Calvary Chapel Revelation Summary

Today we are going to begin our study of the book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. We will be in this study throughout the remainder of the year (22 chapters). I really like the way Revelation starts:

Firstly, note, that it is the revelation of Jesus Christ “to show his servants what must soon take place.” The Lord wants to reveal to his people the final chapter of history. How many of you have read a great book but then forgot to read the final chapter? That doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? But that is what so many folks have done, especially those in the church. I know it is something that I did for years. I think that there is quite a bit of fear in reading Revelation. Not only because of its apocalyptic content but also because of a fear that it cannot be understood. Well, I admit that it is challenging at times but remember what v.1:3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

As a personal testimony, Rev. 1:3 has come absolutely true in my life. Several years ago as I studied through Revelation at a night class at the Calvary Chapel Bible College, I received a very great blessing! It profoundly affected my life and my walk with the Lord. Come prepared to be blessed over the next 22 weeks. Getting acquainted with the full plan of God and how it unfolds in the latter days will change you. It is good to know the final chapter!

Today we are going to be studying Revelation 2. This is the first of two chapters pertaining to the “seven churches.” Jesus told John, “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place.” [Rev. 1:19] As we discussed in last week’s study the “what you have seen” probably pertains to the vision John had in Rev. 1; “what is now” is the message to the seven churches which existed at the time that Revelation was written [Rev. 2-3]; and the “what will take place later” refers to future events [Rev. 4-22]. For the next two weeks we will be studying the “what is now” chapters.

Jesus also said to John, “The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” [Rev. 1:20] In this verse Jesus clearly states what the seven stars and seven lampstands are. The only possible question is the word “angels.” Walvoord comments, “The word’s principal use in the Bible is in reference to heavenly angels. But it is also used to refer to human messengers (cf. Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52). Therefore Rev. 1:20 (and the other Rev. 2-3 references that use this word) can refer to either an angelic or human (i.e., Pastor) messenger. We will discuss this in more detail in our study today.

The overall content of Rev. 2-3 is a message to seven churches: the church at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. All of these churches existed at the time that John wrote Revelation. However, many feel that the content of Jesus’ message extends to the church at large (throughout history). Walvoord summarizes the various interpretations as follows:

Today we are going to finish up Rev. 2 and try to take in as much of Rev. 3 as time allows. We have studied Jesus’ message to the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna. Today we will focus on his message to the churches in Pergamum [vv. 2:12-17]; Thyatira [vv. 2:18-29]; and Sardis [vv. 3:1-6].

From our study last week we saw that although the seven churches outlined in Rev 2-3 were historic churches at the time John wrote Revelation, the applications [i.e., the commendations, rebukes, exhortations, and promises] can (and should) be extended to the church at large. After all, not a whole lot has changed. The church throughout its history has lived through these same types of struggles. We would do well to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” I like Walvoord’s comment on Rev. 2-3:

I guess we are so prone to focusing on the “what will be” chapters of Revelation that we sometimes neglect the messages of warning for the here and now. As we spend two more weeks on the letters to these seven churches lets take heed to the full counsel that it contains. The message is not only for a particular few, it is for all of us.

Today we are going to be studying Rev. 3. We will read what Jesus had to say to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Remember, as we have noted in our previous studies, these were actual churches during the time that John wrote Revelation. If you refer to a NT map you will see that these were seven local churches in Asia Minor. The interesting thing to note is that the order of scriptural presentation was geographic. If you trace the location of these churches in the order that is presented in Rev. 2-3 (specifically the order outlined in Rev. 1:11) you will see that it encircles the region of Asia Minor. Walvoord writes, “A messenger would naturally travel the route from the seaport Ephesus 35 miles north to another seaport Smyrna, proceed still farther north and to the east, to Pergamos, and then would swing further to the east and south to visit the other four cities (1:11)” One commentator noted that it is almost as if the geographical layout of the individual churches is a picture of the broad sweeping message that Jesus has for his Bride today. Surely we have seen many commendations, rebukes, exhortations, and promises thus far. We will see more of these in Rev. 3 specifically within the context of Jesus’ message to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.

