Seven seals
1. Religious deception (Revelation 6:1-2; compare Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 23-25)
2. War (Revelation 6:3-4; compare Matthew 24:6-7)
3. Famine (Revelation 6:5-6; compare Matthew 24:7)
4. Disease epidemics (Revelation 6:7-8; compare Matthew 24:7)
5. Tribulation and persecution (Revelation 6:9-11; compare Matthew 24:8-12, 21-22)
6. Heavenly signs (Revelation 6:12-17; compare Matthew 24:29)
7. Seven trumpets
1. Destruction of vegetation (Revelation 8:7)
2. Devastation of oceans and sea life (Revelation 8:8-9)
3. Devastation of rivers and fresh water (Revelation 8:10-11)
4. Sun, moon and stars darkened (Revelation 8:12)
5. Torturous human afflictions (Revelation 9:1-12)
6. Enormous military destruction (Revelation 9:13-19)
7. Seven last plagues (Revelation 15:1; 16:1-21)
Armageddon and return of Jesus Christ
Showing posts with label Booklet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Booklet. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Chapter Outline of the Book of Revelation
Chapter
Story Flow
Insets*
1
Introduction
2-3
Message to the seven churches
4-5
Prelude-setting
6
First six seals
7
144,000 and the great multitude
8-10
The trumpet plagues
11
The two witnesses
12
The true Church
13
The two beasts
14
The three messages
15-16
The seven last plagues
19
The return of Jesus Christ
20
The Millennium
21-22
The new heaven and new earth
*Several chapters in the book are insets. Although most of the book's chapters flow in chronological order, these chapters describe background events and conditions that are not part of the story flow and may span centuries.
Story Flow
Insets*
1
Introduction
2-3
Message to the seven churches
4-5
Prelude-setting
6
First six seals
7
144,000 and the great multitude
8-10
The trumpet plagues
11
The two witnesses
12
The true Church
13
The two beasts
14
The three messages
15-16
The seven last plagues
19
The return of Jesus Christ
20
The Millennium
21-22
The new heaven and new earth
*Several chapters in the book are insets. Although most of the book's chapters flow in chronological order, these chapters describe background events and conditions that are not part of the story flow and may span centuries.
What is the Church?
Many people have misconceptions about what the word church means. Most equate it with a building. But, throughout the Scriptures, church and congregation refer to people, never to a building. The Church is made up of people called to follow Jesus Christ. That group of people collectively is called "the body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:12). It is a spiritually transformed body of believers not limited to a particular locale, organization or denomination.
The Holman Bible Dictionary, in its article "Church," explains the background of the word church:
"Church is the English translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The use of the Greek term prior to the emergence of the Christian church is important as two streams of meaning flow from the history of its usage into the New Testament understanding of church.
"First, the Greek term which basically means 'called out' was commonly used to indicate an assembly of citizens of a Greek city and is so used in Acts 19:32, 39. The citizens who were quite conscious of their privileged status over against slaves and noncitizens were called to the assembly by a herald and dealt . . . with matters of common concern. When the early Christians understood themselves as constituting a church, no doubt exists that they perceived themselves as called out by God in Jesus Christ for a special purpose and that their status was a privileged one in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:19).
"Second, the Greek term was used more than one hundred times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in common use in the time of Jesus. The Hebrew term (qahal) meant simply 'assembly' and could be used in a variety of ways, referring for example to an assembling of prophets (1 Sam. 19:20), soldiers (Num. 22:4), or the people of God (Deut. 9:10). The use of the term in the Old Testament in referring to the people of God is important for understanding the term 'church' in the New Testament.
"The first Christians were Jews who used the Greek translation of the Old Testament. For them to use a self-designation that was common in the Old Testament for the people of God reveals their understanding of the continuity that links the Old and New Testaments. The early Christians, Jew and Gentile, understood themselves as the people of the God who had revealed Himself in the Old Testament (Heb. 1:1-2), as the true children of Israel (Rom. 2:28-29) with Abraham as their father (Rom. 4:1-25), and as the people of the New Covenant prophesied in the Old Testament (Heb. 8:1-13).
"As a consequence of this broad background of meaning in the Greek and Old Testament worlds, the term 'church' is used in the New Testament of a local congregation of called-out Christians, such as the 'church of God which is at Corinth' (1 Cor. 1:2), and also of the entire people of God, such as in the affirmation that Christ is 'the head over all things to the church, Which is his body' (Eph. 1:22-23)" (emphasis added). To better understand how the Bible defines and describes the Church, please request your free copy of the booklet The Church Jesus Built.
The Holman Bible Dictionary, in its article "Church," explains the background of the word church:
"Church is the English translation of the Greek word ekklesia. The use of the Greek term prior to the emergence of the Christian church is important as two streams of meaning flow from the history of its usage into the New Testament understanding of church.
"First, the Greek term which basically means 'called out' was commonly used to indicate an assembly of citizens of a Greek city and is so used in Acts 19:32, 39. The citizens who were quite conscious of their privileged status over against slaves and noncitizens were called to the assembly by a herald and dealt . . . with matters of common concern. When the early Christians understood themselves as constituting a church, no doubt exists that they perceived themselves as called out by God in Jesus Christ for a special purpose and that their status was a privileged one in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:19).
"Second, the Greek term was used more than one hundred times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in common use in the time of Jesus. The Hebrew term (qahal) meant simply 'assembly' and could be used in a variety of ways, referring for example to an assembling of prophets (1 Sam. 19:20), soldiers (Num. 22:4), or the people of God (Deut. 9:10). The use of the term in the Old Testament in referring to the people of God is important for understanding the term 'church' in the New Testament.
"The first Christians were Jews who used the Greek translation of the Old Testament. For them to use a self-designation that was common in the Old Testament for the people of God reveals their understanding of the continuity that links the Old and New Testaments. The early Christians, Jew and Gentile, understood themselves as the people of the God who had revealed Himself in the Old Testament (Heb. 1:1-2), as the true children of Israel (Rom. 2:28-29) with Abraham as their father (Rom. 4:1-25), and as the people of the New Covenant prophesied in the Old Testament (Heb. 8:1-13).
"As a consequence of this broad background of meaning in the Greek and Old Testament worlds, the term 'church' is used in the New Testament of a local congregation of called-out Christians, such as the 'church of God which is at Corinth' (1 Cor. 1:2), and also of the entire people of God, such as in the affirmation that Christ is 'the head over all things to the church, Which is his body' (Eph. 1:22-23)" (emphasis added). To better understand how the Bible defines and describes the Church, please request your free copy of the booklet The Church Jesus Built.
Duality in Bible Prophecy
Prophetic statements sometimes apply to more than one fulfillment, a principle we could call "duality." A prime example of duality is Christ's first coming to atone for our sins and His second coming to rule as King of Kings.
Such dual themes are common in Bible prophecy. Jesus specifically alluded to the dual application of some prophecies in Matthew 17:11-12. Asked about the prophecy of "Elijah," who would precede the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5), Jesus responded: "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already ..." (Matthew 17:11-12).
The disciples understood that the "Elijah" who had come already was John the Baptist (verse 13). Jesus Himself explained that John, already dead when Christ uttered these words, was a first fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy.
But Christ's clear implication is that another Elijah will precede His second coming, announcing His return just as John the Baptist preceded Christ's first coming. John no longer could do anything in the future. He was dead! John himself had the understanding that he was not the final fulfillment of the prophecy (John 1:21). But, as a forerunner, John had fulfilled, at least in part, Malachi's prophecy.
Another prophecy with dual application is Jesus' Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), so named because He gave it on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem. Many conditions described in this prophecy existed in the days leading up to the Romans' siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70. But Christ makes it clear that similar conditions would prevail shortly before His return.
Another example of dual fulfillment is in references to the "Day of the Lord" such as in Isaiah 13:6: "Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty."
Verse 1 of that chapter identifies the time setting as when the Babylonian Empire threatened the kingdom of Judah (Babylon invaded Judah and captured Jerusalem in 587 B.C.), and it is in this setting that Isaiah wrote that "the day of the LORD is at hand!"
However, he again mentioned the Day of the Lord in verse 9: "Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it." His subsequent inspired words, though, show that he is writing about the time of the end:
"For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
"I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger" (verses 10-13).
We must carefully examine the context of prophecies to understand their meaning and discern whether the prophecy seems incomplete after its first fulfillment. It is equally important to avoid reading duality into passages that do not support such interpretation. We should take great care to properly discern whether duality is a factor in any particular prophecy.
We should also understand that virtually all interpretations of how prophecies may be fulfilled are speculative to some degree. Often we may recognize a prophecy's fulfillment only after it is well under way or already has taken place.
Such dual themes are common in Bible prophecy. Jesus specifically alluded to the dual application of some prophecies in Matthew 17:11-12. Asked about the prophecy of "Elijah," who would precede the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5), Jesus responded: "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already ..." (Matthew 17:11-12).
The disciples understood that the "Elijah" who had come already was John the Baptist (verse 13). Jesus Himself explained that John, already dead when Christ uttered these words, was a first fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy.
But Christ's clear implication is that another Elijah will precede His second coming, announcing His return just as John the Baptist preceded Christ's first coming. John no longer could do anything in the future. He was dead! John himself had the understanding that he was not the final fulfillment of the prophecy (John 1:21). But, as a forerunner, John had fulfilled, at least in part, Malachi's prophecy.
Another prophecy with dual application is Jesus' Olivet prophecy (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), so named because He gave it on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem. Many conditions described in this prophecy existed in the days leading up to the Romans' siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70. But Christ makes it clear that similar conditions would prevail shortly before His return.
Another example of dual fulfillment is in references to the "Day of the Lord" such as in Isaiah 13:6: "Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty."
Verse 1 of that chapter identifies the time setting as when the Babylonian Empire threatened the kingdom of Judah (Babylon invaded Judah and captured Jerusalem in 587 B.C.), and it is in this setting that Isaiah wrote that "the day of the LORD is at hand!"
However, he again mentioned the Day of the Lord in verse 9: "Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it." His subsequent inspired words, though, show that he is writing about the time of the end:
"For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
"I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger" (verses 10-13).
We must carefully examine the context of prophecies to understand their meaning and discern whether the prophecy seems incomplete after its first fulfillment. It is equally important to avoid reading duality into passages that do not support such interpretation. We should take great care to properly discern whether duality is a factor in any particular prophecy.
We should also understand that virtually all interpretations of how prophecies may be fulfilled are speculative to some degree. Often we may recognize a prophecy's fulfillment only after it is well under way or already has taken place.
The Book of Revelation's Divine Authority
Over the years critics have challenged the inspiration of the book of Revelation because its literary form is similar to a controversial body of writings known as apocalyptic literature. This type of literature was fairly common just before and during the apostolic era. Well-meaning authors, concerned about conditions in that era (200 B.C. to A.D. 100), often employed this dramatic form of writing to express their views on how the age-old conflict between good and evil finally would be resolved.
Apocalyptic writers frequently borrowed symbols and other imagery from the Old Testament prophets. But far too often they enhanced and embellished biblical material to suit their own fantasies. Hoping to give their theories greater weight and authority, they falsely attributed their writings to notable prophets and figures from the past. By using deceptive pseudonyms, the authors gave their writings the appearance of having been written by well-known prophets of ancient times while concealing their true identity.
As a result, apocalyptic writing as a class of literature is generally recognized as unreliable, lacking credibility and having no legitimate claim to divine authority. Regrettably, far too many scholars and critics place the book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of the Bible, in the same class.
They don't realize that the book of Revelation is in a class of its own. Its dramatic symbolism comes from the divine author of all the other books of the Bible, not from the imaginations of John. John simply recorded what Jesus Christ revealed to him.
The writings of John are of the same genre as Old Testament prophecies. He was a faithful disciple of Jesus Himself. He makes it clear he received his prophetic visions directly from Christ, making him a prophet in his own right. Unlike the apocalyptic writers of his era who hid behind deceptive pseudonyms, John clearly identifies himself and explains in vivid detail how he received the visions and messages included in the book of Revelation.
John's vision of God's throne
In chapters 4 and 5 John describes being transported in vision into heaven to the very throne of God. Here He sees God the Father holding a sealed scroll containing the prophetic message He wants revealed to His people, the Church of God.
As John is invited to appear before God, a voice tells him: "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this" (Revelation 4:1).
In chapters 1-3 John recorded revelations primarily about "the things which are" (Revelation 1:19)—conditions that endangered, and would continue to endanger, the Church. But now John begins receiving visions of "things which must take place after this"—prophecies pertaining to the future.
But, before John relates these prophecies to his readers, he establishes the source and authenticity of his visions: "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne" (Revelation 4:2). Then he describes, awestruck, how he was taken in a vision to the throne of God to witness a ceremony.
Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel had similar experiences. They received visions of God appearing to them on His throne. Isaiah wrote: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1). Notice Isaiah's reaction:
"So I said: 'Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.'
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.' And He said, 'Go, and tell this people ...'" (verses 5-8; compare Ezekiel 1:26-28; 2:1-5; 10:1, 4; Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14).
God here identifies Himself as the author of the prophecies recorded by these men. Their visions came directly from His throne! They carried His divine authority.
The source of John's visions
The book of Revelation carries the same authority. God was equally careful in revealing to John the source of his prophetic visions. God wanted him—and us—to understand that He, the Supreme Ruler of the universe, personally reveals the contents of the book of Revelation.
John sees God's throne surrounded by heavenly witnesses. During the ensuing ceremony the elders bow in worship before the living Creator God. Then they sing these words: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
Notice what John saw next. "And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals" (Revelation 5:1). Here is the real author of the book of Revelation, the Supreme Ruler of the universe. In His right hand are the prophecies of the book of Revelation, sealed and unreadable.
