Revelation 8 - 11 -Terry Gilpin

THE SOUND OF SILENCE

Revelation 8:1-5

Chapter 7 showed us that in spite of the rampant evil during the future time of tribulation on earth, God will still have His witnesses, as 144,000 saved and sealed Jews bear the message of salvation to every nation (7:1-8). The white-robed multinational multitude described in 7:9-17 shows just how effective that testimony will be.

Chapter 6 showed a world ruined by man as the first four seals were broken, and succeeding white, red, black and pale horses of judgement rode onto the stage of future history. But worse is to come. Seven trumpets have yet to be blown, and wars worse than anything history has seen have yet to be fought. During these trumpet judgments, Satan is cast out of heaven and produces his trump card on earth – a Superman. Chapters 8 to 13 tell of a world ruled by this Satanic messiah.

1. THE SEVENTH SEAL (8:1-4)
“When he had opened the seventh seal…” (8:1). As the final seal was broken, the whole scroll lay open to read. It announced a series of severe judgements each introduced by the blowing of a trumpet, which would be implemented in the last 3 ½ yrs of Daniel’s 70th week.

a) The Sombre Silence
“There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (8:1). The opening of the seal is accompanied by a deep silence in heaven. Normally heaven is noisy, with an on-going crescendo of praise. John earlier heard a million angels sing. Now an ominous silence settled over heaven. It is as though the whole of heaven gasps in horror at what is about to happen.

That silence is caused by the prayers of God’s beleaguered saints on earth. What a potent force is prayer! When saints go into their bedrooms, close the doors, kneel down, and pray, they find that God hears, and prayer changes things. Prayer never reaches God in the clumsy, inept, way it leaves our lips. The Holy Spirit’s energizing and the risen Lord’s endorsement of our prayers make them a force to be reckoned with in the universe.

b) The Seven Trumpets (8:2)
“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets” (8:2). These angels direct the outpouring of the judgements symbolized by the seven trumpets. We think of trumpets as musical instruments, but trumpets in Israel were used for various practical purposes, e.g. for the calling of the assembly, the movement of the camp, to blow an alarm in time of war, etc. Here the trumpets are used to announce the seven different judgements to come upon the earth during the Great Tribulation.

c) The Golden Censer (8:3)
“Another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” An angel came and stood at the altar, carrying a golden censer.

(i) The Censer. In OT times the golden censer was used to carry incense into the Holy Place, and also to carry burning coals from the brazen altar outside the Holy Place to the golden altar inside. The incense was placed on these coals on the golden altar.

(ii) The Incense. “…there was given unto him much incense.” The incense was made up of equal weights of four spices. The full sweetness of this holy perfume was brought out when placed on the burning coals taken from the brazen altar. It was figurative of Christ’s moral glories and perfections, seen supremely when submitted to the fire of God’s judgement at Calvary.

(iii) The Prayers. “And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand” (8:4). This “smoke” describes the cloud of incense rising to the throne carrying with it the prayers of the saints. The point is that those prayers are made effective and acceptable to God by the fragrance and perfections of Christ. That highlights the necessity of praying in the name of Christ. “The prayers of the saints” refer to all the prayers of the saints down through the ages: their longings, aspirations, hopes, etc. The one particular prayer is the one Christ taught His disciples, “Thy kingdom come.” That unanswered prayer is now about to be answered in dramatic fashion.

2. THE COMING STORM (8:5-6)
“And the angel took the censer; and filled it with fire of the altar; and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”

a) The Silence Ceases
The silence across heaven ceases, and is replaced by “voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake,” as God prepares to set in motion the awesome trumpet judgments.

b) The Storm Breaks
“And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices and thunderings, and lightenings, and an earthquake” (8:5). The audible visible portents of the storm die away, and John sees the 7 angels with the trumpets get ready to blow.

In 8:3 the angel had a censer filled with the prayers of the saints to which is added incense, and in 8:4 the resultant smoke ascends up before God. Now in 8:5 we see:

a) The Censer Filled as the angel carries the empty censer back to the brazen altar, and refills it with fire from the altar.

b) The Censer Emptied. The angel takes the fire-filled censer and casts it into the earth. This vividly symbolises the wrath and judgement of God against sin. That fire blazed at the cross, but must now fall on unrepentant man.

With the silence of heaven broken by the storm signs, the trumpets are about to shatter the stillness, and introduce the most shattering upheavals since Noah’s flood. At Jericho the walls fell down when the seven priests bearing the ark blew their seven trumpets. The purpose of these judgement trumpets is to drive man to repentance. Sadly, man remains resistant, leading to indescribable tribulation across the globe, as God judges the world empire under the Beast.

TRUMPETS OF TROUBLE

Revelation 8:6-13

With the silence of heaven broken by thunder, earthquakes, and lightening, seven angels with their trumpets prepare to introduce the most shattering global upheavals since Noah’s flood.

The awful effects of the six seals of chapter 6 will leave little doubt that God is dealing with men in judgement. Men, however, will attempt to explain it all away as natural phenomena. At this point that God acts to remove any doubt with the second series of seven judgements introduced by the blowing of trumpets, and described in chapters 8 and 9. By the time the final trumpet has sounded man will finally have to face the fact that he is fighting against God. Amazingly, even in such extreme circumstances, many will defiantly refuse to acknowledge their sin, and seek the salvation offered.

The first six seals of chapter 6 cover the first three and half years of the tribulation. Chapter 7 is inserted during these dark years to show that God will have a testimony on earth that cannot be eliminated by all the might of Satan. Israel nationally is taken up again in the 144,000 saved and sealed, to bear the message of salvation to every nation (7:1-8). The white-robed multinational multitude shows how effective that national testimony will be.

Much of what we read in this chapter reflects God’s earlier judgement on Egypt. There, too, there was blood, hail, destruction of vegetation, pollution of water sources, and darkness. Just as those plagues resulted in Pharaoh digging in his heels, so these trumpet judgements result in sinful man defiantly turning his back on God (9:20).

TRUMPET ONE – THE BREWING STORM (8:7)
“The first angel sounded, and hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.”

As the coals of verse 5 are cast to earth, an awful storm of fire and hail breaks out causing an immense ecological disaster, and destroying one third of the earth’s forests. It is as though every volcano of history has erupted at once over one third of the earth. Men and animals die in the storm, and their blood seems to colour the hail and rain.

What does it all mean? Fire is clearly a symbol of judgement, while hail parallels the seventh plague of Egypt which was so severe that it destroyed not only the vegetation, but also men and animals caught in it. Blood is indicative of death. Whatever the symbols signify, they involve judgement, death, and destruction.

TRUMPET TWO – THE BOILING SEA (8:8-9)
“Then the second angel sounded: and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood; and a third part of the living creatures in the sea died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.”

John’s attention is now directed from the land to the sea, and he sees some sort of extra-terrestrial body hurtling through the earth’s gravitational field and glowing white as it enters the atmosphere before smashing into the sea. He describes it as “a great mountain burning with fire thrown into the sea.” A giant meteorite caught by earth’s gravitational field could fit the picture. It will likely be visible for several days before it hits earth, increasing the terror. Its impact point will have been calculated and evacuation procedures initiated.

“The third part of the sea became blood.” The collision with the sea will have the impact of a nuclear bomb. Ships are destroyed, and a third of the world’s seas takes on the colour of blood, as marine life in that area dies. Is the water actually blood-stained, or does it appear like blood as a result of the reaction between the chemicals carried by the invading body? Or could it be a sort of “red-tide,” due to the death of millions of micro-organisms?

