BIBLE STUDIES 3 THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Transcription

1 BIBLE STUDIES 3 THE BOOK OF REVELATION CONTENTS These studies were adapted from the notes from Dr. Jack Van Impe's Study Bible, and Escape the Coming Night by Dr. David Jeremiah.. Revelation, Chapter 1...Page 2 Revelation, Chapter 2...Page 5 Revelation, Chapter 3...Page 9 Revelation, Chapter 4...Page 12 Revelation, Chapter 5...Page 15 Revelation, Chapter 6...Page 17 Revelation, Chapter 7...Page 23 Revelation, Chapter 8...Page 27 Revelation, Chapter 9...Page 30 Revelation, Chapter 10...Page 35 Revelation, Chapter 11...Page 38 Revelation, Chapter 12...Page 43 Revelation, Chapter 13...Page 49 Revelation, Chapter 14...Page 56 Revelation, Chapter 15...Page 63 Revelation, Chapter 16...Page 67 Revelation, Chapter 17...Page 72 Revelation, Chapter 18...Page 78 Revelation, Chapter 19...Page 85 Revelation, Chapter 20...Page 94 Revelation, Chapter 21...Page 101 Revelation, Chapter 22...Page 106 Presented here for your personal study and edification. If you have any questions, please roycer@adelphia.net Thank you... and God bless!

2 ...Page 2... CHAPTER 1 The first important fact to note in beginning the study of the Book of Revelation is that the noun is singular and not plural. It is a singular revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter 1, Verse 1. The purpose of the Book is not to reveal Jesus and His work at the end of the Church Age and during the Tribulation. In this Book, we will see Him change from being the Lamb of God to being the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The term revelation comes from the Greek word Apokalupsis which is an unveiling or uncovering. That is why we emphasize that the Book is the unveiling or appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not a book of prophecy, but a revealing of the two appearances of Jesus Christ, the Rapture, which occurs in Chapter 4, verse 1, and His second coming to earth which takes place in Chapter 19, the moment in which Jesus reveals Himself to the inhabitants of the earth. Verse 2 of Chapter 1 tells us that John only recorded what he saw. Verse 3 dispels the theories that the Book of Revelation is a mysterious book that is confusing and difficult to understand. If it were that, why would our Lord pronounce a special blessing on those who read it and decide to live in accordance with its promises and guidelines? One of the main reasons that the believer is to live by what he learns from the study of this book is because the return of Christ is at hand. The term at hand means imminent or impending which means that it could happen in the next five minutes, five months or five years. The next important fact to note is that John focuses his attention in Verse 4 on seven local churches in Asia Minor which is now Turkey. These were not the only churches in existence at this time, but they do represent seven different sets of circumstances which reflect the history of God s people throughout the Church Age. We also see that in Verse 5 Jesus is called the first begotten from the dead even though He was not the first person to be raised from death. The reason for that is because all the previous persons were raised to eventually die again. Jesus did not die a second time, but was raised from death to immortality. What a glorious heritage is ours! Verses 5 and 6 tell us that Christ loved us so much that He died for us, cleansed us from our sins in His own blood, and has established us as kings and priests to serve His Father.

3 ...Page 3... Chapter 1...continued According to I Peter 2:9, we are all members of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people in order that we might live to give glory to the one who has made it all possible, Jesus Christ, for He has called us from darkness to live in the marvelous light of His presence. In Verse 7, we see the Lord s glorious return to earth. This verse gives the reason why we call this Book The Revelation or Revealing of Jesus Christ. Every eye shall behold Him including those who crucified Him as well as all the nations of the earth. There is not a single person who will not see Him. Notice that the inhabitants of the earth are not going to rejoice at His appearing. They will wail in anguish because they will realize that what they have been told about Jesus was right. They have been deceived by Satan into believing a lie. In Verse 8, we see confirmed that Jesus is eternal. He says that He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is, which was and which is to come past present and future. Then in Verse 9, the Holy Spirit confirms the authorship of the Book as John confirms that he is a comrade in arms with all those who are willing to suffer for Christ. The tribulation that he is referring to in this verse is not the tribulation of this book. Revelation 3:10 and 1 Thessalonians 5:9 confirm the fact that the Church, the Body of Christ, is not going through the Tribulation of the end times. John also confirms in Verse 10 the fact that in deed it is the Holy Spirit who reveals this message to him and thus inspires him, John, to write the Book. He, further, confirms in Verse 11 that the message is for the seven churches of Asia Minor, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. However, do not forget that these seven churches represent seven stages of the Church, thus it is written for the Body of Christ as a whole. The seven candlesticks of Verses 12 and 13 represent the seven churches, with Jesus Christ standing in their midst dressed in high priestly garments of the Old Testament because He is the Risen Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His people.

