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The End of the World as We Know It 9

  Last time, we were working our way across the timeline of the book of Revelations, where we received a clearer picture of the devil’s players in the tribulations period, e.g., the Harlot (great prostitute) that is the institution of ‘false religion’, which is supporting the Antichrist, until he declares himself to be God. At that point he turns on false religion and destroys ‘Babylon the Great.’ (see The End of the World as We Know It 8).

            Before that juncture, it is the Antichrist that drives false religion forward, (at the behest of Satan). He is supported by 10 kings who help him in his quest to conquer Christ. Prior to that battle, Babylon will be destroyed, and those that followed her will mourn her passing.

            However, the martyred saints in heaven will be overjoyed at seeing Jehovah finally deliver His justice upon those who persecuted them.

            After Babylon falls, heaven throws a big party, as John relays in his continuing vision:

After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. His judgments are true and just. He has punished the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the murder of his servants.”

And again their voices rang out: “Praise the LORD! The smoke from that city ascends forever and ever!” Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen. Praise the LORD!” Rv. 19:1 – 4. NLT (see also Dt. 32:43).

And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest.” Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” Rv. 19:5, 6. NLT

            This last shout of praise is an outpouring from all people who have been redeemed by Christ. Indeed, the coming of the Son is imminent, and His name is confessed by all, as the Lord and Savior.

            They continue:

“Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us give Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come [at last] and His bride (the redeemed) has prepared herself.” She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean – for the linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].

Then the angel said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed ae those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me [further], “These are the true and exact words of God. Rv. 19:7 – 9. AMP

            And here, is what you’ve been waiting for:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who was riding it is called Faithful and True (trustworthy, loyal, incorruptible, steady), and in righteousness He judges and wages war [on the rebellious nations].

His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many royal crowns; and He has a name inscribed [on Him] which no one knows or understands except Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God.

And the armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, [dazzling] white and clean, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword (His word) with which He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He will tread the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty [in judgment of the rebellious world].

And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” Rv. 19:11 – 16. AMP

            There indeed is the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in all His majesty, power and righteousness – ready to judge the unrepentant sinners of this world. And He does so just with His word, there is no battle per se. By His command alone, all His enemies yield up their lives. This is Armageddon:

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast – miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.

Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding on the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. Rv. 19:17 – 21. NLT

            There are 3 ‘great judgments’ when Christ returns. Let’s insert them in their proper place on the Revelation timeline: the first, ‘judgment seat of Christ’ (see 1 Cor. 3:11 – 15.), occurs following the ‘rapture’ of the Church during the tribulation period – where the believers will have their works of righteousness judged and rewarded accordingly.  

            The second, ‘the judgment of nations’, follows the end of the tribulations, after the battle of Armageddon is decided. The third, the ‘Great White Throne judgment’ is for unbelievers only – for the judgment of their unrepentant sins, which befalls them at the end of Christ’s millennial reign, (to be discussed below).

            To recap Armageddon, Jesus vanquished all His foes (except for Satan) by speaking out the word of God. That is some righteous power! And He did it all for you…

The Millennium:

            The apostle John’s vision is now focused earthward, just after the tribulations, after Christ’s victory over the forces of the devil:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while. Rv. 20:1 – 3. NLT

            As you would expect, there are varying interpretations regarding the meaning of the Millennial reign. Amillennialists believe that it is symbolic for the spiritual reign of Christ through the church until His second advent, with the 1000 years being figurative for ‘completion’.

            The Premillennialists (as well as your author) believe that there is a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth following His return, as is clearly spelled out in the following Scripture:

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years. Rv. 20:4 – 6. NLT

            Those people sitting on the thrones were the saints who were resurrected during the ‘rapture’ of the church. Those who were ‘beheaded’ were those believers who were martyred during the tribulations – who also reign with Jesus.

            We see (Rv. 20:1 – 3.) that during the millennium, Satan is taken out of the picture, so that his influence is not present. We also see that ‘nations’ were still on the earth. Thus, it can be inferred that they would be made up of unbelievers who were not part of Satan’s armies and managed not to get killed in the second half of the tribulations.