Today we are going to finish up Rev. 3 (we’ll cover Jesus’ message to the Church in Laodicea) and then we will get into the “what will take place later” [Rev. 1:19] section of Revelation [beginning at Rev. 4]. Several of the “futurist” commentators look to Rev. 1:19 as a general outline of the entire book: “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” As we have discussed in previous studies the “what you have seen” may refer to the vision in Rev. 1 (just prior to v.1:19); the “what is now” may be a reference to the message to the churches (chps. 2 and 3); leaving Rev. 4-22 which many feel refers to the “what will take place later” section of the book. And while many commentators will say that it is impossible to lay out a detailed chronology of the book of Revelation several point to Rev. 1:19 as a general outline of past, present, and future events from the context of when John wrote Revelation.

Today we will be focusing our attention on Rev. 5. Last week in Chap 4 we got a picture of heaven from John’s timeframe of “what will take place later.” John saw a throne “and the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.” [Rev. 4:3] Now, a question one might ask is who is the One on the Throne? Is this God the Father or Jesus Christ the Son. This will be important to try to sort out as we get into Rev. 5 because there we see that a scroll with seven seals is taken from the right hand of him who sits on the throne. But who is the one that takes this scroll? In Rev. 5:6-7 John records: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne,…He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.” Walvoord comments:

The difficult problem of identification has been solved in various ways. Actually both the Father and the Son are properly on the throne as Christ Himself mentioned in Revelation 3:21. One explanation would have Christ on the throne in chapter 4 and the Father on the throne in chapter 5. Another point of view is that both chapters picture God the Father on the throne in the special character of the God of Israel. The seeming contradiction may also be resolved in the doctrine of the Trinity as Christ expressed it in John 14:9: ‘He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.’”

Today we will be studying Rev. 6. Last week we were introduced to a scroll with seven seals (Chap. 5). Today we will see that these seals are indeed seals of judgment. As the “Lamb” opens each of the seven seals we will see that a new (and more powerful) act of judgment is administered. For those folks who only think of God being a God of love, and grace, and mercy, I’m not sure what you will do with Rev. 6 (or the entire whole of Rev. 6-19). Actually, I’m not sure what you can say about the whole of the Bible. Make no mistake about it, you will find God’s abounding love, grace, and mercy throughout the Old and New Testament. But also be aware that the God of the Bible is holy and just. True justice (not the world’s justice) will be administered in the end and this we will see as God pours out His wrath upon the earth during these “final days” of tribulation. As we will see in today’s study, the scene will now shift from heaven (Rev. 4-5) to earth (Rev. 6-19).

Today we are going to cover Rev. 7. In our last study (Rev. 6) we came to what I believe describes the beginning of the seven year Tribulation (i.e., the last seven year period on this earth before Jesus’ second coming). The church has been raptured (caught up) to heaven [1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thes. 4:16-18] to be with the Lord (Rev. 4 & 5, referred to as the Marriage Supper of the Lamb) and now God’s judgment is being poured out upon the earth through Seven Seals of judgment [Rev. 6; 8]; Seven Trumpets of judgment [Rev. 8-9]; and Seven Bowls of judgment [Rev. 16]. As we read through this sequence of events we will find that the severity of each judgment grows more and more. This will be very obvious in our text over the next several weeks. However, we will also find that dispersed between these judgments are descriptions of various personalities within the time of Tribulation. Walvoord refers to these as the “parenthetical” sections of Revelation. That is to say that throughout the narrative of 21 types of judgments there will oftentimes be pauses to describe the several personalities that come on the scene. Revelation 7 is such a chapter. Between the opening of the 6th and 7th seal, John pauses to introduce us to “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” [Rev. 7:4]. According to the vision God will place a “seal” of protection upon these during the time of Tribulation. John will also introduce us to “a great multitude…from every nation, tribe, people and language” who are “standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” [Rev. 7:9] We will discuss some of the different interpretations on who this great multitude might be. I believe that these are the Tribulation Saints who have been martyred for turning to faith in Jesus Christ as Lord during this last seven year period described in Rev. 6-19. We will, however, discuss some of the other interpretations as well . Looking forward to seeing all of you at noon.

