REVELATION
OF JESUS CHRIST
John 21:22, Jesus saith unto him (Peter), if I will that he
tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. There seems to be here
an intimation of Christ’s purpose concerning John, in two things: One that he should
not die a violent death, like Peter; second that through him He wants to reveal
the things which are to take place from the time of His resurrection to the
time of His second coming.
Rev 1:1-2, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto
him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he
sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of
the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that
he saw.
Revelation in Greek means Apocalypses, that is, it is the
unveiling coming from Jesus Christ of the plan of God for the world and
especially his servants. The word Apocalypses is also used of the Second
Coming, which points to the removal of that which now obstructs our vision of
Christ, 1 Cor 1:7, 2 Thess 1:7, 1 Pet 1:7, 13, 4:13. It has a message that is
very important for the saints.
It is written to His servants, who are His faithful witnesses.
The Greek for servants means slaves; or bond-servant. Servant is a common expression
for Christians in Revelation, see Rev 1:6, 2:20, 6:11, 7:3 and 7:15, servant or
to serve is used 19 times in all. This book is written to God’s servants, i.e.
to his saints to show us what must soon take place so that we should not be
taken by surprise by world events and persecution in which the enemy appears to
triumph.
The phrase ‘shortly come to pass’ is repeated in Rev 22:6 and a
similar version in Rev 1:19, see also Rev 4:1 which indicates that what must
soon take place is viewed from heaven, with a heavenly perspective, and this
gives a major insight into what the book is about. So in Rev 22:10 John was told
not to seal up the words of the prophecy because the time is near, whereas
Daniel was told to seal up the words of the scroll until the time of the end,
Dan 12:4.
Revelation is the word of God as well as the testimony of Jesus
Christ; this is no product of man’s mind. The words ‘He made it known’ means
‘He signified it’ (semaino) in the Greek, thus it comes to John in the form of
signs (e.g. Rev 12:1, 3, 15:1). We should not therefore place the book on one
side because it is difficult to understand.
This is God’s last letter to the true followers and it will be
helpful to the persecuted true believers throughout all the generations to
come. John is making the point that we should take to heart the message of this
book now and not wait for the future. In the same way we are to prepare for the
Lord’s second coming now because He could come any day (Mat 24:44).
THE VISION OF HEAVEN:
Rev 4:1-3, After this I looked, and there before me was a door
standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a
trumpet said, come up here, and I will show you what must take place after
this. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven
with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of
jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.
This section opens in a similar way to Ezekiel’s visions, ‘... the heavens were opened and I saw
visions of God’ Ezek 1:1, he too was in exile.
Likewise in 19:11 John saw heaven opened. ‘After this’ refers to the vision of
the risen Christ and the letters to the seven churches. The voice he had first
heard speaking like a trumpet, Rev 1:10, was that of Christ or an angel, but
clearly he is invited by Christ to come up to heaven to see, from heavens
perspective, what must soon take place.
There is no description
of the one who sat on the throne. Paul reminds us that God ‘lives in unapproachable light, whom no one
has seen or can see’ (1 Tim 6:16) therefore the description in terms of precious jewels and
rainbows is an apt one. The appearance of Jasper which is the glory of God, as
in the new Jerusalem which ‘shone with the glory of God, .... like Jasper’ (Rev
21:11).
The rainbow is a reminder of God’s covenant with Noah and man
(Gen 9:11), this shows his mercy. In Ezek 1:28 the rainbow shows the glory of
the Lord. The throne with its brilliance was surrounded by a rainbow which, instead
of containing the colours of the prism, was emerald green.
Human history is now viewed from the point of view of Him who is
the beginning and end of history. It shows history as it affects the believers,
who are the people of God, and the world. We find God on his throne at the very
centre of heaven surrounded by the living creatures and elders giving him his
rightful worship as creator, it is fitting that our view of the future should
start with a view of God in control. The purpose of this vision is to show that
God is in control of human history.
