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Old Testament Symbolism in Revelation, Part II |
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The Trumpet-Plagues – A wakeup call for the Church The trumpet-plagues are during the first half of the seven-year covenant (Daniel 9:27), starting when the 144,000 are sealed. The trumpet-plagues are specifically held back until the 144,000 are sealed (Revelation 7:3). The two witnesses prophecy for 1260 days during this time. After the trumpet-plagues is the second half, during which the antichrist has complete rule over every tribe, people, language, and nation. In the Old Testament, trumpets were used to announce the presence of God (Exodus 19:16-19, 20:18), the surrounding of Jericho (Joshua 6:4-20), the gathering of the people (Judges 3:27, 6:34), the announcement of news (1 Samuel 13:3, 2 Samuel 6:15, 2 Samuel 20:1), the signal that war is finished (2 Samuel 2:28, 2 Samuel 18:16, 20:22), and the announcement of a new king (1 Kings 1:34,39,41, 2 Kings 9:13). The seven trumpets do all these things. The seven trumpets are the wake-up call to the Church; that they must overcome sin. They clearly tell the Church that the pre-tribulation rapture did not happen, and that the time of the tribulation will have begun. And the seven trumpets are a warning that Satan, the enemy, is about to have complete rule over the entire world. During the time of the trumpets, there is time for more witness. In chapter 10, we see symbolism that equates to a call to preach. In chapter 11, we read about the two witnesses who prophesy during this time. So, during the time leading up to the complete rule of the antichrist, the Church is still witnessing and new souls are being harvested for Christ. In Revelation 11:13, we see that the Jews in Jerusalem turn to Christ. This is after the time when the two witnesses prophecy. But during the 42-month reign of the antichrist, no more work of the harvest can be done.
So, the trumpets are a wake-up call for the Church, and the trumpets announce that Satan and the antichrist is about to have complete rule over the entire world. |
New Wine for the End Times
(NIV Revelation 1:3) Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. |
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The seven seals have four horses, which are about the "four winds" of the world during the end-time generation. Then there are two more seals about the great tribulation itself, then a "parenthesis," and then the final seal. Likewise, there are four trumpets that are about destruction to the earth itself. Then there are two "woes" against man, then a "parenthesis," and then the final trumpet. The seals, trumpets, and bowls all have this four-two-(parenthesis)-one pattern. The final trumpet leads us right up to the "night," when the antichrist rules. The "night is the third woe. That's a bit confusing, so let's look at more details about the woes. Just remember that the fifth and sixth trumpets are the first two woes, and the "night" is the third woe. After the first four trumpet-plagues against the earth, we are introduced to the three woes (Revelation 8:13). This verse clearly identifies the last three trumpets as the three woes. Then, after the fifth trumpet we are told the first woe has passed (Revelation 9:12). After the sixth trumpet, and after the "parenthesis" between the sixth and seventh trumpet, we are told that the second woe is past (Revelation 11:14). So, the fifth trumpet is the first woe, and the sixth trumpet is the second woe. But the seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19) does not mention a woe. The third woe is not mentioned until verse 12 of chapter 12! And here we read that the, "devil has come down to you, having great wrath." So again, the seven trumpets are during the first half of the seven-year covenant (Daniel 9:27) that leads up to the "night," when Satan and the antichrist rule over every tribe, people, language, and nation. The seven trumpets warn us about the "night." The third woe is that "night" when Satan and the antichrist rule. | (KJV Revelation 8:13) And I beheld, and heard an
angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of
the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
(KJV Revelation 9:12) One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. (KJV Revelation 11:14) The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. (KJV Revelation 12:12b) Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. |
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As the seven angels blow the seven trumpets, God's plagues are poured out on the earth. The first four trumpets signal plagues against the earth, but not directly against man. The fifth and sixth trumpets signal plagues directly against man. Again, we have our four-two-(parenthesis)-one pattern. Each of the seven trumpets can be compared, in order, with the seven days of the Creation. But instead of God creating, there is destruction.
The first four trumpets are plagues against the earth. In each case, the plague is against a third of the Creation. The fifth and sixth trumpets are against Man. | (KJV Revelation 8:7-12) The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. [8] And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; [9] And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. [10] And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; [11] And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. [12] And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The parallels to God’s Creation put emphasis on the fact that these are warnings from God. People will say that God is a God of love and would not do these terrible things. But God’s love is for is Church, and God wants his Church to repent. The trumpet-plagues are a warning of God’s coming wrath. They are a measure of that wrath, given as a warning. The first five trumpet-plagues have parallels to some of plagues on Egypt. | (KJV Revelation 9:1) And the fifth angel
sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit.
(KJV Revelation 9:13,16) And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God. ... [16] And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. |
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The seven trumpets occur during the prophecy of the two witnesses. They prophesy for 1260 days. The two witnesses “have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want” (Revelation 11:6b). In other words, the world relates the trumpet-plagues with these two witnesses. At the end of the 1260 days, they are killed and the world celebrates by exchanging presents (Revelation 11:10). But after three and a half days, they are raised up as the whole world watches. The trumpets are all about building the church. The seventh trumpet signals the fulfillment of this goal. The church is built as the church becomes serious about the overcoming of sin. Those who are truly saved are lead by the Spirit to overcome sin. This fact is given in each of the seven letters to the seven churches. The Greek word used for “overcome” can mean to conquer, prevail, or get the victory. This word is used in Revelation 5:5 in speaking about the victory of Jesus so that he could open the seven seals. And we can be victorious over sin by the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11). In Revelation 15:2, John sees the sea of glass is mingled with fire. As people come to the Lord and overcome sin by the blood of Christ, during the trumpet-plagues, they stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire (Revelation 15:2). The same Greek word for overcome is used in this verse. Revelation 15:2 is before the bowls of wrath. All Christians will have this victory before God’s wrath is poured out. The Church will be victorious as the trumpets are sounded. The trumpets are a signal for the battle to be fought and for victory to be won. Revelation 21:7 concludes with, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son.” | (KJV Exodus 9:22-26) And the LORD said unto Moses,
Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and
upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth
his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the
LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very
grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail
smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail
smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where
the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
(KJV Exodus 7:20) And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. (KJV Exodus 7:24) And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river. (KJV Exodus 10:21-23) And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. (KJV Exodus 10:13-14) And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. |
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An allusion to the seven trumpets can be found in Joshua 6. The Lord tells Joshua to march around the city of Jericho for seven days. An armed guard led the way. Seven priests carried trumpets and marched ahead of the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day, they marked around the city seven times with the priests blowing the trumpets. The walls of the city collapsed and the victory was won. The victory at Jericho required the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant carried the Ten Commandments. Obedience to God’s laws is required for spiritual victory. When the seventh trumpet is sounded, John sees the Ark of the Covenant in the temple of God in heaven. Under the New Covenant, God’s law is written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33, Hebrews 8:8). But this doesn’t happen overnight in the believer. It’s the process of sanctification. It’s all about the Church taking sin seriously. It begins with the opening of the seals. And it’s accomplished by the seven trumpet-plagues. So, at the seventh trumpet John sees the Ark of the Covenant in the temple of God. This is symbolic of the completion of God’s law being written in the hearts of Church, which is the temple of God. When the seventh trumpet is sounded, voices in heaven say, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (NIV Revelation 11:15). In other words, this is what is accomplished during the time of the trumpet-plagues. The conquering of the kingdom of the world is the victory. The walls of the city will collapse. The church is built, and the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of the Lord. But this doesn’t literally happen at the seventh trumpet. The church must first go through the desert of sanctification. Yet it’s considered accomplished at the seventh trumpet. | (KJV Joshua 6:2-5) And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark [of the covenant] seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The fifth trumpet is the first woe. The sixth trumpet is the second woe. And the seventh trumpet leads us right up to the "night," which is the third woe. For this first woe, a fallen angel (demon) is allowed to release a bunch of demons (locusts) to torment sinful men. For the second woe, there are four angels who have been bound and are then released. So, these four angels are also probably fallen angels, or demons. They are released and allowed to start a big war, a war that kills a third of the population of mankind. For the third woe, Satan himself is thrown down to the earth (Revelation 12:12), having great wrath. So, the fifth and sixth trumpets, which are the first and second woes, are a warning of the greatest tribulation of all time, the third woe, the worldwide rule by Satan and the antichrist. The fifth trumpet is the woe of demons. In Revelation 9:1, a star falls from the heaven to the earth. This would be an angel, probably a fallen angel. Stars are symbolic of angels (Revelation 1:20). A fallen angel is a demon. This fallen angel (demon) is given the key to the Abyss, which is the bottomless pit. In the Greek and in the KJV it's bottomless pit. In other translations it's the Abyss. In Revelation 11:7 and 17:8, the beast (antichrist) comes from the Abyss. In Revelation 20:1-3, another angel locks up Satan in the Abyss for a thousand years. Back in the fifth trumpet, the fallen angel (demon) is allowed to open up the Abyss and let out of bunch of demons. These demons are seen as locusts in John's vision. The angel opens the bottomless pit (Abyss) and fire and smoke rise from it like smoke from a gigantic furnace. There is enough smoke to darken the sun and the sky. This sounds very much like volcanic activity. Smoke from a volcano can darken the sun and the sky. The Greek word used here for pit means a hole in the ground. A volcano is a hole in the ground that leads all the way to the center of the earth. From that perspective, it's bottomless. If you could survive at the center of the earth, you would be weightless. There would be no "down." So, a volcano can be thought of as a bottomless pit. And the center of the earth is full of melted lava, which can be thought of as fire. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The seven trumpets are a wake-up call for the Bride. The Church must overcome sin. But many of the Church will continue to rebel against God by continuing in unrepentant sin. So, God allows demons to torment those who have not been sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads. The 144,000 are sealed at the beginning of the seven-year covenant. They are sealed before any of the trumpets (Revelation 7:3). The first four trumpets are unmistakable. Hopefully many Christians will see them and repent and overcome sin by faith in Jesus. But all over the world, those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads are tormented by these demons for five months. They are not killed. But verse 6 tells us that many will seek death over this torment. The Church must learn that those who continue to sin do not know Christ, (1 John 3:4-10, 5:18-19) and thus are subject to God's wrath. Revelation 9:11, says, "They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon." Is the Hindu god Shiva the king of the locusts? I have spent over a year in India, and I was surprised to find that the general thinking in India is One God, not many gods. They worship many different gods and idols in India, but they are all considered lesser, created gods. These gods are more like angels or demons. But they generally speak of God they way we speak of God. They don't generally specify this god or that god. It's the One God, by their belief. The other lesser gods seem to be their way to the One God. They have a trinity for their One God. The first of their trinity is Brahma, the Creator. The second is Vishnu, the Preserver. And the third is Shiva, the Destroyer. The first of their trinity, Brahma, the Creator, is basically the universe. He is generally not worshiped. The second is Vishnu, the Preserver. Just as there is one incarnation of Christ, the Messiah, in Jesus, there are ten incarnations of Vishnu, with another expected. In other words, the middle of the three is God becoming a man. The third of the trinity, Shiva, is called the Destroyer. And Shiva seems to be the main one that is worshiped. If you consider all the religions of the world that are predominate today, they all come from two sources. The Middle East and Western religions date back to Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, Muslim). All the Far East religions date back to Hinduism. Abraham lived about 2000 BC. Hinduism scripture does not have the historical records that can accurately date it like we do with the ancient Hebrew Scriptures. But conservative estimates of Hinduism also date it back to about 2000 BC. The fallen angel (star) release demons from the bottomless pit. In verse 11 it says their king is named Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek. And these names both mean Destroyer. Shiva, the Destroyer is always shown with serpents around his shoulders and neck. In Genesis, the serpent is Satan. Even in Revelation, Satan is symbolized as a serpent (Revelation 12:9,15 and 20:15). And Shiva is always shown with serpents around his neck and shoulders. Shiva is the main one who is worshipped in India. Basically, when Hindus talk about the One God, they are referring to Shiva. I don't mean to insult Indians of the Hindu religion. But I must ask the question. Is Shiva the one who is king over the locusts demons in Revelation 9:11? | (KJV 1 John 3:4-10) Whosoever committeth sin
transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested
to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth
hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness
is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth
from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works
of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the
devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
(KJV 1 John 5:18-19) We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. |
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The Sixth Trumpet – World War III The fifth trumpet is the first woe. The sixth trumpet is the second woe. And the seventh trumpet leads us right up to the "night," which is the third woe. For this first woe, a fallen angel (demon) is allowed to release a bunch of demons (locusts) to torment sinful men. For the second woe, there are four angels who have been bound and are then released. So, these four angels are also probably fallen angels, or demons. They are released and allowed to start a big war, a war that kills a third of the population of mankind. For the third woe, Satan himself is thrown down to the earth (Revelation 12:12), having great wrath. So, the fifth and sixth trumpets, which are the first and second woes, are a warning of the greatest tribulation of all time, the third woe, the worldwide rule by Satan and the antichrist. The sixth trumpet is the woe of war. Four angels have been bound at the great river Euphrates. Four is symbolic of the whole world. This woe of war is World War III. A third of mankind is killed in this war. The four angels are probably fallen angels, because they are bound until this time, and then apparently they go out and deceive men to bring about war. The armies of this war are numbered at two hundred million. I would assume that this is a total number of all the armies involved. Still, for there to be two hundred million solders, China and most of the Far East would seem to be involved. The great river Euphrates separates the Far East from the Middle East and the West. The four angels are bound at the Euphrates. It would seem that they go out to the east, west, north and south to bring the East, Middle East, and the West against each other in war. The vision of the sixth trumpet includes horses. This is not an army on horseback. The horses are symbolic. The first four seals have four horses, and they are symbolic. Refer back to the comments on the four horses of Revelation 6. The four horses of the seals represent the United States (west - white horse), China (east - fiery red horse), the USSR or Russia (north - black horse), and the United Nations (south - pale horse). These four horses are also associated with the four beasts of Daniel 7. The four beasts are also the United States (lion with eagle wings), China (bear), the USSR or Russia (leopard), and United Nations (beast of ten horns). So, four angels, probably fallen angels, are released from the Euphrates to go out to the east, west, north, and south, and to bring World War III. Those who sit on the horses in this World War III have breastplates of fiery red. (The breastplates were also hyacinth blue and sulfur yellow.) In the seals, the fiery red horse represents China, which is east of the Euphrates. The heads of the horses were like heads of lions. The first beast is a lion, which represents the United States. This war seems to be primarily between the United States and China, but probably includes other nations as well. Perhaps the situation with Taiwan will lead to this war. Out of their mouths come fire, smoke, and brimstone. Their mouths represent their command of the machinery of war. The fire, smoke, and brimstone (sulfur) are the firepower of modern weapons of war. The Greek word used here for brimstone means sulfur. Sulfur is used to make gunpowder. A third of the people in the world are killed with these weapons. Today, a third of the world's population is two billion people. That's more people than in China and in the United States combined. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with fire and brimstone, which came from the Lord out of heaven (Genesis 19:24). These two cities were destroyed because of sin. The trumpets are a wake-up call to the Bride. The end-time generation, which is the baby-boom generation, was born right after World War II. World War III is the last wake-up call that's given to this end-time generation. But World War III is not Armageddon. World War III is only a wake-up call. Armageddon happens after the resurrection and the rapture. But many in the world will probably perceive this war as being Armageddon. The world believes that after Armageddon is the reign of peace. This could lead them to think the antichrist is a messiah. Does China put together an army of two hundred million, one out of every 5 of their population? Or does this number consist of the armies of many nations, including China? With the "heads of lions" symbolism, a symbol of the United States, in verse 17, I would say that the two hundred million include people are from many nations, including the United States. Also, four angels are released at the great river Euphrates. The number four is symbolic of the world and the nations of the world. (Four beasts, four horses, four winds, the first four days of the Creation, etc.) Four angels are released. So, again I think this army of two hundred million is from many nations. If armies totaling two hundred million soldiers kill two billion people, that would average ten people being killed for every soldier. This war at the sixth trumpet is towards the end of the first half of the seven-year covenant. Perhaps this war, where a third of mankind is killed, is the war that pushes the world into accepting a one-world government. "While people are saying, 'Peace and safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape" (NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:3). After World War III, the world will want a one-world government. They will be crying, "Peace and safety." But the sudden destruction that will come is the bowls of wrath and Armageddon. Soon after World War III the antichrist gains control, for 42-months, over every nation, tribe, people and language. But the antichrist will not maintain everlasting peace. | (KJV Genesis 19:24-27) Then the LORD rained upon
Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew
those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in
the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and
toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke
of a furnace.
