***

Introduction

In this book, John departs from his normal writing style. Rather than writing in short, simple statements stacked one after another, he adopts the style of Ezekiel and of Daniel (in Dan 7-12) – a style called “apocalyptic.” There’s no other book like this in the New Testament. When we’re comfortable reading Ezekiel, Daniel, and other Old Testament prophets, we’ll be comfortable reading Revelation. That said, John does speak in relatively straightforward terms at the beginning and end of the book. We should therefore use these more understandable parts to anchor our interpretations of what lies in between. Failure to do this is one of the most common reasons that the book of Revelation has gotten misinterpreted so often in the two thousand years since it was written.

While the style of writing is apocalyptic, its form is that of a letter (epistle). In that sense, it should be counted as such – and noted as the longest and the most distinctive of them. Thus the 27 books of the New Testament can be categorized as follows:

Gospels of Jesus Christ – 4
Acts of the Apostles – 1
Letters (Epistles) – 22

The word “apocalyptic” is currently defined as “describing or prophesying complete destruction,” “momentous or catastrophic,” “terrible,” “foreboding imminent disaster or final doom,” and similar terms. Yet the Greek word from which we get the English word “apocalypse” – “apokalupsis” – simply means “revelation.” That John calls this letter a “revelation” in the first verse is therefore ironic given it enigmatic nature. It is presented a mystery, but, since all Bible mysteries are intended to be revealed, the meaning of this letter, too, is meant to be revealed – and that’s at least part of why John called it a “revelation.” It was written in the very last days before the promised revelation of Jesus Christ was to have taken place (Lk 17:30). Therefore, let us read this letter in hope. And let us not be frustrated if the fullness of its meaning is slow in coming because it is our spiritual immaturity that withholds meaning from us – not God’s unwillingness to enlighten us. (Mysteries and Revelations)

I mentioned above that one of the most common reasons people misinterpret the book of Revelation is that they fail to ground their understanding of the book’s difficult passages in an understanding of its more straightforward and simple passages. To be specific, one of the clearest points made in the letter is that it applied to events that were “soon to take place.” Therefore, for an interpreter to say in any century after the 1st century AD that it applied to events still future would be absurd. Now, just like any other NT letter, its principles can apply throughout all eternity, but the events about which it spoke had to have taken place when the letter said they would take place: “soon.” You’re guaranteed to misunderstand this book if you ignore its clearest statements.

Another common reason people misunderstand the book of Revelation is that they unconsciously assume that the original recipients of the letter were as perplexed by its contents as we modern folks are. Yet there’s no logical reason for us to hold this view. Just as the writings of Moses made more sense to his contemporaries than they do to us, so this writing from John would make more sense to John’s contemporaries than it does to us. This is not the way we view other letters in the New Testament. We study Paul’s letters to Ephesus, Corinth, Thessalonica and other cities fully aware that the original recipients would have had an easier time understanding those letters than we do. That’s because the letters were written to them. Again, to understand the book of Revelation we must not ignore things that are obvious.

Do I understand everything in the book of Revelation? Far from it! But the things I do understand, I know that I understand them and don’t merely suppose that I understand them.

1 Cor 8:2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;

In other words, I make a clear distinction between the things I understand and the things I don’t. Speculation is no way to build faith.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

It’s a lot easier to be assured and have conviction about something simple than it is about something complicated. That John said the letter applied to the near-term future and that it applied most directly to its recipients are two facts that are simple and obvious.

***

Revelation 1

There is nothing very hard to understand in this first chapter. In typical John the apostle fashion, it is a straightforward introduction to the letter that follows.

Rev 1:1-2 – God gave Jesus a revelation which He in turn gave to His angel to deliver to the apostle John. This revelation came in the form of a vision and the word of God. We know that John had previously received such a revelation when he, Peter, and James were on a mountain with Jesus and experiencing a vision that came to be called “The Transfiguration.” Of course, the book of Revelation reports a much more elaborate vision than the Transfiguration – but they’re still both visions of Jesus that God granted. Jesus told His three apostles not to report the vision of the Transfiguration until after He was raised from the dead, but the vision described in this letter was to be told right away because it was about “the things which must soon take place.”

Rev 1:3 – John here reiterates that this vision he is relating by letter is not prophesying things that will take place in the distant future like the Old Testament prophecies of Messiah and His kingdom. Nor is this vision one that must be kept secret until a certain event takes place (as was the case with the Transfiguration which required the resurrection of Jesus before it could be publicized). Rather, this vision had to be reported right away because the angel was telling him “the time is near.”

The expressions “the things which must soon take place” and “the time is near” are synonymous. Thus we’re only three verses into the book and we already have two witnesses to the fact that this 1st-century AD letter applies to near-term future.

2 Cor 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. EVERY FACT IS TO BE CONFIRMED BY THE TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.

As if this weren’t enough, John makes the same point twice in the last chapter (Rev 22:6, 10). Further still, Jesus makes the statement “I am coming quickly” four times in the letter – three of them in the last chapter (Rev 3:11; 22:7, 12, 20). That is way too much evidence for a reasonable person to ignore.

Rev 1:4-6 – Some NT letters were addressed to a single church (like Philippians) and some were sent to many churches (like James). This letter was sent to seven selected churches. One of them was a church which had already received an apostolic letter addressed specifically to it – Ephesus. All seven churches were located in the region of Asia (what we today call Asia Minor or Turkey). ***** Although this “grace and peace” greeting to the churches is more elaborate, it’s still essentially the same sort of “grace and peace” greeting we’re used to seeing in other NT letters to churches.

Rev 1:7 – This is an explicit reference to the Second Coming and emphasizes that this event is the central theme of the vision and therefore of this letter.

Rev 1:8 – This is a personal greeting from Jesus and it is unusual for an apostolic letter to a church. The apostles always wrote on behalf of Jesus, but this personal touch is a distinguishing mark that none of the other NT letters have.

Rev 1:9-11 – John identifies his location as Patmos, a small island off the coast of Asia Minor – closest to Ephesus of the seven cities mentioned. If one were to proceed from Ephesus northward from one city to the next listed, he would be moving clockwise through the region in the exact order in which the cities are listed. In other words, the person or persons delivering the letter would be completing a circle and this makes it all the more appropriate to describe the book of Revelation as a circular letter. ***** John only mentions that he’s on Patmos “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” History outside the Bible tells us that John was condemned to death by boiling in oil – but it didn’t work, so the authorities exiled him to this little prison island. Thus it was indeed “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” that he was there.