Revelation answers the question most often asked during periods
of persecution, ‘where is God in all this?’, when His enemies appear to be
triumphing over the believers. Thus at the start of these heavenly visions we
see God firmly in control of the universe.
THE SCROLL AND THE LAMB:
Rev 5:1-5, Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the
throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I
saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, who is worthy to break the
seals and open the scroll? But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one
was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the
elders said to me, Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root
of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.
The scroll reveals the will of God for the world; in the Roman
world a will was witnessed by seven persons and each person attached his seal
to the document. The seals show the secrecy of the document. The scroll with
seven seals had writing on both sides. It contains a great deal of writing. The
scroll reveals the complete redemptive plan of God through human history from
the cross to the end of time into eternity. The seals must be removed in order for the
contents to be revealed and fulfilled.
Who is worthy to break the seal and reveal man’s destiny in
God’s plan, not just any man can do this. No one was found in the entire
creation (in heaven or on earth or under the earth, compare with Phil 2:10) who
was worthy to open the scroll, later all creation from ‘every creature in
heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea’ praises the one who can
open the scroll (Rev 5:13). It cannot be read until the seals are broken, see
Isa 29:11.
Rev 5:6, Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain,
standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures
and the elders. - He looks expecting to
see a lion and instead ‘I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain’, this is
the first mention of the Lamb, the Lamb occurs 30 times in the book. This is a
clear reference to Jesus, both John and Peter refer to Jesus being the Lamb of
God (John 1:29, 36, 1 Pet 1:19), ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world! (John 1:29). Paul calls Jesus our Passover lamb who has been
sacrificed (1 Cor 5:7). The Lamb looked as if it had been slain, this is a
reference to the crucifixion, but he is standing because he rose again.
This is an introduction to the One who is worthy. God does not
open the seals, mans destiny must be achieved by man, but who is worthy of this
honour? There is one man in human history that is worthy. He who overcame the
forces of evil, who pleased God in every aspect of his life, even unto death on
a cross, is our true representative.
In the previous verse the elders are saying that the lion of the
tribe of Judah has triumphed and yet we see a lamb bearing the marks of
slaughter. This illustrates one of the lessons that God wants to teach his
people through this book, that victory is achieved through sacrifice and death.
Rev 5:9-10, And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take
the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood
you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be kings and priests to serve our God, and they will
reign on the earth.
SEVEN SEALS SEVEN TRUMPETS AND THE SEVEN BOWLS:
After taking the scroll from God and being worshipped by all
creation the Lamb now opens the seven seals to reveal its contents. The seals
as with the trumpets are in a group of four, two and one. The opening of the
first four seals is introduced by each of the four living creatures in turn.
Each one of the four living creatures reveals a horseman, the first three are
summed up by the fourth horsemen, ‘They were given power over a fourth of the
earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the
earth’.
These are popularly known as the four horsemen of the
Apocalypse. The power of these horsemen is limited to a quarter; with the
trumpets later it is limited to a third. The fifth seal reveals those who had
been slain for the word of God and for their testimony that is the persecuted
true followers. The sixth seal reveals the day of the Lord, which brings the
Lamb’s wrath to those on the earth. The opening of the seventh seal reveals
silence. The seven seals sum up human history from the viewpoint of heaven and
the true believers.
There is war, famine and pestilence in general and on the true
believers in particular there is persecution, then the end will come, bringing
terror to the world, this probably accounts for the silence of the seventh
seal. What is described by the seals is similar to the signs of the end of the
age as described by Jesus in Matthew 24. There will be wars, famines and
earthquakes (Mat 24:6-8), persecution (24:9-14), the heavenly bodies are shaken
(Mat 24:29) and ‘at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the
sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn’ (Mat 24:30).
The seven seals describe tribulation that is largely man made
(wars, famine and persecution) but under the control of God. The seven trumpets
are God’s response to the prayers of his people and are modeled on the plagues
on the Egyptians. The purpose of these judgements is to bring mankind to
repentance. The seven bowls are the final outpouring of God’s wrath on impenitent
mankind. The fact that the seven seals are opened by Christ indicates his
sovereignty over the future. When these disasters afflict the world it is a
sign to the saints that they will soon be free of their persecutors.