4 ...Page 4... Chapter 1...continued The description of Jesus in Verse 14 coincides with the vision Daniel had in Chapter 7:9-13. The white color depicts antiquity, ancient of days, the eternal One as well as His righteousness (Hebrews 7:26). The eyes as flames of fire emphasize that Christ is righteously angry with the conduct of the seven churches, thus us as well. Verses 15 and 16 picture judgment as well. The seven stars in His hand represent the seven angels of the seven churches already mentioned. His countenance shining as the sun reminds us of the Transfiguration as well depicting the Christ, the Judge, of the Great Tribulation, Armageddon and the Great White Throne Revelation 20: In Verses 17 and 18, we see John s reaction to his vision of the Lord. He is humbled yet frightened to the degree that he appeared to be dead. Yet our Lord assures him that he does not have to fear death at all, for He, Jesus, has overcome them. He has the keys of hell and death. No one, who is truly Born Again, needs to ever fear death or eternity because we are secure in the love of our precious Savior. In Hebrews 2:14-15, we see that He partook of death to set us free. In Acts 2:27, 31, we see that we are not abandoned to Hades. What this means is that there were two sides to Hades prior to Jesus death and resurrection, a comfort side or paradise, and a torment side. When Jesus descended into hell at His death, He emptied the comfort side, releasing the Old Testament saints so that they could enter into the third heaven of II Corinthians 12:2. The torment side remains full awaiting the final judgment of Revelation 20:13 where all the unbelievers will be resurrected to receive their eternal sentence to the Lake of Fire. John concludes Chapter 1 by giving us the order of events in the Book. Verse 19 says write the things which thou hast seen: past, Chapter 1; the things which are, present, Chapters 2 and 3; and the things which shall be hereafter, future, Chapters Verse 20 is self explanatory because it is a repeat of Verse 12 which has already been explained.

5 ...Page 5... CHAPTER 2 In Chapter 2, we will be looking at the messages that the Lord gave to the four churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos and Thyatira. So let s begin. The message to the church at Ephesus begins at Verse 1 and extends through Verse 7. We must keep in mind that, not only were these individual churches, but they also refer to dispensations or periods of history in the Christian church as well. Some of the characteristics of all seven churches exist in many, if not all, churches today. The first church, Ephesus, represents the period of church history from its inception in 33 A.D. (Pentecost) to 100 A.D. or the time that John wrote the Book of Revelation. You will note that all messages are to the Angel or Messenger of the Church from the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, in other words, the Glorified Christ, the Son of God. In each of the seven letters, Christ lets them know that He knows their works. He also knows our works and is keeping a record for which we will be judged (II Corinthians 5:10), according to the standards of I Corinthians 3: The Church at Ephesus had a hatred for evil as noted in Verse 2. They had tried the false preachers and teachers to discover which ones were true and which ones were false. In each of His letters to the churches, Jesus begins by commending them for their good works (Verses 2 and 3) before pointing out their sin and warning them to turn from it and follow Him. However, in Verse 4 we find that the Church at Ephesus had left its first love. They had turned away from the love of Christ to the love of the world. Christ does not tell us why this happened, but we might surmise that they became so busy serving Christ that they forgot to spend time with Him in prayer and worship. This is only a guess, but it certainly is a warning to us today as well not to make the same mistake. They apparently did not listen (Verse 5) because their candlestick is removed (with the conquest of Mohammedanism when the church becomes nonexistent). In Verse 6 we find that Christ commended them for their hatred of the deeds of the Nicolaitans, a group that taught a religious dictatorship of the laity. The elders, leaders of the early church, warned against this and taught that the lay leaders are to be examples to the flock, not lords over them (I Peter 5:3).

6 ...Page 6... Chapter 2...continued In Verse 7 Jesus concludes His message to the Ephesians by encouraging them to hear His message and to overcome the devil s work through His shed blood. He promises that anyone who does, will eat of the tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God (I John 5:5). In Verse 8, Jesus begins His message to the church at Smyrna by identifying Himself as the writer. In Chapter 1, Verse 11, we find Christ referred to as the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. The Smyrna church represents the period of church history from 100 A.D. to 313 A.D. when Constantine made Christianity the State religion of the Roman Empire. It was during this period that the church no doubt suffered its greatest persecution. In Verse 9, He commends them for their works faithfully performed in His name. Their works have brought them great tribulation and poverty, materially, but He has laid up for them great riches in heaven. Their relentless and dedicated efforts spread the Word of God to the entire Roman Empire. Even though they were fed to lions in Roman, perhaps as many as five million were martyred during this time period, the church flourished and grew. It seems that, even as today, the Smyrna church struggled with false teachers as did Ephesus. Romans 2:29 describes them well. They were Jews outwardly, but were not circumcised of the heart and spirit (I John 4:3). The true believers then suffered persecution from within and from without. However, Jesus had a special message for them in Verse 10. If they would endure the ten periods of persecution for His sake, He would reward them by giving to them the crown of life (James 1:12). Final victory would be theirs and ours as well for He assures them and us in Verse 11 that we who overcome will not be hurt by the second death or eternal separation from Him. The message to Pergamos begins with Verse 12 and again, Jesus identifies Himself by the reference to the sharp two-edged sword, Chapter 1:16. This church period extends from 312 A.D. to 606 A.D. It was characterized by materialism, self-indulgence and worldliness. Sound familiar? As in His earlier messages, Jesus begins in Verse 13 by commending the believers at

