Revelation 9

We get two of the three woes announced by the eagle at the end of chapter 8. These woes represent the three trumpet blasts remaining of the trumpet judgments of God. The fifth trumpet revealed an army of demonic locusts, tasked with torturing people (without God's seal, so at least none of the 144,000) for five months. The sixth trumpet revealed another demonic army, tasked with killing 1/3 of mankind. 

What is clear is that the judgments that God is bringing on the unbelievers on earth is increasing in scope and intensity. The response to the seal judgments of God was flight and hiding by those in authority (Revelation 6:15-17). The response to the trumpet judgments of God is continued rebellion and unrepentance (Revelation 9:20-21). What is clear is that even as God continues to increase the scope and intensity of His judgments on unbelieving mankind, they continue to harden their hearts. This is very much like pharoah, who repeatedly hardened his heart as God multiplied His plagues against Egypt.

It appears that during this time, there may be two major movements happening concurrently: On the one hand, the persecution and slaughter of Christians by unbelievers; on the other hand, God's intensifying destruction and slaughter of these very same unbelievers. There is death and destruction on both sides, but God promises eternal paradise and glory for these Christian martyrs (Revelation 7:14-17). And we have yet to discover what God has in store for the unbelievers, who are experiencing God's judgment on earth in increasing measure.

So we learn that God's is just. God provides a witness (144,000 sealed servants of God) on earth. Man's heart is stubbornly wicked. Even in the face of increasing judgment from God, unbelievers continue their idolatry and sins and refuse to repent and turn to God.

We also learn that God's judgments are awful. There is not only destruction, but torment, and terrible death. So we can praise God for His grace toward us in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. 

May the revelation of God's judgments grant us perseverance in our lifetimes. May we long for God's heavenly gift, as we keep God's commands and hold fast our faith in Jesus!

Revelation 10

Revelation 10 is a short but significant chapter, as we are given another glimpse of God's power and sovereignty and faithfulness. 

The Apostle John sees another mighty angel in Revelation 10:1. Recall that he saw the first one in Revelation 5:2. That angel asked the question, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" - a question that would be answered and would introduce the Lamb of God and the beginning of God's judgments (the Seal Judgments). Now, another mighty angel is seen, as the last series of judgments are about to unfold. Many angels have been seen up to this point; however, these angels are unique. They are mighty, or perhaps relative to the other angels, "mightier." 

The description is majestic. This mighty angel is robed in a cloud, has a rainbow above his head, has a face like the sun and legs like fiery pillars. These images remind us of God's presence ("pillar of cloud" and "fiery pillar" in the Exodus), His promise (rainbow of God's covenant with Noah) and perhaps Hs power (God's light will displace the "sun" in the New Heavens and Earth). The angel plants his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and later raises his right hand to heaven. All of this suggests authority in every realm.

But this angel is simply a representative, as are other angels and beings and voices throughout revelation. As awesome as they appear and sound, they are still simply servants of the Most High, who is the Creator of all things in heaven and on earth and in the sea (Revelation 10:6), including the mighty angel himself and the seven thunders. 

This angel holds an open scroll, which suggests that the contents are not meant to be hidden. We will learn more about this scroll a little later. 

The angel makes a loud shout - every utterance is "loud" in the Book of Revelation - but this is only a prompt for the seven thunders to speak. When they speak, John is about to write but is told not to do so. This is the only place in the Book of Revelation, where information is sealed rather than revealed. No reason is given. However, we may have a clue from the verses that follow as to the content of the message of the Seven Thunders.

