Revelation 14:6-7

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6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” ~ Revelation 14:6-7

We return to Revelation 14 where we come face to face with three angels. And while the primary message that they deliver is a message of judgment, there is a note of grace and hope delivered. There is even a note of salvation. But the doom of those who reject the truth is still made very clear.

In v.6 we read, "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people."

The angel will proclaim the "eternal gospel" which is the good news of the forgiveness of sin that was determined even before the world was created. Occasionally, we see angels praising God in the book of Revelation. Sometimes, we see them ministering God's will or fighting demons or bringing messages from God which is their role here. Interestingly, angels are involved in Revelation 4-14, with the exception of Revelation 13. So, angels will be very involved in the activities and the messages of the end times.

Before angels are the messengers of judgment, they are the instruments of warning. This angel in v.6 will anticipate the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and when it’s blown, the seven bowls will be poured out in Revelation 15-16. So just before the final outpouring of the last seven judgments on the earth, God will send angels to make a last final effort to provide opportunities for the people on the earth to repent.

This first angel in this chapter is shown flying in midair. The Greek word used for "midair" refers to the apex of the sun at noonday, to the point in the sky when the sun has reached its high point. This angel will fly to the very highest point in heaven where the greatest visibility will occur across the face of the earth. And, he will fly continually in the sight of everybody, delivering a message of grace to all who are willing to believe.

His pulpit will be beyond the influence of the antichrist. It will be even beyond the control of demons, who by then, of course, have been cast down to the earth. This angel will have absolute liberty and freedom because all the demons of the air have been cast down to the earth and he flies in midair. 

At this point, the world will have already experienced incredible devastation. The sky will have been shredded, as it were, and the earth as well. And the people of the world will have heard the preaching of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jews who will have been proclaiming the gospel since the beginning of the Tribulation. 

But in spite of all of this, many will not believe. And here, in one great dominating role, God identifies one angel to just fly back and forth in the midair as the earth rotates so that the whole globe can hear him preach the eternal message of eternal life through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 24:14, the Lord Jesus told us the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations and then the end shall come. Before the end comes, the whole world will hear the gospel of the kingdom. And what better way to make sure that everybody on the face of the earth hears it than to set an angel in midair flying back and forth day after day after day proclaiming this eternal gospel of the kingdom?

God, by His grace, will still offer peace to mankind through the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The angel will call out to "every nation, tribe, language and people" to change their allegiance from the beast to the Lamb. There will still be time to repent and to believe. To the very end God will call people to salvation. He will do it through angels and men. 

In v.7 we read, "He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." 

The angel will speak “in a loud voice.” In fact, it will be loud shouting, and through the shouting he will be heard by all. He will shout "Fear God and give Him glory." We must not fear anything but God because only He is the judge. Fearing God means living in the reality of His holiness and sovereignty. Fearing God is the negative side, but giving Him glory is the positive side. 

The angel will shout because God's judgment will be on the verge of being unleashed on unbelieving man. The word “judgment” is used here for the first time in the book of the Revelation. We will see it used again in Revelation 16,18 and 19. Through God's judgment, we see His heart. Through His judgment, God is still calling people to fear Him and give Him glory. 

And, as if saying, “Fear God and glorify Him,” isn’t enough, the angel adds at the end of v.7, "Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of waters." 

To worship means to have a holy sense of fear of God and to glorify Him because He is the holy and glorious God. Interestingly, the first angel here will be asking the people of the earth to do for God precisely what they will be doing for the antichrist. In essence, the angel will say, " Turn from Satan and turn to God." 

And, v.7 ends with, "Worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of waters." 

Throughout the Scriptures, whenever the preachers deliver God's message to the unbelieving people, they always approach them from the viewpoint of creation because creation is the greatest proof of God. Creation is always the ground for worship. And, He who created it all will be in charge of it all. He who brought it into existence is the One who will put it out of existence. He is the One to fear.

Revelation 14:1-5

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1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. ~ Revelation 14:1-5

Today, we transition into Revelation 14 where our attention is directed to 144,000 Jewish males who will be so instrumental to many coming to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during the Seventieth Seven of Daniel 9:27. It will be through these celibate messengers that the gospel will be heard throughout the World during the Tribulation.

In v.1 we read, "Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads." 

The 144,000 will stand on Mount Zion with the Lord Jesus at this point in the Tribulation. They will be in Jerusalem at the Temple Mount and that is a very important bit of information to understand. You see, the 144,000 will be on the earth in Jerusalem with the Lord Jesus who will be shown forth as the Lamb of God. 

