Additional Thoughts on Revelation Part Three
REV 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
REV 14:10 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:
REV 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
The two witness are now gone, having been killed. Satan and his beast are at war with the saved people on the earth. Witnessing for Jesus on the earth has now been greatly reduced. So in this chapter we have three angels that were sent to preach.
The first one in verse 6 preaches the everlasting gospel to every nation and every language on the earth.
The second angel preaches against Babylon. And the third angel preaches about how misguided worshiping the beast and his image is. He warns them of the consequences of their actions. He warns them of the fire and brimstone of hell. He also warns them that this torment will be for ever and ever.
For most people during this time, not even an angel of heaven preaching to them will be enough. They will continue to worship the beast and his image. And yet God still sends the angels to preach. I believe that not everyone will reject the angels preaching. Why do I believe that? Because God’s Word does not return void. God does not do things in vain. He sends the angels to preach for those that will get saved.
Even during the tribulation we see the love of God. He is still warning people about escaping judgment. He is still trying to get people to repent and get saved. God is still not willing that any should perish.
REV 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Creation is mentioned over and over throughout the entire Bible. It is NOT limited to the first few chapters. Creation is mentioned in the first book of the Bible, here in the last book of the Bible and all between. That God created everything is an extremely important doctrine. It is not a side issue to Christianity. He has the right to judge the world because He created the world. It is His. It did not evolve! Creation also makes Him worthy of worship. “worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” The creation declares His power, His greatness, His infinite intelligence, His wisdom, and His creativity. Looking upon creation should have the effect on us of worshiping Him.
REV 14:10 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:
Hell is real. This is literal. Those that worship the beast instead of Jesus will be tormented with fire and brimstone. Yes real fire and real brimstone. They will have the choice of Jesus and thus persecution or being tormented with fire. They will drink of the wrath of God and it will be poured out in full. It is much better to accept Jesus and persecution for a time than to reject Him and suffer forever.
REV 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
This choice is not just for people of the tribulation. All men must choose Jesus or hell. Some persecution now or torment forever. Turn from sin and turn to God or enjoy the false pleasure of sin for a season. Let Jesus pay your sin penalty or pay the penalty for your sin forever and ever in a lake of fire. My prayer is that you have chosen Jesus.
REV 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant 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 is one place that we see singing in heaven. We are not told everything about what we will do in heaven. I don’t think our limited minds could understand it all if we were told. But we do know that we will be singing. We will be praising God for who He is and what He has done.
One of the songs mentioned here that will be sung is the song of Moses. The song of Moses is the very first song in the Bible. You can find the words to the song in Exodus Chapter 15 verses 1 thru 19. The song of Moses is full of teaching. The song talks about the mercy of God but the song of Moses also has some hard things in it. The song includes not only the power of God but also the judgment of God.
The song is all about God, His attributes, what He has done and their reaction to it. And this is the kind of song that will be sung in heaven. It is music that is vastly different from the repetitious, not much doctrinal content, appeal to the flesh, hard drum beat stuff that is in many churches today.
REV 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.
“for thou only art holy” God is holy. He is perfect, He is righteous, He is without sin. In Him is no darkness at all.
1Jo 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
I have had lost men try to blame God for evil. They say, how can God be good with all the suffering and wickedness in the world. They have the nerve to blame a holy God for the wickedness of man’s heart. The evil that wicked man does is not God’s fault. Why is there wickedness in the world? It is because man’s unregenerate heart is wicked.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Man loves his darkness and rejects the light of Christ.
They will say if God is good then why does He not force everyone to be good. God has given man a free will. Man hast to have a free will to choose to accept Jesus or not. He must choose to walk with God or not. God wants man to love Him and receive His Son. If man was forced to love God, it would not be love at all. Love to be love must be freely given. Man must have a free will to choose.
If man chooses to reject Christ and be evil, then that is his choice and it is his fault and it is his wickedness. You cannot blame God for it. And make no mistake God will judge their evil. They will pay for it in this life now in some respects, and they will pay for it for all eternity.
REV 15:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
REV 15:6 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.
REV 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
REV 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
The Tribulation has been bad up to this point, but it is about to get worse. Seven angels are given seven vials full of the wrath of God. The wrath of God is going to be poured out upon the earth now in the form of seven plagues. The two witnesses have finished their work and have been killed. Mankind in general has rejected their message. Some did get saved and it cost them their lives but most have rejected Jesus. Time and again so far in the tribulation God has went to great lengths to reach men. It was very clear with all the previous judgments that the one true God is bringing judgment. He had sent witnesses in a miraculous way. Men have had many chances to turn to God. Sadly most will not and will curse and blaspheme. Now will come a time of the pouring out of the great wrath of God. During this time, no one will be going into the heavenly temple and singing praises. The temple will be filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. It will be a very solemn time as this wrath is poured out. Woe unto all who rejected Jesus.
REV 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
REV 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
REV 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
God has went to great lengths for men to be saved. He became man and went to the cross to pay for man’s sin. God gave us His Holy Word that shows us how to be saved. God has called many men to preach the gospel. God sent two witnesses during the tribulation. After they were killed, God sent 3 angels to preach. God has been very patient and longsuffering thru it all. There are many things going on today that makes us sometimes wonder why does not God send judgment upon it. But God withholds. God’s patience is great. He stays His hand. Out of Love He gives men space to repent.
God does have great patience, but it is not endless. He is righteous and just and therefore judgment must finally come. These verses tell us that the terrible judgments of these plagues are just. God is righteous in pouring His wrath upon those left upon the earth at this time.
In verse 2 they are worshiping the beast. In verse 6 they have murdered God’s children and His prophets. In verse 9 they repent not and refuse to give Him glory. In verse 11 they blaspheme God. In verse 14 and 16 they gather to do battle for Satan and against God. And in verse 21 they blaspheme God again.
Refusing all of God’s pleadings, signs, Words, preaching, and conviction will in the end lead to judgment. It is true for these people in Revelation 16 and it is true for us today.
Refusing God’s love and His free gift of salvation thru His Son Jesus will end in the eternal judgment of hell. It is a wicked thing to refuse the love of God.
In this chapter God pours out His wrath upon the wicked using the 7 vials.
1) Grievous sores upon those with the mark of the beast
2) The sea becomes as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
3) The rivers and fountains of waters become blood.
4) Is poured upon the sun; and men are scorched with fire and great heat.
5) Is poured upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain
6) Is poured out upon the river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
7) The seventh vial causes thunders, lightnings, and the greatest earthquake that the world has ever known. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent:
What a grievous list of judgments that were poured out. And the wicked knew that these judgments were from God. We know this by their reaction. Did they honor God for them? No. Did they repent of their sin? No. We see their reaction in verse 21, “and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”
They blasphemed God. They are the ones that are wicked. The judgments are just. God has been longsuffering and merciful, but time has now come for Him to deal in judgment. But instead of wicked man realizing his sin and understanding that he has earned judgment and thus turn from darkness to His marvelous light, they have the nerve to blaspheme God. This is the wicked heart of man.
Do we not see the same thing today. Men will blame God for all kinds of things. Instead of realizing their sin and turning from darkness to light, they will blaspheme His Holy name.
The heart without Jesus is truly wicked. Not even great judgments will turn them. Not even seeing the awesome power of God displayed firsthand, like in these vials will cause men to turn from darkness.
Joh 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Most men will not leave their darkness, but Praise God some will. One day God’s judgment will be poured out on this world. And before then His judgment comes upon any individual who dies without Christ. Are you ready? Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior with a repentant heart?
REV 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
The vials of God’s judgment are being poured out upon the earth. It is a solemn time in heaven. No one can enter the Temple during this time because of the power of God. You do not see singing or rejoicing during this time. No one in heaven is rejoicing that these judgments are being poured out. It is a solemn time. It is a sad thing that men will so harden their hearts that judgment must fall. And make no mistake these judgments are just. The angels testify that God is righteous for sending these judgments.
REV 16:6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
The people who are receiving these horrible judgments are worthy of them. They have done terrible things, they have killed God’s children, and they have killed His prophets. And continue to blaspheme Almighty God.
REV 16:7 And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
No more longsuffering, patience, and mercy from God. Only poured out judgment after poured out judgment. And it will be just. It will be right. Sin and iniquity must be punished by God.
The punishments here are severe but they are nothing in comparison to what the eternal punishment in hell will be like. Too many people like to think of God as only love. And He is Love. But He is also just. And to be just sin must be punished. Every man has a free choice to either experience the love of God or the wrath of God. Every man will receive one or the other. There are NO exceptions. It is a much better thing to receive His Great Love than to receive His Great Wrath.
REV 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Jesus is truly the Lord of lords, and King of kings. He is on the throne of the universe. We cannot understand God’s master plan. Many times things happen that we cannot understand the reason why. But God does. He has a reason for it. His plan will not be thwarted. No matter how much Satan fights against God, he will lose in the end.
Jesus came as a Lamb led to the slaughter the first time to go to the cross and pay for our sin. Jesus made that sacrifice once for all. Never again will He suffer. The debt has been paid in full. Jesus declared it is finished. The next time Jesus comes back it will not be as a Lamb but as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Jesus is going to come back in glory and in power. And He will overcome Mystery Babylon, the beast, Satan, and all those that follow him. The Lamb shall overcome them. He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.
REV 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
God can and does turn the hearts of the wicked. He will put it into their hearts to fulfill His will. What God has prophesied will come to pass.
Some will then ask, if God puts things in man’s heart, then why does not God make everyone get saved?
God never overrides man’s free will in regard to salvation. Man must come to God with a free will. Love not freely given is not love at all. Choice without free choice is no choice at all and man must choose to believe. Salvation is truly whosoever will may come. In verse 17 these wicked men already had their hearts set upon doing wickedness. God just directed them on what wickedness they were to do. God has perfect foreknowledge. He knows who will accept Him and who will not and He moves in their hearts accordingly.
God is Sovereign and His plan will be executed, regardless of man’s will. And man does have a free will. Both are true, regardless of what we think about it or our limited ability to understand it. This is something that quite frankly is beyond our limited minds to comprehend.
The main point is that whether we see it or not, God is on the throne. He is in control and His plan will happen. Amen.
REV 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Sometimes the book of Revelation is very literal. What John is seeing is something that is exactly what it is described as. For example when John saw the heavenly city, he really saw a real city. It will be exactly like John saw it. Other times John is shown a vision that is symbolic. Here is an example in these verses. The woman stands for something else. This is clear because we are told that it is symbolic. We should not make something literal symbolic and we should not make something symbolic literal. The symbolic vision is a way to show the attitude, the intent, the goal, the purpose, and so on of something else in a very vivid way.
REV 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
REV 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
REV 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
What a vision. You just sense the evil in her. The complete anti God sentiment. In verse 7 the angel starts to tell the interpretation of the vision.
REV 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
The angel tells the meaning of the beast first and then in verse 18 we are told what the woman represented.
REV 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
The woman was a visual way to vividly picture the heart (if you will) of that great city. This will be a real literal specific city. The Bible says that this great city will reign over the kings of the earth. It will be the seat of power at that time. It will be full of blasphemy and all kinds of horrible abominations. It will be far worse than the horrible conditions of evil that we see today in most cities. Just look again at what it says about her, “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:”
This great city will murder in cold blood those that claim Jesus. Getting saved will be a death sentence. And this city will be drunk with the blood of the saints. They will revel in the killing of the saints. It will not just be one or two that are killed by this city. It will be many.
This great city as described here is not yet in this state of evil. They city itself may or may not yet exist. If the city does exist already, it has not yet degraded to the state that it will be in. This great city clearly shows how terrible the sin of man is. It shows the depth of evil that man will sink to without Jesus.
We are not yet to the point today that that great city will get to, but we do see the world going more and more in that direction. That slide will continue to get worse and worse, and at some point one city will rise as the seat of power for the world and it will rule the nations, and it will do so in total wickedness and abominations and get great pleasure out of killing Christians.
I will say it again. I am glad that I am saved and will not be here to have to live thru the tribulation.
REV 18:17 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,
REV 18:18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
REV 18:19 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.
At this time in the tribulation God will destroy a great center of trade and commerce. Many will mourn at her loss. The reason why is that they were made rich there. Their affection was on riches. The concern of their lives was on money and all that it can buy. And to show the futility of that God takes it all away in one hour.
There are many like this today. Their main concern in life is money. They put all their energy into making it. They spend their free time spending it and showing it off. Their security in life is placed on their bank accounts. But just like in Rev Chapter 18 all of your money can vanish in an hour. You can be living high on the hog one day and the next you can be in the poor house. Not only can your money vanish but your money cannot help you when you die. You cannot take it with you, and you cannot buy your way into heaven. In the scope of eternity money does not have much value.
And yet many people still put their trust in, and invest their hearts in money. Their love of money leaves no room for Jesus in their hearts. They think that they have all they need. This is why Jesus said in Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
It is hard for a rich man to see his need for Jesus, but it is not impossible.
Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
It is hard for a rich man to get saved, but they can get saved. With God all things are possible. We need to witness to all men regardless of how much or how little money they have.
REV 18:14 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.
This great city is judged by God. The merchants and people lusted after her goods, and riches. Their affections were upon the things of this world. They will morn her destruction greatly. It will all happen very quickly. You know this can also happen to individual people today. They can have their affections only on the things of this world. They lust after them. Things can seem to be going fine. They think they are ok and in the space of a few days or even a few hours all is lost. They can lose their job, their house can burn down, they can lose all their money in the stock market. Many different things can take all they have away. And the worst thing of all is they can lose their life. They can die unprepared to meet God. They let the lust of things rob them of their eternity. Instead of rewards in Heaven they get torment in Hell.
The things of this world are not eternal. You will either lose them in this life or you will lose them when you die. In the end lusting for them will bring you nothing but sorrow. In eternity they will not matter at all. It is much wiser to set your affections on things above.
REV 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
REV 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
REV 18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
REV 18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
REV 18:8 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.
All the wicked in that great city had thought that they were getting away with it. Day after day, month after month. Killing God’s people and indulging in all kinds of wickedness. But God was watching the whole time. He was keeping track and this city is going to get double punishment according to her works. The city was prideful in its wickedness and thought that it was strong enough to even resist God. The city thought that they would see no sorrow. All the while judgment was coming. They were not getting away with anything. All they were doing was filling up their cup of iniquity so that the judgment would be that much worse. And according to God’s perfect timing, judgment will fall on this city. And it will fall fast. In only one day it will be destroyed.
In the end this city did not get away scott-free. They got the judgment that they deserved and when it came it came fast and without mercy. God deals with large groups this way, as we see here, and God also deals with individuals like this. He will let them go on in their wickedness. He will be longsuffering and offer chance after chance to them to repent. Most will refuse God time and time again. So God lets them fill up their cup of iniquity. And He keeps track and they will receive judgment according to their evil wickedness. And many times it will come fast and furious. They will not even see it coming, and then it will be too late. They can go from laughing at God while they indulge in sin, to lifting up their eyes in hell in just a moment of time.
If you are lost, you need to realize that you are not getting away with your sin. It needs to be judged and it will be judged. The only question is are you going to take that judgment yourself, or are you going to let Jesus take your judgment upon Himself in your place. Are you going to put away your pride, repent, and call upon the Lord to save you from the just penalty of sin?
REV 19:7 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.
REV 19:8 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.
In chapter 19 the focus returns to heaven. The saved are praising the Lord and worshipping Him. The tribulation is ready to end. God’s judgments have been poured out. And thru it all many have been saved. Jesus is now ready to return to the earth and set up His kingdom, but one thing remains. The marriage supper of the Lamb.
REV 19:9 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.
We will be joined to Christ as a wife to her husband. We will honor Him thru all eternity and He will care for us. It will be a pure relationship without any conflicts of any kind because we will no longer have a sin nature. Sin is at the root of every problem in any relationship. Praise God there will not be any sin allowed in heaven. We will have an eternity of great relationships, and the greatest relationship of all will be with Jesus.
REV 19:1 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:
REV 19:2 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.
Events in the book of Revelation are chronological. The Tribulation is now at an end. Praise is given to God for His salvation, His glory, His honor, His Power and for His judgment. The terrible judgment that He let loose upon the world was right and just. He judged the great whore, and He avenged the blood of His servants. Justice has been done. It is now time to put an end to the Tribulation. If it went on much longer no flesh would live thru it.
It is now time for the marriage supper and then the Lord will return to the earth to set up His 1,000 year reign. But before that, there is a pause in heaven for Praise to be given to Him. The next event can wait until the Lord is praised and worshipped.
REV 19:4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
REV 19:5 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.
He is worthy to be praised. We should take time out and praise His name. Stop the hectic events in your life and worship Him. The next thing that you have to get done can wait until you praise and worship Him.
REV 19:6 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.
We are getting near the end of the tribulation now. God’s plan is starting to draw to a close. Jesus is about to come back in power and set up His 1,000 year kingdom. The beast and the false prophet are about to be thrown into the lake of fire. Men have doubted; men have rejected God; men have fought against Him; they have tried everything in their power to derail the plans of God. However, it is all still going to happen just like God says it will. Our God is omnipotent. He is all powerful and He is on the throne. Nothing happens that surprises Him or that wreaks His plans. Our all-powerful God reigns. And as God’s plans unfold during this time a great multitude in heaven will loudly testify to that fact.
We should also say Alleluia to the fact that our God omnipotent reigneth.
REV 20:4 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.
In this verse we learn that to get saved during the tribulation is a death sentence. They will be beheaded for witnessing of Jesus. They will be beheaded for the word of God. They will be beheaded for not worshipping the beast or his image. They will be beheaded for not receiving the mark of the beast. Killing them will not be done in secret. It will be very public. The beast will want to make an example out of them. It will be public knowledge that to accept Christ will cost you your head. And yet people will still get saved. Christ will mean more to them than their own lives.
A passage like this should make us think about how much does Christ mean to us? Does He mean enough to us to really live for Him? Does He mean enough to us to give a tract to someone? Does He mean enough to us to support His missionaries? Does He mean enough to us to separate from worldly lusts? Does He mean as much to us as these people in verse 4?
A question like this should make every one of us pause and think.
REV 20:6 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.
Christians often neglect thinking about the 1,000 year reign of Christ. It happens after the tribulation and after Satan is bound in the bottomless pit. During this 1,000 years the saved will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for 1,000 years.
God is a God of order. You see it in creation, you see it time and again in the Bible. For example before Jesus fed the multitude he had them sit down in groups of 50’s. The reign of Christ on the earth will not be chaos. It will be very organized. If you are saved, you will have a position; an area of responsibility. We will be busy serving Him. And the position that you will have is determined by how you live for Him today.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Luk 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Luk 19:18-19 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
We will reign with Christ, He will assign our positions, and we will be rewarded according to our works. How much are you doing for Christ? How faithful are you? Do you think that you might get something important to do? Just one more thought. Whatever it is, you will be doing it for 1,000 years. You might not think that it is very important today, but you will then.
REV 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
REV 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
The tribulation is now over. Jesus has set up His kingdom on the earth and is ruling with a rod of iron. Satan will now be bound up for the entire 1,000 year reign of Christ. There will be peace on the earth and no one will have to put up with the deceptions of Satan. You would think that the people who lived thru the tribulation and all their children that will be born during the reign of Jesus would appreciate His perfect kingdom. No doubt there will be those that will, but there will also be many that will not. Even with Christ on the earth reigning in perfect righteousness many will reject Him. Even with Christ on the earth and ruling, man on the whole will still fail to put away their pride and get saved. O’ the depth of mans wicked sin nature. The reason that Satan was locked up for only 1,000 years and then let loose is to show forth how bad man’s sin nature is.
REV 20:3 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.
REV 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
REV 20:8 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.
Satan is only let lose for a little while and he is able to deceive people with great success. In fact Satan gathers up an army that is so large that it cannot be numbered. They quickly fall for whatever lie Satan tells them. They even have the audacity to believe that they can literally fight against God. These people had the opportunity to accept a Savior that they can see and talk to. Jesus will be physically here the whole 1,000 years. His glory and righteousness will be on display. Some people think that if Jesus was here and people could see Him and talk to Him that then people would get saved. No that is not the case. We see that here. Even with Jesus here for 1,000 years a multitude will rise up against Him. O’ the depravity of man.
REV 20:9 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.
REV 20:10 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.
Of course the rebellion is easily stopped. The final point has been made. Satan is now thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone to stay there forever. Never again to deceive or hurt anyone ever again. Amen and Amen.
REV 21:18 And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
REV 21:19 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;
REV 21:20 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.
REV 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.
The beauty of the New Jerusalem is incredible. The materials that it is made of are unusual by earth’s standards. Gold and precious gems are so rare on earth that men kill for them. But they are so common in heaven that they are used for building materials. The beauty of this city is something that Christians look forward to. Even the foundations are made of precious stones. And if the foundations are that beautiful, what are the mansions going to be like. It will be a place full of wonders. The streets will be made of pure gold but they will also be like transparent glass. We have nothing on earth to compare to it. What a wonderful home we will have.
REV 21:4 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.
No more tears. We all have tears in this life. We all get hurt. Because of the sin nature of man, we will get hurt. If we are honest every one of us would say we have been betrayed before. I have been stabbed in the back a few times and you have to.
Has anyone at work every done you wrong just so they can get ahead. Has someone ever made fun of you just so they can satisfy their perverted since of humor? Call you names perhaps. How about talk behind your back?
It hurts. Words can cut like a knife and the wounds they leave can last a lot longer than a regular knife wound. Down here we will have tears. But not in heaven. Not ever. Amen. That is wonderful, but that is not all.
There shall be no more death. Most of us here have had to stand over an open grave and say goodbye to someone we loved. I have had my share of funerals and I know that I have many more to go. Face it, it hurts to lose someone you love. It hurts to bury your husband, or your grandma, or your child. I would not wish that on anyone. I know what it is like to stand over that casket just big enough for a baby. That was the hardest day of my life. Death is hard. It is something that we all must face here. But not in heaven. There shall be no more death. There will not be one grave in heaven. Not one. Not ever. I will get to see my grandma once again, I will get to meet my baby girl. And I will never never never have to say goodbye again.
No more death, but that is not all. Neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. No more sorrow no depression, no more feeling inadequate no crying, and one of my favorites no more pain. Young people don’t really understand how great that is. No arthritis, no cancer, no toothaches. There will be no hospitals, no urgent care, and no pain. There will be no more physical pain and no more emotional pain. Praise the Lord.
Heaven is a truly wonderful place.
REV 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
REV 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
REV 21:27 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.
One of the things that makes Heaven Heaven is that there is no sin there. No one and nothing will be allowed in that defiles, or works abomination, or lies. Only the saved enter and that old sin nature will finally be put off. Never to bother us again. Can you say AMEN!
Verse 25 says they will not shut the gates there. No need to lock up. No thieves in Heaven. No more where did I leave my keys. No more worrying about someone breaking in. No one will ever hurt you. And no one will ever lie to you again. You will be able to have full trust in whatever anyone says. Heaven will be wonderful. But it would not be Heaven if sinners were let in. For there to be a Heaven there must be a Hell. If sin was allowed in, then you would still have trouble, and heartbreak. The Bible is very clear, only those whose name is written in the Lamb’s book of life get to enter into Heaven. Your name is written there when you get saved. Is your name written there?
REV 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
REV 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
God takes His Word very seriously. God does not want any man messing around with His scripture. God does not care how smart a man thinks he is. God does not care if a man is a Greek scholar. God does not want any man taking away or adding anything to His Word. Period.
Excuses will not fly with God. One of the most common excuses of changing God’s Word is the making it easier to read excuse. The easier to read excuse will not cut it. And if you really start comparing all the changes it does not take you very long to figure out that there is a whole lot more going on with the new versions than making it easier to read. Words like hell are changed to grave. The word hell is not hard to understand so why change it? Hell and grave do not mean the same thing. We all go to the grave, but we do not all go to hell. The word virgin is changed to maid. In many places the blood is taken out, the worship of Jesus is taken out, the deity of Jesus is taken out. Some versions like the NIV have 17 whole verses missing as well as many other verses that have had important words and phrases taken out. The list of problems goes on and on.
And all the while that man is doing this, God says don’t add to my Word and don’t take anything away from my Word. In short do not change it.
REV 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
REV 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
It always has amazed me how “Christians” will attack a man who stands up for God’s Word and who simply repeats God’s command to not add to or take away from His Word.
Instead of changing the book, what we as Christians should do is stand up for The Book, read The Book, Love The Book, obey The Book, and share The Book with others.
REV 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
The reason that Jesus came was to seek and to save that which was lost. The reason that we have the Bible is so that we know about Jesus, who He is, why He came, and how we can be with Him forevermore. So it is very fitting to end the Bible with one final call for man to come unto Him.
In this verse God makes it very clear that salvation is offered unto all. It say let him that is athirst come. All men are born spiritually thirsty. Only Jesus has the water that can satisfy this thirst. Him that is athirst is everyone. It also says whosoever will. Every man has a free will. Everyone is offered salvation. It truly is whosoever will. And we have one final reminder that salvation is a free gift. Let him take the water of life freely. Salvation is not of works. It is not of our own merit.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Have you come and taken of the water of life freely?
REV 22:3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
The curse came because of man’s fall and was put in place at that time.
Gen 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
That old serpent the Devil has now been thrown into the lake of fire and there he will be forever.
Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Satan has been at enmity against women ever since. This also will be no more.
Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
The woman had multiplied sorrow. In sorrow she had to bring forth children. That pain will be no more.
Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;
Gen 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
God cursed the ground because of Adam. Thorns and thistles are a result of the curse.
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.
Growing food because a very difficult thing because of the curse. Man had to live by the sweet of his brow. It was a lot of labor just for a days’ worth of bread.
But one day, the curse will be no more. God will lift the curse that was put in place because of sin for there will be no more sin. No more fights against the flesh, the world, the Devil, and we will not have to deal with the curse. Eternity will be Great! Amen and Amen.
See more lessons from Revelation