Revelation 13:1-10 - In Patience Possess Your Soul

Revelation 13:1-10

The Beast from the Sea

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The beast from the depths of the sea was seen by John as he stood on the seashore in this vision of the world approaching the final judgment before sin is cast down forever from our presence on earth by God’s righteous settling of all matters and all of creation is made new.  John observed what was to come as evil reared its ugly seven heads with their respective horns of power of nations or rulers with each having crowns of temporary temporal authority given them.  These crowns of unrighteousness sat on heads named with blasphemy as they opposed the Lord God and His Lamb, and the beast out of the depths itself looked like a leopard of powerful capabilities but with massive bear feet of destruction and a great open mouth like a fearful lion.  This beast was enabled by the dragon who we heard defined as the devil and Satan, a beast used by the adversary to kill and destroy as its master has always done among this world.  The vision John observed saw the beast wounded as if to die but recovered and misled those left on the earth to follow him instead of turning from their blasphemies of sins like idolatry and immortality.  Many will choose idolatry and look at the resurrected or healed beast of power and worship it instead, sadly.  They would look at its warring abilities and side with that temporary power instead of resting in and following the Almighty God who raised Himself from the grave to save us by faith who trust and receive Him and His work as the eternal and only effective Passover Lamb of God.  Only the Lamb can save us and is worthy of our worship, the One who alone has the power to keep us from the judgment to come.  Only He is omnipotent.  No one else has the divine power but the divine Son of God, not any created angel or other creature such as this beast out of the depths full of deceptive works.  Such blasphemous words against the Lord God and temporary temporal authority will end and all who follow will likewise perish with him and his master in the end.  This blasphemous one will curse God and malign His name, temple, and all others with Him in heaven in a last attempt to fight back with all eternal futility.  Of course, we read here that only those who are not of God, whose names are not already in the Lamb’s Book of Life will suffer this end of eternal judgment and condemnation of suffering.  The Lamb has suffered for we who are His from the time we were created along with the universe and this earth we now stand upon.  This is our certain hope of being able to withstand all and stand (Ephesians 6:13) with Him before the face of God (Job 19:25-27) at last!  Our patience through these times of great tribulation will see us through based on our calling of this absolute hope of God’s predetermined promise to possess our souls (Luke 21:18-19).  We have ears to hear the truth and do not fight back against this onslaught of evil with weapons of evil, but with the truth of God’s goodness of the gospel of His word.  Amen. 

Revelation 12:7-17 - The War and our Victory in Christ

Revelation 12:7-17

Satan Thrown Out of Heaven

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

The Woman Persecuted

13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

When the war broke out in heaven, the dragon serpent Satan and those disobedient angels who followed him and rejected the authority of their Creator God were thrown out of God’s presence and kingdom (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6) down to us here on earth to cause us further trouble, as if the temptation and fall of mankind was not enough for them.  The victory in heaven in this battle was won by the archangel and defender of the realm Michael (Daniel 10:13, 21, Jude 1:9) and the angels loyal to their Maker still by His side in heaven.  The result of the insurrection of the angels led by the deceiver of Eden was his exile to earth until the final judgment will imprison him and his minions forever in the torturous lake of fire (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10) that God has already prepared for them to suffer forever for rejecting the Lord and His Christ and fighting against those who follow Him.   The bad news for we humans is that if we likewise reject and rebel against the Lord God and His Christ, we will suffer the same eternal fate of suffering alongside them there if we do not turn from our sin to Him before we die (Hebrews 9:27-28).  The message that John heard in this heavenly journey into the end of time where righteousness will rule at last on the earth is that God’s kingdom will come here in His strength to save us from our just judgment by His person and sacrificial work on the cross in eternal redemption and reconciliation!  The power of Christ will come upon the world and the heavens to cast out our accuser forever, the one who constantly points out our sin before the Father and neglects to let us see the power of our redemption covering our sin forever in Christ (Matthew 25:46, 1 John 4:18) and keeping us from the eternal torment we deserve but that he and his unholy followers will get instead.  We have and continue to overcome by the sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God and by the word of our testimony that agrees with the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His work alone for our righteousness and not our own sin which the accuser assails us with to bring doubt if he cannot keep us from saving belief to receive Christ.  Do we truly not love our lives to the death in keeping this testimony?  We have every reason to rejoice in Christ and our salvation along with the faithful angels in heaven.  We see the woes of all those living here on earth under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) and see that he is out to war with we who hold to the gospel of our eternal salvation which he and his can no longer have any part in.  Jesus was kept from the destruction of His work on the cross and we shall be likewise kept spiritually under the shadow of His wings until we meet the Lord in heaven before His throne of mercy and grace!  We who are His understand the war by the fallen one against us in his rage at the defeat he already had obtained but still keep the commandments of God and our testimony of Jesus Christ as our hope and help in all things, no matter how terrible the end times become as the battle rages to the finish at last.  He is our hope and eternal salvation who brings the earnest expectation of life before His face in the New Jerusalem to come to us here.  May we who know these things of the war and our victory in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57) therefore never lose sight of His power to save and grace to keep us as His forevermore! 