The same mighty angel swears by God, "There will be no more delay" and that "the mystery of God will be accomplished just has He announced to His servants the prophets." In other words, the end is coming via the Seventh Trumpet, which signifies the last series of God's judgments, the Bowl (or Vial) Judgments. If the message from the Seven Thunders represents even more judgments (e.g. another series after the Trumpet Judgments but before the Bowl Judgments), then the mighty angel's declaration "There will be no more delay" would mean that God has decided that there will be no more partial judgments, no more time for people to repent, no more outreach efforts. With the coming of the Bowl Judgments, God's wrath would be completed (cf. Revelation 15:1). This interruption of the revelation to speed God's wrath to the end seems to express God's power of fiat, to sovereignly switch course, perhaps in consideration of the prayer of the martyred saints, who we recall called out to Him in the 5th Seal, "How long Sovereign LORD, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood!" God will not delay the completion of His wrath against the inhabitants of the earth any longer. He will bring His final judgments and then usher in His Kingdom.

Revelation 10 then reverts back to the open scroll in the mighty angel's hand. As the voice from heaven commands John to seal up the message of the Seven Thunders, it commands him to reveal the message of the scroll, which in all likelihood is the final judgments of God. John is told to take and eat the scroll. John, even with the authority given him from heaven, does not have the boldness of the Lamb, who went and took the scroll from the right hand of the Father on the throne. John goes to the mighty angel and asks for it.

Sweet to the taste but sour in the stomach. The nature or character of God's Word is always represented as sweet (e.g. Psalm 19:10), whether it is a word of blessing or an oracle of judgment, as here. It is the Word of God! However, after eating it, the sourness of it in the stomach may represent the content, which is the final wrath of God. As in Ezekiel, where eating was a prelude to proclaiming (Ezekiel 3:3-4), so here, eating is a prelude to more prophesying by John: "You must prophecy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings" (Revelation 10:11). So then, John does not eat to eat, but he eats to speak. Presumably, this may be a pointer to the remaining chapters of the Book of Revelation. 

As between the Sixth and Seventh Seal, there was an interlude describing God's witness to the nations (144,000 and multitudes of believers), so also between the Sixth and Seventh Trumpet, there is another interlude describing God's witness (the two witnesses).

Revelation 11

Revelation 11 is a continution of the judgment of God from the 6th trumpet blast, which is also the second of three woes. In chapter 10, a mighty angel swore by God's power that there would be no more delay to the consummation of the ages, the vindication of the saints, the completion of prophecy. So we expect what follows to be a swift completion of the judgments of God. 

However, even in the final act, as God's judgment speeds to its end, there is evidence of God's mercy and grace. God sends two witnesses to prophecy for 1260 days (42 months, 3 1/2 years). Just as in the days of Moses, God made a distinction between His people and the unbelievers. In Exodus, God brought His ten plagues on the Egyptians but protected the Jews. In Revelation 11 John is told to measure off the temple, the altar and the worshippers of God. But the outer court and beyond of nations (or Gentiles) would be subject to the judgments brought on by the two witnesses God would send.

Theologians have suggested that these two witnesses may be Moses and Elijah, or persons with their spirit, because of the similar and powerful signs they displayed. Recall that Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36). Both Moses and Elijah were forerunners of Christ. God told Moses that He would raise up a Prophet like Moses that people must listen to (Deuteronomy 18:15). Malachi prophesied that Elijah would be both the forerunner of Christ (Malachi 3:1; fulfilled in John the Baptist, Matthew 11:7-14) and of the great Day of the LORD's judgment (Malachi 4:5). The Jewish leaders of Jesus's day were looking for the Messiah to come, or at least the Prophet like Moses or Elijah, as suggested by the questions they were asking John the Baptist (John 1:19-21). What they sought in Jesus' day, the final judgment of God and the vindication of His people, as prophesied in the Old Testament, would not be fulfilled until Revelation 11. Disclaimer: This is just my interpretation :) as I look at the text. I know that Hebrews 9:27 says people only live once and then the judgment (So, although Elijah did not die as normal people do, Moses did die); however, there are a number of exceptions throughout Scripture of people being resucitated back to life to serve the purposes of God. Likely, they died again after serving their purpose So I find no problem with the view that sees these two witnesses being Moses and Elijah.

Some have surmised that the two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah because these are the only two in biblical history that did not die, and "it is appointed unto all men to die once..."