Today we are going to be studying Rev. 8. Last week we were introduced to the first of the “parenthetical” chapters of Revelation. That is the chapters that describe the personalities that come on the scene between the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of judgment during the Tribulation. Last week we read about the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” who were “sealed” by God (protected) through the Tribulation [ref. Rev. 7:4], and the martyred Tribulation saints who are there in heaven “standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” [Rev. 7:9] Today in Rev. 8 the narrative will resume at the opening of the seals.

Revelation 8 begins with the opening of the seventh seal. The interesting thing to note is that this seal begins with a “half an hour” of silence. John records, “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” John immediately sees “seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.” [Rev. 8:2] This is an introduction to the seven trumpets of judgment, which will begin to be described next. What is interesting to note is that it appears that the judgment of the seventh seal are the seven trumpet judgments. Interestingly enough when we get to the description of the seventh trumpet it would appear that in that judgment are seven vials (or bowls) of judgment. Scroggie concludes:

In like manner, he holds that the bowls constitute the seventh trumpet. Blanchard has a similar interpretation:

These will be interesting views to discuss in our study today. One thing for sure, as we will see in our text today, with each seal, trumpet, and bowl judgment the outcome will be more and more severe. This will be very clear.

Today we are going to be studying Revelation 9. Last week we looked at the opening of the seventh seal of judgment, which as we saw in our study, contained seven separate trumpets of judgment, each one more powerful and devastating than the prior. Revelation 8 records the first four trumpet judgments. Revelation 9 will describe the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments. These are the first two of the three “Woes” that John described at the end of Rev. 8 (i.e., after the fourth trumpet judgment). “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

The fifth trumpet blast is the first ‘Woe’ and we will see how much more devastating this judgment is over all the prior. The second ‘Woe’ (sixth trumpet) is even worse. The interesting thing to note is that even after all of this John records that the people “still did not repent of the work of their hands.” [Rev. 9:20] It really is unbelievable to think that even amidst this time of unparalleled judgment that people will recognize the hand of God and still turn away from Him.

For the next two weeks we are going to be studying two more “parenthetical” chapters in the book of Revelation: Rev. 10 and 11. As we have discussed previously a few of the commentators use this word “parenthetical” to describe the chapters that introduce us to the personalities that come on the scene during the seven year Tribulation. In Rev. 7 we met the “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” [Rev. 7:4] and “a great multitude…from every nation, tribe, people and language.” [Rev. 7:9] Note that the description of these two groups is “parenthetically” inserted between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. Interestingly enough, the characters introduced in Rev. 10 and 11 fall between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments.

In our study of Rev. 10 today we will meet “another mighty angel coming down from heaven.” John described him as being “robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.” [Rev. 10:1] Amongst the commentaries that I have read, there are a couple interpretations as to the identity of this “mighty angel.” We will review both of these in our study today. Next week, in our study of Rev. 11, we will meet the “two witnesses,” “clothed in sackcloth” who stand before the Temple and “prophesy for 1,260 days.” [Rev. 11:2] There are more than a few interpretations on the identity of these individuals. We will spend all of next week’s study on that topic.

I’d like to spend the latter half of our study today reading a prophecy from Daniel 9. Everything that we have been reading about since Rev. 6 and everything that we will read about through Rev. 19, I believe, is summarized in a vision that Daniel had that is recorded in Dan. 9:20-27, specifically verses 9:26-27. Jesus also referred to this prophecy during His Olivet Discourse (his teaching on the Last Days recorded in Matthew 24) and called out the prophet Daniel by name. Jesus warned, “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” [Mt. 24:15] This, I believe, is the time that is described in our chapters of Revelation that we are currently studying [specifically Rev. 6-19]. It is the time of Tribulation, the last seven years on this earth before Jesus’ Second Coming. It is the seventieth seven that Daniel described in Dan. 9:27.