Revelation 12:1-6 - Thanksgiving for our Redemption

Revelation 12:1-6

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

A sign in heaven after the seventh trumpet proclaims the Kingdom of God was shown to the beloved apostle John in his spiritual vision of the end of time.  It was of a woman wearing the brightness of the sun who stood on the moon and had a crown of eternal blessedness which was given as a prize to her by the Lord.  This woman gave birth as she screamed in much pain as all women do since the curse first brought to women (Genesis 3:16) for Eve’s disobedience in Eden’s Garden.  There is hope to follow as her offspring also would crush the deceiver in the end as this prophetic passage tells us later.  This deceiver is the dragon of many heads and horns of power and influence with crowns of temporary temporal power bequeathed for a time until his defeat and judgment.  This same dragon took a third of the stars of heaven, angelic beings, with his tail as the part of him they followed behind in heavenly exile for rebellion against their Lord God who created them all.  This dragon then would wait by the woman to attempt destruction of her offspring to keep from being crushed under his heel as Genesis 3:15 warned him.  This son of man would rule the world (Psalm 2:7, 9, Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, Revelation 2:27) with the absolute power and authority as with a symbolic rod of unbreakable iron.  This child would be protected as Jesus was by going to Egypt while the babies were murdered by Herod who feared this ruler sent by God and who would return from our of Egypt as promised (Matthew 2:15) to bring the crushing blow on the cross to the devil and his angels (Revelation 12:9) and return to His throne of power in heaven in His ascension after the resurrection from the failed and futile attempt of the evil one to stop His everlasting work of the gospel.  We now see how the promise is certain in Christ as the Son of God who defeated Satan the dragon in absolute victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) for us as His children redeemed as promised right after our curse of sin because Jesus became that curse on the tree of the cross of cursing (Galatians 3:13) to pay our price and crush the enemy and his attempts to stop us from redemption.  We therefore daily celebrate our redemption by God’s work to crush our deceiving enemy and give saving grace as portrayed here in verbal pictures. 

Revelation 11:15-19 - The Lord Reigns Forever!

Revelation 11:15-19

Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed

15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:

“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,
Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.

18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

The seventh trumpet sounded by the seventh angel who may also be the same one looking over the church of (Revelation 3:14) the Laodiceans who were lukewarm in regards to Jesus Christ and the gospel.  The announcement was loudly heralded that the kingdom of God would at last absorb all earthly kingdoms given temporary reign on the earth because they are owned by the Lord God and His Christ!  He will certainly rule over them all forever and ever as planned from the beginning of time as time comes to and end and eternity begins in the new heaven and earth with His presence among us at last.  Even the twenty-four elders will toss themselves prostrate before the throne as they leave their own thrones to worship the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb who is the Son of God.  Their songs of heartfelt praise will then reverberate in the heavens with thanksgiving for the omnipresent omnipotent One who always exists because He assumed the power over all to reign sovereignly without delegating any authority anymore.  John heard them laud the Lord who answered the rage of the nations (Psalm 2:1, Acts 4:25) that judgment may at last deal with their disbelief and disobedience with His just wrath on their sin, both on the living and the dead.  Likewise, the Lord will reward His prophets and all saints of all stations in life who hav been made righteous in Christ and who fear the name of the Lord.  For those who defy Him and pervert His creation, however, He will hold eternally accountable in everlasting destruction from His presence (2 Thessalonians 1:9).  Finally, the temple doors of God in heaven will be opened and the ark of the covenant thought lost will be seen again as the promised New Covenant is revealed on display with fearful and awe inspiring cataclysmic lightnings, noises, thunderings, earthquake, and great hail upon the earth to emphasize His power and reign.  What a sight to witness and bear witness to!  We can all now join in with them and declare, “The Lord Reigns Forever!”  Amen and amen. 

