REVELATION LESSON 48

REVELATION

LESSON 48

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 19:10   ¹⁰ And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

While revelation chapter 9 pronounces a blessing of the guests at this supper, it doesn’t indicate the time or place of it. It most likely will take place on earth at the very beginning of the millennial kingdom of God.

Revelation 10 says, John was overwhelmed by this revelation and fell at the feet of the angel who stated that he is not to be worshiped. That was the wrong thing to do and the angel stopped him. He called himself a fellow servant of God and told John to worship God.

During the tribulation period multitudes will worship Satan and his antichrist. The false prophet will demand it. However, worship of any kind of anyone or anything other than God is forbidden.

The testimony of Jesus is an interesting idea among other things, Jesus predicted he would die, be buried, and be raised from the dead and come again. His predictions are his testimony and also a prophecy. Everything he predicted was prophecy. Many don’t not understand this. They want to discard prophecy in the bible, not realizing they would be throwing out many thing Jesus said. Those who understand this hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 19:11   ¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

The wedding supper of the Lamb is followed by the vision that John had of the second coming of Christ. He recorded: I say heaven opened and there before me was a white horse whose rider is called faithful and true.

This verse is sometimes called the climax of the entire bible. The old testament prophets prophesied this event. Jesus predicted it and the new testament writers wrote about it. Everything we have studied in revelation has been building up to this. It will be a precious sight to the saints who are still alive here on earth when it happens. But a terrifying sight to the antichrist and his followers.

Heaven will open, it opened the first time when John went up to heaven identifying the rapture of the church. Heaven will open the second time when Jesus comes back with his church.

A rider on a white horse will appear, the first rider on a white horse was the antichrist appearing at the beginning of the tribulation period. Now just as in ancient times when mighty warriors and conquerors rode white horses, a second rider on a white horse will come out of heaven to fight and conquer.

This rider” Jesus” will be called faithful and true. Faithful means he has done and will do everything God asks him to do. True means, he will do everything he says he will do. He said he would come back and here he fulfills that promise.

John 14:2-3   ² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

In righteousness he judges and makes war. This is a reference to the purpose of his coming. He will return as a warrior to judge the inhabitants of the earth. He will deal with their sin, settle their eternal destinies and establish his reign. What he will do will be just and right. The earth will have been declared ripe for judgment.

Revelation 19:12   ¹² His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

Christ’s fiery eyes reveal his insight, knowledge and anger. He will have full knowledge of each individual and their sins. His many crowns reveal his royalty, authority and majesty. He will have full authority in heaven and on earth.

When Jesus returns, he will wear a special name known only to God. Christians know his name is great, but it is greater than our understanding. Since God is the only one who fully understands it.

Concerning his second coming, Jesus said, take heed that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ. It would be wise to remember that Satan is a deceiver who transforms himself into an beautiful angel.

Revelation 19:13   ¹³ And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

 The robe dipped in blood is a symbol of what is about to take place. The prophet Isaiah tells us it represents the blood of his enemies. Christ will be coming back to deal with hundreds of millions of unbelievers at the battle of Armageddon and it will be a blood bath.

It will be Jesus on a white horse and the judgement of Armageddon will be the work of God. This contrasts with the antichrist whose number is known, but whose name can not be revealed until the rapture.

REVELATION LESSON 47

REVELATION

LESSON 47

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 19:1   19 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:

Previous revelation has been dealing with Gods judgment on a wicked world. Now the theme changes to some extent because it will reveal Gods blessed plan for His own. After the destruction of Babylon and the worldwide reaction that will follow, the roar of a great multitude will be heard in heaven.

This multitude will most likely be the tribulation saints. It may include others such as the old testament saints, the church and the angels. Praise will be directed to God because salvation, glory and power belong to Him. Salvation speaks of hid deliverance, glory speaks of his judgement, and power refers to His ability to overcome his enemies.

At this time the focus shifts from the mother of harlots in Babylon to the bride of Christ in heaven. From the antichrist who will destroy the wicked harlot, to the Christ who will marry the forgiven bride, from weeping of kings, merchants and sailors on earth, to the rejoicing of the inhabitants of heaven.

From the temporary value of money and goods to the eternal value of salvation and true worship. From the silence of musicians who will witness the funeral of Babylon.

Revelation 19:2   ² For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

It is impossible to say whose voice this will be, the only certainty is that those praising God in heaven will declare his truth and Justice. The wicked will not get away with their sin. Gods judgments are true and just.

Revelation 19:3   ³ And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

This is the second time in this chapter that we hear a shout of alleluia in heaven. One is for the destruction of Babylon, the mother of harlots. The second one was for the destruction of the city of Babylon.