That, however, quickly changes. Christ is authorized to open the seals and reveal the contents of the scroll. "But one of the elders said to me [John], 'Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals'" (Revelation 5:5). Verses 6-7 then describe how Jesus, the Lamb slain for our sins, takes the scroll from His Father's hand. The audience then kneels before Christ, holding symbolic "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (verse 8).
The message is obvious. The scroll, now in Christ's hands, contains the answer to the continuous prayers of God's people for justice and deliverance and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God to rule on earth (Matthew 6:33).
Notice the audience's reaction: "They sing a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth'" (Revelation 5:9-10, NRSV).
Here is the heart of the prophecies in Revelation. They explain how and when our faithful God will avenge the enemies of the called, chosen and faithful servants of God. They explain His judgments on all evildoers and the victory He will achieve over them. They explain the reward the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah, will bring to His faithful saints.
Now let's examine just what those prophecies contain.
Apocalyptic writers frequently borrowed symbols and other imagery from the Old Testament prophets. But far too often they enhanced and embellished biblical material to suit their own fantasies. Hoping to give their theories greater weight and authority, they falsely attributed their writings to notable prophets and figures from the past. By using deceptive pseudonyms, the authors gave their writings the appearance of having been written by well-known prophets of ancient times while concealing their true identity.
As a result, apocalyptic writing as a class of literature is generally recognized as unreliable, lacking credibility and having no legitimate claim to divine authority. Regrettably, far too many scholars and critics place the book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of the Bible, in the same class.
They don't realize that the book of Revelation is in a class of its own. Its dramatic symbolism comes from the divine author of all the other books of the Bible, not from the imaginations of John. John simply recorded what Jesus Christ revealed to him.
The writings of John are of the same genre as Old Testament prophecies. He was a faithful disciple of Jesus Himself. He makes it clear he received his prophetic visions directly from Christ, making him a prophet in his own right. Unlike the apocalyptic writers of his era who hid behind deceptive pseudonyms, John clearly identifies himself and explains in vivid detail how he received the visions and messages included in the book of Revelation.
John's vision of God's throne
In chapters 4 and 5 John describes being transported in vision into heaven to the very throne of God. Here He sees God the Father holding a sealed scroll containing the prophetic message He wants revealed to His people, the Church of God.
As John is invited to appear before God, a voice tells him: "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this" (Revelation 4:1).
In chapters 1-3 John recorded revelations primarily about "the things which are" (Revelation 1:19)—conditions that endangered, and would continue to endanger, the Church. But now John begins receiving visions of "things which must take place after this"—prophecies pertaining to the future.
But, before John relates these prophecies to his readers, he establishes the source and authenticity of his visions: "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne" (Revelation 4:2). Then he describes, awestruck, how he was taken in a vision to the throne of God to witness a ceremony.
Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel had similar experiences. They received visions of God appearing to them on His throne. Isaiah wrote: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple" (Isaiah 6:1). Notice Isaiah's reaction:
"So I said: 'Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.'
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.' And He said, 'Go, and tell this people ...'" (verses 5-8; compare Ezekiel 1:26-28; 2:1-5; 10:1, 4; Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14).
God here identifies Himself as the author of the prophecies recorded by these men. Their visions came directly from His throne! They carried His divine authority.
The source of John's visions
The book of Revelation carries the same authority. God was equally careful in revealing to John the source of his prophetic visions. God wanted him—and us—to understand that He, the Supreme Ruler of the universe, personally reveals the contents of the book of Revelation.
John sees God's throne surrounded by heavenly witnesses. During the ensuing ceremony the elders bow in worship before the living Creator God. Then they sing these words: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
Notice what John saw next. "And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals" (Revelation 5:1). Here is the real author of the book of Revelation, the Supreme Ruler of the universe. In His right hand are the prophecies of the book of Revelation, sealed and unreadable.
That, however, quickly changes. Christ is authorized to open the seals and reveal the contents of the scroll. "But one of the elders said to me [John], 'Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals'" (Revelation 5:5). Verses 6-7 then describe how Jesus, the Lamb slain for our sins, takes the scroll from His Father's hand. The audience then kneels before Christ, holding symbolic "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (verse 8).
The message is obvious. The scroll, now in Christ's hands, contains the answer to the continuous prayers of God's people for justice and deliverance and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God to rule on earth (Matthew 6:33).
Notice the audience's reaction: "They sing a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth'" (Revelation 5:9-10, NRSV).
Here is the heart of the prophecies in Revelation. They explain how and when our faithful God will avenge the enemies of the called, chosen and faithful servants of God. They explain His judgments on all evildoers and the victory He will achieve over them. They explain the reward the Son of God, Jesus the Messiah, will bring to His faithful saints.
Now let's examine just what those prophecies contain.
The Seals of the Prophetic Scroll
Revelation's main prophetic message is unveiled primarily through seven sets of symbols sketched on a scroll fastened with seven successive seals. Jesus Christ breaks the seals and opens the scroll before John's eyes (Revelation 6:1). John sees and describes the symbols of the vision, each having a specific prophetic significance.
As we have already seen, Christ alone has the right to unveil the meaning of the seals. But He does not fully explain each seal in this context. In fact, He had already—before His death and resurrection—revealed the keys we need to understand the seals.
This information is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The writers of each of these three Gospel accounts record Jesus' answer to the questions His disciples asked Him concerning when He would come again and what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age. "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'" (Matthew 24:3).
Jesus revealed to them the trends and conditions that would dominate the world until His return. The seals of Revelation 6 symbolically portray the same conditions in the same sequence Christ had earlier described.
Most of Revelation—about two thirds of its content—is devoted to the seventh seal. The contents of the first six seals are found in chapter 6 alone.
Chapter 7 interrupts the explanation of the seals to explain that 144,000 of the physical descendants of Israel, after being spiritually converted, will be protected from the seven plagues heralded by trumpet blasts. It also explains that during the great tribulation a great multitude from every nation on earth will repent and turn to God.
The events corresponding to the seventh seal dominate the remainder of the book.
Why God's judgment is needed
The first five seals correspond to adversities that are to afflict vast portions of humanity, including some of God's servants, between the first and second appearances of Christ. These hardships, having already begun in the lifetime of John, extend to the time of the end. Concerning these particular afflictions, Jesus had earlier warned that "all these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). He also said: "... Do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately" (Luke 21:9).
We should remember that the primary time frame for Revelation's main prophecies is the Day of the Lord. It is the day of God's judgment and wrath on the nations. The occurrences of that time are the specific subject of the seventh seal.
The first five seals describe conditions that predate the Day of the Lord. These are the afflictions that make God's intervention and judgment necessary and just. They describe the particular end-time application of Satan's enduring deception of humanity, his persecution of the saints and the unending pattern of war—with its horrible consequences—that are the fruits of his deception.
Under the sixth seal we see portrayed a stunning display of signs and wonders in the heavens. This will transpire just before the Day of the Lord, announcing that God's wrath and judgment are at hand.
Now notice Jesus personally identifying the adversities associated with the seals: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ... Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (Matthew 24:4-9).
Let's compare what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 to what John saw as each seal was opened.
The first seal: false religion
John reports: "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then ... I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest" (Revelation 6:1-2, NIV).
What is the meaning of this mysterious rider? What is the object of his conquest?
In Revelation 19:11, in a much later time frame, Jesus Christ is pictured as returning victoriously on a white horse. Does this seal picture the returning, conquering Christ? Certainly this symbolic horseman bears much outward similarity to Christ at His return. But notice significant differences in the details. Christ is wearing many crowns (verse 12), not just the one crown this rider wears, and Jesus is pictured with a sword as His weapon (verse 15) rather than a bow. The horseman of the first seal appears similar to the returning Christ, but different. Does he symbolize the real Christ or an impostor?
Now let's compare this symbolic horseman to the first warning Jesus gave His disciples in the Olivet prophecy. He warned them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5).
Jesus warned His disciples that the first adversity they would face would come from deceivers. A few verses later He explained methods impostors would use as they usurped His name. He reveals that they would stamp His name on a religion that is really a counterfeit Christianity:
"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it" (verses 23-26).
To be consistent with Jesus' prophecies, this first rider can represent only a deceptive power masquerading as Christ. Outwardly it will appear Christian, but in reality it will be, like the three riders that follow, a force for evil and destruction.
This deception began in the days of the apostles. But it will reach its greatest fulfillment in the last days. For example, Paul says a "lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thes-salonians 2:8). His influence over humanity will be "according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception ..." (verses 9-10).
At the time of the end the deception of humanity will be so great that most of the world will be under the sway of a corrupted, counterfeit and idolatrous religious system, one that has rejected the true teachings of the Bible.
The second seal: the horror of war
"When the Lamb opened the second seal ... another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword" (Revelation 6:3-4, NIV).
This horse, the color of blood, matches Christ's second warning. "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ... Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matthew 24:6-7).
When Jesus founded the Church the Roman Empire was enjoying a brief period of peace. But this lasted only a few decades, then Rome was again at war. This pattern was to continue until the time of the end when it would reach its climax in "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14; 19:11-21).
But, even before that final battle, the book of Revelation indicates that global warfare already will be underway. It describes massive armies engaged in military actions that will take hundreds of millions of lives.
The third seal: war's consequences
"When the Lamb opened the third seal ... I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, 'A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!'" (Revelation 6:5-6, NIV).
This seal portrays an extreme scarcity of food and other basic necessities of life. It corresponds to Christ's third warning: "And there will be famines ..." (Matthew 24:7).
Scarcity of food and resulting famines are the natural aftermath of war. At the time of the end military conflicts among nations will destroy property and disrupt agricultural production, leading to widespread and severe scarcity of food and other necessities.
The fourth seal: the mounting toll
"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal ... I looked, and there before me was a pale [sickly looking] horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades [the grave] was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth" (Revelation 6:7-8, NIV).
This seal describes the consequences of famines around the world that will especially occur at the time of the end just before the Day of the Lord. These consequences will include the breakdown of an orderly society and an incredible number of deaths from the starvation, plagues (disease epidemics) and violence that follow severe famines. This, of course, corresponds with the fourth condition listed by Jesus-"pestilence," or deadly epidemics of sickness and disease (Matthew 24:7).
At the time of the end we can expect such conditions to impact various nations and regions of the world-and the faithful people of God living among them. Conditions in some areas may be similar to the last days of ancient Israel when God told Jeremiah He would "consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence" (Jeremiah 14:12). God does not want His servants to be surprised by outbreaks of such tragedies, but to look to Him for help and deliverance.
The fifth seal: a religious persecution
"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow-servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed" (Revelation 6:9-11, NIV).
Symbolically pictured at the altar in God's temple, those who have already given their lives as martyrs in His service are still waiting, on the eve of the Day of the Lord, for God's judgment on those who hate Him, His ways and His servants. But they will have to wait a little longer because another massive martyrdom of God's faithful must first occur.
Christ had already explained to His disciples what must take place. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:9-12).
The early Church had scarcely been established before persecution set in. Several of the letters of the apostles refer to the suffering and martyrdom of faithful members at the hands of the enemies of the Church. Most of the apostles met a violent and early death. The epistles of 2 Timothy and 2 Peter record the final encouraging thoughts of Paul and Peter as they awaited execution. Brutal persecution and harassment continued in the following decades and on into later centuries. And it will happen again.
Jesus explained that the worst persecution and martyrdom would come at the time of the end. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22).
As we will see more clearly later, people who refuse to worship "the image of the beast" in the last days will face the possibility of execution (Revelation 13:15). The primary targets of this carnage will be those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).
Additional prophecies explain that this time of great tribulation and persecution will also be visited upon God's people who are the modern physical descendants of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel (see "The 'Time of Jacob's Trouble,'" page 24).
The sixth seal: signs in the skies
"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig-tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place" (Revelation 6:12-14, NIV).
Did Christ explain when, in the sequence of prophesied events, these awesome and fearful heavenly signs would occur? He certainly did: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
Now notice, in the concluding description of the sixth seal, what is to follow the heavenly signs: "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:15-17; compare Zephaniah 1:14-17).
Note the order of these three separate events: First comes the tribulation, as described in the fifth seal. Next the heavenly signs, described in the sixth seal, occur. After the heavenly signs is the Day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath.
The heavenly signs occur after the time of tribulation has begun but before the Day of the Lord begins. The prophet Joel confirms this: "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 coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD" (Joel 2:30-31).
Why is this so significant?
Satan lashes out
The end-time persecution and martyrdom of the saints (also encompassing the physical descendants of ancient Israel) begins before the heavenly signs and is both the product and the expression of Satan's wrath. Later in Revelation John describes hearing a voice from heaven announcing: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12).
Knowing his time is short, what does Satan do? "Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child" (verse 13).
The woman represents the people of God. At the time of the end Satan will trigger many destructive events. Because his time is short, he will mobilize a deceived humanity into a frenzy of hatred and destruction against anything and anyone that represents the true God.
This point is extremely important. Satan's vindictive rampage of terror will be launched against the natural descendants of the tribes of Israel as well as the converted servants of Christ before the heavenly signs announce the Day of the Lord.
This means that Satan's wrath—the time when great tribulation will fall on God's people—will have been underway for some time before the beginning of God's wrath. Even after the time of God's wrath—the Day of the Lord—Satan's destructive war on God's people apparently will not cease until he is bound at Jesus' return (Revelation 20:1-2).