(KJV Revelation 9:17-18) And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. |
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The sixth trumpet is the final warning to repent. Probably most of Israel, which is the Church, repents during the first five trumpets. These plagues in the sixth trumpet are the three plagues of fire, smoke, and brimstone (sulfur). But Revelation 9:20-21 says that the rest of mankind who where not killed by these plagues do not repent. This is right before the abomination of desolation, right before the middle of the seven-year covenant. During the second half of the seven-year covenant, I think no one will be able to repent. Satan will have complete authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation for 42 months (Revelation 13:5-7). This is the time of the night, when no one can work (John 9:4). No harvest of souls is possible during the "night," so the sixth trumpet is the last warning. But the people who have gone through the first five trumpets without repenting will apparently not repent after the plague of World War III. Verse 20 says they do not repent from worshiping the works of their hands. This is the love of money, which is the root of all evil (Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13, 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5). This verse also says the people worship idols of "gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood." The worship of money, and the things it can buy, is the idol worship of today. This is symbolized as the worship of "gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood." In Daniel 2, the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream had the head of Babylon. The feet represent the ten-nation kingdom of the antichrist. The whole statue is prophetic Babylon. In Daniel 5:23, Daniel tells Belshazzar that he worships the "gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone." I think this is close enough that it's not a coincidence. The world worships idols in both ancient Babylon and in modern-day times. The world is following the West in culture, in economics, and in sinful living. The world is following the antichrist. | (KJV Revelation 9:20-21) And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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When we are first introduced to the angel in Revelation 10:2, we learn that he has a little scroll that lay open in his hand. This scroll no doubt relates to the scroll in Daniel. In verse 8, we learn more about the scroll. John is told to take the scroll and eat it. The scroll is sweet as honey in the mouth, but would turn the stomach bitter (or sour). This scroll can also be found in Ezekiel's call to preach (Ezekiel 2:9-3:3). In Ezekiel, it's "sweet as honey in the mouth," just as in Revelation. But Ezekiel doesn't mention that it's bitter in the stomach. Ezekiel says that on both sides of the scroll are words of lament and mourning and woe. Thus we know why it's bitter in the stomach. The Mystery of God climaxes with the resurrection. That’s sweet in the mouth. But the bitter truth is the theme of Revelation. According to the seven letters to the seven churches, the Church must continually overcome sin in order to be saved. That’s a truth that’s hard to swallow, and thus it’s bitter in the stomach. These are words of “lament, mourning, and woe.” In Ezekiel’s call to preach, he is told to preach to Israel. He is not told to preach to “peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand” (Ezekiel 3:6). He is told to preach to Israel. “But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.” (Ezekiel 3:7). This is the way it is with most Christians today. This is a generation of Christians who tolerate sin in our own lives. This is a generation that will need the wake-up call of the trumpets before sin is taken seriously. This is a generation that will need the wake-up call of the trumpets before they will believe that sin must be overcome. We are saved by God’s grace, and by faith. But where is the faith if we do not hate sin enough to overcome? When John ate the scroll, he was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Ezekiel was told to prophecy to Israel. To prophecy is to say God’s word. It’s not necessarily to tell the future. Today, we know enough about God’s mystery to know that Israel includes Gentiles from many “nations, languages, and kings.” God is saying that the message given to Ezekiel is the same message that the Church today needs to hear today. And it may take the wake-up call of the trumpets before the Church will take that message seriously. Today, some of the Church believes that they will skip over the trumpets. Others believe the trumpets are symbolic of things in history. Others believe that the trumpets won’t really happen. But if the trumpets were to really begin to happen, people who call themselves Christians will either take God’s wake-up call seriously, or they will leave the Church. And many church leaders will probably try to deny that God is behind the trumpet-plagues, even though they are in the Bible. The trumpet-plagues are all about the accomplishment of God’s mystery. The Mystery of God is that all God’s people will make themselves ready for Christ to return. Then the mystery will climax with the resurrection. | (KJV Ezekiel 2:9-3:3) And when I looked, behold, an
hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll [scroll] of a book was therein; [2:10] And he spread it
before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning,
and woe. [3:1] Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this
roll [scroll], and go speak [preach/prophesy] unto the house of Israel. [3:2] So I opened my mouth, and
he caused me to eat that roll. [3:3] And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy
bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.
(KJV Revelation 10:9-11) And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book [scroll]. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. [10] And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. [11] And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. |
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Revelation 11 is about the building of the temple, which is the Church. I believe the physical temple will be rebuilt. But what’s important to realize is what the building of the temple symbolizes. The temple represents the Church. Before moving on to Revelation 11, let’s look at the articles of furniture in temple to see that the Church is symbolized in the temple furniture. The first thing you come to as you pass through the gate and enter the courtyard is the altar of burnt offerings. Beyond the altar is a laver and beyond that is the actual tabernacle tent. Animals were sacrificed on the altar as a substitute for the punishment of sin. The death of creatures from God's creation, however, could only be a temporary substitute for the death that results from sin. The sacrificial Lamb of God is Jesus Christ. He is the real and permanent substitute for our sins. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." Jesus Christ took the wages of sin in the sacrifice of his own life, so that we could be given back eternal life. Without his sacrifice, even the Jews of the Old Testament could not have received forgiveness. When you accept Christ as your Lord and receive the gift of Christ's death to replace the death you are due, God cleanses you from all sin and makes you righteous. The second article of furniture you come to as you enter the tabernacle gate symbolizes this. Between the altar and the tabernacle tent is a laver or basin. It contains water and is used by the officiating priests. After your sins are cleansed away at the laver, you can enter the "tent of meeting," or the tabernacle. The tabernacle itself is divided into two rooms. The first room you come to is called the holy place and is twice as big as the second room. The second, smaller room is the holy of holies. The first room, the holy place, contains three pieces of furniture. The right side of the room contains the table of the bread of the Presence. This table contains unleavened bread, eaten by the priests every Sabbath in the holy place. The table contains dishes for the bread, pans or spoons for incense, and jugs or jars with cups for wine. Incense is symbolic of prayer (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-5). The table with the bread and the wine, along with prayer, reminds us of the Lord's Supper. In today's Church, all believers are priests and should remember our Lord Jesus Christ often with the bread, the wine, and prayer. When two or more are gathered in His name, He is in the midst. The table of the bread of the Presence is thus symbolic of the Lord's Supper and of Christ's Presence as we remember Him. The left side of this room contains the lampstand made of pure gold. The golden lampstand contains seven golden lamps. Revelation starts out with John seeing a vision of seven golden lampstands. The lampstand of pure gold with the seven golden lamps is symbolic of the Church. The Church is the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). The third item of furniture in the holy place is the altar of incense. It occupies the space at the middle of the veil, which separates the holy place from the holy of holies. It is not in the holy of holies; it is placed just outside of that room. Upon the altar of incense, no sacrifice offering is made. Only incense is burned. Incense is burned twice a day: morning and evening. Incense is symbolic of prayer (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-5). Incense is burned on the altar twice a day: morning and evening. Every Christian should take the hint and meet the Lord in prayer twice a day, morning and evening. Today, we do not need a tabernacle. If you are a Christian, you are a priest of God. You can enter the holy place and meet with God in prayer at will. The altar of incense is very close to the holy of holies, but not quite in there. We are not in the face-to-face presence of God, but we can talk with God. When we talk with God, it is like speaking through a curtain. God hears us and we can hear Him. The Church is resurrected on the third millennial day. (See the section titled, "The Third Day," in the article titled, "Problems with Amillennialism.") The third millennial day is the thousand-year reign of Christ. I refer to the first two millennial days as the Age of Grace. Just as the Age of Grace is twice as long as Christ' Millennial Reign, the holy place is twice as long as the holy of holies. Jewish priests could not enter the holy of holies at will. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, and then only once a year. Jews believe that God dwells in the holy of holies. Entering the holy of holies is entering into the very presence of God. Today, in the Age of Grace, Christians are priests of God. We can enter the holy place but cannot yet enter the holy of holies. Only Christ, the high priest, has done that. Only Christ, the high priest has seen God (John 3:13). When the day of the Lord comes, Jesus will return and the Church will enter into the very presence of God. We will be with God, face to face, in all of His glory (Revelation 7:9). The high priest, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, would wash himself completely all over his body. He would then put on a white robe and enter the holy of holies. When Christ died, he not only paid the price for us to have eternal life; he also paid the price for us to have a face-to-face relationship with God. Christ has defeated death, but death is temporarily still with us. After Christ's second coming, the Church will no longer experience death. The price was paid almost two thousand years ago. Just as we are still experiencing death, we still do not have a face-to-face relationship with God. We still cannot enter the holy of holies. When Christ died, the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies was split.