TRUMPET THREE – THE BANISHED STAR (8:10-11)
“Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers, and on the springs of water; and the name of the star is Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood; and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.”

The third trumpet introduces a third ecological disaster caused by the fall of “a great star from heaven.” We can only guess as to the exact nature of this heavenly “star.” It is described as “burning like a torch,” as though bright enough to shed light on the earth. Perhaps it is a blazing comet, whose orbit has been altered by God to bring it into earth’s gravitational field. In the final stages of its approach just before collision with the earth, it would be a fearful sight.

The falling star seems to smash into some high plateau or on some great water-table where rivers rise and springs abound. The trees, grass, and sea have all been devastated. Now the rivers and springs are spoiled. Apparently the substance of the star mingles with and poisons the water supply. Its exact substance is unknown, but it is clearly lethal to drink. Many will die as a result of drinking water contaminated by it.

“Wormwood” is a species of plant noted for its intensely bitter taste and poisonous nature. It is used in the Old Testament as a symbol of bitterness and sorrow (Lam 3:15), and prophetically is refers to the bitterness of the sufferings of Christ: “Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall” (Lam 3:19).

Note the parallel to the experience of the Children of Israel at Marah (Exod 15) where the tree cast into the waters made them sweet – a lovely picture of the cross in all its bitterness making the bitter waters sweet. Here the wormwood cast into the waters make them bitter. Such is the contrast between the cross of Christ, which makes bitter into sweet, and the Judgement of Christ, which makes sweet into bitter, i.e. sin has a bitter end.

Death and the curse were in that cup,
O Christ, ‘twas full for Thee.
But Thou hast drained the last dark drop,
‘Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup, love drank it up,
Now blessing’s draught for me!

What a contrast to Song of Solomon 2:3, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”

TRUMPET FOUR – THE BLACKENED SKY (8:12)
“Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened; and a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.”

The first three trumpets relate to the land, sea, and rivers. This one relates to the heavens. The environmental impact of the first three trumpets will cause great debate world wide. Scientists, philosophers, astronomers, and theologians will seek to explain them and reassure the population with natural explanations. However, as this fourth trumpet sounds, all such theories will be confounded, as God touches the sky, affecting the sun, moon, and stars. The exact mechanism of what happens is not clear, but the point is that men recognise it for what it is – God’s star wars, a visible display of divine power.

Men will watch in awe as one third of the stars normally visible are darkened. The day will be shortened by four hours, as if the sun had set, and the night extended by the same period. The exact mechanism of what happens is not clear, but the point is that men will know it is the hand of God, a visible display of divine power. He will do what He will do, even if we don’t understand how. This includes changing the length of the day and night, so that instead of a 24 hour period, it will be a 16 hour period.

This is exactly what was spoken of by the Lord Jesus: “There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations…men’s hearts failing them from fear…for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25).

THE WARNING OF WOE (8:13)
“And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”

The first four trumpets deal with aspects of physical world taken for granted: trees and green grass, seas, rivers and springs, sun, moon, and stars . These are gifts from a loving God to an undeserving world. Sun and moon are tokens of God’s faithfulness (Jer 31:35,36).

Before the last three trumpets are blown an interlude allows John to hear a threefold sob of “Woe” uttered by a flying eagle, heralding even more severe judgements to come. In fact, the first judgements are merely introductory to the last three trumpets which will be even more severe. He flies through the heavens giving prior warning of terrors yet to come. Perhaps even yet there is a chance to reprint to seek God’s face.

“The inhabitants of the earth.” This is a frequent phrase, and relates to those settling down here on earth, as if it were their permanent dwelling place. They are those who by deliberate choice have made their home under the sway of the Beast, rather than the Lamb. and have chosen to be identified with him. They must expect to share the judgement of their chosen leader, just as the Egyptians who identified with Pharaoh perished with him.

A REVIEW
A review of these first four trumpets shows how rapidly God can change the environment in which men that thought themselves independent and secure.

At a superficial level, men will see the beauty of the environment ravaged, the bounty of the sea diminished, the availability of water restricted, and the brilliance of the heavens darkened. Beyond this great forest fires will have a dramatic effect on world commerce. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will have increased and the renewal of oxygen will be reduced as a result of the loss of so many trees; the “greenhouse effect” will accelerate and temperatures rise. The succeeding blows under the final three trumpets will leave men in no doubt that God is acting.

THE FIFTH TRUMPET

Revelation 9:1-12

This fearful vision exposes evil powers in their true colours. John saw a host of terrifying creatures unleashed by divine permission from the pit to invade the earth and seize upon men. These creatures are evil spirits or demons, and the awesome description of their appearance is really a description of their character. The fifth trumpet is not merely physical torment, but the torment of demon possession.

The world is already being prepared for this awful event. At a time when scientific achievement and enlightenment are at their peak, millions are turning to the occult for entertainment. TV programmes, books, and films dealing with spiritism, ghosts, witchcraft, and magic tellers are seen and read by millions. Look no further than Harry Potter. What will happen under the blowing of the fifth trumpet will be made all the easier because men will have been preconditioned to reject biblical truth.

Imagine a virus that is intelligent (it thinks), indestructible, and programmed to specifically attack the body’s pain nerves. It is acquired by pleasurable activities, e.g. sex, but its objective is to inflict such torment and agony that its victims will actually want to die. This is the kind of demon activity which is described under the fifth trumpet.

1. A FALLEN STAR (9:1)
“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.”

This verse implies two things about Satan:

a) His Person
John saw a star that has already “fallen from heaven to earth.” Obviously a literal star cannot be given a key, so it is symbolic of a person. Jesus told His disciples, “I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven” (Lk 10:18). This is the fallen one, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning” (Isa 14:12).

Satan, stripped his high authority that belonged to him at creation, yet still possessing mighty power, is permitted access to heavenly realms (Job 2:1) until the “war in heaven” (12:7-9) at the mid point of the tribulation.

b) His Power
“To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” By divine permission Satan is given the key to the abyss and he uses it to release the hordes of his followers who have been locked up there.

2. THE BOTTOMLESS PIT (9:2)
This “bottomless pit” or “abyss” (the word means “without bottom”) is mentioned seven times in the book. It is associated with:

a) A Dungeon
This abyss is an ancient penitentiary for the imprisonment of demonic beings. It is presented as a deep dark bottomless dungeon with a narrow locked opening at the top. This is also a reassurance that God holds the key and can lock evil away when He wants to.

b) Demons
It is here that the vilest of spiritual beings are confined in “chains of darkness” (2 Pe 2:4). It is the place of banishment feared by the demons when “they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep (or abyss)” (Lk 8:31). The Beast later emerges from this abyss (11:7; 17:8), and it will be the prison of Satan himself during the millennium (20:3).

c) Darkness
“And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit.” Satan is given the key to this prison house of demonic spirits and opens it. Immediately there billow out clouds of smoke likely lit up with flashes of flame “like the smoke of a great furnace.” So dense is the smoke that the sun is shut out, and physical darkness covers the scene. Fearful demonic powers, mercifully long chained by God, are now let loose on earth and bring more than physical darkness as they blind men to the true nature of Satan and is his servants.

Picture what it would be like if all earth’s most violent criminals were suddenly released. This is worse. With the church removed, the Holy Spirit gone, and society now completely corrupted, Satan, cast out of heaven, is now permitted to release from their dungeon his most awful fiends as his agents to bring mankind to the footstool of the Beast. What a scene!

