Revelation 15:1-4

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1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” ~ Revelation 15:1-4

Today, we transition into Revelation 15. The book of Revelation surveys God's solution to the crisis of history; how God will bring about the long awaited and promised world of peace and blessing. After centuries of patient waiting and putting up with man's arrogance, hatred, greed and the bloodshed that has long been going on, God says there comes a time when He will call a halt to it all. Revelation 15 is the shortest chapter in the book of Revelation because it is a preliminary to Revelation 16.

In v.1 of today's text we read, "I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed."

We have reached a turning point of history when we come to these seven bowls of God's wrath. God will then begin to set up his kingdom upon the earth. 

The word “plagues” is quite an interesting word. In the Greek language this word means a blow, or a stripe, that is a wound, a scar. It can even mean a calamity. When we think of the word plague, we think of some kind of illness or a disease. The term is used, for example, in Luke 12:48 of flogging someone, where you take a whip made of leather with pieces of glass or stone or shell and you strike someone until their back is beaten down to the very end of their tissue and even leaves their organs, in some cases, exposed. These plagues come in rapid-fire in these final seven judgments that are poured out in hours and days, right at the very end in rapid succession. And they are death blows, mortal wounds that come with deadly force. 

In v.2-4 we read, "2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God 3 and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. 4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

In this scene John describes a great host now seen in heaven standing on the sea of glass. We first saw this sea of glass in Revelation 4, and there we understood it to be a symbol of the righteous holiness which the Holy Spirit imparts to those who come to Christ. This is the only basis for man to appear in the presence of God. This righteous holiness is described as mixed with fire, because it is a holiness manifested in the midst of persecution.

By the way, in heaven there will be no sea. John isn't describing water here, he is describing cut glass that refracts light. There will no longer be any separation of nations by virtue of seas. There will not be any sea in God's eternal kingdom, and yet, there will be a river of life. More about that later.

Before the throne of God in heaven there will be some kind of a crystal platform, some kind of a transparent, glistening crystal platform, perhaps so transparent that John is looking up through it and seeing the throne of God. In Ezekiel 1:22 we read, “As the color of awesome, dazzling crystal stretched across the sky.” In this verse Ezekiel describes the base of God’s heavenly throne. 

In v.2, these martyrs are said to be "victorious over the beast." It appeared as though when these left the earth they were losers, but when they arrived in heaven they are winners! Man is under the illusion that what he sees happening is actually according to the way he views it, but it really is not. The antichrist thinks he is getting rid of his enemies, but what he is really doing is running a shuttle service to heaven! 

This host of martyrs sings two songs, the Song of Moses (recorded in Exodus 15 as the Israelites came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea), and, the Song of the Lamb here in Revelation 15. These songs are the first and last songs in Scripture, and both of them are a description of the deliverance of God's people by His power, based upon a blood redemption. When Moses and the Israelites sang the Song of Moses they were looking back to the blood of a lamb put on the doorposts to keep them safe when the Angel of Death passed through the land of Egypt. In today's text, the martyrs are praising God and honoring Him for His power that has delivered them from the wrath of the antichrist, and of God, based on the blood of redemption shed by the Lamb of God.

The striking thing about this Song of the Lamb is, there is not one single word about their own achievements! The only pronoun used in this song is "your." In v.3 they sing, "Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations." 

This brings up a great point. You probably have noticed that there are times when God seems to say that we get to heaven because of our good works. We saw this in Revelation 2-3 when God addressed the seven churches. This is not the case. But, when God looks at us through the lens of His Son's applied perfection, we appear as such. Make no mistake about it, my friend, it is only through Christ's perfection that are we acceptable to the Father.

In Job 21:30 we read, “The wicked is reserved to the day of destruction. They shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.” 

Even way back in Job's day the people knew there was the wrath of God on the horizon. Whatever a man sows he will reap. When we sin, there will be consequences. This is the kind of wrath by which God destroys the whole world of sin. 

In Romans 1 we see that when God turns the rebellious over to their sin, it will come with built-in consequences that will engulf them. And, all of history is rushing to this final expression of the wrath of God. And the longer I live, obviously, the closer we get to it. But, there is a great paradox to be found in all of this. God has always been working behind the scenes to save sinners from His own wrath.

Herein lies the marvelous reality of the nature of our God who encompasses both righteousness and holiness alongside mercy and grace that makes justice and judgment the twin of love and kindness. And as we’ve learned in the book of the Revelation, even up to the very last scene, judgments falling all over the place in the world, all of the sealed judgments and the trumpet judgments, all through that period of time right down to the shattering of the universe, the devastation of the earth and the final bowl judgments that we will see in Revelation 16, all through all of this final expression of judgment that is coming in a time called the tribulation, God has always been calling sinners to salvation.

In v.4 of today's text we read, "Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."

When all of His love is refused, when all of His grace is rejected and all His mercy is scorned, the only thing left is His inevitable and final wrath. Why? Because man chooses not God's umbrella of protection. We have a choice to make, whether to bow our will to Him or to have it our way.