Just as the two witnesses provide a powerful allusion to God's working and deliverance in the Exodus, they also provide a powerful picture of Christ's death and resurrection. For God allows the beast from the abyss to kill the two witnesses, but after three-and-a-half days, they are raised to life, and they ascend to heaven in a cloud, just as Jesus was crucified, raised and ascended to heaven in cloud.

In Revelation 9:20-21, we learned that the unbelieving people of the earth hardened their hearts and refused to repent even in the face of terrible judgments from God. Perhaps through these two witnesses, God is once again reaching out to the unbelieving people in the final days: "Don't be like Pharoah in the Exodus, who hardened his heart in spite of the plagues; Don't be like the religious leaders in the Gospels, who rejected and crucified the Messiah and refused to believe, even after His resurrection!" Yes, no more delay! But even as the countdown has begun, God reaches out in mercy and grace with these two witnesses. 

Yet, the people thoughout the world celebrate the death of these two witnesses. Perhaps here is a clue that in the final days everyone will know what is going on in any part of the world, even the city of Jerusalem, as is the case today through technology and the internet. 

Like Jesus at his death, after the two witnesses died and rose, there was a severe earthquake. But unlike Jesus, where the saints of old came back to life, in Revelation 11 seven thousand people would die in the earthquake. Even so, we are told that the survivors in Jerusalem "were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven" (Revelation 11:14). This is the only place in Revelation, where we are told the people did not harden their hearts. It appears some believed. 

Following these two witneses would be the announcement of the coming reign of the Messiah (Revelation 11:15), just as God had prophesied from ages past. Then, God would judge the dead, reward the prophets and believing people, and destroy the destroyers of the earth (Revelation 11:16-18).

God's heavenly temple is revealed. The lost ark of the covenant, signifying God's presence, is also revealed (Revelation 11:19). These revelations seem to be a preparatory glimpse of the restoration of God's presence and reign among His people coming in the final chapters of Revelation. Recall that we saw this kind of preparatory glimpse of future hope in Revelation 7:15-17.

Let us praise God for His mercy and grace! Let us praise Him for His holiness and sovereignty. What He has begun He will complete (Philippians 1:6). Praise God!

Revelation 12: 1-6

Praise God for brother Chris Burnett, who took us verse-by-verse through Revelation 12. John is given two great signs, one that pictures the birth of Christ and the other the rebellion of Satan. While there are various interpretations, the simplest and plainest one seems to see the woman as Israel, through whom the Christ is born. The image of the sun and moon and stars may be an allusion to Joseph's dream of Jacob, Leah and the twelve tribes of Israel. The male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron sceptor, who is snatched up to God and His throne, whom Satan tries to destroy, is Jesus the Messiah. The great dragon is identified as the devil or Satan, the ancient serpent (note: this is the first direct identification of the Genesis serpent as being Satan) who leads the whole world astray. He has thrust a third of the stars (representing angels, who become demons) from heaven. He and his demons fight and lose against Michael and his angels. He tries to destroy Jesus the moment He is born - recall Herod's decree to kill all babies two years old and under. The dragon and the serpent are one and the same. 

1260 days, 3.5 years, perhaps the first half ofthe Great Tribulation, are mentioned. While the passage gives a quick review of Gospel history, this definite period may suggest that what happened then (i.e. the days of Christ's first coming) has relevance and fulfillment in what is about to happen now (in John's vision, or later in the Day of the Lord). In other words, prophetic history did not end with Jesus's first coming. Even though Jesus's first coming heralded salvation, it was only the beginning. It would only be in the future, as revealed here in Revelation, when salvation would be fully realized in the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah:

Now have come the salvation and the power 
and the kingdom of our God, 
and the authority of his Messiah (Revelation 12:10).

In the future time of the Great Tribulation, Israel may once again take center stage. Satan will again seek to destroy her. God will again protect her (note God's protection of the 144,000 of all the tribes of Israel). And the Christ, the male child, who was taken up to heaven, will come again to establish His rule over all God's creation. 