7 ...Page 7... Chapter 2...continued Pergamos. A false religion had moved in and was using Pergamos as its headquarters, but the believers had remained faithful in the face of such evil. Jesus says they have not denied the faith. Oh, that we might be so faithful in the church today in the face of false teaching and preaching. The name Pergamos comes from the same Greek word from which we derive the words, bigamy and polygamy. This is noteworthy because Verse 14 tells us that some had begun to embrace the worldly doctrines of them who taught the doctrine of Balaam, thus committing spiritual adultery (Numbers 24-25:3). Spiritual adultery is when we worship anything other than the Lord Himself. We are being unfaithful to Him. They had also begun to tolerate and no doubt teach the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (Verse 15) referred to in the message to the church at Ephesus, another deviation from the Word of God to the church. In Verse 16, they were warned to repent or suffer the consequences. Verse 17 speaks of the promises for those who over-come. The hidden manna is the Word of God. The white stone refers to the manner in which decisions were rendered in ancient courts. A white stone was laid down by the juror to indicate innocence. Praise the Lord! If you are washed in the blood of Christ today, a new white stone has been presented to the Father with your name written on it. Like the hymn says, There s a new name written down in Glory! The message to Thyatira begins in Verse 18. The speaker is once again identified as the Son of God, for the speaker has eyes like unto a flame of fire and His feet are like fine brass (see Chapter 1, Verses 14 and 15). In Verse 19 the church at Thyatira is commended for her good works, love, service, faith, patience and last works. The term last works means that this church was outstanding in its service to the Lord. Her works became greater toward the end of her lifetime than they were at the beginning. Thyatira covers the years 606 A.D. to 1520 A.D. Many scholars believe that this church type still exists in the world today and will until the church is destroyed in Revelation Chapters 17 and 18. Verse 20 begins to point out the fact that, even though this church had many good qualities, there are some deep-rooted problems. We see that they

8 ...Page 8... Chapter 2...continued had allowed the spirit of the wicked Jezebel to enter into the church and lead people to practice spiritual adultery. Jezebel, you may recall, was the wicked wife of King Ahab who brought Baalism into Israel. She is accused of seducing God s servants to commit fornication and to eat meat offered to idols. By doing this, the people were breaking two of God s Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4,5,14). We see in Verse 21 the long-suffering nature of God. The term space means that Thyatira was given approximately 1,000 years to repent but she wouldn t. This of course means that this type of church is existent today. Those of you familiar with the church will find this to be true. Judgment always comes, though (Numbers 32:23). In the next verse, Verse 22, we see that those who fail to repent will be forced to go through the great tribulation with the one world church and all its adulterous partners for their idolatry and unfaithfulness to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. It is at this point that the Lord destroys the adulterous church, Revelation 17:9. I John 4:8 and John 3:17 remind us of God s love. However, when His love is continually rejected and spurned, His Holiness demands that the offender be punished. Verse 23 confirms that it is possible to waste years of good works and lose our rewards (2 John 8). The only good news is that a remnant remained faithful in spite of the deterioration of this local church. Can we see that the Lord is calling us to remain faithful in these final hours of the church age? I hope so. The final verses of this chapter, Verses 24 through 29, are the words of the Savior encouraging His children. We will have no further burden placed upon us than the one that we are now called to carry. He has promised His faithful children three rewards upon His return: 1) rulership over the nations during the Millennium (Revelation 20:4), 2) sharing in this glorious time of perfect righteousness resulting from Christ s personal enforcement and order (Psalm 2:8,9), and 3) the abiding presence of the blessed Savior throughout time and eternity as Christ, Himself reigns (Revelation 22:14, 16).

9 ...Page 9... CHAPTER 3 In Chapter 3, we will be looking at the messages that the Lord gave to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. So let s get started. The Church at Sardis began in 1520 A.D. and extends into the Tribulation period as well. That means simply that many of the characteristics of that church exist in the Church today, both positive and negative. We should never become negative thinkers seeing only the bad things in these churches, for if we do, we will start seeing only the negatives in the Church of today as well. This period of time covers the Reformation to the Tribulation. Many of the churches in the Reformation period were very dead churches because they became protestant without being born again. When Protestantism became the state religion it was embraced by millions who were never born into the Kingdom. For this reason, Jesus tells the Church at Sardis in Verse 1 that they have a name that implies that they are alive but in truth they are dead. This is very similar to the condition of the church today. Few churches are really alive, in that they preach the Gospel of true Salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-6). In Verses 2 and 3, Jesus gives the Sardinians a prescription for returning to spiritual health and vitality. He tells them to salvage the little good that still remains in their dead orthodoxy ( Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die Rev. 3:2 KJV). They were also challenged to recall the earlier days when they had heard the truth of the Gospel, to retain this truth and discard the false teachings (ecclesiastical pomp and ceremony staid forms of worship) of the day, to repent (change their minds) and turn back to the worship of Christ. The reason that Christ tells them in Verse 3 that He will come to them as a thief, not knowing the hour of His coming, is that the established church of the Reformation era did not preach a bodily return of Christ to the earth. Verses 4 and 5 tell us that, even like today, there were individuals in the Church at Sardis who did practice holiness unto the Lord and had thus not defiled their garments by compromising with the world, the flesh and the devil (II Corinthians 6:17). As a result, Jesus promises them the reward of being allowed to walk with Him, wearing a white garment. This white garment refers to the garb of the saints in Revelation 19:7,8.