3. A TERRIFYING ARMY
“Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power” (9:3).

a) What They Are
The locust-like creatures depict literal beings, just as the abyss is literal. They creatures are demons with locust features and insatiable hunger for unregenerate, God-defying men, who are given to them for prey. The judgement they bring inflicts unbearable pain, and goes beyond what mere insects could bring.

Of course, the locusts as a symbol of judgement is nothing new. Back in Pharaoh’s day a plague of locusts swiftly brought him to repentance, albeit short lived. Literal locusts in the history of Israel were always a judgement. Joel used them to depict coming judgement. So did Nahum. They bring the darkness of an approaching storm, and by the time they have gone not a shred of green is left.

The worst locust plague in modern times struck the Middle East in 1951-52 when in Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, every green tree and growing thing was devoured across hundreds of thousands of square miles. Locusts eat everything, right down to the ground. When they fly away, the green field is left a desert.

b) What They Do (9:4-6)
“They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.”

(i) Their Purpose. A band of locusts will normally strip everything, but this swarm leaves green things untouched, and attacks only mankind. Even here, the effect of their attack is limited. Somehow the 144,000, those Israelites “with the seal of God on their foreheads” are divinely protected, while all others are open to this attack.

Satan, enraged at his expulsion from heaven (12:12) musters all his demons in this second half of the tribulation to terrify men into seeking protection under the miraculous powers of the Beast and the false prophet (13:13-14). Satan thus torments his own followers; mere pawns whose suffering he ignores to further his fury against heaven.

(ii) Their Pain. “In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them” (9:6). The torment is comparable to a scorpion sting, one of the most painful known. It lasts 5 months, the life span of a natural locust. This is thus a 5 month period in the second half of the tribulation.

The torment is so severe that men who usually flee from death will actually want it. Yet even this is denied as death “flees from them.” Escape by suicide is prevented, as God gives Satan and his demons just so much liberty and no more.

It is a horrible picture of such domination by demons that the ability of free choice is lost, and the agony beyond words to describe. It involves the spiritual (affliction by demons), mental (they want to die), and physical (unbelievable torment) realms. Nothing could be closer to hell on earth.

The present day obsession with drugs, alcohol, sex and the occult is already opening the door for this terrible invasion from the abyss.

(iii) Their Power. Note the limitations placed on Satan in the chapter: he is allowed to torment, but not to kill. Twice it is said “it was given,” indicating Satan can only release his army of demons when given permission to do so. Even then it is only for a limited time of five months, and he has to be selective in those that are afflicted.

c) What They Are Like
“The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months” (9:7-10).

John now describes the appearance of these demon-locusts which reveal Satan’s true character in all its ugliness.

(i) Their Shapes. “…like horses prepared unto battle” (9:7). These creatures from the abyss are like high-mettled steeds, seemingly straining at the leash and eagerly pawing the ground to proceed with their mission of doom.

(ii) Their Heads. “…on their heads as it were crowns of gold.” These are crowns of victory, and they conquer all in their path. No medicine, no psychiatry, no incantation, no scientific discovery, no vaccine, will avail against them.

(iii) Their Faces. “…as the faces of men.” This suggests intelligence, but with a malignancy and cruelty adding terror to the picture. Demons are diabolically cunning.

Man’s attitude to demons is like what his attitude was to bacteria at the time of the Great Plague, the Black Death in the Middle Ages. London in 19665 was a nightmare world. The great bubonic plague was at its height. It was believed that fresh air was to blame, and the College of Physicians recommended that people seal themselves in their room and burn fires to ward it off. Chimneys were sealed, rooms were grey with smoke, and people suffocated in the choking stench. They sat in sealed chambers, determined to endure the smarting smoke, convinced they were immune to the plague. We could tell them that they were wrong, that the plague was not caused by fresh air, but by germs – spread by fleas and carried by rats, but they would have laughed at us.

“Ring a Ring O’ Roses” is said to be a macabre parody on the horrors of the Great Plague. One of the first signs of the plague was a ring of rose-coloured spots, and the protection against this terrible disease was, in popular belief, a posy of herbs. Sneezing was taken as a sure sign that you were about to die of it, and the last line “We all fall down” omits the word, “dead”!
Ring a Ring O’ Roses,
A pocketful of posies,
Atishoo! Atishoo!
We all fall down!
Such is our attitude to demons. We tell them that the world is in the grip of Satan and that he has countless hosts of invisible demons to help him in his dark designs against mankind. That these beings are intelligent, and that before long they will be joined by countless more, even worse than themselves. People look at us with pitying scorn. But it is true. Once the pit is open, the world will be invaded by a disease worse than the bubonic plague or AIDS. This is a virus that thinks, and attacks the soul rather than the body.

(iv) Their Hair. “…as the hair of a woman.” A woman’s hair is her gory (1 Cor 11:6-7). The long hair of these demons suggests an sensual seductiveness. The occult world has always been attractive and seductive. In spite of its horror there is a seductive attractiveness about Satan and his activities that lures men and women to their doom.

(v) Their Teeth. “…as the teeth of lions.” A lion can inflict fearsome wounds, and these tearing teeth indicate terrifying ferocity, yet they hurt with their tails, rather than their teeth. Even when it does not kill, its teeth are so filled with infection that the wound rarely heals completely. These fearful demons will fasten on to their human victims.

(vi) Their Breastplates. “…as it were plates of iron.” These protect the vital organs, making them invincible and indestructible. They are also merciless and totally insensitive to the cries and agonies of their human victims. It is as though they feast on human pain.

(vii) Their Wings. “…the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses (i.e. many-horsed chariots) running to battle.” This echoes Joel 2:5 and describes the thunder of a charging army that terrorizes even before the battle is joined.

(viii) Their Tails. “…they had tails like scorpions.” From the horse’s head to the scorpion’s tail the physical description is terrifying. The detail about the tail is repeated to emphasise the truth that these loathsome spirits have only one aim – to hurt. This trumpet shows evil powers in their true colours.

(ix) Their King. “And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.” (9:11). These demon locusts are capably led by a satanic “angel of the abyss.” This dark angel is Satan’s subordinate whose special responsibility is reflected in his names – “Abaddon” (Hebrew) and “Apollyon” (Greek). Both names mean “destroyer.” Both Jews and Gentiles will fall prey to him and his legions.

What a difference from the name “Saviour”!

4. A SOLEMN WARNING (9:12)
“One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.”

This transitional verse introduces the remaining two judgements. Terrible as this judgement has been, even darker days lie ahead. Worse is to come, as the judgement of this trumpet will be eclipsed by the judgement of the sixth trumpet. This judgement reveals another army of evil spirits to be unleashed on men. The first was painful; the next would be lethal.

THE SIXTH TRUMPET

Revelation 9:13-21

Another of God’s prison houses is now unlocked as more evil spirits are released and sent forth to terrorize mankind. The resulting carnage, such as the world has never seen, is designed by Satan to drive men to the Beast. At the same time it is allowed by God to drive men to repentance. The sad outcome is man’s refusal to repent rather and give up his sinfulness and idolatry.