Revelation 11:1-14 - Witnesses to the Second Woe

Revelation 11:1-14

The Two Witnesses

1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

The Witnesses Killed

7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

The Witnesses Resurrected

11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them. 13 In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

In Revelation 9:12 we read of the first woe on the world in judgment by the torment of the locust-scorpions with their excruciatingly painful sting that begged but could not find death as a relief.  Now the second woe is described to John as he viewed the events to transpire on the way to the end of this world.  The temple was measured along with the altar of sacrifice and the worshippers who assembled there.  Only the outside courtyard of the nations was left unmeasured until the fullness of their number would be attained (Romans 11:25) and the others trampled Jerusalem underfoot first as foreshadowed before in Luke 21:24 when the destruction of the city by the Romans was first seen.  This second time will witness two witnesses to the gospel of God who will speak prophesy about the impending judgment as proven by their ability to perform miracles similar to Moses to set God’s people free from bondage.  They will keep rain from falling, turn water to blood, and strike the earth with various plagues as in Egypt long before.  As lampstands from God’s presence, they will also be able to devour their enemies with fire breathed out like a mythical dragon against the real dragon’s (Revelation 12:9, 17) followers set against them and their message of repentance and judgment.  When their testimony of these things is accomplished, these two will be overcome in battle by the beast out of the bottomless pit and killed to be put on display for several days in the sight of all to rejoice over as if the battle was won against the witnesses’ God and the gospel of Jesus Christ the Lamb.  For a whole three and a half days they will be mocked and jeered in supposed triumph in the hubris of evil as they celebrate with parties in temporary relief that they were not confronted with the truth and thought they escaped being held accountable since the two witnesses were dead.  But like the Lord Jesus before them, they arose after three days and stood up in front of all to bring a sudden fearful dread on those who killed them.  God Himself will call them home to heaven in the sight and hearing of all the onlookers who will be frozen in absolute fear in the knowledge they would be facing their eternal accountability at last for defying and rejecting God and His gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8).  This announcement was immediately followed by an immense earthquake that killed many there and engendered fear in those left alive as if they would finally give glory to the sovereign Almighty God of heaven above and repent.  This will be the second woe upon the world as the third woe was promised to follow soon afterwards.  The call to repentance and reconciliation with God through believing and receiving Christ will be the only escape just as it is now.  We should turn to Him from sin now before the witnesses of the second woe of judgment come to us as described clearly and fearfully here. 

Revelation 10:1-11 - A Mighty Angel with the Little Book

Revelation 10:1-11

The Mighty Angel with the Little Book

1 I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.”

5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.

John Eats the Little Book

8 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.”

9 So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.”

And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10 Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Here the Little Book and the mighty angel are shown to John and recorded for us to fathom.  The mighty angel came down from heaven in a cloud with a rainbow of righteousness and blazing light of purity on his face as he stood with feet of cleansing fire.  This angelic creature was so immense that he put one foot on land and one on the sea as he roared like a lion with power and strength.  That roar echoed as thunder does in a terrifying thunderstorm but in seven bangs instead of one or two.  These thunderclaps were actually powerful voices that spoke words, bit the words are left a mystery to us until they unfold in time because John was forbidden from writing them down.  Some things in this book of ever-revealing descriptions of events to take place are kept hidden that judgment and glory may be given in God’s own time and our appreciation afterwards.  Not all can be figured out by the most learned people since the Lord is the one to reveal all things in His time for His purposes and glory.  This final mystery of God will be revealed when the seventh angel speaks it to all creation and it is finished.  This mighty angel here announced that seventh with an oath of promise to the Most-High God and creator of all things that when the time is right there will be no more delay in the revelation of the mystery.  We anxiously await (Romans 8:19, 23, 25, 1 Corinthians 1:7, Galatians 5:5) that revelation to come and the final mystery of God to be revealed just as the Old Testament mystery of Christ living within us was (Ephesians 1:18-19, Colossians 1:27) when Jesus came and left the earth before coming back the second time when sorrow and sin will be flee away as He reveals Himself to us, face to face at last!  This final mystery is promised to be likewise revealed to us at that time as told to the prophets before us as well.  Then the mighty angel held out a little book as the LORD in heaven commanded him to give to John.  The apostle was told to eat that with the warning it would go down sweet as honey but leave a bitter aftertaste and upset stomach afterwards.  John obeyed and it was just as the angel warned him.  This bitter message to swallow likely was the weight of the prophecies to follow in the revelation of the judgment of God on the world.  That is a bitter pill to swallow even as the glory of the righteous judgment must come,as he very well knew.  John therefore listened and observed all he was shown “about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings” and wrote it all down in this book of Revelation for all to read and know as it is revealed to us in the final days of time before the Lord returns and calls His elect to Himself at last.  We struggle to understand all the details because we are not meant to until they unfold before us, and that is a good thing because we are tested for our faithfulness and endurance to the end in not knowing all that lies ahead in the world’s judgment and our suffering through it.  This is shown us in a dark mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12) by a mighty angel giving a bittersweet little book to John to reveal the mysteries of God to us over time.  These things are told us as an encouragement to patiently wait for the coming of the Lord and the judgment to come.