10 ...Page Chapter 3...continued In addition, He promises not to remove their name from the Book of Life. He makes those same promises to believers today! The Church at Philadelphia historically covers the years 1750 A.D. to the Rapture. In Verse 7, we get another description of Jesus proving once again that He is the one speaking to the Churches. Verses 8-10 contain Christ s commendation to this church. It was and continues to be a very missionary-minded church (the open door of Verse 8). Another of their great strengths is that they had not denied His name (Verse 8). In Verse 9, He reaffirms the fact that all those of the synagogue of Satan will one day bow before Him and confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11) to the glory of God. Finally, because of their faithfulness to Him (Verse 10) He promises to spare them from having to go through the Great Tribulation of Revelation Chapters However, Jesus also gives us a warning in Verse 11 that we remain faithful to the end or we can lose our rewards, including our crown. The conclusion of this message in Verse to the church at Philadelphia includes three blessings promised to the faithful. The first blessing is that they will become pillars in the temple of God. The second blessing is His promise that they will have the name of God written upon them, identifying them and allowing them access into the city of God the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21 and 22. His final blessing is that not only will the new name allow access to the New Jerusalem, but it will allow them to be His servants where they will see His face, Rev. 22:3-4. The seventh and final letter to the churches goes to the church at Laodicea. This church covers the period of history beginning in 1900 A.D. and goes to the Tribulation hour. Verse 14 contains yet another vivid description of our Savior confirming, once again, that He is the author. Our Lord s complaint against the Laodicean church is that it is neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm (Verse 15). This comparison stems from the fact that the city of Laodicea had a water problem. They received a stream of cold water and a stream of hot water from two nearby cities. Unfortunately, by the time either stream of water

11 ...Page Chapter 3...continued reached Laodicea it was lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. Thus Jesus is saying that He wants His people to be cold or hot not lukewarm. Many have misinterpreted this passage by saying cold is bad while hot is good. Verse 14 does not say that. It says, I wish you were either cold or hot, meaning that either is good. Lukewarm is what is not good (Verse 16). The pews of many churches today are filled with worshipers who are very lukewarm, neither cold nor hot. Verses 17 and 18 give a very clear description of the church today. It looks upon itself as being rich and in need of nothing, but instead, as our Savior reminds us, it is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked because He is left out. The message of the gospel is not coming from the pulpits and the good deeds inspired by faith in Him are not the trademark of its service. In far too many cases, the good works being done are a works salvation attempt to win God s favor and circumvent the salvation of the Cross. The glory is going to the provider instead of to the Lord. People need to see that God will not share His glory with anyone. An excellent illustration of this is what happened to Herod when he took the glory that belonged to the Lord (Acts 12:20-25). He counsels the Church to return to Him and receive the blessings that only He can give. It will then be rich and healed and clothed with His righteousness, not a righteousness that comes from doing good deeds and seeking the favor and compliments of man. (Verse 19) Jesus concludes this message by appealing to the church to return to Him and make Him the centerpiece of its ministry. Verse 20 has been used as the motivation for painting the picture of Jesus standing and knocking at the door with no latch on the outside, meaning that those within must open the door and let Him in. Most Bible Scholars feel that this verse is for the Church - that Jesus is standing outside His own house, pleading to be let in so that He can bless it and return it to fruitful service in the Kingdom. As always, He concludes the message with a promise to allow the over-comer to sit with Him in His throne in His heavenly Kingdom (Verses 21-22).

12 ...Page CHAPTER 4 Chapter 3 ends the contemporary section of the Book of Revelation. We will now move into the prophetical chapters beginning with Chapter 4. Chapter 4, Verse 1 begins with the words, After this, meaning that what we are about to study occurs after the conclusion of the messages to the seven churches or the completion of church history. With the words, Come up here, the Lord calls His Church (children) home. Here in Verse 1 we see the Rapture of the church. This of course is the visible, bodily stepping out onto the clouds of Jesus to summon every born again Christian to join Him in Heaven. What excitement should fill the heart of every believer when they realize what this means. We are reminded in I Thessalonians 4: 16-17, that we will be summoned home by a voice as the sound of a trumpet, the exact same words that we see here in Verse 1. Many will argue that, in this verse, only the apostle John is summoned. This is not true at all as we will see in later verses of this chapter and Chapter 5 of this book as well. For further explanation of why this is the Church and not just John, I would refer you to our website and the article on the Rapture. There is overwhelming evidence that the Church will not be here during the Tribulation. Verses 2 and 3 give us a radiant description of our Savior as well as scriptural confirmation that He has ascended back to His home and sits on the throne next to His Father where we, as believers, dwell with Him even today (Colossians 3:1, Ephesians 2:1-7). What a tremendous privilege is ours indeed! We must live our lives like those who are seated in heavenly places with Christ. We learn in Verse 4 that around the throne are twenty four seats occupied by twenty four elders. These are human beings; not angels, for the word elder is never used to describe angelic beings. The twenty four elders represent the redeemed of the human race with glorified bodies like Jesus because they sit down, and an immaterial spirit cannot sit. We can be assured of this fact for in I John 3:2 we are told that, it does not yet appear what we shall be but when He appears we shall be like Him. We should also note that the elders are clothed in white raiment (Revelation 19:7-8) further proving that they have glorified