Revelation 11
September 23, 2004

Today we are going to be studying Revelation 11. We are now at the midway point of Revelation and will probably finish the book around the end of the year, which is not too far away. Yes, Fall is upon us and I trust that you are all back into the Fall routine.

Revelation 11 is one of the more difficult chapters to sort through, probably because there are so many different interpretations amongst commentators. Let me give you a taste from Walvoord’s commentary, The Revelation of Jesus Christ:

“Careful students of the book of Revelation will probably agree with Alford that chapter 11 ‘is undoubtedly one of the most difficult in the whole Apocalypse.’ A comparison of many commentaries will reveal the widest kind of disagreement as to the meaning of this chapter.”

We will not have time to look at all the different interpretations, but we will touch upon a couple of them. The one we will focus on is taking everything in Chapter 11 literal. That is to say, “the great city of 11:8 is identified as the literal city of Jerusalem. The time periods are taken as literal time periods. The two witnesses are interpreted as two individuals. The three and a half days are taken literally. The earthquake is a literal earthquake. The seven thousand men who are slain by the earthquake are seven thousand individuals who die in the catastrophe. The death of the witnesses is literal as are their resurrection and ascension.” [Walvoord]

It will be important to note that most of the events described in Rev. 11 take place at the Temple site in Jerusalem. Yes, there will be a rebuilt Temple during the time of Tribulation, and on into the Millennial Kingdom Age [Ref. Eze. 40-43; Rev. 20]. That is why so many Bible students are watching Jerusalem to see when the rebuilding of the Temple will begin. Many believe that this event will happen in our generation. One can only watch and wait. However, we should remember that this is a unique time in history since this is the first generation since 70 a.d. that the nation of Israel is in the Land. This, at the very least, provides the Jewish nation with a timely opportunity to rebuild the Temple, possibly very soon. John begins Rev. 11 by writing:

“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. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles.” [Rev. 11:1-2] At this point in your study it would be worth reading Ezekiel 40-43. It would definitely make for some interesting discussion. We will briefly refer to this passage in our study today.

Over the past few weeks we have been in one of those “parenthetical” sections (i.e., a pause between the seals, trumpets, and bowls narrative to describe different characters that come on the scene during the Tribulation). The last trumpet judgment we saw was at the end of Rev. 9 (the sixth trumpet, the second Woe). Then Chapter 10 introduced us to “another mighty angel coming down from heaven.” Last week during the first half of Rev. 11 we met the “two witnesses” who stand before the Temple and “prophesy for 1,260 days” [Rev. 11:3].

In today’s study we will finally get to the Seventh Trumpet blast (the third Woe referred to in Rev. 8:13, which sounds at the end of Rev 11). However, as Walvoord notes, the details of this judgment are not given to us until Rev. 16 (which will be seven vials of judgment). Notice that right after the Seventh Trumpet blast we are immediately brought into another “parenthetical” section beginning at Rev. 12. In Rev. 12-13 we will be introduced to seven more characters of the Tribulation. It is not until chapter 16 that we actually get to some of the details of the Seventh Trumpet blast, which many commentators believe are the seven vials (or bowls) of judgment described in Rev 16. Walvoord comments:

In our study today we will review this interpretation that the seven trumpet judgments are contained in the seventh seal judgment, and the seven bowls of judgment are the details of the seventh trumpet judgment (the third Woe highlighted at the end of Rev. 8). If we have time we will also begin discussing some of these “personages” that are described in Rev. 12-13. Here’s something to wet your appetite:

No doubt we will have a lot of fun and interesting discussion on these various personages over the next few weeks.

Today we are going to be studying Rev. 12. This again is a “parenthetical” chapter that will provide us insight into two more personages of the Tribulation: a woman and a red dragon. It is worth noting that we are still within the narrative of the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 vials of judgment. The 7th trumpet was sounded at the end of Rev. 11. In Chapters 12 through 14 we will meet seven “great actors of the tribulation” [Walvoord].

