REVELATION
This is the
New Testament prophetic revelation of Jesus Christ which was
given to John for the Church to be able to know of the certain
victory which we have in Jesus.
The church is instructed regarding those things which will
shortly (true meaning = suddenly) take place.
YOU WILL BE BLESSED IF YOU READ, HEAR, AND KEEP THAT WHICH IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
Of the 4 possible methods of interpretation the futurist interpretation is the most logical and best approach. The REVELATION is the New Testament book of Prophesy and Revelation of Jesus Christ. To say it has all happened (preterist = past) is nonsense. To say that nothing in the book of REVELATION is real (idealist) is just about as illogical. To say that REVELATION is a continuous history (historical) makes the book very symbolic and difficult to understand. The historical interpretation method brings about many cockeyed identifications of present personalities with those of the REVELATION. In the middle of such persecution as Luther and Wycliffe were in, it is understandable how they could lean toward such a method of interpretation. However, these 3 methods fail to fit the facts. The (futurist) interpretation is the only logical interpretation which is in line with the instruction given in the Scriptures themselves. Starting with chapter 4, and on through chapter 19, are likely still future and deal with the period just before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in Great Power and Glory. Every generation of the Church and ESPECIALLY OUR GENERATION must seek to gain such an understanding of chapters 4 - 19 so as to be able to KNOW WITH CERTAINTY that we are the generation to witness these things. Only such an interpretation will motivate us to do what is necessary to be an overcomer and not capitulate or be caught in the web of Antichrist.
Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
This clearly tells us that there will be some past information but it also tells us quite clearly that it is not all past information. Most of the information is for the present and the future. If we want to rightly divide the word of truth in the book of revelation seek an understanding which places us as a witness of the things described in chapters 4 - 19 and pray for the Lord to show us how we are to live and prepare to live during such conditions. This is just what Luther and Wycliffe did. They were thus motivated to be the best they could be for the Glory of God. How much more reason do we have to believe that we are the witnesses of the unfolding of Revelation 4 - 19. We don't want to hear this but we must test by the Spirit and the Word for ourselves to see if the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine is not sound doctrine. We must not play like an ostrich and stick our head in the sand. We can understand these things. It is unwise to totally avoid them or not even try to properly understand them.
Revelation 1:3 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.
Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Revelation 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Learn to let the scriptures interpret themselves. Look at Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. How is that for letting the scriptures interpret themselves? We can easily loose sight of the fact that the Bible is its own best source of insight regarding difficult passages. Check out the margin references of a good old KJV. Check them out but be aware of possible human error in the margin references of good reference bibles like Ryrie, Scofield, Thompson, and Dake. Tools like Strongs concordance are most helpful. Pray and discuss it with others who have a peaceable and NOT a contentious spirit. The essential doctrines of Christ and the faith which He delivered by the apostles and prophets must not be compromised. To understand the book of Revelation just ask God. We can be absolutely sure on the integrity of His word in James 1:5 that He will give us the wisdom we seek. It is good to seek confirmation and share what we have received with other believers. What is the quality to look for when seeking to find someone to help in understanding Revelation? In a word it is MEEKNESS according to James 3:13.
CHAPTER 2
Here begins the messages to the 7 churches. Why 7? It is God's number because it signifies fullness or completeness. Which of the 7 churches describes your church? One of them will be an accurate description of your church. Pay close attention who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and what is being spoken about.
Jesus is doing the talking, so listen carefully. When He speaks to the angel of the respective church it is a message to the one who has been given authority over the church or the pastor. Is your pastor a good listener? Will your pastor have ears to hear if you tell him which REVELATION church describes your church and what you think needs to be done to make it a better church? There is no such thing as a perfect church because of the imperfect people like me and you who are part of it. Just as we can find the power in Christ to change ourselves for the better so can our church.