Rev 1:12-16 – In the Transfiguration, Jesus’ “face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2) and “His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them” (Mk 9:3). This vision and its description are more elaborate than that of the Transfiguration, but follow the same lines. The greater glory symbolizes the greater glory of Messiah that has been revealed since the days of the Transfiguration. In those days, the apostles could barely believe Jesus would be raised from the dead back to earth. By this time, they have realized that Messiah’s glory was to be heavenly and was far beyond anything that pious Jews had ever imagined.

Rev 1:16 – Paul uses similar imagery of light emanating from Christ’s face in 2 Cor 4:6. See more at the note on Rev 21:23-27 below. See also Dan 10:4-6, especially verse 6. As to more general statements about the light of a face, see Job 29:24; Prov 16:15.

Rev 1:17-20 – In the Transfiguration, it was the voice of the Father which provided the headline for the vision: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” In this vision, however, the Son speaks for Himself. This, too, symbolizes the exceeding glory that has been heaped on Messiah in the years since His ascension into heaven. Jesus will repeat a portion of this description in each of His messages to the seven churches.

***

Revelation 2

The Pattern of the Seven Messages

Each of the churches receives a message tailored specifically for it and the circumstances it is experiencing. However, the pattern of the messages is the same.

A Salutation (Greeting) – including specific “To” and “From” references, and a portion of the vision of Jesus described in the first chapter.
The Body of the Message – The contents of this section are specific and relevant to each church. Five of the seven were explicitly commanded to repent. The two exceptions to this were Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11) and Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13). That the churches were, generally speaking, in need of such correction would not have been surprising to John because Jesus had prophesied that there would be a falling away right before His return. This prophecy of general apostasy when His Second Coming was closest was documented not just in the Gospels but in the Epistles as well – including, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, 1 John, and Jude. In other words, though it is sad to say, many believers were falling asleep at the switch just before the Lord came. (John had to have been reminded of when he, his brother, and Peter kept falling asleep in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus was asking them to pray with Him.)
A Valediction (Closing) – Usually, a warning (“He who has an ear to hear…”) coupled with a promise (“To him who overcomes…”).

Message to Ephesus

Rev 2:1-7 –

Rev 2:6 – “Nicolaitans” – Bible scholars speculate on the identity of this group, but I’ve found no clear and convincing explanation that excludes all others. The important point for us to remember is that there are things God hates – and we should hate them, too. The fact that such things may have a group – however large or small – to promote them should not put a dent in our hate.

Message to Smyrna

Rev 2:8-11 – Smyrna and Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13) are the only two churches of the seven who were not explicitly commanded to repent.

Rev 2:9 – “who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” – Jesus is, of course, speaking spiritually. That is, He’s not speaking of literal Jews (and literal synagogues); rather, he’s speaking of spiritual Jews, as Paul was in Rom 2:28-29. Therefore, to translate this expression into something more literal, it would be: “who say they are Christians and are not, but are a church of Satan.” That is, Jesus is warning the believers in Smyrna against false brethren. Since they were one of the two churches He did not call to repentance, He is trying to keep them pure. Jesus uses this same expression in His message to the church in Philadelphia, which is the other church that was not told they needed to repent.

Message to Pergamum

Rev 2:12-17 –

Rev 2:15 – “Nicolaitans” – See note on this term in the note on Rev 2:6 above.

Message to Thyatira

Rev 2:18-29 –

Rev 2:20 – “Jezebel” – Jezebel was queen of Israel (the Northern Kingdom), wife of King Ahab. Although the modern connotation associated with that name is mainly promiscuity, the biblical Jezebel was evil in a variety of ways. The NT character who most resembles her is Herodias, wife of King Herod, who conspired to have John the Baptist beheaded. Jezebel had no regard for the Lord, and was intent on silencing His servants the prophets. Jezebel is obviously being used as an archetype of evil behavior here – like a female pharaoh.

***

Revelation 3

Message to Sardis

Rev 3:1-6 – Jesus is telling an entire church – which is to say all those who confessed His name in the city of Sardis – that they are, with the exception of a “few” people, spiritually dead. What an indictment! He’s saying they’ve returned to the same state they were in when they first confessed His name. I wonder how they reacted. I wonder also how you or I would have reacted.

Rev 3:1 – “you have a name” – The word “name” in a context like this means “reputation.” The Bible often uses the word “name” in this way.
Rev 3:1-2 – “but you are dead. Wake up” – “Sleep” is spiritual language for death. “Wake up” is spiritual language for resurrection. John demonstrates for us throughout his Gospel how Jesus spoke often in spiritual language and struggled to get His disciples to understand it. The book of Revelation uses lots of spiritual language, but not all of it is spiritual. For example, when John gives us his name, he’s being literal. When he says he’s on the island of Patmos, he’s being literal. When he identifies the cities to whom the letter is directed, he’s being literal. When he says he saw a vision, he’s being literal. When he says the vision applies to the near term, he’s being literal. Jesus likewise went back and forth from literal speech to spiritual speech. We, too, go back and both between literal speech and figures of speech. It’s just that most of our figures of speech are not referring to important spiritual realities. My point in all this is that it’s not as hard to learn to think spiritually as it may first appear.

Message to Philadelphia

Rev 3:7-13 – Philadelphia and Smyrna (Rev 2:1-7) are the only two churches of the seven not commanded to repent.

Rev 3:9 – “those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie” – See note on synonymous expression at Rev 2:9 above.
Rev 3:10 – “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing,” – Don’t you love the sound of a possibility like this? It’s like “If you earn a high enough grade in one course, you get to exempt another!” My favorite exams are those that can be exempted. This city of Philadelphia was proving that there are rewards for faithfulness.
Rev 3:11 – “I am coming quickly” – Jesus will repeat this line three times in the final chapter of this letter (Rev 22:7, 12, 20).

Message to Laodicea

Rev 3:14-22 – Based on the things Jesus says in his message to this church, I can see them just before they hear it. They see themselves as on top of the world, spiritually speaking. They saw themselves as the spiritual haves in a world of spiritual have-nots. They were looking down their noses at unbelievers. Jesus is about to turn their worldview upside down.

