To understand what is going on in this post, you must begin by reading the first 5 posts sequentially, in this series: (see part 1; 2; 3; 4; 5.)
Last time, we observed the unleashing of 6 of the ‘7 trumpets’ (cataclysmic events which cause torture, death, and partial destruction of the earth), and observed the ‘second interlude’ in the book of Revelation – where we meet Christ’s ‘two witnesses.’
John’s vision now shifts heavenward and chronologically towards future events at the end of the tribulations:
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven:
“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”
The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshipped him. And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.
The nations were filled with wrath, but now your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.”
Then in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm. Rv. 11:15 – 19. NLT
Thus, the 7th trumpet heralds the coming victory of God and His Son (including Christ’s second advent), over Satan and his followers. This includes the judgments against the unrepentant unbelievers and the bestowing of heavenly gifts to those who embrace Jesus.
The fact that the Temple was opened, is symbolic for open doors to God for the Jewish believers. The Ark symbolizes forgiveness / redemption that will be theirs.
Next, John’s vision shifts to what is referred to by some biblical scholars as the ‘7 signs’ – beginning earthward in place, and backwards in time, offering in its content, an overview of the latter half of the tribulation period.
- And a great sign [warning of an ominous and frightening future event] appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child (the Messiah) and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
Then another sign [of warning] was seen in heaven: behold, a great fiery dragon (Satan) with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven royal crowns (diadems). And his tail swept [across the sky] and dragged away a third of the stars of heaven and flung them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.
And she gave birth to a Son, a male Child, who is destined to rule (shepherd) all the nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared from God, so that she would be nourished there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years). Rv. 12:1 – 6. AMP
Some interpreters see the ‘woman’ as the Virgin Mary, others, as the country of Israel, with her crown of 12 stars representing the 12 tribes of Israel.
The 7 heads of Satan symbolize 7 world empires (see Rv. 17:10), the 10 horns signify a defiant human coalition in cahoots with the devil and his Antichrist. The royal crowns point to Satan’s political power. The stars flung to the earth signifies fallen angels who sided with the devil to rebel against God.
The woman fleeing into the wilderness depicts Israel being protected during the last half of the tribulations. Note that Satan did try to kill the Child Jesus, through King Herod, during the ‘massacre of the innocents’ (see Mt. 2:12 – 23.).
Lastly, we see that Jehovah gives His Son total reign over the entire world, who will rule it with a firm hand.
- And war broke out in heaven, Michael [the archangel] and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were not strong enough and did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Rv. 12:7 – 9. AMP
Michael was a high-ranking angel, and a warrior and advocate for Israel (see Dn. 10:13).
We see that the Satan is tossed from heaven, after he loses his war – he and his fallen angels with him.
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth — the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” Rv. 12:7 – 12. NLT
Heaven throws a party because the continual accuser of all saints, the devil, no longer has access to their home. The saints did suffer from Satan’s attacks, but in their zeal to prevail for Jesus, they would be victorious at His second coming.
However, now the devil has some nasty anger issues. He has failed to kill Christ or the remnant of Israel. He will now persecute Gentile believers with the assistance of his ‘beasts’. John’s vision shifts to the mid-tribulation period:
- And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male Child. But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time (three and one-half years), away from the presence of the serpent (Satan). And the serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth. So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went off to wage war on the rest of her children (seed), those who keep and obey the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus [holding firmly to it and bearing witness to Him].
And the dragon (Satan) stood on the sandy shore of the sea. Rv. 12:13 – 13:1 AMP
The ‘great eagle wings’ is allegorical for God’s deliverance. The flood for the satanically driven enemies of Israel, and the earth to indicate Jehovah’s deliverance again, and finally, the ‘rest of her children’ represent the Jews who embrace Jesus during the tribulations.
- And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.
The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?”
The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authorityfor forty-two months. It began to speak[e] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the bookof life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen. If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed.
This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints. Rv. 13:1 – 10. CSB
The devil calls forth the beast from the sea, and he empowers it with his own power and authority. You can see by its description that it is a mirror image of Satan. As for the ‘blasphemous names, read about the ‘little horn’ of the prophet Daniel’s vision about the Antichrist. (Dn. 7:7-8 & 20-25.)
The ‘fatal wound that was healed’ is a false death and resurrection that unbelievers will see as sign of the beast’s (Antichrist) divinity and worship both he and Satan. The Antichrist conquers the saints and rules over all people. Other than the saints, the whole world will hold up the Antichrist as their savior. Furthermore, those who worship the Antichrist will not find their names in book of life of the Lamb, i.e., they have no heavenly hope – ever.
- Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching. And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.
He required everyone—small and great, rich, and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666. Rv. 13:11 – 18. NLT
This ‘beast of the earth’ (False Prophet) was similar to the Antichrist but subordinate to it. Coming from the earth suggests that it is worldly, thus sinful. Satan empowered the False Prophet to be able to work miracles in the presence of the Antichrist.
He even forced the people to make a statue of the Antichrist, and then made it talk, and it commanded all the people to worship it or die. Then, the False Prophet shackled the people economically by forcing them to tattoo / brand themselves with the mark of the Antichrist, either with his name or his number (666), which was required for any kind of commerce. (Some old manuscripts say 616 or 686). Many saints are martyred at this point. (See also 2 Thess. 2:9 – 12.)
(No one really knows what 666 means, except that it is the ‘number of humanity.’ Some have suggested that because it is not comprised of sevens, which suggests ‘completeness’ in the Bible, that the mark signifies ‘incompleteness’.)
- Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together.
This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. They have kept themselves as pure as virgins following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. They have told no lies; they are without blame. Rv. 14:1 – 5. NLT
The ‘Lamb standing on Mount Zion’ is a depiction of His decisive victory in His second advent, when He joins the 144,000 Jewish believers who were given safe haven during the tribulations (see Rv. 7:3, 4), at the time when He begins His ‘millennial reign’ (see Rv. 20:4).
John heard the sound of Jehovah and of an angelic throng who sang before His throne, along with the 144,000. The fact that they are ‘pure virgins’ is interpreted by some as to be symbolic for having a ‘spiritual pureness’ in that they have walked with God.
- And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. “Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.”
Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”
Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” Rv. 14:6 – 11. NLT
John’s vision is still in mid-tribulations in time but shifts earthward in focus. This is the last sign associated with the ‘trumpets’, focusing on both present-time and eternal judgment of unrepentant unbelievers, that begins with an angel’s announcement proclaiming the way to get right with God.
This is all happening before God delivers His final judgments (the ‘bowels’) upon the earth and its inhabitants. If you adhere to the ‘rapture’ concept, you’ll see that God is still reaching out to the recalcitrant to urge them to come to gain His salvation. How? Well, the church has risen to heaven, the believing remnant of Israel has done the same, yet Jehovah still pleads with the doubters…
A second angel is proclaiming that Babylon (the satanic world governmental system in place during the tribulation) is destroyed.
A third angel declares the dire consequences of worshiping the Antichrist, his statue, or having received his mark. That is, you are dipped in God’s eternal wrath, with no hope of rescue.
With that, we have finished with the signs. Get ready for the coming of Christ, and of the ‘great sifting’…
Goodnight and God bless.