately the inhabitants of earth who receive the mark of the Beast are plagued with “noisome and grievous sore”. These sores or boils could be cancer or AIDS. It could also be a new disease that has surfaced where the flesh is actually eaten from the bone by an incurable virus. This has actually happened in our lifetime.
2. Notice that the ones who receive the mark of the Beast are affected by this judgment. Could it be that the chemical that is used to apply the mark is the actual cause of this terrible sore?
Verse 3: “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”
1. The second angel pours out his bowl of judgment on the sea. This could be the Mediterranean Sea since it relates to Israel, but we must not confine God to a geographical area. If God wanted to bring a world-wide judgment of this nature to all the waters of the sea, then He is in His sovereign right to do so.
2. This could be a contaminator of the sea because a careful look at the scripture says “became as the blood of a dead man”. Could it be that the sea is so contaminated that is too thick to support sea life and that this contamination has a deep, dark red color? There is also a condition that happens when certain organisms grow that produces a red tide. The sea is so thick with this organism that sea life is threatened when this occurs. It may be that God allows this to spread over all the seas of the world.
Verses 4-7: “And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”
1. The third judgment that comes when the third angel has emptied his bowl out of the fresh waters causes these waters to turn to blood. There is no reason to think that this is anything but literal because the scripture says “became blood”.
2. This had already happened when Moses was contending with Pharaoh to free the children of Israel so that they might go to the promised land.
3. The ones who receive this judgment have shed blood with no remorse, therefore God will give them blood to drink.
Verses 8, 9: “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.”
1. The fourth angel’s bowl judgment is directed at the sun so that the sun’s rays will become so hot that it will burn men who venture out into its rays.
2. Notice that this judgment does not cause sinful man to repent of his wickedness, nor does he turn from his evil ways. Rather than repent and turn to God, we find that they will curse God and blame Him for all their problems.
Verses 10, 11: “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”
1. The judgment that comes as a result of the fifth angel causes a great darkness to fall on the Beast and his empire, and this produces an unusual agony on the population.
2. We learn in Revelation 17:9 that the “seat of the Beast” is Rome, Italy, and of course the empire will be European Community which is the revived Roman Empire.
3. Even though the people must know that this is direct judgment from God, the people still curse Him and refuse to repent.
Verse 12: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”
1. The sixth angel now pours out his mixing bowl of judgment into the Euphrates River and this causes the river to be dried up. Turkey has now completed a dam that stretches across the head waters of the Euphrates River. At any given time they could pull the switches that would close the locks and stop the flow of water downstream. This would lower the waters down to the point that the river could be easily crossed.
2. History records that the Euphrates River has been a natural barrier to prevent armies from invading across its boundaries. The river, however is not that large that it could be a natural barrier to stop an advancing army, but for some reason, God has held back the armies at this river. Now we see all restraints removed and the way is made for the kings (nations) of the east to attack Israel.
Verse 13: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
1. At this point, we are given another parenthetical interlude between the 6th and 7th bowl judgments. As we are introduced to three unclean spirits that look like frogs, God is making us realize that these bowls are leading up to the final showdown of Armageddon.
2. These unclean spirits come out of the mouths of the unholy trinity made up of Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. There is a great clamor for the armies of this world to gather for the battle of Armageddon. The Bible does not suggest the strategy that will be used to assemble these armies. It has been suggested by some that the western world will want to have a showdown with the eastern world for world supremacy. This may be it. Perhaps they are gathering to once and for all exterminate Israel from the face of the world.
3. Frogs. This could give a description of their nature since frogs are found in the swampy, slimy parts of the water. They are also usually visible at night. This is certainly a dark period in the history of the earth.
Verse 15: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
1. The second coming is in view here as the earth dwellers are instructed to watch. This takes place at the end of the Tribulation period and is separated from the Rapture of the Church by a period of seven years, which is the seven years of the Tribulation.
Verse 16: “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”
1. Armageddon is now in full view. This is the last battle of World War III which begins at the beginning of the last three and one half years of Tribulation.
Verse 17: “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.”
1. We see that the bowl judgments resume as the seventh angel pours out his bowl of judgment on the earth. The contents are released into the air.
2. We are not told who speaks out of heaven at this time, but I have no problem believing that it is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that the voice originates in the heavenly temple at the throne.
3. Notice also the message, “It is done,”, and compare it with “It is finished” which was uttered at the climax of the crucifixion. When He uttered “It is finished”, sin had reached its lowest level, taken its toll on the human race. But Jesus had finished the plan of God that was about to reverse the hold that sin had on mankind. Here, once again, He says “It is done” at a time when sin had once again sink to the lowest level imaginable. This “it is done” is not a speech of mercy and forgiveness as was the first time, but rather an announcement that God was going to bring judgment on this God-hating crowd.