Rev 3:16 – “you are lukewarm” – Peter was not lukewarm; he proved this over and over. John and his brother James were not lukewarm either, as their nickname from Jesus testified: “Sons of Thunder” (Mk 4:17). Paul, for sure, wasn’t lukewarm; he was “all in” whether he was going the wrong direction or the right one. Jesus can work with mistake-makers; what He can’t work with is someone who won’t try. “And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours” – Mt 25:25.) It was their lukewarmness that led to the Laodiceans’ blindness.
Rev 3:17 – “you say, ‘I am rich’…and you do not know that you are…poor” – These Laodiceans were out-Phariseeing the Pharisees.
Rev 3:18 – “eye salve to anoint your eyes that you may see” – Jesus has the salve to anoint our eyes. It comes out of His mouth (Mk 8:23).
Rev 3:19 – “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline” – It’s not a bad thing when Jesus corrects me; it’s only a bad thing when He doesn’t. For when He doesn’t, it’s not because I don’t need it; it’s because I’ve lost my “ear to hear.”

***

Revelation 4

So much for the simpler, more straightforward parts of the book of Revelation. Now we enter into the parts that are more difficult to understand. John will return to giving us clearer statements in the last chapter when he, and Jesus Himself, reiterate the fundamental point that the Second Coming was finally on the verge of happening. But between here and the end of the book, it’s harder to be certain exactly how to understand and apply what we are reading. Let’s do our best.

The Pivot

Rev 4:1-2 – In these two verses, John announces that his book (letter) is now taking a turn (the turn I described just above). There are several different ways that he indicates this shift.

“After these things” – John is referring here to what he has written in the book so far – what we call the first three chapters. In those three chapters, John explained the circumstances that led to his writing the book, including the vision he had of Jesus and the messages He wanted sent to the seven churches named. All that John described had taken place on earth. His attention now turns to a different location.
“I looked, and behold,” – John’s going to tell us what he saw.
“a door standing open in heaven,” – What he saw was in heaven.
“and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said,” – In addition to telling us what he saw, John’s going to tell us what he heard. This is what a witness does: tell what he saw and heard. John had done this for years as an apostle – that is, he told what he saw and heard in the life of Jesus on earth. That testimony included his Gospel and his three letters. Even in the first three chapters of this book, he was describing what he saw and heard in Jesus on earth. It was a vision of Jesus, yes; but it had taken place on earth. Now he’s going to do something he has never done before in any of his writing: tell us what he saw and heard in heaven.
“‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things’.” – This reinforces what John has been saying: that he is now going to describe things he saw in heaven.
“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold” – John had declared himself to be “in the spirit” at the beginning of the book (Rev 1:10). What’s different now is that in the first chapter he described a vision he saw and heard on earth; now he’s going to describe the vision he saw and heard in heaven.
“a throne was standing in heaven” – This is another confirmation that John has shifted the focus to heaven.

(It was not unheard of for an apostle to receive a heavenly vision, for Paul wrote about this very thing (2 Cor 12:1-10), though he did not give its details.)

Before we try to understand what John’s heavenly vision means we must make sure we have as clear a view as possible of what he actually saw and heard. For if we have a fuzzy view of what John saw and heard, we’re going to have a worse than fuzzy understanding of what it means. Therefore, my goal in this and the ensuring chapter notes is to help clarify what it is we’re seeing and hearing from John.

Rev 4:2-11 – I’m going to list the objects and beings John saw. In order to help keep them distinct, I’m not going to add the details John gave about the objects and beings – like the One sitting on the throne being “like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance” or the elders being “clothed in white garments” or the four living creatures being “full of eyes in front and behind.” I’ll let you add those individual “Christmas tree decorations” in your mind once we’ve identified all the “Christmas trees” in this scene. I also slightly altered the order in which John identified the objects and beings, and arranged them so as to make the scene a little easier for us to remember.

The Heavenly Scene:
What John Saw

“a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.”
- “a rainbow around the throne”
- “and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass”
- “Out from the throne come flashes of lightning”
“seven lamps of fire burning before the throne”
“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting”
“and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures”

(When I read “twenty-four elders” it’s hard for me not to think of the twelve tribes of Israel in the Old Testament combined with the twelve apostles of Jesus in the New Testament. When I read “four living creatures” I’m reminded of Ezekiel “four living beings,” though I haven’t studied enough to know whether they’re related.)

The Heavenly Scene:
What John Heard

“sounds and peals of thunder”
“the four living creatures…do not cease to say,”‘HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME’.”
“the twenty-four elders…saying, ‘Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

So there we have the skeleton of what John saw and heard in this chapter.

***

Revelation 5

Additions to the Heavenly Scene:
The Book and the Lamb

Rev 5:1 – If you have the heavenly scene described in the previous chapter clearly in your mind, you should now be able to visualize the seven-sealed book “in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.”

Rev 5:2 – John sees and hears a “strong” angel asking the question with a “loud” voice.

Rev 5:3-4 – That “no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth” was found worthy means anyone anywhere – more precisely, no angel or man.

Rev 5:5 – This weeping will turn to joy.

Rev 5:5 – This phrasing that the elder uses to tell John that he needn’t weep echoes ways that Moses and Isaiah described Messiah.

Gen 49:8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
Gen 49:9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
Gen 49:10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

***

Is 11:10 Then in that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.

It’s hard to find a note sounded in the New Testament that was not first sounded in the Old Testament. And it’s hard to find any note sounded in Revelation that was not first sounded in both testaments.

Rev 5:6 – I know it’s hard to visualize a description like this, but we all know what it’s like to have a dream. That is, we’ve all had dreams that include settings and events we consider preposterous once we wake up – but that seemed real and reasonable when we were in the middle of the dream. A dream or a vision is for stretching our imaginations and calling attention to ideas through symbols.

Messiah is being described here as having “overcome” and therefore having become worthy “to open the book and its seven seals.” Notice that John does not see “the Lamb” enter. He just sees Him standing in the midst of the scene as if He’d been there all along.

Rev 5:7-10 – At this point, something amazing happens: “the four living creatures” and “the twenty-four elders” begin giving “the Lamb” the same sort of treatment they’ve been giving “the One sitting on the throne.” I’ll bet heaven had never seen that before!

Rev 5:11-14 – What happens now is even more amazing – innumerable (for that is what “myriad” means) angels join with “the living creatures and the elders” is praising “the Lamb.” As if that wasn’t enough, then “every created thing” from every corner of the universe joins in the praise of “the One who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb.” What is happening that this “Lamb” is being treated like God?

***

Revelation 6

The Lamb Breaks Six of the Book’s Seven Seals

In the midst of all the praising of “the One who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb,” the latter takes the book and begins breaking its seals one by one. Although the scene is still heaven (as it has been since Rev 4:1), as the seals are broken, things begin happening on earth.

The First Seal

Rev 6:1-2 –

One of the four living creatures says, “Come.”
A white horse with a rider who has a bow and crown.
Outcome: Conquering.