THIRD WORLD WAR (LITERAL ARMAGEDDON):
Ezekiel 38 through 39 tells us of a future invasion of Israel by
a vast coalition of nations that surround it.
As we read the headlines in the newspapers of today, and witness the
conflict in the Middle East, it's not hard to imagine that this invasion
prophesied over 2600 years ago, could be fulfilled in our lifetime. Ezekiel 36-37 predicts a gathering of the
Jews to the nation of Israel, which will be followed by this massive invasion.
Eze 38:2-6, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of
Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And
say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief
prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy
jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all
of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers
and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with
them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house
of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with
thee.
Rosh-Russia or Chief-Ancient Sarmatians known as Rashu, Rasapu,
Ros, and Rus or Translated as the adjective Chief; Magog-Central Asia-Ancient
Scythians - Islamic southern republics of the former Soviet Union with a
population of 60 million Muslims. This
territory could include modern Afghanistan; Meshech-Turkey-Ancient Muschki and
Musku in Cilicia and Cappadocia; Tubal-Turkey (also southern Russia and
Iran)-Ancient Tubalu in Cappadocia; Persia-Iran-Name changed from Persia to
Iran in 1935; Ethiopia (Cush)-Sudan-Ancient Cush, south of Egypt;
Put-Libya-Ancient Put, west of Egypt; Gomer-Turkey-Ancient Cimmerians - from
the seventh century to first century B.C. in central/western Anatolia;
Beth-togarmah-Turkey-Til-garimmu - between ancient Carchemish and Haran
(southern Turkey); Many peoples with you-Other Islamic nations-Possibly Iraq,
Syria, Jordan, and Egypt. Zec 14:2,3 For
I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be
taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city
shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those
nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Eze 38:9, Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be
like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with
thee. Eze 38:15, And thou
shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with
thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: Eze
38:16, And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover
the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my
land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog,
before their eyes.
Zec 12:2,3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto
all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah
and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone
for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces,
though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Joel 3:2, I
will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of
Jehoshaphat.
Zec 13:8,9 And it shall
come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be
cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the
third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear
them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Judges 8:22- Christ will fight against the Midianites
(Ismailites who are in Saudi Arabia), Habakkuk 3:3-4, God came from Teman (in
Arabia), the holy one from mount Paran, Habakkuk 3:5-6, Cush (Sudan and
Somalia), Midian (Saudi Arabia and Yemen, this is also known as Teman and
Dedan). Habakkuk 1:9-10 – are the locusts of the east are the kings of the east
wind. Num 24:17-19, Jesus will come out of Jacob and will crush the foreheads
of Moab, Sheth, Edom and Seir (all the people living in east and south-east of
Israel). Ezekiel 35:15, Seir and Edom are referred. Isaiah 25:10, Moab will
trampled down. Isa. 63:1-4, Who [is] this that cometh from Edom (Arabia), with
dyed garments from Bozrah? Isa 10:34, And he shall cut down the thickets of the
forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
After all these countries are destroyed during this world war,
irrespective of any religion, country or creed, all will come together to sign
a peace treaty and will also agree to have a New world Order (One world Government)
with One World Religion (New Age Religion) that will bring about the worship of
the antichrist which will be the final idolatrous act of mankind.
THE TWO WITNESSES (FROM THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF GOD) AND THE BEAST
FROM THE ABYSS (ILLUMINATI):
Rev 11:3-6, And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they
will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive
trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If
anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their
enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have
power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are
prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike
the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
There are two witnesses because two witnesses are required to
establish the truth of testimony (Deu 17:6, John 8:17, 2 Cor 13:1). From the
first coming of Jesus Christ to the third world war the two witnesses are the
Word of God and the true Church. These two witnesses proclaim the Gospel during
this period of tribulation.