These two things happened at the same time. The splitting of the veil tells us the death of Christ purchased a face-to-face relationship with God. The opening of the tombs and many holy people coming to life tells us the death of Christ purchased eternal life for holy people who trust in Christ. People are still dying today. So, these were signs of what would happen. We cannot yet enter the holy of holies, and will not until after the resurrection and the rapture. The holy of holies contains two pieces of furniture: the two cherubim and the Ark of the Covenant. The cherubim guard the way back to the tree of life and the face-to-face presence that Adam had with God (Genesis 3:24). The two cherubim stand on either side of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:22, Leviticus 16:2). The New Covenant is recorded in Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:8. In it God said, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. ... For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." The price of the New Covenant was the blood of Jesus Christ. The Ark of the Covenant contains the stone tablets, written by God himself, containing the Laws that must be followed to be in the face-to-face presence of God. Since we are slaves to sin, no one can live a life without breaking these Laws. Christ therefore paid the price, and now the Law is written on our hearts. God remembers our sins no more. We are no longer slaves to sin and we can, and must, chose to overcome sin and obey the Law written on our hearts. Thus, we can and will have a face-to-face relationship with God. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Now let’s move onto Revelation 11, which is also sandwiched between the sixth and the seventh trumpet. The first thing we find in this chapter is John being told to measure the temple, and to count the worshipers there. The reading of this is very natural and literal sounding. Personally, I believe the physical temple will be rebuilt. In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Paul tells us that the man of lawlessness will set himself up in the temple proclaiming himself to be God. The physical temple was still standing when Paul wrote this. So, it would be only natural for the church at Thessalonica to interpret this as the literal and physical temple. I believe the physical temple will be rebuilt. But what’s important to realize is what the building of the temple symbolizes. The temple represents the Church. The body of the believer is the temple of God (John 2:19-21, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19, Ephesians 2:19-22, Revelation 3:12, 7:15). Even in Old Testament times, the physical temple has always been a symbol for the Church, which is Israel. As we saw in the previous section, the seven items of furniture show how the temple is symbolic of the Church. So, as the temple is built, so is the Church. | (KJV 1 Corinthians 6:18-20) Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John is told to measure the temple, and to count the worshipers there (Revelation 11:1). The counting of the worshippers reminds us of Ezekiel 8-9. Ezekiel is given a vision where he is able to see the leaders of Israel in the way that God saw them. They did many detestable things in secret. Then in Ezekiel 9, the angel is told to put a mark on the forehead of the people in Jerusalem “who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it” (NIV Ezekiel 9:4). In other words, those who would swallow the scroll that’s bitter in the stomach are God’s people. They receive a mark on their foreheads. Those without the mark are slaughtered. In Revelation 9:4, we see that because of this mark on the forehead, God’s people are protected from the trumpet-plagues. The purpose of the trumpet-plagues is not to slander unbelievers. The purpose of the trumpet-plagues is to build the symbolic temple. The shock-and-awe effect the trumpet-plagues will have on the Church will cause each one of us to get serious about overcoming sin. Those who won’t get serious about overcoming sin will probably deny that God is behind the trumpet-plagues, and will effectively separate themselves from the Church. John is told to count the worshipers at the temple. During this time, that number will dramatically increase. | (NIV Revelation 1:1) I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The outer courtyard of the temple is called the Gentile courtyard. Revelation 11:2 says that during the 42 months, the outer courtyard is given over to the Gentiles. The verse also says the Gentiles will trample on the holy city for these 42 months. In Luke 21:24, we read that Jerusalem was to be trampled on by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. Luke 21:20 is about Jerusalem being surrounded by armies. This happened in 70 AD. From that point, Jerusalem was trampled on by the Gentiles. This means that in 70 AD Jews no longer controlled Jerusalem. But in 1967, the Jews regained control of Jerusalem. So, Jerusalem was no longer being trampled on by the Gentiles. The loss to the Jews of 70 AD was restored. Some will argue that this cannot be a fulfillment of prophecy because the Jews are not Christian. But neither were they Christian in 70 AD. Being a Gentile simply means you are not a Jew. Nothing is being said by this verse about the salvation (or lack thereof) of those who control Jerusalem. The restoration of Israel to Jews in 1967 is not the restoration of true Israel to Jerusalem that will occur when Christ returns. But we can view the events in Israel as a sign. It’s a sign that had to take place before the fulfillment of Matthew 23:39 and Romans 11:25. | (NIV Revelation 1:2) But exclude the outer
court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy
city for 42 months.
(NIV Luke 21:24) They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. |
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Today, the Gentiles are not trampling on Jerusalem. But Revelation 11:2 tells us that Gentiles will trample on Jerusalem for another 42 months. To follow the symbolism, that means that Jerusalem will be controlled by Gentiles during the 42 months. In order for this to be true, the month prior to the 42 months must be a time when Jerusalem is not being trampled on by the Gentiles. Today, Jerusalem is not being trampled on by the Gentiles. So in one sense, the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. But in another sense, the time of the Gentiles is not completely over. There is still another 42-months before it’s completely fulfilled. During the 42-month reign of the antichrist he rules every nation, tribe, people, and language. This all-inclusive description must include Jerusalem. So, the antichrist rules Jerusalem during these 42 months. And the antichrist rules Jerusalem only during these 42 months, as per Revelation 11:2. After the 42-month reign of the antichrist the time of the Gentiles will be completely fulfilled. The two witnesses prophecy for 1260 days (Revelation 11:3). But these 1260 days are not the 42 months. The 1260 days are the first half. 1260 days are followed by three and a half days, which is half of seven. The two witnesses lie dead for these three and a half days. Then, after the abomination of desolation there are 1290 days (Daniel 12:11). The 1290 days is the second half. The 42 months are during this second half. So, after the temple is built it’s turned over to the antichrist for 42 months. The 1260-day period is the time of the trumpets. The two witnesses are two olive trees and two lampstands that stand before the Lord (Revelation 11:4). Symbolically, this is tied back to Zechariah 4, which is about building Zerubbabel’s temple. Zechariah 4:14 also says that these two are anointed to stand before the Lord of all the earth. So, the two witnesses help to build the symbolic temple. As lampstands they are the light of the world. As olive trees they preach to the Church, which is Israel. The symbolic temple (and probably the physical temple as well) is built during these 1260 days. Zerubbabel is told that his hands have laid the foundation, and that his hands will complete it. I think this speaks about the end-time generation that will see the return of Christ. The plumb line of Zerubbabel is related to the seven eyes of the Lord, which go throughout the earth (Zechariah 4:10). The plumb line, in the hands of Zerubbabel, relates to the start of building the temple. We also saw the seven eyes in Revelation 5:6. They are seven spirits sent throughout the world. This was all about Christ opening the seven seals. The four horses of Revelation 6 relate to the four in Zechariah 1:10 and 6:7. They go throughout the earth to see the state of the world at the start of the end-time generation. From our study of the seals, we know the seals are about the signs that began to be revealed at the start of World War II. Zerubbabel, who laid the foundation of the temple, was told that he would see it completed. Likewise, the baby-boom generation will see the completion of the symbolic temple of the Church. Zerubbabel is told, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). The Church is built by God’s Spirit. Zechariah 4:7 says, “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.” This speaks of the enormous task to bring people from every nation, tribe, people, and language to know the Lord in this generation. After the ground is leveled, the capstone is placed. The capstone is brought out to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ (Zechariah 4:7). “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone” (Psalm 118:22, Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:11, Luke 20:17, Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:7). Christ is the capstone. As Christ began to open the seven seals, the construction of the temple began. This was seen symbolically as Israel became a nation right after World War II. It was the start of the physical temple. But the real building happens during the trumpet-plagues. That’s when the Church really gets serous about the overcoming of sin. | (KJV Revelation 11:4) These are the two olive
trees, and the two candlesticks [lampstands] standing before the God of the earth.