The Second Seal

Rev 6:3-4 –

The second of the four living creatures says, “Come.”
A red horse with rider who has power to remove peace.
Outcome: War.

The Third Seal

Rev 6:5-6 –

The third of the four living creatures says, “Come.”
A black horse with rider who has a pair of scales.
Outcome: Famine.

The Fourth Seal

Rev 6:7-8 –

The fourth of the four living creatures says, “Come.”
An ashen horse with rider named Death, followed by Hades.
Outcome: Death.

The Fifth Seal

Rev 6:9-11 –

Slain martyrs cry for justice that has not yet been granted them.
Outcome:
- A Promise that it would only be ” a little while longer.”
- A Prophecy of more martyrs.

The Sixth Seal

Rev 6:12-17 –

Various calamities that were manifestations of God’s wrath against sin.
Outcome: Terror.

The outcomes described in this chapter sound very much like what Jesus described in the Olivet Discourse: war, famine, martyrdom, and so on.

As for the sealed book, the Old Testament was a sealed book until Jesus came to explain it. Who could have gotten out of the Old Testament that resurrection would lead not to earth but to heaven, that the Messiah would be resurrected years before anyone else, that Messiah would be die before He ever took the throne and that his death would be execution as a criminal. I could go on. Jesus explained a book that no one else could explain. Even to this day, I would not attempt to understand it on my own. He is the only one worthy to break the seals.

There is a correlation between “opening seals” and the kind of afflictions we see cataloged in this chapter. It is that Satan always comes against the word that is sown (Mt 13; Mk 4; Lk 8). Thus Jesus “unsealing” the Old Testament including its plans for the kingdom of God through Messiah unleashed all sorts of attacks from Satan who was trying in vain prevent the coming of God’s kingdom. But these were birth pangs (Mt 24:8).

***

Revelation 7

A Break in the Action

Rev 7:1-3 – At this point, only six of the seven seals have been broken. The action is paused as time must be made to protect those who will be passed over when the judgment fully comes. (Remember the very first Passover.)

Rev 7:4-8 – These are, of course, symbolic numbers as evidenced immediately in the next paragraph which begins by describing “a great multitude which no one could count.”

Rev 7:9-10 – These that were passed over now start singing the same sort of praises we’ve been hearing repeatedly: to “Him who sits on the throne” and “the Lamb.”

Rev 7:11-12 – At the sound of the praises coming from the ones “in white robes,” then “all the angels [who] were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures” get cranked up again and start singing more praises.

Rev 7:13 – Recall that white clothes have been mentioned multiple times before this chapter, becoming one of the many themes running throughout the book.

Rev 3:5 – “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments…”
Rev 3:18 – “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself…”
Rev 4:4 – “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.”
Rev 6:11 – “And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

Rev 7:14 – As mentioned in the notes on the previous chapter, we are finding in the book of Revelation references to things Jesus prophesied in the Olivet Discourse – and we can now add to that list “the great tribulation” (Mt 24:21).

Rev 7:15-17 – The force of this passage is staggering. How in the world did the Lamb get in “the center” of the throne?! All we can do is ponder and try our best to take it in. #Hints

***

Revelation 8

The Lamb Breaks the Book’s Seventh Seal

Rev 8:1 – The calm before the storm.

Rev 8:2 – John will return to these seven angels and their seven trumpets in verse 6 below.

Rev 8:3-5 – This is the second time John has used incense as a metaphor for prayer. The first was:

Rev 5:8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

John was not the first Bible author to use this metaphor. King David beat him by about a thousand years.

Ps 141:1 O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me!
Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
Ps 141:2 May my prayer be counted as incense before You;
The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.

The first time we see “incense” mentioned in the Bible is in conjunction with the tabernacle God told Moses to build in wilderness (Ex 25-31; 35-40). An altar of incense was located in the holy place, such that its fragrance would be present not just there but also in the most holy place which was separated only by a veil. The instructions for the tabernacle made no mention of the incense being symbolic of prayer; that association came later.

The point of these references in the book of Revelation is that in the midst of all these powerful acts of an Almighty God, He values the prayers of those people dedicated to Him.

The Seven Angels and Their Trumpets

Rev 8:6 – These are “the seven angels who stand before God” (verse 2 above). Each have been given a trumpet to sound.These angels blowing these trumpets are part of the seventh seal of the book being broken by the Lamb.

The First Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 8:7 – More calamities like those described in what happened when the sixth seal was broken.

The Second Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 8:8-9 – More calamities.

The Third Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 8:10-11 – More calamities.

The Fourth Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 8:12 – More calamities.

Angel Trumpets Five through Seven Still to Come

Rev 8:13 – Even after all these calamities, what’s to come in the remaining three trumpet blasts amounts to “Woe, woe, woe,” for those who dwell on the earth. That is, the three “woes” speak of the three remaining trumpets (Rev 9:12).

The trumpets of the fifth and sixth angels will be described in the next chapter; and the seventh in Rev 11.

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Revelation 9

The Fifth Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 9:1-12 –

Rev 9:4 – This refers to the 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel who were sealed on their foreheads. All three elements of this description are surely symbolic. That is, it’s not exactly 144,000 – it’s an innumerable number (“myriads” – Rev 5:11). It’s not literal Jews – it’s Jews of the heart (that is, believers in Jesus – Rom 2:28-29). And the seal is not on their physical foreheads – it’s something “plain as the nose on their face” (that is, something that’s obvious).

The Sixth Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 9:13-21 –

Rev 9:20-21 – The theme running throughout the breaking of the seven seals of the book is that the calamities keep increasing in intensity while people – like pharaoh of old – just keep hardening their hearts and refusing to repent.

The seventh angel’s trumpet will not be described until Rev 11.

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Revelation 10

The Angel and the Little Book

Rev 10:1-11 – We are in between the time of the sixth and seventh trumpets.

Rev 10:1-3 – The only other “strong angel” John has mentioned was this one:

Rev 5:1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”

Rev 10:4-7 – What was revealed by the seven peals of thunder was something John couldn’t broadcast. Only when the seventh angel blew his trumpet would “the mystery of God” be “finished.”

Rev 10:8-11 – God had spoken to Ezekiel in this same way:

Ezek 3:1 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.”
Ezek 3:2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll.
Ezek 3:3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

John could write about what was in “the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land” because it was “open.” It was what was revealed by “the seven peals of thunder” that he had to keep under his hat.

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Revelation 11

The Measuring Rod and the Temple of God

Rev 11:1-2 – When I read about the measuring rod I cannot help but think about Jesus since His earthly life is the standard against which all human beings are measured.