As we begin reading Rev. 12, I’d like to draw your attention to the word “sign” used in verses 12:1 and 12:3. The Scripture reads as follows:

For those of us who take a literal interpretive approach to Revelation (that is to say we are not so quick to see things as symbolic unless directed to do so in the text) it is phraseology like “a sign” that become important words to note. The NIV Study Bible says that “sign” used in this passage is “An extraordinary spectacle or event that points beyond itself.” Walvoord comments, “it is a sign or symbol of important truth rather than merely a wonder.” All that to say, because the word sign is used in this passage many of the “literal interpretive” commentators see the woman as symbolic of the nation of Israel and the “red dragon” as none other than Satan himself. However, these interpretive conclusions are not without other Bible references, particularly from the Old Testament scriptures.

To interpret John’s vision of “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head,” one should cross reference to Genesis 37:9-10. Remember Joseph’s dream about his brothers bowing to him? That dream (i.e., the sun, moon, and stars bowing) was very similar to vision in our Rev. passage. And who were Joseph’s brothers? Also, to get more language on this “red dragon” we will refer to several places in the book of Daniel (particularly chapters 7 and 12).

As you can see, much of our study today will be cross-referencing to other parts of Scripture, especially within the book of Daniel. We will also be reading a portion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse in Mt. 24. Be ready to move around in your Bible today. This is going to be a most interesting study!

Today we are going to continue our study of Revelation 12 and we’ll be focusing our attention on verses 12:7-17. In our study last week we were introduced to two more characters of the Tribulation: a Woman and a Dragon. We also took an in-depth look at the word “sign” which preceded the description of these characters and then cross-referenced to two other passages in the Bible that gave us language on who this “woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” [Rev. 12:1] represented (i.e., we specifically looked at Gen. 37:9-10 and Mt. 24).

Today we will cross-reference to a few other scriptures to get some language on this “enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” [Rev. 12:3] Wow! You can probably already tell that this is going to be an interesting study! For language on this “sign” we are going to refer to Daniel 7, which contains a very similar vision that the prophet Daniel had. Also, in reference to this “war in heaven” where “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back” [Rev. 12:7] we are going to cross-reference back to two Old Testament scriptures [Job 1:9-11 and Zechariah 3:1] to get more commentary on this dynamic. Does the dragon [symbolic of Satan] truly have access to heaven? These scriptures seem to indicate that he does. Actually the name Satan in Hebrew means “accuser” [ref. NIV Study Bible]. Various scriptures in the Bible seem to reveal that Satan is allowed access to heaven to “accuse” or “bring accusation” against God’s people. The Job and Zechariah passages that we will read today will give us more insight into this. Again, as was the case last week, be ready to move around in your Bibles today. I look forward to digging into the Scriptures with you.

Today we are going to briefly review Rev 12 since we covered so much material in our study of that chapter, and then we will tackle Rev 13.

Chapter 13 will introduce us to two more personalities of the Tribulation: the Beast out of the Sea and the Beast out of the Earth (that is how my Study Bible titles these sections). Regarding these beasts the NIV Study Bible records:

We will review these different interpretations in our study today. Also as a cross-reference to Rev. 13 we will read Daniel 3. We will put on our observation spectacles and see if we can find any parallels. As we have seen over the past several weeks it is well worth studying the book of Daniel along with the book of Revelation. While Daniel had many visions and dreams about the first coming of Messiah, he actually had more on the Second Coming. Daniel therefore becomes one of the more important “eschatological” [end times] prophetical books in the Bible to study alongside Revelation.

In our study today I would also like to highlight several of the Revelation and Daniel passages that refer to three-and-a-half years. These can be found in the following texts:

Rev. 12:6 (“1,260 days”); Rev. 12:14 (“a time, times and half a time”); Rev. 13:5 (“forty-two months”); Dan. 7:25 (“a time, times and half a time”); Dan. 9:27 (“In the middle of the ‘seven’”); Dan. 12:7 (“a time, times and half a time”).