1. THE ALTAR (9:13)
“Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God” (9:13).

The silence following the sounding of the sixth trumpet is shattered by a single “voice from the four horns of the golden altar” issuing a command that will take the purposes of God on earth a step further. This altar tells us about:

a) Prayer
The trumpet judgements are introduced by prayer ascending to God from the beleaguered martyrs on earth (8:3) by way of this altar. The prayers of the saints are thus being answered, albeit in an unexpected way. To the altar prayer ascended in 8:3; from the altar the answer comes in 9:13.

b) Power
Awful things are going to happen, but God’s sovereignty and power are symbolised in “the four horns of the golden altar.” He is on the throne and in complete control.

2. THE ANGELS (9:14,15)
“Saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (9:14).

John sees four powerful angels which play a central role in the unfolding vision.

b) The Powers
“Release the four angels.” Being bound indicates these angels are evil. They want to bring havoc on mankind, but have been bound by God, perhaps because they have misused their position or power to oppose God.

Perhaps they are some of the angels referred to by Peter and Jude who both tell of certain angels who sinned beyond the measure of their fellows and who are presently kept imprisoned by God (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Just why they hate men, we are not told. Perhaps it is because man is a special object of God’s love. They cannot act without His permission, but when released they set about mustering an invasion force with which they plan to sweep Israel from the earth.

b) The Place
“Bound in the great river Euphrates.” The Euphrates is twice mentioned in Revelation, and both times is referred to as “great” (9:14; 16:12). It flows for 1780 miles through Turkey, Syria, and Iraq to the Persian Gulf.

That these four evil angels are today bound in that area of the world is no accident. Some of the greatest events of world history took place there. Eden was once located in this area (Gen 2:14,15). The first murder was committed there, and the first war fought. Nimrod lived and began his religion here, and Babel occurred here. There idolatry began and surged through the world. Abraham was called from this area, and it was to Babylon that the Children of Israel were taken captive. It will in this area that the final sin of man will culminate. According to Revelation 17 and 18, the city of Babylon will be rebuilt and become the headquarters of the commercial, religious, and military activities of the world under the Antichrist.

c) The Period
“So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind” (9:15).

It is zero hour for earth. The huge invading army of the following verses, foreknown and appointed by God, begins to move at exactly the appointed hour, occurring in the appointed day, in the appointed month, in the appointed year. Not a speck of dust, not a blade of grass stirs, not an army can move, not a shot can be fired without His approval. Acts 15:18 says, “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.”

3. THE ARMY (9:16-19)
“Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them” (9:16). The scene changes, and John sees the mightiest army ever set in motion – 200 million horse-like creatures with riders on their backs called “horsemen.”

a) The Combatants
“And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulphur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone” (9:17).

This is a description of the army that suddenly appears under the leadership of the four bound angels. It is composed of 200 million unnatural, demon-like spirits, perhaps from out of the abyss. That the horses are symbolic is clear from the description – “heads of lions,” etc. Horses, used as a symbol, depict the natural strength of nations to put on the battlefield the mightiest invasion force the world has ever seen.

(i) Breastplates. “Breastplates of fire and jacinth, and sulphur yellow.” The breastplates are their defensive armour. Fire is red, jacinth is blue, brimstone is yellow. Fire and brimstone refer to judgement. The blue is the blue of a flame (the hottest part). So different from the meaning of the blue of heaven.

(ii) Heads. “The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions.” The lion is a symbol of savage strength and ferocity.

(iii) Mouths. “Out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.” To the fire and brimstone, symbols of awful judgement, are added the “smoke” of moral darkness and delusion. What God rained on Sodom and Gomorrah in righteous judgement, Satan copies in his forces.

(iv) Tails. “Their power is in their mouth and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt” (9:19). Each tail of the serpent has a head, speaking of malignant influence. It is with these serpent-heads that terrible damage is done. The scorpion sting caused torment, but the bite of these serpents causes death. As it marches, the army leaves behind a subdued population of Beast-worshippers who have accepted his deception and are prepared to worship Satan through him.

b) The Carnage
“By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths” (9:18).

“A third part of mankind.” The resulting carnage is staggering. The world will never have seen such carnage as it becomes one large graveyard for 1 billion people. Earlier, in the fourth seal a quarter of earth’s population was killed (6:8). Between the fourth seal and the sixth trumpet half of the world’s population is wiped out. Later 400 million will die at Armageddon, plus a great number of martyred saints, and others who die in earthquakes, and disease. The tribulation reaps a dreadful harvest.

The repeat mention of fire, smoke and brimstone emphasises the carnage (1 billion people killed) that results. The colossal numbers of this mighty army and the character of their terrible weapons bring appalling death and destruction. Is this a picture of modern warfare? The world that longs for peace and seeks to attain it by worship of the beast of Revelation 13 will learn that there is no peace until the Prince of Peace comes.

Under the fifth trumpet men sought death and could not find it. Now they cannot escape it.

4. THE APOSTASY (9:20-21)
The sad outcome of this severe judgement is that men entrench themselves in their sinful ways Instead of repentance they refuse to acknowledge God and forsake their sinful life-styles.

a) Refusal to Recognise God (9:20)
“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.”

“The rest of mankind…did not repent.” During the great tribulation man will have unprecedented opportunity to repent, yet will persist in his rejection of Jesus Christ. In the face of the destruction of half of the world’s population and one-third of the world’s vegetation, light, and water supply, one would expect a turning to God, but they continue in their worship of demons, and confidence in “the works of their hands.” They refused to repent and abandon their lifestyles.

Man has a built-in desire for God. Leads to demon possession. Satan has turned man’s desire for God into idolatry, and has used idolatry to deceive man since the days of Nimrod.

“Idols of gold, silver, and brass and stone, and of wood.” The deterioration of materials describes every strata of society. The worship of men will be claimed by a special form of idolatry. World religion is now centred on the great image of the beast (13:14-15) which men are commanded to worship. Countless copies of these idols will be sold, made of different materials. The worship of idols includes the worship of the demons behind them. It would be costly to give up the idol worship, as it would entail being cut off from society, and unable to buy or sell. The end could well be death under the relentless war against the saints waged by the Beast. Demon worship and idolatry are twins, and have been prevalent since the days of Nimrod. Under the beast idolatry will be the only permissible form of worship.

b) Refusal to Repent from Sin (9:21)
“Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” What a picture of a crime-orientated culture, where permissiveness is the accepted norm and all kinds of deviations and misbehaviour are encouraged. Here is a government presided over by a fascinating but foul man of sin.

Four specific sins are identified:

(i) Murder. “Wherever the influence of the gospel is unknown, human life is cheap.” Murder and violence have become a way of life.

(ii) Sorcery. The Greek work is pharmakeua from which we get “pharmacy.” It had to do with poisons and drugs used by magicians accompanied by incantations and the use of charms. The modern drug use and upsurge in spiritism indicate a trend that will develop. Today’s world is becoming a drug and demon-orientated world.

(iii) Fornication. Today we see a wave of lust sweeping across nations. Exposure to depravity in the media. The brakes have been taken off promiscuity and pornography. These can become just as addictive as drugs. Nor does pornography involve only a few perverted individuals, the wide use of on the internet indicates how widespread it is, and how it affects young people particularly.

(iv) Thefts. This is symptomatic of the lawlessness that will about at this time, as man satisfies and gratifies his lusts by turning further and further from God. It includes all things dishonest, the obliteration of the rights of others, and the practice of fraud, theft, and deceit wherever it is possible. The only wrong consists in getting caught. Man brings upon himself all the heartache of his sinful life, as the divine principle is worked out, “Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.”