Now, according to the promise of the Lord Jesus made to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, He promised them that He would receive the church up into heaven before the seven-year tribulation begins on the earth. And, when the rapture takes place, the church will be in heaven with Him. The church age will be over.

Heaven, as I am sure that you know, is another dimension of existence just beyond our present senses. It is possible to be in heaven and still be on earth at the same time. During the Tribulation, the church will be with the Lord Jesus, but the Lord will be on the earth. One wonders, "How can this be?"As with His disciples after His resurrection, the Lord Jesus will appear from time to time among this 144,000 Jewish evangelists on the earth. Yet, at the same time, the raptured church will be with the Lord, as well. Multidimensionality which is the ability to access more than one dimension at one time will make this possible.  

In v.2-3 we read, "2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth."

The 144,000 will sing a new song which they hear from heaven. This song is multidimensional due to the fact that it is sung in heaven and heard on earth. In reality, heaven is not way off somewhere, it is just beyond the realm of the visibile. This group that will be heard singing this song of redemption is identified in v.2-3 with the pronoun "they". "And they sang a new song." And, they will make a sound like the "roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder." It will be a sweet sound, "like that of harpists playing their harps." Surely, the 144,000 will hear the church as it will be "with the Lord," singing His praises and singing the song of the redeemed! These 144,000 will be men, still on earth, not yet glorified or transfigured, and following the Lord as He will appear to them from time to time on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. 

In v.4-5 we read, "4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless."

The 144,000 will be celibates. They will not be protesters of marriage. For them to be married would be defiling to them because marriage will be outside of the will of God for them. They will be separated by and to the Lord to be His mouthpieces on the earth during the Tribulation. They will be just like John the Baptist and the Apostle Paul who were single, so that they could be devoted to the Lord and His call on their lives. 

Notice that the 144,000 will follow the Lamb throughout the earth. They will have been purchased by the blood of the Lord Jesus and changed by His grace to proclaim the good news of forgiveness. So, like all believers in the Lord Jesus, this group of 144,000 redeemed Jews will have experienced the blessing of coming into a personal relationship with the One whom they will continually and faithfully follow. 

Like all true believers, this group of redeemed men will be devoted to the truth because the One who is known as the truth will be devoted to them. Our devotion to God is rooted in our understanding of His devotion to us. 

Revelation 13:11-17

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11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. ~ Revelation 13:11-17

Today, we return to our study of Revelation 13 where we have seen the dragon or Satan and the beast coming out of the sea or the false prophet continue to wage the age old war between good and evil. As we considered yesterday, Satan will appear to be winning, but in the end, God's righteousness and truth will prevail.

In v.11 of today's text we read, "Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon."

Throughout the book of the Revelation, the earth is used as a symbol of Israel. And, this beast arises from the earth. Due to the imagery used here, most biblical scholars say the antichrist will be a Jew. It comes from Israel and has "two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon." He will offer itself as though it were Christ. 

Satan is an impersonator. One way he deceives people is by putting forward inferior copies of the real thing. In the last days, he will form a sham trinity. He will play the part of God the Father; the Antichrist will stand in for the Son, even to the point of being healed of a "mortal wound" (Revelation 13:3); and the False Prophet will take the role of the Holy Spirit, glorifying the Antichrist. Satan has always wanted to be like the God of the Bible, and this false godhead is another attempt to fabricate godhood for himself.

In v.13-15 we read, "13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed."

Here, it acts as a prophet, trying to show his credentials and that it is from God. Like Moses and Elijah in Revelation 11, it will call down fire from heaven. This underscores the fact that the devil has the power to do miracles, too. Thus we must not trust every miracle as though it were done by God. It may be the work of the enemy. This false prophet calls down fire out of heaven, and deceives the world by such means.

Many biblical scholars feel that, because it is a Jew, it will have its headquarters in Jerusalem. This is the one that will make a covenant with the Jews for 7 years. This covenant will appear to solve the age-old problem of the Middle East, the hatred between the Arabs and Jews. 

During the first half of that week, the temple will be rebuilt on Mount Moriah. We saw that briefly in Revelation 11. For a seven-year period the Jews will believe they are allowed to re-establish their worship in the temple. But, Daniel says, this "prince who will come" will break the covenant in the middle of the seven. So, after three and a half years, it will be broken.

Since the political leader of the western coalition will be in Rome, this religious leader in Jerusalem will feel it necessary to create an image of the Roman leader and put it in the temple for the worship of the world. It is able, we are told, to give breath to that image to make it seem alive. By means of the image this false prophet will claim godlike powers for itself and the first beast, and will command the loyalty and obedience of all on the earth. 

In v.16-17 we read, "16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name."