Verse 18: “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
1. Lightnings and thunders are God’s ancient signs of displeasure and judgment of sin (Exodus 19:16).
2. The earthquake is described as the worst in the history of man. Some think that this is man-made by atomic bombs. We are told by scientific minds that the earth is riddled with geologic fault lines which extend through the Jordan Valley in Israel and continue into Africa and finally through the California coast. In fact, many fault lines have been discovered to run off the main lines. At the pouring out of this judgment, we see that God is going to shake the world in the most dramatic way, because this world of sinners has said that they do not need God.
Verse 19: “And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.”
1. John continues to describe the devastation of the great earthquake. It seems to be on a world-wide scale.
2. The mention of the “great city” bring different schools of thought. Some say that this is in reference to Jerusalem, and relates to the time when Jesus returns and places His feet on Mt. Olive, which causes it to split in two. On the other hand, others think that this refers to the capital of the Antichrist. They think that this could either be Rome, Italy or the actual rebuilt city of Babylon.
3. “Remembrance.” In Genesis 1, we have a brief account of the creation of man, but in Genesis 2 we are given a more detailed account of the same event. The same holds true here when we are told that.
Babylon is remembered for destruction, then in Chapters 17 and 18 we have the full details of this ruination given.
Verse 20: “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”
1. Not only is the Antichrist’s capital city, or the city of Jerusalem devastated, but also every island and all of the mountains are affected. In fact, this entire wicked world reels and rocks by the wrath of a Holy God who has been rejected by the inhabitants of earth while willingly harkening to the sinful Antichrist and his satanic end-time system.
Verse 21: “And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
1. There will be a hailstorm as a result of the great thunder and lightning storm mentioned in verse 18.
2. This hailstorm will be unlike any that have been on earth before. It is said that the average weight of each piece of ice is one talent. There are several estimates as to the actual weight of a talent, but Salem Kirban places it in the vicinity of 95 pounds. Some hold that the Greek weight is 56 pounds, while the Hebrew weight is 114 pounds. Regardless of the correct usage, the hailstones will be tremendous.
3. God brings the judgment on those who blaspheme Him in accordance with the Old Testament judgment on those who blasphemed the name of God. If you will read in the book Leviticus 24:16, you will find the punishment of a blasphemer was to be death by stoning.
CHAPTER 17
The theme of this chapter focuses on the apostate church during the coming Tribulation. We see the destruction of this world system of religion as God brings down the judgment. The church of Thyatira, described in Chapter 2:18-29, which permitted Jezebel to teach, will become the apostate church of the Great Tribulation. There is a move underway now, as we write, to attain the goal of a one world church: Romanism, Protestantism, Pagan religions, cult and “isms” all under the control of the Roman church. The fact that the woman is called a “whore” tells us that she sells her virtue for gain. She is contrasted with the bride of Christ, the true church, which is said to be “without spot or wrinkle,” chaste and pure. Pentecost says of the harlot system: the Beast, who was dominated by the harlot system (Revelation 17:3), rises up against her and destroys her and her system completely. Without a doubt, the harlot system was in competition with the religious worship of the Beast, promoted by the False Prophet, and her destruction is brought about so that the Beast may be the sole object of false worship as he claims to be God.1
Verses 1, 2: “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
1. In this scene, we see one of the angels after having emptied his bowl of judgment on earth walk over to John and begin a conversation.
2. His message is that of doom for the “great whore sitteth upon many waters”. The “great whore” is that part of “Christendom” that remains after the true church is raptured up to heaven. It will be made up of all of those who have not trusted Jesus as Saviour; they never were part of the body of Christ. They enter the Great Tribulation.
3. The waters refer to the masses of people also mentioned in verse 15. The harlot controls the world at this point. “Kings of the earth committed fornication” shows that there is an unholy alliance between church and state during that part of the tribulation. The movement today to bring all churches together certainly fulfills this that is to come to pass. We see denominations that once burned for God now dead and lining up with the one world movement.
This system will bring the world under the influence of the Beast out of the sea and the Beast out of the earth. Both will use this false church to control the masses, and the church will go along for the power that is granted them.
Verse 3: “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”
1. John is carried into the wilderness while he is in the Spirit. At this time he sees another vision. He describes the woman as sitting on a scarlet colored beast. As we know, a woman always represents false religion. It has been said that all of the cults that have risen through the years were either started or are dominated by women.