13 ...Page Chapter 4...continued bodies because you cannot put a garment on a spirit. It would simply fall to the floor. Notice also that the judgment seat of Christ (II Corinthians ) has already taken place because the elders are wearing their crowns. We must therefore conclude that the Judgment Seat of Christ occurs immediately upon the Church s arrival in Heaven. Many Bible scholars believe that the twenty four elders represent the twelve apostles and the twelve tribes of Israel. In other words, they represent the Lord s people of all ages. Since Revelation 21 describes the New Jerusalem as having the names of the twelve tribes inscribed on the gates, and the names of the twelve apostles are found upon the twelve foundations, this would certainly make sense or seem to be a reasonable explanation. Obviously, we cannot be totally sure who the elders represent but the important fact to note is that they represent the Church and we are at home with the Lord before the Tribulation starts in Chapter 6. Verse 5 gives us a preview of what is soon to take place on the earth. It is a generally accepted fact that lightning, thunder and heavenly voices predict judgment. Notice also that the Holy Spirit of God appears before the throne. It is also generally understood that the number seven, as in the seven spirits of God in this verse, denotes perfection. We know that God is perfect so what is about to take place on the earth is no mistake in judgment on the Lord s part. The earth is about to receive perfect judgment. The sea of glass in Verse 6 represents the Church at rest in Heaven. We will finally experience perfect peace in the presence of our Savior. Verses 7 and 8 describe four beasts that surround the throne as well. Whenever we attempt to interpret scripture, we should always keep in mind that words such as like a and as a denote symbolism or symbolic language. Otherwise, every word of God is to be taken literally. Therefore when these verses use the terms like a the descriptions are symbolic. The Greek word for beast is zoon which literally means living creature. Therefore, we can conclude that these are living creatures. The symbolic language used to describe them depicts their strength and knowledge.

14 ...Page Chapter 4...continued The many pairs of eyes simply imply that they are able to see all things clearly, unlike every finite creature of this earth. If we compare these descriptions of these creatures with Isaiah 6:1-3, we may conclude that these are seraphim as well. The Lord created the seraphim to praise, exalt and adore Him. Many people rush through verses like this thinking that these living creature are weird and ugly, some monstrosity. This is not the case at all. They are really beautiful creations meant to glorify God. If we stop to remember, we will recall that all species of animal have a leader the lion among the wild beasts, the calf among the domesticated animals, the eagle among the birds, and man among all creatures. This is the picture that these two verses have painted for us: Beautiful heavenly beings praising the Lord saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is and is to come! This is a tribute to the eternal nature of God. He always was! He is! And furthermore, He will always be! Verses 9-11 conclude the chapter by illustrating a beautiful scene in heaven which shows part of what we will be doing throughout all eternity. As the beasts give glory, honor and thanks to the eternal Jesus, the one who sits on the throne, the twenty four elders, the Church, fall down before Him in worship and cast their crowns at His feet thus the origin of the song, We ll Cast Our Crowns at His Feet. We are earning our rewards crowns in order to have something to cast at the Savior s feet in worship, for truly only He is worthy to receive glory, honor and power. After all, He has done all the work. He not only went to to pay the price for our redemption, but He also wrote the Book that enables us to live for Him and glorify Him in our human bodies. We have to simply obey Him and follow His commands and directives for our lives. In conclusion, He created all things for His pleasure, from where we get the chorus Thou Art Worthy! There will obviously be no evolutionists in heaven because in this scene the angels and the elders, with one voice, praise the Lord for creating them. When it occurs, this will be the greatest praise festival in the entire universe.

15 ...Page CHAPTER 5 According to Dr. Van Impe s notes, there should not have been a break between Chapters 4 and 5. In other words, chapters four and five should have been one chapter. He bases this decision on the fact that both chapters describe the same scene which occurs in heaven thus should have been one chapter instead of two. After all, we do know that chapters and sometimes even paragraphing were man-made decisions. In reality, the book mentioned in Verse 1 of Chapter 5 is a scroll, sealed with seven seals. The subject of this book or scroll is redemption, and its contents are the key to the understanding of the remainder of this chapter. An angel inquires in Verse 2 if there is anyone worthy to open the book or scroll. The question is not about ability but about worthiness. No human being or angel was found worthy to break the seals and open the book which leaves John heart broken. He obviously wanted to learn the contents of the book. Dr. Van Impe believes that John s lament has to do with the fact that the scroll contains the title deed to the earth which if it remains sealed will leave Satan in complete control of planet earth. However, Good News comes from one of the elders. He announces that Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 19:16), has prevailed, defeated Satan at Calvary, and is worthy to open the book and break the seven seals. The lion is the king of the beasts and Judah is the leading tribe of Israel, thus Christ is depicted as the Lion of Judah a conquering King! Verse 6 confirms that this is the same scene as Chapter 4 because it reveals that in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stands a Lamb as it had been slain. This Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven spirits of God that have been sent forth into all the earth. It is through his death and resurrection (our redemption) that Jesus (Verse 7) has earned the right to redeem the title deed to the earth by opening the seals (John 1:29, I Corinthians 15:3, I John 1:7). The seven horns depict strength (Matthew 28:18), and the seven eyes confirms that He sees everything that we do (Hebrews 4:13).

