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REVELATION 6 - 11

THE UNVEILING OF THE GLORIFIED JESUS CHRIST
AND THE END OF THE AGE

by LARRY CORY

 

A SUMMARY OF THE MESSAGE OF
REVELATION

 

Introduction (1:1-8)

What you have seen - The Glorified Christ (1:9-20)

What is now - the church age (2-3)

What will take place later - the last days (4-22)

1. A look into Heaven (4)

2. The Lamb who is worthy (5)

3. The Seven Seals (6:1-8:1)

4. The Seven Trumpets (8:2-11:19)

5. The events that lead to God's Judgment of the earth #1 (12-14)

6. The Seven Bowls (15-16)

7. The events that lead to God's judgment #2 (17:1-19:5)

8. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb (19:6-10)

9. The Second Coming (19:11-21)

10. The Millennium (20:1-10)

11.  The Great White Throne Judgment (20:11-15)

12. Heaven (21-22)

 

INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION ABOUT REVELATION

1. The author: Four times in the book of Revelation, the author identifies himself as being named John (1:1, 1:4, 1:9, and 22:8).  The early church leaders in the period immediately following the time of the Apostles wrote that it was John the Apostle who was the author of the book of Revelation.  There is also early church evidence that the Apostle John, like the John of Revelation, was imprisoned for a period of time on the Isle of Patmos during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian.  So, the evidence is strong that John the Apostle was the author of the book of Revelation.

2. The date:  Most evangelical scholars believe that Revelation was written in 95 AD, one year before Domitian died in A.D. 96

3. The recipients:  The book was written to "the seven churches in the province of Asia."  Because the number seven is used symbolically as a number of completeness throughout the book of Revelation, we can safely conclude that the book of Revelation was written to the complete church throughout the ages.  "Hence the number used fifty-four times, more than any other number in the book, refers to seven literal churches in the opening chapter.  Yet by the very usage of this number (which speaks of completion or perfection) the concept is conveyed that these were representative churches which in some sense were complete in their description of the normal needs of the church.  There were not only seven churches but seven lampstands, seven stars, seven spirits of God, seven seals on the scroll, seven angels with seven trumpets, seven vials or bowls containing seven plagues, seven thunders, 7,000 killed in the earthquake of chapter 12, a dragon with seven heads and seven crowns, the beast of chapter 13 with seven heads, seven mountains of chapter 17, and the seven kings."  "Taken from The Revelation John F. Walvoord.  Copyright 1966 by Moody Press."

4. The apocalyptic symbolism of the book of Revelation:  The first word in the book of Revelation is the Greek word "Apokalypsis."  In English it means uncovering, exposing, or unveiling.  Apocalyptic literature is a form of literature that was used during times when the enemies of God were in charge and when it appeared that they would prevail.  It, in a very dramatic way, unveils or uncovers the reality that in the end, God and His forces will overwhelmingly triumph.  The book of Revelation was written primarily using this literary form.  The books of Daniel and Zechariah, as well as parts of some other books in the Bible (Joel, Amos, Matthew 24,25, I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11) were apocalyptic.  Also, there were books outside of the Bible that used this apocalyptic method of communicating God's ultimate victory. 

The following are some of the characteristics of apocalyptic literature.  The setting of this literature is the whole world or the whole universe.  So, the stage is quite large.  The cast are the main figures in the universe: God, Satan, the angels, and all the peoples of the earth.  The plot is the struggle between God and holiness versus Satan and evil.  The books end with the total victory of God and good over Satan and evil.  The plot takes us from the present struggle between good and evil, where it appears that evil is invincible, to the dramatic and total victory of God over evil.  A primary characteristic of apocalyptic literature was the use of huge symbolic figures to describe the primary characters and the primary forces involved in this universal struggle.  Examples of these symbols are the horrible beasts in the book of Daniel; and the "enormous dragon with seven heads," "Mystery Babylon" the "great prostitute," and the description of the glorified Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation.  It is possible that these symbols were used as a sort of mysterious code so that the Romans and other nations in power over the Jews would not be able to understand that the apocalyptic books were describing them as beasts and dragons who would inevitably be totally conquered by the God of the Jews and the Christians.

The book of Revelation is filled with apocalyptical symbolism.  The following quotes provide some guidelines for interpreting these symbols.  "To be thoroughly literal we would have to insist that a literal (actual) woman sat literally upon seven literal hills! That Jesus Christ has a literal sword coming out of his mouth! and that beasts can act and talk like men!....Every effort must be made to discover whether the symbol had any meaning in the culture of the writer....With special reference to the book of Revelation the Old Testament must be searched thoroughly for every possible clue to the symbols that were used."  "Taken from Protestant Biblical interpretation by Bernard Ramm.  Copyright 1956 by Baker Book House."  "Make sure that your interpretation of such imagery would be entirely clear to the original author.  In evaluating commentaries in this regard note how far the commentator has been able to enter into the thought of the original writer.  When a commentator fills apocalyptic imagery with his own ideas he disqualifies himself as a true interpreter."  "Taken from Interpreting the Bible by A. Berkeley Mickelson.  Copyright 1963 by Wm. B. Eerdman's Publishing Company."

Often, the symbols can be interpreted by looking at their meaning within the book of Revelation.  Secondly, we can often use the Old Testament and particularly the book of Daniel to interpret these symbols.  Finally, the use of the symbols in other apocalyptic literature of the time can be helpful in the interpretation of the symbols in the book of Revelation.  In short, a knowledge of the whole Bible and its overall themes help us to interpret the symbolism in this the last book of the Bible.  We need to have done a thorough reading of the whole Bible before we can understand the final chapter of the Bible.

 

THE MESSAGE OF REVELATION

In chapters six through eleven of the book of Revelation you will find my significant and symbolic numbers such as seven seals, 144,000, a great multitude, seven trumpets, and two witnesses.  Hopefully, you will understand the meanings of these numbers after your study in these chapters.

3. The seven seals (6:1-8:1)

John will watch as the Lamb opens the seven seals.  What we discover is that before the deed to the world can be given back to man, sin must reach its final stages of ugliness and God must fully judge sin on this earth.  As the seals are opened, we see sin's final and worst effects on this earth; and then we see God's wrath against sin poured out on our world.  When we think of the book of Revelation, we tend to think of it as exciting.  That is because we look at it from a distance, very much like we look at some tragedy that is thousands of miles away from us.  For example, if hundreds are killed in an earthquake in India, we do not personally feel what it means to the people of India.  But, if an earthquake kills three people in our own hometown, we do feel what has happened to them and their families.  The book of Revelation reveals that thousands and even millions will be killed in calamities that will come on the earth.  If we see that this means that people who are very much like our neighbors will die in great numbers, it will change our outlook on the calamities in the book of Revelation. This book and God's judgments described in it should have these sobering effects on us: (1) It should help us to come to a better understanding about how much God hates sin.  (2) It should help us to become more concerned for our family members, friends and neighbors who may face this horrible judgment if they do not turn to Jesus Christ for grace and forgiveness.

There appears to be a direct parallel between the birth pains described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:3-29 and the first six seals of Revelation six.  As we go through the seals in this chapter in Revelation we will be comparing them with Jesus' account of the last days in Matthew 24.

The first four seals have been called the four horsemen of the Apocalypse (this word comes from the Greek word "Apocalupsis" that we translate "revelation").  Before Jesus returns and reclaims the earth for man, the four horsemen must ride out on the earth!

a. Seal #1 - the white horse (6:1-2)

"I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 'Come!'  I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."

Thought Question #1:  Who do you think is the rider on the white horse?  Why?  What do these verses tell us about him?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Do you believe that Matthew 24:4,5 describes the time of the first horseman of the Apocalypse (the rider on the white horse)?

 

 

The first horseman is riding a white horse.  "Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."  Who is the rider on the white horse?  Because in Revelation 19:11-16 we learn that Jesus Christ will ride a white horse when He comes to judge the world; some say this rider on a white horse in Revelation 6 is Jesus Christ.  But, Jesus will not come to conquer and usher in wars and famines, He will come to decisively conquer evil and set up His kingdom.  Also, Jesus will not wear a crown, but many crowns.  See Revelation 19:12  And He who is Lord will not come because an angel commands Him to come. 

Then, who is the rider?  He is one who will conquer (the white horse is symbolic of a conqueror) without a weapon (there is no arrow in the bow).  The Antichrist is to be like a man who lived during the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament, a man by the name of Antioches Epiphanes.  He conquered using deceit and cunning.  The Antichrist also will be able to conquer peacefully, without the use of weapons.  He will come on a white horse and as someone who has come to bring peace.  He will help orchestrate a peace covenant that will temporarily bring peace to Israel.  See Daniel 9:26,27  He will perform false miracles.  See II Thessalonians 2:9-12  See also John 5:43 and 8:44 

When we want something very badly, we are susceptible to anyone who says they can get it for us.  In our mail we are told we have already won thousands of dollars.  Their goal, of course, is not make us rich, but to make them rich.  So, the Antichrist will be a master at using this type of deceit to conquer.  See also Daniel 8:23-25  (These verses describe how Antioches Epiphanes conquered through deceit, but it also describes the methods that the future Antichrist will use, for Antioches was a picture of what the Antichrist will be like.)

There is one thing the whole world wants and that is peace.  The Antichrist will offer peace, but he will really be intent on using our world's desire for peace as a means for furthering his warlike goals.  Like Adolph Hitler, he will use every deceitful means possible to further his evil goal of conquering the world for himself.  The communists conquered much of the world through deceit and without the use of weapons.  They said that the people will rule.  Yet, in the end, the people became slaves to totalitarian rulers.  We said that people in communist countries were behind iron and bamboo curtains (and the Berlin wall).  The Antichrist will be even more successful as a peaceful and deceitful conqueror.

The search for peace has been given a prominent place in our society.  In the late 1960s and even today, the peace sign was and is seen hanging around people's necks.  It appears to be an upside down, broken cross.  In the last days this search for peace will continue until a man offers the world the type of peace that the peace symbol describes-a peace without Christ and His cross!  Then, "while people are saying, 'peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."  (I Thessalonians 5:3)

These verses correspond to Matthew 24:4-5: "Watch that no one deceives you.  For man will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."  This first stage (the first seal) will be a time of great deception.  People will be fooled, thinking that they are entering a great time of peace.  But, the time of false peace will be followed by a worldwide time of war.  The rider on the white horse will come offering peace and world unity, but it will be a lie for the next horseman will bring war to the world.

b. Seal #2 - the red horse (6:3-4)

"When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!'  Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.  Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth, and to make men slay each other.  To him was given a large sword."

Thought Question #1:  Who do you believe is the rider on the second horse?  What is the large sword he will carry?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Do you believe that Matthew 24:6,7 describes the second seal and the second horseman?

 

 

The time of peace will be short-lived, for it will be replaced by a horrible time of war.  There has been no century like the twentieth century, for the wars in this last century have dwarfed the wars in all of the other centuries combined.  For example, it is estimated that 14 million people died in wars up to the nineteenth century, but it is believed that 8 1/2 million died in World War II alone.  The weapons that we have developed for killing each other are far superior to the weapons of previous ages.  The war predicted in these two verses will certainly use weapons of mass destruction in the most horrible ways.

The Antichrist will have a big sword.  This could be a nuclear weapon, a chemical weapon, a biological weapon, a laser weapon, a weapon directed from space, a new weapon that has not been developed yet, or this big sword may be a symbolic way of summarizing all powerful weapons that far surpass the sword of John's time.

Peace will be horribly replaced by a time of war that will be so horrible that it may be beyond even our ability to imagine in our present time.  For, most of us have not personally experienced war.  Most of us have spent our lives in an area of the world that is continually at peace.