2. “Scarlet colored beast” begins to give some indication as to who this religious system is. Later we see that the woman is dressed out in scarlet colors as well. The woman is sitting on the beast showing that she is in control at this time.
3. “Full of names of blasphemy” tells us how far religion has departed from the living Christ.
Verse 4: “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:”
1. Notice the clothing of this harlot. She is dressed very loud as do women who are trying to entice someone to commit immorality. Purple was the predominant color of Roman imperialism. Scarlet is the color adopted by Roman Catholicism.
2. “Decked with gold” shows this pleasant appearance of the outward display of beauty. The trouble was that inwardly there was corruption like unto “deadmen’s bones and of all uncleanness”.
3. “Precious stones and pearls” may be genuine, but they are cold and represent a sordid imitation of the genuine heartfelt religion.
4. “A golden cup in her hand full of abominations” speaks of the religious intoxication of the anti-church, and a pseudoreligion.
Verse 5: “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
1. “Upon her forehead was a name written” reveals the trus character of this woman. Notice that she is not wearing a crown, but rather has been marked with the mark of her profession.
2. The woman represents the church during the Tribulation and this is her disgraceful title.
3. “Mystery, Babylon.” To understand this, we must go to the Old Testament where we learn that the founder of Babel, Babylon, was Nimrod, who we read about in Genesis 10. Here we find his unholy achievements, and that he was the arch-apostate of the patriarchal period. He persuaded all to join in the building of the tower of Babel which was in defiance of God. From secular history, we learn that Nimrod’s wife, Semiramis, claimed to have given birth to a son who was miraculously conceived. He was received as the promised deliverer, thus introducing the false worship of mother and child. This was also the beginning of the secret religious orders which have continued until this day.
4. “Mother of harlots.” Out of this evil system was birthed all that is false and abominable which worship a false system. Babylon was the beginning of all the cults through the centuries.
Verse 6: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”
1. Those who would want to unite with Rome should remember the long history of violence and bloodshed at the hands of this merciless church. Whenever in control of a country, Rome has not hesitated to put to death any who opposed her. Read from Halley’s Bible Handbook the accounts of her historic brutality.
THE INQUISTION. It was called the “Holy Office” and instituted by Innocent III. This was the church court for the detection and punishment of heretics. Everyone was required to spy on all others. The accused was subjected to torture without even facing his accuser. The Inquisitor pronounced the sentence and turned him over to the civil authorities to either be imprisoned for life or burned. The victims property was confiscated and turned over to be divided between church and state.
In the Netherlands under Phillip (1566-98) these persecutions were carried on with more that 100,000 being condemned to death.
The Hugenots in France were massacred in one night on August 24, 1572 by the order of Queen Mother Catherine de Medici who was following orders from Pope Pious.
Read the history of the Hapsburgs and Jesuits in Bohemia which had a population of 4,000,000. 80% were Protestant, but when the Catholics under the Jesuit priests and the ruling Hapsburg family got through, only 800,000 were left, all Catholic.
Yes, the pages of history are splattered with the blood of Christians shed at the hands of the Roman Church.
Verse 7: “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”
1. The angel questions John as to why he is shocked at the sight he has just witnessed.
2. He assures John that he (the angel) is standing present, ready to explain the mystery of the woman. Though John would not understand all of the vision because it was in this future, it is possible that he understood the fact that it was a religious system.
Verse 8: “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
1. The angel begins to explain the beast upon which the woman is sitting. This scarlet beasts represent the final stage of a Gentile world power headed up by one individual, the Antichrist, called the Beast, who embodies all its characteristics, ambitions, and powers.2
2. We see that this Beast is satanic in origin because it ascends from the abyss. All will be deceived as to its nature except those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ.
3. Notice it says of the Beast, “when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is”. The Roman empire which will be the governmental structure to give the Beast its power existed for 500 years, then seemed to collapse. The “is not” refers to the time between its collapse and the revival of its world domination referred to as “yet is”.
Verse 9: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.”
1. The “seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” has been understood by many to be Rome, Italy. History books call this city the “city of seven hills”. On the other hand, some suggest that this represents seven kings and that five have passed, one is on the throne during the writing of the book of Revelations and that one will come in the future who is called the Antichrist. Both explanations certainly have some merit, however I am persuaded to believe that this speaks of a geological location following the line of literal interpretation. Therefore it is Rome, and not the Roman government that is addressed in this verse of scripture. It has also been suggested that these seven hills represent the seven continents since the Antichrist will rule the entire world.
Verses 10, 11: “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.”
