Revelation Unveiled

Revelation 14

1 And I saw and, behold, the Lamb stood upon Mount Sion and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having the name of his Father written in their foreheads.

This symbolic number is now complete and represents the unlimited perfect number of all the redeemed in the Old Testament plus all the redeemed of the New Testament: twelve times twelve times one thousand.

The number may be symbolic, but the Lamb is on Mount Sion. This means that Jesus is once again here upon the earth in person, and Sion is his true habitation. More specifically, his true habitation is his clean, overcoming people who walk upon this earth yet are citizens of heaven.

Why does this say Sion and not Zion? While it’s true that the majority of Bibles today use the spelling Zion in this verse, the Jubilee Bible, and a handful of others, has elected to use Sion. As the editor of the Jubilee Bible, allow me to explain my reasoning. In the Old Testament, there are one hundred and fifty-three references to Zion, the stronghold David captured in Jerusalem, and two references to Sion, which is Mount Hermon (Deuteronomy 4:48; Psalm 65:1). The New Testament contains seven references to this word, all of which are spelled with the Greek letter sigma instead of zeta. Therefore, they are properly translated in the KJV as Sion, even when they are a direct quote of an Old Testament passage that clearly started out as Zion. Sion, or Mount Hermon, is a type and shadow of the Jerusalem above that Paul says is free and the mother of us all (Galatians 4:26). This is a portrayal of God’s heavenly people who live upon this earth. This is what Isaiah referred to when he described God as living upon the mount of the testimony and in the sides of the north (Isaiah 14:13). Zion, the stronghold, eventually became so religious and corrupt that on two occasions, the temple was completely destroyed. Sion, the highest mountain in the holy land, remains a beautiful example of the fullness of the lofty spiritual realm where God desires to live in and with his people.

So, where are we now?

The Lord Jesus will accomplish whatever the Father desires and conclude the perfect fulfillment of all the prophecies.

In times past, the Lord gave the children of Israel the opportunity to enter into their inheritance in the Promised Land. But they failed, in that they didn’t believe the good report of the two faithful spies. Their unbelief meant forty more years in the wilderness. Nevertheless, at the age of eighty-five, after a delay of forty-five years, Caleb came into the mountain of his inheritance. God eventually made good on all his promises, as recorded in the Book of Joshua.

Because God granted us free will, there have been many setbacks to his plan for us along the way. These setbacks took the form of human failure, human arrogance, and fierce opposition from the Devil. Many have been deceived by Satan’s wiles and have sought the things of this world instead of the things of God. Still, the Lord will fulfill his purpose.

Each passing day brings us closer to the fulfillment of the purpose of God. Each passing day brings us closer to the Lord possessing the testimony he desires. Each passing day we are closer to the Elijah that is to come, which, I am convinced, is not a single individual.

Each day we are closer to becoming a man child of many members with the Lord Jesus at the head, who will govern the Gentiles, anyone without a circumcised heart, with a rod of iron.

It’s possible that there may be a little more delay if God desires to grant more time, because the plan of God is that people are saved and not lost. This requires a clear message that cuts through all of the confusion, coupled with conviction of the Holy Spirit. We do know, however, that some people will be lost. Some will be found in the same kind of rebellion as the Devil.

In the end, the man child born of the woman, who was deceived (fallen humanity), will completely crush every head of the serpent. Before that final victory, one of the heads of the beast, representing human government authorized by the dragon, received a mortal wound. But the beast recovered. Scripture says that all the earth marveled, and followed the beast, including the entire religious world that is typed with the earth in Bible prophecy.

We, more or less, know how this came about in a historical sense with the fall of the Roman Emperors and their recovery as the papacy, but now there isn’t very much time left. The dragon is about to be cast out of heaven. Then there will be a huge problem here upon the earth.

The earth has become a very religious realm. The people, churches, temples, congregations, synagogues, mosques, and institutions that have been contaminated by man, fight with one another and refuse to submit to the correction of God. Yet, that correction is of critical importance. It isn’t possible to avoid the Devil’s deception unless we place ourselves under the direct authority of Jesus Christ. He is the only one able to save us. Jesus is the only way. Not only can he save us, but he allows us to participate in the great victory that is about to take place by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, if we do not love our lives unto death.

Revelation 13

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon its horns ten crowns, and upon its heads the name of blasphemy.

The vision of Revelation chapter 13 is from the perspective of the dividing line (the beach) between the land and the sea. From a human point of view, the situation appears very grim.

Abraham was promised descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens or the sand upon the seashore (Genesis 22:17). Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (before God changed his name to Israel), was only promised that God would make his seed like the sand of the sea (Genesis 32:12). Here we see these themes reflected in Revelation.