Notice that the woman of chapter 12 will be "nourished for a time and times and half a time [a year, years and half a year], from the presence of the serpent" (verse 14). Even though God will nourish, strengthen and protect some of His people during that terrible time, many others, as we have already seen, will be killed.
Revelation 11:2 tells us that Jerusalem is to be trampled underfoot by gentiles for 42 months (Revelation 11:2). God also promises to raise up two prophets to be His witnesses for 1,260 days (verse 3).
That each of these periods equals 3 1/2 years appears to be significant. These references indicate that a total of 3 1/2 years elapses from the beginning of Satan's attack on the people of God until his political and religious system is destroyed and he is locked away at Christ's return.
The day of God's wrath will be brief
The length of God's judgment is nowhere specified in Revelation, unless it is implied in the expression "the great day of His wrath" (Revelation 6:17). In some other prophetic passages God specifies that a "day" represents a year of punishment (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:4-6). If that same principle applies here in Revelation, the Day of the Lord ("the day of His wrath") would be the final year before Christ returns.
It would probably also correspond to the last year of the 31/2 years of Satan's wrath. In other words, God's punishments on the Day of the Lord would overlap Satan's vengeance on God's people for a period of one year (Isaiah 34:8)-the final year of the last 31/2 years.
This time frame seems to be what John, under the inspiration of Christ, was indicating for the major end-time events described in Revelation. And it is entirely compatible with Christ's words. As He said: "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:22, NIV). He indicates that all the events specifically related to the end time will occur within a brief time.
The description of the sixth seal in Revelation 6 ends with the words: "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (verse 17). This announces the Day of the Lord, the subject of the seventh seal. Yet the opening of the seventh seal is not discussed until the beginning of chapter 8. John interrupts the story flow of the seven seals to show that 144,000 are sealed and a great innumerable multitude are converted from all nations in this time of worldwide turmoil.
The sealing of the 144,000
First, an angel announces, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees [all are mentioned as being devastated by the first four trumpet plagues in chapter 8] till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation 7:3).
Why are the 144,000 sealed? One key is given later when another angel commands locustlike implements of war "not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4).
In other words, those who are sealed are chosen by God and survive the great tribulation. And now the massive devastation of the coming trumpet plagues that God will inflict on mankind during the Day of the Lord will not harm them. They may continue to experience some of the effects of Satan's vengeance, even during the Day of the Lord, but their sealing guarantees that the punishments representing God's wrath will in no way affect them.
Who are these 144,000? How are they identified?
"And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed" (Revelation 7:4). These are literal, physical descendants of the tribes of Israel who are now the converted servants of Jesus Christ—probably having been converted during the first part of the "great tribulation" period. Like the Church (James 1:18), the natural descendants of ancient Israel also are designated in the Scriptures as God's "firstfruits" (Jeremiah 2:3).
The 144,000 of Revelation 7 are mentioned again in Revelation 14, where it becomes clear that these spiritual "firstfruits," of the tribes of Israel, will have repented and been converted before the beginning of the Day of the Lord. They are described as being redeemed and without fault. They are represented as having a relationship both with God the Father and Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God.
"Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
"These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Revelation 14:1-5).
The great innumerable multitude
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9-10).
In contrast to the 144,000 Israelites, this multitude is made up of people from the many nationalities and ethnic groups on earth—from their tribes, clans and languages.
Making them special is that they have all "come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (verses 13-14). They are converted servants of God, having already suffered from and, as seems to be implied, been converted primarily during the first 2 1/2 years of the great tribulation—before the beginning of the Day of the Lord.
There is no firm agreement among biblical interpreters as to what the text of Revelation 7 implies about the immediate future of this multitude. These people are, however, promised eternal life—salvation—with the rest of the saints at the return of Christ.
Some interpret the receiving of "white robes" by the great innumerable multitude as an indication they may have already been martyred by the beginning of the Day of the Lord. If so, they will be resurrected at Christ's coming—just as those martyrs given white robes in Revelation 6:11 must "wait" until their deaths are avenged (during the Day of the Lord) to be resurrected to eternal life at Christ's return.
Another view is that the innumerable multitude, like the 144,000, will survive the great tribulation and will continue to live and be sheltered by God during the Day of the Lord.
The New Revised Standard Version seems to advocate this meaning by the way it translates Revelation 7:15: "For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them."
Other translations, however, are less specific in their rendering of this verse. The reason for this is that the original Greek wording states only that God will "dwell" (or "tabernacle") among them. The conclusion that they remain alive and are sheltered from further harm during the Day of the Lord is then deduced from this promise.
Even though their specific application is somewhat ambiguous, the promises given in the next two verses are generally regarded as reinforcements of this deduction: "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (verses 16-17).
Unmistakably clear in Revelation 7 is that a great harvest of true and faithful Christians will occur during the first years of the great-tribulation period. That immense spiritual harvest will be reaped not only from the literal tribes of Israel but from the others nations and peoples throughout the earth. The powerful preaching of God's two witnesses (chapter 11) will no doubt contribute greatly to the conversion of this vast number during that frightening and deadly time.
As we have already seen, Christ alone has the right to unveil the meaning of the seals. But He does not fully explain each seal in this context. In fact, He had already—before His death and resurrection—revealed the keys we need to understand the seals.
This information is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The writers of each of these three Gospel accounts record Jesus' answer to the questions His disciples asked Him concerning when He would come again and what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age. "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'" (Matthew 24:3).
Jesus revealed to them the trends and conditions that would dominate the world until His return. The seals of Revelation 6 symbolically portray the same conditions in the same sequence Christ had earlier described.
Most of Revelation—about two thirds of its content—is devoted to the seventh seal. The contents of the first six seals are found in chapter 6 alone.
Chapter 7 interrupts the explanation of the seals to explain that 144,000 of the physical descendants of Israel, after being spiritually converted, will be protected from the seven plagues heralded by trumpet blasts. It also explains that during the great tribulation a great multitude from every nation on earth will repent and turn to God.
The events corresponding to the seventh seal dominate the remainder of the book.
Why God's judgment is needed
The first five seals correspond to adversities that are to afflict vast portions of humanity, including some of God's servants, between the first and second appearances of Christ. These hardships, having already begun in the lifetime of John, extend to the time of the end. Concerning these particular afflictions, Jesus had earlier warned that "all these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). He also said: "... Do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately" (Luke 21:9).
We should remember that the primary time frame for Revelation's main prophecies is the Day of the Lord. It is the day of God's judgment and wrath on the nations. The occurrences of that time are the specific subject of the seventh seal.
The first five seals describe conditions that predate the Day of the Lord. These are the afflictions that make God's intervention and judgment necessary and just. They describe the particular end-time application of Satan's enduring deception of humanity, his persecution of the saints and the unending pattern of war—with its horrible consequences—that are the fruits of his deception.
Under the sixth seal we see portrayed a stunning display of signs and wonders in the heavens. This will transpire just before the Day of the Lord, announcing that God's wrath and judgment are at hand.
Now notice Jesus personally identifying the adversities associated with the seals: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ... Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake" (Matthew 24:4-9).
Let's compare what Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 to what John saw as each seal was opened.
The first seal: false religion
John reports: "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then ... I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest" (Revelation 6:1-2, NIV).
What is the meaning of this mysterious rider? What is the object of his conquest?
In Revelation 19:11, in a much later time frame, Jesus Christ is pictured as returning victoriously on a white horse. Does this seal picture the returning, conquering Christ? Certainly this symbolic horseman bears much outward similarity to Christ at His return. But notice significant differences in the details. Christ is wearing many crowns (verse 12), not just the one crown this rider wears, and Jesus is pictured with a sword as His weapon (verse 15) rather than a bow. The horseman of the first seal appears similar to the returning Christ, but different. Does he symbolize the real Christ or an impostor?
Now let's compare this symbolic horseman to the first warning Jesus gave His disciples in the Olivet prophecy. He warned them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (Matthew 24:4-5).
Jesus warned His disciples that the first adversity they would face would come from deceivers. A few verses later He explained methods impostors would use as they usurped His name. He reveals that they would stamp His name on a religion that is really a counterfeit Christianity:
"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it" (verses 23-26).
To be consistent with Jesus' prophecies, this first rider can represent only a deceptive power masquerading as Christ. Outwardly it will appear Christian, but in reality it will be, like the three riders that follow, a force for evil and destruction.
This deception began in the days of the apostles. But it will reach its greatest fulfillment in the last days. For example, Paul says a "lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thes-salonians 2:8). His influence over humanity will be "according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception ..." (verses 9-10).
At the time of the end the deception of humanity will be so great that most of the world will be under the sway of a corrupted, counterfeit and idolatrous religious system, one that has rejected the true teachings of the Bible.
The second seal: the horror of war
"When the Lamb opened the second seal ... another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword" (Revelation 6:3-4, NIV).
This horse, the color of blood, matches Christ's second warning. "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars ... Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matthew 24:6-7).
When Jesus founded the Church the Roman Empire was enjoying a brief period of peace. But this lasted only a few decades, then Rome was again at war. This pattern was to continue until the time of the end when it would reach its climax in "the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:14; 19:11-21).
But, even before that final battle, the book of Revelation indicates that global warfare already will be underway. It describes massive armies engaged in military actions that will take hundreds of millions of lives.
The third seal: war's consequences
"When the Lamb opened the third seal ... I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, 'A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!'" (Revelation 6:5-6, NIV).
This seal portrays an extreme scarcity of food and other basic necessities of life. It corresponds to Christ's third warning: "And there will be famines ..." (Matthew 24:7).
Scarcity of food and resulting famines are the natural aftermath of war. At the time of the end military conflicts among nations will destroy property and disrupt agricultural production, leading to widespread and severe scarcity of food and other necessities.
The fourth seal: the mounting toll
"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal ... I looked, and there before me was a pale [sickly looking] horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades [the grave] was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth" (Revelation 6:7-8, NIV).
This seal describes the consequences of famines around the world that will especially occur at the time of the end just before the Day of the Lord. These consequences will include the breakdown of an orderly society and an incredible number of deaths from the starvation, plagues (disease epidemics) and violence that follow severe famines. This, of course, corresponds with the fourth condition listed by Jesus-"pestilence," or deadly epidemics of sickness and disease (Matthew 24:7).
At the time of the end we can expect such conditions to impact various nations and regions of the world-and the faithful people of God living among them. Conditions in some areas may be similar to the last days of ancient Israel when God told Jeremiah He would "consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence" (Jeremiah 14:12). God does not want His servants to be surprised by outbreaks of such tragedies, but to look to Him for help and deliverance.
The fifth seal: a religious persecution
"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow-servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed" (Revelation 6:9-11, NIV).
Symbolically pictured at the altar in God's temple, those who have already given their lives as martyrs in His service are still waiting, on the eve of the Day of the Lord, for God's judgment on those who hate Him, His ways and His servants. But they will have to wait a little longer because another massive martyrdom of God's faithful must first occur.
Christ had already explained to His disciples what must take place. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:9-12).
The early Church had scarcely been established before persecution set in. Several of the letters of the apostles refer to the suffering and martyrdom of faithful members at the hands of the enemies of the Church. Most of the apostles met a violent and early death. The epistles of 2 Timothy and 2 Peter record the final encouraging thoughts of Paul and Peter as they awaited execution. Brutal persecution and harassment continued in the following decades and on into later centuries. And it will happen again.
Jesus explained that the worst persecution and martyrdom would come at the time of the end. "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:21-22).
As we will see more clearly later, people who refuse to worship "the image of the beast" in the last days will face the possibility of execution (Revelation 13:15). The primary targets of this carnage will be those "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17).
Additional prophecies explain that this time of great tribulation and persecution will also be visited upon God's people who are the modern physical descendants of the 12 tribes of ancient Israel (see "The 'Time of Jacob's Trouble,'" page 24).
The sixth seal: signs in the skies
"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig-tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place" (Revelation 6:12-14, NIV).
Did Christ explain when, in the sequence of prophesied events, these awesome and fearful heavenly signs would occur? He certainly did: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
Now notice, in the concluding description of the sixth seal, what is to follow the heavenly signs: "And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Revelation 6:15-17; compare Zephaniah 1:14-17).
Note the order of these three separate events: First comes the tribulation, as described in the fifth seal. Next the heavenly signs, described in the sixth seal, occur. After the heavenly signs is the Day of the Lord, the day of God's wrath.
The heavenly signs occur after the time of tribulation has begun but before the Day of the Lord begins. The prophet Joel confirms this: "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 coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD" (Joel 2:30-31).
Why is this so significant?
Satan lashes out
The end-time persecution and martyrdom of the saints (also encompassing the physical descendants of ancient Israel) begins before the heavenly signs and is both the product and the expression of Satan's wrath. Later in Revelation John describes hearing a voice from heaven announcing: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12).
Knowing his time is short, what does Satan do? "Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child" (verse 13).
The woman represents the people of God. At the time of the end Satan will trigger many destructive events. Because his time is short, he will mobilize a deceived humanity into a frenzy of hatred and destruction against anything and anyone that represents the true God.
This point is extremely important. Satan's vindictive rampage of terror will be launched against the natural descendants of the tribes of Israel as well as the converted servants of Christ before the heavenly signs announce the Day of the Lord.
This means that Satan's wrath—the time when great tribulation will fall on God's people—will have been underway for some time before the beginning of God's wrath. Even after the time of God's wrath—the Day of the Lord—Satan's destructive war on God's people apparently will not cease until he is bound at Jesus' return (Revelation 20:1-2).
Notice that the woman of chapter 12 will be "nourished for a time and times and half a time [a year, years and half a year], from the presence of the serpent" (verse 14). Even though God will nourish, strengthen and protect some of His people during that terrible time, many others, as we have already seen, will be killed.
