

The Hour of Trial

## The Pattern of the Age

## And the Hour

## The World will be Tested

### By

### O.J. Anderson

## ~

All rights reserved by the author. No part of this e-book may be used, reprinted, stored or distributed in any manner without the written permission of the author.

Copyright © 2013, 2017 by O.J. Anderson

Smashwords Edition

Cover image courtesy of Pixabay.com

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. The Seven Letters

3. First Vision: Seals

4. Matthew 24: Parallel Reading

5. Second Vision: Trumpets

6. Second Vision Part 2: The Two Witnesses

7. Daniel's 1290 Days

8. Third Vision: Satan, Two Beasts, Babylon

9. Fourth Vision: Bowls

10. Fifth Vision: Judgment of Harlot

11. Sixth Vision: Second Coming and Judgment of Beast

12. Seventh Vision: Judgment of Satan

13. New Jerusalem

14. The Seven Letters Revisited

15. Daniel 9

16. The Hour of Trial

17. Revelation 1 – 22 (Annotated)

### Notes on Text

Unless noted otherwise, all Scriptural citations come from the King James Version of the Bible (Public Domain) with modifications: _saith_ has been changed to _says_ , _ye_ to _you_ , _readeth_ to _reads_ , etc. Quotation marks have been added and pronouns referring to deity have been capitalized—not for grammatical concerns but to extend the context across long swaths of commentary. Four-digit numbers appearing in parentheses indicate a Strong's Concordance reference number. Verses appearing in italics are paraphrased or abridged.

# ~

And see that you make them after the pattern which was shown to you on the mountain. (Exodus 25:40)

## 1

Introduction

Of the various views and interpretations of the book of Revelation, there are three general categories encountered regarding these twenty-two chapters:

1) Preterism: This view holds that most or all of Revelation was fulfilled in the First Century, generally before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The name comes from the Latin preposition _praeter_ , meaning in front of, or before, in this case.

2) Historicism: Though popular at the time of the Protestant Reformation, this seems to be the minority view today as it attempts to connect the symbols and events of Revelation chronologically to historical events throughout the entire Gospel Age.

3) Futurism: As the name suggests, this view projects the majority of the book toward the end of the age, in the future. This by far the dominant view of Revelation presented by Christian media, though the term _futurism_ seems to have fallen out of use in favor of _dispensationalism_. This view is also prone to being influenced by current, or potential, events and technology in the news.

Within each of these three categories are conflicting sub-categories holding to differing views on concepts such as a millennium, tribulation period, rapture, antichrist, etc. For example, there pre-tribulation dispensationalists and post-tribulation dispensationalists. Likewise, there are full-preterists and partial preterists.

The interpretation presented here in _The Hour of Trial_ holds to none of the above three categories. Rather, it identifies a pattern within the seven letters chapters, then applies that pattern to the seven visions that follow. These seven visions are then applied to a Gospel Age timeline from the First Advent of Jesus Christ to His Second Coming. This approach brings clarity to the book and allows it to speak to God's people. "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is come to pass, you might believe" (John 14:29).

This exposition of the book of Revelation will be illustrated with three primary graphics. The first represents a timeline of the entirety of history from Adam and Eve to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The cross of Calvary is depicted as the central event within human history (thus the two sides are presented as roughly equal to underscore this point as well as for aesthetics). The timeline left of the cross is the Old Testament, or Before Christ, era; to the right is the after _anno Domini_ , or New Covenant, era.

This New Covenant period—from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to His Second Coming—will be described as "the Gospel Age" and will focus on the right side, shown above, of the timeline.

Additionally, the final phase of the Gospel Age contains an important period described as "the hour of trial" that will be illustrated as a close up of the end of the age:

This end-of-the-age period begins in the mid-20th Century and ends at the Second Coming. It is during this final phase of trial, temptation, or testing that becomes the focal point of Revelation as a "word from the Lord" is given to the church prior to His return.

## 2

## The Seven Letters

Chapters 1 – 4

The twenty-two chapters of Revelation are divided into three primary components: an introduction, the main body, and a conclusion. In that main body—chapters 5 through 20—are seven parallel and distinct visions, prophecies, of things to occur on earth.

### Introduction

Chapters 1 through 4 serve as a template text for the seven visions that follow—the proper organization of which being contingent upon the recognition of the structural patterns provided in the letters. These first four chapters form the introduction of Revelation. The actual content of the letters will be of lesser importance here in this introduction in favor of the configuration of the letters—though the content of the letters will be referred to frequently in the later seven visions; for only by first correctly distinguishing the patterns of the letters is their content more accurately later realized.

CHAPTER 1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants things which must shortly come to pass. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. (vv. 1-2)

_The Revelation of Jesus Christ_ has a double meaning: He is not only the author of the book, but also its subject matter; the book is of Him and about Him—just as the Gospel Age itself was begun by Him and is about Him (the Great Commission is 2000 years of talking about Him). This is a critical point of understanding and the reason John is later told in verse 19 to write the _things that he has seen, the things that are, and the things that shall be_. In other words, things in the past, present, and future. Things in the past from John's perspective in the First Century would be the First Advent of Jesus Christ, His ministry, the crucifixion and His resurrection. This book of _things_ occurring in the past, present, and future will describe the entirety of the Gospel Age. This Revelation is the _testimony of Jesus Christ_ —from Him and about Him—and as such was sent by Jesus Christ _by His angel_ to John; in this way the author of the revelation is signified, or made known, as the subject matter

Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (v. 3)

This preamble provides an important structural prompt: the inverse of this comes at the end of the book in chapter 22: there is a warning against adding to or removing from this book. This promise of a blessing at the start and warning of punishment at the end indicates an overarching parallel structure to the book of Revelation and allows for the anticipation of symmetrical arrangements within—not only internally to Revelation, but between Revelation and other major figures and events throughout the Scriptures as well, many of which will prove crucial to the understanding of these prophecies. (Words and phrases appearing in bold beginning in verse 4 will be compiled after verse 20)

John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; (v. 4)

And from Jesus Christ, who is the **faithful witness** , and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (vv. 5-6)

Note: Words appearing in bold beginning in verse 4 will be compiled after verse 20

_First begotten of the dead_ is a clear reference to the resurrection—the start of the age—while _washed us from our sins in His own blood_ is the ongoing work of the crucifixion during the Gospel Age. Those who are made clean through His atonement are _made kings and priests_ at the moment of salvation: by His shed blood for our sins "He has raised _us_ up together, and made _us_ sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6). Other translations will read _has made us a kingdom of priests_ ; whichever way, believers are a _royal priesthood_ , a _holy nation_ (1 Peter 2:9). This distinction made to the Israelites— _And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation_ (Exodus 19:6a)—is now given to the Gentiles: "I will call them My people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved" (Romans 9:25).

Behold, He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. (v. 7)

Verse seven depicts the end of the Gospel Age: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ _with clouds—every eye seeing Him_. Verses 5-7 list the major Gospel Age themes: resurrection, washing of our sins, Second Coming. The return of the Messiah will also be seen by _they that pierced Him_ ; "they" refers to a category of people: the Jews, the physical descendents of Abraham. When Jesus was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, the high priest asked Him, _Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed_? Jesus responded, "I am. And you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of Power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62). This verse, distinguishing _they which pierced Him_ from _every eye_ , is the first glimpse of a prophetic thread running throughout Revelation speaking to the salvation of the Jewish remnant at the end of the age.

'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,' says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. (v. 8)

Jesus Christ is the _Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end_ ; He is eternal, the beginning and end of everything: "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). Jesus is also the beginning and the end of the Gospel Age: it starts with Him and ends with Him. The terms Alpha and Omega will occur again at the end of the book in chapter 22 (four times total). He is at the beginning and the end of the book of Revelation, of which He is the author and subject matter. The Revelation is about Him: it is His testimony, from First Advent to Second Coming.

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (v. 9)

Like Moses exiled in the land of Midian, John is exiled to the Island of Patmos when he received this revelation. Also like Moses, John, at the end of Revelation, will be taken to a mountain and shown New Jerusalem.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, like a trumpet, (v. 10)

Saying, 'I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last;' and, 'What you see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.' (v. 11)

_Alpha_ and _Omega_ occur again with the synonyms _first_ and _last_ (parallel, recurring motifs); as with verses 5-7, the Gospel Age pattern is found in verses 8-11—these passages encompass the DNA of the book of Revelation:

5 – 7

Resurrection – Washing of our sins – Second Coming

8 – 11

Alpha – Testimony of Jesus Christ [on earth] – Omega

What John sees is to be written as a singular book, or scroll, to be sent to each church. Revelation is to be read in its entirety by all the churches. The seven churches are not receiving individualized letters so much as they [we] are all reading the same book since all seven letters together are needed in order to acquire the patterns and information with which Revelation is to be understood. What John begins seeing and recording is an elaborate description of Jesus:

And being turned, I saw **seven golden candlesticks**. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girded about the chest with a golden sash. (vv. 12-13)

His head and His hair was white like wool, as white as snow; and His **eyes were as a flame of fire** ; And His **feet were like fine brass** , as if burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. (vv. 14-15)

And He had in His right hand **seven stars** : and out of His mouth went a **sharp two-edged sword** : and His countenance was as the sun shining in its strength. (v. 16)

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, 'Fear not; I am **the first and the last:** I am **He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore** , Amen; and **have the keys of hell and of death**.' (vv. 17-18)

More descriptions of Jesus' metaphorical physical nature are provided; and like the preceding passage, these will be referred to again for a specific reason in the seven letters. Among these physical traits, He holds _seven golden candlesticks_ and _seven stars_ in His right hand. This _seven, seven_ pattern is intended to stand out in the mind's eye: the focus will be brought back to these candlesticks and stars only two verses later.

Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. (v. 19)

John is to write of things past, present, and future. This prophetic book is given to John after the life of Christ on earth and His resurrection; the Gospel Age has already begun, so some of that depicted in the visions is past—like the First Advent of Jesus Christ depicted at the start of the first vision.

The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks: The seven stars are **the** **angels of the seven churches** ; and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches. (v. 20)

First we are told the candlesticks and stars are mysteries, then we are immediately given the answers to these mysteries: angels and churches. This explanation comes so quickly that the reader is forced to question not only whether he actually had even determined there to be a mystery in the first place, but also why give the symbols at all if only to explain them a few short verses later? Why not just begin with the literal usage since there doesn't appear to be any relevant context in between? And just how does this revelation edify us? The stars are angels and the candlesticks are churches; how are we to incorporate these mysteries?

The resolution to these questions is to recognize this _mystery_ revealed as an indicator that Revelation will reveal itself. The answers to understanding it are to be found within it. That is the purpose of the seven letters section: they serve as a set of instructions on how to read the book of Revelation. Recall the words and phrases describing key characteristics of Jesus between verses 4 through 20:

Faithful Witness, v. 5

Seven golden candlesticks, v. 12

Eyes as a flame of fire, v. 14

Feet like fine brass, v. 15

Seven stars, v. 16

Sharp two-edged sword, v. 16

The First and the Last, vv. 11, 17

He that lives, and was dead, and is alive for evermore, v. 18

Has the keys to hell and death, v. 18

Angels of the seven churches, v. 20

Just as the names of the seven churches appear both in chapters one and two, so too will the above list of key characteristics; these will begin to _reveal the mystery_ of the pattern of Revelation.
CHAPTER 2

Each of the seven letters is written in exactly the same three-part format:

1) Introduction

2) Main body

3) Conclusion

Since it is the shortest, the letter to the church at Smyrna will be used as a sample.

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write; 'these things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and is alive; I know your works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but you are rich) and I know the blasphemy of them who say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days: be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; he that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death.' (2:8-11)

Here is the same letter separated into the three parts:

1

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; ' **these things says** the First and the Last, who was dead, and is alive;

2

**I know your works** , and tribulation, and poverty, (but you are rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days: be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.

3

**He that has an ear** , let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; **he that** **overcomes** shall not be hurt of the second death.

All seven letters contain these exact same phrases (bold) that distinguish the three sections.

### 1. Introduction

He that says...

In the introduction following the name of the church comes the phrase _these things says_. All of the seven letters begin this way, and each has a different way of referring to Jesus. To Smyrna it is _the First and the Last, who was dead, and is alive_. This provides a vital piece of understanding to take through the later visions: the names of people, entities, and institutions will not always be referred to in the same way in each vision; the names will change.

Here are the seven references to Jesus found in the seven introductions of the letters:

1) He that holds the seven stars in his right hand; who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.

2) The first and the last; who was dead, and is alive.

3) He who has the sharp sword with two edges.

4) The Son of God, who has his eyes a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.

5) He that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars.

6) He that is holy, He that is true; He that has the key of David, He that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens.

7) The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.

All of these characterizations of Jesus are to be found in the first chapter. For example, in the Smyrna introduction (#2 above) Jesus is the _first and the last_. Jesus refers to Himself in this way in Revelation 1 (see list of key characteristics). The Ephesus introduction begins with the _seven stars_ and the _seven candlesticks_ identifiers. These appear in the first verse of chapter 2—only one verse removed from the _mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks_ —at the end of chapter 1. So this prompt of embedded instruction is carried right into the first of the seven letters in order to convey the above information. These references to Jesus are designed to draw the readers' attention back to chapter 1; this is the beginning of a pattern that will gain significance as the book progresses.

End of chapter 1:

The mystery of the **seven stars** which you saw in My right hand, and the **seven golden candlesticks.** The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which you saw are the seven churches. (1:20)

Start of chapter 2; first letter, Ephesus:

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things says He that holds the **seven stars** in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the **seven golden candlesticks**. (2:1)

The introduction of the first letter points the reader's attention back to chapter 1—and to a context of _revealing a mystery_ , which also points ahead to the mystery of Revelation: the "sevens" here alluding to the forthcoming seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. When the seven letters are presented here in their entirety, the introductions will have an asterisk noting that identifier and its corresponding verse from chapter 1 like this:

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; 'these things says _the First and the Last_ *, who _was dead, and is alive_ *.' (Rev. 2:8)

* Rev. 1:11, 17, 18

The identifier _First and the Last_ found in the introduction is also found in chapter 1 verses 11 and 17. _Was dead and is alive_ is found in chapter 1:18.

Some of the connectivity between the introductions and chapter 1 are obvious, like _First and Last_ and _sharp two-edged sword_ , others though are not quite so. For example, in the sixth letter to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus is described as _He who has the key of David_. In chapter 1 Jesus tells us that He has _the keys of Hades and of death_. Different keys, but the concept of authority, or having the keys, is the parallel. This too is a lesson to remember: when navigating the seven visions, making connections between entities will sometimes be obvious and easy, while other times more thought will be required.

Note: Three of the introductions have a split identifier; that is, the description of Jesus appears partly in chapter 1 and again, the other part, at the end of Revelation. The significance of this will be taken up at the end of the book.

### 2. Main Body

I know your works...

The main body of each letter begins with _I know your works_. Then follows a list of positive and negative traits associated with each church. These traits will form a type of connective tissue to the other letters: words and themes found in one letter will also be found in other letters. The most conspicuous example of this, the biggest tip-off, is the so-called _synagogue of Satan_ found initially in the Smyrna sample letter. This phrase _synagogue of Satan_ is also found in the sixth letter to the church at Philadelphia. Those connecting themes will be presented here with a superscript number indicating the number of the corresponding letter in which the concept also appears:

I know your works, and **tribulation** (4), and **poverty** (7), (but you are **rich** (7)) and I know the **blasphemy** (6) of them which **say they are Jews, and are not** (1), but are the **synagogue of Satan** (6). Fear none of those things which you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may **be tried** (6); and you shall have **tribulation ten days** (6): be faithful unto death, and I will give you a **crown** (6) of life. (Rev. 2:9-10)

The (6) after _synagogue of Satan_ above means that these terms are also found in the sixth letter, the church at Philadelphia. However, in the letter to Smyrna the word _Jews_ appears prior to _synagogue of Satan_ ; in the letter to Philadelphia _synagogue of Satan_ appears prior to the word _Jews_. These motifs are in reverse parallel order:

Jews – Synagogue

Synagogue - Jews

### Chiasmus

This reverse-parallel literary structure is known as a chiasmus (chi = x). Jesus said, in Matthew 10:39 for example, "He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for My sake shall find it." The terms find and lose are reversed in the second clause, forming the X when connected.

A) Find

B) Lose

B1) Lose

A1) Find

The seven letters with interconnected motifs prefigure the interconnected motifs of the seven visions in the main body of Revelation: chapters 5 – 20. Connecting motifs will not always be exact matching terms though—a _beast_ will not always be called a _beast_ , for example. Numbers will appear in different forms as well (42 months and 1260 days, for example).

### 3. Conclusion

He that has an ear... He that overcomes...

The conclusions of each letter are distinguished in two ways:

a) The first three conclusions begin with _He that has an ear_... followed by _He that overcomes_...

b) The fourth through the seventh conclusions begin with _He that overcomes_... followed by _He that has an ear_...

(The reversal of the distinguishing phrases from the fourth letter onward is part of an important pattern that will be examined in a later chapter.) Each conclusion contains a promise to those who overcome. These promises are fulfilled in the afterlife, in Heaven. He who overcomes...

1) Will eat of the tree of life, in the midst of the paradise of God.

2) Will not be hurt of the second death.

3) Will eat of the hidden manna, and will be given a white stone; and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that received it.

4) Will be given authority over the nations and the morning star.

5) Will be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.

6) Will be made a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name.

7) Will sit with Him in His throne.

Just as the references to Jesus from the introductions were all found in the first chapter, the beginning, of Revelation, the rewards to those who overcome in the conclusions are found at the end of Revelation in chapters 21 and 22. These notations will be indicated by a double asterisk as below.

He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; he that overcomes shall not be hurt of the _second death_ **. (Rev. 2:11)

** Rev. 21:8

CHAPTERS 2 and 3

### (1) Ephesus
Chapter 2:1-7

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write; 'these things says He that holds the **seven** (5) _stars_ in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the **seven** (5) golden _candlesticks_ *.

I know your works, your labor, and your **patience** (4), and how you cannot bear them who are evil: and you have tried them which **say they are apostles, and are not** (2), and have found them **liars** (6): And have **persevered** (6), and have patience, and for My name's sake have labored, and have not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and **repent** (3), and do the first works; **or else I will come to you quickly** (3), and will remove your candlestick out of its place, unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the **Nicolaitans** (3), which I also hate.

He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the _Tree of Life_ **, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.'

* Rev. 1:13,16

** Rev. 22:2

### (2) Smyrna
Chapter 2:8-11

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write; 'these things says the First and the Last ***** , who was dead, and is alive *****.

I know your works, and **tribulation** (4), and **poverty** (7), (but you are **rich** (7)) and I know the **blasphemy** (6) of them which **say they are Jews, and are not** (1), but are the **synagogue of Satan** (6). Fear none of those things which you shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be **tried** (6); and you shall have **tribulation ten days** (6): be faithful unto death, and I will give you a **crown** (6) of life.

He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; he that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death**.'

* Rev. 1:11, 17, 18

** Rev. 21:8

Smyrna and Philadelphia have split identifiers in their introductions, meaning the descriptor of Jesus appears both in the introduction of Revelation as well as its conclusion: in this case _the First and the Last_ appears in chapter 1 and again in chapter 22:13. The significance of these two letters will be highlighted later.

### (3) Pergamos
Chapter 2:12-17

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; 'these things says He who has the _sharp sword with two edges_ *.

I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan's seat is: and you hold fast My name, and have **not denied My faith** (6), even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there them that hold the doctrine of **Balaam** (4), who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to **eat things sacrificed to idols** (4), and to commit **fornication** (4). So have you also them that hold the doctrine of the **Nicolaitans** (1), which thing I hate. **Repent; or else I will come to you quickly** (1), and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a **new name** (6)** written, which no man knows saving he that receives it.'

* Rev. 1:16

** Rev. 22:4

### (4) Thyatira
Chapter 2:18-28

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write; 'these things says the Son of God, who has _eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass*_.

I know your works, and charity, and service, and faith, and your **patience** (1), and your works; and the **last to be more than the first** (2). Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman **Jezebel** (3), who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit **fornication** (3), and to **eat things sacrificed to idols** (3). And I gave her time to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great **tribulation** (2), except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts: and I will give to every one of you according to your works. But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But **that which you have already hold fast** (6) till I come.

And he that overcomes, and keeps My works to the end, to him will I give power over the nations: ' _And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to pieces_ : Even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the _morning star_ **.'

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

* Rev. 1:14-15

** Rev. 22:16

### (5) Sardis
Chapter 3:1-5

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write; 'these things says He that has the **seven** (1) **Spirits of God** , and the **seven** (1) **stars** *.

I know you works, that you have a name that **you are alive, but are dead** (2). Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore you shall not watch, **I will come on you as a thief** (6), and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their **garments** (7); and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.

He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in **white garments** (7); and I will not blot out his name out of the _book of life_ **, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.'

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

* Rev. 1:4,16

** Rev. 22:19

### (6) Philadelphia
Chapter 3:7-12

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; 'these things says He that is holy, He that is true, He that has the _key_ * of David, He that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens.

I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open **door** (7), and no man can shut it: for you have little strength, and have kept My word, and have **not denied My name** (3). Behold, I will make them of the **synagogue of Satan** (2), which **say they are Jews, and are not** (2), but do **lie** (1); behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have **kept the word of My patience** (1), I also will keep you from the **hour of trial** (2), which shall come upon all the world, to **try them** (2) that dwell upon the earth. **Behold, I come quickly** (5): **hold that fast which you have** (4), that no man take your **crown** (2).

Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is _new Jerusalem_ **, which comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My **new name** (3)'

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

* Rev. 1:18

** Rev. 21:2

_The key of David: key_ appears in chapter 1; _David_ in 22:16

### (7) Laodicea
Chapter 3:14-21

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; 'these things says the Amen, the _Faithful and True Witness*_ , the beginning of the creation of God.

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would rather you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am **rich** (2), and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and **poor** (2), and blind, and naked: I counsel you to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and **white garments** (5), that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with salve, that thou may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the **door** (6), and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.

To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His _throne_ **.'

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

* Rev. 1:5

** Rev. 22:3

### Seven Deceptions

Each of the seven churches has something about it that is not what it appears. Each has some sort of deception or misconception about members or associates of the church:

1) Ephesus: Those who say they are apostles, but are not. Liars.

2) Smyrna: Those who say they are Jews, but are not. Blasphemers. [Material] poverty, but [spiritual] riches.

3) Pergamos: False doctrine (Balaam).

4) Thyatira: False prophetess (Jezebel).

5) Sardis: A reputation of being alive, but are [spiritually] dead.

6) Philadelphia: Those who say they are Jews, but are not. Liars.

7) Laodicea: [Materially] rich, but [spiritually] poor.

Each of the churches is associated with an outward appearance that is contrasted with its inward nature. There would undoubtedly be a dual purpose for these traits, both practical and contextual. On the practical side, this reinforces the message throughout the New Testament that God knows the heart condition and is not at all convinced by one's outward pretentions. However, as a guide for the upcoming seven visions, this warns of the highly symbolic nature of the visions ahead. Things are not what they seem at first glance. This is a reasonable starting assumption as the pattern of false appearances is followed even through the two churches that are not told to repent: Smyrna and Philadelphia. The Lord's revelation to His church and about His church are inextricably joined just as Christ as author and subject of Revelation.

CHAPTER 4

Moving into the fourth chapter, keep the letters pattern still in mind:

1) Introduction (Jesus)

2) Main Body (Interconnected)

3) Conclusion (Heaven)

Chapter 1 listed descriptions of Jesus and His instruction to write (the introduction). If chapters 2 and 3 (the letters) are the main body, then it can be assumed that chapter 4 will depict a heavenly scene (the conclusion).

### Come Up Here

After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must be hereafter.' (v.1)

John sees a door opened in heaven, then hears a voice like a trumpet telling him to _come up_ [to heaven]. This passage, this sequence of events, is paramount in understanding the end of the age depicted in the later visions of Revelation.

And immediately I was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. (v.2)

John was taken up into heaven _in the spirit_ —like Paul who said he was _caught up into the third heaven_ , i.e., above the firmament (2 Cor. 2:12). This fulfills the third part of the Revelation pattern: Jesus, main body, heaven.

In chapter 1, the introductory section, the _seven stars and seven candlesticks_ connected the introduction chapter with the introduction of the letters. In this chapter, the conclusion of the pattern (heaven) in connected to the conclusion of the letters section with the words _door_ and _throne_ —i.e., the door to God's throne in heaven. _Door_ appears twice at the end of the main body of the letter to Loadicea (and once to Philadelphia), and _throne_ appears twice in its conclusion; _door_ and _throne_ then appear in these first two verses of chapter 4, wherein John has a vision of God's throne in heaven.

### The Throne

And He that sat was like a jasper and a sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

And out of the throne proceeded lightning and thundering and voices; and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal. (vv. 3-6a)

God is described as having the appearance of precious stones: jasper and sardine (ruby)—two of the twelve stones worn on the priests' breastplate (Exodus 20). A rainbow, or halo ( _iris_ ; 2463) of emerald surrounds His throne (another of the priestly twelve stones). Incidentally, earth's atmospheric event around the Arctic Circle is a greenish corona of light known as an aurora borealis, or northern lights.

The 24 elders represent the 12 leaders from the Old Testament and the 12 apostles from the New—this understanding comes in chapter 21 when the 12 tribes and 12 apostles are found to be fundamental to the architecture of New Jerusalem—as are the precious stones mentioned.

The _seven Spirits of God_ , Holy Spirit, are represented as _lamps of fire_. In Ezekiel's vision of the four cherubim carrying the likeness of the firmament and the throne of God, fire moved around and between the cherubim: "As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps; it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning" (1:13). This is the Holy Spirit that appeared as _tongues of flaming fire_ on Pentecost (Acts 2:3).

These seven Spirits of God are then often interpreted as the seven-fold Spirit of God, or the Holy Spirit displaying His seven functions, or roles. The contention here, however, is that the phrase _seven Spirits of God_ is explaining a mystery as found at the end of chapter one: _the mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks_ representing the seven angels and the seven churches (v.20). These seven angels in heaven presiding over seven churches on earth will help illuminate a mystery in Chapter 12.

### The Celestial Plane

And before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (v.6)

This sea of glass is the _surface of the deep_ from the creation account: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).

The depth and extent of this sea are unknowable, presumably infinite, but it is in this that God created an expanse called heaven (the first heaven, our atmosphere): "And God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters'" (Gen. 1:6).

While a meager attempt to illustrate the text, it seems most likely that an expanse within water would be spherical; within this expanse, our universe, God then _gathered together_ the earth, seas, and vegetation on the third day of creation.

From John's (and our) upward perspective, the _sea of glass like crystal_ is the surface of _the waters above_ (Gen. 1:7) on which the throne of God sits; thus, he was told to _come up here_ [to the third heaven].

Ezekiel saw this sapphire crystal expanse with a throne above the four cherubim: "And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it" (Ezekiel 1:26).

Moses, too, saw a semblance of this crystalline expanse when he, the priests and elders were, like John, told to "Come up to the Lord" on the mountain (Exodus 24:1): "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in His clearness" (Ex. 24:10).

Passage through the firmament required an _open door_ (v. 1) even though John was in the spirit. This passageway to the heavens is the door Jesus said He is: "Then said Jesus to them again, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep'" (John 10:7). This is the open door set before the church of Philadelphia (Rev. 3:8), yet closed to the church of Laodicea—upon which Jesus knocks (Rev. 3:20). Though Jesus uses the term "door" figuratively of Himself to mean it is He—faith in Him—that allows passage into heaven, the passageway to the Father itself is literal.

Ezekiel's vision (as well as John's) began when he saw that _the heavens were opened_ (v.1). Elijah's ascent would have required an opening: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). John will later again see heaven opened before his vision of the Second Coming; this opening of heaven will be depicted at the 6th Seal as the sky being rolled up.

### The Throne Attendants

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (v. 7)

These four beasts are living creatures, or living beings ( _zóon_ ; 2226) having four characteristics. In Ezekiel's vision each of the cherub displays these four characteristics as four faces: "As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle" (Ezekiel 1:10).

In verse seven, only one is described as having _a face as a man_ , the rest are like a lion, calf, and eagle.

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.' (v. 8)

And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who lives forever and ever. (v. 9)

Each of the four beings has six wings. Isaiah uses the term _seraphim_ to describe being having six wings: "Above [the throne] stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly" (Isaiah 6:2). Ezekiel, though, uses the term _cherubim_ for beings having four wings and four faces: man, lion, ox, and eagle. John sees near the throne four being having six wings of the seraphim and the four faces of the cherubim.

The number of wings is a formality since, in Isaiah, two are covering the face and two covering the feet—thus leaving two _like an eagle_. A _seraph_ (8314) is a fiery, or venomous, serpent: "And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died" (Numbers 21:6). Since the term _seraphim_ is used only in the book of Isaiah, _cherubim_ is used throughout the Old Testament, it is likely that Isaiah was describing the form and appearance of the cherubim.

Satan is, or was, one of these seraphim—an angelic being once close to God's throne—that is why Jesus saw him, the serpent of Genesis, _fall from heaven like lightning_ [] (Luke 10:18). In Revelation 12, Satan is described as _that old serpent_ (v. 9). Likewise, the angel who descended from heaven and rolled away the stone from Jesus' tomb had a _countenance like lightning_ (Matthew 28:3)—a _form_ or _appearance_ like lightning ( _idea_ ; 2397).

The wings of the creature are _full of eyes_ —a characteristic of angelic beings as _watchers_ : "I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven" (Daniel 4:13). These four living creatures watch over the throne of God and _never rest day or night_ just as cherubim guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden after the fall: "So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24).

### God's Chariot

In Revelation, John sees the four throne attendants above the firmament since he was taken up to heaven; Ezekiel's vision of the throne was on earth and had the cherubim below the firmament as though transporting it—hence the wheels. This notion of transportation in also found when David _called upon the Lord_ : "He bowed the heavens also and came down, and darkness was under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind" (Psalm 18:9-10).

Again in Psalm 104: "Who covers Himself with light as with a garment; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain: who lays the beams of his [upper] chambers in the waters; who makes the clouds His chariot; who walks upon the wings of the wind; Who makes His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire" (vv. 2-4).

Transportation is often a symbol of authority; when Joseph was promoted to second over all of Egypt, he was given Pharaoh's signet ring, fine clothes, a gold chain, "and [Pharaoh] made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, 'Bow the knee' and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt" (Genesis 41:43). In keeping with this picture of rule and royalty, when Jesus is shown moving between heaven and earth it is on a white cloud or a white horse. He doesn't need transportation, it is but a requirement of His power and authority: _Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming, meek, and sitting upon a donkey—a colt of a beast of burden'_ (Matthew 21:5). As He rode toward Jerusalem: "The multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, 'Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest'" (Matt. 21:9).

The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne, and worship Him that lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You have created all things, and for Your pleasure they are and were created." (vv. 10-11)

Heaven is the context, but God on His throne is the centerpiece of the chapter. Given that the template of Revelation is the template of the Gospel Age, _falling down_ at the end is a prophetic passage. And not just at the judgment throne either, but on earth as well. As the start of chapter 4 alludes, a revelation of the place of God's throne will be given to the church. Everyone will fall before it.

The template of the introduction:

1) Introduction. Chapter 1: picture of Jesus.

2) Main Body. Chapters 2 and 3: the seven letters.

3) Conclusion. Chapter 4: heaven.

A diagram of the seven letters' structure turned on its side can be superimposed over the first four chapters of Revelation:

Chapter 1 is the introduction: Jesus Christ as the subject.

Chapters 2 and 3 are the main body: the seven interconnected letters.

Chapter 4 is the conclusion: the heavenly scene.

These first four chapters, the introduction, are the guide with which to read the rest of the prophecy. The 22 chapters of Revelation can be divided into these three main segments:
Part 1. Chapters 1 – 4: Introduction (Jesus)

Part 2. Chapters 5 – 20: Main Body (Seven Visions)

Part 3. Chapters 21– 22: Conclusion (Heaven)

The three-part pattern—introduction, main body, conclusion—found in the seven letters to the churches applies as a structural template to not only the entirety of Revelation, but to each of the three parts themselves. They are listed here as a reference point for later use.

The seven visions of the Main Body of Revelation—chapters 6 through 20:10—are as follows:

### The Seven Visions

1) Chapters 6 – 8:1

2) Chapters 8:2 – 11

3) Chapters 12 – 14

4) Chapters 15 – 16

5) Chapters 17 – 18

6) Chapter 19

7) Chapter 20:1-10

## 3

## First Vision: Seals

Chapters 5 – 8:1

At the start of chapter 5 John is still in the heavenly setting. Heavenly scenes are the demarcation zones of visions; the heavenly setting of chapters 4 and 5 separates the seven letters from the seven visions. But just prior to the first vision on earth, John sees God holding a book sealed with seven seals.

### Introduction

And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. (v. 1)

There is some disappointment that no one can open the book:

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. (vv. 2-4)

The angel's question is rhetorical, merely a building of anticipation for the One who is worthy. Recall that the template established in chapters 1 – 4 begins with Jesus Christ. If this template is to be overlaid onto chapters 5 – 22 as posited earlier, then Jesus needs to be the focal point of chapter 5; thus:

### The Lamb of God

And one of the elders said to me, "Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. (vv. 5-6 )

This is the resurrected Christ, the Lamb that was slain. As in the letters, He is not named but described as the _Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David_. He having prevailed on Calvary has the authority to open the book. When Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples in Galilee, He told them, _All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth_. This authority will figure prominently throughout the visions that follow as the supernatural repercussions of His resurrection are a crucial element to the Gospel Age.

And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne. (v. 7)

Jesus takes the book, or scroll, but He won't open it until the next chapter; though when He does take it singing, worship and praise occupy the rest of the chapter.

And when He had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sang a new song, saying, "You are worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. And have made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (vv. 8-10)

By taking the book, Jesus becomes the focal point of not only the chapter but also the praise and honor of the four beasts and 24 elders.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders. And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

_Ten thousand times ten thousand_ equals 100 million, but the _and thousands of thousands_ renders this an incalculably huge number of angels encircling the throne. These _thousands_ set a precedent of sorts concerning the figure, which appears frequently, and often in clusters, throughout Revelation: none of them are intended to be taken literally. They do, of course refer to specific quantities or durations, but these are not here disclosed to the reader.

Saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing."

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be to Him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever."

And the four beasts said, "Amen." And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that lives forever and ever. (vv. 11-14)

Before starting chapter 6, recall the template from the letters sections:

1) Introduction (Jesus). Chapter 5 introduced the Lamb worthy to open the scroll.

2) Main body. The seven letters will now be replaced with seven visions beginning in chapter 6.

3) Conclusion (Heaven)

With the introduction satisfied, the first vision begins.
CHAPTER 6

### 1st Seal

The Messiah

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, "Come and see." And I saw, and behold a white horse; and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given to Him: and He went forth conquering, and to conquer. (vv. 1-2)

The 1st Seal describes the First Advent of Jesus Christ using three primary symbols: white, bow, and crown.

A) **White**. White represents purity, holiness, righteousness: "He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels" (Rev. 3:5).

B) **Bow**. The bow is the symbol for the New Covenant. The Greek for bow is _toxon_ (5115), and this is the only usage in the New Testament. However, the Hebrew, _qesheth_ (7198), is used for a rainbow or hunting-type bow in Genesis: "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth" (Gen. 9:16). Jesus will later be seen in chapter 10 surrounded by a rainbow. But in chapter 6, He carries carries a hunting-type bow in the context of this covenant _conquering_.

C) **Crown**. This crown is _stephanos_ (4735), as opposed to _diadem_ found in other verses. _Stephanos_ is a garland-style crown given in honor of a victory, while _diadem_ is the more traditional crown of royalty that a king would wear. Revelation 19 will depict Him wearing the other kind of crown: at His Second Coming He will be riding a white horse and on His head will be _many crowns_ ( _diadems_ ). Chapter 6 though is describing His First Advent and in keeping with the humility of His earthly mission uses _stephanos_ as an allusion to the crown of thorns.

What this righteous King conquered ( _prevailed_ in chapter 5) with His covenant was sin, death, the grave. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15). The bow, the New Covenant, conquers death for all that believe in Him, they have eternal life.

These 1st Seal symbols—white, crown, bow—portray a clear picture of Jesus Christ, the _righteous king who conquered death_. At His Second Coming, these same three symbols (white, crown, a curved tool) will be used in chapters 14 and 19. These later passages will serve a "two witnesses" function (Matthew 18:16) in confirming the identity of this first horseman as Jesus Christ Himself.

This first seal is introduced by one of the four beasts—living creatures/cherubim—or throne attendants, then depicts a horse and rider ( _He_ _rode upon a cherub_ ; Psalm 18), which the symbols reveal as Jesus Christ. The first four seals are identical in this way: cherubim, _come and see_ , horse and rider.

### 2nd Seal

The War between Kingdoms

And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, "Come and see." And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. And there was given unto him a great sword. (vv. 3-4)

When this second seal is opened the beast again says, _Come and see_. This will only be said of the first four seals creating a tetrad, or group of four.

This red horse is war. Peace taken from the earth. This war refers to the spread of the gospel. Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to bring peace on earth; I came not to bring peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household" (Matthew 10:34-36). The gospel message divides men because the world hates the light: "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and you will be hated of all nations for My name's sake" (Matthew 24:9).

This war is the conflict on earth between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of darkness.

### 3rd Seal

Plundering the Enemy's Kingdom

And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, "Come and see." And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, "A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius. But do not hurt the oil and the wine." (vv. 5-6)

The 3rd Seal depicts famine. The scales and the costs (a denarius equaled a day's wage) allude to the famine in Samaria when under siege by the Syrians: "And there was a great famine in Samaria; and, behold, they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver" (2 Kings 6:25).

The prophet Elisha, however, said there would be plenty in Samaria: "Then Elisha said, 'Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the LORD, "Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria"'" (2 Kings 7:1).

The provisions of Elisha's prophecy came by plundering the enemy's camp—left unoccupied after the Syrians fled in fear: _For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots, of horses, even the noise of a great army_ (2 Kings 7:6). When a group of lepers had discovered the empty camp, they said to each other, _this is a day of good news_ (7:9). Plundering the enemy's camp is to plunder the strong man's house: "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and plunder his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will plunder his house" (Mark 3:27).

After David killed the Philistine strong man—their champion, Goliath—their camp was plundered: "And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents" (1 Samuel 17:53).

The strong man is Satan; his camp, or house, is the domain of darkness: "God has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). The Messiah's gospel saves in that by putting one's faith in His propitiating death on the cross ownership is transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of heaven. Satan was bound when Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected; the enemy's camp is plundered throughout the Gospel Age.

The rider's scales represent these two kingdoms. At the start of the Gospel Age, the 1st Century, the kingdom of darkness far outweighs the kingdom of Christ: _the harvest is great but the workers are few_ (Matthew 9:37). At the end of the age, an angel described the harvest as being ripe for the returning Christ: "Thrust in Your sickle, and reap: for the time is come for You to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15b).

### Oil and Wine

_Do not hurt the oil and wine_ refers to the second greatest commandment: _You shall love your neighbor as yourself_ (Matthew 22:37). When asked "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded with a parable (Luke 10:30-37). A man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho was beaten, robbed, and left half dead on the side of the road. After a priest and Levite passed the man by on the opposite side, a Samaritan came along and had compassion on him. The Samaritan treated the wounds with oil and wine, bandaged them, and took the man to an inn paying all the expenses (the Samaritan gave the innkeeper two denarii—the same amount as the cost of _the measure of wheat and three measures of barley_ ).

The man was heading toward the "accursed" city devoted to destruction (Joshua 6:17) when wounded by the enemy. Half-dead is the default condition: physically alive, but spiritually dead. The Old Covenant, the priest and Levite, could not save the man. It was compassion and mercy that treated the man's wounds expressed through the body of Christ. The wounded man was transferred to the inn to heal, the cost deferred to another.

### 4th Seal

The Bad News

And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth. (vv. 7-8)

This pale horse signifies Death and Hell, the keys to which Jesus said He had in chapter 1: "I am He that lives, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (v.18). Jesus, the first horseman, has authority over this fourth horseman—the fourth aspect of the Gospel Age.

Death comes in the form of the sword, famine, pestilence, and beasts: the _four severe judgments_ of God concerning persistent unfaithfulness: "For thus says the Lord God; 'How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?'" (Ezekiel 14:21).

The first three seals represented the gospel message, the good news. This fourth horseman is the bad news, for those who reject Christ as the Messiah: "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city" (Matthew 10:14-15).

"Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not: 'Woe unto you, Chorazin! Woe unto you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which are exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day'" (Matthew 11:21-23).

"Come and See"

These first four seals all signify the start of the Gospel Age, the First Advent of Jesus Christ. The _Lamb_ (Rev. 5) and _come and see_ (Rev. 6) sequence mirror the start of Jesus' earthly ministry in the Gospel of John. When John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching he told the two disciples, "Behold, the lamb of God" (John 1:36). The two disciples followed Jesus and asked Him where He was staying; Jesus replied, "Come and see" (v.39). Later in the same chapter Philip told Nathanael "We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (v.45). Nathanael responded, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (v.46)—to which Philip replied, "Come and see" (v.46).

The epicenter of the Gospel Age is Jerusalem, where the Holy Spirit was given to the corporate body of Christ on the day of Pentecost, and spread outward from there.

The 4th Horseman is given _power over the fourth part of the earth_ for this reason: the spread of the gospel begins in a small area of the world and moves outward. The conflict is limited to the area in which the gospel message has spread—not general conflict that anyone can generate, but the severe hand of God Himself coming against that nation. Jerusalem, where the church began, was the first city to persecute Christians: "And Saul was consenting to [Stephen's] death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles" (Acts 8:1). Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.—and this prophesied by Jesus four decades in advance.

As the Gospel Age progresses the two kingdoms—the kingdom of darkness (Babylon) and the Kingdom of Heaven—will each continue toward greater organization, size, and knowledge— _growing together until the harvest_ (Matthew 13:30). Yet the surrounding environment, the earth, will be in steady degradation. One kingdom has a temporary dwelling place, earth; the other has an eternal one, Heaven.

### 5th Seal

Long Passage of Time

And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

And white robes were given to every one of them; and it was said to them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (vv. 9-11)

Unlike the first four seals, at this 5th Seal nothing happens other than the question being asked, _How long, O Lord...until you judge_. And neither is John told to _come and see_. In contrast, this seal is a heavenly scene wherein the martyrs seemingly inquire of God concerning His withholding of judgment—the martyrs asking as a surrogate for any Christian at any point during the age who wonders how long evil will continue on earth. And it isn't an unreasonable question either, since God doesn't rebuke them. The saints raise the question in order to provide the reader with the answer: _until the season is fulfilled_ , at which point judgment will come.

The word _long_ is used twice in the passage: _How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?_ (v.10). The saints are told to _rest a while longer_ (or _little season_ ). This season signifies a long span of time between the 4th and 6th Seals creates, as in the letters, a middle section between the Immanuel and heaven—a middle age between the beginning phase of the Gospel Age and the final phase. This middle age will be referred to as "the long passage of time."

### 6th Seal

The Final Phase

And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. (v. 12)

There is a _great earthquake_ upon opening this 6th Seal. Earthquakes in Revelation will represent transition points; here it is the transition from the middle (long passage of time) to the final phase of the age. The sun and moon being darkened characterize the state of the church at this point in time. The _light of the world_ (Matt. 5:14) has been diminished. In fact, later in Revelation the majority of the church will be described as dead, overcome by the darkness of the world.

The period of time from Pentecost to the sun and moon being darkened was marked out in the Joel 2 prophecy:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will **pour out My spirit** upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The **sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood** , before the great and the terrible day of the LORD comes" (Joel 2:28-31).

_Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke_ between these two points are symbols later found in the trumpets sequence.

### The Stars of Heaven

And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. (v. 13)

The _stars_ _falling to earth_ describe the salvation of the Jewish remnant at the end of the age. These _stars of heaven_ are the descendants of Abraham: _I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven_ (Genesis 22:17). God later promised Isaac, _I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven_ (Gen. 26:4a). These stars falling to the ground represent the sons of Jacob bowing to the Beloved Son—that is, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom they rejected.

In Genesis 37 the seventeen-year-old Joseph had two dreams: the first had the brothers as sheaves of wheat bowing to Joseph's sheaf. In the second dream, _the sun, moon, and stars were bowing to me_ (v. 9). His dreams came to pass in Egypt during the famine: "And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth" (Genesis 42:6). It was here that the stars, the descendents of Abraham, _fell to the earth_ before the favored son, Joseph—a type of Jesus Christ. Joseph knew who they were, but _they knew him not_. The prophecy was fulfilled before they recognized him. And so it is before the end of the age and His return: "For I say to you, you shall not see Me again until you say, 'Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord'" (Matthew 23:39). They, the remnant, will have a recognition of Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah before His return.

The stars, the Jewish remnant, fall like _unripe figs_ ( _olunthos_ ; 3653); these are the figs that failed to mature in due season. They hang to the tree through the winter (the time of the Gentiles; the long passage of time) then fall in the spring. Their falling is delayed.

### Heaven Opens

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (vv. 14-17)

The heavens—the firmament—opening as a scroll indicate Jesus' physical return to the earth, His Second Coming. The _heavens departing as a scroll_ is the point at which _every eye will see Him coming on clouds_ (Rev. 1:7). The heavens opening _like a scroll_ being rolled up describes the wave of the waters above being parted.

The entire world will have an instant and simultaneous revelation of Jesus Christ. Yet they will _mourn because of Him_ ; for those who rejected Him the time has expired and their eternal destiny awaits. Everyone on earth, from the kings down to the free men, is humbled or brought "down" by hiding in the ground. The _day of His wrath has come_ and everyone knows it.

Heavenly catastrophes, mountains and islands moving, and men hiding in fear are end-of-the-age motifs found in later passages to coordinate the end of visions.

The three events of the 6th Seal are:

1) The sun darkened, moon turned to blood: the start of the final phase.

2) The stars fall to earth: during the final phase.

3) The heavens depart as a scroll: the end of the phase and the Gospel Age.

CHAPTER 7

### Interlude – Voice from Heaven

Between the 6th and 7th Seals is an interlude which describes the 144,000 servants of God sealed in their foreheads. Interludes will be distinguished throughout Revelation as interlocutions within the heavenly realm—often praise directed at God by angels, but also information directed at God's people (John being the recipient on our behalf). It is the interlude, or _voice from heaven_ , later referred to as a "word from the Lord", that will solidify the reader's understanding of Revelation's primary function.

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (v. 1)

At the _four corners of the earth_ (i.e., the entire earth) the four winds are withheld, or restrained for a time. These four winds represent God's judgment on earth: "And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even My fierce anger, says the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them" (Jeremiah 49: 36-37).

Wind was also a factor in Job's testing: "And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell you" (Job 1:19).

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (vv. 2-3)

This angel, a voice from heaven, speaks to other angels on earth. The angel holding the seal basically tells them, "Don't do anything until we finish identifying our servants." This is the seal of ownership, belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven.