EPHESUS - "meaning desirable"
Here is a church which was working hard for the Lord. It was a church which would not tolerate false teachers. It was a church that knew the truth and tested those who claimed they were sent or inspired by the Lord with the truth of His word. These people knew their Bible. They kept their swords sharp. They would not tolerate liars and hypocrites. But this church had lost its first love. They were not on fire to win the lost for Jesus. Some leader in the church was quenching the Spirit. Others were complacent. This DESIRABLE church of Ephesus was being called to remember its first love. It was to fan the flames of the Holy Spirit. It was to evangelize not socialize. It was to turn away from its desirable path of becoming a Christian social club and be the bold, powerful, witnessing body of Christ. This DESIRABLE church was in danger of being removed. They were a people's church. They hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes (means = conquerors of the People) who thought there should be two classes of people in the church, clergy and laity or rule by a hierarchy.
SMYRNA - "meaning myrrh"
Jesus knew this church because it was being persecuted by the government. The persecution of the church of Jesus Christ by tyrannical government is to be expected. America's relative freedom from such persecution seems to rapidly be drawing to a close. Myrrh must be crushed to yield its sweet smelling savor. Every crushing blow of a tyrannical government on a church which is faithful and loyal to Jesus Christ produces a sweet smelling savor unto God that never fails to be appreciated and rewarded by God. Such churches are strengthened and become mighty in Holy Spirit power as long as they remain faithful and do not capitulate. They may become poor in worldly wealth but they will be rich in power.
PERGAMOS - "meaning marriage"
The devil and many governments learn that persecuting a true church of Jesus Christ is about as smart as trying to put out a fire by pouring gasoline on it. The smarter tyrannical governments try to "officially charter" the church. They try to protect the church and marry it to the government. The church's power is removed by the spiritual adultery of compromising the evangelical mission of the church. Such words as Pluralism, Ecumenical, Tolerant, are some key buzz words when the true church is being married to the government and not to Jesus Christ. The doctrine of Balaam is that of uniting the church with the world, compromising the standards of the church to bring it into conformity with the world in which it exists. It is a doctrine of lowering standards to become more appealing to a broader group of people. It is a doctrine of excusing and covering sin as opposed to confessing and exposing sin.
THYATIRA - "meaning continual sacrifice"
This church will put on a good show. It may even put on a great pompous show. It is a hotbed of hypocrites. It will bring in any teacher with a flare or pedigree to draw a crowd. It will bring in false teachers to spread false doctrines if they can draw a crowd. It will have few if any standards. It will take no stand. Its discipline could be stated - if it feels good do it. It could also be stated - anything is all right as long as you can keep it quiet and don't get caught. Corruption at the top will be evident to those who know their bible in such a church.
CHAPTER 3
SARDIS - "meaning remnant"
When there is sin it must be rooted out. Doesn't God know that the sin is present? This church has a name, it lives, yet it is dead. Most churches fit this description.
The dead body still has a name but it has no power. The body of Christ is alive. A true church is the body of Christ and can never be dead. Yet it will appear to be dead without the power of the Holy Spirit, without growth, and without good works. A church dies when the last true believer leaves it. Yet a church becomes a true church and body of Christ if it has ANY true born again believers.
No matter how small there is a remnant of true believers. Jesus commands to be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die. People are supposed to bloom in the church where they are planted. When you see things that are not right in your church pray and work to make them right. This will often involve confrontation. Most people avoid confrontation because confrontation requires courage. Most people would rather backbite or find a new church.
We are not commanded to go to another church. We are commanded to be watchful and strengthen the things which remain. We must do all we can to bring revival to our church. When a church is ready to die it doesn't need the members to go church shopping. It needs its members praying for revival and confronting sin. Unite in prayer with the remnant. Get believers in other churches to join you in prayer. Grit up your gut and confront sin. Take a bold stand for righteousness and dare them to run you out of the church. The church shopper will never know how it feels to shake the dust from his feet when being run out of a church.
He that overcometh will not have his name blotted out from the Lamb's book of Life. Where is the sin in your church? Go beam hunting not mote hunting. Matthew 7:3-5 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam [is] in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
PHILADELPHIA - "meaning brotherly love"
There is nothing but good things that can be said about this church. They love one another. This is how all men will know that we are in a true church. To improve your understanding of love memorize 1 Corinthians 13 and meditate on what Jesus did for us at Calvary.