(KJV Zechariah 4:2-3) And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick [lampstand] all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. (KJV Zechariah 4:6-11) Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone [capstone] thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (KJV Zechariah 4:11-14) Then answered I, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth. |
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There is no difference between Jew and Gentile (Romans 10:12, Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11). So, there is no reason for a pre-tribulation rapture. The whole church will go though the great tribulation (Revelation 7:14). But Scripture does indicate the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will be the last to come into the vine of Israel (Romans 11:25-26). Jesus told the religious leaders in Jerusalem, “You will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:37-39). This is an acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah (Psalm 118:26). The Jewish people in Jerusalem had already said these exact words when Jesus rode in on a donkey (Matthew 21:9). But in Matthew 23, Jesus was addressing the teachers of the law who sit on the seat of Moses (Matthew 23:2). So, Jesus is saying that the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem must someday acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ. They will be the last to be saved, because the full number of Gentiles will have already come into the vine of Israel (Romans 11:25-26). The story of the two witnesses, perhaps, gives us some details as to how this will come about. At the end of the 1260 days (Revelation 11:7), the two witnesses will be in Jerusalem (verse 8). The beast has them killed, and for three and a half days, people from every nation, tribe, people, and language will celebrate their deaths, even exchanging gifts. They “will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial” (verse 9). We can assume this is done by worldwide news coverage such as CNN. Verse 10 says the world will celebrate their deaths, because “these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.” Most likely the world’s hatred of the two witnesses will be due to the trumpet-plagues. Verse 6 says, “They have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.” The trumpet-plagues start with turning water into blood. So, the world celebrates when the antichrist manages to kill them. But after three and a half days, they are raised to life for all to see (verse 12). Then they are called up into heaven. That very hour, there is an earthquake in Jerusalem (verse 13). “Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven” (NIV verse 13). The Greek word used here for ‘survivors’ is the word that’s translated ‘remnant.’ The KJV translates it as ‘remnant.’ The number seven thousand is also interesting because it was the number of the remnant left in Elijah’s day (1 Kings 19:18, Romans 11:4). The remnant would include Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. It would seem that they give glory to God as a result of the preaching of these two witnesses. No doubt these two witnesses are preaching Jesus as the Messiah. So apparently, this is the fulfillment of Romans 11:25-26 and Matthew 23:37-39. The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” And they will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, before Jesus returns. The Jews in Jerusalem then become the last to be added to the vine of Israel. They are the last of the symbolic building of the temple. After the last believer is added to the symbolic temple, the seventh trumpet is blown. Loud voices in heaven say, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (NIV Revelation 11:15). It’s my belief that the 42-month reign of the beast is after the seventh trumpet. And the literal kingdom of the Christ, where Christ reigns on earth, doesn’t begin until after that 42-month reign of the beast. This verse, said when the seventh trumpet blows, is a statement of what has been accomplished by the seven trumpets. The symbolic temple has been completely built, so Christ will be able to reign forever. But first, the Church must be handed over to the antichrist for a time, times, and half a time, in the desert. | (KJV Romans 11:25-26) For I would not, brethren,
that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness
in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be
saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob.
(KJV Matthew 23:2) Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. (KJV Matthew 23:37-39) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (KJV Matthew 21:9) And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. (KJV Revelation 11:13) And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. (KJV Revelation 11:15) And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. |
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Revelation chapter 12 is probably the hardest chapter in Revelation to properly interpret. This chapter is packed with symbolism. It's an obvious allegory. So, the first task in understanding the vision is to identify and research all the major symbols in the chapter. Minor symbols can be studied during the verse-by-verse commentary that follows. We must be careful to let Scripture i nterpret Scripture. The major symbols in Revelation 12 are: 1) the woman; 2) the male child; 3) the dragon or serpent; 4) the desert or wilderness; 5) 1260 days; 6) time, times, and half a time; and 7) water or flood. 1) The woman is Israel. And Israel is the Church. Israel is all who believe on Jesus to overcome sin. The head of the woman has twelve stars. Twelve is symbolic of Israel, the twelve tribes of Israel. Stars are angels. It's like the seven stars of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). The woman has children. One child is Jesus Christ himself, who was born to Israel of the virgin Mary. (See verse 5.) The other children are indicated in verse 17. They are the ones "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Keeping the commandments of God is overcoming sin. In other words, the children of the woman are all who overcome sin and profess the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior from sin. Thus, the woman is Israel, and Israel is the Church. 2) The male child is Jesus Christ. (See verse 5.) Jesus Christ will rule all the nations with an iron rod. (See Revelation 2:26-27, which quotes Psalm 2:8-9.) 3) The dragon or serpent is Satan or the Devil (verse 9). Also Revelation 20:2, states that the dragon or serpent is Satan or the Devil. 4) The Greek word used for desert or wilderness is G2048:
The wilderness (desert) represents the journey to salvation. It represents the sanctification process of overcoming sin. Also, strongly associated with the wilderness is the number forty. Moses was in the wilderness forty years before God appeared to him in the burning bush near Mount Sinai (Acts 7:30). Moses had to go through this sanctification process before God could do his mighty works through Moses. And Moses was also forty years old when he entered the desert (Acts 7:23). Israel wandered in the wilderness forty years before they could enter the Promised Land. They had to do this because of sin. Forty is symbolic of cleansing, the process of sanctification. The Great Flood was forty days and forty nights because of sin. The Creation must be cleansed from sin. Forty is symbolic of the cleansing, or sanctification, or purification that must take place in the body of the believer. Just as the temple is sanctified, so must the believer, for the body of the believer is the temple of God. The believer must overcome sin to be saved. So, Israel wandered in the wilderness forty years before entering the Promised Land. But God said of that generation, "They shall never enter my rest." (Hebrews 3, Psalm 95:7-11) That generation remained sinful. But the end-time generation of Israel will overcome sin and enter God's Rest. The real Promised Land is the millennial reign of Christ. But to enter that rest, we must go through the wilderness forty years. We must overcome sin by going through the wilderness. God's Rest is the Promised Land. God's Rest is the Sabbath. The seventh millennial day is God's Sabbath, where Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath. Israel has been going through the wilderness throughout the six millennia that leads up to God's Rest on the Sabbath. Those who overcome sin, by faith in Jesus, will enter that Sabbath, God's Rest. Jesus fasted in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-17). Jesus shows that temptation can be overcome even in the desert. After that, Jesus preached, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand." This was the same message that was preached by John the Baptist. So, the primary message of John, and the first message of Jesus, was to overcome sin. This is the journey through the wilderness. John lived in the wilderness until he began to preach (Luke 1:8), and then the people went in to the wilderness to hear him preach (Luke 7:24). John was the one spoken of by Isaiah, "A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him" (Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:1-3). Again, the wilderness is about overcoming sin, to prepare the way for Jesus in our lives. Jesus cannot live in us if we continue to sin (1 John 3:9, 5:18). Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed the people. This was done in the desert (Matthew 14:15). We can learn from this that Jesus feeds us in the desert. In verses 6 and 14 of Revelation 12, the woman is feed in the desert. It's like the manna that came from heaven (John 6:31-35, 6:49-51, Revelation 2:17). Jesus is the bread of life. The manna came down from heaven in the desert. Jesus can feed us in the desert as we are cleansed. Israel followed God in the desert. God lead them through the desert as a fire by night, and as a cloud by the day (Exodus 13:21-22). If we eat the manna, the Bread of Life, following the footsteps of Jesus (1 John 1:7, 2:6), then we can walk through the desert and enter into eternal salvation, into the Promised Land. 5) 1260 days is symbolic of the first half, and of the building of the temple. Refer back to my comments on Revelation 11 to see why the two witnesses prophecy during the days when the temple is rebuilt. Also, the 1260 days is during the trumpets, which is the first half of the seven-year covenant. 6) A time, times, and half a time is symbolic of the second half of a week. In Daniel 7:25, a time, times and half a time refers to the second half of the seven-year covenant. 7) Water or flood is a reference to the Great Flood. But in these verses, the Great Flood is used in an analogy. Now that we have the obtained the definitions of the major symbols in this chapter, we can look at the symbolism of Revelation 12 verse by verse. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:1) The woman is Israel. And Israel is the Church. Israel is all who believe on Jesus to overcome sin. The head of the woman has twelve stars. Twelve is symbolic of Israel, the twelve tribes of Israel. Stars are angels. It's like the seven stars of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). The woman is clothed with the sun, and the moon is under her feet. This comes from Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9-10. In the dream the sun and the moon and eleven stars bow down to him. It's about his father, mother, and his eleven brothers bowing down to him, which was fulfilled years later after Joseph became a ruler in Egypt. The sun and the moon represent Joseph's mother and father. Joseph's father is Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. So, this woman is Israel, clothed in the sun, having twelve stars, and the moon under her feet. In Deuteronomy 4:19, God tells us not to worship the sun, moon, and stars, because they are given to all the nations as a heritage. Israel will rule the nations along with Christ in peace (Revelation 2:26-27). | (KJV Revelation 12:1) And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:2) The woman cries out in labor and in pain to give birth. As we shall see, the woman gives birth to Christ, and also to the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (verse 17). | (KJV Revelation 12:2) And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:3) The dragon is Satan. The seven heads and the ten horns represent the antichrist and his kingdom (Revelation 13:1). The spirit of the antichrist has been with us all along (1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, 2 John 1:7). The antichrist has been the enemy of Israel throughout history. The dragon is fiery red. From the study of the four horses, the first four seals, we know that fiery red means from the east. So, Satan is from the east. All the modern religions of the world come from either Hinduism, in the East, or Abraham, in the Middle East and the West. See my commentary on the fifth trumpet, specifically Revelation 9:11, to see why I think the Hindu god Shiva is Satan the Destroyer. | (KJV Revelation 12:3) And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:4) The stars are angels. A third of the stars are all the demons that follow Satan. Demons used to be angels. The tail throws them down to the earth because they followed Satan. Thus they followed his tail. Satan wanted to kill Jesus as soon as He was born. Satan can only attempt to do this by the spirit of antichrist. An antichrist is anyone who does not acknowledge Jesus Christ. (See the verses about the antichrist in John’s letters, referenced above.) Herod the Great certainly fits the description of an antichrist. The beast is an antichrist that is ruler of the world. By this definition, Herod was not a beast, but he was an antichrist. Herod tried to have the baby Jesus killed. | (KJV Revelation 12:4) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:5) The male child is Jesus Christ. He will rule all nations with an iron rod (Revelation 2:26-27). And as we saw in verse 12:1 above, Israel will rule with Him. This verse in Revelation 2:26-27 also says that Israel rules with Christ. So, all the offspring of the woman will rule the nations. After Jesus paid the price for Israel to rule, He was caught up to God and His throne. So, Christ is now ruling from His throne. But He will return to rule on earth with Israel, on King David's throne. | (KJV Revelation 12:5) And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:6) The woman does not literally flee into a desert. The wilderness (desert) represents the journey to salvation. It represents the sanctification process of overcoming sin. The woman is feed by Jesus who is the manna from heaven. 