The false prophet will also rebuild the world's economic system. He will also force everyone to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

During these days worldwide commerce will be rigidly controlled from a central headquarters. Again we know that the technology to do this is already in place. If you have a credit card you know that your entire credit information can be imprinted on that little metallic strip on the back so that whenever you present that card everyone will instantly know whether you are irresponsible or that you pay your bills. You cannot hide. 

Furthermore, we are told that it can all be actually implanted in a tiny disk in the skin on the back of the hand or on the forehead or wherever desired, so that information about you can be read by passing your hand under a beam of light just as they do now in the supermarkets with the bar codes. The technology is already available. It is remarkable how we are rapidly approaching these days.

The mark, of course, is Satan's imitation of God's seal on his own people. In Revelation 7 we learned that 144,000 from the tribes of Israel were sealed on their foreheads by God. That indicates they will be owned by God, that they will belong to Him. The Apostle Paul says that Christians are sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God came to dwell in us and He will never leave us. He is the sign that we belong to God.

Revelation 13:5-10

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5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people. ~ Revelation 13:5-10

We come back to our study of Revelation 13. And, in context, we have the dragon or Satan who is giving power to the beast who is the antichrist. The setting is the earth and it is the second half of the tribulation.

In v.5-6 we read, "5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven."

These verses describe Satan’s final effort to stop the Kingdom of Christ from coming to earth. The motivational drive in the mind of Satan has always been to take the place of God. He wants to be the sovereign one in charge. And, in order to work out his diabolical plan in this world, he has to do it through humans. And, that means he needs men to lead other men to worship him. 

And so, there will come a demon-possessed man who will utter proud words and blasphemies. Blasphemy is to claim to be God. The beast will blaspheme God by claiming to be God and to have His powers. He will also slander the name of God, heaven and those in heaven. There will clearly be a difference between the kingdom of God and that of Satan.

The sin that damned Satan was the sin of pride. His arrogance and pride is of such a nature that he blasphemes God and wants to dethrone Him and replace Him with himself. It will be characteristic, then, of the unhindered antichrist to speak evil of God continually in order to take His spot in this world.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 we read, "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God."

It was the arrogance of Lucifer that caused him to be kicked out of heaven in the first place. In the second half of the tribulation, God will allow him to execute his diabolical plan of deception. And, once he sets himself up on the throne in the Temple in Jerusalem, his agenda will be obvious, outrageous, monstrous and blasphemous.

According to Daniel 9:27, in the middle of the seventieth seven of the tribulation, the antichrist will stop the sacrifices which Israel will be carrying out in the newly built temple in Jerusalem. And, he will somehow abominate and desolate the temple. These events will happen at the middle point of the tribulation, and his hatred of God's people will be fierce. 

In Revelation 16:9, when the fourth bowl is poured out and men will be scorched with fierce heat, they will blaspheme the name of God. And when the fifth angel pours out his bowl, and the throne and his kingdom will become darkened, the loyalists to the antichrist will gnaw their tongues because of the intense pain. Then, they will blaspheme the God of heaven. So, this individual literally will rule a whole world of blasphemers. It will be at this point that the people will be beyond the point of no return. They will be beyond the point of conversion, and whatever God does, it will elicit no faith in them, no cries of repentance, no cries for mercy, but cries of outright blasphemy.

In v.7-8 we read, "7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world."

Those who have not bowed their existence to the Lord Christ will experience a dungeon which they will not be able to recognize until it is too late. Believers, on the other hand, are identified throughout the book of the Revelation as those whose names were written before the foundation of the world in the Lamb's book of life. Interestingly, the Lamb's book of life is mentioned seven times in this book of the Revelation. And the Lamb's book of life is simply the book in which God inscribes the names of His own. 

In v.9 we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear."

The Lord Jesus said these words many times during his ministry. And, in Revelation 2-3, in the seven letters to the seven churches this phrase occurs seven times. But, there is a phrase missing from this verse. In the messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 we read, "If anyone has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The phrase, "what the Spirit says to the churches" is missing here. The reason? Well, the churches will not be in the audience given here in Revelation 13:9, for we will have been raptured up into heaven.

In v.10 we read, "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people."

The law of consequences cannot be endlessly evaded. There will come times when it may look like evil has triumphed, but in the end, the law of consequences will not be canceled. Having said that, the Lord does not call His followers to shoot abortionists. We are not led by His Spirit to fight back with carnal weapons. In the end, God lifts up those who exercise patience and faithfulness to Him.

