Posts: Revelation

Revelation

“The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 1:1) The majority of the book, except 20:7 – 22:5 which are about Judgment Day, describes things that would take place shortly to John, within a few years of his writing, certainly in the first century. John repeated this assurance eight times (1:1, 1:3, 12:12, 22:6, 22:7, 22:10, 22:12, 22:20). Yet, people in every century have found references to their own time. I think we should take the apostle John at his word.

“…from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 1:5) The faithfulness of Jesus and His resurrection are easy to comprehend and accept. But the fact that Jesus is ruler over the kings of the earth is a little more difficult. First, that Jesus is in charge on this earth is a new concept for many. Second, the various heads of state around the world over the past nearly 2000 years have left a lot to be desired. The faithful need to have confidence that God knows what He is doing.

“Behold, He is coming on the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.” (Revelation 1:7) “Coming on the clouds” recalls the prediction in Daniel 7:13 – 14, written about 540 BC, in which the Messiah, upon returning to heaven, would receive His eternal kingdom, having dominion over all the peoples of the earth. Every eye would “see” Him in that the gospel went to the whole world before 70 AD. “Pierced” recalls Zechariah 12:10 concerning what would happen to the Messiah on earth. It happened as predicted.

“I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ…” (Revelation 1:9) Many predict a future tribulation, but the apostle John wrote that he lived during it. Many predict that Jesus’ eternal kingdom is yet future. The apostle John wrote that he was in it. Revelation is not so mysterious when you read the whole thing from start to finish.

“Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.” (Revelation 2:4 – 5) Jesus was addressing the faithful of Ephesus, a congregation less than ten years old. Already, their enthusiasm had waned. In the same short letter, Jesus gave some compliments, but this criticism was dire, perhaps leading to loss of their standing as a legitimate congregation. The faithful must learn from the past, that slowly sinking zeal must be fixed.

“He who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ – as I also have received from My Father.” (Revelation 2:26 – 27) The faithful overcome themselves through the power of the indwelling Spirit. Jesus promised the faithful of Thyatira, and by extension all the faithful, that they would smash the power of government through their Jesus-like character.

“I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works consistent before My God.” (Revelation 3:1 – 2) The congregation in Sardis was dying, less than a decade after starting. Jesus even threatened to “blot their names from the Book of Life.” The faithful must be watchful that they are always growing in faith, that they are being consistent in love, not just putting on a show.

“See, I have set before you an open door which no one can shut, for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” (Revelation 3:8) The faithful of Philadelphia in western Turkey had a little strength, but not much. Jesus said that was enough; He had opened up opportunities for them. The fact that they were true to His teaching and were taking on His nature were all they needed to do with what strength they had. Jesus would provide the rest. Too often, the faithful give up because they cannot do it themselves.

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot…So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15 – 16) The congregation at Laodicea was bland. Their lack of enthusiasm made Jesus sick. The letter continues with ways to solve the problem: seek purity, understanding, and wisdom, all available through the indwelling Spirit. Attacking the symptoms produces only artificial excitement. The cure for being tepid is to go back to the basics, all available through the promises of God.

The “new song” sung by the twenty-four elders and four living creatures in heaven ends with “You…have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10) The brokenness of the planet may cause the faithful still living on earth to forget that they presently reign in this eternal kingdom. The outsiders may busy themselves with possessions and short-term power over things which perish, but the real power is not there. Further, the faithful on earth have the job of bringing the invitation of God to those outside.

“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands…” (Revelation 9:20) In John’s vision, an invasion of 200,000,000 fearsome beasts killed one-third of the people on earth. Obviously, the invasion was from God, yet those who survived did not see a reason to change their lifestyle. Fear-based messages do not cause people to change. The appeal of God (His call) is His goodness (Romans 2:4), along with the character and virtue of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3). These induce people to respond.

“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” (Revelation 13:18) The fearsome beast introduced in 13:11 was having, in John’s vision, great success, largely due to his miraculous powers. John reminded his readers that this seemingly unstoppable force was just a man with great deceptions. The faithful were to be encouraged that they could overcome.

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” (Revelation 21:1) Why not just use the old heaven? Remember that Satan and his angels formerly had free access to heaven, until Jesus went home and a war ensued resulting in the exile of the evil spirits to earth for a short time (12:5 – 12). Jesus cleaned the place up (Hebrews 9:11 – 15). Rather than eternal life in a cleaned-up heaven and earth, the faithful get a new one which has been in storage since creation just for this purpose.