The lack of response by those killed in the judgement of the sixth trumpet shows the true nature of the human heart. Hearts become harder, and human life becomes cheaper. Because of the Fall man’s heart has been hopelessly corrupted. How wonderful to know that when we receive Jesus Christ as Saviour, He comes into our lives and gives us a new nature that desires to please Him.

Thus the trumpet judgements have delivered the world over to Satan and the beast. Man remains unrepentant, so that still further judgements are necessary. These will be the judgement of the vials or bowls of God’s wrath.

THE BITTER-SWEET BOOK

Revelation 10:1-11

Like the shining through of the sun in a storm, this chapter brings relief and hope after the cruelty and carnage of the fifth and sixth trumpet judgements of chapter 9. But not for long. Chapters 10 and 11:1-14 are only an interlude before the sounding of the seventh trumpet (11:15) introduces the God’s bowls of wrath in the last half of the tribulation.

Chapter 10 shows the descent of one called “another mighty angel,” and the 3 paragraphs focus on the descent, declaration, and demand of this delegate from the throne of God with a divine mandate:

1. THE ANGEL ‘S DESCENT (10:1-3)
At this point in the Revelation men have ruled Christ out as a factor in world affairs. The devil has provided them with a far more exciting Messiah.

All the world’s troubles are because men have lost sight of the Lord. For centuries men believed what Aristotle and Ptolemy wrote. They said the earth was the centre of the universe, and the other heavenly bodies moved in perfect circles around it. It was all a hopeless muddle. Men simply did not have the key for they ignored the centrality of the sun. Then came Nicolas Copernicus and Johannes Kepler who saw that the sun was the centre of the solar system, with the earth and the planets revolving around it. Then everything fell into place.

So it is in the affairs of men. Man has forgotten the centrality of the Son. In the place of Jesus as Creator, they postulated theories of evolution and the chance concourse of atoms. But since everything revolves around Him, the resulting chaos is evident everywhere.

a) His Character (10:1)
“ I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.”

“Another mighty angel.” The word “mighty” is used also of angels in 5:2. Some feel this is the Lord Jesus Christ. However, while He did appear in the Old Testament as an angel, after His incarnation He is not seen as an angel, but as the glorified Christ. In this way He was seen by Stephen and Paul. This angel is a delegate from the throne with a divine mandate and carries the symbolic investiture that displays that authority.

Four things are said about this angel;

(i) He is “clothed with a cloud.” This is symbolic and shows he is a heavenly messenger. The cloud is the public symbol and badge of His majesty.

(ii) He has “a rainbow upon his head.” The only rainbow mentioned thus far is in 4:3. The rainbow was a token of God’s covenant with Noah that He would never again destroy humanity with a flood. In this setting it emphasises the mercy of God in providing opportunity for men to turn to Him. Even during the tribulation, all who come to Him will never be cast out.

(iii) “His face as it were the sun.” This shows that the angel is invested with divine glory for the execution of his task. Amidst the increasingly dark scene of the last half of the tribulation, both spiritually (9:2) and physically (16:10), this angelic messenger is bringing a radiance of hope (10:7).

(iv) “His feet as pillars of fire.” Each step reveals the unapproachable holiness of God. Fire symbolises the coming judgements to be poured out on the earth.

b) His Claims (10:2)
“He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.”

(i) The Angel. “He set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.” The world’s nations are often referred to as the “sea,” while the nation of Israel is referred to as “the land.” The angel, acting on behalf of the legal owner, plants His feet on the sea and on the earth as a sign that from pole to pole all belongs to Him.

(ii) The Book. The contents of the book are not revealed, but perhaps they are an account of future events from this point on to chapter 19, and contain the judgements by which Christ uses His power to wrest control from Satan and take over the earth as the rightful heir.

c) His Cry (10:3)
“…and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.”

Few sounds can compare with the roar of an angry lion in his own domain, as with “a loud voice” the mighty angel claims the nations for Christ. They are His by right of creation, and by right of redemption. Thunder is a frequent expression of God’s thought in judgement.

2. THE ANGEL’S DECLARATION (10:4-7)
The angel makes a definite declaration, and underlines it with an oath, that what God had foretold through His servants the prophets was about to be fulfilled.

a) God’s Word Is Practical
What John heard made a deep impression on him. He says, “I was about to write…I heard…I saw…I heard again…I went…I said…I took…I ate.” How practical is the Word of God. It is good to be taken up with God and His grand plans, and to have our heads in the clouds. But our feet are upon earth! We may be “in Christ,” but the believers were still “at Colosse.”

b) God’s Word Is Precise (10:5-7)
“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer” (10:5,6).

The angel lifts his hand and swears an oath by the One who created everything there is, and who, because He lives for ever and ever, is still there after it is all wrapped up. The whole of the material universe in included, “The heaven…the earth…the sea, and the things that are therein” (10:6). The evolutionary lie that for 150 years has enslaved the minds of men is dismissed in a simple statement.

The angel announced “that there should be time no longer.” When the seventh trumpet sounds, the long delay of the ages will be over.

c) God’s Word Is Plain (10:7)
“But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets” (10:7).

The sounding of the seventh trumpet brings to its goal “the mystery of God.” The word “mystery” defines what is only known by revelation from God. This mystery is defined by the statement that follows: “as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” So it was something previously declared to them.

Many Old Testament prophets wrote about this kingdom, but they only partially understood what they wrote. Many thought Christ would set it up; even the disciples thought so. He told them many things about the coming kingdom, but one thing he always left untouched – the time He would restore the kingdom to Israel. Now the message is “there should be delay no longer” (6). The time has come for the promises, prophecies and pictures that brought good news through the long dark centuries to all be plainly fulfilled in Him.

Many have wondered why God has allowed sin to continue in this world if He has the power to stop it. It was a mystery to Robinson Crusoe, the lonely castaway on a cannibal island. He had rescued a man-eating savage, Friday, and having taught him simple English, began to tell him about God. He told him God was all-powerful and hated sin. He also taught him about God’s enemy, the devil. Then Friday asked a question that floored Crusoe. He said, “You say God is all-powerful, much more than the devil?” “Yes, yes,” said Crusoe. “Well,” said Friday, if God is stronger than the devil, why doesn’t God kill the devil?” Crusoe pretended not to hear the question, and found some excuse to send Friday on an errand to the other side of the island! That mystery has puzzled more than Crusoe. But not for much longer. The time for the mystery to be revealed is imminent. There will be no more delay. It is all part of God’s programme that will eventually bring glory to Himself.

3. THE ANGEL’S DEMAND (10:8-11)
“Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth” (10:8).

John is given two commands:

a) To Inwardly Digest the Book (10:9-10)
“So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth. Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.”

We speak of digesting a piece of information. What was in the scroll must be digested and absorbed by him to provide him with the necessary spiritual strength for the work yet to be done.

Before a man can be spokesman for God, His word must be digested. Today there are many versions, translations, commentaries, etc, but God’s people can only be effective as they digest what they read and assimilate it.

(i) The Sweetness of God’s Word. “It will be as sweet as honey in your mouth” (109). Obedience to such a commission turns out to be both bitter and sweet. There was much that was sweet. The prayers of God’s people were to be answered at last. The coming of the Lord was at hand. To the spiritual person the Word of God is always sweet. Jeremiah experienced the same sweetness, “Thy words were found and I did eat them: and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jer 15:16). So did Ezekiel. Daniel said, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Ps 119:103,104).