This rejoicing in heaven won’t be because the people on earth have perished or property has been destroyed. The rejoicing will occur because God has stopped the satanic crew of earth. For this reason, we believe Babylon will be rebuilt, at the present smoke is not rising up from Babylon.

Revelation 19:4   ⁴ And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.

The church and the four living creatures will fall down and worship the God who sits on the heavenly throne. The twenty-four elders represent the entire church from Pentecost to rapture.

Revelation 19:5   ⁵ And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.

The voice that come out of the throne doesn’t say whose voice it will be. The father and Son will both be on the throne. The only certainty is that someone on the throne will approve of the heavenly praise and worship. The element of praise is so often mission in the live and service of the average Christian and the average church. They would have a different image of Christianity if there were more rejoicing and praise on the part of the people of God.

Revelation 19:6   ⁶ And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

This will be the response found in the last verse. All of Gods servants on earth will shout praises to Him because the Lord God almighty reigns. The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Son. The English word hallelujah, which means praise the Lord. The Greek word alleluia is a translation from the Hebrew and has the same meaning.

Revelation 19:7   ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

This will be a great day in Heaven. It is the time for the Lambs “Christ’s” marriage to the church. The bride of Christ which is Gods servants will rejoice and give Him glory in this event. This will take place after the destruction of Babylon near the end of the tribulation period.

A special union will exist between Jesus and the church, which is the people who have accepted him as Lord and Savior, similar to a union between a bridegroom and a bride. The idea is that the church will be joined together with Jesus in a special relationship that will equip us to reign with Him, he will not come back to earth without his bride, and they will not reign without Him. Be ready for the future events of the church.

Revelation 19:8  ⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

Before its marriage to the Lamb, the church will wear fine linen which is their own righteous act. A person’s deeds will follow one to heaven where they will be worn like a gown or a robe. Faith in God makes that possible. When the marriage takes place, the church will lay their righteousness aside. The holiness and righteousness of Jesus imparted to them will form their clothing for eternity.

Revelation 19:9   ⁹ And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Again John heard an angel tell him to write about the wedding supper of the Lamb. All those who are invited to attend this supper are blessed or happy. Another verse that provides insight to understanding the marriage supper concerns the Lords last supper. Jesus said he will not drink the fruit of the vine again until he drinks it in his father kingdom.

His Fathers kingdom is his millennial kingdom on earth. Behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and dine with him and he with me.

While revelation 19:9 pronounces a blessing on the guests at the supper it does not indicate the time or the place of it. It’s possible that the wedding feast of the Lamb and his bride will take place on earth at the very beginning of the millennial kingdom of God.

REVELATION LESSON 46

REVELATION

LESSON 46

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 18:16   ¹⁶ And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

It’s not often that you see grown men weeping and wailing at least not in public, but at this time there will be no pride left in any man. Everything they have will be lost.

Babylon’s great power will not protect her. They will cry because her beauty and wealth will also fail to protect her. It matters not how powerful an entity is, or how beautiful or how rich. If God decides it should fall it will surly fall.

Jesus said, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, rather lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. We must start thinking about these things. The only permanent investments are spiritual. Giving to the Lords work is the most careful money management of all.

Revelation 18:17   ¹⁷ For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,

Verse 17 demonstrates a whole lot of crying going on. Each group, the kings, merchants and seamen begin with “woe-woe”, describing the city according to their own relationship with it. For kings it is the power, for the merchants it is the commodities, for the sea captains and sailors it is their income from the vessels carrying the commodities. All will see the fate of the city and will be shocked by the destruction of it.

This aspect of a world economy of globalism is already upon us. We are at a point that no developed nation of any kind can survive today without networking with the global economy. There is almost no such thing as an American product that is not totally dependent on parts, trade or investments from foreign countries.

Revelation 18:18   ¹⁸ And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Babylon was burning down and people are saying, how could this happen to our great city. God will take out in one hour what it took seven years to build. They were crying over financial loss but seem to show no concern for their lost souls.

Revelation 18:19   ¹⁹ And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.

This is a very good sign of what the love of money will do to people, when money becomes your god and all of a sudden, your god of money is gone, there is nothing left but godless grief. The casting of dust on their heads does not point to repentance but rather to the sorrow of their financial loss.

Revelation 18:20   ²⁰ Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

This is something the old testament prophets prophesied and the new testament apostles predicted. And the tribulation saints will pray for. We should join the angels in heaven in rejoicing when Gods word is fulfilled and the prayers of Gods people are answered.

Here we have a difference between Gods people and the godless. One group will rejoice and sing the praises of God. The other will grieve and mourn the loss of their god, money. In the end Babylon will have brought this judgment on herself by mistreating Gods people.