Revelation 9:13-21 - Trumpet Call to Repentance

Revelation 9:13-21

Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates

13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.

20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

The sixth sounding by the angel to the seven churches and all who are alive at the end as the hoofbeats of judgment approach was heard by John as to what will come at that time when time nears its end and eternity will come to earth.  The voice of the LORD came from the throne and told that angel to set loose four terrible avenging angels as when Satan tempted king David to number God’s people and an angel of destruction was sent to deal with Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles 21:15-16 for his sin of not trusting the Lord.  These in the end of times who likewise do not trust the Lord whose Son was sent for their obedience through repentance and faith will suffer the sword of the LORD from heaven once more, but this time it will not be held back.  An entire theirs of the people not sealed as God’s in the Lamb (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30) will be killed by the destroyer.  These avenging angels will lead an immense army of two hundred million on horseback to lead the assault and their very mouths and tails will add to the carnage with fire, smoke, brimstone, and serpent-like tails with heads to attack and kill.  Those who survive this onslaught and lived through the plagues will harden their hearts because they have not been sealed as belonging to God (Revelation 7:3, 22:3-4) and remain unrepentant and doomed to their judgment for their idolatry of sorceries and sexual immortality with accompanying immoral murder and thievery.  This glimpse into the end of time should move men and women to turn from their sins of immorality and idolatry of disobedience and disbelief to trust in the Son of God whose is the Lamb slain to take away (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 1:29, Hebrews 9:26) their sin’s just (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 3:19, 23-24, 6:23) due.  This is our trumpet call to repentance through faith in the work and righteousness of the Son of God, the Lamb slain in our place so God can pass over our sins (Psalm 89:14) in justice and mercy.  This Lamb of God was slain in our place to reconcile us with our God and set us free from the just judgment we all deserve.

Revelation 9:1-12 - Flee The Torment of Judgment to Come!

Revelation 9:1-12

Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit

1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.

The fifth of seven trumpets sounded loudly by the angelic announcer and John observed what will take place in the future when this occurs.  A star fell from heaven to earth and it was a living being who would be given the key to bottomless pit where smoke arose and locusts followed out of that hole into the world already suffering greatly after a third of the vegetation, seas, waters, and heavens were struck.  This and the other two remaining trumpet blasts were announced as woes to the world’s inhabitants.  The smoke from the open pit darkened the air and blocked out much of the sunlight as the locusts struck the people who remained with scorpion-like blows of incredible pain.  These were to target just the people who were not marked by God as His own and would not harm the remaining vegetation on the earth.  The ones who are the Lord’s who go through the times of this tribulation will remain unharmed as the elect of the Lord of whom we are who are sealed and marked in Christ by His Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14) as His own, just as our Passover Lamb has done (Exodus 12:23, Revelation 7:2-3, 1 Corinthians 5:7) to save us from the penalty of our sin and the judgment (John 5:24) to come.  Those who are not in Christ by faith through repentance to such assured deliverance will suffer painful judgment by these locust scorpions as they beg to die but cannot, a prelude to the lake of fire where the (Isaiah 66:24, Matthew 18:8-9) unbelieving who reject Christ and His gospel will spend eternity in agony for having turned away from Him instead of their sin.  These locust scorpions creatures conjure up the images we often imagine that demons look like as they torment people in hell, but actually will be much worse in appearance and affect.  Their description here is often made to seem as if future weapons or some such things, but the reality of God’s creation is much more fearsome to those who will not be at the mere mercy of human hands, but of His.  These are also told as having as their leader Apollyon, the ruler of the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3) whose name means destruction or destroyer.  We all know who is set on our destruction (Revelation 12:9, 17, Matthew 10:28, John 10:10) and have turned to safety in the Lamb of God who has promised us eternal life with Him, having forgiven all our sin and who will keep us from the evil one to the end that we may be with Him apart from sin’s presence afterwards.  This woe to be announced by the fifth angelic trumpet is to be followed by two more terrifying ones calling once more for repentance which is to mostly unanswered by the hardened hearts of those refusing to believe and confess their sins to turn to His work on the cross to forgive them yet.  How we who are in Christ do pray they would read and hear these words to take heart now and heed them before it goes so far and flee to escape the torment (Matthew 25:46, 1 John 4:18) of this certain judgment to come! 