The Two Witnesses

Rev 11:3-13 – When I read of these two witnesses, I cannot help but think about John the Baptist and Jesus. I know that there are dissimilarities as well as similarities, but I cannot for this reason ignore the similarities.

The End of the Sixth Trumpet

Rev 11:14 – John began describing the sounding of the sixth angel’s trumpet in Rev 9:13. Therefore, everything between that point and this one has been part of the sixth angel’s trumpet sounding. Recall what John had written in Rev 8:13, just after the first four angels’ trumpets had sounded.

Rev 8:13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

John is saying, in effect, that angels’ trumpets five, six, and seven can be called the “first woe, second woe, and “third woe.” Therefore, here in Rev 11:14, when John says, “The second woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly,” he saying, in effect, that the sixth trumpet’s sounding is finished and it’s now time for the seventh and final trumpet. This is confirmed in the very next verse (Rev 11:15) when he writes, “Then the seventh angel sounded…”

The Seventh Angel’s Trumpet

Rev 11:15-18 – Throughout the sounding of all the trumpets, which collectively came with the Lamb breaking the seventh seal of the book that came out of the right hand of the God who sits on the throne, there has been increasing wrath coming on the earth. Along the way there was the sealing of the 144,000 men so that they might come through the great tribulation and worship the Lamb in the center of the throne. But that was a mere hope of refuge in the storm of increasing calamities. Now, in the sounding of the seventh angel’s trumpet, there is a clear declaration of victory in the past-tense phrasings of “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (verse 15), and “You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign” (verse 17).

The Temple of God

Rev 11:19 – We last heard about the temple of God in the first two verses of this chapter.

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Revelation 12

The Woman

Rev 12:1-2 – Logical options for the identify of the woman are, of course: Mary, Israel, and the Church (that is, the New Testament Church).

The Red Dragon

Rev 12:3-4 – The identity of the dragon is revealed in verse 9. Thus the following names all apply to the same being:

the “great red dragon” – verse 3
“the dragon” – verses 4, 7, 13, 16, and 17
“the great dragon” – verse 9
“the serpent of old” – verse 9
“the devil” – verses 9 and 12
“Satan” – verse 9
the one “who deceives the whole world” – verse 9
“the accuser of our brethren” – verse 10
“he who accuses them before our God day and night” – verse 10
“the serpent” – verses 14 and 15

Thus God’s enemy (and ours) is not anonymous. He has lots of names; even a few more than these (such as “Leviathan” in Is 27:1; for more, see Satan). He’s what Merriam-Webster calls “polyonymous.”

The Son

Rev 12:5-6 – The identity of this one is not much of a head-scratcher. He has lots of names, too. In fact, no one in the Bible has more names than He does. No one else even comes close. He needs that many names because there’s so much to Him.

The Angel Michael

Rev 12:7-9 – This angel named Michael is also mentioned in the OT (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1) and elsewhere in the NT (Jude 1:9).

A Heavenly Proclamation

Rev 12:10-12 – This proclamation emphasizes the main point in this chapter, which is that Satan was being kicked out of heaven.

The Ongoing War

Rev 12:13-17 – Satan being kicked out of heaven doesn’t end the war. It just ends the war in heaven…and heaven wasn’t the only theater of battle.

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Revelation 13

In John’s vision, Satan has been cast out of heaven, but that was not a total loss for him even though it was a blessing to God and to us. The loss of Satan’s power base in heaven was a huge relief to God. He had been putting up with that thorn in His side since the beginning. We see, for example, Satan needling Him in the book of Job, accusing Job of serving God only out of selfish purposes and not genuine love (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5). And Satan being kicked out of heaven was a blessing for us, too, because it created an opening for mankind’s entrance to it. Yet even though Satan had lost his base of operations in heaven, he did not lose the ones he had on earth and under it. That gave him a couple of ways to continue his war.

The Beast from the Sea

Rev 13:1-10 – Hades/Sheol as a Base of Satan’s Operations – Hades/Sheol was the place below the earth to which human beings went when they died. “Sheol” is the Hebrew word for it and is therefore found in the Old Testament; Hades is the Greek word for it and is therefore found in the New Testament – but both words are talking about the same place. In OT thinking, the physical sea was analogous to the underworld of the dead. Satan had authority over this domain.

Heb 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Heb 2:15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

(Keep in mind that Hades/Sheol remained the location of the dead until the Second Coming. There’ll be more to say about in this in the chapters ahead.)

To summarize, in Rev 13:1-10, Satan is using his base below to wreak more havoc on the earth.

The Beast from the Earth

Rev 13:11-18 – Earth as a Base of Satan’s Operations – Earth has been a base of Satan’s operations since the time he successfully tempted Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Consider also this passage from the book of Job.

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
Job 1:7 The LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

Satan’s base of operations on earth consists of the control people give him through their sins. Therefore, the earth was a second power base for Satan that getting kicked out of heaven didn’t disturb.

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Revelation 14

The Lamb and the 144,000 on Mount Zion

Rev 14:1-5 – These “144,000” (12,000 from each of Israel’s 12 tribes) were first mentioned in Rev 7:4-8. They were then briefly alluded to in Rev 9:4.

Rev 9:4 They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

Now the “144,000” are standing victorious with the Lamb on Mount Zion. This, of course, refers to the heavenly Mount Zion Paul spoke of in Heb 12:22. It’s hard to know what to do with this paragraph other than aspire to be a person whom God notices as someone who does not lie.

Ex 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

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Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,

There are benefits to being this kind of person and they include refuge in storms. Even before mention of the 144,000, Jesus had mentioned such a possibility in this letter.

Rev 3:10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Like the Israelites who were protected from the plagues that came on the Egyptians all around them, so those who fear God can always hope to find ports in a storm.

The Eternal Gospel

Rev 14:6-7 – The gospel God has given us will be proclaimed forever.

Babylon Is Fallen

Rev 14:8 – Babylon – like Babel – always falls because it always opposes God by exalting itself.

Doom for Worshipers of the Beast

Rev 14:9-12 – Satan always counterfeits; he does not have it in him to be creative like God. Therefore, as God sealed the 144,000 on their foreheads so Satan inspires evil rulers to impose marks of their own on people.

The Curse of Death Becomes a Blessing

Rev 14:13 – The messianic plan turned the curse that was death into a blessing by re-routing the transition of the dead from Hades/Sheol to heaven. This is what happened at the Second Coming. (For more, see The Biblical Case for Everyone Going to Heaven.)