1. Salem Kirban quotes Zahn in reference to the seven heads of the beast. “Since Revelation was written at the time of the Roman Empire, that is, according to chapter 17:10, the sixth head; another seventh kingdom will follow it, but will not long reign. Upon this follows the eighth, - that of the Antichrist – which, however, is only a reincarnation of one of the five earlier kingdoms. Without question, this is intended to be the Graeco-Macedonian and its typical ruler, the pre-Christian antichrist, Antiochus Epiphanes. The interpretation of the seven heads as the line of Roman emperors from Augustus or the Caesar onwards, which has confused many, is untenable. Certainly the number of heads, seven, in company with the many sevens of the Book of Revelation, exhibits the totality of that which is signified. Thus the seven heads symbolize the entire run of historic Babylon-type Satanically led pagan kings and empires. That final one, that of the Antichrist ‘is the eighth, and is of the seven’3.
Verse 12: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.”
1. The ten horns represent ten kings that are portrayed in Daniel 2:42, 44 as the ten toes of the statue. These represent the end-time manifestation of the Roman Empire. The fact that they are made up of iron mixed with clay suggests some sort of ten nation confederation, often referred to as the “Revived Roman Empire”. It has been suggested that in light of recent reshaping of the global economy into treaties that these are in fact 10 regions ruled by one government that comes under the authority of the Beast or Antichrist. Only time will reveal the true understanding of these 10 kings.
Verse 13: “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”
1. These ten end-time kings give complete allegiance to the Beast, the Antichrist. This is why the Beast is constantly seen as having ten horns upon his head.
2. It is obvious that these kings will surrender their authority to the Antichrist. This will include their military might as well, because they have one motive, which is world domination.
Verse 14: “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
1. The ten kings and the Antichrist shall make war with the Lamb, which is Jesus Christ, by the anti-god program that they are determined to promote in their kingdom. The persecution of those who turn to Christ during this time will be terrible (Revelation 12:3, Daniel 7:25).
2. “And the Lamb shall overcome them.” This is accomplished by Christ’s blood sacrifice at Calvary by the atoning for the sins of those who turn to Him as their Savior. Also the remnant that is preserved from death, Armageddon and the judgment of nations is another way Jesus accomplished this.
Verse 15: “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
1. The harlot church dominates, by its false teachings, the roaring oceans of people which cover the globe.
Verse 16: “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”
1. The harlot church has been used by the Antichrist to rise to world domination, now becomes the focal point of hatred by the ten kings and the Antichrist.
2. It could be that the Antichrist feels threatened by the rival power the harlot church brings.
3. Regardless of the reason, we are told that the Antichrist completely destroys the harlot church.
Verse 17: “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.”
1. Once again we see the divine side of human events. The ten nations aligning themselves behind the Antichrist and then destroying the apostate church.
17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. 1. Here again the woman, the false church, is said to be in some sense synonymous with the ruling city of the earth.
CHAPTER 18
In this chapter, we have the commercial Babylon brought before us. In chapter 17, the apostate church is destroyed by the kings of the earth who hate her; and the commercial center, on the other hand, is loved by the kings of the earth. There has been some disagreement among conservative expositors about whether or not ancient Babylon will be rebuilt. It is difficult to say if in fact it will be rebuilt, or that it represents another city, which will be the capital of the Antichrist’s kingdom. Some have even suggested that there might be a seven city group to serve as the world capital. It is best not to enter into a heated debate over this, for only time will reveal the truth.
Verse 1, 2: “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”
1. John shows us in Chapter 17, the destruction of religious Babylon, the anti-god system. Now a mighty angel announces the final destruction of the commercial Babylon. According to Kirban, the angel that comes with great power and glory betokens the greatness of his proclamation.1
Verse 3: “For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
1. This city is guilty of “fornication” and worthy of the “wrath” because it loves the Antichrist and Satan rather than God.
2. Here God’s word tells us that the system which is characteristic of this Babylon is bringing ruination to the people of the world.
Verse 4: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
1. This evidently those people who have turned to Christ, but still remain in that wicked city amid its evil system. The heavenly voice warns them to “come out” just as Lot was warned to leave Sodom and Gomorrah.
2. Despite the terrible conditions, believers still hang around the evil city, just as today believers still crowd around the modernistic churches claiming somehow that they are doing good.
Verse 5: “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”
1. Though it appears that this ungodly city has escaped the judging eye of God, suddenly His wrath begins to fall.
Verse 6: “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.”
1. Despite the delay. We are assured that the eventual payment in judgment will be exactly right for the awful transgressions that she has committed.
Verse 7: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”
1. This evil system boasts of her greatness and of her lack of need from anyone, especially God.
Verse 8: “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”
1. This indicates that Babylon’s destruction comes during the Seven Bowl Plague. 2. Notice the destruction comes suddenly and will be over in “one day”.