We’ve made reference to this 3.5 year time period many times throughout the course of our study. Remember that the Biblical prophetic calendar uses a 360 day year. It will be well worth noting the context of all these Scripture references to 3.5 years. All of these, I believe, identify the Great Tribulation period, which will be the last 3.5 years before Jesus' Second Coming. This will be a fun exercise to conclude our study with today.

Today we are going to finish Revelation 13 and highlight a few details that we did not get a chance to cover last week. Remember that Chapter 13 introduced us to two more personages of the Tribulation: the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. Here’s a recap of the two main views on the identity of these beasts [ref. NIV Study Bible].

The beast out of the sea: “According to some, the beast symbolizes the Roman empire, the deification of secular authority. According to others, he is the final, personal antichrist.

The beast out of the earth: “According to some, he symbolizes religious power in the service of secular authorities. According to others, he is the personal false prophet (see 16:13; 19:20; 20:10).”

I’d like to spend the bulk of our time today looking at Daniel chapters 2, 3, and 7 to get more language on these beasts and on the times leading to Jesus’ second coming. Daniel 3 in particular will provide us with an interesting look at the events of Revelation 13 through the lens of typology. I personally think that we need to be careful with the use (or overuse) of typologies in our study of the Bible. But nonetheless we should be aware of them. We will devote a portion of our study today (particularly our study of Daniel 3 in reference to Revelation 13) to discuss the subject of Bible typologies. I look forward to seeing all of you at the study today.

Today we are going to be reading Revelation 14. We have been in this latest “parenthetical” section for several weeks now [Rev. 12-13 in particular]. Revelation 14 will conclude this section but not before making yet another reference to one of the personalities of the Tribulation. John describes, “the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” The question that quickly comes to mind is who is this 144,000? Is this the same group in Revelation 7 described between the sixth and seventh seals (i.e., the prior parenthetical section – “Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel” [Rev. 7:4])?

Commentaries differ on the identity of the 144,000 in chapters 7 and 14. Certain ones feel that the text is referring to the same group of people while others feel that they are entirely different assemblies. I personally feel that Rev. 7 and 14 are talking about the same group of individuals, “144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.” The difficulty in this interpretation, however, is the seemingly different locations of the two groups recorded in chapters 7 and 14. In Rev. 7 John sees this assembly on the earth; in Rev. 14 he sees them with “the Lamb standing on Mount Zion.” [Rev. 14:1] One solution to this dilemma is to see Rev. 14 as predominantly prophetic. Walvoord comments:

In summary, therefore, “Rev. 14 can be viewed as a series of pronouncements and visions assuring the reader of the ultimate triumph of Christ and the judgment of the wicked” [Walvoord], which at this point in the Revelation narrative remains prophetic. This demonstrates the school of thought that these parenthetical sections are not necessarily chronological within the seals, trumpets, and bowls account but are inserted to provide a fuller description of particular personalities and events of these end times. Revelation 14, in particular, prepares the way for the climax of the Tribulation which begins in chapter 15.

Today we are going to cover two chapters: Revelation 15 and 16. Chapter 15 picks up at the narrative of the Seals, Trumpets, and Vials of judgment. We have talked about this several times before. While it is difficult to pinpoint the time and chronology of the whole of Revelation we do see a succession of judgments: Seven Seals; Seven Trumpets; and Seven Vials. Revelation 15 picks up the narrative at the first vial (or bowl) of judgment. It begins this way: “I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues – last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.” Why is this such a “great and marvelous sign”? Because it is the last event before Jesus’ Second Coming. Folks, this is what we’ve been waiting for!

John F. Walvoord does such a wonderful job in piecing these chapters of Revelation together I am just going to quote him here.

For the past several weeks we have been in one of these “intervening sections,” but Rev. 15-16 will describe the last seven judgments upon the earth preceding Jesus’ return. Be forewarned, however, there is one last parenthetical section (Rev. 17-19) before we get to the Second Coming. Revelation 17 will describe the destruction of “spiritual” Babylon and Rev. 18 the ruin of “political” Babylon (ref. The Bible Knowledge Commentary). Wait till next week! That is going to be some interesting text to study.