Revelation 11:2 tells us that Jerusalem is to be trampled underfoot by gentiles for 42 months (Revelation 11:2). God also promises to raise up two prophets to be His witnesses for 1,260 days (verse 3).
That each of these periods equals 3 1/2 years appears to be significant. These references indicate that a total of 3 1/2 years elapses from the beginning of Satan's attack on the people of God until his political and religious system is destroyed and he is locked away at Christ's return.
The day of God's wrath will be brief
The length of God's judgment is nowhere specified in Revelation, unless it is implied in the expression "the great day of His wrath" (Revelation 6:17). In some other prophetic passages God specifies that a "day" represents a year of punishment (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:4-6). If that same principle applies here in Revelation, the Day of the Lord ("the day of His wrath") would be the final year before Christ returns.
It would probably also correspond to the last year of the 31/2 years of Satan's wrath. In other words, God's punishments on the Day of the Lord would overlap Satan's vengeance on God's people for a period of one year (Isaiah 34:8)-the final year of the last 31/2 years.
This time frame seems to be what John, under the inspiration of Christ, was indicating for the major end-time events described in Revelation. And it is entirely compatible with Christ's words. As He said: "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:22, NIV). He indicates that all the events specifically related to the end time will occur within a brief time.
The description of the sixth seal in Revelation 6 ends with the words: "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (verse 17). This announces the Day of the Lord, the subject of the seventh seal. Yet the opening of the seventh seal is not discussed until the beginning of chapter 8. John interrupts the story flow of the seven seals to show that 144,000 are sealed and a great innumerable multitude are converted from all nations in this time of worldwide turmoil.
The sealing of the 144,000
First, an angel announces, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees [all are mentioned as being devastated by the first four trumpet plagues in chapter 8] till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads" (Revelation 7:3).
Why are the 144,000 sealed? One key is given later when another angel commands locustlike implements of war "not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4).
In other words, those who are sealed are chosen by God and survive the great tribulation. And now the massive devastation of the coming trumpet plagues that God will inflict on mankind during the Day of the Lord will not harm them. They may continue to experience some of the effects of Satan's vengeance, even during the Day of the Lord, but their sealing guarantees that the punishments representing God's wrath will in no way affect them.
Who are these 144,000? How are they identified?
"And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed" (Revelation 7:4). These are literal, physical descendants of the tribes of Israel who are now the converted servants of Jesus Christ—probably having been converted during the first part of the "great tribulation" period. Like the Church (James 1:18), the natural descendants of ancient Israel also are designated in the Scriptures as God's "firstfruits" (Jeremiah 2:3).
The 144,000 of Revelation 7 are mentioned again in Revelation 14, where it becomes clear that these spiritual "firstfruits," of the tribes of Israel, will have repented and been converted before the beginning of the Day of the Lord. They are described as being redeemed and without fault. They are represented as having a relationship both with God the Father and Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God.
"Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
"These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God" (Revelation 14:1-5).
The great innumerable multitude
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9-10).
In contrast to the 144,000 Israelites, this multitude is made up of people from the many nationalities and ethnic groups on earth—from their tribes, clans and languages.
Making them special is that they have all "come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (verses 13-14). They are converted servants of God, having already suffered from and, as seems to be implied, been converted primarily during the first 2 1/2 years of the great tribulation—before the beginning of the Day of the Lord.
There is no firm agreement among biblical interpreters as to what the text of Revelation 7 implies about the immediate future of this multitude. These people are, however, promised eternal life—salvation—with the rest of the saints at the return of Christ.
Some interpret the receiving of "white robes" by the great innumerable multitude as an indication they may have already been martyred by the beginning of the Day of the Lord. If so, they will be resurrected at Christ's coming—just as those martyrs given white robes in Revelation 6:11 must "wait" until their deaths are avenged (during the Day of the Lord) to be resurrected to eternal life at Christ's return.
Another view is that the innumerable multitude, like the 144,000, will survive the great tribulation and will continue to live and be sheltered by God during the Day of the Lord.
The New Revised Standard Version seems to advocate this meaning by the way it translates Revelation 7:15: "For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them."
Other translations, however, are less specific in their rendering of this verse. The reason for this is that the original Greek wording states only that God will "dwell" (or "tabernacle") among them. The conclusion that they remain alive and are sheltered from further harm during the Day of the Lord is then deduced from this promise.
Even though their specific application is somewhat ambiguous, the promises given in the next two verses are generally regarded as reinforcements of this deduction: "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (verses 16-17).
Unmistakably clear in Revelation 7 is that a great harvest of true and faithful Christians will occur during the first years of the great-tribulation period. That immense spiritual harvest will be reaped not only from the literal tribes of Israel but from the others nations and peoples throughout the earth. The powerful preaching of God's two witnesses (chapter 11) will no doubt contribute greatly to the conversion of this vast number during that frightening and deadly time.
The Day of the Lord Finally Arrives
The opening of the seventh seal is accompanied by "silence in heaven for about half an hour" (Revelation 8:1). All creation is awed by what is about to happen. The Day of the Lord, the event angels and saints have anticipated for thousands of years, has finally arrived. Centuries of prayers from the saints are symbolically compared to the fragrance of burning incense ascending from the temple altar to the very presence of God in heaven (verses 3-5). The answer to those prayers is now imminent.
Once the seventh seal is broken, the entire scroll is finally opened. Much of the remainder of the book of Revelation is subdivided into seven major parts, each signified by the blast of a trumpet.
In the ancient world trumpets often were used to announce the approach or arrival of danger. They serve a similar purpose in Revelation. Here they announce the main phases of God's judgment on this present evil world—and on the devil, who has deceived it.
Combined, the seven trumpets (chapters 8-11) provide us with a summary of what will happen during the time known as the Day of the Lord. Revelation explains and describes the type of punishment each trumpet blast represents.
Most of the following chapters (12-20) fill in details concerning the Day of the Lord, particularly about the persecuting worldly powers led and controlled by Satan and Jesus' victory over those powers. Chapters 21-22 give us a brief glimpse of the saints' eternal reward.
The first four trumpets
The targets of the first four trumpets are "the earth and the sea" (Revelation 7:2). Though some deaths will result from these plagues, they are primarily directed toward the earth's life-support system. They devastate a third of the earth's environment. God, our Creator, will provide ample evidence to every human being that He has full control over our life-sustaining environment.
Notice exactly what is affected by the first four trumpet plagues. First "a third of the trees" and "all green grass" are burned up. Next "a third of the sea" turns to blood. Then "a third of the rivers and ... springs of waters" are poisoned, bringing many more deaths.
Finally, light from the sun, the moon and the stars is obscured. A plague of darkness similar to what happened in Egypt during the days of Moses engulfs at least a third, possibly all, of the earth (Revelation 8:7-12).
Although these events are terrifying, God remains merciful. He has always preferred to impose lesser punishments first so people could see the need to repent. As He told Ezekiel: "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live'" (Ezekiel 33:11).
Rarely have whole nations repented and changed because of God's warning punishments. Most people tend to become bitter toward God rather than admitting their own callous behavior and evil thoughts. Though the first four trumpets may cause a few to abandon their evil ways, most of humanity will not repent, even when later afflicted by far greater punishments (Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9-11).
When mankind stubbornly refuses to repent, God increases the severity of His punishments. "And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'" (Revelation 8:13).
Specifying the next three trumpet blasts as woes aptly describes the punishments they represent. Now the targets are "the inhabitants of the earth." The people themselves will be the direct recipients of God's punishments.
The fifth trumpet plague
Like the second and fourth trumpets, the fifth blast is reminiscent of the plagues that fell on ancient Egypt. This affliction emerges out of a darkened atmosphere, possibly polluted with smoke, dust and ash from the preceding plagues. Locustlike devices with "breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings ... like the sound of chariots"—possibly deadly military aircraft similar to modern helicopters—torture people like the sting of a scorpion (Revelation 9:1-10).
Though the sources of the afflictions are not specified, their effects are strikingly similar to the effects of modern chemical or biological warfare. The director or "king" of this wave of affliction is described as "the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon" (verse 11, NIV).
These titles, in Hebrew and Greek, mean "destruction" and "destroyer," respectively. As noted earlier, as the end of his reign approaches, Satan is filled with "great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12). He is the guiding force as massive armies gather for their brutal mission. But God remains in control. Notice the limitations He puts on the locustlike conduits of human suffering. "They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4).
Notice they are not sent to kill people (verse 5), only to torment them. So far these punishments have been directed toward the environment. But now God's anger is directed toward those who still refuse to repent. The agony caused by this plague will be so intense that many will prefer to die. "In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them" (verse 6). God is still giving the world's inhabitants an opportunity to recognize just how angry He is with their rebellious behavior so they can understand that He will no longer tolerate their sins.
Notice that God's timetable for this punishment is precise. This particular plague will affect humans for five months (verse 10). God is in control of what will happen and the length of time it will last.
After five months of terrible afflictions, an angel announces: "One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things" (verse 12).
The sixth trumpet plague
A voice tells the angel who holds the sixth trumpet: "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates" (Revelation 9:14).
The Euphrates was the easternmost boundary of the Roman Empire at the time of the writing of Revelation. Except for a brief period later during the reign of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, when Mesopotamia and Assyria became provinces of Rome, the Euphrates was generally considered the dividing line between the Roman provinces and territories controlled by other kings to the east.
It is not clear whether this river will play a similar role at the time of the end. But this could be implied in the wording of Revelation 16:12, where "kings from the east" are again specifically associated with the Euphrates River.
Now to the next event. "And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind" (Revelation 9:15, NIV).
By this time in John's visions all nations have refused to repent. They have refused to respond to God's warnings through famine, pestilence and environmental disasters, or the agony of the fifth trumpet. Therefore God will no longer restrain the beginning of an all—out world war—a global conflict that will soon climax at Christ's return.
The time has arrived for God to allow man to slaughter his fellow human beings without restraint (except for those righteous few whom He has already sealed). An unimaginable carnage is about to begin. One third of the earth's population will die in this conflagration. Apparently this will be in addition to the deaths from famines, disease epidemics and other catastrophes mentioned earlier—such as those over "a fourth of the earth" that were specified under the fourth seal.
John vividly describes this terrifying end-of-the-age conflict in the only way he can—in the language of the first century: "The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulphur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulphur.
"A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury" (verses 16-19, NIV).
John could portray a terrifying array of modern weapons only with the vocabulary available to him at that time. Tanks and missiles and aircraft with machine guns, smart bombs and laser-guided missiles did not exist, so he could not begin to describe such weapons in a way we would immediately recognize. When we get into chapters 13-18 we will learn more details about Satan's role in these destructive events.
The international warfare that begins at the sounding of the sixth trumpet is the background of all the remaining punishments in Revelation. Keep this in mind as we continue. Chapter 10 and the first part of chapter 11 in particular must be viewed against this setting. Revelation shows that the final battle at the end of this conflict will be directed against Christ at His return (Revelation 19:19).
As the return of Christ draws near, the book of Revelation describes the stubborn, unyielding attitude of most of mankind. "But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts" (Revelation 9:20).
The seven thunders
In chapter 10 John sees an angel holding "a little book open in his hand" (verse 2). The angel's voice is compared with the roar of a lion. As the angel speaks John hears seven thunderous utterances. Then John says: ". . . I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them'" (verses 3-4). Notice that God revealed more prophecy to John than He allowed him to record (Revelation 10:1-4).
Next the angel emphasizes the importance of the imminent seventh trumpet. "The angel ... swore by Him who lives forever ... 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" (verses 5-7). The climax of the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Bible will occur when Christ returns at the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
John then receives specific instructions: "'Go, take the little book ... and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.' Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings'" (verses 8-11).
The prophecies John recorded in Revelation will be explained and proclaimed to the nations at the time of the end. God plans to ensure that the final proclamation of His prophecies, and no doubt the gospel itself, grab the attention of all people!
God's two witnesses
When the time of the end arrives God will raise up, in Jerusalem, two prophets to complete this phase of His work before Christ's return. As His chosen witnesses, these two will carry out a spectacular mission on God's behalf. They will perform dramatic miracles as they proclaim God's plagues and judgments (Revelation 11:1-12).
They will exercise some of the same supernatural powers that God anciently granted to Elijah and Moses, two of the greatest prophets of old. "And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies [reminiscent of Elijah]. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy [as did Elijah], and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues [as did Moses], as often as they desire" (verses 5-6).
Their work lasts for 3 1/2 years, the same length of time Jerusalem will be occupied by the gentiles (Revelation 11:2-3). In addition to their activities described here, they appear to be directly associated with certain prophecies of Zechariah (verse 4; compare Zechariah 4:3, 11-14).
We are introduced to the two witnesses at the temple site in Jerusalem. This, too, is significant. Throughout Revelation the temple is consistently associated with worship of God. We are told that "the court which is outside the temple ... has been given to the Gentiles"—along with "the holy city" of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:2).
Jesus had earlier warned that a specific event will trigger many of the events described in the book of Revelation: "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." He continued: "For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again" (Matthew 24:15-16, 21, NIV).
Christ's words indicate that the devil will enable the prophetic beast and false prophet to commandeer the temple area, temporarily making it the center of their own satanically inspired system of worship. Opposing the beast and false prophet will be God's two witnesses. Jerusalem will find itself in the vortex of a great spiritual battle as prophesied events reach their climax.
But how will the two witnesses and their message be received? People will loathe it. Like no other prophets in the history of God's people, the witnesses and their message will truly be "hated by all nations" (Matthew 24:9).