Revelation 8:1-13 - Warning Sounds of Impending Judgment

Revelation 8:1-13

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck

7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.

Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck

8 Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck

10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.

Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck

12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.

13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

The seventh seal would be broken and then the trumpets will sound forth as revealed to John of what will happen in the future as the end of time approaches and judgment on the earth looms heavily.  The presentation of the events begins with silence in heaven for a time before the incense of the altar was mixed with the prayers of the saints and offered to the Lord before His throne on a golden altar of which the earthly temple was just a shadow (Hebrews 8:4-5) seen before by Israel.  We see here how the smoke of the heavens incense will be mingled with the prayers of the saints and ascend before God from the angel’s hand who ministers it on His behalf for us.   Then the silence will be broken by the sound of the censer being hurled with violent force to the earth as a judgment announced with thunder and lightning as an earthquake would shake the world.  There was a pause then as a prelude to the seven trumpets about to sound forth.  This scene must have struck John with absolute awe and terror as he heard the sound of the first heavenly blast trigger hail and fire thrown down to burn up a third of the trees and grass covering the ground.  Then the second followed this disastrous scene with a monstrous burning rock hitting the sea as if an immense flaming meteorite as big as a mountain.  This spectacle caused a third of the oceans to turn blood red as a third of all the sea life was extinguished in the flaming impact.  The the aged apostle witnessed the third trumpet that will sound in the end.  It announced a larger object fall from space as if a comet burning like a star came hurtling down on the rivers and springs of the entire planet, wiping out the drinking water and sources of food and trade as it contaminated the waters and made them poisonous.  When the fourth trumpet blast its sound, the very heavens were struck with darkness that resulted in diminished light from the sun, moon, and stars.  This cosmic catastrophe was also told by Jesus to the disciples, including John, whole He walked among us as we read in Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:24-25 before His return for judgment.  In Luke 21:25-26 we see also that people’s heart will fail them as they witness these events as the powers of the very universe will be shaken with the earth tainted by sin (Romans 8:22) until all things are made new apart from sin (Hebrews 9:28) and its lasting effects.  The angel will be flying over this world with an announcement of woe to all who inhabit this world as the remaining three angels blow their fifth, sixth, and seventh horns of God’s judgment on them.  How much more warning do we need after reading these future certainties to be reconciled with the Lord by believing the gospel of deliverance from sin in trusting the work of Jesus as the Son of God in His sacrificial death for our sin, His burial to put it to permanently to rest, and His resurrection as assurance of our salvation from these judgments?  When the warning sounds of impending judgment come, will you be ready with the promise to not be overcome by these, an overcomer who trusts the Lord (1 John 5:4-5, Revelation 21:7) for a place with Him in the new world in His presence (Job 19:25-27, 29) at last, or will you suffer the fate we all deserve if not for His mercy and grace in Christ?  These things beg the question, where do you stand now in readiness for that day? 

Revelation 7:1-17 - All Our Tears Will be Wiped Away!

Revelation 7:1-17

The Sealed of Israel

1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:

5 of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

A Multitude from the Great Tribulation

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”

14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.”

