Simple & True
Verse by Verse Study of
the Book of REVELATION
The End Times
Revelation is fairly an easy book to understand. Satan wants us to fear the book of Revelation so we will shy away from it. However, God gave us Revelation to reveal to us His plan about the end times. God wants us to know. Revelation is in God's Word to inform us and to prepare us. This verse by verse study will shed knowledge on the coming events of our Lord and Saviour, our earth, Satan's end and our end. It is God's will to enlighten you to His plans and draw you to our Saviour. It is always God's will to draw you to Him, even through the book of Revelation.
REVELATION means to 'reveal', NOT to conceal. God gave us the book of Revelation to show and teach us things to come. God wants us to know, to learn, to be prepared, and mostly to win souls to Him ... for the time is at hand.
CHAPTER 1
VERSE 1 : (Chapter 1)
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:"
The book of Revelation is not about us or about John. It is about Jesus. It is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ", as you can see in this verse - "God gave unto Him (Jesus Christ)". This verse goes on to show why Jesus was given this Revelation ... "to shew unto His (Jesus') servants things which MUST shortly come to pass". God wants us to know these things and that they MUST come to pass. It is not an IF they will come to pass but WHEN. And the when is answered by the word ... shortly. All these things written in the book of Revelation "MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS".
This verse goes on to say that the Lord "signified it by His angel". This is showing authenticity. God used His angel to verify, to prove, to John that this is very true. The angel was proof to John that all these things are true and from God. And this verse also signifies that John was the Lord's true servant.
Let's pause here to learn just a little bit about John. We see that God called John His servant. John told others about God's Word and these coming judgments. People do not like to hear about judgment. In the city of Ephesus, John's preaching caused such an uproar that the people there stoned him. But this did not kill John. So the leaders of Ephesus took John and publicly put him alive in a pot of boiling oil ! John was just as human as you and I. But God was not done with John. He had more work for John so God kept him alive. These leaders of Ephesus were so infuriated that they sent John to live on the barren isle of Patmos with no food, and with no human comforts. The isle of Patmos was actually a terrible prison camp. Prisoners were not given any necessities and the only food was brought in from time to time by soldiers. John's bed was in a cave of rocks. If you ever get to visit the isle of Patmos, they may show you the stoney cave where John had laid his head.
Let's now go on to verse 2 ...
VERSE 2 : (Chapter 1)
"Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw."
Notice that at the end of verse #1 there is a colon (:). That means it actually continues to verse #2. Here is where we continue from verse #1. We are still talking about John and the accurate account of Jesus Christ. In the gospel of John, chapter 10 and verse 41, it is recorded: "And many resorted unto him (John), and said, John did no miracle; but ALL things that John spake of this man (Jesus) were true." John bare record of the testimony that Jesus is the Messiah.
Let's take notice here of the words "testimony of Jesus Christ, and all that he (John) saw". John was an eyewitness. John was an apostle. He was an apostle because he physically saw and walked with Jesus from the baptism of Jesus until Jesus ascended into Heaven. The word apostle refers to one of the 12 original disciples of Christ. Just like there were 12 patriarchs in the Old Testament, there were 12 apostles in the New Testament. Jesus personally chose His 12 apostles out of all His disciples. Only 12 became apostles, the rest remained disciples. We do not have living apostles today. Acts 1:22 also shows this requirement to be an apostle: "Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He (Jesus) was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection." There is no one alive today who physically witnessed Jesus' baptism, nor His ascending into heaven, nor His resurrection. Churches that teach that there are living apostles today are spreading false doctrine. Galatians 1:9 says: "If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received (the Bible), let him be accursed." Study the Word of God and ask God to show you the truth and He will. Let's go on. What about America?
People say "God bless America" ....
Will He ???
Will God Bless America ???
That actually will be up to us:
"If my people, which are called by my name (Christians), shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
VERSE 3 : (Chapter 1)
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
Blessed means divinely favored, fortunate, happy. So IF you READ the Word of God, HEAR the Word of God and KEEP the Word of God, then you will be blessed. I must insert here that reading, hearing and keeping the Word of God does not save a person. Salvation is ONLY through accepting Jesus as your Saviour. When you read the Word of God, it shows that we are sinners. Hearing can be through preachers or others telling us about salvation, and keeping the Word of God is what we want to do after we have accepted Christ into our hearts. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus gave His life for us. Salvation is only through the blood that Christ shed on the cross for us. Not works. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; Not of works". Blessings are bestowed upon us as Jesus' children when we are obedient, not for salvation. This fact cannot be stressed enough.
It must also be noted that Revelation is written to Christians. (See verse # 1, "to shew unto His servants"). The last part of verse 3 informs us that "the time is at hand". What time is at hand? Simply the time of the events coming that are written in Revelation.
Warning !! The Time is at Hand !
Things are happening more & more
because we are in the End Times!
Sound the Alarm!
Make SURE you have truly accepted Christ as your Saviour !
Here Are Some Signs of the LAST DAYS:
Nation shall rise against Nation: Matthew 24:7
Earthquakes and Famine: Matthew 24:7
Men shall run to and fro (traffic): Daniel 12:4
Knowledge shall be increased (computers): Daniel 12:4
Wars and Rumors of Wars: Matthew 24:6
Evil men become worse: 2 Timothy 3:13
Days be like time of Noah: Matthew 24:37
False christs: Mark 13:21-23
Falling away from Faith: 1 Timothy 4:1
People don't want sound bible doctrine: 2 Timothy 4:3-4
People don't want to hear about 2nd coming: 2 Peter 3:3-14
False peace and safety: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
People wanting stuff...lust of goods, etc.: Jude 16-18
Heaping Treasures: James 5:3-6
False Preachers: Matthew 24:11
Perilous times: 2 Timothy 3:1
Disobedient to Parents: 2 Timothy 3:2
Love Pleasure more than Love for God: 2 Timothy 3:4-5
Jews Returning to Their Land: Jeremiah 32:36-42
Coming World Dictator: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
The Length of his Rule: Revelation 13:5
Great Tribulation: Matthew 24:21
Some will Worship him: Revelation 13:8
Doom to Those Who Worship him: Revelation 14:9-11
Gospel Preached to all Nations: Mark 13:10
Signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars: Luke 21:25-27
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."
Matthew 24:44
VERSE 4 : (Chapter 1)
"JOHN to the seven churches which are in Asia, Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;"
Verse 4 starts the Church Ages. Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are two implications of the churches. There were seven literal churches in Asia. Brick and mortar, you may say. A church that was actually located in a specific land area during a specific date/time. That's one side of the coin. The other side shows that there are seven spiritual churches. They are called 'church ages'. They occurred and are occurring during specific time frames. We will study these as we go on later.
The beginning of verse 4 starts out with John greeting the seven churches. He addresses the churches like we would start a letter we are writing. John first wishes them well. John sends greetings from God to the seven churches. (The number seven symbolizes completion. This is important to know. There are not eight or nine churches. Seven completes. When we come to the seventh church age, it will be the end of the church ages, completion.)
John says in verse 4 that God sends 'grace and peace'. God provides grace and peace for all who ask. Verse 4 describes God: "which is, and which was, and which is to come;" This also shows two aspects. One is that God was always here since the beginning of time, is here today, and will be tomorrow. The other aspect shows God's trinity (1 John 5:7). That's another whole study for another time.
Verse 4 also states very clearly that there are seven Spirits which are before God's throne.
VERSE 5 : (Chapter 1)
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,"
Verse 5 continues the greetings from verse 4. The greetings in verse 4 come from God the Father, and the seven Spirits which are before God's throne. In verse 5, this same greeting is also coming from our Lord, Jesus Christ to us.
Verse 5 goes on to describe Jesus. First, Jesus is described as the faithful witness. This is verified in Isaiah. Chapter 55 of Isaiah shows Jesus as the everlasting Salvation. And in verse 4 of Isaiah 55, it confirms verse 5 in Revelation 1. Isaiah 55:4 reads: "Behold, I have given Him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander of the people." Jesus is the faithful witness spoken of in Isaiah.
The second description of Jesus in Revelation 1:5 states that Jesus "is the first begotten of the dead". From Adam and Eve until Christ rose from the dead, saints could not go directly into Heaven. This is because Jesus' blood had to be sacrificed first before people could go into Heaven. To put it more simply, Old Testament believers were to offer a lamb sacrifice on the altar. This lamb showed that the person offering the lamb had faith in the coming Messiah. The lamb signified the coming Messsiah. They looked forward to the Lamb of God. It was not by works. The sacrifice was the symbol of faith in Christ, as the Lamb, through the blood. The sacrifices of the animals can never take away our sins. Hebrews 10:4 says: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." Today we look back to the Lamb sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God. He was sacrificed for our sins. We go into Heaven because we have faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb, on the cross. Old Testament people looked forward to the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Today, we look back on the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Jesus is the Lamb of God. John 1:36 says: "And looking upon Jesus as He walked, he (John) saith, Behold the Lamb of God! " (Also see Hebrews 9:12-15)
So this raises the question 'Where did saints go when they died before the cross?' Lets first explain why saints could not just go marching on into Heaven before Christ shed His blood on Calvary. God is also known as the Great Physician. Let's say a doctor is going to perform an operation. The room he is in must be sterile. The equipment is sterile and those assisting have scrubbed up. Suppose you just got off work from working at a sewer plant. You decide that it is ok for you just to walk right into this doctor's operating room. Do you think you would be permitted to do that? Of course not! You must be sterile. This is the same situation with God. God is Holy. He is Pure. In order to be in the presence of God, we must be sterile ... washed. How? By the blood that Jesus shed on the cross for our sins. Good works can never clean us up enough to let us into Heaven. It can only be by the blood of the Lamb. So here we can understand that we can only get into Heaven through Jesus because of His blood that He shed for us. Then where did all the people go who died before Jesus was crucified if they couldn't go to Heaven?
The Bible tells us the answer in Luke 16:19-26. This passage gives us a glimpse of where the Old Testament saints were before the cross:
These are Jesus' own words:
"There was a certain (real man) rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain (real man) beggar named Lazarus, (Real names are not used in parables; thus, this is not a parable, but an actual account by Jesus.) which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
You can see from this passage that Jesus informed us that people not saved had a place in hell, located in the center of the earth, and people who died before Christ shed His blood, went to a place across from hell known as 'paradise'. Yes, people from both sides could see each other. They could talk and they could reason, but they could not go from one place to another.
The paradise side was beautiful and comfortable. There was a documentary on the Discovery Channel that I saw that showed scientists had discovered beautiful, giant, ivory pillars in the center of the earth. They were broken down and toppled over. The scientists looked like ants next to one of these giant pillars. This discovery is another proof of the paradise part in the center of our earth. It is proof of Luke 16.
Paradise, or the lower parts of the earth (as the Bible describes), is the place people went that died before the cross. Abraham was there, as we just read in Luke. Ephesians 4:9 says "...He also decended first into the lower parts of the earth". Psalms 16:10 says: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
Another proof in scripture about Paradise is in Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." When Jesus was crucified on the cross, there were two men being crucified along with Jesus that day. Jesus said to the one man that he would be with Him in Paradise. This man went to the Paradise side. Why did only the one man that was crucified on the cross next to Jesus go to Paradise and the other man did not? Because the one man believed Jesus was the Messiah and asked Jesus to be his Saviour. The other man did not. He did not ask. If you want to go to heaven when you die, you MUST ask Christ to be your Saviour.
Then this brings us the question, do we still go to Paradise or do we go to Heaven when we die? We now go directly to Heaven if we have asked Christ to be our Saviour. We know this because of Matthew 27:53. After Jesus rose from the 'dead', He made the Way for the saints to come out of Paradise and join Him in Heaven. What I think is really amazing is that we also see in verse 53 that Old Testament saints, who were in Paradise, were allowed to appear to many people living at this time! If you have an Old Scoffield KJV Bible, read the notes of Matthew 27:53. Could you imagine seeing Noah or Moses and even one of your relatives walking beside you and talking to you?! That is how it is in Heaven now.
Jesus encourages us in John 14:3 where He says: "...that where I am, there ye may be also."
To simplify all that was just written:
1. People who died before Christ's blood was shed went to Paradise to wait for Jesus to die on the Cross. They showed their faith by offering a lamb sacrifice, pointing to the Lamb to come.
2. Jesus sacrificed Himself as a Lamb for sins.
3. Jesus descended into Paradise and gathered His pre-cross saints together.
4. We now go directly to Heaven because the Sacrifice of Jesus is complete.
Verse 5 concludes with: "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."
When we become a Christian, God makes us priests and kings unto Him. 1 Peter 2:9 says: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light:"
As a Christian, we should conduct ourselves like a priest or a king. Not being bossy, but being a reflection of Christ. We are to show forth praises of God, thanking Him for taking away our sins.
John 13:14-15 Jesus says: "If I then, your LORD and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." We are to serve God by serving others.
Verse 6 also points to the Diety of God. It says "God and His Father". Christ is God. Jesus states in John 10:30: "I and my Father are one." 1 John 5:7 says: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (Jesus, John 1:14), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." The Trinity.
The Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not hard to understand. God gave us a perfect example of the Trinity when He gave us the egg. An egg has a shell, it has the white part, and it has a yolk. It is all an egg. You can separate the shell from the white and the yolk. You can separate the yolk from the white but it is all still called an egg. This is a wonderful example of the Trinity.
Verse 6 states "to Him be glory and dominion". Glory is high reputation, honorable. Glory is splendor and excellency. God will always get all the glory. He is reputable, honorable, and excellent. Dominion is the high governing of angels and territory. The Overseer of all, Heaven and earth. God does, and always will, have glory and dominion over all. Satan may seem to be winning at times, but we know the Bible tells us God does and will always have the upper hand. We know at the end of Revelation Who is the Victor!
Verse 6 ends with "Amen". Amen means 'So Be It'. It is set in stone. It is, It was, and It will come to pass. God and His Word. People may say Jesus is not coming back, or they may say that He will not come in their lifetime, but He is coming. The end of this world is coming, and 'so be it'!
VERSE 7: (Chapter 1)
Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."
Verse 7 is not talking about the Rapture. The Rapture is when God takes Christians off this earth. The Rapture is the next main event to happen. The definition of Rapture according to Webster's dictionary is "The transporting of a person from one place to another, especially to heaven, by supernatural means." Christians will go up and meet Jesus in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 says: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Jesus does not come down to the earth at the Rapture. He will come down and stand on the earth at the 2nd Coming, not at the Rapture. We will study the 2nd Coming later in Revelation.
The Rapture is also indicated in Revelation 3:10: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
In 1 Corinthians 15:51 the Bible calls it a mystery. Verse 52 says: "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Luke 17:35 says: "Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
To be confident that Verse 7 is talking about the 2nd coming and not about the Rapture, which takes place first, we need to take the whole verse:
"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen." (Verse 7)
Jesus will come back 'with clouds:' Acts 1:9-11 reads: "And when He (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
'Every eye shall see Him'. Jesus will be seen by everyone at the same time. Everyone on earth, everyone in Heaven, and everyone in Hell will see Him. This proof is right here in Verse 7. 'They also which pierced Him.' Those who were alive when Jesus was crucified, 'pierced', will also see Jesus at His 2nd Coming. (On our site here - uneed2no.com - under the 'Tools' tab, there are many verses on a literal Hell.)
Verse 7 continues with "all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him". In other words, all the nations in the world will 'wail' when they see Jesus coming. Wail means "to make a long, loud cry, as in grief, sorrow or fear". The people 'wailing' are unsaved. They will be regretting the fact that they did not ask Christ to be their Saviour. They realize it is too late. This will happen in every country of the world. Verse 7 ends with "Amen", which means - 'So Be It'.
VERSE 8: (Chapter 1)
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come,
the Almighty.
God repeats Himself in Revelation 22:13. He says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." Alpha and Omega means the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Genesis 1:1, the first book of the Bible says: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Isaiah 45:18 also verifies this: For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens, God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else." God declares Himself to be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the ending (Revelation 22:13). He was there in Genesis and He is here in Revelation. Remember, this book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1 says: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ").
VERSE 9: (Chapter 1)
"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the Word of God,
and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."
Verse 9 is referring back to John. We learnt a little about John earlier, how he preached in Ephesus. We learnt how the town leaders and the people became so angry with John that they arrested him, and threw him into a boiling pot of hot oil. We also talked about how burned he may have been. The terrible pain he may had been in. Then we talked about how he was sent to the isle of Patmos, which is a rocky island with hardly any vegetation. He served as a slave there. We learnt that you can visit this island today and see the cave where John probably had to sleep and lived with very little food. I say all this again so you can get a better grasp on the words here in Verse 9.
John calls you his brother/sister and companion here in Verse 9. Everyone of us, who are saved, are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. John says "companion in tribulation". Right now, we are not in any real tribulation. Yes, we have trials, but most of us here in America have not been stoned, banished, or boiled in oil. God has really protected America. We have the freedom to tell others about Christ. Are we? Are we sharing the Gospel with others? If we don't witness now in a time of freedom, do you really think we will when times get rough? If we don't stand up for Christ now, with just handing out a simple gospel tract, then how are we going to stand up to persecution? Will we have the "patience of Jesus Christ" like this verse says?
John testified that he was on the isle of Patmos during the writing of Revelation. The isle of Patmos is located off the west coast of Turkey and Asia. Patmos is a rocky, treeless, volcanic island. It is only about 6 miles wide by about 30 miles long. John was on this isle for the "Word of God and the testimony of Christ" (verse 9). In other words, John states that he was sent to this 'prison' because he preached the Word of God. He told people about Jesus Christ dying for their sins and that Jesus was the only way to Heaven. People did not like to hear that, so John was banished to the isle of Patmos around AD 96.
VERSE 10: (Chapter 1)
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,"
John says here that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. Notice the word Spirit. This is not talking about John's spirit. This is referring to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon John to have him write the book of Revelation.
The Word of God, our KJV Bible, is Holy. It is pure. It is the written Word from God. 2 Peter 1:19 says: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed," 2 Peter 1:20-21 says: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
The Bible is God's Holy Word. Research these verses: Galatians 1:11-12; Psalm 100:5; Psalm 19:7; and 2 Timothy 3:16. Proverbs 30:5 says: "Every word of God is pure:" The KJV Bible is inspired, pure, true, and very accurate. And we must remember the Bible, God's Word, will be used in Heaven on the day of judgment. Whether we want to acknowledge God's Book or not, doesn't matter. We will still be judged according to what is written in it. Revelation 20:12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books," (We will be covering this verse more in depth later.) You can trust God's Word. He does not lie.
In the second half of Verse 10, John says he "heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet". The voice came from behind John. This must have made John really jump. It was not just a voice. It was a "great voice" . Put yourself in John's shoes. You are standing in a cave or near a cave on a rocky, lifeless island when all of a sudden you hear a 'great voice'. It may have called John's name. We don't know. I would have jumped out of my shoes!
Now, this was not a trumpet, but was as loud as a trumpet. It was a voice so loud and booming that John compared it to a trumpet. A trumpet sounds out proclamations. Trumpets are used throughout the Bible to get people's attention.
Numbers 10:1-2 The trumpet used to summon the congregation,
Isaiah 27:13 The trumpet being used to gather the people together.
Leviticus 23:24 The trumpet blown for a holy convocation.
1 Kings 1:39 & 2 Kings 9:13 Trumpets were blown to announce kings.
Jeremiah 6:1, Joel 2:1, Ezekiel 33:1-8; Hosea 8:1 To sound out warnings.
Trumpets make very, very loud sounds.
When a trumpet sounds, especially a loud one, all other noises seem to cease. Like for a proclamation of a king, everyone becomes silent. Three main uses of the trumpet would be to get people's attention. God wants us to listen. Second, would be to give warnings. Warnings to the seven literal churches, to the seven spiritual churches, and to us. Thirdly, to announce Jesus as King.
In Verse 11, the King speaks ...
VERSE 11: (Chapter 1)
"Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."
Jesus is proclaiming His Kingship. He is "Alpha and Omega, the first and the last;" Genesis 1:26 says: "And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness:" Jesus was in the beginning with God. He was there with His Father during the creation of our world.
The Gospel of John says in 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:14 - 15: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of Him".
When Jesus was born, the wise men came to find baby Jesus. The wise men asked: "Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him." Jesus is King from creation in Genesis, during His time on earth, and He is King in Revelation: "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:16). Jesus says in Revelation 22:13: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." From Genesis to Revelation, He is the First and the Last.
Continuing with Verse 11, the Lord goes on to give John instructions. He says: "What thou seest, write in a book," Yes, there were books back then. Mankind was created with super intelligence. Look at how pyramids were built with precise mathematics. What about astrologers who went seeking Jesus using accurate star reading? Read the law of Moses in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Tabernacle itself is totally amazing. Mankind was very intelligent - even without computers! Yes, there were books. People knew how to read and write way before John's time of 96 AD. The book that Jesus is instructing John to write is the last book of God's Word, Revelation.
Verse 11 continues with the Lord sounding with the authority, like a trumpet, commanding: "send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."
These seven churches named here were literal, brick and mortar churches: but also, with spiritual implications to church ages. As a comparison, it would be like the Old Testament saints offering a real, literal, lamb upon the altar. Even though the lamb was real, it had a spiritual meaning. The lamb showed the coming of the Lamb of God, Jesus. The sacrificial lamb was a real animal. These seven churches listed here were seven real places. The lamb sacrifice pointed to the Lamb of God and His sacrifice. These seven churches points to the seven church ages of our times. The number 7 represents completeness.
Then we come to verse 12 ...
VERSE 12: (Chapter 1)
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;"
As John turned to see where this trumpeting voice came from, he saw seven golden candlesticks. Gold is very precious. It is valuable. John saw seven precious and valuable candlesticks. Look at verse 20. Here God shows us what these candlesticks mean. Remember, Revelation means to 'reveal'. God did not give us His Word to hide things from us. God gave us His Bible to 'REVEAL' things to us, to show us, and to teach us. The Bible is not hard to understand. The Bible was written on a third grade education level. The Bible was used in schools for learning to read and for learning the alphabet. The Bible was used in public schools from the early 1700's thru 1900's.
The seven candlesticks here in verse 12 are explained at the end of verse 20 where it says: "the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches". God's churches are "precious" and "valuable" to God.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 1)
"And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
This verse shows that in the middle of the candlesticks, which are the seven churches (verse 20), is the "Son of man" . There are many, many verses in the Bible where Jesus is referred to as 'the Son of man'. Matthew 18:11 says: "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
The Lord Jesus Christ is in the middle of every one of these churches. He will continue to be in the center of every church age. He will be in the very center of our last church age, the Laodicea time.
Ephesus
Smyrna
Laodicea
Thyatira
Sardis
Philadelphia
This verse goes on to describe our Saviour, our Redeemer. It says He is: "clothed with a garment down to the foot". This shows that the LORD is totally pure from head to foot. He is righteous and clothed in humility. He is not dressed as a warrior. He is clothed like this because He is dealing with His church right now. Later on in Revelation, we will see His warrior outfit. But right now He is dealing with the church. The Lord Jesus is showing that He is the sacrificial Lamb.
Pergamos
This verse also tells us that our Saviour is wearing a "golden girdle". In ancient times, men wore 'girdles' to show strength. 'Girdles' are extra wide belts. The Lord's 'belt', also called a girdle, is of fine, pure gold. Gold is a symbol of God’s glory and beauty, and an image of the Messiah. Gold represents the promise of redemption and mercy. God's "golden girdle" shows us that our Messiah is all glorious and beautiful. He promises those who ask Him to be their Saviour, mercy and redemption.
VERSE 14: (Chapter 1)
"His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire;"
Verse 14 continues with the physical description of our Lord. His hair and His beard are "white like wool". They are white. His hair is not 'wool'. His hairs are white. This shows the Lord's holiness. "His eyes were as a flame of fire". His eyes are not a flame of fire. They are AS a flame of fire. Habakkuk 1:13 says this about God: "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,"
Let's go on to verse 15 as it also describes Christ's physical appearance.
VERSE 15: (Chapter 1)
"And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters."
The Lord's feet were like brass. They were not brass. His feet shined super bright like polished brass. Brass is a type of judgment. Remember, this is the Lord's appearance for the Judgment Seat of Christ, the place where Christians appear before Him.
This verse also describes our Saviour's voice "as the sound of many waters". Have you ever been near a large waterfall? The noise of the waterfall is so loud you really cannot talk over it. You can only stand there in amazement at the power of it.
Ezekiel 43:2 states: "And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and His voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory."
Let's continue onto verse 16 as it also describes our Lord.
VERSE 16: (Chapter 1)
"And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
Let's first look at "the right hand". This is very important. In Hebrews 10:12, it says: "But this man, (Jesus), after He had offered one sacrifice (Himself), for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" And Mark 16:19 documents: "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."
Webster's Dictionary defines someone on the right hand, or a righthand man as: an indispensable helper or chief assistant." These seven stars in Christ's right hand are His indispensable helpers and chief assistants. Verse 20 tells us who these assistants are. They are "the angels of the seven churches".
Next in verse 16 is that "out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword". Did a real metal sword come out of Jesus' mouth? Not a metal one, but a real one. Remember to compare scripture to scripture. Hebrews 4:12 tells us what this sword is: "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Ephesians 6:17 also verifies that the 'sword of God' is His Word, the Bible: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:"
The Lord Jesus used the Word of God (Bible passages), over and over when He walked on our earth. In Matthew 2:5, the Lord says: "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (God speaks through the Bible, His Word.) Jesus said over and over "It is written". (See Matthew 4:7; 26:24; 26:31; Mark 1:2; 7:6; 9:2; 9:13; 14:27; Luke 4:4; 4:8; 19:46; John 6:45; Acts 7:45; and there are many more verses.) A sword is a tool that cuts. When the Lord opens His mouth, it will cut us to our hearts. The Lord will be judging us according to His Word, the Bible, which He gave us. Our works, as Christians, will be judged according to the works we are to follow that God wrote down for us in His Word, our 1611 King James Bible. Do we read it? Do we study it? When we stand before the Lord, He will not permit the excuse "I didn't know the Bible said that." God gave us His Word, the Bible. You will be held accountable for not reading it, or not studying it, and or not doing it.
And don't ever change God's Word. He commands us not to never change His Word: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish out from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2. Also see Deuteronomy 5:22; 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19. If you instruct someone to do something, you expect them to do it according to your instructions. If they do not follow your instructions, they have not obeyed. If they change your instructions into what they want, then they actually are making your words a lie. For example: "Oh, we don't have to follow the instructions, we can do it this way." Yet, this is exactly what people do to God and His Word, His instructions, today!
God's Word
is
HOLY
Lastly with verse 16, it continues to describe our Lord that "His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." The Lord is radiant, shining. This verse describes Him as radiant as "the sun" shining in it's strength. Have you every tried to look at the sun on a very bright sunny day?! Almost impossible.
When we are close to the sun, people can tell. They can tell by our sunburns. And the more we are in the sun, the more people can tell we have been in the sun. This should apply to us as Christians. The closer we get to God, and the more time we spend with Him in His Word, the more people can tell we are spending time in God's Son shine.
God reveals to us things about Himself in these four verses that we just studied - verses 13-16. Remember, God wants to reveal Himself to us. He walked with man in the garden of Eden. He wants to reveal Himself to us through the book of Revelation. Revelation means to 'reveal' ... not to hide! To sum it up, these verses, 13-16, teaches us things that God wants us to know about Him.
-
The Lord is PURE and GLORIOUS (verse 13)
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He is HOLY and MERCIFUL (verse 14)
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He is a God of JUDGMENT and we will be speechless (verse 15)
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He will use His Word in judgment as He shines (verse 16)
VERSE 17: (Chapter 1)
"And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me,
saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last."
When John saw the Glory of the Lord, he fell at the Lord's feet as a dead man.
There is a beautiful song written by Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe, entitled "I Can Only Imagine". This song really touches our imaginations of when we shall see God. Will we be able to stand, or will we fall at the Lord's feet? Philippines 2:10-11 says: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, the the glory of God the Father."
Someday we will all stand before God. It is inevitable. But the decision lies with you whether you want to confess Jesus here on earth or later when you stand before God. I'd rather confess and ask Christ into my heart now on earth, than to stand before God in Heaven and be condemned to hell. We will study this in a later chapter in Revelation.
We also see here in verse 17 that "He laid His right hand upon me". This happened to John. The Lord laid His right hand upon John. Remember the significance of the right hand in verse 16? God was signifying that John was divinely chosen to write the Revelation of Jesus Christ. God tells John not to be afraid when He says: "fear not". God had also told these same words to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 44:8 "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses". So here in verse 17 we see that God has chosen John to write the book of Revelation. The Lord affirms to John that He, Christ, is "the first and the last", the "Alpha and the Omega", the beginning and the ending, from Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning of time until the end of time, He is LORD.
VERSE 18: (Chapter 1)
"I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Here in verse 18 we see Christ is affirming that He is alive. The Lord states that He was dead, but that He is "alive forevermore".
John had been with Christ while He was on this earth. He leaned upon Jesus. John saw Jesus being crucified and John saw Jesus after He arose from the grave. The Lord Jesus is reminding John what happened and why. The Lord is verifying to John that He has indeed risen and is alive. The Lord is reminding all of us of this in Luke 24:1-8 which reads:
"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments; And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words".
This is the gospel: Jesus was alive from the beginning, He died for our sins, and He arose victorious over death and He lives forevermore! He is the Saviour of the world, but only those who accept Him as their Saviour will be saved. Saved from the second death, saved from hell, and saved from the Lake of Fire. Yes, God does reveal all this to us. Why? Because He loves us so much that He died for our sins so we would not have to go to a real place of torments.
The last part of verse 18 says: "Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Amen means 'So Be It'. Kind of like a judge would say when he hits his gavel. It is said, it is sealed, it is so. The rest of this verse states that the Lord has "the keys of hell and of death".
What does this mean: "the keys of hell and death" ? A key is an instrument used to lock or to unlock a door. Jesus is saying here that He has the keys that lock and unlock hell and death. Let's look at Revelation 20:1-3 briefly: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." By these verses, we see that God has the power to lock and unlock Satan, hell, and death. As for death, we see that in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (The Ten Commandments show us that we are not able to keep the law. Look at Exodus 20:7, the third of the Ten Commandments says: "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Saying the name of Jesus or God in a derogatory or exclamatory way is a very bad sin that God says He will hold us guilty to. "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" we can be forgiven of our sins. Sin came upon all mankind when mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden (see Romans 5:12). Because of that sin, death has come upon all mankind. However, we are given the chance to have victory over spiritual death because the Lord Jesus died on the cross so we could have the choice of everlasting life in Heaven. The choice is ours. We each are responsible for our own decision. To choose Heaven you must ask Jesus to be your Saviour and forgive your sins. To choose Hell, you do nothing: you don't ask Christ to save you. We all have sin. It all comes down to whether we ask to be saved or we don't ask. The choice is ours.
VERSE 19 : (Chapter 1)
"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;"
In this verse, we find the command given to John to write everything Jesus tells him. John is to write about the past, the present, and the future. We saw in verse 2 that John "bare record of the word of God". John is first instructed to write about what he has just saw. The word 'saw' is a past tense verb. John wrote about the Lord loving us so much that "He washed us from our sins in His own blood" (verse 5) John saw this. He was with the Lord when He was crucified. This is the past. God commanded John to write of these things which he had seen, the past.
Then the Lord instructs John to write about "the things which are,". This is the present. The present is Revelation chapters 2 & 3. This is the documentation of the seven churches, also known as the seven church ages. We are covering them next.
Lastly in verse 19, the Lord tells John to write about "the things which shall be hereafter;" This is the future. This is where it really gets exciting. Jesus reveals the future to us in chapters 4 - 22. Remember, Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ and He is revealing to us our future. This is extremely important stuff!
VERSE 20 : (Chapter 1)
"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches."
Here we go. God is revealing to us His Word. John saw the 'mystery', and then God explains the mystery to us. All through the gospels, the Lord Jesus told parables. Some people during that time did not understand the parables which Jesus spoke. Jesus did not tell parables to keep people in the 'dark', He told them parables to teach them. If you would take the time to read the parables, you would see that they are quite simple. When Jesus was with fishermen, He used parables, or story examples, to teach the fishermen. When Jesus was with shepherds, He spoke parables about sheep, and so on. The Lord does not want to hide His Word from us, like Satan would want us to believe. God sent His Word to us to read and to learn. The Bible is God's love letter to all of us. We need to read it. Don't let people deceive you into thinking the Word of God is hard to understand. Remember, it was written on a third-grade level and used as a school early reading book.
The Lord explains verse 4 where John saw "the seven Spirits which are before his throne;" here in verse 20. The Lord is letting us know that these seven Sprits are the seven special Angels that God had set over His churches. God calls them His Stars. Then the Lord continues to explain that the golden candlesticks, which John saw, are the seven churches or church ages.
God reveals His Word to us! God says: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
End of Chapter 1, Proceed to CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
VERSE 1 : (Chapter 2)
"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith He that holdest the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;"
In verse 1 here, we see that the Lord is still instructing John to write. The Lord wants us to know about these things. "These things saith He", are the Lord's Words. We need to pay attention to God's Word. God is telling us here about things that are to happen. Our Bible is tomorrow's newspaper and God wants us to know about these things.
He assures John again that He is the One Who holds the seven stars in His right hand (see verse 20 of Chapter 1). He also informs us that He, Jesus (Chapter 1, verse 5), walks in the midst of the churches. The Lord walks among every church age. We are now in the Laodicean church age. The Lord is still here for us. He was here through all the church ages from Ephesus through Laodicea. The Lord says in Hebrews 13:5 that He "will never leave thee, or forsake thee."
First, we are going to go over the seven literal, brick and mortar churches. We are going to see that they were real churches on the earth and then we will learn how they represent each church age.
These seven literal churches were all located in the country of Asia Minor, known as Turkey today. Archaeologists have studied all seven ancient cities of these seven churches. Some of the studies have been very extensive, especially at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Sardis. There is very little left of Smyrna. Smyrna's remains are covered by the city of Izmir in Turkey.
