The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon.

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. – Revelation 12:1-6 ESV

With the beginning of this section of his book, John records yet another sign that is given to him, but his time he describes it as a great sign (mega sēmeion). This one is particularly significant because it provides John and his readers with a backdrop or explanation to all that is about to happen. It is the program that provides the identity of each of the primary actors in the great drama that is about to unfold. In a sense, God is providing us with the back story so that we can better understand all that is going to take place. First, John describes seeing “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1). And while John sees this sign in heaven, it is actually a representation of an earthly reality. This sign is being provided by God from heaven, but it relates to all that has happened and will continue to happen on earth.

The woman is presented as wearing regal apparel, having a crown (stephanos) on her head. But she is pregnant and clearly experiencing the pains of childbirth. In order to discern this woman’s identity, we must look further into John description of the sign, where he says, “She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:5 ESV). This is an unmistakable reference to Jesus. It ties directly to this Messianic passage found in Psalm 2:

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
    and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
    and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” – Psalm 2:4-8 ESV

Just to make sure that we understand this as a reference to Jesus, John uses a similar expression later on in his letter.

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. – Revelation 19:15 ESV

So, it would seem that the pregnant woman John sees is a representation of the nation of Israel. It is not the church, because the church did not give birth to Jesus. It was Jesus who gave birth to the church. The most logical and likely explanation is that John is being given a vision of Israel, represented as a pregnant woman. And this imagery is consistent with the rest of Scripture. Israel was often pictured as a pregnant woman.

Like a pregnant woman
    who writhes and cries out in her pangs
    when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O Lord… – Isaiah 26:17 ESV

7 “Before she was in labor
    she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
    she delivered a son.
8 Who has heard such a thing?
    Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
    Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?
For as soon as Zion was in labor
    she brought forth her children.
9 Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?”
    says the Lord;
“shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?”
    says your God. – Isaiah 66:7-9 ESV

It was the nation of Israel that gave birth to Jesus, the Messiah. He was born a descendant of Abraham. And Jesus’ Hebrew lineage is further portrayed by the reference to the woman being adorned with sun, the moon under her feet, and her crown of 12 stars. This imagery is reminiscent of the second dream that Joseph, the son of Jacob had.

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” – Genesis 37:9-10 ESV

God gave Joseph a second dream that predicted events that were to come. Eventually, his father, mother and brothers did bow down to him. He would be sold into slavery by his brothers, out of jealousy, and he would end up the second-highest official in the land of Egypt. And his family would come to Egypt seeking relief from a famine in the land of Canaan, only to find that their long-lost son and brother was now in charge of their fate and their future.

It is clear that the sun is a reference to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and one of the patriarch’s of the Jewish nation. The moon is a picture of his wife, Rachel. And the 12 stars are the 12 sons of Jacob, who would become the 12 tribes of Israel. So, the woman in the sign revealed to John is none other than the nation of Israel. As a Jew, all of this imagery would have been very familiar to John and unquestionable as to its meaning. And the woman’s obvious pain from childbirth is an indication of Israel’s pain and suffering before the first advent of Jesus. For more than 400 years the nation had suffered the loss of their sovereignty as a nation, having been subjected to repeated subjugation at the hands of various nations, including that of the Romans at the time of Jesus’ incarnation. They had no king. They were powerless as a people. And as John revealed in his gospel, they were a people living in darkness.

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. – John 3:19-20 ESV

But there was another character revealed to John and while this one would have been disturbing, it would have been no less obvious in terms of its meaning. He saw “a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems” (Revelation 12:3 ESV). And John will leave no question as to the identity of this dragon, because he spells it out in no uncertain terms in verse 9: “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” The term “dragon” is found 12 times in the New Testament and in each case it occurs in the book of Revelation and always in relation to Satan. All the imagery associated with this character convey his power and aggressive nature. He is pictured as having seven heads and ten horns, and upon each of his seven heads is a crown (diadema). Much of this imagery will be unpacked later on in John’s book. But the seven heads are thought to represent seven nations that are to come to power in the ends times. The ten horns, according to Revelation 17:12 “are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.” These ten kings will operate under the power and influence of Satan himself. And, according to Daniel, there will rise up one who will defeat three of the kings, leaving only seven remaining.

I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots… – Daniel 7:8 ESV

As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
    and shall put down three kings. – Daniel 7:24 ESV

John describes seeing this dragon using his tail to sweep a third of the stars from heaven, which then fell to earth. This is a picture of Satan’s rebellion against God and his eventual fall. This event is recorded for us in the book of Isaiah.

12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
    O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
13 You said in your heart,
    ‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
    I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    in the far reaches of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the far reaches of the pit.” – Isaiah 14:12-15 ESV

Satan attempted to overthrow God and somehow encouraged a third of the heavenly beings to join him in his rebellion. But he was defeated and cast down to earth, along with all those who chose to side with him. And verse 4 tells us that Satan attempted to “devour” the child born to the woman. This would seem to be a description of Satan’s repeated attempts to thwart the plan of God for the redemption of the world by trying to eliminate Jesus was the means by which that salvation came. First, he led Herod to try and kill Jesus while He was still an infant. Then he tried to sway Jesus from His mission by tempting Him. When that failed, Satan enticed the Jews to crucify Jesus, hoping to end and hopes of Him becoming Israel’s Messiah. But it all failed. And the woman’s “child was caught up to God and to his throne.” Jesus died, but rose again and returned to His Father’s side in heaven. And John is shown that the woman, Israel, will flee “into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days” (Revelation 12:6 ESV). The 1,260 days is 3-1/2 years, an indication that during the second half of the 7 years of tribulation, the nation of Israel will be protected by God and provided with some form of refuge from the attacks of Satan. We know that during the first half of the tribulation, Israel will experience relative peace because the Antichrist or world ruler will make a covenant or peace treaty with them, allowing them to rebuild the temple and re-institute the sacrificial system. But at the midway point, he will turn on them, persecuting and putting them to death. But God will protect His people.

With these signs, John is given a backdrop against which to view all that is about to happen. Satan and Israel will be major players in all that is to come. The chosen people of God, Israel, are prominently portrayed in the end times chronology. God is not done with them yet. And while they rejected their Messiah when He came the first time, there will be a remnant who turn to Him and are restored to a right relationship with God because of His second coming.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

The Kingdom Comes.

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
    and begun to reign.
18 The nations raged,
    but your wrath came,
    and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
    and those who fear your name,
    both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

19 Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. – Revelation 11:15-19 ESV

As believers, we are used to thinking of Jesus as our Savior, but also as our King and Lord. To us, He already reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords, in our hearts and lives. At least, we like to think so. We are familiar with passages like Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV:

6 For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

But notice what this passage says. It prophecies that Jesus will rule and reign from David’s throne and over his kingdom. That has not yet taken place. Daniel also prophesied about this coming day.

And the kingdom and the dominion
    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
    shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
    and all dominions shall serve and obey him. – Daniel 7:27 ESV

This is an important distinction that we oftentimes overlook. Even Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 ESV). This was a prayer of aspiration and anticipation. Jesus was not just speaking of a spiritualized kingdom, a kingdom within the hearts of men, but of a literal kingdom here on earth. And that kingdom would be marked by God’s will being done throughout the earth. And the prophet Zechariah also spoke of a day when that prayer will be answered in full and in literal terms.

And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. – Zechariah 14:9 ESV

In his commentary on the book of Revelation, Robert L. Thomas writes:

The whole theme of Revelation is the purging of evil from the world so that it can become the domain of the King of kings. Only a physical kingdom on earth will satisfy this. – Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary

And with the blowing of the seventh trumpet, the ushering in of that day arrives. In conjunction with the trumpets blast, John hears the sound of voices from heaven shouting, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” The long-awaited prophecy concerning His Kingdom finally becomes reality. And the 24 elders fall down before God in worship, acknowledging the significance of this day, saying, “you have taken your great power and begun to reign” (Revelation 11:17 ESV).

This is the beginning of His reign. And we must understand that at this point, Jesus will be returning to a world marked by sin and filled with rebellious people who have repeatedly refused to bow the knee to God. Even in the face of His judgments, they have longed for death, but not for a restored relationship with Him. Jesus’ return to earth is going to be accompanied by conquest and warfare against the physical kingdoms of this earth. The seven bowl judgments have yet to take place. There is much more that must happen before His Kingdom is fully established. And even when His millennial reign begins, the thousand year period of time in which He will sit on the throne of David and rule from Jerusalem over all the nations of the earth, it will not be the full and final form the His Kingdom rule. The apostle Paul reveals that Jesus will finalize His reign when He has subjected all under His sovereign rule, including Satan himself. Then Jesus will turn over the Kingdom to the Father.

24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28 Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere. – 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 ESV

At the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, there is another major event that will take place. John reveals it later on in his book, providing us with details concerning the arrival of the heavenly Jerusalem.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:1-4 ESV

This is the climax to it all. The return of Christ will ultimately bring about the restoration of all things. Men will once again enjoy the intimate, unbroken fellowship with God enjoyed by Adam and Eve in the garden. Sin, sorrow, evil, pain and the very potential for repeating the rebellion that led to the fall will be eliminated once and for all.

With the blast of the seventh trumpet, the restoration of all things will be closer than it has ever been. The reign of Christ will have begun. But there will be much that has to happen before the new heavens and the new earth can come into existence. Satan will still wield his power and influence over the world. The Antichrist will still hold sway over the nations and control everything from commerce to the worship of the people. Even Satan and his minions will recognize the threat posed by Jesus’ arrival. They will see Him as an enemy and usurper to their power and will respond accordingly.

As we will see, the seven bowl judgments will bring additional pain and suffering on the earth, and result in Satan and the enemies of God declaring war on Jesus the rightful King.

13 And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. 14 For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) 16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. – Revelation 16:13-16 ESV

The establishment of Christ’s Kingdom will not take place without a fight. Satan will not give up his domain easily or willingly. The nations of the earth will rebel against Christ rather than repent of their sins and accept Him as their sovereign King and Lord. And John hears the voices of the 24 elders shouting: “The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged” (Revelation 11:18 ESV). Jesus will ultimately destroy the destroyers. He will conquer the nations and bring to an end the rule of Satan on the earth.

The last thing John sees in this chapter is the opening of the temple in heaven. In the Holy of Holies, John sees the ark of the covenant, the symbol of God’s faithfulness and righteousness. On top of that ark is the mercy seat, the place of atonement, where Christ paid for the sins of man with His blood.

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. – Hebrews 9:11-12 eSV

24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. – Hebrews 11:24-28 ESV

The temple in heaven in open. The mercy seat is seen, reminding us that Christ has paid the price necessary for all things to be fulfilled and the final consummation of all things to take place, just as God has planned. There is nothing left to be done, except the pouring out of the bowl judgments and the final victory over Satan and his allies. The victory of Christ is assured. The outcome has been predetermined and there is no question as to which side wins. His Kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

The Two Witnesses.

1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come. – Revelation 11:1-14 ESV

There are a wide range of interpretations to this particular portion of John’s book. But most of the disagreements come over whether we should interpret what John describes as figurative or literal. There are those who interpret what John sees as symbolic in nature. And this is where the confusion arises, because it leads to a great deal of speculation and second-guessing as to what is meant in this passage. But if we simply take what John says in a literal sense, the passage becomes quite easy to understand. There is no need to guess as to the identity of “the great city” because John is commanded to measure the temple, which existed in the city of Jerusalem. And the time periods John describes should be taken as literal time periods. The two witnesses should be seen as two literal individuals whom God commissions as His witnesses. And their subsequent deaths and resurrections are literal, not figurative and representative of something else. Even the earthquake is a literal earthquake.

At the end of chapter 10, John received a commission to “prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings” (Revelation 10:11 ESV). This is in keeping with the words given to John at the very beginning of his book, when he was told to “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches” (Revelation 1:11 ESV). Throughout the book, John is being given additional insight and information regarding the future and God’s unfolding plan for the judgment of mankind and His restoration of His chosen people, Israel. All that John is being shown is a preface for the second coming of the Son of God. It is all preparing the way for His eventual return and the final days of the tribulation. But before Jesus can come back, there is much that will have to happen. First of all, John is given a measuring rod, a bamboo-like cane, and told to measure the temple of God. Now, it is important to note that this task assigned to John is symbolic in nature, because at the point at which John was writing his book, the temple no longer existed. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. And to this day, there has been no temple in Jerusalem. Jesus had predicted the temple’s destruction.

1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” – Matthew 24:1-2 ESV

So, when John is commanded to measure the temple, he is sent to measure what must be a future site, where the temple has been rebuilt. It is an earthly temple in the city of Jerusalem, not a spiritualized or symbolic temple. We know from the book of Revelation and from other passages in Scripture, that there will be a temple in Jerusalem during the days of the tribulation, because the Jews will be given permission by the world ruler to once again offer sacrifices in the temple. But then he will change his mind and desecrate the temple by placing an idol in the temple and commanding that everyone worship him as the one true god.

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.  – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 ESV

11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. – Daniel 12:11 ESV

John is told to measure this newly constructed temple. But he is specifically told to “not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months” (Revelation 11:2 ESV). This court outside the temple refers to the court of the Gentiles. John is restricted to measuring the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, the inner parts of the temple. John is told that the outer court is to be trampled by the Gentiles for 42 months. This is a literal 3-1/2 year period of time, the second half of the tribulation period, when the intensity of Gentile persecution of the Jews will reach its zenith. The Antichrist or world ruler, will come to power at the beginning of the seven-year period of tribulation. One of his first acts as the recognized world leader will be to broker a peace agreement between the Jews and the Muslims, allowing for the reconstruction of the temple on the temple mount, where the Dome of the Rock now stands. He will sign a covenant with the people of Israel, allowing them to re-institute the sacrificial system. And for 3-1/2 years, things will go relatively well for the Jews in Jerusalem. But at the midway point of the seven years of the tribulation, the Antichrist will reveal his true colors. He will turn on the Jews and desecrate their temple by erecting an idol to himself in the temple. Then he will turn his wrath on the people of God. 

But John is told to measure the temple, symbolically signifying God’s ownership of this property. The Antichrist may assume it belongs to him and set up his false idol as a means of staking his claim to the temple, but God is assuring John and us, that this is His property. The temple is His dwelling place.