1260 days is symbolic of the first half of a week. It's also symbolic of the building of the temple. As the woman is feed by Jesus, as Israel overcomes sin, the temple of God is being built. The temples of God are the bodies of the believers. Israel is the temple of God. | (KJV Revelation 12:6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:7-9) Daniel 10 tells us about Michael fighting Satan. Satan is thrown down in the middle. This middle is between the 1260 days of verse 6 and the time, times, and half a time of verse 14. But in another sense, Michael's war is throughout the six millennia. Michael protects the rulers of the world from Satan, so that Satan doesn't completely overtake them. From Daniel 12:1-3 we see that Michael is the Restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2:7. When Michael is taken out of the way, Satan will be able to completely overcome the ruler, who is the beast, the final antichrist. Satan will give him power to move to the top and rule every nation, tribe, people, and language. And Satan will rule him. So, in the middle of the seven-year covenant, Satan is thrown down to the earth and rules through the antichrist. | (KJV Revelation 12:7-9) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:10-12) These verses amplify the whole vision of Revelation 12. The woman is Israel, and she must overcome sin. Satan is cast down to earth, and in the process Israel overcomes sin. Israel overcomes sin by the blood of the Lamb, and by the testimony of Jesus Christ. (See also verse 17) It's by faith in Jesus Christ that we can be victorious over sin and Satan. But the Great Tribulation has to come for many to wake-up and overcome sin. So, the Devil is cast down to earth, and the world is allowed to fall into complete evil. For this to happen, Michael the Restrainer is removed from protecting the rulers of the world, and begins protecting God's people, who are to be the new rulers of the world. To overcome sin, you must be willing to take up your cross and follow Jesus. You can't love your own life more than the desire to overcome sin, and to share this testimony with others. | (KJV Revelation 12:10-12) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:13-14) The dragon is mad, and pursues the woman. The woman is Israel, so the dragon is pursuing the people who have the testimony of Jesus Christ, to overcome sin. But the woman hides in the wilderness. She is protected by God. The wilderness (desert) represents the journey to salvation. It represents the sanctification process of overcoming sin. The woman is feed in the desert by Jesus, the manna from heaven. The wings of the eagle represent the scattering of Israel for disobedience, which is sin. In Deuteronomy 28, God warns Israel of the scattering that would occur if they were disobedient. Notice the eagle in these verses:
Also see Jeremiah 48:40 and 49:22. These are about nations who are conquered. Both are symbolized as eagles swooping down. Ezekiel 17 is an allegory about Israel being scattered to Babylon. It also uses the symbolism of an eagle coming down. Hosea 8:1 uses this symbolism. In this verse, we even find the trumpet that warns of the scattering. The trumpets are the first half. They warn of the coming rule of the antichrist in the second half. This vision in Revelation has Israel being carried away on two wings of a great eagle. In Daniel 7:4, the first of the four beasts have wings of an eagle. The four beasts are symbolic of the nations in the end times. The United States is the first beast. It looks like a lion but has wings of an eagle. The United States leads the world in culture and economics. Israel is scattered to the "ends of the earth." And much of the evangelistic effort in the end times comes from the United States. This does not mean that the United States, or the first beast, is Israel. But Israel is scattered all over the world, and the United States has many members of Israel, which is the Church. | (KJV Revelation 12:13-14) And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:15) Water or flood is a reference to the Great Flood. But in these verses, the Great Flood is used in an analogy. The Greek word used in this verse for being carried away by the flood is G4216: From G4215 and a derivative of G5409; river borne, that is, overwhelmed by a stream: — carried away of the flood. We must overcome sin, but Satan tries to overcome us. And Satan does this with temptation. The woman is in the desert, a necessary place to for cleansing and to overcome sin. We must go through the desert before we can enter the Promised Land. But Satan wants to spew water on the woman in the desert. And water is very tempting in the desert. Satan tries to entice us with things we might desire. This is like the water of life (Jesus), but it's really the water of death (Satan). The water of the Great Flood brought death. Satan spews the water out of his mouth. This means that Satan uses words to tempt us. Satan can't directly harm us, but he can tempt us with words that come out of his mouth. The words are designed to bring death, just as the Great Flood brought death to sinners. | (KJV Revelation 12:15) And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:16) The earth helps the woman by opening it's mouth and swallowing the flood. With the Great Flood analogy, God blew a wind over the earth and the waters receded (Genesis 8:1). But how does this fit with the woman overcoming sin? What does the earth do for Israel?
The woman in Isaiah 26:17-21 is Israel. It's the same in this vision of Revelation 12. The woman cannot give birth to the truly saved. Israel has not brought salvation. They have not overcome sin. But the woman does give birth to Jesus Christ. And by faith in Him, we can overcome sin. The earth will give birth to her dead! Thus, the earth opens it's mouth, like the woman who cries out in pain. The earth opens it's mouth and swallows up the flood of temptations. The earth opens its mouth, like the woman in the pain of childbearing, and earth gives birth to her dead. | (KJV Revelation 12:16) And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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12:17) The woman gives birth to Jesus Christ. He lived a life without sin. He overcame the temptations from Satan in the desert. He did so while fasting in the desert for 40 days. We can follow His example and overcome sin, just as Jesus overcame sin. We can have a new birth, be born again, and have eternal life. But we must obey the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The commandments of God are the Ten Commandments, including the fourth commandment. Jesus emphasized obeying the commandments not only in action, but in our hearts as well. The cup must be clean on the inside, and then it will be clean on the outside. So, we must obey the Ten Commandments in our hearts as well as our actions. And we must also do all that we know Christ is leading us to do. We must have the testimony of Jesus. We must profess Him as our Savior. Then we will be born again at the resurrection. We will be children of Israel. | (KJV Revelation 12:17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Night – The Reign of the Antichrist In Revelation 11:2, John is told to exclude the outer court, because it has been given over to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city (Jerusalem) for 42 months. In Luke 21:24, we see that Jerusalem was to be trampled on by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. This trampling began in 70 AD. Today, Jews are again in control of Jerusalem. Someone may point out that these Jews are not Christians. But the Jews of 70 AD were not Christians either. So today, the Gentiles are not trampling on Jerusalem. But John is told the Gentiles will again trample on Jerusalem for 42 months. In Revelation 13:5-7, we see that the beast will rule over every nation, tribe, people, and language for 42 months. This would include Jerusalem. Therefore, this is the time when Jerusalem will be trampled on for 42 months. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Revelation 13:7 says that during these 42 months the beast will conquer the saints. We find this also in Daniel 7:25, where the saints are handed over to the beast for a “time, times, and half a time.” But I believe the 42 months comes after the time of the trumpets. The time of the trumpets is when the symbolic temple is built. (The building of the physical temple will probably parallel the building of the symbolic temple.) The 42 months is a time when the saints are handed over to the beast. Consequently, it can’t be a time when the symbolic temple is built. After the time of the trumpets, the man of lawlessness will set himself up in the physical temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Jews would not willingly allow this today. So, this would mark the start of the 42 months when the Gentiles will again trample Jerusalem. During the time of the trumpets there is an urgency, as well as today, to spread the gospel. It’s a limited time of the harvest. But then there will be a time when no more work of the harvest can be done (John 9:4). That will be the 42-month reign of the beast. | (KJV Revelation 13:5-7) And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When a new believer accepts Jesus, usually there must be a time of sanctification (Acts 26:18, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Timothy 2:21, Hebrews 2:11). The Greek word for sanctify is ‘hagiazo,’ and means to “make holy.” In other words, salvation is a three-step process: justification, sanctification, and glorification. Sanctification involves the believer overcoming sin by faith in Christ. But it’s not auto-magic. We must fight our sinful natures. The theme of Revelation, as given in each of the seven letters to the seven churches, is that we must overcome sin in order to be saved. Justification and glorification are done totally by the Lord. But we must be involved in the sanctification process. The time of the trumpets is a time when the Church will grow into every nation, tribe, people, and language (Revelation 7:9). It’s a time when all the Church will get serious about overcoming sin. But after the last believer has come into the vine of Israel, there must be a time of sanctification. There must be a time when the Church goes through the desert before entering the Promised Land. This is a time when no more work of the harvest can be done (John 9:4). All believers will be in the vine of Israel. But not all believers will be ready for Christ to return (Revelation 19:7). Until every believer is in the vine, Christians should boldly preach the gospel even if we lose our lives. But when we see the ‘abomination of desolation’, we are to ‘flee to the mountains’ (Matthew 24:15-25). There will be no more work of the harvest to be done after the abomination of desolation. | (KJV John 9:4) I must work the works of him
that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
(KJV 1 Thessalonians 5:2b) The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (KJV Revelation 16:15) Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (KJV Revelation 16:16) And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. |
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The great tribulation can sound scary. But we know that we are on the winning side.