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7) Those who overcome will be the residents of a new heaven and new earth. That ability is not developed by superior self-control, but through the power of the indwelling Spirit who is given to all the faithful (Romans 8:9 – 17). Eternal life is characterized as being part of a big family in which all the members trust each other and have a selfless concern for each other.

Revelation 1:1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants – things which must shortly take place.” John emphasized this seven times in Revelation (1:1, 1:3, 22:6, 22:7, 22:10, 22:12, 22:20). The section from 20:7 through 22:5 is clearly marked out as describing Judgment Day and beyond, but John intended the rest to refer to events with a few years of his own time. Claiming that God’s understanding of time is different than ours means that God communicates badly, requiring people to straighten it out for Him.

Revelation 1:3, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Many claim that, if Revelation were not mostly about events future to us, then the book would be worthless to us. The same claim could be made for all of the Old Testament, the gospels, and Acts. Each describes events long past, yet we find great lessons in them. The faithful in the late 60’s AD needed the reassurance in Revelation because of the devastation they were experiencing. Without this explanation, they could easily worry that they had chosen the wrong Messiah.

Revelation 1:4 – 5, “Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth…” Jesus rules world governments today. Satan was deposed back in the first century. The faithful may not like their various governments, but they obey them because they understand that Jesus sets them up and tears them down (Romans 13:1 – 7). The key is to trust that Jesus knows what He is doing.

Revelation 1:6, “…and made us a kingdom of priests to His God and Father…” God gave a very similar description of the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:5 – 6). The faithful have been tasked as those who are the intermediaries between outsiders and God. Their lives on earth are dedicated to making those connections, bringing the outside in so that they, too, can be those priests.

Revelation 1:7, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.” John referenced Daniel 7:13, which Jesus had applied to Himself in conjunction with His announcement of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the establishment of His kingdom. All people ‘saw’ and mourned Him in the accomplishment of His prediction, even those who pierced Him, referring to events of the crucifixion (John 19:37 quoting Zechariah 12:10).

Revelation 1:9, “I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus.” John considered himself to be in “the tribulation.” Patmos was a prison island in which the inmates were forced to work in the salt mines until they soon died. John survived and was able to return to Ephesus in southwestern Turkey for his final years. God chose that low point in John’s career to give him this series of visions.

Revelation 1:18, “I am He who lives, was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” The resurrected Jesus has control of both the realm of the dead and death itself. As in Hebrews 2:14 – 15, through death He might destroy “him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” The historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection frees people from the fears that have controlled them.

Revelation 2:2 – 4, To the church in Ephesus Jesus said, “I know your works, your labor, your perseverance, and that you cannot endure those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for my name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” This warning to this congregation reminds us to refresh the joy of crossing over into the superhuman.

Revelation 2:7, “…To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Overcoming oneself is a promise to those who have the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:13). Accomplishing the superhuman can be frightening and seemingly unattainable. But conquering self is how the faithful know that God has accepted them, because they know for certain that they were not able to do it themselves.

Revelation 2:9 – 11, “I know your works and tribulation and poverty (but you are rich); … Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. … He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” The second death is eternal punishment (Revelation 21:8). Jesus reassured the faithful of Smyrna that He understood their fearful situation; that despite their physical poverty, they were spiritually rich; and that they had nothing to fear despite the deprivation and persecution of the time. The ability to overcome oneself through the indwelling Spirit is a promise to all the faithful.

Revelation 2:17, “…To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat…” To each faithful person the indwelling Spirit is given, who transforms each character to be able to overcome themselves. The hidden manna is understanding of life, of taking in the character of Jesus (John 6:32 – 35). This manna is hidden in that the transformation of the faithful is a foreign concept to outsiders who realize that radical change is beyond human ability. Yet, the truly faithful do it routinely, mastering earthly life.

Revelation 2:17, “To him who overcomes … I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” Name was used literally as what a person was called. Name was also used figuratively to represent the essential quality of a person. So, John used a pun of writing a new name on a stone to represent the new essence of the faithful as they are transformed by the indwelling Spirit. Each name is unique just as each person is unique. Each faithful person has the liberty to be a different picture of Jesus.

Revelation 2:26 – 27, “He who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ – as I have received from My Father.” The part about the rod of iron is a description of the Messiah from Psalm 2:9. The faithful who overcome by allowing the indwelling Spirit to transform them will have “power over the nations;” they will not be swept along by the world but be in control of their lives, which will shatter the world’s view of power.