Yet God is consistent. The effect of His witnesses' work will be similar to that of other great prophets. For example, God encouraged Ezekiel concerning the effect of his prophecies: "And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezekiel 33:33). We can expect no less from these two dynamic end-time prophets.
They will gain worldwide attention, giving them an unprecedented opportunity to warn the nations that they should repent of their sins and rebellion against God. Then, when God has seen that their message and warning has been delivered, He will allow the beast to execute them. This, too, is part of God's plan.
By that time the people of every nation will have seen and heard frequent reports on the activities of the two prophets through worldwide communications systems. This becomes clear from John's statement that "peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves" (Revelation 11:7-9).
Notice mankind's reaction to the murder of God's prophets: "And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth" (verse 10). The whole world, having hated the two men's rebukes and calls for repentance, celebrates their deaths.
But their rejoicing will be short-lived. Three and a half days after their execution, the two prophets will be resurrected—possibly at the very time the seventh trumpet announces the return of Christ (verses 11-13). A startled world will have irrefutable proof of who is the true God and which is His religion!
What comes next will occur with astounding speed.
The last trumpet announces Christ's return
"The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:14-15).
We reach the long-awaited return of Jesus, the Son of God, to establish the Kingdom of God. "And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned" (verses 16-17).
For God's faithful servants this occasion calls for unrestrained joy and celebration. This is the time when those in the grave receive victory over death, when their faith in God is totally vindicated. The 24 elders' special prayer of thanksgiving reflects the exuberant gratitude and excitement both the angels and the saints are certain to experience at that time (Revelation 11:16-18).
Paul explains the importance of this occasion for those in the grave awaiting Christ's return: "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.
"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
Daniel anticipated and wrote of this wonderful occasion. He prophesied: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life ..." (Daniel 12:2). He explained: "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever" (verse 3). (For a fuller explanation of the tremendous importance to you personally of the resurrection at Christ's return, be sure to request your free copy of the booklet What Is Your Destiny?)
We should note, however, that Christ's return does not immediately bring universal joy. The final "woe" on the inhabitants of earth commences with the sounding of the last—the seventh-trumpet. John notes: "The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-and for destroying those who destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18, NIV).
The remainder of the book of Revelation specifies which worldly entities must now quickly be destroyed before the Kingdom of God can be established in all its fullness under Christ's rule.
Jesus also emphasizes the Father's faithfulness and commitment to fulfill every promise and prophecy He has ever made by showing John, as the conclusion of this particular vision in Revelation 11, "the ark of His covenant ... within His temple" in heaven (verse 19). He reminds us that God will never forget His covenant promises, which were recorded by His prophets (Daniel 9:4).
One such promise concerns the overthrow of Satan's system. That is now about to occur. The full measure of God's judgments is about to be expressed through the seven last plagues (Revelation 15:1). Babylon the Great, the ruling city in Satan's end-time empire, will be destroyed. But, before it is annihilated, Christ reveals to us what it is and why it must be annihilated.
Once the seventh seal is broken, the entire scroll is finally opened. Much of the remainder of the book of Revelation is subdivided into seven major parts, each signified by the blast of a trumpet.
In the ancient world trumpets often were used to announce the approach or arrival of danger. They serve a similar purpose in Revelation. Here they announce the main phases of God's judgment on this present evil world—and on the devil, who has deceived it.
Combined, the seven trumpets (chapters 8-11) provide us with a summary of what will happen during the time known as the Day of the Lord. Revelation explains and describes the type of punishment each trumpet blast represents.
Most of the following chapters (12-20) fill in details concerning the Day of the Lord, particularly about the persecuting worldly powers led and controlled by Satan and Jesus' victory over those powers. Chapters 21-22 give us a brief glimpse of the saints' eternal reward.
The first four trumpets
The targets of the first four trumpets are "the earth and the sea" (Revelation 7:2). Though some deaths will result from these plagues, they are primarily directed toward the earth's life-support system. They devastate a third of the earth's environment. God, our Creator, will provide ample evidence to every human being that He has full control over our life-sustaining environment.
Notice exactly what is affected by the first four trumpet plagues. First "a third of the trees" and "all green grass" are burned up. Next "a third of the sea" turns to blood. Then "a third of the rivers and ... springs of waters" are poisoned, bringing many more deaths.
Finally, light from the sun, the moon and the stars is obscured. A plague of darkness similar to what happened in Egypt during the days of Moses engulfs at least a third, possibly all, of the earth (Revelation 8:7-12).
Although these events are terrifying, God remains merciful. He has always preferred to impose lesser punishments first so people could see the need to repent. As He told Ezekiel: "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live'" (Ezekiel 33:11).
Rarely have whole nations repented and changed because of God's warning punishments. Most people tend to become bitter toward God rather than admitting their own callous behavior and evil thoughts. Though the first four trumpets may cause a few to abandon their evil ways, most of humanity will not repent, even when later afflicted by far greater punishments (Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9-11).
When mankind stubbornly refuses to repent, God increases the severity of His punishments. "And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, 'Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'" (Revelation 8:13).
Specifying the next three trumpet blasts as woes aptly describes the punishments they represent. Now the targets are "the inhabitants of the earth." The people themselves will be the direct recipients of God's punishments.
The fifth trumpet plague
Like the second and fourth trumpets, the fifth blast is reminiscent of the plagues that fell on ancient Egypt. This affliction emerges out of a darkened atmosphere, possibly polluted with smoke, dust and ash from the preceding plagues. Locustlike devices with "breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings ... like the sound of chariots"—possibly deadly military aircraft similar to modern helicopters—torture people like the sting of a scorpion (Revelation 9:1-10).
Though the sources of the afflictions are not specified, their effects are strikingly similar to the effects of modern chemical or biological warfare. The director or "king" of this wave of affliction is described as "the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon" (verse 11, NIV).
These titles, in Hebrew and Greek, mean "destruction" and "destroyer," respectively. As noted earlier, as the end of his reign approaches, Satan is filled with "great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12). He is the guiding force as massive armies gather for their brutal mission. But God remains in control. Notice the limitations He puts on the locustlike conduits of human suffering. "They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4).
Notice they are not sent to kill people (verse 5), only to torment them. So far these punishments have been directed toward the environment. But now God's anger is directed toward those who still refuse to repent. The agony caused by this plague will be so intense that many will prefer to die. "In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them" (verse 6). God is still giving the world's inhabitants an opportunity to recognize just how angry He is with their rebellious behavior so they can understand that He will no longer tolerate their sins.
Notice that God's timetable for this punishment is precise. This particular plague will affect humans for five months (verse 10). God is in control of what will happen and the length of time it will last.
After five months of terrible afflictions, an angel announces: "One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things" (verse 12).
The sixth trumpet plague
A voice tells the angel who holds the sixth trumpet: "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates" (Revelation 9:14).
The Euphrates was the easternmost boundary of the Roman Empire at the time of the writing of Revelation. Except for a brief period later during the reign of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, when Mesopotamia and Assyria became provinces of Rome, the Euphrates was generally considered the dividing line between the Roman provinces and territories controlled by other kings to the east.
It is not clear whether this river will play a similar role at the time of the end. But this could be implied in the wording of Revelation 16:12, where "kings from the east" are again specifically associated with the Euphrates River.
Now to the next event. "And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind" (Revelation 9:15, NIV).
By this time in John's visions all nations have refused to repent. They have refused to respond to God's warnings through famine, pestilence and environmental disasters, or the agony of the fifth trumpet. Therefore God will no longer restrain the beginning of an all—out world war—a global conflict that will soon climax at Christ's return.
The time has arrived for God to allow man to slaughter his fellow human beings without restraint (except for those righteous few whom He has already sealed). An unimaginable carnage is about to begin. One third of the earth's population will die in this conflagration. Apparently this will be in addition to the deaths from famines, disease epidemics and other catastrophes mentioned earlier—such as those over "a fourth of the earth" that were specified under the fourth seal.
John vividly describes this terrifying end-of-the-age conflict in the only way he can—in the language of the first century: "The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulphur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulphur.
"A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulphur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury" (verses 16-19, NIV).
John could portray a terrifying array of modern weapons only with the vocabulary available to him at that time. Tanks and missiles and aircraft with machine guns, smart bombs and laser-guided missiles did not exist, so he could not begin to describe such weapons in a way we would immediately recognize. When we get into chapters 13-18 we will learn more details about Satan's role in these destructive events.
The international warfare that begins at the sounding of the sixth trumpet is the background of all the remaining punishments in Revelation. Keep this in mind as we continue. Chapter 10 and the first part of chapter 11 in particular must be viewed against this setting. Revelation shows that the final battle at the end of this conflict will be directed against Christ at His return (Revelation 19:19).
As the return of Christ draws near, the book of Revelation describes the stubborn, unyielding attitude of most of mankind. "But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts" (Revelation 9:20).
The seven thunders
In chapter 10 John sees an angel holding "a little book open in his hand" (verse 2). The angel's voice is compared with the roar of a lion. As the angel speaks John hears seven thunderous utterances. Then John says: ". . . I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, 'Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them'" (verses 3-4). Notice that God revealed more prophecy to John than He allowed him to record (Revelation 10:1-4).
Next the angel emphasizes the importance of the imminent seventh trumpet. "The angel ... swore by Him who lives forever ... 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" (verses 5-7). The climax of the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Bible will occur when Christ returns at the sounding of the seventh trumpet.
John then receives specific instructions: "'Go, take the little book ... and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.' Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, 'You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings'" (verses 8-11).
The prophecies John recorded in Revelation will be explained and proclaimed to the nations at the time of the end. God plans to ensure that the final proclamation of His prophecies, and no doubt the gospel itself, grab the attention of all people!
God's two witnesses
When the time of the end arrives God will raise up, in Jerusalem, two prophets to complete this phase of His work before Christ's return. As His chosen witnesses, these two will carry out a spectacular mission on God's behalf. They will perform dramatic miracles as they proclaim God's plagues and judgments (Revelation 11:1-12).
They will exercise some of the same supernatural powers that God anciently granted to Elijah and Moses, two of the greatest prophets of old. "And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies [reminiscent of Elijah]. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy [as did Elijah], and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues [as did Moses], as often as they desire" (verses 5-6).
Their work lasts for 3 1/2 years, the same length of time Jerusalem will be occupied by the gentiles (Revelation 11:2-3). In addition to their activities described here, they appear to be directly associated with certain prophecies of Zechariah (verse 4; compare Zechariah 4:3, 11-14).
We are introduced to the two witnesses at the temple site in Jerusalem. This, too, is significant. Throughout Revelation the temple is consistently associated with worship of God. We are told that "the court which is outside the temple ... has been given to the Gentiles"—along with "the holy city" of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:2).
Jesus had earlier warned that a specific event will trigger many of the events described in the book of Revelation: "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." He continued: "For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equalled again" (Matthew 24:15-16, 21, NIV).
Christ's words indicate that the devil will enable the prophetic beast and false prophet to commandeer the temple area, temporarily making it the center of their own satanically inspired system of worship. Opposing the beast and false prophet will be God's two witnesses. Jerusalem will find itself in the vortex of a great spiritual battle as prophesied events reach their climax.
But how will the two witnesses and their message be received? People will loathe it. Like no other prophets in the history of God's people, the witnesses and their message will truly be "hated by all nations" (Matthew 24:9).
Yet God is consistent. The effect of His witnesses' work will be similar to that of other great prophets. For example, God encouraged Ezekiel concerning the effect of his prophecies: "And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezekiel 33:33). We can expect no less from these two dynamic end-time prophets.
They will gain worldwide attention, giving them an unprecedented opportunity to warn the nations that they should repent of their sins and rebellion against God. Then, when God has seen that their message and warning has been delivered, He will allow the beast to execute them. This, too, is part of God's plan.
By that time the people of every nation will have seen and heard frequent reports on the activities of the two prophets through worldwide communications systems. This becomes clear from John's statement that "peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves" (Revelation 11:7-9).
Notice mankind's reaction to the murder of God's prophets: "And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth" (verse 10). The whole world, having hated the two men's rebukes and calls for repentance, celebrates their deaths.
But their rejoicing will be short-lived. Three and a half days after their execution, the two prophets will be resurrected—possibly at the very time the seventh trumpet announces the return of Christ (verses 11-13). A startled world will have irrefutable proof of who is the true God and which is His religion!
What comes next will occur with astounding speed.
The last trumpet announces Christ's return
"The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!'" (Revelation 11:14-15).
We reach the long-awaited return of Jesus, the Son of God, to establish the Kingdom of God. "And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned" (verses 16-17).
For God's faithful servants this occasion calls for unrestrained joy and celebration. This is the time when those in the grave receive victory over death, when their faith in God is totally vindicated. The 24 elders' special prayer of thanksgiving reflects the exuberant gratitude and excitement both the angels and the saints are certain to experience at that time (Revelation 11:16-18).
Paul explains the importance of this occasion for those in the grave awaiting Christ's return: "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.
"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
Daniel anticipated and wrote of this wonderful occasion. He prophesied: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life ..." (Daniel 12:2). He explained: "Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever" (verse 3). (For a fuller explanation of the tremendous importance to you personally of the resurrection at Christ's return, be sure to request your free copy of the booklet What Is Your Destiny?)
We should note, however, that Christ's return does not immediately bring universal joy. The final "woe" on the inhabitants of earth commences with the sounding of the last—the seventh-trumpet. John notes: "The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-and for destroying those who destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18, NIV).