This map, by Rose Publishing, easily shows the seven literal churches and their locations. (Rose Publishing has many beautifully illustrated educational books, including books on charts and maps. You can find them at www.hendricksonrose.com)
The church of Ephesus, which you can see by the map, was located near the Aegean Sea. The Aegean Sea is a 'bay' of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located between Europe and Asia and is still used today. In fact, in December of 1992 a Greek oil ship, on its way to Spain, had an accident which caused a lot of ecosystem damage, including damage to the fishing industry.
Ephesus was a great city of wealth. The governor of Rome even abode there. However, Ephesus had a problem. God gave the world His Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20. Verses 3-5 of the Ten Commandments say: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt NOT make unto thee any graven image (statue), or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt NOT bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God".
The church in Ephesus worshipped the statue of Diana, the Roman goddess of nature. This was a clear violation of the Ten Commandments. They forsook God.
Going on with the next church, was Smyrna. Smyrna was also located near the coast just north of Ephesus. Smyrna was a wonderful church. They endured suffering and poverty for being a church which embraced Christianity. Some were thrown into prison, others were tortured, and a lot were put to death. In fact, the Roman Empire had ordered a leader of the church, named Polycarp, to be burned at the stake. Yet, the church of Smyrna remained faithful to their Saviour, Jesus Christ, even when they faced prison, persecution, and death.
Next is the church of Pergamos. Pergamos, as you can see on the map, was the third church nearest the sea coast. Pergamos was a capital city of the Roman province in Asia. This was an area of learning and medicine. They had the most important library in the ancient world! This library of Pergamum contained over 200,000 volumes! This city worshipped many statues including Zeus, Athena, and Dionysus. They also worshiped statues of animals like a serpent and a bull. The church of Pergamos stayed loyal to Christ and refused to worship these images. However, the church of Pergamos tolerated the idol worship, heresies, and immorality. They did not take a stand against it.
The church of Thyatira was located just a little southeast of Pergamos. Thyatira was a wealthy town on the Lycus River in the Roman province of Asia (Turkey). Thyatira was a center for the purple cloth trade. The purple cloth was made for emperors and kings. (Some churches today drape purple cloths on a cross to signify Christ's kingship.) This city of Thyatira was booming with dyers (coloring) of different cloths, wool makers, leather workers, tanners, pottery makers, and so many other trades. However, this church followed in the steps of Pergamos in that they tolerated idol worship, cults, and immorality.
Then we come to the morbid church, Sardis. It was just about dead. There were very few Christians during this time that kept the faith in Christ. Sardis was founded around 1200 BC. It stood on a high plateau above the Hermus valley. A large temple was constructed and dedicated in Sardis for the goddess Artemis. Not soon after, coins were made commemorating the goddess Artemis. Two hundred years after the birth of Christ, Sardis lay in a heap of decay.
The church of Philadelphia was spiritually alive. Philadelphia was famous for its grape industry. It became a strong fortress and was called the "Gateway to the East". The Christians were very strong for the Lord. Even though most citizens of Philadelphia worshipped the sun and serpent gods, the Christians of Philadelphia stood strong against it.
Lastly we come to the church of Laodicea. Laodicea had no spiritual strengths even though it had accumulated great wealth. Laodicea was a fertile plain south of Philadelphia. Even though Laodicea was known for its banking and manufacturers, it became famous for its medical school and an ear salve made of spices and Phrygian powder. Laodicea was so wealthy that when a massive earthquake destroyed the city in AD 60, it refused aid from Rome and rebuilt at its own expense. Laodicea was neither hot nor cold for the Lord. They were indifferent. They had a 'we could care less' and 'we can do it on our own' attitude. They relied on their own ways and did not realize they were in a 'wretched' spiritual condition. And this is where we are today.
Now we are going to learn about the spiritual application of the seven church ages.
VERSE 2 : (Chapter 2)
Ephesus
Ephesus
"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not,
and hast found them liars:"
First we see here that the Lord is talking to the church of Ephesus. The Lord declares that He knows "thy works". God is not saying here that we are saved by our works. Remember, He is talking to the church. The church is already saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works". The works that God is talking about here in Revelation refers to how we live AFTER we become a Christian.
2 Corinthians 5:10 warns us: "For we (Christians) must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
Saved people will have to stand before God and be judged, but not for salvation. This judgment time is for Christians only. It is called 'The Judgment Seat of Christ'. (See this in the verse above.) What we Christians do on this earth will be judged. You can look at our life on this earth as a testing ground for us. It won't matter how much money we make or how nice we look. The only things that will matter will be what did we do for our Saviour? Christians stand before the 'Judgment Seat of Christ'. There is another judgment time, but it is for the unsaved. It is called the 'Great White Throne Judgment'. Christians will give account to God at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The unsaved will give their account at the Great White Throne Judgment. We will definitely cover that in later chapters here in Revelation.
The Lord goes on here to say that not only does He know our works but also "thy labour, and thy patience." Our Lord always watches us. He sees our labour, He see what we do for Him, and He sees what we go through. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says: "Therefore, my beloved brethren (talking to Christians), be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye now that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
Then the Lord goes on to praise the church of Ephesus. He is proud of the church for hating evil: "how thou canst not bear them which are evil:". Psalm 97:10 says: "Ye that love the LORD, hate evil:" The Lord also commends the church of Ephesus because they "hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:" This church had people saying they were real apostles. But this church did not believe them. So they judged according to the scriptures which says that a true apostle is someone who actually saw Jesus, and was with Him. That is the proof of a real apostle. The qualification of an apostle is found in Acts 1:22: "Beginning from the baptism of John, unto the same day that He was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection." An apostle is someone who was with Jesus from the time John the Baptist baptized Him until the Lord went back to Heaven. This is why there are no living apostles today. Here are some other verses showing that we do not have living apostles today: Acts 1:3 (Apostles were chosen by Jesus on earth); Acts 3:15 (witnesses to Jesus); 2 Peter 1:16 (eyewitnesses). We are warned about false apostles today in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
VERSE 3 : (Chapter 2) Ephesus
"And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
God continues to commend the church of Ephesus here in verse 3. He saw their patience and labour for Him. The Lord knew that times were very hard for this church age, yet they did not faint. The church did not give up. This church age had the difficult job of proving to people that salvation is by grace through Jesus Christ. The Lord had been crucified on the cross and rose from the dead. The Jewish leaders of that time did not want to accept the fact that Jesus is the Messiah and that salvation is available for all who receive Him as their Saviour, Jew and Gentile. This young church had many spiritual battles, but they did not faint. God commends the church of Ephesus.
VERSE 4 : (Chapter 2) Ephesus
"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."
Now comes rebuke from the Lord. God was not totally happy with this church because it 'left its first love'. This church is the first church mentioned after the crucifixion. They had a true love and a great zeal for Christ. Have you ever really given deep thought about what Christ went through for us? He was rejected not only by the Jews, but also by His own family. He was an outcast. He was scoffed at where ever He went. The elite elders of cities hated Him and judged Him wrongfully. They spit in His face. He was beaten until He was unrecognizable as a human being. They threw Him in jail. They tied Jesus' arms around a post and scourged Him with a cat o' nine tails.
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By Pearson Scott Foresman - Archives of Pearson Scott Foresman, donated to the Wikimedia Foundation, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2568278
A cat o' nine tails is a weapon used as whip. It usually has nine leather belts on it. At the end of each leather 'belt' would be pieces of glass, metal or bent iron so that it would tear off the flesh when a person was whipped with it. Soldiers were very expereinced with these whips.
The soldiers that were in charge of Jesus, whipped Him so brutally, that it was said that our Lord did not even look human. It was said that He looked like ground meat. This is what Jesus did for you and me. How could we ever think our 'good works' could take this sacrifice of Jesus?
Jesus told this church, "you left Me". Jude 21 says: "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-38: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with All thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." This church was losing its first love for Christ. It did not care about things of the Lord like they use to.
VERSE 5 : (Chapter 2) Ephesus
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
God says here that He wants us to remember. He wants us to learn from our mistakes. Keep in mind here that we are talking about saved people. Yes, saved people fall. We mess up. We fall into sin, but God's Word tells us to get back up, repent, and keep going on for Him. Proverbs 24:16 says: "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:" You cannot lose your salvation. Proof: John 10:28-29: "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." You, yourself, are not even able to pluck yourself out of God's hand. Once God is your Father, He is always your Father. (also see: John 6:37; John 1:12; Philippians 1:6; Colossians 3:3; Hebrews 9:12)
The Lord also says here "repent". Repent means to 'feel sorrow or regret. To regret so deeply as to change' (dictionary definition). If we keep doing the same thing over and over, then we really haven't repented. We are not truly sorry. God is very patient with us. He says in 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
The Lord goes on to instruct this church "and do the first works;" This is NOT talking about working for salvation. Jesus is our Salvation. He already settled that. John 6:28-29: "Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent."
Then the Lord gives this church a solemn warning. He says: "or else I will come unto thee quickly," Most of us have heard from our parents, you'd better ... or else! Even though our parents didn't say what the 'or else' was, we knew we'd be in big trouble. And this is exactly what God is saying here. God means what He says. What God has put in His Word, the Bible, will come to pass. He means every word. He tells of His compassion and of His judgments. We can never say that we didn't know, because God told us in His Word. If we don't read it, it is our fault. When we stand before God, we will have no excuse for not reading or knowing God's Word.
God also adds the word "quickly". Yes, God is longsuffering, but we should never test how longsuffering God will be with us. If we continue to ignore God's warnings, the Bible says in 1 John 5:16: "There is a sin unto death:" God will take a Christian out of this world if they refuse to repent. The Bible also reminds us that our life is very short. "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14
We then see what God said He would do if this church refused to repent: "and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." God said He would 'remove their candlestick'. Jesus said in Matthew 5:14: "Ye are the light of the world." And in Luke 8:16, Jesus says: "No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light." This first church, which started perhaps around A.D. 33, was not shining for the Lord like they should have been. Because this church did not 'shine' like it was suppose to, God removed it around A.D. 100. This was the end of the Ephesus Church Age. God removed their 'candlestick'. But before He did, He complimented and encouraged them in the next verse.
VERSE 6 : (Chapter 2) Ephesus
"But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate."
In this verse, God commends this church again. They have pleased God with their action. And what is this action that the Lord is pleased with? He is pleased with the church for hating false and deceitful doctrine. " that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes " This may be hard for some to understand. Why would God be pleased with His children hating? God said in Psalm 97:10 "Ye that love the LORD, hate evil:" This 'deed', this action of theirs, showed their love for their Saviour.
Secondly, God says here: "which I also hate". Wow, God hates???! Let's look at verse 15 here in Chapter 2 of Revelation. It says: "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate." It is the doctrine that the Lord hates. It is the 'thing' that the Lord hates. God hates false doctrines as He says in these two verses. God hates religious doctrines that contradict God's Word. Proverbs 6:16 states: "These six things doth the LORD hate:" Psalm 26:5: "I have hated the congregation of evil doers;" Hebrews 1:9 shows that we should love righteousness and hate iniquity: "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." God does hate. He hates sin, but He definitely loves everyone. He loves everyone so much that He died for everyone, and He wants everyone to be saved. Remember, however, that even though the Lord wants everyone to be saved, only those who ask Him will be saved: Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you don't ask Christ to be your Saviour, then you don't have Him as your Saviour.
VERSE 7 : (Chapter 2) Ephesus
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
In verse 7, we see the Lord telling us to 'hear'. God wants us to hear what He says. Again, Revelation is not a book that God wrote to confuse us. He wrote it to communicate with us. Amos 7:16 starts off saying: "Now therefore hear thou the word of the LORD:" In this verse, God wants us to hear "what the Spirit saith unto the churches". And this applies to every church age. "Unto the churches", not just one church age, but to all the church ages. We can hear what the Holy Spirit of God says through the Word of God.
This is what the Bible says about the Spirit of God: "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13) Keep in mind, we are talking about the churches, not the unsaved world. John 14:17 verifies: "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." These are Jesus' own words.
Next, God says "To him that overcometh". God is talking to His church - born again people, His children. 1 John 5:4 says: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." It is our faith in Christ that gives us the victory, not our works. It is faith. Hebrews 11:6 says: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
And what is the reward that is promised here? Being able to eat of the "tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." This is a promise and an encouragement from God. God had given us the opportunity to eat of the tree of life at the beginning of creation in the book of Genesis (Genesis 2:9). But mankind did not eat of the tree of life. God had to take it away from us in the garden of Eden because of our sin. Now He promises to give us this privilege and reward again in Paradise. God tells us about it in the end of His book in Revelation 22:2. Revelation 22:2 tells us precisely where the tree of life will be located. We will be studying this when we cover Revelation Chapter 22. God wants us to look forward to what wonderful things He has in store for us!
Just an added thought ... God put the tree of life in the midst of the Garden of Eden so Adam and Eve could eat of it and live forever. Jesus was hung on a 'tree' in the midst of the world so whosoever will may have eternal life. And just like the tree of life, you have to accept salvation. You can look at it, you can know it is there, but you must take it in order to have eternal life.
In conclusion to the church of Ephesus, the Lord had warned them in verse 5 of Chapter 2, that, if they did not get right with God and repent, God would remove their 'candlestick'. They did not lose their salvation; God removed their candlestick. In other words, God removed the church age of Ephesus around 100 A.D. The church age of Ephesus was approximately from 33 A.D. - 100 A.D. God warned them. He was patient with them. They did not listen. He removed them.
With the church age of Ephesus being now ended, we move on to the next church age, Smyrna, the most persecuted church.
VERSE 8 : (Chapter 2)
Smyrna
Smyrna
"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead,
and is alive;"
Here we have the Lord addressing the church age of Smyrna. He reminds the church of Who He is ... "the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;" God says in Isaiah 48:12: "Hearken unto me, ... I am He; I am the first, I also am the last."
The time of the church of Smyrna was a period of great persecution. God is reminding Smyrna that He is "the first and the last." He knew they were going through extreme torture, so He reminds this church that He, that not only is He the first but He is also the last. He knows the end. He also announces that He is alive, encouraging this church age to stand strong for Him. Smyrna is the only church age that God does not rebuke.
VERSE 9 : (Chapter 2)
Smyrna
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)
and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not,
but are the synagogue of Satan."
God always knows what we are going through. He is verifying to this church age that He knows and understands all that they were going through. He saw the tribulation that they had endured for Him. And even though they were poor in this world's goods, He let this church know that they were truly rich. They were rich in faith and God promises to reward their faith. God promises this to us also. James 2:5 says: "Hearken, (listen) my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?"
Next, God says: "I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not,". Let's understand the meaning of blasphemy first. According to dictionaries, blasphemy is anything that we say that insults God or Christ. Thus, anytime we use God's name in vain or as a swear word, then we are actually blaspheming God. Sadly, we have all done this at one time or another. Back in the day when stoning was a capital punishment, anyone who spoke in this way against Jehovah was stoned to death. When an Israelite heard blasphemy, he would lay his hand on the head of the person who said it. This showed guilt on the person who said the blasphemy. Blasphemy is any insulting language toward God. And using His Holy name was a swear word is blasphemy.
There are a lot of religions in our world today that teach people need to keep the ten commandments in order to go to Heaven. So let's look at the second commandment found in Exodus 20:7 "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." According to the ten commandments, everyone who has used the Lord's name as a swear word is guilty. No one has good enough 'works' to make it into Heaven. This is why Jesus died on the cross. Jesus would not have had to die for our sins IF we could work our way to heaven. Have you ever considered the torture and pain Jesus went through for our sins? How could we even begin to think we could get to heaven by good works? This is what the Bible says that "we are all as an unclean thing, and ALL our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;" (Isaiah 64:6) In other words, the very best we can do still looks like a filthy rag in the sight of a Holy God.
Then the Lord goes on to state that people were claiming to be 'Jews'. That is similar to what people do today. People say they are 'Christians', but many are not. At funerals, people tend to become very religious. However, once a funeral is over, people go right back to using the Lord's name in vain. Jesus' own words in Matthew 7 are: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;" (verse 21) "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord," (verse 22) "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (verse 23) These people are not only lying to God, but they are also lying to themselves. They know deep down inside that they do not have the security of a home in Heaven. This is a tragic state to be in. Please do not be one of those people who 'hope' they have a home in Heaven but end up in a place called Hell.
Lastly in this verse, God says: "but are the synagogue of Satan." A synagogue is defined as a religious assembly. Yes, Satan has a 'religious assembly'. Satan is very religious. Remember, he is a fallen angel. He is an antichrist. He tries his best to copy God. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says: "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Does Satan hold religious assemblies? Of course he does. Satan's main goal is bringing souls to hell. Seances (attempting to communicate with demons), Ouija boards (a spirit board), white witches (pretending to be 'good'), horoscopes, divination and the list goes on. All these, and more, are tools of Satan. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says: "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices."
VERSE 10 : (Chapter 2)
Smyrna
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
The Church Age of Smyrna, which went from about 100 A.D. through 316 A.D. This was the most persecuted church of the seven church ages. God told them to not be afraid of what they had to endure. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Isaiah 41:10). The city of Smyrna was an important commercial place in the days of Alexander the Great. It was a very flourishing city. There was a Christian who was saved and taught by the apostle John in Smyrna. His name was Polycarp. He was an elderly leader. In 155 A.D., Polycarp was burned alive in Smyrna as persecution broke out against Christians. Some believers were fed to wild beasts in an arena. Others were burned alive while others were cast into prisons and tortured.
God strengthens the Christians of Smyrna by letting them know what is going to happen and saying: "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison," God was also letting the Christians know that it was Satan who is actually responsible for all tribulation. The devil uses people to do his jobs. Satan possesses or greatly influences people to do his will. We need to acknowledge that all people need the Lord. Those who do the persecuting are being used by the devil. We need to pray for those people to be saved.
God also gives the reason why He is permitting these persecutions. He says: "that ye may be tried". God 'tests' us to see how much we love Him. It is not enough to just say we love God; He wants to see that we love Him. I Peter 1:7 shows us: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"
The Lord continues to inform this church age that "ye shall have tribulation ten days:" According to the Bible in Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34, ten days is interpreted as ten literal years. According to History, this would fall perfectly into place with the persecution of Smyrna Christians. The most severe imperial persecution was from 303 A.D. - 313 A.D. under Diocletian and his successor Galerius, emperors of Rome. These ten years were the most severe years for Christians as attempts were made to destroy scriptures, destroy church buildings, and imprison, torture, and kill Christians. Diocletian's first decree against Christians was in 303 A.D. when he ordered Christians eyes to be gouged out and had their bodies horribly maimed in unimaginable ways. In February 313 A.D., exactly ten years after the beginning of these persecutions, the western Roman Emperors, Constantine I and Licinius, agreed to change the policy towards Christians. The new policy was called the Edict of Milan which gave Christians legal status and relief from persecution. This document is found in Eusebius of Caesarea's History of the Church.
The Lord then makes a promise to the church of Smyrna. He said: "be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Jesus promises this to us today also. This promise is found in Matthew 25:23: "His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
The Christians who went through this horrible period of persecution have been promised by the Lord a "Crown of Life". The Crown of Life is given by the Lord to people of any church age who have endured trials and persecutions. Some people call this the Martyrs Crown. This crown is for those who bravely endure persecutions, even unto death, for Jesus Christ. The Church of Smyrna endured great persecution.
VERSE 11 : (Chapter 2)
Smyrna
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
The Lord says here "He that hath an ear, let him hear". Almost everyone can hear. However, there are those who are deaf. Some people are deaf physically, while others are deaf spiritually. The Lord is talking about spiritual hearing. People who are deaf physically can definitely hear spiritually if they choose. There are people who can hear just fine physically but are deaf spiritually.
We know that the Lord is talking about spiritual hearing because He says: "hear what the Spirit saith". When Jesus taught on this earth, He instructed people over and over to listen spiritually (Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:43; Mark 7:16; Mark 8:18; Jeremiah 13:15; Isaiah 28:23 and many more verses). God knows that there are people who will not listen to His Word. He says in Matthew 13:15: "For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." God wants everyone to be saved, but that is everyone's own choice. God gives everyone a free choice. In fact, Jesus warns people in Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." In other words, more people follow the world's ways instead of God's Way. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says: "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
We also see in this verse that the S is capitalized. It is capitalized because it is referring to the Holy Spirit. Here we can see the trinity of God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We went over this in Chapter 1, verse 6. Here the Holy Spirit is speaking to the churches, yet it is the Lord speaking this to John. This is another glimpse of the trinity of God.
In verse 11, we read: "the Spirit saith unto the churches". He is not talking to the world. He is not talking to the unsaved. He is talking to the children of God. Romans 12:5 says: "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." and 1 Corinthians 3:16 says" Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" So the Spirit of God here is talking to the Christians in all of the church ages. Not just to one church age. The Spirit is not talking to just the church of Smyrna. He is talking to all seven of the church ages. If He was just speaking to the church of Smyrna, the verse would have read 'the Spirit saith unto the church. The Holy Spirit of God is talking to all of the church ages, including the age we are living in now ... the Laodicean church age.
He is talking to us, too, so hear Him. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" ! (Matthew 11:15)
Lastly, in this verse, we read "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." 1 John 5:4 says: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world: even our faith." How do we overcome? The answer is found in Revelation 12:11: "And they overcame him (Satan, verse 10) by the blood of the Lamb." Jesus is the Lamb Who died for our sins. Our faith in accepting Jesus as our Saviour is how we overcome the world.
Then we read that anyone that overcomes (anyone who knows Christ as their Saviour), will "not be hurt of the second death". Now this brings us to the question what is the 'second death'? We find this answer in Revelation 20. (Remember, God wants us to know this. This is why He put it in the Bible.) Verses 11 & 12 "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." This describes God sitting on His throne. He is judging all the people who were in hell, which is located in the center of the earth (Luke 16). These are unsaved people. They have not accepted Christ as their Saviour. God brings them up out of Hades to stand before Him to be judged according to their works. Their works are not good enough because they have refused to trust Jesus as their Saviour. Then God goes on to tell us what He is going to do with these people in verse 14 of Revelation 20: "And death and hell (unsaved) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." The second death is simply saying, all people die once, but unsaved people die twice. Christians die and go to Heaven (eternal life). Unsaved people die and go to Hades in the center of the earth. That is their first death. Then God brings them up out of Hades, judges them, and then casts them into the Lake of Fire. This is their second death.
There is a saying that goes:
Born Once - Die Twice
Born Twice - Die Once
In other words, born into the world as a baby, don't ask Jesus as Saviour = Die Twice (die physically, and also die by being cast into the Lake of Fire) Born One - Die Twice.
Born into the world and then also born into God's family by accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour = Born Twice (Physically and by accepting Christ as Saviour) and die once (physically) Does not die twice. Does not go into the Lake of Fire. Born Twice - Die Once
Pergamos
VERSE 12 : (Chapter 2)
Pergamos
"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges;"
Now we are in the third church age. This church was located in a very dangerous place. The time period spans from about 313 A.D. - 538 A.D.
Verse 12 is again reminding us that God is talking to His church, His saved people. When God says something, we need to pay attention; and when He repeats what He says, we had better pay attention and do what He says! He reminds us again that He has a two-edged sword. We learned about this two-edged sword in Chapter 1, verse 16, of Revelation. Remember, the sword is God's Word. It is His Word and it cuts deep (Hebrews 4:12). God's Word is so sharp that it cuts the soul and the spirit. It cuts our thoughts and the intents of our hearts.
VERSE 13 : (Chapter 2)
Pergamos
"I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."
The Lord is encouraging His people. He knows what we do for Him. However, this church age was in a very dangerous location and God knew it. God knows where we are and He also knows where the enemy is. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" This church age was living right in the center where Satan had his throne!
Pergamos was located about 50 miles north of Smyrna. Pergamos was the capital city of Greek dynasty. Pergamos reached its greatest height of achievements under Eumenes II. Pergamos became a major religious Roman center. It erected beautiful temples in honor of four major pagan gods: Zeus, Dionysus, Athena and Asclepius.
In the very first commandment of the Ten Commandments, God very clearly tells us what His feelings are about idols/statues. This is what God says in Exodus 20:3-6: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
This is the very first of the Ten Commandments. This is a very serious issue with God. He will not tolerate idol worship. Yes, idol worship still goes on today; however, God will judge the people who worship idols as He says in His Word. Some people may try to make excuses by perhaps saying, 'Well, we don't worship the idol. We just use it to remember them by.' I would ask, 'Do you kneel before it?' God's Word here says we are not even suppose to make them!
While we are here on the Ten Commandments, let's look at the second commandment. Exodus 20:7, God says: "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain." Every time we say, "Oh, Jesus, God, Lord, or Christ," in any combination as a 'slang', we are breaking the second commandment. Using God's name in vain is very disrespectful to God. It is worse than dropping the 'f' bomb. Yet, it seems like everyone does it every day. How many of us will be guilty for breaking this commandment?! We certainly need to repent of these sins and ask the LORD to forgive us!
The next part of verse 13 says: "thou holdest fast my name, and hath not denied my faith," The church of Pergamos held fast to their Lord Jesus. They did not bow to or go along with the worship of idols. This was a very dangerous stand for these Christians. The largest part of Pergamos worshipped idols. The persecutions against these Christians were great. It took a lot of courage to refuse to worship the idols. It took even more courage to proclaim the name of Jesus. And when these Christians were given the choice of worshipping the idols or die, they kept their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and chose death.
The last part of verse 13 says: "even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth." The Lord Jesus is commending the Christians of Pergamos for being so strong even when Antipas was killed among them. Antipas was martyred because of his faith and faithful witnessing during this evil and very satanic era. Some have said that the idol worshipers took a life-size idol of a bull that was hollow and put a fire under its belly. Then when Antipas refused to renounce his faith in Christ Jesus, they roasted him alive in the bull idol. Matthew 10:28 says: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
VERSE 14 : (Chapter 2)
Pergamos
"But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel,
to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."
Even though the Lord commended the Christians in Pergamos, He still points out their sin. He says: "But I have a few things against thee," God is a holy God. He cannot tolerate sin because He is holy. God also wants us to get sin out of our own lives so He can use us. Just think about a dirty cup or plate. If it was all covered with mire, would you want to drink or eat from it? Proverbs 25:4 says: "Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer." We are the vessel. God is the finer. When we pray and ask God to take away our dross, we can become a vessel for the Lord to use. A nice prayer to pray to God is found in Psalm 51:10: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."
Now let us see what the Lord had against the church of Pergamos. He tells us right here in the verse. Remember, God reveals. And that is what Revelation is about, it is what His Bible is about. The reasons: "because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication." Here are four of the five reasons why the Lord was not happy with the church of Pergamos. Let's look at these reasons.
First is the fact that God does not want Pergamos to have anything to do with the 'doctrine of Balaam'. There were Christians who were practicing this doctrine in the church of Pergamos. Some Christians even do this today. What is the 'doctrine of Balaam'? It is simply believing that a little sin doesn't hurt. Perhaps, even white lies. The 'doctrine of Balaam' teaches the humanistic thinking that it's ok to tell a 'fib' or deceive someone especially for a personal or financial benefit. They felt it was alright to 'stretch the truth' for a gain of some sort, especially if they would get paid for it. This is sin.
Next we have the phrase "who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel" . Balac was the king of the country of Moab. Moab was an ancient country which is no longer in existence today. It was located in southern Jordan. Balac (also spelled Balak), the king of Moab, with all the people of Moab were exceedingly afraid of the Israelites that were traveling to their God-given promised land. The whole country of Moab were afraid that the Israelites were going to conquer their land. This is why Balac went to Balaam and tried to bribe him to curse Israel. Balac tried everything in his power to hinder Israel. This is "the stumblingblock" that Balac was trying to achieve. The country of Moab also worshipped many idols like Pergamos. The people of Moab offered animals upon their altars. The people of the pagan temples ate of the meat of the animals. But to make matters worse, the rulers, for the gain of monies, would take the leftover meats and sell it in their markets. Balac and the rulers tried to defile the diet of the Israelites by trying to get them to eat the meat that had been used in a pagan idol worship ceremony - meat that had been offered unto a pagan god ("to eat things sacrificed unto idols,"). Balac also tried to cause the Israelite people "to commit fornication" with the Moab people. Not only is the act of fornication sin, but it was also sin for an Israelite to marry anyone other than another Israelite. These were all stumblingblocks that Balac tried to use to stop the children of Israel. Perhaps these attempts against Israel are why the country of Moab is no longer in existence. Isaiah 60:12 says: "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee (Israel) shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." God warns us that He will curse people/nations that curse or try harm to Israel: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:" (Genesis 12:3). God warns nations that if any nation messes with Israel, they are messing with God. In Zechariah 2:8, God says, "he that toucheth you (Israel) toucheth the apple of His eye." Israel is God's chosen nation.
VERSE 15 : (Chapter 2)
Pergamos
"So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate."
If you will notice, these exact words from the Lord are found in verse 6 of Chapter 2 of Revelation also. The doctrine of the Nicolaitanes was/is very deceiving. We've seen that it is the worship of idols and committing fornication. The Nicolaitans also taught that people were to follow man instead of God. Going through a man to pray to God instead of going through the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:6 says: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." We are to pray directly through Jesus only, not the way of the doctrine of the Nicolaitans - those who teach people to pray to saints, statues, etc.
VERSE 16 : (Chapter 2)
Pergamos
"Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."
All through God's Word, He tells us to "repent". The Lord says in Luke 13:3 and Luke 13:5 the exact same words. Remember, when God says something twice, we'd better do it! These verses in the Lord Jesus' own Words say: "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." This is both verse 3 and verse 5. Twice.
Next, the Lord says: "or else I will come unto thee quickly," How many of us have had parents that said 'You'd better or else!" ? We knew they meant it. And we knew we would be in a heap of trouble if we didn't do what we were supposed to do. God doesn't pull any punches. He said "or else". He said "I will come unto thee quickly". He doesn't mess around. He says He "will fight". The Lord even tells us what His weapon is - "the sword of my mouth". We already studied in Revelation Chapter 1, verse 16 about the Word of God being the 'sword'. When we stand before God at the Judgment Seat, it will be God's Word that will be used to judge us. We will be covering that in later chapters.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us what this sword is: "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Ephesians 6:17 also verifies that the 'sword of God' is His Word, the Bible: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:"
Isn't it something that verse 16 of Chapter 1 and verse 16 of Chapter 2 of Revelation both talk about God's sword?! That shows divine inspiration of God's Word. There are many more proofs, but they are too many to list here. It is really interesting to do a numeral study of the Word.
VERSE 17 : (Chapter 2)
Pergamos
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
At the end of each church age, the Lord says these words: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;" We see this phrase repeated in Chapter 2, verse 7, verse 11, verse 17, & verse 29. It is repeated also in Chapter 3, verse 6, verse 13, & verse 22. Seven verses total repeat that God wants us to hear Him. What God has said to one church, He wants all seven of the church ages to hear. That is why He says "churches", not just church. The brick and mortar churches were at totally different times. This shows that God was not speaking to just a specific church in a specific area at a specific time. He was and is talking to all the church ages from at least 33 A.D. to our present time. Today we are in the Laodicean church age. We will cover that very soon.
Next we see that the Lord makes another promise. He says: "To him that overcometh". First, I ask 'what do we need to overcome?" The Bible tells us in Revelation 12:11: "And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb". John 1:36 states that Jesus is the 'Lamb of God'. So this part of the verse is simply saying people can overcome Satan by asking Christ to come into their heart and be their Saviour, trusting the blood of Christ to cover all their sins.
Then we see the Lord say "I will "give to eat of the hidden manna" . Manna is bread. Jesus says in John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Jesus is not saying here that we have to literally eat His flesh. He is saying that He gave His life on the cross so anyone who will accept His sacrifice will have eternal life. You may ask, 'what about the word hidden?' The Lord Jesus died openly for all so that all have the chance to be saved from their sins. However, the Bible also tells us that some people refuse to believe and accept the gospel - that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the grave for our sins. There are people that will not acknowledge the fact that Christ died for their sins. There are others who do not believe that Christ rose from the grave. There are many who just will not take the time to ask Christ to forgive their sins and come into their heart. 2 Corinthians 4:3 says: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:" The manna is hid from the unsaved. Remember, Jesus broke bread with the disciples behind closed doors.
Manna is sweet communion with our Lord. 1 Corinthians 11:23 - 26 teaches us: "That the Lord Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come." This is communion. This is sweet communion with our Lord. We do this in remembrance of His death. We focus on how the Lord died for us. The bread definitely does not turn into the actual flesh/body of Christ. That is a false doctrine. We are told in His Word that it is the "remembrance" of His death on the cross for us.
Our Lord goes on to give us even more precious gifts. He says that He "will give him a white stone". A white stone stands for approval. That's precious! Who doesn't want the Lord's approval?! The approval of parents or others is nice, but could you just imagine the Lord saying to you: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant:" ?!!! (Matthew 25:21) That would be precious!
Then even more exciting, the Lord says: "and in the stone a new name written." When we have accepted Christ as our own personal Saviour, He transforms us on the inside into a whole new person. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Before we accepted the Lord into our hearts, we were of this world. We all have sin. There are many of us who are very ashamed of our sins, and rightly so. But the Lord has washed ALL our sins away with His blood He shed on Calvary for us. The Bible teaches that those who have little sins forgiven loveth little and those who have had much sins forgiven loveth much (Luke 7:47) . Psalms 103:12 states that: "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." God has transformed us into new creatures. We are given a new name. We are now Christians. 'Little Christs'. In John 1:42, Jesus changed the name of Simon, the son of Jona, to Cephas. Simon was saved that day, and that same day Jesus gave him a new name. The name Cephas means 'a stone' - approved.
As per the part that says: "which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Isaiah 62:2 says: "...and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name." This will be between you and your Heavenly Father. He will pick the new name for you and present it to you personally. Let's make sure we live up to the name Christian.
Thyatira
VERSE 18 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass;"
The church age of Thyatira went from about 538 A.D. - 1514 A.D. As you can see from the previous church ages, God still talks to His children in all the church ages. He commends them for the right they have done, and warns and encourages them to repent of the wrong they do.