The sand of the seashore demarcates the separation of the land, or earth, from the sea. Those who are under the Old Covenant of law, without the indwelling Spirit of God, fit this description. Many in the church have made the New Testament into law instead of grace. They distill Bible principles and apply them according to their human mind instead of depending on the Holy Spirit to lead and guide them into all truth.

The sea refers to the sea of lost Gentile humanity. Without God, the natural man is really a beast. The seven heads represent all the heads of humanistic, secular, pagan, or religious government. The ten horns mean that the beast derives its power from law. This has been the case of virtually all the governments of the world since the Medes and Persians elevated the law above the power of the king, so the king couldn’t change established law (Daniel 6:8,15; Esther 8:8).

The crowns are not on the heads of this beast, as they were with the dragon. These crowns are on the beast’s horns. This beast crowns the law rather than individual heads. The heads have the name of blasphemy, meaning they are competing with God. Modern-day leaders of western democracies are not above the law. Though some of them may wish to be and act as if they are. Over the centuries, national, religious, and international law has deviated more and more from God’s law as the corruption of the beast – the natural, carnal man – has increased over time (Daniel 7:25).

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and its feet were as the feet of a bear, and its mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.

Daniel saw four beasts that were prophetic interpretations of four coming world empires. This beast John saw appears to be a composite of the four beasts that Daniel saw, which also had a total of seven heads. Three of them had one head each, but the fourth had four heads. Daniel’s beasts portrayed the Babylonians, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Daniel wrote down this dream and referred to this as the sum of the matters (Daniel 7:1).⁶

⁶ See The Book of Daniel, by Russell Stendal, Aneko Press.

This final beast portrays aspects of the four previous empires that have filtered into all the governments of the world. This beast represents all the heads and all the horns of all the leaders and all the laws of the entire world system at the time of the end. In this way, it’s similar to the statue King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his famous dream that God revealed and interpreted to Daniel (Daniel 2).

The statue portrayed the head of gold (Babylon), the arms and shoulders of silver (Media and Persia), the belly of bronze (Greece), the legs of iron (Rome), and feet and toes of iron mixed with clay. The ten toes represent the democracies and other governments of today that make laws (iron) that the people (clay) cannot keep, because the natural man needs a change of heart. Then, in the dream, a stone cut without hands smote the statue upon its feet of iron and clay, and all the pieces of the statue became like chaff on a threshing floor.

The wind carried all the chaff away. The stone, representing the kingdom of God, became a great mountain that filled all of the earth (Daniel 2). Note, this image ends with feet and toes of iron mixed with the clay that is partly strong and partly fragile (Daniel 2:42-43). It doesn’t meld into a homogenous, all-encompassing, one-world government at the time of the end.

The Devil, even after giving this seven-headed monster his power, throne, and great authority, still has not been able to consolidate his power and kingdom under one head. After six thousand years as the prince of this world, the Devil hasn’t been able to do any better than this seven-headed monster. Seven heads mean all the heads. Jesus said, If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot remain. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot remain. And if Satan rises up against himself and is divided, he cannot remain, but has an end (Mark 3:24-26). The Devil’s kingdom doesn’t run on love and trust. All of his followers are always at each other’s throats.

3 And I saw one of its heads as it were wounded to death; and its deadly wound was healed; and all the earth marveled, and followed the beast.

We know about the head that was wounded to death and recovered from its deadly wound. The earth (the religious realm) continues to marvel and follow the natural man with all his seemingly great philosophical ideals.

4 And they worshipped the dragon which had given authority unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast; saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with it?

Humanistic government, with its heads ruling over countries and institutions all over the world, continues to prevail. The worship of man prevails. Anyone who refuses to worship man is hated and persecuted without mercy. Yet, worship of man is worship of the beast.

5 And there was given unto it a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto it to continue forty and two months.

The beast’s mouth speaks through all of its seven heads. It has power for forty-two months. Which is the same time frame that the holy city will be trodden under foot by the Gentiles (Revelation 11:2). Spiritually, the forty-two months continue until the correction factor, the direct presence of God through the mature generation of Christ, is applied to cleanse this realm.

In prophecy, months can have to do with women, who have the same monthly cycle as a lunar month, and therefore with generations. This beast will operate through all the generations of the natural, carnal man. The only thing that will stop it is the effects of the seventh trumpet. This is when the forty-second generation, the generation of Christ, comes to maturity and is transformed by resurrection. For when we see Jesus, we shall be like him.

This is when the mystery of God will be revealed, and there will be war in heaven in which the Devil will not prevail. He will be cast down to the earth and jailed in what used to be his own prison for a thousand years followed by a general resurrection unto final judgment.