The Reapers

Rev 14:14-20 – This passage is describing what has been prophesied repeatedly in the New Testament about the coming of the kingdom of God. This coming would be a great blessing to those prepared for it and a great disaster for those who did not prepare for it.

Luke 3:16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 3:17 “His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

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John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

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Matt 13:30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.””‘

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Matt 25:8 “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
Matt 25:9 “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’
Matt 25:10 “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.

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Matt 25:28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
Matt 25:29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
Matt 25:30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Matt 25:31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
Matt 25:32 “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
Matt 25:33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

And even to this day, there are those who see His face shining in its strength, while others only curse the darkness.

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Revelation 15

Glory in the Midst of Wrath

Rev 15:1 – What a beautiful truth that the wrath of God can come to an end. Such a thing is never said about the mercy of God! On the contrary, the King James Version of Psalm 136 completes each and every one of its 26 verses in the same way: “for his mercy endureth for ever.” A person who says something 26 times in a row is trying to make a point.

Psalm 136:1 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Less lyrically and therefore less memorably, the NASB says, “For His lovingkindness is everlasting,” but the meaning is the same. God’s love has no shelf life, but His wrath does. That’s why the Bible never says “God is wrath,” but it does say “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16). Truly, God has wrath and we’d best seek always to avoid it.

Heb 12:28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;
Heb 12:29 for our God is a consuming fire.

That said, His mercy will always outlast and supersede His wrath because that is His character – His essence.

James 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Rev 15:2-4 – Verse 3 references Moses and verse 4 is a mashup of David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah (Ps 86:9; Is 66:23; Jer 10:7). Over and over and over, the book of Revelation demonstrates itself to be a product of the earlier parts of the Bible. That is, the same God who inspired Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all those who wrote the Old Testament and New Testament books is the same God who is behind the book of Revelation and the visions that gave rise to it.

Rev 15:5-8 – This chapter ends as it began: by defining a conclusion to the wrath of God.

Rev 15:1 …seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

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Rev 15:8 …until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

The wrath of God endureth not forever.

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Revelation 16

Seven Bowls of Wrath

Rev 16:1 – These bowls – also called plagues – of wrath were the subject of the previous chapter, being mentioned only in general terms. There were seven angels, each having a portion of wrath to pour out on the earth. In this chapter, those portions will be spelled out. The scene we’re given to behold is reminiscent of the plagues poured out on Egypt, right down to the unwillingness of the victims to take the hint that they should repent and let God have His way.

The First Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:2 – Remember to contrast those who receive “the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image” with those who receive the seal of God on their foreheads and worship God and the Lamb (Rev 7:3; 9:4). In other words, the mark of the best is a counterfeit for the seal of God. And worship of the beast is intended to displace the worship of God. Satan is always mimicking God because he wants to replace Him. From a human standpoint, this means we are always tempted to seek the approval of men (their “seal” of approval, so to speak) instead of the approval of God.

The Second Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:3 – Like the plague of blood against the Nile River.

The Third Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:4-7 – God’s wrath is not indiscriminate. Rather, it fits the crime and gives the guilty ones something to notice…if they’ll only pay attention.

The Fourth Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:8-9 – We are seeing Pharaoh’s repeated refusals to repent reenacted before our eyes.

The Fifth Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:10-11 – Still, they will not repent! On the contrary, they blaspheme God! Unchecked sin leads ultimately to madness and self-destruction.

The Sixth Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:12-16 – This bowl includes Armageddon (“Har-Magedon”). Even people who don’t read the Bible are familiar with the term Armageddon. There have been many Armageddons, and there will be more to come…just as there have been many antichrists (1 Jn 2:18) and there will more to come…but there has never been and never will be again an Armageddon like the one that occurred in the 1st century AD because Jesus said so (Mt 24:21). The greatest generation that ever lived endured it and brought in the kingdom of God for our sakes. Therefore, let us not faint at what we face.

The Seventh Bowl of Wrath

Rev 16:17-21 – Don’t you love the sound of “It is done”? It reminds us of Jesus Himself enduring to the end.

John 19:30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

Whatever difficulty you are going through, there will be an end to it. As they say, “One of the most comforting passages we find in the Bible is, ‘And it came to pass’.” The only thing that will never end is God’s love for us. Therefore, let us follow Jesus’ steps all the way to the end of whatever it is we are enduring.

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

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Revelation 17

Let’s recap – at a very high level – where we are with respect to the unfolding of John’s heavenly vision. It began in Rev 4 with John’s description of the throne of God and all that surrounded it. The Lamb in the midst of that scene takes a book sealed up with seven seals from the right hand of the One who sits on the throne. The Lamb then begins breaking the seals one by one. As each seal is broken, various forms of havoc are unleashed on the earth – increasing in intensity with each broken seal. When the seventh seal is broken, seven angels are given seven trumpets and begin blowing them one by one – again, with various forms distress being brought on the earth, increasing in force. With the blowing of the seventh trumpet comes the revelation of seven bowls of wrath – yet more disasters – to be poured out on the earth to be poured out one by one, increasing in effect. The previous chapter ended with the pouring out of the seventh bowl. As I said, this was only a high-level review; other scenes were shown, such as the woman bearing the son, but these multiple series of increasing calamities were driving the plot line. We have now come to the point of climax of all this action. It has taken this long because God is patient with men, giving them time to repent of their sins.

Keep in mind as we cover the last six chapters of the book that everything in it happened a long time ago – in the 1st century AD, to be precise. We know this because it’s what John told us in the first chapter of the book and will tell us again in the last chapter. This doesn’t mean that we do not see patterns in the book being repeated in our world today, for indeed the Bible is full of patterns that we see repeated in our world today. One of the primary purposes of the Bible is to give us those patterns so that we can navigate life successfully in any age for “there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl 1:9). That said, the book of Revelation was about the Second Coming of Christ…and that is not something that is yet to come. It is finished. (Jesus Christ Has Already Come Again)

The Doom of Babylon

Rev 17:1-7 – Babylon symbolizes humanity’s rebellion against its Creator. These are humans who do not worship the one true God and instead rebel against Him, and, as a result, end up worshiping what is false. God will not let this system prevail as He did not let Babel prevail, for Babel and Babylon symbolize the same thing.

The Doom of the Beast

Rev 17:8-13 – This beast was first mentioned in Rev 11:7 when it rose up from the abyss and killed “the two witnesses.”

Victory for the Lamb

Rev 17:14-18 – Regardless of the odds, the Lamb will win the war.

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Revelation 18

“Babylon Is Fallen!”