In this verse, the Lord also reminds them of Who He is. He states that He is the Son of God. 1 John 5:10 says: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son." He repeats His attributes that we covered in Chapter 1, verses 13 - 16 of Revelation.
Verse 18 goes on to describe our Lord: "Who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire". We also saw this description in Chapter 1 of Revelation verses 13-16. Remember that fire refines. It burns off the bad and leaves the silver or gold. Isaiah 48:10 says: "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." God tries all His children. In Zechariah 13:9 God says: "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."
We are also reminded again that "His feet are like fine brass". Brass symbolizes judgment and strength. Brass also signifies the Lord's power and supremacy. The Lord will judge each of us and He will judge this earth. We will be studying the judgments of God on our earth in our study of Revelation.
VERSE 19 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first."
Thyatira was located in the smallest city of the seven churches that we are studying. Thyatira was initially founded as a military outpost. It became a wealthy town of the Roman province. The church of Thyatira had 'good works'. They had 'charity'. They gave and gave. They offered their 'services' to others. They had strong 'faith' in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were 'patient' with people. This city, and cities beyond, knew the good 'works' of Thyatira.
Let's talk about how good works fit into a Christian's life. God teaches us about this topic in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. First, the Lord makes it very clear that we cannot work our way into Heaven. This is found in verse 11: "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Acts 4:12 states: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." You can only be saved through the Lord Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for our sins. If we could get to heaven by 'good works' then Christ wouldn't have had to die. He had to die because He is the only way to heaven. He is the Foundation.
Knowing that Jesus is the Foundation and that we cannot go to Heaven by our 'good works', let's read 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. This passage explains our 'good works' and why they are important.
"Now if any man (you) build upon this foundation (Jesus) gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved;" (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
The Lord Jesus is our Foundation. However, the Lord gives every Christian the opportunity to 'build'. In other words, it is up to you how you live your life. It is up to you to live for the Lord or not live for Him. You have the freedom to get up every day and live for the Lord, or you decide not live for the Lord. You have the freedom to read your Bible every day. You can win souls for the Lord. You can sing unto Him and serve Him in a Bible teaching church. Or ... you can get up every day and forget that He is even there. You can go through your day and never give a thought to the Lord. You can get caught up in your job and not ask the Saviour to help you. You may be ashamed to witness for the Lord. You may seldom pick up your Bible or ever study it. Each day is your choice. Every day, if you are a Christian, you are putting a building block on the Foundation. What are you giving to Jesus? What are you building ... gold, silver, precious stones; or are you giving Him wood, hay, and stubble? When Jesus looks at you with His fiery eyes, will what you did as your 'good works' shine forth as bright gold and silver, or will your 'good works' be all burned up? This is all up to you. Jesus laid the Foundation. Every day is the day God gave you to build. Will your works shine or will they be burned up?
Yes, you will be in Heaven just like God says here: "he shall be saved" (verse 15). It is the blood of Jesus that allows us to enter the gates of Heaven. Will your head be down in shame, or will you be excited to see our Lord?
VERSE 20 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
After the Lord had commended the church of Thyatira for their good works, He continues to reveal to this church age what He, their Lord, had against them. The Lord was displeased with His people at this time period because they were allowing His servants to be seduced by Jezebel. God's servants were fallen prey to "that woman", and the Lord was very angry about this. So let's find out about Jezebel first.
Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who married the prince of Israel, named Ahab. This couple eventually became the king and queen of Israel. Jezebel worshipped idols. She soon caused the children of Israel to also worship Baal and other idols. Jezebel murdered anyone who protested against Baal or any of her statues. She then killed all the prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:4). She also killed a man just to take possession of his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1 thru 22:53). Jezebel also threatened to kill Elijah, God's prophet (1 Kings 19).
Jezebel called herself a prophetess. She taught the people of Israel to worship her idols. She instigated fornication and also caused the children of Israel to eat the meat offered to her idols (we covered this subject in verse 14 of Chapter 2). Jezebel was a very evil queen. However, the Lord was upset with the church of Thyatira because they refused to stand up against her. The Lord wants His people to stand up against sin. Most Christians today don't want to make a 'wave'. Most Christians today do not stand up against the sins in our times. No wonder the world is in the shape it is in.
VERSE 21 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not."
As evil and seductive as Jezebel was, God still was patient with her and wanted her to repent of her sins. God says in this verse that He "gave her space to repent". In 2 Peter 3:9, it says that God "is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." But Jezebel, like many people, "she repented not". God does not want anyone to spend eternity in Hell.
VERSE 22 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds."
In the temple of idols, there were bed chambers. The position of a bed chamber was in the most secluded part of the temple. Both physical and spiritual adultery went on in the temple of Jezebel. Physical adultery, defined by the Jewish law, is the unlawful intercourse of a man with a married or engaged woman. Spiritual adultery, which God will not tolerate, is the worshipping of anyone or anything else except for the Lord Jehovah Himself. People worshiped idols. Some idols were made in the image of animals like a bull or a calf. Some were made in the image of people, like Athena, Zeus, or saints. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness, of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:4) This is the first of the ten commandments!) Today, some people 'worship' material possessions like cars, boats, homes, and money. These are all examples of spiritual adultery.
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You can't plant Skunk Cabbage and expect to harvest wheat !
There is a saying that says "What Goes Around Comes Around". This is actually a biblical principle. It is found in Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Romans 1:28 says: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"
Jezebel was sowing destruction to herself. Christians who were in sin with her would also sow physical destruction. Nahum 3:4-6 can also be applied to Jezebel and anyone who partakes in her sins. "Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock."
VERSE 23 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."
Jezebel had a grisly death. 2 Kings 9:30-37 tells us of her death. When Jezebel had prettied herself up, she stood gazing out her window that overlooked the city. Two or three eunuchs grabbed Jezebel and threw her out the window. Verse 33 says: "some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses." She was then trampled by the horses. Verse 35 says that when they went to bury her, they only found her "skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands" because dogs had eaten the rest of her (verse 36). What goes around, does come around. Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
The Lord continues saying... "And I will kill her children with death". Jezebel has no lineage, no ancestry, no family history.
Then the Lord talks about the churches. Notice here that God says 'churches'. He is talking to all seven churches or all seven church ages. He says this to us even today: "all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts". First, He says here that we will know. God does not hide His judgment. Psalm 7:11 says: "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." 1 Timothy 5:20 says: "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." Proverbs 1:7 says: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Not only did the church of Thyatira hear of the judgment of God on Jezebel, but all the church ages have heard of God's judgment on Jezebel and idol worshippers. Here we are today, in the Laodicean church age, still hearing about how God judged Jezebel for her refusal to repent.
So why does God want all of us to know about Jezebel? Simply to show us that even though He is long suffering, God does not tolerate sin. The Lord does not want His churches or His children to be in sin. He warns us that He will judge us for our sins. Remember, we reap what we sow.
"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."
Jeremiah 17:10
VERSE 24 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden."
Here the Lord is talking to the Christians that have not fallen into the sin of worshiping idols, which is the doctrine of Jezebel. He is talking to those "which have not known the depths of Satan". Remember, Satan is the antichrist. He wants worshipped. He receives a lot of his worship through those who worship and pray to idols. And people still do that all over the world today. Beware of groups and organizations that seem 'good'. Some organizations are made up of 'higher authorities, and once you get 'in', you can't get out very easily - especially organizations which have sworn 'secret rituals' or 'secret societies'. These organizations may say it is 'God honoring' or for the 'moral good', but God says: "But I say, that the things which Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils" (1 Corinthians 10:20). We are warned about this in 2 Corinthians 11:13-14: "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
Lastly in this verse, we read that God says: "I will put upon you none other burden". God understands our burdens. He wants us to come to Him with our burdens. Look what God says in Psalm 55:22: "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee:" "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) We don't need to turn to idol worship or 'secret societies' to find comfort and fulfillment, we just need to come to Jesus alone. A King James Bible holds the key to true happiness. In it you will find all the answers and comfort God has prepared for you. God gave His Only Begotten Son (John 3:16) as the Gift to you so you can have a full life here on earth and eternal life in Heaven. You cannot get that from a society.
VERSE 25 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
God has already given us His salvation. We are to hold fast on to our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:23 says: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) In 1 Corinthians 16:13 we are encouraged to: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." The Lord wants us to have strong faith in Him, especially in these last days.
VERSE 26 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:"
Have you overcame this world and Satan? 1 John 5:4 tells us: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Have you overcome this world? Have you accepted Christ into your heart so you have that saving faith - the faith that takes you to Heaven when you die.?
Next we read: "and keepeth my works unto the end". When Jesus was on this earth He said this to His disciples: "I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." (John 9:4) This is what we should be doing. We should be winning souls to the Lord while we are still able. The time will come when we will not be able. We all are given only so much time on this earth. What you do for the Lord must be done while you are here. When you are gone, it will be too late. You cannot undo yesterday.
The Lord says here: "to him will I give power over the nations:" God wants us to know how to judge righteously. He even tells us that Christians shall judge the world in 1 Corinthians 6:2: "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" The Lord is going to give those Christians who are 'worthy' (those who know how to judge righteously) power over the nations. The book of Psalms even tells us in Psalm 149:9 that saints have the privilege: "To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints."
VERSE 27 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
All the nations shall be ruled with a rod of iron during the Millenium time. There will also be twelve higher thrones of judgment upon which the twelve apostles preside. We will be studying this in future chapters here in Revelation, but I'd like to point out here how much our Holy Bible intertwines with itself, especially from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Look at Psalm 2: 6-11: "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling." God the Father gave this honour to His Son, and the Son has given this honour to Christians as Psalm 149:9 says.
VERSE 28 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"And I will give him the morning star."
In this short verse, we see that Jesus "will give him". The him is the Christian. "The morning star" is our Lord Jesus Christ. Some theologians say that Satan is the morning star, but remember Satan is the antichrist. He is a copycat of Jesus. However, this verse is referring to our Lord. The Lord is rewarding the Christians here. Jesus would not give the devil as a gift to a Christian. Nor could a Christian take a devil gift into Heaven. This verse is definitely speaking about our Lord and what a sweet Gift our Saviour is. To have sweet fellowship and close communion with our Saviour is joy beyond all joy. 2 Peter 1:19b says: "...and the day star arise in your hearts:" It is the Lord Who is in our hearts - Holy heartburn!
In Revelation 22:16, the Lord calls Himself the bright and morning star: "...I am (Jesus) the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star". Jesus is also called the Light of the world (John 8:12), and the True Light (John 1:9). What a Gift our Lord Jesus Christ is! He gave Himself for us.
VERSE 29 : (Chapter 2)
Thyatira
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
The Lord says this in the last verse of each of the seven church ages. He is pleading with His churches to please "HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAITH" !!! This is important. This is vital. And the Lord is saying this to us today. We are in the Laodicean church age; and, yes, the Lord says it to our church age also. Please listen. See what God's Word is saying. He is pleading with us. This is very important. Listen. Hear what He is saying. It is all in His Word, the Bible.
The city of Sardis was the capital of Lydia in Asia Minor. It was nestled at the foot of Mount Tmolus on the Pactolus river. The Pactolus river helped make Sardis a wealthy, prosperous city because gold was found near its banks. The first coins were minted and distributed. The coins were made of an alloy of gold and silver. People became very greedy. This church age was focused on wealth and worldliness.
Like Pergamos and Thyatira, Sardis worshipped idols. The people of Sardis erected temples unto the pagan goddess Cybele whom they called the 'Mother Goddess'. They believed that Cybele gave birth to all the other gods as well as the first humans, animals, and nature. She was worshipped as the ‘universal mother’. This is so blasphemous to God, the creator of our universe. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
Remember the first of the Ten Commandments? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (statue), or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God" (Exodus 20:3-5).
God is addressing the church of Sardis. He is reminding them of "He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars". In other words, He holds them in the palm of His hands. He has complete power over the seven churches. God also reminds this church that He watches them: "I know thy works".
The Lord reminds them that they are saved. That He had given them eternal life. 1 John 5:11 says: "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." But this church age was 'dead' spiritually. They were not on fire for the Lord. They didn't care about serving Him. They were wrapped up in all the earthly pleasures that Sardis had to offer them. They didn't want to take time to live for the Lord. They were 'dead' to living for the Lord. "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8:6)
VERSE 2 : (Chapter 3)
Sardis
"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God."
Luke 12:37 says: "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching:" and 1 Peter 4:7 states: "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." Jesus also says in Mark 13:37: "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." It is quite clear here that the Lord Jesus is telling the churches to pay attention and watch. What are the churches encouraged to watch for? Simpy put, the return of the Lord. We need to pay even more attention and watch as we are now in the last of the church ages.
Next in this verse we read: "strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die:" What things remain? Their faith in their Saviour was still there, but they had let their 'candle' go dim. In other words, they were not living for the Lord like He wants us to. They were getting comfortable in the world. Have you ever noticed what happens to a house if it is left vacant for a long period of time? It literally falls apart. A house must have someone living in it, or it will eventually decay. That is what God is saying here to His church. Sardis was like a home that was left alone a lot. They needed to get busy for the Lord.
Lastly, in this verse we read: "for I have not found thy works perfect before God." Here again, The Lord assures His churches that He watches our works. Not for salvation, but for rewards in Heaven. All through the church ages, the Lord tells His church that their 'works' are important to Him. But let's look at this part more clearly. The "I" here is the Lord Jesus speaking. He, Jesus, wants our works to be perfect "before God", the Father. Someday, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to present us, His church, to His Father. Ephesians 5:27 tells us: "That He (Jesus) might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Jesus wants to be proud of us when He presents us to our Father. The church is the Lord's bride. He is the bridegroom, and He will present us to our Father. Would we want Jesus to feel ashamed of us when He presents us to His Father?
VERSE 3 : (Chapter 3)
Sardis
"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent." Just like all the church ages, all must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Romans 10:13 says: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." This church had received Christ as their Saviour. They heard the Gospel how Christ died on the cross for their sins and rose again, and they accepted Him into their hearts. However, this church age was not following 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says: "... whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." This church had fallen into the 'hamster wheel' of life. They were living day to day - going to work, coming home, listening to the news - and never giving any thought to serving God. They were living this day in and day out. Sound familiar? God says repent. Get out of this routine. Serve Him.
The Lord gives a solemn warning. He says: "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." The definition of a thief is someone who takes away secretly without the owner's knowledge. The Lord is not saying He is a thief. He is saying that as a thief does not give notice that he is coming, neither will the Lord give notice if Sardis does not repent. Did Sardis repent? Let's see...
The church age of Sardis went from about 1514 A.D. to about 1798. A lot went on during this age. Below is a list of events that occurred during the church age of Sardis:
1516 Erasmus, a Greek scholar, published a Greek translation of the New Testament which became the basis of the Textus Receptus for the Authorized King James Bible.
1517 Martin Luther posts his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, causing the beginning of the Reformation.
1522 Martin Luther translates the New Testament into German
1525 William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English then smuggled copies into England. William Tyndale was burned at the stake for doing this.
1598 Christianity spreads throughout Thailand, Cambodia, Macao, South Korea, South America, and Africa.
1601 China is evangelized.
1605 'Gunpowder Plot' fails. Catholic fanatics attempt to kill England's King James I and blow up the houses of Parliament in order to seize the government.
1609 Baptist Church is founded in Amsterdam by John Smyth.
1611 King James Bible is published using the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Its completion took over six years.
1620-1630 Separatists reject the Church of England and sail to America on the Mayflower.
1642 Galileo, the scientist who agreed that the earth moved around the sun, died.
1647 The Quaker Movement began under preacher George Fox.
1654 Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and theologian, becomes a Christian.
1678 John Bunyon wrote the classic Pilgrim Progress while in prison for his faith.
1707 Issac Watts wrote over 600 hymns during his lifespan.
1729 Jonathan Edwards, one of America's greatest preachers and theologians, preaches in Northampton.
1738 Charles Wesley wrote more than 6,000 hymns.
1739 John Wesley traveled throughout Britain on horseback preaching over 40,000 sermons during his lifetime.
1740 George Whitefield leads The Great Awakening in New England as revival spreads throughout colonial America.
1741-1742 George Frideric Handel wrote the Messiah.
1764 John Newton wrote the hymn Amazing Grace.
1773 The first black independent Baptist church was established in America.
1780 Sunday School is started in England by Robert Raikes out of concern for children.
1781 Immnuel Kant wrote Critique of Pure Reason. The book that states we "cannot deny the existence of God, the soul or eternity".
1785 Korean Christians started growing, but were soon exterminated.
1789 The French Revolution resulted in a new government hostile to Christianity.
1792 The Second Great Awaking revival sweeps New England again.
1793 William Carey sailed to India to spread the gospel.
As you can see from this list alone, there were many Christians during this church age doing their best for the Lord. And I am sure there are many more that are not mentioned. This is what the Lord says here in verse 4: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments;" God knows and sees if we "defile our garments". Defiling our garments means sin in our lives. Romans 12:1 says: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Then the Lord says: "They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." God is commending those who followed Him faithfully, even unto death. The Lord has a special reward for all Christians who go above and beyond to show their love for Him. That includes all of the church ages. In Revelation 6:11, which we will be studying, says: "And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
VERSE 5 : (Chapter 3)
Sardis
"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels."
Just like we learned from the previous church ages, all Christians will be given white robes in Heaven. The "white raiment" indicates that Christians are washed by Christ's blood. Psalm 51:7 says: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." We are saved by the blood of the Lamb. When God cleanses us with His blood, we become whiter than snow to Him. We are Christ's bride. Brides are dressed in white. White symbolizes purity. People can only get into Heaven if they are purified through the blood of Christ. Christ even talks about this in Matthew 22:8-13: "Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready ... Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
This parable that Jesus just told not only indicates that Christians are the bride of Christ, but also shows that there is no other way to be a bride except to be washed in the blood of the Lord. Wedding garments, the white robes, are given to Christians. Revelation 19:9 says: "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." People cannot receive a wedding garment, white robe, by doing 'good works'. The person that was without a wedding garment was not allowed into the marriage ceremony. This teaching of Jesus tells us that we cannot work our way to Heaven and it teaches us that there is a real Hell. Jesus actually preached more on Hell than He did on Heaven. That's mainly because He is warning people that Hell is very real and He is trying to save people from going there. The Lord does not want people to go there. He died to be the Way to Heaven, if people would only accept Him as their Saviour. If people do not trust Christ as their own personal Saviour, then they do not have a 'wedding garment' and will be cast out as the verse says.
The next part of this verse states: "and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life". The book of Life is very easy to understand. It means exactly what it is titled ... "The Book of Life". It is the book that God has in Heaven in which He writes down every human being on this earth that is conceived. He writes them in His book which He titled "The Book of Life". Everyone is put into this "Book of Life". No exceptions!
When someone dies that has accepted Christ as their Saviour, their name remains in the Book of Life. When someone dies that has not asked Christ to be their Saviour, then their name is removed, "blotted out", of the Book of Life. When we stand before God, Revelation 20:15 says: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
Then the Lord says to those who are His, those who have accepted Him as their Saviour, "I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels." Those of us who are Christians, the Lord Jesus will 'confess' our names to His Father. Confess means "To make known to God" (dictionary definition). Imagine being introduced to God the Father and His holy angels by our Saviour! What a day that will truly be indeed for those whose names are in the Book of Life forever!
VERSE 6 : (Chapter 3)
Sardis
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
The Lord says this phrase over and over at the end of each church age. The Lord wants us to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. The 'S' is capitalized on Spirit because it is referring to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit talks to our hearts through the Word of God. John 14:17: "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Revelation was written to us so we would know what God wants to reveal to us by His Holy Spirit about the end times. Remember, Revelation is to reveal, not conceal. So hear what He saith unto the churches, unto us.
Philadelphia
VERSE 7 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;"
Here the Lord is talking to the Philadelphia church age which went from about 1798 - 1866. The Lord is reminding them that He "is holy" and that He "is true". Jesus is verifying to this church that He is holy and true, and that what He says will happen.
God also lets them know that He "hath the key of David". A key is a symbol of authority. A key was sometimes worn on the shoulder as an emblem of office.
Isaiah prophetically penned this verse back in BC 712 in Isaiah 22:22: "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open." Isaiah prophesized way before John, who penned Revelation, was even born. Both are witnesses unto our Saviour having the authority to open and close doors.
Of course, this is not talking about a physical door. It is referring to the spiritual door of witnessing. The freedom to tell others about Christ. There are some countries today where the door has been closed. There are countries that will not allow missionaries to come in. There are countries today that have Christians killed for speaking about Christ. And even in America today, on an individual level, people close the door to their heart to Christ Jesus. Jesus says: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20) If you haven't accepted Christ as your own personal Saviour, why don't you open your heart's door to the Lord today before it is shut forever?
There were a couple events worth noting during this church age. Charles Spurgeon preached faithfully during this time period, 1854 AD. Also to note in 1855, Dwight L. Moody, a humble shoe salesman in Chicago, was converted to Christianity. Moody, along with Finney and hymn writer Ira Sankey, held revival meetings in urban areas. This church age lasted only 68 years. All the other church ages lasted hundreds of years, except for Ephesus which closely lasted 67 years.
VERSE 8 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."
Here again, the Lord reminds every church age that He knows our works. He is always watching. And as we went over before, salvation is by grace, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, the Lord does want us to have 'good works'. We were put on this earth for two reasons. First to love and worship God. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Second, we are here to win souls to the Lord. It is our responsibility to tell others how to be saved. This is not just a preacher's job. It is ours. Look what the Lord says in Ezekiel 33:8-9: "When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." When you truly care about someone, you will warn them about hell. You will share with them how to be saved. There will be a very sad time in Heaven when we watch loved ones look at us and ask, 'why didn't you tell me?' as they are cast out into hell forever. Proverbs 11:30: "... he that winneth souls is wise."
The Lord opens doors for us to witness to others just like He did for the church age of Philadelphia: "I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it:" Why did the Lord hold open the door for witnessing for Him a little longer for the church of Philadelphia? He tells us right here in our verse: "for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." This church age did try with the 'little strength' they did have to live for the Lord. Because they kept His word and because they did not deny His precious name, the Lord gave them more opportunity to live and witness to others for Him. It is an honor to witness for the Lord. This church age did not have as many notable Christians living for God as the previous church of Sardis, but they did have a few famous Christians like Charles Spurgeon, Dwight L. Moody, and Ira Stankey. Men of God who lived for Him with all their hearts. You can be a witness for God today. It's not easy, but it is rewarding. Just look at this next verse!
VERSE 9 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."
Let's first look at the little word "Behold" . The dictionary definition for behold is: 'To fix the eyes upon; to see with attention; to observe with care'. The Lord is telling us to PAY ATTENTION! To LOOK and SEE what is going to happen! This is serious stuff. God says: "I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie" . The Lord says He is going to judge those people who are lying about being Jews. We can apply this also to people today who say they are Christians, but truly are not. They are lying to themselves. Even though these people worshipped in the synagogues (or churches), Jesus called them imposters. He actually called them liars. Look what God says He will do with religious people... "I will make them of the synagogue of Satan". In other words, they blindly are in Satan's realm. Unless they truly repent of their sins and accept Christ as their own personal Saviour, they will continue to be a member of Satan's synagogue.
Let's continue on with the second half of this verse. It says again "Behold". Again, God is saying pay attention, this is important. The Lord is saying this to you: "I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." Now, please do not get confused on this. God is not going to let them worship you. He says so in His Word. In Matthew 4:10, Christ says: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Then in Revelation 19:10, we see that the angel would not allow anyone to bow at his feet. When John, who penned down Revelation for us, fell at the angel's feet, the angel rebuked him and told John to "Worship God". The only feet that God permits us to bow to is His Son's feet. This second half of the verse is letting us know that we will be standing beside our Saviour. These unsaved people will be bowing at the Saviour's feet. These people will see you standing beside the Lord. They will see how much Jesus loves you by the nail scars in His feet, and the privilege to stand beside the Saviour. They will definitely know that you are loved by the Lord when they bow at His presence in front of you as you stand beside your Saviour. You will be right there as they bow. They will bow down right before your eyes ... right "before thy feet."
VERSE 10 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
We can see here that the Lord does indeed keep an eye on us. He knew that this church age "kept the word of my patience". "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:12). The Lord is commending the church for keeping His commandments, and having their faith strong in Jesus. "And this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ..." (1 John 3:23). John 6:29 says: "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent." The church of Philadelphia kept God's Word. Do you? Do you read God's Word daily?
Because the church age of Philadelphia kept His Word, the Lord makes a promise. He promises to keep Christians "from the hour of temptation". God makes a promise to all His children in 1 Corinthians 10:13: "...but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians is showing us that in our day to day lives, God will help us with our temptations. God gives us power over sin in our lives IF we ask Him. However, our verse here in Revelation is also referring to a specific time. God refers here to "the hour". 'The hour' that our Lord is referring to in this verse is the Tribulation time. Proof = the rest of the verse: "the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." This 'hour' is coming upon the whole world. The Tribulation Period, with the reign of the antichrist, will try 'test' them that are alive on the earth during this time. We will be studying this in just a few chapters, but let's talk about how God is going to keep the church from "the hour", from the Tribulation Time, a time of literal hell on earth. Famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, diseases, wars, and the list goes on about what is to come.
Because the Lord loves His church so much that He had died for us, our Lord promises to keep us from this 'hour' of horror. Here is what God's Word says about God keeping us from this 'hour':
"But I would not have you to be ignorant (God wants us to know), brethren, concerning them which are asleep (saved dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus (dead, in Heaven) will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent thm which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)
"Having made known unto us (God wants us to know) the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven (dead saints), and which are on earth; even in Him." (Ephesians 1:9-10)
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
These verses tell us how God is going to keep Christians from the Tribulation Period. We know it as the 'Rapture'. The Lord is going to use a process, like He used for Enoch and Elijah, called the Rapture. The definition for Rapture is: "The state of being transported. The transporting of a person from one place to another." Just like Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) never died (they were physically transported directly up to Heaven), so likewise shall those Christians who are alive just before the Tribulation be 'raptured' (transported) up to Heaven. Jesus says here: "I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation". The Lord will take Christians off of this earth to 'keep' them from going through the Tribulation Period. Those who have not accepted Christ as their Saviour will be left behind. Then the Great Tribulation will begin.
VERSE 11 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
There were three things that the church of Philadelphia had that the Lord mentioned in Verses 7 and 8 of this chapter. They are: (1) They were witnessing for the Lord. They had an open door of opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus and they were doing it. As long as they were telling others about Him, the Lord would not let the door close. (2) They kept His Word. That means they studied it and tried their best to obey it. (3) They never denied the Lord's name. They were not embarrassed to tell others about how He had died on the cross for sins. They stood strong even when threatened, imprisoned, or even put to death. They would not deny their Lord Jesus. Jesus tells us to hold fast to these things. This earth is actually a testing ground for Christians. It is here on earth that we have the opportunity to serve Jesus. This is where the crowns come in. Are we serving our Saviour well enough that He will present us with a crown, or will we not have a crown in Heaven because we did not do our best for our Lord? This is up to you. You have the opportunity to earn your crown as long as you are alive on this earth. Time is short.
1 Corinthians 9:24 says: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." Run your race for the Lord because He says: "Behold, I come quickly".
VERSE 12 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."
There are exciting promises in this verse! First we need to remember that the Lord is talking to His church. How do we "overcome"? How did the church of Phildelphia "overcome"? Revelation 12:11 tells us: "And they overcame ... by the blood of the Lamb". A pillar in this verse refers to someone who has a responsible position. Could you imagine being a 'pillar' in God's temple? Someone that has a special position in the Lord's house?! A special supporter of His temple. A pillar is strong and stable. A pillar stands firm. Our verse here says: "and he shall go no more out:" Pillars are secure and no one can move them. Psalm 148:6 says: "He hath also stablished them for ever and ever".
Not only is our Lord going to make His church pillars, but He is also going to write three things upon us. First, He will write upon us the name of God. When someone accepts Christ as their own personal Saviour, they are now God's child. They are now in God's family. Just like an adoption of a child, their last name is changed, so is it with us when we become part of God's family. Our new name is now Christian. We are a child of God.
Secondly, the Lord is going to write Christians' names upon the 'deed' to new Jerusalem. We will have an eternal home in the city of God. We will have inherited God's city through His Son, and He is going to make sure our name is written in God's city. And thirdly, the Lord is going to give His children a new name. This refers to a personal relationship with our Lord. What an honor!
Now there are two more exciting things hidden in this verse. First, notice that the Lord Jesus is the one doing the speaking, not John. Notice that Jesus says "my God" four times. This show the deity of Christ: God the Son and God the Father. Remember we covered this in Chapter 1, verse 6. The trinity, which is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, are three. The deity refers to God the Father and God the Son, two. It is so inspiring here to see Jesus calling His Father, His God.
The last thing I would like to share with you about this verse is really going to amaze you. It is the part that says: "new Jerusalem (the city of God), cometh down out of Heaven from God". In July, 2020, UFO enthusiasts were speculating about strange NASA photos. Scientists were able to snap the closest pictures yet with detailed shots of our sun. They were breathtaking images of the sun. The photos show the shadow an enormous cube in space. There is a lot of speculations about this cube. I would like to share a thought ...
Scientists verified that this is indeed a 'cube'. A cube is a solid shape in which all the sides are the same size. Each of the sides are the same length, height, and breadth. Now, let's go to Revelation 21:10: "... and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God," Verse 12 here that we are studying also says: "new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God." Let's now see the shape of new Jerusalem that is to come down out of heaven - space. God tells us the exact size in Revelation 21:16: "And the city (new Jerusalem) lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." A cube! It is happening right before our telescopes, but most people don't realize it. Most scientists don't understand it. We will be studying more about new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven when we get to Chapter 21. Remember, God reveals ... not conceals. God's Bible is tomorrow's newspaper, and it's exciting! We have more exciting verses next for we are now entering into the very last church age, the one we are living in now. And new Jerusalem is right there on the horizon ready for us to dwell in! We are now going to study our current church age...
VERSE 13 : (Chapter 3)
Philadelphia
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
The Lord closed the church age of Philadelpha, which lasted from about 1798 - 1866, saying:
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Now let's go on to see what the Lord is going to say to the very last church age, the church age of Laodicea ... in which you and I are living right now!
Laodicea
VERSE 14 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"
Here is where we REALLY NEED to pay attention. The church age of Laodicea is our church age. It is now 2024. Our church age started around 1866. There are no other church ages to come. This is the last one. We are the very last church age. That means that the Rapture could definitely happen any day now. We have a very limited time to win souls for our Saviour. Remember, those who do not get saved before the Rapture will be going through the awful Tribulation. No one should ever want that for anybody, but it is going to happen. God's Word says so. Let's see what has all gone on in our church age, and what is to come.
At the beginning of our verse here, we see our Lord speaking again: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;" God is not writing this for Himself. He is writing this for US. He wants us to know. That is why He has given us His Word. That is why He wrote Revelation for us. He is revealing to us what is about to happen! We are living in the End Times!
First, He wants us to have confidence in Him. If we don't have confidence in the Lord, then how can we believe His Word? The Lord gives us His credentials here, so let's look at them first. He says: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" Notice that the word Amen is capitalized. That indicates that Amen is another name for the Lord. He is the Great Amen. Amen is also the very last word in the Bible. Jesus always has the last word, and rightly so! Amen also means 'So Be It'. In other words, it's set in stone. It is going to take place. Jesus is described here also as "the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" Jesus is the true and faithful witness. 1 John 5:9 says: "for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son." Jesus even said in John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."
Then we see, "the beginning of the creation of God:" Jesus was in the beginning of creation. We see this in Genesis 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:" We also see proof of Jesus being in the beginning with God in the gospel of John, Chapter 1. Jesus is also called the Word. Let's read verses 1-3 of Chapter 1 of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Deity), The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." Verse 14 clarifies this: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (Jesus), (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Yes, Jesus was in the beginning with God and He is in the end! Look at Revelation 22:13: Jesus says: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." The Lord is indeed the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega, and He is telling us what He is going to do and what He wants you to do ... now we are going to study all about it!
Next we see that God knows our 'works'. In other words, God sees everything we do, both the good and bad things.
"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot."
VERSE 15 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
God is talking to us, US, those of us who are alive on the earth before the Rapture. He tells us that He knows our works. Remember, works do not save us. They are the fruit of our Salvation. In other words, our works show others we are Christians. People cannot see into our hearts, they look at our actions. Do your actions show Christ? Can they tell you are a Christian? Are you witnessing to them so they can be saved? God says in this verse that He "would thou wert cold or hot". What God is saying here is that He would rather have us on 'fire' for Him or be absolutely cold. Why? Well, if we are on 'fire' for our Lord, we would be glorifying Him. We would be showing forth good works that please Him. If we are absolutely cold, then God would remove us. He tells us this in 1 John 5:16: "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death:" Yes, if a Christian refuses to live for the Lord and brings shame upon the Lord's name, yes, the Lord will take that person home to heaven. This person does not lose his salvation, for salvation is not of works, but by the precious blood of Jesus that He already shed for him. But this Christian will have a shorter life. Proverbs 29:1 states: "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed," 1 Corinthians 5:5 commands: "To deliver such an one (a Christian who is not living for the Lord) unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." Just like we previously studied in Revelation 2:2, we all must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account of what we did while we were on this earth. God does not want to take us off this earth early. He wants us to use every moment to glorify Him by winning souls. Proverbs 11:30 says: "he that winneth souls is wise." Let's see how many loved ones we can win for our Saviour during this last church age.
So guess what God is going to do to Christians that are "neither cold nor hot" ? He tells us in the very next verse!