Today we are going to be studying Revelation 17. This begins the last of the “intervening sections” of Revelation. Last week we saw the judgment chronology pick up again with a record of seven angels pouring out seven vials of judgment upon the earth. These last judgments bring us right to the point of Jesus’ Second coming [Rev. 19]. However, with this last parenthetical section the revelation of the destruction of Babylon is described (“MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” [Rev. 17:5]; “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!” [Rev. 18:2]). Judgment upon religious Babylon is described in Revelation 17 and the destruction of political Babylon is described in Revelation 18. Walvoord comments, “it is helpful to consider chapter 17 as dealing with Babylon as an ecclesiastical or spiritual entity and chapter 18 as dealing with Babylon as a political entity.”

Revelation 17 and 18 is in a sense the Lord’s victory over the source of apostasy: Babylon. This basis can be tracked all the way back to Genesis 10 where a man by the name of Nimrod, “a mighty hunter before the Lord,” built the cities of Babylon and Nineveh [ref. Gen. 10]. As you read through your Bible you will notice that these two cities play a significant role in the spiritual, political, and physical battles that have arisen against God’s people. And I would add that these battles continue to this day. But before the Lord returns he will destroy spiritual and political Babylon to make way for His Millennial Kingdom Reign upon the earth.

Today in Revelation we are going to continue our study of the judgment of Babylon. In our last study we looked at the judgment of spiritual Babylon [Rev. 17]. Today we will see a transition to the judgment of political Babylon [Rev. 18]. A very interesting study to do when you have time is a study of Babylon, its origin and history, and its place in Bible prophecy. Babylon was built by a man name Nimrod [ref. Gen. 10:10], the third generation down from Noah through Noah’s son Ham. Interestingly enough the third generation down through Noah’s son Shem is Eber. “Eber is the origin of the Hebrew word for ‘Hebrew’” [ref. NIV Study Bible], and the Eber line is the line of Messiah. Even all the way back in Genesis we see the foundation for truth and the foundation for the counterfeit. “Nimrod, a mighty hunter for the Lord” [Gen. 10:9] sounds like a favorable description. But that is what counterfeit is, it looks and sounds like the truth. This is where we get the term “anti-Christ.” The prefix “anti” doesn’t only carry the meaning of opposition, it also embraces the idea of a counterfeit (i.e., looking like the Christ). This is what we see through the Babylonian “mystery religions” much of whose origin can be traced all the way back to Nimrod’s family. Nimrod’s wife was a woman by the name of Semiramis who from external writings was known to be the queen of the Babylonian mystery religions.

In Rev. 17:5 we read of a woman on the beast whose title is “Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Prostitutes and the Abominations of the Earth.” John writes that this woman “was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony of Jesus.” [Rev. 17:6] Revelation 17 describes the judgment of “ecclesiastical Babylon” [Walvoord]. This is spiritual Babylon, which is representative of all the counterfeit religious systems throughout the ages. In Rev. 18 we will get a description of the judgment that will fall upon “political Babylon” [Walvoord], a worldwide political and financial system that works alongside the false religious systems. Have you ever wondered why false religions are such a powerful force these days? Well, it hasn’t only been these days. Counterfeit religion has been around since the days of Nimrod (and prior) and has been supported and fueled by powerful political and financial systems throughout the ages. Spiritual Babylon and Political Babylon go hand-in-hand. The former is judged in Rev. 17; the latter in Rev. 18. We will see this unfolded in great detail in our study of Rev. 18 this afternoon.

Today we are going to read of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! Our study of Revelation (and of the entire New Testament over the past several years) has brought us to this glorious event. This is what we’ve been waiting for! Revelation 19 records the final hours of the Tribulation and transitions us to the Millennium where Jesus Christ will rule and reign upon the earth for a thousand years. Wait until we get to Revelation 20-22, it only gets better for those in Christ. J. Vernon McGee writes that chapter 19 “marks a dramatic change in the tone of Revelation. The destruction of Babylon, the capital of the Beast’s kingdom, marks the end of the Great Tribulation. The somber gives way to song. The transfer is from darkness to light, from black to white, from dreary days of judgment to bright days of blessing. This chapter makes a definite bifurcation in Revelation, and ushers in the greatest event for this earth – the Second Coming of Christ. It is the bridge between the Great Tribulation and the Millennium.”