### The Overseers

Before God's wrath fell upon Jerusalem for the abominations that were being committed there, God took the prophet Ezekiel _up between earth and heaven_ (Ezekiel 8:3). God asked him: "Son of man, do you see what they're doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary?" (8:6). Because of the abominations described in Ezekiel 8, God said, "Therefore will I also deal in fury. My eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity. Though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I not hear them" (8:18).

Prior to His judgments enacted, God said in a loud voice: "Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, each with his destroying weapon in his hand" (9:1). Ezekiel then saw six men coming from the upper gate, which faces the north, each having a deadly weapon in hand. Like the four angels of Revelation 7, these six men were appointed, were given charge, authority, over the city ( _pequddah_ ; 6486). It was given to them to execute God's judgment.

There was, however, another man among the six overseers: _a_ _certain man clothed in linen_ (9:2). "And the Lord said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it'" (Ezekiel 9:4). To be _clothed in linen_ is to be clothed in righteousness; this seventh man must be Jesus Himself—who else can save one from God's wrath? Those who had been marked with the ink on the forehead were to be exempted from the slaying by the executioners.

During the Gospel Age, believers are sealed by the presence of the Holy Spirit: "In whom you also _trusted_ , after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). The saints of the Gospel Age, though, are sealed at the point of regeneration ( _you were sealed_ ); the presence of the Holy Spirit is the seal, not something that happens at the end of the age. These people, then, are the servants of God of the Old Covenant era.

### The Twelve Tribes

And I heard the number of them which were sealed: there were sealed a hundred and forty four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (v. 4)

These being sealed are the children of Israel who were/are saved, not by keeping the law, but by their faith in the Messiah who would come and take away the sins of the world.

They were saved the same way the New Covenant saints are, by faith alone, only they looked ahead to a savior and we look back. These too were pre-Pentecost saints, before the Holy Spirit was given to the body of Christ, thus "sealing" them, and necessitating a seal of God at the end of the age. The seal, however, does not save them; they were saved by grace through faith as are we. The sealing of the saints will serve as a counterpoint to the "marking" of those who worship the beast (the two kingdoms distinction).

Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

Manasseh now replaces the tribe of Dan from the Old Testament—just as Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot in Acts 1.

Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.

Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. (vv. 5-8)

Though the figure 144,000 is most certainly a symbolic figure, it represents a definite quantity from the twelve tribes, or a specific number of people as a remnant rather than a quantity left to chance.

Jesus said in John 14:3, "I go to prepare a place for you." This place is described in Revelation 21 as New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, having these pertinent features:

1) The twelve gates of the city have written on them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

2) The twelve foundations of the city have written on them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

3) The city is measured at 12,000 furlongs.

4) The wall is measured at 144 cubits.

Under the New Covenant there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:28), yet Revelation will frequently make a distinction between the two to emphasize God's redemptive plan throughout all of human history: from the calling of Abram, to the Patriarchs, to the apostles, to the salvation of the remnant of Israel at the end of the age. The figure 144,000 refers back to the children of Israel while alluding ahead to the remnant that will be saved:

"For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, 'There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.' As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but [concerning] election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes" (Romans 11:25-28).

### The Multitude

After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." (vv. 9-10)

This _great multitude_ is distinct from—and far greater than—the 144,000. These are people saved from Gentile nations—listed second according to the order in which the gospel of Christ was presented: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Saying, "Amen. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen." (vv. 11-12)

The angels surround the elders, the four beasts, and the throne of God; together they fall on their faces to worship God. Everyone falls before the throne of God—just as everyone on earth will fall, either in worship or in fear. The picture presented here is of an all-powerful, sovereign God administering His designs on earth according to His will—done on earth as it is in heaven.

And one of the elders asked me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes? And where did they come from?" (v. 13)

One of the twenty-four elders initiates dialogue with John focusing the text on the great multitude wearing white robes. These people standing and worshipping before the throne of God and the Lamb indicate those _plundered from the enemy's camp_ during the Gospel Age.

And I said to him, "Sir, you know."

And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sits on the throne shall dwell among them." (vv. 14-15)

There is no point in the Gospel Age when believers do not endure trials, temptations, and tribulations; all who profess to believe in Christ will endure tribulations because they _must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God_ (Acts 14:22b). Suffering is a necessary component of the sanctification process—the dying of the old man—hence the collocation of _great tribulation_ with _washing their robes_.

The context of this chapter, though, is just before the end of the Gospel Age and the Second Coming. There is a period of tribulation just before the end of the age. This period was described in the letter to Philadelphia as _the hour of trial_ , or testing: "Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10). This hour of temptation afflicts the whole world at the end of the age, in contrast to the _ten days of testing_ at the start of the Gospel Age that was limited in scope: "Fear none of those things which you shall suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life" (To the church at Smyrna; Rev. 2:10).

Later chapters will prove the pattern of the Gospel Age applies to the corporate body of Christ, and this corporate pattern applies to individual believers throughout the age. This pattern is based on the life of Christ who faced forty days of temptation in the wilderness at the start of His ministry (Matthew 4) then _an hour when darkness rules_ at the end (Luke 22:53). For these reasons, the great tribulation of Revelation 7 refers to a period at the end of the Gospel Age in the context of the corporate body of Christ worldwide, as well as the entire age of trials, temptations, and tribulations in the context of individual believers.

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat*. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes**." (vv. 16-17)

* cf. Isaiah 49:10

** cf. Isaiah 25:8

These future reference points are provided to indicate the final heavenly scene: _God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes_. These same characteristics appear in Revelation 21 and 22 in the description of New Jerusalem: no sun, the water of life, the Lamb's throne, and the wiping away of tears. As the letters pattern revealed, this is the heavenly conclusion of the interlude. If the pattern is being correctly interpreted here, then _the angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living God_ at the start of the interlude (7:2) would be a representation of Christ Himself—who else could carry the signet of God?

Seals: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (interlude) 7

CHAPTER 8

### 7th Seal

Sabbath

And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (8:1)

Genesis 2: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made" (vv. 1-3).

This Sabbath not only punctuates the end of the gospel season, but also reveals to us the nature of the seals visions in general: that is, a timeline. These seven seals represent the entire Gospel Age; therefore, everything else described in Revelation that happens on earth happens within this seal timeline or in a heavenly setting outside of it.

### 7:18

The 7th Seal should be the eighteenth verse of chapter 7 rather than the first verse of chapter 8. Its current location as 8:1 gives the impression that the 7th Seal is in some way related to or introduces the trumpets sequence that follows. But this is not the case.

The _silence in heaven_ is the heavenly conclusion of the three-part pattern of the first vision.

1) Introduction: the Lamb opens the first seal (6:1).

2) Main Body: the six seals, the Gospel Age.

3) Conclusion: the seventh seal, the end of the age (8:1).

## 4

## Matthew 24: Parallel Reading

These Things

And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple; and His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "See you not all these things? Verily I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." (vv. 1-2)

Jesus referred to the buildings of the temple as _these things_ and said they would be destroyed— _these things_ being a key phrase for later reference. His disciples responded with two questions:

And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?" (v. 3)

1) When will _these things_ be?

2) What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? This is a singular question as the two events are concurrent: the Second Coming is at the end of the age. Jesus answers these two questions with two parallel timelines extending from the present (First Century) to the end: His Second Coming. These two timelines will here be defined as Part 1 and Part 2.
PART 1

Verses 4 - 14

And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not troubled. For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (vv. 4-8)

Jesus is clearly referring to Seals 1 through 4 here: He (the 1st Seal) warns them of imposters coming in His name. War is the second; and famine is the third. _Pestilence_ would be a reference to the 4th Seal, but some translations do not include this in the text. These are again the four severe judgments of God (4th Seal).

_Earthquakes_ ( _seismos_ ; 4578) can represent any storm or commotion in general, i.e., "And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves; but He was asleep" (Matthew 8:24). Earthquakes, environmental breakdown, also allude to the fourth horseman, Death, who was given power over a quarter of the earth (Rev. 6:8).

These wars, famines, pestilence, and environmental calamities are merely the _beginning of sorrows._ These _sorrows_ ( _ódin_ ; 5604) are also _birth pangs_ , _labor pains_ , or _travails_. All of these terms are in harmony with that revealed in the Revelation narrative: throughout the Gospel Age the judgments will increase in frequency and intensity toward the end as the gospel is spread to the world; this is done to draw the desired number of people to salvation. Therefore, wars, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes are not themselves signs of the end of the age, but rather the preponderance of these is indicative of the end.

What's more, the increasing intensity of a condition does not necessarily presuppose a continuous increase in magnitude of an event; earthquakes, for example, need not continue upward on the Richter scale to 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, and so on. Earthquakes are destructive relative not only to their scale, or energy, but relative as well to the scale of development of the area in which it occurs. An 8.0 earthquake has far more damage potential in the 21st Century than one in the 8th Century.

This period is also be marked by affliction, death, and hatred.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you. And you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. (vv. 9-10)

### Counting the Cost

This describes the period of early persecution mentioned in the letter to the church at Smyrna: "The devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you will be tested. You will have tribulation ten days" (Rev. 2:10). There are _trials and tribulations_ experienced by Christians throughout the age, but this refers to the persecution of the early church in the first centuries.

These figurative ten days of tribulation endured by the early church at the start of the age are foreshadowed by the prophet Daniel. The young Daniel was one of the _sons of Israel_ recruited into a three-year training program to enter the service of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. But Daniel refused to be defiled with the king's delicacies and wine and asked to be given only vegetables and water for ten days: "Test your servants, I ask you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before you, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as you see, deal with your servants" (Daniel 1:12-13).

At the end of the ten days Daniel—along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—had a healthier countenance than the others who had taken the delicacies of Babylon. The four youths were _set apart_ , so to speak. And for this, "God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams" (Daniel 1:17).

Following His baptism Jesus Himself was taken into the wilderness for a period of temptation, or testing ( _peirasmos_ , 3986) at the start of His 3.5 year ministry. Whenever something new is introduced into a system it has to be tested—be it a car, software program, or a doctrine. But whenever that something new threatens the interests of the status quo (or at least is perceived as a threat) it is going to be tested via a campaign intended to eradicate it. This campaign of persecution was the 10 days the early church had to endure. Later examples will show—the exodus, David, Moses, Joseph, etc.—that whenever God separates someone for His purposes that separation is usually not without hostilities and trials.

_For which of you, intending to build a tower, doesn't sit down first and count the cost to see if he has enough to finish it_? (Luke 14:28). All believers must face a 10 days of testing during which they _count the cost_ of the journey with Christ they undertaking (Luke 14:28). If the new believer is not willing or able to be _faithful even to the point of death_ (Rev. 2:10) it is better to turn back at the start: "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them" (2 Peter 2:20-21).

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endures unto the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (vv. 11-14)

These things Jesus tells the disciples of can be understood as happening within the context of the extended 5th Seal period. There are several indicators above that refer to the _long passage of time_ :

1) Many false prophets will arise.

2) Enduring to the end.

3) The gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to the world.

None of these is a short-term event, but rather occur throughout the age. After these things comes the end—which He will describe in Part 2. And again, any chronology of events on earth that follow _the end_ must revert back to a time period prior to the end.

In the first timeline Jesus has front-loaded descriptions and events that pertain to the beginning of the age, while leaving scant details pertaining to the latter half—in Part 1, for example, Jesus addresses the conclusion of the age simply with _then the end will come_. The second timeline will be the opposite: as a response to the second question, the emphasis will be oriented more toward the end of the age. This is the structure of Revelation as well.

In comparing Matthew 24 to Revelation 6, symmetry is discovered wherein Jesus' first timeline describes Seals 1-4, then addresses the long passage of time of the 5th Seal. In Part 2, Jesus will pick up again with the false prophets (long passage of time) and continues to the 6th and 7th Seals.

Jesus resumes at the beginning of the age in a parallel narrative.
PART 2

Verses 15 - 31

When you therefore see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand). Then let them who are in Judaea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray that your flight is not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. (vv.15-20)

Jesus is again speaking of the beginning of the age in response to the disciples' question of when the temple would be destroyed. The abomination of desolation was the signal to leave Jerusalem. Jesus tells them to remember the prophecy given to Daniel; when they see this abomination standing in the holy place _,_ that is the warning to flee.

The Mark 13 passage reads the same: "But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains" (Mark 13:14).

But the corresponding chapter of Luke reads differently: "When you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is near" (Luke 21:20).

The term _abomination_ isn't used in Luke; the warning is when they see the city surrounded by armies. So the _abomination_ is associated with Jerusalem being _surrounded_ by armies. Therefore this holy place must be outside the city, hence the need for the _reader to understand_ in Matthew and Mark. The most probable conjunction of these occurs with the positioning of the Roman Tenth Legion ( _Legio X Fretensis_ ) on the Mount of Olives prior to the siege. One of the symbols of _Legio X_ —the tenth legion from the sea straits—was Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.

### The Mount of Olives

Mount Olivet is a _holy place_ in the same way that the Mount of Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:18) and Mount Horeb (Exodus 3:5) were holy: places where God manifested Himself to Man. It was from the Mount of Olives that the Messiah made His descent into Jerusalem riding a donkey: "And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen. Saying, 'Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest'" (Luke 18:37-38).

It was from the Mount of Olives that Jesus later ascended to heaven. It was from this Mount of Anointing that Jesus prophesied to His disciples in Matthew 24 (the Olivet Discourse) referring to this holy place.

This warning would not be limited to the small number of Christian believers at the time though. There must have been some prior understanding of Mount Olivet as a _holy place_ to effectively warn all inhabitants of Jerusalem. In 2 Samuel, when fleeing from Absalom, King David went to the summit of Mount Olivet— _where God was worshipped_ —to pray (15:32).

Olivet is likely the location of the _clean place outside the camp_ where the sin offering was made (Leviticus 4:12) as well as the Red Heifer sacrifice—also _outside the camp_ (Numbers 19). These offerings outside the camp foreshadow the suffering of Christ: "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate" (Hebrews 13:11-12).

The sacredness of this location is why King Solomon erected there altars to other gods, _abominations_ : "And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile" (2 Kings 23:13). The high places that Solomon had erected for other gods were later destroyed by King Josiah, _who turned to the Lord with all his heart_ (2 Kings 23:25).

After God had pronounced judgment on Israel, the prophet Ezekiel saw "the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city" (Ezekiel 11:23). Likewise, after He had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus rested on Olivet: "And in the day time He was teaching in the temple; and at night He went out, and abode in the mount that is called the Tount of Olives" (Luke 21:37).

The Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives represent the Old Covenant, New Covenant paradigm—the two sons: one born of the bondwoman, the other of the freewoman. "These things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai, which [bears children] to bondage, which is Hagar. For Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all" (Galatians 4:24-26). The Mount of Olives symbolizes New Jerusalem: freedom through promise.

The Mount of Olives is the likely place where our Lord was crucified. Golgotha, the place of the skull, would be where David buried Goliath's head: "And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem" (1 Samuel 17:54). As the Jebusites were in control of Jerusalem at the time, the head, like the abomination, would have been _outside the city_.

It was the Mount of Olives that was to be "defiled"; that is why both Matthew 24 and Mark 13 contain the parenthetical _let the reader understand_ —some thought is required, it isn't the temple. The Roman army stationed atop the Mount of Olives was the warning to flee Jerusalem before the temple and city were destroyed in 70 A.D.

Not only did this mountain serve as the place of warning to flee Jerusalem, but this _holy place_ also represents the way of escape provided by the New Covenant in which the saint flees from destruction. Just as the Red Sea was split to proved the Israelites a way of escape from the Egyptians, the Mount of Olives was split providing an avenue of escape for the believer: "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall split in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And you shall flee by the valley of the mountains" (Zechariah 14:4-5a).

The Mount of Olives was "split" when Jesus _yielded up His spirit_ on Calvary: "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were split" (Matthew 27:51). This figurative valley through Olivet represents salvation: the transferring of a soul from the authority of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13).

### The Shortening of Days

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (vv. 21-22)

This tribulation is the _10 days_ addressed in Part 1; the testing of the early church during the first three centuries A.D. The severity of the tribulations endured by the early church required miraculous intervention; the days were shortened for the elects' sake. The early Fourth Century saw a dramatic shift in the treatment of Christianity.

The end of the ten days tribulation (the "shortening" of days)

A.D. 311: Edict of Toleration; ended "The Great Persecution" of Christians (303-311) begun under Emperor Diocletian.

A.D. 313: Edict of Milan; legalized Christianity

A.D. 325: Council of Nicaea; established the Nicene Creed, a uniform Christian orthodoxy.

A.D. 380: Edict of Thessalonica; Christianity became the state religion.

This _shortening of days_ , the end of the _10 days tribulation,_ does not imply the end of physical persecution of Christians throughout the Gospel Age, for history proves that it not only continues but becomes more widespread. As per the examples given earlier, when a new product is developed it is tested with hard use to ensure that it is capable of withstanding hard use later. The 10 days of testing of the Church were to separate and purify her from worldly influences and attachments. When the gospel begins to spread throughout the world, it will be a pure gospel—not a gospel infected with the maladies listed in the seven letters: false prophets and their doctrines, spiritual fornication, idolatry, etc; the _lying apostles_ of Ephesus (Rev. 2:2), for example, would have quickly fallen away under the persecution.

For continuity between the timelines, a parallel to the _long passage of time_ in Part 1 is needed.

Then if any man says to you, 'Lo, here is Christ, or there;' believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before.

Wherefore if they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the desert;' go not forth. 'Behold, he is in the secret chambers;' believe it not. For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. (vv. 23-28)

He gives us a direct correlation from Part 1: false christs and prophets. False prophets are one of the dominant features of the age and are later portrayed as a _beast_ in Revelation. This also signals a shift in the enemy's tactics; since outright violence is typically ineffective, hard to sustain, and tends to solidify a position, a long, slow campaign of misdirection and corruption is implemented.

### The Hour of Trial

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (v. 29)

The _tribulation of those days_ refers to the long passage of time of the 5th Seal in which those _who had been slain for the word of God_ were told to rest. This is the second of three stages of the Gospel Age:

1) The ten days testing and tribulation (Rev. 2:10)

2) The long passage of time/tribulation

3) The hour of trial/temptation (Rev. 3:10)

The entire Gospel Age contains trials and tribulations for believers the age unfolds in these three distinct phases just as in the seven letters.

Mark's gospel echoes Matthew here: "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken" (Mark 13:24-25). Both gospels are describing the 6th Seal: "And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great **earthquake** ; and the **sun** became black as sackcloth of hair, and the **moon** became as blood; and the **stars** of heaven fell to the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind" (Rev. 6:12-13). The sun, moon, and stars mark the end of the long passage of time (5th Seal) and the start of the third and final phase of the age.

But where Matthew and Mark depict the long passage of time as _tribulation_ , Luke does not employ the term; rather, the corresponding chapter in Luke describes a _time of the Gentiles_. "Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24b). This time of the Gentiles—later quantified in Revelation as 42 months—is the length of time in which Jerusalem is _trodden under the Gentiles' feet_ —beginning with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. This time was fulfilled, ended, when the Jews returned to Jerusalem in 1967.

Following this fulfillment are signs in the sky: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:25-27).

Luke begins with the 6th Seal: _there will be_ _signs in the sun, moon, and stars_ , and ends with the Second Coming. But by _signs_ he is not referring to celestial matters predicting the end of the age; rather, he is referring to signs in what these symbols represent. The sun is darkened and the moon is not giving its light; in other words, _the light of the world_ (Matt. 5:14), the body of Christ, His church, is diminished. Revelation 11 will later describe the church as being dead having been overcome by the beast.

As first depicted at the 6th Seal, the stars falling to earth are the Jewish remnant bowing to the younger brother, or having a revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. The salvation of the remnant begins in the 20th Century—6th Seal—and culminates at the end of the age.

All three gospel writers mention the _powers of the heavens being shaken_ (the atmosphere) but only Luke gives an explanation as to what this means: distress of nations, sea and waves roaring, and men's hearts failing them in fear. These powers of the heavens _,_ or _spiritual forces in the heavenly realms_ (Eph. 6:12), are being _stirred up_ , or _agitated_ against God's people; for example: "But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came there also, and stirred up the people" (Acts 17:13). This indicates an increase in spiritual warfare, just as the angel Gabriel explained to Daniel:

"Then he said to me, 'Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to chasten yourself before God, your words were heard, and I am come for your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I was left there with the kings of Persia'" (Daniel: 10:12-13).

Prior to understanding was a stirring up of the spiritual forces.

### The Sign of the Son of Man

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (vv. 30-31)

Among the three parallel passages, only Matthew mentions _the sign of the Son of man_ between _the powers of heaven being shaken_ and _seeing the Son of man coming on clouds_. In other words, there will be a sign of the Son of man returning prior to His actual return. He does not, however, tell what the sign is. In verse 27 Jesus said His return would be _like lightning coming from the east and shining to the west_. And in Revelation 4, before he was called up, John saw a _door opened in heaven_ (v.1). It is likely that the sign of the Son of man is heaven opening and revealing the glory of Christ to the entire world just as He begins His descent for His people. John's vision of the Second Coming in chapter 19 will support this conclusion.

Then the world will see the Son of man coming on clouds. This is the harvest, or the gathering of His saints: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

### These Things/That Day

Returning to the two questions at the beginning of the chapter, the disciples were essentially asking, "When is the beginning, and when is the end?" Jesus responded with the three-part pattern of the Gospel Age. This second timeline, verses 15-31, can then be broken into three distinct sections:

A) The Destruction of Jerusalem

B) False Prophets: the long passage of time

C) The Second Coming

A

(Beginning of the age)

When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosever reads, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray you that your flight is not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

B

(Middle of the age)

Then if any man says to you, 'Look, here is Christ, or there'; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the desert;' go not forth: behold, 'He is in the secret chambers'; believe it not. For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wherever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

C

(End of the age)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Following the harvest of His elect, Jesus continues with a parable:

### These Things

Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh. So likewise you, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. (vv. 32-35)

Jesus is here referring back to the original question: _When will these things be_?—regarding the destruction of the temple. In other words, _When will the temple be destroyed_? The parable of the fig tree returns the context to the First Century. The leaves of the fig tree are analogous to the abomination of desolation, i.e., the warning. _This generation_ is the group of people to whom He was speaking—those living in the First Century. The temple was destroyed approximately four decades later, during _that_ generation's lifetime. _All these things_ refers to the events surrounding the destruction of the temple: the abomination of desolation, the siege of Jerusalem, and the persecution of the church. The siege of Jerusalem is the "it" that is near following the warning—some translations read "he" is near; that would be Titus, the Roman general who attacked Jerusalem.

Both the Old Covenant and New Covenant ages end with the symbol of the fig tree. Jesus' rebuking the fig tree upon His entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21 alludes to the end of the Old Covenant age while _summer being nigh_ points ahead to the new Gospel Age—ending with the unripe figs falling. The warning of this impending destruction Jesus said they would observe: _when you see the abomination_ (v. 15), and _when you see all these things_ (v. 33). The fact that they would see the warning of what was coming provides an important contrast to Jesus' next statement:

### That Day

But of that day and hour knows no man; no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (vv. 36-39)

In this passage Jesus has jumped ahead to the end of the age, the answer to their second question, _When will you return_? His return is also _the end_. Jesus used _the days of Noah_ as an analogous time of judgment. Noah knew the flood was coming, just not when. But God Himself provided Noah and his family a word as a warning before His wrath: _Come into the ark, you and your family...for in seven more days I will cause it to rain forty days and forty nights_ (Genesis 7:1, 4). Like Noah's family, the church will receive a word from the Lord prior to the end.

In Luke 17, Jesus uses both Noah and Lot as examples of the righteous being removed just before the wrath of God strikes: "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even so shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed" (vv. 29-30). Jesus tells them His return is not known by anyone except for the Father. He then makes a special point of emphasis that no one will know when _that day_ is coming.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord comes. (vv. 40-42)

Therefore be you also ready; for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes. (v. 44)

The phrase _watch therefore_ does not indicate something visible: "watch" is _grégoreó_ : to be awake, or vigilant (1127). That the _hour_ ( _hóra_ : hour, season, or space of time. 5610) of His return cannot be known is not in question.

Jesus made a clear distinction between the visible warning before the destruction of Jerusalem and the lack of a visible warning before the wrath of God at the end of the age. A visible warning is for anyone, believer and unbeliever alike. Any skeptic can hedge his bets until he sees something he can believe. But Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29b). The word is for the believer, not the skeptic. The first chapter of Revelation told us, "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written herein; for the time is at hand" (1:3).

## 5

## Second Vision: Trumpets

Chapters 8:2 – 11

With the 7th Seal (Rev. 8:1) concluding the first vision, the second vision begins in chapter 8:2. John is back in the heavenly setting—the demarcation zone of the visions.

### Prelude

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. (vv. 2-4)

After the seven angels with the seven trumpets are introduced, _another angel_ comes with a golden censer and throws it to the earth. This angel is Jesus Christ Himself, our High Priest offering the prayers of His saints before the throne of God in the heavenly Holy of Holies—the imagery here alluding to the earthly tabernacle: _having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold_ (Hebrews 9:4a). Christ is here on our behalf, having made a way for our prayers to enter this heavenly Holy of Holies: "By a new and living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh" (Hebrews 10:20).

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth. And there were voices, and thundering, and lightning, and an earthquake. And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. (vv. 5-6)

This censer moving toward earth directs the mind's eye from the heavenly realm back down to things happening on earth, thus indicating a new vision. And since anything happening on earth must be before the end as shown at the 7th Seal, it can be determined that this trumpets vision will be a parallel narrative to the seals vision—though not necessarily the same duration: parallelism does not imply an equal time span for subsequent visions. These trumpet symbols must fall somewhere after the 1st Seal and before or on the 7th Seal, during the Gospel Age.

### A Consuming Fire

1st Trumpet

**Earth** : 1/3 of trees and grass burned.

The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. (v. 7)

2nd Trumpet

**Seas** : 1/3 of seas turned to blood, 1/3 of fish die, 1/3 of ships destroyed.

And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. (vv. 8-9)

Where the first four seals described what was to happen on earth—the gospel and judgment—these trumpets tell the extent to which they are happening: advancing from 1/4 to 1/3 of the area of the earth.

Both trumpets involve blood; the first originating in heaven, the second the result of what comes from heaven. This blood signifies the blood of the New Covenant, the spread of the gospel across the earth: "For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). The destructive effects of these two trumpets signify the continuation of the 4th Seal; the good news for those who believe is never without the bad news for those who don't: "He that believes in Him is not condemned; but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

3rd Trumpet

**Fresh water** : 1/3 of rivers and springs become undrinkable.

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. (vv. 10-11)

This star from heaven is an angel; the burning lamp ( _lampas_ ; 2985) is one of the seven spirits of God from the fourth chapter: "and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God" (v.5).

The _fountains of water being made bitter_ refers to a false gospel. Fountains or spring of living waters are salvation: "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17). The river of living water is one of the central features of heaven: "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1).

Jesus the Messiah is the source and fountain of living water: "But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:11).

The Apostle Paul was astonished at how quickly the church at Galatia had turned _from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel_ (Galatians 1:6); there were some there who had perverted the gospel of Christ.

When the prophets of Jerusalem had become like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, or had become indistinguishable from the rest of the heathen world, God gave them wormwood: "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; 'Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land'" (Jeremiah 23:15).

Wormwood is judgment on those who would add to or take away from the pure gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote the Galatians that if anyone should preach, even an angel from heaven, _any other gospel than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed_ (Gal. 1:8). The _gall of bitterness_ was found in Simon after he tried to buy the gift of God (Acts 8). "Repent therefore of this your wickedness," Peter told him, "and pray to God, if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven" (8:22).

The bitter waters that kill many men is the notion that man has some part to contribute to his salvation; that the things of God can be obtained by human means—buying, or earning, salvation, for example. It is the false gospel of salvation by works. Wormwood is bitter water for the harlot, the bride gone astray.

### The Law of Jealousy

"This is the law of jealousy, when a wife goes aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled" (Numbers 5:29). If a man's wife were to have been unfaithful to her husband, or if the husband suspected infidelity in her, the husband was to bring the wife to the priest. The priest would give the woman bitter water to drink—bitter water that brings a curse. If the woman were clean—her husband merely jealous—the curse would not harm her. If, however, she had gone astray and been defiled with another man, "the water that causes the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot; and the woman shall be a curse among her people" (Num. 5:27).

The husband is jealous when his own wife goes after another man—not all women, or just certain kinds of women, but his own wife. God is the jealous husband when His wife goes after other gods or idols: "You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me" (Exodus 20:5).

God's wife in the Old Testament was Israel, who often played the harlot: "You have played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were insatiable; yea, you have played the harlot with them, and yet couldn't be satisfied" (Ezekiel 16:28).

In the New Covenant, Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom and His bride is His church: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25-27).

The Bride of Christ are those called and chosen to be sanctified for Him for the marriage supper of the lamb: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:7-8).

### Fire from Heaven

These first three trumpets are all burning: _hail and fire_ , _a great mountain burning_ , and _a star burning as a lamp_. The situation on earth deteriorates with each of these judgments: trees and grass, sea creatures and ships, and water and men. These first trumpets represent the consuming fire from heaven: "For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). "For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains" (Deut. 32:22).

These trumpets are the fire from the altar the angel threw down in the censer (v. 5). A _fire from heaven_ removes, or consumes, something from earth: "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house" (2 Chronicles 7:1). "And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Leviticus 9:23-24).

This period of time, the end of the first stage of the Gospel Age, will be referred to as the trumpets transition—also the end of the Classical Era. The major events of this period are:

1) The First Advent of Jesus Christ (1st Seal).

2) The establishment of the church and the spreading of the good news (2nd and 3rd Seals).

3) The siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple (4th Seal).

4) The fall of the Western Roman Empire (Trumpets 1 – 3).

4th Trumpet

**Heavens** : 1/3 of sun, moon, stars darkened.

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. (v. 12)

The fourth trumpet brings darkness. A dark age, the middle of the Gospel Age—the long passage of time from the seals sequence (5th Seal).

The end is come upon My people of Israel" God said to the prophet Amos, "I will not again pass by them anymore" (Amos 8:2b). God's people had become ripe for judgment because of their apostasy. He scattered them causing _the sun to go down at noon and darken the earth during the day_ : "Behold, the days come, says the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it" (Amos 8:11-12).

Trumpets 1 through 4—the consuming fire from heaven—resemble a "doomsday" scenario to accentuate the notion of destruction. Yet the destruction is limited to a third—judgment advancing in relation to the spread of the gospel: seals a quarter of the earth, trumpets a third. The period of these first four trumpets is 70 A.D. to approximately 500 A.D.—from the fall of Jerusalem to the fall of the Western Roman Empire. After establishing a New Covenant and a new temple—the body of Christ—God removes His house in Jerusalem using the Roman army. Then, as His body increases, God removes the "house" of the other gods: the Roman Empire, the sixth empire of the gods. These are the kingdoms of the gods of antiquity: Egypt's Ra, for example, or the Greek Olympians. These are the empires of the Mythic Age, before Christ.

It was during this Mythic Age that God set apart a special people for Himself: "For you are a holy people unto the LORD your God; the LORD has chosen you to be a special people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth" Deuteronomy 14:2).

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a dazzling statue with a gold head, silver shoulders and arms, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. These were the final four kingdoms of the Mythic Age—Babylon, Persia, Greek, and Roman—that fought against God by oppressing His people. In the dream a _stone cut out without human hands_ crushed the feet of the image (v.34).

Jesus Christ, the stone from Heaven, crushed the feet of the fourth kingdom of the gods, the Roman Empire (fourth in Daniel's dream, sixth in Revelation)—the latter stages of which were divided into east and west, the iron and clay. The fall of the western empire, the clay, was complete by the year 500, while the iron, the eastern empire, continued into the 15th Century.

"And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (v.35c). That _great mountain_ is the Kingdom of the Son (Col. 1:13): the Spirit of God dwelling with His people during the Gospel Age.

With this rise in the influence of Christianity comes the demise in the gods of antiquity: the destruction of the "kingdom of the gods". The oncoming Middle, or dark, Ages—the long passage of time, or long period of forgetting—will ensure the dissolution of these gods into the realm of primitive superstition. And though rulers would come that would "Christianize" a people just as violently as previous Christians were persecuted, the concept of the Christian King would be the new normal in medieval Europe.

The Kingdom of God, however, _does not come with observation_ (Luke 17:20). Neither Byzantium nor the Holy Roman Empire is the kingdom to which Jesus referred. His kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom on earth is His church, His corporate body.

### The House of Dagon

The Philistine temple of Dagon presents an illustration of the seals 1-4 and trumpets 1-4 the pattern of Revelation. In 1 Samuel 5, the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and brought it to the country of the Philistines: the city of Ashdod. They placed the ark in the house of Dagon:

And when they of Ashdod arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. (v. 3)

This was now a model of a house divided between two masters: the Philistine god, a false one, and the one true God, the sovereign authority. The result: Dagon was cast down the first night.

And when they arose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. (v. 4)

The second night Dagon was cast down again, only this time the consequences were more severe: his head and hands were broken off.

But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and He destroyed them, and struck them with a plague of tumors, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof. (v. 6)

The first two warnings were ignored; then God struck them with the plague. Recognizing the conflict, the Philistines finally resolved that the ark could not stay there in Ashdod—the ark had to leave as the Philistines were committed to their god Dagon. They wanted to keep the ark, but hoped to find a suitable secondary position for it, somewhere out of the way. The Philistines model for us the human tendency to make a two-masters house feasible by relegating one of the gods to a fringe location. The ark was taken to Gath, then Ekron, but the plague of tumors followed. The plagues continued until the ark was returned to Israel: _its own country_.

This story previews the Gospel Age:

1) The Ark of the Covenant leaves its place (heaven) and goes to the country of the Philistines (world). Jesus left His place in heaven and came to the world with His New Covenant. The New Covenant was symbolized in Revelation 6:2 as a bow. The rainbow covenant in Genesis followed Noah's ark making ground.

2) The first night _Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth_ ; this is akin to the _falling of Satan from heaven as lightning_ (Luke 10:18) at the start of the Gospel Age. Seals 1-4: the binding, or casting down, of the strong man. Revelation 12 will depict this again: [Satan] _was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him_ (Rev. 12:9).

3) The hands and head of Dagon being broken off the second night represent the destruction of the 6th Head, the Roman Empire. Trumpets 1-4: the consuming fire destroys the empire of the gods. The head and hand will factor in later in the mark of the beast section.

4) The plague of tumors that struck the Philistines parallels the Bowls sequence: plagues (4th Vision).

5) The ark spent seven months in the country of the Philistines (1 Sam. 6:1) —the seven months correspond to the period of seven seals of Revelation 6-8.

6) The ark was returned to Israel, _its own place_ , during the _wheat harvest_ (1 Sam. 6:13). Jesus returns when the _harvest of the earth is ripe_ (Rev. 14:15).

### Blindness

The four trumpets transition between the Mythic Age and the beginning of the "dark age" is made manifest in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Nation of Israel: the prophet Ezekiel was told by the Lord that the house of Israel had defiled the land in apostasy, therefore: "I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries; according to their way and according to their doings I judged them" (Ezekiel 36:19). This darkening represents the hardening of the hearts of Israel having rejected Jesus as the Messiah: "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remains the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament; which veil is done away in Christ" (2 Corinthians 3:14); Romans 11 is replete with similar terminology: _the rest were blinded_ ; _God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see_ ; _Let their eyes be darkened_ (vv. 7,8,10).

In the general context—both Jew and Gentile—of this spiritual famine, or darkness, Paul writes: "In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Gentiles, _having their understanding darkened_ , were _alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart_ (Ephesians 4:18). The consuming fire and darkness that characterize the Gospel Age represent a systemic shift: the canon closes, the apostolic era ends, the grand miracles of the Old Testament now become for _those with eyes to see_ —God's hand is visible for those who believe, yet hidden from the skeptic.

The light of this world is to now come from the _earthen vessels_ who carry the gospel of Jesus Christ in their hearts: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). In the Gospel Age context _darkness_ , _veil_ , and _blindness_ are synonymous: and _whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil will be taken away_ (2 Cor. 3:16). The veil of separation has been torn, the way has been made; the earthly tabernacle in Jerusalem has been destroyed so that the Holy Spirit can bear witness of the access to the heavenly Holy of Holies afforded by our High Priest Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:8).

### 4 – 3

Like the seals vision, the trumpets form an initial grouping of four, then a separate group of three: the 4-3 split mentioned earlier. These first groups of four fall in the early stage (70 – 500 A.D.) of the Gospel Age, while the second groups of three fall toward the end of the age. This is the purpose of the 4-3 pattern: to direct the reader's attention toward the first half of the Gospel Age (4-3), or to the latter half (3-4) in the upcoming visions. Therefore, Trumpets 1 through 4 occur in the first half of the Gospel Age (following Seals 1-4), while Trumpets 5-7 occur closer to or at the end.

The sun, moon, and stars represent reference points, or means of navigation through time and space. They were created for _signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years_ (Genesis 1:14). The four trumpets transition sequence ends in roughly 500 A.D. The 6th Seal has already been defined in Revelation 6 with _sun, moon, and stars_ , thus delineating the final period of the age beginning in 1948. Accordingly, the "main body" of the age can be defined as falling between 500 and 1948.

### Three Woes

Following the 4th Trumpet an angel signals the 4–3 demarcation with _three woes_ :

And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!' (v. 13)
CHAPTER 9

5th Trumpet (1st Woe)

Tormenting Spirits

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth; and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. (vv. 1-2)

The star from heaven is an angel who opens the bottomless pit, signifying that God is allowing what is about to follow. The smoke that arises from the pit fills the air darkening it—and this, according to verse 13, is a _woe_ upon the inhabitants of the earth. Darkness filling the air above the inhabitants of the earth means their view of the heavens has been obscured, they can no longer see clearly.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he strikes a man. (vv. 3-5)

These locusts represent demonic activity; and as they are given authority to do these things, it happens under God's providence—implying a purpose. Their prohibition is to only harm those not sealed by God. The power given these spirits to torment the unbeliever is in contrast to the power Jesus has given the saint to tread on them: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19).

King Saul, following his disobedience and subsequent rejection by God, received a tormenting spirit: "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him" (1 Samuel 16:14; troubled: _baath_ ; torment or terrify. 1204). God's Spirit went to His new king of Israel: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (1 Samuel 16:13). Where the Holy Spirit had left, torment followed.

### Five Months

This period of spiritual torment is for five months—the figurative period of time between the 5th and 6th Trumpets. Five months is also the interval between two supernatural interventions on earth at the start of the age. Luke 1 recounts the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah telling him that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son in her old age: "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15).

This child was John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. "And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 'Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men'" (Luke 1:24-25).

After those five months, the angel Gabriel appears again; this time to a virgin named Mary: "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth; to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary" (Luke 1:26-27).

In the Gospels, this five month period foreshadows John the Baptist later _preparing the way for the Lord_ : preaching repentance and the coming kingdom of heaven. At the end of the Gospel Age, these five months of tormenting spirits on the earth are forerunner to the final phase, the hour of trial. These doctrines of demons set the stage for the deception to come.

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (v. 6)

Those not sealed by God's Holy Spirit are tormented to such an extent that death is the only viable escape. This would be similar to our modern idioms _you'll wish you were dead_ , ("Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live." Jonah 4:3) or, _you'll wish you were never born_ ("Cursed be the day when I was born; let not the day when my mother bare me be blessed." Jeremiah 20:14). Likewise, when Job was being tormented by Satan he _cursed the day of his birth_ (Job 3:1).

King Saul, when tormented by the evil spirit, sought relief in David's music: "And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand. So Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him" (1 Samuel 16:23). Rather than David' music, it was likely the Spirit of God that had _come powerfully upon David_ that provided relief for Saul.

When Jesus and the disciples entered the region of the Gadarenes and were met by the man possessed by a legion of demons, a demon said, _What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of God most high? I beg You, torment me not!_ (Luke 8:28b). When He cast the demons out, the man was relieved of his torment. Likewise, in Revelation 11, the two witnesses/prophets are said to _torment those who dwell on the earth_ (11:10).

The idea presented here is that from this torment by despair and hopelessness men would seek life rather than death: "For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened" Matthew 7:8). _Seeking death_ in verse 6 is in contrast to seeking eternal life through Christ.

Rather than suggesting that torment from these locusts means millions of people will be demon possessed, cutting themselves and howling through the night in cemeteries, _torment_ is a motif of the conflict between the two kingdoms, between life and death. Thus the distinction, the incompatibility, between the two kingdoms becomes more acute at this stage. And from this torment there is no escape apart from the comfort of God's Holy Spirit; Revelation 14 says that even after death: _the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night_ (v.11).

There is also a textual point being made by the parallel structure of verse 6:

1) Seek death—not find it

2) Desire to die—death shall flee

This indicates the parallel structure of the chapter: that is, the following passage (vv. 7-12) will recapitulate the previous verses introducing the locusts. This parallel structure may be obvious here but establishes a precedent that will be followed in less obvious parallel constructions—like Revelation 13, for example.

### Mythical Creatures

And the shapes of the locusts were like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months. (vv. 7-10)

This elaborate and strange description, a mixture of man and beast, brings to mind mythical creatures of the far past. _Wild beasts_ were one of the four severe judgments of God (4th Seal).

_Crowns_ signifies the authority given to them: released by an angel from heaven having parameters. _Prepared for battle_ and _running to battle_ signify an army engaged in spiritual warfare. Though they cannot torment the saints, they can torment the unbelievers with the end goal of making war on the church. _Stings in their tails_ refers to false teaching: "The ancient and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail" (Isaiah 9:15). These _stings_ are the doctrines of _demons and seducing spirits_ that Paul warned of: "Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1).

### Son of Perdition

And they had a king over them, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue his name is Apollyon. (v.11)

A king, _the_ _angel of the bottomless pit_ , being _over them_ , the locusts, reiterates the notion of an organized strategy of the demon army released under his rule. This army has a spiritual agenda; it has time, tactics, and goals. These five months that the locusts are allowed to torment men is a preparatory phase—the forerunner phase—for the 6th Trumpet in which the edifice of Babylon is constructed.

These five preparatory months set the foundations for the modern ideologies, philosophies, spiritual and scientific movements that surround us now—whether novel or repackaged ancient mysticism—in the Twentieth Century. This ideological edifice, the Babylon system, seeps its way into the church gradually, over hundreds of years. Like corrupting the soil to poison the well. Hence, Paul warns the believer: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Colossians 2:8).

The king from the bottomless pit has two names: Abaddon and Apollyon. Though John had a habit of giving both Hebrew and Greek names of people, informing the reader of the Hebrew and Greek names of a demon begs the question of its purpose. How could knowing the Hebrew name of a demon possibly be useful? But as the angel revealed in chapter 1 (and will again in chapter 17) questions are raised in Revelation in order to _tell you the mystery_. It is the languages of his name, recalling the interconnected nature of the seven visions, that will later find pertinence when transliterating the Hebrew and Greek "names" of another king in a separate vision.

Abaddon/Apollyon is the man of sin, or son of perdition, written about by Paul: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The _falling away_ is the five months; the _man of sin_ is Abaddon. His _coming is according to the works of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders_ (v.9). The works of Abaddon are allowed (released) prior to the works of Satan—released of the 6th Trumpet.

The other son of perdition in Scripture was Judas Iscariot (John 17:12), who betrayed the Word of Righteousness for money. Judas was one of the twelve, and was therefore close to God. His spirit of greed separated him from the Lord—according to the working of Satan, who _entered him_ (Luke 22:3). Abaddon, too, was once close to God, a highly placed angel, hence his being a king. But he, like Satan, fell from heaven.

_Scorpion_ , _strike_ , and _five months_ were first mentioned in verses 3-5, then came the turning point: _men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them_ (v.6). Verses 7-10 contained a description of the locusts with again _scorpion_ , _sting_ , and _five months_. Immediately following the second _five months_ was Abaddon/Apollyon (v.11). This is the king of the tormenting spirits being released.

Having a Hebrew name implies he was known, or active, in the Old Testament era; and is, or will be, again in the New Testament (Greek) era when he is released. This reiterates the notion of Satan and his angels being bound by the work of Christ—the Mythic gods destroyed during the four trumpets—then subsequently being released. His Greek name and his release being the intersecting themes.

### The Rebirth

When the Eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine, fell to the Ottomans in 1453, there had begun—its epicenter in Florence, Italy—a resurgence of interest in classical antiquity, the scholarship of the Greek and Roman world. This rebirth, Renaissance, of antiquity is the 5th trumpet, the transition between the Middle Ages and the modern world. The motto of this cultural movement was _ad fontes_ : "to the sources." For those who would later be considered reformers, _ad fontes_ meant returning to the original Christian texts in Greek and producing fresh scholarship of the biblical cannon—rather than dependence on the Latin Vulgate and Bible commentaries of the Middle Ages. This return to the _God-breathed_ texts is akin to the lights coming back on after a long blackout, or dark age.

Also unearthed, however, were ancient mystical/esoteric texts and practices known as hermeticism, a system of alchemy, astrology, and theurgy supposedly transmitted from Egyptian god Thoth—Hermes to the Greeks, Mercury to the Romans. This strain of mystical secret knowledge is the smoke from the bottomless pit (v.2); these texts of the Mythic Age represent the doctrines of demons that develop in parallel to the spread of the Word into the modern world: the publication of Martin Luther's _Ninety-Five Theses_ in 1517 beginning the Reformation, William Tyndale's English New Testament in 1526, the Geneva Bible in 1560, and the King James Authorized Version in 1611.

With the Renaissance already begun and the Reformation soon to begin, the year 1500 makes a suitable approximation for this 5th Trumpet. This aligns the end of the four trumpets sequence and the fifth trumpet from the 5th to the 15th Century, about a thousand years. This also shows the book of Revelation predicts the three historical phases: the end of the classical period, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance.

The three major movements of the 5th Trumpet are the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment, or Age of Reason. The Enlightenment deism of the 18th Century dethroned God (in the minds of men) relegating Him as prime mover of creation yet non-sovereign now abiding in some unknowable, distant corner of the universe. Deism demotes God and elevates man's reason and empiricism, the notion of God's special revelation to mankind in Holy Scripture becomes absurd. What God calls darkness, man calls enlightenment.

Yet below the smoke from the pit, God provides a light for His people: the light of His word and the light of the Reformation. Thus, during the five months of the 5th Trumpet period, light and darkness increase in parallel: as the written word of God expands throughout Europe and beyond, so too is the darkness of mankind exalted. Just as the first four seals depicted the gospel and judgment (then 1/4) going forward in tandem, the trumpets indicate the widening expansion (now 1/3) of the light and darkness: the elevation of Christ or man.

One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. (v. 12)

The three woes are the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets—the "three" in the 4-3 split: Trumpets 1 through 4 near the start of the age, these three woes at the end.