VERSE 16 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
So what is a "lukewarm" Christian? These are saved people. Remember, Christ is talking to His churches here, not the unsaved. Christ is talking to those who have accepted Him as their Saviour. So why is God calling them "lukewarm"? Let me give you an example of a "lukewarm" Christian's normal day:
The lukewarm Christian awakes in the morning. He never thanks the Lord for the good night's sleep or the safety while he slept. This lukewarm Christian gets his morning coffee, maybe breakfast too, and never stops to even thank His Heavenly Father for it. He does not read his Bible in the morning before his day starts. The lukewarm Christian hustles off to work, school, or other duties without even thinking of asking the Lord for safety. The lukewarm Christian finishes his workday and goes home for dinner and relaxation. He does not ask God to bless his dinner. Then he turns on his tv as he indulges in program after program without one thought to his Saviour. Then he makes his way to bed with no thought of God, just to repeat the whole process in the morning. This goes on all week as he looks forward to the weekend. However, when the weekend comes, there is no thought of God or church. Maybe once a year, he may consider going to church on Easter or perhaps to see a Christmas program, but that's all at the most. Now watch this lukewarm Christian as something tragic happens in his life. Wow, all of a sudden he becomes 'spiritual'! He starts praying. He says God will help. This lukewarm Christian does not want anything to do with God UNTIL he feels that he needs God to do something for him. Sadly, this is most Christians today.
This is what God says here about lukewarm Christians:
"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
Wow! God wants to vomit lukewarm Christians up. The definition for 'spue' is "To expel or eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth." That is really disgusting! But like it or not, that is exactly what God says here that He feels like doing to some of us.
Joshua 24:15 says: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve;"
Either get on 'fire' for God or get spued out of His mouth! Again, the choice is yours.
VERSE 17 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"
This verse here gives us two main points. First, the Lord says: "Because". This indicates that because lukewarm Christians are this way, He is going to do something about it. The second point is that God tells lukewarm Christians their real condition in hopes that they will repent and get on fire for the Lord.
Look at how Christ describes lukewarm Christians. Lukewarm Christians chase after riches. Some lukewarm Christians may try getting advancement or more pay in the work world. Other's feel they have to have the prestige vehicles and houses. Millions of people buy lottery tickets in hope of 'winning big'. Round and round this lifestyle goes: houses, cars, clothes, shoes, lawnmowers, etc. The list goes on and it is sad that Christians are caught up in this! Proverbs 11:28 says: "He that trusteth in his riches shall fall ..." It is not wrong to have nice things, but it is wrong to make them the main objects in your life and put God last.
Next, the Lord points out the true condition of lukewarm Christians. He says: "thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ..." Lukewarm Christians usually don't realize their true condition. Wretched means a very unfortunate condition. Miserable because their hearts can never be satisfied with worldly material. Poor, not financially, but poor in the knowledge and love of Christ (Ephesians 3:19). Blind. Blinded by material things. Blinded by Satan: "In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds..." (2 Corinthians 4:4). And naked. Without the covering from God. "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (Psalm 91:4).
The next verse tells lukewarm Christians how to fix this problem of lukewarmness...
VERSE 18 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
First, for the remedy of lukewarmness, is to first "buy of me (Jesus) gold tried in the fire."" This verse does not say to buy FROM Jesus, it says OF. Big difference. This is why you do not mess with the King James Bible. Every single word is extremely important. The Lord is not saying, 'come to me and I'll sell you some gold'. Jesus is saying He is the gold. He is the Precious One and He is the One that went through the 'fiery trials' for us. Only He can offer you the gift of Salvation because He died on the cross for us. No one else could have done that. No one else can offer us this precious, golden Gift of eternal life through Christ. But you must ask for it. Jesus "counsels" people to 'buy' of Him. Lukewarm Christians need to read James 1:5: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." The first step to remedy lukewarmness is to get on your knees before your Saviour.
When you do this you will become 'rich' in faith. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9). The Lord Jesus came down to earth as a poor carpenter to die for our sins so that He can give us eternal life and the most beautiful eternal home ever imagined! Jesus says in John 14:2: "In my Father's house are many mansions: ... I go to prepare a place for you."
Next we read about 'white raiment'. Raiment is a robe. The white robe shows purity. The Lord Jesus washed us pure, by His blood, when we accepted Him as our Saviour. Revelation 7:14 says that their robes were made white in the blood of the Lamb. And verse 13 of Revelation 7 says that saints are clothed in white robes. We will be studying these verses soon, but right now I just want to reference that white robes are a definite covering given to saints by the Saviour to signify that they belong to Christ.
Our Lord explains why we must have a white robe ... "that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;" The Lord tells us a parable about this in Matthew 22:11-14: "And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Please make sure you have Christ's white robe on. Make sure you are saved. Tell the Lord you are sorry for your sins and ask Him to be your Saviour. Don't chance it. Don't be caught without a white robe.
The last part of Verse 18, advises us to "anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." In Psalm 119:18, the Psalmist says: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Pray and ask God to open your spiritual eyes. Luke 11:34 reminds us that: "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness."
VERSE 19 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
God's Word says in Hebrews 12:5b-6: "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thu art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."
Our parents corrected us when we were growing up because they love us and want better things for us. This is how God is with His children. God does not correct us to be mean to us. He chastises us because He loves us. He is shaping us into His character. Sometimes it's hard to go through, but it is worth it in the end.
VERSE 20 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
In ancient times, the doors to Jewish homes were very small. It was usually necessary to stoop, or crawl, into the home. The doors were made small in order to keep out many wild animals which roamed the country.
The Lord Jesus stands at every person's 'door'. Jesus knocks on everyone's heart's door. Our hearts may be little or hard, but Jesus still knocks. There is not one person in this whole world that Jesus has not knocked on their heart's door. Titus 2:11 confirms this: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." When unsaved people stand before God on their judgment day, they can never say they were never told about Christ and salvation. They will have no excuse. Jesus knocks on everyone's heart.
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Not only does our Lord knock on people's hearts' doors, He even calls to them. He really wants in. Look at our verse here: "hear my voice". You couldn't hear the Lord's voice if He didn't call out. The Lord is knocking and calling for all people to get saved. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." How does someone do that? The Lord tells us right here ... "open the door". This simply means to open your heart's door and ask Christ to come in. Ask Jesus to come in and be your Saviour. When you do that, Jesus says: "I will come in" ! Jesus even says here that He "will sup with him, and he with me." Can you imagine that?! You will have sweet fellowship with your Saviour! He says so right here!
We also must remember here that the Lord is also talking to His church, to Christians. Yes, sometimes Christians shut their hearts' doors and don't want to hear from their Saviour. A lot of Christians do not want to live for their Saviour. They don't read their Bibles or go to church. Some Christians can have their door closed so tight that other people don't even know that person is a Christian. God is knocking and calling His children to open their hearts up to Him. He wants to have fellowship with us and give us blessings. The Lord goes on to give us a fantastic promise in the very next verse!
VERSE 21 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne."
Wow! What a powerful verse. Can you imagine sitting down with your Saviour in His throne?! Honestly, I feel much too unworthy for that; however, Jesus does make this promise to those "that overcometh". Remember what we just covered in Verse 11 of this chapter? "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." (1 Corinthians 9:24). I encourage you, get in the race of serving our Saviour. Run your very best. Give your all to your Saviour. You will be rewarded. In Matthew 16:27, Jesus confirms this when He said "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works."
VERSE 22 : (Chapter 3)
Laodicea
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
We are now at the end of the seven church ages. The Lord has said: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." The Lord said this statement at the end of every church age. (See Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22.) The Lord has asked every church age, every generation, over and over to "hear" what He is saying. We are now near the end of the very last church age. There are no more church ages. We are nearing the time of the Rapture, which we studied in Revelation 3:10. We can see how close we are to the Rapture by the events that are taking place today. Remember some of the signs we studied in Revelation 1:3. Major end time signs are centered on Israel. Israel is God's chosen people. It is to Israel where the Messiah came first. It is Israel that the majority of the Bible is written about, and it is upon Israel that Satan will come up against for his last battle. Look at the wars that are taking place now. Look at the severe weather which God controls and uses for His judgment like He did the flood. Zephaniah 2:5 says: "Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast..." Look at the hurricanes, floods, and tsunamis. Look at all the volcanic activity. Isaiah 5:14 "Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure:" Daniel 12:4 says: "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Look at today's airports, traffic jams, and train speeds. Look at today's AI's, Artificial Intelligence. Take a long look at the ushering in of the cashless society. Why? Because this will be how the Beast will control the buying and selling of everything, especially food. Did you know that there is a supercomputer located in the headquarters of the European Commission in the Berlaymont building, in Brussels Belgium? It takes up three floors of the building and is called the Beast. Today in 2024, AI's are also being called 'Active Inference agents'. It is being anticipated that AI's will shortly be able to learn on their own from any dataset. That they will soon reason, plan and adapt to any situation. Yes, indeed, we are on the edge of the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation Period. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17). The Bible is telling us here that Christians will be going through some very rough times. Jesus answered the disciples' questions about the 'end times' in Matthew 24:3-14, "And as He (Jesus) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famine, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Ad because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Are you ready??? Remember ... "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Revelation 3:22
We are now at the End of the Church Age.
The Rapture is to take place.
Then starts the Tribulation Time ...
CHAPTER 4
VERSE 1 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter."
This verse starts with "After this". After what??? After the church ages. John had finished writing down everything regarding the seven church ages. John looks up. The Church Age has come to an end. Now John sees "a door was opened in heaven". This was not just an ordinary door. It was a door that was open.
The Angel talks to John. John recognizes the Angel's voice. John says it is "the first voice which I heard". God calls us through His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes into our hearts when we ask the Lord to save us. The Holy Spirit is the One Who guides us: "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth ... He will shew you things to come" (John 16:13).
It is the same voice that directed John on writing down about the seven church ages. John says the Angel's voice sounded like a "trumpet talking" to him. That's pretty loud. This Angel invites John to "Come up hither". The Lord's own words say: "Come unto me," (Matthew 11:28). The Angel says, "I will shew thee things". God is revealing this room to us. God used John to show the world what is going to happen. God had John write it down in His Word, the Bible. We are about to peek into this room. It is totally amazing!
VERSE 2 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne."
First, John says "immediately I was in the spirit". John was transported from the earthly realm to the spiritual realm. At the event of the Rapture, we will immediately be transported from this earthly home to our heavenly home. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52). Remember we studied this in Revelation 3:10.
There are three examples that I can recall that demonstrates a type of the Rapture. They are:
1. Enoch: (Genesis 5:24) "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."
2. Elijah: Elijah was walking and talking to Elisha: "And it came pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." (2 Kings 2:11)
3. Jesus: (Acts 1:9) "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight."
The next part we see in Verse 2 is that John saw "a throne was set in heaven". Let's put Verse 1 and 2 together for a moment so we can get a better mental picture. Imagine John standing on the Isle of Patmos. He first hears a very loud 'trumpet'. He realizes it is the Lord speaking to him. John obeys and writes everything down about the seven church ages as instructed by the 'Angel'. After he finishes writing about the church ages, John looks up. To his amazement, he sees a door open in Heaven. Put yourself in John's shoes. How would you feel? What would you think?! Seeing a door in Heaven is amazing enough, but the door opened. (See verse 1 above of Chapter 4: "a door was opened".) It was not an open door at this time. John saw the door open. I don't know about you, but not knowing what is behind a door can be frightening. I imagine a door that is seeping around the seams with bright beams of extreme light trying to break through. Perhaps like the world's largest welder being used, and you need strong protective eyewear just to enter the room where the welding is being done.
So here is John, seeing this. Witnessing the over-powering light pushing against the heavenly door. And if this isn't enough, the Lord calls: "Come up hither, and I will shew thee things" ! I'm not sure if I would want to approach that door, let alone see these "things"! In my mind, this would be quite terrifying. I would definitely be scared. But the Angel is a comfort. He says that He will show John these things. In other words, the Lord will be right there alongside John explaining these "things which MUST be hereafter." (Verse 1). And "immediately" John was escorted to the Heavenly Door.
When the door opened, this is what John saw: "a throne was set in heaven". This throne is the most majestic throne ever imaginable in the whole universe. This throne displays divine power and rule. Rule over everything. Everything on earth and everything in Heaven. We have all seen judges, even on tv. Courtrooms are to be respected. We are never to disrespect the judge especially when he is seated in his courtroom. What he says in his courtroom is enforced. There is a certain amount of fear and respect. The courtroom itself does not necessarily hold the respect, it is the judge himself. John saw the 'Judge' of Heaven sitting on His Heavenly Throne, "and one sat on the throne". John is seeing the King of kings, the Judge of all judges. He sees God Almighty. The very next verse describes our Judge and King.
VERSE 3 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."
In this heavenly scene, we get a glimpse of an appearance of the Lord. John equates Him to pure gems; He "was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone". Many scholars differ about the Jasper. The Hebrew word, Yahalom means a diamond and appears to be connected to the word hallamish meaning a flint, a very hard rock, and possibly white. Diamonds are known for their hardness. The Aramaic word Peshitta is also translated as a "diamond". And lastly, there is a Spanish Jewish scholar named Abraham ibn Ezra, that said 'Yahalom' (jasper) was a white stone. We have three different areas of expertise, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Spanish Jewish, suggesting that a jasper was a white color diamond. The diamond jasper here in our verse represents the purity, holiness, and judgment of God. Jeremiah 17:1 reads: "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;" Only Jesus, the Diamond, can write upon our hard, sinful hearts. The diamond shines brighter than any other gemstone. The Lord outshines everything.
The sardine stone is described as a blood-red color. This represents the precious blood that our Saviour shed on Calvary. It is very appropriate that John defined our Lord as being most precious, shining above all with the hardness to judge all; yet, merciful to those who will accept His blood to cover their sins.
The beauty of the Diamond and Sardine Gem is enhanced by the spectrum of continuous Light of the rainbow encircling God's throne: "and there was a rainbow round about the throne". The beauty is indescribable!
The rainbow is not an arch. It is actually a full circle ... a ring. It's a beautiful ring comprising of seven main colors. Each color gently fades into the color next to it. The rainbow encircles "round about the throne" of God. Just as God has no end, so the rainbow has no end. It is continuous. It has no end. This indicates that God's promise to never send a flood again, to destroy all mankind, will never end. This promise is found in Genesis 9:11-16: "And I (God) will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I wll look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."
These verses in Genesis reveal to us why there is a rainbow. God put the rainbow around His throne and around the earth as the remembrance of His promise to us. So when you look upon a rainbow, remember God made a promise to us forever. Thank Him.
Some people may think within themselves that there are still floods on our earth. True, but no flood will ever come that will wipe out the entire human population. God used the flood waters in Noah's time because "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart." (Genesis 6:5-6). Even today, we grieve God's heart. Yet, God promises to never wipe out all of mankind by using a worldwide flood. I cannot comprehend God's patience with us. When we look at the rainbow, let us remember the Lord's judgment on the earth. Remember, His great grace to us today and remember to thank Him. I truly hope that you have accepted the Lord into your heart and that you will endeavor to have the righteous thoughts that God watches for. The fire is coming.
The last part of our verse here, Verse 3, says: "in sight like unto an emerald." An emerald is a beautiful lush green gem. There is not a gem that is greener. The emerald has the characteristic of comfort. It is so fitting that God would have emerald green near the rainbow as a comfort. A comfort to Him as He looks down upon our earth and watches all the evil taking place, and a comfort to us. The Lord is our Comforter. So when you look around you and see heartaches and troubles, think on God sitting on His majestic throne, looking at the same rainbow that you see, and reach up to Him.
VERSE 4 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold."
As we peer into the majestic throne room of God, we can see through this scripture that there are 24 seats around God's throne. Notice here, that at this time, they are called 'seats'. This was written so we would be certain that God only occupies His throne.
The Lord does not just leave us hanging, nor does He want us to think that these 'seats' are empty. God reveals to us that the seats are occupied. He tells us that there are "four and twenty elders sitting". These are not just 24 old men. God's Word gives indication of who these 24 elders are. First, an 'elder' in the Bible usually referred to Jewish rulers. We see this in the Old Testament in Ruth 4:2, Exodus 3:16, and Leviticus 4:15. In the New Testament, we also see that elders were the rulers and leaders in Acts 11:30; Matthew 15:2, Luke 7:3 and there are a lot more verses.
In the Old Testament there were 12 Jewish tribes, rulers. These twelve tribes are the twelve sons of Jacob. This is vital because God kept His promise of the Messiah through the tribe of Judah.
Here is a chart, which can be found in "Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines" that shows the 12 Tribes of Israel. Each tribe was a son of Jacob. Each tribe has it's own. special color stone. The twelve precious stones were inlaid on the breastplate that the high priest wore. Each stone on the breastplate was inscribed with the name of it's tribe. Now, if you cross reference this information with Revelation 21:12, which is describing New Jerusalem, it tells us that there are 12 gates and each gate is named after each of the twelve tribes of Israel. So here we have 12 of the 24 elders that are sitting on these "seats".
Now we are going to discover the other 12 elders! Look at Revelation 21:14:
"And the wall of the city (New Jerusalem) had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
According to Revelation 21, we have verification that the 12 tribes of Israel are represented on the 12 gates in New Jerusalem with their colored stone on each gate. We also have verification that the 12 apostles are 12 foundations, and each foundation has the name of each apostle that Jesus had hand picked Himself.
So when you add 12 plus 12, it equals 24. The "four and twenty elders" . Jesus said this to His twelve apostles in Luke 22:29-30: "And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath apointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
All 24 of these "elders" will be "clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." What a scene! There is much more to see in this Heavenly room; lightenings, thunders, and four creatures!! Keep reading!
VERSE 5 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God."
We know that thunder and lightning precedes a storm. God Almighty is showing us here that there is coming a very serious storm. God is announcing the storm of all storms. The storm is about to begin and this storm is going to last seven years.
God is showing us in this verse that the storm is coming directly from His throne. Psalm 144:5-6 says: "Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them."
God is revealing to us what He is going to do. Look ahead at Revelation 16:18: "And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." This is going to be one frightening storm. Thunder is regarded as Jehovah's voice and divine power. "And the LORD shall cause His glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of His arm, with the indignation of His anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones." (Isaiah 30:30).
Proverbs 9:10 says: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom". Wisdom starts with asking Christ into your hearts and for forgiveness of sins. It would be very wise to be saved now instead of having to face His wrath.
The second part of Revelation 4:5 says: "and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." The Lord reveals to us right away that these seven lamps of fire are the seven Spirits of God. We read about the seven Spirits first in Revelation 1:4b: "from the seven Spirits which are before His throne". (You can review this in our previous study of Revelation 1.) We also learned in our previous study that, at the end of every church age, God said: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
I believe that these seven Spirits are indeed the same seven Spirits of God which God used for each one of the church ages. Remember what God said to each church age? "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." So taking the whole picture in, we can see the seven Spirits of God with each church age. We see the seven Spirits of God around His throne in our current verse (Revelation 4:5), and we will see these seven Spirits of God in Revelation 5:6b sent forth into all the earth: "which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
In conclusion to this verse, we see the seven Spirits of God:
1. With the seven church ages - Chapters 1-3;
2. Before the throne of God - Revelation 4:5;
3. Sent forth into all the earth - Revelation 5:6
VERSE 6 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind."
In front of God's throne is a sea of glass as beautiful as a crystal. A single crystal has atoms in a near-perfect periodic arrangement. It is composed of many microscopic crystals. They are also known as types of glass. Polycrystals are rocks. Jesus is our Rock. He is pure crystal. We must stand upon His salvation alone.
Picture the throne of God facing this beautiful sea of glass. Glass is clear. You can see through it. God is on His throne in Heaven. He faces this sea of glass. There are three verses in Revelation to show that it is the saints that come through the Great Tribulation that will be standing on this sea of glass before God's throne. These Tribulation saints will be before God's throne throughout eternity.
Revelation 15:2 says: "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." These saints had gotten victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark. These Tribulation saints will be standing on God's sea of glass before His throne.
Revelation 7:14-15 states: "...These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."
Revelation 20:4 shows us this same scene in Heaven: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them (these are the 24 elders sitting), and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
People who get saved during the Great Tribulation will endure unimaginable tortures from Satan himself. Yes, we that are alive now may endure hardships, famines, tortures, and even death but those will not be able to be compared to the horrific trials that the tribulation saints will face. It is very important for people to be saved now. Remember, if you do not accept Christ as your Saviour now, you will not be part of the Rapture. You will not be spared from the Great Tribulation. And you may never get saved because Satan will be on the loose. His power is greater than yours. It is only by God's magnificent grace that some people will be saved during the Great Tribulation.
The last part of our verse here says: "and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind". These beings are noted for being "full of eyes before and behind". This means they have many, many eyes all over them. This gives them great ability to see in every direction. The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth". God says in Jeremiah 16:17: "For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes." Everything you and I do, God sees. Nothing is hid from Him, even when we try to hide it.
In the next few verses, God is going to describe what these beasts look like ...
VERSE 7 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle."
The Lord is very detailed. He wants us to be clear on what He is sharing with us. Remember, we are studying Revelation = to reveal. To reveal what? We answered this in Revelation 1:1: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass". The whole Bible was written from Genesis to Revelation to give glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. These four same beasts were mentioned way back around BC 595 in the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 1:10 says: "As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox (calf) on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle." Ezekiel was written about 700 years before the book of Revelation!
These four beast, that surround the throne, give honor to God the Father. These four beasts represent the attributes of Jesus Christ. It is the Lord Jesus Whom Revelation reveals. Here, in these four creatures, we will see the Lord Jesus represented. Let's look at each beast.
"The first beast was like a lion". It says, like a lion. One of our Saviour's attributes is that He is referred to as The Lion. The Lord Jesus is referred to as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda" in Revelation 5:5.
Here are some characteristics of
Jesus as the Lion:
1. Bravery ... He is brave. There is no one stronger than the Lord (Psalm 24:8)
2. The Hunter ... The Lord Jesus hunts for lost souls. (Luke 19:10)
3. Willing to Fight ... He fought Satan in the wilderness (Mark 1:13)
4. Protective ... Jesus is our hiding place and Shield (Psalm 119:114)
Image by Wirestock on Freepik
We go on to read in our verse "and the second beast like a calf". Keep in mind the words "like a". These beasts represent all the attributes of Jesus Christ. They are not a calf or a lion as we humans may picture them. Remember also that all four of these beasts are "full of eyes". They see everything.
A calf is the young of a herd. It feeds on milk and branches of trees. It is kept in a stall to fatten it up. A calf is offered in sacrifice when it is a year old. It is considered a delicacy. The calf was also worshipped.
This is the earthly picture of Christ as the Calf:
1. He was the young of the herd. He came as a babe in a manager and He was only 12 years old when He was in the Jewish temple with the elders asking them questions (Luke 2:46-47).
2. He feeds others on the "milk of the Word" (1 Peter 2:2 & 2 Timothy 2:15).
3. Jesus endured the "branches" of the tree as they whipped Him (Matthew 27:30).
4. He was imprisoned and He grew closer to His Heavenly Father (John 18:28).
5. As a calf was sacrificed, Jesus was sacrificed for our sins (Isaiah 53:7).
6. He is a 'delicacy', especially to God the Father when God said: "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17) Jesus should be a delicacy to us!
7. A calf was worshipped. Jesus will be worshipped by everyone, whether people want to or not. Philippians 2:10 says: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;"
"And the third beast had a face as a man". Jesus refers to Himself as "Son of Man" (Matthew 8:20 & 20:28). The Lord uses this title in all four gospels and "Son of Man" appears over 107 times in the Hebrew Bible. The Jews in Jesus' day understood that the title, "Son of Man", means the Messiah. When Jesus called Himself "the Son of Man", He was assuring the Jews that He is the Messiah prophesied throughout the Old Testament.
"Son of Man" illustrates the Lord God in human form. He came from Heaven, and was born and laid in a manager. This shows forth the Deity of our Lord. "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of anagels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:16).
The "Son of Man" came to this earth to die on the cross for our sins. He died for everyone, but only those people who receive Him into their hearts will go to Heaven. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, there were two thieves crucified on each side of Him (Luke 23:39-43). Luke calls these two men, 'malefactors' (verse 33 of Luke 23). These two men were 'bad' men in society. They were receiving capital punishment. They were given the death penalty. They were on death row. These two men were crucified alongside of Jesus - the one man on Jesus' right side, and the other on the left side of Jesus (Luke 23:33). This is why you may see three crosses sometimes at different places. One of these two men went to Heaven and the other did not. Why? The Bible tells us in Luke 23. The man on the right side of Jesus acknowledged his sins and asked Jesus to forgive him. Jesus replied to this man "Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
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The other man did not go to paradise because he did not ask Jesus to forgive him of his sins. If people do not ask Christ to forgive them of their sins, then they cannot go to 'paradise'. There is only one other place for them to go, and that is downward. Jesus preached more on Hell than He did on Heaven because He tries to warn people about it. God doesn't want anyone to go there. But it is totally up to each individual.
"and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle." An eagle is known for it's ability to soar to great heights with strength and grace. An eagle has keen vision. It can see miles beyond our immediate area. And an eagle can skillfully navigate through turbulent winds.
The Attributes of Jesus like an eagle:
1. Jesus provides strength and grace. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you;" (2 Corinthians 9:8)
2. The Lord sees beyond our immediate areas. He sees everything. (Hebrews 4:13) "...all things are naked and opened unto with the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do."
3. Jesus navigates us through turbulent winds of time. "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust:" (Psalm 91:4)
The four gospels, the first four books of the New Testament, also reveal these attributes of Christ:
Matthew - King of kings; Mark - The Servant; Luke - Son of Man; John - Son of God.
VERSE 8 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come."
Here is a description of the creatures that God has around His throne. These are creatures that God created. The Lord is revealing to us how majestic His throne room is. These creatures have a very special job. They can see everywhere and they never sleep. They continually give glory and honor to God Almighty. These creatures sing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, day and night. We need to sing and give glory and praise to God day and night.
Let's think a little bit more on these four creatures. These creatures each have six wings. The six wings can remind us of the six days in which God created the heavens and the earth. Yes, they sing out the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but let's look at the number of the creatures - four. Here are a few thoughts on the number four for you to ponder:
1) On the fourth day of creation (Genesis 1:14-19), God created our solar system which constitutes our four seasons.
2) The four directions - North, East, West, and South - spell out the Good NEWS of the Gospel of Christ.
3) Psalm 107 contains the phrase, "Oh that men would praise the Lord" four times.
4) There were four main types of sacrifices in the Old Testament - burnt offering, sin offering, trespass offering and peace offering (Leviticus Chapters 1 - 7).
5) When Jesus was crucified, the Roman soldiers divided His clothes into four parts (John 19:23).
6) Lazarus was raised from the dead on the fourth day (John 11:39).
7) There are four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke & John - all tell of how Jesus gave His life for all who will receive Him, the Messiah.
Now, let's put these seven points together. God created everything precisely. Any time during the four seasons is a great time to accept Christ as your Saviour (2 Corinthians 6:2). God tells us the Good NEWS of His Salvation - North, East, West, South = NEWS. Look around you (John 1:3; Romans 1:20). "Oh that men would praise the Lord" Jesus became our Sacrifice. He was crucified for us and gave His all, even the clothes on His back. Jesus was definitely resurrected from the dead and was seen by over 500 people that day (1 Corinthians 15:3-7 "...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren AT ONCE") All this Good NEWS in found in all four of the Gospels. And this is why the four creatures sing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY!
Now we are going to see what happens when these four creatures sing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY ...
VERSE 9 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, Who liveth for ever and ever,"
These beasts here are referring to the four creatures in the previous verse, verse 8. Not only do these four creatures sing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, but they also "give glory and honour and thanks" to God. Do you? How often do you thank God? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Psalm 136:26 says: "O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mercy endureth for ever." We do not give enough thanks to our heavenly Father. How about giving Him glory and honour? Do you honour Him in all you do? How about glory? Do we give God glory or do we say we did it ourselves? Do we think we solve our own problems? Do we brag that we will pull up our shoelaces and march on? How sad. God says in John 15:5: "...for without Me ye can do nothing". It is really tragic that most people think they can 'fix' things themselves. Even on the news, when there is an earthquake or some 'natural' disaster, people boast 'we will all work together and fix it'. That's pride and that is leaving God out. That is not honoring or glorifying Him. Why do you think all these 'natural' disasters are happening? It is not by global warming or coincidence; it is God trying to get people to call on Him.
God is on His throne, not us. We need to give Him honour, glory, and thanks, just like the four beautiful creatures. If we refuse to give God His honour down here on earth, we definitely will give Him honour when we meet Him face to face as He sits on His throne in judgment.
When these four beasts give glory and honour and thanks to God, look what happens in the next verse.
VERSE 10 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,"
When the four beasts sing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, and give glory, honour, and thanks to God Almighty, those twenty-four elders that we learned about in verse 4 of this chapter (4), fall on their faces before God. They worship God. They give Him glory. They give Him honour. They thank Him!
Luke 17:12-17, Jesus documents what occurred when He went through Samaria and Galilee (verse 11). "And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God. And fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?"
Every one of us has the leprosy of sin. Psalm 51:10 says: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." When Jesus saves us, He cleans us like He did the ten lepers. However, only one gave Him thanks. Will you be like that one or will you be like the ten?
We also see what else these twenty-four elders did. Not only did they fall on their knees before God, not only did they give Him glory, honour, and thanks; but they "cast their crowns" before His throne. Their crowns were their most precious possession. They willingly cast them at the Lord's feet. Do you give your most precious possessions to the Lord? Do you lay everything you have at His feet? How many of us try to hold on to this world's goods? How many of us work harder for the paycheck than we do for our Lord? The Lord doesn't need your paycheck. God wants your most precious possession - the total surrender of your heart. Surrender your whole heart, your life, to Christ. He surrendered all His life for you.
VERSE 11 : (Chapter 4)
The Heavenly Scene
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."
This verse is what the twenty-four elders are saying as they fall before the Lord's throne. ONLY the Lord is worthy to receive glory, honour, and power. I think each and everyone of us have pride of some sort in our hearts. Jeremiah 17:9 states that: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked..." We should be asking God to cleanse this sin from us. Not one of us is worthy to receive any glory, honour, or power. Romans 3:23 states: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". ONLY God is worthy. Only the Lord is worthy "to receive glory and honour and power". In Chapter 5 we are going to see why the Lord is worthy.
This verse shows us exactly why God even created us. God created us for His pleasure. God created this world, the heavenly stars, this wonderful earth, all the plants and animals, and most of all, He created mankind. God created humans after His image! Genesis 1:26 verifies: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness". This verse also shows the deity of God the Father and God the Son when He is talking and using the words "us" and "our". But let's focus on why God created us. He created us for His pleasure. He created us because He wants to have communion with us. Genesis 3:8-9 talks about God walking in the Garden of Eden in the evening. We see that God is seeking and calling to Adam. God does that to us today. He seeks us and He calls out to us. He wants us to have sweet communion with Him. That is why He created us.
In the very next verse, we are going to see events unfold in Heaven as they prepare for the judgments that will be shortly executed upon our earth. The rapture has already taken place. How will those who are left on the earth for the following seven years be behaving? Perhaps spiritually sleeping. Definitely under Satan's influence.
CHAPTER 5
VERSE 1: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
In this verse, the apostle John is verifying again what he is seeing in Heaven. He says here that he " saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book". John sees God Almighty holding a book in His right hand. We covered the significance of the right hand in Chapter 1. Please refer to Revelation 1:16 for reference on the importance of the right hand of God. We also know from the previous verses that it is God sitting on the throne. So let's get right to the book that God is holding in His right hand.
Books have been around for many centuries.. A lot of people do not realize that. Many believe that the first man was very primitive, perhaps even a caveman. Some believe that mankind came from apes. These two views are very far from the real truth. The fact is that early mankind was super intelligent. Today we have computers to do the thinking, processing, and calculating for us. Humans were originally created with very great intelligence. Early civilizations built unprecedented pyramids. They studied stars, galaxies, and the telling of times without telescopes or compasses as we know them today. Early civilizations had built castles, towers, and beautiful palaces with no gas-powered machinery. How did they build the tower of Babel having to haul the extremely heavy boulders way up above the clouds? It was built in such perfect balance. It was built with great precision. Back then, people were indeed very intelligent. They were definitely not unintelligent. The fact is that mankind, centuries ago, were much more intelligent than we are today.
There is a book located at the Bulgaria National Museum of History that some people may deem as the oldest book in the world. It has six pages of 24-carat gold written in Etruscan script. Reports estimate that this book is about 2,500 years old. I do not know of anyone today who could articulate such beautiful carvings in gold as was done here over two thousand years ago! However, there is a book we can hold in our hands that was written over 3,500 years ago.
Around 1520 B.C., the book of Job was written by very early civilization. Even though the book of Job is placed 18th in the Bible index, it is the oldest book of the Bible. You can hold and read it anytime and see how intelligently written it is. These two books themselves verify that early civilization was very intelligent.
This is a very interesting book that God is holding in His right hand. Our verse states that it is written on both sides and that it is sealed with seven seals. Our books today are usually written on both sides, but to have a book sealed with seven seals makes it extremely important. Our court system seals documents which are of high importance or information which is not to be released until the proper time. This is true with the book God is holding. It is of high importance and it is not going to be unsealed (opened) until the proper time.
This 'book,' that is in the right hand of God, has seven seals. It has seven pages, written on the front and back sides, and each page is sealed with a separate seal. Each seal has to be opened in order. The seventh seal could not be unsealed until the first six seals, in their order, had been opened (see picture of scroll).
VERSE 2: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?"
Hand Penciled by 'M' @joker328007
The chief attributes of angels are strength and wisdom. Angels are also given the power to become visible to humans as God wills. Below are some characteristics of angels which I obtained from my study in my KJV Old Scoffield Study Bible. In my opinion, this is the best reference Bible. The original Old Scoffield Study Bible, Authorized King James Version, 1611 by Reverand Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, D.D. has innumerable cross references and notes that are inexhaustible. "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Romans 11:33). In Hebrews 1:4, Scoffield's notes share these characterizes of angels as follows:
1) Angels are exceedingly numerous. Matthew 26:53 mentions 12 legions of angels. One legion equals 6,000. That makes 12 legions of angels to equal 72,000 angels!
2) Their power is inconceivable. One angel of the LORD smote over 185,000 Assyrians in one night (2 Kings 19:35).