6 And it opened its mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and those that dwell in heaven.

The blasphemy from the mouth of all the heads of the humanistic monster that controls all the kingdoms and institutions of the world, against God and those that dwell in heaven, is deafening. The monster is particularly harsh in its blasphemy against those who live here on earth yet are true citizens of heaven.

7 And it was given unto it to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and power was given to it over all kindreds and tongues and nations.

Read the above verse again. The monster not only makes war with the saints but overcomes them, and great power has been given to it. What, then, will happen to the faithful? Consider the words of Daniel 12:7. And I heard the man clothed in linens, who was upon the waters of the river, who raised his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by the living one in the ages that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when the scattering of the power of the holy people shall be finished, all these things shall be fulfilled.

Can the scattering of the power of the holy people be a true prophecy? Indeed, it can, brethren. It’s when the holy people of God have finished being scattered all over the globe in countless sects and denominations, and when they have come to a complete end of their human resources, that God will step in and intervene. The natural man, even with powerful gifts and ministries from God, will never be able to overcome the beast (Job 41:26-29).

Revelation 13

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship it, whose names are not written in the book of the life of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If anyone has an ear to hear, let him hear.

Those who dwell in the sea worship the dragon. Paganism is essentially Devil worship. But all those who dwell upon the earth, in the religious realm, worship the humanistic beast set up by the Devil. Those who dwell in the religious realm don’t have their names written in the book of the life of the Lamb, because the life of the Lamb gives citizenship and access to the heavenly realm.

The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). But when was the foundation of the world?

The world of fallen humanity is the kingdom of the Devil. It was founded when the serpent deceived Eve and Adam rebelled against God. From the time of the fall, God decided to redeem mankind. Even though he knew that redemption would require the death of his son, Jesus Christ, to pay for the sins of the world (John 3:16). For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled with God by the death of his Son, much more, now reconciled, we shall be saved by his life (Romans 5:10).

The Lamb has a book that records all of those who have his life. He that has the Son has life; and he that does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:12).

Despite Jesus’ sacrifice, religious people who are not citizens of the heavens will all worship the beast. Even atheists worship the beast of humanism. This has clearly been going on for quite some time. All those who dwell on the earth will worship it. These are the same people who will run and hide when the Lamb is revealed from heaven (Revelation 6:15-17). Citizens of heaven have their names written in the book of the life of the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. From the foundation of the world, from the beginning of Adam’s rebellion, from the beginning of Satan’s usurpation of the authority that God gave to Adam, Jesus had already decided that the only way to redeem mankind and creation would be to give his life for us so that his life could come forth in us.

What about those who aren’t citizens of heaven?

10 He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints.

Everyone is definitely going to reap what they sow. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Faith is depending on the Lord instead of trusting in man or ourselves. Pagan Rome is reported to have martyred millions of Christians. Many saw one head of the beast recover from a deadly wound when, at the fall of the Roman Empire, according to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Christian Rome rose up and killed ten times more martyrs in the Spanish Inquisition alone. It is also interesting to note that the Spanish Inquisition lasted exactly 1,260 years. The beast, with all seven heads still intact, continues to devour. The heads of all the different governments, religions, and institutions of the world are more and more divided. Jesus’ prophecy that if Satan rises up against himself and is divided, he cannot remain, but has an end is very close to fulfillment.

The False Prophet

11 Then I beheld another beast coming up out of the land; and he had two horns like the Lamb, but he spoke as the dragon.

The phrase two horns occurs five times in Scripture. This is the last mention. The previous four references all occur in the book of Daniel and refer to the ram that represents the kingdom of the Medes and Persians (Daniel 8).

There is significant and interesting typology, particularly in the Book of Esther, regarding events at Shushan, the palace at the head of the empire of the Medes and the Persians.⁷ Shushan, meaning lilies and linked in typology to Christ and the church, is where two realms come back together. They are the realm of Media (center of the earth) and the realm of Persia (the eternal). This is also a central theme in Revelation as the veil between the heavens and the earth is removed, and Jesus Christ is revealed in the fullness of his glory (Revelation 6:14; 11:19).

⁷ See Queen Esther and the Ring of Power, Russell Stendal, Aneko Press.

According to Daniel, he saw a ram with one horn, or one source of power, that was higher than the other (speaking of the Medes eventually having more power than the Persians). The higher one, with the greater capacity, came up last (Daniel 8:3). The Lamb, Jesus Christ, has two horns. He has power through his Spirit in his people here upon the earth and power through his heavenly hosts.

The horn that comes up last is the power of God’s heavenly people here on earth. As God’s people mature, it becomes more and more apparent that whatsoever we bind on earth shall be bound in the heaven and whatsoever we loose on the earth shall be loosed in the heaven (Matthew 18:18).