Satan will have his hour, and the false prophet will shoot his rubber bullets. The future is still God’s, and we are God’s, and the future is ours through the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, we will reign with Christ during the Millennium. That is our faith, and we patiently endure through it all to the glory of the Kingdom promised to us. And in the end, we will be victorious with and through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Revelation 13:1-4

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1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” ~ Revelation 13:1-4

Today, we transition into Revelation 13 where the Apostle John sees the dragon which is Satan who is standing on the shore of the sea. 

In v.1-2 we read, "1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority."

Throughout the Scriptures the sea is illustrative of the gentile nations of the world. John also sees a beast with characteristics of a leopard, a bear, and a lion. It also had ten horns and seven heads with ten crowns on its horns. In Daniel 7 we see four beasts much like these in our text today. This underscores that the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible itself.

In Daniel 7:8 we read, “While I was contemplating those ten horns, behold another horn, a little horn came up among them. Three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.” 

The antichrist will arise out of the ten confederacy of countries that we considered first in Daniel 2. And, as is obvious in our text, the antichrist will be closely associated with the dragon. He will be the child of Satan. Most scholars believe this beast will represent the revived Roman Empire. The world is certainly looking for just such a leader with its void of leadership. The fact is, such a man is coming. Satan will design him and possess him. And, he will be everything that the world thinks it is looking for in a leader. He will rise to authority quickly. He will be everything the people on earth at that time will hope for a leader to be. He will bring worldwide peace and prosperity to all.

And so, it will be, in the time of the tribulation, that Satan selects his leader and empowers him to take over the world. And, his ultimate goal, of course, will be to prevent people from turning to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will begin by trying to destroy all of the Jews on the earth, so they can’t come to Christ and enjoy His Kingdom. 

This is not the first mention of the antichrist in the book of the Revelation. We find him first mentioned in Revelation 6 as the rider on a white horse who comes to conquer. We find him again mentioned in Revelation 11:7 where he is identified as the beast which comes out of the abyss. 

The antichrist will be an individual who will rule over a conglomerate of ten world nations that have ten horns and seven heads. The horns represent kings. Horns are symbols of strength and power in the Scriptures, and they will represent these kings. Ten of them simply represent the nations of the world that will assist the antichrist in the implementation of his kingdom here on earth.

In Revelation 13:3-4 we read, "One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?"

There will be such chaos on the earth at that time that it will present the perfect situation for the antichrist to be presented to the languishing people of the world. And, as we all know, leaders are born in a crisis. Leaders rise in the midst of the unsolvable problems. Whether they are bad or good, leaders come to the top when there are no solutions. It will be in this frightening and horrible chaos of the world that this man will arise. He will be empowered by by the god of this world, Satan, in order to seize authority in the midst of this worldwide emergency.

So successful will be his entrance into the world that the people of the world will throw aside their freedoms just for peace that he will offer. This man will come on the scene at the beginning of the tribulation and he will bring peace, which tells us that before that happens, there’s going to be utter worldwide chaos. And, yes, the rapture of the church will surely contribute to the disruption.

The people on the earth during the antichrist's arrival will be amazed and astounded at his charming personality and his great miraculous abilities. And, as a result, they will follow him in droves. He will experience a fatal wound but he will come back to life. This will only increase his mystique before the world.

So, the antichrist will be a great world leader on the earth during the first part of the tribulation and he will be killed. And then, he will come back to life. He will deceive the whole world and through his ability to pull together the ten confederation of nations, the world will fawn all over him. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9 we are told that he will win the world's trust through his power, signs and deceptive abilities. 

In 2 Thessalonians 2:10 we read, "... They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." 

When the people of the world reject God's truth, they will have no truth to prevent themselves from recognizing the lies of the antichrist. It is the nature of the truth to protect us from deception. As these people reject the truth, they will be deceived. This highlights for you and me the utter necessity of being devoted to being defined by God's word. And, in order to be both protected and effective in helping others from being deceived, we must make it our goal to be defined by God by the study of His word. Perhaps this is why George Orwell once said, “In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

Revelation 12:13-17

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13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. ~ Revelation 12:13-17

Today we close out our study of Revelation 12. The story of the nation of Israel is a story of anti-semitism, persecution, and tremendous pain. And this will be the case throughout all of time until the Lord Jesus comes back to establish His Millennial Kingdom.

Yet, pain has its purpose. We all experience pain, and even suffering at some time in our lives. While our natural reaction to pain is to avoid it, get rid of it, or numb it; we need to realize that God allows pain. In fact, there is a protecting purpose of pain. Pain tells us something is wrong and protects us from harm. But, the greatest benefit to pain is that it convinces us that we need the Lord.