The second seal corresponds with Matthew 24:6-7a:  "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.  Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom."  The time of peace was not built upon a relationship with the Prince of Peace and upon true peace between men; so the false peace will crumble and lead to worldwide anarchy.  See Romans 13:1-7 and I Timothy 2:1-3  This time of worldwide war will lead to the coming of the third horseman.

c. Seal #3 - the black horse (6:5-6)

"When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!'  I looked and there before me was a black horse!  Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his right hand.  Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, 'A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

Thought Question #1:  Do you believe that Matthew 24:7 describes this third seal?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why do you believe that the world will end in this horrible state (see Isaiah 24)?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  What do you believe is meant by "and do not damage the oil and the wine"?

 

 

Although many Bible scholars believe that the third seal is describing world-wide famine, I agree with Ray Stedman who believed that the famine will be caused by a world-wide economic crash.  The wars will apparently lead to a worldwide devaluation of money.  Just prior to Hitler gaining power in Germany, the German Mark became so worthless that it took a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread.  That is what John is saying here.  At the time of the third seal and the third horseman, a man will work a whole day and only earn enough for a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley.  There will be just enough to keep a family alive and no more.  When Germany experienced a nationwide financial disaster in the 1930s, it made them receptive to the likes of a Hitler who promised them hope and a solution.  In the future the world will experience a worldwide economical crash that will make them receptive to another dynamic man, the Antichrist, who will also offer the whole world hope and a solution.

What about John's words, "do not damage the oil and the wine"?  Possibly the oil and the wine will still be available to those who can afford to purchase them.  It is typical that the very rich are able to maintain their lifestyle during times when ordinary people suffer.  In Communist countries where there was much poverty, there was always a class of people high in the Communist Party who were wealthy. 

The third seal corresponds to Matthew 24:7b:  "There will be famines."  Jesus describes the world as having birth pains that get stronger and stronger.  The last birth pains will be great deception, great wars, and great famines.  In this horrible time, men will be ready to turn to the false savior that Satan will provide for them.  Next, the final horsemen charges out on to the earth.

d. Seal #4 - the pale horse (6:7-8)

"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!'  I looked, and there before me was a pale horse.  Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by the sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth."

Thought Question #1:  Do you believe Luke 21:11 describes this fourth seal (compare Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11)?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What do you believe will be the cause of the death that will occur in this fourth seal?

 

 

The color of this horse was actually the color of grass.  "The horse is an unearthly color described as "pale," literally a pale green, like young vegetation…….In the context it is a ghostly color."  "Taken from The Revelation of Jesus Christ by John F. Walvoord.  Copyright 1966 by Moody Press."  The pale greenish horse will bring in a time of worldwide death that will result in the death of ¼ of the world's population.  Of course, nothing like what is described in these verses has ever happened before!

We are told that death will come by the (1) "the sword"-wars and murders, (2) "famine"-death from starvation, (3) "plagues"-epidemic and lethal sicknesses, and by (4) "the beasts of the earth"-death by animals and possibly insects.  This could be the aftermath of the economic crash and the wars, a complete breakdown of civilization followed by continual wars, famines, and epidemics!

It is possible that this time of death may be somehow related to radioactivity due to nuclear war; or it may come as a result of chemical or biological warfare.

This fourth seal could correspond to Matthew 24:7:  "There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  In the parallel verses in Luke 21, Jesus says, "There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places."  (Luke 21:11)  Both of these verses and the fourth seal describe a horrible time when many will die all over the world.  It will be a time of death, chaos, and anarchy.

e. Seal #5 - Persecution (6:9-11)

Matthew 24:9-29 appears to describe the fifth seal.  There are too many verses to quote, so would you please stop here and read these verses before on to reading Revelation 6:9-11.  Now, let's look at the fifth seal:  "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?'  Then, each one of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed."

Thought Question #1:  Who are the souls under the altar and why are they under the altar?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why does God allow those who love God to suffer and die at the hands of those who hate God?  Why will God not rescue them until more are killed?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  Is Matthew 24:9-29 describing the fifth seal?

 

 

Thought Question #4:  What do these verses tell us about what it is like when a Christian dies?  Why do they cry out for vengeance?

 

 

One of the birth pains described by Jesus and also found in the fifth seal is that hatred toward believers will grow greater and greater, until those who hate believers begin to murder those who believe in Jesus Christ.  It will be just like what happened to Jesus.  Those who rejected Him hated Him more and more, until finally they murdered Him.  In the last days, the world will grow to hate those who believe in God.  This hatred will climax in the rise to power of the ultimate hater of God, the Antichrist.  Believers will know that day has come when they see the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy of Holy in Jerusalem.  "So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…For there will be distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equaled again."  (Matthew 24:15,16,21)

Those who believe in God are warned to head for the mountains when they see Satan's unholy man being worshiped in the Holy of Holies!  In Revelation 6:9-11, we see what will happen to those who continue to obey God when Satan is ruling on this earth.  What will happen?  Believers will have to go into hiding or be killed.

What is meant by the martyrs for the faith being "under the altar"?  The Tabernacle is a picture of the way we approach God in heaven.  Jesus opened the way for us into heaven and into God's presence when He gave Himself as a sacrifice on earth.  The Altar symbolizes Jesus' sacrifice for us and His sacrifice before God.  The martyrs during the time of the Antichrist will also die before God.  The altar before the Tabernacle and the Temple is where the sacrificial animals were killed before God.  "Bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head.  Slaughter it in the Lord's presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  Take some of the bull's blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest at the base of the altar."  (Exodus 29:10-12)  The altar is symbolic of Jesus offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins to cleanse us from sin before the Father.

The blood and the life of these martyrs are also poured out before the altar and before God.  It is from this place of sacrifice that they cry out to God.  See also Romans 12:1-2

They cry out, "How long must we wait before God rights the injustices on earth and avenges them for being murdered by the followers of the Antichrist?"  These martyrs will experience the very worst from Satan, as a result of his hatred toward God.  These martyrs for Jesus Christ know that it is near the time of judgment, and here we see them waiting impatiently for God to step into time and right all wrongs.  But, they are told to wait until even more are killed.  We see here that God has a plan and He does things in His timing.  We also see that it is part of His plan for believers to be killed.  He could stop it, but His plan includes believers being killed.

What are they to wait for?  They are waiting for Jesus' return that is described in Revelation 19.  Then, all wrongs will be made right and justice will finally prevail!

You may not see any comfort in these verses.  But, there is comfort here.  We can see that nothing happens to us unless God allows it to happen.  God allows us to be persecuted, and today He even allows Christians to be killed. (It is believed that most of Jesus' disciples died martyrs' deaths.)  But, it is always ultimately for His good purposes.  Someday, we will understand and at that time all Christians will say that it was worth it all; for then we will see that we were a part of God's great purposes.

While they are waiting, they receive white robes.  This indicates that they have bodies.  In II Corinthians 5:1-10, Paul explains that when we lose our earthly physical bodies, we will receive another body.  A difficult issue is -- what is the state of Christians who have died, but have not yet received their resurrection bodies?  Seventh Day Adventists believe that when we die, we will be completely gone until Jesus breathes life back into our dead bodies.  Others believe that we will have some type of temporary bodies prior to receiving our resurrection bodies at the rapture of the church.  II Corinthians five and these verses in Revelation six state that we will have some type of body immediately after we die.  Even the most adept theologians are not able to give a complete answer to this question.  It is one of the secret things that we will not have an answer for until we die and awake to be with Jesus.

We are told here clearly why these under the altar died.  It was because of their belief in the Word of God and because they chose to live for God even though they knew that in the time of the Antichrist it would mean their death.  Because of their cry for vengeance, we know that those who killed them are still alive.  Who are these martyrs?  Because this part of the book of Revelation is about the very last days and because Revelation 7:9-17 talks about a great multitude that comes out of the great tribulation (see 7:14), we can safely assume that they are martyrs who died at the hands of the forces of the Antichrist.

A question is raised by these verses.  Why do these martyrs cry out for vengeance?  Are we not to forgive and cry out with Stephen, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"? (Acts 7:60)  But, these last days will be a different time.  The time of grace is about to come to an end.  The time of God's judgment and wrath is near.  See also Psalms 74,79,89, and 94

 f. Seal #6 (6:12-17)

No one will miss it when the end comes, and when God's judgment or the Day of the Lord begins.  "I watched as he opened the sixth seal.  There was a great earthquake.  The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair,  the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as the late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.  The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." 

Thought Question #1:  Compare these verses to Matthew 24:29; Isaiah 13:9-11a, 34:4; Joel 2:1,2, 30-32.  Do you believe that all these verses are talking about the same time?  Why?

 

 

Thought Question 2:  What is the day of the Lord?  When do you believe it starts?  See Isaiah 2:9-22

 

 

Notice that the next verse in Matthew 24, after the section on the persecutions, verse twenty-nine, is almost identical:  "Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken."

All through the Bible, the Day of the Lord or the day of God's wrath starts with this time of darkness:  "see the day of the Lord is coming--a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger--to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.  The stars and their constellations will not show their light.  The rising son will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.  I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins."  (Isaiah 13:9-11a)  "All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall."  (Isaiah 34:4)  "for the Day of the Lord is coming…a day of darkness"  (Joel 2:1,2)  "I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."  (Joel 2:30-32)  It cannot be clearer: a time of shocking darkness will immediately precede the Day of the Lord and the time of God's wrath.

Darkness somewhat like this has already fallen on the earth.  There was darkness "over all the land" from noon until 3 PM when Jesus was crucified.  Volcanic eruptions like Mt. St. Helens ominously darkened the skies immediately after these eruptions.  The sun is blackened out by volcanic ash, and the ash that continues in the air during the night turns the moon to red.  The stars that fall to the earth described in these verses could refer to a meteor shower or what we call "falling stars."

Another possibility is that this description could refer to a nuclear attack with mushroom clouds darkening the sky and missiles falling like meteors.

We can see in these verses that the stars will fall like late figs fall from the tree when there is a strong wind.  Late figs easily fall off the tree.  This meteor or missile storm will be like being under a fig tree during a wind storm where the figs rapidly fall down on the ground or on anyone who is under the tree.

Next, John says that "the sky receded like a scroll, rolling up."  Micah and Peter say similar things about this time:  "Look!  The Lord is coming from his dwelling place; he comes down and treads the high places of the earth.  The mountains melt beneath him and the valleys split apart, like wax before the fire, like water rushing down a slope." (Micah 1:3,4)  "But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.  The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare."  (II Peter 3:10)  See also Jeremiah 4:24; Amos 8:8,9; Ezekiel 32:7, 38:19; Nahum 1:5; Haggai 2:6,7

In 6:15-17 we find man's response to the sixth seal with its dark and cataclysmic introduction to God's day of wrath:  "Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  They called to the mountains and the rocks,  'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of wrath has come, and who can stand?'" 

Thought Question:  What do these verses tell us about what will happen after the first six seals?

 

 

When this seal is opened, God is about to reveal Himself to the world in judgment and wrath, and at that time every man will know it.  What is the world's response?

Adam and Eve hid because they knew whom they had sinned against.  Someday the whole world will know Whom they have sinned against!  Then, they will run in fear of the One they had been refusing to fear.

The people of the world at that time, though, will all be like Judas.  Judas' heart was hard and though he had no place to hide from what he had done, he refused to soften his heart and repent.  Judas, instead, attempted to escape his guilt by taking his own life.  So, the people at the time of the sixth seal will try to escape by wanting the rocks to fall on them.  They will think that death will protect them from having to face God's judgment.  But, death is no escape; for it is certain they will face God's judgment just as Judas did.  There is no escape, there is nowhere to run!  See Isaiah 2:6-22, where you will find an expanded description of these verses.  See also Isaiah 13:6-8; Joel 2:1; Zephaniah 1:14-16; Hosea 10:8

Before we go on to chapter seven, we need to consider a few more points in 6:15-17.  Notice that the time of God's anger is called the "wrath of the Lamb."  Few of any of us have ever been frightened that a lamb might get angry with us.  But, the lamb mentioned in these verses is the innocent Lamb who was murdered to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world.  This is the Lamb who has been rejected by the world.  This is the Lamb who is able to open the deed to the earth-the One who will restore the earth to mankind only after mankind has been cleansed from all sin.  This is the Holy Lamb with blazing eyes who will judge sin and all who have refused to turn to Him.  This is a Lamb that the world should fear.