Revelation 3:1 – 2, “…I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works consistent before My God.” Jesus called the congregation in Sardis “dead.” Sadly, many congregations around the world fit the same description. The key was that they were not consistent from heart to hand, from theory to practice. Every congregation should take stock occasionally as to how well they practice what they preach.

Revelation 3:12, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” The pillars on the porch of Solomon’s temple, including the caps, were over 34 feet tall and a little under 4 four feet in diameter. Those who allow the indwelling Spirit to enable them to overcome themselves will be like those massive pillars, powerful and immovable, displaying the essence of God (His name).

Revelation 3:15 – 16, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot…Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.” The congregation in Laodicea in western Turkey made Jesus sick because they were tepid. Jesus is looking for those who believe strongly, who radically alter their lives as a result. Saul of Tarsus was violently opposed to Christianity, but his zeal made him susceptible to being changed. The tepid don’t get too excited about anything, so are fundamentally useless to God.

Revelation 3:17, “You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’ – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” The congregation in Laodicea deceived themselves into thinking they were well pleasing to God, when in reality they were like attenuated viruses in the body of Christ, creating immunity to the power of God and the work of the Spirit rather than becoming a virulent disease called faith.

Revelation 3:18, “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” The cure for the uselessly tepid disease of Laodicea was genuineness in trusting God (e.g., 1 Peter 1:7, Zechariah 13:9, Psalm 19:9 – 10), godly behavior (e.g., Revelation 3:5), and understanding (e.g., Psalm 19:8), all resulting from the work of the indwelling Spirit.

Revelation 3:19, “As many and I [Jesus] love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore, be zealous and repent.” The sickeningly lukewarm Laodiceans were warned not to react defensively to this criticism from Jesus. Of course, such harsh disapproval is inappropriate from mere mortals, who are to be gentle, kind, and patient. However, the modern church sometimes objects when it finds itself on the wrong side of such examples in the Scriptures, imagining that they are really “good enough” and that God would want them to be happy with themselves as they are.

Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” This familiar line was originally addressed to the sickening Laodiceans. Despite their glaring lack of fervor, Jesus was still knocking. Even the modern church with its rampant lukewarmness is not too far gone to be revived. The power to overcome oneself and rise to mastery of earthly life and transformation into the character of Jesus is still available to those who answer the door.

Revelation 3:21, “To him who overcomes I [Jesus] will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Like Ephesians 1:20 and 2:6, the faithful, both those physically alive and those physically dead, reign with Jesus until the last opponent, death, is permanently defeated (1 Corinthians 15:24 – 26). Those who trust that the indwelling Spirit has been delivered to all the faithful and who use that power to overcome themselves are those who are in control of their destiny.

Revelation 5:9, “You [the Lamb] are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals…” This song being sung in heaven by the four living creatures and the 24 elders announced that Jesus would shortly reveal the mysteries of God, which He did through inspired writers like Paul and John (Romans 11:25, 16:25, 1 Corinthians 2:7, 15:51, Ephesians 1:9, 3:3 – 9, 6:19, Colossians 1:26, 2:2, 4:3). All the parts of God’s plan that had not been revealed in the Old Testament, were revealed in the New Testament. None remain unexplained.

Revelation 5:9, “…You [Jesus] were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…” This song being sung in heaven by the four living creatures and the 24 elders announced that Jesus redeemed not only humans, but also beings in heaven (e.g., the four living creatures and the 24 elders). Further, this included all peoples, not just Israelites. The church is the only truly universal family, including faithful spirits who have or have had physical bodies, as well as faithful spirits who have never had that experience.

Revelation 5:10, “…You have made them a kingdom of priests to our God; and they shall reign on the earth.” This song being sung in heaven by the four living creatures and the 24 elders announced that the faithful reign on the earth. But we do not see the faithful occupying positions of political power. So, John must mean something else. The faithful reign in that they cannot be bullied or coerced into submission. They voluntarily submit to civil authorities because they want to do what it right. When threats no longer achieve the desired result, governments become powerless.

Revelation 6:2, “And I [John] looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a victor’s wreath was given to Him, and He went out conquering and to conquer.” As the plan of God was unrolled by the Lamb, the first component was victory. The victory of the gospel was announced before the war even started. The earliest Christians, not to mention subsequent Christians, who lived or are living in desperate circumstances, may have had occasion for doubt as everything seemed to be going wrong. God assured them that the kingdom would prevail.