6th Trumpet (2nd Woe)

Murderous Spirits

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, 'Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.' And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men. (vv. 13-15)

At the 5th Trumpet _tormenting spirits_ were released for a period of five months. Here, though, the four angels of _death_ are unbound. These are the same four angels of the seals vision that were commanded "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" (Rev. 7:3). The four angels represent the ubiquitous spiritual realm—the world over. So this progression from _torment_ to _slay_ occurs everywhere.

### Job

These increments of influence evoke the challenge in the book of Job. When Satan was looking for someone to harass, God mentioned Job, who feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:8); "Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land'" (Job 1:9-10).

The first condition mentioned is the hedge, making Job untouchable.

1) Hedge or wall of protection.

2) Satan was allowed to afflict all that he had, but not his body.

3) Satan was allowed to afflict his body, but not to kill him.

Satan challenges Job's character. Responding to the challenge, God allows a second increment of influence over Job: "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself put not your hand.' So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord" (Job 1:12).

God granted Satan a certain amount of authority to torment Job, all that he had, that his faithfulness might be proved. Later when Satan returns to God, he is given more authority over Job: "And the Lord said unto Satan, 'Behold, he is in your hand; but save his life'" (Job 2:6). The third increment allows Job's body to be afflicted, but not to death.

The three increments of spiritual antagonism through the Gospel Age:

1) Hedge of protection: the corporate body of Christ is empowered on Pentecost to fulfill the Great Commission. The physical manifestation of the church's "hedge" is the destruction of Jerusalem is 70 A.D.: "I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down" (Isaiah 5:5). This transfer of power/authority will be explicitly depicted in Revelation 11 and 12.

2) The 5 months between the 5th and 6th Trumpets: tormenting spirits.

3) Four angels of death unbound during the hour of trial: power to kill spiritually. This "death" of the church is again physically manifested in the re-establishment of Israel/Jerusalem, in the mid-20th Century.

The four angels were bound in the Euphrates River, now loosed. The Euphrates represents the transition point in the Gospel Age into the hour of trial. This is the same point as the 6th Seal, when the sun and moon are darkened. The "sign" of this transition is the return of Israel to the land of Canaan in 1948—and Jerusalem in 1967. This happened on a specific _hour, day, month, and year_ preordained by God. At this point, beginning in the mid-Twentieth Century, these four angels of death are allowed to slay a third of mankind. But this is not a physical death they are given to execute. This death is the apostasy of the corporate body of Christ—the condition of the church described in the seven letters.

The four angels preside over a greater army of 200 million:

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred million; and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone. And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. (vv. 16-17)

The tools of warfare for these horsemen are _fire_ , _smoke_ , and _brimstone_ —sulfur ( _theion_ ; 2303). Fire and brimstone are what fell on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24), and await the devil and his angels (Rev. 20:10). The _lake that burns with fire and sulfur_ is hell, the place of the second death for unbelievers (Rev. 21:8). This army of horsemen breathes hell and judgment on earth for a time.

1/3rd of Mankind Killed

By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. (vv. 18–19)

Where the 5th Trumpet saw a release of _tormenting spirits_ , this 6th Trumpet involves the unbinding of _murderous spirits_. Notice the absence of the restriction at the 5th Trumpet: hurt... _only those men who don't have the seal of God in their foreheads_. This 1/3rd of mankind that are killed is the church. Christianity, the world's largest religious group, is typically numbered at roughly a third of the world population: 34.8% in 1910; 31.7% in 2010 (Pew Research Center).

The skeptic who would here doubt the veracity of those claiming to be Christian—Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Charismatic, Episcopalian, etc.—would be in agreement with Revelation's letters: vast majority of the church are apostate professing believers with a minority of saints (represented by Smyrna and Philadelphia, a remnant).

This does not mean that billions of Christians lose their salvation during this period; neither does it mean that billions of Christians will be physically killed (although many will, just as in any other part of the age). It means that the body of Christ through the age falls into apostasy following the doctrines of demons of the 5th Trumpet and merely believes they are saved having a mere profession of faith. They, the majority, having been enveloped by the darkness from the pit, think they are alive in Christ, but are dead.

The other part of the body of Christ, the minority, are those who "...have persevered patiently and for My name's sake have labored, and have not fainted" (Ephesus). "You have a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white; for they are worthy" (Sardis). "You hold fast to My name, and have not denied My faith" (Pergamos).

### Elijah

The condition of God's people at the end of the Gospel Age is brought into sharper focus through the Elijah narrative. "Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him" (1 Kings 16:33).

The children of Israel had fallen away again serving Baal. God told Elijah to present himself to Ahab and declare a drought (3 1/2 years: James 5:17). Then Elijah was instructed to wait by the Brook Cherith, which marks the first stage of the drought. The second is in Zarephath where Elijah stayed with the widow (1 Kings 17:9).

The third stage occurred when God, in the third year, told Elijah: "Go, present yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth" (18:1).

Obadiah, the man in charge of Ahab's palace who feared the Lord, was sent out to search for water and grass as the famine was so severe. At the point of contact between Obadiah and Elijah, the condition of Israel is further revealed: the prophets of the Lord were either serving Baal, have been killed by Jezebel, or were hiding in a cave. Caves, holes in the earth, are tombs; hiding in a cave is to be effectively dead ( _For you have little strength, but have kept My word_ ; Rev. 3:8).

Then came the gathering of prophets—the prophets of Baal and Asherah versus Elijah—on Mount Carmel where God's prophet asked them: "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him" (18:21).

Wavering between two positions is the death of the church, not separate from the world; lukewarm, having left their first love, tolerating false prophets (Jezebel) and their doctrine.

The _gathering_ on a mountain at the end of the Gospel Age will be a central feature in later passages of Revelation. It was here that Elijah prayed: "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that these people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their heart back again" (1 Kings 18:37).

"Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, 'The LORD, He is God. The LORD, He is God'" (vv. 38-39).

### Saul and David

This progression from torment to murder (5th to 6th Trumpet) is foreshadowed in the relationship between King Saul and David. There were two occasions when an evil spirit was sent to Saul.

1) In 1 Samuel 16, after David had been anointed king and the Spirit of God fell on him, a distressing, or tormenting, spirit troubled King Saul—who then sought relief in the presence of David, on whom God's spirit rested.

2) Following David's military success and growing fame, King Saul became angry, fearful and jealous of him: "And it came to pass the next day, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house; and David played with his hand, as at other times. And there was a javelin in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, 'I will smite David even to the wall with it.' But David escaped from his presence twice" (1 Samuel 18:10-11).

Saul's tormenting spirit had become a murderous spirit, attempting to kill David and forcing him into exile. The Saul and David scenario provide a template for the 5th and 6th Trumpets: the "Sauls" of the world are the proxies through which these demons attack the "Davids." The horsemen can't torment believers, but they can torment unbelievers into throwing spears at them.

The passage reiterates the idea that the power of these demons is in their mouths and their tails, which are like serpents'. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent wasn't perceived by Eve as a hostile creature—they were both in the same garden. _The prophet that teaches lies, he is the tail_. When the evil spirit came upon Saul the second time _he prophesied in the midst of the house_ —not speaking for God but for the evil spirit. Believers during this period should not be surprised when those in the same house begin throwing spears at them. The spears may come in anger or with a smile as the kindly false prophet spoon-feeds the flock poisonous doctrine.

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. (vv. 20-21)

The rest _who were not killed and didn't repent_ are those who were never alive, the unbelievers. They were never part of the body of Christ; were never _made alive in Christ_ (Ephesians 2:5).

1) Seals 1 though 4 begin the age. The 1st Seal signifies the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

2) The 5th Seal represents the long passage of time.

3) The 6th Seal is the end phase, from 1948 to the Second Coming.

4) The first four trumpets occur from 70 A.D. to approximately 500 A.D.

5) The 5th Trumpet marks the five months that Abaddon/Apollyon is released. This is a period of increasing darkness and light; while the smoke from the pit is released on earth so too is the light of God. With the invention of the Gutenberg press in the 15th Century and the Protestant Reformation beginning in 1517. Believers across the world will increasingly have in their possession Bibles printed in their own languages.

6) The 6th Trumpet, like the 6th Seal, marks the beginning of the final era of the Gospel Age, its conclusion. This phase will be characterized throughout the text as the hour of trial, the 3.5 days, or the 7th Head era. The majority of the church is overcome, dead, during this time.

7) The 7th Trumpet is the end. The Second Coming of Christ, harvest of His people (or rapture), and destruction all occur at the end of the age: "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:52).

## 6

## Second Vision: Part 2

The Two Witnesses

### Chapters 10 – 11

### Interlude before the End

In the seals sequence, seals 6 and 7 were interrupted by chapter 7, the 144,000 interlude.

Seals 1 – 6 (interlude: 144,000) 7

Trumpets 1 – 6 (interlude: two witnesses) 7

Likewise, the trumpets sequence is interrupted by an interlude comprising chapters 10 and 11 (the 7th Trumpet not occurring until the end of chapter 11). This interlude serves two primary functions:

Chapter 10 provides a pivot point in the overall prophetic sequence that shifts the 4 – 3 pattern to 3 – 4, meaning that the focal point is shifting toward the end of the age. Prior to chapter 10, the book of Revelation has been concerned mainly with events occurring at the start of the Gospel Age; following the eleventh chapter the weight of the exegesis leans toward the end.
CHAPTER 10

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book open; and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth. And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars; and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. (vv. 1–3)

This _mighty angel_ is a representation of Jesus Christ Himself: the terminology used—cloud, rainbow, sun, lion—indicate as much, e.g., _His face shined like the sun_ (Matthew 17:2). This is the angel sent by the Lord from the first chapter: _He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John_ (Rev. 1:1). That John saw this mighty angel _come down from heaven_ indicates that the setting for this scene is again on the island of Patmos as it was at the start of Revelation and will be again at the close of the book. This makes three places where John is _in the spirit_ on Patmos: chapters 1, 10, and 22—the beginning, middle and end—this middle chapter being the turning point of the Revelation narrative.

This mighty angel has in his hand a _little book open_ , alluding to Jesus being the only one _worthy to open the book_ in Chapter 5. Similarly, when the first vision began in chapter 6 there was the _sound of thunder_ (Rev. 6:1); here, when the angel cries there are seven thunders.

The angel's feet are like _pillars of fire_ ; his right set upon the sea, his left upon the earth. Here are signified the 1st and 2nd Trumpets, the fire from heaven: _hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth_ (Rev. 8:7); _a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea_ (Rev. 8:8).

And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write; and I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.' (v. 4)

This passage compels one to wonder why it was included at all if the seven thunders are to remain undisclosed; why not just leave this section out entirely? Having included it though, it appears that we are invited—obligated even—to wonder. Concerning his vision of the same time period, Daniel was told to _seal up the vision until the time of the end_ (Daniel 12:4). He was also told _the wise will understand_. So it seems that understanding will be available at a certain point. John doesn't say that he didn't understand the seven thunders, only that he was told not to write what he had heard. In chapter 22, John will be told _not to seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand_. So the book can be read, but not fully understood—not yet, as a critical component has been withheld for a time.

Thunder represents the voice of God: "The voice of Your thunder was in the heaven" (Psalm 77:18a). It is heard by some: "Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.' The people that stood by and heard it said that it thundered; others said, 'An angel spoke to Him'" (John 12:28-29). The seven thunders represent the seven visions (utterances) of Revelation that are to be understood in their appointed time, when they are revealed by God for their specific purpose.

The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, but 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. (vv. 5–7)

At this point in the text only six of the trumpets have sounded—the seventh occurs at the end of chapter 11. The Lord's angel here sets forth an important sequence of events:

1) The seven thunders: this refers to the already delivered book of Revelation, the seven visions. This event was signified in verses 1 – 3.

2) The Lord's angel speaks: a voice from heaven, or interlude.

3) The mystery is finished: understanding of Revelation is given between the 6th and 7th Trumpets.

4) The 7th angel sounds his trumpet; the end of the Gospel Age.

The accessibility of Revelation, when understanding is given to the church, during the latter part of the age indicates the seventh angel is _about to sound_. This is the word from the Lord before His return. When the mystery of the Gospel Age is revealed (as will be depicted in the next chapter) it is also fulfilled, and is therefore completed—the 7th Trumpet is about to sound.

### Prophesy Again

And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again, and said, 'Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth.' (10:8)

So I went to the angel and said to Him, 'Give me the little book.'

And He said to me, 'Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make your belly bitter, but it shall be in your mouth sweet as honey.' (v. 9)

And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey. And as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And He said to me, 'You must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.' (vv. 10-11)

Readers are reminded that this is the same mighty angel who stands on the sea and earth, and that His book is open—and the only One who can open such a book is Jesus Himself. The little book represents the second part of the prophecy. Just as Jesus used two timelines for His description of the Gospel Age in Matthew 24, so are the seven visions divided.

1) Chapters 6-9 were primarily concerned with the beginning of the age: Seals 1-4 and Trumpets 1-4, then into the Middle Ages (5th Seal).

2) Chapters 12-16 focus more on events and conditions that take place at the end of the age: the 7th Trumpet, the hour of trial, the 7 Bowls, etc. This two-chapter interlude has to appear before the 7th Trumpet since the 7th Trumpet _is the end_ of the Gospel Age.

When the angel tells John, _you must prophecy again_ , he is referring to this second half of the overall prophetic structure. This _little book_ is sweet as it is the word of God: "How sweet are Your words to my taste! _S_ weeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 109:103). Yet it is also bitter since the second part of the prophecy concerns the end of the age: plagues, the hour of trial, judgment, wrath.

This impending judgment is the reason John is here told to _eat the little book_ , or scroll, whereas he was not to do so at the start of the prophecy prior to the 1st Seal. The eating of the scroll alludes to the prophet Ezekiel prior to the judgment of Jerusalem; the voice of the Lord from heaven said to him: "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this roll, and go speak to the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 3:1). He ate the scroll and it was _as sweet as honey in [his] mouth_ (v.3). _And He said to me, "Son of man, go to the house of Israel, and speak My words to them"_ (v. 4). The house of Israel had become stubborn and hard-hearted, a rebellious house. Ezekiel got up and went in _bitterness_ and anger as the Spirit of the Lord was upon him (v. 14). Ezekiel delivered a word of warning from the Lord: "An end; the end is coming upon the four corners of the land. Now is the end come upon you, and I will send My anger upon you, and will judge you according to your ways, and will deliver upon you all your abominations" (Ez. 7:2b-3). The Son of Man will again sound a warning prior to the 7th Trumpet—though not limited to the house of Israel, but _to_ _many peoples, nations, tongues and kings_.
CHAPTER 11

The eleventh chapter will depict the entire Gospel Age narrative in three parts:

1) Verses 1-2: the introduction.

2) Verses 3-12: the main body.

3) Verse 13: the conclusion.

The passage is a picture-within-a-picture account and will be addressed as the two witnesses interlude. This account of the two witnesses (vv. 3-12) is a depiction of the _Mystery of God_ that is finished before the 7th Trumpet sounds (Rev. 10:7).

The premise gleaned from the seven thunders passage is that a critical component necessary for understanding the book of Revelation has been withheld for a specific reason only to be revealed at the specified time for a specific reason. As the book of Revelation reveals itself to be a depiction of the Gospel Age—the period in which Christ builds His church from First Advent to Second Coming—it should follow that the narrative of Revelation would depict this revelation of itself. This eleventh chapter is such a depiction: the revelation of the Gospel Age between the 6th and 7th Trumpets, during the hour of trial. And like the seals vision interlude, this trumpets interlude will shift back in time (all three major interludes do this) to provide an account of the two witnesses during the entire Gospel Age.

### Start of the Age

And there was given me a reed like a rod; and the angel stood, saying, 'Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.' (vv. 1-2)

There are two main features to this passage: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. First, John is given a reed with which to measure the temple. Jesus Christ—who was given a reed, a mock scepter, along with the crown of thorns (Matt.28:29)—is the Temple of God: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). New Jerusalem, the new earth, has no physical temple: "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it" (Rev. 21:22).

The altar is Calvary, or Golgotha, where the Lamb was slain—the Mount of Olives, or the clean place outside the camp where the sin offering was made (Lev. 4:12). This altar is the place of the substitutionary atonement: "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed" (2 Peter 2:24).

_Those that worship therein_ are the saints, the beneficiaries of the atonement; thus, the _measuring of the Temple of God, the altar, and them that worship there_ is the numbering of the body of Christ.

_Measuring_ is indicative of one's conformity, one's likeness, to the image of Christ. The believer wherein God's Spirit dwells is His temple. Collectively the body of Christ are _living stones building a spiritual house_ (1 Peter 2:5). Recall that the 144,000 sealed in Revelation 7 are the equivalent of the measurements of New Jerusalem in Revelation 21: "And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof... And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel" (Rev. 21:15, 17). That _man_ is Jesus Christ, the city is the place He has prepared for His people.

Where the first verse refers to New Jerusalem—the image of Christ, the New Covenant—the second verse refers to the physical city of Jerusalem as an allusion to the Old Covenant. This _outer court_ is to be tread on, or trampled, for forty-two months. These forty-two months begin at 70 A.D. and continue until 1967. This is the same period Jesus referred to when, prophesying on the future destruction of the city, He said, _Jerusalem shall be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled_ (Luke 21:24b). The time of the Gentiles was fulfilled, Jerusalem re-established, at the 6th Trumpet.

This distinction between the _temple_ and the _outer court_ refers to the transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant. The new temple is the corporate body of Christ: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). The outer court is the physical location of the Old Covenant temple in Jerusalem. This transfer of God's presence takes with it the hedge of protection discussed in the trumpets sequence: the hedge, God's protection, is given to His church and taken away from Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (Likewise, being trampled will be contrasted between Jerusalem and the church later).

### The Two Witnesses

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (v. 3)

The giving of power to the two witnesses is a reference to Pentecost—although the word power is not found in the original Greek, _power_ , _anointing_ , or _Spirit_ is implied. Just prior to His ascension into Heaven, Jesus told His apostles, "But you will receive power, after the Holy Ghost comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The giving of the power of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was a fulfillment of the prophecy given by the prophet Joel: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28). On the day of Pentecost, Peter confirmed this fulfillment to the Jews who were perplexed by the disciples suddenly able to speak foreign languages: "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16).

Following Pentecost, the church, the body of Christ, will testify—spread the gospel—for 1260 days. The 1260 days, though following the 42 months in the text, are concurrent with the 42 months. 1260 will be used twice in Revelation in the context of God's people while 42 months will be used twice in the context of the world: two separate designations of time for two separate kingdoms—both occurrences of each in interludes.

The reason 1260 occurs after 42 is due to the Revelation of the Gospel Age occurring between the 6th and 7th Trumpets: that is, between 1948/67 and the Second Coming. Verses 3 through 12, the two witnesses narrative, is the Revelation of the Gospel Age, the word from heaven. Understanding of the book is given after the 42 months and before the return of our Lord—that is, between the 6th and 7th Trumpets (and seals).

Just as the start of the age was signified by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ followed by the siege of Jerusalem, the end of the age is signified by the return to Jerusalem followed by the return of Jesus Christ.

These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. (v. 4)

Olive trees represent the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon His church. Before their falling away, God said His people were once like _a green olive tree, fair_ _and_ _of good fruit_ (Jeremiah 11:16). Because he trusted in God David said he was _like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God_ (Psalm 52:8). The prophet Zechariah was also shown two olive trees in a vision (Zech. 4). When asked, the angel told him they were the _two anointed ones who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth_.

These witnesses are also candlesticks, or lampstands, which in Revelation 1 symbolized the churches. Taken together create the _anointed church_. And they are two because the disciples were sent out in twos: "And He called to Himself the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits" (Mark 6:7; Luke 10:1). Two also because a minimum of two is required to establish the word: "But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established" (Matthew 18:16).

The _two witnesses_ as a representation of a larger body is a figure of speech known as a synecdoche, meaning simultaneous understanding, in which a part is used to represent the whole, or vice versa, e.g., _every tongue confess_ : _tongue_ (a part) represents a person speaking (the whole) or the group of people speaking a common language. When the captain says, _all hands on deck_ : _hand_ represents a sailor. When teachers do a _head count_ they count the students. When a statement comes from "Washington" it comes from the country's representatives. Paul writes that we are all baptized by the Spirit into one body: "For as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ" (1 Cor. 12:12). The term "Israel" is a synecdoche: one man's name applied to a large group of people. In Revelation 21 and 22, the collective of believers will be called the _bride, the Lamb's wife_. In this chapter the entirety of the church throughout the age is encapsulated in these two witnesses.

### Fire

And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. (v.5)

Fire is the word of God in the mouths of His servants: "Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts, 'Because you speak this word, behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them'" (Jeremiah 5:14). "Is not My word like as a fire? says the LORD; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (Jer. 23:29).

### No Rain

These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. (v.6a)

The _power to shut heaven_ recalls that of Old Testament prophet Elijah, who prayed for a drought which lasted 3 ½ years (James 5:17). 3½ years is 1260 days, the period of the two witnesses' prophesying. Elijah, along with Moses (the Law and the Prophet) was one of the two witnesses present at the transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17.

This period of no rain alludes to the 42 months that the Holy City is to be trampled: "And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it" (Isaiah 5:5-6). _This vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel_ (v.7).

### Water to Blood

And [they] have power over waters to turn them to blood... (v.6b)

Trumpets one and two depicted fire and blood from heaven affecting a third of the earth—the blood signifying the spread of the New Covenant gospel message. Here it is the two witnesses turning water to blood. Water being turning to blood by both heaven and the church indicates the way in which the gospel is spread: the Father draws, the church preaches.

"No man can come to Me, except the Father which has sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Romans 10:14).

### Plagues

And to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (v.6c)

These _powers_ indicate God imbuing His church and the process of the gospel being preached to the world with a supernatural inertia; it will not be stopped. God has dictated that the gospel will be spread to the whole world, and His miraculous power will attend this process— _the gates of hell shall not prevail against it_ (Matt. 16:18b).

The actual church of Christ is not, however, literally going to do any of these things. _Fire_ , _no rain_ (drought) and _plagues_ are merely waypoints marking the three stages of the Gospel Age.

_1) Fire_ refers to trumpets 1 – 4, fire from heaven.

2) The period of _no rain_ is the long passage of time; the drought is the period when God hides His prophet Elijah by the brook. The drought of the Word ends at the approximate time of the Reformation and the Printing Revolution of the 1500s.

3) _Plagues_ will begin prior to the hour of trial and continue to the end of the age (bowls of wrath: Rev. 16). These begin during the five months of the 5th Trumpet.

Wormwood (water made bitter) and the sun, moon, and stars smitten (darkness) lead to the drought of the Middle Ages. The water turning to blood signifies the protestant reformation when the light of the Word began to shine and the true gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone was spread.

### Sun and Moon Darkened

**1/3** rd **of Mankind Killed**

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. (v. 7)

The duration of their testimony is the 1260 days of verse 3. _Finishing their testimony_ refers to the gospel being brought all the way up to the modern world, the terminus being the 6th Seal (the middle of the 20th Century), when the sun and moon are darkened, and the 6th Trumpet—when the four angels are unbound to kill a third of mankind (Rev. 9:15), i.e., the two witnesses. The body of Christ is overcome and killed by the beast.

The church being overcome is its being rendered ineffective; that is, effectively dead. This is the death of the spiritual body: _There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body_ (1 Cor. 15:44). Though the literal death of many Christians is certain—as it has been at any time throughout history—this verse is more plausibly read in the context of sin and deception in the church. Jesus' brother James wrote about this type of death: "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death" (James 1:14-15). Also, a partial, incomplete, form of godliness is like being dead: "Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17).

This point occurred in chapter 6 at the 6th Seal: _the sun becomes black and the moon like blood_ (v.12)—the light of the world being diminished. Also, the Joel 2 prophecy defined this 1260-day period from the pouring out of God's Spirit (Pentecost) to the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood.

The cause of the believers' death was laid out in the seven letters: false prophets, false doctrine, lying "apostles", fornication, idolatry, and self-deception: still in the church yet having _left their first love_. Five of the churches had _something_ , or a _few things against them_. Laodicea, the lukewarm church, had nothing going for them. The greater context of Revelation will show that spiritual death is in having two masters: both God and the world. Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire—unholy, profane—before the Lord and were consumed by fire (Leviticus 10) while presumably doing everything else correctly. Ananias and Sapphira, too, were doing good: selling their possessions and giving to the Apostles (Acts 5)—yet their giving was leavened with a lie and they were killed. Worldly, unholy leaven is the cause of death; if not repented of, _He will remove your candlestick_ —light and oil (Rev. 2:5).

Since all Christians die throughout the age by one means or another there's no reason to single out a group of Christians who die at the end of the age. Some sort of persecution or tribulation is a given for all believers ( _We must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God_ ; Acts 14:22). Persecution is obvious; deception is not so obvious, hence the copious warnings. Jesus told us not to fear those who can kill the body, but rather to fear God who can destroy both the body and soul in hell (Matt. 10:28). The real danger is the deception of thinking oneself alive but actually being dead (Rev. 3:1). So this death should be read in the same spiritual/internal sense as being _born again_ ; believers at this time reminiscent of _whitewashed tombs_ : death masquerading as life.

For 42 months/1260 days the enemies of God's people were allowed to come against the church as far as the outer court only; however, at the end of the 42 months, the beast from the bottomless pit will be allowed to access the Temple of God—the Body of Christ, the Church—and overcome, or kill, it. This destruction, or defilement, of the temple was referred to by Paul in 2 Thessalonians after the _restraints are taken out of the way_ : "Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:4). The doctrines of demons, a second master (Abaddon/Apollyon) has entered the church.

This death though is less about a physical intrusion into the church, or persecution, and more about the deception that comes about through the false prophets who are _inwardly ravenous wolves_ (Matt. 7:15) and _kills_ the church's testimony. Persecution doesn't kill a person's testimony of the gospel; being no different from the world does. Jesus said that His church is the _salt of the earth_ : "but if the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men" (Matthew 5:13). When the church has lost its power ( _ischuó_ ; 2480— _potent_ for nothing), it is to be cast out and trampled upon; hence:

And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. (v. 8)

Here the death of the two witnesses is juxtaposed with the crucifixion of our Lord: at the end of His 3.5 year ministry, He was killed; at the end of the 1260 days, the two witnesses are killed. The church is dead; the _light of the world_ has been diminished (6th Seal) and it lies there in the street: having lost its potency now _trodden under foot of men_.

Notice who it is that is being _trampled under foot_ prior to and after the 6th Seal. For 42 months the Holy City is being trampled (v.2); then the Jews return to the land in 1948 (the sign of the 6th Seal). Following the 6th Seal, the end of the 1260 days, the two witnesses die and lie in the street—their being _trodden under foot_ implied.

### The Great City

This great city is Babylon, the world system. The spiritual condition of the world is such that it warrants comparison to these ancient places: Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem—three locations notable for coming under God's judgment. The three locations forming the great city of Babylon are indicative of the three stages of judgment during the Gospel Age coming to their conclusion at the end:

1) Sodom: fire from heaven (trumpets). "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24). Though the trumpets are second, Sodom is listed first as the two witnesses interlude occurs within the trumpets sequence.

2) Egypt: plagues (bowls of wrath). Exodus 7-11. The three parts of Babylon will be mentioned again at the end of the bowls sequence (Rev. 16:19).

3) Where our Lord was crucified: Jerusalem, where Pentecost occurred and the Gospel Age began (seals). This city is identified by _our Lord_ because the seals sequence began with our Lord: 1st Seal, the rider of the white horse.

### Dead, but not Buried

And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. (v. 9)

As the two witnesses are the church as a whole and the great city is the world, this allows for all nations and tongues to see them lie dead in the street for 3.5 days. As depicted at the 6th Trumpet, this _death_ should be read primarily as figurative, or spiritual, as though the gospel has been overcome by false teachings and trivialized.

Their _bodies not being buried in graves_ is a sign of the sin and false teachings that have infected the church: "Then the LORD said to me, 'The prophets prophesy lies in My name; I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, nor spoke to them. They prophesy to you a false vision and divinations, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart...And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem by famine and by sword; and they shall have no one to bury them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters; for I will pour their wickedness upon them'" (Jeremiah 14:14,16). Lying dead in the streets represents the spiritual conditions the churches were told to repent of in the letters: tolerating false doctrine, lukewarm, liars, false prophets, fornication, idolatry, forgotten first love, spiritually dead.

There not being buried, however, also represents this state of apostasy not being a final death. They are not put in the ground because they are going to get back up. As the 1/3 of the 6th Trumpet signified, God is going to resurrect His bride.

The 3.5 days during which the two witnesses lie dead in the streets is a time when the world has been overwhelmed by the unrestrained demonic activity of the 6th Trumpet, a point at which the church and its gospel message is no longer taken seriously, tolerated, or allowed to continue in anything other than a distorted, watered down form. This is the time coming Paul warned of when "they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4). This inert state of the church brings to mind the letter to Sardis, who had a reputation as being alive, but were dead (Rev. 3:1). And though the church was dead, there still existed there _a few names which had not defiled their garments_ —a remnant.

The 1260 days is a period of escalating judgments and restrained demonic activity, but the final 3.5 days is a relatively short period of unrestrained spiritual warfare during which the church is overcome. And in the same way the 3.5 years of corporate ministry of the church reflect the physical ministry of Jesus Christ on earth, the final 3.5 days in which the corporate body is overcome and killed by the beast reflect the final period in which Jesus was arrested, tortured and executed.

Able to rest its collective conscience now, the world is happy to have the church finally out of its way:

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelled on the earth. (v. 10)

The people of earth were _tormented_ by the two witnesses in that they were convicted by the gospel: "The world cannot hate you; but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that its works are evil" (John 7:7). Verses 5 and 6 described the powers of the two witnesses as plagues, blood, fire, and drought; these were the symbols of this torment, but the reality is the Holy Spirit does the tormenting, or convicting: "And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is the power of His church, the fragrance of Christ in the world: "For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish" (2 Cor. 2:15).

### The Spirit of Life

And after three days and a half the Spirit of Life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. (v. 11)

The church _stands up_. The _Spirit of Life_ from God has entered them. God's people are spiritually revived. This revival occurs through repentance and/or encouragement (bitter and sweet), just as the seven letters admonish the majority of the church to do. Recall the earlier premise that a full depiction of the Gospel Age would include, considering the importance, the point at which the Gospel Age is itself revealed. What's more, a full depiction of the Gospel Age (chapter 11) within the revelation of the Gospel Age (book of Revelation) should itself include the point at which that revelation is given—the word from the Lord.

Verse 11 is that point depicting the word from the Lord: the _Spirit of Life_ comes from God as _a word from the Lord_ : Jesus, the Bread of Life come down from Heaven, speaking to the disciples, said, "The words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63b). The fact that the world's rejoicing now turns to fear when the church stands up indicates this spiritual renewal is an observable change. When the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt, Nehemiah wrote, "And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was accomplished of our God" (Nehemiah 6:16). Their enemies were _cast down_ : intimidated, discouraged, or afraid.

Verse 11 is a prophecy within a prophecy (ch. 11) within a prophecy (Rev. 1-22). This three-fold prophecy serves as its own _two or more witnesses_ by which the word is established. The two witnesses need not be separate individuals if that word is from the Lord—the Truth Himself. Even Paul considered his three visits to the church in Corinth as two or more witnesses: "This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Cor, 13:1).

The word from the Lord is the seven thunders that John was told not to write: the revelation of the Gospel Age, held in reserve for an ordained time. The church being billions of people worldwide, the _standing up_ of the two witnesses at the end of the 3.5 days is better understood as the point at which the process of reviving the church (or _cleansing the temple_ as will later be shown) has been completed, rather than everyone standing up at once—just as the death of the two witnesses was not a singular event at the start of the 3.5 days.

In the 5th Trumpet analysis, three types of death were listed: 1) physical death; 2) spiritual death via sin; 3) dying to self. At the start of the hour of trial, 3.5 days, the church is dead in its assimilation with the world. The beast has overcome, entered, the church. However, at the end of the 3.5 days, before the Second Coming, the church comes alive (stands up) by losing its life, or hating it: "He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:25).

### Isaiah 51

"Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she has brought forth; neither is there any that take her by the hand of all the sons that she has brought up. These two things are come upon you; who shall be sorry for you? Desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword; by whom shall I comfort you? Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net. They are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of your God.

"Therefore hear now this, you afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine; Thus says your Lord the LORD, and your God that pleads the cause of his people, 'Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of My fury; you shall no more drink it again; But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict you; which have said to your soul, "Bow down, that we may go over." And you have laid your body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over'" (Isaiah 51:17-23).

### A Voice like a Trumpet

And they heard a great voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (v. 12)

This _ascending up to heaven_ is the harvest of the saints at the Second Coming. _Come up here_ signals the harvest of His people from the earth at the 7th Trumpet. On this moment Paul wrote, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51-52). In chapter 4, when a door was opened in heaven, John heard a _voice like a trumpet_ saying, "Come up here" (v.1). When the church is raised up to heaven _their enemies will behold them_ ; this indicates there will be some unknown period of time between the calling up of the saints and the _destruction of the earth by fervent heat_ (2 Peter 3:10).

Notice the similarities between Jesus' 3.5 year ministry and the church's figurative 3.5 years:

1) Both begin with a period of testing.

2) The gospel is spread.

3) They are both overcome by the "beast"—their final _hour_.

4) Resurrection.

The final 3.5 days prior to the witnesses' resurrection form a second _heptad_ , or period of seven in which days and years are interchangeable: e.g., Jacob _fulfilled_ [Rachel's] _week_ by working for Laban seven more years (Genesis 29: 27).

John signifies the hour of trial as 3.5 days to create an inverse heptad.

The Two Heptads:

A) Jesus' physical 3.5 year ministry on earth followed by the 1260 days (3.5 years) of the corporate body (two witnesses) spreading the gospel. This is the 70th Week of the Daniel 9 prophecy.

B) The 1260 day period of the corporate body followed by the death of the two witnesses for 3.5 days. The formation of a _heptad_ combining the incongruent quantities days and years here is permissible given that both numbers are symbolic.

The ascension of the church ends the two witnesses interlude and ties back in with the 7th Trumpet of the second vision. This is an identical structure to the seals vision with interlude: 1 – 6, interlude, 7. The only difference is what was done in translation: here the 7th Trumpet remains attached to the interlude (where it should be); whereas the 7th Seal was removed from the Revelation 7 interlude and incorrectly attached to the start of Revelation 8.

Verse twelve marks the end of the two witnesses interlude; these events do not occur between the 6th and 7th Trumpets, they are revealed between them (today). Verse thirteen shifts back to the trumpets sequence, yet depicts the results of the word from heaven.

And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were frightened, and gave glory to the God of heaven. (v. 13)

The same hour connects verse twelve and thirteen at the end of the age, one being a depiction of the other. The earthquake of verse 13 marks the end of the two witnesses' Gospel Age—the part within the whole—or the full revelation of the sign. An earthquake preceded revelation at the crucifixion in Matthew 27: "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God'" (Matt. 27:54). The earthquakes of both passages bring revelation, fear, and the glorifying of God.

The two witnesses interlude, a depiction of the Gospel Age within the depiction of the Gospel Age, ends with an earthquake just as the trumpets vision ends with an earthquake (3rd Woe). The _city falling_ , _seven thousand slain_ , and _remnant frightened_ are all results of the interlude—that which occurs after the word from the Lord, before the Second Coming.

The _city_ is Jerusalem, the collective of those descendents of Abraham. The _tenth_ _that fall_ are the stars that fall to the ground (6th Seal): the seed of Abraham that kneel before the Beloved Son. The _seven thousand_ killed also refers to same remnant of Israel: "Yet I have left Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18). The terms _tenth_ and _seven thousand_ ensure _the city_ is identified as Israel. A _tenth_ described the remnant, or _holy seed_ , of Israel in Isaiah 6: "But yet in [the land] shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance [stump] thereof" (v. 13).

But, like the two witnesses, these seven thousand are not physically killed either: the Greek reads that their _names_ are killed ( _onoma_ : name, character, fame, or reputation; 3686). The remnant loses their lives, or names, for His sake; thus, they are saved, or given new names (like their father Jacob): "And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God; and I will write upon him My new name" (Rev. 3:17b)—this verse from the letter to Philadelphia in which is found the _hour of trial_ as well the Jews _falling to the ground_ to worship (cf. Chapter 14: The Seven Letters Revisited). Most major translations of Revelation do not include the term _names_ in this verse; only when God Himself gives understanding of His book could this verse be properly understood as the salvation of the remnant of Israel.

The second woe is past; behold, the third woe comes quickly. (v. 14)

The 2nd Woe began at the 6th Trumpet and marks the start of the hour of trial; it ends with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and judgment on earth: this is why we're told _the second woe is past_ —to ensure the understanding that the second woe began at the 6th Trumpet and concludes at the end of the age. The 2nd Woe is the hour of trial in which the whole world is tested.

The _third woe_ _comes quickly_ : the gap between the warning given in verse 14 and the 3rd Woe indicated by _coming quickly_ is the period between the revelation of the Gospel Age (two witnesses interlude) and the Second Coming. The book of Revelation ends with the words _I am coming quickly_ —meaning the second woe has past, the third comes quickly. The book of Revelation, the word from the Lord, is the warning that He is coming quickly.

7th Trumpet (3rd Woe)

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.' (v. 15)

The _kingdom of the world_ is His Church, the body of Christ (or, two witnesses) having been called up to Heaven in verse 12—now _become the kingdom of our Lord_.

And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who is, and was, and is to come; because You have taken Your great power, and have reigned. (vv. 16-17)

'And the nations were angry, and Your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward unto Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth.' (v. 18)

The 24 elders, while worshipping God, essentially explain what this 7th Trumpet signifies: this is the transition from earthly judgment to the heavenly judgment throne of God—the 3rd Woe: _the time of the dead, that they should be judged_. So this 3rd Woe/7th Trumpet occurs at the end of the Gospel Age yet signifies the start of the afterlife (the pattern of the age always ends in heaven).

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament; and there were lightning, and voices, and thunder, and an earthquake, and great hail. (v. 19)

The open temple and the sight of the ark of His testament, or covenant, is an allusion to this judgment of the dead. It is by His words that the dead will be judged: "He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).

—

Point A:

1) Beginning of the 3.5 days.

2) The two witnesses are overcome; i.e., the church is overcome and _killed_.

3) The beginning of the hour of trial.

4) The 6th Trumpet: unrestrained demonic activity; i.e., large scale deception.

5) 6th Seal

Point B:

1) End of the hour of trial/final 3.5 days.

2) The two witnesses, God's people, are caught up into heaven.

3) The Second Coming.

4) The end of the age.

5) The 7th Trumpet.

6) The 7th Seal.

The above events are referred to throughout this text in general terms as "the end of the Gospel Age."

### 7 "Earthquakes"

The term _earthquake_ occurs seven times in Revelation.

1) 6th Seal (6:12)

2) Trumpets prelude (8:5)

3) Trumpets 2nd Woe

4) Trumpets 2nd Woe (11:13; twice appearing after two witnesses are called up to heaven at the end of their interlude—that is, after the revelation of the sign)

5) 7th Trumpet; 3rd Woe (11:19)

6) 7th Bowl

7) 7th Bowl (16:18; appearing twice at the end of the age)

These seven "earthquakes" of Revelation occur at the transition points of the age—the majority of which, five of the uses of the term, occurring at its end. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus' resurrection, the start of the Gospel Age, is accompanied by an earthquake: "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it" (28:2). This _seismos_ (4578) is caused by the movement of the angel _descending from heaven_ ; so this is a shaking, or commotion, of the heavens as described in the Matthew 24 chapter: the _powers of heaven will be shaken_. These are not the earthquakes of Matthew 24, power over the earth.

Of the three sequences (seals, trumpets, bowls) only the trumpets sequence, the longest vision, is represented in its entirety: from prelude (fire from heaven) to hour of trial (2nd Woe) to judgment scene (3rd Woe). These earthquakes further affirm a unified passage from chapter 8:2 through 11, but also reveal the letters pattern within the trumpets sequence itself:

**Introduction** : Jesus Christ—described as _another angel_ in the trumpets prelude (8:3).

**Maine Body** : Trumpets 1-6. The 2nd Woe depicts the hour of trial; this placement is significant as later it will be shown that it is during the hour of trial that the patterns of Revelation are revealed.

**Conclusion** : The 3rd Woe (7th Trumpet); the scene shifts back up to Heaven ( _the_ _temple of God was opened in heaven_ ; 11:19).

The same pattern is found in the seals sequence as well:

**Introduction** : The Lamb: "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, 'Come and see'" (Rev. 6:1).

**Main Body** : Seals 1 – 6.

**Conclusion** : Heaven: The 7th Seal: _silence in heaven for about half an hour_ (Rev. 8:1).

The same pattern will be found in the bowls sequence.

## 7

## Daniel's 1290 days

Daniel Chapter 12

It was from the first chapter of Daniel that the notion of _ten days testing_ was illuminated. Daniel 12 will also add depth to our understanding of the _hour of trial_ at the end of the age. Daniel's ten days of testing was told as historical narrative while this Gospel Age passage is prophetic narrative—the same as the current reader of Revelation reads them. Daniel's prophecy of the end time:

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:1-3)

The person speaking here is the _man clothed in linen_ from Daniel 10:5. Based on that description this man is to be understood as the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ: girded with gold, body like beryl, face like lightning, eyes like fire, etc. In this first section of the prophecy are the three segments of the Gospel Age:

1) The beginning: the angel Michael _standing up_. Michael will debut in Revelation 12 when recounting the war in heaven starting the Gospel Age.

2) The Gospel Age is the _time of trouble_ in three parts: 10 days of testing, great tribulation, hour of trial.

3) The end: the reading of the book of life, or Judgment Day.

But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (v. 4)

Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood two others, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, 'How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?' (vv. 5-6)

And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, when He held up His right hand and His left hand unto heaven, and swore by Him that lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when the power of the holy people has been shattered, all these things shall be finished. (v. 7)

The river and two banks in the above passage portray a picture of history. Jesus, the man clothed in linen, presides over the river while two angels occupy both banks of the river. The man in linen flanked by the two men foreshadows Jesus' transfiguration on the mountain with Moses and Elijah as witnesses.

The river represents a _watershed_ moment in history—namely, the life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A turning point in time. That is why He is above the water. The two other men on each bank represent the B.C. and A.D. eras. Daniel is receiving a prophecy in the B.C. age that pertains to the A.D. age.

Harmony between the Daniel 12 prophecy and Revelation is found in these three symbols:

1) Michael _standing up_ , or fighting the dragon, at the beginning of the age (Rev. 12).

2) _Time, times, and half a time_ , (3.5) as the symbolic length of the age; but prior to mention of the _time, times, and a half_ , the _man clothed in linen held up His right hand and left hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever_. This scene occurred in Revelation 10—the transition point of the prophecy: _the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up His hand to heaven and swore by Him that lives forever and ever_ (Rev. 10:5-6).

3) _The power of the holy people being shattered_ , which is the death of the two witnesses (the church) at the end of the age.

And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, 'O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?' (v. 8)

Also in Revelation 10 it was posited that the seven thunders represent the seven visions of Revelation and that understanding of the visions would be completed in their appointed time. The same applies here. Understanding is not for Daniel, nor his time.

And he said, 'Go your way, Daniel. For the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (vv. 9-10)

Many being _purified and made white_ is clearly a reference to the spreading of the gospel to all nations—many being redeemed. In the next verse, the time frame returns to the First Century, still in response to Daniel's question as to _the end_ :

### 1290 Days

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (v. 11)

Daniel is given two events here. The crucifixion: the daily sacrifice was _taken away_ or _abolished_ when Jesus became the _one sacrifice for all sins forever_ (Hebrews 10:12). The ending of the sacrificial system indicates the transition of covenants.

The destruction of the temple. How the _abomination_ occurred was shown in the Matthew 24 exposition: the positioning of the Roman Tenth Legion on the Mount of Olives.

These are the same two events signifying the start of the Gospel Age in Revelation 11, the Two Witnesses Interlude: the _measuring of the temple and the altar_ , and the _trampling of the holy city_ (v. 2). From these First Century events to the end will be 1290 days. Like John's 1260 days, Daniel's 1290 days are surely symbolic as it would be impossible to begin counting literal days or years starting with two events separated by nearly four decades—a transition overlap period between the end of the Old Covenant era and the start of the New Covenant, or Gospel Age. The Old Covenant ended at the cross and the New Covenant began at the cross; however, the outward appearance of the Old Covenant system continued for these four decades—until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

### Saul and David

This overlap period is analogous to the transition overlap period between King Saul and King David. Following Saul's disobedience and subsequent rejection as king of Israel (1 Samuel 15:23), Samuel was sent by the Lord to Bethlehem to anoint the new king: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (1 Sam. 16:13). Immediately following the anointing of David in the text: "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him" (1 Sam. 16:14). (Saul's inward condition soon manifests in the giant Goliath who makes Saul and his men _dismayed_ and _frightened_ ; 1 Sam. 17:11).

David was anointed King of Israel, and the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, yet Saul continued in the position as king for several years until his death; The New Covenant was established with the shedding of the Lamb's blood, yet the temple remained _in position_ until 70 A.D. The outward manifestation of these spiritual transitions appeared following the old king's and Old Covenant's _death in battle_ : Saul died on Mount Gilboa after being mortally wounded by the Philistines (1 Sam. 31); the temple was destroyed in the Romans' siege of Jerusalem.

Without these two events given to Daniel—crucifixion and destruction—the expectation of literal days or years would be justified. However, this ambiguous start to the 1290 days solidifies a figurative interpretation as well as a start point in the First Century—just as Revelation's 1260 days are to be understood. John's 1260 days did not conclude the age though; it was 1260 days until the two witnesses were overcome and killed, then there were 3.5 additional days until the end.

Gospel Age

Revelation: 1260 + 3.5

Daniel: 1260 + 30

The final 30 days of Daniel's prophecy are the symbolic equivalent of John's final 3.5 days. They both refer to the final phase of the age between the 6th and 7th Trumpets.

Daniel is then given another number:

Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (v. 12)

1335 days; or, 1290 + 45 days. If the conclusion of the 1290 days is the end, then forty-five _days_ later would be in the heavenly realm. So this point must be at or following the reading of the book of life, and if you are _blessed_ then you are definitely in it at that point. This 1335th day follows the silence of the 7th Seal Sabbath: "And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Rev. 8:1) and marks the Festival of the Ingathering.

### Three Pilgrimage Festivals

The three pilgrimage festivals of the Old Testament:

Three times you shall keep a feast unto Me in the year. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it you came out from Egypt, and none shall appear before Me empty. And the Feast of Harvest, the first fruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field. And the Feast of Ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field. (Exodus 23: 14-16)

The start of Daniel's timeline is marked by two events: the crucifixion and the destruction of the temple, the end of the timeline is marked by three: 1260 – 30 – 45. These three points represent God's three appointed pilgrimage festivals:

1) Pesach: Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover)

2) Shavuot: Feast of the Harvest (Pentecost in the New Testament)

3) Sukkot: Feast of Ingathering, or Tabernacles (tents or booths)

The 1260th day—the start of the hour of trial—marks the first of the three Pilgrimage Festivals: _Pesach_ , or the Passover. The Blood of the Lamb protects ( _guards_ , or _watches over_ ; Rev. 3:10) the believers during the period in which the beast is unrestrained. The 1290th day—the end of the age—marks the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the harvest.