Many say this church description in verse 10 proves a pre-tribulation rapture. Actually it is one of the strongest proofs of the fact that the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation. The only other place where the exact combination of these words occurs is in John 17:15 - I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. To properly understand Rev 3:10 it should be compared with the only other text where John uses these very specific Greek words. The very careful choice and specific meaning of the words is that we not be taken out but that we be watched over, and guarded, and protected in the middle of the great tribulation.
Now this will help us to see why we must pull all the stops to become a church like the Philadelphia church. One of the main purposes of the tribulation is that the true believers will be shaken and separated from the pretenders. The Philadelphia church was being persecuted by the government as severely as any church. They loved one another in the middle of tremendous persecution. They did not let their love for one another grow cold. They did not allow the pressure of persecution to close the door of evangelism which Christ had opened for them. They kept sound doctrine. They did not quit, or back down, or ease off. They would die rather than to deny Jesus. Because of this they were guarded and kept safe by God in the middle of as great of a persecution as any church ever experienced. No one in this church was raptured, many were killed.
LAODICEA - "meaning the people's rights"
The problem in the Laodicean church was its lukewarmness. They were neither hot nor cold. They were not on fire to win souls for Jesus. Many, perhaps most churches, would be found in this classification. Within the body of Christ, people's rights cause lukewarm attitudes. What are our rights when we become a member of the body of Christ? We have a right to suffer, a right to be persecuted for righteousness, a right to tithe, a right to be humiliated, a right to confess our sins, and a right to be bold to witness for Jesus. Do people take over the church and refuse to let Christ be the Head? There are things that make God angry and there is something that makes Him feel like vomiting. The toughest nuts to crack are the hard shells of the self righteous and the hypocrite.
Isaiah 65:5 - Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These [are] a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day. Laodicea was rich in worldly wealth. They did not need anything including the power of the Holy Spirit. They had been so blinded by their self-righteousness and their hypocrisy that they had no idea how spiritually wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked they were. When will we stop covering our sins and be honest with God and ourselves? Those who are loved by the Lord are rebuked and chastened. Does this sound contrary to the name it and claim it, health and wealth gospel we have been hearing lately? Is Christ, the Head of your church or is He outside knocking on the door trying to have someone open the door and let Him in?
CHAPTER 4
Have you ever wondered what is going on in heaven? It is tough enough to figure out what is going on here on earth sometimes. Perhaps a trip to heaven will help us have a better perspective. God's throne is the main thing in heaven. Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Just as Jesus took John to the throne in heaven, we all can go BOLDLY, with Jesus to God's throne in prayer at any time. WOW! How about that?
When Jesus took John to heaven he saw God's power represented by the thunder and lightening about the throne. John also saw God's mercy represented by the rainbow.
CHAPTER 5
What was that scroll. It was the title deed to the universe. No man could be found worthy to redeem the world which Adam had lost to Satan by his sin in the garden. Only Jesus is worthy.
Revelation 5:11-13 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 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. Yes He is worthy. Jesus paid it all. We have been redeemed. Glory to God and to the Lamb.
CHAPTER 6
The first seal discloses the white horse and its rider. This is not Jesus who now holds the scroll and will be found on a great white horse later in REVELATION. This white horse rider who is going forth to conquer is the imposter known as Antichrist. He comes in the name of Christ masquerading as Christ. He comes promising a peace. He promises world peace and a false Millennium. He is a great liar. "But when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes" and they that shall follow Antichrist shall not escape.
The second seal discloses the red horse with a very powerful weapon. The liar Antichrist who has come to world power on a lying peace platform now plunges the whole world into unprecedented bloodshed. Could the significance of the RED horse be the REDS. All of Russia's most powerful weapons are intact and aimed at the United States. As Russia grows more unstable and more desperate this could possibly be nuclear rapture time for the American Christians and nuclear hell for the other Americans. There is absolutely no difference for the true believer in Christ between the rapture and a strategic nuclear attack - both mean instantly with the Lord.
The black horse third seal of famine always comes on the heels of war. This will be the worst war ever, since the destruction this time is from the great sword of nuclear weapons. The whole world will be starving and rationing its food.
The pale, corpse colored, horse of Death indicates that one fourth of the world's population will be destroyed by war, famine, and plagues. Hell always follows death for those who are not in Christ. However, Jesus told Martha justbefore He raised Lazarus, that those who live believing in Him never actually die. They have abundant eternal life because He is the resurrection and the life.