This second beast, that some call the antichrist, has two horns like the Lamb. He has powerful capabilities on earth and also in the spiritual realm. He looks like the Lamb but talks like the Dragon (Satan). One of the ways in which Satan tries to trick the faithful is by sending his ministers in and among religious people posing as angels of light. Their power, at first glance, may seem similar to the power of God. In Greek, the prefix anti- (as in antichrist) does not mean the opposite. It means false or counterfeit. Thus, antichrist doesn’t mean the opposite of Christ but rather a counterfeit Christ, which is much harder for the natural man to detect. Antichrist can operate as a spirit through people. It was already in the world at the time of the early church (1 John 4:3).

False, or counterfeit, prophets may operate in prophecy, miracles, and many other things that people tend to associate with the ministry of God. Such prophets distort and abuse gifts and ministries that originate from God. As you are probably aware, this has been happening in many places. Those who dwell upon the earth are deceived when they hear what seem to be great preachers, with signs and wonders, who tell them how to use God to obtain the things of this world. The dwellers of the earth are deceived by the supernatural fire from heaven of the false prophets and never contemplate Jesus’ warning that we shall know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:20).

12 And he exercised all the power of the first beast in its presence and caused the earth and those that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13 And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven to the earth in the sight of men

Starting with the golden calf, every religious shrine, avocation, movement, or sect craves supernatural approbation.

When asked by a furious Moses to explain the golden calf, Aaron replied, “I cast our gold into the fire and this calf came out!” In essence, he implied that it was a miracle. What else could they do but worship it? (Exodus 32:24). Virtually every deviant icon, image, shrine, church, mosque, synagogue, etc. has some version of a fire from heaven moment claiming super-natural beginnings or approval.

The strange fire of false anointing continues to sweep through most of the religious world today.

14 and deceives those that dwell on the earth by those signs which were given unto him to do in the presence of the beast, commanding those that dwell on the earth to make an image of the beast, which has the wound by the sword, and did live.

It’s not the dwellers of the sea who are deceived by this beast but the dwellers of the earth. This is not, therefore, a problem for Hindus or atheists. It’s those who consider themselves to be among the people of God who are deceived.

Historically, if the head of the beast which had the deadly wound by the sword was the Roman line of Caesars, then the image of the beast includes the line of popes who claim to be the vicar of Christ and thereby displace the Holy Spirit and set themselves up to be worshipped as God. Vicar of Christ means in the place of Christ, but only the Holy Spirit can take the place of Christ upon the earth.

Those who, like King Saul, crave the supernatural and displace the Holy Spirit rarely remain alone. King Saul received a supernatural evil spirit from the LORD when the Spirit of the LORD departed from him (1 Samuel 16:14-15).

15 And it was given unto him to endue the image of the beast with spirit, so that the image of the beast should speak, and he shall cause those that do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Just as the dragon and the first beast manifest themselves through a great variety of humanistic sources, so does this second beast.

This false prophet attempts to recreate God in the image of fallen man. This happens not only in Islam but also at the core of many sectors of Christianity, starting with papal Rome and the Orthodox Church. Today, we are shocked by groups like ISIS with their wholesale killing of those whom they consider to be infidels. But not too many years ago, the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions brutally tortured and slaughtered millions in the name of God.

Even John Calvin, angered by doctrinal differences with the theologian, physician, and humanist Miguel Servet, declared in writing, “I hope that sentence of death will at least be passed on him.” Although Calvin went on to express the wish that the severity of the punishment be mitigated, Servet was subsequently burned at the stake.⁸

⁸ Calvin’s request to “migitate” the punishment of Servet was that he be beheaded instead of burned at the stake.

This beast has the backing of the secular humanistic realm. It brings a supernatural flair to religion, with the object of promoting the worship of man and the pursuit by religion of temporal power.

16 And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slaves, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads;

17 and that no one might buy or sell, unless he has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for the number of man; and its number is six hundred sixty-six.

What is the name of the beast?

It’s the same as the nature of the beast, which in turn is the nature of fallen Adam and not the nature of Christ.

Many are familiar with the link between the number 666 and the Devil. Fewer are aware that its first appearance in Scripture is not in Revelation, but in 2 Chronicles 9:13. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold.

This number originally represents all the gold (tribute) from all over the world that came to Solomon during the Golden Age of Israel.

If we dissect this number, we find that it’s the sum of (6×100) + (6×10) + (6×1). That is, six times one hundred plus six times ten plus six times one.

The number one (symbolic of light) multiplied by one hundred, has to do with the plan of God. Noah spent one hundred years building the ark. And Isaac was miraculously born when Abraham was one hundred years old, according to the plan of God. The number six hundred, however, means man’s plans.