After world war III two literal witnesses will appear in the
seen. Verse 4 alludes to Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest who represent
the kingly and priestly function of the true church (cf. 1:6) as well as
witnessing in the power of the Holy Spirit (Zec 4 ff.). Verse 6 alludes to
Elijah and Moses who represent the prophetic function of the true church (Deu
18:15, 34:10), verse 10 calls them as two prophets. It say’s ‘I will give to my
two witnesses and they will prophesy...’ The disciples were sent out by Jesus
in two’s, Mark 6:7.
They have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain
during the time they are prophesying; they have power to turn the waters into
blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
This power is the power of the prayers’ of God’s people. When they have
finished their testimony, the beast (the one world religion) that comes up from
the Abyss attacks them, persecutes them and stops them from witnessing for a
time, followed by their revival (Rev 11:7-9).
Persecution will follow the preaching of the word, but during
the preaching of it there is divine protection. See Jesus warning about
persecution when he sends out the twelve in Mat 10:22, ‘All men will hate you
because of me’. Jesus teaches us not to be surprised by persecution; this is
the message of Revelation. Throughout history the beast who is the agent of
Devil has been coming and persecuting God’s people. In Daniel those who will
not worship a false god are either thrown into a furnace or thrown to the
lions, Dan 3:1 ff., 6:1 ff. However Revelation makes it clear that there is a
far worse furnace for those who worship the beast (Rev 14:9 ff., 20:15, 21:8).
THE WOMAN (THE TRUE FOLLOWERS OF GOD) AND THE DRAGON (THE DEVIL):
Rev 12:1-3, A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a
woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve
stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with
seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.
The ‘woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet
and a crown of twelve stars on her head’ is clearly the true witnesses of
Christ. They are clothed with the Sun (the Word of God), standing on the moon
(world religious system) and wearing the crown (symbol of victory) with twelve
stars (twelve attributes of Christ). This woman is travailing to establish
God’s Kingdom on earth. Compare the heavenly glory of this woman, who
represents the elect (the Bride Eph 5:22), with the earthly glitter of the
whore who represents the world (Rev 17:4).
The dragon is clearly identified three times in verse 9; as
‘that ancient serpent, called the devil, or Satan’. The seven heads and ten
horns represent his empire and seven crowns signify his authority, the crowns
are royal crowns (diadema) as opposed to the victory crowns (stephanos) that
the woman wears. He is exactly the same force behind the two beasts (Satan
incarnate) of Rev 13 and 17.
This dragon represents the Devil’s kingdom which is opposed to
God’s Kingdom, with his seven heads probably indicating the embodiment of the
major empires of the world (namely Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian,
Greek, Roman and British) and the ten horns may be his ten major religions of
the world.
Rev 12:4, His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and
flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about
to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. ‘His tail swept a third of the stars out of
the sky’, probably indicates his ability to make some of the angels (the fallen
angels, that is, the demons) to follow him. When Satan was thrown out of heaven
he took his demons with him (Rev 12:7, Dan 8:10). This Devil’s kingdom comes in
the way of God’s Kingdom being established on earth.
Rev 12:5, She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule
all the nations with an iron sceptre. And her child was snatched up to God and
to his throne. That is, this dragon could effectively prevent God’s Kingdom
being established for the time being.
Rev 12:6, The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for
her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. The woman, that is the elect, fled to the
desert, which here represents a place of safety and nourishment, consider the
flight of the Israelites from Egypt (Deu 32:10), where she was nourished by God
for forty years on the manna (the bread of angels Psa 78:25), the supernatural
water from the rock and their clothes did not wear out (Neh 9:20-21).
THE BEAST OUT OF THE SEA (ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT AND THE ONE WORLD
RELIGION - THE UNITED NATIONS AFTER WORLD WAR III):
Rev 13:1-4, And I stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a
beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns
on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a
leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The
dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the
heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had
been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men
worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they
also worshipped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war
against him?”
Rev 13:5-8, The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and
blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his
mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and
those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and
to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language
and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names
have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from
the creation of the world.