The fifth seal shows that many believers will be slain for the word of God and holding their faith in Jesus. Some say this proves the rapture is before the tribulation but it sounds more like a post tribulation rapture proof text. These saints had been martyred by the rule of Antichrist. They had obviously not been killed by a generation previous to that of the Antichrist's rule. Any previous generation shedding the blood of saints would already be in torment and there would be no cry for God's vengeance. They were told to be patient for a little season until their fellow servants and their brothers (the saints with whom Antichrist was still waging war) should also be killed. Assurance of final victory and of God's vengeance is given to the saints in heaven who had been martyred by Antichrist's war on the saints.
The sixth seal marks a cataclysmic earthquake. Earthquake frequency and amplitude are going off the record books. With such an earthquake, volcanic ash will darken all the skies and allow only the red light spectrum to penetrate this ash cloud causing the moon to turn blood red. The resulting panic and fear will cause many to try to hide in caves and want the rocks of the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of God and the wrath of the Lamb.
CHAPTER 7
This chapter gives us additional information about the great tribulation from a salvation perspective. Before any further destruction occurs as a result of God's wrath, angels are sent to seal the saints in their foreheads with the seal of God, not the mark of the beast. There were 144,000 Jewish members of the church who were sealed 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes. After this a great number which no man could number, of all nations, which had come out of great tribulation, were seen before the throne in heaven. They had not taken the mark of the beast and probably had been martyred for the testimony of Jesus. This could possibly indicate a mid-tribulation rapture but before jumping to any conclusion see what else is said about this innumerable bunch of saints.
Obviously people will be saved during the tribulation. That is why the church will go through the tribulation. Whoever is rejecting the gospel and God's grace today will become a victim of the strong delusion spread by Antichrist. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to be saved. Now is the time for repentance. Now if ye will hear His voice harden not your hearts. Rejecting the truth of the gospel today makes it almost certain that we will take the mark of the beast and buy the lies of the Antichrist.
CHAPTER 8
When the 7th seal is opened all heaven is silenced for about a half hour. How ominous, from loud resounding praise to sudden silence so intense we can almost feel it. We are now shifting into some heavy and possibly frightening things which we will seldom if ever hear preached in the end times because the churches of the last days will insist on having preachers tell them what they want to hear. Almost everyone will tell us that we don't have to worry about these things because we will be raptured out first. This is just plain wishful thinking and not what the scriptures clearly teach. If there was silence in heaven they were all ready to hear and we too must be ready to hear the truth. No one can ever tell us the day or the hour of the Lord's return. We must know full well all of the horrible judgments of REVELATION so that we can know when we find ourselves in the middle of tribulation that we have less than 7 years to hold. Much more importantly, we must know that there are things coming on this earth which are much worse than death for those who refuse to hear the truth.
If we will not stand to hear the truth of God's wrath and judgment then we will quite likely buy into the great lie and strong delusion being spread by Antichrist. If the coming judgment is such that the angels gasp in horror, how much more should we be alarmed and rush to be cleansed, covered, and protected by the blood of the Lamb. Pre tribulation rapture doctrine will not break through the hard shells of pride, self righteousness and hypocrisy. It is the knowledge of this horrible coming judgment that can break through these and other hard shells and lead to repentance.
Verse 7 - The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
Verse 8 - 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;
Verse 11 The third angel sounded - 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.
Verse 12 - And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Verse 13 - And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
It is very easy to see why these verses are not to be heard coming from the pulpit unless accompanied by a pre-tribulation rapture viewpoint. Otherwise it would literally scare the hell out of us. Could it possibly be that is why John wrote it? And woe, woe, woe, there are 3 angels still to sound.
CHAPTER 9
Revelation 9:4 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. What is this seal of God? Could it be the mind of Christ as opposed to having bought into the Antichrist system that required the mark of the beast on the forehead or right wrist? What do you think?
Revelation 9:5 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.
Revelation 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. If we are ever tempted to take the scanner symbol mark of the beast so that we will be able to buy or sell, we must think of this. The people who take the mark of the beast will not be protected from this plague which will cause people to be in such torment that they will try to commit suicide but the people with this plague will not be able to die.