And God lets John know that there will be two witnesses who show up on the scene during the second half of the tribulation. They will be sent by God, as evidenced by their supernatural powers. These two individuals will have the ability to perform miracles, even exhibiting the ability to consume their enemies with fire. It is most likely that they will be able to call forth fire from heaven, not actually spew fire from their mouths. But they will be divinely endowed with supernatural powers that will protect them against the threats of the Antichrist and all those who will oppose their mission and message. While there has been much speculation as to the identities of these two witnesses, we are not told who they will be. There is no reason to identify them as Moses and Elijah or Moses and Enoch. There is nothing that requires them to be former prophets called back to perform this special duty during the end times. They are most likely men who God raises up during these last days, just as He raised up other, unknown men during the days of Israel’s past.

Whoever they will be, they will killed by the Antichrist. The beast mentioned in verse seven is most likely a reference to Satan himself. He will work through the powers that be, namely Antichrist, the one-world ruler, to see that these two witnesses are eliminated. And their deaths will be celebrated by all. Their bodies will remain unburied and on display for 3-1/2 days. The people of Jerusalem will rejoice over their demise, even turning their deaths into a holiday where presents are exchanged. It will be a distorted kind of Christmas. And John makes it clear that their bodies will like in the great city, a reference to Jerusalem. He refers to the city as “Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.” These two comparisons to Sodom and Egypt indicate the wickedness of Jerusalem and its treatment by the people of God as a place of refuge and security. Sodom was recognized by God for its rampant, unchecked immorality and eventually destroyed. Egypt was the place where the Israelites tended to turn for help and hope when facing difficulties. It had become a substitute for God Himself. And for the Jews, the city of Jerusalem had become their haven, the place where they put all their faith, rather than in the God who gave them the city in the first place.

At the end of the 3-1/2 days of celebration over the deaths of the two witnesses, God will breath new life into them, raising them back to life and calling them to be with Him. And with their departure, a great earthquake will strike the region, taking the lives of 7,000 of the city’s inhabitants. We are told that those who survive this epic event will be terrified by what they witness and give glory to the God of heaven. This does not mean that they come to believe in God or worship Him. But they most certainly will recognize that His power is great and they will marvel at what He has done. This is a similar response that Jesus encountered when He performed signs and wonders among the people. They were amazed at what they saw and gave Him glory, but they didn’t necessarily give Him their hearts and lives.

John ends this section with a sober warning that this is just the second of the three woes, and that there is one yet to come. God is not done yet. But the end is coming quickly and the return of Christ is near. The intervention of God into the affairs of men is increasing exponentially. His power is being revealed with ever-growing intensity and it is becoming increasingly more difficult for the world to argue against His reality or to reject His sovereign will. He is the God of heaven and the power of heaven is making itself progressively more apparent on earth.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

Bitter Sweet.

8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” – Revelation 10:8-11 ESV

From the moment John was transported to the throne room of God in chapter one, he has experienced a virtual assault on his senses. The sights and sounds have come at him in relentless succession. He has repeatedly stated, “And then I saw” or “then I heard” as yet another heavenly insight has been revealed to him. But in this chapter, John will be required to use his sense of taste for the first time. The little scroll or book he saw in the hand of the mighty angel now comes into play. If you recall, verse two revealed that the diminutive scroll was open. It was not sealed like the first scroll. And while John has been commanded to seal up what the seven thunders said and not to reveal the content of their messages, the same will not be true of the scroll. In fact, he hears a voice from heaven commanding to take the scroll from the angel’s hand and eat it.

“Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” – Revelation 10:9 ESV

This is a new experience for John. Rather than acting as a spectator, silently taking dictation and taking in all that is being revealed to him, he becomes an active participant. And this scene is reminiscent of one found in the book of Ezekiel.

1 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. – Ezekiel 3:1-4 ESV

Like Ezekiel, John was to consume the scroll and then divulge its contents. And also like Ezekiel, John would find the contents of the scroll to be as sweet as honey. But he is warned that it will not set well with him. It will upset his stomach. John will find the words pleasant, because they come from God. But their ultimate outcome will leave him upset. Perhaps the imagery of an upset stomach conveys the idea of John needing to vomit up its content, spewing it out in an uncontrollable, reflexive manner. He will not be able to keep it inside. The message contained in the scroll is intended to be dispersed abroad so that others can know it.

“You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” – Revelation 10:11 ESV

The mighty angel had come from heaven, carrying a small scroll in his hand. That scroll contained a message from God and John was commanded to consume that message. In the Bible, the word of God is often referred to as sweet. Consider Psalm 19:9-11:

9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.

But while God’s Word is sweet to consume, it can be difficult to hear at times. If we meditate on its content and consider what its truths say to us about our lives, we can find it convicting or to put it another way, bitter to the taste. Paul reminded Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV). Sometimes, we can find what God has to say difficult to hear. And as a prophet for God, John was going to discover the bitterness that comes with speaking the truth of God and finding no one willing to listen. And he would not be alone. All of the prophets of God had experienced that disappointing realization. They willingly proclaimed God’s revealed will only to find the people unwilling to hear and heed what they had to say. In fact, God had warned Ezekiel that the people to whom he would speak, would refuse to listen

“But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.” – Ezekiel 3:7 ESV

John, like Ezekiel, had an obligation to share what he had been “fed” by God. He was not to keep it to himself. The content, while sweet going down, because it came from God, John would find impossible to keep down. And it would be anything but sweet to those who heard it from John’s lips. But John had a God-ordained obligation to share what he had been given. And as God had told Ezekiel, John was to warn the world of what was to come.

“…if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.” – Ezekiel 3:19 ESV

The book of Revelation is a book that is sweet to some and bitter to others. Some read its content and find their faith in God stirred and enhanced. Others read it and come away questioning the love of God and wondering how He could perpetrate such heinous acts against His own creation. And still others write it off as nothing but fantasy and nonsense. But John’s job was to tell. He is not told to convince or convict. That is the role of the Word of God with the help of the Spirit of God.

We are never told what the exact content of the scroll was. It could be that it contained the rest of the message revealed in the remaining pages of John’s book. Some have conjectured that it was the Word of God in its entirety. But whatever it was, John found it sweet to the taste. It contained the grace and mercy of God. It revealed the divine will of God. Because it was from God, it was deliciously received by the servant of God. But to those apart from God, it would be repugnant. The Word of God is full of difficult-to-digest statements about sin and God’s judgment. It contains words of warning and calls to repentance. It is intended to reprove sinful men and to call them to repentance. But there will always be those who reject what God has to say. Jesus told His disciples, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16 ESV). We have already seen that, even the judgments of God, were insufficient to turn the hearts of the people to God. His punishment for their sin made them desire death, but not Him. Their pain and agony, brought on them by the sovereign hand of God, drove them to consider suicide, but not to consider turning to God. 

John was eventually going to write down all that he saw and heard. Even that which he had tasted. We find it all in the book of Revelation. And over the centuries, millions upon millions of people have read its content. Some have been driven to the cross by what they have read. They have been convicted and called to turn to the offer of forgiveness made available through the sacrificial death of the Lamb of God. Yet, others have heard the warnings found in John’s book and, while intrigued by its message, have remained unmoved and have refused its call to “keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:4 ESV). And yet, the apostle John, like the prophet Ezekiel, is given the responsibility to take what he has heard and to share it with any an all.

“Thus says the Lord God. ‘He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house’” – Ezekiel 3:27 ESV

John will not be held accountable for the response of his audience. They will be free to do with the message of God as they see fit. And many who hear it will rebel against it. Others will simply ignore it or write it off as unimportant or non-applicable to them. But there will be some who hear and who heed the warnings found in God’s Word. They will repent and return to the Lord in humble submission to His will and in gratitude to His gracious offer of salvation from the judgment to come.

The scroll was small, but the message it contained was massive in terms of its importance. The remainder of the book of Revelation will reveal all that is yet to take place before the second coming of Jesus Christ. The stage has been set. The grand play that tells the story of man’s existence is coming to a close. The final act is about to begin and as it unfolds, God will still be offering those who are willing to hear, one last chance to heed His call to repent and return.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

No More Delay.

1 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. – Revelation 10:1-7 ESV

John saw yet another angel. And while some have conjectured that this particular angel must be a representation of Jesus, it seems to make more sense that it is as John says, just “another angel.” It is a mighty angel, but an angel nonetheless. The Greek word translated as another is allon, and it mean “another of the same kind.” In verse five, John describes this angel raising his right hand and swearing “by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it” (Revelation 10:5 ESV). Since Jesus played a major role in the creation of all things and is Himself God, it would make no sense for Him to swear to Himself (see John 1:2-3).

As as been the case before, John describes this powerful angel in dramatic terms. He is “wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head” and his face was as bright as the sun, and his legs shone like pillars of fire. All of this imagery is important and tells us something, not only about the angel, but about the nature of his mission. He come down out of heaven, a clear indication that he has been sent by God. He is operating under the sovereign authority of God. And he is wrapped in a cloud. The Greek word is periballō, which literally means “to wrap oneself with.” He is surrounded by a cloud. It is the same kind of scene Jesus says will take place when He returns,

“And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” – Luke 21:27 ESV

Clouds are closely associated with Jesus and His return. In verse seven of chapter 1, John provides a powerful reminder to the seven churches, telling them, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds.” When Jesus had given His disciples their final commission, He departed from them, and Luke records, “as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9 ESV). And the angels assured the disciples, that He “will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11 ESV). So, this angel arrive wrapped or cloaked in a cloud is a not-so-subtle reminder that Jesus is coming. It is a preface to the greater moment to come. And the rainbow over the angel’s head is a symbol of God’s faithfulness and mercy. His feet and legs appear to John like twin pillars of fire, indicating God’s purifying judgment. He stands with one foot on the sea and the other on the land, creating a contact point with all of God’s creation. There is no region of earth that will not be impacted by what is to come. And from his position of authority and divine power, he calls out in a loud voice, like a lion roaring. It is loud and fearful sounding. And accompanying the voice of the angel were the sounds of seven separate thunders.

This is yet another one of those indescribable, yet unforgettable scenes that John is given the privilege of witnessing. It is awe-inspiring and intended to be attention-getting. Something big is about to happen. And while John has already witnessed and described some of the most unbelievable scenes imaginable, there is more to come. And John stands ready to record what he sees and hears. But something strange happens. As John stand poised with pen in hand, a voice calls out from heaven, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down” (Revelation 10:4 ESV). Evidently, John was able to discern the messages in the seven different thunders. but he was forbidden to write them down. Instead, he was told to seal them. The Greek word is sphragizō, and it conveys the idea of sealing with the intent of concealing. This poses an interesting dilemma. Did John write them down and then seal them? It would seem from the text that John was about to write them down, when the voice had sounded. So, if he never had the opportunity to write down what he heard, what was it he sealed? It would appear that John was forced to keep the content of the seven thunders sealed in his own mind. He had heard their message, but was not allowed to convey their content. 

And there is another aspect to John’s vision that is easily overlooked in the fantastic imagery surrounding the angel’s arrival. In his hand, the angel held a biblaridion, a little scroll or book. But its content is never divulged. It most obviously contained information, but we are never told what it was. And as far as we can tell, the message contained in that little book are never revealed to us anywhere in the book of Revelation. It remains a mystery. And while the entire book of Revelation can easily come across as one giant mystery, there is much that God reveals to us in its pages. He graciously conveys to us His once-hidden plans for the future of the world. But there are still things that God keeps hidden from our view. He does not divulge all that He knows or all that He has planned. We are still His creatures and, as such, we are incapable of comprehending all the mysteries of God. As it should cause us to cry out with Paul, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33 ESV).

We may not know the content of the little book or the messages behind the seven thunders. but we do know the purpose behind the angel’s vow or oath sworn before God. He pledges that there will be no more delay. The mystery of God is about to be fulfilled. Things are about to heat up and speed up. The coming day of God’s final judgment are nearing. Everything John has seen up to this point has been nothing more than a precursor to the main event. And all the anticipation and expectation of creation will be met. Paul tells us that even nature longs to see this day’s arrival:

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. – Romans 8:20-22 ESV

There is yet one more trumpet to sound and, with it, the end will be ushered in. The long-anticipated day of the Lord’s return will arrive, and He will bring the judgment and justice of God to bear on the earth. There will be a grand climax to all the calamities befalling earth and its inhabitants. The judgments will end with one final, irrevocable judgment. And the mystery of God will be fulfilled. There is much about God we do not understand or know. There are aspects of His divine plan that have remained hidden from our view. And while John has been given the privilege of looking into the heavens and seeing the things that are to come, there is much that remains unknown to him and us. But one thing we do know about the mystery of God is that our future is secure. Our judgment by God has already taken place, because we have been restored to a right relationship with Him due to our faith in His Son’s finished work on the cross. Paul told the believers in Ephesus:

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. – Ephesians 1:7-10 ESV

We have already been redeemed. We already enjoy complete forgiveness for our sins. We are already united with Him. But the day is coming when all of creation will be restored and redeemed. God will fix all that is broken. He will judge all who are worthy of condemnation and place upon them the sentence they deserve. God’s righteous wrath will be finally and fully unleashed on a disobedient world, meting out His divine justice on all. And all in keeping with the prophecies provided by God thousands of years before. Daniel wrote of this very day.

And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. – Daniel 12:7 ESV

We can look at all that is about to happen from two different perspectives. We can see it from the viewpoint of helpless mankind cowering under the hand of an angry, all-powerful God. We can stand back and wonder at the sheer terror of the coming days of God’s judgment. Or we can recognize that all of this is the outpouring of the sovereign will of a loving, holy, gracious and merciful God. He has been more than patient. He has given the world ample time. He sent His prophets and they rejected their messages. He sent His Son and they killed Him. And as we have seen, He will one day send His judgments, and they will long for death, but they won’t turn to Him. And yet, through it all, God will continue to bring to Himself a remnant of mankind, whom He will redeem and restore. He will keep His promises to His people throughout the ages, including His church and the people of Israel. He will remain faithful and true. He will do all that He has promised. And one day, the mystery of God will be completely revealed. No more secrets. No more wondering about what comes next. And John will be given a glimpse into this day, which he will share with us, for our encouragement and edification.