Verse 9: “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,”
1. We learn in this verse that Babylon will be destroyed before the final battle of Armageddon. Thus the kings of the earth will have an opportunity to witness this fiery destruction.
Verse 10: “Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.”
1. Now the people of the entire world witness in extreme terror and disbelief the sudden fall of judgment from God on this city which is a den of iniquity.
2. A question has been raised as to the possibility of this destruction being caused by an atomic weapon. We do not know how it will happen, but only what the results will be.
Verse 11-13: “And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.”
1. John is told that the merchants of the earth will mourn at the loss of that city.
2. Notice the different commodities that are mentioned: a. “Gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls.” This is the jewelry department. b. “Fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet.” The fashion department is destroyed. c. “And all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.” This is the furniture department. d. “And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense.” Now we get to the perfume department. e. “Wine.” Gone is the liquor department. f. “Oil, and fine flour, and wheat.” Next goes the bakery department. g. “And beasts and sheep.” The meat department is destroyed. h. “And horses, and chariots.” The great automotive department is now destroyed. i. “Slaves and souls of men.” Will slavery return during the Tribulation? The truth is that it is in existence now. Look around and see how men are slaves to their job and how industry or the business world has adopted the idea that an employee is just another number that can easily be replaced if not producing up to the demands of management. Yes, men have their souls on the auction block of the world commerce.
Verse 14: “And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.”
1. The riches of the wicked are gone. This city called Babylon with its ungodly system is forever removed.
Verse 15: “The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,”
1. It appears that the smoke and heat from the destruction of the city are so intense that the onlookers must stay at a great distance as they weep over the loss.
Verse 16: “And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!”
1. “Alas” is ouai in the Greek, therefore “woe” would also fit.
Verses 17-19: “For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.”
1. These verses of scripture give a further look at the picture that has just been revealed. Looking out across the waves, the sea, men look on in disbelief and regret at the destruction.
Verse 20: “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.”
1. The martyrs that were seen under the altar in the fifth seal (Revelation 6:10) were anxiously awaiting the time when the ungodly hardened people who had murdered them would be punished by God.
Verse 21: “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.”
1. When a stone with the tremendous weight of a millstone is cast into the water, it makes a huge splash and then sinks quickly out of sight. This is an illustration of what happens to Babylon.
Verse 22: “And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” 1. The voice of the city is hushed, the noise of industry is silenced, never to be heard again.
CHAPTER 19
This chapter ushers in the greatest event for this earth – the Second Coming of Christ. This bridges the gap between the Tribulation and the establishing of the millennial kingdom. There are two main events that are recorded in this chapter. We will find that the chapter is broken down into three parts: the four alleluias (verses 1-6), the marriage of the Lamb (verses 7-10), and the Armageddon (verses 11-21).
Verses 1, 2: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”
1. The word “alleluia” occurs many times, and it means “Praise the Lord”.
2. The first alleluia is shouted because Christ has now judged and destroyed the apostate church, called the harlot, whose false teachings have corrupted the people of the earth.
3. The shout is also because Christ has avenged His servants who were murdered by this apostate religion.
Verse 3: “And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.”
1. By analogy, the “smoke rose up” need not point to the destruction of the building of the Harlot church, but rather to the everlasting destiny of the lost souls who comprised this false church according to Kirban.1
Verse 4: “And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.”
1. The twenty-four elders represent the church in heaven, and this is the first time that they sing Alleluia.
Verse 5, 6: “And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
1. Notice that the call to praise comes directly from the throne of God. The reason for this call to praise is because the Lord Jesus Christ is preparing to take control of this world.
Verse 7-9: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.”
1. In this verse we are introduced to the marriage scene. This will be the marriage of the Lamb to His bride, which is the church. This marriage speaks of an eternal union between Christ and His church.
2. “His wife hath made herself ready.” This speaks about the raptured church’s purification which she experienced in heaven at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Verse 10: “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
1. Even the angels are not to rob God of His praise and worship.
Verse 11: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”
1. The gates of heaven swing open wide as the King of Glory rides out on His white horse. This is direct contrast to the white horse rider of chapter 6 when we see the impostor riding on the scene.
2. At Christ’s first coming, Christ came riding on a donkey – an animal of peace. In Old Testament time, a king who was coming into a country or city in peace would ride a donkey. On the other hand, if he was coming to make war, he rode a white horse. Notice, the second time Jesus comes, He is on a white horse to make war against the evil on earth.
Verse 12: “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.”