Immediately following the harvest is the 7th Seal Sabbath, then comes the Festival of the Ingathering, the 1335th day. Sukkot is also a remembrance of the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. For the Gospel Age believer—a _sojourner and pilgrim_ (1 Peter 11)—it is a remembrance of their temporary dwelling on earth in these bodily _tents_ : "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Corinthians 5:1).

### 30 Days

The interval between Passover and Pentecost is approximately fifty days, but Daniel's thirty days are not a reference to the calendar interval between literal festivals. These thirty days are used to provide a context:

Then said these men, "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God." Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said to him, "King Darius, live forever. All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, other than you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions." (Daniel 6:5-7)

Thirty days is the period in which Babylon instituted a decree of religious persecution. This law was specifically crafted against Daniel to force him to either compromise or die. It was during this thirty-day period that Daniel faced his _lose your life for His sake moment_. These 30 days are a period of testing. The letter to Philadelphia described the hour of trial as period in which _the whole world will be tested_ (Rev. 3:10).

This hour could also be described as a period of de-leavening: the removal of leaven from the body of Christ. "Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters" (Exodus 13:7). This prophetic thirty days of testing, or removal of leaven, will later be characterized as a type of _temple cleansing_. This period is also identified by the pilgrimage, the return, of the Jews to the land of Israel beginning in 1948.

### 45 Days

Forty-five days is the interval between the end of the age (1290) and the 1335th day. The 1335th day, Sukkot, is not only a celebration of the harvest, the ingathering of the saints, but also a remembrance of the time in the wilderness. After crossing the Jordan and conquering the Promised Land, Caleb went to Joshua to ask for his portion of the land, saying:

And Moses swore on that day, saying, "Surely the land whereon your feet have trodden shall be your inheritance, and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God." And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day eighty-five years old. (Joshua 14:9-10)

It was forty-five years between promise of inheritance and fulfillment. Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies that trusted God's word that the land had been delivered to them decades earlier, and consequently they were the only two original Israelites to enter the Promised Land. In Joshua and Caleb are found a type of shepherd and sheep: Joshua, _Yehoshua_ (3091) means _the Lord is salvation_ ; the name transliterated into Greek is the same as Jesus is Greek ( _Iésous_ , 2424). Deuteronomy 1:38 says that Joshua _will cause Israel to inherit_ [the land]. Jesus, our Shepherd, leads us to our inheritance: from promise (gospel) to heaven. The 1335th day is the final pilgrimage of the nations of saints into New Jerusalem. One might presume here that it is during this heavenly Feast of Tabernacles that God will reveal the purpose of all the trials and suffering endured by the saints during the Gospel Age—to show how He took what was meant for evil and used it for good.

Daniel's 45-day interval is represented in Revelation by the 7th Seal, the 30 minutes of silence, or Sabbath, in heaven. Daniel is told, finally,

But go your way until the end; for you shall rest, and stand in your lot at the end of the days. (v. 13)

### Seals and Trumpets

The eleventh verse of Daniel 12 described two significant points at the start of the Gospel Age: "And from the time that the **daily sacrifice shall be taken away** , and the **abomination that makes desolate** set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."

Both occur on the Mount of Olives: the crucifixion and the Roman Tenth Legion. These two events occurring on the Mountain of the New Covenant also signify the start of the seals and trumpets sequences.

The consuming fire (Trumpets 1-3) and the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars—the scattering of Israel (4th Trumpet)—signify the end of the transition overlap from Old Covenant to New Covenant—as illustrated in King Saul and King David earlier.

## 8

## Third Vision: Satan, Two Beasts, Babylon

Chapters 12, 13 and 14

The third vision of Revelation extends from chapter 12 to 14 and comprises three parts with four major motifs:

1) Satan. Chapter 12.

2) The Two Beasts. Chapter 13.

3) Babylon. Chapter 14.

This third vision is itself the interlude within the Seals, Trumpets, Bowls sequence (the fourth vision) and fulfills the _interlude before the end_ pattern:

1) Seals 1 through 6, _interlude_ , 7th Seal

2) Trumpets 1 through 6, _interlude_ , 7th Trumpet

3) Seals, Trumpets, _third vision_ , Bowls.

This 3rd vision interlude is not a chronology of numerical symbols as are other visions having the 1 through 7 sequence. This interlude vision, according to the pattern, comes before the end, the bowls vision. The seals are the _reading_ of the judgments, or a written warning. The trumpets are the _sounding_ of those warnings. It isn't until the bowls that the final, active form of judgment is inflicted: the _pouring_ out of the wrath of God.

### CHAPTER 12

### The Woman in Heaven

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. (vv. 1-2)

In Revelation 6 the sun and moon were darkened and the stars fell to the earth at the 6th Seal, near the close of the Gospel Age. The sun, moon, and stars represent God's people, both Jew and Gentile—heirs to the promises. Here the sun, moon, and stars are depicted at the start of the Gospel Age, just before the First Advent of Jesus Christ.

### Clothed with the Sun

This heavenly woman is _clothed with the sun_ ; that is, the _sun of righteousness_ (Malachi 4:2). After the harvest of the saints at the end of the age: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43). On the Mount of Transfiguration: "And [Jesus] was transfigured before them and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt. 17:2). In the first chapter of Revelation, Jesus' _countenance was as the sun shining in its strength_ (v.16). So this woman is clothed with light or righteousness—also referred to as _white raiment, garments,_ or _robes_ throughout Revelation, e.g., I beheld a great multitude...dressed in white robes... (Rev. 7:9).

### Moon under Her Feet

She has the _moon under her feet_ ; meaning, she is in a position of authority. Having someone or something _under one's feet_ is to have authority over it: _the power to tread on serpents and scorpions_ (Luke 10:19). Following the _sun of righteousness_ citation from Malachi above: "'And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this,' says the LORD of hosts" (4:3). And, after capturing the five kings of the enemy armies, Joshua told his captains, "Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings" (Joshua10:24)—Joshua's enemies had _become his footstool_ (Psalm 110:1). "You made [man] to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet" (Psalm 8:6).

### Crown of Twelve Stars

The _crown of twelve stars_ represent the twelve tribes of Israel (sons of Jacob), as _numerous as the stars of heaven_ (Genesis 22:17).

The woman is _with child_ ; her pregnancy refers to the soon fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming Messiah. This child, the Messiah, is coming from Heaven: "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). This child can only be Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us.

This heavenly woman also depicts the order of the heavens. The moon is at the lowest altitude of the three— _beneath her feet_ —closest to the earth. The sun, the greater light, is higher than the moon— _clothes the woman_. While the sun and moon are both _set in the firmament_ (Gen. 10), the stars— _the crown upon her head_ —are the highest bodies—on or above the celestial plane. The thematic prominence of the sun, moon, and stars throughout Revelation may also indicate that a correct biblical understanding of these heavenly bodies figure heavily toward the end of the Gospel Age.

Compare the condition of the sun, moon, and stars at the start of the Gospel Age—or the start of the 1260 days—to the 6th Seal, when the two witnesses are overcome. At the start of the age they are filled with the Holy Spirit (Pentecost): fire proceeds from their mouths, they have the power to shut heaven, and to smite the earth with plagues (Rev. 11:5-6). They are clothed with righteousness (the sun), have authority (moon under foot), and a royal pedigree (crown).

Toward the end of the age, however, the sun has been darkened: the righteousness of the church has been diminished, as has their authority (moon to blood). It is this darkening of righteousness that leads to the loss of authority (lying in the road; Rev. 11:8)—and hence their being overcome.

### The Dragon

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. (vv. 3-4)

Satan makes his debut in Revelation as a red dragon appearing in heaven.

### Seven Heads

The seven heads of the dragon are the seven planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Five of these planets were known to the ancient world; the two outermost were discovered later: the unscientifically named Uranus, a Greek sky god, in 1781; and Neptune, a Roman god of the sea, in 1846. In the ancient world, the planets were associated with, or thought to be, deities (astralotry). These "gods" of the heavens were thought to rule over certain time periods or aspects on earth—hence the seven day/deity system implemented by the Roman Empire around the 2nd Century:

Sunday – Apollo

Monday – Diana

Tuesday – Mars

Wednesday – Mercury

Thursday – Jupiter

Friday – Venus

Saturday – Saturn

The seven planets (planétés; 4107), or wandering stars, represent the seven empires that appear on earth. In the first chapter of Revelation, the mystery of the seven stars and seven golden candlesticks were explained as the seven Spirits of God and the seven churches; these represent the kingdom of heaven on earth. These seven heads, or wandering stars, represent the dragon's kingdom of darkness on earth. Thus, the two kingdoms are represented in heaven as:

Sun, moon, stars: Kingdom of Heaven

Seven heads, or planets: Kingdom of Darkness

The fact that two of the "heads" were not known at the time of the writing of the visions in the First Century merely underscores the notion that Revelation was not intended to be understood until the end of the age.

### Ten Horns

The ten horns are spirits: high ranking angelic beings sometimes referred to as a _prince_ (Daniel 10:13) or ruler: _principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world_ (Eph 6:12). These spirits are the gods the ancient people associated as the planets, or having come from the planets—as the horn is associated with the head. The figure _ten_ indicates an unknown (to us) quantity of these spirits just as it refers to an indefinite number of people in the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25).

### Seven Crowns

The seven crowns atop the seven heads (planets) refer to the seven "empires of the gods" mentioned in the trumpets sequence. The first six were the Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, and Roman. The seventh and final empire will be at the end of the Gospel Age (now).

### A Third of the Stars

One third of the stars were cast to earth by the dragon's tail. This refers to the rebellion, or deception, in heaven led by Satan. In Revelation 9, the 6th Trumpet, _one-third of men were slain_ by the horsemen; this was the church falling into deception, spiritual death. The one third of the stars is the same: they were with god, alive, then fell, were slain. As in the Garden of Eden, falling is equal to dying.

These are the angels _who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation_ (Jude v.6a). These angels coming down to earth is found in Genesis 6: "the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose" (v.2). _Angels in heaven_ , we are told, _neither marry nor are given in marriage_ (Matt.22:30). Fallen angels, though, are no longer in the third heaven with God and thereby, according to Genesis 6, did take wives. Jude further writes that, just like the angels, Sodom and Gomorrah gave themselves over to sexual immorality and strange flesh (v.7). Their fall from heaven enabled them somehow to commit these acts of fornication with strange flesh—just as death, shame, labor pain, etc. were not part of the human condition until after the fall. This fall from heaven—the realm of the planets—and interaction with mankind is the basis for the gods of antiquity.

This is the situation that God destroyed in the flood: "There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children with them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown" (Genesis 6:4). The belief in these planetary gods visiting mankind persisted into the 1st Century A.D. After healing the lame man in Lystra, the people thought the Apostle Paul was one of these gods: "And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, 'The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.' And they called Barnabas, Zeus; and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker" (Acts 14:11-12). In Roman mythology, Zeus was identified with Jupiter, and Hermes with Mercury.

It was Trumpets 1 through 4 that ended the domain, empire, of these gods. Then followed the long passage of time that was the Middle Ages relegating the gods to ancient myth. So effective was this long period of forgetting that most Christians today don't even believe that the sons of God visited the daughters of men before the flood and created offspring.

Whatever the actual association was between the planets and the fallen angels—whatever caused people to worship stars and planets—is lost to us now and should not be sought out, for God has removed the memory of such: "O LORD our God, other lords besides You have had dominion over us; but by You only will we make mention of Your name. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased*, they shall not rise. Therefore You have visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish" (Isaiah 26:13-14. * _Rapha_ : departed spirits. 7496).

### To Rule the Nations

However, at the end of the Mythic Age, _the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered, to devour her Child as soon as it was born_ (v.4). Now God Himself was coming to the earth to commune with man, and the dragon knew this. While Jesus was an infant, Joseph was warned by an angel: "Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him" (Matthew 2:13). The angel instructed Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt for refuge.

She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. (v. 5)

The Child is Jesus Christ. Verse 5 encapsulates His birth, ministry, and resurrection. The word _rule_ here in Greek is _poimainó_ (4165), which is to govern, shepherd, or care for. The shepherding and caring for the sheep happens throughout the age; this is why Jesus told the disciples, "I am with you even until the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). This being caught up, _harpazó_ (726) is the same as in 1 Thessalonians 4:17: "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Jesus was _caught up_ after His death: "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9)—just as the body of Christ (two witnesses) was _caught up_ after its death and lying in the streets for 3.5 days.

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (v. 6)

The place in the wilderness represents the _hedge of protection_ during the Gospel Age—referring to the commission of the church rather than the protection of each individual member—the same 1260 days the two witnesses are given supernatural anointing ensuring the spread of the gospel will not be impeded. The powers of the two witnesses and the protecting or _feeding_ of the woman are synonymous.

### War in Heaven

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (vv. 7-9)

Satan is referred to as _dragon_ , _devil_ , and _ancient serpent_ —alluding to the Garden of Eden. As in Daniel 12, the angel Michael making his stand marks the beginning of the age. Michael and his angels defeat Satan and his angels and they are cast down to earth. But we know from the book of Job that Satan was already on earth in the Old Testament—just as the sons of God were on earth before the flood. So there must be a broader understanding of what this _casting down_ means. We also know from the book of Job that Satan was on earth and in heaven: "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them" (Job 1:6). When asked, Satan says that he was _walking to and fro on the earth_ , so he obviously had the ability during that time to move between the two. Therefore, _casting down_ in this case would be cutting off his access to the heavens—earthbound: _no more place in heaven_.

Also, in order to convey the meaning of some subtle events—like the giving or limiting of authority, for example—a form of visual hyperbole is necessary. For example, looking at a picture of an ordinary man, the viewer would have no idea whether the man is hungry or not. To convey a picture of hunger, the condition has to be shown in some extreme. A man presented as skin and bones conveys that he is hungry. Satan and his angels being cast down to earth coveys their being bound, like the strongman whose house will be plundered (Matt. 12:29). Their ability to deceive has been restrained.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night.' (v. 10)

This _casting down_ of Satan, or binding, is the equivalent to the protection of the gospel/Church in chapter 11. Satan is restrained in order to protect the church and its witness, but also that his house may be plundered (3rd Seal).

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (v. 11)

This binding/limitation/protection was accomplished by and under the authority of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He told His disciples in Matthew 28: "And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen'" (Matt 28:18-20).

Therefore rejoice O heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. (v. 12)

The devil is cast down, the _strongman bound_ (Matt. 12:29), yet he is on earth _seeking whom he may devour_ (1 Peter 5:8). After the gods of the ancient world are cast down the Mythic Age ends—the sixth empire of these gods ending with the fall of Rome (Trumpets 1-4).

And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (vv. 13-14)

Satan persecutes the church—the ten days of testing at the start of the Gospel Age—but she is given wings (a divine endowment) to her place of (spiritual) nourishment for 3.5 years. The wings represent the transference out from the kingdom of darkness as they did for the Israelites coming out of Egypt: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself" (Exodus 19:4).

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. (vv. 15-16)

The serpent, Satan, assails the woman with a flood, signifying a general attack: "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isaiah 59:19b; also Jeremiah 46:8 and Daniel 9:26). This flood also comes from the serpent's mouth, signifying lies and deceit—Satan's principal weapons. Satan attacks the woman—the initial ten days of tribulation—but the earth opens and swallows the flood waters: that is, she, the church, is miraculously protected by God. This _opening of the earth_ is the _shortening of days_ discussed in the Matthew 24 section: the ten days of tribulation ending with the Edict of Toleration in 311.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (v. 17)

The initial attacks having failed, Satan is enraged, then goes to make war with her offspring. This indicates the ongoing persecution of the church throughout the Gospel Age. Understand, again, this divine protection does not suggest that individual Christians cannot be killed. It is simply an assurance of the spread of the gospel throughout the age—and _the gates of hell will not prevail against it_ (Matt. 16:18). Like Satan was told regarding Job: _You can touch his body, but you can't kill him_ (Job 2:6), the woman/church will be attacked but not killed—for a time. This place in the wilderness where the woman is nourished for 1260 days, being the same 1260 day period of the two witnesses, comes to an end before the age ends. The dragon will overcome the woman's seed.

### The Space Age

The 5th Trumpet predicted the rise of humanism/naturalism beginning around 1500 A.D. This twelfth chapter explains why: the devil and his angels were cast out of heaven, or the heavens. They were cast down to earth with mankind; thus, mankind became the new gods.

Coincidentally, the heavens come into play again during the hour of trial, the start of which, 1948/67, is also the approximate beginning of the "space age". Before the flood, in the beginning of human history, the gods came down from the heavens; at the end the new gods go up into the heavens. From the planets at the start, to the planets at the finish.

But because Immanuel Himself came down to earth to be with mankind 2000 years ago, and paid the price for their sins with His blood, it will be His saints that ascend to Heaven with Him when He returns.

### CHAPTER 13

### Beast from the Sea

Having portrayed in chapter 12 the spiritual war between the dragon and the woman, the scene now shifts to the natural world to depict how the dragon makes war with the saints on earth.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (v. 1)

The dragon from the previous chapter had seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns; this beast is the earthly representation of the dragon in the heavens—Satan, is the _ruler of this world_ (John 14:30).

### Seven Heads

These seven heads are the earthly manifestation of the seven planets—the seven empires of the gods on earth: Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome, and a seventh empire. There were other empires during the Mythic Age, but Revelation refers to only those having an antagonistic relationship with God's people.

### Ten Horns

Like the ten horns of the dragon—an indefinite quantity of spiritual rulers—these ten horns are an indefinite quantity of earthly rulers. The Roman Empire, like the others, had several emperors, so there's no need in trying to identify ten individual leaders.

### Ten Crowns

The _ten crowns_ of this earthly beast are more than the seven crowns of the dragon though. This difference is due to the nature of the seventh empire—the mystery of which the angel will reveal in chapter 17. Ten again represents an indefinite quantity—not just of empires, but of nation-states. So these _ten crowns_ include the six empires above as well as the number of nations between 1948 and the Second Coming. The conglomeration of nation-states at the end of the age is the seventh head/empire.

And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (v. 2)

John uses the symbols of the leopard, bear, and lion from Daniel 7 to reiterate the notion of empires. "As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over the poor people" (Proverbs 28:15). Though this is not a sweeping indictment of governments in general, it is through state sanctioned persecution that Satan is able to make war with the saints—the horn, the leader, being the beasts' weapon, not the concept of government itself.

The 4th Seal contained the _four severe judgments of God_ , one of which being _wild beasts_ that operate under the providence of God and His judgment. Despite this beast/empire connection, the Scriptures provide no license for any form of Christian anarchy or anti-government sentiment: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well" (1 Peter 2:13-14). "Remind them to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men" (Titus 3:1-2). "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God" (Romans 13:1). The saint is to submit to the authorities until such a point as that earthly authority comes into conflict with God's authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?' (v. 3)

As the head is a symbol of authority, this is a strike against the authority of the beast. This head wound is the same as the _casting down_ or restraining of Satan in Revelation 12. If Satan has been restrained in his authority, then so has his earthly ambassador—the Roman Empire at that point. The head wound is deadly, but the beast is not done away with; the wound is healed.

In Genesis 3, God told the serpent his head would be bruised: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Gen. 3:15). Psalm 68 also points out the significance of the head: "But God shall wound the head of His enemies, and the hairy scalp of one who goes on still in his trespasses" (v. 21). Recall the earlier reference to that _ancient serpent_ in chapter 12. Jesus was crucified on _the place called the skull_ (Luke 23:33)—Calvary, _kranion_ (2898). This is where the righteous King conquered death (Rev. 6:2).

This mortally wounded head of the beast is not only a reference to the crucifixion, but also another allusion to _the binding of the strong man_. If the dragon is giving the beast his authority, then he can only give of a limited authority—he is restrained until the two witnesses finish their testimony to ensure the gospel is spread throughout the world. This era of restraint—when the strong man is bound and his house plundered—continues throughout the age until the hour of trial—the point at which the two witnesses are killed.

It may be difficult initially reconciling the violence of the Roman Empire with the notion of being restrained. However, the well-known atrocities committed by the Roman Empire against the early Christians actually support the premise of restraint within the context of _the authority to do something_. As hard as the empire tried to dismantle the early church, they were unsuccessful. The Matthew 24 chapter showed how the days were _shortened_ beginning in A.D. 311 with the Edict of Toleration. The church and the early manuscripts of the Bible still exist today— _the gates of hell could not prevail against it_ (Matthew 16:18). It isn't until the 7th head era of unrestraint begins that the beast has the authority to overcome and kill the church—and this primarily by spiritual deception.

An overemphasis on the capabilities of the adversary and beasts should be avoided though. These are merely tools being used amidst God's sovereign design of the Gospel Age: tools used in part to perfect His Church. It has already been shown that Jesus' death and resurrection _destroyed him that had the power of death_ (Hebrews 2:14) so that _his house could be plundered_ (Matthew 12:29). The early church was told they would be tested (Rev. 2:10) and _not to fear the suffering_ they were about to endure. The devil was allowed to try the early church with physical tribulations so that it would be set apart from the world in order for the pure gospel message to go forth. The church at the end of the age is told in advance that they will undergo another period of testing (Rev. 3:10); all of this indicates an age unfolding according to the design of a sovereign God.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?' (v. 4)

Satan, the god of this world, extracts _worship_ (obedience) from the general population via his agent on earth, the beast, or oppressive governments—typically obtaining compliance by force or threat of punishment. This is why the people feel helpless and complain, _Who can stand up to this_? _What else are we supposed to do_? The beast seems too powerful to defy. Inferring, however, any type of "government is evil" position here won't do much good proceeding. The Pharaoh in Joseph's time was beneficent to the Israelites; the Pharaoh in Moses' time was antagonistic. Government, such as it was, under King David was good; the same government under King Ahab was wicked.

Stalin's rule would be considered evil—with millions "lawfully" imprisoned via the infamous Article 58. Many first world, developed, governments would be considered good by most. Yet, in the United States, for example, abortion is legal while the display of the Ten Commandments in a court of law is widely prohibited—both of these, however, could change at any time. It is in the making of laws that is found the primary characteristic of the empire as a _beast_ : the legislating of the knowledge of good and evil. For instance, it was the administrators and officials of Babylon that said, "We shall not find any [charges] against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God" (Daniel 6:5); then they set out to pass a law—a law calling good evil—that would force Daniel to compromise or die. The beast uses its lawmaking function to both justify evil and prohibit good.

And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (vv. 5-6)

This earthly agent of the dragon operates only under the providence of God. Therefore, it _is given_ a mouth to speak blasphemy and it _is allowed_ to continue for 42 months. This is also the second instance of _42 months_ , the first in chapter 11 indicating the time _the holy city would be tread under foot_. These 42 months are the same figurative 3.5 years that the two witnesses spread the gospel to the whole world—though in the context of the church, the figure 1260 is used.

And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (v. 7)

Revelation 11 already depicted the two witnesses being overcome and killed at the end of the 1260 days. The above verse speaks to that same point in time at the _end of their testimony_ ; so, _it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them_ [at the appointed time]. _Power was given_ to the two witnesses for 1260 days; now _power is given_ to the beast. Verse 7 reiterates the final phase at the end of the age when the dragon and his beast will be unrestrained and will be given unimpeded authority over all men. This point was depicted at the 6th Trumpet as the _releasing of the four angels_ _who were prepared for an hour, a day, a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men_ (Rev. 9:15). It is these fallen angels—powers, principalities and rulers of darkness—who are given power over all nations.

The central threat to the believer is the love of the world. The world, the harlot, has never been more alluring than she is today—her temptations never more readily available—and because of his desire man will allow himself to be deceived into thinking he can have both the world and eternal life. The real danger to the saint is described in the letters: the churchgoer thinking himself alive, but actually spiritually dead; thinking himself blessed but being spiritually bankrupt. Jesus said not to fear those who can kill the body, _but rather fear Him_ _who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell_ (Matthew 10:28). The ultimate danger is spending eternity in hell.

### Body of the Beast

And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (v. 8)

This future point during which all on earth will worship the beast is the seventh head era, between 1948 and the Second Coming, the same period the saints are overcome. Surely none of the unbelievers think they are _worshiping a beast_ during this time of scientific naturalism—but this is the beast system that _deceives the whole world_ (Rev. 12:9). Their worship is their love of the secular world view: atheistic, evolutionary materialism; in this view there is neither God nor holiness, therefore there is neither sin nor accountability.

The unbelievers are contrasted with the elect, those whose names are written in the book of life. The corporate elect, the saints, are the body of Christ; conversely, the non-elect, those who worship the beast, could be considered the corporate body of the beast. Inserting the doctrine of election in this verse allows for some who worship the beast in ignorance to at some point be saved, to come out of Babylon.

If any man has an ear, let him hear. (v. 9)

The words _he that has an ear, let him hear_ was last found at the end of each of the seven letters. This end verse, and what follows, will serve a similar pivot function as Revelation 10 ( _prophesy again_ ).

He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (v. 10)

This parallel arrangement might also be rendered as such:

He who [is destined for] captivity

shall go into captivity.

—

He who [is destined for] the sword

must be killed by the sword.

This Jeremiah interlude is a warning to believers who are not separate from the world. The context for this admonition is the word from the Lord instructing His people not to leave the land of Judah to live in Egypt: _After Jeremiah had finished speaking the words the Lord had given him to say...all the proud men said to Jeremiah, "You lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say 'Do not go to Egypt to live there'...So they went to the land of Egypt, for they disobeyed the voice of the Lord_ (Jeremiah 43:1,2,4).

For their disobedience, God would _send a king to strike the land_ : "And when [Nebuchadnezzar] comes, he will smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword" (Jeremiah 43:11). King Nebuchadnezzar is called _My servant_ in this passage—just as the four beasts serve God's providential purposes throughout the Gospel Age. Sending the King of Babylon to smite the land is the equivalent to the unbinding of Satan during the hour of trial: those who stay separate from the world will be watched over; those who remain in the world subject themselves to the four severe judgments of God (Seals 2-4).

Structurally, this passage distinguishes verses 1-9 from the remaining verses, 11-18. Verse 10 becomes an interlude that splits the entire third vision.

12 A) Woman/Dragon (vv. 1-9)

12 B) Serpent/Woman (vv. 10-17)

13 A) Beast from Sea (vv. 1-9)

— (Jeremiah Interlude v. 10)

13 B) Beast from Earth (vv. 11-18)

14 A) 144,000/Worshipers of Beast (vv. 1-11)

14 B) Harvest/Wrath (vv. 12-20)

Further significance, when the numbers are added, of the Jeremiah interlude will be noted at the end of the chapter.

### Beast from the Earth

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. (v. 11)

This beast from the earth is the third beast of the four, the beast _with the face of a man_ (Rev. 4:7).

1) The dragon, or Satan.

2) The beast from the sea with seven heads.

3) The beast from the earth with two horns.

4) The harlot.

_Two horns like a lamb_ has a distinct religious connotation. _Like a lamb_ is clearly an allusion to Jesus Christ, and _like a dragon_ is obviously Satan. This is a dragon in sheep's clothing, later referred to as _the false prophet_.

In 1 Samuel 28, when King Saul went to the medium of Endor to bring up the spirit of the prophet Samuel, the woman saw a _divine being coming up out of the earth_ (v. 13). The woman could not have had the power to bring up Samuel's spirit, so God must have allowed Samuel to appear in order to bring a word of judgment to Saul: _tomorrow you and your sons will be here with me_ (v. 19).

In a similar fashion, God allowed a spirit to go against King Ahab as a form of judgment. The prophet Micaiah had a vision in which God asked the host of heaven, _who will persuade Ahab to go up to_ _Ramoth-gilead so that he may fall_? (1 Kings 22:20). "And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' And the LORD asked him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And He said, 'You shall persuade him and prevail. Go forth, and do so" (vv. 21-22). This host of heaven is one _lying spirit_ acting through the mouths of many prophets. Another instance of this singular spirit speaking through many prophets occurs in Zechariah: _I will remove the prophets and unclean spirit from the land_ (13:2).

The concept of one spirit speaking through many prophets is not foreign to the believer, for it is the Holy Spirit Himself that bears witness through many saints during the Gospel Age; for this reason the saints are cautioned about false prophets and lying spirits. Apollyon, the beast from the earth is the _spirit of antichrist_ that John warned of: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). The 5th Trumpet showed Abaddon ruling over an army of locusts prepared for battle. It is with this army of darkness that the man of sin is able to go _out into the world_. These spirits and false prophets are allowed by God for the purpose of testing: _whether or not you love the Lord with all your heart and soul_ (Deuteronomy 13:3). John wrote that this spirit of antichrist _is coming_ , _yet even now is already in the world_ (1 John 4:3).

This spirit exists throughout the age, yet _ascends_ near the end of it (5th Trumpet). Paul's man of sin, too, the same spirit, the mystery of iniquity, _already works_ , yet his restraints will be taken out of the way (2 Thess. 2:7).

And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (v. 12)

This beast _speaks like a dragon_ , just as Moses' older brother Aaron was appointed by God as spokesman for Moses: "And he will be your spokesman to the people; and he will be to you instead of a mouth, and you will be to him instead of God" (Exodus 4:16).

And he e _xercises the power of the first beast_ , also like Aaron who incited the first three plagues of Egypt. Aaron performed signs and wonders in the sight of Pharaoh: "And the Lord spoke to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your rod, and stretch out your hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood;" that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone'" (Exodus 7:19). This spirit from the earth, however, operates _according to_ _the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders_ (2 Thess. 2:9).

The mention of the _deadly wound healed_ indicates this beast from the earth being extant at the start of the age—the entire 42 months of the first beast.

And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (vv. 13-14)

As in the two witnesses interlude—the thesis to the false prophet's antithesis—this passage describes the three stages of the Gospel Age subsequent to the wounding of the head—the binding of the strong man.

First: _Fire from heaven_ is another reference to Trumpets 1-4. In Revelation 11, the start of the Gospel Age was _fire from the mouths_ of the two witnesses—God's true prophets.

Second: _False Prophets_ alludes to the main body of the age, the same signifier Jesus used in Matthew 24 to designate the middle of the age: "And many **false prophets** shall rise, and shall deceive many" (v.11). "For there shall arise false christs, and **false prophets** , and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (v.24).

Third: creating _an image of the beast_ refers to the formation and organization of the world into nation-states and their currencies, which typically portray the head of the beast. This third stage occurred in two phases: 1500 (5th Trumpet)—the forerunner phase—and 1948 (6th Trumpet).

The seamless segue from deception to creating an image in verse 14 is because of this forerunner phase—which occurs within the main body of the age, not after it.

These four beasts of Revelation form the inverse of the situation on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 32:

1) God

2) Moses: the law giver

3) Aaron: Moses' prophet

4) Golden calf: image of a beast

### Power + Money

With the formation of city-states and nation-states—from the Renaissance to the Peace of Westpahlia for the purposes here; the embryos of modern sovereign nation states—central banking forms in the 17th Century with the Amsterdam Wisselbank in 1609 and the Swedish Riksbank in 1668. A forerunner of sorts to the modern money empire is found in 15th Century Florence, Italy—the birthplace of the Renaissance. In this city-state, a republic, political power resided primarily in the moneyed class, the merchants, most notably the Medici banking family—the "godfathers of the Renaissance"—from whom also came four popes.

In the United States, for example, the second beast followed the first ( _exercising all the power of the first beast before him_ ) and assumed the power to create the image. In the U.S. these two beasts are separate entities: the law-givers are the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government.

The second beast is the privately owned, independent, bank called the Federal Reserve—which creates the idol and manages the money supply since December of 1913 when the Federal Government, the law, relinquished its right to create the nation's currency when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act (the current income tax system hatched from the 16th Amendment was enacted in 1913 as well). The Federal Reserve oversees the nation's fractional reserve banking system—the debt. The central banks of the world are then overseen by the Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland—the bank for central banks. This BIS, which sets policy for the central banks of the world, is owned by the central banks of the world. The world banking system is the money king's, Apollyon's, financial empire.

In contrast to the false prophet, Samuel, a true prophet of God, was widely acknowledged as fair, uncorrupted. After appointing Saul king, Samuel said to the Israelites, "Behold, here I am; witness against me before the LORD, and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? I will restore it you" (1 Samuel 12:3). Before leaving office Samuel made sure all accounts were square, that there was no corruption against him. The people responded, "You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us. Neither have you taken out of any man's hand" (v. 4).

### The Image of the Beast

While Moses was still on Mt. Sinai, it was Aaron who, using materials from the people, made the golden calf—an image of a beast: "And he received [the golden earrings] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. Then they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt'" (Exodus 32:4).

The false prophet of Revelation tells _them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live_. While Aaron himself made the golden calf, Apollyon is a spirit and can't make anything; he therefore tells them on earth to make the image.

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (v. 15)

This second beast _gives life_ (breath or spirit, _pneuma_ ; 4151) to this image. This action brings to mind Genesis 2: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (v. 7). God created man in His image and breathed life into him. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit onto the disciples: "And when He had said this, He breathed on _them_ , and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Ghost'" (John 20:22).

The giving of life, or breath, to the image indicates the third and final stage, the hour of trial.

The beast from the earth is _given power_ , enabled, to give life to the image—he is allowed to do this by God. This is the same point in the Gospel Age that the beast from the sea was given power to make war with and overcome the saints (v.7). These events are to be contextualized along side chapter 11—the two witnesses interlude (11 and 13 are both interludes).

1) At the start of the age, Satan and his earthly empire are wounded; their works are disabled, or restrained.

2) At Pentecost, the church is given power (enabled by the Holy Spirit): _I will give power to My two witnesses_ (Rev. 11:3).

3) The beast is allowed to _continue for 42 months_ as well as allowed to speak blasphemies against the Lord (Rev. 13:5).

4) The two witnesses prophesy for 1260 days, the same time period as the 42 months. However, when they _finish their testimony_ , they are overcome (11:7).

5) The beast is given power to overcome the saints, the two witnesses (Rev.13:7).

Verse 15 above juxtaposes _giving life_ to the image with _killing_ those who refuse to worship. This explains how the two witnesses are killed.

The image of the beast is given the breath of life at the start of the final stage (7th Head) and the church dies. The enabling of the beast to breathe life into the image is synchronous to the seven-headed beast given power to overcome the saints—both marked by the 6th Seal and Trumpet.

The terms _power_ and _life_ distinguish the periods before and after the 6th Seal and Trumpet. When the church is enabled, the beast is disabled; when the image of the beast has life, the image of Christ on earth doesn't. A church lying in the streets, dead, is not talking (testifying) and by extension, likely, not praying. At the end of the age, however, the church will be given the breath of life once again before the Second Coming (and judgment of beasts): the two witnesses lie dead in the street dead for 3.5 days (11:9); then the _breath of life_ ( _pneuma_ ) entered them and they stood up.

The giving of life by the false prophet describes the power and influence money has over people. It is part of man's delusion ( _a reprobate mind_ ; Romans 1:28) to think that his idols are living breathing gods: "What profits the graven image that the maker of has graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusts therein, to make dumb idols? Woe to him that says to the wood, 'Awake;' to the dumb stone, 'Arise, it shall teach!' Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it" (Habakkuk 2:18-19). The image of the beast has no more ability than the golden calf, about which Aaron proclaimed: _This is your god, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt_ (Ex. 32:4). The only _life_ this image has is its existence throughout the age and its influence over people—influence that people themselves give it, allowing themselves to be _carried away by mute idols_ (1 Corinthians 12:2).

Moreover, this image speaks only within the visions shown to John—all four beasts speak in the visions: the beast from the sea _speaks_ blasphemies against God, the beast from the earth _speaks_ like a dragon, and the harlot will speak in chapter 18. The image of the beast is the symbol of idolatry, representing a spiritual condition, and attitude. This image, or condition of harlotry, will testify against its lovers: "For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us" (Isaiah 59:12a). It is the nature of the enemy to seduce a person into sin, then accuse him of sinning.

### The Power to Conquer

The image of the beast has the added ability to _cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed_. This worship-or-die ultimatum evokes Nebuchadnezzar's golden image: at the sound of the music, _whosoever does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace_ (Daniel 3:6).

As with the _breath of life_ , this _ability to kill_ is set in contrast with the church.

The two Witnesses prior to the 6th Seal (~1948): "And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouths, and devours their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed" (Rev. 11:5).

The image of the beast after the 6th Seal: "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Rev. 13:15).

This power to kill is analogous to which kingdom is conquering the world. The kingdom of God conquers at the start of the Gospel Age with the 1st Seal: _He went forth to conquer_ (Rev. 6:2). The 2nd was _war_ , and the 3rd was _plundering the enemies camp_.

But in the 20th Century the war turns in favor of the kingdom of darkness: "And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (Rev. 13:7). _Those who would not worship the image of the beast_ —that is, the church of Christ, a third of mankind (6th Trumpet)—are killed. This also tells us what kills the church: the love of money.

### Caesar's

An example of this image that kills is found in Matthew 22 when the Pharisee asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus asked, "Whose image and inscription are on [the coin]?"

"Caesar's" they told him; to which Jesus replied: "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (v. 21). Jesus makes a clear distinction between that which is God's and that which is Caesar's—or that which belongs to the world.

The image of the beast is the currency itself. The New Testament is replete with distinctions between God and money as the symbol of the world. Matthew 6: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (v. 24). _Mammon_ represents wealth and riches. It's one or the other: God or the world.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (1 Timothy 6:10)

Like the gold pillar of Nebuchadnezzar, no one truly worships or loves money itself—or they wouldn't exchange it eagerly and freely in every store they walk into for food, clothing, cars, etc. People love what money represents, which is different for all. Loving money simply means loving the world and all the things it offers—as well as the status and attention they bring—only made available via money. The beast system is a value system, and valuing anything more than God is harlotry.

Having and using money as a medium of exchange is not worshiping the beast—even the disciples carried a moneybag (John 12:6). _Worshiping the beast_ is the spiritual condition of worldliness, devotion to the world, later characterized as being in Babylon. Consider the rich man in Matthew 19 who asked Jesus how he could have eternal life: "Jesus said to him, 'If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.'"

"But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."

"Then said Jesus to his disciples, 'Verily I say to you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God'" (vv. 21-24).

The rich man isn't condemned because he has great possessions, but because he chooses them (the world) over God. These two loves cannot coexist: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).

This divided love is spiritual fornication, _having left your first love_ (Rev. 2:4). And just as God's people are sealed on the foreheads, anyone in this state of worldliness, or harlotry, is likewise marked.

### Mark of the Beast

And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads; and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (vv. 16-17)

The _he_ above is still the false prophet, who causes people to receive a mark on the right hand or forehead. Having a mark in one of these places is a signifier of whom one's master is. Referring to God's commandments, Moses told the Israelites to keep them in their hearts, live them, and to _wear_ them: "And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:6-8).

### Head and Hand

Being marked on the hand or forehead is analogous to _wearing one's heart on the sleeve_ : or, a person's internal condition is made known externally. While someone may claim to be a Christian, if the pattern of his life resembles the world, his claim is unconvincing. The true internal condition is revealed not by words, but by the image, or pattern of life. "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:16).

The trumpets sequence drew an analogy between the casting down of Dagon (1 Samuel 5) and the first four seals, as well as the breaking of Dagon's hands and head and the _consuming fire_ of the first four trumpets. The casting down at the start of the Gospel Age was the binding of Satan for a thousand years and the breaking of the hands and head alluded to the destruction of the Roman Empire. The hand and head motifs reappear at the end of the age within the context of a worldwide financial empire.

### Buying and Selling

In verses 16 and 17 the word _mark_ ( _charagma_ ; 5480) is polysemic. In verse 16 below, _charagma_ denotes an _identification_ or _brand showing ownership_ ; in this case belonging to the beast:

And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a **mark** in their right hand, or in their foreheads.

In one sense "all" receive this mark of ownership as everyone is born into and owned by the fallen world system: "Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). Only through faith in Jesus Christ as the propitiation for their sins is a person transferred out from this kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of heaven; if every saint was transferred out of the kingdom of darkness, then "all" were at some point marked as owned by this kingdom. This redeemed saint is then sealed by the Holy Spirit, the new mark of ownership.

However, within the greater context of Revelation, not everyone receives the mark of the beast. Verse 15, the previous verse, said that those who do not worship the image are killed. Chapter 20 describes the saints as those "who had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (v.4b). Likewise, chapter 16 will show that the first bowl of wrath is limited to those having the mark of the beast.

Therefore, "all" cannot mean every single person since we are told that not everyone receives the mark. "All" must be understood in relation to the parallel visions and it's placement within the timeline.

We are told that the _false prophet causes all to receive the mark of the beast_ after the image of the beast is given life, or breath. This is the point when the two witnesses are killed, or lose power—the wind or breath ( _pnoé_ ; 4157) from heaven received on the day of Pentecost. Earlier in chapter 13, the beast from the sea was given power: "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (v.7).

In the Great Commission passage, Jesus told the disciples, _All power has been given to Me...go and make disciples of all nations..._ (Matt. 28:18-19), meaning that He had power [to plunder] all nations for Himself. And while _all nations_ meant literally every nation, He was primarily making a distinction for His disciples between Jews and Gentiles—two categories of people. The gospel was to be preached to both the Jews and the Gentiles, to the heathen nations.

It is in this "two category" context that _all receive the mark_ is to be understood: God's people and the heathens are all under the power of the beast system. Though not every single person, the collective body of Christ on earth is marked by the beast, worshipping his image; or as Paul put it, _walking according to the course of this world_. This means that when Christ looks at His corporate body He sees the image of the world reflected rather than the image of Himself. This is why in chapter 18, the voice from heaven says, _Come out of her, my people_ (v.4). The Kingdom of Heaven on earth is not distinct, or separate, from the kingdom of darkness. This is why the two witnesses are described as being dead.

### Pressed Image

The second usage in verse 17 implies a _stamped_ or _pressed coin_.

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the **mark** , or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

The name and number identify this mark as currency given that coins in the 1st Century had the image of the Caesar—the head of the beast—with his name in Roman numerals, which also rendered a number. Currency is the golden calf of the seventh empire. It is the object of worship, the second love of the end days: _people will be_ _lovers of self_ _and_ _lovers of money_ (2 Timothy 3:2). The double meaning of _mark_ conjoins the concepts of ownership by and conformity to the world. Anyone following the patterns of the world is owned by the world: _Don't you know that you are slaves to whom you obey_? (Romans 6:16).

For the saint, once transferred out from the kingdom of darkness by faith in Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of the Son, he is then conformed into the image of God's Son (Rom. 8:29). The saint is first transferred (the moment of regeneration) then transformed—conformed into the image of Christ, following the pattern of His life as revealed in the Word. The first happens instantaneously at belief and confession; the other is a lifelong process of sanctification.

The two great loves of the saint are: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." And "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39).

Each of these kingdoms has a distinctive characteristic that the other cannot do. In the kingdom of darkness it is buying and selling: no one can buy or sell without the mark on their right hand or forehead. Buying and selling is the default condition of fallen man.

In the kingdom of God the distinctive is acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord: "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed; and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (1 Corinthians 12:3). Obviously it is possible for false converts and imposters to enunciate the words Jesus is Lord; Paul is not talking about them here. He is addressing the brethren, who were once heathen, about spiritual gifts. None of them would be saved if not for the work of the Holy Spirit. Calling Jesus Lord, being born again, is not possible in fallen man unless he is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. God's people are _sealed by the Holy Spirit in their foreheads_ (Rev. 7:3)—the head representing the Kingdom of His beloved Son. The saints have no marking on their hands as their salvation is without works, but by faith alone.

Each of the two distinctives is accompanied by a kingdom identifier:

Buying and selling – mark of the beast

Saying Jesus is Lord – sealed by the Holy Spirit

### The Exchange

This process of being conformed to the image of Christ He described as _doing the will of the Father_ , or _hearing these words of Mine and doing them_ (Matthew 7:21b, 24a). Jesus made it clear that _Not everyone who says to Me "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven_. This situation of professing, yet not entering, is associated with buying and selling in two passages.

After Simon the Sorcerer believed and was baptized (Acts 8) he saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of hands by the Apostles. Simon offered Peter and John money, saying, "Give me this power also, that on whomever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Spirit" (8:19).

Peter strongly rebuked Simon for thinking the gift of God could be purchased with money, telling him to repent and pray God would forgive him. "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity" (8:23). This passage contrasts the _gift of God_ with the notion of buying and selling it. Earlier in Acts, when the lame man asked them for money, Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6).

In Jesus' parable of the ten virgins, there were five foolish virgins who had no oil for their lamps. Their vessels had no anointing, or Holy Spirit. As the bridegroom was about to return, the five foolish virgins asked the others for oil; they were told, "No. Go to them that sell and buy for yourselves" (Matthew 25:9). While the foolish virgins went to buy oil, the bridegroom returned and they were shut out.

Simon and the foolish virgins, though professing believers, tried to buy the gift of God. They believed yet still had a mind to trade the things of heaven in the currency, or values, of the world—as though God Himself values the same things that mankind values, especially bits of metal dug from the dirt and impressed with a man's image. Roman Catholic indulgences of the Middle Ages are a good example of buying and selling in this context: the remission of some temporal punishment acquired in exchange for a donation, charitable deed, certain prayer, etc. Modern televangelists are infamous for implying—if not outright stating—that donations to the ministry will result in a blessing from God. Buying and selling signify _another way_ —a way of human devising: "Verily, verily, I say to you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John 10:1).

Trying to earn the favor of God is buying and selling. Treating the spiritual gifts as merchandise to be gained from is buying and selling; this is why Elisha wouldn't accept remuneration once Naaman was healed of leprosy, telling him, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none" (2 Kings 5:16). Making donations to a ministry with the expectation of a financial reward from heaven is buying and selling. Promoting secret prayers that trigger a "breakthrough" is buying and selling. Peddling special spiritual techniques that "God always responds to" is buying and selling. Buying and selling is any type of attempted exchange, bartering, coercion, manipulating or cajoling God into providing His favor and grace—or extending grace to others for gain. Buying and selling is works-based righteousness, the way of the world, not the way of God.

To be sure, the gifts of God cannot be bought or sold; this is an impossibility. The mindset of buying and selling is the external fruit of an internal condition; it is the mark of a man owned by the kingdom of the beast. If one so little esteems the gifts of God so as to think they can be acquired by any other means other than His grace, then that person can be sure he does not know God and is in danger of eternal, outer darkness.

The only exchange that counts is the one made on Calvary: "For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21)—and this only by faith (Philippians 3:9).

"Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered" (Romans 4:7; Psalm 32:1). The person whose iniquities are forgiven is already blessed; there's nothing to buy—nothing else to attain other than greater sanctification, greater knowledge of God and conformity to the image of His Son. The saint, having already been purchased at great cost (1 Cor. 6:20), does everything as a response to the grace he has freely received.