3) Their place is around the Throne of God. We will read about the voice of many angels (ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands), in Revelation 5:11.
4) Angels minister to the safety and well-being to those of us who are God's children. Hebrews 1:14 says that angels are "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation".
5) Angels observe us. 1 Corinthians 4:9b informs us that "...we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels..." This fact should influence our conduct. If we would remember that angels are watching us, we would probably behave better.
6) Angels carry those who are saved into Heaven (Luke 16:22). For over eight years, I served as a Hospice volunteer. I sat with people as they were actively dying. I usually sat alone at night. Yes, I could sense angels around the person if they were a Christian. And, yes, I could feel the presence of demons around those who were not Christians. Please make sure of your salvation. Angels and demons are very real.
7) Angels will accompany Christ at His Second Coming. Matthew 25:31 says: "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him". We will be studying the second coming later on in Revelation.
In this verse, we see this strong angel proclaiming and asking a question. In the early centuries, when a proclamation was made, it was made by one of the king's officers. This very strong angel is indeed one of God's officers. This angel's voice is sounding out like a trumpet. His voice can be heard throughout all of Heaven, earth, and even under the earth as this is verified in the very next verse. The question that this angel asks is "...Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?"
In verse 1 of this chapter, we just read about the book in the hand of God and it being sealed with seven seals. This strong angel is asking who can open the book. He wants to know if there is anyone who can unseal the seven seals.
In the very next verse, we will see if there is anyone who can open the seals. The angel looks throughout Heaven, earth, and under the earth.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon."
This strong angel looked everywhere for someone "worthy" to open the "book". No one in Heaven ... not the 24 elders nor any of the saints ... was worthy to open this book. No one on the earth was worthy and no one under the earth (those in hell) could open this book.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon."
John's heart was truly broken over this issue. Not only did John weep, but he wept much. Have you ever seen a man weep extremely? Perhaps at the loss of a very dear loved one? This shows John's heart was very broken because he "wept much". John was weeping because no one in the whole universe was worthy to open the book, not even himself. He felt very unworthy. This verse shows us our unworthiness, too. It shows us that there is not one of us who worthy to be saved. Romans 3:23 verifies this: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God". There is no one who can do enough 'good works' to earn a place in heaven. Not one person, absolutely no one, can be saved by good works, baptism, church membership, etc. Like John, we need to weep for our unworthiness.
Psalm 34:18 says that: "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
Not only was no man worthy to open this book, but no one was worthy to even look upon it! This is a very holy book. God is holy. When the Lord appeared unto Moses in the burning bush, "Moses hid his face" (Exodus 3:6). The closer we get to God, the more unworthy we feel and the holier God appears to us. People who treat God like a man upstairs are either not saved or very far away from Him.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."
In this verse, we see one of the twenty-four elders comforting John as he is weeping. This elder informs John that there is Someone Who can open the book and loose the seven seals. This elder tells John that the "Lion of the tribe of Juda", Who is also called the "Root of David", is worthy to open this book and to loose the seven seals.
We learned about Jesus being the "Lion" in the section of Revelation 4:7 of our study. We also see that He is the "Root of David" in Revelation 22:16 where Jesus says: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." Jesus is the only One worthy to open this book and to loose the seals. This elder also tells John why Jesus is worthy to open this book. He tells John that Jesus can open this book because "He hath prevailed". In the very next verse we are going to see what "prevailed" means.
VERSE 6: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth."
John had been crying. Now he lifts up his head and this is what he sees. John had just told us about seeing God's throne in Heaven. He told us about the four beasts and about the twenty-four elders. Now John sees a "Lamb" standing in the middle of everything.
Jesus is the "Lamb" that is standing in the midst. In John 1:29, John the Baptist testifies and says: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Throughout the Book of Revelation, we will see many passages referring to Jesus as the "Lamb" (Revelation 7:10; 14:4; 15:3; 17:14; 21:23). The Old Testament sacrifices of a lamb also point to Jesus as the Lamb. Ezekiel 45:15 says: "And one lamb out of the flock,...to make reconciliation for them, saith the Lord GOD." Isaiah 53:7 prophesied about Jesus being the sacrificial Lamb: "He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth"
We need to really grasp this verse. We need to fully understand that Jesus is the Lamb, and He is standing in the midst as He "had been slain". In other words, Jesus was standing there all mutilated. Jesus will be bearing in His body all the wounds He suffered on Calvary for us. We will see what our sins did to our Saviour. His body was beaten with rods. He was spit upon. His beard was torn from His precious face. A cat-of-nine tails (which we studied in Revelation 2:4) was used to tear the flesh off of His body. His eyes were beaten so badly that He could hardly see (Isaiah 52:14). Our Lord was a bloody mess for us. A living piece of hamburger. He became the sacrificial Lamb for us. Ask any butcher what a lamb looks like on a butcher block. How can we ever think that our 'good works' will matter when we see Jesus standing there like the Lamb slain???
1 Peter 1:18, 19 tells us: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things ... But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" Jesus laid down His life, shed His blood, so we can be saved. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God and He only is worthy to open this book and to loose the seals.
There is a beautiful song titled "Above All" that includes the lyrics of 'like a rose, trampled on the ground, you (Jesus) took the fall'. It is by Michael W. Smith. I hope you will take the time to listen to this song carefully. You can find it on YouTube. It truly expresses the meaning of these verses we are studying. Please listen to the song. It will really bless you.
Verse 6 goes on to say: "...having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth". The number seven was of special significance to the Hebrews. Seven implies perfection, and is used more frequently than any other number in the Bible according to 'The System Bible Study' Book of 1954. From the very beginning of earthly time, seven has been the number of days in a week. Here we read that Jesus has seven horns and seven eyes. This implies perfection. Horns were used throughout the Bible to make a loud sound, to announce, and to declare for everyone to hear. And Jesus' eyes see everything. So the picture we have here is Jesus standing in the middle of Heaven as the Lamb. He will be sounding out loudly for all to hear what this book says when He takes and opens each seal.
Next we see Jesus approaching Almighty God to take this book out of God's hands.
VERSE 7: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne."
Now we see Jesus approaching God the Father to receive this book, the book that no one else is worthy to open. Jesus is the only One worthy to take this book from the Father because He gave His sinless life as the supreme sacrifice, the Lamb without spot or blemish (1 Peter 1:18,19). After Jesus takes this book out of the Father's hand, the next verse happens.
VERSE 8: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints."
Remember, John is writing down what he is witnessing. These verses that we are studying will take place after the Rapture has occurred. Saints in Heaven will be witnessing Jesus, as the Lamb slain, taking this holy book out of the hand of His Father. The four beasts and the twenty-four elders will fall before Jesus and worship Him. Every one of the elders will have a harp. God used David and his harp to chase away the evil spirit that was taunting Saul (1 Samuel 16:23). But mainly, harps are used in moments of joy and thanksgiving. The harp signifies joy and excellent events. There is great joy in Heaven at this time as the Lamb of God is about to open this book.
Every elder also had a golden vial "full of odours". A vial is pictured here. It is a beautiful container. The vials mentioned here in our verse are made of fine gold. They are also full. They are filled to the top with odours. Odours are a sweet smell, a perfume, a wonderful scent. It is revealed to us what this wonderful scent is. Remember, Revelation is to reveal! All through Revelation, God is revealing to us what is to come. And these sweet odours are to come before God's throne. What are these sweet odours? God reveals this in our verse. Odours are "the prayers of saints". These vials that the twenty-fours elders are holding are full of our prayers! Isn't it something that the word 'odours' has the word 'ours' in it. Interesting. I wonder what our prayers are. Are they our prayers for our loved ones? Are they prayers for those left on the earth during the Great Tribulation? Are they prayers, praise, and thankfulness to our precious Saviour Who gave Himself for us? One thing is for certain, and that is we are the ones who offer up the prayers that have been saved in these golden vials. How is your prayer life? Your prayers will be saved in a golden vial to be revealed someday. We will be reading more about these prayers when we get to Chapter 8 of Revelation.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;"
We are still in this Heavenly Throne Room. We will be seeing the twenty-four elders singing with their harps of gold. This is what they are singing: "Thou (Jesus) art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation:" They sing because Jesus died on the cross to redeem us.
God created us to sing unto Him. In fact, everything God created gives glory and praise to Him. Did you know plants sing? There is even a 'singing plant concert' held in Turin, Italy. Sensors are attached to the leaves of plants which processes it into a music synthesizer. You can even buy a machine that allows you to listen to the music of your very own houseplants. You can listen and watch corn grown on YouTube. All of plant life sings. Grass, trees, cacti, all sing and the list goes on. Scientists have placed microphones near plants and picked up many beautiful sounds in the ultrasonic range of 20 to 100 kilohertz. There are rocks that sound like ringing bells when you tap them. The fact is that God created everything melodious. He created everything in perfect harmony with each other. I believe the Garden of Eden was full of music from all the different plant life. I believe the new earth will have these same attributes. But let's remember, God also created us humans to sing unto Him, too. We should be singing down here about His salvation. We should be singing about His great love towards us when He went to Calvary. Saints will be singing throughout all eternity to the Lord along with the twenty-four elders, the four beasts, and all the angels. Are you singing to your Redeemer?
The rest of this verse is the lyrics to the song that the twenty-four elders and the beasts sing unto Jesus. They are singing that He is worthy to take the book and open the seals. They are also stating here that Jesus only was worthy to open this book because He redeemed us to God by His blood. The elders also state that those whom Jesus redeemed were of "every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation". There is no racism with God. It does not matter to God what color our skin is. It does not matter to God what country we live in. All that matters to God is that we receive Jesus as our Redeemer.
One last thing to notice in this verse is the word "tongue". Let's just clarify this again. Tongue in the Bible means 'language'. As a rule, the first time a word is used in the Bible, its meaning carries throughout the entire Bible. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, mentions 'tongue' as a distinct language in Chapter 10. In Genesis 11:5-9, tells us about the tower of Babel. Verse 6 says that "the people is one, and they have all one language". Verse 7, God says: "let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." Verse 8 tells us that this is what God did. Verse 9 tells us that this place is called Babel because "the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth". These verses explain to all of mankind how our different languages occurred.
Now let's look at Revelation 14:6: "...to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people". This verse almost duplicates the verse we are studying now, Revelation 5:9. Tongues is just another name for languages. There is a section on this website under Articles explaining more about Tongues (uneed2no.com).
VERSE 10: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
This verse is the rest of the elders' song. This verse is almost a repeat of Revelation Chapter 1, verse 6. We covered this topic. However, I'd like to remind you of one verse we covered there: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood..." (1 Peter 2:9). If God is your King, your Father, then that makes you a prince or a princess ... royalty. We need to conduct ourselves properly. And, remember, when you approach your Heavenly Father in prayer, He is King. Address Him with reverence. He is not 'just a guy upstairs'. This is actually an insult to our King.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;"
Not only is John telling us what he is seeing, he is also telling us what he is hearing. While looking at our Saviour as a slain Lamb, and looking at the twenty-four elders and the four beasts, John hears a magnificent sound. John hears "the voice of many angels". These angels surround the throne, the beasts, and the elders. The number of these angels are innumerable. There are so many that man cannot count them all. Ten thousand times ten thousand is a hundred thousand thousand (100,000,000), Take this number and try to multiply it times thousands and thousands of thousands! We cannot, but God can. Picture this innumerable amount of angels surrounding God's throne, the elders and the beasts!
Many of us have heard choirs. Some of us have even been to a live Trans Siberian Orchestra show and felt the impact of all the instruments and voices blending together. Here was John hearing the greatest orchestra possible. Innumerable heavenly angels praising God in perfect unison. Our next verse continues this scene.
VERSE 12: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
We are continuing the scene with this verse of the innumerable angels that surround God's throne. This enormous amount of angels is saying: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing". There are seven things listed here. Remember that seven is the number of perfection. These are seven gifts that Jesus received from His Father.
1. Power: Jesus has all authority and power to redeem.
2. Riches: The Father has bestowed all riches upon His Son.
3. Wisdom: He has the wisdom of God.
4. Strength: His strength is above all. He can conquer and destroy.
5. Honour: All creation honours Christ ... in Heaven, on Earth, and under the earth.
6. Glory: He has royal majesty and dignity above all.
7. Blessing: He is worshipped and He bestows blessings upon whom He will.
Only Jesus is worthy because He is the perfect Lamb of God. He is the only Sacrifice that the Father could accept. Jesus was the spotless Lamb, slain and placed before the Father, to redeem us from God's wrath upon our sin. This verse shows all the angels worshipping and exalting the Lamb. The next verse will show us what every creature will do, including us.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
In verses 8-10 of this chapter, we studied about the twenty-four elders and the four beasts worshipping the Lamb. In verses 11-12 we read about all the angels worshipping the Lamb. Now we are reading about every creature that will worship the Lamb.
There will be nothing or no one who will not worship the Lamb. Every creature in Heaven will worship Him. Every creature on the earth will worship Him. And every creature under the earth will worship Christ. Let's look at this in two parts, the human part and the non-human part. All the hosts of Heaven will be worshipping Christ, whether they be the twenty-four elders, the beasts, or the angels. All the hosts of the earth will worship the Lamb whether they are Christians or are not. And all the hosts under the earth will worship the Lamb. In other words, all the souls in hell, from the beginning of creation unto this point of time, will be worshipping the Lamb. Will people get out of hell and be allowed into Heaven because they are worshipping the Lamb? No, I'm afraid not. The decision to accept the Lamb's sacrifice for sin must be made before physical death. However, all those in hell, and even Satan himself, will be worshipping the Lamb. Satan used to worship the Lamb of God, but Satan decided he didn't want to anymore. Ezekiel 28:14-15 says this about Satan: "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." So we will see every human or spiritual entity worshipping Christ.
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The second part is that every creature and every thing that has life will also worship the Lamb. All the stars, planets, milky ways, etc. will be praising the Lamb. There was a conference held back in 2011 of the 'Desiring God National Conference' in Minnesota. Louie Giglio amazed all the people there when he played audio tapes verifying the sounds that our outer space makes. The audio tapes that Mr. Giglio played revealed both rhythm and melody from the planets, stars, etc., singing praise to their Creator.
Non-human elements on this earth will also be praising its Creator. We just wrote about the flowers, trees, and rocks making sounds of praise to their Creator in verse 9 of this chapter. The birds of the air and all the fish life in all the waters will be worshipping their Creator. Anything under the earth - the crust, the mantels, volcanoes, and even hell itself will be worshipping the Lamb. Before man sinned and ruined this perfect world, the whole universe was in harmony. The Bible says in Romans 8:19 "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation...". Verse 21 of Romans 8 says: "...the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty..." And verse 22 says: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." The Lamb of God will one day soon break the bondage of all sin that is on all the entire world.
In our verse here, John is saying that he is hearing "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them". John hears them saying "Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever". All of Heaven, the universe, and our earth will be sounding out with loud praises to Almighty God and the Lamb!
A part of Psalm 65:12 states that "...the little hills rejoice on every side..." Psalm 65:13 says: "The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys are also covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing."
VERSE 14: (Chapter 5)
The BOOK with SEVEN Seals
"And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever."
When every single being gives praise and glory to the Lamb, the four beasts talk! Remember they say "Holy, Holy, Holy" day and night. They also say "Amen"! Amen means 'so be it'. Amen represents truth and faithfulness. In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is called "the Amen". He is faithful and true. John 14:6 says: "Jesus saith ... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Then "the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him". We need to be on our knees worshipping our Saviour, the Lamb Who died for us. Christ will live forever and ever. So will you. But will you live forever in Heaven or will you live forever in Hell. The choice is yours and you must make that choice before you die. Don't wait too long. Our next chapter will reveal to us what is going to happen as the Lamb opens the first seal.
CHAPTER 6
VERSE 1: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FIRST SEAL
"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see."
We are now entering the opening of the First Seal. Remember what we studied about seals in our previous chapter, Revelation 5, verse 1? A seal means that the document is of high importance and is not to be opened until the proper time. We are now at the proper point in scripture where God is going to reveal to us the seals and events to take place. We also studied that the Lamb of God is the Only one worthy to open the seals (Revelation 5:5-7).
The Heavenly picture here is of Jesus, the Lamb that was slain, holding the book that was in the Father's hand. Jesus is standing there, in a mutilated form, opening the First Seal. The seals had to be opened in order. One seal cannot be opened before another because of the way it is sealed. God is very organized.
Just as the Lamb is to open the First Seal, John hears a voice. Not just a subtle voice, but a loud voice. And not just a loud voice, but a voice as loud as thunder. We have all heard thunder, but there are a few times when we may have heard thunder sound so loud it causes us to be very startled. Loud thunder can be truly frightening indeed. John heard one of the four beasts talk to him. A beast talking to me would be startling enough, but one that would sound like a blast of thunder would be extremely earth shaking! This beast thunders out: "Come and see". John then obeys this beast to go see this seal being opened.
May I say here, when people try to tell you that the book of Revelation is too hard to understand, tell them they are mistaken. God wrote Revelation to reveal the future to us. God never makes things too hard for us. Why would God make Revelation hard when He wants all of mankind to read and understand it? God even gave us a help verse in James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Not only does God want us to read and understand His Word, He tells us that if we get confused or don't comprehend something, then just ask Him. Ask God. He has a promise here in James. God promises to give wisdom to ANY one of us who will just ask Him. Not only will God give the asking person wisdom, but He will give him wisdom 'liberally'. That means a lot. More than what we asked for. Plus He promises to not take it away (upbraideth not). God states: "it shall be given". Don't fall for Satan's lies about Revelation or any other part of the Bible being too difficult for us to understand. Satan just doesn't want people to read it.
This next verse is going to describe what John sees, what God wants us to know, as the First Seal is opened...
VERSE 2: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FIRST SEAL continues
"And I saw , and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."
Before we go further, I'd like to pause here to point out an important aspect of this chapter. Notice that every verse in this chapter starts with the word "And" except for the last verse of this chapter, verse 17. You may have already noticed that all of Chapter 5, which we just finished, also has every verse starting with the word "And". This signifies that this is one continuous event. It is all connected together. And this is what John witnesses as Jesus, the Lamb, opens the First Seal ...
First, John sees a white horse. When the Bible mentions a horse or horses, it means horses used for war. Nowhere in the Bible does it mention horses used for pleasure. When the Bible refers to horses, it refers to war-like operations. When John saw this horse, it indicated to him that a war was about to take place.
The first thing that the Bible tells us about this war horse is that it is white. White is to represent purity. However, the rider of this horse is not pure. He is an imposter. He is trying to imitate Christ. He is a deceiver. 1 John 2:18 states that "...it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come..."
The First Seal being open marks the beginning of the Tribulation Period. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 says: "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 (antichrist) 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." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 continues talking about the antichrist: "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness ..." Don't let the white horse deceive you.
Next we read that the antichrist has a bow. A bow was one of the most extensively used weapons of war in the Bible times. Psalm 18:34 even mentions a bow made of steel. Bowmen of war were expert in handling the bow. The antichrist is expert in handling his bow. Notice that no arrow is mentioned here. This antichrist is not going to use arrows. He is not going to use force. He is using the bow. In other words, 'peace talks". He will devise diplomatic negotiations. He will implement so called 'peace treaties'. He will be exceptionally talented at using his 'peace' weapon.
Then we see that "a crown was given unto him". A crown shows authority. Only God can give authority. Romans 13:;1 says that "there is no power but of God". Psalm 75:7 tells us that "God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another." God is allowing the antichrist to come on the scene. God is going to use the antichrist to show the whole world Who truly is God. After God grants the antichrist this power, the antichrist goes out into the world "to conquer". God gave us an example of Himself giving authority to Satan in Job, chapter 1.
Job 1:6 Satan presents himself to God.
1:12 God gives permission to Satan to harm anything of Job's and God restricts Satan on what he can do and what he cannot do.
Job 2:1 Satan presents himself to God again because everything Satan tried to do to Job failed.
2:6 God gives permission to Satan to harm Job physically but not unto death.
In the end, God prevails. Likewise, in the End, God will prevail again. The destruction of the antichrist is even foretold to us in Revelation that we will be studying soon. In this verse that we are studying right now, this antichrist on the white horse will conquer and will continue to conquer until Christ puts an end to him. This antichrist will try using 'peace methods' as often as he can to accomplish his destruction. Matthew 24:5 says: "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Most of the world will be deceived by this antichrist. He shall deceive many people.
This is the First Seal. The Second Seal is now opening in verse 3.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SECOND SEAL = peace taken from the earth
"And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say,
Come and see."
This verse reveals to us that the Lamb of God is opening the Second Seal. Like the first beast, the second beast beckons John to come where he is and see the Second Seal open. Remember the description that God gave us of these four beasts? Revelation 4:8 revealed to us what they looked like. Each beast had six wings and eyes all over them. They don't rest at all. The second beast call out to John to come and observe what is going to happen. John pens it down for us so we know what is going to happen to those on the earth during the opening of the seals. God does not hide this from us. It is right here in black and white in His Word. Let's see this second seal revealed ...
VERSE 4: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SECOND SEAL continues
"And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword."
Now we see a red horse. Remember, these are war horses. This horse is red because it symbolizes blood. The rider, an antichrist, has the power to take peace from the earth. The previous horse, the white one, made false peace with all the nations of the earth. After his 'peace treaties' are made law, he will start enforcing them. These laws will take peace from the earth. People will "kill one another". There will be riots, stealing, murders, and civil wars. It will be an extremely bloody time because "there was given unto him a GREAT sword."
This will be a very bloody time, "For nation shall rise against nation , and kingdom against kingdom..." (Matthew 24:7a).
There are five more seals to go.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The THIRD SEAL = famine
"And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see.
And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand."
When Jesus opens the Third Seal, the third beast tells John to: "Come and see". Did the Lord ever rebuke any of the beasts for saying "Come and see"? No! The Lord wants us all to "Come and see". God wants us to see, that is why He gave us His Bible...that is why He wrote Revelation to us. We need to ask God, like David did in Psalm 119:18, to "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." God will open any of our eyes if we would just ask Him. It's a promise He made to all of us (James 1:5). And just like the four beasts wanted John to "Come and see", Christ really wants us to "Come and see", and learn, and know about the End Times!
When the Lord opens the Third eal, He reveals a black horse. The color black has always stood for death and sadness. We wear black at funerals. This horse will also bring death. Unlike the red horse, which brings death by wars, the black horse brings death by famines. Many, many people will be starving to death. Mark 13:8 says that: "...there shall be famines and troubles...".
The antichrist on this horse has "a pair of balances in his hand". Balances are scales. Before there was coinage, people used silver and gold. Balances were of utmost importance in weighing the silver or gold. During the Tribulation, food will be weighed. Food will be rationed.
VERSE 6: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The THIRD SEAL continues
"And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."
Our God is all-knowing. Not only does God remember the past, hold us everyday in the present, and know the future, but He also knows exactly what everything is going to cost during this time of famine! God tells us what things are going to cost during the Tribulation Period! He says right here in this verse: "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny". A measure equals about a quart. Back in the Bible times, people worked a whole day for a 'penny'. Matthew 20:2 shows this fact: "And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard." God is telling us here that people will have to work a whole day for a measure of wheat. In other words, people will work eight hours to buy a loaf of bread. A loaf of bread will cost one day of wages. If someone is making $10 an hour and works eight hours a day, then bread would cost around $80 a loaf. Barley will be a little cheaper. People will be able to get three quarts of barley for $80, that is, if the average wage is $10. If the average wage is more, the cost of food will be more. People will not be able to afford food. People will be dying of starvation. People will be breaking into stores and houses to find food to feed their little ones and themselves. It will be dark, black days.
Even during the Tribulation Period, God is still gracious. He commands the antichrist to "hurt NOT the oil and the wine". God will always have control over the antichrist and any harm he will try. Satan may be allowed to dimmish wheat and barley, but only on God's terms. Satan knows, even now, that he is not allowed to touch the oil or the wine. Oil has always been a very lucrative business, even in biblical times. Oil holders are very wealthy. During this time, the rich may be getting richer and the poor getting poorer. As for the wine, wine in the bible was used for medicinal purposes in 1 Timothy 5:23: "... use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." Many medicines have alcohol in them. God may be letting the wine be available to help people physically through this horrible time on earth. Proverbs 31:6 says to: "Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts." People have perished, died, since the beginning of time. During the Tribulation Period, it is going to be even more traumatic and people on the earth will be very heavy hearted.
VERSE 7: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FOURTH SEAL = death
"And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see."
In this scripture, we see the fourth beast beckoning to John to "Come and see". The number four carries an emphasizing importance on faith. It reminds us of our smallness before God. Let's see in the next verse what this fourth beast has to show to those on earth what is about to happen ...
VERSE 8: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FOURTH SEAL continues
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
According to Webster's Dictionary, pale means to have color reduced, feeble, or frail. According to Healthline, paleness can be due to low blood flow. It can also occur due to emotions. Have you ever heard of that saying: 'Pale as a ghost'? This is where it comes from. Verywell Health describes pale symptoms as a possible 'Vasovagal Syncope'. They say paleness can occur when 'your body reacts strongly to a trigger such as fear, heat exposure, or emotional distress'. Anxiety can also cause paleness. Paleness can cause some people to faint, just like it is defined in Webster's Dictionary...'faint'. This 'pale horse' is going to cause major health problems. Have you ever seen a person on their deathbed? They can look very pale. Death is on this "pale horse".
The name of the antichrist that sits on the Pale Horse is Death. Our verse says: "...and his name that sat on him was Death". The other 'horses' contributed to death, but the Pale Horse brings death. In other words, the Pale Horse is going to do just what this verse says: "...power was given...to kill". This verse even tells us how many he is going to kill. A fourth part of the whole earth will die! That is a lot. Every fourth person you know will die. Every fourth member of your family will die. I'm not saying the fourth one. I am saying if you have twelve people in your family, then three of them will die. If your town has 25,000 people, then 6,250 will die! In the United States alone in 2024, there are approximately 341,338,695 people. When one fourth of them die, that will equal to about 85,334,673 deaths!
How is this rider, that is named 'Death', going to kill a fourth part of the earth? Our verse tells us how. Remember, Revelation is to reveal, not to conceal. Here are the four ways we are told that he is going to use: "to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth". Notice that the fourth beast shows John the fourth horse, and the fourth rider uses four powers to kill a fourth part of the earth. Remember that the number four demonstrates that we need to have faith in God. People desperately need faith in God, especially during this time. However, there will be very few people that will have faith. Jesus, Himself, asks the question: "...when the Son of man (Jesus) cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). When the Lord comes back, will He find faith?
God also makes it very clear that we know what the four weapons are that the antichrist is going to use during this time. We understand what the sword means. It represents war and bloodshed even among each other. We understand hunger. We know that food is going to become scarce, extremely scarce. People will die from lack of food. Third, is with death. This could be natural death or death due to the circumstances. The fourth weapon is 'with the beasts of the earth". We are seeing this more and more everyday as we near the End Times. Yesterday on the news, there were two young men attacked by a mountain lion on a normal hiking trail. One man was killed and the other suffered severe injuries. There are more accounts of alligators eating people in Florida and other such like areas. A man died from a snake bite. The list of animals becoming more vicious grows as we near the Rapture. Soon we will be taken out of here if we have accepted Christ as our Saviour. Everyone else will be left here to experience even more frequent, severe attacks from the 'beasts of the earth'.
We are also told in this verse who follows Death, "...and Hell followed with him". During this time of the Pale horse, most of the people who die will be taken directly to 'Hell'. Hell follows Death. Jesus preached more on Hell than He did on Heaven. He wants to warn us that this is a very serious matter. If people don't want to believe that Hell is real, then they won't worry about being saved. The Lord does not want anyone to go there, that is why He warns us about it all through the Bible. There is a particular incident that Jesus talks about in Luke 16. Please note that this is not a parable. This was a very real event. Proper names were never used in parables. This was a real account that Jesus knew about and He wanted to share it with us so we can warn others. If there wasn't a real Hell, then we wouldn't have nothing to be warned about. But Jesus warns us about Hell all through His Word. When you truly love someone, you warn them because you don't want them or anyone to spend eternity in Hell. Here is the true account told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-21. This is a long passage, but worth it. The words are written in red because they are the Jesus' own words:
Luke 16:19-31 Jesus says: "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreoveer the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he (Abraham) said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
This account that Jesus gives us here in Luke 16 tells us many things. First, it verifies that Hell is very real. It also shows us that people can see, feel, and reason mentally in Hell. People in Hell can also be very concerned about their loved ones who have not died yet. We are also told that people from Hell cannot get out, nor go to heaven. People with the Lord cannot go and help those in Hell. But most importantly, the Lord says twice in this passage that people need to hear Moses and the prophets. That means to read the Bible. The Bible was not complete during this time period, but they did have the laws of Moses and the prophets. People had the Old Testament which also tells of Christ. Today we have the completed, wonderful Word of God. People need to read and study it. People need to be saved. People need to accept Christ as their own personal Saviour. Then, saved people should want to tell others how to be saved and warn them of Hell. God does not send anyone to Hell, but He does expect us to make the choice. People have the responsibility to accept the Lord as their Saviour to forgive their sins. People have the choice of not accepting Christ. If anyone does not choose to accept Jesus as their Saviour, then they have chosen Hell. There is nothing anyone can do about it after they die. It's too late. This Pale horse with Death following is not to be taken lightly. This is the Fourth Seal.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FIFTH SEAL = the martyred
"And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:"
The four heavenly Beasts have finished calling John to "Come and see". John now sees Jesus opening the Fifth Seal. When Jesus opens the fifth seal, the scene changes. We are now reading about what is happening in Heaven. Before we were seeing what was happening on the earth. The Lord is now opening the Fifth Seal and He wants John to see. The Lord wants all of us to know these things.
The first thing that John sees as Jesus opens the Fifth Seal is an altar. An altar is a place of sacrifice and is usually made of stone. Jesus is the Rock of our salvation. Psalm 62:6 says: "He only is my Rock and my Salvation:" Jesus was the Sacrifice that laid upon the altar. He is the Lamb of God that shed His blood for the sin of the world. John 1:29 says: "...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
John sees under the altar of God. John sees the souls of certain saved people under the altar of God. These are special people. These people were martyred for believing in Christ. They believed the Bible. They had the reputation and testimony of being a Christian, and they were killed for it. They were not afraid to stand up and say they were Christians. They gave their life for their Lord. They are martyrs. God has a special place and a special crown for martyrs. These martyrs are in one of the closest places to God. They are right under the Sacrifice. They are right under Christ. Christ shed His blood on the altar. These martyrs shed their blood around the base of the altar of Christ. They gave their life for their Saviour.
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Before we move on, please take note that John "...saw under the altar the souls of them..." John saw these people. They have a spiritual body. They are not invisible nor a ghost. They are recognizable. John knew they were martyrs. John could see this. Jesus did not have to explain to John who these people were. John saw and recognized them. I had the privilege of being a Hospice volunteer for over eight years. I remember one gentleman, who was on his death bed, asked me a question. He wanted to know how he would recognize his wife when he went to heaven. He was a Christian man. Some people think we will not be able to recognize others when we go to Heaven. However, we will definitely be able to recognize people in Heaven. We will recognize our loved ones. Remember the story of Lazarus in the previous verse? You can see from Luke 16:19-31 that the rich man recognized Lazarus and Abraham. They communicated with each other.
The Lord tells us in many passages throughout the Bible that people will definitely recognize each other. Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus after He rose from the grave and was in His glorified body. The twelve disciples ate with Jesus after He had risen from the dead. Our heavenly bodies will eat at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Heaven (Revelation 19:7). Jesus gathered with over 500 men in 1 Corinthians 15:6. They all recognized Jesus. We will know each other in Heaven, too.
When we die, God gives us an immortal body. I Corinthians 15:44 tells us that there is a natural body, our flesh and bones, and a spiritual body. In the same chapter of 1 Corinthians, verse 50 tells us that our flesh cannot go to heaven. This is because our flesh decays. Just like God gives a caterpillar a new body when it comes out of its cocoon, He gives us a new body when we come out of our flesh. The Bible says we will have a body that never dies; it will be immortal. 1 Corinthians 15:53 states: "For this corruptible (that's our flesh) must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Our bodies will be changed into one that will never die. We will have the same features. We will live forever in our new recognizable bodies.
VERSE 10: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FIFTH SEAL continues
"And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
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Not only did John see these martyrs, but he also heard them. These martyrs were asking a question to Jesus with a loud voice. These martyrs were not quiet about this. They "cried with a loud voice". All of Heaven could hear them. This question is so important to them that they ask in a "loud voice". I have heard some preachers say that we are not to ask God questions. Those preachers are in error because Jesus said, "Ask..." (Matthew 7:7). While Jesus walked this earth, He encouraged people to "Ask". There are many examples, innumerable, all through the Old Testament, that document people asking God. There are many questions asked to God. Jesus encourages us to ask questions all through the New Testament. It is a very good thing to ask God questions. We learn this way. Besides, if we don't ask, then He won't answer. God loves answering our prayers.
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The martyrs in our verse are asking God "How long ... dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" In other words, these martyrs were asking how much longer they have to wait. Wait for what? Wait for God to judge and avenge those people who had killed them. The martyrs already knew that God was going to avenge them. They had confidence in God. They did not ask God, "Are You going to avenge our blood?" The martyrs asked when. They asked how much longer did they have to wait. God is the punisher of sin. Romans 12:19 says: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." These martyrs were waiting on God to perform His vengeance on the earth.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The FIFTH SEAL continues
"And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
First in this verse, we see the Lord comforting these martyrs. He clothes them in white robes. White robes symbolize the righteousness of Christ. Just like a sports team has the same jersey symbolizing their team, saints have the same white robes symbolizing that they belong to Christ. In a sports game, only the players wear the jerseys. Spectators do not wear the professional jerseys. In Heaven, all the saints wear white robes. Those in Hell will never get a white robe. They will never be comforted.