Now, down through the ages, some of the suffering that Israel has undergone was the result of their rejection of God. With the rejection, the nation of Israel has been made vulnerable to her enemies. God promised Israel in the very beginning that if they did not follow Him and did not obey His Word, they would be punished. Israel's history informs us of their choice.

God disciplines us for our good. It is our arrogance that convinces us that we know better than the Almighty. But, as God reminds us, pride arrives in our lives before our scars. We could call it the judgment of love. Israel's history reveals their hardheadedness, but their hardheartedness is the greater issue. And, as bad as it has been for Israel, the worst is yet to come. It will be worse because God’s final fury will be poured out on the world and on this unrepentant and unbelieving people.

In v.13-14 of today's text, we read, "13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach." 

After the Rapture and just as the Tribulation begins, the dragon or Satan will be thrown down to the earth, and his kingdom on earth will increase as time marches on. He will enter into a covenant with Israel for seven years according to Daniel 9:27. In the middle of that seven year period he will break this covenant with Israel. At that time, Israel will flee for Petra and the dragon and his forces will pursue her relentlessly.

At this point God is going to come to Israel's aid for He will give Israel two wings of the great eagle. This imagery is actually borrowed from Exodus 19:4 which reads, "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself." 

The eagle’s wings is a metaphor for God delivering His people, allowing them to escape the threatening force. Wings in the Scripture speak of strength, speed, but mostly they speak of God's protection. The language is picturesque, perhaps it speaks of some kind of an airlift from God. And, the duration of Israel's hideout will be three and a half years.

Part of being led into the wilderness is that we potentially grow in a greater degree in our faith in the God of the Bible. Israel will be cut off from the whole world while they hide out in the desert. And, during this time, they will be privileged to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah. This is the way the Lord works. He uses calamity to grant of a heart that seeks for what is really real. 

In v.15-16 of today's text we read, "15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth."

So, since Satan can’t get to Israel to cause them harm, he will utilize this "river of water" which is likely a symbol for the huge host of soldiers that will be sent by the Antichrist after Israel. But, the Lord will use the earth to protect Israel. This is probably a reference to the natural disasters that will occur: earthquakes, a hailstorm. This, we have seen several times before in our study of the book of the Revelation.

So, our text today ends with v.17 which reads, "Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus."

Satan then will turn his attention to "those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus." Some suggest that these who Satan turns his attention to are the one hundred and forty-four thousand mentioned in Revelation 7. The point is he will go after everyone who is a follower of the Lord Jesus.

Having learned of all of these horrible events that will come upon the earth during the Tribulation, I find myself overwhelmed with the fact that God has saved me. I'm dumbfounded that He called me to Himself and redeemed me. Oh, to be as involved as I can be in the rescue of the perishing that He is engaged in right now across this world. I trust that you are engaged, as well.

Revelation 12:6-12

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6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” ~ Revelation 12:6-12

In these few verses, we move from eternity past and the fall of Satan all the way to the end of the tribulation. These verses underscore war in heaven and wrath on earth. And, in the midst of all of this, Israel will flee into the wilderness where she will have a place prepared for her by God, and she will be provided for and protected by God for three and a half years.

This is exactly what was spoken of by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:15-21 which reads, "15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again."

In v.6 of today's text we read, "The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days."

Many believe Israel, during the last half of the Tribulation, will flee to Petra which is located in southern Jordan. Petra can only be entered through an opening fit for one person. But inside the entrance is a massive city carved out of the rock walls. Petra's narrow entrance is roughly a mile long with towering cliffs above reaching as high as 300 feet. The long winding entrance opens up into open spaces and canyons large enough to hold 5 million people, when fully excavated.

In the ancient book of Isaiah we are given some hints that supports this idea that Israel will flee to Petra. In Isaiah 2:10-11 we read, "10 Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty. 11 The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day." 

And, in Isaiah 2:19 we read, "And men will go into caves of the rocks, and into holes of the ground." And then, in Isaiah 2:21 we read, "...In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs." And, this is all written in the context of Jacob's Trouble. Whoever is still remaining in Jerusalem at the end of the Tribulation, they will be cared for by God, even though they will be continually pursued by Satan. Yes, Satan has always wanted to destroy God's chosen people. This underscores the fact that Satan is not bound in Hell, yet. In fact, Satan has yet to go to Hell. But, He will be banished to Hell for eternity after the Millennium.

In v.7-9 of today's text we read, "7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."

Satan and his demons have been waging an ongoing war with Michael and the holy angels since Satan's rebellion against God. This is not a battle between Satan and God. No, this is a battle between Satan and Michael the archangel. Satan is identified in Ephesians 2:2 as the prince of the power of the air. He is also described in 2 Corinthians 4 as the god of this world. So, the theater of his operations descends from heaven right down to earth, where he and his demons are engaged in controlling this world's system, including its religions and governments.