In Rev 12:7, we saw that the dragon was enraged at the woman and
went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s
commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Now we see how he wages war
against the saints through the beast that comes out of the sea. In Rev 11:7, we
saw this beast revealed in another form as the beast out of the Abyss who makes
war against the two witnesses and kills them when they have finished their
testimony. We now find out more about this beast.
This UN will headed by the Devil’s henchman who will be the
Antichrist(the next White Pope), he even resembles the devil with ten horns and
seven heads; the devil delegates his power to the beast, his throne and
authority. He is the incarnation of the Devil on earth through whom the devil
makes war on the saints and overcomes them; the weapons used are imprisonment
and death. All who pledge allegiance to the beast are giving their allegiance
to the devil. He is the consummation of the four beasts that Daniel saw and
therefore he represents an ungodly, bestial, world political and religious empire.
This beast represents the United Nations after the third world
war. The seven heads represents the seven permanent Security Council members
(at present five but likely to be increased to seven after WWIII) and the ten
horns represent the ten non permanent members. The ten crowns on his horns are
royal crowns which both the dragon (Rev 12:3) and Christ wear (Rev 19:12),
these ten horns are ten kings (Rev 17:12). The blasphemous names on its head
indicate its character, i.e. proud, arrogant, God hating, human doctrine
independent and defiant of God.
The fatal wound in one of its head that had been healed is a
parody of the ‘Lamb, looking as if it had been slain’ (Rev 5:6). This Beast which
had a fatal wound may be the destruction of the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC as
against the wish of Nebuchadnezzar or in 1798 when the then Pope Pius VI was
captured by Berthier and died in exile but got back the political power in 1929
and in the future kingdom the beast which gets the deathly wound may be Russia
during the next world war who is one of the permanent Security Council member,
but survives…. (Eze 39:1-7).
The message of this section is that the beast was given power to
conquer the saints who are the only people who will not follow the beast. This
calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. As 1 John 2:18 says, ‘as you have heard that
the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we
know it is the last hour.’ While the man of lawlessness has not been revealed
yet, the secret power of lawlessness is already at work in the world (2 Thess
2:3-6).
THE FALSE PROPHET (WHO WILL COME FROM THE ONE WORLD RELIGION):
Rev 13:11-14, Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth.
He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the
authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its
inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he
performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from
heaven to earth in full view of men. Because he was given power to do signs on
behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered
them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and
yet lived.
This beast is another incarnation of the Devil representing the head
being the Black Pope and its two horns being America and England. He represents
the religion which supports man-made philosophies. He has the approval of the
earlier beast and exercises all his authority on his behalf.
He looks like a lamb (Christ), but speaks like a dragon i.e. he
speaks Satanic lies and deceit, just as the dragon tried to destroy the true
followers of Christ with his river of lies in Rev 12:15. He comes like a wolf
in sheep’s clothing. He is a false prophet. Because he was given power to perform
counterfeit signs and wonders to deceive the world, he in-turn sets up an image
(despotism or totalitarianism or tyranny) of the first beast and makes all
people to worship that image.
A true prophet encourages people to worship God, but the false
prophet forces the people to worship the incarnations of the Devil, and make
the people to break the first and second commandments of God (Ex 20:3-5). Rev 13:15, He was given power to give breath
to the image, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the
image to be killed. Unlike Baal (1 King
18:29) this idol could speak, it is interesting that in John’s description of
idols in Rev 9:20 he says that they ‘cannot see or hear or walk’, but he does
not say they cannot speak (Isa 45:20, Hab 2:18).
Through his ability to perform signs and wonders he will make
the people worship the image of the beast. This image of the beast is nothing
but a notion or a wishful thinking of Antichrist, like Nebuchadnezzar of (Dan
3:1), who by making the people of the world to worship his golden image
(representing his kingdom), wanted to make the people of the world to
acknowledge that his kingdom will last for ever as against the foretelling of
God to the contrary in Daniel 2.