The remainder of the book of Revelation specifies which worldly entities must now quickly be destroyed before the Kingdom of God can be established in all its fullness under Christ's rule.
Jesus also emphasizes the Father's faithfulness and commitment to fulfill every promise and prophecy He has ever made by showing John, as the conclusion of this particular vision in Revelation 11, "the ark of His covenant ... within His temple" in heaven (verse 19). He reminds us that God will never forget His covenant promises, which were recorded by His prophets (Daniel 9:4).
One such promise concerns the overthrow of Satan's system. That is now about to occur. The full measure of God's judgments is about to be expressed through the seven last plagues (Revelation 15:1). Babylon the Great, the ruling city in Satan's end-time empire, will be destroyed. But, before it is annihilated, Christ reveals to us what it is and why it must be annihilated.
The Two Women of Revelation
The events described in the second half of the book of Revelation are directly related to the past and future of two symbolic women who are diametrical opposites. The first (Revelation 12) represents those who have been God's covenant people—the "Church of God"—both Old Testament Israel and the New Testament called-out servants of Christ. The particular identity of this woman (national Israel or the New Testament Church) in the prophecies of Revelation is determined by the context and other scriptures. Jerusalem, the holy city, is portrayed as their spiritual home (Revelation 11:2).
In the future Christ's faithful followers will become the eternally righteous community of the saved in the city of New Jerusalem. They are those who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17; compare 14:12; 22:14). Yet, by most in this present age they are despised, rejected and persecuted.
But this woman, the true Church of God, is cherished by Christ. For a long time she has prepared herself to become His bride (Ephesians 5:27, 29; Revelation 19:7-9). She will sit with Him on His throne and share in reigning over those who in this age have rejected and despised her (Revelation 3:21). She will assist Christ in teaching God's ways to all nations (Revelation 20:6; Micah 4:2).
The second woman, represented as a faithless harlot, is another great city. "And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH ... [She is] drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:5-6).
What does she symbolize? "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (verse 18). She will be the pride of this world. But she will also have been the relentless persecutor of true Christians. God accuses her of being "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (verse 6).
Her influential relationships reach into the highest political and social circles—"the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury" (Revelation 18:3). ". . . Her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (verse 5).
Symbolically, God calls this harlot city—with her intimate but corrupt entanglements in international affairs—Babylon the Great. Her cultural and religious roots go back to ancient Babylon, the city where mankind rebelled against God soon after the great Flood in the time of Noah (Genesis 11:4, 9). It was in ancient Babylon that Satan reestablished his control over mankind for "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4), the age that followed the days of Noah.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes ancient Babylonia as a "cultural region occupying southeastern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern southern Iraq from around Baghdad to the Persian Gulf). Because the city of Babylon was the capital of this area for so many centuries, the term Babylonia has come to refer to the entire culture that developed in the area from the time it was first settled, about 4000 BC" (1999 Multimedia Edition, "Babylonia," emphasis added).
A modern city labeled Babylon the Great will, like ancient Babylon, set the cultural and religious standards for the end-time political-religious empire of the beast of Revelation.
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible explains the biblical implications of this Babylonian heritage: "As the realm of the devil ... Babylon is ... understood as the arche-typical head of all entrenched worldly resistance to God. Babylon is an agelong reality including idolatrous kingdoms as diverse as Sodom, Gomorrah, Egypt, Tyre, Nineveh, and Rome ... Babylon, the mother of all harlots, is the great source and reservoir of enmity to God, as well as the objectified product of the 'one mind' [Revelation 17:13, 17] which gives power and authority to false gods. As such, she is the antithesis of the virgin bride of Christ, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, the kingdom of God" (p. 338; "Babylon (NT)," emphasis added).
The primary affairs of ancient Babylon were managed principally by a hierarchy of priests who cleverly blended illicit sexual practices into their idolatrous religious system. Traces of their traditions still exist in today's religious cultures. At the time of the end many ancient idolatrous concepts will again be elevated to international acclaim through the efforts of a modern city that has ardently preserved many elements of ancient Babylon's idolatry.
How much influence will this great apostate city, this second woman, exert in our modern era?
"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication'" (Revelation 17:1-2). An angel explains to John that "the waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (verse 15).
Citizens of many lands, speaking many languages, will cheerfully embrace her satanic approach toward personal and spiritual relationships -her spiritual harlotry. They will welcome, with approving fascination, her influence and power over them. She will boast, "I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow" (Revelation 18:7). God, however, labels her the mother of harlots, a city full of abominations. He condemns her practices and will destroy her along with every corrupt tradition she has preserved.
In contrast, the first woman, "the church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15), will become the bride of Christ at His return (Revelation 19:7-9). Revelation ends with the people of God, after receiving eternal life, dwelling with Christ and the Father forever. "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.'
"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (Revelation 21:9-11). Here is the woman who forever will radiate the light and truth of God.
She will expand into an immense city of faithful and obedient servants of God—the everlasting holy city of New Jerusalem. Notice God's final warning in Revelation: "And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:19).
In the future Christ's faithful followers will become the eternally righteous community of the saved in the city of New Jerusalem. They are those who "keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17; compare 14:12; 22:14). Yet, by most in this present age they are despised, rejected and persecuted.
But this woman, the true Church of God, is cherished by Christ. For a long time she has prepared herself to become His bride (Ephesians 5:27, 29; Revelation 19:7-9). She will sit with Him on His throne and share in reigning over those who in this age have rejected and despised her (Revelation 3:21). She will assist Christ in teaching God's ways to all nations (Revelation 20:6; Micah 4:2).
The second woman, represented as a faithless harlot, is another great city. "And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH ... [She is] drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:5-6).
What does she symbolize? "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (verse 18). She will be the pride of this world. But she will also have been the relentless persecutor of true Christians. God accuses her of being "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (verse 6).
Her influential relationships reach into the highest political and social circles—"the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury" (Revelation 18:3). ". . . Her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (verse 5).
Symbolically, God calls this harlot city—with her intimate but corrupt entanglements in international affairs—Babylon the Great. Her cultural and religious roots go back to ancient Babylon, the city where mankind rebelled against God soon after the great Flood in the time of Noah (Genesis 11:4, 9). It was in ancient Babylon that Satan reestablished his control over mankind for "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4), the age that followed the days of Noah.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes ancient Babylonia as a "cultural region occupying southeastern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (modern southern Iraq from around Baghdad to the Persian Gulf). Because the city of Babylon was the capital of this area for so many centuries, the term Babylonia has come to refer to the entire culture that developed in the area from the time it was first settled, about 4000 BC" (1999 Multimedia Edition, "Babylonia," emphasis added).
A modern city labeled Babylon the Great will, like ancient Babylon, set the cultural and religious standards for the end-time political-religious empire of the beast of Revelation.
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible explains the biblical implications of this Babylonian heritage: "As the realm of the devil ... Babylon is ... understood as the arche-typical head of all entrenched worldly resistance to God. Babylon is an agelong reality including idolatrous kingdoms as diverse as Sodom, Gomorrah, Egypt, Tyre, Nineveh, and Rome ... Babylon, the mother of all harlots, is the great source and reservoir of enmity to God, as well as the objectified product of the 'one mind' [Revelation 17:13, 17] which gives power and authority to false gods. As such, she is the antithesis of the virgin bride of Christ, the holy city, the new Jerusalem, the kingdom of God" (p. 338; "Babylon (NT)," emphasis added).
The primary affairs of ancient Babylon were managed principally by a hierarchy of priests who cleverly blended illicit sexual practices into their idolatrous religious system. Traces of their traditions still exist in today's religious cultures. At the time of the end many ancient idolatrous concepts will again be elevated to international acclaim through the efforts of a modern city that has ardently preserved many elements of ancient Babylon's idolatry.
How much influence will this great apostate city, this second woman, exert in our modern era?
"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication'" (Revelation 17:1-2). An angel explains to John that "the waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (verse 15).
Citizens of many lands, speaking many languages, will cheerfully embrace her satanic approach toward personal and spiritual relationships -her spiritual harlotry. They will welcome, with approving fascination, her influence and power over them. She will boast, "I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow" (Revelation 18:7). God, however, labels her the mother of harlots, a city full of abominations. He condemns her practices and will destroy her along with every corrupt tradition she has preserved.
In contrast, the first woman, "the church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15), will become the bride of Christ at His return (Revelation 19:7-9). Revelation ends with the people of God, after receiving eternal life, dwelling with Christ and the Father forever. "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.'
"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (Revelation 21:9-11). Here is the woman who forever will radiate the light and truth of God.
She will expand into an immense city of faithful and obedient servants of God—the everlasting holy city of New Jerusalem. Notice God's final warning in Revelation: "And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:19).
The 'Time of Jacob's Trouble'
Shortly after the return of Christ, all of the descendants of ancient Israel—including the descendants of the so-called lost 10 tribes—will again gather and resettle in Palestine. Jerusalem will once more be the capital city of the restored 12 tribes of Israel, as well as the capital of the world.
This reunion of all 12 tribes is described in some detail in Ezekiel 37:15-28. God also explained it to the prophet Jeremiah: "For behold, the days are coming ... that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah ... And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it" (Jeremiah 30:3).
But God also indicated to Jeremiah that, while He would allow the future descendants of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah to fall into captivity, He would also rescue some of them from it. He calls this end-time catastrophe—especially on the descendants of ancient Israel's northern kingdom, now known only as the lost 10 tribes—the time of Jacob's trouble: "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7).
God revealed to Daniel that such a time of trouble would occur at the time of the end: "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time" (Daniel 12:1).
This and other prophecies indicate that Satan's wrath during the last days will be directed not only toward faithful Christians but also toward the ethnic descendants of all of Israel—the Jews as well as the descendants of the lost 10 tribes whose identity Satan has never forgotten. It apparently will be especially directed toward the modern-day descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, the English-speaking peoples that sprang from descendants of the British Isles.
Notice the reassurances God gives to the beleaguered people of Israel in the last days:
"'So then, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land'" (Jeremiah 23:7-8, NIV).
"'Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says the LORD, 'nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid'" (Jeremiah 30:10).
"See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back ... I will lead them ... because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son'" (Jeremiah 31:8-9, NIV).
"On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me ... But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid" (Zephaniah 3:11-13, NIV).
Once Christ rescues the ethnic descendants of ancient Israel from this "time of Jacob's trouble" in the last days, He will use them to fulfill the role their forefathers agreed to carry out in the time of Moses. He will make them the world's model people, a nation of teachers, a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6; compare Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Zechariah 8:23).
This reunion of all 12 tribes is described in some detail in Ezekiel 37:15-28. God also explained it to the prophet Jeremiah: "For behold, the days are coming ... that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah ... And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it" (Jeremiah 30:3).
But God also indicated to Jeremiah that, while He would allow the future descendants of the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah to fall into captivity, He would also rescue some of them from it. He calls this end-time catastrophe—especially on the descendants of ancient Israel's northern kingdom, now known only as the lost 10 tribes—the time of Jacob's trouble: "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it" (Jeremiah 30:7).
God revealed to Daniel that such a time of trouble would occur at the time of the end: "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time" (Daniel 12:1).
This and other prophecies indicate that Satan's wrath during the last days will be directed not only toward faithful Christians but also toward the ethnic descendants of all of Israel—the Jews as well as the descendants of the lost 10 tribes whose identity Satan has never forgotten. It apparently will be especially directed toward the modern-day descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh, the English-speaking peoples that sprang from descendants of the British Isles.
Notice the reassurances God gives to the beleaguered people of Israel in the last days:
"'So then, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land'" (Jeremiah 23:7-8, NIV).
"'Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,' says the LORD, 'nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, and no one shall make him afraid'" (Jeremiah 30:10).
"See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back ... I will lead them ... because I am Israel's father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son'" (Jeremiah 31:8-9, NIV).
"On that day you will not be put to shame for all the wrongs you have done to me ... But I will leave within you the meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid" (Zephaniah 3:11-13, NIV).
Once Christ rescues the ethnic descendants of ancient Israel from this "time of Jacob's trouble" in the last days, He will use them to fulfill the role their forefathers agreed to carry out in the time of Moses. He will make them the world's model people, a nation of teachers, a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6; compare Deuteronomy 4:5-8; Zechariah 8:23).
The Destruction of Satan's Kingdom
Down through the ages God's servants have asked certain questions again and again: When will God put an end to wickedness? When will He eliminate Satan's influence? When will man's inhumanity to his fellowman cease?
Read on for the answers to these questions!
John writes: "Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended ... Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God ..." (Revelation 15:1, 7, NRSV).
Before we examine the nature of this final phase of God's punishments on human beings who have refused to repent (Revelation 16:9, 11), we need to get our bearings regarding the setting of these plagues.
As we have already seen, those who worship the beast and his image will be the recipients of the "full strength" of God's "indignation" that these seven last plagues represent. Also, these things will be completed "in the presence of the Lamb" (Revelation 14:9-10). These words indicate that all of the seven last plagues will occur within a brief time. As Christ descends through the clouds "every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7; compare Acts 1:9-11). These verses imply that, as these punishments occur, Christ's direct involvement with them will be visible to the whole world.
It is important to remember that these seven last plagues represent final aspects of the seventh trumpet or the "third woe," including the return of Christ (Revelation 11:14-15). One purpose for His return is to "destroy those who destroy the earth" (verse 18). In other words, Jesus plans to personally oversee the final phase of the destruction of Satan's kingdom.
The seven last plagues will complete God's punishment and destruction of the evil and satanic system of government, culture and religion that began in ancient Babylon. How will God bring this phase of His plan to a close? What impact will its completion have on the nations?