### Number of the Beast

Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; his number is six hundred threescore and six. (v. 18)

The number of the beast is 666. The number of a man is given, but not the name—that is to be _counted_ , meaning an alpha-numeric system is employed here. This number represents the place where man and empire intersect: the throne. This man is Nero Caesar, whose name in Hebrew (Nrwn Qsr) produces the number:

N=50, R=200, W=6, N=50, Q=100, S=60, R=200

An alternate spelling of his name, Nrw Qsr, produces 616 found in a minority of early manuscripts of the same passage.

Nero, the first emperor to persecute Christians, was head of the beast, the Roman Empire (the 6th kingdom), from 54 to 68 A.D. and thus had his image and name inscribed on the coins. He was also the last of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty (27 B.C. to 68 A.D.), for whom "Caesar" was actually a name. Following Nero's suicide, since he had no heir, the term Caesar was taken as a title.

### Two Witnesses

The Scriptures provide two supporting passages using the number 666 to strengthen the association between the king's currency and the concept of Babylon. The first is found in 1 Kings: "Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold" (10:14. A parallel verse in 2 Chronicles 9:13). The tax collected by King Solomon was 666 gold talents, or coins.

The second instance lies in the book of Ezra within the context of coming out of Babylon: "Now these are the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city" (Ezra 2:1). Among the list of families to leave captivity in Babylon are "[T]he people of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six" (v. 13). This involved a literal movement out from captivity in Babylon back to Jerusalem, whereas in Revelation God calls His people to _come out of_ (spiritual) _Babylon_ and thereby to essentially become a part of _New Jerusalem_ , the Bride of Christ.

The four beasts:

1) Dragon (Satan)

2) Powers and Principalities (Beast from the Sea)

3) Apollyon (False Prophet)

4) Image (Babylon/idol)

### Synopsis

Two Kingdoms

The kingdom of His Beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).

The kingdom of darkness.

Heads of the Kingdoms

Christ is the everlasting head of His kingdom: "And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have preeminence" (Col. 1:18). This body was expressed as seven churches in the first chapter of Revelation.

The kingdom of darkness has seven heads, or seven temporary empires (Rev. 13:1).

Phrases associated with the heads:

"The measure of a man" –Christ

"The number of a man" –Nero

Two Images

Christ is the image of His kingdom: "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" (Col. 1:15-17)

The image of the kingdom of darkness is the image of the beast, its currency (Rev. 13:15).

Each image is a head. Christ, the image of God, is the head of His church: "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the savior of the body" (Ephesians 5:23).

National currencies typically depict a "head of state" of some sort: George Washington, Queen Elizabeth, Mao Zedong, etc.

Two Spirits

The body of Christ, the kingdom of saints, are sealed with and by God's Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22). Believers in which God's Holy Spirit dwells are the King's domain.

The kingdom of darkness is ruled by the spirit of anti-christ—they that _deny the Father and the Son_ (1 John 2:22). This spirit is Apollyon/Abaddon from the bottomless pit (Rev. 9:11) that precedes Satan.

Two Loves

Kingdom of God: _Love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love you neighbor as yourself_ (Matthew 22:37, 39). "By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another" (John 13:35).

Kingdom of darkness: _Love of money and love of self_ (2 Tim. 3:2).

Two Distinctives

Kingdom of God: _No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit_ (1 Cor. 12:3).

Kingdom of darkness: _No man can buy or sell, unless they have the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name_ (Rev. 13:17).

Either of the two distinctives can be performed by both believers and unbelievers alike: unbelievers can enunciate the words _Jesus is Lord_ and believers can buy and sell. What makes them distinct is that true believers would never try to buy or sell the things of God, and true unbelievers would never sincerely say _Jesus is Lord_ and mean it.

Fruit

Kingdom of God: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Kingdom of darkness: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like" (Gal. 5:19-22).

_Fruit_ is the visible manifestation of an inward condition. Everyone on earth is _impressed_ with the image or pattern of the world until they are transferred into the Kingdom of Heaven by being born again—thus beginning the sanctification process whereby the image of Christ is impressed upon a person re-conforming them.

"And be not conformed to this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:2). "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29).

### CHAPTER 14

### Babylon

This fourteenth chapter is the third and final passage of the 3rd Vision Interlude. Where the twelfth chapter portrayed the kingdom of darkness in the heavens, the thirteenth showed it on earth, this final chapter contextualizes them both as Babylon within the Gospel Age template. This chapter is divided into two parts: A will refer to the start of the Gospel Age, B to the end—the same pattern as the book of Revelation.

1) Each section begins with Jesus, His people, and a voice from God.

2) The above are followed by three angels.

3) The sections end with the _wrath of God_.

### 144,000

And I looked and behold a Lamb stood on Mount Sion, and with Him a hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. (v.1)

The previous occurrence of the 144,000 was the chapter 7 interlude, in which it was established there were the Old Testament saints—at the same time alluding to the salvation of the remnant of the children of Israel at the end of the age.

Here they have the name of the Lamb's Father on their foreheads. In chapter 7, the four angels were told, "Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" (v.3). The seal, or signet, of God is His Name. In Revelation 11, during the second woe, the great earthquake caused _seven-thousand names of men_ to be slain (v.13)—the remnant of the children of Israel. The _name_ in 14:1 is the same as the _names_ that were slain in 11:13; _onoma_ : name, authority, cause (3686).

_Onoma_ also occurred in the third (Pergamos) and sixth (Philadelphia) letters. Pergamos: to those who overcome it was promised to them _hidden manna_ and _a white stone inscribed with a new name_ (2:17). In the ancient world a small stone, a pebble ( _pséphos_ ; 5586), was used to cast a vote: a white pebble meant exoneration, while a black stone meant conviction. Paul, when describing to Agrippa how he had once persecuted the followers of Christ, used _pséphos_ as casting his vote: "Which thing I also did in Jerusalem; and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them" (Acts 26:10).

Philadelphia: to those who overcome, "I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God; and I will write upon him My new name" (3:12). The corresponding motif was found in the conclusion of Revelation, "And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads" (22:4).

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.

And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders; and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. (vv. 2-5)

The term _first fruits_ further signifies Israel as integral to the body of Christ as Jesus is the first fruits: "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept" (1 Corinthians 15:20). _Israel is My firstborn son_ (Exodus 4:22).

These 144,000, the children of Israel both before the First Advent of Jesus Christ and at the end of the Gospel Age, are redeemed from the earth by the blood of the Lamb; they are saved by grace through faith. They follow the Lamb—not the law—wherever he goes.

### Three Angels

1) The first is associated with the gospel and judgment.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. Saying with a loud voice, 'Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.' (vv. 6-7)

This angel signifies the going forth of the gospel to the nations. The connection between the gospel and judgment was described in the first vision, the seals—which represent the initiation of progressive judgment. The Word is the judge: "He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has One that judges him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). Jesus Himself told us that judgment began with Him: "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). Judgment in this sense is a separation of the wheat from the tares, or those who accept the gospel from those who reject it.

The terms _heaven, earth, sea, and [fresh] water_ allude to the first four trumpets—the consuming fire from heaven: 1st Trumpet: earth; 2nd: sea; 3rd: rivers and springs; 4th: the heavens.

2) The second speaks of Babylon (the first usage of the term in Revelation).

And there followed another angel saying, 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.' (v. 8)

Babylon, the great city, is the world, or worldliness as a spiritual state (here referred to as _she_ , and later as the harlot). The term _fallen_ here does not mean destroyed; rather it refers to its degenerate state of wickedness in the same way that Satan is fallen, or the fall of man. Rather than being called out from a pile of rubble, the Christian is called to be set apart from this condition of spiritual fornication or harlotry. God is calling His people out of Babylon before he actually does destroy it.

3) The third angel warns against worshiping the beast.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.' (vv. 9-10)

This third angel's warning is a recapitulation of Revelation 13. This beast is not subsequent to, in addition to, or in any way apart from the beast and image described in the previous chapter. Anyone who worships the beast is marked by the beast, a citizen, at any point during the Gospel Age. Worshipping the beast is to remain in the kingdom of darkness, or not receive the gift of salvation through the gospel. It is by the gospel that one is _turned from darkness to light, from Satan to God_ (Acts 26:18). The gospel of Jesus Christ _gives light to them that sit in darkness and_ _in_ _the shadow of death, guides our feet into the way of peace_ (Luke 1:79). Anyone who refuses His gospel is subject to the wrath of God.

And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name. (v.11)

The _smoke of torment_ is the torment of fire and brimstone, the lake of fire created for the devil and his angels. This is the warning against worshipping the beast. In the next passage will be the blessing to those who keep the commandments of God. The promise of blessing and the warning of wrath refers again to the Revelation, which begins with the promise of a blessing (ch.1) and ends with the warning of a curse (ch.22).

Verse 11 is the end of Part A, concluding with the _mark of the beast_ —just as chapter 13 did. This indicates the end of the section.

These first three angels have provided a synopsis of the parameters through the Gospel Age:

1) The availability of the gospel and it as a tool of separation.

2) The world's state of degeneracy, or fallen-ness.

3) The warning against worshipping the beast—or not worshipping God.

The directive here is essentially to repent, come out of the world and be saved or suffer the consequences.

### Harvest/Wrath

The next section (B) begins with the saints:

Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (v. 12)

In Revelation 13, the Jeremiah interlude— _here is the patience of the saints_ —served as the structural pivot-point within the text. This means that the following section (vv. 12-20) will run parallel to the preceding section of the chapter. The voice from heaven:

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, 'Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth.' 'Yea,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.' (v. 13)

Again John hears a voice from heaven, but this time with utterance, the promise of a blessing. _Henceforth_ refers to the entirety of the Gospel Age, during which the _dead die in the Lord_ , or people are saved, born again.

The first voice from heaven was associated with thunder (as in ch.10). Here the voice is revealed. This is the word from the Lord, the revelation of the Gospel Age, at the end of the age. The word comes before the end.

And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. (v. 14)

This is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ at the end of the age. The sickle in His hand is to harvest His saints from the earth. The three symbols of Jesus here are the same three identifying Him as the rider of the first horse (Rev. 6): white, crown, and [curved] hand tool. This is the imminent _catching away_ of His bride, the rapture, the calling up of the two witnesses.

The three angels in Part A described the parameters at the start of the age. These three angels signify events at the end of the age.

### Three Angels

1) The first angel signals the harvest of God's people.

And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle, and reap: for the time is come for You to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.' (v. 15)

Jesus gathers His people:

And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. (v. 16)

It appears that the angel is giving a command to Jesus Christ, but this is not inconsistent with Scripture. Jesus said that only the Father knows the day and hour of His return. And angels are messengers. So this angel is simply relaying God's command to gather His people.

2) The second angel also has a sickle, but this one for the winepress of wrath.

And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. (v. 17)

3) The third angel gives the command to commence judgment.

And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.' (v. 18)

The end:

And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even to the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. (vv. 19-20)

### Outside the City

Once God's people are removed from the earth, judgment falls to the rest. The vine being gathered for the winepress of God's wrath is the 7th Seal and the 7th Trumpet—the end of the age. From this winepress comes blood up to the horses' bridles for 1600 furlongs, or stadia (~184 miles). But this winepress, and the blood from it, is not on earth. This is the upward, heavenly shift at the end of the Revelation pattern: the chapter started with the lamb, continued through the Gospel Age, and ends here _outside the city_. This city is New Jerusalem.

The chapter is bookended by the numbers 666 and 1600. Chapter 13 ended with the number 666—the number of the beast. Anyone who receives his mark _shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God_ (14:10); this is the blood from the winepress. 1600 stadia of blood to the bridles is fulfillment of the warning to those who take the mark of the beast. This is the blood of the unredeemed: "For outside are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie" (Rev. 22:15).

Jesus suffered for our sins outside the city (Hebrews 13:12). Paul was stoned and dragged outside the city, thought to be dead (Acts 14:19). Stephen was driven outside the city and stoned to dead (Acts 7:58). Babylon though—drunk with the blood of the saints (Rev. 17:6)—will be charged double: "Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works; in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double" (Rev. 18:6)—hence the grotesque image of a sea of blood, 1600 furlongs.

Whereas 666 was a triangle number, 1600 is a square number: 2 squared equals 4. 42 is 16, and so on. The 20th square number is 400, and the 40th is 1600. The heavenly city, New Jerusalem, is _laid out as a square_ (Rev. 21:16)—its _length as great as its breadth_. The length of each wall is 12,000 stadia. _Outside the city_ is 400 stadia from each wall of the city:

"And you shall measure from outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst; this shall be to them the pastures of the cities" (Numbers 35:5).

That's 276,000 square miles of wrath on each side of the city. This is the lake of fire, hell, where they "shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" (Rev. 14:10). The point of these dimensions is to convey the reality of this place—an actual, eternal destination of the soul. These dimensions serve as a riposte to the naturalist's axiom: "If it can't be measured, then it doesn't exist." Here, then, are its measurements.

The number 1600 concludes the third vision, the interlude prior to the final bowls of God's wrath. Notice the thematic harmony found among the three major interludes:

1) Revelation 7: the sealing of the 144,000, wrath.

2) Revelation 11: the two witnesses (church), 1260 days/42 months, the beast, the catching away, wrath.

3) Revelation 12, 13, 14: The woman (church), 1260 days, the beast, 42 months, 144,000, the catching away, wrath.

### Sequence of Seven

This 3rd Vision Interlude is comprised of three chapters with an interlude in the middle. Unlike the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls visions, this third vision does not have a 1 through 7 sequence. It does, however, have seven numbers:

1) 1260

2) Time, Times, Half a Time (3.5)

3) 42

4) 666

5) 144,000

6) 144,000

7) 1600

When the Jeremiah interlude is inserted:

1) 1260

2) Time, Times, Half a Time (3.5)

3) 42

—Jeremiah 43:11

4) 666

5) 144,000

6) 144,000

7) 1600

A 3-4 pattern is revealed. Recall the 4-3 pattern in both the Seals and Trumpets—both focused more on the start of the Gospel Age. The 3-4 pattern will be found in the Bowls sequence next as well. The first two visions (4-3) pertained mostly the start of the age, while the second two (3-4) pertain mostly the end of the age.

## 9

## Fourth Vision: Bowls

Chapters 15 and 16

With the previous vision providing the third confirmation of the _interlude before the end_ pattern, these coming seven plagues will be oriented toward the end the Gospel Age. This fourth vision occupies two chapters, the first describing a heavenly prelude to the final bowls of the wrath of God. Chapter 16 contains all seven of the bowls. How long before the end of these bowls occur cannot be known; however, there will be a marker synchronizing the bowl judgments with the final 3.5 days.

### Prelude

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. (v. 1)

This heavenly setting delineates this fourth vision from the preceding third vision.

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. (v. 2)

The _sea of glass_ , above the firmament, was previously shown in Revelation 4 when John was initially taken up to Heaven, only the sea of glass was absent of God's people; that was at the beginning of the visions as well as the start of the Gospel Age. In contrast, the sea of glass now includes the saints ( _mingled with fire_ , the Holy Spirit) who have overcome the beast— _raised up and sitting with Christ in heavenly places_ (Ephesians 2:6). John was shown a door through the firmament onto the sea of glass ( _the waters above the heavens_ ; Psalm 148:4); this door in heaven is analogous to the parting, the way through, the Red Sea—the way of escape from the kingdom of darkness. This before and after contrast of the sea of glass illustrates what was indicated at the 5th Seal: that the number of God's people has been completed. This does not mean though that the harvest has already occurred at this point, or that everyone who is going to be saved has been saved; this prelude passage merely sets the contextual stage for the bowls sequence to come. This scene of His people standing on the sea of glass before the throne is in keeping with the pattern of showing His people with Him at the start of the vision.

And 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, King of saints. Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You only are holy: for all nations shall come and worship before You; for Your judgments are made manifest.' (vv. 3-4)

There are two Songs of Moses: Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32. The first after the Israelites come out of Egypt and miraculously through the Red Sea: "I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea" (Exodus 15:1b).

The latter before crossing the Jordan River into Canaan; this song prefaced as a warning: "For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will befall you in the latter days; because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands" (Deut 31:29).

This second Song of Moses alludes again to the salvation of the Nation of Israel—the Jordan River analogous to the Euphrates River in Revelation (6th Trumpet and 6th Bowl). "They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation" (Deut. 32:21). This passage of Moses' song was cited by Paul regarding the apostasy of Israel and the subsequent salvation of the remnant: "But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses says, 'I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you'" (Romans 10:19).

Two major themes recur from Revelation 11. The first being the end of the 42 months during which Jerusalem is trampled: the Nation of Israel returns to the Promised Land—hence the Song of Moses before crossing the Jordan. The second is the end of the 1260 days (the 42 months) at which point the two witnesses _finish their testimony_ —this is alluded to by the saints singing in heaven. These two concurrent points in the Gospel Age timeline occurred in 1948/1967 and will be depicted at the 6th Bowl.

And after that I looked and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden belts. (vv. 5-6)

The sea of glass passage is bracketed by the _seven angels_ and _seven plagues_ (vv. 1, 6) thus isolating and highlighting the thematic overview from the heavenly actions of the angels. This prelude to the actual pouring out of God's wrath introduces the final phase of the age: the escalating warnings, seals (reading) and trumpets (sounding), are here turning into active measures (pouring). The _pure and white linen_ and _golden belts_ or sashes testify to the divine justice of these judgments.

And one of the four beasts gave to the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. (vv. 7-8)

The chapter 15 prelude repeats the three motifs from chapter 14 (God, Jesus, the saints) as a lead-in to the actions of the angels coming in chapter 16.
CHAPTER 16

### The Secular Mythology

The seven bowls sequence begins at or soon follows the 5th Trumpet in the 15th Century. The smoke and darkness of the 5th Trumpet rises up from the pit in the earth as a consequence of the gods of antiquity being cast down from heaven. Therefore the luminaries of the new mythology are earthly, the elite of mankind. These are the celebrities, the stars of society, the enlightened, men of renown. These are the strange, foreign, gods that provoke God to jealousy (Deut. 32:16). These modern luminaries are the gods that lead the saints astray and cause them to perish (Deut. 30:17-18).

The trumpets exposition showed the five months between the fifth and sixth trumpet to be a preparatory phase, preparing the way for the deception to come: Abaddon/Apollyon, the spirit of antichrist unbound at the 5th Trumpet, sets the stage for the loosing of Satan at the 6th. This preparatory/indoctrination period describes the philosophical and intellectual influences that shape the modern world. The three major movements of the period are the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment. The seven bowls—especially the final four—will depict the formation of the dominant modern worldviews following these.

### A light in the Darkness

The church too undergoes a revolution of sorts in Western Europe accelerating the spread of the gospel given three main factors: the Protestant Reformation (1517), the moveable-type printing press, and Bibles in the vernacular languages (rather than Latin). As the plagues increase, the word of God will spread by mass-produced Bibles that people can keep in their own homes printed in languages they can read for themselves.

The 5th Trumpet point (approximately 1500) thus begins a period of increasing and light increasing in parallel. The Reformation represents a separation away from the traditions of men and into a clarifying knowledge of justification by faith alone and the authority of Scripture alone.

1st Bowl

Grievous sores

And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.' (v.1)

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. (v.2)

Like the 1st Trumpet, this 1st Bowl is poured upon the earth, but only those with the mark of the beast are affected by these grievous, or loathsome, sores (the _pestilence_ of the four severe judgments). There was no mention of the _mark of the beast_ in the trumpets sequence since the beast and his mark had not yet been introduced.

Revelation 13 showed how the mark and image of the beast were systematized upon the release of Apollyon from the bottomless pit. Nation states, central banking, national currencies begin to form after the 5th Trumpet, or after the Middle Ages. All the plagues of the bowls sequence occur after 1500 until the present. The sores themselves—like the trees being burned, ships destroyed, or sea life dying of the trumpets—are not literal, physical afflictions, but are mere narrative functions to show who and how much are being affected at this stage.

2nd Bowl

Sea turned to blood

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. (v. 3)

At the 2nd Trumpet only a third of the sea turned to blood and a third of the creatures died; this meant that the gospel had spread to a third of the earth. Now _every living soul died in the sea_ indicates that the gospel has spread across the entire earth.

### Washed in the Blood

3rd Bowl

Fresh water

And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. (v. 4)

At the third trumpet the rivers and fountains of waters became bitter (wormwood) by false teaching. But here the rivers and fountains are turned to blood, which the two witnesses interlude showed is done from heaven with the participation of the church.

The four stages of the two witnesses interlude: fire, drought, water to blood, plagues.

This point at which the waters are purified into blood is the Protestant Reformation beginning in 1517. This is the pure, uncorrupted, blood of the New Covenant: justification by faith alone. "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Rev. 1:5-6).

The first four trumpets and the first three bowls mark the beginning and end of the Middle Ages: roughly 500 – 1500.

The progression of the seals (1/4), trumpets (1/3) and bowls (all) indicates the progression of the gospel spreading throughout the world. The early church affected a small number of people in a limited area—from Jerusalem outward. The trumpets indicate the next level of progress: the state religion of the Roman and Byzantine Empires—encircling the Mediterranean Sea. This puts the bowls sequence near the end of the age as the gospel spread to the entire world. What's more, turning water to blood and a plagues were powers of the two witnesses listed prior to their death at the end of the 1260 days: _they..._ _have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will_ (Rev. 11:6b).

Water turning to blood represents the gospel message—faith in the atoning blood of Christ (Romans 3:25)—which is a plague to the unbeliever, that which _torments those that dwell on the earth_ (Rev. 11:10).

### Interlude

And I heard the angel of the waters say, "You are righteous, O Lord, who are, and was, and shall be, because You have judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." And I heard another out of the altar say, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." (vv. 5-7)

This angel speaks in response to the rivers and springs of waters being turned to blood—the pure gospel of Christ. But how can those who have shed the blood of saints and prophets be worthy of the true gospel? They are not; those who treat the blood of Christ—and the blood of the body of Christ—as a common thing are worthy of a greater judgment:

"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29).

Paul warned that eating and drinking of the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner can cause sickness and death: "For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). It is in this sense that the blood of the New Covenant becomes a plague to the unbeliever and apostate; rejection of the gospel is worse than never hearing it (4th Seal).

### 3 – 4

There are two purposes for this interlude. First, it creates a 3-4 split within the seven bowls. Recall the 3-4 pattern found in the third vision interlude in the previous chapter; both the 3rd and 4th visions share this pattern indicating the weight of the passage shifting toward the end of the age.

Second, it answers the question asked by the saints at the 5th Seal: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Rev. 6:10). Avenging the blood of the saints signals the conclusion of the long passage of time—the period of drought of the two witnesses—and the beginning of the end. Just as the 3-4 pattern indicated, the contextual shift from drought to plagues signal to transition into the final phase of the Gospel Age.

_Avenging their blood_ in the second song of Moses anticipates the Israelites' crossing the Jordan: "Rejoice, O you nations, with His people: for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful to His land, and to His people" (Deut. 32:43). The Israelites will be re-gathered beginning in 1948; this is the physical sign of the church entering the final 3.5 days of the Gospel Age.

### The Tabernacle of the Sun

4th Bowl

Sun

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these plagues. And they repented not to give Him glory. (vv. 8-9)

While the 4th Trumpet affected the heavens and darkened a third of the sun, moon, and stars, this 4th Bowl seems to have intensified the sun—so much so that men are _scorched_ by it. This bowl inflicts the sun first, then men. But this plague is not directed at the sun per se—God's own handiwork—but against the mind's of men. Why? "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Rom. 1:21).

The vial poured onto the sun describes that paradigm shift of the 16th Century known as the Copernican Revolution, in which mankind's view of the earth and heavens changed. To wit, the sun moved. The geocentric world view was replaced with the heliocentric.

### Scorched

In Matthew 13, Jesus describes a man who went out to plant seeds. As he scattered them about, some fell by the wayside, some fell on the rocky ground, others fell in thorny places, but some fell on good ground and yielded a crop.

Of the seeds that fell on the rocks Jesus says: "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away" (vv. 5-6).

Jesus later explains the parable; of the seeds that fell on the rocks, he tells them: "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles" (vv. 20-21). In Revelation 7, it was the saints in heaven who were no longer _struck by the sun with burning heat_ (v. 16), meaning their tribulations because of the word have ended

Like the 5th Seal and 5th Trumpet—the symbol following the initial group of 4 or 3—the fourth bowl covers a long period of time: from the Copernican Revolution (the re-ordering of the heavens to the heliocentric model) to the theological liberalism of the 1800s—the men of the equation.

The 19th Century

This hardening of the soil is the shift toward theological liberalism during the eighteen hundreds. Liberal theology undermines the authority of Scripture by reading the ancient books of the Bible through a modern lens. New developments in natural science caused men to question and reassess their traditionally held biblical views. Science became the new authority, the Word sacrificed for good standing with the world. The flood of Genesis was no longer a literal, worldwide flood. The six days of creation were not literal. Neither was the resurrection of Jesus Christ—liberal theologians don't even see His death as the propitiation for sins. The books of the Bible were not inspired by God, but merely poetic, metaphoric, anecdotal stories of primitive peoples expressing some principle about their beliefs at the time. The books written by fallen men became authoritative, books by men _with evil and madness in their hearts_ (Ecclesiastes 9:3).

The soil of the parable is an apropos metaphor as it was Scottish geologist Charles Lyell published _Principles of Geology_ (1830-33) arguing that the surface of the earth was formed gradually over long periods. Lyell's uniform forces acting over vast spans of time set the stage for "old earth creationism" in the church, the mixing of secular science with the Bible. Heavily influenced by Lyell was Charles Darwin, whose _Origin of the Species_ (1859) posited essentially that man created himself from nothing over vast periods of time—the essential component of evolution (Chronos, the Greek personification of time).

Hardening the soil, the heart, by casting doubt onto the earthly things of Scripture, is to cast doubt on the heavenly things revealed in Scripture: "If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how will you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" (John 3:12). If a person won't believe in the creation account on page one of the Bible, how will they believe in the Second Coming at the end of it?

Theological liberalism is anti-bereanism: rather than checking truth claims and new ideas against the Scriptures, they begin re-evaluation the Scriptures against truth claims and new ideas. There is no conflict between the Scriptures and actual science in its study of the world. The conflict arises when the priests of Babylon integrate their mythologies, like evolution, with the hard sciences to give it credibility. In the Middle Ages the infallible Scriptures shared authority with the fallible Roman Catholic Priests. The Reformation sought to correct that with its return to _Sola Scriptura_. The modern church, however, has been deceived by another master in the house.

### The High Places

The secular influence in the church is reminiscent of ancient Israel, when a king returned to the Lord, but failed to destroy the _high places_ devoted to other gods: "And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places" (2 Kings 12:2-3).

Amaziah, king of Judah, did what was right in the sight of the Lord; however, _the high places were not taken away; the people sacrificed and burned incense on the high places_ (2 Kings 14:4). Amaziah's son Azariah also did what was right in the sight of the Lord, except _the high places were not removed; the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places_ (2 Kings 15:4).

King Azariah was struck with leprosy. The two witnesses are overcome by the beast. They are doing what is right ( _I know your works_...) but are not removing the high places ( _But I have this against you_...). We know, however, that the church will stand up at the end of the age; they will destroy the high places—the altars to foreign gods.

5th Bowl

Darkness

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness. And they gnawed their tongues in pain; and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. (vv. 10-11)

This plague affects the place of authority of the beast. This is a moral, spiritual darkness—the darkness from the bottomless pit released at the 5th Trumpet, circa 1500—affects the seat of authority. Because the empire has become wicked, the people then suffer. _They gnawed their tongues in pain_ refers to the subjects under the regime[s]: "when the wicked rule, the people groan" (Proverbs 29:2b). This indicates an oppressive trend in governance beginning to spread across the earth—this seat representing any seats of authority, nations, worldwide (e.g. the _throne of kingdoms_ ; Haggai 2:22).

The 20th Century

The 5th Bowl describes, but is not limited to, the start of the 20th Century, often described as the bloodiest, cruelest, or most violent century in human history. The _darkness_ and _pain_ of this century are the result of the hardened soil of the previous centuries. And as the first three plagues revealed, this isn't some isolated delusional emperor persecuting Christians; this darkness and pain extend worldwide as materialistic humanism is systematized.

This fifth plague manifested forcefully in the intellectual revolution of communism that began to take hold and spread in the early 1900s. The opening sentence of Marx and Engel's _The Communist Manifesto_ (1848) reads, "A specter is haunting Europe—the specter of communism." And though certainly without any conscious intent, this haunting draws an apt connection between the fifth plague and the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, when the specter reached the throne (Nicholas II's) and the people _gnawed their tongues in pain_ —for decades in the gulags. Like the 4th Bowl, the 5th is not describing an isolated event in history, but a condition continuing in various permutations of utopian social science—the perfecting of society.

6th Bowl

Euphrates dried up

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (v. 12)

The Euphrates River was mentioned at the 6th Trumpet within the context of increased spiritual antagonism. The 6th Bowl, 6th Trumpet, and 6th Seal represent the same point in time: the start of the hour of trial.

The 6th Bowl and 6th Trumpet are concurrent, as will be the 7th of each. The period between the 6th and 7th Bowls is the 3.5 days the two witnesses lie dead in the streets and the hour of trial. This unbinding of evil was also addressed by Paul: "For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:7-8). _Let_ , or _hold_ , is _katechó_ (2722): to bind or restrain. This unbinding occurs in two stages as shown in the 5th (power to torment) and 6th (power to kill) Trumpets.

The Euphrates River is dried up at the start of the hour of trial, the final 3.5 days of the age. To _prepare the way of the kings of the east_. The phrase _kings of the east_ is another description of the saints: called _kings and high priests_ in Rev. 1:6 and 5:10 (the _royal priesthood_ ; 1 Peter 2:9). _Of the east_ indicates a westward movement. Therefore, God's people moving from east to west across a dried up river signifies a Gospel Age equivalent of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into Canaan.

And just as Moses' song was directed specifically to the people of Israel, here too is found a specific application to the people of Israel at the 6th Bowl: the physical manifestation of this spiritual _crossing_ is seen in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948—then Jerusalem in 1967. As the body of Christ enters into the final testing phase of the Gospel Age—the 3.5 days—the Nation of Israel is restored to the Promised Land from across the Euphrates, from beyond which they were scattered: "For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and He shall root up Israel out of this good land, which He gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger" (1 Kings 14:15).

Luke wrote that prior to the Second Coming _there will be signs in the sun, moon, and the stars_ (Luke 21:25a). Joseph dreamed that the sun, moon, and stars would bow to him; God created the sun, moon, and stars to be _for signs and season, for days and years_ (Genesis 1:14b). The return of Israel to the Land is the physical sign of the 6th Seal, 6th Trumpet, and 6th Bowl: the start of the hour of trial.

Elijah and Elisha also crossed the Jordan on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8); this occurred just before Elijah was taken up into heaven (the military commander Naaman was also cleansed there). Jesus' hour began right after He crossed the brook Kidron with His disciples into the Garden of Gethsemane at the base of the Mount of Olives (John 18:1). Within the Gospel Age context, Heaven is the Promised Land; to cross the Euphrates is to pass through the final phase, the hour of trial before being caught up to Him in the clouds.

### The Children are a Sign

Regarding Israel's scattering and re-gathering, two approximate points can be mapped: 70 A.D. and 1948.

70 A.D.: Jerusalem destroyed (4th Trumpet)

1948: State of Israel established (6th Bowl)

"And I will wait upon the LORD, who hides His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on mount Zion" (Isaiah 8:17-18). Like Isaiah's prophetically-named son _Shear Yashub_ —"a remnant shall return" (7610)—the children of Israel returning to the land is the sign of the 6th Bowl, the end of the 42 months.

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. (v. 13)

While the kings of the east cross the Euphrates the three entities from Revelation 13—the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet—are empowered to release their plague of frogs. The false prophet is the _beast with two horns that speaks like a lamb_ from Revelation 13.

The unclean spirits like frogs (second plague of Egypt) coming out from their mouths are the doctrines of demons and seducing spirits warned of by Paul. In the seven letters these three unclean spirits were manifested in the churches as the spirits of Jezebel, Balaam, and the Nicolaitans: the doctrines of demons, idolatry, fornication, and greed within the church. Concerning the Nicolaitans we have only a vague notion of their doctrine which God says He _hates_ twice (Ephesus, Pergamos)—that is to say there is doctrine which God hates and it might be yours.

There is no time during the Gospel Age when deception, false prophets, and bad doctrine are not present, but this 6th Bowl phase is a time prescribed by God to _test the whole world_. This point of release was described in Revelation 9 as _releasing the four angels which are bound at the great river Euphrates_ (v. 14).

For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (v. 14)

Unlike the _kings of the east_ in verse 12, which are God's people, these _kings of the earth_ are literal rulers. These _spirits of devils_ from the mouths of the three beasts work miracles, or signs, in order to gather these kings against God; these miracles are representative of the increased authority afforded Satan during this final stage of the Gospel Age. Given that the sole function of unclean spirits is lies, deceits, false teachings, etc., the term _miracles_ denotes a period of intensified deception. In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul writes of widespread deception sweeping over those who do not love the truth: "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (v. 11). The way the events in 2 Thessalonians 2 overlap with the events of the hour of trial—apostasy, lawlessness, being given over to deception—provides compelling testimony that these _unclean spirits_ and the _strong delusion_ occur the same period: the final 3.5 days of the Gospel Age.

The _great day_ they are gathering to battle against is the Second Coming. In Revelation 19, they are described as being "gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army" (v.19). While it's hard to imagine that devils or kings of the earth are in any way going to literally do battle against God directly or against Jesus Christ at His return, it's also hard to imagine that anyone who knows their eternal destiny resides in a lake of fire wouldn't at least try to fight for their survival no matter how futile.

The notion, though, of a physical gathering together and battling against the Second Coming of Jesus Christ should be rejected. These nations and armies do not believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, so would have no reason to gather. People awaiting the return of Jesus Christ are called Christians, they do not gather against Him. If these nations and armies actually did believe what the Bible says about the Second Coming, then it stands to reason they would then believe what the Bible says concerning the destruction of those armies in the upcoming verses as well as other passages of the Bible: _When the Lord Jesus shall appear...in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ_ (2 Thess. 1:7-8).

The world gathers, becoming like-minded, against the image of God, His people, the Body of Christ. When Jesus intercepted Saul en route to Damascus, He asked him, "Saul, why do you persecute Me?" (Acts 9:4). Jesus taught that what is done to the body is also done to the Head: "Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it to Me" (Matthew 25:40).

The world _gathers_ in its unified purpose against God's plan of salvation—never realizing that their gathering is part of God's plan of salvation. Just as the gathering against Christ beginning with His arrest, the beast is _given power_ to overcome the church at the end of the age (Rev. 13). This is not an unexpected turn of events for God.

This is the first of three locations in the text where the enemy _gathers_ for battle against the Lamb and/or His people. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River they then faced battles against the Canaanites. When the church crosses the Euphrates point in the Gospel Age, they will face spiritual battles before the Second Coming. The giants of Canaan the Israelites faced are the physical equivalent of the heightened spiritual conflicts (unbound 4 angels/3 spirits) faced by the saints during the hour of trial.

### Word from the Lord

Then, for the first time since chapter 3, Jesus speaks:

'Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.' (v. 15)

Though the Second Coming won't be explicitly depicted in this chapter, it is implied; Jesus uses the phrase _come as a_ _thief_ here to make it certain that He is referring to His Second Coming before the 7th Bowl.

The terms _naked_ and _shame_ refer to the Garden of Eden, being in rebellion and separated from God. Before the fall: "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). After the fall: "And [Adam] said, 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself'" (Gen. 3:10). Christ, the second Adam, has made it possible for His people to be reconciled with God, to be _clothed in His righteousness_. It was already revealed in Revelation 11 that the church stands up at the end of the age, so this word from the Lord should be read as a decree from heaven that will have its fulfillment on earth.

This brief interjection by Jesus Himself also serves to fulfill the _interlude before the end—_ between the 6th and 7th symbol—pattern set forth in the seals and trumpets sequences.

This in the only "red letter" verse—Jesus Himself speaking—in the entire seven visions (chapters 5 – 20), and this comes between the 6th and 7th Bowls. He is not speaking to John on Patmos either; Jesus is speaking to us, the corporate body, as a participant in the narrative. So it is during the hour of trial that Jesus gives us a word of His coming. This word from the Lord—during the time of testing for the saints—is not a _new word_ : that is, it is not extra-Biblical. How this word is communicated to the saints is gleaned from two points within verse 15.

First, the phrase _as a thief_ refers to the Day of the Lord. This Day (the 7th Seal) Paul says comes _like a thief in the night_ ; "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief" (1 Thess. 5:4); "Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:6). In the letter to Sardis, the brethren were told to, "Remember therefore what you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore you will not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you" (Rev. 3:3).

The letter to Sardis is the fifth letter, and prefigures the first of the final trilogy of judgment visions covered later. In the sixth letter, to Philadelphia, wherein is mentioned the _hour of trial_ , the saints are told "Behold, I come quickly" (Rev. 3:11) and to _hold on_. The seventh letter, to Laodicea, instructs them to _buy white garments so that your shame and nakedness are not seen_ (Rev. 3:18). These themes form a chiasmus reflecting the word from the Lord occurring in Revelation 16:15, during the hour of trial:

A) Sardis (repent): I will come as a thief

B) Philadelphia (have kept My word): I come quickly; hold on

A1) Laodicea (repent): garments; named, shame

Second, as the three letters reiterate, this word from the Lord will come to the saints as a blessing or a warning: blessed are they who watch and keep their garments, _or else_ they will be caught naked and seen in their shame. _Naked_ and _shame_ represent the state of being un-reconciled to God (cast out of the Garden) and therefore headed to destruction on the Day of the Lord.

At the start of the book of Revelation was a promise of a blessing: _blessed is he that reads, hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy_ (Rev. 1:3). At the end of the book will come a warning against _adding to or taking away from the words of this prophecy_ (Rev. 22:18-19). Both of these passages, the blessing and the warning, refer specifically to _the words of this prophecy_. The _words of this prophecy_ is that word from the Lord in verse 15; in other words, when the Lord gives His saints understanding of the book of Revelation, they will know He is coming quickly.

In Revelation 10 John was told not to write _what the seven thunders uttered_ (Rev. 10:4); a critical component has been withheld from the saints in order to delay understanding until the appointed time. As Daniel was told, _the wise will understand_. Who are the wise but the saints, those who fear the Lord: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10). The Two Witnesses Interlude (Rev. 11) was the revelation of the Gospel Age (the seven thunders) between the 6th and 7th Trumpets. When John ate the scroll it was both bitter and sweet; this revelation, or word, from the Lord is both bitter and sweet: bitter for those who are chastised to repent, yet sweet for those who are encouraged to hold on.

And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (v. 16)

Taken by itself, this verse isn't specific on who is doing the gathering and who is being gathered at this place. Some translations have it: _they gathered them_ , or _the spirits gathered the kings_ —inferring from verse 14. But the "he" of this verse is the Lord Jesus gathering His saints; "He" just _appeared_ in the previous verse: "Behold, I come as a thief." So verse 16 could read: _And Jesus gathered His people into a place called Armageddon_.

The gathering at Armageddon immediately following the word from the Lord in verse 15 is a typical pattern found in Scripture: a word, then trouble—the word being issued to sustain one through the trouble. In Acts 23, for example, Paul received a word from the Lord: "And the following night the Lord stood by him, and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must you bear witness also in Rome'" (v. 11). The very next verse: _And when it was day, certain Jews banded together, and made an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul_ (v, 12). Paul, having received this word the night before, would not have to fear those conspiring against him as Jesus Himself just told Paul he'd being going to Rome to bear witness.

At the start of the Gospel Age, the beast was restrained when the two witnesses were given power on Pentecost. When the beast was given power in the 20th Century the church died. At the end of the age, however, when the Spirit of Life is breathed back into the church (Rev. 11:11) there is no indication in any of the seven visions of Revelation that the beasts lose power—not until the Second Coming of Christ are they thrown into the lake of fire.

This is a gathering to _lose their lives for His sake_. Though not necessarily a literal death—losing one's life is unique to each person—this is dying in the sense that Moses was _gathered_ , or removed ( _asaph_ ; 622), to his people: "Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered unto your people" (Numbers 31:2); Moses later died on Mount Nebo. And his brother Aaron before him: "Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hor. And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there" (Numbers 20:25-26). Priest and prophet were gathered to their people on mountains.

At the end of the Gospel Age God's people are _gathered_ at a place called Armageddon, _Har Meggido_ , or Mount Megiddo. This mountain serves a narrative function depicting a high point or peak in the hour of trial after the word from the Lord and just before the Second Coming. _Har Megiddo_ can be seen as the saints' version of Calvary Hill—where Christ's suffering reached its peak. A dark hour, yet the hour that He took away the sins of the world. On Calvary, Christ gave His life for our sake; on Megiddo, we lose our lives for His sake. God uses the world gathered against His people to test His saints: _when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold_ (Job 23:10b). The notions of peak testing, trial by fire, and losing one's life will all be examined in detail in Chapter 16: The Hour of Trial.

These 5th and 6th Bowls are synchronous to the 5th and 6th Trumpets.

5th Trumpet: Darkness. Bottomless pit opened, sun and air darkened by smoke.

5th Bowl: Darkness. Kingdom filled with darkness. This bowl is poured onto the _seat of the beast_ ; it was King Saul—in the seat of authority—that disobeyed God and received the evil spirit (1 Samuel 16).

6th Trumpet: Euphrates. Murderous spirits unbound from the Euphrates River.

6th Bowl: Euphrates dried up. The Church crossing the Euphrates signifies their entrance into the hour of trial period—the same period that the murderous spirits are _unbound_.

7th Bowl

Earth shaken

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It is done.' (v. 17)

This is the end of the age.

And there were voices, and thunders, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. (v. 18)

Here are the same end symbols found in chapter 11 when the two witnesses are called up to Heaven: the voice of God, a great earthquake, voices, thunders, lightning, and hail. These correspondences are deliberate to synchronize the end of the bowls with the end of the trumpets: the 7th Trumpet occurred at the end of the two witnesses interlude. This means the 7th Bowl and the 7th Trumpet are concurrent at the end of the age.

And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give to her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. (v. 19)

End of the age synchronicity is made between the bowls sequence and the two witnesses interlude using the term _earthquake_ twice in conjunction with the _city falling_ : "And the same hour there was a great **earthquake** , and the tenth part of the **city fell** ; and in the **earthquake** were slain of seven thousand men" (Rev. 11:19a).

That _great city_ is again Babylon; the world system ruled by Satan is _divided into three parts_ : Egypt, Sodom, and Jerusalem—the three parts listed in Revelation 11 (the template of the age). This speaks to the proverbial handwriting on the wall regarding Babylon's fate: "And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" (Daniel 5:25). Daniel's interpretation for King Belshazzar: _God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;_ _you have been weighed in the balances and have been found wanting_ ; _your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians_ (Dan. 5:26-28).

The division of cities also alludes to Jesus' hour when He was crucified: _they divided His garments_ (Matthew 27:35); the cities are Babylon's garments, removed at the end of the age to expose her nakedness and shame: _Your nakedness will be uncovered, your shame will be seen_ —the warning Jesus gave in verse 15.

The 7th Bowl marks the end of the hour of trial, the end of the Gospel Age.

And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent. And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great. (vv. 20-21)

At the end of the age the islands and mountains are not found anymore; these symbols parallel those found in the 6th Seal: "And every mountain and island were moved out of their places" (Rev. 6:14). And even while being inflicted by the plagues at the end of the age, men will still blaspheme God due to the hardness of their hearts—this taking place in the period between the calling up of the church (end of 2nd Woe) and the fervent heat that destroys the earth.

**Seals** :

1) The crucifixion: the start of the Gospel Age

6) Return of the sons of Israel to the Promised Land (1948).

7) The end of the age, following the hour of trial.

**Trumpets** :

6) Start of the final 3.5 days; two witnesses lie dead in the street.

7) The 7th Trumpet is concurrent with the 7th Seal. At some point during the age the judgments are increased in intensity and frequency. The 7th and final Trumpet marks the end of the age when the _kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ_ and the start of the heavenly judgment scene.

**Bowls** :

6) Spirits of devils go forth and gather the world. Then comes the word from the Lord.

7) The 7th Bowl also marks the end of the age— _it is done_ —the final stage of the Gospel Age.

—

Like the seals and trumpets, the bowls sequence follows the three-part pattern:

**Introduction** : The body of Christ sings _the song of the Lamb_ to God Almighty and the _King of saints_ (vv. 2-3).

**Main Body** : Bowls 1-6.

**Conclusion** : 7th Bowl. _A_ _nd there came a great voice from the temple of heaven, from the throne saying_ , "It is done" (v. 17). What differentiates the 7th Seal and Trumpet (both a transition to the heavenly realm) from the 7th Bowl is the final bowl represents God's judgment on earth at the end of the Gospel Age: the point where heaven and earth collide: _Babylon came in remembrance before God_... _And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven_ (vv. 19, 21).

## 10

## Fifth Vision: Judgment of Harlot

Chapters 17 and 18

The fifth vision is the first of three final visions describing the judgments of specific entities at the end of the Gospel Age. Of the seven visions, the first four depicted a broad view of the age, from beginning to end.

1) Seals

2) Trumpets

3) Interlude (Revelation 12, 13, 14)

4) Bowls

### Judgment Trilogy

The final three visions describe the hour of trial, the judgments of those entities persecuting the church, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ—this trilogy occurring within the second ( _prophecy again_ ) half of the text, focusing mainly on the latter part of the age.

5) Harlot

6) Two beasts

7) Satan

The four _beast_ entities debuted in the third vision interlude. Revelation 12 introduced the dragon, or Satan. Revelation 13 introduced the beast from the sea, then the beast from the earth (the false prophet). Revelation 14 introduced the concept of Babylon. Dragon (A), two beasts (B), then Babylon (C).

The three chapters and entities of the 3rd Vision form a chiasmus with this trilogy of judgments.

A) Satan. (Rev. 12)

B) Two Beasts. (Rev. 13)

C) Babylon. (Rev. 14)

C1) Harlot. (Rev. 17, 18)

B1) Two Beasts. (Rev. 19)

A1) Satan. (Rev. 20)

These four entities will be judged in the reverse order from which they debuted, thus creating a mirror image between the third vision interlude and the final trilogy of judgment visions. The terms used in the texts are:

A) Dragon, Devil, Serpent, Satan

B) Beast from the sea, Beast from the earth

C) Babylon

C1) Harlot

B1) Beast and False Prophet

A1) Dragon, Devil, Serpent, Satan

CHAPTER 17

John is again in a heavenly setting at the start of the vision.

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, 'Come here; I will show to you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.' (vv. 1-2)

This _great whore_ is Babylon of chapter 14; she sits on _many waters_ , meaning worldwide.

### The Harlot

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (v. 3)

This woman sits on the seven-headed beast, now _scarlet_ colored—symbolic of royalty (rule) and wealth. There are two seven-headed beasts: the red dragon of chapter 12, having ten horns and wearing seven diadems; and the seven-headed beast of chapter 13, having ten horns and ten diadems. The distinguishing feature between the two is the number of crowns, which the above passage doesn't mention. It does, however, use a feature from both: the color (scarlet/red) and the phrase _names of blasphemy_ (Rev. 13:1). This ambiguous beast is a representation of Satan's kingdom on earth, upon which the woman presides over.