Next, it was told to them that "they should rest" a little longer. These martyrs could sense that the End Times were upon the earth. They were getting anxious because they knew that it would be soon time for the Lord to set up His Kingdom on earth. You can see in this verse that God does not hide these things from us. He wants us to know just like He wants these martyrs to know that "...their fellowservants also and their brethren,... should be killed as they were". God is informing them that their loved ones and other Christians on the earth were going to be killed. God doesn't sugar-coat stuff. He tells it straight forward. He tells these martyrs that their loved ones and many others will be murdered ... martyred.
VERSE 12: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SIXTH SEAL = anarchy
"And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;"
Here we see John watching Jesus as Jesus opens the Sixth Seal. John witnesses a great earthquake. So far, according to Wikipedia, the largest earthquake our earth has experienced was in Valdivia, Chili which registered 9.4 magnitude. Port-au-Prince records show that over 316,000 people died in an earthquake in 2010 there. The earthquake that John is witnessing will be much greater than any earthquake we have ever known.
When this Sixth Seal is opened, not only will there be a great earthquake, but "the sun will become black as sackcloth of hair". We understand what it means for the sun to become black, but what does "black as sackcloth of hair" mean? The 1922 edition of 'The System Bible Study' dictionary explains sackcloth. It states that sackcloth is a coarse, dark fabric made of goats' hair. It goes hand in hand with ashes and was worn as a sign of extreme grief. In Genesis 37:34, Jacob put on sackcloth and mourned the death of his son for many days. Not only is it going to be cold and dark outside, but people will be in extreme grief and mourning.
The moon will become "as blood". It will not become blood but "as" blood. In other words, the moon will look very red. Perhaps the red moon will remind the earth of Jesus' death on the cross for them. Yes, they will think of death, especially the death of their loved ones. I hope they will look up and see the blood red moon and turn to the Blood that was shed on the cross. Even in the darkest of times, Christ shines His salvation through. Hopefully, this blood red moon will help people to recall that Jesus died for their sins and that they can be saved if they would only ask Christ to forgive their sins and come into their black hearts. If they would only pray and ask the Saviour to cover their black sins with His red blood, He would. That's why He died.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SIXTH SEAL continues
"And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind."
Some of us have already witnessed falling stars. During the Tribulation, there will be numerous stars falling to the earth. The word "unto" just means 'to'. The speed of a star coming into earth's atmosphere can be about 30,000 mph. It's temperature can reach around 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. These stars that will be falling from the sky are described as a fig tree casting its figs during a "mighty wind". During a tornado, or any other severe windstorm, most all of the figs will be blown off of a fig tree. So likewise, most of the stars will fall from heaven to the earth.
Try to picture this scene in your mind. Stars or meteors are falling from the sky. They are heading toward the earth at around 30,000 mph and at 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. During the Great Tribulation, most of these meteors will hit the earth. In 2013 a meteorite around 62 feet wide hit Chelyabinsk, Russia. It injured over 1,000 people. There were devasting shockwaves. In South Africa, near a little town called Vredefort, a meteor caused a crater about 180 MILES wide. Meteors not only create craters and cause earthquakes, but they also produce tsunamis and fissures in the earth's crust which can release magma. During the Great Tribulation, rivers will be burned up, cities will be destroyed, and utter destruction will be everywhere. Thousands of people, at the minimum, will be killed during this time of the Tribulation Period. People will not have time to think about accepting the Lord as their Saviour because this judgment comes upon them so quickly.
VERSE 14: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SIXTH SEAL continues
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."
God has been verifying all through His Word, especially in Revelation, that it is His will to REVEAL Himself to us. In the next few verses we are going to read how God reveals Himself again and the responses of the people who are alive on the earth.
First we see that "the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together".
People will NOT be seeing a 'scroll' but "the heaven"
The clouds, stars, and planets will all move out of the way and "every mountain and island" will move out of the way like a scroll being rolled together. These will all move out of the way.
VERSE 15: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SIXTH SEAL continues
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;"
Everyone on the earth at this time is going to see the heaven roll together like a scroll. Instead of coming to Christ, these people run and try to hide themselves. Look at the descriptions of these people. They are kings, great men (perhaps presidents, governors, or rulers), chief captains (military personnel), mighty men (powerful), bondman (people in debt), and free people (carefree with no worries). Seems like most of these people listed may be only interested in getting rich or having power. This verse doesn't list the poor or the needy. It doesn't list the homeless or the abused. Maybe they may be the ones who will turn to Christ.
Instead of being in their nice homes, these people will be trying to hide in dens, in caves, or on a mountain. It is sad that these wealthy, intelligent, and strong people will be trying to hide themselves in rocks. Maybe they will finally realize that money and things of this earth are very temporary.
Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:19-21: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is there will your heart be also."
VERSE 16: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SIXTH SEAL continues
"And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:"
This verse tells us what these kings, great men, rich men, chief captains, mighty men, bondmen, and free men will be saying. These people are talking to the mountains and rocks! They are desperate. They will be begging the mountains and rocks to fall on them. Instead of talking to the mountains and rocks around them, they should be calling out to the Rock of our Salvation. Psalm 18:2 says: "The LORD is my Rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer". Instead of running to God, they are trying to hide.
Why will these people be trying to hide under rocks and in the mountains? Because when the heaven is "rolled together as a scroll", it reveals a glimpse of God. They will see a glimpse of Heaven. They will see a glimpse of God the Father sitting on His throne. They will also see Jesus, the Lamb of God. They will see that the Lamb is very angry. These people wanted to hide from "the wrath of the Lamb" (Jesus). Hebrews 10:31 warns us: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." The Lamb of God, which is Jesus, is angry. He is very angry about all the evil done in the earth. He is very angry that His children are being murdered. Most of all He is very angry because these people will be refusing to accept Him as their Saviour. They will be refusing to accept His sacrifice. Jesus gave His life on the cross for them. Jesus is called the Lamb in this verse. People will see Jesus as the Lamb. In other words, He will have all the scars of being crucified, and He is very angry.
God has been verifying all through His Word, especially in Revelation, that it is His will to REVEAL Himself to us. God wants us to know Him, and to come to Him. Jesus says in Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus asks people to "Come" to Him. Every single person ever born has had, or will have, the opportunity to be saved. The people living on the earth during the Tribulation Period also will have had the opportunity to be saved. However, this is not the reaction of the unsaved during the Tribulation Period. They are crying to the rocks and the mountains, not to the Lamb of God. The Lord is very, very angry. Just look at the next verse!
VERSE 17: (Chapter 6)
The SEVEN SEALS open
The SIXTH SEAL continues
"For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
According to Webster's Revised Dictionary, wrath is described as "violent anger; indignation; rage". Divine wrath, or Divine anger, is a holy anger against sin. The only thing that can save sinners from God's righteous anger is for sinners to accept Christ' sacrifice for their sin. It is Christ, the Lamb of God, Who alone can keep the wrath of God off of us. 1 John 1:7b says: "...the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin". When God looks upon those of us who are saved, He sees the blood of His Son. It is the blood of the precious Lamb of God that keeps God's wrath off of us. However, the people in our verse refused the Gift of God's sacrifice. They refused to receive the blood of Jesus to cover their sins. Therefore, the wrath of God is upon them.
Romans 1:18 states: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" These people will have had an opportunity to be saved, but they refused. Perhaps they were too wrapped up in this world to take the time to ask Christ into their hearts. Perhaps they were just too hard hearted. Mark 3:5 tells us that Jesus, when He walked on the earth, was angered with the people for the hardness of their hearts. Romans 2:5 states: "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God". When the people, during the Tribulation Period, see God sitting on His throne, they will be very afraid. When they see the Lamb of God, they will know for certain that the Lamb of God is extremely angry. They will be terrified! Jeremiah 7:20 says: "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place..." "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31). "For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:17).
CHAPTER 7
VERSE 1: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree."
Here in Chapter 7, we take a break from the Seals. John confirms he had witnessed the Six Seals, and he sees the angels. Chapter 7 is a 'pause' in the seals, an interval. John sees the first Six Seals, then we have this intermission. .Chapter 7 is like an advertisement in the middle of a movie. Six Seals will take place, then there will be this intermission of Chapter 7. Then we will pick up on the Seventh Seal in Chapter 8. The Seventh Seal will not be opened until this intermission is complete. John explains this intermission here in Chapter 7. Remember, Chapter 7 is an intermission. We will continue the Seals soon.
Here in Chapter 7, the Seals are paused when John sees four angels. Some people may not believe that there are angels. However, angels are very real. Some people go to the other end of the spectrum and worship angels. Worshipping angels should never be done. There is a nice article called 'Angels' on Uneed2no.com under articles. It explains what angels are and their purposes. Here in this verse, John sees four angels with a specific job. These angels are standing in a specific area. Each angel is standing in a certain direction. There is an angel in the North, one in the East, one in the West, and one in the South. We know that our compass directions spells out the word NEWS, which stands for the Good NEWS of the Gospel of Christ. Here we have four angels located at each point of direction.
John then verifies that these four angels are holding the four winds. There is a great desert on the South and East side of Palestine, so the South and East winds are hot and dry. Winds mainly from the North bring fair weather. The West winds come from the Mediterranean Sea and bring rain.
Wind has a profound effect on our world. Wind is essential for plants, animals, and human beings. It's responsible for plant reproduction, trees depend upon the wind, and our climate depends upon the wind to distribute heat. We humans need the wind in our atmosphere. We also use the wind as a power source. But now, all of a sudden, during the Tribulation Period, four angels are going to stop the wind completely for a short time. "...the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree".
VERSE 2: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea."
During this intermission of the Seals, John sees a very important event unfold. He witnesses the four angels holding the four corners of the wind. Then John sees another angel approaching from the east of heaven. This angel is holding "the seal of the living God" in his hands. This seal is an emblem of God's authority. It is very precious. This seal has God's name on it and it clearly signifies His ownership.
This angel calls out to the other four angels with a very loud voice. This angel from the east acknowledges that the four angels holding the wind have the power "to hurt the earth and the sea". Angels are given great power from Almighty God. The next verse tells us what this angel from the east says to the four angels that are holding the wind.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads."
This angel from the east is explaining to the other four angels why he is asking them to wait a minute. This angel is asking them with a loud voice to not hurt the earth, sea, or trees until he completes his job. This angel must have other angels under him to help him with this task because he uses the words "we" and "our" in this verse. It is a very large and important task he is going to accomplish. He informs the four angels what his task is ... "til we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads".
Remember, this angel from the east has "the seal of the living God" in his hands. There are different types of seals. We saw in Revelation 5:1 that the book that is in the Father's hand is sealed with seven seals. Now we see that this one angel has "the seal of the living God". All Christians are sealed with God's seal of salvation. 2 Corinthians 1:22 says: "Who (God) hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." Ephesians 4:30 also states that Christians are 'sealed'. But this one seal that the angel from the east is carrying is different. We know this because of who is being sealed with this seal. We are told who is being sealed with this seal in the very next verse. Keep in mind, God reveals and is very detailed with facts.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."
Now, we have this angel from the east going throughout all the earth to put God's seal in the foreheads of certain people. When this angel is done sealing these certain people, he tells us how many people he sealed: "...and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand". Then this angel tells us who were sealed: "...of all the tribes of the children of Israel". Our verse here clearly shows us that there were 144,000 Jewish people sealed. These are not 'Jehovah Witnesses', like some want to believe. The 144,000 are full blooded Jews. Their lineage dates clear back to the original 12 tribes of Israel.
The next four verses inform us of these 12 tribes of Israel which are sealed by this angel from the east. These next four verses show the genealogy of these Jewish tribes. After you read these four verses verifying the lineage of these Jews, we will see even more astonishing details about these 144,000 Jews!
VERSE 5: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand."
VERSE 6: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Of the tribe Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand."
VERSE 7: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand."
VERSE 8: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand."
Now here are some astonishing details about these 144,000 Israelites that were sealed during this time of the Tribulation Period. We first see that these Jews will be standing with Jesus, the Lamb, on mount Sion ... "And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads." (Revelation 14:1)
The second thing we learn about these 144,000 Jews is found in Revelation 14:3 which says: "And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." These 144,000 Jews will sing a song that only they can sing. They will sing this song before God's throne. Only these specially chosen Jews will be allowed to sing this song. No one else can learn this song.
The third fact that we learn about the 144,000 is that they are all men. We see this in Revelation 14:4: "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins." The 144,000 Jews are men. They have not had any sexual relations with any woman. They are virgins. Please do not say that they could have relations with men! God condemns sodomy all through the Bible, especially in Romans 1:26-28. The 144,000 are wholesome, pure and undefiled Jewish men whom God chooses for His work. The last part of Revelation 14:4 declares that "These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." Revelation 14:5 goes on to confirm the holiness of these Jewish men: "And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are without fault before the throne of God." The 144,000 chosen Jewish men had the testimony that they could even control their mouth. They had control over their tongues. James 3:2 says: "...If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."
We also see in Revelation 14:4 that these chosen Jewish men "follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth." I believe that these 144,000 chosen Jewish men will be the Lamb's personal army. When the antichrist is on the earth, he (the antichrist) gathers nations together to fight against the Lamb. Look at Revelation 17:14: "These (nations led by the antichrist) shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful." The 144,000 Jewish men are with the Lamb. Remember, they follow Him wherever He goes. They were called and chosen of God. They are faithful. They are blameless. They "follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth." This Jewish army of the Lamb's will be with Him when He fights the nations and the antichrist. Also look at Revelation 19:14: "And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." This army is not an angel army, it is an army of the chosen Jewish men. These 144,000 chosen Jews will ride upon white horses and wear white linen signifying the purity of Christ. These are the Lamb's personal army.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;"
This verse starts out with "After this". After what? After God had chosen His Jewish army. Then John sees "a GREAT multitude, which no man could number". So after John witnessed the angel from the east putting God's seal on the foreheads of God's chosen army, he sees a lot of people. John sees so many people that he cannot count them. In fact, it is stated that "no man could number" them. There are so many people that it is humanly impossible for any of us to count them all, even with today's technology. In Genesis 13:16, God made a promise to Abraham. God told Abraham: "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth". No one is able to count all the dust of the earth. God promised Abraham that this would be the amount of all the people born from Abraham's line.
Let's pause here a second. Some people may believe that the 144,000 Jewish men will be the only Jews saved during the Tribulation period. This cannot be true because God made Abraham's seed to be innumerable. We can count to 144,000. The 144,000 is very little compared to the "dust of the earth". This helps us to see a clearer picture that the 144,000 are God's chosen army. There are definitely more than 144,000 Jews that have, or will, accept Christ as their Messiah. The 144,000 are not the only Jews that will be saved. The 144,000 are the chosen Jewish army for the Lamb.
We are also told in this verse that there are people who are not Jews that will be saved during the Tribulation Period. These people also cannot be numbered because there are so many of them. This verse tells us that these people, who are not Jews, are from all the different nations of the earth. They are Gentiles. We, Americans, are Gentiles. This verse tells us that there are many nationalities of people, and that these people will have many different languages. According to an article on Babbel, there are approximately 7,111 languages in the world. According to Ethnologue, Papua New Guinea has the largest number of different languages, which is around 840. This verifies that God kept His promise to Abraham.
All through our study of Revelation, we have reminded you that Revelation is to reveal, not to conceal. God wants us to know these things. He wants us to have the knowledge of His will and what is to come. He is painting us another picture of a heavenly scene here in verse 9. God describes to us that all these people, which cannot be numbered, will stand "before the throne, and before the Lamb". These people are called the Tribulation saints. These saints have a special place in Heaven. They will stand close to the throne of God and close to the Lamb. They are given this special place as a reward for the suffering they went through during the Tribulation Period. God reveals to us that these saints are indeed the saints that went through the Tribulation in verse 14 of this chapter. "...These are they which came out of great tribulation..." That's pretty clear. The Lord also tells us that these saints, like all saints, will be "clothed with white robes". Remember that the white robes signify that we are washed from our sins by the blood of the Lamb.
There is one more thing that God reveals to us about these Tribulation saints. He says that they have "palms in their hands". They have palms in their hands not psalms. They are not holding a book in their hands. These saints are holding a palm in their hands. A palm is the leaf of a palm tree. A palm tree can reach a height of 100 feet. It provides food for people. The leaves, fibers, and sap are valuable. The palm tree's most productive season starts when it is around 30 years old. It can hold over 200 pounds of fruit. The palm tree was highly esteemed by the Hebrews and is mentioned numerous places in the Bible like in Psalm 92:12. The palm also signifies victory and triumph. Now, let's put this information together about the palm and compare it to Jesus. When Jesus came into Jerusalem to be crucified, the people laid palm branches down for His pathway (Mark 11:8).
1. A palm tree can be 100 feet tall. Jesus said that if He be lifted up, He would draw all men unto Himself (John 12:32).
2. A palm tree provides food for people. Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life (John 6:48).
3. The leaves, fibers, and sap are valuable. Jesus is most precious (1 Peter 1:19).
4. A palm tree starts being productive around 30 years of age. Jesus started His ministry when He was 30 years old (Luke 3:23).
5. A palm tree can hold 200 pounds of fruit. Jesus carried the heavy cross Himself for us (John 19:17).
(Even though they 'compelled' - Matthew 27:32 - Simon to try to carry Jesus' cross, Simon could not, or perhaps Jesus would not let him. If anyone else carried the cross that would give us the example that we have to 'do something' to help Jesus get us to heaven. Jesus carried the cross ALONE for us. Only Jesus can provide redemption. There is nothing we can ever do to 'help' out our Redemption! John 19:17 says Jesus bore His cross... not Simon.)
6. A palm tree is highly esteemed. Jesus is esteemed above all (Philippians 2:9-11).
7. A palm tree signifies victory and triumph. Jesus has the victory and He triumphs over all (1 Corinthians 15:57).
VERSE 10: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."
In this verse we are still talking about the multitudes of people who will be saved during the Tribulation period. They are praising God with the very loudest voices that they can. They are shouting "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." We should be shouting praises to our Heavenly Father every day. He died on the cross for us so we can have a home in Heaven.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God."
This is an amazing scene being described here. This verse tells us about all the angels. Remember Chapter 5 verse 11 that we studied. It tells us the number of the angels: "...and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands". The verse here tells us that all these angels are circled around God's throne. They compass around the elders and the four beasts. Then we are told that all these angels fall on their faces and worship God! Wow, what a sight! "Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy." (Psalm 99:9). I don't think we will ever know the real holiness of God until we see Him on His throne.
VERSE 12: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."
This verse goes on to tell us what all these "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands" angels are saying. These angels are blessing God. They are giving Him all the glory. They acknowledge that He has all wisdom, and they give thanks to Him. The angels honour God. These mighty angels recognize and praise God for His great power and might. Then, most of all, these angels call God, "our God"! In Chapter 7, "our God" is mentioned three times. The number three illustrates perfection, like the Trinity of God (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost). Another hidden gem in this verse is that there are seven praises given to God by the angels. The number seven illustrates completion. God is complete. He is our all in all. All the angels in Heaven worship God. These angels are on their knees. They "fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God" (verse 11). Do we???
VERSE 13: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me,
What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?"
So far in this chapter, we have read about the angels and the beasts talking to John. Now we read about one of the twenty-four elders addressing John. This elder is asking John a couple questions. This elder knows the answers. He wants to make sure John clearly understands. This elder asks John "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" The elder is referring to verse 9 of Chapter 7 here in Revelation ... "... a great multitude, which no man could number of all nations, ... clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." This elder asks John who these people are and where did they all come from. Notice that the angels are not the ones that ask John these questions. The four beasts did not ask John these two questions either, but this elder did. The elders had lived on this earth in times before. They had an earthly understanding which John could relate to. Therefore, the elder is asking John.
Let's go on to the next verse and read John's answer and the elder's reply.
VERSE 14: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."
Here is John's answer: "Sir, thou knowest." John knew that this elder knew who all these people are. Perhaps John wasn't 100% sure, we don't know. So the elder clarifies it for John and for us. The elder makes it very clear, without any doubt, that: "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." All these people mentioned here are not people who have died since the beginning of time. They are not people who have gone through different tribulations during a person's lifetime. The people mentioned here, which no man can number, actually come out of "great tribulation". These people will be saved during the great Tribulation period. The rapture would have already taken place. These people were left behind because they had not accepted Christ as their Saviour. Isn't it wonderful that our God is the God of second chances and more (Matthew 18:22, Luke 17:4). If God tells us to forgive seventy times seven, how much more does God forgive? !
Notice again in this verse that these people came out of "great tribulation". The great tribulation is the seven years after the Rapture. It is the seven years of the antichrist, the Beast, and the false prophet. It will be a terrible, terrible time for these tribulation saints. It will also be a terrible time for every single person on the face of the earth. However, it will be a time of salvation. Remember the 144,000 Jewish men who will be sealed during this time (Revelation 7:4-8) and the multitude of people which no one can number (Revelation 7:9) will be saved.
These verses verify that all these innumerable people will accept Christ as their Saviour. It states that they will be washed by the blood of the Lamb. 1 John 1:7 says: "... the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." All these people, like all the people already in Heaven, will be given white robes which signifies the righteousness of Christ. These people will not be trusting in their own 'good works'. They will be trusting in the shed blood of the Lamb of God.
In the next verse, we are going to learn about the wonderful reward that is given to these tribulation saints...
VERSE 15: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."
Because these saints went through the Great Tribulation, as we are told in the previous verse (verse 14), they are rewarded. Their reward is told here in this verse: they will be before the very throne of God and will serve Him every day. These tribulation saints will be extremely close to God.
Why will these saints get to be so close to God when the rest of us will be farther away? God explains that to us in the very next verse.
VERSE 16: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat."
These saints have endured great tribulations and troubles that we have never known. They will have endured extreme hunger and starvation for the Lord. They will have thirsted more than any person could ... for the Lord. Yes, there will be other people who may also endure these hardships; however, these saints have endured it for the Lord. They refuse to receive the mark of the Beast. They refuse to worship the secular movement. They will be the outcasts of society. They will be trying to survive in inhumane conditions. They will be the persecuted and martyred.
Today people are concerned with 'global warming'. Yes, there will be 'global warming'. It will be horrific. Revelation 16:9 tells us about it: "And men were scorched with great heat". Nothing man can do will ease the severe torment the heat will cause. It will be like standing next to a 10,000 degree fiery furnace with no way to get away from it. The heat will cause burns and blisters. The tribulation saints will also have to endure this. But they will endure it for the Lord.
Look at how most of the people will handle this extremely burning heat: "And men ... blasphemed the name of God ... and they repented not to give Him glory." (Revelation 16:9).
Image by: Meiying Ng instagram@meiying
Let's proceed to the next verse to see how the Lord is going to comfort the tribulation saints.
VERSE 17: (Chapter 7)
The SAVED of the Tribulation
"For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
Here we see that the Lamb, Jesus, is going to feed these tribulation saints Himself. In John 6:35, Jesus says: "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger". In John 4:14, Jesus says: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst". Yes, the Lord feeds all saints. He invites all saints to drink of the living water. However, this verse is right in the middle of the passages concerning the tribulation saints.
Water fountains go up. Waterfalls go down. God's water fountains are uplifting.
In the previous verse we learned about how the sun is going to scorch men with extreme heat. We read about the great possibility of people being burnt and having painful blisters. These tribulation saints will have to endure this also. Have you ever been to a burn unit at a hospital? Those people are in extreme pain. They are in an ICU area. They require extra special care because of what they have been exposed to. That is how it will be for the tribulation saints. The "fountains of waters" will be an extra comfort to them for what they had endured. And just like burned victims are closer to the nurses stations than less severe injuries, so will these tribulation saints be to the throne of God: "Therefore are they before the throne of God" (Verse 15, Ch.7).
The last part of this verse tells us that "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes". These saints will have many, many tears. Their hearts will have been broken over and over but look Who is going to wipe away all their tears. God Himself shall wipe away each of their tears. All of their tears. God will give extra special care to these tribulation saints. God will also give extra special care to you, if you would just ask Him.
CHAPTER 8
VERSE 1: (Chapter 8)
The SEALS Resumed
The SEVENTH SEAL = seven trumpets
"And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."
First, we are told that "He had opened the seventh seal". Remember, it is only the Lamb of God Who is worthy to open the Seals. We learned this in Chapter 5 of Revelation. So we now continue with Jesus, the Lamb, opening the Seventh Seal.
When this Seventh Seal is opened there will be "silence in heaven". The definition of silence is "the absence of sound". There will be no sound whatsoever. This silence will take place in heaven. The earth may still be noisy and busy, but in heaven you wouldn't even hear a pin drop. Have you ever been somewhere where you may be talking away, then you suddenly realize no one else is talking? Have you ever come home and house was unusually quiet? You knew something was wrong because it was so quiet. Some people may get very quiet when they are angry, especially before they 'blow up". This type of silence is going to be felt as it builds up in intensity in Heaven during this half an hour ... which will seem very long. Try being totally quiet for half an hour.
Those in Heaven know about the wrath of God. We are told about the wrath of God in Romans 1:18-19: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them." Jeremiah 10:10b states: "at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation." Hebrews 10:31 states that: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Facts about God's wrath has been written out in the Old and New Testament for thousands of years. God has revealed this to us in His Word. It is our responsibility to pick up the Bible and read about it. If you can't read, get an audio Bible. Romans 1:20 says there is no excuse.
Everyone in Heaven has fear of Almighty God. They know God, they abide with Him. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." Everyone in Heaven knows that God's wrath is His holy love in action against sin. Sin was never allowed in the Garden of Eden. That was why Adam and Eve were put out from the Garden of Eden by God. Sin will not be allowed to exist in the new earth that God is going to create. God will punish and annihilate all sin. That is what the Tribulation Period is all about.
VERSE 2: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL
SEVEN ANGELS before God
"And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets."
Here John is telling us that he saw "the seven angels which stood before God". These are extra special angels because they stand before God's throne. Notice again the number seven. We studied this in earlier verses. Seven is one of God's special numbers. It stands for perfection and completion. Here are seven of God's perfect angels ready to complete the Seventh Seal. Each of these seven angels will be given a trumpet. There will be seven trumpets that each angel will sound when told to do so by God.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 8)
GOLDEN CENSER
"And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne."
As the seven angels stand with their trumpets ready to sound, another angel approaches and stands at the altar of God. An altar is a structure on which a sacrifice is made, usually a lamb (Numbers 6:14). The altar also was a place where people could flee to for refuge (1 Kings 1:51). Jesus is the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the altar of the cross for the atonement of our sins. The Lord Jesus is also our refuge: "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble" (Psalm 9:9).
There are three main altars mentioned in the Bible.
1) Altar of Burnt Offerings = sacrifice of the lamb (Numbers 6:14)
2) Altar of Incense = sweet incense morning & evening (Exodus 30:7)
3) The Table of Shew-Bread = Exodus 25:30. Jesus is our Bread (John 6:48)
This angel is standing at the altar and he is holding a gold censer. A censer is a vessel that was used to hold the coals of fire taken from the Altar of Burnt Offering. Then in the upper part of the vessel was put sweet spices. Frankincense and myrrh were the main spices. The three wise men had presented to Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the most precious of all gifts.
The censer was a symbol used to show intercession to God. Jesus is the gold vessel that gave His life a sacrifice upon the altar making the sweet smell of atonement to the Father for our sins. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8:34). The censer also shows, that because Christ makes intercession for us, our prayers can now approach the throne of Almighty God.
Let's go on to the next part of this verse: "and there was given unto him much incense". Everything Jesus did pleased His Father. When Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, God the Father publicly announced how much His Son pleased Him. "And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mark 1:11). Jesus pleased His Father most of all by laying down His own life on the cross for us. These things that Jesus did are the "much incense" that is being poured out before the throne of God. The incense ascends up off the hot coals of sacrifice held in the gold vessel of Christ unto the Father on His throne.
Now let's look at the last part of this verse: "... that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne". The prayers of us saints are not in the censer. The censer does not refer to us or contain us. The censer represents Christ and His sacrifice for us. 1 Timothy 2:5-6: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Our prayers are kept up in Heaven. Our prayers are recorded in Heaven. "Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?" (Psalm 56:8). What actually is happening here is that the censer, representing that Christ had died for mankind, is brought before the throne of Almighty God and, with the sweet smell of the incense smoke, our prayers will ascend up with the smoke before God on His throne. Notice the word "with". Our prayers are "with" the smoke. It is not the smoke itself. It is mingled with the smoke as it rises. Maybe some of our prayers, that are ascending with the smoke to the Father, are prayers for our loved ones.
The next verse helps to clarify about our prayers being mingled with the smoke and where our prayers are actually kept.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 8)
INCENSE with PRAYERS
"And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand."
Picture in your mind's eye this heavenly scene. You have an angel standing before the throne of God in front of the altar. There are the four beasts by the throne. The throne is also surrounded by those ten thousands times thousands of angels, AND the twenty-four elders are around the throne. We see the elders in Chapter 5, verse 8: "...having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which ARE THE PRAYERS of the saints." Look what the twenty-four elders have in their hands! They are holding our prayers! The Lord has kept all our prayers in vials (containers) which He gave to the twenty-four elders to hold as an offering.
Now the event takes place in Verse 4 of Chapter 8. The angel is holding the golden censer representing Christ's sacrifice. The twenty-four elders are holding in their hands all our prayers contained in the 'golden vials'. The incense from the golden censer and the odours from the golden vials are all offered together upon the golden altar to our Heavenly Father. The incense and our prayers are all mingled together as the offering to God our Father.
In the next verse, we are going to read what this angel does with the censer and how the judgments on earth continue.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 8)
CENSER filled with fire
"And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake."
The angel will release the incense from the censer and it will be mingled with our prayers. The angel will then take the censer and fill it with fire from off of the golden altar that is before the throne of God. The Father will smell the sweet incense of His son. He will hear the earnest prayers of all the hurting saints. Then He will prepare to answer. His answer will be sent to the earth.
Fire is frequently spoken of in the Bible in connection with the presence of God. For example, as in the burning bush (Exodus 3;2-4), and in the pillar of fire that led the children of Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21, 22). Fire is also used throughout the Bible in regards to purification. I Peter 1:7 says: "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ". Thirdly, fire is used in judgment. We are told this in 2 Peter 3:7: "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
The censer that is cast to the earth filled with the fire from God also has three implications. First, it is to show that the fire is from God. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God made and owns everything. He created all of mankind. He has never deserted mankind. God has tried to lead the world through His Word, the Bible. People just need to pick up God's Word and read it, then God will lead them through their 'wilderness'. Luke 24:32: "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?" But most people will not acknowledge God's 'fire', His Word, even though He has tried to lead them.
Secondly, people who do get saved, who do ask Jesus to come into their hearts, will be purified. In other words, cleaned up. When God puts His Holy Spirit into our hearts, our life is changed. We want to do things to please God. Bad habits seem to fall off as we yield ourselves to the Lord and read His Word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 proves this: "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." If you think you are a 'Christian' but nothing has changed in your life, than you need to read Hebrews 12:7-8.
Thirdly, fire is used for judgment. Many people believe that because God loves everybody, He will just let everybody enter into Heaven. God does love everybody, but He is also a Holy God and cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). God hates sin. Isaiah 59:2 states: "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." God has told us this from the very beginning in Genesis 6:6-7: "And it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them." God did destroy man. This happened around B.C. 2353. God destroyed all mankind with a flood. God destroyed everyone except eight people. Those eight people were Noah and his family. Coming soon, God will again take His wrath out upon the evil that has filled the earth. He will destroy evil and sin once and for all. This is told to us in 2 Peter 3:10: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." This will be God's Judgment Day. It is going to happen at the end of the Tribulation Period. The Bible tells us in Jude 14-15: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." Like Hebrews 10:31 states: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
As this censer, that is filled with the fire of God's judgment, is cast into the earth, look what happens.
As this angel takes the golden censer and fills it with fire from the altar, he throws it "into the earth". When this angel does this, there are "voices, and thunderings, and lightenings, and an earthquake".
The "voices" are found back in Revelation 5:11: "the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands". And this is what the "voices" will be saying: "with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12).
Then there will be "thunderings and lightenings". Thunder represents divine power. 1 Samuel 2:10 states: "The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth". God also uses lightening to show His power: "Bow Thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightening, and scatter them: shoot out Thine arrows, and destroy them" (Psalm 144:5-6).
Then comes an earthquake. The scripture here do not say earthquakes, it says "an earthquake". Singular. One. This is going to be a massive earthquake such as the earth has never felt before. There is an account in the Bible about a massive earthquake that split the earth wide open. It happened around B.C. 1490, and is found in Numbers 16:1-49. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram conspired against Moses and Aaron. This angered the Lord. The Lord caused a great earthquake to open up a great crater that swallowed up Korah and all that appertained unto him. Dathan, Abiram, with all of their families fell alive down into the great abyss. The earthquake written about here in Revelation will be much greater than this one mentioned in Numbers.
Nahum 1:5-8: "The mountains quake at Him and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before His indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies."
VERSE 6: (Chapter 8)
SEVEN ANGELS prepare TRUMPETS
"And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound."
As the golden censer is being hurled into the earth, the seven angels prepare to sound the trumpets of God's indignation and wrath. Six seals have already been opened. The seventh seal contains these seven trumpets ready to sound at God's command. The world has already gone through war, famine, earthquakes, meteors, and much sufferings. Matthew 11:20 says: "Then began He (Jesus) to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not". Even though this passage took place when Jesus walked on the earth, the Lord is still trying to get mankind to repent. Because the world has refused to repent and get right with God, these seven trumpets will sound out God's judgment upon them.
The first trumpet will now sound ...
VERSE 7: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL
The FIRST TRUMPET = hail, fire, and blood
"And the first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up."
The first angel sounds his trumpet. Then "hail and fire mingled with blood" will be cast into the earth. This will not be the first time that hail and fire has hit the earth. Exodus 9 tells us about the judgment of God upon Pharaoh in Egypt around B.C. 1491. Pharaoh refused to let the people of Israel go free. So, "...the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation" (Exodus 9:23-24).
The Lord had also sent hail mingled with fire to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah around B.C. 1898. "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24). The story of Sodom and Gomorrah was made into a movie in 1963.