Notice also that no one will escape God's judgment.  Every class of people will face his judgment.  The powerful and the powerless, the rich and the poor, all will one day face His judgment.  As we walk around our community, as we watch the people who are on television, each one who does not turn to God for His mercy will one day face His judgment.  No one will escape!  Right now they are using every method to try to escape from the reality that they are accountable to a righteous God, but there is no place or way of escape.

The sixth seal is the end of God's patience with the world.  Just as before the flood, God proclaimed that His "Spirit will not contend with man forever."  (Genesis 6:3)  These verses describe a time in our future when, once more, God's patience will come to an end!  Most of the rest of the book of Revelation describes God's wrath.  The Day of the Lord begins after these verses.  The Bible is clear: Christians will not be present once God begins His wrath:  "For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."  (I Thessalonians 5:9)  What should those do who have not yet turned to God in faith through Jesus Christ?  "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.  Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."  (Isaiah 55:6-7)

One final thought on the sixth seal.  Those who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture, believe that the Day of the Lord is the whole seven year tribulation period.  John Walvoord, a former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, one of the most prestigious seminaries in this country, believes that verse seventeen says the day of wrath has already come and has been going on for some time (3 to 4 years or so) when this statement "the great day of their wrath has come" is made.  Those who believe in the Pre-wrath Rapture, myself included, believe that these words are saying that the Day of the Lord and the time of wrath has just begun.  In other words, the day of grace has ended and the day of wrath has begun.  According to those who believe in the pre-wrath rapture, this is the time that the rapture will occur.  At the end of the sixth seal, and just before God's wrath begins.

Introduction to the RAPTURE:
One of the most exciting passages in the Bible is I Thessalonians 4:13-17.  These verses describe something that is completely out of the ordinary; for these verses describe the miraculous Rapture or catching up of the church by Jesus Christ.  This short section of verses tells us that at some time in the future the church that is alive at that time will immediately be taken up to meet Jesus Christ in the air.  Now, there is something that does not happen every day!  But, there is an issue today within Christianity about when the Rapture will occur.  Normally, there are three positions on when the Rapture will occur: the Pre-trib position-the view that the Rapture will occur before the 7-year tribulation period; the Mid-trib position-the view that the Rapture will occur at the half-way period of the 7-year tribulation period, and the Post-trib position-the view that the Rapture will occur at the end of the tribulation.  The following is a summary of these three positions:

(1) The Pre-tribulation Rapture:

It is important to know that the 7-year period, which is described only in Daniel 9:27, is never once called the "Tribulation" in the Bible.  It is a theological term, not a term found in the Bible.  In fact, the only time when the term "tribulation" is used it refers to the time of great tribulation that occurs in the last 3 ½ years before Jesus' return.  Nevertheless, because the seven year period of Daniel 9:27 has become so well known by the term "the Tribulation," I will be calling it by that name throughout this study of Revelation.

Those who hold the Pre-trib position believe that the church will be raptured prior to the seven year tribulation period.  According to Daniel 9:27, a peace treaty initiated and accomplished by the Antichrist will usher in a 3 ½ year period of peace.  The 3 ½ years of peace will be followed by 3 ½ year period that is called in Matthew 24 a time of "great distress." During this period, the Antichrist will rule on earth with an iron fist.  In short, those who hold the Pre-trib position believe the Rapture of the church will occur before the 7 year period they call the Tribulation that will include 3 ½ years of peace and 3 ½ years of the hellish rule of the Antichrist.  Any Christian in his right mind prefers that this position on the timing of the Rapture is the time that the rapture will occur.  All of us who know the Lord want to be gone when the Antichrist starts persecuting, torturing, and murdering believers.

One of the primary beliefs of those who hold the Pre-trib position is that Jesus' coming is imminent.  That means that He can come at any time.  They believe that because He will come before the Tribulation period, that none of the events described as occurring in the tribulation period, such as the peace treaty and the rise of the Antichrist, need to happen before the Rapture.  So, according to their belief about the timing of the Rapture, He can come at any time.  They believe, for example, that Paul would not have given the Thessalonian Christians the words of encouragement about Jesus' coming to rapture the church that he did in I Thessalonians 4:18 if they needed to go through a time of persecution before they could be raptured.  And early Christians could not have been "eager" for Jesus to return if they would have needed to go through a horrible time of persecution preceding His coming
(I Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:20)  The following are additional verses that are believed to teach the imminency of Jesus' return: John 14:2,3; I Thessalonians 1:9,10, 4:16; Titus 2:13; James 5:8,9; Revelation 3:10, 22:17-22

The Pre-trib position is the most popular position among Christians today.  A number of novels that are best-sellers at the time that this study is being written are based on this view of prophecy.  This view has been particularly championed by Dallas Theological Seminary.  John Walvoord, as has already been mentioned, is a past president of this seminary.  His book The Rapture Question ends with fifty arguments for the Pre-trib position.  So, the majority of Christians today believe that the Bible teaches that the church will be raptured before the seven year period described in Daniel 9:27.

(2) The Mid-tribulation Rapture:

Those who hold this position believe that the church will be taken up at the seventh trumpet described in Revelation 11:15-19.  It is their conviction that this seventh trumpet is the last trumpet described in I Corinthian 15:51-52:  "Listen, I tell you a mystery:  We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed."  Because Mid-tribulationists believe that only the last 3 ½ years is truly the Tribulation period and because they believe that the seventh trumpet will begin this great tribulation period, they prefer to be called Pre-tribulationists.  (These last 3 ½ years are called a time of "great distress" or great tribulation in Matthew 24:21.)  But, with regard to the 7-year tribulation period they are Mid-tribulationists.

(3) The Post-tribulation Rapture:

They believe that when Jesus comes to judge the world at the end of the tribulation, at that time He will also rapture the church.  Many Post-tribulationists believe that Jesus' Second Coming will be like what happened when a king entered a city.  The people of the city would go out of the city and meet the king, and then follow him back to the city.  Those who hold the Post-trib position believe that at the Second Coming, Jesus' followers will first be taken up in the rapture to be with Him in the air, and then they will accompany Him as He immediately comes to the earth to judge the world.  Those who hold this position believe that the church will go through the whole tribulation period.  Post-tribulationists, though, have different views about the tribulation period.  Some believe the tribulation period was completed at some time in the past, others believe that the tribulation period is the troubles or tribulations that Christians have been experiencing throughout the whole period of the church (this would mean that we are in the tribulation right now), and other Post-tribbers believe in a future seven year tribulation period. 

The Post-tribulation position is a view held mostly by those who are Amillennialists.  Amillennialists believe that the church has replaced Israel. It is the spiritual Israel.  According to their view-point, there will not be a millennium or 1,000-year period when God will fulfill His promises to Israel (A = no; therefore, no millennium).  They believe that the promises to Israel are being fulfilled right now to the church, the spiritual Israel.  Presbyterian and Reformed churches are some of those who are Amillennialists.

(4) Pre-wrath rapture:

This fourth position is a more recent position, but there is some evidence that it was the belief of many of the early Christians immediately following the Apostles.  It was also the viewpoint held by the famous Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon.  According to I Thessalonians 1:10 and 5:9, we are promised that we will be rescued "from the coming wrath."  If the wrath begins after the sixth seal, Christians need to be rescued before the wrath described in the rest of the book of Revelation takes place.  This eliminates one Rapture position, the Post-trib Rapture position, for according to this (the Post-trib) position, Christians will still be on earth during the period of wrath.

My Conclusion:  First of all, if the first six seals are described by Jesus in Matthew 24:4-29, there is also a high likelihood that what happens next in Matthew 24 will also be what happens next in the book of Revelation.  What does take place next in Matthew 24 (Matthew 24:30 and following)?  Remember, Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-14, appear to be describing the same event-an ominous darkness over the whole earth.  So, what takes place in Matthew 24:30 and following would very likely be the next event after the sixth seal.  What is found in the next verses in Matthew 24?  Jesus appears to be describing the rapture in these verses:  "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.  And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."  That sounds like the rapture.  See also Matthew 24:36-44.  That would mean that if the book of Revelation has been following and continues to follow the order of events in Matthew 24, then the next event in the book of Revelation will be the Rapture of the church.  So, in Revelation seven that we are just about to cover, we should then find the rapture of the Church.  You will have the opportunity to discover whether the Rapture is found in Revelation chapter seven.

g. 144,000 sealed (7:1-8)

"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.  Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God.  He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and sea:  'Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.'  Then I heard the number of those who were sealed:  144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.  For the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, from tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from tribe of Benjamin 12,000."

Thought Question #1:  Why do you believe these 144,000 Israelites are sealed?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What do you believe that these 144,000 will be doing during the Tribulation period? (See also Revelation 14:1-5 and Matthew 10)

 

 

Thought Question #3:  Why do you believe that the tribes of Dan and Ephraim were omitted from the list of tribes?

 

 

"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree."  Some who enjoy trying to find errors in the Bible, say this verse teaches that the earth is flat: it has "four corners."  But, we say that the "sun comes up" in the morning.  Does that mean that we believe the earth is flat?  Listen to Isaiah 40:22:  "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth."  This verse teaches that the earth is round!  John did not believe that the earth had "four corners."  He is using a figure of speech to describe a time when God's judgment on the earth will be restrained by these four angels until something important in God's plans has been completed.  In this chapter we will learn what must be completed before God's wrath is poured down on the earth.

"Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God.  He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and sea:  'Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.'"  We will learn in the verses that follow that 144,000 will be sealed and thereby protected from God's wrath.  There will be 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel who will be protected by God from His judgment.  The 144,000 are God's property and are to be protected from being destroyed during God's judgment on the earth.  Remember, God has often protected His people during His times of wrath.  Noah's family was rescued from the flood.  Lot's family was rescued from Sodom.  Rahab was rescued from God's judgment on the city of Jericho in Canaan.  So also will 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel be protected from the time of God's wrath in the last days.

As was mentioned, a seal at that time was a sign of ownership.  "Easter kings wore a signet ring whose seal was used to authenticate documents as really coming from the king's hand and to mark that which was the king's personal property."  "Taken from The Revelation of John Volume 2 by William Barclay.  Copyright 1976 by Westminster Press."  This seal on the 144,000 said that they belonged to God.  Christians are also sealed.  We are sealed by the Holy Spirit and are also marked off as God's property.  See Ephesians 4:30  Those who will have "666" on them during the time of the Antichrist (Revelation 13) will have been sealed and marked off as belonging to the Antichrist and to Satan.

Ezekiel 9 gives us insight about the seal on the 144,000.  In Ezekiel 9, God judges (kills) those in Jerusalem who have been practicing "detestable" forms of idolatry.  But, "those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things" were given a mark and were protected from God's judgment.  Another example of God's sealing and protecting His own is the blood of the lamb that was put on the doorways of the Jews in Egypt during Moses' time that saved Israel's firstborn from God's judgment.  In the same way, the 144,000 will be protected from God's judgment in the last days.