The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. (v. 4)

This woman is clothed in wealth, yet her golden cup is full of abominations and filthiness. Her appearance contrasts dramatically with the contents of her cup—the unseen part. This is the same cup the inhabitants of the earth are drunk with (v.2).

This is the hypocrisy Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for: "You make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess...You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness...You outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matthew 23:25, 27-28).

Compare the harlot's apparel with the other woman's in the wilderness—she was _clothed with the sun_ , or righteousness (Rev. 12:1).

And on her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great. The Mother of Harlots and the Abominations of the Earth. (v. 5)

In Revelation 1 the angel explained to John the mystery of the seven stars and seven candlesticks right after he had mentioned them. In verse 7 the angel says, _I will tell you the mystery of the woman_.

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (v. 6)

The woman is _drunk with the blood_ , or has killed, the saints and martyrs. The terms _saints_ and _martyrs_ refer to previous passages depicting the death of the church. The saints (set apart, holy: _hagios_ ; 0040) were overcome by the beast in Revelation 13:7. The _martyrs_ are the _witnesses_ of Jesus ( _martus_ ; 3144). The same Greek term is employed in chapter 11: _I will give power to my two witnesses_ (v.3). Several translations of this verse are rendered... _and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus_ , which is more accurate in this context. The two witnesses were killed by the beast when they finished their testimony of 1260 days; they were not, as a whole, killed as martyrs for Christ, but were killed fornicating with the harlot.

Her being drunk with the blood of the saints means the saints have drunk of her cup. The _inhabitants of the earth being drunk with the wine of her fornicatio_ n (v.2) is synonymous with the beast causing _all to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead_ (Rev. 13:16). The church is included in _the inhabitants_ and _all_. The church, having been deceived, has been conformed to her image: fancied up on the outside, yet filthy inside.

John stared at the harlot in great wonder. He may have been transfixed by her outward appearance, but it's more likely he was shocked at the condition of the church—as Paul was with the Galatians: "I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ" (Galatians 1:6-7).

And the angel said to me, 'Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.' (v. 7)

### The Empire of the Gods

The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (v. 8)

Thus far in the Revelation, there have been two ascents from the bottomless pit: Apollyon and his army at the 5th Trumpet, and _the beast_ at the end of the 1260 days (Rev. 11:7)—which is Satan at the 6th Trumpet. Satan's ascent from the pit will be detailed in Revelation 20.

Though which beast is not specifically identified, _beast ascending_ refers to the system of the beast that comes into being and deceives the world and kills the church. This occurs at the 6th Trumpet, in the Twentieth Century. The two beasts are one in the same; Apollyon is merely the forerunner, the ideology of the beast that follows.

_They that dwell on the earth shall wonder_ when they behold this beast. In Revelation 13, _all the world wondered after the beast_ [from the sea]; "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?'" (vv. 3b-4).

Twice the passage refers to the status of this beast as _was, and is not_. The beast[s] _was_ before Christ, before He bound them in the bottomless pit. _Is not_ refers to the 1260 days during the Gospel Age that they are bound in the bottomless pit—though still in existence ( _yet is_ ). _Shall be_ points ahead (forward in time for John's day; back for us) to the 5th and 6th Trumpets.

And here is the mind which has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. (v. 9)

The phrase _here is wisdom_ last appeared at the end of chapter 13: "Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six" (Rev.13:18). That man was Nero Caesar; his image, name, and number were on the currency at that time—the image of the empire.

The seven heads are symbols of authority. Mountains, high places, are the locations of that authority, e.g., Zion: "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" (Psalm 2:6).

### The Prince of the Kingdom

And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. (v. 10)

The seven heads are also kings. These seven kings, or rulers ( _basileus_ ; 0935) are seven spirits; _basileas_ is the same word used for the king/angel from the bottomless pit, Abaddon/Apollyon: "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit..." (Rev. 9:11). So these rulers are actual entities, those depicted as the seven heads (planets/gods) of chapter 13; the seven spirit-rulers over the seven kingdoms, or periods of time (as indicated by the seven days of the week named after gods).

The Revelation 13 synopsis pointed out the structural similarities between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness; one of the similarities was the seven churches contrasted with the seven heads of the beast. And just as the seven churches are presided over by seven spirits ( _the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches_ ; Rev. 1:20) the seven heads of the beast are presided over by seven spirits or princes.

Various Old Testament passages feature an earthly king and kingdom associated with a prince or spirit-ruler. An angel told Daniel that he was withstood for twenty-one days by _the prince of the kingdom of Persia_ , later saying "And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I am gone the prince of Greece shall come" (Daniel 10:20).

In the prophecy against the King of Tyre in Ezekiel 28, both a _prince of Tyre_ and a _king of Tyre_ are mentioned, each sharing the characteristics of the other—when read in the context of a spirit-king association. Of the _prince of Tyre_ is written "Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, 'I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas.' Yet you are a man, and not God, though you set your heart as the heart of God" (v. 2). In the same chapter, the _king of Tyre_ is said to have once been in the _Garden of God_ (v. 13), an _anointed cherub_...who _walked on the mountain of God_ (v. 14). Surely the man who became the king of Tyre was not once a cherub who walked with God; the fallen angel, however, who became the _prince of Tyre_ could have.

Similarly, in Isaiah 14, the king of Babylon is said to have fallen from Heaven as an angel would have: "How you have fallen from heaven, O shining one, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, which weakened the nations!"

These spirit-rulers are the hosts of heaven: those _principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high [or heavenly] places_ (Ephesians 6:12).

At the time of the revelation, five of the princes/kingdoms are in the past, one is presently functioning, and one, the seventh, is in the future. The _one to come_ is to be in authority a _short space_ —final 3.5 days, or the 7th head era.

These seven kingdoms are the seven _high places_ of the gods of antiquity.

Five _have fallen_ ; B.C. era:

1) Egyptian

2) Assyrian

3) Babylonian

4) Persian

5) Greek

One empire _is_ ; this is the First Century, present day for John the Revelator:

6) The Roman Empire is in power at the start of the age when Satan is bound. This empire is wounded, yet lived: the Western Empire fell, the Byzantine continued (the iron and clay). The 6th Head represents Satan's authority on earth being restrained for 42 months.

7) The unrestrained beast of the final 3.5 days. Like the preceding head, the 7th represents an era of rule rather than a specific empire.

### Nation States

Recall that when Jesus Christ came down to earth to dwell with mankind, all the other gods were cast down to earth and bound. Time itself was reset (Passover), history measured in years before the cross and after it.

The constitution of entities shifts from singular to collective:

1) Before the cross God's temple had a single, physical location in Jerusalem; after Christ God's temple becomes His believers all over the earth.

2) His physical body before the cross becomes a collective of saints everywhere, the corporate body of Christ after His resurrection.

3) Jesus' literal 3.5 year ministry becomes 3.5 figurative years (1260 days) for His corporate church.

4) The actual city of Babylon of the ancient world becomes the worldwide system of the beast today.

5) At Christ's baptism the triune essence of Yahweh is revealed, a corporate entity.

Likewise, the concept of an empire changes toward the end of the Gospel Age. Rather than a specific land area under the rule of a single supreme authority, the 7th Head period finds the majority of the world organized into sovereign nation-states. These are nations wherein a people are identified within specified and definite borders, having a centralized government, a common language and identity, a currency, and—ideally—a symbiotic relationship between the population and leadership representing the nation's bests interests.

The transition period from empires into a world order of nation-states is well signified by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

The two principal aspects of the Treaties of Westphalia were territorial sovereignty and religious tolerance; not only were territories becoming independent of the Holy Roman Empire, but the rulers of new sovereign territories had the right to choose the religion of that territory—either Roman Catholicism, Calvinism, or Lutheranism. In the Old Testament era, God made a covenant with the Nation of Israel; during the Gospel Age, the New Covenant is made with many (Daniel 9:27) nations when the light of the gospel penetrates those borders. Three-hundred years after the Peace of Westphalia the State of Israel was formed and returned to Palestine; and this, the first pilgrimage at the end of the Gospel Age, the sign of the seventh-head period.

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. (v. 11)

The eighth king is Apollyon, the false prophet—the king from the bottomless pit (Rev. 9:11). This angel _was_ and _is not_ , meaning that like Satan and the other fallen angels he was unrestrained before the cross and was bound by Christ's work on the cross.

Apollyon is _of the seven_ in that the seven-headed beast from the sea and the beast from the earth— _who exercises all the power of the beast before him_ (Rev. 13:12)—are always mentioned in tandem: they debuted together in chapter 13 and will be dispatched to the lake of fire together in chapter 19. The Law (beast from the sea) and Prophet (beast from the earth) are inseparable at the end of the age. As the United States has witnessed, money has become such an influence on policy so as to render the line between the government and the banks nearly nonexistent. The money power has become the government—its own head.

### Ten Horns

And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (v. 12)

_Ten horns_ were seen on both the dragon and the beast from the sea; these are the spirit-rulers working in conjunction with the kings of the earth. _No kingdom yet_ means their time lies far into the future; their _hour_ is the hour of trial. These horns being given power is the same point depicted in Rev. 13 when the beast was _given power to make war with and overcome the saints_ —this is when the two witnesses are killed, or no longer have power.

This point at which the 10 horns—an indefinite quantity of future nations—are given power was depicted at the 6th Bowl as: _the spirits of devils going forth to the kings of the earth_ (Rev. 16:14).

### The Law is King

These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast. (v. 13)

In chapter 16 the kings of the earth were _gathering together_ to battle the Lord; here the gathering is expressed as being of one mind, or unified in purpose. In _giving their power and strength to the beast_ , the kings of the earth are relinquishing or yielding their power to the beast; these earthly rulers are succumbing to the demands of the beast.

A nation-state is a non-physical juridical entity ruled by a central government. This government has a collection of characteristics called laws. This collection of laws gives the juridical entity a personality: it allows some behaviors and prohibits others under the threat of punishment. It has duties like protecting the borders, providing for the elderly and infirm, and stewarding its natural resources. It always collects taxes from its citizens and often has an insatiable appetite for spending. These non-physical ruling personalities vary throughout the world at different times ranging from good to atrocious.

One of the most important aspects of the ruling entity is its view of the world, the origin and history of the earth and humankind. As the Gospel Age progresses from the fifth to sixth trumpets the predominant world view of the majority of ruling non-physical entities is materialistic humanism. This is the darkness that has enveloped the seat of authority; that is, the characteristics of most nations today reflect a materialistic world view. In the United States, for example, abortion was not legal prior to 1973—legalized by the Supreme Court rather than an actual ruler or by the people themselves. Darwinian evolution is taught in the public school system while posting of the Ten Commandments on a public school classroom wall is prohibited (Stone v. Graham, 1980). But there are many good and beneficial laws as well, those protecting human rights and religious freedoms. The point is that the law is king, and the king has a point of view. This view of the world is not fixed, but changes according to the spirit of the age. Heads of state come and go, but the rule of law continues for better or worse. From the 18th to 20th Centuries, nations become increasingly like-minded in their hostility toward God and Christianity in general (throne darkened: 5th Bowl).

These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (v. 14)

The _war with the Lamb_ begins in the mid-20th Century, post WWII. This war manifests as attacks against the historicity of Christ, against His divinity, His resurrection, etc. It's a war against the Word of God itself, the Scriptures, the gospel, sound doctrine. It's the use of His name as a curse word in entertainment.

The Lamb overcomes them at His Second Coming; this points to the end of the age depicted in chapter 19. This reference to the end indicates a chronology shift in the next verse.

### Babylon

And he said to me, 'The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (v. 15)

She was sitting on the beast earlier, now she sits on _peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues_ —this is because the beast is a worldwide empire of people and nations, the kings of which being of one mind.

And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.' (v. 16)

These same kings, the ten horns, will during this hour hate Babylon, the harlot. They will destroy her.

Why would the rulers of this world financial empire _hate the whore_ —the riches and luxuries of this world that the kings enjoy so much? Why would they want to destroy it?

For God has put in their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (v. 17)

God will destroy the idols. And He will put it in the minds of the leaders to fulfill His will. In the Old Testament, God typically used foreign armies to destroy the idols of a nation: "Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes; for His purpose is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of His temple" (Jeremiah 51:11).

The Babylon system is worldwide, so there are no foreign armies in this case. God must _put it in their hearts_ to destroy the harlot. At this point, having begun several decades ago, the kings of the earth undermine their nations' financial infrastructure to the breaking point. How this happens has become increasingly obvious in the United States: debasement of the currency, lop-sided international trade deals, ever increasing entitlement and welfare programs, exportation of jobs and manufacturing, a bureaucratic choke-hold on small business entrepreneurship, an astronomical national debt, crushing taxes, inflation, stagnant wages, and so on.

The incentive for a nation's leaders to implement nation-killing policies is greed—fornication with the harlot. Political positions cease to be positions of service to the nation and become positions of self-enrichment. Those at the top live in luxury, while the rest sink into poverty.

And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. (v. 18)

This city, the financial empire of the gods, rules over the kings of the earth.
CHAPTER 18

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, 'Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.' (vv. 1-2)

When the angel proclaimed that _Babylon is fallen_ in chapter 14, her introductory chapter, the structural patterns showed this referred to a fallen state of spiritual/moral degeneracy rather than physical destruction. Babylon, the world, has become the _habitation of devils_ : the 5th Trumpet, bottomless pit opened; the _hold of unclean spirits_ : the 6th Bowl, three unclean spirits like frogs; and _a cage of unclean and hateful birds_ : "For among My people are found wicked men; they lay wait, as he that sets snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich" (Jeremiah 5:26-27).

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. (v. 3)

The fact that _all nations_ are associated with Babylon, as well as the _kings and merchants of the earth_ , indicate this city as a word-wide entity—an entity inhabited by devils, unclean spirits, and wicked men. This is a description of the 7th Head period: the final 3.5 days during which the beast system overcomes the church.

### Word from the Lord

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, 'Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.' (vv. 4-5)

It is in the context of a "world-wide habitation of devils" that the _voice from heaven_ is directed at the saints on earth before judgment.

_Come out of her, My people_ , is a command from the Lord, not a suggestion—just as when Jesus cast out the unclean spirit from the possessed man, saying, _be quiet and come out of him_! (Mark 1:25). The man was possessed by an unclean spirit; at the end of the age, God's people have been taken captive in Babylon. And just as the unclean spirit came out of the man, so too will God's people come out of Babylon.

_Coming out of Babylon_ is not a geographic relocation, but rather a spiritual dislocation from a state of worldliness: "And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, 'I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you and will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty'" (2 Corinthians 6:16-18).

_My people_ can be understood in two ways—both of which are in mind here. First, these are people who are already His, but need to repent as described in the seven-letters section. These have one foot in each kingdom, are not separate but are _unequally yoked_ , light having fellowship with darkness (2 Cor. 6:14). The second sense refers to those whom God knows will be saved as when the Lord said to Paul in a vision, "I have many people in there" speaking of the yet-to-be-saved in the city of Corinth (Acts 18:10).

The admonition to come out of her is the same word from the Lord seen in Revelation 16: _Behold, I come as a thief_ (v.15). Both refer to the text of Revelation; both words appear after demonic interaction with mankind: in this chapter the world has become a _habitation of devils_ ; in chapter 16 the spirits of devils _went forth to the kings of the earth and the whole world_ (v.14). Following the word in chapter 16 came Armageddon; here will be depicted the destruction of Babylon. And just as Jesus' words _I am coming_ means the end of the age approaches, _her sins have reached heaven and God has remembered her iniquities_ means time is up.

Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she has filled fill to her double. How much she has glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her; for she says in her heart, 'I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.' Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judges her. (vv. 6-8)

Revelation 13 said the image of the beast would speak; she speaks above: _I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow_. The arrogance of her heart has deceived her, and thus it has those who fornicate with her. Ancient Babylon shared the sentiment: _I_ _am_ _, and none else beside me; I shall not sit_ _as_ _a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children_ (Isaiah 47:8).

### The Queen of Heaven

In Revelation 14, when "Babylon" was introduced, God's people were warned of her coming destruction: "And there followed another angel, saying, 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication'" (v.8).

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name" (vv. 9-11).

In similar fashion, the prophet Jeremiah warned God's people not to return to Egypt: "But if you say, 'We will not dwell in this land', neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, you remnant of Judah;

"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'If you wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there, then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which you feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof you were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them" (Jeremiah 42:13-17).

The people of Judah disobeyed God, accused Jeremiah of prophesying falsely, and returned to Egypt anyway—taking Jeremiah with them. So rather than God's protection from the king of Babylon: "Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Be not afraid of him, says the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand" (Jer. 42:11), God would now send Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt:

"And say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And when he comes, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword"'" (Jer. 43:10-11).

This last verse, Jeremiah 43:11, was the "Jeremiah interlude" of the third vision, between the 42 months (Rev. 13:5) and 666 (13:18).

This remnant of Judah, once back in Egypt, no longer claimed that Jeremiah was lying, but moved into open rebellion against God, saying, "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goes forth out of our own mouths, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine" (Jer. 44:16-18).

The people were of such a perverted theology that they thought paying homage to the queen of heaven provided more security and material blessings than serving God alone. Such is the case at the end of the age when God says, _Come out of her, My people_.

### The Hour of Judgment

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' (vv. 9-10)

In the previous chapter it was the kings of the earth that worked in unison to destroy the harlot, but when they see her smoke, when they see results of their work (which is God's purpose) they will weep as they are affected by her destruction just as their subjects are. Just as none of the rulers understood what they were doing when the crucified the Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 2:8), the rulers here don't understand what they are doing in destroying the harlot; whatever their ambition is—socialist utopia, new world order, global government, etc,—it merely serves as a unifying ideology leading them to God's purposes: "There are many plans in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:21).

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise anymore: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all your wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. (vv. 11-13)

John compiles an extensive list of the commodities of the era, her abundance and delicacies. A contemporary list would have a rather different assortment of luxuries; however, there are only three sins common to man in any era: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life.

And the fruits that your soul lusted after are departed from you, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from you. And you shall find them no more at all. (v. 14)

The destruction of Babylon will be so severe there will be no recovery from it; _all things...are departed from you; you will find them no more._ This is the end of the age. Not the destruction of an isolated city, but the economic system of the world.

The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand far off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, saying, 'Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!' (vv. 15-16)

These weeping and wailing merchants say, _Alas, alas, that great city_. A similar sentiment was expressed back in verse 10 as the kings of the earth lament her destruction. It will be uttered again later by the shipmasters.

For in one hour so great riches is come to nothing. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood far off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like unto this great city!' And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, 'Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate.' (vv. 17-19)

### The World Mourns

Kings of the earth: "Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come." (v. 10)

Merchants: "Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nothing." (vv. 16-17)

Shipmasters: "Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate." (v. 19)

No voice representing the regular folk here, only those that benefited most from the system. Each of the three entities grieves her destruction, describes her in some way, and states the result of the one hour. The statements used in verses 10 through 19 describe the death of a lifestyle: _lived deliciously, no man buys their merchandise anymore, all things dainty and good are departed, were made rich by her_. These men are not mourning the destruction of a literal city, but their way of life. This pattern of three grievances exists within a larger pattern of seven: a seven utterances chiasmus.

Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets; for God has avenged you on her.

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, 'Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.' (vv. 20-21)

Like Queen Jezebel, whose few remains were scattered on a field so that her grave site would not be found, this harlot will not be found any more. There will be no economic recovery. This point is made forcefully by the millstone cast into the sea; this is an allusion to Jeremiah 51, wherein the prophet instructed Seraiah to tie a stone to the prophecy against Babylon once stated, throw it into the Euphrates, and to say, "Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her" (Jer. 51:64).

The entire Gospel Age has been represented with allusions to the book of Jeremiah—a book that speaks to God's people while in captivity or headed for it.

1) The sword, famine, pestilence of the 4th Seal. "So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them" (Jer. 42:17).

2) The turning point of the age: Revelation 10, also found in Revelation 13 as the Jeremiah interlude: "And when he comes, he will smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword" (43:11).

3) Babylon is fallen, the seventh head. The end of the church's 1260 days. "Babylon has been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed; howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed" (51:7-8).

4) The end of the age, destruction of Babylon. _It shall remain desolate forever_ (51:62).

The angel continues:

The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. (v. 22)

The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. (v. 23)

And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.' (v. 24)

Note the attention given to this harlot's destruction in light of God's foremost commandment: _You will have no other gods before Me_. This angel's monologue is the seventh of the utterances in this chapter:

A) Voice of angel. Verses 2-3. "Babylon is fallen."

B) Voice from heaven. Verses 4-8. "Come out of her, My people."

C) Lament of kings of the earth.

D) Lament of merchants. The most elaborate, the centerpiece.

C1) Lament of Shipmasters.

B1) Voice from heaven. Verse 20. "Rejoice over her..."

A1) Voice of angel. Verses 21-24. "Thus with violence..."

### Turning the Tables

"And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple; He overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves" (Matthew 21:12).

Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the temple twice: once after His 40-day testing in the wilderness, then again when He returned to Jerusalem before His arrest. Both occasions were during Passover, one of the pilgrimage festivals when _devout men, out of every nation under heaven_ (Acts 2:5) went to Jerusalem with their own currencies—thus necessitating the changing of money.

Recall from the Mark of the Beast section that buying and selling the gifts of God identify one as worldly, in need of repentance. Buying and selling had become a temple activity in need of cleansing—and though it isn't made explicit, they were buying and selling doves, the symbol of the Holy Spirit (John 1:32).

The moneychangers' _tables_ ( _trapeza_ , 5132) in Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15, and John 2:14,15 is also translated as _bank_ in Jesus' Parable of the Ten Minas ( _Why didn't you put the money in the_ _bank_ _, so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest?_ Luke 19:23). Tables were the banks of the day. The English word bank comes from the Old Italian _banca_ , the bench or table the money-lenders set out in the public space to conduct business.

Overturning the tables at the end of the age is overturning the banks—the beast's financial empire. This is how the temple will be cleansed.

Jesus was the only one with the moral authority, discernment, and courage to actually go into the temple area and flip the tables over. Likewise, at the end of the Gospel Age, the church by itself cannot accurately diagnose its true spiritual condition: a house with two masters, God and Mammon. The destruction of Babylon is the means by which the tables are overturned within the collective temple, the body of Christ. This is how His people _come out of her_.

## 11

## Sixth Vision: Second Coming and Judgment of Beast

Chapter 19

The sixth vision, the second of the three final judgment scenes, describes the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the subsequent destruction of the beast system. This vision is read in three main components:

1) The destruction of the harlot is acknowledged.

2) The Second Coming—the focus of the vision.

3) The judgment of the beast and false prophet, receiving very brief mention at the end of the chapter.

### Blood of the Saints

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are His judgments; for He has judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.' (vv. 1-2)

The judgment of the harlot, Babylon, is past; this is made known at the start of the vision so that the reader knows the Second Coming follows the overturning of the tables/banks. Avenging _the blood of His servants_ refers to chapter 17: "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" (v.6). This is how the Lord calls His people out of Babylon; the temple is cleansed when the tables are overturned. It is done forcefully, with a whip; something only the Righteous Conqueror can do.

There is still, however, an unspecified gap in time on earth between the destruction of Babylon and the Second Coming.

And again they said, 'Alleluia And her smoke rose up forever and ever.' And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, 'Amen; Alleluia.' (vv. 3-4)

The twenty-four elders—twelve patriarchs and twelve apostles—and the four beasts in heaven fall down. This is a sign of the preparation for the Lord's return: the high places are brought low, and low places are raised up: "The voice of him that crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it" (Isaiah 40:3-5).

While those in heaven fall down to worship, the two witnesses interlude showed that the church will be raised up at the end: "And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them" (Rev. 11:11).

And a voice came out of the throne, saying, 'Praise our God, all you His servants, and you that fear Him, both small and great.'

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering, saying, 'Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready.'

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (vv. 5-8)

The phrase _has made herself ready_ refers to the end of the hour of trial—after the harlot's spell has been broken. This is the same _ready_ ( _hetoimazo_ ; 2090) that John the Baptist spoke quoted from Isaiah 40: _A voice crying out in the wilderness;_ _prepare_ _the way of the Lord_ (John 1:23).

Being _made ready_ refers to expecting the return of the Master: _clothed in readiness and lamps burning_ (Like 10:36). "And you yourselves like men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he comes and knocks, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he comes shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that he shall clothe himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them" (Luke 10:36-37).

It was the word from the Lord before the destruction of the harlot that made her ready after the destruction of the harlot: the end of the age having been made known to her. She is now _arrayed in fine linen_ , or _clothed in righteousness_ before the Second Coming—just as the woman in heaven was _clothed in the sun_ before His First Advent (Rev. 12:1).

It was to the church of Sardis that Jesus said, "He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels" (Rev. 3:5).

### Worship God

And he said to me, 'Write, Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true sayings of God.'

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, 'See you do it not. I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' (vv. 9-10)

The angel now speaks to John; this direct interaction between them on earth transitions the mind's eye back to Patmos thus reorienting the reader for an upward perspective necessary for the vision of the Second Coming in the following passage.

John then falls to the ground to worship the angel, an act the angel quickly corrects. John, a Jew, falls at the feet of a servant of the Lord, thus symbolizing the prophecy in the letter to Philadelphia: "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (Rev. 3:9).

John will repeat this action later; not because he's dumb, but to alert the reader to a sequence:

1) Destruction of Babylon

2) Stars fall

3) Heaven opened.

### Heaven Opened

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. (vv. 11-14)

_And I saw heaven opened_. At the start of Revelation, following the seven letters, John's vision of heaven began with a door in heaven: "After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven" (Rev. 4:1). Then came the voice to _Come up here_. This opening of heaven is the door in heaven that precedes the calling up of the saints.

At the start of the age (1st Seal) Jesus appeared on a _white horse_ wearing a _stephanos_ crown signifying the humility of His first advent. Now the crowns He wears are _diadems_ , those worn by royalty.

_His name is called the Word of God_ is an allusion to the opening of John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1). This is the Eternal Word, with God at the beginning of creation, at the end of this age, and forevermore.

Jesus certainly doesn't need an army to do anything; He is sovereign and can speak anything He wishes into or out of existence. In the previous Second Coming scene (Rev. 14) there was no depiction of an army—only Jesus on the cloud with a sickle to harvest His saints. Another angel in that vision had a sickle with which to gather the vines for _the winepress of the wrath of God_ (14:19).

This army of white, clean linen portends the righteous judgment of God at the end of the age. Furthermore, an approaching army is going to be perceived as either really good news or really bad depending on one's relation to that army. This imagery serves as a visual representation of the bitter or sweet word—a blessing or a warning.

### The Shepherd King

And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations.

And He shall rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (v. 15)

The sword going from His mouth is His voice; Jesus' weapon will be the authority of His words. With this [s]word He will strike the nations.

Then follows the third occurrence of the rod of iron: _He will rule them with a rod of iron_. The first rod was found in the letter to Thyatira (Rev. 2:27) which acts as an interlude between the fourth and fifth letters (creating the 4-3 design in the letters). The Thyatira interlude is a citation from Psalm 2:9: "You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

The second instance of this rod of iron occurs in the third vision—the interlude vision: "And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron" (Rev. 12:5). The man-child passage of chapter 12 described the beginning of the age.

1) Letter to Thyatira: Interlude

2) Chapter 12, third vision: Interlude

3) Chapter 19, sixth vision: before the end/Second Coming

This third appearance of the _rod of iron_ occurs just before the Second Coming at the end of the age. The interludes come before the end; rods of iron are found in the interludes; the third rod is seen as part of the sign of the Son of man—the word/vision—before His return. While John saw an actual vision of the Second Coming, for the reader at the end of the age the vision is this written word (this will make more sense at the end of chapter 22).

_Rule_ in all three occurrences is _poimainó_ : to shepherd, tend to as shepherd (4165)—as He does for those in white robes: "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (Rev. 7:17).

This rod of iron is the Shepherd's staff with which He will take authority over (rule) those with white garments and remove them from earth (harvest) before God's wrath. In Revelation 14 (the interlude vision), in the Second Coming passage, this rod was depicted as a sickle: "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle" (Rev. 14:14).

The three elements common to each passage:

1) White (horse, cloud)

2) Crown (stephanos, or diadem)

3) Curved hand tool (bow, sickle, rod/shepherd's staff).

Recall the same three elements in the first horseman passage at the start of the age: white, crown, bow (Rev. 6).

The rod is also the King's _scepter of righteousness_ : "But to the Son He says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom'" (Hebrews 1:8). He is the Good Shepherd, the saints' Lord and Shepherd. The Shepherd King.

_Striking the nations_ and _ruling them with a rod of iron_ describe both the righteous judgment of the nations as well as the harvest of the saints that both happen at His return.

And He has on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. (v. 16)

His authority is again emphasized ( _All authority has been given to Me on earth and in heaven_. Matt. 28:18). The significance of the thigh is that it is the typical location of the sword. A figurative sword already proceeds from His mouth; thus, His title, His authority is in the place of His weapon—His [s]word is His weapon. The thigh is also the portion of the sacrifice _set aside_ for the new king of Israel (1 Samuel 9:23). Jesus Christ is both the sacrifice and King.

### Sun and Birds

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, 'Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.' (vv. 17-18)

The angel is _standing in the sun_ while speaking to the birds _in the midst of heaven_. This verse locates the sun within the midst of heaven—the atmosphere. The readers' attention is again directed toward the heavens before the end of the age, and like earlier depictions of the heavens in revelation, this is consistent with the biblical creation account:

**4** th **Day** : "And God set [the sun and moon] in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth" (Genesis 1:17)

**5** th **Day** : "And God said, 'Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven'" (Genesis 1:20).

This supper for the birds alludes to Ezekiel 39: "And, you son of man, thus says the Lord God: 'Speak to every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, "Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh, and drink blood"'" (v. 17). This passage speaks to the destruction of the enemies of God's people: Gog, from the land of Magog, and his allies against Israel—this nation serving as a physical manifestation of a spiritual guidepost of the end of the Gospel Age: while the enemies of God's people gather against His saints worldwide, they also gather against the actual State of Israel. And in the same way that the kings, captains, mighty men, etc, will be slain on the mountains of Israel, the enemies of God's people will be slain worldwide at the Second Coming. This same list of people was seen at the 6th Seal _hiding from the wrath of the Lamb_ : "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains" (Rev. 6:15).

### Hezekiah

Hezekiah, king of Judah who restored the Passover and _did what was right before the Lord_ (2 Chronicles 31:20) came to a point wherein he was _sick unto death_ and about to be overwhelmed by the Assyrians. His illness was caused by a _painful boil_ , or an infected, open sore—just like the _painful sores_ of the 5th Bowl. Hezekiah, though, went to the house of the Lord and prayed and wept bitterly (Isaiah 37: 15-20; 2 Kings 19:14-19).

"Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 'Go, and say to Hezekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add unto your days fifteen years. And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.

"And this shall be a sign unto you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward."' So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down" (Isaiah 38:4-8).

The sign God gave Hezekiah that he would be delivered from death and the Assyrians was to reverse the movement of the sun's shadow. The _sun standing still_ in Joshua 10 is hard enough to understand, but here it actually moves backwards.

The voice of the angel _standing in the sun_ functions in this chapter as the word from heaven (interlude) before the gathering against the people of God, just as in Revelation 16. The angel's words, like Isaiah's to Hezekiah, are a prophecy of the enemy's defeat. The point of view shifts back down to earth:

### Gathered Against

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. (v. 19)

This is the second instance of the gathering of the kings of the earth. The first, at the 6th Bowl, when _the spirits of devils gathered the kings and the world_ , then came the word from the Lord— _Behold I come as a thief..._ —then the saints gathered at Armageddon. In this scene of the Second Coming, following John's vision of the Word of God in verse 13 (the sign), the armies are _gathered_ , or have been gathered. A third depiction of this gathering will come in the next vision—referred to as _Gog and Magog_.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (v. 20)

The Interlude/Trilogy chiasmus shows us that the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth, the false prophet, entered the text together in chapter 13 and they are judged, or cast into the lake of fire together here in chapter 19.

12—Dragon—20

13—Beast, False Prophet—19

14—Harlot, Babylon—17, 18

This battle, such as it is, will be so inconsequential—even with an assumption that the forces of the world will mount a resistance—that it hardly receives mention (destruction of the harlot: 24 verses; destruction of the two beasts: 1 verse). The beasts are simply _taken_ and _cast into the lake of fire_. The lake of fire is in the spiritual realm though; so what is being _taken_ and _cast_ at this point are the spirit-rulers and lying spirits (Apollyon and the rulers in high places) that incited the earthly agents—the kings and false prophets. These angels are for whom the lake of fire was created (Matthew 25:41).

And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth. And all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (v. 21)

As the Church has already been _called up_ at this point (The righteous are removed before destruction, e.g., Noah and Lot: Luke 17:22-30), this _remnant_ are the unbelievers, those remaining who were not taken up; they are _slain by the sword from His mouth_ meaning He commands their destruction. The birds were filled with their flesh—just as the angel said would happen in verse 18: the flesh of _all men_ , from kings to slaves.

Noticeably absent here is any depiction of Jesus actually setting foot back on earth at His Second Coming. This is consistent with other passages concerning the end of the age. In Revelation 14, the harvest of the saints occurred while Jesus was _on the cloud_ : "And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped (Rev. 14:16). In Revelation 11, the saints were commanded from a voice from heaven to _Come up here_! (Rev. 11:12). Similarly, Paul tells us that we will be _caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord_ (1 Thess. 4:17). Paul also confirms that after the harvest is the end: "But every man [resurrected] in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God*, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15: 23-24).

*After the two witnesses were called up to heaven, the great voice said, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15).

This "end" is the end of the Gospel Age, the Day of the Lord, which comes like a thief: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). On this day the saints are called up, the spirit-rulers are cast into the lake of fire, the remaining unbelievers are slain, and the heavens and earth pass away.

## 12

## Seventh Vision: Judgment of Satan

Chapter 20

The seventh and final vision describes the judgment of Satan using now familiar symbols and motifs. Though this vision depicts the entire Gospel Age, it does so contextualized primarily within the spiritual realm—a synopsis of Satan and the fallen angels, the gods of antiquity.

### Satan Bound

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years[.] (vv. 1-2)

Recalling the interlude/judgments chiasmus, Revelation 20 is the counterpoint of Revelation 12 (see A and A1 below); verse 2 above is the correspondent to 12:9: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

A) Dragon, Serpent, Devil, Satan (Rev. 12)

B) Two Beasts (Rev. 13)

C) Harlot (Rev. 14)

C1) Harlot (Rev. 17, 18)

B1) Two Beasts (Rev. 19)

A1) Dragon, Serpent, Devil, Satan (Rev. 20)

The terms _dragon, serpent, Devil, and Satan_ appear in each of the passages.

Being _wounded_ , _cast down_ , or _bound_ is synonymous with being restrained, degraded, or limited in authority and power. Satan was _cast down_ (overcome) _by the blood of the Lamb_ —that is, by the supernatural repercussions of His crucifixion and resurrection (Rev. 12:11). The thousand year period of Satan's binding bean at the start of the Gospel Age.

The binding of Satan is the binding of the strong man and the plundering of his house, or kingdom, throughout the Gospel Age (Seals 1-4).

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon it, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed a little season. (v. 3)

This verse encapsulates the Gospel Age, from crucifixion (bound) to the hour of trial (released for a _little season_ ). The bottomless pit (abyss) was previously seen in Revelation 9, 11, and 17: the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit, Satan, overcomes and kills the two witnesses.

At the start of the 1260 days, Satan is bound, or restrained for a thousand years: the supernatural, out of time equivalent of the 1260 days, or 42 months. Given that the subject matter of the vision is the devil—who is not a physical being on earth, and therefore not a part of our perceptions of time and space—an alternative figure is appropriate. These _thousand years_ are no more literal than the _hour of trial_ or the _ten days of tribulation_ , but rather signify a long passage of time. Time comparisons between the physical and spiritual words are not compatible; for example, a short time for us is a long time for God, or vice versa: "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8).

When the thousand years are fulfilled (end of the 1260 days) Satan is to be _loosed for a little season_. This season is the 3.5 days during which the two witnesses are overcome and killed (the final 30 days of Daniel's 1290 days). The primary distinction between the 1000 years and the short season is deception: _the dragon will deceive the nations no more until the thousand years have ended_. Deception is therefore the primary characteristic of the 3.5 days; this is the cause of death of the two witnesses.

How is it then that Satan can be bound in chains in a prison for 1000 years, yet still be _prowling like a lion seeking whom he may devour_ (1 Peter 5:8)? An illustration was given earlier describing a starving man: the extreme has to be shown to convey an internal condition—visual hyperbole. In Revelation 13 the _mark of the beast_ was used to illustrate an internal condition of worldliness. Concerning authority, a photo of a man walking down the street conveys nothing in terms of his authority However, put the same man on a balcony addressing 50,000 soldiers and you get a picture of his authority. Put the same man chained in a prison and it is easily understood that the man has no authority. Satan bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit is visual hyperbole for the constraints God has put on him during the Gospel Age. As seen with Job, Satan is told, _you may go this far, and that's it_ ; _you can do this, but not that_. The two stages of influence over Job's life are analogous to the two periods of darkness marked by the 5th and 6th Trumpets. At the end of the age, during the hour of trial, there are no such constraints.

### The Dead in Christ

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (v. 4)

These are the dead in Christ: the saints and martyrs killed during the Gospel Age—the _blessed, those who die in the Lord from henceforth_ (Rev. 14:13). Anyone who is or has been born again by the Holy Spirit is reigning with Christ in Heaven. Paul wrote that God's great love for us has made us alive together with Christ "and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).

Another 1000-year period is mentioned in the context of Christ's reign. Christ's reign is eternal, but this 1000 years refers to the Gospel Age, between First Advent and Second Coming. This is another non-literal, out of time, undisclosed duration, but not the same 1000 years that Satan was bound (from the crucifixion to the mid-20th century).

(But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished)

This is the first resurrection. (v. 5)

The _rest of the dead_ are the unsaved. They will not live again until they are brought before God at the throne of judgment at the end of the age (depicted in verse 12). This is at the end of the 1000-year reign of the Kingdom of God on earth, when everyone is brought before God: "they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29).

_This is the first resurrection_ refers back to the saints and martyrs of the preceding verse, the dead in Christ, the focus of the passage. The first resurrection is the point at which a person is _quickened_ , or made alive, _with Christ_ (Eph. 2:5). This is why the saints, when the physical body has perished are described as being asleep: Stephen, when stoned to death, fell asleep (Acts 7:60); before being resurrected by Jesus, Lazarus was described as having fallen asleep (John 11:11). At the opening of the 5th Seal, John was shown the saints under the altar in heaven who were told to _rest a while longer_ (Rev. 6:11).

Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection; on 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. (v. 6)

Once again, the _first resurrection_ refers to the salvation of the saint. In the terms _live_ , or made alive, and _reign_ with Christ in verse 4 are incorporated the entire work of God in a believer's life: regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. This salvation, the first resurrection, occurs during the Gospel Age; at the end of which, everyone is resurrected: _there will be a resurrection of the dead, both the just and the unjust_ (Acts 24:15).

The first death is of the physical body. The second death, the lake of fire, applies only to those who worshipped the beast. The first resurrection applies to those who did not worship the beast—the born again body of Christ, the saints. There is no second death for the saved—those having part in the first resurrection—as their souls will live on throughout eternity in Heaven.

At the end of verse 6, a third mention of the 1000 years in the context of Christ's kingdom on earth. There are six "1000 years" in this chapter; three occurences for each kingdom.

While both kingdom's exist on earth simultaneously, Christ's 1000 years refers to His reign, while Satan's 1000 years refers to his binding and his kingdom being plundered; and while we know that the church is overcome and lies dead in the street at the end of the age when Satan is unbound, Christ's reign still continues as there is no point when Christ is not sovereign ruler over all the earth.

The Hour when Darkness Rules (Luke 22:53)

The hour of trial (or temptation, or testing) begins in the mid-Twentieth Century and comes to its "peak" (Megiddo) near the end of the 3.5 days. This peak was called _the great tribulation_ in chapter 7. There are hints throughout Revelation that from this great tribulation period, God is going to save an innumerable amount of people: "After this I beheld a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands" (Rev. 7:9).

The transition from the 42 months to the 3.5 days is primarily distinguished—for the purposes here, at least—by the establishment of the modern state of Israel, the international banking (usury) system, and the "unbinding" of Satan— _loosed from his prison_ :

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (vv. 7-8)

Satan is unbound, unrestrained during the final 3.5 days to deceive the nations of the world. Preparation for this short season began centuries before at the 5th Trumpet—the doctrine of demons preparing the way for the unbinding of Satan.

It may appear at first glance that Satan had been released prior to the mid-20th Century given the tyranny and mass murder committed by Hitler, Stalin and the like. But this misapprehension is based on the assumption that mankind is basically good—rather than basically wicked as the Bible describes (Gen. 6:5)—and would have to be possessed by the devil to commit atrocities as Hitler did. But of all the people who physically harmed Jesus between His arrest and crucifixion, the only one depicted as having been _entered by Satan_ was Judas, who _betrayed Him with a kiss_ (Luke 22:3, 48). Judas Iscariot was merely the _guide for those who took Jesus_ (Acts 1:16).

The devil and deception are related four times in Revelation: _Satan, who deceives the whole world_ (12:9); _he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be fulfilled_ (20:3); _and shall go out to deceive the nations_ (20:8); _and the devil that deceived them_ (20:10). This is why the saints are given the 1948 sign: this deception is not in the future, it is already at work. Like Judas, the enemy is working in those _closest_ to the saints.

### Barabbas– The Notorious Prisoner

At the Passover feast, _it was the governor's custom to release a prisoner of the crowd's choosing_ (Matthew 27:15):

"And [the people] cried out all at once, saying, 'Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas!' (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison)" (Luke 23:18-19).

After the resurrection of Christ, Peter, when the lame man was healed, mentioned their _desire for a murderer_ when he told the astonished onlookers: "Men of Israel, why marvel at this? Or why look so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Son Jesus; whom you delivered up, and denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God has raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 3:12-15).

After being arrested and released, Peter and John reported what had happened to the other believers, who said together: "Lord, You are God, who has made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that is in them. Who by the mouth of your servant David has said, 'Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ" (Acts 4:24b-26).

The followers of Christ here quote Psalm 2, the interlude passage from the letter to Thyatira: "You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (v.9).

It was in the mid-Twentieth Century, the first pilgrimage, Passover—when the sons of Israel returned to the land—that other insurrectionist and murderer, Satan, was released from his prison as the church was overcome.

### The Gathering

Satan, released from his prison, deceives the nations _to gather them to battle_. This is the third instance of the enemy gathering against the Lamb, God, and His saints. _Gog and Magog_ are terms found in Ezekiel 38-39 representing the enemies of God's people. Ezekiel 39 was alluded to at the end of the previous vision (the gathering of the birds at the end of the hour of trial: Rev. 19) to signal the preparations for the destruction of God's enemies at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

_Deceiving the nations_ recalls the _three unclean spirits_ of the 6th Bowl _that gather the nations_ as well as Paul's _grand delusion_ —all resulting from the Satan, the father of lies, _being loosed from his prison_. In the 5th Vision (Rev. 17-18), the angel explained that the ten horns (the nations) have _one mind_ and _make war with the Lamb_. The nations being of one mind means they have adopted a unifying worldview: the naturalistic Darwinian model, the one taught in schools. This is the worldview of the fallen angels—which they know is wrong, a deception.

The terms _Gog and Magog_ refer to the _nations in the four corners of the earth_ , meaning _all_ the nations rather than any specific ones. Gog of the land of Magog, the _chief prince_ (38:3), functions as a type of Satan in the narrative. Gog also had it in mind to invade the vulnerable places: "Thus says the Lord God; 'It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into your mind, and you shall think an evil thought; and you shall say, "I will go up [against] the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates"' (Ezekiel 38:10-11).

The battle they are gathered together for is Armageddon—war with the body of Christ. _Armageddon_ refers specifically to the trial of the saints—losing their lives for His sake; while _Gog and Magog_ refer to the nations that have been deceived into gathering against God's people. This is the same concept expressed in the use of 1260 days in reference to the saints during the Gospel Age, and 42 months for the world: same time period but different context.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city. (v. 9a)

The _camp of the saints_ refers to the _tent_ or _earthly tabernacle_ of the body of Christ (2 Cor. 5:1) as well as a military barracks, or stronghold ( _parembole_ ; 3925)—alluding to the supernatural protection of the saints afforded them from the start of the Gospel Age (the _place in the wilderness_ from chapter 12) now under attack and overwhelmed by the unrestrained beast.

The _beloved city_ , however, refers to the physical city of Jerusalem. Since the saints are the world-wide body of Christ _surrounding their camp_ cannot be literal. Jerusalem, on the other hand, can be. In both cases, though, _surrounding_ indicates an all-encompassing antagonistic attitude toward God's people. The reason the inhabitants of Jerusalem are distinguished from the saints is the city was restored while in its unclean state: to be made clean at a later time for _His name's sake_ (Ezekiel 36)—which will happen, presumably and to some extent, during this gathering of enemies.

Satan (Gog), the chief prince, gathers against a church _at rest, dwelling without walls, bars or gates_. The binding of the dragon is akin to the bars at a zoo: the barrier that encloses the beast is the same that protects the visitors. The dragon attacks a church that has let its guard down.

### Nehemiah

These themes of protection/restraint and stronghold, or city, find an analogy in the book of Nehemiah, where the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem represents sin and corruption within God's people, and the rebuilding of the wall symbolizes the return to a fear of the Lord and obedience to His word. Nehemiah's wall narrative foreshadows the death of the two witnesses and their subsequent standing up.

Nehemiah asked of the status in Jerusalem and learned that most had scattered [fallen away] but there was a remnant left in the city. When Nehemiah heard that the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down and its gates burned he mourned and repented: "We have dealt very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which You commanded Your servant Moses" (Nehemiah 1:7).

He then returned to the city and told the people "Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach" (2:17b). As the rebuilding commenced, each resident and their family responsible for a section of the wall, the enemy came against their efforts, plotting, "They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease" (4:11)—these adversaries even reportedly _surrounding the city_ (v.12).

In response, Nehemiah established security around the wall, stationing the _people near their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows_ (4:13b). At this point, the people of Jerusalem, in their determination to rebuild, actually became the wall—they themselves were the hedge of protection; the people on guard against the adversary were willing to _lose their lives for His sake_ (their Megiddo). The enemies' plot was foiled: "And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to nothing, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one to his work" (4:15).

The adversaries _gathered against_ Jerusalem were not the only issues during the rebuilding though; the people also suffered from famine and economic oppression: "We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the famine" [...] "We have borrowed money for the king's tax, and that upon our lands and vineyards" [...] "We bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already. Neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards" (5:3-5). And this came from within the city, thus drawing the rebuke from Nehemiah: _You are exacting usury from your own brothers_ (5:7).