Our verse continues to inform us about what happens when the "hail and fire mingled with blood" will be cast into the earth. It says: "...the third part of trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up". This is pretty easy to understand but very hard to picture. One third of all the trees on the face of the earth will be burnt up. Trees help our air quality and produce oxygen. They shade us from the scorching sun. The wood is used in building homes, etc. Animals rely on trees also. One third of all the trees will be destroyed. If someone has nine fruit trees, three of them will be destroyed. There will only be six left. Put that on a major scale across the face of the whole earth. It will be catastrophic!
God also tells us in this verse that "all the green grass was burnt up". This verse does not say 'one third', it says 'all the green grass'. This is total. ALL green grass will be burnt up. Every country, every nation, will experience all the grass being burnt up. There will be no pastures for the animals to graze in. Many animals will die of starvation. We studied in Revelation 6:5-6 about the great famine during the Tribulation. The burning up of the trees and grass will escalate this famine. People will be dying. People will see their families die. They will see their friends die, and yet they still will not repent and turn to God.
VERSE 8: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The SECOND TRUMPET = great fire 'mountain'
"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood:"
Now the second angel will lift his trumpet and sound it. As the second trumpet is blown, a huge mountain-size meteor will fall from space and land in the sea. Notice that this verse says "as it were a great mountain". It is not a literal mountain; however, it is the size of a great mountain. The largest mountain on our earth is Mount Everest. It stretches across three countries: Nepal, China, and Tibet in southern Asia. It stretches over 29,000 feet wide. The height of Mount Everet is said to be over 26,000 feet high. Everyone will see this GREAT massive rock formation falling toward the earth. There will be panic.
Not only is this a great mountain of solid rock, it will be on fire. This massive, flaming, mountain of rock will hit the earth. It will land in a sea. It will cause so much destruction to the animal life in the sea and to the people in ships ... like our Navy, Marines, fishermen, oil drillers, etc..., that the sea will be filled with blood. It will become a literal sea of blood.
The next verse tells us a little bit more about this destruction.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The SECOND TRUMPET continues
"And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."
This verse tells us exactly what will happen when this fiery mountain of rock lands in the sea. It will cause one third of all the living marine life to die. It will also destroy one third of all the ships in the sea. This will definitely affect the water supply, food supply, merchandise, and military. The effects of this judgment will be felt worldwide.
VERSE 10: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The THIRD TRUMPET = fiery star
"And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters:"
The third angel now sounds his trumpet. When the third angel gives the signal, "a great star from heaven" falls to the earth. Notice that this is a 'great star', not a tiny one. It is huge, and it is on fire. It will not be as big as the "great mountain" that was cast into the sea. It is only compared to as "burning as it were a lamp". It will be burning bright as it hits the earth. It will have a powerful, destructive impact.
This "great star" will fall "upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters". These waters are our fresh water supply. Fountains are a source of flowing water. Springs flowing down from mountains or underground springs are all flowing sources of water, also called fountains.
We are told of the destruction that this "lamp" will cause in the very next verse.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The THIRD TRUMPET continues
"And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."
This "great star" that falls from heaven will destroy one third of all the fresh water supplies. It will ruin one third of all rivers and all fountains. There will be a horrible, worldwide drought. Whatever chemicals are in this burning ball that will fall to the earth will poison one third of all the rivers and fountains. The Bible calls this "great star" 'Wormwood' because of the extreme poison it produces.
Wormwood is a plant that is known for it's extreme bitterness. The word Wormwood means 'curse'. When this burning 'lamp' lands in the rivers and fountains, it will live up to its name. It will cause many people to die because the waters will be poisoned by Wormwood.
VERSE 12: (Chapter 8)
The SEVENTH SEAL continues
The FOURTH TRUMPET = one third of day/night
"And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise."
When the fourth angel shall sound, one third of the sun will be blackened out. One third part of the moon and stars shall also be blackened out. This will cause our 24 hour day to be turned into a 16 hour day. This will have a profound affect on all life. Crops will not get all the sunlight they need. Food will become even scarcer. Days will be colder. Wintertime may hit all-time lows.
Nighttime will be cold. One third of the moon will not be seen. The moon keeps the earth stabilized on it's axis. The tilt of the earth's orbit causes seasonal changes. The moon also affects the tides of oceans. The weather on earth will be affected greatly for the worse.
However, as this seems to be another hard blow to the earth, God uses this forth angel to have mercy on the earth. Jesus said in His own words in Matthew 24:22: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." As an act of mercy, God has shortened the 24 hour day into a 16 hour day.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 8)
ANGEL'S WARNINGS
"And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"
God is still revealing to us about what is going to take place. Very few verses in the Bible end with an exclamation (!) mark. An exclamation point is a signal that expresses intensity and urgency on what is to follow. John witnesses an angel that is "flying through the midst of heaven". This angel is shouting out a warning with a very loud voice for all of heaven to hear.
This angel is shouting: "Woe, woe, woe". The Bible refers to woe as an exclamation of judgment. It is anguish, grief, and trouble. This angel is telling us that if the first four trumpets were difficult for people to live through, it is going to be even worse when the last three trumpets sound. The warnings will be sounded. Will people on earth repent? Will people turn to God?
CHAPTER 9
VERSE 1: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the fallen angel
"And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit."
Now things will be getting even more scary as the fifth angel sounds. An angel has fallen from heaven. Not just any angel, but an angel that at one time held a very high place in God's kingdom. A very intelligent angel. This angel is mentioned in Isaiah 14:12: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer ..." Jesus witnessed Lucifer fall from heaven. Jesus tells us in His own words in Luke 10:18: "...I (Jesus) beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."
Satan was the most beautiful of all the angels in heaven at one time. God describes Satan in Ezekiel 28:13-15. Ezekiel documents that Satan was covered with the most beautiful stones from God. Satan was also equipped with being very musical. The music from Satan was used to glorify God. It was uplifting and godly. Because of Satan's extreme beauty and musical ability, pride entered into Satan. God says of Satan in verse 17 of Ezekiel 28: "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty..." Because of pride, Satan was cast out of heaven. Satan then became "...the prince of the power of the air..." (Ephesians 2:2). Satan is no longer allowed into Heaven. God has put Satan on a spiritual leash. God tells us in Job 1:7 where Satan is allowed to go: "...From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Satan has the freedom to go anywhere on this earth, including outer space. He also walks up and down in hell.
Satan is still very powerful today. He is like a ferocious lion. The Lord warns us of Satan in 1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Satan is not just as a lion, he is as a "roaring lion". He is on the prowl. He is hunting to devour anyone. Satan wants to drag lost souls to hell and he wants to get Christians out of the will of God. Ephesians 6:12 tells us: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places". Satan is not to be messed with. That is why God gave us an armour to protect us from Satan. This armour is available in Ephesians 6:11-18. It's up to you to put it on.
We now know that Satan fell from Heaven because of his pride. We also know that Satan wants to cause harm to God by attacking people. But this verse goes on to warn us about something else about Satan. Satan "was given the key of the bottomless pit". Satan was not given this key before the Tribulation Period. He will given this key at the appointed time by God. We know that the purpose of a key is to open things like doors and treasure chests. This key is not going to open a nice door, nor is it going to open a treasure chest. It is going to open the demonic door of the "bottomless pit".
The LORD is going to reveal to us what will be coming out of this demonic pit in the next few verses.
VERSE 2: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the bottomless pit
"And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit."
Satan, at this time, will open the bottomless pit. When he turns the key and opens this 'door', great billows of smoke will pour out into the earth. It will be an evil, black smoke. It may burn the eyes. Neither people nor animals will be able to see because the smoke will be so thick and dark that it blackens out the sun temporarily. This verse also tells us that it blackens the air. People and animals may die from smoke inhalation because it will be extremely hard to breath. It will be "as the smoke of a great furnace" being poured upon the face of the earth and into all the atmosphere.
As this smoke is billowing out of the bottomless pit, dark, demonic beings will immerge. God describes these demonic beings in detail in the next few verses.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power."
As this black smoke billows out of the earth, these locusts ascend out of the bottomless pit with the smoke. The smoke is dark and black. These locusts may be very hard to see at first, but they will still attack the people.
These locusts will be as strong as scorpions. Scorpions are capable of inflicting painful wounds with the strength of their tails. Scorpions have a gland that secretes a poisonous fluid into the wounds that they cause. This venom affects the veins and nervous system.
Most scorpions grow from one to three inches. However, scorpions found in tropical climates have measured nine inches! Unlike locusts, which eat vegetation, scorpions will eat any small animal they capture. They eat insects, lizards, snakes, and mice. They will even eat small mammals.
A normal scorpion
The next eight verses describe what these locusts look like physically, how they will hurt people, and who their king is. God does not leave people in the dark, even if they are unsaved. God is revealing to every human being that these demonic locusts will be coming.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads."
These locusts are a reminder to us that God controls everything, even insects. God controlled the flies, lice, frogs, and even the locusts back in Moses' day. God will still control these locusts during the Tribulation Period. God commands these locusts what not to hurt and what to hurt. He commands them not to eat any vegetation. But God also commands them to hurt anyone who does NOT have the seal of God in their foreheads. That is their God given job. To hurt and torture unsaved people.
I know this sounds very cruel to us. That is because we only see the one side. Look at God's side. He has begged and pleaded for people to get saved. He gave His Son to suffer a tortuous death for us. He will take the Christians out of the world (the rapture) hoping those left behind will realize that their missing loved ones were right and that they themselves need Christ. God allows the people left on the earth to go through the Tribulation in the hopes that they will turn to Him. And now, here we are, when these creatures come out of the abyss and torture ONLY the unsaved. God's hope is that the ones that will be hurt by these locusts will notice that God's people are not being tortured by these locusts, and turn to Him.
In Exodus, chapter 8, God used flies as a plague to show Pharoah that He is in command. He wanted Pharoah to repent. God showed Pharoah that there is a difference between God's people and unsaved people. Verses 22-23 tells us that God told Pharoah: "And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people:" This is exactly what God will be showing during the Tribulation Period with these locust creatures. He will be putting a division between the people of God, those who have His seal in their foreheads, and those who do not.
God's plan is always to bring people to their place of repentance. God is calling to them, but they will not come. Most will endure the pain and suffering of the locusts and not turn to Christ.
One more point to consider before we move on, is the fact that God put His seal in the foreheads of His chosen. Satan is the anti-christ. He mimics God. Satan will also have a mark to put on people. Satan will also use the forehead. He also will use the hand. Computer chips are already in use today for buying and selling. There are even people today who have a computer chip implanted into their brain. These are counterfeits. They are definitely not God's seal. We will learn more about this in our study in Chapter 13. Let's proceed with these demonic locusts and their power.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man."
These locusts were not permitted by God to kill people. Even though these locusts were like scorpions in power, they will not be allowed to kill anyone. Normal scorpions have caused death to people. These are not normal scorpions nor are they normal locusts.
These locusts will have the power to torment people. "...their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man". A scorpion has very sensitive hairs that allow it to locate its prey easily. The scorpion will grab its prey and sting it when it wants. These locusts will have this power. However, instead of using its stinger on other insects and small mammals, people that are not saved will be its prey.
These locusts will have the power to torment people for five months. Most locusts live for only a few weeks. However, some desert locusts have been known to live for up to five months. The number five symbolizes grace. Even with these locusts, God shows His grace. God could have allowed the locusts to live as long as a scorpion, which can be over 20 years. It is by God's grace, that He allows the locusts to torment people for only five months instead of 20 years.
The last part of this verse says: "...and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man".
It is said that the sting of a scorpion can feel like an electrical shock. Perhaps like even being hit with a bolt of lightening. The sting causes severe pain in the legs or arms. This can be very severe, especially for the first two hours of getting stung. The pain doesn't' start to go away until about 24 hours are up. But this is just for one sting. There are going to be millions of these locusts upon the face of the earth. People will probably be stung several times, whether by the same locust, or by numerous locusts.
The next verse tells us what people will do when these locusts start attacking them...
VERSE 6: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them."
When the scriptures say 'men', it usually means mankind ... men, women, and children. It will be all of mankind, that are not saved, that will be tormented by these locusts. During these five months of the Tribulation Period, all the unsaved people will be begging to die. The pain that these people will have to endure will be extremely hard. Their bodies may become swollen and infected from the locusts' stings. Their nervous system will be affected. People may have seizures or convulsions. It will be so awful for these people that they will try to commit suicide but will be unsuccessful.
Hopefully, these unsaved people will notice that the Christians are not being stung by these alien looking locusts and turn to Christ for forgiveness. Maybe a few, but the majority will only become more and more angry at God.
The next four verses describe in detail exactly what these awful locusts are going to look like!
VERSE 7: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men."
The Lord is describing these locusts to us so that when people see them, the people will know they were foretold by God in Revelation. Some people like to symbolize Revelation, but God did not intend that. In fact, He gives us illustrations so we can relate to exactly what He is describing. For example, God describes the shapes of the locusts in this verse. God does not call them horses. He says they are "like" horses. God compares them to "horses prepared for battle". He did this so we can relate to what He is describing. He wants us to get a clear picture. Horses prepared to battle are simply horses with armor on. In other words, these locusts have an 'armor' coating to protect them. These locusts are not a horse neither are they the size of a horse. They just have a hard shell that protects it from easy destruction. Men will not be able to kill these locusts easily.
The Lord goes on describing these locusts as having "on their heads were as it were crowns like gold". Again, notice the word "like". God is giving us a comparison again so we understand what these locusts look like. In other words, these locusts have little spikey things coming out of their head in a circle. The spikes may be a yellowish color and makes it look like these locusts have little crowns on their heads. These spikes may be very hard like gold and hurt.
Then God tells us "their faces were as the faces of men". Notice the words "were as". The locusts' faces are not human, but they do have human-like features. These locusts do not have bug like faces. They don't have antennas or pinching mouths. They have a face that closely resembles a man ... eyes, nose, chin, cheeks.
The next verse continues describing these demonic creatures ...
VERSE 8: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions."
God is continuing to describe these locusts. He tells us that they will have "hair like the hair of women". In other words, these locusts will have long hair. There are some insects that have hair, like a caterpillar, a fuzzy centipede, or even a bumble bee. But I do not know of any insect that has long hair like a woman.
The Bible describes women's hair in 1 Corinthians 11:15: "...if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering." God gave these locusts 'long hair'. Their hair will not be as long as a woman's hair, but it will be long for a locust. These are going to be strange looking locusts.
The second half of this verse states that these locusts' "teeth were as the teeth of lions". Their teeth are not the size of a real lion's teeth, but they will be shaped like them and can be used like them. For example, lions have a fearsome set of teeth. Their teeth are razor sharp and they have long canine teeth. The canine teeth are used to catch and kill their prey. Not only can a lion's teeth help in catching its prey, but their teeth are also used for tearing flesh and crushing bones. These locusts will have the capability of tearing flesh.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."
In verse 7, we saw that these locusts had armor on like horses going to battle. Verse 9 here affirms again that these locusts have breastplates. God also tells us that these breastplates are as strong as iron. It says "as it were breastplates of iron". Breastplates were worn to protect vital parts of the body like the heart, lungs, etc. Law enforcement and military wear bulletproof vests. These locusts have 'breastplates' protecting their vital organs. They will be very hard to destroy.
These locusts will also have wings. Not only do their wings help them to fly, but it enables the locusts to maintain a constant angle of attack. Their wings help them to be like a sniper or a sharpshooter. They will be very accurate with their attack.
The locusts' wings will also make a very loud sound. Back in the chariot days, horses, riders, and chariots would collide. The sounds of swords, spears, shields, helmets, and the armor of both horse and rider were heard the throughout the whole stadium. In the chariot days, a country knew they were going to be attacked if they could hear an army of chariots and horsemen coming from miles away. These locusts will be heard coming. Their wings will be sounding out the coming attack.
VERSE 10: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts
"And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Verse 10 is a confirmation of verse 5. When God says something twice, we had better listen. God warns people that these locusts will have "tails like unto scorpions". He tells people that they will be stung by the locusts' tails. He lets people know that they will be tormented five months. And He warned them in verse 5 and verse 10.
Here is a picture of the Tribulation locust using the above description. These locusts will be upon the whole face of the earth. They will be in homes, hospitals, and all through the streets. No one will be able to completely hide from these terrible creatures and their torment.
VERSE 11: (Chapter 9)
The FIFTH TRUMPET =
The FIRST WOE = the locusts' king
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
Even though these locusts were controlled by God, they still had a king. God also tells us that their king is "the angel of the bottomless pit". The Lord goes on to even reveal to us the name of this king ... "Abaddon" and "Apollyon". The name Abaddon means destroyer. "Apollyon" equals worldly values and control.
Satan is the antichrist. As the antichrist, Satan tries to duplicate God. One of the attributes of God that Satan tries to copy is the trinity. Just like there is the Heavenly Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Satan has his trinity. Satan has his trinity as the antichrist, the beast, and the false prophet.
Satan is very evil and destructive. He is very deceiving. He will use worldly pleasures to distract people from getting saved. Satan even lures Christians away from God with many worldly temptations. Satan does what he can to destroy both unsaved people and Christians ... just like the meaning that his name indicates.
Even though it may seem that Satan and his helpers are in control of the earth at this time, God still has them on His spiritual leash. In fact, God's leash is actually a spiritual chain. These demonic beings are on spiritual chains and chains can only reach so far. Satan and his helpers will have an end someday soon. God promises us this in Jude 6: "And the angels (now demons/fallen angels) which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day". After the Tribulation Period, God is going to grab Satan around the chain on his neck and destroy him and his demons forever. Amen!
VERSE 12: (Chapter 9)
The FIRST WOE PAST
More WOES Coming
"One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter."
If people think these locusts were terrible, wait till they see what is coming next! Remember what a Woe is. We covered this in verse 13 of Chapter 8: 'The Bible refers to woe as an exclamation of judgment. It is anguish, grief, and trouble.'
Right after the First Woe ends, the Sixth Trumpet sounds. This is not the Second Woe. It is the Sixth Trumpet and it is fierce.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The SIXTH ANGEL sounds
"And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,"
The sixth angel is standing ready. He sounds his trumpet. Then John hears a voice coming from "the four horns of the golden altar which is before God". John is still documenting all that he witnesses. John informs us that as this sixth angel sounds his trumpet, he hears a voice from God's golden altar. This voice of God will be giving a command to the sixth angel, and John is going to tell us what this sixth angel is commanded to do in the next verse.
VERSE 14: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The SIXTH ANGEL = Orders Given
"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates."
The voice of God coming from the golden altar talks directly to the sixth angel. He commands the sixth angel to release the four angels which He hath bound. Remember in Jude 6 we read "... He (God) hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day". Well, that great day is occurring now in the scriptures. These four demonic 'angels' are going to be set free. Only God has the power to bind and the power to set free.
These four demonic angels have been bound since the fall of Satan "in the great river Euphrates". Here are some interesting facts concerning the Euphrates River:
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The Euphrates River first appears in Genesis when Adam sinned.
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The Flood began at the Euphrates River.
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The Tower of Babel was built near this river.
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Babylon was built near the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
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The prophet, Daniel, was taken as a teenager to Babylon (Iraq) as a POW.
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World government and world religion began near the Euphrates River.
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Militants committed gruesome murders near the Euphrates River.
Four demonic angels are bound in the great river Euphrates. On the appointed day by God, these demonic beings will be set free. When the fallen angels are loose, they will cause more tribulation to those who are still living on the earth. God reveals what these demons will do in the next verse. Again, God is showing us what is truly going to happen. He is not hiding it. God reveals. This is why He gave us this book of Revelation. What these four demonic angels are going to do will be catastrophic.
VERSE 15: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The SIXTH ANGEL = Orders Given
Four DEMONIC ANGELS Prepare
"And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month and a year, for to slay the third part of men."
The four demonic angels are set free. When they are freed, they will go "prepare" themselves. The definition of the word prepare means to get something ready for use. To get established and be ready to set up also defines prepare. To make an arrangement was another word used to describe prepare. So, these four angels are going to go set up, establish, and get ready. They only have one year, one month, one day, and one hour combined to be ready. God will allow these demons a certain amount of time to prepare. God controls all time. He is never late, and He is never too early.
When the year, month, day, and hour have expired, these four 'angels' are going to go forth and kill one third of the people who are left from all the other judgments that have already occurred.
Judgments that Occurred: Revelation:
Killing each other 6:4
Starvation 6:6
One forth population dies 6:8
(swords, hunger, beasts)
Many die from bitter, bloody waters 8:8-11
Civilization will be dramatically decreased. This verse tells us that one third more of the population will be killed. And God tells us how people will die in the next few verses.
VERSE 16: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The SIXTH ANGEL = Orders Given
Four DEMONIC ANGELS Prepare
"And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them."
This seems odd to us today because our military does not really use horses anymore for battle. However, border guards and special forces use horses today because they are more useful on roadless and rough terrains. Horses are better suited for this type of terrain than modern ATV's. There are still countries that utilize mounted troops because horses can go places where infantry and motorized units cannot.
We do not know what nations Satan will use to prepare a two-hundred-million-person army. But the nations the four demonic creatures will choose to use, will be prepared for a terrible, terrible battle where one-third of all humans will kill.
John goes on to describe this army in more detail in the next verse.
VERSE 17: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The ARMY
Riders and Horses
"And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone."
God was revealing to John in a vision everything that God wanted him to write down. This is how God gave us the book of Revelation. John had never seen such a massive army, neither had he ever seen horses like this before.
Let's look at John's description of the riders that are on the horses. They have "breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone". John is describing the breastplates as being fiery red, jacinth (bluish), and brimstone (sulfur yellow). These breastplates could have their unity symbol displayed on it in red, blue, and yellow. It could also be for more military protection. No one will know until this day arrives.
John goes on to describe the horses. He states that the "heads of the horses were as the heads of lions". He does not say they have the head of a lion, he says the horses' heads "were as" the heads of lions. In other words, these horses' heads are big and fierce. These horses may be very well equipped with military weapons. These horses could be 'horse robots'. We don't know. It doesn't matter if they are real horses with special equipment or robot horses, fire, smoke, and brimstone will come out of their mouths.
VERSE 18: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The ARMY
Riders and Horses
"And by these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths."
This verse is verifying that one third of mankind will be killed. The phrase "by these three" is just indicating "by the fire, by the smoke, and by the brimstone". By these three ways, one third of civilization that is left will die.
This verse is also reverifying the fact that the fire, smoke, and brimstone will come out of these horses' mouths. It is first stated in verse 17, then in this verse. When God says something twice, like in verses 17 & 18, it means God is confirming what He says.
VERSE 19: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The ARMY
Riders and Horses
"For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt."
It is mentioned here again that power is going to be in the horses' mouths. It goes on to state that there is also power in their tails. "For their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads". These are very demonic beings. This is the army that the four demonic angels that will be loosed from the Euphrates River will gather together. Remember the number of this army is two hundred thousand thousand (v16).
They are going to hurt people with their tails and kill others with their mouths. Whether these are real horses or robots, time will tell. This mammoth army on military horses will kill one third of civilization.
VERSE 20: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The SURVIVORS
"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Now we are told about the two-thirds of mankind that are left ... "men which were not killed". We are told here that these people "repented not". After everything that has happened to the earth and civilization, these people still will not repent. Repent means to be sorry for sin, turn away from it, and seek God. These people do not repent. The Lord will use these few years of the Tribulation Period to encourage people to come to Him. 2 Peter 3:9 says the Lord "...is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". God does not want these people to perish. Jesus' own words are: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). The Lord even says in Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him". The Lord is calling to people. He wants them to hear His voice. He wants them to open the door to their heart. The Lord will not come in uninvited. Each person has to open their own door to their own heart. Christ will not force it open. People during this time do not want to open the doors to their hearts. Here's why ...
"... the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood..." An online dictionary describes humanism as people putting the main importance on humans instead of on divine importance. Humanism stresses the value and goodness of human beings and seek only human logic to solve problems. They rely on "...the works of their hands". People will feel that they can unite together and pull themselves 'up by their own bootstraps". They will feel they do not need nor want God.
The people spoken about in this verse also "worship devils". Anything that is not of God is of the devil. Idol worship is not of God. The second command of the Ten Commandments says: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God..." (Exodus 20:3-5). Idols can be gold, silver, brass, stone, or wood. And idol is anything that is put before God. It can be a statue that people bow down to or give reverence to. It can also be jobs, cars, houses, pets, and so on. Anything that gets first place over God is an idol. God even indicates here that 'idols' are just materialistic stuff. These objects of affection cannot "see, nor hear, nor walk". God is alive. He is to be the center of our affection and love. These 'idols' can't love. Only God has Holy, genuine love. The people who refuse to "repent" will never experience the real love of God. However, they will experience the real wrath of God.
VERSE 21: (Chapter 9)
The SIXTH TRUMPET
The SURVIVORS
"Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."
The Lord is continuing here from the previous verse. He is continuing to say that these survivors still will not repent. God lists more things that they will not repent of ... "murders ... sorceries ... fornication ...thefts" There will be more murders happening during the Tribulation time than there are today. Satan's demons will be everywhere in a lot of different forms. Fornication is more acceptable, and thefts will rise because people will be stealing just to survive. People will become more and more hard hearted. Instead of turning to God, they may even display more hatred toward Him for what they are going through.
CHAPTER 10
VERSE 1: (Chapter 10)
The MIGHTY 'ANGEL'
STANDING on the earth
"And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:"
Here is a "mighty angel come down from heaven". There is no one mightier than the Lord Himself. Look at all the descriptions together, you will see Jesus ...
DESCRIPTIONS OF JESUS:
1. JESUS HIMSELF COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN: The Lord Jesus says in His own words in John 6:38: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." This 'mighty angel', Jesus, will come down from Heaven during the Tribulation time just as He came down before.
2. JESUS IS "CLOTHED WITH A CLOUD": "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory" (Mark 13:26). ""Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him..." (Revelation 1:7).
3. ...A RAINBOW WAS UPON HIS HEAD": The rainbow is the symbol of divine faithfulness. It is the token (symbol) God created to bind the covenant between Himself and the earth ... "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth" (Genesis 9:13). "As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD" (Ezekiel 1:28). "...and there was a rainbow round about the throne" (Revelation 4:3).
4. "HIS FACE WAS AS IT WERE THE SUN": "For the LORD God is a sun and shield" (Psalm 84:11). "...His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Revelation 1:16). "... in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)
5. JESUS' "FEET AS PILLARS OF FIRE": "And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace" (Revelation 1:15). "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives..." (Zechariah 14:4).
Also see the description of Christ in this study of Revelation 1:13 - 16.
VERSE 2: (Chapter 10)
The MIGHTY 'ANGEL'
In His Hand a LITTLE BOOK Open
"And He had in His hand a little book open: and He set His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot on the earth,"
Now the Lord is showing us what is in His hands. It is a "little book". 1 John 3:11: "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning..." And 1 John 1:5 states: "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you..." This is the Word of God. God's Word is indeed a little book compared to the Book of Life. John 21:25 says: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." God has given us His Word from Genesis, the beginning of time, until Revelation - the end of time.
This "little book" is not the scroll that was sealed with the seven seals that we learned about in Chapter 5 of Revelation. The scroll is a sealed book. This "little book" is an opened book. The scroll is not yet finished being opened. There are still "Woes" and a "Trumpet" yet to be opened.
The Lord is standing on the earth in this verse at a time of judgment. The Word of God is given to us to learn judgment. The Bible was given to us "To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity" (Proverbs 1:3). 2 Timothy 3:16 clarifies that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness". And people will be judged out of this "little book": "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books" (Revelation 20:12).
The Lord is standing, with "His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot on the earth" holding His Word. He is showing the world that He had given us His Holy Scriptures which reveal His way of Salvation and His judgments on those who refuse Him. He has pleaded with mankind for thousands of years to come to Him. He has asked all people to come to Him. But most will refuse. "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14). The Lord has revealed Himself to mankind through every century, through every age, and to every person. In this verse, the Lord is revealing Himself again. It is up to the people on the earth how they will respond. However, Jesus' own words say: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets (Bible today), neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).
VERSE 3: (Chapter 10)
The MIGHTY 'ANGEL'
"LION'' Roareth
"And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices."
The "mighty angel" is standing with one foot upon the sea and one foot on the earth, as we see in verse 2. This shows that He is Lord of the sea and the earth. As the Lord is standing there, He roareth like a lion. He is not a lion animal. He is the LORD ALMIGHTY. We studied about the Lord being 'like' a lion in Revelation 4:7 and that He is referred to as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda" in Revelation 5:5.
When the Lord stands on the earth and sea at this time, He is announcing His power. When a lion roars, he usually is not happy. The Lord is not happy with mankind. He has pleaded with them over and over to repent and come to Him. People won't. He gave His life for them and most of mankind will keep rejecting Him.
"...and when He had cried," There is another verse in the Bible that tells us Jesus cried. Not "Jesus wept", but that He "cried with a loud voice". Mark 15:34: "And at the nineth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice..." Here in our verse in Revelation, Jesus will cry very loudly with a loud voice for all to hear. When the Lord cries out for all to hear, the "seven thunders uttered their voices." Thunder is regarded as Jehovah's voice and as a symbol of divine power. Job 37:2-4 states: "Hear attentively the noise of His voice, and the sound that goeth out of His mouth. He directeth it under the whole heaven, and His lightening unto the ends of the earth. After it a voice roareth: He thundereth with the voice of His excellency; and He will not stay them when His voice is heard."
The Lord's cry will cause a response from Heaven. Our verse says: "when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices". A 'voice' was heard from Heaven once before. It is found recorded in Matthew 3:17: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The voice of God the Father was heard when Jesus was baptized. Jesus came to the earth to die for our sins on the cross. We will hear the voice of God the Father when Jesus again stands on this earth.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 10)
The MIGHTY 'ANGEL'
The SEVEN THUNDERS
"And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."
The "seven thunders" utter their voices. John hears them. John was about to document everything that was said, when he hears "a voice from heaven". God the Father is the "voice from heaven". The voice of God the Father was heard at the baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:22 and also in Matthew 17:5: "...behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him." When God's voice is heard from Heaven again He will say: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him."
John is instructed from God the Father to "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not". Back in Revelation 5:1, we studied about the book that was sealed and how the Lord Jesus was the only one worthy to open the seals. God had this book sealed because the time to unseal it was not yet. The prophet, Daniel, was also given an insight to the End Times. In Daniel 12:4, God told Daniel: "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end..." Also in Daniel 12:9, God said: "... Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."
God had more events that He wanted to happen first. God has specifically sealed up when the "thunders uttered their voices" because the time that God wants it revealed is not yet. You can refer back to our study of Revelation Chapter 5 to help understand more why God seals these 'voices'.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 10)
The MIGHTY 'ANGEL'
Lifted HAND
"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up His hand to heaven."
We now see this 'mighty Angel', our Lord, standing on "the sea and upon the earth". John 6:38, Jesus states: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me." This shows that the Lord has dominion over the land and the sea. He lifts "His hand to heaven". When these "seven thunders uttered their voices", the Lord knows what they said. He lifts His hand in reverence and praises His Heavenly Father.
It is God's will for us to lift our hands in praise and reverence to the Father. 1 Timothy teaches us this. 1 Timothy 2:6 tells us why we should lift our hands and praise God: "Who gave Himself a ransom for all..." This instruction continues in verse 8 of 1 Timothy 2: "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands". David said in Psalm 63:4 that he (David) "...will lift up my hands in thy name". God commands us Psalm 134:2 to lift up our hands in church: "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD." This is a command, not an if you want to. We are to lift our hands in praise to our Heavenly Father. There are many, many verses throughout the Bible encouraging us to lift our hands to God (Psalms 28:2; 88:9; 119:48; 141:1-2; 143:6; 2 Chronicles 6:12-13; Ezra 9:5; Nehemiah 8:6). In 1 Kings 8:22, 38, King Solomon spread his hands towards heaven.
We do have to be cautious in the lifting of hands. Satan likes to take things out of context. Satan likes churches who like to cause a commotion while lifting hands. But God says: "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40). Lifting our hands to our heavenly Father should be in reverence and honor to Him. This is what Christ is doing here in this verse. Look at the next verse ...
VERSE 6: (Chapter 10)
The MIGHTY 'ANGEL'
Lifted HAND in PRAISES
"And sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:"
Hebrews 6:13 tells us that when God makes a promise "... He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself". The Lord lifts His hand to His Father and praises Him. The Lord first lifts His hand in praise to the Father and states that God "... liveth for ever and ever". That He "created the heaven, and the things that therein are". He states that God created "the earth, and the things that therein are". He also praises God for creating "the sea, and the things which are therein". This all relates back to Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." We are now at the end times in Revelation and this is being said again. The book of John in Chapter 1:2-3 tells us that Jesus was with God in the beginning of creation: "The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was not any thing made that was made." The Lord is still with God at this end time of the earth, as He raises His hand in reverence to His Father.
Then the Lord confirms that there shall "be time no longer". The time of people being martyred for the Lord will come to an end. The time of evil and sin will come to an end. The time of the anti-christ, beast, and false prophet will all come to an end. Then time itself will come to an end ... "there should be time no longer". Revelation 21:25 says: "for there shall be no night there" .
VERSE 7: (Chapter 10)
The SEVENTH ANGEL
Begins to SOUND
"But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets."
Six of the seven angels have sounded their trumpets. Now it is time for the seventh angel. This angel "shall begin to sound". As he begins to sound his trumpet, "the mystery of God" starts to unfold. God will reveal everything to us so we can understand it. God states in this verse that "He hath declared to His servants the prophets". God has told every generation of mankind about Himself and that the End Times would come. From Noah in Genesis to John in Revelation, God has let the world know that there will come an End Time ... A Tribulation Era. When this seventh angel sounds, "the mystery of God" will be revealed to all mankind. Everyone will then have a total understanding of God ... even the unsaved.
VERSE 8: (Chapter 10)
The LITTLE BOOK
Instructions
"And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth."
John hears "the voice" again coming from heaven. John recognizes this voice. John heard this voice first in Revelation 4:1: "... and the first voice which I heard ..." The voice of God instructs John. God says: "Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the Angel..." John is instructed to approach the Lord Jesus and receive the "little book" from His hand.