Who are these 144,000 and what will they be doing during the final
3 ½ years of the Tribulation period?  We know for certain that they will be protected during a time when others will be killed.  We learn in a number of places in the book of Revelation about a great multitude who will be killed during the tribulation period.  See Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-17, and 20:4  But, Revelation 14:1-5 describes these 144,000 as being triumphantly alive with Jesus Christ at Mt. Zion, a name for Jerusalem, at the end of the Tribulation period.  They are described as being "offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb."  This means that they will be the first Jews to populate Jerusalem as God sets up the kingdom He has promised to the Jews.  See Psalm 2:6-8 and Isaiah 2:2-3  As the first fruits, they will be the beginning of a great harvest of people who will serve the Lamb as He rules in Jerusalem during His
1,000 year reign described in Revelation 20:4,6.

The Jehovah Witnesses once claimed that they would be the 144,000 and that only the 144,000 faithful Jehovah Witnesses would go to heaven. They made this claim until they grew to be more that 144,000 in number.  What would they do with those who became Jehovah Witnesses 144,001 and beyond?  They come up with another 144,000 who would not be able to go to heaven like the first 144,000, but would need to remain on earth.  Later, they created still another 144,000.

Some have said that the 144,000 will be 144,000 Pauls or Billy Grahams and that through them many will come to believe in Jesus Christ.  Although there is nothing in the book of Revelation that says anything about these 144,000 being evangelists, Matthew ten could be talking about these 144,000.  In this chapter, Jesus gave instructions to His twelve disciples.  But, He also is giving instructions to those who will speak out for God in the very last days:  "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.  When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.  I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."  (Matthew 10:22-23)

Two tribes of Israel are omitted from the list of tribes in these verses:  Dan and Ephraim.  Why was Dan omitted from the list of tribes?  It could be that his tribe is omitted from the list because the tribe of Dan led Israel into apostasy. In Judges 18, you can read about how the tribe of Dan moved away from the worship of God and set up idolatry in their portion of Israel and in the city they called Dan.  See particularly Judges 18:30  Also, in Genesis 49:17, we find this prediction by Dan's father Jacob: "Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heel so that its rider tumbles backwards." 

Why was Ephraim not included in the list?  First of all, there needs to be an explanation for why Ephraim was one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  The twelve tribes of Israel were originally the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob.  Jacob's name was changed to Israel, thus his sons were the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.  But, after Jacob's or Israel's son Levi and his descendants were set aside by God to serve as the priestly tribe, Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh were chosen to be the head of two of the tribes.  The addition of these two tribes returned the number of the tribes back once more to twelve.  Although Joseph's son Manasseh is mentioned in this list in Revelation, Joseph's son Ephraim is not mentioned.  However, Ephraim's father Joseph is a part of the list.  So, even though Ephraim's name is not in the list, his descendants will be included in the list, for they are also descendants of Ephraim's father Joseph.

For some reason, though, Ephraim is not mentioned.  A possible reason why both Dan and Ephraim were excluded from the list is that when the northern kingdom of Israel split off from the southern kingdom of Judea during the time of Solomon's son Rehoboam, the cities of Dan and Bethel were chosen as replacements for the city of Jerusalem.  In each of these two cities a golden calf was worshipped.  Dan, of course, was in the region of the tribe of Dan, and Bethel was in the region of the tribe of Ephraim.  The tribes of Levi and Joseph replace the tribes of Dan and Ephraim on this list in Revelation seven.  The tribes of Dan and Ephraim who led Israel into idolatry will not be represented when Jesus' millennial kingdom begins in Jerusalem!

Finally, we must ask the obvious question:  "How are 12,000 from each tribe sealed by God, when the tribes of Israel are no longer divided as they were in Old Testament times?  We do not know which Jew is from which tribe, but God does.  We can leave that decision to Him.

h. The Great Multitude (7:9-17)

"After this I  looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in the front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes, and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:  'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.'  All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures.  They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen!  Then one of the elders asked me, 'These in white robes---who are they, and where did they come from? '  I answered, 'Sir, you know.'  And he said, 'These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.  Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.  The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.' "

Thought Question #1:  Who are those in the "great multitude" described in these verses?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  If this "multitude" is not the church, but they became believers after the rapture of the church, how did such a large "multitude" from every language and every nation of the world become believers in less than seven years?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  What do these verses tell us about what it will be like in heaven?

 

 

In verse thirteen, one of the elders asks John, "These in the white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?"  In verse fourteen, the elder answers his own question, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."  Who are the "multitude" that John saw?  Those who hold the Pre-trib position believe they are those who will turn to Jesus Christ and become His followers after the church has been raptured and is no longer on the earth.  According to this view, many will become believers because of the rapture.  The loss of Christian friends and family members through the rapture will, according to Pre-tribbers, dramatically impact the lives of those who knew people who were raptured, and it will lead them to seek after God.  Also, those who hold the Pre-trib position believe that thousands will become believers through the witness of the 144,000 and other witnesses during this time.

There is some question, though, about this interpretation.  This multitude is so great that it cannot be counted, and it is from "every tribe, people, and language."  The church is this large today and it is now made up of nearly "every tribe, people, and language."  It means that believers in the tribulation period will need to grow in seven years to a size that it has taken the church 2,000 years to grow to.  This means that in a maximum of seven years (probably less), the believers in the tribulation will have to grow from 144,000 believers after the rapture to a size that is the equal of the church that was raptured.  Those who hold this position look to the dramatic rapture and the 144,000 Billy Grahams as the explanation for the dramatic and very rapid growth of believers during this time period.  It is possible that God will supernaturally bring in an incredible harvest in these seven years, but there is no mention in the Bible about this very rapid and world-wide growth in the number of believers during the tribulation time. (There is, for example, a recording of the rapid growth of the church in the early chapters of the book of Acts; but there is no prediction that there will be a rapid growth of believers after the rapture of the church that will far surpass the rapid growth of the early church.)

The other possibility is that the great multitude from every part of the world is the church.  That would mean that this great multitude of believers from every nation and language will be Christians who have "come out of the great tribulation." They would then be the church which has been raptured or taken up from out of the great tribulation right before God begins to pour out His judgment on the world (right before the Day of the Lord begins).  Matthew 24 appears to be describing the rapture occurring after a time of severe persecution.  The persecution is described in Matthew 24:9-28, and Jesus appears to describe the Rapture in verses 30 and 31:  "“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

In Acts 2:17-21, Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32.  In these verses God says He will pour out His Spirit on believers.  It is clear from these verses the Holy Spirit will not be removed from the earth.  On the contrary, God's Spirit will be even more active in the world in the last days.  In Matthew 24:14, Jesus predicts that the "gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

It is my belief, based on what I see in the Bible, that the church will be taken out of the world or raptured just before God's judgment.  Just as Enoch, Noah, and Lot were removed just before God's judgment, the church will be removed just before God's judgment.  Noah was in the world when "every inclination of the thoughts of his (man's) heart was only evil all the time."  (Genesis 6:5)  So, it is not without precedent for God to allow His people to be present when men are at their evil worst, and then for Him to take them out just before He judges the world.

When will the rapture take place?  I would like to believe that it will occur before the seven-year tribulation period; for it would mean that us Christians will not have to go through the time when the Antichrist will persecute believers.  But, I believe that the Bible says it will take place just before God judges the world.  Who are these multitudes in heaven?  I believe they are the church that has just been raptured.  I believe that the 144,000 will continue on earth during this time of judgment and will be protected from it.  Twelve thousand from each of the tribes of Israel will start the millennium.  They will be on earth ruling, and we the church will be in heaven ruling.

We see in the remaining verses of chapter seven that it will be a time of rejoicing for these martyred saints when they stand before God's throne.  They will be able to stand before God's holy throne because they are dressed in holy apparel.  In verse fourteen we see why they are dressed in holiness -- why they are dressed in white:  "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."  Our world does not and will not acknowledge God and His throne, but these saints in Heaven will praise Him and praise the Lamb for the great price He has paid to make it possible for them to be standing before God's throne.  See Revelation 1:5 and Hebrews 9:22

What will it be like for all believers on that day when we stand before God's throne?  Notice they are carrying palm branches.  What does this remind you of?  There were palm branches at Jesus' triumphal entry when Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem as their promised King.  So, this crowd in Heaven will welcome the Lamb and God as their King!  In our world He is used as a cuss word, but in Heaven He will receive the worship and praise and thanks that He deserves!  Our world does not acknowledge God for who He is, but in Heaven He will be honored for His beauty and glory, for His great wisdom, and for His power. Also, in Heaven He will receive the thanks that He does not receive down here.  See Psalm 103:2-5

"Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them."  The rapture is described in the following way:  "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And so we will be with the Lord forever."  He "will spread His tent over them."  That is another way of saying we "will be with the Lord forever."  He will spread His presence and glory over us; we will be continually in His presence.  See Leviticus 26:11-13

In the final two verses we learn that He will replace the tears, the heat, and the pains of this world with His shepherding care.  When we are shepherded by the Good Shepherd, He will meet every need and remove every tear.  These verses should comfort every Christian who is faced with his own death or the death of a loved one who has believed in Jesus Christ.

i. The Seventh Seal (8:1)

"When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour."

Thought Question:  Why do you believe that there will be a half an hour of silence before God's wrath begins?

 

 

When the seventh seal is opened all that must take place before Jesus, the Son of Man, reclaims the earth will have taken place.  The seventh seal is the Day of the Lord!  We will learn that God's wrath is introduced with seven trumpets.  But, before the trumpets signaling God's wrath blast out, there is a half hour of silence.  Thirty minutes may not sound like a long time, but there are times when it is a long time-for example, thirty minutes in a dentist's chair.

Why the silence?  It may be a pause to allow the people on earth to reflect on the signs that have just occurred: the great earthquakes, the sun turning black, and the other signs described in Revelation 6:12-14.  It may be an opportunity for men and women to repent and turn to God before God's wrath begins.  It may be a short period of grace.  We cannot be sure because the Bible does not tell us the purpose of the silence.  But, we do know that the world will stop and wait for what comes next.  It is the quiet before the storm!

4. The Seven Trumpets (8:2-11:9)

a. Preparation for the Trumpets: Seven angels with Seven Trumpets (8:2)

"And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and to them were given seven trumpets."  Who are these seven angels who stand before God?  The angel Gabriel told Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, that he (Gabriel) stood in the "presence of God."  (Luke 1:19)  Possibly, Gabriel will be one of the seven angels.  An ancient book says that seven angels' names are Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Michael, Sarakiel, Gabriel, and Phanuel; and that they have a high position among God's angels.  Whoever these angels are and whatever they are named, when they sound their trumpets, God's last and greatest judgment will begin.

Trumpets are a sign of God's intervention in the world.  There was a loud trumpet blast when God spoke to Israel from Mt. Sinai.  See Exodus 19:16-19  See also Isaiah 27:13; Joel 2:1; Zephaniah 1:16; Zechariah 9:14; I Thessalonians 4:16; and Matthew 24:31  Notice also the symbolism of the Feast of Trumpets: "on the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts."  It is also interesting that this Feast of Trumpets occurred on the first day of the seventh month of Israel's year, preceding the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles (which appears to symbolize the millennial kingdom). See Leviticus 23:23-42 and Numbers 29:1-38) 

b. Preparation for the trumpets: Another angel (8:3-5)

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.  He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.  The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand.  Then the angel took the censer, filled it with the fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake."

Thought Question #1:  Why do you believe these judgments are introduced by seven trumpets?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What does the fire from the censer being poured out on the earth have to do with the incense, golden altar, and the prayers of the saints?

 

 

Who is this angel?  On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest of Israel took a censer full of burning coals and two handfuls of incense behind the curtain and put the incense on the altar of incense.  The smoke and incense concealed the ark from him so he would not die as he went into the Holy of Holies.  See Leviticus 16:12-13 

Before an attempt is made to answer the question about the identity of the angel, let us first think about the meaning of the altar and the incense.  The altar of incense was located in front of the curtain separating the Holy Place (the first room of the Tabernacle) from the Holy of Holies (the second room of the Tabernacle).  The book of Revelation tells us that the incense that was daily burned on this altar was a picture of the prayers of the saints daily rising up to God in Heaven.  In Revelation 5:8, we are told that the twenty-four elders had "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." 