The words are caused by demons Rev 16:14, they are a miraculous
sign (Rev 13:13). Just as God speaks his word, the Devil speaks lies (Rev
12:15), the beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies (Rev
13:5-6), the beast out of the earth spoke like the dragon (Rev 13:11), evil
spirits come out of the mouth of the dragon, beast and false prophet (Rev
16:13-14), so also words come out of the image of the beast.
This is the time of great tribulation. Those who refuse to
worship the image are in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 13:8), by refusing to
worship the image they betray their identity as worshippers of God (Rev 11:1)
and are killed, but later we see them in heaven as victorious over the beast
and his image (Rev 15:2).
THE WOMAN (QUEEN OF ENGLAND) ON THE BEAST AND HER RUIN:
Rev 17:1-2, One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came
and said to me, come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute,
who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and
the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.
Rev 17: 3-6, Then the angel carried me away in the spirit into a
desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with
blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in
purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.
She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth
of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: mystery Babylon the
great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. I saw
that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who
bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
This beast is the exact replica (image) of the earlier beast of
Rev 13 (which represents the religious and political power), and it represents
the reincarnation of the ancient Babylonian kingdom (Rev 17:8,11
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. And the beast that was, and is not, even he
is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition).
In ancient days Satan seemed to have made Babylon the capital
for his evil operations. From this headquarters was started humanity’s attempt
for self government in defiance of God’s will and propagation of many false
religious systems. Much of the world’s idolatry can be traced back to
historical Babylon (Gen. 11:1-9), including the mother-child cult of Semiramis
-Tammuz (Jer.44:16-19; Ezek. 8:9, 14), which entered other cultures as
Ashtaroth - Baal, Aphrodite-Eros, Venus-Cupid, and even Madonna-Child. Semiramis,
who was both Nimrod’s wife and mother, was worshiped as the “mother of all gods
and goddesses” and also as a “fertility goddess” because she had to be
extremely fertile to give birth to the entire pagan incarnate gods that
represented Nimrod. Nimrod in rebellion to God, conspired to
build a city with a tower that reached into the heavens in order to make a name
for him (Gen 11:4), a religion of works, and even today all the worlds’ major
cities are competing to build skyscrapers taller than each other.
This woman represents the world of lust all that appeals to the
flesh or the mind and entices and seduces everyone away from God. She
represents the world’s religious power, the world’s riches, the world’s trade
and the world’s commerce and culture. Like this ancient Babylon she is also
described as the prostitute (going after every abominable thing on earth). This
“fornication” here spoken of, is spiritual adultery or compromise with the
world. She sits on many waters which are peoples, multitudes, nations and
languages. She is riding on the beast (ILLUMINATI). She is the center of power,
excessive luxury and great wealth. She persecutes the saints. She rules over
the kings of the earth. She is associated with music, trade, farming, marriage,
merchants and persecution.
In her hand is a golden
cup, another symbol of luxury and wealth, from which one would expect a pure
and delightful drink. But instead it is ‘full of abominations, even the unclean
things of her fornications’. The gold cup looks attractive from the outside by
which it succeeds in seducing and enticing men away from God, the cup promises
pleasure, power and riches but drinking from her cup results in destruction.
This title was written on her forehead MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Her name
reveals her true character. Although Babylon offers the cup to the world, in
turn she becomes a golden cup in the hand of God to madden the nations. She
holds in her hand the cup of her own self-destruction as the consequences of
her sins are turned back upon her (Rev 18:21).
The Fall of Babylon: Rev 14:8, A second angel followed and said,
Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the
maddening wine of her adulteries. Rev 17:16, The beast and the ten horns you
saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked;
they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. In Lev 21:9 the punishment for
being a prostitute was to be burned in the fire.
Rev 18:1-3, After this I saw another angel coming down from
heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.
With a mighty voice he shouted: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has
become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every
unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine
of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the
merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.
She has become the mother of all abominations by making the
people to worship all the pagan gods of the world. God will tolerate most
anything except the worship of someone else or something else. And since she is
also dominating all nations in the world through banking, commerce and trade,
the first beast (UN) will hate her and burn her flesh with fire. This is the
typical character of the Devil.