So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

After John witnessed the sixth of seven seals broken on the scroll of the unfolding events to come in the final history of creation before judgment settles on there was a massive calm.  There were angels holding back the stormy winds after the cosmic disturbances shaking the earth (Hebrews 12:28) were held back at God’s command.  Another angel flew into view carrying the seal of God while telling the other four not to resume the winds until the people of the Lord, His servants, were sealed as His for protection past this terrible judgment day.  Twelve thousand of each tribe of Israel, the foundation of God’s chosen people in Christ, were so sealed as the Lord’s by this angel as named here.  Not only were these from Israel sealed, but afterwards as order dictated (Hosea 1:10, Romans 11:25, 32, Galatians 3:22-23, 1 Peter 2:9-10) they had been the channel of redemption to the nations, many uncountable people were added from all nations, tribes, peoples, and languages to their number as His people (Ephesians 2:13, 13-14, 19) through mutual faith in Christ.  The entire multitude of the redeemed people of God were shown to John as the future of mankind in the Lamb of God who redeemed them from all corners of creation by the faith of Abraham (Romans 4:16, Galatians 3:8-9, 14, Hebrews 11:12) as promised before there was a nation called Israel.  All this multitude will stand before the throne and the Lamb of God with praise and songs of thanksgiving for their salvation to honor their God and the Lamb who is the Son of God and Man while all other heavenly beings joined in falling down before Him in worship together.  These sang of the blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might of all authority and sovereignty due to their Creator.  We will one day join this throng of worshippers because we are found in Christ and His righteousness of grace!  There were also seen those arrayed in purified white robes who had gone through the great tribulation (which some erroneously say believers will be taken out of) and who endured to the end by faith in the Lord and His sacrificial lifeblood in which they were bathed as they suffered.  These serve the Lord incessantly and live in the presence of God forever.  We will be among them before the throne of grace to gaze forever (Revelation 21:3-4, 22:3-4) upon His face!  We will no longer suffer want or trials of suffering because Jesus the Lamb is also our Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) who will lead us to the living waters of healing and comfort after suffering trials and tribulations here in faith while awaiting this day.  He will wipe away all our tears of sorrow as it flies (Isaiah 51:11) away from our memories and presence forever.  How we will sing His praises then as all our tears will be wiped away at last. 

Revelation 6:9-17 - Who is Able to Stand?

Revelation 6:9-17

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The fifth and sixth seals of the scroll that only the Lamb of God could open in heaven were witnessed by the beloved disciple and apostle John when transported in the spirit to stand before the Lord.  Who is able to stand before the Almighty unless brought to Him by Him?  The fifth seal broken revealed what would come as those slain over the centuries for holding faithfully fast to the word of God and the testimony of His grace in Christ through the gospel as the prophets of old had anticipated.  These cried out with a loud shout to the ears of the Lord asking Him how much longer they would have to wait until justice brought vengeance on their persecutors who opposed them because they stood for God and His word in obedience to the death (Matthew 24:12-13, Revelation 2:10) as Christ the Lamb of God had done for them (Philippians 2:8).  These looked for divine justice to be revealed and those opposed to the Lord to answer for their disobedience shown in how they treated the faithful people of God who suffered for His name’s sake.  They were seen to be given white robes to symbolize their purification in the Lord and told to rest a while and wait patiently until the return of the Lord to earth and the rest of the martyrs were added to their number before the final judgment of the Lord’s vengeance on sin was accomplished at last.  Then John observed the sixth seal being shattered by the divine Lamb of God as the earth experienced the shattering of earthquakes and darkness in the heavens above.  The people who were not the Lord’s were terrified.  These cried out and desired to be buried under the crumbling creation as they faced their judgment with dread and attempted to hide in utter futility.  They observed the moon turn red as blood signifying their accountability for shedding the blood of the faithful revealed in the previous opened seal and how the very stars of the universe above fell from their appointed places to the earth in a cosmic display of the end of all things.  Even the sky over their heads appeared to be rolled up as the scroll which held the details of this event written from eternity on that account to be opened only by the Lamb.  In Matthew 24:29, Jesus had already given this account of what was to come but it fell on deaf ears, yet some must have recalled Matthew 24:30, 31 where He told us that He would be seen as the Son of Man come in judgment and would gather His chosen elect to Himself out of that judgment, the ones who had previously believed and received Him and His word of the gospel of grace to righteousness in Him for eternal security, safe and secure from these cosmic alarms of the end of all things as we see them now in preparation for the new heavens and earth to follow.  Those who do not so know and confess the Son of God will only be able to do as shown in this future event to John, they will try futilely to hide from His wrath of judgment when only the Son can take away that wrath on their sin by His merciful grace.  Nobody can hide from the One true God on His sovereign throne in heaven or from the wrath of the Lamb’s vengeance for disobedience and disbelief in all He told us.  When that great day of vengeance and judgment comes, the question remains, “Who is able to stand?”  We know from His word of the gospel of Jesus Christ that only those found in Him are able to stand firmly and with full assurance to and through the judgment of the end (2 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Peter 4:7) as we remain vigilant in prayer and valiant for the truth.  As it is written in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 for we who do now stand and with absolute certainty will stand in and through the judgment by the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.”  Amen.