(ii) The Bitterness of God’s Word. John says, “As soon as I had eaten it my belly was bitter” (10:10). In keeping with God’s holy standards, the little book demanded judgement on mankind, and especially John’s own nation. How bitter was the further Revelation of the beasts and bowls and battles before the final breaking of the day. Bitterness wrenched at John’s inwards.

The gospel is like that. It is sweet to those who hear and respond; bitter to those who reject it. The same gospel that guarantees salvation to those who receive it, guarantees judgement to those who do not.

b) To Publicly Prophecy to the Lost
“And he said to me, You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” (10:11). John’s obedience to God’s will resulted in a commission to carry the warnings about God’s wrath to men in all their varied racial, social, and cultural distinctions. Through the book of Revelation this command has been fulfilled, for it has been read world-wide.

These seven bowls of wrath have never been equalled by man, whose self-destruction is seen in the seals. Nor has the wrath of the seven bowls been equalled by Satan whose judgement is permitted through the trumpets. God’s wrath is as great as His love. Because His grace is so great, His wrath will be just as great on those who reject His love (John 3:26). Many only want to hear about the love of God – not His wrath. But the two go together, and His promise is that those who throw themselves on His love and mercy will never know the awful effects of His wrath (John 5:24).

THE TWO WITNESSES

Revelation 11:1-14

This chapter tells of the coming of God’s two witnesses, armed with credentials of supernatural power, and able to defy all might and authority on earth. They centre their activities in Jerusalem, and are so hated that they are eventually executed by the Beast who wins the gratitude and awe of mankind. That triumph is short-loved. God raises His two men from the dead, takes them to glory, and pours out His judgement on the earth.

The mandate of these messengers one of supernatural power, given for a specific period and centred in a special place. Their ministry is a reminder that God both warns and waits before He acts in judgement. When their voices are at last silenced, the last woe comes and the earth is finally prepared for Christ’s coming kingdom.

1. THE MANDATE OF THE MESSENGERS (11:1-5)
Two things stand in the background of the ministry of these two servants of God.

a) The Special Place Involved (11:1-2)
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.”

The place is the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem temple has a long history. Solomon’s temple was destroyed in 586 BC, and was replaced by the less glorious Zerubbabel’s temple, which served Israel until desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes about 160 BC. In 40 BC Herod had Zerubbabel’s temple destroyed piecemeal and rebuilt. It was completed in 64 AD, but destroyed by Titus in 70 AD. Today the Dome of the Rock, a Moslem Mosque, stands on the temple site.

Several Scriptures indicate that a future temple will be built, e.g. 2 Thes 2. Such a rebuilding programme requires three things: the regathering of Israel, the sovereignty of Israel as a nation, and the removal of the Muslim Mosque of Omar from the temple site. It would take little for Israel to reduce the Mosque of Omar to rubble, and build a new temple in its place.

(i) The Measurement. John was told to “measure the temple of God.” Three things are to be measured: the temple of God, limited to the innermost sanctuary where God dwelt; the outer court, frequented by gentiles and unclean persons, was excluded, the altar (the golden altar associated with the holy place), and the temple worshippers. The measuring rod was likely a reed grown in the Jordan valley, a common measuring instrument, used because of it light weight.

(ii) The Meaning. The measuring of a property indicates ownership. Ezekiel measured the temple (Ezek 40:3), and Zechariah was to measure the city (Zech 1:16) for the same reasons. The Lord, about to take possession of the temple, has it measured to see if its religion meets the qualifications. Men can see its apparent size, but its true size and worth are known only to God.

“Measure the temple…and those who worship there.” Perhaps we can lift this instruction to challenge our own “temples.” Our church is a temple. So are our bodies. What if God were to measure both them and “those who worship there”?

b) The Specific Period Involved (11:3)
“And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

John is told that the Holy City, Jerusalem, will be trodden underfoot for forty two months. In the first half of the tribulation period, the signing of the covenant will bring peace and security to Israel. The old-time temple worship will be re-established. Daniel tells us that in the middle of the tribulation Israel’s peace and security will be shattered. (9:27), as the Antichrist sets himself up in the temple to be worshipped as God. He plans to rule over a world that will be welded into a single political, religious and economic entity. It is Babel all over again.

c) The Special People Involved
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses.” Any resistance is focused in the ministry of two dynamic individuals raised up by God.

Who are these two witnesses? Some say Moses and Elijah, who executed similar judgements on God’s enemies – fire from heaven, water to blood, and plagues. Others say Elijah and Enoch because they did not die, or two unidentified prophets. Their identity is unknown, but they will have a prophetic ministry for 1260 days and then be slain.

d) The Supernatural Power Involved (11:4,5)
“These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.”

The two witnesses perform powerful miracles. They have power to send fire out of their mouths and kill their persecutors, to shut up the heavens, and to turn the waters into blood. The source of this power is explained by the reference to the two lampstands and two olive trees, which is taken from Zechariah 4. God was teaching Zechariah that the maintenance of the testimony was a divine responsibility independent of military might or political power. The lampstand of national testimony would be supplied by oil directly from the olive trees. The priest Joshua and the prince Zerubbabel were the channels of God’s supply. They would be His channels to sustain the witness within the nation of Israel.

A similar meaning is intended in Revelation. Just as Joshua and Zerubbabel were raised up to be the witnesses for God, and were empowered by olive oil (the Holy Spirit), so the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will be empowered by God.

The lesson still stands. The work of God can never be accomplished by “might and power,” but by Spirit-energised men and women who are dependent on Him.

2. THE MIRACLES OF THE MESSENGERS (11:6)
The authority and supernatural powers given to these servants of God operate in two different spheres:

a) The Heavens
“These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy.” This is what Elijah did when he prayed for a drought which lasted 3½ years in the days of Ahab. The same judgement is now brought on earth for the same period and for the same reasons. When the two witnesses shut up the heavens, the rainmakers of earth will seed the clouds in vain. No invention of science, no incantation to Satan, will help.
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b) The Earth
“They have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” This is what Moses did. Terrible new viruses and revitalized plagues will seize on the world at a word from these two men, bringing death and disease. No wonder they will be detested and feared world-wide.

The results of this powerful ministry are that men are left in no doubt as to heaven’s demand for repentance.

3. THE MARTYRDOM OF THE MESSENGERS (11:7-10)
Immortal until their work is done, the two men, like John the Baptist, eventually fall before their foes.

a) The Purpose Of Their Martyrdom (11:7)
“When they shall have finished their testimony, the Beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.”

(i) Their Immunity. “If any man will hurt them…” They are immune until the moment their testimony is concluded and God permits their removal. God has numbered their days of public witness as 1260, and Satan cannot shorten them by one day. It is so with all God’s servants. God only permits that which He allows to filter through that firewall of protection.

(ii) Their Enemy. “The Beast” is an expression used here for the first time, the first of 36 references to this evil man. He is the kind of Saviour and Messiah the world has always wanted. He make war against and eventually kill these two detested miracle workers. That victory will be the capstone of success. Men will say, “Who is like unto the Beast? Who is able to make war with him” (13:4). This seems like a temporary victory of Satan, but God knows it is for His eventual glory.

b) The Place Of Their Martyrdom (11:8)
“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”

Jerusalem was called the Holy City so long as it was the centre of the ministry of the two witnesses. Now it is called Sodom, emphasising the vice that filled it, and Egypt, emphasising its vanity. It is also called the place “where also our Lord was crucified,” adding the thought of violence. Jerusalem, the Holy City, has become the centre of all that is degrading and defiling.

c) The Publicity Of This Martyrdom (11:9,10)
The killing of these two detested enemies will be blazed abroad. The Beast’s triumph will be:

(i) Shown to the world. “Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves” (11:9). The bodies of the two witnesses lie on the street as a gesture of defiance, and are allowed to decompose there. Such things happen when Satan is in control. The whole world – ethnic, cultural, social, and language – will see the significance of their death, a satanic challenge to heaven.