The number ten has to do with the law, such as the Ten Commandments. Whereas, sixty can mean man’s law or man’s commandments.

The number one is linked to light in Scripture. On the first day, God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). Therefore, six can represent man’s light. Thus 666 would mean man’s plans according to man’s laws in man’s light.

If all of this is submitted to God, as was done when the 666 talents of gold were sent to King Solomon every year, then God will correct us as necessary and bless us. However, if man attempts to take all of this for himself, then we have the mark of the beast. I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men that God might manifest them and that they might see that they themselves are beasts to one another (Ecclesiastes 3:18).

This mark of the beast is to be placed in (not on) the right hand or in (not on) the forehead. It is primarily a way of acting and thinking according to the ways of the natural man, who is really a beast. Remember, this second beast that requires the mark has two horns. One of those horns symbolizes the spiritual power of the Devil and his demons, or fallen angels.

When the servants, or slaves, of God are sealed in their foreheads (not on their foreheads), it’s because they receive the mind of Christ by the Holy Spirit. The seal of God is not 777 or some other representation of the name of God branded or tattooed on the foreheads of those who belong to him (Revelation 7:3).

Anyone who has the seal of God in their forehead and who is a true citizen of heaven doesn’t have to worry about the mark of the beast. Those who are busy buying and selling in the temple and making a religious marketplace according to the ways of the world, already have the mark of the beast. And only those who have the same mark can do business with them. If those who carry the mark of God attempt to do business with those who carry the mark of Satan, they will find themselves being taken to the cleaners unless they also think and act like a beast.

Revelation 14

1 And I saw and, behold, the Lamb stood upon Mount Sion and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having the name of his Father written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps;

3 and they sang as it were a new song before the throne and before the four animals and the elders; and no one could learn that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, who were redeemed from the earth.

David mentioned this song in this psalm dedicated to the overcomer. And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God; many shall see it and fear and shall wait on the LORD (Psalm 40:3).

Mount Sion, on the sides of the north, is where the Lord dwells in and among all of his redeemed. They have the name (nature) of his Father written in their foreheads. As we mentioned earlier, one hundred and forty-four thousand is a number that is symbolic of all of the redeemed.

4 These are those who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These are redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

5 And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without blemish before the throne of God.

In prophetic language, women represent entire groups or congregations of people. Those who are defiled with “women” are those who are absorbed into a given group, movement, congregation, or denomination in such a way that their direct relationship with God has been betrayed and compromised (2 Corinthians 11:2-4). This can happen any time our commitment to one another supersedes our commitment to God.

There are also those who think that because they are in charge of the congregation(s) (the women) their ministry is a “husband ministry.” Imagine the problem some will have on the judgment day if Jesus accuses them of making indecent advances to his bride! Truly, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.

True pastors (shepherds in Greek) have authority from God to watch for the wellbeing of the souls of the flock belonging to the Lord (Hebrews 13:17). Jesus is the great shepherd. Any pastoral ministry that he delegates is under him and not a replacement of him. True ministry seeks to join the people to the Lord and watch for their souls so that nothing interrupts their walk with God. True ministry does not involve placing oneself between the people and God.

Those who are not defiled with women and are spiritual virgins are those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth, For I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to the Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2).

6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the eternal gospel that he might evangelize those that dwell on the earth and every nation and kindred and tongue and people,

7 saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that has made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the fountains of waters.

When Jesus came the first time, he spoke from the earth and shook the earth. Now, he is going to shake the heavens and the earth (Haggai 2:6; Hebrews 12:26). Now that he has a clean, heavenly people who have not been defiled by “women,” the eternal gospel will go forth from the midst of heaven to evangelize those who dwell on the earth, which includes every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Wherever Israel and the church have confused, mixed up, or perverted God’s message, it will be set straight.

8 And another angel followed, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has given all the Gentiles to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Mystery Babylon is the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth. At the time John saw this vision, her headquarters was located in Rome. Simon Peter, writing from Rome, closes his first epistle by saying, Those here at Babylon…salute you (1 Peter 5:13). Babylon is the mother of many daughter cities that are now spread all across the planet.

She claims to represent God, yet she has given all the Gentiles to drink of the wine of the corrupt and carnal old life of Adam instead of the wine of the new life of Christ. This will finally come down upon her head. All of the blood of all of the martyrs has been found in her. Instead of setting a good example, instead of sharing the true gospel, instead of providing the life of the Lord, Babylon and her daughter cities have pursued the opposite. They cater to the old man and consent to manipulation by religious demons while claiming this behavior is of God. They proclaim their own righteousness in the midst of their fornication with the kings of the earth, which are those who manage the religious, political, and economic kingdoms of the earth.