God's plan in destroying Satan's kingdom—with special focus on its leading city, Babylon the Great—is designed to change the worship patterns and practices of the whole world. After He completes that destruction "all nations shall come and worship before" God (Revelation 15:4).
That will be an incredible reversal. Why? Because at the beginning of the plagues those nations are engrossed in the "worship [of] the beast and his image" (Revelation 14:11). This includes the "worship [of] demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk" (Revelation 9:20).
Not only must Satan's kingdom be destroyed, but the citizens of every nation must understand that God, who gave the Ten Commandments to ancient Israel, is the source of the destruction. They must see that the gods and idols they serve are utterly defenseless and powerless before God, whom they have refused to obey. Chapters 16-20 of Revelation give us details that show the living God accomplishing this.
The seven last plagues
"Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth'" (Revelation 16:1). God carefully chose each of these seven punishments. Each will cause the kingdom of the beast to reap what it sowed.
Each is directly related to the sins of the evil system as a whole, a system focused on enjoying pleasures and riches regardless of the harm they inflict on others. Notice the attitude of people in general "in the last days." Paul describes them as "lovers of themselves, lovers of money ... without self-control, brutal, ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
He describes them as obsessed with knowledge but woefully lacking in understanding-"always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (verse 7). This is a thoroughly deceived society. Those in it who have understood and practiced what is true and just have been persecuted and killed because they were out of step with that society's twisted views and attitudes.
God shows He will reach the minds of these people by causing them to reap what they had been sowing. That is what the seven last plagues will accomplish.
"The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshipped his image" (Revelation 16:2, NIV). Their misguided worship—their form of godliness without substance—has been the prime cause of the pain inflicted on God's servants. So the first plague turns that anguish back on its perpetrators.
"The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died" (verse 3, NIV). The kingdom of the beast had been systematically killing the servants of God. Now the sea becomes a lake of blood. Densely populated coastal areas will be blanketed with the stench of blood and dead fish. The returning Christ will force those supporting the beast's warfare against His servants to be personally overtaken with the stench and repugnance of death.
"The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: 'You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.' And I heard the altar respond: 'Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments'" (verses 4-7, NIV). Remember, all of this is happening very quickly "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb" (Revelation 14:10).
"The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him" (Revelation 16:8-9, NIV).
Satan's kingdom is founded on a "form of godliness" (2 Timothy 3:5) that has consistently substituted many of the traditions that began in ancient Babylon for the commandments of God. His kingdom has been at "war with [those] ... who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17). Therefore God, who has control of everything everywhere, will turn against that kingdom the very sun they unwittingly still worship.
Our modern custom of substituting Sunday—the day originally dedicated by the pagans for worshipping the sun—in place of the biblical seventh-day Sabbath is one clear example of such worship.
Also, the custom of keeping Christmas comes from another ancient tradition of celebrating the annual "rebirth" of the sun at the winter solstice. As almost any encyclopedia will tell you, Dec. 25 was celebrated in ancient pagan religions as the birthday of the sun, then later adopted as the supposed birthday of Christ. (To better understand God's perspective on such practices, be sure to request your free copy of Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?)
Jesus reprimanded the people of His century for substituting human traditions for God's commands: "... In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" and "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (Mark 7:7, 9).
"The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done" (Revelation 16:10-11, NIV). God now adds the terror of total darkness to the pain of the sores, the stench of blood and the excruciating heat they are already experiencing. Darkness is an appropriate plague because of the spiritual darkness the beast has cast upon the world.
The nations gather to fight Christ
"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty ... Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon" (verses 12-16, NIV).
Again let's remember that the seven last plagues are the culmination of the seventh trumpet or the third woe. As we saw earlier, the sixth trumpet (the second woe) introduced the beginning of a global military conflict.
In anticipation of Christ's appearance in the clouds, God has allowed Satan and his demons to create seemingly miraculous signs to motivate world leaders to move their armies into the Holy Land. Satan's objective has always been to fight Christ at His return with the armies of the world. The armies are now gathered at Megiddo on a large plain about 55 miles north of Jerusalem. The final battle, to take place at Jerusalem (Zechariah 14), is about to begin.
"Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It is done!'" (Revelation 16:17). All of God's efforts to reason with human beings are now over. Yet humanity still stubbornly refuses to repent.
As mankind's Savior descends to earth, John explains that "great Babylon" is "remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath" (verse 19).
This is accomplished partly by "a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth" (verse 18). Islands and mountains disappear as the earth shakes and shudders (verse 20).
Notice what accompanies these vast earthly convulsions: "From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each" batter the earth and its inhabitants (verse 21, NIV). Satan's modern "Babylonian" kingdom is being systematically demolished.
Why Babylon the Great is destroyed
Chapters 17-19 explain the reason for the harlot city's destruction. They also describe the fate of the armies Satan has persuaded to fight against Christ as He descends to the Mount of Olives just outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
We have already seen that Satan's influence on mankind, especially over the kingdom of the beast, emanates from "the great harlot [city] who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:1-2). "She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit ..." (Revelation 18:2).
The modern heir of ancient Babylon's mystery religion, the city of Rome is described as "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6). More than any other city, Rome, under the influence of a great religious system, has orchestrated the persecution and martyrdom of "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12).
Pictured as a harlot sitting astride the beast-the 10-king empire of which she is the cultural and spiritual center-this infamous city has exerted a vast influence over the earth's "peoples, multitudes, nations and languages" (Revelation 17:15, NIV). For a while she has enjoyed the status and fame of being the city that "reigns over the kings of the earth" (verse 18).
In the end, however, her honeymoon with political leaders will turn sour. The kings supporting her widespread influence will come to despise her. Possibly they will finally recognize that God is not with her, that her claims of divine support are a lie.
Whatever the reason, they will turn on her with a vengeance. "The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled" (verses 16-17, NIV).
Chapter 18 describes the reaction of many of the world's most prominent people-especially rulers and merchants -to the burning of this mighty city. "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her ... They will stand far off and cry: 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her ..." (verses 9-11, NIV).
The commercial aspects of Satan's kingdom, as described in chapter 18, reflect the favoritism and greed that have driven the entire system. Those who profited most include the "merchants ... who became rich by her," the "shipmaster" and "all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea" (verses 15, 17). "Your merchants were the world's great men," proclaims an angel. "By your magic spell all the nations were led astray" (verse 23, NIV).
With her fall the culture of Satan's empire collapses. His kingdom falls apart.
God has warned His people not to get caught up in this evil system lest they, too, become victims of her destruction. "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: 'Come out of her, my people, ... so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself ... She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her" (verses 4-8, NIV).
All of creation is told, "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" (verse 20).
The theme of rejoicing continues into the next chapter: "After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants'" (Revelation 19:1-2, NIV).
Christ's victory
John now describes the magnificent return of Christ to Jerusalem: "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war ... and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (verses 11-16, NIV).
Let's not forget that Satan has gathered the armies of the nations to Jerusalem to fight Christ (verse 19). At this point God is giving Satan the freedom to instigate the ultimate rebellion. But even in his rebellion Satan is carrying out God's purpose. God wants to make it clear that all the armies of the earth are nothing compared to the power of His King-the conquering Messiah—who returns to the holy city of Jerusalem.
Long ago God prophesied: "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it ... Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley ..." (Zechariah 14:2-4, NIV). He adds: "The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name" (verse 9, NIV).
Notice Christ dealing with the opposing armies: "This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected-great quantities of gold and silver and clothing" (verses 12-14).
An angel then summons scavenger birds to feast on the flesh of the armies (Revelation 19:17-18, 21). Then "the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur" (verse 20, NIV). (See "Satan: The Great Seducer," p. 27.)
As the kingdom of the beast is dismantled and destroyed, Satan and his demons must be stopped from deceiving and manipulating. Therefore an angel "seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended" (Revelation 20:2-3, NIV).
Satan's control over "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4; 1 John 5:19) is then terminated for the next 1,000 years. The battle for the control of the earth is finished.
Christ makes the saints rulers with Him
The peaceful 1,000-year rule of Christ now begins. John immediately sees Jesus rewarding the saints for the suffering they have endured at the hand of Satan and his Babylonian system. John watched as martyrs "came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4, NIV; see also Revelation 22:12).
As His faithful servants receive eternal life at the time of their resurrection, Jesus begins fulfilling His word that they would be corulers with Him. He had promised: "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations" and "to him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne" (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; NIV).
"Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection," writes John. "The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6, NIV).
Daniel long ago also observed this wonderful occasion in a vision: "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him" (Daniel 7:27, NIV).
This is the beginning of the wonderful era so often referred to by students of the Bible as the Millennium. For details about what will occur during Christ's millennial reign, be sure to request your free copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom, What Is Your Destiny? and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.
The final judgment
We saw earlier that Satan will be constrained during the Millennium. Yet we also read: "After that, he must be set free for a short time" (Revelation 20:3, NIV).
During the Millennium many will be born who will not be exposed to Satan's influence. God's way will be the only way they will have ever known. Yet the Scriptures reveal that God tests people to see if their obedience is from the heart (Deuteronomy 8:2; Revelation 2:10). One way He does this is to allow them to choose between good and evil (Deuteronomy 30:19). John indicates this will happen at the end of the Millennium.
Notice how it will occur: "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—-to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them" (Revelation 20:7-9, NIV).
God does not reveal if this is the only test He will use during the Millennium to separate insincere people from those who are sincere. But it will certainly be the final and most significant test of the 1,000 years. It will be a vital part of the judgment process.
Now comes the time for Satan's permanent constraint: "And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (verse 10, Modern King James Version). He will never again be allowed to deceive anyone.
A second resurrection
But the process of judgment is not yet complete. The dead who died without repenting before the beginning of the Millennium must be judged. In this final judgment God's mercy and wisdom become further apparent.
Remember, faithful Christians are resurrected at Christ's return, at the beginning of the Millennium. Theirs was the "first resurrection" (verse 5).
The dead who are resurrected to appear "before the throne" of God (verse 12) after "the thousand years are over" (verse 7) have never fully known God and His ways. They have never comprehended what it means to really repent of their sins. Are they resurrected to be condemned forever? Not at all. Notice the purpose of this second resurrection:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books [of the Bible] were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books" (verses 11-12). They are resurrected, then judged by biblical standards-according to their response to the spiritual enlightenment they now receive for the first time.
The word translated "books" in this passage is biblia. It is from the root of this same Greek word that we get the English word Bible. When God resurrects these people He will explain the full meaning of the books of the Holy Scriptures to them. When they respond and repent, their names also can be written in the book of life.
But notice what happens to those who, after being resurrected and receiving a clear understanding of what God expects of them, still refuse to repent. "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (verse 15).
Punishment of the incorrigibly wicked
Other scriptures indicate that a third group must be resurrected to be included in this final destruction of the wicked in the lake of fire.
Jesus said that some would deliberately and knowingly despise the spiritual knowledge that God would open their minds to understand. This calculated blasphemy "against the Holy Spirit," He said, will not be forgiven "either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32).
Yet we are also told that "all who are in the graves will hear [Christ's] voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation [judgment]" (John 5:29). Even those who have turned down all opportunities to repent and be forgiven must also be resurrected from the dead in the day of judgment.
These people have deliberately rejected God's way of life—even after they have been "once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit" (Hebrews 6:4-6). They were once forgiven and given the Holy Spirit. But afterwards they chose to reject God's rule over him and blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, say the Scriptures, because they maliciously "trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace," for them "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26-29).
It is important that we understand the purpose of the lake of fire. God has judged that all the wicked must be burned up. "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'That will leave them neither root nor branch'" (Malachi 4:1).
Therefore it appears that Revelation 20:13-14, of necessity, must include those few among the wicked who have already been condemned to perish in the lake of fire.
Victory over death
This brings us to the time when, as Paul said, "death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). By the end of the final judgment period all humans who have ever lived will have been given the opportunity to choose between life and death. They can repent and submit to God to receive eternal life or refuse to repent and by so doing choose eternal death. There will be no middle ground, no other choice.
Some, sad to say, will stubbornly cling to their self-directed course in spite of all the opportunities to repent that God makes available to them. God will not force eternal life on anyone. Those who knowingly choose not to repent will be judged by their actions and destroyed in the lake of fire. This is truly an act of mercy, since such persons would bring perpetual misery on themselves and others forever.
When all is finished we are told: "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Revelation 20:14). The judgment of God is complete. Never again will those who receive salvation have to fear death. Death will have been swallowed up in victory.
This fulfills one of Jesus' prophecies: "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 13:41-43).
The inspiring explanation of the resurrections teaches us that the reward of God's faithful people is not to enter heaven upon death. Instead, it begins with the first resurrection, when Jesus returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (For a more complete explanation of what happens after death, and God's promised blessings for His obedient followers, be sure to request the free booklets What Happens After Death? and Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?)
Read on for the answers to these questions!
John writes: "Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and amazing: seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended ... Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God ..." (Revelation 15:1, 7, NRSV).
Before we examine the nature of this final phase of God's punishments on human beings who have refused to repent (Revelation 16:9, 11), we need to get our bearings regarding the setting of these plagues.
As we have already seen, those who worship the beast and his image will be the recipients of the "full strength" of God's "indignation" that these seven last plagues represent. Also, these things will be completed "in the presence of the Lamb" (Revelation 14:9-10). These words indicate that all of the seven last plagues will occur within a brief time. As Christ descends through the clouds "every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7; compare Acts 1:9-11). These verses imply that, as these punishments occur, Christ's direct involvement with them will be visible to the whole world.