6 “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:6-8 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

They Will Not Repent.

13 Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar 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, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. – Revelation 9:13-21 ESV

How bad does it have to get before the world will recognize that God is not to be trifled with? What will it take to bring the nations to their knees before their Creator God? According to the book of Revelation, quite a lot. In this second half of chapter nine John reveals his vision of the sixth trumpet judgment. And what he is about to describe is going to be far worse than anything he has mentioned thus far. And it was set up by his warning in verse 12: “The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.”

This sixth trumpet blast will signal the beginning of the second of the three woes. And while the first woe brings demonic persecution upon the unbelieving population of the earth, it will not result in their deaths. In fact, John noted that those whom the locusts or demons torment “will long to die, but death will flee from them” (Revelation 9:6 ESV). But with the second woe, death comes with a vengeance. One-third of the earth’s population will suffer death at the hands of God. During the five months of relentless torment by the demons, many will want to die and even attempt to take their own lives, but they will fail. Death will escape them. But with the second woe, death comes calling and it is all on God’s time table and according to His divine agenda.

John mentions that he heard something from heaven. This time, instead of a vision, he hears a voice calling out “from the four horns of the golden altar before God” (Revelation 9:13 ESV). We’re not told how he knew the location from which this voice called, but based on his description, it may be that the voice was that of the angel mentioned in Revelation 8:3:

And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne…

John heard the voice call out to the sixth angel, commanding him to “release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14 ESV). But who are these angels and why are they bound? Due to their description as being bound, it would seem that these are fallen angels. The book of Jude provides us with insight into their identity.

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day… – Jude 6

These fallen angels have been kept in confinement by God, awaiting the very day that John is describing and he tell us they “been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year” (Revelation 9:15 ESV0. This is yet another clear reference to and reminder of God’s sovereign hand over all things, including the coming day of judgment. These four fallen angels had been locked away by God and with a future purpose in mind. Their confinement had been preordained and the timing of their release perfectly orchestrated to occur precisely as God had planned it. And the purpose behind their release is unquestionably clear: “to kill a third of mankind.” They will not torment. They will not harass. They will not possess. They will bring death.

The location of their captivity and place of release is important to note. The river Euphrates had formed a natural barrier between Israel and their enemies to the northeast, the nations of Assyria and Babylon. This river plays a significant part in the end times story, and is referenced a second time by John later in his book. He describes seeing this same river drying up, creating an entry point for the enemies of God to being their assault on Jerusalem.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. – Revelation 16:12 ESV

The river ran through the land most closely associated with Babylon, and that city figures prominently in the end times chronology. We know from the Genesis account, that this particular river and the region through which it flowed, provides a link all the way back to the creation story.

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. – Genesis 2:101-14 ESV

Everything is coming full circle. God is returning to the scene of the crime, where Adam and Eve rebelled against God. And Babylon stands as the poster boy for mankind’s moral, religious and political rebellion against God. This land, long associated with the Garden of Eden, became a wild garden where idolatry and immorality grew unchecked, and the pride of man became personified by the nations who rose up out of its sin-saturated soil.

And God is going to deal with the wicked and rebellious. He calls for the release of the four fallen angels, who will bring with them an army of unprecedented and almost unfathomable size. John states that they will number 200 million. Is this a literal army? Is it made up of human beings or demons? John doesn’t tell us. But he does say, “this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths” (Revelation 9:17 ESV). What is it that John is seeing? We can’t be sure. But the fantastic nature of his description would seem to indicate that these are not human soldiers, but demonic forces of some kind. What’s interesting to note is that these forces, whoever they are, do not wield swords or spears. John states that fire, smoke and sulfur came from the mouths of the horses. It is these three things, which John calls plagues, that will bring death to one-third of the earth’s population.

There are many who believe John’s mention of fire, smoke and sulfur is a reference to modern weapons of warfare, including guns, tanks, aircraft, etc. But there is no reason to assume that God must accomplish this event by ordinary means. He is not obligated or relegated by our existing technology. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah without help from modern-day weapons of mass destruction. If anything, the book of Revelation seems to imply that God is going to reduce to insignificance the achievements of mankind. He will bring forces to bear that no man has ever seen or could have ever imagined or invented. God’s destructive powers are on the same level as His creative powers. The God who spoke forth the universe has more than enough power to call for its destruction without the help of human technology or the latest advancements in state-of-the-art weaponry.

Who God uses to enact His judgment and what resources He calls forth to bring it about are far less important than the John’s sad assessment that the two-thirds of those who survive this devastation will remain stubbornly unrepentant and unwavering in their commitment to reject God. 

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. – Revelation 9:20-21 ESV

Millions upon millions of their fellow citizens will die right in front of their eyes, but the survivors will remain unmoved and unrepentant. It will be business as usual. They will continue to worship their false gods and to live their immoral lifestyles just as they always have. What a stunning statement regarding man’s stubbornness and self-destructive bent. Rather than bow the knee to God, they will prefer to die at His hands. What is truly sad is that idolatry is essentially the worship of anything other than the one true God. There are no other gods. And all that we worship in this world is nothing more than a false representation of or stand-in for God. In his first letter, John warned us:

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. – 1 John 2:15-17 ESV

These people will love the world more than God. They will worship the things of this world. In essence, they will worship the demonic forces that control the things of this world. The book of Deuteronomy makes it painfully clear that this is true.

16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods;
    with abominations they provoked him to anger.
17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,
    to gods they had never known,
to new gods that had come recently,
    whom your fathers had never dreaded. – Deuteronomy 32:16-17 ESV

And those who survive this coming destruction will continue to worship the very source of their own misery. Rather than turn to God in repentance, they will turn back to those things that brought God’s judgment upon them. They will worship the creation instead of the Creator. They will continue to love the things of this world, even as they see the world disintegrating before their eyes.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

A Desire For Death, But Not Deliverance.

1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. 2 He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.

7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.

12 The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. – Revelation 9:1-12 ESV

Chapter eight ended with the pronouncement of three woes.

“Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” – Revelation 8:13 ESV

Now, in this first half of chapter nine, John will describe what the first of those three woes will be. It comes in conjunction with the fifth trumpet blast and brings with it even more horrific judgments upon the earth – this time aimed at the people living on the earth. John records that he saw “a star fallen from heaven to earth” (Revelation 9:1 ESV). This is not the first time John has seen such a vision. Back in chapter eight, verse 10, he describes seeing “a great star fell from heaven” (Revelation 8:10 ESV). This was in conjunction with the third trumpet. And in chapter six, he records that, with the opening of the sixth seal, “the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale” (Revelation 6:13 ESV). But in this chapter, there is something different about this particular star. In this case, John repeatedly refers to this fallen star as an individual.

…he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. – Revelation 9:1 ESV

He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit… – Revelation 9:2 ESV

This would appear to be a person or some form of angelic or demonic being. The fact that he is described as having fallen from heaven would seem to eliminate the possibility of this being a human. And John does not describe seeing the star actually falling from heaven, but only as a star “fallen to earth from heaven.” In Luke 10:18, we have the words of Jesus describing Satan in this same fashion: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” So, this could be a reference to Satan. Others believe that this is simply an un-fallen angel, sent by God on a divine mission. But the use of the Greek word, piptō, would seem to eliminate this option. It is a word that, in most cases, seems to be used to convey either a position of worship (falling prostrate) or the process of being cast down from one place to another, as a form of judgment. So, it seems more likely that John is seeing either Satan himself or a fallen angel, whom God is giving authority, in the form of a key, to open the bottomless pit. The actual word in the Greek is abyssos, and it is a sort of prison for demons. In fact, we are told later in the book of Revelation, that Satan himself will be confined in this same place during the 1,000 years of Christ’s millennial reign on earth.

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. – Revelation 20:1-3 ESV

This “fallen star” is allowed to open up the bottomless pit and, in so doing, he releases a horde of locust. There are so many that they appear like smoke swirling up out of the pit. Like bats exiting a cave at dusk, these demonic creatures will swarm the earth, wreaking havoc and destruction upon the earth. But notice that the focus of their activity will be directed at human beings. Unlike normal locusts, that destroy vegetation, this demons will specifically target “only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4 ESV). Anyone who has come to faith in Christ during the days of the tribulation will be protected from this menace. It will be only those who have rejected Christ as their Messiah and Savior, who will suffer the effects of these demonic creatures. And it is hard not to deduce that these are demons based on John’s bizarre description of them.

7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. – Revelation 9:7-10 ESV

What John sees defies explanation or description. He has difficulty putting into words what he is seeing. But it is clear that these are evil and inhuman creatures who are bent on tormenting mankind. And that torment, while only five months in duration, will be so intense, that the people on earth will long to die, but they will be prevented from taking their own lives. Verse 11 tells us that they have a leader. “They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.” Abaddon is a Hebrew word and Apollyon is its Greek equivalent. They both mean “destroyer.” Some have assumed that this is a reference to Satan himself. But this could just as easily be a reference to a particular demon who has the title of “destroyer” and is responsible for leading this demonic horde as they torment humanity. The bottom line is that this presents to us a vivid picture of the spiritual warfare that is going to take place in the last days. The forces of Satan will be released upon the earth, and their destructive power will be targeted on the unbelieving world. Those who have placed their faith in Christ will be protected. This is reminiscent of the plagues that fell on the land of Egypt. God protected the people of Israel, preventing the full brunt of His wrath, in the form of ten plagues, to fall on them.

But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die. – Exodus 9:4 ESV

Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. – Exodus 9:26 ESV

In spite of all the persecution these tribulation saints had to endure, they were being protected by God. The enemy can do nothing to them without the express permission of God. But for all those who have rejected Jesus as their Messiah, the forces of evil will have a field day with them. They will long for death. They will wish for relief from the torment they suffer. But they will not cry out to God in repentance. They will prefer death to salvation and eternal life. Even in these difficult days, the lost will stubbornly refuse to call out to the only one who could save them. And yet, these demonic forces can only torment, not destroy. They cannot take the lives of their victims. That is God’s prerogative. Only He can give life and take life away. And there is more in store for these people. This is only the first of three woes, and the intensity of God’s judgment is only going to increase. And John warns: “behold, two woes are still to come.”

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

Woe, Woe, Woe.

8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing 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 people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” – Revelation 8:8-13 ESV

It is impossible for us to know exactly how the events in these chapter will unfold. We were not there to see what John saw. His descriptions of the events transpiring before his eyes are fantastic and otherworldly. They are difficult for our senses to comprehend and, as each successive trumpet is blown, the accompanying judgment will be increasingly more intense and devastating. With the sounding of the second trumpet, John sees “something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea” (Revelation 8:8 ESV). Notice his use of the word, “something.” John is doing the best he can to use well-known, recognizable imagery in an attempt to describe the indescribable and never-before-seen. We cannot be certain of what John saw, but there is no doubt that what transpired before his eyes was shocking and disturbing. When dealing with these judgments of God, the easy route to take is to write them off as nothing more than symbolism. Thus, the mountain becomes nothing more than a physical or natural representation of something more significant. Many have speculated that the mountain symbolizes a government or kingdom. But, other than the unbelievable nature of John’s description, there seems to be no reason for us to allegorize what John is seeing. It is obviously not a mountain but, as John said, something like a mountain. Whatever it was, it came down from heaven, indicating its the divine nature of its origin. God had sent it. And this blazing mountain-like object plunged into the sea, turning all the water to blood. Once again, our natural inclination is to write off the literal nature of this description, and simply relegate it to allegory or symbolism. And while there is much symbolism in the book of Revelation, the context in this chapter does not seem to justify taking these fantastic sights as anything less than literal.

God brings judgment on the oceans of the world, turning a third of them to blood, and resulting in the deaths of a third of the creatures living in them. Once again, this is reminiscent of the plagues brought by God upon the land of Egypt. Through Moses His servant, God turned to waters of the Nile into blood. This devastating miracle would last for a full seven days, turning the Nile, the source of all life for the Egyptians, into a stinking, river of death. So, it should not surprise us that God brings a similar, equally impactful judgment on the nations of the world during the last days. This phenomena will also result in the destruction of a third of the world’s ocean-going vessels. One can only imagine the impact this will have on global commerce. And it doesn’t require much imagination to understand that the death of a third of the sea creatures and the destruction of a third of the ships that sail the seas, is going to have dire consequences on the quality of human life. One of the major food sources for mankind will become a third-less reliable, and the means for transporting goods around the world will be  dramatically reduced. 

With the blowing of the third trumpet, John sees “a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch” (Revelation 8:10 ESV). As before, John struggles to describe what he is seeing and he finds himself relegated to using human words to help us understand the supernatural events taking place. He describes seeing a star falling from heaven. Was it a comet, a literal star, or simply a symbol for something natural and explainable? It seems best to take John at his word and view this as some kind of literal extraterrestrial object that falls from the sky, another indication that this judgment is from the very throne room of God. It turns a third of the waters of the world bitter, causing great sickness to the earth’s population, and leaving many dead as a result.

With the fourth trumpet, God brings judgment on the world by reducing the intensity of the light produced by the sun, moon and stars by one-third. In other words, the world and all those who live on it, will experience a reduction in light, but also global temperatures. The subsequent results will be dramatic and devastating. And there will be no one who does not witness this particular judgment. All will see the sun, moon and stars decrease in intensity, clearly indicating that this judgment is from the hand of God. The very things mankind takes for granted: Food from the sea, the ability to transport goods across the oceans, fresh water and light, will feel the hand of God upon them. In the end times, these gifts that had been given to mankind by God, will become unreliable and even harmful. Creation will turn on man. The things we take for granted will be taken from us by God, all in an attempt to remind fallen mankind that God alone is sovereign and worthy to be worshiped.

And as is all this was not enough, John describes seeing an eagle flying through the sky and crying out, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” (Revelation 8:13 ESV). In other words, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. And the truth is, it’s not going to get better at all. There are three more trumpets to be sounded and three more judgments to fall on the world. And the cumulative effect of these judgments will be devastating. Jesus Himself predicted that the judgment of God will be so great that, if He does bring them to an end, the entire world will be destroyed.

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. – Matthew 24:22 ESV

The prophet, Joel, provides us with a vivid description of these days.