Revelation 12:7-17

In the first part of chapter 12 we got a flashback of the first coming of Jesus the Messiah through Israel (the woman) and Satan's (the dragon) failed attempt to destroy him, as Jesus accomolished His mission and ascended to his throne in heaven. In verse 6 we are brought into the future again with the mysterious 1260 days (cf. 11:1-3, compare the protective measuring off of the temple, the altar and the worshippers, the ministry of the 2 witnesses, and the trampling of the outer court and Jerusalem by the Gentiles/nations for 1260 days/42 months), during which time God will protect Israel.

We learn that the instigator of the attack on Israel will be none other than Satan Himself, the dragon, the ancient serpent (of Genesis 3), the devil, who leads the whole world astray. This is the first direct connection in Scripture between the serpent of Genesis 3 and Satan. The only other veiled allusion to it is in Romans 16:20, where Paul writes that God will "crush Satan under your feet." 

Michael and his angels will war against and defeat Satan and his angels (demons), so that the latter is thrown out of heaven and to the earth. It is this act that prompts a voice in heaven to declare that God's salvation, power, and kingdom have finally come. This voice may be one of the martyrs since he identifies with the "brothers and sisters" who triumphed over Satan by "the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony," who "did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death." This martyr may be among those first referenced in Revelation 6:9-11 in the fifth seal, who cried out to God for vindication. Now that vindication had finally come!

Satan is identified as "the Accuser," and is the primary enemy of believers throughout all time. He is the starting point of the entrance of sin, the sin nature and the sinful world system. And he is the perpetuator of it. Now, the martyrs in heaven are free of his accusations. They can truly rejoice! Only those remaining in the terrestrial sphere ("earth and sea") have to suffer his wiles and attacks for awhile longer.

We are told the dragon will go after Israel again in the last days, but Israel will be protected from the dragon/serpent/Satan by God for three-and-a-half years ("time, times and half a time"). Even creation ("the earth"), likely by God's command, will protect Israel when Satan tries to launch an attack against her (the spewing of water may be a metaphor for a military attack). One of our class mentioned that perhaps the earth opening its mouth may refer to a great earthquake that will swallow up the armies of Satan. 

The dragon, failing to destroy Israel, will "wage war against the rest of her offspring." While there is mystery in all these metaphors and figures, I have suggested that "the rest of her offspring" may reference Gentile believers, who, though not Israelites, are still connected to the woman (Israel) as believers in Christ by faith, for "they keep God's commands and hold fast their faith in Jesus."

The 144,000 with the seal of God (see Rev. 7:1-8; 14:1-5) may be a reference to the protected Israelites during this time, while "the rest of her offspring" are Gentile Christian martyrs (see Rev 7:9-10,13-17; 12:11; 13:7-10), who come to faith through their witness (cf. Rev. 14:6-7). In other words, not every believer will be protected from Satan's wrath, only certain Israelites, namely the 144,000. Most believers will suffer martyrdom during this time.

As we have passed the half-way point of Revelation, the interpretation of the book has not gotten any easier. Even so, I praise God for all of you patiently, humbly and teachably slogging through the mystery and wonder of this Book! I pray that it has been edifying. Our God is a mysterious and amazing God! 

Those of you interested in eschatology (i.e. end times prophecy) ought to read the book by Dr. Robert Jeffress entitled Perfect Ending: Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today. While I have not read the book, I have sat through just about every sermon that makes up the content of this book, and I can vouch for its biblical soundness, clarity, and relevance. He also speaks and writes well, so there is no need to worry about it being boring. 

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The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts (Revelation 9:2-21).

After such awful judgments by God, you would think that everyone would repent and submit to God, but that is not what happens. Instead, they continue in their false worship, idolatry, murders, sorceries, immorality and thefts.