       So, who were on the side of Christ in the Millennium? It would include the elders (Mt. 29:28; Lk. 22:30) and the saints [the raptured church and the martyrs who accepted Jesus during the tribulations (Dn. 7:22; 1 Cor. 6:2; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17), the 144,000 Jewish believers (Rv. 14:1 – 5.), the great multitude (Rv. 15:1 – 3.), and the ‘two witnesses’ (Rv. 11:12).

            The Millennial world is a changed place. It must be. It was rendered uninhabitable by God’s final judgments against the old earth. It is now the physical kingdom of Christ – a place where all the saints’ troubles will be removed and forgotten, having direct communication with the Father and the Son, and even cohabitating with animals that have been recreated in their original vegetarian states.

            There will also be unbelievers, still having children, still growing older and dying, and still sinning – even though Jesus Himself is in their midst and the devil was not.

The devil takes his last shot:

When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison.He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore.And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rv. 20:7 – 10. NLT

            That’s it for our enemy and accuser. He’s out of the picture forever…

         Now, we are brought to the final judgment of those who rejected Christ as their Savior:

And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Rv. 20:11-15. NLT

            Those who spurned Jesus are condemned to die again – this time to eternal torment. Not a place you want to be. Not a place where you have to be, if you embrace the Son of God.

            It begs the question: What is in store for the believers?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Rv. 21:1, 2. NLT

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. Rv. 21:3 – 7. NLT

            Time has come to an end. We look forward to eternal bliss through the salvation offered by Jehovah through His Son.

         John’s vision is coming to a close:

Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls containing the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come with me! I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal. The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Rv. 21:9 – 14. NLT

            All the children of God together forever, in the very presence of the Father and the Son:

The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. Rv. 21:21 – 25. NLT

         Heaven has arrived and the paradise of Eden is restored:

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Rv. 22:1 – 5. NLT

            Finally, Jesus leaves us with His eternal promise:

“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.” Rv. 22:7 NLT

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Rv. 22:12, 13. NLT

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people. Rv. 22:16 – 21. NLT

            Goodnight and God bless.

The End of the World as We Know It 7

Last time, we looked at the sounding of Jehovah’s 7th trumpet, which heralded the coming victory of He and His Son, against Satan and his followers. And we examined the ‘7 signs’ – an overview of the latter half of the tribulations. Those signs were centered around Israel being hidden away from the onslaught of Satan and his two beasts: the Antichrist and the False Prophet (see The End of the World as We Know It 6).

            We also witnessed a war in heaven, where the devil is thrown out of heaven, with him subsequently pursing the followers of Christ. Then we watched the unbelievers worship the Antichrist and his idol statute of himself, and witnessed miracles performed by the False Prophet, and the initiation of the ‘mark of the beast.’

            Our study ended with the appearance of 3 angels: the first proclaiming that we must glorify God, the second to let us know that the world governmental system of the tribulation period was collapsing, and the third warning everyone to turn away from receiving the mark of the beast, or face eternal condemnation.

            All of this leads us to embracing the urgency of persevering in our faith in Christ, no matter what befalls us:

This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. Rv. 14:12 NLT

            John’s visions in the mid-tribulations begins to end:

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” Rv. 14:13 NLT

            God is calling upon His children who accepted Him, through Christ, during the first half of the tribulations – to stand firm in their faith, because their redemption is guaranteed.

            He is also comforting those whose martyrdom is imminent, that they will be instantly translated into the arms of their Lord – delivered from the vast severity of Jehovah’s final judgments during the latter half of the tribulations.

            The vision of John shifts both heavenward and forward in time, towards the end of the tribulation period, where we become privy to the ‘Great Harvest’:

Again I looked, and this is what I saw: a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, (see Dn. 7:13, 14.) with a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle [of judgment] in His hand.

And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who was sitting on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap [at once], for the hour to reap [in judgment] has arrived, because the earth’s harvest is fully ripened.” So He who was sitting on the cloud cast His sickle over the earth and the earth was reaped (judged). Rv. 14:14 – 16. AMP

After that, another angel came from the Temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. Then another angel, who had power to destroy with fire, came from the altar. He shouted to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle now to gather the clusters of grapes from the vines of the earth, for they are ripe for judgment.”