(ii) Shared by the world. “Those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth” (11:10). The great world party begins! For 3½ years these two witnesses have stung the consciences of all. Now they have been eliminated. Here is a new replacement Christmas! Instead of commemorating the birth of the Messiah, they will commemorate the death of the messengers. In silencing the witnesses they have merely killed the messenger.

This is the only mention of rejoicing on earth during the tribulation. A recent Christmas card with pictures of Santa Claus contained the verse, “They that dwell on the earth shall rejoice, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to one another.” What a Satanic distortion!

4. THE MIGHT OF THE MESSENGERS (11:11-13)
Death cannot hold the two witnesses, and they arise from the grave. John focuses on:

a) A Triumphant Resurrection (11:11)
“Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.”

What tension there must be as the bodies lie in the streets. As the third day approaches, the day traditionally linked with resurrection, every eye is focused here. Satan will want to prove that, even if he could not hold Christ in the grave, he can hold these two witnesses. By the fourth day, and no sign of a resurrection, there is huge relief. Then God steps in, and in the full light of saturation TV coverage the impossible happens. It is Belshazzer’s feast all over again. For one fear-filled moment men will realise that there is a greater power than the Antichrist.

b) A Triumphant Rapture (11:12)
“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”

Then comes a further mighty demonstration of God’s power. The voice that is heard is not that of the TV announcer, but a “voice from heaven saying…Come up hither.” All the world watches as the two witnesses rise to be received out of sight in a cloud, prior to entering into the presence of God. The message is clear: God is not dead or defeated. Believers looking on will see the evidence of God’s power, and know that even physical death at the hands of the Beast will give way to resurrection power.

c) A Triumphant Revenge (11:13)
“And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.”

The rapture of the two witnesses is followed by an earthquake as Jerusalem is shaken by a mighty hand, a further warning to the defiant nation. The death toll reaches seven thousand.

“The remnant,” those who are not killed, become terrified and out of great fear acknowledge God. This does not mean they are converted, but it shows that they finally recognise the power of God and see His hand in all that happened. Sadly, such conviction is short-lived, and does not lead to repentance and faith.

MORE TO COME (11:14)
“The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.”

The second woe is the final phase of the sixth trumpet. The third woe is contained in the seventh trumpet and is announced as coming quickly. The last trumpet is about to sound, precipitating the outpouring of the bowls of God’s wrath. But before that happens we are given a glimpse of the crowning in heaven of God’s rightful king.

THE SEVENTH TRUMPET

Revelation 11:15-19

The last of the seven trumpets is about to sound, introducing the seven bowls of God’s judgement which bring an end to the Tribulation. But before this happens we are given a glimpse of the coronation in heaven of God’s rightful King. Heaven never gets tired of crowning Him! In chapter 5 the elders cast their crowns at His feet. Here He again is acknowledged as earth’s rightful King. Later, in chapter 19, He comes forth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and on His head are many crowns. Interestingly David was anointed king three times; once as a youth, once in Hebron over the tribe of Judah, and later again over all Israel.

Immediately after the introduction of the seventh trumpet, there is a long parenthetical passage from 12:1–15:4, detailing events which will occur through the entire Tribulation period. These events include the persecution of God’s children (chapter 12), the Antichrist and False Prophet (chapter 13), the heavenly vision of chapter 14, and an introduction to the last half of the Tribulation (chapter 15).

Under the seal judgements man brings destruction on himself by his own scientific methods of destruction. Under the trumpets Satan is given power to destroy. Now, in the bowl judgements, God is about to take all things into His own hands prior to bringing in everlasting righteousness.

1. THE SOUNDING OF THE TRUMPET (11:15)
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

The sounding of the seventh trumpet introduces the seven bowls of judgement (15:1-16:21) which are emptied quickly on earth within a short period of time, followed by the coming of Christ to earth.

When the seventh seal was opened there was an awe-filled silence in heaven (8:1). Now, when the seventh trumpet sounds, the end is in sight, and there a heavenly chorus of “great voices” in heaven.

a) The Dominion
“The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.” The many kingdoms of the world are all under one King – Satan. His ambition has always been to unite them in one single kingdom. Back at Babel he attempted to build a world society from which God was to be excluded. Men planned a city and tower – the city was to symbolize their political unity, and the tower their religious unity. They had a common tongue as well, which emphasized their cultural unity. But God came down and confounded it all. Now in the kingdom of the Antichrist history is repeating itself. When Christ comes and takes control, earth will still be one kingdom, but under a new King.

But what is wonderful news in heaven, is woeful news on earth, for Satan will not relinquish without a fierce struggle his evil hold on the planet he has dominated for so long. The transition will take place by divine intervention in wrath. Terrible judgments lie between the crowning of the King in heaven, and the crowning of the same King on earth.

b) The Duration
“…and he shall reign for ever and ever.” This is more than merely the millennium. It projects forward “for ever.” Never again will earth be under the control of man. “The God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed…and it shall stand for ever and ever” (Dan 2:24). It fulfils Isa 9;6,7 “For unto us a child is born…of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end…”

2. THE WORSHIP OF THE ELDERS (11:16-17)
“And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God” (11:16). The twenty-four elders, representatives of the church, fall on their faces to worship and burst into songs of praise. They recognise that God’s purpose on earth is climaxing in the establishment of His kingdom. This will not happen by social change on earth, but by His mighty power.

a) God’s Titles
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come” (11:17b). The book of Revelation began with a display of these titles. “Lord” is Jehovah, “God” is the Elohim of creation, and “Almighty” refers to His provision as El Shaddai for the creatures. These titles have revealed His deity through the centuries, the eternal God “who is,” to whom history belongs – “and was,” for there never was a time when He was not. The clause “who is to come” may be a scribal interpolation.

b) God’s Triumphs
“They say, You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come” (11:17-18). The throne rights of the Lord are not only asserted, they are assured. Within a few more chapters the “great power” of God will be seen pouring out of the bowls. Nothing will stand before it.

The Lord is coming to receive no constitutional monarchy, but absolute, unhindered power. Heaven’s idea of good governance for earth is an absolute monarchy with complete power vested in the Person of Christ. On June 2, 1952, Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey. The Archbishop of Canterbury presented her with the vast assemblage of people and asked, “Do you take Elizabeth to be your true and lawful liege Lord?” From the assembled multitude rolled back a single word, “Aye!” She then took the coronation oath, received a Bible, celebrated Communion, and was seated on the coronation chair. She was anointed, clothed in a cloak of gold, given the orb, the ring, the sceptre, crowned with the crown of St. Edward, and pledged the homage of her people. The guns of London fired a salute, and the new monarch left the abbey in grand and colourful procession for a banquet of state.

But the queen has never made a single decision affecting the government of her kingdom. The Prime Minister of England and the English Parliament do that. She merely signs their decisions into law. That is a constitutional monarchy, where real power is in the hands of the people. That was the kind of kingdom the devil offered the Lord in the wilderness. It is the same kind of sovereignty many professing believers offer Him In their lives today. That is not the kind of monarchy God intends Him to have. He is going to be Lord of all, “You have taken your great power and reigned.”