16 ...Page Chapter 5...continued Notice in Verse 8 that the four beasts and the 24 elders, representatives of all God s saved people, share in this glorious moment of tribute to the Lamb that was slain by presenting Him with the golden vials containing the prayers of the saints. Verses 9 and 10 remind us again that only Christ is worthy to open the scroll or book because He is the Lamb that was slain for our redemption. However, in addition to that we need to see that by redeeming us, He has made us kings and priests unto the Lord, and as such we shall reign on the earth with Him during the thousand year millennial period. Then in Verse 11 the celebration is joined by the angels as well. They do not sing though. No where in scripture do we find angels singing. They recite their praise. Verse 12 gives us seven reasons why they are praising the Lamb: 1) His power, 2)His spiritual riches, 3) His wisdom, 4) His might or strength, 5) His honor, 6) His glory and 7) His blessing. In Verses 13-14, the heavenly hosts get a head start on the fulfillment of Philippians 2:9-11, where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Soon after this scene, all created beings will bow to Him because they will be resurrected to stand judgment before the great white throne (Revelation 20:11-15), there to receive their judgment for having rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord. Everyone will confess to the glory of God that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What a day that will when in His presence we shall live eternally, praising Him for the fact that He and He alone has made it all possible.

17 ...Page CHAPTER 6 I would like to start this discussion with a recap of what I wrote in the discussion of the Rapture about signs. Many sincere believers are clinging to Matthew 24:14 as evidence that the Rapture is not close. In that verse, Christ informs us that the end will not come until the Gospel is preached to all nations. You will see that statement fulfilled when the 144,000 evangelists are sent out during the Tribulation period. There are no signs for the Rapture. All the signs, including Matthew 24:14, refer to Christ s bodily return to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives and to rule and reign for a thousand years. Therefore, since the signs of His bodily return are on the horizon, must not the Rapture, indeed, be very close? Seven years must pass between the Rapture and the Second Coming, so as believers, we should keep our eyes upon the eastern sky. As one Bible scholar has said, He may not be standing on the clouds, but I think He is on the edge of His throne." The Revelation, then, is when Christ is revealed to the earth, and the inhabitants realize that they have been deceived by the anti-christ, the beast and the false prophet, in other words, Satan. It should be noted that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke contain exactly the same signs as the Book of Revelation, all of which are fulfilled after chapters four and five. This can only mean that the Church is already in Heaven with our Lord. In Chapters 6-18, we witness first hand the events that will take place on the earth during the Tribulation. This time period will be earth s bloodiest hour. In Verse 1, the Lamb begins to open the seals. When He opens seal one, a rider on a white horse is released (Verse 2). This is the Antichrist. This begins the Tribulation hour. We should note that Satan has always been the great imitator. He has always wanted to be God, but has only been able to imitate the Lord. He did so in Egypt by having Pharaoh s magicians imitate the miracles or signs of Aaron. So who is He imitating here? The answer is found in Revelation 19: He is imitating the return of our Lord o the earth. You should note that he has a crown and sets out to conquer. The false Christ begins the Tribulation, but our Savior ends it.

18 ...Page Chapter 6...continued In Revelation 19, we will see that Jesus returns on a white horse also. But on His vesture and on His thigh are written the names, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORD! In Daniel 9:27, we see that the Antichrist comes to power through an international peace plan thus explaining why he carries a bow but no arrows. He conquers through diplomacy as a king, hence the crown. In Revelation 13:7, we find that this peace plan gives him power over all kindreds, tongues and nations. He is in total control. The world will get its wish to be ruled by Satan and not the Lord. This downward spiral can be traced back to the day when Israel asked for a king. They no longer wanted to be a Theocracy, a nation ruled by God, but wanted a human ruler so that they could be like the other nations. How many of the decisions made by the church today represent a desire to be like the world so that the world will be attracted to us and come and worship with us. What a sad commentary on us that we are ashamed of the gospel and want to cheapen it so that the world will be attracted to us and not to Christ. However, we are reminded that if we will not confess/acknowledge Him before the world, He will not confess/acknowledge us before our Father in Heaven (Matt. 10:32). I believe that the words confess/acknowledge here can be interpreted as defend us! I cannot prove that, but I believe that perhaps to be the case. If so, we have much to be concerned about if we are not boldly acknowledging our relationship with Him before the world. The Antichrist is immediately followed by three additional riders of judgment. Together these four horsemen represent the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the title of a revealing book, by the same title, written by Dr. Billy Graham several years ago. Even then he could see them appearing on the horizon. These four horsemen will bring untold misery to this world, such as it never has previously experienced. Man is so deceived, thinking that Satan loves him and wants what is best for him. On the contrary, Satan wants simply to destroy us and force us to live eternally in the Lake of Fire with Him.