It appears, then, that this angel is presenting before God all the prayers of the saints through the ages; prayers that God's kingdom will conquer and replace Satan's kingdom.  "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)  This is not just the prayer of Christians, but the prayer of godly men and women like Abraham, Moses, Ruth, David and many more.  It will also be the prayers of the saints who will be persecuted and martyred during the great tribulation. See Revelation 6:9-11  Now, all of these prayers are about to be fulfilled.

"Then the angel took the censer, filled it with the fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake."  The prayers of the saints throughout the ages have reached God's ears.  They were like a fragrant aroma to Him, and now the prayers are answered as God's judgment on sin and the sinful world are finally poured out on earth.  Immediately following these verses are the horrible trumpet judgments of God.  Notice, in Revelation 6:9-11 that after the martyrs from the great tribulation cry out, "How long, sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"  It appears that 8:3-5 is a heavenly explanation of this time of judgment which will one day come upon the earth.  It is God answering the cries of the saints who have cried out for justice for thousands of years!  See also Ezekiel 10:2

Who is this angel?  Some believe that because he performs a function similar to the High Priest of Israel who was a picture of the future High Priest Jesus Christ, the angel is the Lord Jesus Christ.  But, John tells us only that he is an angel.  The angel of God in the Old Testament was often clearly an appearance of God.  See Genesis 16:7, 22:11 and Exodus 3:2 for examples  But, Jesus is not called an angel anywhere in the New Testament.  It seems more likely that this is an angel who fulfills this role of taking the prayers before God, and who is also used by God to initiate the judgment of God in response to the prayers of the saints.

c. Trumpet #1 (8:6-7)

"Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.  The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth.  A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all of the green grass was burned up."

Thought Question #1:  Why do you believe the grass, trees, seas, rivers, sun, moon, and the stars are judged during this trumpet judgment?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What is meant by the hail and fire being "mixed with blood"?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  What do you think it will be that will cause a third of the trees and grass to be burnt up?

 

 

The time of grace ends and the wrath of God begins.  As Paul says in Romans 2:1-5, in our time God has not been judging mankind but has been kindly allowing mankind an opportunity to repent; but those who ignore His offer of forgiveness are "storing up wrath…. for the day of God's wrath."

God's first judgment is on His creation.  In Genesis 1:12, 23, we read of God creating plant life:  "The land produced vegetation….. and God saw that it was good."  But, we have polluted, abused, and misused God's good gifts.  God, therefore, must destroy the plants that were once good but are now part of the curse.  He must do it so that He can start fresh once again with a new earth and with plants that are totally good once more.

Here, God's judgments sound like two other judgments: the burning sulfur that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24,25), and the plague of hail and lightning that was one of the plagues that fell on Egypt during Moses' life (Exodus 9:23-25)

What is meant by the hail and fire being mixed with blood?  John Walvoord suggests that it means that the hail that will kill the vegetation will also kill some men and animals.  Ray Stedman proposed that it could be similar to the red rains that are caused by rains containing red chalk.  Another possibility is that the sea turning into blood is that the sea will turn into what we call "red tides," caused by microorganisms.  These "red tides" are poisonous to sea life.  But, it could be actual blood like what happened in Moses' time when God turned the Nile River into blood.  See Exodus 7:14-24  We cannot be certain what the blood will be; but we can be certain that it will be a horrifying judgment from God.

What is meant by 1/3 of the earth and trees being burned?  The year these words are being written is 1999.  During this year there have been a number of devastating natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, extreme weather, and earthquakes.  But, all of these disasters combined have been nothing compared to this coming disaster that will burn 1/3 of the trees and all of the grass off the earth.  It could be a series of volcanic eruptions that will ultimately change the climate on earth, creating intense temperatures over the whole earth.  The whole world will see God taking back His gift of plant life as most of it is seared away by the great heat.

d. Trumpet #2 (8:8-9)

"The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea.  A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed."

Thought Question:  Do you believe these disasters will be natural disasters (like wars), or God's miraculous judgments (such as the ten plagues on Egypt)?

 

 

This trumpet judgment sounds like the plague in Egypt where the Nile River turns to blood.  Notice that John says "something like a huge mountain."  This could be a meteor or a nuclear bomb.  A bomb going off in the sea would explain the ships being destroyed.  It could be, for example, the Pacific Ocean being polluted by radioactivity from an atomic explosion.  Not too many years ago, before nuclear weapons, people could easily have thought, how could a third of the sea turn into blood?  But, we now know that there are more than enough atomic weapons available today to easily destroy the whole world.  Another possibility is that what is described in this trumpet judgment is a fully miraculous judgment of God.  Once more, God will be destroying the sea and its creatures that He has given to man as a gift.

e. Trumpet #3 (8:10-11)

"The third angel sounded his trumpet and a great star, blazing like a torch fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water---the name of the star is Wormwood.  A third of the waters turned bitter, and many peoples died from the waters that had become bitter."  

Thought Question:  What do believe is meant by the name "Wormwood"?  Is there anything like this "Wormwood" today that could cause a third of the rivers to turn bitter?

 

 

Today, there has been a lot of talk about "weapons of mass destruction."  Three weapons of mass destruction are nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.  One of these three could be the "Wormwood" that will come as a result of the third trumpet.  Or, again, this could be something that God Himself causes to happen, rather than it being a man-made destroyer.

Jack MacArthur observes that the Greek word that is translated "Wormwood" is also the name for a poisonous plant that spreads its poison rapidly when placed in water.  See also Jeremiah 9:13-15, 23:15 where Jeremiah predicts this judgment of God.  Ray Stedman also observes that "Chernobyl," the name that is infamous for its nuclear accident that poisoned the vicinity surrounding it with radioactivity, is the Russian word for "Wormwood."

Whatever "Wormwood" will be, it will poison the waterways of the world.  Today, we are very aware of the poisoning of our water with chemicals and various other types of pollution.  Jacques Cousteau, the late word-wide explorer of our seas, has made us aware that the life in our seas are dwindling due to the pollution that is collecting in them from our industrialized world.

f. Trumpet #4 (8:12)

On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars.  The fourth trumpet takes the light away.  "The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark.  A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night."

Thought Question #1:  How might this judgment of darkness take place?  Have you ever seen something like this judgment of darkness take place? 

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why is this judgment an appropriate judgment?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  Could it be that God will strike one third of the world with darkness because it will be that part of the world that has most chosen to be darkened to God?  Or will the whole world be darkened by one third?

 

 

This will not be the first time that God has judged sin with darkness.  He judged Egypt with a plague of total darkness for three days.  See Exodus 10:21-29  See also Isaiah 13:10; Jeremiah 4:23; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:10; Amos 5:20; Matthew 24:29; Ephesians 4:17-19

How will this darkness take place?  Those of us who were present in the region that was covered by the ash-covered skies that came from the Mt. St. Helens' eruption, saw the sun darkened by ash.  In the middle of the day, the sky was black as at night.  It could be that the sky will be darkened in a similar way during the fourth trumpet.

In our world that is morally blind and darkened to God and His truth, a judgment of darkness is an appropriate judgment.  God has blessed us by giving us physical light and also by giving us His spiritual light through the Bible; yet we as a nation have chosen darkness instead of light.  God will one day give us physically that which we have chosen spiritually.

g. An eagle's warning (8:13)

"As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: ''Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"

Thought Question #1:  Why, do you believe, there is a break between the first four trumpets and the last three trumpets?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What is this eagle that talks?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  What does this eagle tell us about the last three trumpets?

 

 

There is a pattern that we can find in the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of wrath (the seven bowls of wrath are found in Revelation fifteen and sixteen).  The seven seals begin with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse; then, there are two more seals.  The seventh seal is the seven trumpets.  Here in the trumpet judgments, we see that there is also a break after the first four trumpets.  There are four trumpets, a break, two more trumpets, and then the seventh trumpet is the seven bowls of wrath.

The eagle cries out three woes that the last three judgments will be worse than the first four trumpet judgments.  Who or what is this eagle?  It is difficult to say, for there is no explanation given in this verse.  It is interesting, though, that the fourth living creature of Revelation chapter four is "like a flying eagle." (4:7)

h. Trumpet #5 (9:1-11)

"The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth.  The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.  When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.  The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.  And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.  They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months.  And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.  During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.  The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.  On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.  Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.  They had breastplates like breast plates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.  They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months.  They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon."

Thought Question #1:  What or who is the "star" who is given the key to the "Abyss"?  What is the "Abyss"?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why do you believe that God allows these horrible beings to torment the world?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  Who are these horrible beings who come up out of the Abyss?

 

 

This is a difficult passage for it is not clear what the star is.  What is meant by the star being "given the key to the shaft of the Abyss"?  How can a star have a key?  Here are some of the possible explanations.  The star is a meteor and "the key" is a symbolic way of saying the meteor was able, by falling on the exact right spot, to open up this Abyss.  Another possibility is that it is an angel (a star can symbolize an angel - See Revelation 12:3,4) who is able to open up the Abyss.  Still one more possibility is that the star refers to Satan.

There are verses that describe Satan falling: "You have been cast down to earth."  (Isaiah 14:12)  Jesus described Satan falling:  "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."  (Luke 10:18)  Also, in Revelation 12:7-9, there is a war in Heaven between Satan and the Archangel Michael, where Satan is hurled down to the earth.

In Revelation 1:20, Jesus says that the "seven stars are the angels of the seven churches."  Also, in Job 38:7, stars are used to symbolize angels.  So, it is likely that what is being described here is Satan being thrown down to earth and being allowed by God to open up this Abyss, releasing the demonic creatures that have been imprisoned there.

What is the Abyss?  We know from Luke 8:31 that the Abyss is a place where demons do not want to be sent, but they may be sent.  "And they (demons called "Legion") begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss."  It appears that the Abyss is similar to our isolation cells in prisons, where the most vile and violent criminals are kept.  There is an actual place of imprisonment where the most evil angels are kept captive.  Satan himself will be thrown into this pit for 1000 years:  "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.  He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.  He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations…."  (Revelation 20:1-3)

Jude talks about angels who are kept in chains in darkness.  See Jude 6  Also, II Peter 2:4 may be referring to the same or a similar place of punishment:  "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment."  From these verses, plus our verse here in Revelation, we can conclude that especially evil angels are not allowed to have their wicked way on this earth.  But, we see that God does allow these most wicked of demonic angels to be freed out of their prison for a short time to have their evil way.  But, even then, they will be fulfilling God's purposes in this final time of judgment.  See also Revelation 9:11, 11:7, and 17:8

"When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace.  The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss."  It sounds like a volcano that is opened up and smoke is belching forth from the depths of the earth.  The two most likely possibilities for what is described here are the following:  (1) There is an actual place below the earth where the worst angels are kept, or (2) there is a place in the spiritual world that is like being in a volcano.

What happens when the shaft opens?  "And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.  They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months.  And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man.  During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them."  Some of the more well-known horror films have been about giant insects, like giant ants or giant spiders.  What will come out of the volcano will be like locusts, but they will have a sting like a scorpion's sting.  Locusts are known for their great and overwhelming numbers.  There is no escape from them.  The scorpion is known for the pain of its sting.  There is no escape from the pain.  There will be no escape from these demons or the pain they cause.  When they cover the earth, they will come in wave after wave.  And there will be no relief.  It will be so bad that men will want to die to be relieved of the pain.  See also Joel 1-2

Some of us are softies or pansies when it comes to pain.  A day at the dentist's office, even with pain killers, is almost unbearable to us.  The pain described here will continue to plague the earth for five months.  It is interesting that there is a five month period of time within a year when it is most likely for locusts to go on a rampage.

