Revelation Study Session 11
0 Amens
1 The Book of Revelation / Session Ten / Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Coming Universe As God Sees It
2
3
4
5 Revelation 14 and 15
6 THE WARNING OF THE ANGELS
7 AND THE PREPARATION FOR THE SEVEN VIALS
8
9
10 * In recent chapters we have been in a parenthesis period, that is, chapters separating
11 other primary events.
12 * In chapter 10 we had the angel and the little book (which John was required
13 to digest but not divulge to us)
14 * In chapter 11 we studied the two great witnesses
15 * In chapter 12 we learned of Satan’s hatred of the Jews and Israel, believing
16 that if he could destroy them, he could destroy God’s Messiah
17 * In chapter 13 we studied Antichrist (just a brief study to be elaborated upon
18 later in our work) and the False Prophet.
19
20 Chapters 14 is a parenthetical chapter which is meant to help explain the things that
21 are going to happen during the second half of the tribulation period.
22
23 This chapter consists of a series of pronouncements and visions assuring the reader of the
24 ultimate triumph of Christ and the judgment of the wicked. Much of this chapter is prophetic
25 of events that have not yet taken place, but which are now impending.
26
27 Chapter Fourteen / THE ANGELS’ WARNINGS
28 Video
29 Rev. 14:1-20
30 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty
31 and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. [2] And I heard a
32 voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I
33 heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: [3] And they sung as it were a new
34 song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn
35 that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the
36 earth. [4] These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These
37 are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from
38 among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. [5] And in their mouth was
39 found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
40 [6] And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
41 preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
1 and people, [7] Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of
2 his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
3 fountains of waters. [8] And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is
4 fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her
5 fornication. [9] And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man
6 worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, [10]
7 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
8 mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone
9 in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: [11] And the smoke
10 of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
11 worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. [12]
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and
13 the faith of Jesus. [13] And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed
14 are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may
15 rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
16 [14] And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the
17 Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. [15] And
18 another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the
19 cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest
20 of the earth is ripe. [16] And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and
21 the earth was reaped. [17] And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven,
22 he also having a sharp sickle. [18] And another angel came out from the altar, which had
23 power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust
24 in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully
25 ripe. [19] And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the
26 earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [20] And the winepress
27 was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse
28 bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
29
Revelation 14:1 - And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
30 The 144,000
31 Commentators disagree when it comes to the location of these 144,000. Some believe they
32 are still on the earth at this time while others believe they are in heaven. It is generally agreed
33 that these are the same 144,000 sealed Jews spoken of in chapter 7.
34
35 The reason they are believed to be in heaven is because at this point in the tribulation period
36 they are seen by John to be with Jesus and Jesus had not at this point returned to the earth.
37
38 Others see this as a prophetic vision of the ultimate triumph of the Lamb following His second
39 coming, when He joins the 144,000 on Mount Zion at the beginning of His millennial reign.
1
Revelation 1:2-5 - And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: [3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. [4] These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. [5] And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
2 John says that these 144,000 had not been defiled with women and were virgins. Some have
3 taken that to mean that a normal marital life would be virtually impossible at this time while
4 others believe it refers to their spiritual purity, that is, they are not defiled by love of the
5 world or compromise with evil, but keep themselves pure in a world situation which is
6 morally filthy.
7
8 They are referred to as the “firstfruits” which some take to mean the nucleus of Jewish
9 believers that belong to God as a result of God’s covenant with Abraham.
10
11 THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN
12
Rev. 14:6-7 - And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, [7] Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
13
14 The task of taking the gospel to the world has always been in the hands of mankind. For
15 example the angel that appeared to Cornelius did not preach the gospel himself but told
16 Cornelius to send for Peter and hear it from him (Acts 10:1-8). But here we see AN ANGEL
17 assigned to the task. Why?
18 Ordinarily one would expect this to refer to the gospel of salvation. In verse 7, however,
19 the content speaks of the judgment of God and the command to worship Him. This message
20 will be right the opposite of the deceptions of the Satan which will deceive the world into
21 worshipping the beast (the Antichrist).