Revelation 14:17-20

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17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. ~ Revelation 14:17-20

We come back to our study of Revelation 14 where we find ourselves in the middle of the final harvest. Without even a break, another vision comes immediately. And, this vision is described as a grape harvest. Whereas, yesterday's text described the outcome for those who will be on the earth at the end of the Tribulation and had believed in the Lord Jesus, today's text describes the outcome of those who will choose not to believe.

In v.17 we read, "Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle."

This angel will come out of the Temple in heaven and he will have a sharp sickle. Both the Lord Jesus Christ in the first vision of this passage, and this angel in the second, will have this instrument of judgment in their hand. 

In v.18 we read, "Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 

Note that this altar has already been mentioned in Revelation 6:9, and there it is obvious that this altar is an altar of prayer. This altar takes us back to the Tabernacle in the book of the Exodus. And, this angel has power over fire that will come out from the altar.  

This is hard to understand until we are reminded that in the Old Testament Tabernacle and in the Temple there was a fire. Twice a day, at the time of morning sacrifice and the time of evening sacrifice, the priest would go into the bronze altar and he would get the fire which was always burning symbolizing the ascending prayers of the people. The priest would then put the fire into the censer. And then he would go into the holy place, and he would wave the censer about and the smell of the incense would rise symbolizing the prayers of the people.

In v.18 of today's text, the angel is the fire angel who responds to the prayers of the believers. He is responding to the prayers of God's people. And, as we will see in the following verses, this is the time for the grape harvest. Whereas yesterday's text described the harvesting of those with faith in the Lord Jesus, today's text describes the judgment upon those who will not believe in the Lord Jesus. 

In v.19-20 we read, "19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia."

Throughout the scriptures, Israel is illustrated as the vine. As a symbol of Israel, the wine-press describes the judgment of God upon unbelieving Israel. Strangely, most Jews today do not believe their own Scriptures. Many of them are atheists. Many of them deny that they are a special people to God. 

In biblical days, while using the winepress, they would use a large carved out piece of stone, and the grapes would be thrown into this press and then trampled under the feet of those who did the work. And as they would crush the grapes, the juice would flow downward to the trough and run down into a basin which would catch it.

In v.20 there is a change from the symbol to the literal meaning of the symbol. The grapes were thrown into a winepress (the symbol), but blood pours out (that is the literal meaning of the pressed grapes). As a result of this final great battle between God and Satan, the blood of the rebellious will cover the land for 1600 stadia or 180 miles. Interestingly, that is the length of the nation of Israel. We are not told how wide this stream will be, but it will be a reminder that no created being wins in any battle with the Lord God.

This very moment which was described so long ago in Isaiah 63, Joel 3, Zechariah 14, and Daniel 11. In those passages we discover this battle that will happen around Jerusalem, and the blood of God's enemies will splatter to the height of the horses’ bridles, which would be four feet. The battle will rage from one border to the other. Millions will rush in to engage themselves in this final great battle against God. We know this battle as Armageddon. And, at that point the Lord will come. And, with His return, the end of time as we know it.

Revelation 14:12-16

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12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. 13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” 14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.  ~ Revelation 14:12-16

We return today to our study of Revelation 14. This chapter began with the loud singing of the song of the redeemed. And, that was followed by the appeal of God to mankind to repent from following Satan and to worship the living God. This appeal was largely unheard.

So, in v.12 we read, "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus." 

At this point, the earth will be so filled with violence and widespread hatred, it will appear, from earth's perspective that Satan will win. This will call for a determined effort on the behalf of those who follow God on the earth to endure in their obedience to His commands.

In v.13 we read, "Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."'

Then the promise will come from the voice of the Holy Spirit. John is told to write this down as a special guarantee. The believers of that day will feel as if they have missed the resurrection! The church has already been taken out of the world, and these believers know it. And, for those who will be on the earth after that, they will think that they have no hope. The Holy Spirit will say, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on," because they, too, are guaranteed eternal bliss because of what the Lord Jesus did for them on the cross so long ago. 

In v.14 we read, "I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand."

This one seated on the cloud "like a son of man" is the Lord Jesus. He will be seated and He will have a golden crown on His head indicating His complete authority to rule. He will have a sickle in His hand indicating the imminent harvest of souls.

He will have a golden crown or stephanos on His head. This is not the diadem or the crown of the king. This is the crown of the victor. This is the runner’s crown, not the royal crown. This pictures the Son of Man coming to conquer, coming to prevail over His enemies. This was a crown that was made out of a laurel wreath, leafed in gold, worn on festive occasions, worn for wars and great athletic events won by the victors.

In v.15-16 of today's text we read, "15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested."

In Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus spoke the parable of the wheat and the weeds to His disciples. In that parable, the servants asked the Lord, "Shall we pull up these weeds?" But he said to them, "No, let both grow together until the harvest, and then I will tell the harvester, 'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, and then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" 

Then the Lord Jesus interpreted that parable to His disciples, saying, "The harvest is the end of the age (the 7-year period to which we have come in this book), and the harvesters are the angels." This agrees exactly with what we have here in Revelation 14. The angels announce that the time of harvest has come, and the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 13 will be literally fulfilled.

In Daniel 7:13-14 we read, “13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”

The image that John sees here in Revelation 14 is drawn from Daniel 7. The Lord Jesus as the Son of Man will come in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. In Matthew 24:30 we read, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”

Today's text began with these words in Revelation 14:12, "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus."

God's patience means saved souls. God is slow to anger not wanting any to perish. In fact, He is more patient than we are sinful. When we show patience to an impatient world, we glorify the One who was patient with us. God's patience with us is only surpassed by His patience with Himself. God's patience towards His creatures is His power over Himself. If not for the infinite restraint God puts upon Himself, we could not exist one moment. His mercy withholds His judgment, His goodness restrains His justice, His patience curbs His power, and thus the patience of God is the salvation of man. Sadly, for those who never turn to Him for salvation, His patience will run out because His justice must be met. Otherwise, we have no truth.

Revelation 14:8-11

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8 A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” 9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” ~ Revelation 14:8-11

We return to our study of Revelation 14 where we have been introduced to the first of three angels. The second and the third angels will deliver their messages in our text today. And, whereas the first angel warned of God's wrath to come and offered yet another opportunity for unbelieving man to turn from Satan to God, the second and the third angels speak not of God's offer of grace.

In v.8 we read, "A second angel followed and said, 'Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."'

This second angel will not preach the gospel to his hearers. This angel will only speak of God's judgment. This sadly implies his hearers rejected the first angel’s message which included the offer of God's grace. If everybody in the world responded positively to God's grace offer, then the book of the Revelation would not be necessary.

In v.8, we are introduced to Babylon which in its beginning was a city founded by Nimrod in Genesis 10-11. We know it as the Tower of Babel. We also know that Nimrod was a rebel and was one who did not respect the authority of God. Nimrod built the Tower of Babel and it was at the Tower of Babel that man first attempted idolatry by assert himself into the sky with his desire to be his own god.

When Satan was first cast of out heaven, the earth became his abode. And, by the time we get to the end of the Great Tribulation, Babylon will be a political, economic and religious world empire operated by the antichrist. And, in the end, it will  be the place known to be totally against the God of the Bible.

Babylon will literally intoxicate and deceive the whole world with its anti-God rhetoric. This will be the final attempt of the antichrist to usurp God and he will literally engulf the whole world in his rebellion. In fact, everybody will come from all over the globe to bow down to the antichrist. And this second angel in v.8 is simply predicting the collapse of his kingdom.

In v.9-11 we read, "9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name."

The third angel will proclaim damnation upon all who will reject the free gift of salvation from the Lord Jesus. He will not preach the gospel, he will pronounce damnation. He, like the other two angels, will reinforce the previous message and he will advance the truth to the next logical step. After the people reject the Gospel, this third angel will pronounce the judgment of God on them, and this pronouncement will introduce God's damnation upon the rebellious.

According to Revelation 13, the Antichrist will exert economic control over the whole world. No one will be able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast imprinted into the back of the hand or on the forehead. In those days, Kings often marked out their own soldiers with a tattoo. And, in the end, the people of the world will knowingly take the mark of Satan's ownership of them on their hand or on their forehead.

According to v.9-10, this will be a fatal choice. Anyone who receives this mark will be cut off from the grace of God forever and they will experience the fury of His wrath. Ultimately, God must judge those who refuse His many offers of grace. 

You see, God has three choices: He can let rebellion perpetuate  and never judge it. In this case, injustice, cruelty, hatred, pain, and death would prevail. What kind of loving God would allow that? Or, God could force men to obey him and control them as puppets. But, that would mean they would not choose to love God. Love cannot be forced. Or, the only choice that God really has is that He must withdraw ultimately from those who refuse His love. He must let them go their own way forever. This will result in the terrible and needless torment of those who will choose godlessness. 

The unbelieving world will knowingly and voluntarily drink the cup of the passion of the immorality of the antichrist. And, as a result, they will invite God’s wrath and damnation upon themselves. According to v.10, this wine of God's wrath will be mixed in full strength. These will experience the full brunt of God's unmitigated wrath due to their total separation from Him and all that is good. They will experience endless pain. 

And, as v.11 describes, this will be Hell, the final destination of those who reject the grace of God in its many expressions. Hell was a place created for the devil and his angels. No human was ever intended to go there. It will be a place of ceaseless, unbearable, unrelenting, unrelieved torment. And, it could have been easily avoided by merely recognizing the kindness and love of the Lord Jesus. He went to the cross and suffered the torment so that we would not have to. Sadly, many will reject this wonderful gift of salvation and depart in great sorrow.

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.