In v.10-11 of today's text we read, "10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."

In response to the defeat of Satan, a loud voice in heaven sounds. And, from believers in heaven, rejoicing will explode because those in heaven will recognize the defeat of the accuser, and he will be finally defeated. And, praise in heaven in v.11 will turn to praise for triumph on earth in v.12. 

In v.12 we read, "Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."

The scene now moves from heaven to earth, partly because for the first time, Satan has no more access to heaven. The people of God will not only rejoice over what will happen in heaven, but they will rejoice over what will happen on earth. As always, when Satan and his demons try to destroy Israel, they will fail and they will be defeated. And, John reminds us that they will overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb.

As with all of God's redeemed, they will overcome Satan because their sins will be cast out of existence and no accusation from the evil one will be able to endure. And, it will not be that these will have some personal power of their own. No, the weapons of our warfare are not physical, they are spiritual because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. And, in us is the Christ who is our advocate, along with the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. All of the accusations of the wicked one against all believers will fall on deaf ears because all believers have been saved by the blood of the Lamb.

And, it is and will always be that God's presence in His people's  hearts will cause us to persevere in the faith. The believer in Christ always overcomes because of the word of our testimony, and our testimony is our story with the Lord Jesus. We have and will forever overcome because He is and will always be the One who overcomes and He has given to each believer this testimony.

Revelation 12:1-5

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1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. ~ Revelation 12:1-5

We now enter into our study of Revelation 12 which looks at the birth of Christ from the perspective of a long war between the two most powerful spiritual persons in the universe: God and Satan. The eternal God and the much-inferior, rebellious and proud adversary are the two most powerful beings in the universe according to the Bible. 

The battle began at the very throne of God when Satan rebelled against God when he was the worship leader of all of heaven’s praise. This battle then descended into the demonic realm when a third of the angels joined in Satan’s rebellion. As a result, the angels became demons, and all of them were cast out of heaven due to their wickedness. Since then, these fallen angels have engaged God and the good angels in spiritual warfare.

The battle then descended to earth in the garden when Satan came in the form of a serpent and approached Adam and Eve and seduced them into joining his rebellion into turning against God and joining the enemies of God. And since then, we have this great war which will culminate at the end of the Millennium.

In v.1 of today's text we read, "A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head."

Revelation 12 opens with a great sign. A sign is symbolic of something else, it is something that symbolizes a reality. The sign here in v.1 points us to this great war that continues to this day. In this great sign, there are three persons: a woman, a son, and a dragon.

The woman is Israel because of how it describes the war that we have been considering. Israel was exalted and is associated with 12 stars which represents the 12 tribes of Israel. On her head is a crown which is really a wreath that is used to identify the 12 tribes of Israel. 

The dream of Joseph in Genesis 37 parallels this vision. The dream revealed that Joseph’s family would bow down to him. In the Genesis 37 account, Joseph is representative of the Lord Jesus. And, those in the end who will bow down before the Lord Jesus will be the nation of Israel. Israel is a great apologetic of the Biblical account. The fact that it has endured so much and still exists is a testimony of Gods great care of it.

In v.2 we read, "She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth."

This woman is with child and she is experiencing labor pains. This is Israel who for centuries has suffered these terrible pains to try to realize God's promises, to wait for and ultimately realize the coming of the Messiah. They await the fulfillment of all of the promises of God, since the first promise of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3, given about four thousand years before. 

In v.3 we read, "Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads."

The second person is an enormous red dragon which is clearly Satan. He is referred to and explained as the dragon in v.9. The scene is of this pregnant woman in the midst of giving birth, screaming out, and then, appears, this daunting and deadly dragon. It’s red, which speaks of blood and fire and all that destroys and is cruel. And this dragon is powerful because it has seven heads and ten horns. And on his heads are seven crowns.

In Revelation 17, we are given God's description of these seven heads. They are kingdoms of this world and they are controlled by the dragon, the serpent of old. He is the one who is responsible for the entrance of evil into this fallen world. 

The ten horns represent a ten-nation confederacy in the world that will be ruled by the Antichrist. So, this symbol of Satan is seen as the world ruler of all of human history, not only of the past but even of the final ten-nation confederacy that will mark the final world empire of the Antichrist. He will be the ruler of all of it. 

In v.4 we read, "Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born."

This indicates that not only is he the ruler of the evil system, but Satan is not alone. When he was kicked out of heaven, a third of the angels also rebelled and joined him in the mutiny. Not just him, as powerful as he is, but a third of the angels have now become demons. And they aid and abet him in his enterprise here on earth. The fact that so many followed the Devil out of heaven speaks to his powers of persuasion.