Revelation 6:4, “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill each other; and there was given him a great sword.” The second feature of the plan of God was war. As Jesus put it in Matthew 10:34, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” This sword seems to be the Word (Revelation 1:16, Hebrews 4:12). God assured the early Christians, and subsequent Christians, that controversy was part of the plan. The progress of the gospel would not be easy.

Revelation 6:5 – 6, “…So I looked and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on the it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice…‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and wine.’” God assured the early Christians, and subsequent Christians, that the progress of the gospel would come with economic deprivation. The prices for the staple grains were grossly inflated while the luxury items were unchanged. The poor would bear the brunt of this conflict between the gospel and the world.

Revelation 6:8, “So I looked and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was death, and Hades followed after him. Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” So that the early Christians would not think that something had gone wrong with the plan, God assured them that widespread devastation would come because of opposition to the gospel, as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:4 – 34, which Jesus said would occur before His generation passed away.

Revelation 6:9 – 10, “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried out with a loud voice, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth.’” They are asked to be patient and to rest a while longer. Note that these deceased Christians were conscious, were in heaven, and knew about events on earth. Also, the plan of God includes casualties among the faithful.

Revelation 6:15 – 16, “The kings of the earth, the great men…hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.’” The sixth of the seven seals on the plan of God revealed that the powers of the world would recognize that they were losing the war, so they took the unreasonable option of trying to hide from God. That means of escape does not work now, either.

Revelation 7. In response to the panicky question of the great men of the earth in 6:17, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”, God does not describe their destruction, but rather, in chapter 7, paints a picture of the victorious faithful: 144,000 Jewish Christians plus an uncountable number of Gentile Christians, all standing before the throne of God, singing. God does not terrorize people into His kingdom, but entices them with promises of the ability to overcome themselves and to be part of a real family.

Revelation 8:1, “When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” The scroll containing the plan of God had only 7 seals (5:1), so this is the end of what was written in the scroll. Unlike normal dramatic endings, God’s plan ends with 30 minutes of silence in all of heaven. No explanation is given, so the reader is left to ponder. But such is the nature of the promises of God. If God told us all the mechanics, we would be walking by sight and not by faith.

Revelation 8:2 – 5, “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets…” This begins a new vision. The previous one had seven seals; this one seven trumpets. As the seven trumpets sound (to the end of chapter 11), they reveal how God plans to depose Satan from his position as lord of the earth. Before the first trumpet sounds, an angel slings fire on the earth (8:5), seemingly in response to the prayers of the saints waiting not-so-patiently under the altar (6:10). We may find God’s vengeance slow, but it is sure.

Revelation 8:7, “The first angel sounded; and hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth, and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” This and the other descriptions of the trumpets bear a striking resemblance to the plagues on Egypt. God’s point is that great distress would spread across the world in the battle for control of the earth, as Jesus described in Matthew 24:4 – 34 concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Revelation 9:4, The locusts which came out of the abyss “were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” Those seals happened in chapter 7. The devastation of the latter part of the first century could have been extremely unsettling to the early Christians. Some might have begun to doubt that they had chosen to follow the right Messiah. God assured them that they would get through this, that this was not a set-back, but part of His plan.

Revelation 9:1, 11, “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit…(11) And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon [Destruction], but in Greek he has the name Apollyon [Destroyer].” This angel is not Satan, but rather the angel who will have control over Satan’s prison (20:1). This angel turned loose terrible devastation according to God’s plan announced beforehand by Daniel, Zechariah, and Jesus, all three connecting it to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

Revelation 9:20, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear not walk…” After the devastation described by Jesus as the worst in all of history (Matthew 24:21), the non-Christians did not make the connection that this was predicted by Jesus and it happened. So, they did not change. Our appeal should not be threats of catastrophe but the good news of handling life.

Revelation 10:7, “In the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished as He declared to His servants the prophets.” All that God intends to reveal has been revealed. This explains why no new books have been added to the Bible in 1950 years. When the seventh angels sounded (11:15), Jesus was proclaimed Lord of the kingdoms of the earth. John wrote that this event had already happened in his time (1:5).

Revelation 11:3 – 7, “I will give power to my two witnesses, that they will prophesy…When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war with them, overcome them, and kill them.” God empowered His witnesses to perform great miracles to validate their message as well as to protect themselves. But, when they had accomplished their task of taking the gospel to the whole world, they were killed by their enemies. Despite ruthless enemies, God made sure the message reached everywhere via believers.