Perhaps one of the most nefarious sins of all is the sin of self-justification. The rich young man, who turned away from Jesus' call to follow Him, was guilty of this sin. The lawyer who asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?", was guilty of this sin. The Pharisee, who prayed how he was better than the sinful tax collector, was guilty of this sin. Each of these refused to acknowledge their own spiritual bankruptcy and need for Christ. 

A close companion to the sin of self-justification is the sin of pride. We might even say that pride empowers self-justification. 

Friends, I am always wary about this sin in myself. Whenever you are in a position of authority or are recognized by others for certain talents or abilities, there may be a tendency to think more highly of yourself than you ought. The Bible calls this "being wise in your own eyes" and says that such persons are worse than a fool:

Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for them (Proverbs 26:12).

The nefariousness of being wise in one's own eyes is not simply the arrogance of such a view of things. The real harm is that such a person is also unteachable. They close their minds to knowledge, understanding and wisdom. They believe that there is nothing more to learn. 

Concerning the topic of election, which has been a topic of controversy for over a millennia, a pastor once told me that he had already looked into it, decided on what he believes, and was therefore closed to further investigation and discussion. Such an attitude seems to me to be an example of "being wise in one's own eyes". It is one thing to be persuaded that a certain view is true. It is quite another thing to be closed to any further investigation and discussion. 

Friends, I always try to guard against this sin; therefore, I try to encourage earnest searching and discussion. And when I sense that there is an opennesss, sincerity, and a true desire for discernment in someone, I never run from engaging them in dialogue, even with those that believe something completely different from what I've known and believed. 

Why is this openness so important? It is because the opposite of it is what lies at the heart of what Jesus called "the unpardonable sin". Contrary to popular theology, I do not believe that the unpardonable sin was simply the sin of unbelief. Jesus spoke it against religious rulers who adamantly refused to believe the unmistakeable proofs from the Holy Spirit that demonstrated that Jesus was the Messiah. Unbelief is not unpardonable, for we all at one time or another did not believe and then came to believe. 

What is unpardonable is to set one's heart against believing, or, as the Pharisees did, to call the miracles of God the works of the devil. It is not simply unbelief but creating a context that makes belief impossible. This is like the difference between so-called "hard" agnostics and "soft" agnostics. The latter says, "God is not known" but the former says, "God cannot be known". There is much more hope for "soft" agnostics because they at least leave room for the possibility of knowing God.

The Pharisees did not leave any room for truth that contradicted their man-made traditions and beliefs. They were genuinely closed-minded. 

The people who refused to repent in the Book of Revelation were also closed-minded. Even though they witnessed the truth of God's judgment, they refused to repent and believe. 

Friends, do not be closed-minded. No one has a monopoly on truth; therefore, we must all be humble and engage with one another in the sincere pursuit of truth. Consider the counsel of Solomon:

Indeed, if you call out for insight
    and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:3-5).

The Jews of Paul's day had closed minds. While they did not lack any zeal, they were closed to the true knowledge of God. That is why Paul writes of them,

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness (Romans 10:1-3).

Friends, a very influential educator once wrote, "All truth is God's truth". This is true. I might even add, "All truth that matters is God's truth". Therefore, we do not need to be apologetic or timid in our pursuit of truth, even when others, who are blind to their own closed-mindedness, strangely call us names, like "divisive" or "proud", the very things they are guilty of by virtue of their refusal to engage in the discussion and ascertainment of truth. 

But with open minds and believing hearts, may the Spirit guide us into all the truth, so that we might grow into maturity in the fullness of the knowledge of God and of Christ Jesus our Lord (cf. Ephesians 4:13-15). 

Friends, as you read the Book of Revelation, it is best that you keep a birds-eye view of things at first, so that you will not lose sight of the forest for the trees. 