1 Blow a trumpet in Zion;
    sound an alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
    a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
    a great and powerful people;
their like has never been before,
    nor will be again after them
    through the years of all generations. – Joel 2:1-2 ESV

The day is coming when the sinfulness of mankind will be dealt with once and for all. God will bring His judgment on the world. He will no longer put up with man’s open rebellion against His leadership. He will no longer tolerate their rejection of His Son and their refusal to accept His gracious gift of salvation. And the visions of John provide us with a powerful and sobering reminder that our God is in control and will one day right all wrongs. The words of John are difficult to read. The images of death and destruction he describes are hard for us to fathom. They even seem to contradict our understanding of the loving nature of our God. But we must never forget that our God is holy, righteous, and just. He has patiently put up with man’s stubborn rebellion against His authority for centuries. But the day is coming when He will put up with it no longer. Justice will reign. Righteousness will be meted out by the hand of our holy God. He will restore the world He created to its original perfection. He will punish the wicked and reward the righteous. He will end the dominion of death and Satan once for all.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

God of the Impossible.

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6 Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. – Revelation 8:1-7 ESV

As we stated earlier, chapter seven appears to act as a parenthesis between the opening of the sixth and seventh seal, John was introduced to the 144,000 Jews on earth and the countless number of martyred saints in heaven, the victims of persecution and death at the hands of the Antichrist. Now, John’s attention, and ours, is returned to the seals. There is yet one final seal to be opened by the Lamb, and this one will be unique. While it will bring yet more judgments on the earth, they will come with an intensity as yet unseen. And they will come in the form of seven bowls of judgment that will be poured out in rapid succession on the earth and its inhabitants.

As Jesus opens the seventh seal, John notes that there is silence in the throne room for a 30-minute period. While this may not sound like a very long time, it is essential that we remember all the references to sounds and singing that John has recorded up to this point. His vision of heaven had been replete with sounds of all kinds. He had heard God Himself speaking.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” – Revelation 1:8 ESV

John had also heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet, saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11 ESV). John had also had the distinct privilege and responsibility of writing down the words of Jesus, spoken to the seven churches. 

Chapter four introduced even more sounds to John’s ears as he heard “rumblings and peals of thunder” (Revelation 4:5 ESV), and the voices of the four creatures around the throne of God as they shouted, ““Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV). John made the note that these creatures, whoever they are, never cease shouting their praise, day or night. It is non-ending and never-ceasing. And it is accompanied by the 24 elders who throw their crowns before the crown, shouting:

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.” – Revelation 4:11 ESV

In chapter five, John recorded hearing the four creatures and the 24 elders singing a “new song.” And they were joined with “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of angels and “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea” as they sang praises to God and the Lamb who was slain.

So what’s the point? It’s that the 30-minutes of complete silence would have been deafening to John’s ears. It would have been like a football stadium filled with excited fans before the start of a game, who are asked to pause for 15 seconds of silence. The difference in the noise lever would be shocking to the senses. And that is how this must have impacted John. The opening of the seventh seal was going to be a game-changer and everyone in the throne room of heaven seemed to recognize that this was the beginning of the end. It is the proverbial silence before the storm. The prophet Zephaniah spoke of this coming day.

7 Be silent before the Lord God!
    For the day of the Lord is near;
the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
    and consecrated his guests.
8 And on the day of the Lord's sacrifice—
“I will punish the officials and the king's sons
    and all who array themselves in foreign attire. – Zephaniah 18:7-8 ESV

After the 30 minutes of silence, seven angels are given seven trumpets, and an eighth angel was given “a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne” (Revelation 8:3 ESV). We are not told who these angels are, but they obviously have authority given to them by God. They are created beings God has designated to play significant roles in His sovereign plan for the judgment of the world. The eighth angel appears to fulfill the role of a priest, offering holy incense before the altar of God. He holds a censer full of burning coals, to which he adds incense and the prayers of the saints. This would appear to be a reference to the prayers of all those on earth who had come to faith in Christ, but who were suffering at the hands of the Antichrist. They were praying for God’s protection and deliverance, much like the saints underneath the alter in chapter six had done.

“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” – Revelation 6:10 ESV

The persecuted saints back on earth were crying out for justice to be done. They were calling out to God to redeem and rescue them. And the smoke and aroma from these prayers mixed with incense, rose up before God. Then the angel took the coals from the altar, placed them in his golden censer and cast them down to earth. These coals symbolized the judgment of God and that judgment had a reason behind it: The persecution of the saints. Their prayers and pleas, mixed with tears, had been mingled with the fiery coals, and it was all cast down on the earth and its inhabitants. And John records that ,immediately, “there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake” (Revelation 8:5 ESV). What a contrast to the 30 minutes of silence that opened up this chapter. The storm was coming. The judgment of God was falling in all its holy intensity.

Once again, John records a moment of tension-filled anticipation as the seven angels, holding the seven trumpets, prepare to blow them. All throughout the Scriptures, trumpets are used as instruments to proclaim coming judgment or as a call to worship. They were blown to assemble troops for battle. They were loud and distinct, impossible to ignore, and unmistakable in their purpose. This scene in Revelation is very similar to that found in the book of Exodus when God appeared before the people of Israel from Mount Sinai.

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. – Exodus 19:16 ESV

John, as a Jews, was very familiar with the trumpet call and he would have anticipated that something highly significant was about to happen. And, one at a time, the angels began to blow their trumpets, each representing a distinct aspect of God’s judgment on the earth. John records that as soon as the angel blew his trumpet, “hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth” (Revelation 8:7 ESV). With the opening of the seventh seal, a whole new wave of judgments began. The intensity of God’s wrath was increasing exponentially. We know from Ezekiel 5:2 and Zechariah 13:8-9, that this event is going to have devastating consequences. John reports that “a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up” (Revelation 8:7 ESV). While this appears to be a judgment on the planet itself, the effects of this kind of destruction of nature will have dire consequences on those living at that time. It will devastate agricultural production and complete destroy forests on the earth. The fires that result from this judgment will most likely spread, taking human life with them.

As we will see with the unfolding of the rest of the trumpet judgments, there are going to be a great many similarities between these plagues and those that fell on the nation of Egypt, as recorded in the Old Testament. God is going to bring hail, turn water into blood, darken the sun and moon, unleash pestilence and cause the death of many. It will be far greater than anything the world has ever seen or endured. And the supernatural description of these events let us know that they are from God. While we can spend time trying to apply natural explanations to these events, it seems clear that they are intended to display the sovereign power of God. He has authority over nature and is able to do signs and wonders that defy explanation and stretch the limits of human reason. We are not intended to understand all that John describes. We will never be able to fully explain how these seemingly impossible judgments happen. But for a God who created the entire universes in a literal six-day span of time, none of this will too difficult for Him to do. We need to recall the words of Jesus, spoken about His heavenly Father:

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26 ESV

And it’s at moments like this, when faced with what appears to be the impossible, that we need to recall the comforting words spoken by God to Abraham, concerning His ability to keep His promise to give Abraham a son in his old age:

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” – Genesis 18:14 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

Victory Over Death.

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have 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 shelter them with his presence.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” – Revelation 7:9-17 ESV

John now sees another group of individuals made up of “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9 ESV). This is obviously a different group than the 144,000 mentioned in the first eight verses. John describes as innumerable and comprised of people from every tribe, nation and tongue. In other words, these are non-Jews or Gentiles. And while the 144,000 were located on earth, this group is in heaven “standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” So, this begs the question: Who are these people? Do they represent the church, as some have speculated? They described as wearing white robes, waving palm branches, and crying out, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” They sound like they could be Christians, and they most likely are. But the real question is whether they comprise the church that was raptured before the tribulation began. John is at a loss as to who these people are, which is made clear when he is asked by one of the 24 elders to tell him their identity. John seems to know intuitively that the elder has the answer to his own question and so he responds, “Sir, you know.” And the elder clears up any confusion as to who this vast crowd may be.

“These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” – Revelation 7:14 ESV

While the 144,000 Jews are on earth, these individuals are in heaven, and it would seem that they are there as a result of their martyrdom. They are described as wearing white robes, a sign of their righteousness. And their righteousness is a result of the blood of the Lamb. They have been washed clean, purified by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Which indicates that they had come to faith some time during the tribulation and were put to death because of their belief in Jesus. This appears to be the same group John saw back in chapter six.

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 witness they had borne. – Revelation 6:9 ESV

They are shown holding and waving palm branches, a symbol of victory and joy. They are celebrating and worshiping their salvation. But they are also crying out for vengeance. They want to know when God will avenge their persecution and deaths at the hands of of the Antichrist.

“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” – Revelation 6:10 ESV

They are grateful for their presence in God’s Kingdom, but they want to know when He is going to deal with those on earth who persecuted them for their faith and murdered them for the decision to follow Christ. This makes it clear that there will be many who become Christians during the tribulation, and it is likely the 144,000 witnesses who will bring this about. These Jewish converts to Christianity will become God’s ambassadors, witnessing to the Gentile nations regarding the salvation made possible through faith in Jesus Christ, their Messiah.

But John hears what appears to be bad news. These martyrs are told that they must be patient. God will deal with all those on earth who oppose Him and who persecute His chosen ones. But the time has not yet come. The exact moment for His Son’s return to earth has not arrived. So, in the meantime, there will be additional converts to the faith and, sadly, even more martyrs, “until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Revelation 6:11 ESV).

Back in chapter seven, John sees these very same individuals are enjoying the protection provided by God as they stand in His presence. They serve Him day and night in His holy temple in heaven. And though, when they were on earth, they suffered greatly for their faith, they now enjoy complete safety and freedom from pain and suffering of any kind. John is told:

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat. – Revelation 7:16 ESV

Later on in this very same book, John will reveal the marvelous reality that, for those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, eternity will be a time of great peace. There will be no more pain, suffering or sorrow of any kind.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. – Revelation 21:4 ESV

John echoes this sentiment in chapter seven as he views this scene of rejoicing taking place in the heavenly temple.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. – Revelation 7:17 ESV

When the elder disclosed to John the identity of these people, he described them as having come out of the “great tribulation.” This the very phrase Jesus used in His Olivet Discourse when referring to the second half of the seven year tribulation.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” – Matthew 24:21 ESV

According to the book of Daniel and the words of Jesus in His Olivet discourse, the first half of the seven years of tribulation will be marked by relative peace. The Antichrist will appear as a global political leader who brokers a peace treaty with Israel. But at the midway point or three-and-a-half years into the seven year period, he will break his covenant with Israel, unleashing a devastating persecution against the people of God. Daniel alludes to this very time in his prophecy.

“And he [Antichrist] shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” – Daniel 9:27 ESV

All of this will be revealed in greater detail as the book of Revelation unfolds. But in this vision, John is seeing the results of Antichrist’s work in the second half of the tribulation period. He will put to death countless individuals who have placed their faith in Christ. And he will persecute the Jews without mercy, all in an attempt to wipe them from face of the earth. Which raises the question: Why? What would cause the Antichrist to spend so much time and energy attempting to destroy the Jewish people? He seems to know that they are a key element behind the Lord’s eventual return. If he can eliminate them, there is no reason for Christ to come back. If there are no people to redeem and restore, there will be no purpose behind the Lord’s return. But the Antichrist is mistaken. He operates under the power and influence of Satan, but even Satan has no clue as to how all this is going to turn out. At one time, he believed he had defeated Jesus by having Him crucified. But that seeming victory was turned to defeat when God raised Jesus back to life. And there is the day coming when Satan will yet again attempt to thwart God’s plans and put an end to Christ’s return. But he will fail.

The very fact that John sees 144,000 Jews protected by God from the assault of the Antichrist shows us that God is in control of all that is going on during these days. And that John sees these martyred believers standing in the very presence of God reminds us that death is not a dead end for those who place their faith in Jesus. As Paul told the believers in Rome:

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-39 ESV

Which is why the martyred saints can stand before God and shout with unabandoned joy and thankfulness:

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” – Revelation 7:12 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

The 144,000.

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. – Revelation 7:1-8 ESV

Chapter six ended with a statement and question: “…the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:17 ESV). Those experiencing the wrath of God as revealed through the first six seals, will attempt to hide from Him, but wish for death.  They realize that their suffering is from the hand of God, but there is no sign of repentance on their part. And death appears to be their only option and means of escaping the increasing intensity of God’s anger against them. But chapter seven opens with the answer to their question. There will be those who can and will stand. God’s wrath and judgment will be balanced by His grace and mercy. Chapter seven acts as a brief interlude between the sixth and seventh seal, providing us with a wonderful insight into God’s plan for the people of Israel and for the nations of the earth during the tribulation.

John opens up chapter seven with the Greek words, meta touto, which is typically translated as “after this.” John used this same phrase in chapter four, verse 1, to indicate a change in vision. He is seeing something new. This is not a part of the sixth seal, but a different scene altogether which reveals an aspect of the tribulation to which John was unaware. In the midst of all the death and destruction, God was going to do something significant. In spite of the wickedness of mankind and the ongoing rebellion of His own people, Israel, God was going to extend His undeserved grace and mercy.

It begins with John seeing “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth” (Revelation 7:1 ESV). The wind is a reference to God’s judgment. There angels had been “given power to harm earth and sea” (Revelation 7:2 ESV), but at the present time they were holding back the full brunt of God’s judgment. There is going to be a time during the tribulation when the earth and sea, and every living creature on the planet will suffer the full impact of God’s righteous wrath. But first, God will redeem a remnant from among the Jews and the nations of the earth. Out of the east, another angel appears, calling to the other four angels to hold off judgment “until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads” (Revelation 7:3 ESV). A seal is a sign of ownership and authenticity. During the tribulation there are going to be some whom God declares to be His own, sealing their future and securing their eternal state by marking them as His possession. The sealing speaks of their God-ordained selection and protection. This does not mean these people will experience no suffering during the days of the tribulation, but that they will not suffer for their unrighteousness. They will belong to God.