Revelation 11:8 – 13, [The bodies of the two witnesses] “will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified…the breath of life from God entered them and they stood on their feet…and they ascended to heaven in a cloud and their enemies saw them…”. In this vision, when the task of proclaiming the gospel to the whole world was complete, the witness were killed in Jerusalem but rose again (Matthew 27:52 – 53). When Jerusalem fell shortly thereafter, many unbelieving Jews became Christians.

Revelation 11:15, “…The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” The seven seals of 6:1 – 8:1 revealed God’s mysteries resulting in victory. The seven trumpets of 8:2 – 11:19 revealed how Satan would be deposed and Jesus installed as ruler of this world, as first announced in 1:5.

Revelation 12 records one vision in which Jesus came to earth and returned to heaven (12:5) in the face of great opposition from Satan (12:4). When Jesus returned to heaven, war broke out resulting in Satan and His angels being exiled to earth for a short time (12:7 – 12) after which he was locked up (20:1 – 3). While on earth, Satan tried to destroy the Jewish Christians (12:13 – 16) but failed, so he turned to the Gentile Christians (12:17). Perhaps the greatest part of the message is that the accuser of the faithful has been cast down (12:10).

Revelation 13 through 19 reveals the extensive havoc that Satan would wreak in the “short time” (11:12) he was exiled to earth. The first beast in Satan’s employ (13:1 – 8) had many attributes in common with the beast described more than six centuries earlier in Daniel 7:7, which represented the dominant empire at the time of the Messiah (7:9 – 14) which, obviously, was Rome. This helps to explain the rise to power of Rome despite insane rulers and persecution of those who should have been the most honored as hard-working and ethical people.

Revelation 13:11 – 15 describes a second beast in the employ of the first who, in turn, did the bidding of Satan. This second beast even performed miracles as evidence of his power, causing many to worship the first beast. But, miracles from the dark side always are a little “off,” so the second beast used governmental terrorism to suppress opposition. A great lesson from this scene is that miracles are not sufficient evidence in themselves. The message also must match that nature of the all-good God.

Revelation 13:16 – 18 includes the infamous 666. Space alone prevents refuting the plethora of fanciful explanations. First, verses 16 and 17 well describe an incident in the latter part of the first century. More importantly, the number in verse 18 is “the number of man.” John was letting his audience know that they should not fear that miracle-working beast because he was not divine, not even a powerful but evil angel, but rather just a man. So, they should take courage that God knew what He was doing and that all would work out for the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 14:1 – 5 describes the 144,000 (the faithful Jewish Christians from 7:4) standing with the Lamb and singing the “new song” (5:9 – 10) about the Lamb opening the scroll containing the mysteries of God (10:7). These redeemed ones also are called the first-fruits to God and to the Lamb (14:4). Interestingly, they are described as “without fault” (14:5). Because of the redemption in which Jesus paid the debt to justice for all people of all time, the faithful can stand before God as faultless.

Revelation 14:6 – 7 describes the gospel that was to go to all the earth as “Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth…” Glory is a parade of God’s character traits, which is to be the attraction of the gospel. This nearby hour of judgment cannot be the Last Day, since the following paragraphs still have people on earth, but rather refers to the worst time on all of history which included the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The appeal was and is to respond to the gracious Creator.

Revelation 14:8, “And another angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passionof her fornication.” The literal city of Babylon had been destroyed nearly six centuries earlier. The figurative application is to Jerusalem, as revealed in the subsequent descriptions in 16:17 – 18:24. The Jewish leaders had perverted their religion dramatically, compromising with other nations through economics, making them co-conspirators. The repercussions of that example should warn the faithful.

Revelation 14:12 – 13, “Here is the perseverance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus…Above the cares of this life are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…that they may rest from their labors and their works follow them.” Assurances that the martyrs were in good hands was given in 6:9 – 11 and 7:13 – 17. Those assurances are extended into the indefinite future, “from now on.” Those who die “in the Lord” are assured of eternal life, not just those who died spectacularly.

From Revelation 14:14 through 18:24 is a description of what history records as the Jewish Revolt of 67 – 70 AD, perhaps including a second revolt of 132 – 135 AD. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed; millions were slaughtered. At the conclusion, Jews were banned from Palestine, a Roman temple was built on the ruins of the Jewish Temple, and Jerusalem was renamed Aelia Capitolina. The rest of the world marveled at the devastation and suffered from the disruption of trade plus chaos in the gold and slave markets. Jesus had predicted it to be the worst time in all of history.