The Lord wants us to come to Him and receive His Word. He holds His Word in His nail pierced hands out to us. It is up to each of us to take His Word and read it.
VERSE 9: (Chapter 10)
JOHN ASKS
For the LITTLE BOOK
"And I went unto the Angel, and said unto Him, Give me the little book. And He said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey."
John now approaches the Angel. John asks the Angel for the book. This is what the Lord Jesus says to all of us: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). When John asked the Lord for the "little book", it was given to him without any hesitation. "And He said unto me, Take it". God wants us to have His Word. He wants us to read it and learn about Him. The Lord holds His Word out for us to take.
The Lord even gave John instruction on what to do with the "little book". Remember, Revelation is to 'reveal'. The Lord gave us the Bible so we can know these things to come. God says in His Word: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5). If you don't understand something in the Bible, God says to "ask of God" and He will give "liberally". Liberally means a lot! God will give you lots of understanding and wisdom IF you would ask Him.
The instructions to John is to "Take it, and eat it up". I know this sounds a little strange, but not so strange when we read what Jesus says in John 6:48: "I am that bread of life". Jesus also says in John 6:51: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." The Lord gave His 'flesh', His body, to die on the cross for "the life of the world". He gives those who ask everlasting life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Take the Word of God and feast on every word written. It will satisfy your soul.
The Lord tells us what happens when we 'dine' on the Word of God ... "it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey". First, the Angel tells John that "it shall make thy belly bitter". When we read the Word of God, it tells us that we are sinners ... "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Isaiah 64:6 tells us that "...we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." Then God Word goes on to tell us that because the very best we could ever do is still as a 'filthy rag' in God's eyes, then we cannot enter into His presence. We are not fit for Heaven. A Holy God cannot even look upon sin, and we are sinners. This is the 'bitterness in our belly'. "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
God gives hope in the rest of the verse ... " it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey". When we realize that we are a sinner, that all our good works are like "filthy rags", and we ask Him to forgive us and come into our hearts, His Word then becomes as "honey" to us. Psalm 119:103 says: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
VERSE 10: (Chapter 10)
JOHN TAKES
The LITTLE BOOK
"And I took the little book out of the Angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter."
The Angel hands John the "little book" because John asks for it. The prophet, Jeremiah, had a similar experience to John's. Jeremiah says: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16). When we get saved, there is a great "joy and rejoicing" in the heart. It is an unexplainable feeling when your sins are forgiven and the Lord comes into your heart! "... rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).
The other part of this verse says that John's "belly was bitter". The closer we get to the Lord the more of our own sins we notice. It's kind of like "Spring cleaning". We come out of a cold, dark winter. Rays of Spring sunshine flows into our windows. The beams of light illuminate the unnoticed dirt particles that are floating around. We become more and more aware of the dirt in our home. And so it is with our own life as we read God's Word and draw nearer to Him. The apostle, Paul, said of himself: "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24). Paul was very close to the Lord. He wrote a lot of the books of the New Testament. The closer Paul drew to the Lord, the more 'dirt' he saw on himself. The closer we draw to our Saviour, the more dirt we will see on ourselves, and the holier we will see God as.
Do you know the meaning of a church steeple? Originally, the church steeple stood above all other structures in a town for all to see and look up to. The bells rang out over the land for all to hear. The steeple points up to God. A steeple indicates that the Lord is to be lifted up above all and seen by all. The 'bell' of salvation is for all to hear the gospel. The steeple itself indicates pointing souls to the Way to heaven.
There is another aspect of the steeple. The base of the steeple is much larger than the very tip of the steeple. We stand at the bottom of the steeple. As we move up the steeple, the smaller the base becomes. The closer we get to the tip of the steeple, the more we realize the holiness of God. We need to realize that our life is not about us. It is about God. The closer we get to the Lord, the smaller we become, and the more important God becomes. The only things that are really going to matter when we stand before God is ... are we saved, and, if we are, what did we do down here on earth for Him?
VERSE 11: (Chapter 10)
More WORK For John
"And He said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."
John had just 'eaten' the little book. John may be feeling extra weak at this time. His "belly was bitter". Maybe John felt like giving up. He had already been in this rocky prison camp for almost two years at this time. Maybe John felt he was too old or too feeble to carry on. However, the Lord comforts John. The Lord lets John know that He will give him strength and bring him out of this awful prison when the Lord says: "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings" The Lord still wanted John to be a witness for Him.
No matter how old, weak, or feeble we may be, the Lord still wants us to witness for Him. The Lord says in 2 Corinthians 12:9: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness".
CHAPTER 11
VERSE 1: (Chapter 11)
RISE and MEASURE
"And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein."
A "reed" is a measuring tool that measures about ten feet. That is why this verse says it is "like unto a rod". It is very long. The Lord tells John to "Rise". The Lord tells us to "Rise" too. He tells us to get moving and work for Him. In John 9:4 Jesus says: "...the night cometh, when no man can work". There will come a time when we will not be able to 'work' for the Lord. It may be the dark days of the Tribulation or it may be just our own health. So be wise and live each day in service to the Lord.
The Lord had lots of work for John yet, even as a 'senior citizen'. Not only was John given the large job of measuring the whole temple of God, he was to measure the altar, too. And then John was to measure all "them that worship therein". He did not 'measure' each person. He counted them all. That still was a lot of work to do.
The temple that John is told to measure is the literal temple, and so is the altar. The people inside the temple are literal Jews. Israel has always been God's chosen people. In the chart below, notice the last square. The Romans tried to destroy God's temple and removed His sacred items. God is going to restore His literal temple again. We will be studying that further on in Revelation.
Even though this event of John measuring the temple of God will be during the Tribulation Period, it does have a spiritual application to us today. As the verse says, it is "the temple of God." It belongs to God. The altar represents the Sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins. Only the people who will come to the altar of Christ can dwell in the temple. When we accept the atoning blood of Jesus, we will belong to God. 1 Corinthians 3:16 tells us: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
BELOW IS A CHART from Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines
This chart is very interesting. It tells what archaeologists have found today. It tells of the sundial that was calibrated to tell time and seasons. This chart also tells about when the Roman army invaded Jerusalem and took the sacred temple items. This chart is very informative ... thanks to Rose Publishing !
VERSE 2: (Chapter 11)
MEASURE NOT the Court
"But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."
The Lord now instructs John not to measure the court. The court is the large area that surrounds the temple. God has a specific plan for this area. God has allowed all the unsaved to approach here. King Solomon built the first temple of God's around 1014 BC and finished it up around 1003 BC.( Ussher). Gentiles were never allowed into the inner areas of the temple, even during Jesus' time here on earth. This shows that there is a separation between God's people and the unsaved.
The Lord says: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." ( 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
During the Tribulation Period, Satan and his demons will have their influence on millions of people. These gentiles will come up against Jerusalem and besiege it for 42 months, which is 3 1/2 years. This is half of the Tribulation Period.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 11)
GOD's Two WITNESSES
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Now the Lord is revealing to us that during the first half of the Tribulation Period, He is going to give power to two of His special witnesses. These two witnesses will witness for the first half of the Tribulation Period. That is the "thousand and two hundred and threescore days". This equals 3 1/2 years. Remember, the Tribulation Period lasts 7 years. 3 1/2 is half of 7 years.
These two witnesses of God's are going to have mighty power to preach the gospel to everyone on the earth. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke of the first half of the Tribulation in Mark 13:8-13: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginning of sorrows. But take heed to yourselves; for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. God is giving one last, powerful offer to allow people to get saved. Most will not, but those who refuse will never be able to say that they weren't told! For three and a half years, the gospel will go forth with power to all the earth.
God's two witnesses here are going to be clothed in "sackcloth". Sackcloth is a coarse, dark fabric made mostly of goats' hair. It is worn as a sign of extreme grief and repentance (Genesis 37:34; Jeremiah 4:8; Matthew 11:21; Luke 10:13). These two witnesses will be proclaiming that people need to be extremely sorry for their sins and repent of them. Repent means to turn away from sin. These two witnesses are going to be extremely powerful, but mankind will keep hardening their hearts.
Who are these two witnesses? There are three main theories on who these witnesses are. One theory if that they are Moses and Elijah. Some people think this because the power these witnesses have duplicate what Moses had in Egypt when Pharoah refused to let God's people leave. Also because it was Moses and Elijah that appeared with Jesus during the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3-4).
A second theory is that the witnesses are Elijah and Enoch. Others believe this theory because neither Elijah and Enoch died physically. They were both taken up physically into heaven (Genesis 5:23 & 2 Kings 2:11). Another aspect is that both Elijah and Enoch were prophets that pronounced judgment on sin (1 Kings 17:1 & Jude 1:14-15).
A third theory is that these witnesses are just ordinary people who God chooses to be the witnesses. So, who exactly are these two witnesses? The next verse gives us more of a description about these two witnesses.
MOSES
ELIJAH
ENOCH
VERSE 4: (Chapter 11)
GOD's Two WITNESSES
God had told us about "the two olive trees" back in the Old Testament. Zechariah ask the LORD this question of the vision he saw: "...What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof?" (Zechariah 4:11) God answers this question in verse 14 of Zechariah 4: "...These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the LORD of the whole earth."
We know that one of these chosen men will be Elijah. This is found in Malachi 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:" There is a saying that states "everyone likes a good mystery". This is one of God's mysteries. He will reveal it to us when He decides it is time to send the two "annointed ones" to earth. The earth will probably not recognize either of the two witnesses. They definitely will not welcome them. The next few verses tell us about the power these two witnesses have and what the world will do to them.
VERSE 5: (Chapter 11)
DON'T HURT the WITNESSES
"And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed."
God will be giving these two anointed ones the power to breathe fire out of their mouths. This is not talking about the Word of God coming out of their mouths and devouring God's enemies. This verse means there will be literal fire coming out of the two witnesses' mouths. The proof is in the second half of this verse: "...and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed." In what manner? In the manner of the fire coming out of the two witnesses' mouths. This will be literal fire and literal death.
God is warning people ahead of time, 'Do NOT hurt these two witnesses!'. God is sounding out His warning here. God says in this verse: "...if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed". It is not the choice of the two witnesses to decide to kill someone or spare someone. It is a command from God. These two witnesses MUST obey God, so they MUST kill anyone who tries to hurt them.
Some people may say they didn't know that God told them not to hurt these two witnesses. But God put it right there in writing for everyone. Others may say that they didn't read it. That doesn't matter either. Leviticus 5:17 says: "And if a soul (person) sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD; though he wist (know) it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity." God does not allow the excuse of ignorance. He gave us His Bible. He gives us preachers. He gives a 'light' in our hearts that want to seek God (John 1:9). It's people's own sin that they themselves don't pick up the KJV Bible and read it. It was written on an 8th grade education level!
VERSE 6: (Chapter 11)
The WITNESSES' POWER
"These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will."
God had given His prophets these powers before. In 1 Kings 17:1, Elijah prayed and God held back the rain for three and a half years (also see James 5:17). When there is no rain, it causes great famine. Crops won't grow. Animals lack water. Humans lack water.
God had also given His prophets in the past the "power over waters to turn them to blood". In Exodus 7:17, God said: "...In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood."
God will give these two witnesses power over all plagues. Here is just a partial list of different plagues mentioned in the Bible:
THE PLAGUE OF:
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Blood (Exodus 7:14-25) The waters of Egypt were turned into blood. Fish died, rivers stank. Lasted for seven days.
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Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15) A countless number of frogs came out of rivers and open waters. They covered the land and overran homes and businesses.
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Lice (Exodus 8:16-19) All the dust (dirt) of the land of Egypt became lice. Lice were all over man and animals.
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Flies (Exodus 8:20-32) Swarms of flies filled the air, filled houses and were all over the ground...bothering both man and animals.
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Murrain (Exodus 9:1-7) Murrain is an infectious disease that affects domestic animals. The cattle, sheep, camels, horses, and other animals used for human needs were plagued with murrain. Murrain invades the red blood cells and can be carried by ticks.
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Boils (Exodus 9:8-12) A boil is a very painful, pus-filled lump under the skin. It is caused by a bacteria infection. A cluster of boils is called a carbuncle. Cluster of boils connect to each other causing even more infection and pain.
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Locust (Exodus 10:3-20) These locusts were not like the ones that will appear during the Tribulation Period. These locusts were mild in comparison to the locusts to come. The locusts during Moses' time ate all the fruit, vegetables, and all the green foliage. The locusts that are to come will be attacking people instead of the vegetation.
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Darkness (Exodus 10) There was thick darkness over all of the land of Egypt during the time of Moses. This darkness was so dark that the Egyptians could not go out of their homes. They could not even see a few feet in front of them. It was too dangerous to walk anywhere. They could not even take care of their animals. During the Tribulation Time, Revelation 6:12 tells about the sun becoming black as sackcloth. That's pretty dark.
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Death of the first-born (Exodus 11:4-12) Because Pharoah refused to obey God, God killed the oldest child of every Egyptian. The Lord had been long suffering with Pharoah. Pharoah went through all these plagues and still refused to listen to God. God sent plenty of warnings. The first-born would not have died if Pharoah would have surrendered to the Lord. This is how people will be like during the Tribulation Period. In fact, people are like this today. What will it take for you to surrender your heart to God?
VERSE 7: (Chapter 11)
The BEAST ATTACKS
"And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."
These two witnesses of God's will only have a certain amount of time on this earth. We ourselves only have a certain amount of time on this earth also. These two witnesses have three and a half years to proclaim the Word of God to give people another chance to turn to God. We, as Christians, have a limited amount of time to serve the Lord and tell others about Him. These two witnesses will have finished their testimonies in just three and a half years. The Lord has given most of us more time than that. Are we working on our testimony? Are we witnessing for our Lord? Are we running the race? "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" (1 Corinthians 9:24).
Next, we read: "...the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit". At the end of the three and a half years, when these two witnesses have finished warning people, Satan will come up against them. The devil hates it when we tell others about the Lord and what the Bible says. Satan will attack any Christian who will live for the Lord, especially those who are faithful enough to share Christ's salvation with others. 1 Peter 5:8 reminds us to "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour".
Next we see that the Beast is going to make war against these two witnesses. Not only is he going to make war with them, but he is also going to get the victory over them. It is going to be a fierce battle. The Beast will "overcome them". The devil will think he has the upper hand. In front of everybody, the Beast will physically kill these two witnesses of God's.
These witnesses are going to be hated by almost everyone. Remember, these witnesses have caused everyone who tries to hurt them to die (verse 5). These witnesses have also brought numerous plagues, like the ones mentioned above, upon the whole earth. You can say everyone will logically hate these two witnesses. These two witnesses caused the people much pain and suffering. The world wants these witnesses dead. The world does not want to hear about sin and judgment. The world just wants to 'love everybody'. They think everyone just needs to get along and be happy. They do not want these two witnesses telling them that they need to repent and turn to God. The world does not want to hear the Word of God even today.
The Beast is going to kill these two witnesses. Wait till you see what happens to their bodies in the next few verses! The battle is not over.
VERSE 8: (Chapter 11)
Two DEAD BODIES
"And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."
So the Beast, in this verse, has now physically killed these two witnesses. God did not allow Satan to kill these two prophets until after they have finished their testimony. The Beast is going to physically kill these two witnesses in Jerusalem. The Lord was crucified in Jerusalem, in a part called Golgotha which is just outside of Jerusalem's walls (John 19:17). These two witnesses will be killed in the streets of "the great city", Jerusalem, "where also our Lord was crucified".
After the Beast has these two witnesses killed, he is going to purposely let their bodies lay in the populated streets of Jerusalem for everyone to see. Look at the next verse...
VERSE 9: (Chapter 11)
EVERYONE SEES The Bodies
"And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves"
Here the Lord reveals to us who all is going to see the dead bodies of these two witnesses. The Lord tells us that not only do people in Jerusalem see the dead bodies, but the whole world will see them. "...people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies". In other words, many different nationalities of people. People of many different languages and from many different nations shall see the dead bodies of these two witnesses of God's. How can this be? Centuries ago, this question may have perplexed people, but today we know this is very easy. We have the internet, we have television, and we have iphones! We have instant access to all news at any time we desire. There are also alerts that can be sent out about national headlines. The death of these two witnesses for God will definitely go forth on national headline news. Everyone will be seeing the bodies of these two witnesses on their social media, laying dead in the streets of Jerusalem.
People everywhere will be able to see the dead bodies of these two witnesses laying in the streets of Jerusalem. The bodies are going to lay in the streets for "three days and an half". People all over the world will be able to watch the news and social media, and see the bodies lying dead. There will be no doubt that these bodies are dead bodies. God is allowing their bodies to lay in the streets to prove to the world that the bodies are indeed dead. The bodies of these two witnesses will draw world wide attention.
For three and a half days, no one will put, or be allowed to put, the bodies of these two witnesses in a grave. God controls all events, even these bodies lying in the streets. Guess what all the people of the world are going to do? Read on and see ...
VERSE 10: (Chapter 11)
REJOICING by the Unsaved
"And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
It's a worldwide celebration! The whole earth is rejoicing. People are having parties and "making merry". Everyone is celebrating! It's better than Christmas time! People and nations are giving gifts to each other. Everyone is happy! This will be a three and a half day long continual party!
The whole world will be rejoicing together because God's two witnesses are dead. The people will think that they cannot be tormented any more. They will feel that they have obtained 'peace'. This goes on for only three and a half days. At the end of three and a half days, this happens ....
VERSE 11: (Chapter 11)
GREAT FEAR
"And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them."
So it was all over the news. Everyone will be talking about the death of God's two witnesses. People will be rejoicing because these two Christians will not be able to annoy them anymore. People get annoyed today when someone tries to witness to them about the Lord. Most people don't want to hear that Christ came to die for their sins so they would not have to spend their forever home in Hell. Those who witness to others do it out of love and care for the unsaved. These two witnesses will come to tell the world about God and His coming judgments. The world does not want to listen. So, the world will kill these two witnesses, just like they have killed other witnesses before them. However, there will be worldwide rejoicing, and the bodies will lay in the outer courts for all to see. Then this will happen ...
After the three and a half days, "the spirit of life from God" will enter into these two witnesses. They will open their eyes. They will get up to their feet. They will stand there for a moment as they look upon all the people. The news media will be covering this event. Others will be on their social media panicking over these two witnesses coming back to real life. "Great fear" will come upon people. They will be terrified. Hopefully, some of the people will realize that what these two witnesses will have said are true. Hebrews 10:31 tells us that: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God".
Please note here: In this verse we see the "the spirit of life" comes from God. God puts "the spirit of life" into every human being. God puts "the spirit of life" into everyone when we are conceived. Every little baby in the womb has the "the spirit of life". And if that baby is killed, in the womb or out of the womb, it will go up to Heaven because it has "the spirit of life". We will see our babies in Heaven someday.
VERSE 12: (Chapter 11)
The GREAT VOICE
"And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them."
These two witnesses will be standing in the midst of many people. The people will know for certain that these witnesses were definitely dead. These two witnesses will look around upon all the people, then they will lift their eyes to the sky as they will hear the "great voice" from God calling them. A great voice from Heaven was heard when John baptized Jesus. Mark 1:11 states: "And there came a voice from heaven, saying". The voice mentioned in Mark 1:11 is not described as a "great voice". God's voice in Mark 1:11 was one of praise. The voice that will sound during the Tribulation Time will be one of anger. Anger because the people will kill God's two witnesses and will refuse to listen to His Word.
This "great voice" will call out to His witnesses. God will say to them, "Come up hither". God will have given the people another chance and the people will refuse again. So, God will leave the world without these two witnesses. He will call His witnesses home to Heaven. And just like Jesus ascended into Heaven, Acts 1:9: "...and a cloud received Him out of their sight", these two witnesses will ascend up into "heaven in a cloud".
"And their enemies beheld them" ... God calls these people "their enemies". James 4:4 says: "...whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." People living during the Tribulation Period will witness these two prophets rising up into the air and disappearing into the clouds. Great fear will be upon these people. They will know the power of the two witnesses. They will testify to the death of the two witnesses. They will see with their own eyes the prophets rising up into the air. And they will know in their hearts that more of God's judgment will be coming because of what they had just did to God's two witnesses.
VERSE 13: (Chapter 11)
Here Comes the Judgment
The SECOND WOE
"And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."
People during this time will hear the two witnesses preaching the gospel. The people will see the dead bodies of the witnesses laying in their streets. The people will see the two witnesses literally rising into the clouds. Then, as everyone is talking about this latest event, a "great earthquake" will shake their entire city. This earthquake will be so devastating that it will cause one tenth of the city to collapse. Picture one tenth of your city falling into shambles as the ground shakes profusely! This earthquake is going to be so awful that "seven thousand" people will die in it.
The people will be in denial of the authority that these two witnesses will be God's spokesmen. They will not want to submit to God's Word. In Numbers 16 is the account of people, in B.C. 1471, who did not want to submit to God's authority. Numbers 16:30-33 is what Moses said to the people during his time: "But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave assunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation." This earthquake caused great fear upon these people. The earthquake that will take place during the Tribulation Time will cause those who mock God's two witnesses to perish in this earthquake. There will be "seven thousand" of them killed. The people that survive this earthquake will give "glory to the God of heaven". We need to fall on our faces today and ask God to forgive us!
VERSE 14: (Chapter 11)
The SECOND WOE is Past
The THIRD WOE will Come
"The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly."
There will be three Woes during the Tribulation Period. The First Woe will be those horrible looking locust that hurt people which we studied in Chapter 9. The Second Woe will be the awful earthquake that will destroy one tenth of the city because people will refuse to listen to God's Word that will be preached by His two witnesses that will leave in a cloud.
The Second Woe marks the end of the first three and a half years of the Tribulation Period. The first half of the Tribulation Period will end at this point, and the second half of the Tribulation Period will begin. Satan will come on the scene soon. God will use the first three and a half years of the Tribulation Period to give people one last chance to come to Him before Satan is loosed.
Before the Third Woe unfolds, there will be another intermission. We had stopped at the Sixth Angel with the Sixth Trumpet in Chapter 9. Then there is an intermission in Chapter 10 with the "Little Book". This intermission takes our eyes off of the earth for a moment to show us what is going on in Heaven. After this intermission, the two witnesses appear and the Second Woe will occur. After the Second Woe, the Seventh Trumpet will sound, and reveals another intermission. This intermission is also of the Heavenly scene. As the Seventh Angel sounds his trumpet, the Heavenly scene unfolds again...
VERSE 15: (Chapter 11)
The SEVENTH TRUMPET Sounds
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever."
The seventh angel will sound his trumpet. Then there will be "great voices" heard throughout all of Heaven. All the herald angels will be declaring "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever".
When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, it opened the door for Satan to try to rule the earth. Not only is Satan called the "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), but he is also called "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). When Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, Satan "saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:9). Satan has the power to 'bless' people with earthly possessions.
When this Seventh Trumpet sounds, there will be a great victory felt in Heaven as the kingdoms of the world will be ripped out of Satan's hands and given back to God. The part of this verse that says "our Lord, and His Christ", verifies John 3:16 that God the Father sacrificed His Son to reclaim the world: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son". Jesus is the Christ, the Sacrifice given by God the Father, to reclaim the world. And "He shall reign for ever and ever" both in Heaven and on the earth. That is what all Heaven will be shouting about when the Seventh Trumpet sounds!
VERSE 16: (Chapter 11)
The Four and Twenty ELDERS
"And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God."
We learned about these twenty-four elders back in Revelation 4:4. These twenty-four rulers with crowns upon their heads will fall down on their faces and worship God.
There are seven accounts where these twenty-four elders fall down before God recorded in the book of Revelation. They are found in Revelation 4:4; 4:10; 5:8; 5:14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4. From the very beginning of time, the number seven has indicated perfection.
VERSE 17: (Chapter 11)
The Four and Twenty ELDERS Speak
"Saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned."
This is what the twenty-four elders are saying to God. They are giving Him thanks, which we should all do too. They are acknowledging that He is "Lord God Almighty". They also acknowledge that God is alive and powerful today, "which art", meaning present time. They acknowledge that He has always existed, "and wast", meaning in the past from before time ever was. And they acknowledge and verify that He will come back to the earth to reclaim it, "and art to come".
Then the twenty-four elders state that He is going to come to the earth to reclaim His power over it, "taken to Thee Thy great power". The elders also declare that God has always "reigned".
The world does not want Christ to reign. They do not want Him to reign in their hearts. They do not want Him to reign on the earth. People are going to get angrier at God as He comes to reclaim His earth. Nations are angry at God.
VERSE 18: (Chapter 11)
The ELDERS continue speaking
NATIONS are ANGRY
GOD is going to JUDGE
"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
We see here that "the nations were angry" with God. They will be upset because God will send His two witnesses to speak about judgment and salvation. The people will hold a grudge against God because they will think it is His fault for all the famines, earthquakes, and the pain-causing locusts. They will be blaming God for everything. They will be very angry at Him. They will not realize that it is their own sin that is causing God to bring this judgment upon themselves.
God's "wrath is come". Hebrews 10:31 reminds us that "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:30 also states that God says: "...Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord". 2 Thessalonians 1:6 God states: "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you". The Tribulation Period will be a time of God's wrath upon sin.
Our verse here continues to inform us that this "is the time of the dead". This is not talking about the physically dead. It is talking about people who are spiritually dead. People who have refused to accept Christ as their own Saviour. Anyone can be saved IF they would believe that Jesus died for their sins, repent of their sins, and ACCEPT Him into their heart. Christians were 'dead spiritually' before they asked Christ to come into their hearts. Ephesians 2:1-5 reveals this: "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)". A great definition of 'spiritual death' is found in the Old Scoffield Bible on page 1251. It describes "Spiritual death is the state of ..... man still in his sins; Prolonged beyond the death of the body, spiritual death is a state of eternal separation from God in conscious suffering". (Note: Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8).
Next in this verse, we are told "that they should be judged". Unsaved people will have to appear before God at the 'Great White Throne Judgment'. We will be studying this in Revelation 20.
Next we read "...Thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great"... There is also a throne that all Christians must be judged at. It is not the Great White Throne, which we will study more in Chapter 20 of Revelation. Christians will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is told to us in 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." This is where many unsaved people think that God weighs their good works and if their good outweighs their bad works then God will let them into Heaven. This is NOT true. People get into Heaven by the blood of Christ. Christians will be rewarded for doing good, not in order to get saved. It doesn't matter how many good works a person may have, if that person has not accepted the blood of Jesus to cover their sins, then that person will have to spend eternity in Hell. Unsaved people will not receive a reward from God for doing 'good'.
There are two distinct judgment thrones in Heaven. One is the Great White Throne where the unsaved will be judged (Revelation 20). And there is a throne called the Judgment Seat of Christ where saved people will be judged. Every Christian will stand before Jesus when He is sitting on His Judgment Seat. Christians will stand before Him and give an account of their life to Him. We are encouraged and warned about this in 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Christians will be held accountable for what they do for the Lord while here on earth. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 verifies this: "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved;" When you read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 3, you can see very clearly that this is speaking about Christians, not the unsaved. We should be living everyday for our Saviour. It will be a shameful time when we give account to our Saviour, Who died for us, and we have nothing to show on how we lived for Him.
Lastly in this verse, we read "and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth". This is still the twenty-four elders speaking. They are talking to God. They are saying that they are thankful (verse 17) that God is going to "destroy them which destroy the earth". God created this beautiful, perfect earth (Genesis 1:1) for us. Mankind allowed sin to come into our world. Today, we still allow sin in our world. Humans have continually abused God's creation. We have not taken the best care of what He has entrusted to us. But even more important is the fact that we have allowed sin to have dominion over us and our world. We have not put sin out of our own lives, like the sin of lying, adultery, abortion, sodomy, etc., etc., etc., and we have not endeavored to remove these sins out of our world through proper laws. Now these sins have dominion over our earth. God will "destroy them which destroy the earth".
VERSE 19: (Chapter 11)
The TEMPLE of GOD is OPENED
"And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."
A temple is a sacred place. A temple is a place for respect and honor. This temple is God's temple. It is the highest of sacred places. It holds the highest place of respect and honor.
In America, we have the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court has the ultimate responsibility over all other U.S. courts. It is the highest tribunal of our nation. The Supreme Court of the United States has the final declaration of law. These words are written above the main entrance of the Supreme Court Building ... "EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW"
EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW
Most of us have been in a smaller court room, whether as a witness or to pay a traffic ticket. A few people have been to higher circuit courts, and even fewer people have been all the way to the Supreme Court. It is nerve wracking enough to go to the lower courts, but it is even more nerve wracking to have to be present in the Supreme Court.
When walking into the Supreme Court, it may feel very overwhelming with its grandeur pillars and marble steps. The courtroom itself seems majestic with its own air of honor and respect. Fear may be felt as the Chief Justice may look at you. Having all these emotions inside of you, let's imagine one step more. Let's imagine the chief justice is very angry and full of rage. No one wants to even be in his courtroom. Not only is the judge upset, but he is totally out of patience. He has warned and warned the people to change. The judge knows these people continually refuse to change. This is the end. No more leniency. No more mercy. No more time.
This is how it will feel when "the temple of God was opened in heaven". God knows He has warned and warned the people to change. God knows these people will refuse to be sorry for their sins and accept His Sacrifice. God will have no more leniency on them.
When God opens His temple, "and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament". The "ark of His testament" is the cross Christ hung on. Hebrews 9:15 tells us: "And for this cause He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions..." When the temple of God opens in Heaven, everyone will see that it is Jesus and His Sacrifice on the cross that saves us. Jesus says in Matthew 26:28: "For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." God's temple will illustrate John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Most people will refuse this Gift from God.
Psalm 7:11 says: "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked everyday." When "the temple of God" opens and people see the "testament" of Christ, they will be very afraid. They will be afraid because they will know He is angry with them. People will know that He has warned them over and over. And people will realize that they had refused to accept Christ as their Saviour.
How do we know God is angry with the unsaved? He tells us in this verse ... "and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." It will be a very frightful time for the unsaved. If you think a chief justice would be scary if he yelled or threw his gavel, it will not compare to the "lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." These are all signs of God's anger. Romans 1:18 warns us: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." God, in His Holy fury, will rain down greater lightnings than anyone has ever witnessed. His thunderings will be ear shattering. His earthquake will move the entire world and the hail will be very "great" in size. If you are reading this, and have not yet asked Christ to come into your heart and be your Saviour, you should definitely do that now. You do not want to go through this and you are not guaranteed tomorrow. "Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1).
CHAPTER 12
VERSE 1: (Chapter 12)
The HISTORY of CHRIST
ISRAEL
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:"
In Chapter 12 here, the Lord gives us His History lesson. The Lord is pausing here a moment, as His temple is opened, to remind us of important statistics. He is sharing with us vital events that have happened and then goes on to reveal to us what is going to happen. History, the calendar and events, and future events are all related and based around Israel.
"And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet". This is referring to the nation of Israel. This is verified by the second part of this verse which says: "and upon her head a crown of twelve stars". The twelve stars are the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve sons of Jacob. Revelation 7:4-8 lists the twelve "stars", the twelve tribes of Israel. The next verse also verifies that this is referring to Israel.
VERSE 2: (Chapter 12)
The HISTORY of CHRIST
ISRAEL Continued
"And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered."
This verse indicates that the Christ Child, Jesus, was to be born in Bethlehem in Israel. Many know the Bible account of the young, virgin lady named Mary. Mary had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, on foot or donkey, which is about 90 miles. "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7).
Image by: JeffJacobs1990
Swaddling clothes signifies the foreshadowing of Jesus' death. The Lord is showing here that He came to this earth to be born of a virgin so He would die for our sins. If Jesus wouldn't have been born of a virgin, died on the cross, and rose from the grave ... we would never have a home in heaven. We would be forever doomed to hell, where all sin dwells ... including ours.
VERSE 3: (Chapter 12)
The History of Satan
A Description of Satan
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads."
During the time that the angel had appeared to Mary (Luke 1:28-35), there was a mutiny taking place in Heaven. This mutiny was started and led by Satan. Satan was very prideful. Satan was the most beautiful creatures in Heaven. He is described in Ezekiel 28:13-14: "Thou (Satan) hast been in Eden the garden of God (Serpent who tempted Eve); every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold (Satan was covered with the best of gems): the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (Satan is also very musical.) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." Satan, also called Lucifer, was very beautiful, musical, and had great authority in Heaven. Lucifer listed himself up in pride. Verse 17 of Ezekiel 28 states that Satan's "...heart was lifted up because of thy (his) beauty". Satan started a mutiny in Heaven against God.
VERSE 4: (Chapter 12)
The MUTINY
Attacks from SATAN
"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."
Satan was convinced in his heart that he should be God. He recruited one-third of all the angels in Heaven. "And his tail drew the third part of the stars (angels) of heaven". Satan convinced one-third of God's angels to join him. That is a lot of angels. Isaiah 14:13-14 tells us what Satan thought he could do ... "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Satan gathered all the angels he could to try to overtake God throne.
Part of Satan's mutiny plan included stopping Christ. One third of the angels were "cast" to the earth. "...the dragon (Satan) stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child". The devil did not want Jesus to come and redeem people. Satan tried everything to stop Jesus. Satan used King Herod to try to kill Jesus when Jesus was barely two years old. "Then Herod ... sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men." (Matthew 2:16). Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan even caused Jesus' own disciple, Judas Iscariot, to betray Jesus to be put to death (Matthew 26:14-16). All these attempts from Satan to destroy Jesus failed. Why did Satan want to destroy Jesus so badly? Simply because Jesus is the Only One Who is pure enough to die for our sins and pay our penalty so we could have eternal life in Heaven. Satan does not want people to be saved. Satan wants to drag souls down into Hell. He is raging a battle against Jesus for the souls of human beings every day. Satan wants as many souls as he can get. There is a very real battle going on as Satan's demons fight and try to capture human souls. The Lord Jesus and His angels battle Satan and his demons constantly over precious souls. Remember 1 Peter 5:8 warns us to: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
To Be Continued ...
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