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives the mark in his forehead or in his hand,

Notice again that the mark is received in the forehead or in the hand, not on the forehead or on the hand. This reinforces the case that the mark is primarily a way of thinking and a way of acting having to do with the natural unconverted man (beast).

10 the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb;

This sets the stage for the wrath of God that will be poured out. It’s important to bear in mind, however, that God never destroys the righteous along with the wicked (Genesis 18:25).

God’s indignation has been a central theme for many prophets, including Isaiah, and the wine of the wrath of God means that God is about to give the wicked a double dose of their own medicine. The holy angels referred to are the angels or messengers sent from God that are for the exclusive service of the Lord. In Scripture, brimstone is always linked to the righteous judgments of God and is never associated with anything that proceeds from the Devil.

11 and the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever; and those that worship the beast and its image and whosoever receives the mark of its name, have no rest day or night.

These examples will be remembered for ever and ever. Those who worship the natural man, and those who worship the god that they have made in the image of man, and those who think and act according to the nature of the natural man will have no rest, day or night. The first example of this was Cain. God sentenced him to wander as a fugitive and vagabond, to never be at rest, after he murdered his brother, Abel (Genesis 4:12).

12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. The saints have been waiting six thousand years for God to turn this around. The day of man has endured for six prophetic days (six thousand years). Those that keep the commandments of God are linked to the faith of Jesus, which is beyond faith in Jesus. The faith of Jesus must come forth in us if we are to overcome.

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them.

This is the second beatitude in the Book of Revelation. It coincides with Jesus’ second beatitude, Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). The word mourn means mourning a death (i.e., the death of the old man, of the old nature). The comforter is the Holy Spirit.

We are to cease and desist from our own works and rest, so the Holy Spirit may work in and through us. Noah’s name meant rest. He was an example of this. Then the works that God does in and through us will follow us.

14 And I looked, and, behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown and in his hand a sharp sickle.

God led the children of Israel from a pillar of cloud. Jesus will return in a cloud with power and great glory (Luke 21:27; Revelation 1:7). Scripture also declares that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1).

Jesus called himself the Son of man. He is seated at the right hand of the Father with all power and authority, with a great cloud of witnesses who have gone on before. He is about to conduct the harvest, which has to do with judgment, and witnesses are required in order for judgment to be passed.

15 Another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that was seated on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle and reap; for the harvest of the earth is dry.

The cloud is symbolic of the nature of God. When the harvest of the earth is dry, this means that it is mature and the time has come to reap (Galatians 6:7-9).

16 And he that was seated on the cloud thrust in his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped.

The earth is the realm of the people of God, Israel, and the church. Do not be confused, however, when God labels those with uncircumcised hearts in Israel and in the church as Gentiles.

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in the heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

The harvest proceeds. First, the tares are reaped into bundles and then burned (Matthew 13:30).

Here is Jesus’ interpretation of the parable of the wheat and the tares:

He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who do iniquity and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 13:37-43).

Have you ears to hear? Have you eyes to read? Then let’s return to the revelation that was shown to John.

18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over the fire, and cried with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

There are two kinds of grapes in Scripture that produce two very different kinds of wine. Wine is a symbol of life, but there is a huge difference between the life of Adam and the life of Christ. Note that these grapes come in clusters. Only those who understand and submit to the altar (the gospel), which is linked to the fire of God, will produce the right fruit. The clusters of the earth represent those who congregate in places where they obtain their doctrine, directives, and guidance from one another and from false prophets instead of from God. The only wine these clusters can produce is the wine of the life of Adam.

20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the bits of the horses, for a thousand six hundred furlongs.

Psalm 32:9 offers an explanation about the bits of the horses. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in subjection with bit and bridle, or they will not come near unto thee. The horse without understanding, that must be held in subjection with a bit, is a symbol of those who must be controlled under law. Those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God and are not under the law (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18).

When the judgment of God falls, it will affect all those who, like the horse in Psalm 32, have no understanding and must be controlled by the iron bit of the law for a distance of one thousand six hundred furlongs. A furlong is about one eighth of a mile or forty rods. Spiritually, if six hundred represents man’s plans, then one thousand six hundred means that the fullness of man’s plans for human control and dominion will be completely judged as they come to fruition and maturity.

In the natural world, one thousand six hundred furlongs equal about two hundred miles. If the city were Jerusalem, a two-hundred-mile radius would mean that this judgment would affect everyone in the land of Israel, which symbolically is another picture of the earth or the realm of the people of God. This is the area that would fall under the law, and the letter of the law kills. Under the law, some things could be purified with water and others with fire, but without the shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). Without remission, the soul that sins, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4).