Revelation 15:1 declares that in the seven bowls of wrath, “the wrath of God is complete.” Since people on earth observed that devastation, it does not describe the Judgment at which time the universe is burned up. As terrible as that period was, the modern faithful have the promise that nothing similar will happen again. God’s wrath on Israel, built up over centuries of idolatry and contract violations, was complete. With the eternal kingdom established and Jesus enthroned over all nations, all that remains is His return which will happen at a time no one can predict.

Revelation 15:3, “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations.’” For the fourth time so far in Revelation (1:5, 2:27, 11:15), even before Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, Jesus was named King over the nations of the earth. Satan had been deposed.

Revelation 15:4, those who overcame the beast of 13:11 – 18 sang, “Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.” Most gods of that era were national, or perhaps competing for attention across several nations. Israel’s God, due to the evidence provided through their history of predictions and documented miraculous events, would be recognized by God-seekers world-wide as the One True God, a totally new concept.

The seven bowls of wrath in Revelation 16 bear a striking resemblance to the plagues announced by Moses upon Egypt about 1500 years earlier. Then, the Israelites were released from slavery in Egypt. Here, the Christians were released from the oppression instigated by the authorities of Israel; Jerusalem was the target, as evidenced in 11:8, 16:6, and 17:6. Despite the devastation and its obvious source, those being targeted by God “did not repent and give Him glory.” (16:9 and 11) To this day, those promoting evil seldom have the sense to surrender.

Revelation 16:14, “They are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” The Christians who lived through the Jewish Revolt of 67 – 70 AD probably were concerned about the obviously evil miracles around them, and the cooperation of governments primarily against Israel, but spilling over onto the Christians. John let them know that this was part of the plan to judge Israel and free the faithful from the overspray, and not to be deceived by miraculous evil.

Revelation 16:16, “[The three spirits of demons] gathered [the kings of the world] together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.” In English, that place is Mount Megiddo, the location of the battles of Deborah (Judges 4-5), Gideon, (Judges 7), Saul (1 Samuel 31), Ahaziah, (2 Kings 9:27), and Josiah (2 Kings 23:29). The first two were successful; the last three were catastrophic, resulting in this Hebrew figure of speech for utter disaster. The early Christians were cautioned to remain alert (16:15) so as to avoid the fallout from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Revelation 17 characterizes first-century Israel, which depended on Rome for power, as a woman riding on a scarlet beast. “I [John] saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” (17:6) The most important point is in 17:14, “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Despite the political and military powers arrayed against Him, He will win because He was already King of kings.

Revelation 18:2 – 3, “For all the nations have drunk the wine of the wrath of her [Jerusalem’s] fornication; the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” The corrupt Jewish hierarchy was an integral part of the world economy because of the concentration of wealth which came from franchises in sacrificial animals, control of currency exchange, and the half-shekel Temple tax, yielding billions per year. This tiny country was connected to everyone.

Revelation 18:4, “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins and lest you receive her plagues.” Jesus had warned similarly about 35 years earlier as recorded in Luke 21:20 – 22. John repeated that warning as the destruction became imminent. Sincere Jews who had rejected Jesus fled to the Temple when the Roman legions approached, thinking it to be safe because they thought that the Messiah had not yet come, so the Temple would be protected by God. The Christians fled, knowing that Daniel 9:26 was about to come true.

Revelation 18:20, “Rejoice over her [Jerusalem], O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her.” The martyrs under the altar in chapter 6 wanted to know when their deaths would be avenged. That vengeance occurred in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, the most horrible devastation in all of history (Matthew 24:21). Not all of God’s vengeance waits until Judgment. But, the only ones for which we have proof happened in the first century and before. God stopped sending inspired writers to confirm.

Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready.” The Bride of Christ is the church (e.g., Ephesians 5:21 – 32), which took almost 40 years to develop. Although it began in Acts 2, spreading the message to the whole world took decades (Colossians 1:6). Jesus noted that the Temple could not be destroyed until that had happened (Matthew 24:14). After that destruction, the marriage supper could finally begin.