Satan has always done everything he could to destroy Israel. This is amazing evidence of God’s sovereign power. The fact that Israel perpetuates proves not only His existence but also His sovereignty. And so, Satan has never been able to destroy Israel.

This brings us to the third person. In v.5 we read, "She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne."

Satan couldn’t stop Israel from perpetuating, nor could he stop the Savior from being born. And, he was not able to stop the Son from being exalted to the right hand of God, where He literally, at this moment, intercedes for His people. And, he will not be able to prevent the Savior from coming back as King of kings and Lord of lords to establish His eternal kingdom.

The iron scepter in v.5 speaks of the justice the Lord Jesus will establish on the earth during the Millennium. Although it will be a time of worldwide blessing and prosperity and the curse is at least partially removed from the earth and nature, it will be also a time when sin is still manifest to some degree. During the Millennium the righteousness of the Lord Jesus will reign throughout the earth, but evil will still exist. During that time Satan will be bound into the bottomless pit with his minions, and they will be released for one final war at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth.

Revelation 11:18-19

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18 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 people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” 19 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 severe hailstorm. ~ Revelation 11:18-19

Today, we conclude our study of Revelation 11 which closes out with the words of the twenty-four elders who are prostrate before God in heaven. Highlighted will be the rage of the world which will be front and center. The unbelieving man's hostility will escalate so much and so fast that they will openly fight Christ, thinking that they will somehow destroy Him.

So, while we will have on the one hand in heaven praise for God's just sovereignty, on the earth we will have this great hostility against God in the face of His judgment upon unredeemed man. This will be a world that has felt God’s judgment, but they will have felt it in doses that should have led them to repentance. But instead, they will have wasted their opportunities and privilege to believe in the One who gave Himself for them. They will have wasted the evident reality that they needed to make a choice for Christ in the wake of their impending disaster. Their hearts will be totally hardened by their continual rejection of His truth. 

In v.18 we read, "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 people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth." 

Seven trumpets blow, heaven praises, and earth begins to panic. At this point, it is clear, God's plan of judgment has unfolded. This verse is a condensed review of the Tribulation and the Millennium. At this point in time, the judgment of the Lord will be exacted upon those who have resisted every reason that He will have given them to render their allegiance to Him. This will happen at the end of the Tribulation and at the beginning of the Millennium. 

When the Lord Jesus comes to earth, He will reward the ones who revere His name. His reward will with Him, to give to everyone who has been made righteous through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross. 

For those who failed to revere His name, He will banish them to Hell. These are those who destroyed the earth not with their pollution of smog and trash. These will be those who polluted the world with their rebellion against God. 

In v.19 we read, "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 severe hailstorm."

In the book of Exodus we learn that the earthly temple was opened only once a year and into that place where the ark was went the high priest to pour out the blood to atone for the sins of the people and to keep access open to God. The very thing which God used to provide communion with His people is seen here in heaven. The earthly ark was made of acacia wood and gold and it was placed in the Holy of Holies. According to Exodus 25, it was 45 inches long and 27 inches high. It was a symbol of God’s presence, covenant and atonement.

The temple will at this point will be open to all who have been made right with Him. The ark of the covenant will be there, and in the midst of all the judgment, God will open the Holy of Holies, so that His people may enter. The temple of God speaks of His presence, His throne, the place where He dwells. Included in this seventh trumpet is the promise that we are going to enter into unbroken fellowship with God forever. 

History is not rambling on to some haphazard ending. History is moving forward with every detail formed fully in the mind of God and being executed in His own way to His own end. History is moving specifically down a path, culminating in the precise events described in the book of the Revelation.

After the awful days of the Tribulation, righteousness shall be the characteristic of the times, not unrighteousness as it is now. In that day, drug traffic will end, abortions will cease, divorce will be a thing of the past, families will live together in beauty. In that day, peace and harmony will be intimately known by the redeemed. Wars will cease throughout the earth, crime statistics will drop to zero, sex scandals will never again be known, truth shall be taught again in schools, and politicians and lawyers will have to find honest work.

And the message of the seventh trumpet will be the Lord Jesus Christ is sovereign, and He will reign righteously as King of kings and Lord of lords. And, it will be obvious that He will be the only One who will have the right to rule the earth.

Revelation 11:15-17

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15 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 Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." 16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 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. ~ Revelation 11:15-17

With the blowing of the seventh trumpet we reach the midway point of the book of the Revelation. This marks the end of the tribulation period and the beginning of the millennium. Up to this point in our study of Revelation, we have been given heaven’s viewpoint, and it is obvious that heaven is exhilarated at what is about to happen. 