3. THE ANGER OF THE NATIONS (11:18)
“The nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that you should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

a) The Crushing of the Rebels
(i) “And the nations were angry.” With no desire to repent, angry resentment towards God stirs the nations as they gather towards Armageddon. This is anticipated in Ps 2:1. This anger is a direct expression of Satan’s rage against God (12:12), and it grows in intensity until finally the nations declare war against the God of heaven. This is seen in Revelation 19

(ii) “And thy wrath is come.” Rom 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.” God’s long-suffering has for centuries held back His wrath, but will not always do so. We joke about “flee from the wrath to come!” That is what John preached, relevant to the coming of Christ.

(iii) “And should destroy them that destroy the earth.” This refers to the destruction of both man and Satan. Satan’s two key individuals during the Tribulation are the Beast and the False Prophet. They are judged when Christ returns to earth (19:20) and cast alive into the lake of fire. Then Satan himself is cast into the bottomless pit (20:1-3).

b) The Crowning of the Redeemed
“And the time of the dead that they should be judged.” Those judged here can only be saints. It is not the Judgement Seat of Christ which has already taken place. This judgement is at the close of the Tribulation just before the millennial reign of Christ. It is not the judgement of Mat 25:31-46 where living people are judged; here it is the dead who are judged. This must refer to the judgement of the resurrected Old Testament saints, and possibly the martyred saints of the Tribulation period. This fits in with Daniel who places the resurrection of the Old Testament saints at the end of the Tribulation, as shown in Dan 12:1-2.

Those who are to be judged are described under four categories: “servants” (their service), “prophets” (their ministry), “saints” (their sanctification), and “them that fear thy name small and great.” This describes the world-view of God’s servants, prophets, saints and God-fearers. “Small” is the contemptuous dismissal by men of some simple saints. Others are judged as “great” as filling some notable place in the esteem of men. In that day men’s values will be of no account, and all will be judged impartially.

4. THE OPENING OF THE TEMPLE (11:19)
“Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”

Over and over again things are opened in this book. A door is opened in 4:1, the seals are opened in 6:1-9, the abyss is opened in 9:2, the temple is opened here in 11:19, the Tabernacle of the testimony (Holy of Holies) is opened in 19:11, and the books are opened in 21:12. Here is opened up the true, eternal temple in the heavens.

a) The Reminder of God’s Grace
“And the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.” In the midst of the Tribulation on earth with the wrath of God being poured out, there is a reminder of God’s eternal love, grace, and mercy to all who receive Him. God, in His grace and mercy, has provided His only Son to pay the penalty for sin. Those who receive Jesus Christ as Saviour find God to be one of love and mercy. Those who reject His Son will find Him to be a God of wrath.

b) The Revelation of God’s Wrath
“And there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail.” These catastrophes foreshadow the mounting confusion and terror on earth in the latter half of the Tribulation period as the seven bowls of God’s wrath will be poured out on earth.

THE WOMAN, THE DRAGON, AND THE CHILD

Revelation 12:1-6

John is a unique writer. In his gospel he reaches farther back into eternity past than any other writer when he says, “In the beginning was the Word.” In Revelation he reaches further forward than any other writer an takes us so far into the future that time shall be no more.

The subject of these middle chapters (12-14) of Revelation is Satan and his malignant purpose. The great actors of the Tribulation are now introduced. There is the woman representing Israel, the Dragon representing Satan, the male-child, referring to Christ, Michael, representing the angels, the Beast out of the sea, the world dictator, and the beast out of the earth, the False Prophet and religious leader of the world. About these main actors swirl the mighty movements of the great Tribulation.

God’s glorious purposes for Christ’s coming kingdom have been revealed in chapter 11:15, “And kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.”

Now in chapter 12 Satan’s strategy is seen. That strategy includes doing away with all who represent God’s purpose on earth, the unification of the world under a single leader, and the worship of the entire human race. The next two chapters explain how he seeks to accomplish these ends by energising the events of the great Tribulation. As in the OT, the nation of Israel is central to these events. It becomes the focus of Satanic hatred, and will experience the worst wave of anti-Semitism the nation has ever known.

The chapter is going to reveal much about war in the spiritual realm. That war is for control of the universe. It began with the rebellion and fall of Satan, and will continue until his eventual and utter defeat.

1. THE WOMAN (12:1-2)
“A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head” (12:1).

The chapter begins with a “sign” appearing in heaven. “Sign” is a John word; his gospel is full of signs (seventeen of them) and there is a total of seven signs in Revelation. A sign is a symbol of an important truth, drawing attention to God’s purpose behind it. This “great sign” must represent some major revelation of God. This sign is seen “in heaven,” but portrays a reality on the earth, as the woman pictured is persecuted by Satan.

Who or what is this woman? She represents the nation of Israel. The enmity of Satan came against this people because they were chosen as the channel through which God’s blessing would flow to all nations.

a) Her Description (12:1)
The woman is “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” This takes us back to Genesis 37 where Joseph dreamed a dream in which he saw the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowing down to him. He told it to his father and brothers, but was met with scorn and disbelief. Here were the originators of the nation of Israel.

b) Her Destiny (12:2)
This picture of an expectant mother refers back to Genesis 3, and the first great promise of Scripture. Ever since that promise Israel was always an expectant nation. Her great destiny was to be the nation through which the promised Seed, the Messiah, would come.

Many have thought this woman pictured Mary, the Lord’s mother. In 1678 the Spanish artist Murillo created his famous painting, “Mystery of the Immaculate Conception,” a painting of the “woman clothed with the sun.” This was one of his favourite themes, and he showed her as an expectant mother, with the glory of the sun about her, the crescent moon under her feet, and the coronet of stars on her head. The gifts and powers of the artist were enormous, but this is not a vision of the virgin Mary.

Just as the sun, moon, and stars are light-conveying objects: the moon a reflector, the sun a source of light, so they are symbolic of Israel as God’s intended light-bearer to mankind. True, she has been unfaithful to her God over the years, but during the Tribulation period she will be God’s light-bearer in the form of the 144,000 witnesses during the Tribulation. It is important to note that the sign is “in heaven.” This view of Israel is heaven’s view. It is Israel, not as she is now, nor as she has been, but as God intends her yet to be.

c) Her Distress (12:2)
“And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”

Here is a suffering woman representing a suffering nation. The whole nation is seen travailing in birth and awaiting the delivery of her child. This refers first of all to the trouble and travail of Israel at the time of the first coming of Christ, as is seen in the next verses.

But this is only a small part of a bigger picture. The nation at the time of the birth of Christ was not a nation crying out to be delivered of a Messiah like a woman in labour. The uniqueness of the birth of Christ is that the birth itself comes before the labour pains. Isaiah anticipated this unnatural birth-situation when he wrote, “Before she travailed she brought forth: Before her pain came, she was delivered of a manchild” (Isa 66:7). Thus the real travail of the nation did not occur at the time of the actual birth, but still lies ahead in the terrible time of the Tribulation period. The Lord spoke of the Tribulation as a time of great sorrows (Mat 24;8), where the word for sorrow is the same as for labour pains.

The travail of the woman is thus many years subsequent to the birth of the Messiah. The first and second advents are here telescoped, ignoring the intervening years of Israel’s rejection, and presented as events close together. This labour of the woman is the awful anguish of the Tribulation period. Hence the actual birth of Christ is linked directly to