Revelation 19:10, “I fell at his feet to worship him. But, he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!’” Several times in the Scriptures, people fell down to worship an angel who had brought them a message. Those angels always reacted as did this one. Yet, when people in the gospels fell down to worship Jesus, He did not object. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

Revelation 19:13, “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” As John began his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” And in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” In this vision in Revelation 19, the same character arises, the victorious Word. He reigns and judges and dispenses the wrath of God. But this control is not by conventional warfare, but by logic. The Word, in Greek, is logos.

Revelation 19:15, “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.” The line about a rod of iron is from Psalm 2:8 – 9, which is also quoted in Revelation 2:27, 11:1, and 12:5. Ancient rabbis understood this to refer to the Messiah. But, most failed to connect the Word with the rod of iron, but rather were looking for a Messiah with a literal sharp sword. Instead, the prediction was of irrefutable logic and evidence which smashed all other philosophies.

Revelation 19:20, “Then the beast [Rome] was captured, and with him the false prophet [miracle-working but false religion] who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” After the Temple was destroyed, God wiped out Rome’s power. So, after their amazing rise, Rome slowly fell apart.

Revelation 19:21, “And the rest [those who followed the beast] were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him to sat on the horse.” The last paragraph of chapter 19 sounds gory. But, the killing is being done by the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit. The point of the figurative battlefield carnage is that the gospel, being logical and evidence based, annihilated existing philosophies based on unprovable assumptions. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of humanity operates logically.

Revelation 20:2 – 3, “[An angel] laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the abyss and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no longer…” 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 both describe this event in the past tense.

Revelation 20:6, “Above the cares of this life and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” The second death is the lake of fire (20:14). The first resurrection is rising to walk in newness of life as in Romans 6:4 – 9.

Revelation 20:7 – 9, “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” Note that God stopped the battle from happening before it started.

Revelation 20:15, “Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” The names of the faithful are written in the Book of Life. Two passages reveal the potential for being erased (Exodus 32:32, Revelation 3:5). Other references to this book may be found in Philippians 4:3 and Revelation 13:8, 17:8, and 21:27. The faithful are assured by God that they have been entered when they see themselves overcoming themselves, becoming selfless, and becoming consistent. Erasure happens when the evidence for Jesus is rejected.

Revelation 21:1, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.” The new heaven and new earth that appear after Judgment are also mentioned in 2 Peter 3:13. Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22 use the same picture to introduce the Messianic kingdom. The present heaven and earth have been damaged by sin. Jesus cleansed the tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 9:11 – 26) after Satan and his angels were exiled (Revelation 12:5 – 12). But the permanent heaven will be new, not salvaged.

Revelation 21:2, “Then I [John] saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” This bride is the church as described in Hebrews 12:22 – 24. Although the faithful began to reign with Jesus (Ephesians 2:6, Revelation 2:26 – 27, 20:4 – 6) as soon as the church began in Acts 2, they have been waiting for this final transition, which is characterized as a wedding feast.

Revelation 21:22 – 23, “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” The new heaven and new earth are not physical places with atoms and molecules. This description is of where faithful spirits will live forever. No specific place to meet God will be needed since all who are granted entry will be intimately connected with Him.

Revelation 22:7, [Jesus said in John’s vision,] “Behold, I am coming quickly! Above the cares of life is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” In the New Testament, the “coming of the Lord” was used to refer to the ministry of John the Baptist, the earthly ministry of Jesus, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, and the end of time. The context in each place determines the meaning. In this place, the readers of the first century were told that this “coming” was soon, so must refer to the destruction of the Temple.

Revelation 22:10, “And he [an angel] said to me [John], ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.” John was to publish the record of his visions immediately because they described things close at hand to the Christians of the late 60’s AD. Yet, well-meaning people since about the fifth century have all applied these visions to their own times, neglecting God’s clear description of “shortly” to the time of John.

Revelation 22:14, “Above the cares of this life are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates of the city.” Those who understand the sacrifice of Jesus, that it promises freedom from the fear of death and freedom from the downward spiral of bad choices, become equipped to handle the brokenness of this world, being boldly confident that they will spend eternity in a new place built just for those who trust one another and are selfless.

Revelation 22:17, “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” The Spirit causes superhuman transformation in the faithful, which draws others to the gospel. The church, as designed, is miraculously united and caring, which draws people to the gospel. All who want what the gospel offers are accepted; we do not need to fix ourselves first.

Revelation 22:18 – 19, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” People teach many different things from this book, all sincerely believing that what they teach is right. These dire warnings should cause us to reason together, not divide and malign.