Rev 18:1-3 – Every human institution that rejects the authority of the Creator becomes “a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” As Jesus said to the leaders of Israel when they rejected Him:

Matt 23:38 “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!

Once left empty and desolate, such a house becomes an open invitation for demons and such.

Matt 12:43 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.
Matt 12:44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
Matt 12:45 “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

“Come Out of Babylon!”

Rev 8:4-8 – The Lord calls the faithful to come out of darkness into His light. Babylon is going to experience judgment and God does not want the righteous to be condemned along with it. This is like Lot being called out of Sodom, and like Israel being called out of Egypt. And it is also like the apostles calling the repentant out of an unrepentant world.

2 Cor 6:14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
2 Cor 6:15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
2 Cor 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
2 Cor 6:17 “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord.
“AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
2 Cor 6:18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.

Thus we can be in the world, but not of it.

The Lament for Babylon

Rev 18:9-20 – Because God is patient with men, it took a long time before Babylon was destroyed. But once the destruction came, it came swiftly: “For in one hour your judgment has come.” This is the way things were in the time of Noah and in the time of Sodom.

Luke 17:26 “And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
Luke 17:27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:28 “It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building;
Luke 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Luke 17:30 “It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

Rev 18:21-24 – Though Babylon’s doom would come in just “one hour,” it would last forever. That is, Babylon would not rise again. It would have no resurrection. And this is the way it is with the judgments of God: they are final.

Ex 14:13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

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Revelation 19

Four Hallelujah’s

Rev 19:1-10 – The English word “hallelujah” is a transliteration of the Hebrew phrase, “Praise the Lord.”

Rev 19:1-2 – The first “Praise the Lord” – The Lord is praised because He has judged Babylon and avenged the wrong done His servants. This is like the celebration Israel had in Ex 15 after the Lord had destroyed Pharaoh and his army simply by restoring the Red Sea to its normal condition.
Rev 19:3 – The second “Praise the Lord” – Like the destruction of Sodom – only more so – this destruction of Babylon will be be remembered forever.
Rev 19:4-5 – The third “Praise the Lord” – The “twenty-four elders” and the “four living creatures,” first mentioned in Rev 4 and several times since, join in the praise.
Rev 19:6-10 – The fourth “Praise the Lord” – The statement that “the marriage of the Lamb has come” indicates the Second Coming.
- Luke 22:17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;
  Luke 22:18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”
- Rev 3:20 ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

The One on the White Horse

Rev 19:11-17 – Although the one who sits on the white horse is not explicitly called “the Lamb” in this passage, Rev 17:14 does explicitly say of the Lamb, “He is Lord of lords and King of kings,” and this matches what verse 16 explicitly says of the rider: “on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’.”

Opposition to the One on the White Horse

Rev 19:18-21 – If anyone ever thought the Son of God would come to earth to rule unopposed, all he has to do is read the four Gospels. Therefore, it was inevitable that God’s Messiah would be opposed, and it was equally inevitable that such opposition would fail to defeat Him. His reign shall be forever and ever.

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Revelation 20

Satan Bound

Rev 20:1-3 – Recall that Satan had been cast out of heaven down to earth in Rev 12:7-12. Now an angel comes down from heaven to lay hold of Satan on earth and cast him down further…into the abyss…for a thousand years.

The First Resurrection

Rev 20:4-6 – Martyred souls are raised from the dead and reign with Christ for the thousand-year period of Satan’s containment in the abyss.

Satan Freed, Doomed

Rev 20:7-10 – At the end of the thousand years, Satan is released and proceeds to deceive the nations so that they will gather against the saints to attack them. However, fire comes down from heaven and devours them. Then Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, along with the beast and the false prophet (who were previously mentioned in Rev 16:13 and 19:20), where the three would be “tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Judgment at the Throne of God

Rev 20:11-15 – Hades/Sheol (death represented by the location of the dead) gives up the dead, after which it is thrown into the lake of fire, which is called “the second death.”

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Revelation 21

The New Heaven and Earth

Rev 21:1 – Notice that new universe is two-tiered, not three-tiered. This new universe was first explicitly mentioned by the prophet Isaiah in Is 65:17 and 66:22, and then echoed by the apostles Paul (Eph 1:10) and Peter (2 Pet 3:13). The reduction from three tiers to two is because the deep – Sheol/Hades – is no longer needed. That is, the Second Coming brings in the kingdom of God simultaneously with a new heavens and earth in which people dying will go above to heaven instead of below to Sheol/Hades. The messianic plan culminated in the Second Coming of Christ which, among other things rerouted death from Hades/Sheol to heaven…turning the curse into a blessing (Dt 23:5; Neh 13:2). I describe this all at length in two books: The Biblical Case for Everyone Going to Heaven and The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact.

Rev 21:2 – More on the new Jerusalem below beginning in verse 9.

Rev 21:3-4 – The new heaven and new earth are about re-establishing the presence of God on earth which had been missing ever since Adam’s and Eve’s sin in Gen 3.

Rev 21:5-6 – To drink from the spring of the water of life is “without cost” to us – but let us never forget that it cost Him plenty to make it so. ***** Notice in verse 5 that the Lord doesn’t say, “I am making all new things,” but rather “I am making all things new.” Thus the new heavens and new earth of which Isaiah prophesied (Is 65:17; 66:22) are spiritual and not physical. The Lord – as the potter in Jeremiah 18:1-4 – re-purposed creation in response to Adam’s sin. Sin and death drained all the meaning out of life, but Christ gives it new meaning by overcoming evil with good. Let us follow in His steps.

Rev 21:7-8 – These two verses describe a distinction very much like the parable Jesus told as part of His Olivet Discourse. I speaking of the parable of the sheep and goats in Mt 25:31-46. The sheep were granted the kingdom while the goats were cast into eternal fire.

Thus does the new heaven and earth grant an either/or existence for humans – either enjoying presence of God or experiencing constant judgment. For eternal life is constant life and eternal judgment is constant judgment. Inside the kingdom of God is a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; outside it is one destruction after another.

2 Thess 1:9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
2 Thess 1:10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed–for our testimony to you was believed.

The New Jerusalem

Rev 21:9-11 – We are now given a closer look at “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband,” which was mentioned in verse 2 above. Here, it is also called “the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” This city was also briefly mentioned by Jesus in His promise to the city of Philadelphia:

Rev 3:12 ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 out of heaven from My God, and My new name.