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” [Rev. 19:11-16]

Today we are going to be studying Revelation 20: the Millennial Kingdom Reign of Christ. This event is prophesied throughout your Bible, and especially in the Old Testament prophetic books. I believe that there is going to be a literal thousand year reign of Christ where Jesus will return to this earth to rule and reign for a thousand years. This will be a time when all the prophesies and promises in the Bible are one hundred percent fulfilled, particularly those for Israel. This will be the time “when perfection comes.” The Apostle Paul wrote, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.” [1 Cor. 13:8-10] You see, on this side of the Millennium, “we know in part,” we live by faith. But “when perfection comes” our faith will turn to sight! This will happen at the Millennium [Rev. 20] and will continue on into the eternal state [the new Jerusalem described in Rev. 21 and 22]. John will begin to unfold all these wonderful details in the final three chapters of the Bible.

We will cover chap. 20 today, chap. 21 next Thursday, and chap. 22 [the final chapter] the last Thursday of 2004. What a wonderful way to end the year!

Today we are going to be studying Revelation 21, which describes the “New Jerusalem.” At this point in our study it might be good to review what John has described in Revelation thus far. Here’s a general outline of the flow of events.

Chapters 2-3 – Jesus’ message to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea [past and present if we interpret these historical churches as representative of the church at large]

Chapters 4-5 – A description of the church in heaven [future]. I believe that the rapture of the church described in 1 Cor. 15:51-54 and 2 Thes. 4:16-17 happens between the events recorded in Revelation 3 and 4. You should note that the word “church” so prominent in chapters 2 and 3, does not occur again until 22:16. This to me is strong support that the church is not a participant in the Tribulation period described in Rev. 6-19, which form the major content of the book of Revelation. The familiar phrase ‘what the Spirit saith unto the churches’ found in 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22 is significantly absent from Rev. 6 forward.

Chapters 6-19 – Describes the seven year Tribulation upon the earth [future]. A series of judgments outline this section: Seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials. Interspersed within this order John describes several personages that come on the scene (i..e., the 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel; the two witnesses; the woman and the dragon; the beast out of the sea; the beast out of the earth). Daniel 9 and Matthew 24 describe the “abomination that causes desolation” that takes place midway in this seven year Tribulation. Jesus’ Second Coming concludes this section where he returns with the “armies of heaven” for the final battle at Armageddon. Jesus then sets up his Millennial Kingdom Reign upon the earth.

Chapter 20 – Describes the Millennium where Jesus will rule and reign upon the earth from the Temple in Jerusalem [future]. Satan will be bound during these thousand years so none will be deceived. Satan will be loosed at the end of those thousand years and at that time he will deceive many. But fire will come down from heaven to devour this final rebellion and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. The Great White Throne judgment [the judgment of non-believers] will follow this event, which is described at the end of Rev. 20.

Chapter 21-22 – Describes the New Jerusalem which will be an entirely “new heaven and a new earth.” John writes that the “first heaven and first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” [21:1]

My favorite scripture in the Bible is from Rev. 21. Regarding the New Jerusalem John writes, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” [Rev. 21:3-4] I don’t know about you but I’m really looking forward to this day.

Today we will be finishing up the book of Revelation. Revelation 22 is not a long chapter so we will have ample time to review our study of Revelation over the past several months. Please come with your questions. As with so many other books the last chapter usually proves to be the best. The Bible is no different. In Revelation 22 we will see the ultimate fulfillment of God's plan: the full dwelling of God with man. The Bible says that we will "see His face." This is something that is truly impossible to comprehend on this side of heaven. It is one of those truths that we simply receive by faith. These last chapters also say that there will be no more tears and no more death in the New Jerusalem. Now that is something that all of us can relate to in the here and now. Be prepared to be blessed with the very best today. Revelation 22, the final chapter.