Once the wall was finished—the watchmen on it re-established—three important things happened. First, the exiles from Babylonian captivity returned to Jerusalem. Second, Nehemiah declared a holy day, saying to the people, "This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep" (8:9b). Third, the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles, was celebrated: "And they found written in the law which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month" (8:14).

Compare the above graphic with the three feast days of Daniel 12

In Revelation 11 the hour of trial began with the two witnesses lying dead in the streets (the church lying in ruins). At the end of the 3.5 days, they were called up by the voice from Heaven (return from exile). In Heaven comes the Sabbath following the Gospel Age in New Jerusalem, then the Heavenly Feast of Tabernacles (Daniel's 1335th day). The return from exile at the end of the age is akin to the Second Coming, when the Good Shepherd returns for His sheep.

### Fire from Heaven

At this point Satan has been released to deceive the nations of the world; they have gathered against, surrounded, the saints and the city. The church is dead, lying in the streets being mocked having gone back into bondage (this chapter doesn't depict the two witnesses standing up at the end).

And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (v. 9b)

The enemies of God's people are then devoured by fire from heaven. This is the return of Jesus Christ—depicted in the 6th Vision.

The imagery of fire from heaven signifies the second pilgrimage festival, Pentecost, and thus the end of the age. The next verse transitions into the spiritual realm.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. (v. 10)

In the same manner as the beast and false prophet, the devil is dispatched with minimal detail. Simply cast in the lake of fire for eternal punishment. The notion that Satan is able to mount any kind of resistance to the return of Jesus Christ is preposterous here and forgets that Satan and his forces have already been defeated—they are merely out to steal, kill, and destroy as many souls as possible prior to the Second Coming.

### Psalm 22

Consider the prominent motifs from verses 7 through 9: _Satan loosed from his prison_ ; _deceive the nations_ ; _gathered to battle_ ; _surrounding the saints_ ; then _fire from heaven_. Things go from bad, to worse, to worse again; but when things look their bleakest, help comes. After Jesus had been arrested, tortured, and crucified, Mary went to His tomb only to find it empty; now she lamented, "They have taken away my Lord." But then, from behind, "Woman, why are you crying?" Jesus was standing there (John 20:15). Remember that Jesus Himself, during His own hour of trial, _cried with a loud voice...My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?_ (Matthew 27:46). The physical, emotional, and spiritual struggles of this hour of trial will feel like a _Psalm 22 moment_ : despair, feeling surrounded and forgotten.

1) Feeling abandoned while prayers seemingly go unheard: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the day time, but You don't hear; and in the night season, and am not silent" (Psalm 22:1-2).

2) Like the two witnesses lying dead in the streets, being mocked and despised: "All they that see me laugh at me in scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver him; let Him deliver him, seeing He delighted in him'" (Psalm 22:7-8).

3) Surrounded by _beasts_ : "Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round" (Psalm 22:12).

The fire from heaven will fall when things couldn't get any worse. In John 11 Jesus waited until after Lazarus had died until He answered the sisters' call to come _so the Son of God might be glorified by it_ (v. 4). The resurrection is where Christ's glory is most clearly made manifest. And there can be no resurrection without a preceding death; this death during the hour of trial is the saints' Megiddo, the place of suffering. David wrote: "For dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet" (Psalm 22:16). David wasn't crucified and didn't have his hands pierced, but is prophetically _partaking of the suffering_ of the future King on Calvary.

It was necessary for _Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day_ (Luke 24:46). Those who will share in His glory, must share in His suffering: "But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:13). "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with _Him_ , that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:17).

The 7th Trumpet

And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (v. 11)

Beginning in verse 11, the scene has shifted from the Gospel Age to the judgment throne, thus fulfilling the heavenly conclusion of the middle section (chapters 5-20). This shift from earthly destruction to heavenly judgment scene is the 7th Trumpet/3rd Woe transition point described at the end of Revelation 11.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (v. 12)

All are brought before the Great White Throne of judgment. The books that are opened are those in which peoples' works, both good and bad, have been recorded. The other book, the book of life, contains only the names of the saints. That people will be judged _according to their works_ implies that the severity of punishment will vary for each person.

And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead who were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (v. 13)

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (vv. 14-15)

The second death is the death of the soul cast into the lake of fire. Verse 6 said that over _those of the first resurrection_ , those dead in Christ, the second death has no power—they go on to eternal life in Heaven.

The "first resurrection" is literally at the end of the age, at the 7th Trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52); however, _first resurrection_ is implied as throughout the 1000 years in the sense of _those of the first resurrection_ , or _those dead in Christ who will be raised at the time of the first resurrection_. When Jesus told the criminal crucified next to Him _Today you will be with Me in paradise_ (Luke 23:43), He was referring to the absence of time in the spiritual realm—that same span of time ( _today_ ) for us passing as 1000 years, or an indefinite but extended period of time.

—

The shift from earth to heaven in verse 11 created the final part of the 3-part pattern within the Main Body of Revelation:

Chapter 5 was the introduction (Jesus): the Lamb who opened the scroll.

Chapters 6 through 20a were the main body: the seven interconnected letters (visions).

The latter half of chapter 20 (vv. 11-15) returned to the heavenly setting for judgment.

## 13

## New Jerusalem

Chapters 21 and 22

The two final chapters comprise the conclusion to the book of Revelation. This is the vision of heaven and the rewards for _those who overcome_ found in the conclusions to the seven letters. And like each of the seven letters as well as the seven letters section itself (chapters 1-4), the Conclusion contains the three-part structure of the overall book. Recall the three parts found in the seven letters:

1) Introduction (Jesus)

2) Main Body

3) Conclusion (Heaven)

The notable difference here at the end of the book is the contexts of the first and third parts are reversed:

1) Introduction (Heaven). Chapter 21:1-8

2) Main Body. Chapters 21:9 – 22:5

3) Conclusion (Jesus). Chapters 22:6-21

The three parts of the Introduction (chapters 1-4) form a chiasmus with the Conclusion (chapter 21-22):

A) Introduction (Jesus)

B) Main Body

C) Conclusion (Heaven)

C1) Introduction (Heaven)

B1) Main Body

A1) Conclusion (Jesus)

This inversion was prefigured in the seven letters' conclusions with the two statements: _he that has an ear_ and _to him that overcomes_ : the first three letters end with _he that has an ear_ , then _to him that overcomes_ ; letters four through seven end with _to him that overcomes_ followed by _he that has an ear_.

Letters 1 – 3: he that has an ear... he that overcomes...

Letters 4 – 7: he that overcomes... he that has an ear...

The two lines are reversed in the conclusions of the letters, just as in these final two chapters (cf. The Seven Letters Revisited, Chapter 14). And in the same way that the seven letters of the Introduction prefigured the seven visions of the Main Body, the introduction of this heavenly Conclusion contains seven motifs that are found in the main body—the same seven in the same order:

1) Jerusalem

2) There shall be no more...

3) Throne

4) True and Faithful

5) Alpha and Omega

6) First Resurrection

7) Second Death

These seven motifs will be identified within the text in bold with superscript numbers corresponding to the above list. the name "John" only appears in chapters 1, 21 and 22.
CHAPTER 21

### 1.

### Introduction

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (v. 1)

The first earth and heaven ( _ouranos_ , sky or atmosphere. 3772) have _passed away_ at this point in the vision: the former earth has gone away, or departed ( _aperchomai_ ; 565). Peter wrote that they—the first heaven and earth—will pass away with a fervent heat on the day of the Lord: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).

This new heaven and new earth are not a renewed or restored heaven and earth, they are completely separate places. The new earth is the place prepared for the saints (John 14:2). And the fact that there is both a new heaven and a new earth indicates that we, the saints, are leaving one physical place ( _gé_ : the earth, soil, land; 1093) and going to another physical place—just as Adam and Eve inhabited a physical place in communion with God in Genesis. On this new earth there is _no more sea_ ; this sea represents the grave, for it was into the sea that the harlot was thrown and the sea that _gave up the dead in it_ on judgment day (Rev. 20:13). There is no sea on the new earth because there is no more death.

And I John saw the holy city, New **Jerusalem** [1], coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (v. 2)

New Jerusalem is the name of His bride, God's people. John sees God's people, New Jerusalem, going to that new place, the new earth.

On the day of the Lord the saints are _called up_ to meet Him in the clouds at Christ's Second Coming, then later descend, _come down_ , onto the new earth. The saints going up, then down suggests that the new earth is a separate creation also within the _waters of the deep_ (Gen. 1).

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.' (v. 3)

The beginning of the Bible recounted Adam and Eve's sin and the subsequent banishment from the garden. Now, at the end, the saints return from exile due to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. God will now dwell directly with His people rather than above them.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and **there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain** [2], for the former things are passed away. (v. 4)

_Wiping away their tears_ previously occurred in chapter 7, the interlude between the 6th and 7th Seals.

And He that sat upon the **throne** [3] said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said unto me, 'Write: for **these words are true and faithful** [4].' (v. 5)

And He said unto me, 'It is done. I am **Alpha and Omega** [5], the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.' (v. 6)

_Alpha and Omega_ occurred twice in chapter 1; it occurs here and again in chapter 22— _the beginning and the end_ at the start and conclusion of the Revelation of the Gospel Age—its significance revealed at its final occurrence (likewise, the name "John" only appears in chapters 1, 21 and 22).

**He that overcomes shall inherit all things** [6]; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. (v. 7)

Those that _overcome_ are those in heaven, the saints; these are of the first resurrection. _He that overcomes_ is the lead phrase of the letters' conclusions. Chapters 21 and 22 are the concluding chapters of Revelation, in which are contained the promises to those saints that overcome.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the **second death** [7]. (v. 8)

Verses 6 – 8 form a mini-letter to the church. As in the first chapter of Revelation, John, here in verse 5, is told to _write_.
Introduction

Characteristics of Jesus: "It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end."

Main Body

The Gospel, the giving of the Holy Spirit: "I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely."

Conclusion

The afterlife: "He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." This conclusion lists those who do not overcome and their part in the lake of fire, or second death (Smyrna: _He that overcomes shall not be hurt be the second death_. Rev. 2:11). This conclusion corresponds to the conclusion of the Main Body of Revelation: chapter 20, verses 11 – 15, in which were found the _lake of fire_ and _second death_.

### 2.

### Main Body

And there came to me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me saying, 'Come here, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.' (v. 9)

It was just in verse 2 that John saw New Jerusalem coming down from the heavens prepared as a bride; the angel telling him that he will show John the bride indicates a repetition. This is the start of the main body. Notice the number _seven_ occurs three times: seven angels, seven vials, seven plagues; these three sevens is to mirror the three sequences of seven in the main body of the visions: 7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, 7 Bowls. And just as the seals sequence began with one of the four beasts saying to John, _Come and see_ , this angel says, _Come, I will show you_.

### The Zion of the Holy One

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy **Jerusalem** [1], descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. And her light was like a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. (vv. 10-11)

John is taken away in the spirit to a mountain where he observes this city more closely. His being taken to this mountain to observe the city is reminiscent of Moses going to Mount Nebo to see into the land of Canaan. The Lord said to Moses: _Go up to this mountain of the Abarim,_ _to_ _Mount Nebo, which_ _is_ _in the land of Moab across from Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel for a possession_ (Deuteronomy 32:49). Like Moses, John is given a glimpse of the Promised Land.

This great city John sees is _a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker_ _is_ _God_ (Hebrews 11:10), _in a better country, a heavenly one_ (Heb. 11:16), _the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem_ (Heb. 12:22). This is the place that Jesus said he was leaving to prepare for His saints: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3). Before He ascended, Jesus said He would return for His bride and take her there.

New Jerusalem descending onto the new earth is the third pilgrimage, the movement of the saints down to the new earth.

The first movement was in 1948, the return to the land (Passover).

The second was the calling up of the saints to heaven at the end of the age (Pentecost).

The third is this movement down to the new earth (Ingathering).

Each movement is preceded by intense tribulation:

1) The Passover pilgrimage in 1948 was preceded by World War 2 and the Holocaust.

2) The harvest of the saints (Pentecost) at the end of the age is preceded by Armageddon.

3) The Feast of Ingathering, 3rd movement, is preceded by judgment day, the casting of unbelievers into the lake of fire.

And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (vv. 12-14)

It was the above section that provided the understanding of the 144,000 figure from chapter 7: twelve gates named after tribes of Israel and twelve foundations of the wall named after the apostles. The twelve tribes and twelve apostles are the basis for the twenty-four elders in heaven.

And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. (v. 15)

In chapter 11, John was given _a reed like a rod_ to _measure the temple of God_ (v.1). The temple of God is the body of Christ, His church. The measuring began at the start of the age and continued until the end. Measuring refers to everyone who is conformed to His image, sanctified _unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ_ (Ephesians 4:13b). These are for whom the city is prepared.

And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. (v. 16)

These measurements define the Heavenly Promised Land foreshadowed by the earthly promised land of the Old Testament; for example, the southern border of Canaan: "Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward. And your border shall turn from the south to the ascent of Akrabbim, and pass on to Zin: and the going forth thereof shall be from the south to Kadeshbarnea, and shall go on to Hazaraddar, and pass on to Azmon: And the border shall fetch a compass from Azmon to the river of Egypt, and the end of it shall be at the sea" (Numbers 13:3-5).

And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. (v. 17)

This wall is the measure and stature of Jesus Christ, the Israel of God. He is our _wall of salvation_ : "In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; we have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks" (Isaiah 26:1).

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. (v. 18)

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. (vv. 19-21)

These precious stones adorn the foundations of the walls here. These are the twelve precious stones that the Old Testament priests wore on the breastplate as part of the specified garments to be worn into the Holy of Holies to commune with God. Now the city/bride wears the stones, meaning that God's people, a royal priesthood, will commune directly with Him here.

And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. (vv. 22-23)

The Lord God and the Lamb are the temple of this city and the light of it. Having no need for a sun or moon alludes to Isaiah's prophecy of Zion: "The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the LORD shall be unto you an everlasting light, and your God your glory" (Isaiah 60:19). John's vision though is worded in anticipation of the Jewish remnant's submission to Jesus Christ as Messiah, hence the mention of the Lamb twice: the glory of New Jerusalem is _God and the Lamb._

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it; and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. (v. 24)

The _nations which are saved_ and the _kings of the earth_ are found here. This is a depiction of Daniel's 1335th Day: the heavenly Feast of Tabernacles, or booths ( _Sukkot_ ). This is the ultimate fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy: "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16). The saints from all nations of the world will enter into His presence for eternity— _Blessed is he that waits and comes to the 1335_ th _day_.

And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day, for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defiles, neither whoever works abomination nor makes a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (vv. 25-27)

This passage alludes to the prophecy of Isaiah 60: "Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night; that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought" (v.11). This refers not only to the future heavenly city, but also to the remnant of Israel who will inhabit it—those who will bow to the Son of God at the end of the age (I will make them to come and worship before you feet, and to know that I have loved you. Rev. 3:9): "The sons also of them that afflicted you shall come bowing to you; and all they that despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call you, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 60:14).
CHAPTER 22

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (vv. 1-2)

This is the second instance of _water of life_ , the first in the introduction (v. 6). There will be a third _water of life_ in the conclusion (v. 17). There is _water of life_ in each of the three parts, creating thematic continuity among the sections as exists in the three parts of Revelation.

Eating of the tree of life was the promise in the letter to Ephesus: _to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life which is the midst of the paradise of God_ (Rev. 2:7). Eating from this tree of life is the _fruit of the righteous_ (Proverbs 11:30).

The _fruit every month_ and _leaves for healing_ come from Ezekiel 47:12, referring to the temple in Jerusalem. This is the third reference to time as we know it occurring in the heavenly realm after the conclusion of the Gospel Age and destruction of the earth. There was Daniel's 1335th day, the heavenly Feast of Tabernacles; the 7th Seal, 30 minutes of silence in heaven; and now fruit produced every month (the 1000 years was symbolic and during the age).

In Genesis, the sun and moon, the two great lights, were _for signs and seasons, for days and years_ (1:14). But there are no such heavenly indicators of the passage of time here. Whether it's a crop of twelve every month, or a different fruit every month, the yielding of fruit from the tree indicates increments of time on the new earth.

**And there shall be no more curse** [2]. But the **throne** [3] of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve him. And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. (vv. 3-4)

This curse is _katanathema_ (2652), meaning _down_ , as in fallen or degraded. In Genesis 3, the serpent was cursed _more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field_ , the woman was cursed with pain during childbirth, and the ground was cursed for man's sake and he was destined to a life of labor. Now, with the curse abolished, man's fallen nature restored, God's people will reunite with Him. Thus, the throne of God and the Lamb are now _in it_ rather than above it (cf. Rev 4).

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light; and they shall reign forever and ever. (v. 5)

A second mention of there being no need for a sun or moon, just as in Isaiah 60: "Your sun shall no more go down; neither shall your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended" (Isaiah 60:20).

God and the Lamb dwelling with the saints and wiping away their tears were depicted in the seventh chapter: "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" (v. 17). These things, the salvation of the Jewish remnant and the great multitude of Gentiles, were described in the interlude before the end: the 7th Seal.

### 3.

### Conclusion

These sayings are **faithful and true** [4]. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly be done. (v. 6)

This verse is no longer a depiction of New Jerusalem, but returns to John on Patmos. The phrase _sent His angel_ mirrors the first chapter of Revelation ( _sent and signified_ _it_ _by His angel;_ Rev. 1:1) thus signaling the start of the concluding section (concluding with Jesus, in this case).

Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (v. 7)

The term _quickly_ ( _tachu;_ 5035) denotes His return _without delay_ according to God's revealed timeline. The events of Revelation began in the First Century and continue until the Second Coming. The term _quickly_ , though, refers to the interval following the word from the Lord (cf. Rev. 11)—that is, He will return soon after the revelation of His word. _Coming quickly_ will occur three times in this conclusion (three occurrences in the letters as well: Ephesus, Pergamos, Philadelphia).

### Worship God

And I, John, saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. (v. 8)

Then he said to me, 'See you do it not; for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book. Worship God.' (v. 9)

John again falls to worship the angel as he did in chapter 19. And again the angel tells John, _Do not do it. I am your fellow servant_. _Worship God_.

In chapter 19, after he had fallen at the feet of the messenger and was rebuked, John saw heaven opened and had a vision of the Second Coming of Christ.

The end-of-the-age sequence from chapter 19:

1) Voice from Heaven

2) John falls to worship

3) Vision of Heaven opened and Jesus on His horse ( _I am coming quickly_ )

4) The gathering against God (Megiddo)

5) Second Coming

### The Time is at Hand

And he said to me, 'Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he who is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still.' (vv. 10-11)

The book has been opened, or not sealed, yet not fully understood. While the sayings of this prophecy were not sealed, the seven thunders were: "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not" (Rev. 10:4b). The words of the prophecy have been given, yet understanding of those words has been withheld until a specified time: the hour of trial, prior to the gathering of the enemy against God's people.

'And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (v. 12)

This is the second of three occurrences of _I come quickly_ — _quickly_ referring to the interval between the word from the Lord and the Second Coming.

'I am **Alpha and Omega** [5], the beginning and the end, the first and the last.' (v. 13)

**Blessed are they that do His commandments** [6], that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (v. 14)

Other translations not based on the Received Text, but on the NA/UBS texts, read, _blessed are they who wash their robes_. Either way these people, the saints, are those of the _first resurrection_.

For **without** [7] are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. (v. 15)

Those _outside the city_ , like those in 21:8 of the introduction, are those of the second death—those of the _outer court_ who were not measured (Rev. 11:1), or were not conformed to the image of Christ.

### Seven Blessings of Revelation

Verse 14 is the last of seven _blessed is he/are they_... statements in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation:

1) "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand" (1:3).

2) "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them" (14:13).

3) "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (16:15).

4) "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb" (19:9).

5) "Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection; on 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" (20:6).

6) "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (22:7).

7) "Blessed are they that do his commandments [wash their robes], that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (22:14).

Following the first six of these statements, something significant happens on earth. After the first one, for example, John receives the Revelation; after the fourth and sixth, John falls to the ground; after the third, the gathering at Armageddon, etc. There is nothing shown in the text, however, following the seventh blessing statement. This is because the things shown in the previous statements will now actually occur on earth: the giving of Revelation, the gathering at Armageddon, the falling of the stars, and the Second Coming.

### Morning Star

'I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.' (v. 16)

As at the start of the book, Jesus speaks via _His angel_ (Rev. 1:1). The narrative, now back where it began on the Island of Patmos, has Jesus directly addressing the reader (a voice from heaven before the third _I am coming quickly_ ). _I am the root and offspring of David_ is a statement directed at the Jews, _they who pierced Him_ (Rev. 1:7). He is the _Lord and Son of David_ (Matt. 22:45). That man that was crucified in the First Century is _the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David_ (Rev. 5:5). That man was the Word made flesh; He is the Messiah, the Lamb that was slain.

His second claim is being the _bright and morning star_. Morning star first appeared in the letter to Thyatira (the interlude letter): _And I will give him the morning star_ —spoken in the letter's conclusion between _he that overcomes_... _and to him that has an ear_... Being the _morning star_ refers to His status as king, ruler or prince of this world. Jesus Christ is the _ruler of the kings of the earth_ (Rev. 1:5). His first advent was heralded by a star in the east (Matt. 2:2)—a new star, or new ruler: God Himself with us. "Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:78-79).

Prior to Christ, Satan was the ruler of this world: _the shining one, the son of the morning_ (Is. 14:12—the fallen king indistinguishable from the fallen angel). After taking Christ up a high mountain and showing Him all the kingdoms of the world, Satan Told Him, "All this power I will give You, and the glory of them; for it has been delivered to me; and to whomsoever I want I give it" (Luke 4:6). Satan was the morning star; he had the authority to give as it had been granted to him.

This changed with the life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. The cross is thus a transition point of authority on earth. Now it is Christ who has the authority to give.

When speaking of His death, Christ declared, "Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). And when speaking of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Jesus said _the prince of this world has been judged_ (John 16:11). It was by the blood of the Lamb that Satan and his angels were cast down to the earth, _and no longer had any place in heaven_ (Rev. 12:8). His star, or period of rule, _fell like lightning_.

After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples _all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth_ (Matt. 28:18).

In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, Peter, speaking to the Jews, cited from two of King David's Psalms (16 and 110) concerning the future Messiah _sitting at the right hand of God_. It is this resurrected Messiah who pours out the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Joel 2 prophecy). In Acts 2 is a confluence of themes: the resurrected Christ, the pouring of the Holy Spirit, the throne of King David, and the conversion of many Jews.

The letter to Thyatira cited the Psalm 2:9 prophecy (authored by David; cf. Acts 4:25) of Christ's rule immediately followed by the promise to _give the morning star_ to them that overcome—just as verse 16 above mentions David and star concurrently. Jesus the Christ is the morning star, the everlasting ruler; all authority has been given to Him. When He gives the morning star He gives His authority and power—just as on the day of Pentecost ( _exousia_ ; power, authority, domain. 1849). He gives the Holy Spirit to the church lying in the street; this is the point after the three and a half days that the Spirit of life from God enters them and they stand.

Peter's message to the Jews of the First Century is the same today: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36).

And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let him that hears say, 'Come.' And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (v. 17)

### 7 Lambs

The invitation to _come and drink freely of the water of life_ is the final opportunity while the door is still open. Only at the actual point of death or the Second Coming itself, when the sky is opened and the Messiah revealed for the whole world to see, has the point of no return been reached. This verse implies that prior to that point there will be a widespread call of the unbelieving elect as the prerequisite of _whosoever will_ , or whomever desires, is the _drawing_ by the Father (John 6:44); anyone who _hears_ , _is thirsty_ , and _desires_ the water of life is being called by God. The presence of this verse suggests extensive, last-minute plundering of the enemy's camp.

To come and drink freely of the water of life is to be saved and therefore take part in this heavenly Feast of Tabernacles. This was the same invitation Jesus spoke in Jerusalem at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 'If any man thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He that believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38). By water of life He meant the Holy Spirit, _which they that believe in Him should receive_ (v.39).

Jesus, the Lamb of God, spoke these words on the eighth day of the feast. It was on the eighth day of the feast that seven lambs were to be sacrificed: "On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall do no servile work therein; but you shall offer a burnt offering, a sacrifice made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish" (Numbers 29:35-36).

In the main body of this heavenly Conclusion (21:9 – 22:5) the term _Lamb_ occurred seven times (underlined). Jesus is the one Lamb offered for the sins of all time. After Jesus had made His eighth day declaration in the temple, some asked, _Hasn't the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David?_ (John 7:42a). Here Jesus says, _I am the root and offspring of David_ (v. 16).

This invitation to drink of the water of life at the end of the Gospel Age is made by the Spirit and the bride of Christ speaking in unison. The two witnesses are prophesying again having stood by the power of the Holy Spirit breathed into them from God (Rev. 11:11). Verse 16 was the God-breathed word from the Lord to His church; this enables the two witnesses to stand and declare the gospel during that short period before the Second Coming.

### A Warning

For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any man adds to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (vv. 18-19)

At the start of Revelation was the promise of a blessing for those who read, heard, and kept the words of this prophecy. Now here at the end of the book is a warning against tampering with it. The promise of a blessing and the warning of a curse are the bookends of Revelation, the words of the prophecy. Thus, the book of Revelation is itself the word from the Lord—the interlude, or voice from heaven—that is breathed into the church soon before Christ's return. In chapter 16 it was shown that the word from the Lord just before the gathering at Megiddo referred to the three final letters:

Sardis: _Remember what you have received and heard; keep it and repent. You have some that have not defiled their garments_.

Philadelphia: _You have kept My word, so I will keep you during the hour of trial. Behold I come quickly._

Laodicea: _You are wretched, miserable, poor and naked. Buy white garments so that you are clothed and the shame of your nakedness is not exposed._

All of these themes were contained in the word from the Lord of Revelation 16: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (v.15).

### Three Stages of Revelation

In verse 10 above John was told _not to seal the sayings of the prophecy of this book_. The prophecy was _written plain upon tablets_ (Habakkuk 2:2). However, understanding had not been given: "Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not" (Rev. 10:4b). The visions have been written plainly for all to read, but understanding has been withheld until the appointed time.

He who testifies these things says, 'Surely I come quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (vv. 20-21)

His statement _I am coming quickly_ is intended for those who have been given understanding of the Revelation—those that have _crossed the Euphrates_. These are the saints with ears to hear the word.

The corollary to these statements was in Revelation 16, between the 6th and 7th Bowls, when Jesus said to His saints, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (v. 15).

Three times in this final chapter of Revelation Jesus tells us that He is _coming quickly_. These three passages represent the three stages of understanding of the book of Revelation.

1) Verse 7: "Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he that keeps the sayings of the prophecy of this book." This first passage refers back to the first chapter of Revelation: the promise of a blessing to those who _read, hear, and keep the words of the prophecy_ (1:3). The first chapter is the point of least understanding of the Revelation: it is unsealed though full understanding has not yet been given. The reader of Revelation knows that Jesus has said He is _coming quickly_ , but also acknowledges these words being written 2000 years before, so one is left questioning what Jesus meant by _quickly_ due to our limited understanding.

2) Verses 12-13: "And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." The second stage of understanding refers to the revelation of the book itself. This was illustrated in Revelation 16 when Jesus spoke just before Megiddo during the hour of trial. This second passage signifies the giving of understanding of the prophecy, the word from the Lord, the revelation of the Gospel Age. The terms _Alpha and Omega_ , _beginning and end_ , _first and last_ all occur in the first and last chapters of Revelation and refer to the Gospel Age, from His First Advent (Alpha) to His Second Coming (Omega).

3) Verse 20: "He who testifies these things says, 'Surely I come quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." The third stage is assurance of and desire for His soon return. Once understanding of the prophecy has been fully given, the reader knows that He is coming quickly relative to his own point in time. This is also the period during which the world gathers against the body of Christ—so this assurance is given when assurance is most needed. Jesus Christ Himself is here telling us—those living in this present moment—that, yes, surely, He is coming soon.

A red-letter Bible will have four passages in chapter 22 in red print: the three _I am coming quickly_ passages listed above and the interlude passage mentioned earlier, verse 16: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, _and_ the bright and morning star." This verse, the morning star interlude, falls between the second and third instance of _I am coming quickly_ —just as the 3rd Vision interlude falls between the trumpets and bowls: Seals, Trumpets, Interlude, Bowls.

1) Verse 7: _I am coming quickly_

2) Verses 12: _I am coming quickly_

3) Verse 16: Morning Star Interlude

4) Verse 20: _I am coming quickly_

### The Ten Virgins

In Jesus' parable of the ten virgins—ten representing the indefinite totality of saints—the collective bride went out to meet the bridegroom, five of the virgins wisely took oil for their lamps while the foolish ones did not. But while the bridegroom delayed his coming, the virgins fell asleep. Prior to the coming of the bridegroom comes a word of his imminent arrival: "And at midnight there was a cry made, 'Behold, the bridegroom comes! Come out to meet him'" (Matthew 25:6). The five wise virgins with oil were ready, they _arose_ and went with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. The foolish virgins, though they too arose, were unprepared and had to make a last-minute effort to buy oil. When they returned, however, the door to the feast was closed and they found themselves shut out.

The two witnesses of Revelation 11 were two olive trees (oil) and two lampstands. The two witnesses lay in the streets at the end of the age; the ten virgins fell asleep. The two witnesses stood up following the word from the Lord; the virgins arose. The _cry at midnight_ of the parable is the revelation of the Gospel Age: the prophecy _speaks_ three times at the close, _I come quickly_.

This parable raises the question as to how the five foolish virgins, though they had heard the cry at midnight, were caught unprepared. There would be no question if they hadn't heard the cry, or heard it but did nothing about it. But they did: all ten of them heard the cry at midnight and arose and _trimmed their lamps_ (v.7). It was only oil the five were without; yet this caused them to miss the coming of the bridegroom. These five foolish virgins are the Laodicean Christians, lukewarm, having one foot in each kingdom. Having fooled themselves, they think they are rich (have a lamp) but are poor (have no oil). They say they are in need of nothing, but Jesus tells them to _buy from Me gold tried in the fire and white garments_. These believers are deceived thinking they are ready to meet the Lord at His return.

### The Two Charagmas

In the parable of the ten virgins, the five foolish virgins separate from the five wise in order to go buy oil. Curiously, the five foolish virgins are told to _go to them that sell and buy for yourselves_ (Matt. 25:9). Buying and selling were two factors in determining the mark of the beast in Revelation 13. The beast's mark ( _charagma_ ; 5480), as described in the Third Vision, refers to both an identification or brand of ownership as well as a stamped or pressed image.

The mark as a brand of ownership indicates the kingdom to which one belongs: either the kingdom of darkness, or the Kingdom of Heaven. The mark as a pressed or stamped image, like a coin, refers to the long, arduous process of reformatting one's values into those of Christ's—being conformed to the image of Christ, sanctified. All ten of the virgins appeared to have been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of His Son. Though all ten were _called_ only five were _chosen_ , or had oil in their lamps. The five foolish virgins had empty vessels, an appearance of godliness but had _tried to climb in some other way_ (John 10:1), and thus were not known by the Bridegroom.

But God has given the end-of-the-age reader the words of this prophecy, so that they may put on clean garments: "Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

## 14

## The Seven Letters Revisited

In the initial seven letters chapter it was stated that the seven letters to the churches would do two things:

1) Provide instructions on reading the following visions.

2) Provide confirmation at a later point that the reader had delineated the visions correctly.

The seven interconnected letters indicated there would be seven interconnected visions between chapters 6 and 20. Going through those visions, an _interlude before the end_ pattern was identified. The third vision was itself an interlude indicating that the fourth vision, the bowls sequence, would be the final phase of the Gospel Age timeline. With this understanding came the recognition of a 4-3 split within the seven visions: the first four visions describing the progression of judgments throughout the age, then the final three describing specific end-of-the-age judgments of the harlot, the beast, and Satan.

1) Seals

2) Trumpets

3) Interlude [before the end]

4) Bowls (the end)

—

5) Harlot

6) Beasts Trilogy of judgment sequences

7) Satan

Returning to the seven letters, there is an interlude (citation) occurring in the fourth letter to the church at Thyatira:

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write; 'these things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass; I know your works, and charity, and service, and faith, and your patience, and your works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her time to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts: and I will give to every one of you according to your works. But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which you have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcomes, and keeps My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

And He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to pieces.

Even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the morning star.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev. 2:18-28)

A quotation from Psalm 2:9: "And He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to pieces." This interlude comes at the end of the fourth letter. There are three that follow. This serves as the interlude that separates the letters into the 4–3 split, just as the seven visions are.

1) Ephesus

2) Smyrna

3) Pergamos

4) Thyatira

— **Psalm 2:9**

5) Sardis

6) Philadelphia

7) Laodicea

This notable symmetry reconfirms the _interlude before the end_ design. In the visions, the interlude was the third vision itself, indicating that the fourth vision would refer to the end of the age. The Psalm 2:9 interlude in the letters distinguishes the last three letters from the first four, just as the first four visions are set apart from the final three. Furthermore, the phrase _rod of iron_ occurred in chapter 12:

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne. (Rev. 12:5)

Chapters 12, 13, and 14 formed the third vision interlude. The _rod of iron_ occurs both times within the context of an interlude. Also, chapters 12, 13, and 14 form a chiasmus in relation to the final trilogy of judgment scenes—the section distinguished by Psalm 2:9. The _rod of iron_ was seen a third time just prior to the Second Coming, before the end:

And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations; and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Rev. 19:15)

Next, there were similar divisions within the judgment symbols themselves:

1) Seals: 4-3

2) Trumpets: 4-3

3) Bowls: 3-4

Likewise, each of the seven letters had three parts:

1) Introduction (Jesus)

2) Main Body

3) Conclusion (heaven)

If the seven letters' introductions are related to the seven seals then there should be a similar 4-3 demarcation located within the letters' introductions: there is a pair of _sevens_ found in the first and fifth letters:

(1) Ephesus

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; 'these things says He that holds the **seven** stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the **seven** golden candlesticks[.]

(5) Sardis

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; 'these things says He that has the **seven** Spirits of God, and the **seven** stars[.]

Again, this 4-3 pattern is found:

1) Ephesus: **seven** , **seven**

2) Smyrna

3) Pergamos

4) Thyatira

—

5) Sardis: **seven** , **seven**

6) Philadelphia

7) Laodicea

Likewise, if the main body of each letter is related to the seven trumpets, there will be the same 4-3 pattern in the body of the letters. This time the prompt is the phrase, _remember therefore_...

(1) Ephesus

**Remember therefore** from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come to you quickly, and will remove your candlestick out of his place, unless you repent. (Rev. 2:5)

(5) Sardis

**Remember therefore** how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you. (Rev. 3:3)

There are again distinguishing features in the first and fifth letters, thereby creating a 4-3 pattern.

1) Ephesus. **Remember therefore**...

2) Smyrna

3) Pergamos

4) Thyatira

—

5) Sardis. **Remember therefore**...

6) Philadelphia

7) Laodicea

The bowl judgments had a 3-4 split, so of course this will be found in the conclusion of the letters. This time the pattern is formed by the reversal of sentence order—just as the 4-3 is here reversed as 3-4. The first three letters conclude in this manner:

(1) Ephesus

**He that has an ear, let him** hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; **to him that overcomes** will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7)

_He that has an ear_... precedes _to him that overcomes.._. The first three letters concluded in this way.

1) Ephesus. He that has an ear... to him who overcomes...

2) Smyrna. He that has an ear... to him who overcomes...

3) Pergamos. He that has an ear... to him who overcomes...

In the fourth through seventh letters the two phrases are found in reverse order:

(7) Laodicea

**To him that overcomes** will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne.

**He who has an ear** , let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev. 3:21-22)

This reversal distinguishes the first three conclusions from the last four (3-4)—just as found in the seven bowls vision when the angel interrupts following the 3rd Bowl ( _You are righteous, O Lord_... Rev. 16:5).

4) Thyatira. To him who overcomes... He that has an ear...

5) Sardis. To him who overcomes... He that has an ear...

6) Philadelphia. To him who overcomes... He that has an ear...

7) Laodicea. To him who overcomes... He that has an ear...

The inverted symmetry of the conclusions and bowls was also seen in the pattern reversal found in the conclusion of Revelation, the heavenly scene in chapters 21 and 22:

Part 1 & 2: Chapters 1 – 4, 5 – 20:

A) Introduction (Jesus)

B) Main Body

C) Conclusion (Heaven)
Part 3: Chapters 21 – 22:

**C** 1 **) Introduction (Heaven)**

**B** 1 **) Main Body**

**A** 1 **) Conclusion (Jesus)**

### Synagogue of Satan

The two periods of testing fall within the confines of the 4-3 letter pattern as well. The initial 10 days of tribulation at the start of the age is mentioned in the second letter (first 4): to the church at Smyrna. The hour of trial at the end of the age is mentioned in the sixth letter (last 3): the church at Philadelphia. It was the final three visions that referred specifically to the end of the age. The letter to Philadelphia is the only letter to mention _New Jerusalem_ , a symbol associated with the end of the age.

The two churches that were not told to repent were Smyrna and Philadelphia: these are the two letters in which the two periods of testing are mentioned: _tribulation 10 days_ (Smyrna, Rev 2:10) at the start of the age, and the _hour of trial_ (Philadelphia, Rev. 3:10) at the end of the age. These are the same two letters in which the _synagogue of Satan_ appears

(2nd) Smyrna: "And I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."

(6th) Philadelphia: "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you."

The terms _Jews_ and _Synagogue_ are reversed in the sixth letter—connected by the chi structure:

  1. Jews

B) Synagogue of Satan (Smyrna)

B1) Synagogue of Satan (Philadelphia)

A1) Jews

### All Israel will be Saved

The church at Smyrna was told that some among them would be thrown into prison, or physical bondage; this was the period of physical tribulation, or ten days testing at the start of the Gospel Age. When the _synagogue of Satan_ is again mentioned, it is in the context of the hour of trial—when Satan is unbound. This period begin roughly in the mid- to late-Twentieth Century concurrent with the re-establishment of the Nation of Israel in 1948 and the subsequent reintegration of Jerusalem, the holy city, in 1967.

The crucial distinction between the synagogue of Satan at the start of the age and the end is this addition in the sixth letter to Philadelphia: "Behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you" (Rev. 3:9b). This synagogue of Satan—remnant thereof—comes to know that God loves His Church during the hour of trial.

_Worshipping before your feet_ brings to mind Esau and Jacob. Concerning her twins, Rebekah received a word from the Lord: _Two nations are in your womb...the older will serve the younger_ (Genesis 25:23). Esau despised and sold his inheritance to Jacob because of his hunger. Esau and Jacob prefigure the transition point between the Old and New Covenants in which the older will bow to the younger.

In the wedding parable of Matthew 22, those invited to the wedding feast _made light of_ _it_ _, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise_ (v. 5)—and the rest killed the king's servants. The king, enraged, _destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city_ (v. 7b). The king then told his servant to _go into the highways and invite as many as you find to the marriage_ (v. 9). To _make light of it_ is to despise the inheritance: this is denying the Father and the Son:

Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denies the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)

Those that denied Him, Jesus called a _brood of vipers_ : "You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city" (Matthew 23:33-34). The Old Covenant descendents of Abraham are the older brothers that will bow to the Younger.

The older brothers bowed to the younger brother in Genesis 42. "And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth" (v. 6). Joseph's older brothers fulfilled Joseph's dream of the _sheaves of grain bowing to him_ in Genesis 37. The older brothers did not know they were fulfilling the dream though: Joseph acted as though he didn't know them and treated them harshly. Neither did the Roman soldiers know they were actually worshipping the King of kings when they dressed Him in a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns then kneeled before Him and mocked, "Hail, King of the Jews" (Matthew 27:29).

There is, however, no reason to view this _worshipping at your feet_ as a literal event. The church is worldwide, making this impossible. Furthermore, God certainly would not cause any group of people to worship at the feet of another. The only worshipping God would provoke is at the feet of His Son Jesus Christ. And that is what is meant. The church of Philadelphia, the remnant with clean garments, represents the body of Christ (refined during the hour of trial). In the same way that _making war with the Lamb_ meant to make war with His body, the church, _worshipping the body_ means to worship the Head: Jesus Christ. Therefore, this prophecy of Revelation 3:9 states that those _who are not Jews, but say they are_ , will have a revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ during this hour of trial. This is the salvation of the Jewish people mentioned in Romans 11:

For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, 'There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.' (Romans 11:25-27)

Paul's use of _Israel_ in the passage refers to the physical lineage of Abraham; these are Jews outwardly: _those who say they are Jews but are not_. "But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter" (Romans 2:29). These outward Jews will come to _know that I have loved you_ : the physical descendants of Abraham will have a revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the end of the age; and this _for the sake of their fathers_ — _for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable_ (Rom. 11:28b-29).

### The Sign

In the Revelation 11, two witnesses, section it was explained that the _times of the Gentiles_ ends with the re-establishment of Jerusalem—the sign of the 6th Seal. This happened in 1948/1967 and began the process of the return of the Jewish people. This return roughly marks the spiritual Passover (Pilgrimage) beginning at the completion of John's 1260 days. This is also the release of Satan from the bottomless pit—the start of the 7th Head era.

Compare the end of the Gospel Age with the end of Jesus' ministry:

1) Jesus and the disciples re-enter Jerusalem: Luke 19.

2) Jesus explains the _end of the age_ : Luke 21.

3) Satan enters Judas: Luke 22:3.

4) Jesus and the disciples celebrate Passover: Luke 22.

As mentioned briefly in the Revelation 20, _little season_ , section the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem beginning in 1948/1967 was not due to their having been restored to fellowship with God; rather they were returned due to God's concern for His Holy name _which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went_ (Ezekiel 36:21):

'And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned in the midst of them. And the heathen shall know that I am the LORD,' says the Lord GOD, 'when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean; from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.' (vv. 23-25)

Romans 11 ( _all Israel will be saved_ ) and Ezekiel 36 ( _I will put my spirit within you_ ) both find their fulfillment during the 3.5 days of the 7th head era. The question arises here as to what is meant by _all Israel_ being saved. It isn't likely that "all" means every single Jewish person will be saved between 1948 and the Second Coming—though it is more likely that it could refer to all Israel at a certain point in time near the Second Coming. The most plausible meaning of _all Israel_ is the remnant that is saved throughout the final 3.5 days. "Yet I have left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him" (1 Kings 19:18).

### Grafted in Again

(Reconciled to the Brother)

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again (Romans 11:23)

There are five major prophecies (or major segments of an overall prophecy) concerning the salvation of the remnant of Israel within the book of Revelation:

1) _Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they_ _also_ _which pierced him_ (Rev. 1:7). When Jesus returns, _they who pierced Him_ will see Him. They will not see Him, however, until they acknowledge Him as the Messiah: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see Me henceforth, until you shall say, 'Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord'" (Matt. 23:38-39). Their house, Jerusalem, was left desolate for 1260 days, the time of the Gentiles, but is restored at the 6th Trumpet/Bowl (~1967). This prophecy does not suggest that Jesus is returning to Jerusalem. It is made explicit that _every eye shall see Him_ when Jesus returns. The prophecy is that Jerusalem will be restored and Israel will be saved (have a revelation of Jesus as the Christ) _before_ He returns. They will see Him before He returns: _I counsel you to...anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see_ (Rev. 3:18).

2) "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (Rev. 3:9). This notion of a _synagogue of Satan_ emphasizes the restoration of Jerusalem while Israel is still in an _unclean_ state. Jerusalem is restored before Israel is saved. Those _who say they are Jews, but are not_ are those Paul described as _children of the flesh, but not children of God_ (Romans (9:8). _For they_ _are_ _not all Israel which are of Israel_ (Rom. 9:6b). In Revelation 11:13, God's remnant of Israel, those who become _children of the promise_ , are killed—that is, their names are killed; their previous status as children of Abraham is replaced with a saving faith in Jesus Christ.

It was in the introduction to this letter to the church at Philadelphia that Jesus was described as _He who has the key of David; He that opens, no man shuts; and He that shuts, no man opens_ (Rev. 3:7). This passage alludes to Isaiah 22:22, in which God places His servant Eliakim over Jerusalem: "And I will clothe him with your [Shebna's] robe, and strengthen him with your sash, and I will commit your government into his hand. And he will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house." The corrupt treasurer Shebna's replacement with Eliakim ( _God sets up_ ; 471) foreshadows the displacement of the moneychangers by Jesus during the temple cleansings—the second of which being the hour of trial named in the letter to Philadelphia. The _glorious throne to his father's house_ refers to that point at which His revelation of Himself to the Jewish people, both within the borders of the State of Israel and without, causes them to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah and _worship before His feet_.

3) The sealing of the 144,000 from the tribes of Israel at the end of the Gospel Age (Rev. 7:4). A person is _sealed_ by the presence of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). God told His people that He would re-gather His people in their land and "A new heart also will I give you; and a new spirit will I put within you" (Ezekiel 36:26). The 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14 are parallel prophecies concerning the remnant of the children of Israel.

4) Once the _time of the Gentiles has been fulfilled_ Jerusalem is restored. This happened at the end of the 1260 days into the 3.5 days of the 7th-head era. During this hour of trial the nations of the world surround, or come against, _the camp of the saints and the beloved city_ —Jerusalem (Rev. 20:9). The nations of the world, Gog and Magog, gather against God's people—those sealed by the Holy Spirit. The _holy city_ of Revelation 11 and the _beloved city_ of Revelation 20 are also parallel prophecies.

5) The stars falling to the earth at the end of the age (Rev. 6; 6th Seal). These stars represent the sons of Jacob, Israel, bowing to the Beloved Son. When the sons bowed to Joseph they didn't recognize him as their brother; they were bowing to the same person they had cast out, rejected, years earlier. Only after the sons were humbled by the famine and bowed themselves did Joseph reveal himself. In Revelation 11:13, these falling stars were portrayed as a _tenth of the city falling_. The remnant of Israel reconciled to their Brother.

The remnant of Israel is not necessarily within, or entirely within, the borders of the current State of Israel. Only God knows who and how many this remnant is comprised of. The re-establishment of the physical borders of Israel in the 20th Century is primarily a visible sign of the 6th Seal/Trumpet and their attending prophecies' fulfillment.

## 15

## Daniel 9

In an earlier chapter it was shown that the 1290 days and 1335 days of Daniel 12 depicted the end of the Gospel Age and its three major events: 1) the death of the two witnesses, or unbinding of Satan and the beast; 2) the Second Coming; 3) the heavenly Sabbath rest.

Daniel 9 predicts the start of the Gospel Age; the "70 Weeks" prophecy:

Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24-27)

Here is the same text broken into four parts:

1) 70 weeks.

2) 69 weeks.

3) The 70th week – A.

4) The 70th week – B.