And John is not left to guess who these people will be. He is immediately told that they will be made up of 144,000 Jews from every tribe of the nations of Israel. They will be equally represented by each of the 12 tribes, with 12,000 coming from every tribe. It is significant that John is given a very detailed description of who these people are. It is not left up to his imagination. And it is clear that he is not being given a glimpse of the church or “spiritual Israel.” These will be Jews. The church will not be around when the tribulation takes place. Jesus will have already returned for the church, removing it from the planet and preserving it from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 5:9).

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… – 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ESV

The apostle Paul makes it quite clear that God has plans for His people Israel. As the apostle to the Gentiles, he knew that God had made the gospel available to them because of the hardening of the hearts of the people of Israel. They had refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. But their hardening will be partial and temporary.

25 …a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
    he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
27 “and this will be my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”

28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! – Romans 11:25-33 ESV

These people are clearly Jews and, more specifically, in Revelation 14 they are described as “the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins” (Revelation 14:3-4 ESV). And John will be given further insight into their role during the dark days of the tribulation.

It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. – Revelation 14:4-5 ESV

These ethnic Jews will form a remnant whom God will use for His divine purposes during the tribulation. They will become witnesses to the rest of the world and, as we will see, their testimony will result in people from every tribe, nation and tongue coming to faith in Christ, even during the darkest days of God’s judgment. 

One of the things we must understand is that Israel, the chosen people of God, have had their hearts hardened by God. While some Jews have accepted Jesus as their Messiah, the vast majority remain incapable of doing so. Paul points out their dilemma.

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.” – Romans 11:7-8 ESV

But why would God do this? Why would He prevent His own chosen people from seeing and hearing so that they might respond to the truth of the gospel and the good news regarding their Messiah? It all goes back to the covenants God made with Israel. In the Abrahamic Covenant, God promised them a land, a seed, and a blessing. This covenant was non-conditional. In other words, God placed no requirements on them. It was a unilateral covenant, binding only Himself to keep the commitments He had made. They would be blessed by God regardless of their actions or attitudes. And God did eventually give them the land as He had promised. He also gave Abraham a seed or many descendants. But God also gave him “a seed” – which Paul explains to be Jesus Himself.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. – Galatians 3:16 NASB

And God went on to promise Abraham that “in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:18 NASB) – another reference to Jesus. But there is another covenant that played an important role in God’s dealings with the people of Israel. At Mount Sinai, in the wilderness, God had given them the Mosaic Covenant. This was a bi-lateral covenant, that was conditional in nature. God promised to bless the people of Israel, but they were required to live in obedience to His law. If they refused to obey, they would suffer curses, brought on them as judgment from the hand of God. But God had clearly told His people:

1 “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.” – Deuteronomy 30:1-3 ESV

God knew they would disobey. And their disobedience would bring His judgment upon them. Which is why He could not allow them to accept Jesus as their Messiah. He was obligated by His own righteous nature to follow through with His promise to punish them for their sin and rebellion. And the coming days of tribulation will be the final stages of God’s punishment upon the people of Israel. And notice, what God says in the passage above. He tells them that if they and all their children return to Him and obey Him with all their heart and soul, He will restore them. The prophet Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of what God is going to do on behalf of His people Israel. He will do for them what they could never have done on their own. He will extend grace to those who do not deserve it.

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” – Ezekiel 36:22-28 ESV

God is not done with Israel. He must punish them for their breaking of the Mosaic Covenant. But He will keep the promises He to them as part of the Abrahamic Covenant. He will restore a remnant. He will give them the capacity to seek and serve Him. They will “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Revelation 14:4 ESV). And they will prove to be His witnesses to the nations, even to those suffering the wrath of His divine and well-deserved judgment during the dark days of tribulation.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

The Great Day of Their Wrath.

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 witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”  – Revelation 6:9-17 ESV

 

With the opening of the fifth seal there is a change in the pattern established by the first four seals. There are no more horses and riders to be called forth and revealed. The last horse carried Death, and close behind them came Hades. Since Hades is a place and not a person, it would seem that these vision is indicating that, with the arrival of the fourth and final horse and rider, there would be a great many deaths on earth. In fact, John indicates that a fourth of the earth’s population will be killed “with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8 ESV). And the reference to Hades lets us know that the souls of a great many of these individuals will end up in Hades, the abode of the dead. There they will stay until the Great White Throne judgment. But with the opening of the fifth seal, John is shown a scene taking place in heaven, where he sees “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne” (Revelation 6:9 ESV). It would appear that this represents those individuals who will come to faith in Christ during the tribulation and face martyrdom became of their witness. We will see in the very next chapter that, during the seven year period of the tribulation, 144,000 Jews will become followers of Christ and witnesses to the nations. And as a result of their testimony, many will believe in Christ. “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9 ESV). But they will face martyrdom for their faith. They will be persecuted and put to death by the Antichrist, and at this point in his vision, John sees the souls of these martyrs beneath the altar in the heavenly temple. Notice that John mentions only their souls and not their bodies. This is a clear indication that he is not seeing martyred believers from the church age, because those individuals would have received their resurrected bodies at the time of the rapture of the church. In keeping with the fourth seal, John is being given a glimpse of what happens to those who come to faith during the tribulation and who die as a result of their faith. Their souls go to be with the Lord, but their bodies will not be resurrected until the end of the tribulation as revealed in Revelation 20.

Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4 ESV

John sees the souls of these martyred saints under the altar and they are crying out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:10 ESV). This is in keeping with the imagery of sacrifice as practiced in the earthly temple. A portion of the blood of a sacrificed animal was poured out at the base of the altar. And the presence of these saints under the altar represents their lives poured out on behalf of the gospel. And they seek to know when God is going to bring judgment against those who killed them. But God informs them that there are more yet to be martyred. The time for Christ’s return has not yet come and there will be many more who come to faith in Christ and suffer martyrdom until the days of the tribulation come to an end. The number of martyred saints will continue to increase until that time.

With the opening of the sixth seal, John’s attention is refocused on the earth where a he sees a series of cataclysmic events taking place. There is a massive earthquake accompanied by unprecedented cosmic disturbances. John mentions stars falling from the sky, the darkening of the sun and the moon turning blood red. There is no reason we should not take these events as literal physical disturbances. While they may sound far-fetched and difficult to comprehend, they represent God’s intervention into the judgment of mankind. Up until this point, all of the judgments have been at the hands of men. The wars that take the lives of countless individuals are clearly the work of men. And the famine and pestilence that follow are the result of the deaths caused by war. Now, with the opening of the sixth seal, God makes it clear that He is the one behind all that is happening. These events are divinely produced, not man-made. And all that John sees is in keeping with what had already been revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures, thousands of years earlier.

The earth quakes before them;
    the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining. – Joel 2:10 ESV

All the host of heaven shall rot away,
    and the skies roll up like a scroll.
All their host shall fall,
    as leaves fall from the vine,
    like leaves falling from the fig tree. – Isaiah 34:4 ESV

Enter into the rock
    and hide in the dust
from before the terror of the Lord,
    and from the splendor of his majesty. – Isaiah 2:10 ESV

The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
    shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow up
    on their altars,
and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,”
    and to the hills, “Fall on us.” – Hosea 10:8 ESV

And this is exactly what John sees. As a result of these divinely-induced judgments, the people living on earth will run for their lives, in an attempt to escape the wrath of God. And John clearly indicates that all will feel the anger of God, including “the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free” (Revelation 6:15 ESV). And they will know that it is God who is behind all that is happening. There will be no other explanation. The sheer scale and scope of all that is happening around them and to them will clearly prove that God Almighty is the cause, and it will force them to cry out to the rocks of the mountains, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16 ESV). They will prefer death to continued existence under the wrath of God. But notice that there is no repentance. No one begs for forgiveness. And rather than cry out to God for mercy, they call out to the rocks to destroy them. The great day of God’s wrath has come and no one can stand before it. But sadly, no one seems to repent as a result of it. Their hearts are so hardened by sin that they refuse to acknowledge their guilt and beg for God’s forgiveness. 

This is the beginning of the end. The judgment of God will increase exponentially and the prophet Jeremiah explains that it will be a day like no other in human history.

Alas! That day is so great
    there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
    yet he shall be saved out of it. – Jeremiah 30:7 ESV

Here, Jeremiah reminds the people of Israel that there will be a remnant of them preserved from the judgment that is falling on all the earth. it is important to remember that these judgments are, in part, a fulfillment of God’s covenant that He made with Israel generations earlier. He had made them His own people and set them apart for His own glory. He had promised to bless them if they remained obedient and faithful to Him. But He had also promised to curse them if they failed to do so. And those curses are carefully and painfully outlined in the book of Deuteronomy.

58 “If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, 59 then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. 60 And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. 61 Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. 62 Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. 63 And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. – Deuteronomy 28:58-63 ESV

While many of these curses were fulfilled in part by the fall of Israel and Judah to the Assyrians and Babylonians, they will fully fulfilled in the tribulation. As the rest of the book of Revelation unfolds, we will see God dealing with His people, Israel. They will become the focus of Antichrist’s wrath. This powerful world ruler, under the direct control of Satan himself, will make it his primary objective to eliminate the people of God from the face of the earth. He knows that part of God’s plan is to send His Son to redeem a remnant from Israel. So, if he can eliminate them, he believes he can thwart the plan of God and stall the return of Christ to earth. But as Jeremiah clearly indicates, God will redeem a remnant of Israel and His Son will return to the earth. All that John is witnesses is the preordained will of God. And His will will be done.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

War, Famine and Death.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. – Revelation 6:3-8 ESV

As noted with the opening of the first seal, each horse and rider that John sees is summoned by one of the four beasts standing before the throne of God. They call, “Come!” and the horse and riders appear. This strongly suggests that all of the events that these images portend are under the control of God. These are not isolated and arbitrary, but preordained by God Himself. And they are happening in just the way He planned at the exact time of His choosing.

While the first horse was white, symbolizing victory and what would appear to be righteousness, its rider was most likely symbolic of the Antichrist. John indicates the he came conquering and to conquer, but his success will not be based on military might, because he was carrying a bow, but no arrows. So, his ability to conquer will be of a more political nature. He will be a strategist who uses the world political to his advantage, climbing the ladder to power and prominence and setting himself up as a major player on the world political scene.

But the second horse is red in color, symbolizing war and the bloodshed that comes as a result. Notice what the text says: “Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth” (Revelation 4 ESV). This is yet another reminder that all of what is being revealed is under the divine prerogative of God. This rider, whoever he is, can do nothing without God’s approval and permission. But God is allowing this rider to bring warfare and death to the world because of the sins of mankind and in keeping with His promise to bring judgment on the world’s rebellion against His authority. But who is this rider? As usual, there has been a great deal of speculation over the centuries as to the identity of this rider. But the immediate text does not provide us with any real clue as to who this rider may be. There are some who speculate that we are once again looking at a manifestation of the Antichrist. Because these seals and the content they reveal are progressive in nature, it would appear that they are exposing the various iterations of the Antichrist, as his true nature and intent becomes more apparent over time. He begins as a world leader who appears to be nothing more than a successful political candidate who makes a name for himself by brokering a period of peace on the earth. In fact, Daniel 9:27 seems to indicate that the Antichrist will make a seven-year treaty with the nation of Israel, which at the midway point, he breaks. This seven year period is considered to be the tribulation, the second half of which will be a time of great unrest and destruction. So, the Antichrist will begin as a man of peace and diplomacy, somehow brokering an agreement between the Jews and Muslims to allow for the rebuilding of the temple on the temple mount in Jerusalem. But as Daniel’s account describes, at the midway point of the tribulation, Antichrist will turn his back on the people of Israel and desecrate the temple, setting himself up as the only god to be worshiped.

But it could be that this rider is nothing more than a symbol for war. In His Olivet Discourse, Jesus warned His disciples:

6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. – Matthew 24:6-8 ESV

This rider signals a time of great civil unrest in the world. The text makes clear that people will slay one another. This may refer to actual wars between nations or riots in the streets. But whatever it means, it is clear that any peace that might have been enjoyed will be gone. This foreshadows a time of unprecedented conflict on the earth. And, as is always the case with war, there will be consequences. As the third seal is opened by Christ, the third creature calls out, “Come!” and yet another horse and rider appears. This time, the horse is black and its rider carries a pair of scales in his hands. Black is the traditional symbol for death and it foreshadows a period of tremendous death and devastation caused by famine. The period of warfare will have an impact of the world’s economy, creating hyper-inflation and a shortage of food. The scales indicate that Antichrist, the political leader who has established himself as the dominant force on the world scene, will have control over the buying and selling of goods. In a world wracked by war, where the necessities of life become scarce, he will dictate the price of goods and manage their availability. John hears a voice crying out, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” (Revelation 6:6 ESV). In the first-Century world in which John lived, a denarius represented a day’s wages for a common laborer. So, according to the voice John hears, it is going to take a full-day’s wage to buy enough wheat for one meal. If the cheaper and lower-cost barley is purchased, you could stretch the value of your denarius a bit further. But the bottom line will be that inflation is going to be huge problem and hunger will become commonplace.

With the opening of the fourth seal, the fourth beast calls out, “Come!” and the final horse and rider appear. This horse is described as being pale in color. A more accurate description of the horse’s color would be pale green. The actual Greek word is chlōros, from which we get our word chlorophyll. It would appear that this horse is the color of a decomposing corpse, and riding on this horse is someone who John describes having the name, Death. And following close behind this horse and rider is Hades. This anthropomorphic description of the abode of the dead is intended to add a sense of complete and utter destruction to the scene. Death is what brings to an end the life of the material body. Hades is the traditional Hebrew word for the abode of the immaterial part of a person. It was believed to be where the soul goes after death. King David spoke about this very place in one of his psalms.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
    my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
    or let your holy one see corruption. – Psalm 16:9-10 ESV

This horse and rider are described as the harbingers of death, who “were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8 ESV). As a result of the wars and conflicts taking place on the earth and the resulting famine, death and Hades will be satiated with the sheer number of the deceased. It will be an unprecedented time of global disaster marked by the deaths of a fourth of the world’s population. Hades following death is simply a way of saying that the souls of all those who die as a result of the judgments of God will end up in the afterlife, where they will one day face the final judgment of God. This is what is referred to later in the book of Revelation as the Great White Throne Judgment.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:11-15 ESV

 The fourth horse and rider represent the fourth phase of God’s judgment on the world. The first four seals reveal the rise to power of the Antichrist and his subsequent impact on the world. The period of time covered by these four signs is the seven years known as the tribulation. It will be a time marked by war, financial instability, famine, disease, and unprecedented loss of human life. It will be like no other time in human history, when some of the most devastating tragedies ever experienced by mankind will be jam-packed into what is a relatively short period of time. Most of what John has described takes place in the second half of the tribulation, a period known as the Great Tribulation. And, as we will see, one of the groups that will suffer the most during this time is the Jewish people. Because of their association with God and the promises made by God to restore them to a right relationship with Himself, Satan will continue to do everything in his power to destroy the people of God. Because of the rapture, the church will no longer be a factor, freeing up Satan to focus all his attention and energies on the Jews. The prophet Jeremiah predicted what would happen, but he provides a wonderful reminder that God has a purpose behind all the devastation and destruction. He is bringing His judgments against His people for the generations of apostasy and rebellion against Him. But in spite of their disobedience and unfaithfulness, God was going to restore them.