1. “His eyes were as a flame of fire.” During His first advent, He came to offer peace, but He was rejected. Now He comes the second time to destroy those who have rejected Him and His words (Matthew 25:4-46). The flaming eyes also show Christ to be God coming to judge the world in holiness.
2. His crowns that He is wearing show His glory and triumph, as well as His deity.
Verse 13: “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.”
1. There are differences of opinion as to the blood that is seen on the vesture Christ wears while returning to earth. Some contend that this is His blood which has dyed this vesture, because it was His shed blood as Clavary that has purchased our salvation. Still others say that this is in fact symbolic of the blood that is about to be shed on earth at Armageddon.
2. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). Therefore, the rider would be none other than Jesus Christ.
Verse 14: “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”
1. We notice that there is a company following Jesus. It is very easy to identify this host of followers, because they are wearing robes of white, fine linen. In verse 8 we have already been told that the bride (the church) is dressed in fine linen. This is the honeymoon for the married couple (Jesus and the church), since it is the church that returns with Jesus.
Verse 15: “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
1. The word is the sword of offense that is used in the offensive against the rebellious armies of the world.
2. It is with this same Word that He will rule the nations during the millennial Kingdom reign. This will be necessary because although Christ will reign, sinners will still be born during this time.
Verse 16: “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
1. One cannot help but rejoice at this verse, for here it is revealed with certainty that this is our Lord Jesus Christ. The conclusion is inescapable. Quoting Salem Kirban: “Let the Jehovah Witnesses come with their riddles, over amd over again this Book of Revelation asserts unmistakably the deity of Christ. No, faint Christian, the entire true Church throughout the centuries has not erred – the Jehovah Witnesses and all of the other who deny the deity of Christ are the ones who err… and their error is grievous.” 2
Verse 17: “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;”
1. This chapter speaks of two suppers, one, the marriage “supper of the Lamb,” the other, “the supper of the great God”. The first, of course, involves the church and resurrected saints who also are with Christ to have a part in this grand banquet on earth.
2. Every flesh eating bird on earth will be summoned to this appointed place where the armies of the wicked nations, that in the end-time choose to follow the Antichrist, are gathered.
Verse 18: “That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.”
1. These birds shall feast on the flesh of the fallen armies who are slain by the brightness of His coming. This is a supper of death to which the followers of the Antichrist will attend while those that love Christ will attend the supper of life.
Verse 19: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”
1. The Book of Revelation teaches that the Antichrist, the Beast and his ten end-time kings will come ot the region called Armageddon. They are compelled to come to this place of war for some diabolical purpose which Satan has schemed.
2. Some have suggested that the antichirst is aware of the advancement of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings with His host of raptured saints following Him, and that the kings of the earth are gathered there thinking that they are defending the earth from an invasion from outer space.
3. Whether they are aware that the person leading this host is Jesus Christ or not, in their insanity, they are trying to remove anything that relates to God from the face of the earth.
Verse 20: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
1. The saints can shout, the earth can rejoice for here at last victory has come at Armageddon. I imagine that the scene will be awesome. The Antichrist and his forces with all of the advanced technology in weapons of destruction, the largest army ever to assemble will not be enough to stop our Lord. With His Word He speaks and the armies are leveled.
2. The Beast is captured along with the false prophet and are cast alive into a lake of fire. Notice that they are not slain as are the large number that follow them. These followers are cast into hades to await the final judgment.
3. Such a formal judgment are not given to the Beast and the False Prophet, for they go differently to the lake of fire.
Verse 21: “And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”
1. This appears to refer to the armies that were slain at His coming
CHAPTER 20
The theme of this chapter is the Millennium in relationship to Christ, Satan, man, the tribulation saint, the resurrections, the earth, and the Great White Throne.1 According to McGee, many men in the past have dismissed this chapter as being not very important since the 1000 year period is mentioned only here in Scripture. My question is, however, how many times must God speak on something for it to be so? There are three schools of thought on the millennium in the study of eschatology: Postmillennialism assumed that Christ would come at the conclusion of the 1000 years. After the preaching by man, the kingdom was supposed to be established. Two world wars destroyed this theory. Amellennialism has become popular in recent years, but is very weak in that it spiritualizes the millennium as it does much of the Book Revelation. It fits the Millennium into the present age. Premillennialism takes this chapter at face value, applying the literalist interpretation unless the context instructs otherwise. The Millennium is God’s answer to the prayer, “Thy kingdom come”. This is the kingdom which was promised to David. The prophets all predicted it. This is theocratic kingdom that is coming to earth.
Verses 1, 2: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”
1. Notice that one angel, upon the command of God, is able to subdue the old devil that has caused so much trouble on earth. Satan’s power has been taken from him, and he is now helpless.