Revelation 9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen [were] two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. The kings of the east will go on the march across the Euphrates. This is Red China. The time must be at hand. Today China boasts of the size of their standing army to be 200,000,000 men. This is the exact number that John heard. There were not 200,000,000 people on the planet when John wrote this! It is high time to get hold of a solid understanding of the book of Revelation.
Revelation 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Revelation 9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Here we see both the infinite mercy of God and the blindness of men who rebel against God. These judgments just keep coming in ever increasing waves. The waves of judgment are call after call to repentance. Just like Pharaoh they all harden their hearts. It is also interesting to note the Greek word translated sorceries is pharmakia or drugs.
CHAPTER 10
Revelation 10:6-7 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: 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.
This is very important because Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15 and also the Lord Himself in Matthew 24, and Luke 21, and Mark 13 uses this LAST TRUMPET angel sounding to give an absolute answer to whether the rapture is pre-tribulation, mid tribulation, or post-tribulation. When this LAST TRUMPET sounds is the sign of the end of the age when time to repent, and time itself will be no more. It marks the end of the age of Grace and brings in the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ. It marks when the mystery of God should be finished. The mystery of the ages is Christ in you the hope of glory.
I Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, 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.
At the LAST TRUMP we shall all be changed in a moment and be raptured.
I Thessalonians 4:16-18 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
In the Olivette discourse the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the age.
THE FOLLOWING WORDS OF JESUS GIVE THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE, MATTHEW 24:30-31 ALSO SEE LUKE 21:25-28 AND MARK 13:24-27. EVEN IF WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS SCARY, WE MUST BE ENCOURAGED TO PREPARE FOR TRIBULATION. WE LOOSE NOTHING BY BEING PREPARED. PRAISE GOD IF WE ARE RAPTURED OUT BEFORE THE TRIBULATION; BUT, THE WISE SERVANT WILL BE PREPARED, AND BE WATCHING, AND BE LOOKING UP KNOWING THAT OUR BLESSED HOPE OF THE LORD'S RETURN IN GREAT POWER AND GLORY IS DRAWING NEAR.
Matthew 24:30-31 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Mark 13:24-27 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Luke 21:25-28 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and greatglory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Look carefully at all 3 accounts of the complete Olivet discourse. You will see that the Lord's description of the end time scenario is EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE SCENARIO OF THE SEVEN TRUMPETS.
CHAPTER 11
Revelation 11:3 And I will give [power] unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies [shall lie] in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
Revelation 11:9 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.
Revelation 11:10 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.
Revelation 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
Revelation 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
Revelation 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
Revelation 11:14 The second woe is past; [and], behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Many have speculated about who these 2 witness are. Since it is appointed unto all men once to die and there are only 2 men mentioned in scripture who did not die they may be Enoch and Elijah. Since Elijah was doing this same sort of work before God took him up in the fiery chariot we can be fairly certain of him. Many say this proves a mid tribulation rapture but since the tribulation begins so gradually their ministry may not start until the middle of the tribulation. The tribulation may have already begun and we would not be certain of it until these 2 prophets begin their ministry. The comforting thing is that we would only have 3.5 years to hold on when these two mighty prophets BEGIN their ministry. We will be raptured at the END of their ministry. When you see these things come to pass look up for your redemption draweth nigh.
Revelation 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. What kind of temple will the people in Jerusalem build without the ark of the covenant? Contrary to what Indiana Jones may think the last true report of the ark's location is in heaven.
CHAPTER 12
Revelation 12:1-6 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.
Up in heaven John is not bound by time and space and it may be easier to perhaps think of someone showing him a video tape which makes him wonder. There are wide varieties of possible interpretation here. Consider the following possibility. Israel is the leading lady in this video. She is seen clothed with the brightness of the sun and having a 12 star crown representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus is the great manchild of Israel, far greater than Moses or any of the patriarchs. He will rule all nations with a rod of iron. Then Satan is seen as the great red dragon who seeks to destroy Israel. His last chance to make any word of God be found untrue is to destroy the nation if Israel. Israel is being protected by God and to some extent God has been using the United States with its 5.5 million Jews (almost half of the total) to frustrate his destruction of Israel. God gives Satan unrestrained control of the earth under the Antichrist symbolized by the 7 (meaning = complete or full) heads and crowns. Antichrist may divide theearth into 10 regions but he will have full power and control. Satan tried to destroy the Great Manchild of Israel when he had Herod kill all male babies less than 2 years old.