The obvious contrast to this Jerusalem in John’s heavenly vision (Rev 4-22) is “Babylon the great.” Babylon was described a “harlot” and “the mother of harlots,” while this Jerusalem is described as “a bride adorned for her husband.” Jerusalem is the city of humans designed for God’s presence; Babylon is the city of humans who have rejected God’s presence. Babylon is the house “left to you desolate” (Lk 13:35), and it is desolate because it has rejected the head of the house – the husband.

Rev 21:12-14 – Herein is revealed the identity of the “twenty-four elders” (Rev 4:4, 10; 5:8; 11:16; 19:4). They are “the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel” (Rev 21:12) plus “the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev 21:14).

Rev 21:15-21 – This temple is similar in some important ways to the one Ezekiel described from a vision he had. Both Ezekiel’s vision and John’s are describing spiritual realities, not physical construction projects such as those those taken on by Noah (an ark) and Moses (a tabernacle). Thus the vision is meant to communicate spiritual truths.

Rev 21:22 – The goal of the messianic plan was the new heaven and earth in which there would be no need for a temple to be build because the new heaven and earth – that is, the entire universe – would be the temple.

Rev 21:23-27 – Some of this imagery was used in Rev 1:16 and Rev 10:1; it also recalls what John saw at the Transfiguration (Mt 17:2). The fullness of the imagery has roots in Isaiah (especially Is 60:19-20).

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Revelation 22

The Conclusion of the Vision

Rev 22:1-5 – See note above on Rev 21:23-27, as it applies here, too. ***** In these verses, the finishing touches are applied to the closing scene described in the previous chapter. ***** This river is like the one Ezekiel described (Ezek 47) in his vision of a temple (Ezek 40-48). ***** This river is also like the one Jesus described in John’s Gospel:

John 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

***** The reference to “the tree of life” recalls how, when everything went wrong in the garden of Eden, access to the tree of life had to be temporarily guarded. This final state in the vision depicts that tree of life as becoming fully accessible. Thus the heavenly vision that began being relayed in Rev 4 is fulfilled in the restoration of what was lost in the beginning. And thus did Peter speak of “the restoration of all things” that the messianic plan was bringing about.

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 3:20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,
Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
Acts 3:22 “Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.
Acts 3:23 ‘And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
Acts 3:24 “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.
Acts 3:25 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’
Acts 3:26 “For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Notice from the bold print in this passage that heaven had to receive Jesus until “the restoration.” That’s why “the coming” of Jesus (the Second Coming) brings about “the restoration” – because that’s when Christ “fills all things” (Eph 4:10) and not just on earth (as in His earthly ministry depicted in Matthew through John), and not just in heaven (as in His heavenly ministry depicted in Acts through Revelation), but in both. ***** The reference to there no longer being any curse is a further indication that the purpose God has had all along, and that He fulfills in Jesus, is to restore the goodness that was present at creation and lost through sin. May we realize the fulness of that restoration. He spent four thousand patient years unfolding and executing this plan.

The Conclusion of the Letter

Rev 22:6 – In describing the heavenly vision, John mentioned a “thousand years” several times in Rev 20. Are we to take those years literally? If we are, do we have any idea when those thousand years literally start? All the occurrences of this “thousand years” are found just in the first seven verses of Rev 20. No mention is made of the Lord’s Coming in that chapter. Whatever “thousand years” means in that context, it cannot contradict what John so clearly stated in the first and last chapters of this letter we call the book of Revelation.

John assures us in this verse, as he did at the beginning of the letter, in multiple ways and multiple times that the events depicted in this letter would be “soon” – not in a thousand years. Ever since John the Baptist and Jesus were both saying “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” in the Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 3:2; 4:17), the New Testament writers portrayed it as becoming more and more imminent. By the book of Revelation, the sense was like the woman who knows the time for birth has come.

Rev 22:7 – The point of “soon” gets reinforced with “I am coming quickly.” (This statement is made four times in this letter – Rev 3:11, here, and then again in verses 12 and 20 below.) On this point of timing, should we pay more attention to the plainspoken parts of this letter (like the first and last chapter) or should we take literally the more visionary parts of the letter? If we choose the latter we’ve got a major contradiction on our hands. I cannot imagine either Jesus or John, whether intentionally or unintentionally, leaving us with a contradiction. God cannot lie, which means He cannot contradict Himself. He can and does present riddles from time to time (including messianic prophecies such as the rejected stone which became the cornerstone in Psalm 118), but those are only apparent contradictions and which are obviously presented in order to be resolved. That is not the case here.

Rev 22:8-9 – A reminder that worship is not for angels – only for God.

Rev 22:10 – AGAIN, the point is made: “the time is near.”

Rev 22:11-12 – AND AGAIN, the point of an imminent coming is made.

Let’s use this opportunity to list out all the explicit references to the timing of the coming of the Lord given by John in this letter.

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

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Rev 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

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Rev 3:11 ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

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Rev 22:6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.

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Rev 22:7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”

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Rev 22:10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

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Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

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Rev 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

It’s as if the Lord knew the vision would be confusing to us and wanted to plant these clear markers at the beginning and at the end to keep us from missing the point. More importantly, He put those markers there for the believers in the seven cities to whom this letter was sent.

Rev 22:13 – Here’s a mystery begging for a revelation. Tell me who is “the Alpha and the Omega. In Rev 1:8 and Rev 22:13 the NASB translators show Jesus speaking, but in Rev 21:6 they show “He who sits on the throne” as the one who is speaking. The one who sits on the throne has been previously described in the letter as God.

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

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Rev 21:6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

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Rev 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

How can both be true? If God is a trinity, where’s the Holy Spirit? (For more, see There Is No Trinity; There Is Christ!) Something needs to be clarified and indeed, the Second Coming was, among other things, a day of revelation. #Hints

Rev 22:14-15 – The fork in the road is clear; let’s not get distracted by which way others are going.

Matt 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
Matt 7:14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Rev 22:16 – To be both the root and the branch of someone seems like something only God could pull off – and even then only if He were willing to become a man. #Hints

Rev 22:17 – This is like the cry of “Maranatha” in 1 Corinthians. (See BSN note on same.) Only at this point in time, the Lord is much closer to coming than He was in the time 1 Corinthians was written.

1 Cor 16:22 If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.

Rev 22:18-19 – What applies to this book applies to the whole Bible. John is just repeating an admonition that has been in place ever since Moses was writing the first books of the Bible.

Deut 4:2 “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Rev 22:21 – Once again, we are reminded that this is a NT epistle – and therefore it’s all about grace. Though this is easily the most unusual of all the epistles, and it is a style of writing we are more used to seeing in the Old Testament, and it bears the marks of grace we see all over the New Testament.

John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

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