2. The angel has the key to the bottomless pit and imprisons Satan for one thousand years. We see that Satan is not only captured, but he is bound, that is chained down. The deceiver of man, who has caused so many to be bound and held by the chain of sin is now bound himself.
Verse 3: “And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”
1. After being cast into the bottomless pit and the entrance shut, he then has a seal set upon him. This destroyer of souls, who caused millions of poor, wretched humans to receive his seal or mark is now the bearer of a seal himself.
2. There is clear evidence as to the role Satan plays in the affairs of the nations. He has manipulated them through the years.
3. Even after Satan has been subdued and cast into the pit for 1000 years, he must be released for a short span of time. It is explained in verse 7 what happens when Satan is removed from the bottomless pit.
Verse 4: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
1. These are the first resurrection saints and those martyred during the Tribulation who will reign with Jesus Christ during the millennium.
Verse 5: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
1. The unsaved, God rejecters, will not be resurrected until after the 1000 years of kingdom reign is over.
Verse 6: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
1. The true fact is that the blood-washed saints of God are blessed. Being lost in sin, we are deserving of the second death, which is the eternal, unchangeable separation from God. But because God gave His Son for our sacrifice, we are saved through His shed blood. Therefore, we are no longer bound to the awful second death that will overtake those poor lost souls.
Verse 7: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,”
1. With these brief words, we have come to the end of the millennium.
Here we see the necessity of Satan being loosed for short time. In verse 3, the Bible says “he must be loosed”. There is a divine reason for this to take place.
Through Satan’s liberation, it will be proven first of all that in spite of his 1000 years of captivity, he has not changed. He has not changed in spite of the fact that he has been through a time of torment.2
2. Notice that he is not released by some secret or sudden effort to free him. He is set free when God’s time has come.
Verse 8: “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”
1. We see that no human leader, neither the Antichrist not the False Prophet is mentioned.
The only one mentioned is Satan himself. He is the originator and the culmination of religious apostasy in his world. He has had a thousand years to think things over, and yet when he is released for a short time, he rebels again and organizes a new conspiracy against Christ. He must act directly and without the assistance of his puppets.
2. Gog and Magog of verse 8 are not the same God and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. In the book of Ezekiel, Gog is identified as well as Magog. One is the leader of the nation, the other is the nation itself. This nation is identified as Russia. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, we find that all but one-sixth part of the armies are destroyed, but at this battle, all will be destroyed. Thereforw, we are to understand that it is not the same event.
3. In spite of the righteous rule of Christ, there will still be rebellion on earth. This enables Satan to rally forces together to attack Christ. Some think that these are not literal nations with rulers because Jesus Christ is the supreme ruler of the kingdom. They also hold that these are not literal people, but instead are demon spirits that march against Jerusalem. I believe that since people will still be born during the 1000 years, from parents who have gone through the Tribulation, they will still have their sinful nature. It is said that Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron. If He must rule with such a strong hand, then there must be a rebellious attitude on earth.
Verse 9: “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”
1. It is quite evident that the invading army does not get in position to attack before they are completely destroyed. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire that fell from heaven, so will this last rebellious people meet a like fate.
Verse 10: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
1. Satan is finally cast into the lake of fire where the Antichrist and the False Prophet have already been cast. The fact that these two are still in the lake of fire refutes the theory of annihilation.
2. Notice that Satan was not destroyed with the invading army when fire fell from heaven. This is more proof that these were not demon spirits, but real flesh and bone people who had rebelled against Christ. The fact that Satan was not destroyed as well proves that he is a creature that cannot die. This is the same with all heavenly beings. Though he cannot die physically, he can and does experience torment for ever and ever.
Verse 11: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”
1. God sits on the white throne to judge the dead. So terrible and holy and righteous is this scene that heaven and earth turned their head to avoid looking upon it.
Verse 12: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
1. John saw all the dead, that is, all unsaved souls who did not take part in the first resurrection, both small and great stand before God to be judged.
2. “And the books were opened.” These books are the records of each person’s activities while on earth.
3. “Another book was opened.” This is self-explanatory in that John says it is the book of life.
4. It is interesting to note that the lost humanity will be judged for their works. This was the same problem that Cain had. He wanted to sacrifice according to his own works, but God could not acept this offering. Man still wants to be judged by his works. That is why he wants to do civic duties to be a good citizen, upright homemaker, be a good neighbor. The truth is, such a person is trusting in their own efforts for salvation rather than putting their trust in Jesus.
When all their works are read, the question will still be asked “But where is the blood?” Their world will not stand the test. Just as Adam and Eve’s fig leaf covering was insufficient, so will man’s good work not cover his sin.