It is important to remember that these seven last plagues represent final aspects of the seventh trumpet or the "third woe," including the return of Christ (Revelation 11:14-15). One purpose for His return is to "destroy those who destroy the earth" (verse 18). In other words, Jesus plans to personally oversee the final phase of the destruction of Satan's kingdom.
The seven last plagues will complete God's punishment and destruction of the evil and satanic system of government, culture and religion that began in ancient Babylon. How will God bring this phase of His plan to a close? What impact will its completion have on the nations?
God's plan in destroying Satan's kingdom—with special focus on its leading city, Babylon the Great—is designed to change the worship patterns and practices of the whole world. After He completes that destruction "all nations shall come and worship before" God (Revelation 15:4).
That will be an incredible reversal. Why? Because at the beginning of the plagues those nations are engrossed in the "worship [of] the beast and his image" (Revelation 14:11). This includes the "worship [of] demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk" (Revelation 9:20).
Not only must Satan's kingdom be destroyed, but the citizens of every nation must understand that God, who gave the Ten Commandments to ancient Israel, is the source of the destruction. They must see that the gods and idols they serve are utterly defenseless and powerless before God, whom they have refused to obey. Chapters 16-20 of Revelation give us details that show the living God accomplishing this.
The seven last plagues
"Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth'" (Revelation 16:1). God carefully chose each of these seven punishments. Each will cause the kingdom of the beast to reap what it sowed.
Each is directly related to the sins of the evil system as a whole, a system focused on enjoying pleasures and riches regardless of the harm they inflict on others. Notice the attitude of people in general "in the last days." Paul describes them as "lovers of themselves, lovers of money ... without self-control, brutal, ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
He describes them as obsessed with knowledge but woefully lacking in understanding-"always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (verse 7). This is a thoroughly deceived society. Those in it who have understood and practiced what is true and just have been persecuted and killed because they were out of step with that society's twisted views and attitudes.
God shows He will reach the minds of these people by causing them to reap what they had been sowing. That is what the seven last plagues will accomplish.
"The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshipped his image" (Revelation 16:2, NIV). Their misguided worship—their form of godliness without substance—has been the prime cause of the pain inflicted on God's servants. So the first plague turns that anguish back on its perpetrators.
"The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died" (verse 3, NIV). The kingdom of the beast had been systematically killing the servants of God. Now the sea becomes a lake of blood. Densely populated coastal areas will be blanketed with the stench of blood and dead fish. The returning Christ will force those supporting the beast's warfare against His servants to be personally overtaken with the stench and repugnance of death.
"The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say: 'You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged; for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.' And I heard the altar respond: 'Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments'" (verses 4-7, NIV). Remember, all of this is happening very quickly "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb" (Revelation 14:10).
"The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him" (Revelation 16:8-9, NIV).
Satan's kingdom is founded on a "form of godliness" (2 Timothy 3:5) that has consistently substituted many of the traditions that began in ancient Babylon for the commandments of God. His kingdom has been at "war with [those] ... who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17). Therefore God, who has control of everything everywhere, will turn against that kingdom the very sun they unwittingly still worship.
Our modern custom of substituting Sunday—the day originally dedicated by the pagans for worshipping the sun—in place of the biblical seventh-day Sabbath is one clear example of such worship.
Also, the custom of keeping Christmas comes from another ancient tradition of celebrating the annual "rebirth" of the sun at the winter solstice. As almost any encyclopedia will tell you, Dec. 25 was celebrated in ancient pagan religions as the birthday of the sun, then later adopted as the supposed birthday of Christ. (To better understand God's perspective on such practices, be sure to request your free copy of Holidays or Holy Days: Does It Matter Which Days We Keep?)
Jesus reprimanded the people of His century for substituting human traditions for God's commands: "... In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" and "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition" (Mark 7:7, 9).
"The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness. Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done" (Revelation 16:10-11, NIV). God now adds the terror of total darkness to the pain of the sores, the stench of blood and the excruciating heat they are already experiencing. Darkness is an appropriate plague because of the spiritual darkness the beast has cast upon the world.
The nations gather to fight Christ
"The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty ... Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon" (verses 12-16, NIV).
Again let's remember that the seven last plagues are the culmination of the seventh trumpet or the third woe. As we saw earlier, the sixth trumpet (the second woe) introduced the beginning of a global military conflict.
In anticipation of Christ's appearance in the clouds, God has allowed Satan and his demons to create seemingly miraculous signs to motivate world leaders to move their armies into the Holy Land. Satan's objective has always been to fight Christ at His return with the armies of the world. The armies are now gathered at Megiddo on a large plain about 55 miles north of Jerusalem. The final battle, to take place at Jerusalem (Zechariah 14), is about to begin.
"Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It is done!'" (Revelation 16:17). All of God's efforts to reason with human beings are now over. Yet humanity still stubbornly refuses to repent.
As mankind's Savior descends to earth, John explains that "great Babylon" is "remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath" (verse 19).
This is accomplished partly by "a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth" (verse 18). Islands and mountains disappear as the earth shakes and shudders (verse 20).
Notice what accompanies these vast earthly convulsions: "From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each" batter the earth and its inhabitants (verse 21, NIV). Satan's modern "Babylonian" kingdom is being systematically demolished.
Why Babylon the Great is destroyed
Chapters 17-19 explain the reason for the harlot city's destruction. They also describe the fate of the armies Satan has persuaded to fight against Christ as He descends to the Mount of Olives just outside the Old City of Jerusalem.
We have already seen that Satan's influence on mankind, especially over the kingdom of the beast, emanates from "the great harlot [city] who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:1-2). "She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit ..." (Revelation 18:2).
The modern heir of ancient Babylon's mystery religion, the city of Rome is described as "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6). More than any other city, Rome, under the influence of a great religious system, has orchestrated the persecution and martyrdom of "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12).
Pictured as a harlot sitting astride the beast-the 10-king empire of which she is the cultural and spiritual center-this infamous city has exerted a vast influence over the earth's "peoples, multitudes, nations and languages" (Revelation 17:15, NIV). For a while she has enjoyed the status and fame of being the city that "reigns over the kings of the earth" (verse 18).
In the end, however, her honeymoon with political leaders will turn sour. The kings supporting her widespread influence will come to despise her. Possibly they will finally recognize that God is not with her, that her claims of divine support are a lie.
Whatever the reason, they will turn on her with a vengeance. "The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled" (verses 16-17, NIV).
Chapter 18 describes the reaction of many of the world's most prominent people-especially rulers and merchants -to the burning of this mighty city. "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her ... They will stand far off and cry: 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her ..." (verses 9-11, NIV).
The commercial aspects of Satan's kingdom, as described in chapter 18, reflect the favoritism and greed that have driven the entire system. Those who profited most include the "merchants ... who became rich by her," the "shipmaster" and "all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea" (verses 15, 17). "Your merchants were the world's great men," proclaims an angel. "By your magic spell all the nations were led astray" (verse 23, NIV).
With her fall the culture of Satan's empire collapses. His kingdom falls apart.
God has warned His people not to get caught up in this evil system lest they, too, become victims of her destruction. "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: 'Come out of her, my people, ... so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself ... She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her" (verses 4-8, NIV).
All of creation is told, "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!" (verse 20).
The theme of rejoicing continues into the next chapter: "After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants'" (Revelation 19:1-2, NIV).
Christ's victory
John now describes the magnificent return of Christ to Jerusalem: "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war ... and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (verses 11-16, NIV).
Let's not forget that Satan has gathered the armies of the nations to Jerusalem to fight Christ (verse 19). At this point God is giving Satan the freedom to instigate the ultimate rebellion. But even in his rebellion Satan is carrying out God's purpose. God wants to make it clear that all the armies of the earth are nothing compared to the power of His King-the conquering Messiah—who returns to the holy city of Jerusalem.
Long ago God prophesied: "I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it ... Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley ..." (Zechariah 14:2-4, NIV). He adds: "The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name" (verse 9, NIV).
Notice Christ dealing with the opposing armies: "This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected-great quantities of gold and silver and clothing" (verses 12-14).
An angel then summons scavenger birds to feast on the flesh of the armies (Revelation 19:17-18, 21). Then "the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur" (verse 20, NIV). (See "Satan: The Great Seducer," p. 27.)
As the kingdom of the beast is dismantled and destroyed, Satan and his demons must be stopped from deceiving and manipulating. Therefore an angel "seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended" (Revelation 20:2-3, NIV).
Satan's control over "this present evil age" (Galatians 1:4; 1 John 5:19) is then terminated for the next 1,000 years. The battle for the control of the earth is finished.
Christ makes the saints rulers with Him
The peaceful 1,000-year rule of Christ now begins. John immediately sees Jesus rewarding the saints for the suffering they have endured at the hand of Satan and his Babylonian system. John watched as martyrs "came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4, NIV; see also Revelation 22:12).
As His faithful servants receive eternal life at the time of their resurrection, Jesus begins fulfilling His word that they would be corulers with Him. He had promised: "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations" and "to him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne" (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; NIV).
"Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection," writes John. "The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6, NIV).
Daniel long ago also observed this wonderful occasion in a vision: "Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him" (Daniel 7:27, NIV).
This is the beginning of the wonderful era so often referred to by students of the Bible as the Millennium. For details about what will occur during Christ's millennial reign, be sure to request your free copy of The Gospel of the Kingdom, What Is Your Destiny? and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.
The final judgment
We saw earlier that Satan will be constrained during the Millennium. Yet we also read: "After that, he must be set free for a short time" (Revelation 20:3, NIV).
During the Millennium many will be born who will not be exposed to Satan's influence. God's way will be the only way they will have ever known. Yet the Scriptures reveal that God tests people to see if their obedience is from the heart (Deuteronomy 8:2; Revelation 2:10). One way He does this is to allow them to choose between good and evil (Deuteronomy 30:19). John indicates this will happen at the end of the Millennium.
Notice how it will occur: "When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—-to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them" (Revelation 20:7-9, NIV).
God does not reveal if this is the only test He will use during the Millennium to separate insincere people from those who are sincere. But it will certainly be the final and most significant test of the 1,000 years. It will be a vital part of the judgment process.
Now comes the time for Satan's permanent constraint: "And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were. And he will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (verse 10, Modern King James Version). He will never again be allowed to deceive anyone.
A second resurrection
But the process of judgment is not yet complete. The dead who died without repenting before the beginning of the Millennium must be judged. In this final judgment God's mercy and wisdom become further apparent.
Remember, faithful Christians are resurrected at Christ's return, at the beginning of the Millennium. Theirs was the "first resurrection" (verse 5).
The dead who are resurrected to appear "before the throne" of God (verse 12) after "the thousand years are over" (verse 7) have never fully known God and His ways. They have never comprehended what it means to really repent of their sins. Are they resurrected to be condemned forever? Not at all. Notice the purpose of this second resurrection:
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books [of the Bible] were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books" (verses 11-12). They are resurrected, then judged by biblical standards-according to their response to the spiritual enlightenment they now receive for the first time.
The word translated "books" in this passage is biblia. It is from the root of this same Greek word that we get the English word Bible. When God resurrects these people He will explain the full meaning of the books of the Holy Scriptures to them. When they respond and repent, their names also can be written in the book of life.
But notice what happens to those who, after being resurrected and receiving a clear understanding of what God expects of them, still refuse to repent. "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (verse 15).
Punishment of the incorrigibly wicked
Other scriptures indicate that a third group must be resurrected to be included in this final destruction of the wicked in the lake of fire.
Jesus said that some would deliberately and knowingly despise the spiritual knowledge that God would open their minds to understand. This calculated blasphemy "against the Holy Spirit," He said, will not be forgiven "either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32).
Yet we are also told that "all who are in the graves will hear [Christ's] voice and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation [judgment]" (John 5:29). Even those who have turned down all opportunities to repent and be forgiven must also be resurrected from the dead in the day of judgment.
These people have deliberately rejected God's way of life—even after they have been "once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit" (Hebrews 6:4-6). They were once forgiven and given the Holy Spirit. But afterwards they chose to reject God's rule over him and blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, say the Scriptures, because they maliciously "trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace," for them "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26-29).
It is important that we understand the purpose of the lake of fire. God has judged that all the wicked must be burned up. "'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the LORD of hosts, 'That will leave them neither root nor branch'" (Malachi 4:1).
Therefore it appears that Revelation 20:13-14, of necessity, must include those few among the wicked who have already been condemned to perish in the lake of fire.
Victory over death
This brings us to the time when, as Paul said, "death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54). By the end of the final judgment period all humans who have ever lived will have been given the opportunity to choose between life and death. They can repent and submit to God to receive eternal life or refuse to repent and by so doing choose eternal death. There will be no middle ground, no other choice.
Some, sad to say, will stubbornly cling to their self-directed course in spite of all the opportunities to repent that God makes available to them. God will not force eternal life on anyone. Those who knowingly choose not to repent will be judged by their actions and destroyed in the lake of fire. This is truly an act of mercy, since such persons would bring perpetual misery on themselves and others forever.
When all is finished we are told: "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Revelation 20:14). The judgment of God is complete. Never again will those who receive salvation have to fear death. Death will have been swallowed up in victory.
This fulfills one of Jesus' prophecies: "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 13:41-43).
The inspiring explanation of the resurrections teaches us that the reward of God's faithful people is not to enter heaven upon death. Instead, it begins with the first resurrection, when Jesus returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (For a more complete explanation of what happens after death, and God's promised blessings for His obedient followers, be sure to request the free booklets What Happens After Death? and Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach?)
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