Revelation 12:7-10 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Satan is finally kicked out of heaven for good. Lucifer and all of his demons are cast out of heaven and down to earth.
Revelation 12:13-17 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man [child]. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
If the world thought they saw anti Semitism under Hitler the persecution of the Jews under Antichrist will be no comparison. This is some of the best pre tribulation rapture text that there is. Here all the action centers around Israel and the church is conspicuously absent from this heavenly video. The main message is still that anyone who does not love the Jews is Antichrist and anti God. We should be cautioned about being over dogmatic about the interpretation of such a heavenly video.
CHAPTER 13
WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO SOME THINGS IN THIS CHAPTER THAT WE WILL BE DOGMATIC.
Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. The beast is the Antichrist. He will recover from a wound that appears to be deadly. He thus counterfeits the resurrection of Christ and the world is captivated by him.
Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Those at the highest echelons of the New Age Movement, and New World Order are openly worshiping Lucifer but the majority are just caught up in the Antichrist web with its many tentacles and facets.
Revelation 13:5 - 6 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. Antichrist will have absolute power for 3 and 1/2 years. The great tribulation will start so gradually it will take him 3 and 1/2 years to come to full power. This juggernaut of Antichrist may be building momentum now. The U.S. attorney general has said that anyone who believes that the bible is literally true is a cultist. We only have to look to Waco to see how cultists may expect to see justice.
Expect to hear much more outrageous blasphemies than the new cultist definition in the days to come. The coming world order will be a world of Antichrist lovers and God haters.
Revelation 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. This is a strong verse relating to the timing of the rapture. Who can explain how Antichrist could wage war on a raptured saint? It would be illogical and God's word may be beyond our logic but it is never illogical. The only possibility is that the rapture occurs at the end of the tribulation.
Revelation 13:8-9 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. If God has given us ears, we are to hear this. The purpose of the tribulation is a shakedown for marginal believers. We will make a final decision to either serve God or the Antichrist. The tribulation will shake everyone off the fence for or against Christ.
Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. The tribulation will require us to live by faith. Now it is rather optional. Many can sort of fake it with their faith for their good standing in the local congregation. The tribulation will eliminate wavering one way or another.
Revelation 13:11-15 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they shouldmake an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
The Antichrist will have his false prophet.
Revelation 13:16 -18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six. It is time to be dogmatic. Everybody must wise up that WE WILL BE FORCED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ANTICHRIST TO TAKE THAT LITTLE 666 SCANNER MARK THAT IS ALREADY ON ALMOST EVERYTHING WE BUY OR SELL, EITHER IN THE RIGHT WRIST OR FOREHEAD. BOTH THE UPC AND SKU SYMBOLS ARE BASED ON 666. Even if it means starving to death DON'T DO IT. No matter what - DON'T DO IT. Call it blaspheming the Holy Spirit, whatever - JUST DON'T DO IT.
CHAPTER 14
Revelation 14:7-13 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
THIS IS WHY IT IS SO VITAL NOT TO TAKE THE LITTLE 666 SCANNER MARK OF THE BEAST IN THE RIGHT WRIST OR FOREHEAD. The sins and destruction of Babylon are introduced, but much more detail is given later. THE MAIN THING TO KNOW HERE IS WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR ETERNAL DESTINY IF WE TAKE THE MARK.
CHAPTER 15
Revelation 15:1-4 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, [and] over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous [are] thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true [are] thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. We know the bad news if we take the mark of the beast. This is the good news for those who resist the mark.
Revelation 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
CHAPTER 16
Revelation 16:1-7 And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image. And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead [man]; and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous [are] thy judgments.