Verses 13-15: “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
1. We have already been told that the part of the dead over whom this second death will have no power will be raised before the 1000 years. This leaves none but the unsaved dead to be in the final resurrection and judgment.
2. Here is where the last enemy (death) will be destroyed.
CHAPTER 21
As this chapter opens, we begin to see eternity revealed. There is a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem, a new era, and the eternal dwelling place of the bride of Christ where we will be new creations in Christ Jesus. Heaven will be a definite place. The saints will have an address there (John 14).
Verse 1: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
1. John reminds us that he is a spectator to all of these scenes.
2. Scriptures clearly tell us that the old heaven and earth will pass away in order to make room for the new. Some think that this earth will be consumed by fire, yet others believe that this earth will be renovated, purged of the marks of sin and will continue to be the habitation of the Jews as well as those who go through the Tribulation without receiving the mark of the Beast. Look first at Genesis 1:1-2 and it becomes quite clear that the earth was put through judgment between verses one and two. Verse two through verse thirty-one talks of a restoration. It was also promised to Abraham that his seed would be an everlasting seed and the land, an everlasting inheritance. In order to accomplish this earth must remain, and not be totally destroyed.
3. You will notice that there will be no more sea. This will greatly affect the climate, the atmosphere, and living conditions. It is impossible for our minds to grasp the great transformation that will take place.
Verse 2: “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
1. The New Jerusalem is where the children of God are going to live. McGee says that it is a planet within itself.1
2. Its origin is heaven, coming down from God.
3. It has the appearance of a bride ready for her bridegroom. The Bible teaches that the Bride of Christ will be presented without spot or wrinkle.
Verse 3: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
1. God will dwell with His People. We read in John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”. The word “dwelt” means “to pitch his tent”.
Verse 4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
1. “God shall wipe away all tears.” Think about that, no more tears will be shed because of broken hearts.
2. “No more death.” Funeral homes will go out of business. Those working in such establishments will need to seek new employment.
3. “Neither sorrow.” Things that cause us to be depressed, that cause us sleepless nights, will all be done away with.
4. “Nor crying.” The tears will be wiped away when God removes from our memory those things that make us sad and make us cry.
5. “Neither shall there be any more pain.” Hospitals will shut down. Long waiting room visits to see our doctor will be over.
Verse 5: “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
1. He is going to make all things new! We see a glorious prospect of all things made new. We can start over again, and there will be no end to our growth and development.
Verse 6: “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
1. This identifies the speaker as being Jesus Christ. Believers in their new bodies will thirst after God and the things of God, and they will be satisfied.
Verse 7: “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
1. All believers are overcomers (I John 5:4).
2. They “inherit all things” because this was promised to the sons of God.
3. “The son to Me” is in the Greek “moi ho huios”. This is a very unusual expression. Vincent calls attention to the fact that this is the only place in John’s writing where a believer is said to be a son (huios) is relationship with God. (In other passages, another Greek word is used rather that huios.) God is the one who says “my son”, and He says it here. Believers in the church are one of the people of God, but they are more. They are the sons of God in a unique and glorious fashion (I John 3:2).2
Verse 8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
1. This verse reveals that fact that the creation of new things did not affect the lake of fire and of the lost. They are there for all eternity.
Then there is no possibility for sin, which has produced all those lost souls. Sin and its potential are forever shut out of the new creation.
Finally, we see the lake of fire is still eternal, for it is the second death. We see that there is no third resurrection, only an eternal separation from God.
Verse 9: “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.”
1. What follows from here to verse twenty-one is a description of the city.
Verse 10: “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,”
1. Many different ideas have been formed about this city. Ebionism, one of the first heresies, applied the whole passage to the earthly Jerusalem. The Gnostics spiritualize it totally to make it refer to heaven. Liberal theologians as well as the amillennialists have left the city in heaven. Thy do so in spite of the scriptural statement that it comes down “out of heaven”.
2. Notice two facts: (1) It comes down out of heaven, and (2) it is not stated that it comes to earth. Is this a new planet? The New Jerusalem will either become another satellite to earth or, the earth will become a satellite to it. It is possible that all activity will revolve around this city. This will be the headquarters of God.
Verse 11: “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;”
1. John is trying to describe in anthropomorphic terms what the New Jerusalem looks like.
2. “Like unto.” John is trying to describe the best that he can identify in earthly terms in order to let us know what he is seeing.
3. “Jasper stone.” Jasper gives off a greenish-white light.
Verses 12, 13: “And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.”
1. The gates will have twelve entrances, which will always be open for God’s people to have access to this city.
Verse 14: “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
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