The pain may be actual physical pain or it could be a type of spiritual pain that is spiritually like the physical pain of the scorpion.  Whatever the pain will be, there will be no escape from it for five months.

Notice that the demonic locust/scorpions will not be able to harm those who "have the seal of God on their foreheads."  Those who will not be harmed by these evil beings could be the 144,000 who are sealed by God, or it could be they plus others whom God will seal and protect from this judgment.  See Revelation 7:1-4

What will these locust/scorpions look like?  "The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle.  On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces.  Their hair was like human hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth.  They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.  They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months." 

These creatures are very unusual (to say the least) and very horrible.  But, there are many creatures that we have seen that are also very unusual, and also very horrible: the spider, the scorpion, the shark, the praying mantis, the barracuda, the crocodile, and many more.  We have not seen these demonic beings, but because there are many unusual, ugly, and terrible creatures on our planet, we should not be surprised that there are also unusual, ugly, and terrible beings in the invisible demonic world.  Sin is ugly.  There are beings in this sin-infested world that are ugly.  There are also beings in the sin-infested demonic world that are ugly.  Satan appears as an angel of light, but these beings describe what Satan and his demons are really like.  Let us consider some of the characteristics of these demonic beings who will enjoy bringing people pain and tormenting them.

Notice that they will have long hair.  "Their hair was like a women's hair."  Our rock artists often have long hair.  Clearly, some of these rock artists have as a goal to be as demonic as possible.  These demonic creatures who will come out of the Abyss will look like these rock stars.  They have teeth "like lions' teeth"-demonized rock stars with teeth like a lion.; the very picture of evil.  They will have wings, "breastplates like breastplates of iron," and "something like crowns of gold on their heads."  One thing we can be sure of, they will be like nothing we have ever seen before.  Some believe that John is describing some of our attack helicopters, like the Apache helicopter.  But, what John describes here is like no helicopter that any of us have ever seen.  John is describing hellish beings from a dark pit that will not be seen on earth until God, in judgment on the earth, allows them to be released from the pit of hell to torment the world for a limited amount of time.

"They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon."  Some believe that this angel is Satan.  But, it is also possible that this is a Satanic arch-angel, like Michael is an arch-angel of God, who is head of the demonic angels who have been imprisoned in the Abyss.  Both Abaddon and Apollyon are words for "destroyer."  This demonic king has one primary desire, and that is to destroy.  At a day in our future, he and his army from hell will be set loose on the very same earth that we now walk upon.  If this king and his army had their free reign on this earth, it would have been destroyed long ago.

i. Trumpet #6 (9:12-19)

"The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come."  As horrible as this judgment by the horrible beings that come out of the Abyss is, there will be two more calamities (what "woe" means) that will be as bad or worse than this judgment.

"The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God.  It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet.  'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.'  And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.  The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million.  I heard their number.  The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this:  Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur.  The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.  A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths.  The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury."

Thought Question #1:  Who do you believe are in this army of 200 million?  What will their weapons be like?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What do these verses tell us about God's sovereign control of the world?

 

 

There are a number of significant events that the Bible describes as having taken place near the Euphrates River: the Garden of Eden, the location of the first sin and first murder, was watered by a river.  One of the four rivers that flowed out of Eden from this river was the Euphrates River.  See Genesis 2:10-14  The tower of Babel and the city of Babylon, the capital of the nation that conquered Israel in 586 BC, were located on the Euphrates river.  Today, the Euphrates River is located in Iraq.  In Revelation seventeen and eighteen we will read about Mystery Babylon, which is a symbolism of man's evil corruption of both religion (Revelation 17) and merchandizing (Revelation 18).  So, this river has a significant and central role throughout the Bible, and it will also have a central place in the events of the last days.

Four demonic angels have been bound at the Euphrates River.  A voice comes from the "horns of the golden altar that is before God."  It tells the sixth angel to release the four angels.  It could be that the voice from the altar is in response to the prayers of the saints, for the altar and its incense is a picture of our prayers.  See 8:1-6  This horrible judgment is certainly, at least in part, an answer to the prayers of those who will die as martyrs during the great tribulation led by the Antichrist:  "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (6:10)

Notice that these angels remain bound until the very hour that God has planned to have them released.  Sometimes we can feel that our world is running out of control.  But, here we see that God is in complete control.  Just as Satan could not touch Job until God allowed it, so nothing happens on this planet unless God allows it.  See Job 1:9-12

When these angels are released, they will energize and direct an army of 200 million soldiers.  Who are the 200 million soldiers?  The most common answer to this question is that they are the army of the nation of China.  Another possibility that is suggested by Ray Stedman is that the four angels stir up the armies from the four corners of the world.  Then, these armies would be armies from every corner of the world gathering for a World War III type of war.  This would mean that there would be a world war in which 1/3 of the world will die.  This is not hard to imagine today with our nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

So, the army of 200 million could be a war involving nations from all over the world or it could be an army from the east.  In Daniel 11:44 there is mentioned "reports from the east" that "alarm" the Antichrist, leading him to "annihilate many."  Some believe that it is reports about this 200 million soldier army from the east that will get him in a "great rage."  But, it is more likely, since the Antichrist is attacking Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya at the time, that the reports from the East and the North are from Israel which is to the east and north of these African nations.  Also, Antioches Epiphanes, a type or picture of the future Antichrist, attacked Israel with great rage after being forced out of Egypt by the Romans.  It seems likely that God's people in Israel would be most likely to provoke the Antichrist to great rage. 

Ray Stedman makes the point that there is nowhere close to an army of 200 million in the world at this time (though some have said that China has an army that is this large, or could form an army this large).   He concludes, then, that it must be an army formed by nations from all over the world. In Zechariah 12:3, we do read about such an army:  "On that day, when all the nations of earth are gathered against her. . . . "  (the "her" is Jerusalem)  It is interesting, though, that in Revelation 16:12-14, John is clearly describing an army from the east that will march forward on the world when the Euphrates River dries up.

A possible solution is that these angels at the Euphrates rive are somehow associated with the old Babylonian empire.  There may be a uniting of the armies to the east of Babylon similar to the hordes of Genghis Khan.  This army was a great enemy of the Roman Empire.  And, so, the Antichrist and his revived Roman Empire may once more battle with the hordes from the East.  We do not appear to have enough information to make a certain interpretation about the identity of this army.  In the future, though, there will be enough information, for then it will be obvious who the 200-million-men army is that John is talking about in these verses.

We cannot be sure where the army will come from, but we can be sure that 1/3 of the earth will be killed by this army.  It will be the greatest judgment on the earth by God since Noah's flood.

"The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this:  Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur.  The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur.  A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that came out of their mouths.  The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury."  This army sounds like nothing that we have ever seen.  It could be describing an army that is still in our future with weapons that are not yet being used.  We do have many weapons today that John would have found difficult to describe to the people of his day: flame throwers, bazookas, rocket launchers, and bullets, for example.  But, now, we also have lasers.  Certainly, there will be weapons that will be available in the near future that we now know nothing about.  It may be these future armies and weapons that John is describing in these verses.

j. The trumpet judgments do not produce worldwide repentance (9:20-21)

"The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood -- idols that cannot see or hear or walk.  Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts."

Thought Question:  What do these verses tell us about what the world will be like in the last days?

 

 

What is the effect on the world of the fifth and sixth seals?  The world will be so hardened at the time when these trumpets are blown that even the worst war of all time will not turn them to God.  They will continue to worship demons and idols.

You might think at this point, that today we no longer worship demons and idols.  But, think again, for part of the popular New Age beliefs involve channeling spirits (demonic spirits) and crystals.  Witchcraft is still very much alive in our modern-day world.  There are Buddhist shrines.  Idolatry is a part of Hinduism.  There are still witch doctors, both in other parts of the world and in the U.S.  Today, we are shocked by the acceptance in our world of abortion and homosexuality.  In the future we may be even more shocked by the growth in our world of open idolatry.  All of this occult practice is actually, as John says here, "worshiping demons."

Also, they will stubbornly refuse to repent of "murders."  Is murder a part of our society today?  Thousands of babies are murdered today while they are still in their mothers' wombs.  And we use the dead fetuses for medical research and for other uses.  We are already a murderous society.  Also, it is likely that there will be a growth in the killing of those who are inconvenient to us (the old and the handicapped).  But, in the end times there will also be a mass murdering of God's people, both Jew and Gentile, similar to the murder of the Jews in Nazi Germany. See Matthew 24:9; Revelation 20:4

They do not repent of their "magic arts."  It appears that there will be open sorcery in the last days.  The Greek word is "pharmakeia."  It is the Greek wordfrom which we get our word "pharmacy."  John could be talking about drug use and chemical addiction.  Certainly there has been an increase in this destructive sin on our society.

They do not repent of their "sexual immorality."  It goes without saying that our country is steadily moving towards total unrestrained sexual promiscuity and pornography.  The internet has made pornography accessible to most in our society. Those drawn to and enslaved by this type of unholy lust no longer need to go somewhere outside of their homes to view pornography; they can easily view it in the privacy of their own homes.

They do not repent of their "thefts."  Just like the other sins in this list, there is a growing increase of stealing in our society.  Repairmen steal by repairing what is not broken and by replacing parts that do not need to be replaced.  Employers and employees steal from the government by paying salaries "under the table."  There is an epidemic of swindlers in our society.  There are those who swindle the elderly, the sick, and the bereaved.  From God's point of view, the weeds of idolatry, murder, magic arts, sexual immorality, and thefts are growing everywhere, crowding out the good and the beautiful.  In the very last days these ugly weeds will take over men's hearts until they have spread to all of the earth.  God's judgment will be directed toward this wickedness that has overrun the world.  But, men will be so hardened in these sins that they will refuse to repent.

k. An angel and a little scroll (10)

(1) "Another mighty angel" (10:1)

"Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.  He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like fiery pillars."

Thought Question #1:  What do the symbolisms in this description of this angel tell you about the angel? ("robed in a cloud," "rainbow above his head," "face like the sun," "legs were like fiery pillars")

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Is this angel Jesus Christ?  Please explain your answer?

 

 

What is described in chapter ten takes place between the sixth and seventh trumpets.  So, these events take place just before the seventh and final trumpet.  Most every father can remember vividly the exact moment when he heard the words: "It is time!" as his wife declared to him that it was time for one of his children to be born.  The angel in the chapter declares:  "There will be no more delay!" (10:6)  We are going through a period of waiting right now; waiting for God to deal with the sin we see growing all around us.  Humanism rules in our universities and schools.  God's Ten Commandments have been replaced by our right to do whatever we choose to do.  Islam and Hinduism are deeply entrenched in the cultures of the world and their beliefs are spreading into the United States.  The drug business is booming.  Gangs have spread from large cities into small communities.  Our prisons are filled to overflowing.  Our schools are becoming fortresses to protect our children from our children.  Immorality and violence has become our chief form of entertainment.  Homosexuals are steadily gaining more and more political clout, as they fight for total acceptance and even glorification of their lifestyle in our society.  We can feel that we who are Christians are on the losing side.  Will it ever end?  The book of Revelation describes here, a time when God will say, "NO MORE!"   

Let us look together at what Revelation ten has to say about that time.  "Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.  He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like fiery pillars."  Ray Stedman points out how different this angel is from the angels that we have seen in the movies or on television.  It is a Wonderful Life was a great movie, but the angel in that movie was nothing like the angel that John describes in this verse.

Is this angel alive right now?  Are you glad that he is on our side?  Jesus could have called 10,000 angels to protect Him from those who were seeking to kill Him (and they would have responded to Him in a flash).  It is clear from this verse, though, that this one angel alone could have easily rescued Jesus.  What would have happened if they grabbed Jesus, and this angel had showed up?