When the first angel poured out his vial that there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon them which worshipped the beast and his image. If all of the saints had been raptured John likely would have said the first angel poured out his vial on all men and all men received a noisome and grievous sore. Since all men who were not written in the lamb's book of life will be caused to receive the mark, we have another indication the rapture occurs at the end. Things are really getting bloody. Antichrist's war on the saints who refuse to receive the mark must be very bloody. It is likely antichrist will entertain his followers with the bloodshed of the saints much like Rome's gladiators, and Waco's cultists. Never forget that vengeance is God's business. God's judgments, and only God's judgments, are always true and righteous.
Revelation 16:8-9 The fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
They would not repent. Could it be that they still could be forgiven if they would repent?
Revelation 16:10 -11 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
The only possible true hope they have is repentance and they blaspheme God. That is what happens when we think we are a god. This will be what happens to the gods of the new age and new world order.
Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
We have seen this before how the kings of the east will be able to march across a dry Euphrates on their way to the battle of Armageddon. The book of revelation has different perspectives and further details of the total judgement of the rebellion of men who follow Lucifer in disobedience to God. That is why the timing sequence of some things gets confusing as there are apparent shifts forward and backward to give a more detailed picture.
Revelation 16:13-16 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed [is] he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Lucifer and his Antichrist and false prophet are leading rebellious men in rebellion against God. It would seem obvious that when one attempts to lead a world of rebels in rebellion sooner or later they would rebel against you. This is why we need to respect and be under God's authority structures.
Revelation 16:17-21 show different views of things which we have seen before in revelation or will soon see again in a much more detailed way. We hear again of the great earthquake, Babylon, and it will seem like the stars of heaven are falling when the 100 pound hail stones are falling. The only chance is repentance and instead they blaspheme.
CHAPTERS 17
Let's just look at the verses in which the angel gives explanation about Babylon. The information about Antichrist will be grouped together in Chapter 18. BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. The woman was drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. Antichrist will bring MYSTERY BABYLON to power. Antichrist himself will have come to power by his counterfeit resurrection.
And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Some may have heard of the 7 hills of Rome.)
Where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Mystery Babylon, the woman which thou sawest, is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Babylon means tyranny and confusion. Since the scriptures themselves say this whore is MYSTERY Babylon we should be careful not to be too dogmatic. Whoredom or adultery is to depart from the true God and worship Lucifer or any other false god. What is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth?
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
IF THERE IS APOSTASY PREACHED, SHOUT IT DOWN; AND, IF NOT CORRECTED, SHAKE THE DUST OFF YOUR FEET. GET OUT OF ANY CHURCH THAT DENIES ESSENTIAL DOCTRINES OF CHRIST. IN THIS FIRST SECTION MYSTERY BABYLON SOUNDS LIKE AN APOSTATE RELIGION. IN THE DESTRUCTION SECTION IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE A NATION. ISRAEL AND AMERICA ARE THE ONLY 2 NATIONS FOUNDED FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. WHEN ISRAEL PLAYED THE WHORE AND AS A NATION TURNED TO FALSE gODS, THEN GOD HAD OTHER NATIONS DESTROY THEM. THIS FOLLOWING SECTION COULD VERY WELL BE REFERRING TO HOW AMERICA HAS TURNED TO FOLLOW LUCIFER AND ANTICHRIST. DOES THIS DESCRIBE HOW AMERICA WILL BE JUDGED AS RUSSIA LAUNCHES A FIRST STRIKE NUCLEAR DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA?
The great angel cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What [city is] like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Rejoice over her, [thou] heaven, and [ye] holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft [he be], shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. For true and righteous [are] his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
CHAPTER 18
Antichrist will come to full power by his counterfeit resurrection. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
The Antichrist counterfeits Christ's resurrection. The frozen body of Lenin is a great tourist attraction in Moscow. Think of frozen Lenin. People could possibly be led to follow a demon possessed lookalike if the necessary physical records were replaced and the frozen corpse cremated. The same could be done with a Hitler lookalike. There will be a counterfeit resurrection of some sort. This is just a suggestion of the type of Luciferian delusion and deception which could possibly be used. It will get the masses, who do not know the Scriptures relating to the counterfeit resurrection of antichrist, in lockstep following antichrist. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
It sounds like the antichrist may divide his new world order into ten regions since the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful.
CHAPTER 19
Revelation 19:4-9 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
This is a celebration that we should not miss.