So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and loaded the grapes into the great winepress of God’s wrath. The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress in a stream about 180 miles long and high as a horse’s bridle. Rv. 14:17 – 20. NLT

            First, we see Christ (the Son of Man) coming in judgment. Some scholars, ascribe His coming to being a ‘mid-tribulation rapture’. However, this is a somber occasion. Jesus is coming to gather up those who are found wanting in God’s eyes (the rebellious). This is further confirmed by the advent of angels appearing to assist Him.

            This is followed by the onslaught of Jehovah’s wrath (‘great winepress’) delivered outside of Jerusalem, through His Son – bringing destruction to rebellious armies (see Rv. 19:15 – 19.)

            (This is a preview of the time that follows Armageddon – the last battle where Christ and His army will stand against the 2-million-man army from the ‘east’ + the army loyal to the Antichrist. There will be unprecedented destruction – creating a swath of blood from the vanquished that is 180 miles long and 4 feet in depth.)

            Now, we get to look at John’s vision (heavenward and in the latter half of the tribulations) of all those who withstood Satan’s machinations in the mid-tribulations, and who came to Christ – many of whom were martyred. This is the 3rd interlude in heaven, in the book of Revelation:

Then I saw in heaven another marvelous event of great significance. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God’s wrath to completion.

I saw before me what seemed to be a glass sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them. And they were singing the song of Moses (Ex. 15:1 – 18), the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” Rv. 15:1 – 4. NLT

            The last ‘7 plagues’ (bowl judgments), are the fullest expression of Jehovah’s wrath against the rebellious unbelievers. But before He thrusts them upon the earth, He saves (raptures up if you will) those believers in the tribulations who have clung to Him and His Son in the face of severe satanic opposition.

            (The ‘song of Moses’ celebrated God’s deliverance through Moses for the Hebrews, after they crossed the Red Sea.)

            John’s vision remains heavenward at the beginning of the latter half of the tribulations:

Then I looked and saw that the Temple in heaven, God’s Tabernacle, was thrown wide open. The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple.

Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God…The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues. Rv. 15:5 – 8. NLT

Then I heard a mighty voice from the Temple say to the seven angels, “Go your ways and pour out on the earth the seven bowels containing God’s wrath.” Rv. 16:1 NLT

            God is ready to strike the earth. This is setting the stage for the end of all that is familiar.  John’s vision straddles both heaven and earth:

Bowl 1: So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl on the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Rv. 16:2 NLT

Bowl 2: Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse. And everything in the sea died. Rv. 16:3 NLT

Bowl 3: Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they became blood. And I heard the angel who had authority over all water saying,

“You are just, O Holy One, who is and who always was, because you have sent these judgments. Since they shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, you have given them blood to drink. It is their just reward.” Rv. 16:4 – 6. NLT

Bowl 4: Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire. Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory. Rv. 16:8, 9. NLT

Bowl 5: Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. His subjects ground their teeth in anguish, and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Rv. 16:10, 11. NLT

Bowl 6: Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great Euphrates River, and it dried up so that the kings from the east could march their armies toward the west without hindrance.

And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty.

“Look, I will come as unexpectantly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

And the demonic spirits gathered all the rulers and their armies to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon. Rv. 12 – 16. NLT

Bowl 7: Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne [of God], saying, “It is done. [It is all over, it is all accomplished, it has come.]” And there were flashes of lightning and loud rumblings and peals of thunder; and there was a massive earthquake – nothing like it has ever occurred since mankind originated on the earth, so severe and far-reaching was that earthquake.

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And God kept in mind Babylon the great, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce and furious wrath.  Then every island fled away, and no mountains could be found.

And giant hailstones, as heavy as a talent (~ 100 lbs) fell from the sky on the people; and people reviled and spoke abusively of God for the plague of hail, because the plague was so very great. Rv. 16:17 – 21. AMP

            Wow! Jehovah is getting ready to bring total destruction upon the earth and the remnants of the rebellious. We have seen the complete annihilation of all aquatic life, no more potable water, tumors on those who took the mark of the beast, increased solar heat that burns everyone, God’s dominion is established over the throne of the Antichrist, the purposeful enabling of the gathering of the world’s armies for the battle of Armageddon, and unprecedented global geological devastation.