Many disguise their addiction and bondage to law under the pretense of distilling apparently righteous principles and values from the Scriptures. They proceed to apply these principles and values in the flesh, according to the desires of their own soul, or according to the dictates of their spiritual director(s) instead of being led by the Spirit of God in good conscience. Yet, it’s only the Spirit that brings forth life.

Revelation 15

1 And I saw another sign in the heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is completed the wrath of God.

The seven angels with the seven last plagues are another sign. They come from the presence of God.

If we add the three woes linked to the last three trumpets to the seven last plagues, that totals ten plagues in the book of Revelation, just as God unleashed ten plagues against Egypt. The first three Egyptian plagues had the potential to affect everyone, but the final seven plagues didn’t affect the people of God who lived in Goshen (Exodus 9:4).

2 And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingled with fire and those that had gotten the victory over the beast and over its image and over its mark and over the number of its name stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

God’s overcomers are unaffected by the problems related to the sea of humanity. They are at peace and don’t have to worry about the beast, the image of the beast, its mark, or the number of its name, because they are victorious in Christ and sealed. Note that the mark of the beast and the number of its name are listed separately. Therefore, the mark isn’t exactly the same as the number 666.

3 And they sing the song of Moses, the slave of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

This song of Moses is the song of victory Moses composed at the end of his long life of ministry (Deuteronomy 31:19-22).

4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? for thou only art holy; therefore, all the Gentiles shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

This song celebrates the victory when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10). This is what God said through the prophet Isaiah:

Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, all ye that are escaped of the Gentiles. They have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image and pray unto the god that does not save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together; who caused this to be heard from the beginning and has declared it from that time, except me, the LORD? and there is no God beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is no one besides me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no one else. I have sworn by myself; the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow; every tongue shall swear. And unto me he shall say, Surely in the LORD is the righteousness and the strength; until he shall come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the generation of Israel be justified and shall glory (Isaiah 45:20-25).

Israel, which means God prevails or he who prevails with God, is linked to the name of God. It represents all the people of God, Jews and Gentiles, who are truly converted and have clean, circumcised hearts.

There is another parallel passage in Joel:

Assemble yourselves and come, all ye Gentiles, and gather yourselves together round about; there cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the Gentiles be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there I will sit to judge all the Gentiles round about. Put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe; come, go down for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but the LORD will be the hope of his people and the strength of the sons of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God, that I inhabit Zion, the mountain of my holiness: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and no strangers shall pass through her any more (Joel 3:11-17).

Jerusalem continues to be profaned by many strangers. But a radical change will soon take place, when Mount Zion and Jerusalem become a place of salvation and safety instead of their current mixture of the holy with the profane.

What else does Revelation tell us about this time that is to come?

Revelation 15

5 And after these things I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in the heaven was opened;

The tabernacle of the testimony in heaven has been closed or veiled off from the inhabitants of the earth, because it contains the direct presence and glory of the Lord that will destroy anyone who is contaminated or unclean. When it’s opened, it sets the stage for immediate judgment, described as the wrath of God, as seven cups or vials are poured out.

This correlates with Revelation 6:14 and 11:19 and is the fulfillment of Yom Kippur, the Day of Reconciliation (or atonement), when anyone who does not afflict their soul (repent) shall be cut off from among their people. Anyone who does not desist from their own works shall be destroyed. As Leviticus 23:27-28 describes it, and ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made on fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in this same day; for it is a day of reconciliations, to reconcile you before the LORD your God.

Reconciliation means us being lined back up straight with God. It doesn’t mean that God will meet us half-way, somewhere between our mortal and our venial sins. It means that he has standards that we have to meet, as the next verses make clear. For every person that shall not afflict themselves in that same day, shall be cut off from among his people. And any person that does any work in that same day, the same person will I destroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your ages in all your dwellings (Leviticus 23:29-31).

The fullness of this day is the day of the Lord. Note that it is a perpetual statute and, as such, it applies throughout all the ages of the people of God, including the ages of the law, of grace, and of the kingdom. Also note that it applies to all dwellings, whether they are of heaven, of the earth, or of the sea.

No one who is unrepentant and uncircumcised of heart will be able to continue to do their own work in the name of the LORD.

Here is what Joel wrote concerning that day: The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall escape; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be salvation, as the LORD has said, and in those who are left, to whom the LORD shall have called (Joel 2:31-32).

Again and again the prophets warn us, sometimes in plain words and sometimes in metaphor. Here are more striking images from the revelation seen by John:

6 and the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

We are the temple, and the seven angels that come out are described as having breasts. In Greek, this means the breasts of women. As the people of God are this temple, so the seven female angels represent all the congregations that dwell in the heavenly realm of the Holy of Holies. The word angel denotes that they have been commissioned and sent by God. They are now clothed with pure, white linen representing the righteous acts of the saints, and golden girdles representing the nature of God.