Revelation 19:10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 19:11- 21 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Many have thought that because the description of the Marriage supper of the Lamb ocurrs in chapter 19 before the description of the Lord on His white horse returning in great power and glory is a proof that the rapture ocurrs before the tribulation. By now we have seen how by God's design and plan there are many shifts back and forth in time within a given chapter. This is not a very strong proof of the rapture occurring before the Lord's return. Even in the above passage we see the Lord's glorious return before the assembling of the armies of antichrist. We need to prepare to be overcommers in tribulation by strengthening our faith now and praise God if we are raptured out first. The good news is that we may have eternal abundant life here and now in Jesus. Most importantly, He will be with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
CHAPTER 20
Revelation 20:1-3 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 littleseason. If we stay strong with Jesus we win with Him. The ultimate final victory in Jesus is as certain as the integrity of God's word. As we have seen, Satan and his Antichrist will wage a bloody war on the saints; but there remains certain victory in Jesus.
Revelation 20:4-7 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. It is not at all pleasant to think that we may well have our head chopped off if we refuse to follow the Antichrist and deny the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what Jesus told Martha just before He raised Lazarus - John 11:25-26 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? DO YOU BELIEVE? If we do believe this we probably won't even feel the blade of the ax or guillotine and it will be instantly with the Lord. No matter what - DON'T TAKE THE MARK & DON'T DENY JESUS.
Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Perhaps there will be those either born during the Millennium or coming through the tribulation who have not been thoroughly tested. Whatever may be God's reason, at the end of the Millennium, Satan will again be allowed to lead a rebellion against God. It will not get very far and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-12 & 15 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.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. IS OUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE?
CHAPTER 21
Revelation 21:1-2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the firstheaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
If some of the details of the horrible judgments coming upon the earth are getting you down READ CHAPTERS 21 & 22. We probably should read chapters 21 & 22 every day to keep a right perspective on where our eternal dwelling is. We are strangers and sojourners in this world. This world will hate us and persecute us and even kill us if we are totally committed to following Jesus. We need to keep in the front of our mind that Jesus is leading us to heaven and the world and antichrist is leading people to the lake of fire. It may be difficult but it would probably be very worthwhile to memorize sections of Revelation 21 & 22.
Revelation 21:3-6 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
God Himself will dwell with us. God shall wipe away all tears. There shall be no more death. There will be no sorrow. God will make all things new. If this world is beautiful, just wait until we see the new heaven and new earth that God has for us. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, and He will give us freely of the water of eternal life, full of joy, with no sorrow.
Revelation 21:7-8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It may not be easy or pleasant but BE AN OVERCOMMER! Do not be fearful or unbelieving and don't be tempted to tell lies. Do you know how to be an overcommer? They overcame him (the antichrist and his followers) by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death. Would you rather die than to deny Jesus?
Revelation 21:12 & 14 And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
There are those who would say that God deals with Israel and the Church differently. Some would even say that Israel and the Church have different eternal purposes and destinies. Some would say that it is Israel which will go through the tribulation and not the Church. However, we see clearly here that Israel and the Church have the same destiny and eternalpurpose. Israel becomes part of the Church. Whenever any Jew recognizes and trusts Messiah Jesus Christ for his salvation, that Jew becomes part of the Church. Antichrist will wage war on the saints whether those saints are Jews or Gentiles will make no difference to him.
Revelation 21: 16 And the city 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.
There is plenty of room in New Jerusalem. This is so big that it will be hard to imagine. Only God could build something like this. It is 1500 miles long, wide, and HIGH. If its rooms have 10 foot high ceilings it would contain the entire dry land surface area of planet Earth.
Revelation 21:22-27 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
This present world is not our home. Think about this place God will make for us. Everyone in this place will be people that we will love. All of them will never defile, never work any abominable thing, or ever lie. IS OUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE? This is going to be our home. Our citizenship needs to be of this place and not of this world in which we now live as strangers.
CHAPTER 22
Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Revelation 22:4 And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads.
Revelation 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle,neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings [are] faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Revelation 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed [is] he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Revelation 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard [them]. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Revelation 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.
Revelation 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Revelation 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelation 22:15 For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.
Revelation 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you all. Amen.