22
23 * God has always warned His people prior to divine judgment: Noah....Lot in Sodom....and
24 here we see a special envoy sent to earth to warn that the end is just around the corner.
25
26 THE FALL OF BABYLON
27
Revelation 14:8 - And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,
because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
1 Prophetically , “Babylon” sometimes refers to a literal city, sometimes to a religious system,
2 sometimes to a political system, all stemming from the evil character of historic Babylon.
3
4 During the great tribulation it will definitely be tied to the Antichrist and his short rule of
5 the earth. Politically it will be his headquarters. Religiously, it will make up the one world
6 religion in which people of the world will worship the Antichrist.
7 During the Tribulation period, the apostate world church will cozy up to the vile
8 government of Antichrist and be under the domination of Satan and his trinity from hell.
9 Those who oppose it, who refuse to take the mark of the beast and come under his domination
10 will be summarily executed and will be known as the Tribulation martyrs.
11
Revelation 14:9-11 - And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, [10] The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: [11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 The third angel proclaims the sad doom of those who worship the beast. Those who receive
13 his mark which he will require according to Rev. 13:17, shall partake of the judgment of God.
14 This judgment is described as wine that is unmixed, that is, untempered by the grace and
15 mercy of God.
16
17 Their torment is not a momentary one, for it is described in verse 11 as continuing forever,
18 literally “into the ages of ages,” the strongest expression of eternity of which the Greek is
19 capable. To emphasize the idea of continued suffering, they are declared to have no rest day
20 or night.
21
22 The most dreadful judgment is to be cast into the lake burning with fire and brimstone. The
23 place we refer to as hell is a different place from this lake of fire. The hell we know is where
24 those who reject Christ now go. It too is a place of torment. Luke 16 tells us of a rich man
25 who went to hell and saw a man named Lazarus whom he knew while still alive on the
26 earth. Lazarus was on the other side of a great gulf that separated those who were tormented
27 from those who were not. He was in the bosom of the great patriarch of the Old Testament,
28 Abraham. The rich man appeals to Abraham to send Lazarus with a bit of water to cool his
29 tongue. If hell is so painful, how great must be the pain when one is later cast into the lake of
30 fire and brimstone.
31
32 Those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark on their forehead or hand
33 will be cast into this lake. The word is Gehenna in the Greek and was called “The Valley of
34 Hinnom” in the Old Testament. This valley was a common dump where all the trash of
35 Jerusalem was burned. It was a constantly burning fire.
Revelation 14:12-13 - Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. [13] And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
1 What is God’s response to the tribulation martyrs?
2 Those who receive Christ after the rapture who are not able to escape will be martyred at
3 the hands of the Antichrist. During that time it will be more blessed to take rest before God
4 and be recognized as a martyr than to live – only to be cast eventually into the lake burning
5 with fire and brimstone. The choice of martyrdom will be by far preferable than to accept the
6 easy way out and worship the beast.
7
Revelation 14:14-16 - And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the
Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. [15] And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. [16] And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
12 This seems to be referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. During the second half of the tribulation
13 Jesus will reap the remaining martyrs. Later those martyrs are reaped (resurrected) and
14 coming to heaven (See Revelation 20:4) (See Parable of the Weeds – Mat. 13:36-ff)
Revelation 14:17-20 - And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. [18] And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. [19] And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. [20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
15 This prophetic action is fulfilled in Revelation 19:15 when Jesus returns at the battle of
16 Armageddon which will be discussed in more detail in a later lesson.
Revelation 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
17 We also see this event prophesied by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:
Isa 63:1-6 - Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength?"It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save." 2 Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress?
3 "I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me. 6 I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground."
1 * Now the stage is set for the final drama of God’s wrath on earth. In the next few
2 chapters of Revelation we will study the collapse of the religious system, the
3 political system and Christ’s personal defeat of earth’s military system at the Battle
4 of Armageddon. At this point in end-time events, Satan and his unholy trinity
5 have fewer than three years to survive on the earth. HALLELUJAH!