This brings up a very important point. Many things in life do not make sense to us, especially when we only see it through the lens of time and this world. But, when we view it from the viewpoint of God, we see it differently. This is one of the main points in the book of Ephesians. The phrase "In Heavenly Places" is a very prominent theme in Ephesians. The point is that unless we transcend in our perspective of this life, we will be overwhelmed and debilitated in our understanding of the will of God for our lives. Incidentally, when we get to the bowl judgments, in Revelation 16, we will view these same events that we have been viewing through the seven trumpet judgments, but through the bowl judgments we will see them through the eyes of those on the earth at that time. Learning to view life from God's perspective is of major importance for us to walk in the will of God. This is what faith in the God of the Bible is all about. If we only view life from our vantage point our understanding of Him and life will be quite limited.

In v.15 we read, "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 Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever."

With the seventh trumpet, we are being introduced to the one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth which will take place after the Tribulation. The angels here loudly proclaim the beginning of Christ's millennial reign on the earth, and this creates great worship in them. They worship Him because He has taken His great power and He has begun to reign righteously for eternity. The power of Satan is now broken forever, the issue of God's sovereignty is revealed and forever sealed.

Now, notice that in v.15 we read “The kingdom of the world,” not the kingdoms, the kingdom, it is singular. That is very important because the world, though it is divided into many different nations and peoples and languages is really one kingdom under the god of this world, the ruler of darkness. This world is really one kingdom with one monarch, namely Satan. He received his dominion of the earth after Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden.

Government was designed and ordered by God for the well-being of man. There is no government on earth, nor has there ever been that is submissive to God. God has ordained government and put it in place, but people within those governments and even the leaders are not totally submissive to God. His sovereignty has never been recognized by the governments of this world. There are no Christian nation, there have never been any Christian nations. Yet, the long rebellion of this world’s kingdoms against God will end at the end of the Tribulation.

In v.16-17 we read, "16 And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 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."

At this point those who represent the Church, the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God, fall on their faces and worship God. They praise God for His sovereignty. And here, we are given the events of the end from the viewpoint of God. When we get to Revelation 12 we will look at the Tribulation not from God’s point of view, but from Satan’s point of view. We will view it not from the side of the conquering Christ, but from the side of the eventually defeated Antichrist. 

With the sounding of the seventh angel, the effects of the judgment will not be explained until we get to Revelation 15. Heaven rejoices with praise because God has already given these happenings from the eternal viewpoint, and it is obvious that righteousness will win the day.

So the end of Satan’s power has come and the establishment of the sovereign kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ will now be reality. The twenty-four elders fall on their faces and worship God. They did the same thing in Revelation 5:14. They are so exhilarated because this is the moment for the fulfillment of the age-old prayer, “Thy kingdom come.”

This will be a time of thanksgiving, according to v.17. It will be a time for the elders to express their gratitude to God for answering the prayers of the tribulational saints for justice to reign. All the prophecies predicting this event will once and for all be fulfilled. All the hopes of God’s people throughout time will be fulfilled, and thanksgiving will be the most proper response.

Notice the wonderful truth in what they say: “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty.” The word “almighty” means “the absolutely sovereign one.” They will acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who is able to fulfill the promises of the prophets, because His power surpasses the power of Satan. This has the sense of God exercising His all-encompassing, all-embracing will by His unbelievably mighty power, against which no one can stand.

They also identify Him as "the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign." In Revelation 1:8 we read, “The Lord God is the Alpha and Omega, who is and who was and who is to come; who is, who was, who is to come.” And, then in Revelation 4:8 we read, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty who was, who is, who is to come.”

Here in Revelation 11, the words “who is to come” is not included, because this will be the time of His arrival. And, when we go to Revelation 16:7 we read, “O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous,” again He is identified as the Almighty One. In Revelation 16:5 we read, “The one who is and who was.” Again, the words “who is to come” is not included because it’s not any longer in the future. It will be at this point that Psalm 24:1 will be realized. It reads, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world, and all who dwell in it.”

To pray "Thy Kingdom come" means to invite God’s will in the world and to open our hearts to what God wants for our lives. It’s a prayer that summarizes the entire Bible and what God wants to do on the earth. We experience brokenness in this world because of our rejection of God and His plan. This is why we have war, sickness, injustice, and all manner of brokenness in the world. His Kingdom is good, merciful, and full of wisdom. This is the message of the entire Bible from beginning to end, from Genesis to Revelation. God wants to restore this broken and hurting world to His original design, where there will be no more brokenness.