God could show up at any time.  This angel could show up at any time.  But, God has not intervened because He has a plan, and He does everything according to His plan.

Some believe that this angel is Jesus Christ.  But, John says he is "another mighty angel."  He is another angel like the angels that are blowing the seven trumpets.  (Also, another mighty angel is described in 5:2)

He is "robed in a cloud."  My wife Shirley was an airline stewardess for five years.  What she most enjoyed was flying on top of the clouds.  When she was over the clouds, she was in another realm, a heavenly realm.  This angel lives in another realm, a heavenly realm beyond even our skies.  There is much in the Bible about these heavenly clouds.  Jesus and three of His disciples went up a high mountain and Jesus was "transfigured before them."  "While He was still speaking, a voice from a bright cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love…' "  (Matthew 17:2,5)  Daniel saw in a vision:  "In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven" (Daniel 7:13).  When Jesus ascended into heaven, He ascended into a cloud (Acts 1:9).  And Christians in the very last days "will be caught up…in the clouds" (I Thessalonians 4:17).  There can be no question: clouds symbolize and picture the heavenly realm.  This angel "robed in a cloud" is a resident of God's heavenly realm.

"with a rainbow above his head"  The rainbow is also used to describe God's heavenly realm.  Listen to Ezekiel's description of God's throne:  "and brilliant light surrounded him.  Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him."  (Ezekiel 1:27,28)  Earlier in Revelation, John also described God's throne:  "A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne: (4:3).  After the Flood in Genesis, God used the rainbow as a sign of a covenant that God made with man that He would not destroy the world again with a flood (Genesis 9:13-17).  What is meant by this angel having a "rainbow above his head"?  There are at least two possibilities:  He is somehow associated with (1) the glory of God (the rainbow around God's throne) and (2) the faithfulness of God (rainbow as a sign of God's covenant). 

"his face was like the sun."  When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai his face shined with the glory of God (II Corinthians 3:7; Exodus 34:29,30).  The glory of God from the heavenly realm also showed on the face of this angel.

His "legs were like fiery pillars."  Fire purifies.  This angel purified the earth that he stood on.

Some believe that this angel is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament; in other words, this angel was God Himself.  The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament was clearly a theophany or an appearance of God in the form of an angel.  It is believed that the Old Testament Angel of the Lord was Jesus Christ.  Some of the arguments that are used to support the viewpoint that this angel is Jesus Christ are as follows:  (1) This cloud is associated with God.  When Moses met with God, God appeared to him in the form of a cloud.  God led Israel through the wilderness by taking the form of a cloud and leading them.  (2) The rainbow encircles God's throne.  (3) Jesus' face shines and his feet are like "bronze glowing in a furnace."  So, some believe that though this angel is not said to be Jesus Christ, that because the angel's description has many similarities to the description of God and Jesus Christ, they believe that this angel is Jesus Christ in His glorified state.  But, as was pointed out earlier, this angel is described as "another mighty angel," indicating that he is an angel like the angels who will blow the seven trumpets.

(2) The mysterious actions of the angel (10:2-7)

"He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand.  He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.  When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.  And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.'  Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven.  And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, 'There will be no more delay!  But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.'"

Thought Question #1:  How does the reality that this angel is alive right now affect the way you look at your life and our world?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why did God tell us about the "seven thunders" and not tell us what they are?

 

 

Thought Question #3:  What is symbolized by the following:  "right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land" and "loud shout like the roar of a lion"?

 

 

Thought Question #4:  What is the mystery of God that will be revealed when the seventh trumpet blows? (remember that God has already announced the mystery to the prophets)

 

 

"He was holding a little scroll which lay open in his hand."  We will learn more about this scroll in verses 8-11.

"He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land."  This appears to be similar to someone putting a flag of the United States on a land that we have conquered.  This angel appears to be proclaiming that he is in charge of the land and the sea (rather than Satan being in charge of them).  Actually, he will be claiming God's rule over the earth, for the angel is dramatizing that the time is NOW for God to claim and take charge of earth, His possession!

"and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.  When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke."  Here we have an unrevealed mystery, for John was about to write down what the seven thunders said, but a voice from heaven tells him to seal up what the seven thunders said.  Who are the seven thunders and what did they say?  We are left with a mystery.  Paul tells us in II Corinthians 12:4 that he "heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell."  For some reason, it would not be profitable for us to know what John heard.  We do know that thunders are an expression of the fearsome power of God in judgment.  Also, we know that seven is a perfect and complete number.  Therefore, the seven thunders speak of the fearful judgment of God; the total and fearful judgment of God!  (See Psalm 29 for a possible clue to the seven thunders.  See also Deuteronomy 29:29)

"Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and the land raised his right hand to heaven.  And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, 'There will be no more delay!  But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.'"  Whatever the judgment will be that the seven thunders said, there will come a time when it will happen!  God could intervene in our world at any time and conquer Satan and take over the earth.  But He has not intervened, because He has a plan.  He has revealed to us His plan throughout the Bible.  There are many predictions by prophets in the Old Testament and by the writers in the Old Testament and by the writers of the New Testament.

Here, this mighty angel makes an oath that at the time when the six trumpets have been blown, "there will be no more delay!"  This angel raises "his right hand to heaven" and swears by God.  Ray Stedman states that the oath that we swear in court is based on this angel's oath.

What is "the mystery of God that will be accomplished" at this time?  When the seventh angel blows his trumpet, it is the High Noon of the Bible.  In the old westerns there was often a showdown where the good guy faces off with the bad guy(s).  In one Gary Cooper movie this show-down was at High Noon.  This angel promises that the High Noon for the whole world will come at the blowing of the seventh trumpet.  Then, there will be a final showdown between God and the forces of evil that has been predicted in many places in the Bible.  It is the Day of the Lord!  It is the day of God's final victory over Satan and over evil.  God has always had a winning strategy.  We may not see victory in our own lifetime, but we are on the winning side and we will win!  We will learn about God's total victory as we read on in the book of Revelation.

(3) Our part (10:8-11)

"Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more:  'Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.'  So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll.  He said to me, 'Take it and eat it.  It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.  I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it.  It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.  Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.' "

Thought Question #1:  What is the little scroll this angel holds?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why do you think the scroll is sweet in his mouth, but became sour in his stomach?

 

 

In these verses, a voice from heaven gives John the following instructions:  "Go take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel…."  The angel then tells John:  "Take it and eat it.  It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey."   He ate it and as the angel said, it was sweet in his mouth and sour in his stomach.

These verses leave us with a number of unanswered questions.  First of all, what is the scroll?  It could possibly be the scroll that we learned about in chapter five, which is the deed to the earth that only Jesus the Lamb of God is able to open.  Remember that the seven seals have been opened.  Whatever the little scroll is, we can be sure that it contains God's words, God's plan, and is about God's judgment.  Listen to the final words of chapter ten.  "Then I was told, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.' "  John is to prophesy about the contents of this scroll to the whole world.  The scroll contains a message from God that John was preaching to the nations.

The reason that he was able to prophesy about the contents of the scroll is because he ate it.  The prophet Ezekiel had a very similar experience:  "'But, you, son of man . . . open your mouth and eat what I give you.'  Then I looked and I saw a hand stretched out to me.  It was a scroll, which he unrolled before me.  On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.  And he said to me, 'Son of man eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel.'  So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.  Then he said to me, 'Son of man eat this scroll I am giving to you and fill your stomach with it.'  So, I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.  Then he said to me:  'Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them…'  The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit with the strong hand of the Lord upon me."  (Ezekiel 2:8-3:4, 14)  There are a number of similarities between what happened to Ezekiel and John's experiences with this angel.  Both ate a scroll.  For both it was sweet to the taste.  But, for both John and Ezekiel it became sour after they ate it.  It became sour when it reached John's stomach, and it resulted in Ezekiel having bitterness and anger, not in his stomach but in his spirit. Both are to speak God's words.  Ezekiel is to speak to Israel, and John is to prophesy about many nations.

What we learn from Ezekiel is that God's word at first tastes sweet.  Prophecy is exciting at first, but when we really internalize what it really tells about God's hatred of sin and His judgment, we see that there is a much deeper meaning.  The book of Revelation is seen as an exciting book; but what happens when we begin to deeply consider that the real meaning of the book is that one half of the people in the world will be dying in these horrible judgments?  Have we considered how much God hates sin?  Are we as concerned about the sin all around us as we should be?  If we really eat God's words, and they become a deep part of us, we will be like Ezekiel and John and we also will speak out about sin and God's judgment on it.  Ezekiel was to speak out even though he would be speaking to the rebellious and obstinate people of Israel.  See Psalm 19:9-10, 119:103; Jeremiah 15:16-18, Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 5:13-14, and I Peter 2:2 for other examples of eating and drinking God's words.

Do you and I ever feel like we are on the losing side?  When you feel like you are on the losing side, try remembering this mighty angel, who is presently restrained, will one day stand on the sea and the earth.  Remember there will come a day when he will say, "No more delay!"  It is time!

Thought Question:  What is your personal response to this little scroll that was sweet to the taste, but became sour in John's stomach?  Does it say anything to you personally about your mission in the present day world?

 

 

 i. The two witnesses (11:1-14)

(1) The Temple in the last days (11:1-2)

"I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.  But, exclude the outer court; do not measure it because it has been given to the Gentiles.  They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.'"

Thought Question:  What do these verses tell us about what it will be like in the last days?

 

 

God's pattern is to raise up prophets at the morally darkest times, and give them the ability to powerfully speak out against evil.  Just before the flood, the "Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."  Who did God raise up?  Noah!  When the nation of Israel was at its darkest moral state, who did God raise up?  Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and Jeremiah!  At the end of the world, who will God raise up?  The two witnesses of Revelation 11!  Let us seek to get to know them.

First, John is given some unusual instructions:  "I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there.  But, exclude the outer court; do not measure it because it has been given to the Gentiles.  They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.'"  We know immediately that John is in Jerusalem.  He is to measure God's Temple in this city chosen by God.  Is there a Temple there now?  The answer, of course, is, "no."  The last Temple was destroyed in AD 70, and all that remains of that Temple is the Wailing Wall.  Yet, John is to measure the Temple.  What does this mean?  It means that before Jesus returns, Israel will build a Temple.  Daniel was predicting this Temple will one day exist when he stated that the Antichrist will also one day desecrate it. See Daniel 9:27.  The major obstacle to Israel's rebuilding the Temple right now is that the Islamic world also sees the Temple sight as a sacred sight.  It is their second most sacred sight, and they have built the Dome of the Rock there.  They believe that Mohammed ascended into heaven on this very Temple sight.  So, Israel's most holy sight and Islam's second most holy sight are the very same place!  Can you see why Israel has not yet built their Temple in Jerusalem? 

John was to take a measuring rod, a light bamboo rod about 10+ feet, and measure the Temple, the altar, and count those who worshiped at the Temple.  Why was he to measure the Temple?  When John wrote the book of Revelation it was after AD 70, and the Romans had already leveled the Temple.  So, there was no Temple when John received this revelation.  One message that John received immediately when he was told to measure the Temple is that in the last days there would be a Temple.  This measuring of the Temple may be God's way of dramatically saying that he is about to reclaim His Temple in Jerusalem as His possession.  See also Ezekiel 40:3-4; Zechariah 2:2, and Revelation 21:15-17

He was told to not measure the outer court, because it would be overrun by Gentiles for 42 months.  Forty-two months equals exactly 3 ½ years.   It must be the 3 ½ years that will take place immediately after the abomination of desolation.  For, the abomination of desolation marks the beginning of the time when the Antichrist and his Gentile forces will trample on Jerusalem and rule over Israel.   Luke 21:20-24 very clearly describes the time when the armies of the world will surround Jerusalem and conquer, for a while, God's city:  "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.  For, this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.  They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." Also, in Daniel two a dream of Nebuchadnezzar, who was the Gentile ruler of Babylon at the time, is interpreted by Daniel as meaning that the Gentiles will rule the world until Jesus returns.