6
7 Chapter Fifteen
8 PREPARATION IN HEAVEN FOR THE SEVEN VIALS
9 VIDEO
10
11 Revelation 15:1-8
12 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the
13 seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. [2] And I saw as it were
14 a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast,
15 and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on
16 the sea of glass, having the harps of God. [3] And they sing the song of Moses the
17 servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy
18 works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. [4] Who
19 shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all
20 nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
21 [5] And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony
22 in heaven was opened: [6] And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the
23 seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with
24 golden girdles. [7] And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden
25 vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. [8] And the temple was
26 filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able
27 to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
28
29
30 * We come now to the shortest chapter in Revelation, but don’t mistake its size for
31 importance or drama. This chapter is the overture or introduction to THE GREAT
32 TRIBULATION, the final half of God’s outpoured wrath on earth. This will be
33 the final time God lays His anger on earth. In the past history, we know of earlier
34 such wrath:
35
36 * The Universal Flood / Genesis 6 - 8
37 * Sodom and Gomorrah / Genesis 19
38 * The Great Tribulation will be the final chapter in that series of divine anger
31
1 * The Sea of Glass in verse 2 is the same, I believe, as the one we observed in
2 Revelation 4. It is that area that surrounds God’s throne. In His presence we
3 find saints from the Tribulation who refused Antichrist’s mark and Satan’s
4 domination who committed their lives to Christ and paid for it with their lives.
5
6
7
8 Their song:
9
10 Rev. 15:3-4 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the
11 song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty;
12 just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. [4] Who shall not fear thee, O Lord,
13 and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship
14 before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
15
16 Why is this called the song of Moses? Following the Red Sea deliverance, the
17 people of Israel praised the Lord in song. It is a song of joy recounting God’s
18 hand at giving his people ultimate deliverance.
19
20 THE TABERNACLE OF THE TESTIMONY OPENED IN HEAVEN
21
22 * This is eternity’s Holy of Holies.
23
24 In the Tabernacle in the Wilderness (Exodus) we beheld a small structure
25 (incredibly expensive because of the gold - but small, 15 x 45 area) in which there were
26 two rooms. The first room was 15 x 30 feet and was called the Holy Place. In it were
27 the great candlestick, the table of shewbread and the altar of incense. The second room
28 was only half that size, a mere 15 x 15 feet and it was called The Holy of Holies. In it
29 was the Ark of the Covenant and the literal physical presence of God. Only the high
30 priest of the nation could enter into it but once a year to make an offering for the sin of the
31 nation (always a blood sacrifice). This same basic plan was duplicated in the subsequent
32 three Temples in Jerusalem, the Temple of Solomon, the Temple of the post exiles and
33 Herod’s great Temple, which Jesus knew. In that last Temple, the Holy of Holies was
34 secured from the public by a massive double curtain, through which only the high priest
35 could enter. When Jesus died on the cross, that veil was torn in half, top to bottom:
36
37 (From the Message):
38 Matthew 27:50-51 But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last. [51] At that
39 moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake,
40 and rocks were split in pieces.
41
42 From that moment on, mankind, all of us, had access to God because of what Jesus did on
43 the cross. The Book of Hebrews invited all of us to come boldly into His throne room:
1 Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
2 obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
3
4 * Now from this heavenly tabernacle emerge SEVEN ANGELS each with a
5 golden bowl, or vial, filled with some measure of God’s wrath on the earth.
6
7 * Think this through: From Calvary to this moment in Revelation 15, mankind has had
8 access to God because of His grace. But the moment these angels emerge from the
9 Tabernacle there, see what happens:
Revelation 15:8 - And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power;
and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
10 FRIEND, AT THIS HORRIFYING, TERRIFYING MOMENT, GOD’S GRACE ENDS.
11 UNTIL THE SEVEN GOLDEN BOWLS OF HIS ANGER HAVE BEEN POURED OUT
12 ON PLANET EARTH, THE DAY OF SALVATION IS APPARENTLY ENDED.
13
14 In our study next Wednesday night, we will study those seven vials or golden bowls.
15 They will take us through the annihilation of Antichrist’s political, religious and
16 military power and bring about the cataclysm of THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON.
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