19 ...Page Chapter 6...continued He knows his eternal destiny and wants to take as many of God s children with him as he can. The Antichrist is referred to as the beast because of his character (Revelation 13:2-3), because he ascends from the abyss (Revelation 17:8), and because he receives his power and authority directly from Satan (Revelation 13:2). When the Antichrist ascends to power, the unleashing of the final 20 judgments upon the earth is set in motion. There in no turning back now. Now, in Verse 4, we see a second horse, a red one, appears on the scene. The first horsemen brought peace to the earth (Daniel 9:27); however, we see in this scripture that the peace will only last for 3 ½ years. The rider of the red horse takes peace from the earth. Why is this horse red? Most Bible scholars believe that this depicts Russia. In Ezekiel 38:2, he refers to the armies of the north attacking Israel, using the names Mesheck, Tubal and Rosh. Each of these names refer to places within Russia today. Tobolsk, the eastern capital of the former USSR is the ancient city of Tubal. Meshech is Moscow. Rosh is Russia herself. This great invasion (Ezekiel 38:15,18) ends the Jewish sacrifices and worship in the temple, putting to an end the time of peace brought about by the peace treaty signed with the Antichrist at the beginning of the seven year tribulation period. What a testimony to the validity of prophecy because there was no nation of Israel until 1948, yet Ezekiel thousand of years ago, in chapters 38 and 39, describes this war between the armies of the North and the nation of Israel, calling it by name. In Verses 5 and 6, we see a black horse is released with a rider holding a balance scale in his hands. This rider represents the time of famine that will strike the earth during the Tribulation hour. Combine this scripture with Ezekiel 4:10, 11 and 16 and you will see how expensive food will be at this time. Imagine if you can, a measure of wheat and three measures of barley each costing a penny. In Bible times a penny was a denarious which was a day s wage. In other words, it will take a day s salary to purchase a loaf of bread. People will have to spend everything they have just for the necessities of life.

20 ...Page Chapter 6...continued Why will this be so, you might ask? The reason will be inflation. Here in the U.S. we do not feel the same effects of inflation as they do in many parts of the world even today. We have a financial system controlled by the Federal Reserve Board that controls the amount of inflation that is allowed to occur. This of course depends on everything working as it is supposed to. Dr. Van Impe feels that inflation will become so bad during the Tribulation that even precious metals will become worthless. The Antichrist s numerical system 666 will replace gold, silver and paper money (see James 5:1-3 and Ezekiel 7:19). Verses 7 and 8, When the fourth seal is opened the fourth horseman is released. This one rides a pale horse and the rider s name is death and Hell follows him. This may seem difficult to understand, but it really isn t. The Greek word for pale is cloros which is translated green. We get our word chlorine from this word which is used in Mark 6:39 and Revelation 9:4. This rider is by far the most deadly thus his name being death. He will destroy the body and then Hell will swallow up the souls and spirits of those he kills with the sword, hunger and beasts of the earth possibly AIDS produced by the green monkey virus. In any respect, one fourth of the world s population will succumb to this rider and be destroyed. Given the modern day arsenals of the armies of the world, this could easily happen, when you consider nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Only the most naïve would believe that they no longer exist or that they do not exist in huge numbers. Never lose sight of the fact that the devil is the great deceiver. Did not our Master tell us to beware when they were saying Peace and safety? He said that sudden destruction was about to come upon the earth. Verses 9-11, As the fifth seal is opened, we are greeted by the cries of slain martyrs. Jesus warned His people in Matthew 24;9, 10, that they would be delivered up to be afflicted and killed. However, believer in Christ, do not be alarmed. Keep in mind that the church is not here so these verses do not apply to the church. They apply to the elect Israelites and those Gentiles who are converted by the preaching of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.

21 ...Page Chapter 6...continued In verses 9-1, 1, we see further proof that the Church is not on the earth. When these slain martyrs cry out to the Lord to take revenge upon the earth, He tells them to rest yet a little while for there are believers who must join them in being slain for their faith. To give them comfort, the Lord gives them white robes as evidence of their relationship with Him. The church on earth at this time is the one world church which Midnight Call Ministries refers to as Churchianity. This will be the church of the Antichrist, for the real Body of Christ is gone. We should also note that these slain martyrs are in a conscious state. The doctrine of soul sleep is completely refuted by this verse. In II Corinthians 5:8, Paul tells us that, To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Those who would have us believe that the soul sleeps until the day of resurrection have a serious problem, for if this were the case, our soul and body would never be separated. However, I Thessalonians 4:14 tells us that at the Rapture, Christ will bring with Him all those who have fallen asleep in Him or died trusting Him. This can happen because the dead are in two places. The souls and spirits are with the Lord while their bodies are in the grave. Hence Christ brings the souls and spirits with Him to be reunited with their bodies. But keep in mind that this describes the Rapture. These Verses 9-11, are describing a later time during the Tribulation period. It is during this period that the spirits of the martyred saints cry out to God which shows that they are not lifeless spirits but have a definite form. Lifeless spirits cannot wear robes or cry out to God. This tells us then that the spiritual being has a temporary covering (II Corinthians 5:1). While our knowledge of the spirit world may be limited, one thing we can learn here for sure and for certain, is being in spirit form does not mean a state of unconsciousness. These spirits move, talk, cry and even wear white robes. Anyone who has trusted in the merits of Jesus shed blood for salvation is at home with Him right now. That is our hope (absolute expectation) should we die before He raptures His people.