This is a corporate, clean people of God who now flow in the heavenly fullness of the Spirit of God. This is vastly different from the earthly outpouring on the Day of Pentecost (typed with the Holy Place) that was described by the apostle Paul as the earnest or down payment of our inheritance in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14).

7 And one of the four animals gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.

The golden vials are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8), which have been long held in remembrance before the throne of God. On the fulfillment of the Day of Reconciliation, those prayers will all be answered in full. The clean, corporate congregations of God that dwell in the heavenly realm will be given the authority to judge the false church and the corrupt world.

The Passover had its fulfillment when the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ made possible our salvation and redemption. Pentecost was fulfilled at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the early church of the Day of Pentecost, starting with one hundred twenty believers in an upper room. The fullness of the Feast of Trumpets is now upon us. The next prophetic event to be fulfilled among the people of God prior to the Feast of Tabernacles, the feast at the end of the harvest, is Yom Kippur or the Day of Reconciliation (Leviticus 23).

8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the majesty of God and from his power; and no one was able to enter into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

We can see the type and shadow fulfillment of this during the dedication of Solomon’s temple. Note that it also began with a song. And when the priests came out of the sanctuary (for all the priests that were present were sanctified and did not then wait by course, and the Levite singers, all of those of Asaph, those of Heman, and those of Jeduthun, together with their sons and their brethren being clothed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets). (2 Chronicles 5:11-12).

The trumpets link this to the Year of Jubilee, which began on the Day of Reconciliation (Leviticus 25:9).

Here’s an interesting thought:

Consider that 120 trumpets may be symbolic of the 120 fifty-year Jubilee periods since Adam and Eve got the entire human race into trouble in the garden. A year of Jubilee was to take place every fiftieth year (Leviticus 25:10). If 1967 was the 119th Jubilee, or the 69th Jubilee since the writing of the Book of Leviticus circa 1883 BC, then the 120 trumpets will be fulfilled in 2017, beginning on Yom Kippur. This would be the 70th Jubilee since the writing of the Book of Leviticus. We will soon see if this is indeed the right timetable.

I feel, for many reasons, that 1967-68 was a Jubilee year when many prophecies converged along with the six-day war and the beginning of important ministry and revival.⁹ However God chooses to work all of this out, I expect next year (2017) to be a very special prophetic year that in hindsight will undoubtedly prove to be even better than 1967 for anyone who has a clean heart.

⁹ Another event, with profound prophetic implications, that must be taken into account is the Yom Kippur War that began on October 6, 1973 (the day of reconciliation). Unlike the Six-Day War that began on June 6, 1967 (when the Arab armies fled before Israel and much territory was gained) in the Yom Kippur War there were heavy casualties on all sides and Israel, taken by surprise, could have been dealt a death blow. In the Six-Day War virtually everyone on the Israeli side were heroes in the midst of what many hailed as divine intervention. On the other hand, the Yom Kippur War caused much soul searching. High ranking military officers were changed, demoted, or forced to resign durning and after the conflict (some were even killed in battle). Serious repercussions afterward caused the political demise of some of the top leaders. There were, of course, many heroes. My favorite is the story of twenty-one year old Lieutenant Zvi Greengold who was awarded the the Medal of Valor, the nation’s highest medal for heroism. When the actual prophetic fulfillment of the day of reconciliation, (symbolized by the 120th trumpet), takes place will it be more like what happened on Oct. 6, 1973? or June 6, 1967? And, which of the two dates (if any) is the real prophetic marker of the projection of the coming Jubilee?

And what a wonderful picture of celebration is painted in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14. And they sounded the trumpets and sang with one voice, all together as one man praising and thanking the LORD, when they lifted up their voice with trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, when they praised the LORD, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endures for ever; and the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

Once the number of the martyrs (witnesses) is complete, and once God’s true people are cleansed, then the temple of God of living stones will measure up, and the fullness of the glory of God will return to his house (his people). This is when the vials of all the prayers that have gone up over the past millennia will be answered, as God commands his angels to pour out the vials of his wrath and judgment upon those who have killed and mistreated his children. The enemy’s deception will completely collapse, and anyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.

Let us pray

Heavenly Father,

We ask that we might understand this revelation. We ask that all those who are not happy with the way things are being run here upon the earth, all those who cry out and sigh regarding what they see all around them, will receive your mark, your seal. We ask that they may have your heart and your mind, Lord; that they may be dressed with fine linen and be covered by the righteous work that you are doing in and through them. Amen.