5 “Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
    of terror, and no peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
    can a man bear a child?
Why then do I see every man
    with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?
    Why has every face turned pale?
7 Alas! That day is so great
    there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
    yet he shall be saved out of it. – Jeremiah 30:5-7 ESV

Jesus also spoke of these coming days and assured that the outcome would be a positive one for God’s people.

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. – Matthew 24:21-22 ESV

As we make our way through the rest of this book, it is essential that we recognize and constantly remind ourselves that God has all of this in His hands. These events are written on the scroll that has been in His possession from before the foundation of the world. The seals are being broken by His Son. And the events unfolding before our eyes are the result of the divine will of God Himself.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

The First Seal.

1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. – Revelation 6:1-2 ESV

John saw a vision of Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slain, now standing in the throne room of heaven and taking the sealed scroll from the hand of God. As Jesus begins to open the seven seals, John will be given a glimpse into the future. This is in keeping with the instructions he received at the beginning of his book. “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this” (Revelation 1:19 ESV). With the opening of each successive seal, another aspect of God’s future judgment of mankind will be revealed and released upon the earth. One of the keys to making sense all that John will see and record is to understand that the church is nowhere mentioned. While chapters two and three dealt extensively with the seven churches, there will not be another reference to the church until the end of the book, where Jesus will explain that the messages contained in it were for the benefit of the church, but not about it.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” – Revelation 22:16.

John is being given these insights into future things in order to encourage the body of Christ, those who have placed their faith in Him, by informing them of God’s future plans for the restoration of all things. As the church suffers persecution and trials in this age, God is letting them know that there is a day coming when all things will be made right. That day is most often referred to as in Scripture as “the day of the Lord.” Paul warned the Thessalonian believers about that coming day, but let them know that it was not intended for them.

2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. – 1 Thessalonians 5:2-5 ESV

Believers will not be surprised by that day, because they will not be around to experience it. Earlier in his same letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul told his brothers and sisters in Christ:

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 ESV

Christ will one day return for His church. This is not His second coming, which will be explained in great detail in this book. It is the rapture of the church, which will bring an end to the church age or what is also referred to as the age of the Gentiles. It is the removal of the church that will set the stage for the coming day of the Lord. That is why Paul goes on to encourage the believers in Thessalonica “to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10 ESV). He is letting them know that the church will be delivered from the wrath to come. And it is the wrath to come that Jesus is about to make known by the opening of the seals and the subsequent revelation of the scroll’s content. With each seal broken, a new aspect of God’s judgment on the unbelieving world is made known. And as the book of Revelation progresses, the judgments will increase in intensity, all the way up to the day of the Lord’s return.

What we are about to see is not intended to scare or intimidate us. As members of the body of Christ, His church, we will not experience any of these judgments. They are meant to give us hope and to cause us to trust in the sovereign will of our God. As bad as things may get on this earth during our stay here, we can know that God will one day restore all things to a state of order and righteousness. The wicked who, in this life, seem to escape God’s judgment, will one day find themselves having to face the wrath of God. And the book of Revelation is intended to give us a glimpse into what is to come.

With each of the first four seals, John hears a voice cry out, “Come!” This seems to represent a divine command, calling forth all that John sees. They are being summoned to do God’s bidding. The seven seals represent the official nature of the document and its content. As long as the seals remained intact, what was written inside the scroll remained a mystery. And it could not be released or revealed. In essence, it was held captive or in check until such time as “the one who was worthy” broke the seals. And with each successive seal, a new portion of the scroll gets revealed and a new aspect of God’s future judgment made known. They appear to reveal a timeline, with each event following the one before it in chronological order.

With the breaking of the first seal, a rider on a white horse appears. He is carrying a a bow, but there is no mention of him holding any arrows. He is also given a crown to wear, signifying power and authority. But who is this rider? It would be easy to assume that, because he is riding a white horse, he must represent someone good or righteous. And while the color white is often used in Scripture to signify holiness or purity, it can also be a symbol for victory. This rider’s appearance on a white horse gives him the appearance of being victorious and righteous, but it will prove to be a deception. Not all who claim to be righteous prove to be so. And this individual carries a bow, a symbol of warfare, but he has no arrows. So, he appears to have the threat of military might, but will initially have no real power to back up that threat. It is important to note that he is given a crown (stephanos), which represents authority, but that authority is given to him. The apostle Paul reminds us, “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1 ESV). This rider will be given the right to rule by God Himself. But this does not mean he will rule righteously or in keeping with the holy demands of God. Like so many of the wicked and immoral kings of Judah and Israel, this man’s rule will be marked by rebellion against God.

John reveals that this rider “came out conquering, and to conquer.” He will be intent on conquest. His agenda will be that of war and nothing but war. But who is he? There has been much debate as to the identity of this rider. But it would seem that the most likely explanation would be that he represents the coming Antichrist. In His Olivette Discourse, Jesus warned that, in the future, there would be those coming who claimed to be the Messiah, the Christ.

“For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” – Matthew 24:5 ESV

He warned that there would be false prophets and false teachers. But there would come one particular individual who would surpass them all in terms of his lies and wickedness. Paul gives us a glimpse into this individual’s character in his second letter to the church at Thessalonica.

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 ESV

He will be the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction. He will set himself up as a god and suppress any and all other religions, demanding that he alone be worshiped. He will be anti-Christ and anti-God, opposing them at every hand. The prophet Daniel predicts that “He shall speak words against the Most High” (Daniel 7:25 ESV) and “through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes” (Daniel 8:25 ESV). And Daniel adds yet one more feature to this man’s reign, indicating that he “will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36 ESV).

One of the things that will become clear as the book of Revelation unfolds, is that the interpretation of its contents is totally dependent upon the rest of Scripture. It is not intended to be a stand-alone book, but is included in the canon of Scripture and as a supplemental text that works in conjunction with other prophetic passages found elsewhere in the Bible. So, to understand much of what is found in the book of Revelation will require a careful study of God’s Word. And the scenes which John writes about as he watches the breaking of the seals, are incomplete in nature. He only describes a rider on a white horse, carrying a bow and wearing a crown. But there will be more details to come. These seven seals are like an outline of the rest of the book. They provide an abbreviated introduction for all that is to come. This one who came out conquering and to conquer, will do just that and we will see it in great detail. His appearance sets up all that is to come in the rest of the book. This rider will play a major role in the unfolding drama surrounding God’s future judgment of the world.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

The Lamb Who Was Slain.

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. – Revelation 5:6-14 ESV

As John’s vision of the heavenly throne room continues, he mentions seeing someone else in the midst of the scene whose appearance gets his attention. John describes this individual as “a Lamb standing.” But what makes this detail significant is that he adds, “as though it had been slain.” This Lamb somehow has the appearance of having at one time been dead, but now was standing before the throne of God, fully alive. Perhaps the Lamb bore the marks of death, his fleece covered in blood. John does not provide us with the details. But from the rest of the passage, it is clear that this Lamb is a representation of Jesus Christ Himself. The designation “Lamb of God” is a reference to Jesus in His first advent, when He came to earth as the meek and mild, sacrificial offering for the sins of mankind. This title would have been familiar to John, because he recorded in his gospel the words of John the Baptist when Jesus appeared at the Jordan River: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 ESV). It was the apostle Peter who provided us with even greater detail concerning Jesus’ role as the sacrificial Lamb.

18 …you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. – 1 Peter 1:18-21 ESV

In the book of Exodus, we have recorded the institution of Passover, the God-ordained event that led to the release of the people of Israel from their 400-year captivity in Egypt. God had instructed each Hebrew household to select an unblemished one-year-old male lamb and then to sacrifice it, placing a portion of its blood on the doorpost and lintel of their home. And God told them, “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:13 ESV). The blood of the lamb was the sign of their belief. By obediently placing the blood on their doorways, the people were expressing their trust in God and His promise to exempt them from the coming destruction of the first-borns. And Moses records:

“It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.” – Exodus 12:27 ESV

It is Jesus’ role as the sacrificial Lamb of God that makes Him worthy to take the scroll and open its seals. And this fact is supported by the way in which the other individuals gathered around the throne of God react as He takes the scroll from His Father’s right hand. John describes them as falling down before the Lamb and shouting in unison:

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
    and they shall reign on the earth.” – Revelation 5:9-10 ESV

It was the death of Jesus and the shedding of His blood that made possible the salvation of mankind. There was no other way. As the author of the book of Hebrews points out, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22 ESV). The death of Jesus made Him worthy to open the scroll. The resurrection of Jesus made it possible. It was His resurrection, His restoration to life, that gave proof that the righteous wrath of God had been totally satisfied by His Son’s sacrifice. And the apostle Paul explains that it was God the Father who offered up His own Son as the payment for mankind’s sin debt.

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. – Romans 3:23-25 ESV

But notice the words of the song sung by those gathered around the throne of God. They speak of Jesus’ death as a ransom, a payment that impacted the lives of people from every tribe, language, people and nation. And the words of their song are in the past tense. His death has made them a kingdom and priest to God. And, as a result, they shall reign. It is a done deal. The sacrifice of Jesus was efficacious or, in other words, effective. His blood was not wasted. Mark records in his gospel that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45 ESV). There was no doubt that His death would result in the salvation of many. It had not been a wishful shot-in-the-dark on God’s part. God had already planned for the salvation of those who would eventually be ransomed by the blood of Jesus. And His Son’s death is what made it all possible.

One of the more fascinating things about John’s vision of Jesus is his description of Him having “seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6 ESV). This imagery conveys some significant details about Jesus and His role as not only the sacrificial Lamb, but as the Messiah. The horn is often used in Scripture as a representation of power, and as we have noted before, the number seven represents completeness or perfection. Jesus is the embodiment of divine power. His very presence in the throne room of God, having once been dead, but now alive, is due to the fact that He had been raised back to life by the power of God. And Jesus has seven eyes, which John explains to be the seven spirits of God. We have seen this phrase before. Back in chapter one, John described seeing the seven spirits of God standing before the throne. They are mentioned along with God the Father and Jesus, the Son of God, which seems to indicate that they are a reference to the Spirit of God, thus presenting the unified presence of the Trinity in the heavenly scene. Once again, the number seven speaks of the Spirit’s perfection and completeness. In this case, the seven spirits are presented as being the eyes of the Lamb, which conveys the ideas of vision or awareness. Jesus is not only all-powerful, but all-knowing. He has unparalleled strength and unwavering knowledge of all that is going on, both in heaven and on earth. And John indicates that a countless number of angels join in the singing, proclaiming the worthiness of the Lamb.

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!” – Revelation 5:12 ESV

He has power, wealth, wisdom, and might and all honor, glory and blessing are rightfully His. And in keeping with this fact, the four beasts, the 24 elders and the heavenly host are joined by “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them” (Revelation 5:13 ESV), as they all sing together:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” – Revelation 5:13 ESV

Jesus, the Lamb of God, now holds the scroll in His hands. He stands ready to take the next step and begin opening the seals and revealing the long-hidden judgments of God. The transfer of the scroll into the hands of Jesus sets the stage for all that it is to come in the rest of the book. It is Jesus who will open the scroll and reveal its content. He alone is worthy to do so. He has earned the right to stand in judgment against all those who have rejected His sacrificial death. But Jesus is also going to fulfill each and every promise made to the people of God. John described seeing the 24 elders falling down before Jesus, and each of then holding a golden bowl full of incense, which he described as the prayers of the saints. We are not told what these prayers were, but it is likely a reference to the countless prayers prayed by God’s people over the centuries as they faced persecution, pain and suffering as a result of their faith. It is reminiscent of God’s words spoken to Moses regarding the captivity of the people of Israel in Egypt.

“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” – Exodus 3:7-8 ESV

Jesus was about to begin the process of making all things as they should be. As He opens the seals and reveals the content of the scroll, He will begin to make right every wrong and to restore the fallen condition of God’s creation to its rightful order. All the prayers of the saints prayed over the centuries will be answered once-and-for-all. The prophet Isaiah provides us with a foretaste of what is to come. He let’s us know that while the scroll contains terrible judgments, the outcome of it all will be the restoration of righteousness and the redemption of God’s creative order.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations. – Isaiah 61:10-11 ESV

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

He is Worthy.

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” – Revelation 5:1-5 ESV

John has somehow been transported by the Spirit of God into heaven, where he is being given an unprecedented glimpse into the very throne room of God. It is an incredible scene, one which John has difficulty putting into words. His descriptions can only allude to the grandeur and glory of all that he sees. It is a scene filled with brilliant light, vivid colors, incredible sights and sounds and the very presence of the trinity. Seated on the throne is God the Father, and standing before Him are the Spirit and the Son. Seated before him are the 24 elders and around the throne are the four beasts who constantly sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8 ESV). We can only imagine what this must have been like for John. His emotions must have run the gamut, from awestruck wonder to abject fear. He was actually seeing the God of the universe with his own eyes and living to tell about it. This is significant, because God had warned Moses, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20 ESV). And Paul had told Timothy, “He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen” (1 Timothy 6:16 NLT). And yet, we know that there was at least one other occasion when 74 others had the unique opportunity of seeing God and living to tell about it. It is recorded in the book of Exodus.

9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. 10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. 11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence! – Exodus 24:9-10 NLT

This privilege bestowed upon Moses and his companions was never before repeated. At least until John stepped into the throne room in heaven. And unlike Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel, John wasn’t going to enjoy a mean with God. He was going to witness the unveiling of God’s future plans for the judgment of the world – the “the things that must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1 ESV). And as John took in that incredible scene before him, he noticed that God was holding in His right hand “a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1 ESV). This scene is reminiscent of one recorded in the book of Ezekiel. There we see the prophet Ezekiel miraculously transported into heaven where he finds himself standing before the very presence of God. And he describes seeing the very same thing John saw.

9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. – Ezekiel 2:9-10 ESV

This scroll will play a significant part in the rest of John’s book. As we will see, it contains the judgments that God is going to release upon the earth. And it may be the same scroll mentioned in the book of Daniel, that he was commanded to seal until the end of time (Daniel 12:4, 9). John has no idea what this scroll signifies, but he can’t help but notice that it is sealed with seven seals and that it has writing on both sides of its parchment. Both of these features would have been out of the ordinary. The number of the seals obviously stood out to John, and probably appeared to be a bit of over-the-top and unnecessary. But as we will see with everything John witnesses, they have significance and meaning. The seals must have been affixed in such a way that as each one was broken, the scroll was allowed to be partially unrolled, exposing only a portion of its content. The next seal would have to be broken before the next section of judgments could be revealed. There is a sequential nature to the content of the scroll.  And the fact that the scroll contained writing on both sides would have been another odd feature, probably signifying the sheer volume of judgments to come.

The next thing John saw was someone who he describes as a powerful angel, declaring, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (Revelation 5:2 ESV). Here was God, holding in His hand a sealed scroll containing all that was to come in terms of His future plans for the world. And the angel’s question creates a tension, revealing that there is only one who is worthy to break the seals and expose the scroll’s contents. The individual who would take the scroll from the hand of God had already been predetermined. But John was not yet aware of who that individual might be. He simply records that “no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:3 ESV). No one was worthy of the honor or met the prescribed criteria. And this sad state of affairs left John in tears, “because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:4 ESV). The scroll remained in the right hand of the Father, and the contents of the scroll remained hidden. As far as John could tell, the divine plan of God was left unfulfilled because no one had the authority to bring about its fulfillment.

There is a tension in this scene. It is as if all motion has ceased. The Father sits on His throne, scroll in hand. The 24 elders remain seated in their 24 thrones. The four beasts have stopped their singing and praising. The powerful angel has called out, seeking for someone to take the scroll from God’s hand and begin the breaking of the seals. But no one steps forward. John watches, waits and weeps. But then, the silence is broken. One of the 24 elders steps up and comforts John, telling him:

“Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” – Revelation 5:5 ESV

Remember, John is having a vision of heaven. He has been transported into God’s presence where he is being provided a glimpse into things that no man has been privileged to see. It is as if this scene has been going on since the beginning of time. God has been holding that scroll from before the foundation of the world. It has long contained His plans for the world and He has been waiting for the one who would be worthy to take it from His hand and begin the process of breaking its seals and revealing its content. And while John noticed that no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, that was about to change. There was someone, and He is described to John as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, and the one who has conquered. It is Jesus. These titles describe Jesus’ qualifications or credentials that make Him the only worthy candidate to open the scroll. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This is a direct reference to the blessing Jacob gave to his son, Judah.

9 Judah is a lion's cub;
    from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
    and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
    and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. – Genesis 49:9-10 ESV

Jesus was descended from the tribe of Judah. He is the one who holds the scepter and the ruler’s staff in His hand. And Jesus is the Root of David, another indication that He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy concerning the coming Messiah.

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. – Isaiah 11:1-2 ESV

Jesse was the father of King David, and Jesus was a descendant of David. He was the one worthy to be the King of Israel, the successor to the throne of David. These titles are meant to declare Jesus’ right to rule and reign. And to further assert Jesus’ impeccable qualifications, the elder declares that Jesus has conquered. He has been victorious. The Greek word used here is nikaō and it can actually be translated as “overcome.” That very same word was used repeatedly in chapters 2 and 3, where Jesus addressed the seven churches=

“To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” – Revelation 2:7 ESV

“The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” – Revelation 2:11 ESV

“To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” – Revelation 2:17 ESV

“The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations…” – Revelation 2:26 ESV

“The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life.” – Revelation 3:5 ESV

“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.” – Revelation 3:12 ESV

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” – Revelation 3:21 ESV

Jesus has conquered. He told His disciples, even before His death, that they could have peace because He had already overcome the world.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 ESV

He used that very same Greek word, nikaō. And Paul reminds us that, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 ESV). He uses the Greek word, hypernikaō, which conveys the idea of being super-conquerors. Christ has defeated death and grave. Paul reminds us of this incredible fact in his letter to the Corinthian believers.

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 ESV

Jesus is worthy. He is fully qualified to take the scroll from the hand of His Father and open its seals. And He is the only one worthy. Had Jesus not come to earth as a child, lived a sinless life, sacrificed Himself for the sins of man, and been raised back to life by the power of the Spirit of God, He would not have met the demanding requirements of God Almighty. But He was faithful. He was fully obedient. He conquered sin and death.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Holy, Holy, Holy!

1 After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3 And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6 and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7 the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. 8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come!”

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.” – Revelation 4:1-11 ESV

When reading the book of Revelation, it is easy to become so enamored with all the fantastic imagery that we lose sight of the real message being communicated. The book becomes little more than a giant puzzle to be put together, full of countless riddles to be solved and complicated metaphors to be deciphered. As we will see in this chapter, John is going to struggle to describe what he sees. He is being given a glimpse into the distant future and into the heavenly realm, where he sees things never-before seen by the eyes of men. In many cases he will be attempting to describe the indescribable and will find himself hampered by the inadequacies of human language in his efforts. He will repeatedly use the word “like” in an attempt to describe what he is seeing.

…the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet… – vs 1

the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. – vs 8

As John is transported by the Spirit into heaven, he is given the incredible privilege of seeing God Himself, seated on His throne. He immediately begins the difficult task of trying to put into words the indescribable nature of what he is seeing.

And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. – vs 3

Even the sounds he hears prove difficult to describe. He is surrounded by the supernatural and the sights and sounds he encounters are like nothing he has ever experienced before. He describes hearing a voice speaking to him like a trumpet, but he clearly heard the words, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1 ESV). Perhaps John used the description of a trumpet in order to convey the sheer power of the voice that he heard, but the important point is that John was being invited into the heavenly throne room. He is being given a one-in-a-kind privilege to experience a vision of God in all His indescribable glory. And it leaves John struggling to communicate the remarkable nature of it all. He is mesmerized by the many colors he sees. John mentions seeing two stones, one being like jasper and the other like carnelian. One is white and the other is red. Perhaps these two stone represent God’s holiness and wrath, His righteousness and judgment. That would seem to fit the scene that John is witnessing, because He is viewing God as seated upon His throne, representing His sovereignty over all things. And the rest of the book will reiterate this image of the throne 45 times. God is about to reveal to John “what must take place.” He is going to show John all that is going to happen in the future, regarding the earth and its inhabitants. And God appears seated on His throne, revealing His rule and reign over all the world and all that it contains. 

John sees something encircling the throne of God that appears to be like a rainbow, but it is green in color, like an emerald. We are not told the meaning behind this vision, but it could be that the rainbow represents the mercy of God, much as it did when God gave it to Noah as a sign immediately after the flood that destroyed the world. God’s holiness and judgment are always accompanied by His mercy. But it is interesting to note that this rainbow appears before the coming storm of God’s judgment, not after it.

John also sees 24 thrones positioned around the throne of God, on which were seated 24 elders. We are not told who these individuals were. And there has been much speculation over the years as to their identity. Some have determined them to be angels, while others have described them to be men. They are clothed in white, a symbol of purity, and they are wearing golden crowns on their heads. The Greek word John uses for “crown” is stephanos and it usually referred to a kind of wreath that was used to reward those who were victors in battle or in an athletic competition. While it is not clear who these individual are, it seems obvious that they are intended to be representative of something. It is likely that they are meant to stand for the entire body of Christ, much as the Old Testament priesthood had 24 orders, each represented by a single priest.

John describes hearing the sounds of thunder and seeing flashes of lightning emanating from the throne. Once again, this imagery suggests the power and sovereignty of God. It is reminiscent of the scene on top of Mount Sinai, when God appeared before the people of Israel.

16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. – Exodus 19:16-20 ESV

In front of the throne, John saw seven torches of fire, which he describes as the seven spirits of God. He also saw what appeared to be a sea of glass, like crystal in appearance. Once again, there is much debate as to the exact meaning of these images. But we have heard him mention the seven spirits of God before. In chapter one, John addressed his letter as having come from “him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness” (Revelation 1:4-5 ESV). Based on this context, it appears that the seven spirits are a reference to the Spirit of God, with the number seven representing His perfection and completeness.

The sea extends before God’s throne and may represent a kind of barrier that separates the holy, transcendent God from sinful mankind. It is crystal clear, a representation of His holiness and purity. Everything John sees is symbolic, and while we may not know the exact meaning behind each item, it is clear that John is trying to describe the remarkable holiness of God. This entire scene shouts God’s holiness. In fact, John describes seeing “four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8 ESV). It would be easy to spend all our time attempting to determine what these beasts are, and neglect to notice what it is that they do. They are worshiping God, night and day. Yes, the are fantastic in nature. They are “full of eyes in front and behind” (Revelation 4:6 ESV). It is hard not to notice that one looks like a lion, another like an ox, the third like a man, and the final one like an eagle. But before we get too absorbed into trying to decipher who they are or what they represent, let’s take notice of what it is they are doing, night and day. They are worshiping God, by giving Him glory, honor and thanks. And when they do, the “twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever” (Revelation 4:10 ESV). And the 24 elders take off their crowns and cast them at the feet of God, exclaiming, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11 ESV).

Who are these four beasts? We don’t know. Perhaps they symbolize all of God’s creation, with the lion representing the wild beasts, the ox standing in for domesticated animals, the eagle symbolizing all flying creatures, and the man representing humanity. And they are all giving God glory. Why? Because He created all things, and it is by His will that they exist. God is sovereign over all His creation. And the rest of the book of Revelation is going to reveal the extent of that sovereignty as God reveals those things “that are to take place after this” (Revelation 1:19 ESV). Remember, John was invited into the throne room of God in order that He might see “what must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1 ESV). The incredible scene John witnessed in the throne room of heaven was the prequel to the main event. It simply set the stage for what was to come. By transporting John into the presence of God, he was given a stark reminder that all that he was about to see was the work of God. The incredible nature of all that was going to take place in the future was going to be the handiwork of a holy and righteous God who reigns in power from His heavenly throne room. Chapter four is a transitional chapter, moving us from what is, the current church age which will culminate with the rapture of the church, to the future judgment of God coming upon the world. It is essential that the rest of this book be viewed through the lens of God’s holiness and righteousness. As difficult and disturbing as the content of the rest of the book may be, we must never lose sight of God’s holiness and sovereign right to rule over His creation as He sees fit. He is holy, holy, holy.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Heedless of Our Neediness.

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” – Revelation 3:14-22 ESV

The church in Laodicea was founded some time in the middle of the third-century B.C. by Antiochus II, and named after his wife Laodice. It was a wealthy and prosperous city, known for its production of wool cloth. After it’s destruction in A.D. 60, as a result of a devastating earthquake, the citizens of Laodicea rebuilt at their own expense, with no assistance from Rome. It was an economically independent city filled with self-sufficient people, and this attitude had evidently infiltrated the church there. In His address to this, the final church of the seven, He refers to Himself as “the Amen.” This word can be translated as “so be it” or “may it be fulfilled.” Metaphorically, it could refer to faithfulness. It was common among Jews that when a passage of Scripture had been read or a prayer prayed, the rest of the congregation would react by saying “amen,” and by doing so, expressing their desire that the content of the passage or prayer be fulfilled. By referring to Himself in this manner, Jesus was not simply expressing His desire that the Word of God be fulfilled, He was designating Himself as the very fulfillment itself. He was the first and the last (Revelation 1:17), the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8). Jesus will combine all three of these statements in the latter part of the book of Revelation.

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” – Revelation 22:12-13 ESV

These words from the lips of Jesus close out the book, reminding all believers to trust that He will fulfill all that is written in the book. He is the source of that fulfillment. He was the one who brought about all of creation. The gospel of John tells us, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3 ESV). And the apostle Paul reiterates that same truth:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. – Colossians 1:16 ESV

And John records the words of Jesus presenting Himself to the church at Laodicea as “the beginning of God's creation” – which also reminds us that, as the Amen, He will be the one responsible for the re-creation of the heavens and the earth. And we can trust that He will fulfill all that has been recorded in the book of Revelation, because He is the faithful and true witness. This self-description by Jesus is particularly significant because He is getting ready to address the flaws in the church in Laodicea. And one of the glaring problems they had was their false perception of their spiritual condition. In fact, it was one of the first things Jesus pointed out.

“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” – Revelation 3:17 ESV

Their words were a lie. They witnessed to something that was far from the truth. Their spiritual condition was not as they described it or, perhaps, even believed it to be. And Jesus describes their true condition as that of lukewarmness. Their self-deluded sense of spiritual superiority had left them in a state of apathetic mediocrity. They had a false sense of superiority that had blinded them to the true nature of the condition. Jesus declares to them that He would prefer that they be either hot or cold, but not lukewarm. In other words, He expresses His displeasure with their complacency and contentment to live in the no-man’s-land of spiritual mediocrity. They had not reverted to their old pagan ways but, at the same time, they were not on fire for the gospel. They were smuggly self-sufficient and thought themselves in need of nothing. But Jesus, the faithful and true witness, see them quite differently.

“I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” – Revelation 3:18 ESV

They were satisfied with worldly goods and temporal treasures. Unlike many of the other congregation to whom Jesus has addressed in this book, the Laodicean church was financially stable and its people were well-off. They had no idea what it was like to suffer from poverty or to experience hunger as a result of their faith. In their minds, they had no needs. And when you see yourself as without need, it is quite easy to live your life without God. They had lost their dependency upon God. So, Jesus calls them to return to Him in order to find what it is they really need. He offers them gold refined by fire, of a purity and quality that in unavailable on this earth. Of course, Jesus is not offering them actual gold, but spiritual riches that are of the purist quality. And the richness of which Jesus speaks is that of spiritual wealth, an abundance of good and godly attributes available only through a relationship with Jesus Himself. Jesus spoke of the kind of wealth He had in mind in His sermon on the mount.