22 ...Page Chapter 6...continued In the final eight Verses (12-17), with the opening of the sixth seal, we witness the beginning of supernatural judgment from heaven. The first four seals were under the control of the Antichrist. Not so with the opening of the sixth seal. Furthermore, we see the reaction of the even the Kings and the great men who are left on earth to the dreadful things taking place here on earth. In Verse 12, we witness a great earthquake. The judgments in this verse are to be taken literally. They are not prefaced by like a or as a therefore they are to be taken literally. Why not? God has used earthquakes and the other forces of nature before when meting out judgment throughout history (Exodus 19:18; I Kings 19:11). In Luke 21:25, 26, this is exactly what Jesus predicted for the Tribulation hour. The earthquakes and convulsions on the earth are so terrifyingly massive that the stars fall from the skies like figs from a tree (Verse 13). These are accompanied by mighty winds, which may indicate tornadoes and hurricanes, that wreak great havoc on the earth. (Verses 14-17), This scene is so terrifying that even the mighty of the earth, Kings and great world leaders, hide in caves and dens, and even cry out for the mountains to fall on them so that they may die and be relieved from the terrible judgment of Almighty God. Again this was foretold by our Savior in Luke 21:26, Men s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. In other words, repeating my earlier statement, the situation is so horrifying and unbearable that humanity is pleading to die, begging for obliteration and annihilation (Revelation 6:16, 17). Does it pay to faithfully serve the Lord? Yes, Praise the Lord, the Redeemed are home in Heaven with Him during this horrible period of human history! Note: The horrible destruction of the Tsunamis in Asia can not hold a candle to the Lord s judgment on the earth. However, might they not be one of the signs He was talking about when He spoke of earthquakes and wars and rumors of war just prior to His bodily return to earth to take control? If so, His return to earth is imminent. How close then must the Rapture be?

23 ...Page CHAPTER 7 Chapter 7 is a parenthesis or a pause in the supernatural judgment of the world. This chapter is divided into two segments dealing with two groups Verses 1-8 deal with 144,000 Israelite evangelists; and Verses 9-17 the multitudes of Gentiles saved out of the Tribulation. It is this Chapter that I have used as a basis for my message on the Tribulation as a curse or blessing. This chapter portrays our God as being compassionate, merciful and loving (John 3:16; I John 3:16,17). He pauses His plan of judgment to give the people on the earth a chance to reflect and decide whom it is they wish to serve. It will be a most difficult decision because they will be persecuted and probably killed if they choose to follow Christ. You see the Antichrist s system of 666 is soon to be in place (Revelation 13:7,8) so they will not be able to buy or sell; making the obtaining of food and the other necessities of life almost impossible. It will be a situation similar to what the Jews encountered in WW II only far worse. If they couldn t find someone to help them, they were totally at the mercy of the Nazi Regime which for most of the Jewish people meant starvation and death. We must always keep uppermost in our minds that it is man s wickedness, rebellion and sin that will produce God s judgment upon the earth (Romans 6:23; Job 4:8). The judgments of Chapter 6 were unleashed because of the hardness of men s hearts. Man rebelled and continued to rebel for thousands of years. However, God is so loving and kind that He decides to take a time out from judgment and allow man another opportunity to decide to open his mind and heart and come to Him. He still loves the human race and desires to save all who will come to Him in faith and believe that Jesus died for their sin. Therefore Chapter 7 deals with the mercy of God in the midst of the Tribulation. God in His infinite love and compassion creates this lull before the storm in order to call mankind to repentance, salvation and revival. I use the word revival because I believe that there will be people left behind who knew the way and walked away from it at their eternal peril. Therefore, they could be revived in their soul and come back to serve the true God.

24 ...Page Chapter 7...continued Churchianity will be alive and well. They will be worshiping idols and the like, but there will be no lack of religious form on the earth at this time. However, Christianity will be a thing of the past. The term in Verse 1 concerning the angels being at the four corners of the earth does not imply that it is square. This is a Biblical expression depicting the four points of the compass where angels are standing administering judgment. They are now commanded to stop for a time to give the Lord the opportunity to conduct a time of great revival and seal His people with a mark in their foreheads (Revelation 7:2-3). Verses 4-8 tell of a great commissioning of 144,000 evangelists who will lead a great world wide revival. These are Jewish because they are selected from the 12 tribes of Israel. These evangelists are anointed by the Holy Spirit to do their work (Joel 2:28-29). There is some confusion about the work of the Holy Spirit during the Tribulation. Some have heard me say that the Holy Spirit is removed at the Rapture because He indwells the heart of the believer. That is all true. However, we must make a distinction between the entire work of the Holy Spirit and His restraining influence as mentioned in II Thessalonians 2:6. Since the Church, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, has restrained or hindered the Antichrist s rise to power, that influence has to be removed. Thus it will be, when we are taken out in the Rapture. However, the Holy Spirit is God and as God is omnipresent (everywhere at all times), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipotent (all powerful). Therefore, the Holy Spirit cannot be removed from the earth (Psalm 139:7-10). Since He is everywhere at all times, it is only His restraining influence over sin that is removed with the Rapture of the Church, during the Tribulation hour. When the Church is removed, the Salt and Light of the world are removed depriving the world of any restraining influence over the sin of the humanity. What is the message of the 144,000 evangelists? In addition to preaching the message of His shed blood, they will proclaim His revelation (Matthew 24:14; Revelation 19:16). Their message will be much the same as John the Baptist.