The 42-month reign of the beast, which is the great tribulation, is included in the “all things” that work for the good of those who love him. It’s a time when the entire Church will be “conformed to the likeness of his Son.” There are several clues about the antichrist given in Revelation. The clues seem to be almost like a riddle. You have to put the pieces together; and the pieces are quite strange. So, it’s fun to study. Just as Christ is a man from God, the antichrist is a man from Satan.
As discussed in the previous section titled, "The Four Beasts – Four kingdoms that control Israel," the vision of the four great beasts in Daniel 7 is of a lion with eagles' wings (England and the United States), a bear (Russia), a leopard (the European Union), and a terrifying beast, which is the one-world government under the United Nations and the antichrist. The terrifying beast of Daniel's vision has ten horns. The ten horns are ten nations that will be formed by the United Nations.
When we look at Revelation 17:8-13 (quoted below), we see that the seven heads are seven kings of the past. All these kings sought to be world rulers and hated God and his people. They all had the spirit of antichrist (1 John 2:18, 4:3). The antichrist of the beast is an eighth king. The eighth king "once was, now is not, and yet will come" (Revelation 17:8b, 11). The times should be interpreted relative to the time John wrote Revelation. In other words, he 'once was' before the writing, 'now is not' during the writing, and 'yet will come' after the writing. The eighth king "will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction" (Revelation 17:8a). The antichrist to come could be one of the five kings who ‘once was.’ If this is true, it could explain why the world is astonished that one of the heads of the beast has a fatal wound, but is healed. (Each head is a different antichrist, so a the fatal wound is not necessarily a head wound.) An old antichrist, who has been dead a long time, returns! Because of this, the antichrist is able to bring about worldwide worship of Satan.
Gary Stearman wrote an article in the May 1996 issue of Prophecy in the News. The article is entitled 'The Return of Nero.' He discusses the idea that the antichrist is Nero, returned in the modern day. According to the article, Nero committed suicide in 68 AD, but was rumored to be alive. (Nero became emperor in 54 AD.) Quoting Stearman:
The article has a quote from Augustine in the fifth century AD:
I don't believe that the antichrist has been alive since 68 AD, but it is interesting that the Church believed Nero would come again as the antichrist. The seven heads are seven kings. "Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come" (Revelation 17:10). In other words, the seven heads are seven antichrists of the past. Five were before John wrote Revelation, one was ruling when John wrote Revelation, and one would come later. Stearman had a suggested list of antichrists that started with Nebuchadnezzar. But the seven heads are not only seven kings. They are also seven hills. Rome is the city of seven hills. I think that from John’s perspective, these would be seven Roman emperors. But the eighth king is the end-times antichrist. How would this fit the picture? Prophecy teaches of two similar generations. The first was the generation of Christ and John. The second is the end-times generation. Both generations will not pass away before “all these things” take place. (See the section titled, "Two Generations," in the article titled, "Problems with Preterism.") Yet this is something that John and the rest of the disciples were not to understand (Acts 1:7). So, this riddle could show a connection between the two generations. The eighth king is “one of the seven.” This could be the link between the two generations. The seven kings would be seven Roman emperors that ruled during John’s generation.
Based on this theory, Titus would have been Caesar when John wrote Revelation. He would be the “one [who] is.” Domitian would be "the other who has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while" (Revelation 17:10b). Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, Nero, and Vespasian would be the five who had fallen. There were three very short-lived emperors between Nero and Vespasian. This was a time of struggle after Nero. Apparently this list of seven excludes these three who were not able to establish any form of stability as emperor. The antichrist of the beast is an eighth king. At the time of writing Revelation, the eighth king "once was, now is not, and yet will come" (Revelation 17:8b, 11). The eighth king "will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction" (Revelation 17:8a). In other words, the antichrist, who will return from Hell, could be one of the five kings who once was. If this is true, it could explain why the world is astonished that one of the heads of the beast has a fatal wound, but is healed (Revelation 13:3). Additionally, the "world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come" (Revelation 17:8b). Both of these verses say the world is astonished but give a slightly different reason. It looks like the reason is really the same. Nero died before John wrote Revelation. His name with his title adds up to 666. Many people of the time, and later, thought Nero was the antichrist. Perhaps Nero will astonish the world and be the eighth king. That would be interesting considering the two generations that do not pass away before all signs given by Jesus take place. Nero died just two years before the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem in 70 AD. Basically, Nero was the antichrist of that generation's apocalyptic event. He was by far the worse antichrist of that generation. If Nero is also the eighth antichrist, he would be the antichrist of both end-time generations. "The ten horns … are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast" (Revelation 17:12). The ten horns are ten nations that will be formed by the United Nations. Many have said that the ten nations are European nations that once were a part of the old Roman Empire. From Daniel 7:24, and from here, we see that the ten kings have not yet received a kingdom. The United Nations is going to split the world into ten nations, and ten kings will rule over them. The ten kings receive authority from the Beast; the Beast is not formed from the ten nations. The ten nations "will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers" (Revelation 17:14). In other parts of the Bible, all the nations of the world attack Jerusalem (Isaiah 34:2-4, Joel 3:9-17, Zechariah 14:2, Revelation 16:14,16). As we can see here, the ten nations are the nations of the world! When the ten nations of the world attack Jerusalem, Christ will come back and fight the battle. Christ will win the war! His chosen followers will come back to earth with him to reign with Christ forever! A Summary of the Tribulation Period Revelation chapter 14 is a brief summary of the seven-year covenant. It's given in seven parts. The seven parts are clearly divided by the appearance of "another angel" or voice. The seven parts are: 1) The sealing of the 144,000. 2) The time of the trumpets when the message to overcome sin is preached to the Church. 3) The start of the fall of Babylon (World War III) 4) The warning not to worship the beast or take the mark of the beast. 5) The "night," when no more work can be done. 6) The harvest of Christians (rapture.) 7) The harvest of sinners (Armageddon.) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Part 1 - 14:1-5) Part 1 of this summary is the sealing of the 144,000. These five verses give us all the details about the 144,000. Understanding of these details is important in understanding of how the seven-year covenant begins. Basically the 144,000 are people of the Church who are given spiritual bodies around the start of the seven-year covenant. They will be important in teaching the Church about holiness. The 144,000 are firstfruits to God and to Christ. The Resurrection of Christ was on the Feast of Firstfruits. The feast was always on the first day after the Sabbath (Leviticus 23:4-11) during the Passover week. (The Passover week is the weeklong Feast of Unleavened Bread.) There is always a Sabbath on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is the day after Passover. Christ was crucified on Passover. Then he arose on the first day after the Sabbath. The point here is that the Resurrection of Christ was on the Feast of Firstfruits. In 1 Corinthians 15, the chapter where Paul talks about the resurrection and being changed into spiritual bodies, Paul says that the Resurrection of Christ is the firstfruits.