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” – Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

Jesus offers them white garments, a sign of purity and sinlessness, available only through forgiveness of sin. They could purchase the finest garments made from the most expensive cloth, but their spiritual nakedness would remain uncovered. Temporal, earthly items can never remedy our spiritual condition. Clothes can make us look good, but they can’t make us truly good and righteous. And in order for the Laodiceans to see their true spiritual condition, Jesus offers them eye salve, to remove the spiritual blindness from which they suffered. They were oblivious to their condition. But notice that Jesus offers all of these things for purchase. In verse 18, He say, “I counsel you to buy from me…” It He suggesting that they work for these things? Is Jesus indicating that the spiritual goods He offered were up for sale? It would seem that the Laodiceans were used to sacrificing their money in order to purchase those things they thought they needed. They were more than willing to pay a high price for what they thought was of high value. But Jesus is letting them know that what they really needed was not available in the market, but only from Him. And it would cost them. The purity, holiness, and spiritual vision they needed was not going to come without sacrifice. They would have to turn their backs on their material wealth and social standing. They would have to admit their spiritual poverty and confess their self-sufficiency. They would have to give up those things that brought them comfort and contentment, and turn to the one who could give them life more abundantly.

The prophet Isaiah records the words of God, spoken to the people of Israel, calling them back to Him.

1 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live… – Isaiah 55:1-3 ESV

Notice that God commands to them to buy, but they have no money. What He offers them could be purchased with cash or credit cards. It was not reserved for the wealthy and well-to-do. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus had made it clear that “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6 ESV). Jesus has already paid the price for our righteousness, and He makes it available to us free of cost. But we must come. We must desire what it is that He offers us.

So, Jesus calls the church in Laodicea to repent. He warns them that His love for them will result in His discipline of them, because He wants what is best for them. Their spiritual mediocrity and complacency has left them in a dangerous condition. They were neither spiritually on fire or refreshing. Jesus’ reference to the two extremes of heat and cold seems to be an attempt to use their local water sources as an analogy. The neighboring town of Hierapolis was known for its hot springs that had medicinal value. But by the time this water was transported to Laodicea, it would lose its heat and, therefore, its healing qualities. It became lukewarm and useless. And the spring that provided the primary source of water for Laodicea was located six miles to the south and had to be transported over a viaduct. Again, by the time it arrived in the city, it would have lost its refreshing coolness, having been warmed but exposure to the sun. Like these two sources of water, the Laodiceans had lost their healing properties as messengers of the gospel. They had also lost the refreshing value of their relationship with Christ, leaving them incapable of ministering to the spiritually all around them.

Jesus calls out to the complacent believers in Laodicea.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20 ESV

He offers Himself to them. This is not a call to salvation, but an invitation to renew their commitment to and sense of community with Jesus. He wants to restore the intimate relationship they once had with Him. The key to our surviving and thriving in this life is our relationship with Jesus. He is the beginning and the end. He is the Alpha and Omega. He has all that we need to enjoy abundant life in this life. But more than that, He offers us eternal life. Which is exactly what Jesus reminds the Laodicean believers about when He says, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 2:21 ESV). The believers in the city of Laodicea were going to conquer, because Jesus has conquered. They would receive their eternal reward, because Jesus has paid for it with His own blood. But He wanted them to enjoy the full riches of their salvation in this life. He wanted them to experience the abundant life He had come to make possible. And as long as they lived on this earth, He wanted them to be effective witnesses of the healing and refreshing power of the gospel. And that is His desire for every church in every age.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Escape From Tribulation.

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” – Revelation 3:7-13 ESV

To the church in Philadelphia, Jesus addresses Himself as “the holy one, the true one.” These two divine attributes are inseparable. His holiness and truthfulness go hand in hand, each being impossible without the other. As the holy and true one, Jesus is more than qualified to address the church in Philadelphia. He is without sin and devoid of any falsehood or deception. And as a result, those who are called by His name should live in keeping with His character. We are sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus, so our behavior should reflect that reality.

…for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. – Ephesians 5:8-10 ESV

Jesus’ reference to the key of David ties back to John’s description in chapter one, when he first saw his vision of Jesus. John fell to his feet as if dead, but Jesus said to him, ““Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17-18 ESV). With His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus unlocked the doors of death that had held men captive. No longer would men and women be subject to the inescapable prison of condemnation for their rebellion against God. His resurrection provided victory over death. Which is what led Paul to write, “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).

His reference to the key of David is also a direct tie to Isaiah 22:22, which states, “And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” This passage was speaking of Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who had the key to all the king’s treasures. Jesus is appropriating this passage for Himself, claiming to hold the keys to all the treasures of God. It is He alone who can open and shut the doorway to God’s goodness, grace, mercy and love. And according to Jesus, He not only holds the key, He is the door.

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” – John 10:9 ESV

And as Jesus has done with each of the churches so far, He lets the congregation at Philadelphia know that He is fully aware of their works. And in keeping with His emphasis on the key and His ability to open and shut, He states, “Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut” (Revelation 3:8 ESV). He seems to be assuring the faithful believers in Philadelphia that their ministry will be successful in spite of the opposition and persecution they faced. While they had “little power” due to their relatively small number, they would continue to have a powerful influence on their city. In the midst of much hostility, they had kept the word, the message of Jesus Christ. They had refused to deny the name of Jesus, even in the face of intense pressure and persecution. There were obviously those in the “city of brotherly love” who had expressed intense hatred for this fledgling group of faithful believers. And Jesus names one such source as “the synagogue of Satan.” He describes them as those “who say that they are Jews and are not” (Revelation 3:9 ESV). These members of the local Jewish synagogue proudly proclaimed their Hebrew heritage and their status as children of Abraham, but Jesus saw them simply as those who rejected Himself as the Messiah. In the gospel of John, we have recorded a confrontation between Jesus and the Jews of His day. John makes it clear that Jesus was speaking to a group of Jews who had expressed belief in Jesus. He said to them, ““If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 ESV).

They responded, ““We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33 ESV). To which responded, “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you” (John 8:36-37 ESV). Jesus was letting them know, that while they had expressed belief in Him, they were going to attempt to kill Him. Jesus accused them of doing the deeds of their father, and when they responded that their father was Abraham, Jesus exposed the truth to them.

“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” – John 8:39-41 ESV

And Jesus left no doubt as to who their father was:

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.” – John 8:44-45 ESV

And Jesus declares the Jews in Philadelphia to be a synagogue of Satan for the very same reason. They were rejecting the truth regarding Jesus being the Messiah. They were attacking the believers in the church there, because they refused to believe the truth about salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

But Jesus tells His faithful followers in Philadelphia that they will one day find themselves reverenced by these very same Jews. The day was coming when the tables would be turned and the oppressed would become the exalted. Jesus is assuring the believers in Philadelphia that there will be a reward for their faithful service to Him. And one of the greatest rewards He has to offer them is their escape from the coming day of tribulation.

“I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” – Revelation 3:10 ESV

While they were suffering tribulation and trials in their day, they would not have to endure the coming great day of tribulation. This is a reference to the seven years of tribulation that will come on the earth as part of the end times. The book of Revelation will go on to describe those days in great detail. But Jesus is assuring the believers in Philadelphia, and every other believer who has ever lived, that they will escape this coming judgment on the earth, because of the reality of the rapture. Paul describes this great event in the book of 1 Thessalonians.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 ESV

Jesus assures them that He is coming soon. He encourages them to hold fast. He will one day return for His bride, the church. And for all those who conquer, who remain faithful to Him to the end, He promises to make them a pillar in the temple of God. They will have a permanent place and play a significant role in the heavenly realm. There is a permanence to Christ’s promise. “Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name” (Revelation 3:12 ESV). They will never have to fear losing their rightful place in God’s Kingdom. They will bear the name of God, a sign of His ownership of them. Not only that, they will bear the name of the new Jerusalem, where they will find their permanent residence in His presence. And they will bear the name of Jesus, the name of the one they refused to deny.

And as usual, Jesus addresses this message to all church of all time, assuring them that what is true for the believers in Philadelphia is true for all. The faithful are those who overcome, who will one day find themselves enjoying their role as fellow conquerors with Jesus. He holds the keys of David. He alone can open up the treasuries of God, providing access into the Kingdom of God, and offering up all the abundance of God’s blessings for those who trusted in His holiness and truth.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Destruction From Within.

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”  – Revelation 3:1-6 ESV

In opening His address to the church in Sardis, Jesus once again uses imagery provided in chapter one to describe Himself. This time, He mentions the seven spirits of God and the seven stars as being His possessions. If you recall, in Revelation 1:4, John described seeing the seven spirits before the throne of God. And in verse 16 of that same chapter, John described seeing Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand. The seven spirits of God is thought to be a reference to the Spirit of God. Throughout the Scriptures, the number seven is symbolic of perfection or completeness. By referring to the Spirit as being seven in number, it is a way of describing His perfection. He is lacking in nothing. And Jesus addresses the church in Sardis, assuring them that He comes to them with the Spirit of God. And this is important, because the indictment that Jesus levels against the congregation there has to do with their spiritual apathy. They are dead. But it is the Spirit who brings life. The Spirit regenerates non-believers, providing them with new life. Paul told his young protegé, Titus: “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5-7 EASV). The Holy Spirit brings new life. And yet, as Jesus will accuse the church in Sardis, “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1 ESV). It would seem that Jesus is saying that some within the fellowship there had never really been renewed or regenerated. They remained in their former dead spiritual state. During His earthly ministry, Jesus had clearly equated new life with belief, telling those who followed Him:

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” – John 6:63-64 ESV

By bringing the Holy Spirit with Him, it is as if Jesus is offering the unbelieving, spiritually dead members of the church in Sardis with an opportunity to experience new life through the power of the Spirit. It is important to note that Jesus describes the congregation as a whole as being dead. They were ineffective and incapable of doing what they were supposed to be doing. Their works were incomplete. They had a reputation for being alive, but were really lifeless. Nothing can rob the life out of a local congregation than the presence of unbelievers masquerading as believers. That is why Jesus demands that the church wake up and strengthen what remains. They were to recall the message they had received in the beginning, the gospel message of new life made possible through faith in Christ. They had walked away from the basic truths of the gospel message and allowed spiritual compromise and moral complacency to infiltrate their fellowship. And by describing Himself as having the seven stars in His hands, Jesus is reminding the spiritual leaders of the church at Sardis that they belong to Him. They answer to Him. He is their authority and they are responsible to the flock He has placed under their care. Peter has a similar warning to elders in his first letter:

2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. – 1 Peter 5:2-4 ESV

Poor leadership in a local church can result in spiritual apathy and provide an atmosphere in which falsehood can thrive. Unbelievers can easily find access into the fellowship, bringing their false understandings of what it means to be saved. They can practice the outward signs of religion, creating a church that appears spiritual, all the while missing the very thing they need to be truly alive and empowered by the Spirit of God. The apostle Paul warned the elders from the church at Ephesus:

28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. 31 Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you. – Acts 20:28-31 NLT

Paul told them to remember. He wanted them to recall the time, energy and effort he had poured into making them a healthy and vibrant fellowship. And Jesus tells the leadership at Sardis to remember as well, and He warns them to repent. They need to wake up and recognize the problem in their fellowship. If they don’t, Jesus warns, He will come like a thief in the night. When they least expected it, He would bring judgment against them. Jesus takes seriously the spiritual well-being of His bride, the church. He will hold the leadership of His church responsible for how they care for and protect those for whom He died. Sadly, Jesus indicates that there are only a few in Sardis who had not “soiled their garments” (Revelation 3:4 ESV). That means that the majority of those who claimed to be members of the local fellowship in Sardis had soiled their garments – they were stained by immorality and sin. In comparison, a faithful few had remained pure, and Jesus promises that they will one day walk with Him in His Kingdom wearing the white robes of sinless perfection. John will later describe seeing these very people standing before the throne of God in heaven.

After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. – Revelation 7:9 ESV

And Jesus promises those who overcome, who maintain their spiritual integrity and faithful commitment to their calling, that He will reward them.

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. – Revelation 3:5 ESV

Jesus is not demanding sinless perfection in this life. He is not saying that only those who remain sin-free on earth will enjoy the reward of eternal life. The one who conquers is a reference to the those who truly belong to Christ. They are conquerors because He has already conquered. Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross. And those who place their faith in Him are already victorious. Their salvation is secure and their eternal state, already prepared for them. As followers of Christ, they pursue holiness in this life, in the power of the Holy Spirit. They seek to live righteously, refusing to pursue the old sinful habits of the past. The apostle Paul put it this way, “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).

The church in Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but Jesus knew the truth. He could see the spiritual apathy and the debilitating influence of those who claimed to be followers of Christ, but who were really non-believers. Their presence was destroying the church from within. The church’s leadership had been asleep at the wheel and had allowed the enemy to infiltrate their ranks and begin to destroy the church from within. It is interesting to note that the city of Sardis, which sat on a high hill, had been thought to be impregnable to attack. But there was a hidden pathway that led to a secret entrance into the walls of the city. And about 548 B.C., Cyrus the Persian captured Sardis by using this hidden pathway to breech the city’s walls. The same thing happened again in 218 B.C., when the city was taken by Antiochus. One of the greatest dangers to any church is a spirit of complacency and over-confidence. When the leadership of a church no longer recognizes the reality of spiritual warfare and the need to protect the flock of God at all costs, the enemy takes advantage of their apathy and brings destruction from within.

So, as He has done before, Jesus warns every one who has ears to hear what He is saying to the churches. His wake-up call to Sardis applies to each and every church in every age. As Paul said, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 ESV), but if we fail to remain faithful and committed to His cause, we can find ourselves becoming the conquered. While Jesus promised that all the powers of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18), Satan is still going to do everything in his power to destroy the church. The victory has been won, but the battle is real. And we must remain awake and alert.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)  Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson