REVELATION LESSON 53

REVELATION

LESSON 53

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 21:13   ¹³ On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

The wall will have four sides with three gates on each side, providing access to the holy city from every direction on the new earth.

Revelation 21:14   ¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

This city will have twelve foundation. Each foundation will have the name of one of the twelve apostles of Jesus on it. This is significant because the Word tells us that the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets.

Revelation 21:15   ¹⁵ And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

Revelation 21:16   ¹⁶ And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

The holy city will be laid out like a square. Its length will be the same as the width and height. The holy of holies in the tabernacle and the one in Jerusalem temple were cubes. The shape of Gods temporary residence among the Hebrews will be the shape of Gods permanent residence among his people.

Revelation 21:17   ¹⁷ And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

The wall around the holy city will be 144 cubits, (216 feet thick) the thick wall will provide plenty of protection. The ancient wall of Babylon was only 87 feet thick.

Revelation 21:18   ¹⁸ And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

The wall will be made of a gem that is beautiful, hard and transparent. People will be able to see through it into the holy city. The light of God will beam out of the city. The city itself will be made of gold as clear as glass.

Revelation 21:19-20   ¹⁹ And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

²⁰ The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

Each one of the twelve foundation of the city walls will be different. The first four floors will be Jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, and emerald.

The next eight foundations will be decorated with sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth and amethyst. A brilliant rainbow would be just a pale glimmer compared to what these foundation stones will look like. God is light and His light passing through these many different colored stone will be breathtaking.

Revelation 21:21   ²¹ And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

With only twelve gates to this amazing city and each gate being more than 300 miles apart, we know the gates will need to be huge. Each gate will consist of a single gigantic pearl.

And the street of the city will be made of pure gold as it were transparent glass.

Revelation 21:22   ²² And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Because of sin on earth God withdrew his presence from mankind. He had Moses and others to build a tabernacle. Later Solomon built a temple where the people would go to worship. He separated himself from them by residing in the holy of holies. After the millennium things will be different. A temple will not be needed since sin will not be present in the holy city.

God will have no need to separate himself from his people. The glorious presence of the Father and Son will permeate the entire city.

Revelation 21:23   ²³ And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

The Father and the Son are the source of the physical light. They spoke light into existence when they created the sun, moon and stars. These will be done away with when they create the new heaven and the new earth, Gods presence in the holy city will be our illumination.

Revelation 21:24   ²⁴ And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

The new earth will be populated with the children of Israel and the descendants of those who did not follow Satan in the final rebellion after the millennium. Nations and leaders will be on the new earth when the holy city comes out of heaven. They will walk in the light coming from that holy city instead of the light of the sun and moon.

The inhabitants of the new earth will travel to the holy city to worship. The holy city will be the future home of the church. The new earth will be the future home of Israel and all others who will be saved after the rapture.

Revelation 21:25   ²⁵ And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

The people of some ancient cities would open their gates during the day and close them at night. The continuous presence of God will illuminate the Holy city and there will be continuous light. There will be no darkness.

Darkness will not be known. There will be no need to shut the gates.

Revelation 21:26   ²⁶ And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

Visitors will go to the holy city to give glory and honor to the Lord.

Revelation 21:27   ²⁷ And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

When God created Adam and Eve, he placed them in a perfect creation, the garden of Eden. When Satan came and tempted them and they fell they lost their place in the Garden. God will never allow that to happen again. He will never allow any thing that is impure to enter the holy city. Only those whose names are found in the Lambs book of life will be permitted to enter.

Until our next lesson,

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy.

REVELATION LESSON 52

REVELATION

LESSON 52

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 21:4   ⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Wiping all tears from their eyes means that the normal reaction of the present life of sorrows will be eliminated. For the former things shall pass away. The new creation will be much different in every way.

Revelation 21:5   ⁵ And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Following the millennium Jesus will not fix or repair this old creation. He will recreate everything. This is more than a verbal promise because he says, write, these words are true and faithful.

Revelation 21:6   ⁶ And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

The new creation is inevitable because it is the spoken word of Jesus. He proved His power to create when he fashioned all things at the beginning of creation. As the alpha and Omega, he is the first and the last word in all things, all authority is his and what he declares will be done.

Revelation 21:7   ⁷ He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

In the original creation Adam was told to till the ground. He was a steward over the creation, but the overcomers will inherit the new creation. All true Christians are overcomers God is their God, they are his children and joint heirs with Jesus.

Revelation 21:8   ⁸ But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

All unbelievers will be cast into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, which is the second death. The original creation was over come with sin. The earth was filled with violence and corruption. This will not happen in the new creation because the ungodly will find their place of death in the lake of fire the cowardly unbelievers, abominable murderers, sexually immoral. Those who practice sorcery, idolaters and liars.

Revelation 21:9   ⁹ And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me saying to me come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. The same angel came to John saying, come I will show you the bride, the Lambs wife. Both of these women represent a great city.

One of the same angels who poured out a bowl of Gods wrath is now inviting John to see Gods love for his church. A special union will exist between a bridegroom ad bride upon their marriage.

Revelation 21:10   ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

On both occasions the angel carried John away in the spirit. But there is a difference, the first time the angel took John into the wilderness, and this time the angel took John to a great high mountain. The first time John saw Babylon hurled down with violence. This time John saw the new Jerusalem descending out of heaven. How it will descend is a matter of debate, nothing is said about it coming to rest on the earth.

It may do that bit it also may remain suspended above. One thing is for sure, what goes on in the holy city will be more important than what takes place on the new earth. The holy city will be the headquarters of the new creation. John was in the spirit. It was an ecstatic spiritual state that put him close to God and made it possible for him to see visions.

Revelation 21:11   ¹¹ Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

The holy city will descend out of heaven lit with the shekinah glory of God. His light will burst forth in brilliance like the sparkle of a large jasper stone clear as crystal. Jasper is the first stone in the breast plate of the high priest. It is a symbol of purity and holiness.

Revelation 21:12   ¹² And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

The holy city will be surrounded by a thick high wall with twelve gates. Peter won’t be standing at these gates, angels will. The name of each of one of the twelve tribes of Israel will be written on the gates.

The names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be a reminder that the messiah, the scriptures and salvation came through the Jews. Without them the holy city would not be needed and the gentiles would be without hope.

The walls of the new Jerusalem reveal that Israel and the church share equally in the inheritance of the city. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are inscribed on it’s twelve gates. The names of the twelve apostles are on the twelve foundation stones.

Until our next lesson,

Stay in the word.

Brother Andy.

REVELATION LESSON 51

REVELATION

LESSON 51

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 20:11   ¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

This is the judgment seat of all mighty God. The one who will be seated on it is not identified, but we have already seen that all judgment has been committed to Jesus. When preachers say people will have to face the Judgment of God, this is the judgment most people think about. The only ones who will appear before this judgment seat are those who are lost.

When scripture tells us that heaven and earth will pass away, you can be sure that the world will definitely end. There will be a last baby born, a last marriage performed, a last kiss, a last song and a last hurrah.

Revelation 20:12   ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

The dead will stand before Jesus as he sits upon the great white throne. They will come from all walks of life. Small and great, poor and rich, peasants and kings. They will stand before the courts judgment bar to be sentenced; several books will be opened. Each one is a book of works or a book of deeds.

These books will contain the thoughts, words and deeds of each individual, by these things will each be judged. Another book will be opened, the book of life. When a person is born their name is written in this book. If they never get saved they will die in a lost condition and their name will be removed. Some will deny Jesus so strongly while they are alive that their name will be removed. It will also be removed for taking the mark of the beast or if they add or take away from what the scriptures say.

The book of life is the list of all who were born once. The Lambs book of life is the list of all who were born twice. The ones who truly accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Revelation 20:13   ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The bible teaches that man is destined to die once, then he will face judgment. Believers and unbelievers will be raised up separately and judged separately. Believers will go before the judgment seat of Christ, where their works will be judged.

This is a judgment for the purpose of receiving rewards or crowns. Unbelievers will also go before the white throne where their works will also be judged. The purpose of this is not salvation by degrees of punishment.

Revelation 20:14   ¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

This will be the end of the first death “ the physical death”, this is good news for believers, but terrible news for the unbeliever they will want to die physically when they are raised from the dead, but that will not be an option because they will have new bodies also that cannot be destroyed in the lake of fire. Their suffering will be eternal.

Revelation 20:15   ¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

If you are wondering if a person ever ceases to exist the answer is no. the question to ask is where will that person spend eternity.

When a sentence is rendered your eternal destiny will not be determined by your deeds. It will be determined only by what is written in the Lambs book of life. God will make a careful search of the Lambs book of life to see if you have taken the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior.

The names of the ones who refuse to accept Jesus before they died will have been blotted out of the book of life. They will join Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet in the lake of fire forever.

Revelation 21:1   21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

After revealing the church age, the tribulation period and the millennium, John focused on one last time period that most writher call eternity. God will create a new world that John compares to Jerusalem and Babylon. Get ready to see some of these comparisons.

Here John glimpsed a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and earth passed away. The new heaven and earth will be different from the original creation. The new earth will not have a sea on it.

Revelation 21:2 ² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

In the original creation, God put Adam in the garden of Eden, in the new creation God will put his church in a special city called the new Jerusalem. This city will not be like ancient Jerusalem or Babylon, this will be a holy city.

This city is not heaven, it will come down from and out of heaven. This city is not the whole creation or the whole new earth, it is just one part or one city that will come to the new earth.

The new Jerusalem will be the bride’s new home after the millennium. It will be a real city with physical attributes, but it will also be like a bride in that it will be pure and radiant.

Revelation 21:3   ³ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

In the original creation God came down from heaven to walk and talk with Adam in the wilderness. God in the new creation will come down with the holy city to remain and dwell with his people.

Revelation 21:4   ⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

During the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments of the tribulation period many will experience sorrow, pain and death. The new creation will be different in that everything that causes these things will be done away with.

REVELATION LESSON 50

REVELATION

LESSON 50

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 20:4   ⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 I saw thrones and those who sat upon them and judgment was given unto them, refers to the 24 elders who represent the entire plan of God. This plan pertained to the redeemed of all ages. We are not told who these men are.

The souls of those who had been beheaded refers to the martyred tribulation saints. They were beheaded for two reasons, because of their testimony for Jesus and to fulfill the word of God. These will be gentiles and Jews who refuse to worship the antichrist or his image and they refused to take his mark.

After Satan is bound and chained their souls will appear and they will be raised from the dead in the fourth and final phase of the resurrection. This is the kingdom age.

Revelation 20:5   ⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

John 5:28-29   ²⁸ Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The first resurrection is called the resurrection of life or the resurrection of believers. The second resurrection is called the resurrection of damnation or the resurrection of the unbelievers.

This verse reveals that there will be a thousand years between the two. The believers who survive the tribulation period will not be resurrected since they will still be alive at the start of the millennium age.

Revelation 20:6   ⁶ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

This is the resurrection of life, which will include every saint of God who has ever lived from able to the last tribulation saint. All will be given glorified bodies. The second death is to be cast into the lake of fire and to be there forever. All who are washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, need not fear the second death.

They shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years pertains to all believers who have part in the first resurrection. These at the same time serve as mediators to speak between the population of the world and God and Christ. The thousand years portrays the kingdom age when Christ will reign over the entire earth.

Revelation 20:7   ⁷ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

With Satan bound during the millennium people will be shielded from temptation and sinful ways, sickness and disease will not exist and people will live to be very old. A population explosion will occur. Since God is no respecter of persons, those born during the millennium will have to be tested just like people of today. When the millennium is over the abyss will be opened one more time so Satan can be released for a short time.

Revelation 20:8   ⁸ And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

When Satan is released, he will begin his same old deception as he always has. He will go out to deceive the nations again. Tempting those who were born during the millennium or the thousand-year reign. This will prove that elimination sin is not as simple as changing our environment. Something has to be wrong with the very nature of mans heart to have this kind of rebellion. Unless we are born again and seeking a relationship with Jesus, we will never see change.

At the battle of Gog and Magog Satan will repeat what he tried at the battle of Armageddon. He will try one final time to be greater than God by gathering great hordes of people from all over the world. This will include those people from Gog and Magog.

Because this rebellion is labeled Gog and Magog it is not the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. This is not possible at all, for the conflicts described are not parallel as to time and place or participants. Only the names are the same.

Revelation 20:9   ⁹ And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

This pictures Satan coming against Jerusalem with his army which will be the last attack against that city. Satan’s army will march across the earth and surround the city, but just as God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will again consume Satan’s army with fire from heaven.

Revelation 20:10   ¹⁰ And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Satan will not be allowed to lure people into destruction any longer. His deceptive career will be brought to an end when he is captured and thrown into the lake of fire where the antichrist and the false prophet already reside. Unfortunately for them they will not be destroyed but will suffer unending torment.

Revelation Lesson 49

Revelation

Lesson 49

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 19:15   ¹⁵ And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Christ is seen here as bodily leaving heaven and coming to earth. Jesus will be the only one in this great heavenly army to carry a weapon. The white horse is symbolic of victory. The fact that Jesus comes on a white horse indicates that it is time for His victory and judgment on this wicked world.

The battle will be His to win. His weapon will be a two-edged sword, the word of God. When this world was created, God spoke it into existence. At Armageddon He will simply speak to destroy the opposing nations. He will speak and they will fall.

The nations will join together at Armageddon, the antichrist in his efforts to try to destroy Israel. Jesus ruling with a rod of iron refers to the fact that the Lord of glory will not allow or tolerate in any shape, form or fashion that which kills, steals or destroys.

Things will change during the millennium. There will be no deception, no lies, no murder, no crime or war. Gods righteousness will prevail for a thousand years. Knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth and Jesus will finally get the worship he so richly deserves.

This will not come about because man has given up his rebellious ways, but because the son of God has put his foot down on the wicked and established his own reign on earth.

Revelation 19:16   ¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

This proclaims the fact that there will be no doubt as to who he actually is. Jesus will return as not only a king, but the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. He comes to establish His kingdom. Every earthly king will submit to him.

Revelation 19:17   ¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;

The fact that the angel speaks with a loud voice signifies that something important is about to happen. The invitation to the birds refers to partaking of the dead bodies that had been killed in the judgment of the army of Armageddon.

Revelation 19:18   ¹⁸ That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

This predicts the horrible end of the antichrist’s armies, his foolish rulers, mighty men, horses, riders, and troops will become a feast for the birds. The only fate worse than death itself is death followed by lack of burial. Ones remains are devoured by the animals.

Revelation 19:19   ¹⁹ And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

 The antichrist is named first because he will lead these armies. His ten puppet kings will join him with their troops from all over the world. The kings of the east alone will have two hundred million troops. These armies will have the latest and most powerful weapons known to mankind.

Never before have there been so many armies gathered together on one side. Notice why they will gather, to make war against the rider on the white horse and his army. These armies will gather to fight the Lord Jesus and those who will come out of heaven with him. This answers those who asked who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him, for they are spirits of demons, performing signs which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day of God almighty?

As the armies of the world converge upon Armageddon on a massive collision course, suddenly their objective will change. Instead of contending with each other they will unite to fight the army of the Messiah that descends from heaven.

Revelation 19:20   ²⁰ And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Out of the hundreds of millions gathered at Armageddon only two people will be captured. The antichrist and the false prophet. They will be seized for using great signs to delude people into taking the mark of the beast and worshiping his image. They will be judged and immediately cast into the lake of fire.

The antichrist will be the greatest intellectual, the greatest politician, the greatest stateman and the greatest economist who ever lived, but when he usurps “to take hold of by force” Gods people by deception and gives his allegiance to Satan he will become the greatest fool.

Revelation 19:21   ²¹ And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Not one of the millions of troops will escape, they will all be killed by the powerful word of God and the Birds will consume their bodies. Those who do not know the future should be careful about questioning the word of God.

Revelation 20:1   20 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

An un-named angel will come from heaven to earth. He will have the key to the bottomless pit that will be taken from Satan, the angel will also have a great chain in his hand.

Revelation 20:2-3   ² And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

³ And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Since God is omnipotent, He could seize Satan anytime he wants, but the bible says Satan’s arrest will come at the end of the tribulation period. God will not jump the gun and violate his own word when the tribulation period is over, he will send one ordinary angel to seize and bind Satan for a thousand years.

Verse 3

The angel will cast Satan bound and chained into a bottomless pit this will keep Satan from deceiving the nations during the millennium. Survivors from the tribulation that did not receive the mark of the beast, the tribulation saints, and the living Jews will repopulate the earth, and the people for all nations will go to Jerusalem once a year to worship Jesus.

Multitudes will be born during the millennium. During that time the offspring from the tribulation saints and Jews will not know what temptation is. There will be no real test of their faith. Satan will be released one more time to try them and unfortunately many will fall.

Some demons are active in the world today. Others are chained in the bottomless pit where the antichrist Abaddon and his demon possessed locusts came from. There will be a literal thousand year period when the messiah will reign on earth.