The general movement of Revelation is as follows: 

INTRODUCTORY

Revelation 1, the prophetic vision is introduced to John with a magnificent vision of the glorified Christ.
Revelation 2-3, John is told to communicate to the seven churches of Asia certain words of counsel along with the vision of the rest of the book.
Revelation 4-5, John is introduced to a heavenly audience, consisting of the throne of God (the Father), 4 living creatures, 24 elders, countless angels, and even a representation of all creation. Jesus is then presented as the Lamb, who is the only One worthy to release the Great Tribulation judgments to follow. And all are shown to give praise to God and to the Lamb, who are worthy to judge the world.

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Revelation 6, the first set of judgments are revealed, the seal judgments, which are so called because a scroll sealed with seven seals are opened by the Lamb with each seal representing a separate judgment.

Revelation 7, after the first set of judgments, John is given a vision of two groups, 144,000 from twelve tribes of Israel and an innumerable multitude of saints. These groups came out from the seal judgments of chapter 6. A good case can be made that the 144,000 Jews may have evangelized the innumerable multitude of martyred saints here described.

Revelation 8-9, the second set of judgments are revealed, the trumpet judgments. These are more intense and extensive than the seal judgments. The latter three trumpets (ch. 9) are particularly nefarious because they involve demonic forces.

Revelation 10-15, after the 2nd set of judgments there is an extensive interlude touching on events and personalities that were likely present through the seal and trumpet judgments. Introduced here are both heavenly and earthly events.

Chapter 10, John is given a heavenly vision declaring that the end would come swiftly and without delay
Chapter 11, God has made a clear demarcation between His chosen believers and the unbelieving masses. Two witnesses are sent with the wonder-working power of Moses & Elijah to prepare the world for God's final judgment.
Chapter 12, John is given a historically panoramic vision of Satan's ("the dragon") design against Israel ("the woman") and Christ ("the male child") but God's supernatural preservation of both.
Chapter 13, along with the dragon, John is given a vision of a beast coming out of the sea and another beast coming out of the earth (aka "the false prophet"). These three are presented almost as a kind of anti-Trinity to ultimately set the world against God. 
Chapter 14, Christ is shown with the 144,000, who are described in detail with respect to their holiness and devotion. They are presented here as sanctified for the great battle to come. Three angels appear to give a final pronouncement of salvation and judgment as two more angels are sent to gather up believers ('harvest") and destroy unbelievers ("winepress"). 
Chapter 15, John sees a vision of the heavenly temple, along with a sea of martyred saints, and seven angels with the seven last judgments of God.

Revelation 16, the third and final set of judgments is the most intense and pervasive of all the judgments. They are the bowl judgments. Whereas before only 1/4 or 1/3 were judged, here everything is destroyed. As bad as the former torments were, these are exceptionally bad. 

Revelation 17-18, Babylon the Great, whose religious wickedness, political strength and commercial influence were far-reaching, is singled out for swift and complete judgment. Consistent with how events following the seal judgments happened in the context of the seal judgments, events following the trumpet judgments happened in the context of the seal & trumpet judgments, it may be that what is described about Babylon extends from the seal through the bowl judgments. 

CONSUMMATION OF ALL THINGS

Revelation 19, as at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, so here at the end, there is a great chorus of hallelujahs. Jesus appears again, not as a Lamb but as a conquering King. A final "battle" is fought against the dragon, the beast, the false prophet, and their armies of people. The armies of people are killed and the beast and false prophet are thrown directly into the place of final judgment, the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20, the dragon, Satan, is bound for 1000 years, during which time Christ would reign on the earth with resurrected saints. After this time, Satan is released to deceive again a new population of people, and he brings them to make war against God's people. But this time, there is no war, only a fire from heaven which devours Satan and his people. Satan is then thrown into the Lake of Fire. People are judged by their works ("books were opened"), and everyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life is thrown into the Lake of Fire. Even death and hades are thrown into the Lake of Fire. 

Revelation 21-22, the new heaven and earth and new Jerusalem are described in wonderful and utopian detail, along with final exhortations to faith and warnings against tampering with the solemn message of the book. 

Hopefully, this will help you get a sense of the movement of the Book of Revelation. What I've described is clearly interpretative, but I believe it presents at least one plausible way to look at the book.