            God is cleaning house. What happens next? Tune in next week!

            Goodnight and God bless.

The End of the World as We Know It – 6

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.

  1. 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.

The End of the World as We Know It 5

Every time we approach our study of the book of Revelation, I am going to emphasize that to understand the book, it must be approached in the chronological order of events, i.e., in proper sequence. So far, we’ve seen Christ set the goals that we must pursue to reflect the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – and how to increase our efficacy in evangelism.

            Then we were able to see the Jehovah’s throne room, the inhabitants within – including the Holy Spirit, elders, angels, Jesus in His glory, and we watched His opening of the ‘7 seals’, which is an overview of coming events within the ‘tribulation period’: (see Part 1; 2; 3; and 4).

            What happens next, is the sounding of the ‘7 trumpets’, which herald the coming of the wrath of God, in the form of partial disasters, (as Jehovah is still trying to draw as many people as possible to come to repentance for salvation), each more cataclysmic than the one before.

            It begins, where we left off last time, (see Rv. 8:2, 3.), where incense was mixed with the prayers of the saints and offered before God:

Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake. Rv. 8:5 NLT

            This first trumpet was filled with God’s judgment, to avenge martyred saints during the tribulations. The result was destruction of 1/3 of the earth’s trees, grasses, and vegetation by a deluge of heavenly hail, fire, and blood – exacerbating the famine brought by the apocalyptic horseman on the black horse.

(Note that these events somewhat parallel the plagues God put upon the Egyptians, that precipitated the freeing of the Hebrews from their taskmasters (see Ex. 9:17-26.)

            The second trumpet sounds:

Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and a great mountain of fire was thrown into the sea. One-third of the water in the sea became blood, one-third of all things living in the sea died, and one-third of all the ships on the sea were destroyed. Rv. 8:8, 9. NLT

            More famine, and mercantile deaths – disastrous for the food-chain supply. (This trumpet has been thought to symbolize extreme volcanic activity.

            And the third:

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters because they had been made bitter. Rv. 8:10, 11. CSB (see also Ex. 7:20 – 25).

            (The Greek apsinthos is translated as ‘absinthe’. It produces a bitter oil that is poisonous to the nervous system. Also called ‘wormwood’ because the oil was used to kill intestinal worms.)

            This disaster is thought to be caused by a meteor strike.

            Then the fourth trumpet sounds:

Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark, and also one-third of the night. Rv. 8:12 NLT (see also Ex. 10:21 – 29.)

            The fifth trumpet sounds of things demonic. The apostle John shares his vision:

Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, “Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.” (The 5th trumpet unleashes the ‘first terror’.)

Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen to the earth from the sky, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. When he opened it, smoke poured out as though from a huge furnace, and the sunlight and air turned dark from the smoke.

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

They were told not to kill them but to torture them for five months…In those days people will seek death but will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them!

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. They had what looked like crowns on their heads and their faces looked like human faces…and teeth like a lion. They wore armor, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle…Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon – the Destroyer. Rv. 8:13 – 9:9 & 11. NLT

            (These demons are proscribed from harming any plant life. So even though this fifth judgment is commencing, the first one must not be totally fulfilled yet.)

            [The ‘eagle’ is thought to an angel, as is the ‘star’ that falls to earth, this angel being wicked – allowed to release ‘locusts’ (demons) against humans who did not accept Christ. Ruled by Apollyon/ Abaddon, God is using the demons to torment the rebellious.

            The sixth trumpet brings death (the ‘second terror’):

Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.”

Then the four angels…were turned loose to kill one-third of the people on earth. I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops…The riders wore armor…The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths…their tails had heads like snakes, with the power to injure people. Rv. 9:13 – 17 & 19. NLT

But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols…And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts. Rv. 9:20, 21. NLT

            This army is from the ‘east’, (some scholars believe from Asia), making it separate from the ‘army of the north’ that attempted to invade Israel, but was decimated by God. This larger army is on the march to Israel for the battle of Armageddon, killing one-third of humankind on its way.