Rev 18:16-17, Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen,
purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In
one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! Her end in fire, in which the smoke (the effect of radiation) from her goes up for ever and ever (Rev
19:3). These kings eat her flesh (loot her spoil). The destruction of Babylon also coincides
with the seventh plague (Rev 16:17).
SPIRITUAL ARMAGEDDON:
2Th 2:3-4, Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day
shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This happens after the third world war and when peace treaty is
in place, the third temple is built, where the Antichrist who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God will show up and receive the
worship of all people which will be the final idolatrous act of mankind that
brings about the wrath of God. Rev 6:17, For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall
be able to stand?
Rev 16:13-14, 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. Rev 16:16, And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Rev 19:19-21, Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth
and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse
and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who
had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had
deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image.
The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. The
rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider
on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Here we see the conflict
of two armies, one is of Satan one the other of God. This is the war prior to millennium rule. The three beasts
namely the one world government, the one world religion and the false prophet
will all gather together against the God’s army consisting of Jesus Christ and
His faithful witnesses.
We should note that the beast and false prophet are captured
together and the rest of them who join with the beast and false prophet to
fight against Christ and His followers, were killed with the sword that came
out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves
on their flesh. The sword is the word of God (see v13, 14) which pronounces judgement
(John 12:48). His word destroyed them (2 Thess 2:8, Isa 11:4).
The invitation given by the angel in Rev 19:17-18, to the birds
flying in mid-air is now realized. This is the final indignity for men, they
were not buried but the birds ate their flesh, just as the dogs ate Jezebel’s
flesh (2 King 9:33-37), this should be compared to the two witnesses who were
also refused burial. Their punishment is not described here but later in Rev
20:15.
Rev 15: 2-3, 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. And
they sing the song of Moses( Exo 15:1-19) the servant of God, and the song of
the Lamb (Rev 5:9-13), saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God
Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
THE THOUSAND YEARS:
Rev 20:1-3, And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having
the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the
dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a
thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him,
to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were
ended.
Now that the beast and the false prophet (the agents of the
Devil) are thrown in to the lake of fire (removed from the scene), the dragon
becomes ineffective for the time being. There is no one to seduce and deceive
the people, and the stage is now set for the establishment of God’s Kingdom on
earth. In common with the rest of the symbology of Revelation the
thousand years is not literally a thousand years but a complete period of time.
Now the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of
the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14), and all nations whom thou
hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy
name (Psa 86:9).
As Isaiah 2:2-3 says, it shall come to pass in the last days,
that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it. And many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Mic 4:2).
This speaks of the mount Zion, the mountain of the Lords house,
standing high above all the hills (false religions), from where God will teach
His ways.
Isa 11:6-10, The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear
shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and
the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. They shall not
hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of
Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles
seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
This is how God in this dispensation changes the nature of both animals
and ferocious character of men to a docile and harmless one. It shows the
glorious love and unity that will exists among the people of God.
Zec 14:8-9, And it shall be in that day, that living waters
shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of
them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord
shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his
name one.
Jer 50:4-5, In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the
children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going
and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way
to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, come, and let us join ourselves
to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
THE HARVEST OF THE EARTH:
Rev 20:3,8, After that, he must be set free for a short time.
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 as
the sand of the sea.
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will once again be able
to deceive the nations as soon as he is set free. He manages to mislead many
and gather them together to battle against God. This is his last and final
attempt to usurp the throne of God. This is the replica of the Armageddon, but
with a difference that this is not a physical war but a spiritual one.
The four quarters of the earth refers to the entire globe. Gog
is used as a title for an enemy of God’s people, not a particular person. Magog
seems to be the term used here to describe area where the sinful rebels of all
the nations come from, that gather together for the last war in human history.
The number of these rebels will be like the sand of the seashore which is a
figure of speech used in the bible to define a vast and uncountable multitude.