1) 70 Weeks

Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (v. 24)

As with the Gospel Age, this first verse reaffirms that God determines specific durations of time for His plans to be carried through. The six "to" statements point directly at the coming Messiah. Jesus Himself alluded to this 70th week (seventy sevens: 490 years) when Peter asked Him _how many times am I required to forgive my brother_ ; "Jesus said to him, 'I say not to you, until seven times; but, until seventy times seven'" (Matthew 18:22). Jesus' earthly ministry began that 70th week. He is the one accomplishing all those tasks set forth in verse 24.

2) 69 Weeks

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (v. 25)

There were to be 69 weeks, or sets of seven (heptads), between the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and the arrival of the Messiah: 483 years. This decree was made by Persian King Artaxerxes I (465 B.C. – 425 B.C.) in 457 B.C., the seventh year of his reign: "I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee" (Ezra 7:13; cf. vv. 13-26). Thirteen years later ( _his 20_ th _year of rule_ ; Nehemiah 2:1) Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission to _return to Judah, the city of His fathers' tombs, so he could rebuild it_ (Neh. 2:5).

483 years from the king's decree in 457 B.C. lands on the year 26 as the start of Christ's earthly ministry (though some would put these dates at 458 and 27)—the end of the 69th week and the beginning of the 70th. This is the _time fulfilled_ Jesus spoke of following His initial 40-day testing period: "Now after that John was put in prison. Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel'" (Mark 1:14-15).

Jesus' ministry lasted for 3 ½ years; so from decree to crucifixion is 486 ½ years.

3) The 70th Week – A

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (v. 26)

The Messiah being _cut off_ refers to the crucifixion. The _people_ are the Romans; their _prince_ is Titus: the Roman general who commanded the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and who later became emperor. Verse 26 tells us that Jerusalem will be destroyed sometime after the crucifixion of the Messiah.

4) The 70th Week – B

And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (v. 27)

The _He_ confirming the covenant is again the Messiah. The _one week_ is the 3.5 literal years of Jesus' earthly ministry combined with the 3.5 collective "years" of His corporate ministry—the 70th heptad.

Both uses of _He_ in 27a refer to Jesus the Messiah. In the middle of the week (after His 3.5 year ministry) is the crucifixion of the Messiah. He _causes the sacrifice and oblation to cease_ by Himself being the final sacrifice for all.

In 27b, the subject shifts back to the temple: _he shall make it desolate_ again refers to Titus. This is the second reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The two events listed above—the end of sacrifice and the abomination of desolation (the warning that Jerusalem is to be destroyed)—are the same two First Century events that mark the start of the prophetic 1290 days from Daniel 12: "And from the time that the daily **sacrifice shall be taken away** , and the **abomination that makes desolate set up** , there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days" (Daniel 12:11). Recall these 1290 days represent the Gospel Age, from the First Century until the Second Coming—the symbolic equivalent of John's 1260 + 3.5 days.

1.

69 weeks are determined until the Messiah

2.

Build – Messiah – Build (B.C.)

3.

The crucifixion (mid-week)

4.

Desolate – Messiah – Desolate (A.D.)

Notice that in section 2 above both instances of the _rebuilding_ of Jerusalem occur with the pointing ahead to the arrival of the Messiah in between. While in section 4, both instances of _desolation_ of Jerusalem occur while pointing back to the Messiah.

Prophecy of the Messiah

**Seventy weeks** are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

B.C.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to **build** Jerusalem unto the **Messiah** the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks. The street shall be **built again** , and the wall, even in troublous times.

Crucifixion

And after threescore and two weeks shall **Messiah be cut off,** but not for himself.

70 A.D.

And the people of the prince [Titus] that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war **desolations** are determined.

70th Week

And **He** [Messiah] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week He [Messiah] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.

70 A.D.

And for the overspreading of abominations he [Titus] shall make it **desolate** , even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

—

Combining Daniel 9 with Daniel 12 produces again the 7 letters pattern:

**Introduction** : The first half of Daniel's 70th week, Jesus' 3.5 years of earthly ministry.

**Main Body** : The Gospel Age, represented by Daniel's 1290 days, during which the body of Christ fulfills the Great Commission.

**Conclusion** : Daniel's final 45 days—from 1290 to 1335. This is the 7th Seal, the silence in heaven.

### The New Temple

The three parts, stages of the age, are formed by the two heptads, or weeks:

Jesus' 3 ½ years ministry was the first half of the week; He was "cut off" in the middle of the week; the surrounding of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. came after His death. The 1260 day testimony of His corporate body formed the second half of the week.

The ministry of the corporate body of Christ began at Pentecost, the 1260 days comprising the first half of another heptad, or week. The two witnesses were overcome by the beast, died, in the middle of the 20th Century; then John's 3.5 days began—during which the camp of the saints and the beloved city (Jerusalem) were again surrounded, or gathered against (Rev. 20:9).

In each week the surrounding of Jerusalem occurs after the death of the body of Christ. Both events involve a mountain and the city:

Start of the age: Calvary – Jerusalem (70 A.D.)

End of the Age: Jerusalem (1967) – Har Megiddo.

The pattern of the Gospel Age is founded on the tabernacle, the body of Christ.

## 16

## The Hour of Trial

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so you shall make it. (Exodus 25:8-9)

### Pattern of the Age

In Revelation 16, the concept of Megiddo was introduced—the place where the saint loses his life for His sake. This is where the path leads for those who pick up their cross and follow Him. This is the place of ultimate testing.

"He who finds his life will lose it. And he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39)

The above verse describes a point in time that will be referred to hereafter as a _lose your life for His sake_ moment. Drawing together several of the prominent themes found in Revelation, Daniel, and Matthew, recall the four major points of similarity between Jesus' earthly ministry and the corporate ministry of the church:

A) Period of testing.

B) The gospel is spread (long passage of time).

C) Death.

D) Resurrection.

Jesus' 3.5 year ministry foreshadowed the design of the figurative 1260 day corporate ministry of the church:

Recall the two _heptads_ (sets of seven) formed by these periods of time:

The Gospel Age concludes with the _death_ of the church/two witnesses; they lie in the streets for 3.5 days.

Revelation 3:10 tells us that the whole world will be tested at the end of the age, but those who endure will be _watched over_. At the end of the 1260 days the [unrestrained, 7th head] beast will be unbound/authorized to overcome the church. Rather than the literal death of the entire church, this death represents the condition of the church/body (given over to idols and false doctrine in large part) and also signifies the end of Daniel's 70th week (no longer a witness to the world). This hour of trial is directed primarily at the house of God:

For the time is come that judgment must begins at the house of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

The purpose being refinement in preparation for the coming of the Lord:

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried. They shall call on My name, and I will hear them. I will say, 'These are My people.' And they shall say, 'The Lord is my God.' (Zech. 13:9)

### Daniel

Daniel provides a good example of what it means to be tested and die, yet find life. He— along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—was chosen from the children of Israel to attend a three-year preparation program before entering into service to King Nebuchadnezzar. During this period the king appointed his own meat and wine as nourishment.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. (Dan. 1:8)

Daniel's narrative reveals the same four-point pattern as the Gospel Age:

Daniel requested to be tested _ten days_ in order to be set apart from the others (Point A). For ten days Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego consumed only water and vegetables—and none of the king's delicacies.

And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. (Dan 1:15)

The results of this test were the four children of Israel stood apart from the others:

And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. (Dan. 1:20)

In chapter 2 Daniel is _in the king's service_ (Point B) interpreting the king's dream when no one else could. Then, later, in chapter 6 comes the story of Daniel in the lion's den. Now under King Darius:

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. (Dan. 6:7)

Daniel was soon found _praying and making supplication before his God_ (v. 11).

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. (Dan. 6:16)

Being cast into the den of lions was Daniel's "death"—the den his "tomb" (Point C). This was Daniel's hour of trial, the time during which he faced a choice, refused to compromise, and was _watched over_ by God. Point C is a _lose your life for His sake_ moment. In Revelation 3:10 ("I will keep you from the hour of testing") the word _keep_ in Greek is _téreó_ , to _guard_ , _observe_ , _watch over_ (Strong's 5083). This _keeping_ from the hour of trial is a promise to _watch over_ or _guard_ believers during that period—just as being shown in Daniel. This is what Jesus prayed for His disciples before His arrest: "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

King Darius spent the night fasting, then hurried to the den early the next morning:

And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice to Daniel: and the king spoke and said to Daniel, 'O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions? '(Dan. 6:20)

Then said Daniel to the king, 'O king, live forever. My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt.' (vv. 21-22)

Then follows Daniel's _resurrection_ (Point D):

Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. (v. 23a)

After his _resurrection_ , Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and Cyrus the Persian. Following the resurrection comes the reward. The eternal rewards are listed in the seven letters conclusions: _to him that overcomes_. On earth, though, a believer must be tested before he can be promoted, or called up.

Other motifs from Daniel's time of service that prefigure the Person of Jesus Christ:

1) Daniel was a prophet.

2) He was _greatly beloved_ (Dan. 10:11).

3) Daniel was innocent. Darius did not want to execute Daniel; he labored all day trying to deliver him, but ultimately had to so that the law could be satisfied.

4) Daniel's "tomb" had a stone laid over the entrance.

In the same way that Daniel's story foreshadows the 3.5 year ministry of Jesus, the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prefigures that of the church during the Gospel Age.

Point A: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were part of the same 10 days of testing in Daniel 1.

Point B: They were in service to King Nebuchadnezzar: they had been _set over the affairs of the province of Babylon_ (Dan. 3:12).

King Nebuchadnezzar had set up an image of gold (60 x 6 cubits) and decreed that everyone will fall down and worship the image whenever the music sounded. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not. When given the ultimatum, they responded:

'If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.' (Dan. 3:17)

Point C: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace—their _death_. But like Daniel, God watched over them; they were seen dancing in the fire with another— _the fourth like the Son of God_ (v. 25). The king, astonished, then went to the mouth of the furnace and told them, "Come here" (v. 26). In Revelation 11, after the two witnesses had been dead for 3.5 days (Point D), a _great voice from heaven_ said, "Come up here" (Rev. 11:12). After receiving the seven letters, John was taken up to heaven with the command, "Come up here" in Revelation 4:1.

Also like Daniel, following their resurrection, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were rewarded:

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon. (3:30)

Between these resurrections and rewards, each king made a decree having witnessed these miracles. Nebuchadnezzar:

'That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.' (Dan. 3:29)

Darius:

'That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God, and steadfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even to the end. He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.' (Dan. 6:26-27)

Kings Darius and Nebuchadnezzar serve as two official witnesses to establish the word of God's faithfulness to deliver His people (In the same way that Herod and Pilate served as two official witnesses to establish the innocence of Jesus prior to His death). Both use the term "deliver" ( _netsal_ ; 5338)—the only three occurrences of which appear in Daniel 3 and 6. These proclamations remind the saints that their trials on earth are being observed and made known to others.

In Revelation 11, after God calls His people to "Come up here" it is the 24 elders in heaven that fall to their faces and deliver the proclamation:

We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which are and was and are to come; because You have taken Your great power and have reigned. And the nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Your name, small and great; and should destroy them which destroy the earth. (Rev. 11:17-18)

The original four-point pattern of the age can be expanded as such:

A) Period of testing

B) Service (long passage of time)

C) Death

D) Resurrection

E) Proclamation

F) Reward (To those who overcome; Daniel's 1335th day)

### Joseph

In Genesis 37 – 41, the narrative of Joseph follows the same pattern:

A) **Period of Testing** : Joseph's coat was removed and he was thrown into the pit, then sold as a slave. The coat was Joseph's _covering_ from the father—leaving him exposed to the test (like the glory that Jesus shared with God before coming to earth. John 17:5). The brothers made it look as though Joseph had been _devoured by a beast_ (37:33).

B) **Service** : Joseph was given authority over the house of Potiphar—an official of Pharaoh.

C) **Death** : Again Joseph's covering was removed (this time by Potiphar's wife) and he was put into jail. Joseph refused to _fornicate_ ; the jail was his tomb, his hour of trial. "But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison" (Genesis 39:21).

D) **Resurrection** : Pharaoh sent for Joseph to interpret his dream (Genesis 41:14). Joseph was brought out of the dungeon, cleaned up, and given new clothes.

E) **Proclamation** :

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Forasmuch as God hath showed you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than you." (Genesis 41: 39-40)

F) **Reward** :

And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, "Bow the knee." And he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt. (Genesis: 41: 42-43)

### David and Saul

In 1 and 2 Samuel, King David follows the same developmental process:

A) Killing the giant

B) Saul's military commander

C) Fleeing for his life in the wilderness—the cave of Adullam his tomb.

D) Promotion to king.

It was the killing of Goliath that led to David's promotion to military commander. Later it was David's success as the military commander that led to Saul's jealousy, his eventual mental breakdown and antagonistic attitude toward David. And as shown in the 5th and 6th Trumpet sections, it was Saul's tormenting spirit symptoms that forced David into the "wilderness"—his hour of trial, the final stage of God's design to develop His leader. And though David was presented with two opportunities to kill King Saul and end his own trial, he did not. David did not fall for the temptation to _turn stones into bread_ , or to take matters into his own hands—or end his trial himself.

Saul's ongoing attempts to destroy David are a _you-meant-me-evil-but-God-used-it-for-good_ situation. Saul, in hunting David, had no idea that he was helping to refine the character of the next king of Israel. The contrast in character between these kings justifies God's use of periods of refinement for His people. Saul, the untested prototype king, ended up falling on his sword to avoid capture by the Philistines. David's lineage brought forth the Messiah. Without God's process of development, you end up with a Saul. But when God engineers and oversees the circumstances producing His servants, you get a David, a Moses, a Joseph, or a Daniel.

Like the two instances of Joseph losing his coat at each time of testing, Goliath's sword is found at each of David's periods of testing. After killing Goliath with his sling: "Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled (1 Samuel 17:51).

Later, being hunted by King Saul, David went to Nob and asked Ahimelech for food and a weapon: "And the priest said, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you slayed in the valley of Elah; behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it; for there is no other save that here.' And David said, 'There is none like that; give it me'" (1 Samuel 21:9).

### Moses

The same pattern is also found in Moses' life (Exodus 2, 3):

A) "Cast out" in a basket into the Nile

B) "Adopted" by Pharaoh's daughter

C) Exile to Midian

D) Mt. Horeb: Moses receives his assignment from God to lead His people out of Egypt

The reappearance of these symbols at/during their hours of testing may indicate a point of pride that needed to be addressed in each of the men. Joseph was given the colored tunic as he was loved more than his brothers—also dreaming that he would rule over them someday. The next time his coat is removed he's on his way to jail based on a lie.

David acquired Goliath's sword during a period marked by bravery, military victory, promotion, and public adoration. When he regains the sword later, he's on the run and living in caves. Likewise, Moses as an infant was rescued from the river by Pharaoh's daughter, then sent into hiding because of an Egyptian later in life (the one he killed); any residual pride having enjoyed a privileged life growing up in an Egyptian household must have evaporated once forced into exile for killing an Egyptian man. In each case it seems that the men required a period of humility (a type of "death") before they could be assigned with God's purpose for their lives.

—

It could be asked, if Daniel foreshadows Jesus as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego foreshadow the church, why doesn't Daniel's hour of trial occur before his friends' as Jesus' hour comes before the church's? The account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3) in the furnace appears in the text before Daniel being thrown into the lions' den (Daniel 6). Rather than contradict, this reversal actually confirms their foreshadowing of Jesus and the church by providing a familiar pattern: _S,M,A—Daniel—Jesus—Church_. The _chi_ formation:

A) Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

B) Daniel

B1) Jesus

A1) Church (body of Christ)

As with the seven letters, these patterns serve to confirm a sure understanding of the prophecies. Daniel chapters 3 and 6 perform a two witnesses function regarding the design of the Gospel Age. The entirety of the book of Revelation, for all its complex symbolism and design, obscure structures and figures of speech, essentially distills down to this simple pattern.

The _chi_ pattern reoccurs when comparing the periods of testing and hours of trial between Jesus and the corporate body. Jesus' ministry began with a 40-day period of fasting in the wilderness after which He was tested directly by Satan (Matthew 4)—at that point still unrestrained. His hour of trial at the end of the 3 ½ years involved physical suffering and death. Conversely, the Gospel Age begins with the physical suffering of the church. Then at the end of the 1260 days, the church is overcome at its hour of trial—the predominant feature of which is unrestrained spiritual antagonism. Further parallels into the _hour of trial_ concluding the age are found by examining Jesus' period of testing:

### Three Temptations

1) The tempter came to Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (Matt. 4:3)

2) Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If You are the Son of God," he said, "throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will command His angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone." (Matt. 4:5-6)

3) Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give You," he said, "if You will bow down and worship me." (Matt. 4:8-9)

The testing came during a weakened, vulnerable state. Jesus fasted in the wilderness _with wild beasts_ (Mark 1:13). The wilderness, or inhospitable place, is the equivalent of the surrounding of the saints' camp (Gog and Magog, 7th Vision) while the _wild beasts_ correspond to the unrestrained seventh head era. The weakened, vulnerable state at the end of the age—later described as _a season of famine_ —is characterized by progressive economic decline, spiritual antagonism, oppressive government, widespread iniquity, and apostasy.

Satan Tempted Jesus with _everything in the world_ ("For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world." 1 John 2:16. This is why Jesus said "I have overcome the world" in John 16:33):

a) Turning the stone to bread: the lust of the flesh.

b) Jumping from the pinnacle of the temple: the pride of life.

c) Showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world: lust of the eye.

### Counting the Cost

There is a progression of difficulty in these temptations Christ faced: stone – temple – mountain. All three tests involve _stones_ of increasing size. The first: a stone one would find on the ground; the second: the temple, made of stone; the third: a mountain—composed primarily of stone.

These stone "steps" indicate an increase in the difficulty of temptations, the third being the highest, thus most difficult. This premise is supported by the number of people involved with each temptation: the first would affect only Jesus Himself; the second, the Israelites; the third, the whole world. The stakes are raised with the difficulty.

The first temptation— _if You are the Son of God, turn this stone to bread_ —was to relieve His own suffering (at this stage hunger). These are the taunts He would face on Calvary; from those passing by Him on the cross: _if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross_ (Matt. 27:40). Roman soldiers: _if You are the king of the Jews, save Yourself_ (Luke 23:37). From the thief next to Him: _if You are the Christ, save Yourself and us_ (Luke 23:39). The chief priests, scribes and elders: _If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross and we will believe Him_ (Matt. 27:42).

The fact is that He could have saved Himself. He had the ability to come down from the cross, heal Himself, then ask His Father to _provide twelve legions of angels_ (Matt. 26:53b). But if He had done so, the scriptures would not have been fulfilled: "The Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death. And shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him; and the third day He shall rise again" (Matt. 20:18-19).

Had He done this, no one would be saved.

The second temptation— _throw Yourself from the temple_ —was to prove Himself as the promised Messiah, as God, to His own people. After confirming that He was the Christ: "The high priest rent his clothes, saying, 'He has spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?'" (Matt. 26:65).

This temptation to reveal Himself could have easily been satisfied by displaying His divine nature as He did to Peter, James, and John: "And [He] was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt. 17:2). The temple being the central symbol of the Jewish people, this temptation anticipates the bitterness of betrayal Jesus would face. On the night of His arrest: _You've come out against with swords and clubs? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and you laid no hold on Me_ (Matt. 26:55). These were the children He longed to gather— _as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing_ (Matt. 23:37).

The second temptation compounds the first, but with the emphasis on betrayal. How much worse was it to be mocked by His own people over a Roman? The Son of God being called a blasphemer; the Truth being called a liar. The provocation to _come down_ from the cross was foreseen by the second temptation to _come down_ from the high point of the temple—that is, to do something spectacular in front of the Jews.

The first and second temptations are linked by the phrase _if You are the Son of God_... Thus, if He uses His abilities to display Himself as the Son of God, He thereby relieves His own suffering. How much more restraint was required of Him having innumerable supernaturally endowed options by which to prove Himself? The paradox of this temptation to prove Himself as the Son of God is that He did exactly that: no one else in the history of the human race could have performed a feat such as this. For it is one thing to suffer, another to offer oneself to suffering, and yet another to offer oneself to suffering for the sake of others. But it is an entirely different proposition to do all of these things and continue to the end while having the supernatural ability to relieve one's own suffering, to come to your own aid while enduring at the peak of physical and emotional suffering and vulnerability.

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first and counts the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? (Luke 14:28)

The third temptation— _the world in exchange for worship_ —took place on a high mountain, a mountain which anticipates Calvary Hill. The intent of this trial must have been to present Jesus with the idea of an alternative method with which to save the world: the devil would give the world to Him, then He could teach them to follow the law and obey the will of the Father.

This could be a way out of the physical and emotional suffering He was to experience. This could _take the cup from Him_. In the Garden of Gethsemane: "And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for You; take away this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will'" (Mark 14:35-36). The devil is a liar though. Trying to accomplish the will of the Father on earth outside of the will of the Father is an inherently self-defeating endeavor.

Luke, however, lists these three temptations in a different order: stone – mountain – temple (Luke 4). This is odd given that Luke opens his book claiming to have _perfect understanding_ with which to write an _orderly account_ (v. 3)—then he changes the order of temptations. All Scripture being inspired by God, this begs for an explanation.

The answer seems to lie in Matthew's account. If Matthew's order of temptations indicates increasing intensity, then it seems reasonable to conclude that Luke, an intellectual writing primarily to a Greek audience—a group with more interior interests ( _the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom_ ; 1 Cor. 1:22)—was inspired to impress the temple temptation as the ultimate test Jesus faced in the wilderness (or, at least, he didn't want the emotional suffering overlooked). That is, Luke lays the greatest emphasis on Jesus' emotional suffering faced on Calvary, where Matthew placed more on His physical suffering.

These two perspectives present the reader with the classic hypothetical dilemma: would you rather have a broken leg, or a broken heart? What was worse, the lash, the nails, the spear? Or was it the betrayal, the rejection, the mockery from His own people? The fact is He faced both at incomprehensible magnitudes. The two temptation narratives speak to readers' bodies and minds in order to reach the soul while providing a model of restraining the urges of the flesh during the peak of suffering (the saints' Megiddo).

### He will Strike your Head

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15)

The Matthew 4 scene in the wilderness mirrors the fall of man narrative in Genesis 3: eating, dying, worshipping. Where Adam failed, Jesus overcame. When Adam fell, the prophecy of the Messiah wounding the head of the serpent was spoken. The sixth head was wounded at the cross: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8b).

This sixth head, or restrained, era continues up to the 1260th day: the start of the hour of trial. Satan is released from his prison for a short season. The tactics employed during the 7th Head period will resemble those of the two previous periods of unrestrained testing.

In each of the three test periods, Satan comes against God's people—those living in communion with Him—in similar ways:

1) The four descriptions of the adversary found in Revelation 12 and 20.

2) Eating or consuming. Adam and Eve failed their test by consuming the lie. Jesus would not be tempted to end His hunger trial by using His abilities to turn the stone into bread. The hour of trial will test men similarly with a famine—the cutting off of resources.

3) Deception and false teaching: especially testing God, or using His word to one's own advantage. The serpent told Eve that disobedience would not lead to death; Jesus was told that jumping would not have consequences. All of these occur at the place of communion: the garden, the temple, the Body of Christ.

4) High places: The serpent promised a higher status as gods; yet, the Garden of Eden was the highest place, leaving the Garden represented the _fall of man_. Jesus was taken onto a mountain and offered the world. Mount Megiddo represents dying/overcoming the world during the hour of testing.

The three test periods reveal three categories of temptation:

A) The temptation to end your trial—or relieve the suffering—during the famine.

B) The temptation to test God, or to make God comply with your will.

C) The temptation to come out of the place in the wilderness prepared by God to re-enter the world, seek refuge in Babylon (apostasy).

However, _the lie_ , as Paul writes it, is the same in each case: you can have one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom and still have eternal life ( _surely not die_ for the saints is the second death). You can be lukewarm and not be _spewed out_. You can do what God forbids and still go to heaven. In all three instances the devil is trying to create in the believer a house with two masters, a divided mind leading to spiritual death.

### Delivered to Destruction

Ephesus: Left their first love.

Pergamos: Some held to the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans.

Thyatira: Tolerated the false prophetess Jezebel.

Sardis: Seemed alive, but were dead.

Laodicea: Lukewarm.

The majority of the seven churches needed to repent—over seventy percent. When the majority of the church is indistinguishable from the world, holds to doctrines of demons, and has gone after idols—it has died and lays in the streets a mockery. In 1 Corinthians 5:5 Paul prescribes an extreme form of church discipline by which a persistently immoral and unrepentant member is _handed over_ to Satan:

To deliver such a man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

It isn't the physical flesh being destroyed (though that may sometimes be the case to varying degrees) but the carnal nature. A person would only be handed over to Satan as a last ditch effort to compel that person towards repentance: _so that their spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord_.

Because the world has been handed over to the evil one for a short season—the beast unbound—protection for the saint is required. Recall the Passover (Pesach) festival at the start of the hour of trial from the Daniel 12 section:

The Passover at the end of the age represents the protection of the saints: the Passover blood that protected the Israelites is now the gospel truth that protects the saint—the lone antidote to the 6th Bowl spiritual plagues unleashed upon the world.

Satan was unbound in the 20th Century to deceive the whole world. The world is willingly deceived because the world loves the lie, loves darkness and worships the beast—"filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents" (Romans 1:29-30).

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. (Romans 1:25-26a)

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. (Romans 1:28)

It's because of God's mercy that He allows the release of Satan for a short time. A period of hell on earth is better than an eternity in hell—from which there is no recovery. A man can come to his senses in a hell on earth and return to God. God's primary purpose in releasing evil for a season is to reign in His lost sheep—many of whom, having been deceived, don't even know they were lost. Most sins the saint is aware of, others are deceptions due to being born into a world that has already been deceived—hidden altars in high places. It was good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Your statutes (Psalm 119:71).

Some lessons only suffering can teach: "When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they returned and inquired early after God" (Psalm 78:34). If God left it to use to figure out everything we needed to purge, we'd all be in big trouble.

The removal of the hidden sin is analogous to the temple cleansing metaphor described earlier, so called for the two times when Jesus drove out the money-changers buying and selling at the temple—once at the beginning of His 3.5 year ministry and again near the end.

Both cleansings (John 2 and Matthew 21) occurred coincident with His periods of testing: the first just after His 40 days in the wilderness; the next just before His arrest. The two temple cleansings parallel the two periods of testing:

This movement of the church through the two transition points of the Gospel Age mirrors the movement of Israel from bondage to Promised Land. The first Passover (10th plague) was implemented prior to crossing through the parted Red Sea. The first Passover was the _beginning of months_ for Israel (Exodus 12:2). Jesus, the Passover Lamb, was crucified prior to the 10 days testing of the church. The life, death, and resurrection of our Passover Lamb is the beginning of months for the Gospel Age (A.D.).

Before crossing the Jordan River, Joshua told the people, "Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (Joshua 3:5). The river was overflowing at this time as it was _the time of harvest_ (Joshua 3:15). Between the Jordan and the city of Jericho, the children of Israel _kept the Passover on the fourteenth day_ (Joshua 5:10). A Jordan River _chi_ pattern is found between the Israelites crossing the Jordan and Jesus' baptism in the Jordan.

A correlation is also found between the parting of the Red Sea during the Exodus and the parting of the temple veil (Mount of Olives split in two) at Jesus' crucifixion. Both the sea and veil are _parted_ to make a way to the Promised Land. These two partings are so dramatic in execution so as to ensure an understanding that the only way to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Promised Land is through Christ—an act of God.

### Transferred, Sanctified, Tested

The two periods of testing for the church—the ten days and the hour of trial—are periods of _cleansing_ or refinement. This hour of cleansing in which wayward members of the body are handed over to Satan is for the express stated purpose of saving their souls on the Day of the Lord—to _purge the leaven_ before the point of no return.

Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land. (Exodus 12:19)

Purge out therefore the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us[.] (1 Corinthians 5:7)

The pattern of the Gospel Age—the pattern of the saint's salvation and sanctification— parallels the Israelites' journey from Egypt to Canaan.

1) The Israelites came out of Egypt and crossed the parted Red Sea. A way was made for God's people, but the _waters returned and covered the Egyptian army_ (Exodus 14). The Son of God has made a way of escape for the believer to come out of Babylon, cut off from authority of the kingdom of darkness.

2) The Israelites wandered in the wilderness forty years. Not all the Israelites brought out of Egypt entered the Promised Land—few did. The older males (20 and over; Numbers 14:29) who complained against God died off.

During the Gospel Age, however, all who were transferred out from the authority of Babylon will enter the heavenly Promised Land: His sheep _have eternal life and will never perish_ (John 10:28). "And this is the Father's will who has sent Me, that of all which He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise them up again at the last day" (John 6:39). That is, everyone who is transferred—saved—will enter the promised land. Once sealed by the Holy Spirit, the indwelt saint goes through a process of sanctification wherein the old man dies off and he is transformed ( _You have put off the old man with his deeds_. Colossians 3:9). The person who left the kingdom of darkness is not the same as the saint who enters the promised land; only a remnant of the original remains, signified by Caleb and Joshua.

3) The children of Israel transitioned from schoolmaster (Moses) to faith (Joshua): "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). The "regenerate" Israelites crossed the Jordan to drive out the Canaanites and possess the land.

For God's elect, the saints, the sanctification process is presided over by the, the Counselor, or Advocate, the Holy Spirit: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). The sanctification process conforms the saint into the likeness, or image, of Jesus Christ (Joshua, or Yehoshua: the Lord is our Salvation). It is the sanctified believer that "crosses" the Euphrates into the hour of trial to be tested (Megiddo).

### Joshua

The hour of trial phase at the end of the Gospel Age is depicted further in the space between the Jordan River (Joshua 3) and _rest_ (Joshua 14:15)—most notably in the cities of Jericho, Ai, and Gibeon. These three cities provide scenarios describing faith, repentance, sanctification, and the gathering against the saints (Megiddo).

### Jericho

Jericho is the first city encountered in the conquest of Canaan. This city is most noted for the alliance with the harlot Rahab and the unconventional method by which it was attacked. But prior to the attack, and following the crossing of the Jordan River, the Israelites stopped to circumcise the men of Israel:

Now all the people that came out [of Egypt] were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. (Joshua 5:5)

The regenerate men, those born in the wilderness, were circumcised. This outward circumcision prefigures the inward _circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit_ (Romans 2:29) during the Gospel Age. This location was named _circle of stones_ (1537):

And the LORD said to Joshua, "This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you." Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. (Joshua 5:9)

The rolling away of reproach foreshadows the rolling away of the stone following the resurrection of the Passover Lamb (Luke 24:2), who has removed our reproach by redeeming us. The reproach of Egypt was taken away after a significant change was observed in the children of Israel. Joshua sent two spies to view the land, especially Jericho; upon their return:

And they [the two spies] said to Joshua, "Truly the LORD has delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us." (Joshua 2:24).

Compare the mature saints' faith above to the pre-regenerate old-man just released from bondage; the twelve spies (before 40 years in the wilderness/dying off) sent to scout Canaan reported to Moses:

"We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." (Numbers 13:31)

The people responded:

"Why has the LORD brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?" And they said one to another, "Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt." (Numbers 14:3-4)

The pre-regenerate man, even if he had crossed the Jordan, surely wouldn't have been able march around Jericho for seven days with priests blowing trumpets (Joshua 6).

### Rahab

As described earlier, this period of testing is primarily for the cleansing of God's people. There are, however, a few that will join the fold; these are represented by Rahab and her family, who heard and believed what was coming. Prior to the assault on Jericho, the harlot Rahab met the two spies sent to reconnoiter the city:

Now before they lay down, [Rahab] came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: "I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you." (Joshua 2:8-9)

Because of this terror, Rahab made an agreement with the spies.

"Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the Lord, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death." (Joshua 2:12-13)

The Israelites destroyed everything in the city, except for Rahab and her family:

But Joshua had said to the two men that had spied out the country, "Go into the harlot's house, and bring out the woman, and all that she has, as you swore to her." (Joshua 6:22)

Rahab and her family came into covenant with Joshua (Yeshua) via his two spies (two witnesses) and were thus spared from destruction at the end of the week. Rahab and her family represent those people that will come out from harlotry (Babylon) at the end of the age as the environment deteriorates and judgments progress.

Rahab is later named in the family line in Matthew 1: "And Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah" (vv. 5-6).

### Ai

Where Jericho anticipates the few who will be saved in the remaining days of Babylon, the Israelites' defeat at the city of Ai is distinguished by the _removing of the leaven_ within the body. Regarding the destruction of Jericho, God gave clear instructions that Rahab and her family only were to be spared from destruction; nothing else. Taking any of the _accursed things_ from Jericho would bring a curse into the camp:

And you keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord. (Joshua 6:18-19)

After the scouts reported to Joshua that the people of Ai were few, they recommended attacking with a force of only 3000 men. But not only did the army of Israel lose, but they were humiliated by the men of Ai: they killed 36 of Joshua's men and chased them away. This was a dramatic reversal following Jericho; and _the hearts of the people_ [of Israel] _melted and became like water_ (Joshua 7:5).

Unbeknownst to them, one of the children of Israel, Achan, took some of the _accursed things_ and hid them under his tent. Notice what these things were:

When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. (Joshua 7:21)

Two-hundred silver coins, gold, and a Babylonian garment—from Jericho, which functions as a type of Babylon in this hour of trial context. Currency and coins were discussed at length in the image of the beast chapter, but a Babylonian garment indicates that the person wearing it would look like the world rather than being distinct from it.

Consider the role of garments in the seven letters: _you have a few in Sardis who have not defiled their garments_ (Rev. 3:4); _I advise you to buy white garments, that you may be clothed_ (Rev. 3:18).

Following their defeat, the cause is diagnosed:

Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them; for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also; And they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed. Neither will I be with you any more, except you destroy the accursed from among you. (Joshua 7:11-12)

Because of the hidden transgression, Israel _could not stand_ before their enemies; this is why the church is dead and lies in the street.

Achan and his family were killed. The leaven/sin within the body was purged. Then the _Lord turned from His fierce anger_. God told Joshua, "Fear not, neither be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land" (Joshua 8:1).

It was only through defeat/suffering that Joshua asked God, "Why did you bring us across the Jordan and deliver us to the Amorites, to destroy us?" (Joshua 7:7). The body of Christ at the end of the age has already been overcome, but doesn't know it. It has to be revealed to them: _you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked_ (Rev. 3:17). Those saints who stand up at the end are the blessed: _they that read and hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written herein: for the time is at hand_ (Rev. 1:3).

### Gibeon

Where Jericho represents the few unbelievers coming out of Babylon in its last days and becoming part of the body of Christ, and Ai represents the purification of the body of Christ, the city of Gibeon narrative portrays the world unifying against the body of Christ at the end of the age.

And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard about these things, they gathered themselves together, to fight against Joshua and Israel, with one accord. (Joshua 9:1-2)

Revelation 19 portrayed the kings of the earth gathering together, being of one mind, against the saints: "And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army" (v. 19).

The people of Gibeon, Hivites, also had heard about what had happened at Jericho and Ai, and were afraid of meeting the same end. A small delegation from Gibeon approached Joshua, at the camp at Gilgal, claiming to be from a distant country while they were actually from a nearby city—one that was to be destroyed as Jericho and Ai. Part of this ruse was to carry moldy bread and cracked wineskins—as though they had travelled from afar. Bread and wine are symbols of the covenant that bypasses destruction—the Passover/last supper (Matthew 26).

Though they did not inquire of the lord...

Joshua made peace with them, and made a treaty with them, to let them live; and the princes of the congregation swore an oath to them. (Joshua 9:15)

Like Rahab, the Hivites were in fear of their own destruction and used deception to come into covenant with Joshua—both, though, lie in their pre-covenant state representing one's fallen nature outside the body of Christ. This sinful, worn-out, fearful state is the condition of man as he approaches the Passover Lamb to plead for life.

Joshua would soon learn of their deception, but would not break the oath sworn to them. The Hivites became servants—the city becomes servant to the camp (Rev. 3:9)—of the Israelites and the altar of the Lord; to this arrangement the people of Gibeon readily agreed—for becoming servants is preferable to destruction. Gibeon was now a city of Joshua's servants, later to be given to the tribe of Benjamin.

### Camp and City

After the temple is cleansed during the hour of trial, the breath of life goes into the two witnesses and _great fear fell upon them which saw them_ (Rev. 11:11b).

At this point, the king of Jerusalem, Adonizedek, _feared greatly_...

Because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. (Joshua 10:2)

In Revelation 20, Satan was released after the 1000 years to deceive the nations, Gog and Magog, gathering them together to battle; they _surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city_ (vv.8-9). The camp of the saints is the worldwide body of Christ and cannot literally be surrounded. The beloved city, Jerusalem, can be. In this case the camp is Gilgal, the city is Gibeon.

Adonizedek a formed coalition of kings against Gibeon:

"Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel." (Joshua 10:4)

The five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it" (Joshua 10:5).

Since Gibeon was in covenant with Joshua and the children of Israel, to make war with Gibeon was to make war with Joshua and Israel—just as the nations of the world, Gog and Magog, make war with the nation of Israel and the worldwide body of Christ.

And the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, "Slack not your hand from your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us." (Joshua 10:6)

Like the end of the Gospel Age, the servants of Yeshua were surrounded and cried for help. Recall that Gog and Magog gathering is the same event as the church's Mount Megiddo.

So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor. (Joshua 10:7)

The Second Coming as depicted in Revelation 19: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war" (v. 11); "And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (v. 14). Jesus descends from heaven while Joshua ascends from Gilgal. The point when Joshua and his army defeat those coming against Gibeon finds four familiar symbols:

1) Hailstones.

More died from hailstones than by Israelites' sword (10:11). The 7th Bowl: "And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great (Rev. 16:21).

2) The sun.

Joshua commanded that the sun and moon stand still over Gibeon _until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies_ (v. 13). Throughout Revelation there is the suggestion that a revelation of the heavens will accompany the church standing up (Rev. 11:11). As described earlier, there are two versions of the heavens: God's revealed creation in Genesis 1, and the world's (other gods' version) taught in schools. Over Gibeon, the sun does something that is only possible in one of those versions—impossible in the other.

In Revelation 19, "And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, 'Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God'" (v.17). The angel— _standing in the sun_ (Joshua: _sun standing_ )—said this to the birds _in the midst of heaven_ just before the return of the Lord of Salvation.

3) The moon.

The 6th Seal: "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" (Rev. 6:12).

4) Caves.

The five kings that had gathered against Gibeon fled and hid in the caves of Makkedah (v. 17). "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains" (Rev. 6:15).

### Judgment Throne

When Joshua was made aware of the five kings—Adonizedek, Hoham, Piram, Japhia, and Debir—hiding in caves, he commanded:

"Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and set men by it for to keep them." (Joshua 10:18)

As with Daniel in the lions' den, a cave covered with a great stone represents a tomb, or death. Sealing the kings in this tomb represents the first death, or the physical death of the body. The second death is the death of the soul; this was the judgment scene in Revelation 20 when all were brought before God.

When the fighting ended, Joshua returned to Makkedah, and ordered the kings be brought before him:

Then said Joshua, 'Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me out of the cave.' (Joshua 10:22)

And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on five trees; and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening. (v.26)

The five kings coming out from the tomb represents their resurrection for judgment (Rev. 20:12); Joshua slaying the five kings is symbolic of their second death.

And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the cave's mouth, which remain until this very day. (v. 27)

The dead kings were then put back into the caves and sealed with stones again; this being _cast into the caves where they remain_ is the equivalent of being cast into the lake of fire for eternity (second death).

### Seven-Headed Beast from the Sea

Recall from the seven visions the order and objects of judgment at the end of the Gospel Age:

1) Babylon

2) Beast and false prophet

3) Dragon

Babylon (Jericho) was already destroyed—along with her hidden remnants (Achan). Next come the seven-headed beast and the false prophet. In Revelation 17, the angel revealed the mystery of the seven-headed beast as such:

And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. (vv. 9-10)

Five have Fallen

The five fallen kings are literal B.C. era kingdoms: Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek.

One Is

The sixth head, the Roman Empire, is wounded, yet lives representing a collective era of rule extending from the 1st Century to the hour of trail, or 1260 days. In this era, power is taken from the beast and given to the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3).

One yet to Come

The seventh head is the short space of the hour of trial, 3.5 days, during which Satan is unbound, his image given power, and deceives the world.

These seven heads are _kings_ and _mountains_. When the Gibeonites asked Joshua for help they told him: _all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us_ (Joshua 10:6). The five kings from the mountains of Canaan prefigure the first five heads of the beast.

The power given to God's people to spread the gospel throughout the world is anticipated by the northern and southern conquest described in Joshua 10-12. The northern and southern conquest is analogous to the 6th Head, restrained, era—the long passage of time of the Gospel Age during which God's kingdom is expanded. In Joshua, most of these battles are briefly described before moving on to the next:

So Joshua smote all the country of the hills, and of the south, and of the vale, and of the springs, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel commanded. (Joshua 10:40)

### The Mountain

The seventh head/mountain is Mount Hebron. This seventh-head era is the final phase of the age in which spiritual antagonism is the central feature—here represented by the Anakim, a race of giants occupying Hebron. These were the same giants that intimidated the Israelites four decades earlier; Caleb told Joshua:

"I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt; but I wholly followed the Lord my God." (Joshua 14:7-8)

The Anakim distinguish the seventh-head adversary from earlier adversaries by being a more substantial enemy (like those from the bottomless pit). And like the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua at the Jordan River (the final stage of the journey), here the job of taking Hebron is passed to Caleb:

"Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced; if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said." (Joshua 14:12)

After Joshua blessed Caleb and gave him Hebron as his inheritance, the name of a great Anakim of the past is provided so that this seventh head has both a mountain and a king:

And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-Arba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. (14:15a)

What's more interesting about Hebron is that it was already conquered in the campaign against the northern territories:

And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel. Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities. There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained. (Joshua 11:21-22)

The Anakims that remained reoccupied Hebron at some point while Joshua's forces were elsewhere. This conquering, return, then re-conquering is clearly parallel to the binding of Satan at the start of the age, then his subsequent release at the hour of trial: binding, loosing, casting into lake of fire.

Following judgment comes the 7th Seal (Daniel's 45 days): Sabbath rest:

And the land had rest from war. (Joshua 14:15b)

Like Moses before the transition, Joshua warned the people against serving the other gods:

"Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river in Egypt, and serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14)

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (v.15)

The consequences of serving other gods Joshua describes earlier in the passage diagnosis the state of the church at the end of the age:

"When you have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them, then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which He has given to you." (Joshua 23:16)

### Megiddo: A Hill to Die On

In the expositions of Revelation 16 and 22 it was posited that the seven thunders of Revelation would speak in the appointed time—that is, during the hour of trial. _At the end it shall speak_ —and this, like John the Baptist following 400 years of silence, follows a period of silence from Heaven in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ: to prepare His way.

The Revelation "beast pattern" (5-1-1 heads/mountains) seen in the kingdoms of Canaan—from Adonizedek to Hebron—is found after the Israelites cross the Jordan River. This is consistent with the thesis that Revelation is to be revealed after the Church _crosses the Euphrates_ , or enters the period known as the hour of trial.

The long silence was broken in Revelation 16— _Behold, I come as a thief_ —between the 6th and 7th Bowls and just prior to the mention of Armageddon. This word from the Lord comes as both a warning to the apostate and the lost, as well as a word of encouragement for the saints who persevere.

Each of the seven letters concluded with a promise to _those who overcome_. Likewise, the pattern of the Gospel Age concludes with the seventh mountain, Megiddo, which the Bride of Christ must overcome. Megiddo is an internal hill on which a spiritual battle must be fought. It is a type of Calvary Hill, the destination of every saint who picks up their cross and follows the Lord (Luke 9:23). The Old Testament prototype, the foreshadowing, of Megiddo was Mount Moriah.

Twice Abram was told to go somewhere unknown:

First "Go" Test

Now the LORD had said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you'. (Genesis 12:1)

Second "Go" Test

And He said, 'Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of'. (Genesis 22:2)

The second time, Abraham was told by God to go up a mountain to offer his son Isaac, his posterity, as a sacrifice (Genesis 22). Once there, Abraham found that God had already made provision for a sacrifice: a ram caught in the thicket by its horns (v. 13). Mount Moriah foreshadows Calvary, on which the Father offered His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Where Mount Moriah looks ahead to the cross, Mount Megiddo looks back to the cross.

The saint is called up this hill knowing that provision has already been made on Calvary; the saint goes to be like Him: "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death" (Philippians 3:10). During the hour of trial, every saint will have to ascend their Megiddo, a place where they are asked to lose their lives for the sake of Christ; to suffer because of the sins of others.

### To an Inheritance Incorruptible

_And you shall set up the tabernacle according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain_. (Exodus 26:30)

The pattern of the age assures the believer that God is again using what was meant for evil to ultimately accomplish His good; the trials, pain, and suffering of this fallen world continue to test, refine, and prepare a people who love not their lives more than God—a people who will look back during that heavenly Feast of Tabernacles and know that with our incorruptible, eternal inheritance, the sufferings of this world are not worthy to be compared.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations—that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3-9)

## 17

Revelation 1 – 22

### King James Version, Annotated

# I.

## The Seven Letters

### Introduction

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.

And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

### Main Body

### 1) Ephesus

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

### 2) Smyrna

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

### 3) Pergamos

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

### 4) Thyatira

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

_And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers_ : even as I received of my Father.

And I will give him the morning star.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

### 5) Sardis

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

### 6) Philadelphia

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

### 7) Laodicea

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

### Conclusion

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

# II.

## The Seven Visions

## Introduction

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Ω

## Main Body

1st Vision: Seals

First Advent of Jesus Christ

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The Four Severe Judgments of God

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

### The Long Passage of Time

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

### The End

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

## [Interlude]

The 144,000

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

### Sabbath

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

Ω

2nd Vision: Trumpets

### Prelude

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

### Trumpets 1 – 4

And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

### The Three Woes

And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

1st

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

2nd

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

## [Interlude]

### (Turning Point of Visions)

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

### The Two Witnesses

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

3rd

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Ω

3rd Vision: [Interlude]

### Satan

### Woman

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

### Dragon

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

### Beast from the Sea

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

—

If any man have an ear, let him hear.

He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

—

### Beast from the Earth

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

### Babylon

And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

Three Angels

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

—

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

### Harvest

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

Three Angels

And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Ω

4th Vision: Bowls

### Prelude

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

### Bowls 1 – 3

And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

### [Interlude]

And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

### Bowls 4 – 6

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

[2nd Interlude]

Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

—

And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

7th Bowl

And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Ω

## Trilogy of Judgments

5th Vision: Judgment of Harlot

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

### The Hour of Trial

And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

### The World Mourns

And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought.

And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

—

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Ω

6th Vision: Second Coming

## and

## Judgment of Beasts

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Ω

7th Vision: Judgment of Satan

### Satan Bound 1000 Years

(1260 Days)

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

(But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished)

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

### Satan Unbound

(Final 3.5 Days)

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

### Judgment

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Ω

## Conclusion

### New Jerusalem

### Introduction

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

### Main Body

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

### Conclusion

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