            ***The sixth trumpet is humankind’s last warning. There will be no salvation available to anyone once the seventh trumpet is sounded. Still, as you can see from the last Scripture above, there will remain hardened hearts who persist in their rebellion.***

The Second Interlude:

            In this section, God is adding more detail to what has taken place thus far. Just as with the ‘seventh seal’, there is an interlude in heaven just before the seventh trumpet sounds. John’s vision shifts earthward:

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feet were like pillars of fire. And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened.

He stood with his right foot on the sea and the left foot on the land. And he gave a great shout like the roar of a lion. And when he shouted, the seven thunders (God) answered. When the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Keep secret what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down.” Rv. 10:1 – 4. NLT

            (Some believe the angel to be Christ.) John had readied himself to write down what the angel was going to say, but the angel forbade him. Instead, John was to keep it to himself – some mystery he was privy to, that we do not know…

Then the angel I saw…raised his right hand toward heaven. He swore an oath in the name of the one who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and everything in them, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it.

He said, “There will be no more delay. When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, God’s mysterious plan will be fulfilled.” …Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again. “Go and take the open scroll from the hand of the angel…” Rv. 10:5 – 8. NLT

            Thus, the culmination of everything that God has been revealing throughout history, will begin to manifest at the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. “Yes, take it and eat it,” he said. “It will be sweet as honey in your mouth, but it will turn sour in your stomach!” Rv. 10:9 NLT

            The scroll represents the Gospel – sweet to those who embrace it, and bitter to those who refuse it.      

Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.” Rv. 10:11 NLT

            Some biblical scholars believe that the apostle John never left the island of Patmos, and that he is receiving instructions to finish recording his vision of Revelation. Others believe he died of old age in Ephesus – in which case, he would be receiving a directive to preach and teach anew.

            The angel then gives the apostle a new task:

Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months. Rv. 11:1, 2. NLT

            Forty-two months (3.5 years according to the 30-day months that comprise the Jewish calendar), represents the second half of the tribulation period. The measuring rod is generally interpreted to symbolize God’s protection.

            The Temple of God is seen by some to represent the body of Christ; and the ‘trampling of the holy city’ represents the persecutions set against that body during the tribulations.

            Others interpret this Scripture to refer to a literal ‘new temple’ that will be built in Jerusalem during the first half of the tribulations – after God delivers Israel from the ‘army of the north’, and after Israel accepts Christ as the Messiah.

            Continuing with John’s vision of the ‘second interlude’, (still focused earthward), we listen in on a new revelation from Jesus:

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”

These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies…They have the power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy.

And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish. Rv. 11:3 – 6. NLT

            The wearing of burlap by the two witnesses signifies a ‘last call’ to the unbelievers to repent. Others see the ‘witnesses’ as symbolizing the ‘witnessing church’ – either in present time, or in the last half of the tribulations.

            Other interpreters see them to be literal prophets of great power, [also citing that the Bible states that two witnesses are required to corroborate truth (see Dt. 19:15)], and have likened them to Elijah and Enoch, or Moses and John – but they can’t be identified with any certainty.

            Jesus continues:

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

            We see then that the two witnesses have been preaching is Jerusalem, a city that at that time resembled other cities infamous for their moral degradation. And they are killed by ‘Satan’s beast’. Look too, at the shameful denizens of that city:

Those from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those [non-believers] who live on the earth will gloat over them and rejoice; and they will send gifts [in celebration] to one another, because these two prophets tormented and troubled those who live on the earth. Rv. 11:9, 10. AMP

            So, people from all over the world throw a party because these meddlesome prophets had been putting a damper on their immoral and pagan frenzy. However, God is going to have the last word!

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

At the same time, there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly. Rv. 11:11 – 14. NLT

            The resurrection of the two witnesses marks the end of the tribulations. The time for repentance and salvation for unbelievers has gone down the commode.

            Those interpreters who see the two witnesses as a symbol of the church, see this resurrection as a symbol of a post-tribulation ‘rapture’ of the martyred church.

            This juncture marks the end of the second interlude. Next time, the seventh trumpet sounds!

            Goodnight and God bless.

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