(2) The two witnesses - their ministry (11:3-6)

"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands before the Lord of the earth.  If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.  This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.  These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.

Thought Question #1:  What do these verses tell us about what it will be like in the last days?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Who do you believe these two prophets will be? (Moses, Elijah, Enoch, someone else?) (Give your reasons for your choices.)

 

 

Thought Question #3:  Why are they called "two olive trees" and "two lampstands"?

 

 

Now, we will meet the two witnesses or prophets who will be God's spokesmen in the time that will be the very worst time for those who believe in God.  "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands before the Lord of the earth.  If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies."  1260 days is also exactly 3 ½ years (when there are thirty day months as there were in Israel at that time).  Again, they will be God's prophets during the 3 ½ years when the Antichrist is ruling in Jerusalem.  They will be two prophets who will be like Moses and Elijah.  Just as Moses and Elijah were given great power from God, so these two witnesses will be given great power from God.  Elijah was able to call down fire from God on Mt. Carmel.  See I Kings 18:16-39; especially 18:3-,39  Moses was used by God to bring the plagues on Egypt.  His enemies were also destroyed by fire.  See Numbers 16:35

Consider what God will do for them.  Certainly, the Antichrist will try to get rid of them, but God will nevertheless enable them to continue their ministry for 3 ½ years (1260 days).

When someone seeks to harm these two witnesses, they will be able to call fire down upon their enemies.  They will also be able to perform other miracles similar to Moses and Elijah:  "These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want."  Elijah prevented it from raining; Moses turned the water into blood; and God brought plagues on Egypt through Moses.  Moses and Elijah, though, were unable to perform their miraculous judgments whenever they wanted to do them.  These two witnesses will be able to bring plagues on the earth whenever they choose to do it.

Who will these two witnesses be?  Some believe that one of the two witnesses will be Elijah.  "See I send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  He will turn the heart of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:6)  Elijah was able to stop it from raining:  "As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (II Kings 1:10) 

Another possibility is that one of the witnesses is Moses.  He brought plagues down on Egypt, turned water into blood, and he was at the Transfiguration with Elijah.  One of the prophets might also be Enoch, for both Elijah and Enoch were raised into Heaven without dying.  A final possibility is that they will be two men in the last days who are like Elijah and Moses.

Of one thing we can be certain: they will be powerful prophets of judgment.  They will be prophets who wear sackcloth, which is a sign of the need for repentance and sign of God's impending judgment if there is no repentance.  It is typical of what prophets wore when God sent them to warn people that His judgment was coming.  See Isaiah 20:2, 37:1,2; Daniel 9:3

"These are two olive trees and two lampstands."  What do olive trees and lampstands have to do with being a prophet?  The answer is found in Zechariah four.  In Zechariah four, two lampstands are supplied with a continuous supply of oil from two olive trees.  The two olive trees of Zechariah four symbolize Zerubbabel who is mentioned in Zechariah 4:6 and Joshua the High Priest who is described in Zechariah three.  The two olive trees that continuously supply oil symbolized a continual supply of power from the Holy Spirit to these two men of God who led the first of God's people out of exile and back to the land of Israel.  In the same way, these two witnesses will have a continual supply of power from the Holy Spirit.  Also, they will continually be lampstands providing God's light to the world in the middle of the very darkest of times.  Listen to the most famous verse in Zechariah four:  "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty."  (Zechariah 4:6)

(3) The two witnesses - their death (11:7-10)

The two witnesses will continue to preach until their job is done.  Then, see what happens:  "Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.  Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified.  For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.  The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who lives on the earth."

Thought Question #1:  What do these verses tell us about what Jerusalem will be like in the last days?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  What do these verses tell us about God's sovereignty?

 

 

Thought Question #3:    Why, do you believe, Jerusalem is called "Sodom and Egypt"?

 

 

They will be killed by the beast or the Antichrist.  This is the first mention of the beast or the Antichrist in this book.  Walvoord observes that he will be mentioned 35 more times in the book of Revelation. 

These verses bring up a number of questions.  Why does it say that the beast "comes up from the Abyss"?  As was mentioned in the comments on Revelation 9:1-11, the Abyss is a prison where God imprisons Satan's most evil fallen angels.  But, in these last days, God will allow them to come up from the Abyss to do their evil worst. 

We sometimes say that some evil in our world comes from "the pit."  "The pit" is another way of saying the "Abyss."  This beast will come up from the "the pit."  It is Satan who will fill and empower the beast as he attacks and kills the two witnesses.  In these last days these two witnesses will torment Satan and the beast by their presence in Jerusalem, just as God's prophets and God's people have always been a thorn in the side of Satan's people from the beginning of time.  But this time, in the power of Satan, the beast is able to conquer and kill them. 

Why is this "great city" where the bodies of the two witnesses will lie, "figuratively called Sodom and Egypt"?  "Sodom" summarizes immorality.  The "great city," of course, is Jerusalem, for it is where Jesus was crucified.  It should be the holy city, but instead, in God's eyes it is "Sodom," an immoral city.  See Isaiah 1:9-10  "Egypt" is symbolic of worldly wealth.  It is the nation that puts its trust in power and wealth.  Jerusalem should have been putting their trust in God, but they have been putting their trust in their riches.  This description of Jerusalem appears to describe what it will be like in the last days.

How will people from every part of the world be able to see their bodies for 3 ½ days?  At one time this seemed impossible, but today it is common place.  Because of satellites and television, we regularly watch events on the other side of the world.  There has never been, nor will there ever be, a bigger spectacle and world-wide celebration than the murdering of these two witnesses seen before the whole world.  The whole world will look on with glee as these two extreme right wingers and fundamentalists of the highest and most hated degree are finally eliminated.  There will be a 3 ½ day Christmas-like time of celebration where gifts are exchanged to commemorate the murder of God's two men in Jerusalem.

How sick the world will have become, that it finds its greatest joy in the death of the godly.  Most of us are repulsed by the crowds that gather for the execution of men like Ted Bundy the mass murderer.  But, here, there will be a ghoulish delight and celebration for what may be the death of Elijah and Moses!  The Antichrist will lead a celebration that is the very opposite of what should be celebrated.  It would be like an evil man killing the internationally known evangelist Billy Graham, and the world having a holiday and exchanging gifts.  We have not sunk this low yet, but as is predicted here, the world will some day sink this low!

(4) The two witnesses - their resurrection (11:11-14)

"But, after three and a half days, a breath of life from God entered them and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.  Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: 'Come up here.'  And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on."

Thought Question:  Compare what happens in these verses to another dramatic event - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Just as Jesus was taken up to Heaven right before the disciples, so these two witnesses will be taken up to Heaven right before their eyes.  These two witnesses will share what Jesus went through like no other persons who have ever lived.  Jesus was murdered; they will be murdered.  Jesus was dead for three days; they will be dead for three days.  Jesus rose from the dead; they will rise from the dead.  Jesus was dramatically taken up to Heaven; they will be dramatically taken up to Heaven.  If one of these two witnesses is Elijah, it will be the second time that he is dramatically taken up to Heaven.  See II Kings 2:11-12 

This is the last that the world will see of the two witnesses.  But, immediately after the two witnesses are taken up to God, the world receives a shocking warning from God.  "At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed.  Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven."

Thought Question:  What does the city's response to the earthquake tell us about how God uses tragedies in our world today?

 

 

God's message is, "Wake up and stop rebelling against the holy and all-powerful God of the Bible.  There is much about earthquakes in the last days:  See Zechariah 14:1-5; Ezekiel 38:19; Revelation 6:12, 8:5, 11:19, 16:18-20

God does get the world's attention: "the survivors were terrified and give glory to the God of heaven."  The Old Testament prophets predict that there will be a breaking of Israel until those who remain after the time of great distress will turn to Him.  See Ezekiel 20:38-45; Zechariah 12:1--13:9; Daniel 12:7

"The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon."  The first woe is the fifth trumpet (8:13-9:11).  The second woe is the sixth trumpet (9:12-19).  Here we see that the third woe will be the final and seventh trumpet that will include the seven bowls of wrath described in Revelation 16.  In 8:13, and eagle calls out: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"  It appears that the last three trumpet judgments are particularly stern.  The "Woe! Woe! and Woe!" are a cry of mourning for what is about to come on the earth.

 j. Trumpet #7 (11:15-19)

"The seventh angel sounded his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:  'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.'  And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:  'We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.  The nations were angry; and your wrath has come.  The time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great -- and for destroying those who destroy the earth!  Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.  And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm."

Thought Question #1:  What are your feelings as you read about the climactic time described in these verses?  What part do you believe that you will play in what is described here?

 

 

Thought Question #2:  Why do lightning and thunder come from the Holy of Holy and the Ark of the Covenant?

 

 

Trumpet #7 is the completion of God's wrath that needs to occur before Jesus will return.  When it is finished, nothing else is left.  God's wrath will have been poured out in full and then Jesus will return to conquer Satan and reclaim the earth for His own.  In Heaven it will be just like the day before Christmas or the day before a wedding, for it will be just before Jesus will begin His rule on the earth.  "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:  'The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.'"  The seventh trumpet means that Satan's reign on the earth is over forever, and God's total reign on earth will begin and go on forever.

Who are the loud voices in Heaven?  I believe that I will be one of those voices; and if you have trusted in Jesus' death for the forgiveness of your sins, you also will be one of the voices!  Other voices will be the Old Testament believers like Moses, David, Daniel, and many more.  We will join God's angels and shout together as Jesus' reign on earth is about to begin!  Right now, Satan is the "ruler of this world."  See John 12:31; I John 5:19; Ephesians 2:2; II Corinthians 4:4  But, there is a time in the future when the kingdom of this world will become the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Our response at that time will be very similar to the response of the twenty-four elders:  "And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:  'We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.'"  They fell on their faces before God.  Have you ever done that, have you ever fell on your face before God?  I believe when we really see who God is, we will become so overwhelmed with His majesty that we will immediately fall on our face before Him!

What if we were constantly sitting before Him as the twenty-four elders do?  We would regularly fall on our faces before Him and worship Him!  Listen to what they say as they freshly realize WHO is before them:  "the One who is and who was."  He is the only One who has always existed.  He told Moses that His name is "I am." 

What is the world's response?  Are they pleased that God will rule:  "The nations were angry."  "Why do the nations conspire and the people plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.  'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off their fetters.'" (Psalm 2:1-3)  The rebellious world does not rejoice at the thought of being ruled by God!  Jesus "came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." (John 1:10)  The cry of the world is, "it is my life; I will do what I want.  No one is going to put any chains on me!"

What is God's attitude toward all of this rebellion?  God's wrath will come!  Man is angry, but we have not seen anger until God reveals His holy anger toward man's sin.  There will be a day when all wrongs will be made right:  "The time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great -- and for destroying those who destroy the earth!"  No one has been getting by with anything; and those who have done right and have suffered for it will be rewarded.

In the book of Revelation, the time has come.  The final trumpet has sounded.  Next, will come the final unrestrained wrath of God.  We see what will be taking place in God's Temple at that time:  "Then God's temple was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant.  And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm."  Next, God will pour out His full wrath on the world He created and upon those who have totally defiled what was once totally good.  Then will come the seven bowls of wrath and the battle of Armageddon upon the world that has gone from Eden to Babylon.  See also Psalm 50:1-6

 

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. ®   NIV ®   Copyright ©  1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.  All Rights reserved.

Studies in Revelation