Satan’s deceptive way of getting those sinners to revolt against God will fit
into God’s plan when He destroys those rebels.
Rev 14:14-16, I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,
and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man” with a crown of gold on his
head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple
and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your
sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the
earth is ripe.” So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the
earth, and the earth was harvested. These are the saints of Christ.
Rev 14:17-20, Another angel came out of the temple in heaven,
and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire,
came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle,
“Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s
vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth,
gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.
They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of
the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600
stadia. These are the enemies
of Christ those who are destined to hell.
NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH:
Rev 21:1, 5, 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.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he
said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” - God is making everything new just as he
makes a new earth and new heavens. Everything is new, a new heaven and new
earth but it is different to the Eden situation because Satan is no longer
around to tempt mankind. The earth will be populated with people who have
chosen righteousness against evil. God’s people have been bought with the blood
of Jesus.
Isaiah 65:17 tells us that ‘the former things will not be
remembered, nor will they come to mind’; the old order of things has passed
away completely even from our memories. This new order of creation is so good
that it is worth dying for in this life, 1 Cor 15:19, because there is a better
life after death for the saints whose names are written in the book of life. We are intended to understand that this
world with its pain and suffering will not last for ever; there is something
better to look forward to.
Rev 21:6 - He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink
without cost from the spring of the water of life - ‘It is done’ the redemptive plan of God is completed, just as
Jesus said ‘it is finished’ when he had completed his redemptive work. He has
restored all things to their rightful place, all causes of evil have been
dispatched and righteousness reigns. Just as he completed his work of creation on the seventh day (Gen 2:2), now he has completed his work of
restoration.
Isa 44:6, I am the first, and I am the last. Second time this expression is used in Rev 1:8 (I am the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the ending) and in the third time
in Rev 22:13 (I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End). In the first statement there is only one
statement of this truth, the second time it is repeated twice in a different
way and the third time it is repeated three times in different ways.
THE RIVER OF LIFE:
While Jesus was on earth he promised to those who were thirsty,
and came to him, and believed in him, that streams of living water will flow
from within them (John 4:14, 7:37-39). Rev 22:1-2, Then the angel showed me the river of the water of
life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb, down
the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the
tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month.
And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3-5, No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God
and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will
see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more
night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the
Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
The water of life is free, this is God’s free grace, this is
repeated later in Rev 22:17, this is a welcome relief in a book so full of
judgement but it reminds us of God’s willingness that to anyone who wants a
place in the new earth that he is willing to freely give it (Rom 8:32). To him
who is thirsty, God will satisfy that thirst from the water of life; this is
also promised in Isa 55:1-3. The ‘Lamb at the centre of the throne will be
their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water’. Just as the
giver of the water of life lives for ever so will the receiver.
Rev 21:7, He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be
his God and he will be my son. He who overcomes is the title for God’s people;
see the seven fold inheritance of the overcomers in the seven letters to the
seven churches. Those who overcome just as Jesus overcame (Rev 3:21), will
inherit all this.
Rev 21:8, But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the
murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters
and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is
the second death.” Note the contrast of the
cowardly who are in the lake of fire with those who overcome from the previous
verse (see also those who overcome in Rev 2:11) who have the right to drink
from spring of the water of life (the river of life in Rev 22:1).
The cowardly are also those who did not repent when afflicted by
the first six trumpet plagues (Rev 9:20-21). They are the impure that will
never enter the New Jerusalem, only those are in the Lamb’s book of life can
enter (Rev 21:27). The second death is meant to contrast with the eternal life
of those who drink the water of life, only those in the Lambs book of life
avoid the second death (Rev 20:14-15). It is the opposite of the experience of
those who overcome.
The second death is a place of death, mourning, crying, pain,
and tears (Rev 21:4). God’s plan of redemption has made it possible for men to
avoid the second death through the representative death of Jesus Christ. Hell
was created for the devil and his angels, but in the end Revelation makes it
clear that men either worship God or the devil through his henchmen. Those who worship
the devil and follow his ways will inevitably join him.
John 8:32, And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free.