At the Feast of Firstfruits, they would harvest the first of the barley crop and offer it as a wave offering to the Lord. After that, they would harvest the rest of the crop. Christ is the firstfruits of the harvest. The harvest is the work of bringing people into the knowledge of salvation, through Christ (Matthew 9:37-38, John 4:35). It's also the angels who harvest the wheat and the tares at the end of the age (Matthew 13:24-30, 21:34, 21:41). So, the harvest is the rapture. It's the gathering of the elect. If Christ is the firstfruits, then who are the 144,000? The Scripture tells us that the 144,000 are firstfruits to God and to Christ! They get their spiritual bodies first, before the rest of the Bride! The 144,000 are first because they have overcome sin. No lie is found on their mouth. They are blameless. They will be here during the trumpets as a witness to the rest of the Church that you must overcome sin in order to be saved. (As stated by each of the seven letters to the seven churches.) The 144,000 are firstfruits. Then the next harvest is the rapture at Armageddon. It's the harvest given in Part 6 of this summary, below. | (KJV Revelation 14:1-5) And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. [2] And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: [3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. [4] These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Part 2 - 14:6-7) Part 2 of this summary is about the time of the trumpets, when the message to overcome sin is preached to the Church. The trumpets are a wake-up call for the Church to overcome sin. The trumpets are patterned primarily after the Creation. This message to overcome sin is the everlasting gospel. The angel here proclaims this everlasting gospel. This gospel is preached to every nation, tribe, language, and people. I don't believe that every nation, tribe, language, and people will all hear the gospel before the time of the trumpets. In Matthew 24:14, the gospel is preached to every nation, and then the end comes. But that's not to say it's preached to every nation, tribe, language, and people before the end. The 144,000 will be very effective in preaching to every nation, tribe, language, and people. And the massive number of people who put their trust in Christ to overcome sin as a result of God's wake-up call will also be preaching to every nation, tribe, language, and people. After the 144,000 are sealed in Revelation 7:4-8, we read about the countless number, before the throne of the Lamb, from every nation, tribe, people, and language. This will be the result of the preaching that takes place during this time. The trumpets are patterned primarily after the Creation. They are a wake-up call to obey the Creator. In these verses, the angel says to worship Him who "made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." The earth is the target of the first trumpet. The sea is the target of the second trumpet. The “springs of water” is the target of the third trumpet. And the heavens, which are the sun, moon, and stars, are a target of the fourth trumpet. | (KJV Revelation 14:16-7) And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, [7] Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Part 3 - 14:8) Part 3 of this summary is the start of the fall of Babylon. It probably coincides with World War III. But I don't think Babylon is completely destroyed until Armageddon, which is after the sixth bowl of wrath. But Babylon (the United States) is probably hit with a crippling blow at this point. The United States will probably not have the world dominance and influence after this point that it enjoys today. Chapters 17 and 18 of Revelation are about the complete and final destruction of Babylon. The best way to view the fall of Babylon is from the teaching of the statue in Daniel 2. The head of the statue is gold, so the whole statue is prophetic Babylon. The feet of the statue symbolize the end-time kingdom of the antichrist. A stone, which is Christ, destroys the whole statue by crushing the feet (Daniel 2:34-35). The kingdom of the antichrist is not destroyed until Christ returns at the end of the Great Tribulation. The antichrist will bring the world to ruin. And the bowls of wrath will do the same. Chapters 17 and 18 contain the details about the fall of Babylon. And its complete destruction is when Christ (the Stone) returns. But I think the destruction of Babylon becomes a forgone conclusion when the world turns control over to the antichrist. And World War III is probably one of the major instigators of the world saying, "peace and safety." Read 1 Thessalonians 5:3-5. After the world says, "peace and safety," sudden destruction comes on them. They are in the "night." The primary meaning of these verses in 1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 is that the night is darkness and wickedness. But I think the night is also the time when the antichrist rules over every nation, tribe, people, and language for 42 months. The "night" is a time when no one can work (John 9:4). But Christ will return as a "thief in the night," on the Day of the Lord. The sixth trumpet is about a war where one third of mankind is killed. (See my comments on the sixth trumpet.) It would seem to be World War III, before the antichrist rules every nation, tribe, people, and language. So, this is the start of the fall of Babylon, but not it's complete destruction. In Isaiah 21, we read these words about the fall of Babylon. Right before this verse in Isaiah 21, the Lord asks Isaiah to post a lookout (symbolically). Here is what the lookout says:
How does this verse compare to the verse in Revelation that says:
In Isaiah 21:8-9, quoted above, there is an interesting difference in the Hebrew manuscripts. Instead of "And the lookout shouted," (NIV) the NKJV reads, "Then he cried, 'A lion, my Lord!'" It's interesting to note that in Daniel 7, the four beasts begin with a lion, which represents the United States. This is more evidence that Babylon is the United States. | (KJV Revelation 14:8) And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Part 4 - 14:9-12) Part 4 of this summary is the warning not to worship the beast or take the mark of the beast. This mark and this world-wide law to worship the statue are probably given right at the beginning of the "night," when the antichrist rules over every nation, tribe, people, and language. As a side note, these four verses are, in my opinion, the biggest argument against one of the big false doctrines of Jehovah Witnesses. Chapter 9 of their widely printed and studied book, titled "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth," is on this issue. Chapter 9 says that God will not torment the unsaved. They use Jeremiah 7:31 to say that God never had the "idea of roasting people in fire." Of course the verse in Jeremiah is about the people of Israel who were literally sacrificing their children in fire. God is saying that He did not command them to do so. They go on to say that "God is Love," and that such a God would not torment people forever in fire. They do a word study of Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek). This word study is actually quite good. Also the Greek word Gehenna is studied. This is the place outside of Jerusalem where the people of Israel sacrificed their children in fire. These are all very reasonable arguments that the dead are not conscious in Heaven or Hell. Also, Jesus, Paul, and Old Testament writers speak of the dead being asleep, meaning unaware of anything. (Job 3:13, Psalm 13:3, Jeremiah 51:39,57, Matthew 9:24, John 11:11-14, Acts 7:60, 13:36, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6, 15:18, 15:20, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15, 5:10) All these verses and word studies make a valid argument that the dead are unaware of anything for the time up till the great white throne and the resurrection of the dead in Revelation 20:11-15. The lake of fire is the second death (verse 20:14). Do all the arguments for the dead being unaware apply after they are resurrected, judged, and then go to the second death? This is something that Jehovah Witnesses have not considered. The Jehovah Witnesses say that, "When Jesus was on earth jailers were at times called 'tormentors.'" They quote Matthew 18:34 for this. The idea is that the dead are "locked up" out of existence, so they are jailed but not really tormented. But the wicked man who was delivered to his the jailer in Matthew 18:34 was not tormented with fire and brimstone. He was locked up until he could pay for all that he owed. He was still in existence, and therefore was tormented by the fact that he was in jail and not free. The Jehovah Witnesses say:
The Jehovah Witnesses simply apply all the arguments of Scripture about the first death to the second death. But these verses in Revelation 14:9-12 would seem to completely defy this teaching of the Jehovah Witnesses. (These verses are not mentioned in their chapter 9, titled "What Kind of Place is Hell.") If the wicked are out of existence after the second death, how can they be in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb? The wicked man who was delivered to his the jailer in Matthew 18:34 was not tormented with fire and brimstone. Why are the wicked tormented with burning sulfur (or fire and brimstone)? If they are out of existence, why does smoke rise from the fire forever and ever? If they are asleep, why does this verse say they have "no rest day or night?" How can they have "no rest day or night" if they are out of existence? The major meaning of Revelation 14:9-12 is a warning that if you receive the mark of the beast, or worship the image, that you will be tortured with fire and brimstone. These verses cannot be interpreted in any other way. | (KJV Revelation 14:9-12) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, [10] The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: [11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. [12] Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Part 5 - 14:13) Part 5 of this summary is the "night," when no more work can be done (bowls of wrath.) This will be a time of great percussion for the saints who have overcome sin. Many will be killed. But their work is over. In the "night," no work can be done. All who have turned to Christ will have done so by this time. The saints who are killed will not have to go through more percussion. And they will be resurrected on the last day. So, they are blessed to be allowed to rest until the resurrection. | (KJV Revelation 14:13) And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. |