Revelation 18:21   ²¹ And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

This verse sounds somewhat like Sodom and Gomorrah, Jericho and the flood of Noah. They were all listening but none were hearing. The final destruction of Babylon come after an angel throws a millstone in the sea and says, with such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

Revelation 18:22    ²² And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;

Everything from entertainment to manual labor jobs will cease. There will be no more music in Babylon. No people going to work and no craftsmen on the job. She will be silenced forever.

Your merchants were the worlds great men by your magic spell. All the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints. And of all those who have been killed on the earth.

Revelation 18: 23-24   ²³ And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.

²⁴ And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

The forces of darkness will reign until the return of Jesus. Jesus warned that false prophets will deceive many in the last days. The winds of deceit will reach gale force during the tribulation period. Be aware of any religious leader who speaks ill of Jesus and opposed the scriptures or of any message that contradicts the bible, no matter how sweet it sounds. If it is not of Gods word, it is the wrong message.

 Until our next lesson

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy.

Revelation Lesson 45

Revelation

Lesson 45

Are We Living in the End Times?

Revelation 18:8   ⁸ Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

When nations become wealthy, they become independent. They no longer sense the need of God. The history of great nations in the past reveals that this wealth and prosperity will be the reason for the fall of current nations.

Today many global corporations and world leaders are making decisions for the sole purpose of producing wealth and power. They can not see Gods love, mercy and grace because they are only looking to what their greed can bring them. Their blindness in performing these acts of greed for money and power will not and their blindness to Gods will for their life and will not be an excuse when God decides their sins are piled high enough.

At the home of the one world government and global trade, Babylon will think she is very powerful. She will control powerful weapons and great armies, but compared to the Lord God who will judge her Babylon’s strength will seem more like a dart gun.

What no earthly army can do, God will accomplish in one day. First the angel of death will pass over Babylon. Second, this city that just finished saying “I will not see sorrow will grieve bitterly. Third, this rich city will suddenly run out of food, and lastly will burn to the ground.

Revelation 18:9   ⁹ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

The destruction of Babylon will be world wide news. Kings, dictators, politicians and those who supported her will see the smoke billowing up into the air. It will cause them to grieve and cry. By sundown they will see a heap of smoldering rubble.

It will remind many of what happened at the world trade center towers in New York city. It will be time to bury the new coming world order.

Revelation 18:10   ¹⁰ Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry woe- woe, o great city Oh Babylon, city of power. In one hour, your doom has come. The kings, dictators and politicians will shake with fear, panic will grip them because of the loss of their merchandise.

Their cry of alas-alas reveals deep anguish and terror with sorrow because of the destruction that came in one hour. Some call the city of Babylon, that mighty city others call it the city of power. Babylon will be the power center of the antichrist, ten kings, the false prophets, presidents and prime ministers. It is the super center of global governance and global trade.

In the near future vigilant Christians may want to focus on the efforts to rebuild their lives on the word of God. Not for so called religious freedom.

Revelation 18:11   ¹¹ And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Not only will the heads of state weep but so will the worlds big business men. This remarkable account of the products that were used by ancient Babylon indicates the extensive wealth of the city and the many costly things that were normally imported.

They will not only cry over the loss of life, they will mourn over the loss of customers as the city is destroyed. To the buyers and sellers, the unimaginable starts to take place. They realize that a grave mistake has taken place and everything they had is all gone.

Revelation 18:12   ¹² The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

During the tribulation period Babylon will import these cargoes frequently. These cargoes are goods of high society. The global traders will pile them up in Babylon. This predicted judgment should certainly caution all those who put their trust in stocks and bonds, houses and land, or the making of money. They are putting their trust in the wrong things their trust should be wholly in the Lord.

Revelation 18:13   ¹³ And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Products from large corporations of the world will deal in Babylon during the tribulation period. Like expensive perfumes, spices, food, grain, cattle and more. The picture at this period of time will be the same as has been true in every walk of life before. The souls of men will mean no more than a piece of merchandise or commodity. All will be used for the benefit of the state and the supporters of the state.

Revelation 18:14   ¹⁴ And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.

Babylon has always been associated with wealth. They have been designated one of the wonders of the world. As in all things it too must come to an end.

Revelation 18:15   ¹⁵ The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,

The businessmen who prospered at Babylon will not go near the ruins. They will grieve at a distance, they are terrified at her judgment.

Here is a great society that is not unlike our own which has more or less forgotten God in all of her success. Rather than praising God for this abundant blessing they have become obsessed with the pursuit of those things. They have forgotten the divine one from who all blessings come.

Even more so, they have forgotten here is no permanent satisfaction in that which is temporal. They are caught in an endless and mindless pursuit of that which can never satisfy their souls.

Until our next lesson,

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy