REVELATION MADE EASY

Transcription

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2 REVELATION MADE EASY A STUDY IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION by Phillip Greensmith Phillip Greensmith 2005 Cover Photo by: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Team (STSci/Arua) Hubble Space Telescope ACS STSci-PRC07-19a Used by Permission

3 Index Please note that when reading this book on the latest Adobe Reader the page numbering in the margin differs from those given in this index by four pages. This is because the cover page, inside page, the index page, and the introduction are not counted in this index. Whereas the Adobe Reader starts its numbering from the front cover page. If using the Adobe Reader margin numbering, please remember to add four to the page number shown in this index. Chapter Page 1. Revelation Chapters 1 to Revelation Chapters 4 and The Seven Seal Judgements, The Beginning of the Tribulation The Beginning of the Great Tribulation Revelation Chapter The Two Witnesses Of God Revelation Chapters The Seven Bowl Judgements Revelation Chapters 17,18, & 19: The Glorious Appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ Two Different Judgements New Heaven And A New Earth...48

4 Introduction This book is not intended to be an in depth study in the Book Of Revelation. It is more to help you get a better understanding of the book, and to help you study the Book Of Revelation for yourself. You may find this study useful for Bible group discussions and it may be copied for this purpose providing the whole book is printed out, nothing is altered and the copyright owners are clearly shown on all pages. I ve included the whole of the Book of Revelation in this study book from chapter 1 to 22 and have interjected my thoughts on each passage. I ve used the Old King James Version of the Bible because it has no copyright and can be used as public domain, but please feel free to use a more modern version for the scripture and use the notes in this book for your own study. I ve typed the Word of God is in normal type, whilst my thoughts are in red italics, with blue italics for scripture that is included with my thoughts, green italics for other important information. The chronological order of chapters 6-22 are as follows:- this begins with chapter 6. Chapter 7 then interrupts with additional information. Chapters 8 and 9 then continue the chronological order of events. Chapters 10 to 15 then give us more additional information. Chapter 16 once again picks up the chronological order. We are then given more additional information in chapters 17 and 18. Chapters 19 to 22 then continues the chronological order of events with some additional information in chapter 19. When approaching the Book Of Revelation there are many who say it is symbolic and they try to spiritualise it. But we should never do this with any book of the Bible. If we symbolise, spiritualise, or misquote any part of the Bible it is possible to make it say anything we like. For example the Bible clearly says there is no God. Believe it or not those word appear in scripture in that order. But what I ve not done is to quote the whole verse. The full verse is found in Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Notice I ve underlined the words I used, but also take note that those words do appear in scripture. Notice what I did, I just took four words from this verse and made it say what I wanted to make say. Which just goes to show what can be done to scripture, if it is not interpreted properly. We should never treat any of God s Word in such a way. Now to be sure there are many parts of the Book Of Revelation that are obviously symbolic, but where it is not, we should always treat it as with any other scripture and take it literally unless the context is obviously symbolic. Where the scripture is obviously symbolic the symbol always represents something that is literal. The thing is, to find out what the symbol means. I don t claim to be an expert on the Book Of Revelation and I m not foolish enough to think that I ve got everything correct. By all means do read the Book Of Revelation for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I hope that in reading this book you will have a better understanding of the Book of Revelation.

5 Chapter 1 Revelation One-Three The book of the Revelation is not as some Bibles address is it as the Revelation of St John the Divine. We must remember when the Bible was originally written it had no verse numbers, chapters, or title headings as we know them today. Although very useful these are man s ideas and not part of the word of God itself. The correct title for this book should be the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ as the first verse of chapter one states. As I understand it the word revelation means revealing. So the Book of Revelation is a revealing of the Lord Jesus Christ, it shows Him as Lord of all and in control. Rev 1:1-3 Revelation 1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that 3 he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words if this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. The Book of the Revelation is the only book in the Bible that gives a promise to those who read it. It promises a blessing to the reader. Rev 1:4-7 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own 6 blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father: to him be glory and 7 dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. In verse 7 we see that every eye will see Christ when He comes back. For many years it was not possible for every person on Earth to be able to see Christ all at the same time. With today s technology, with the coming of satellite television and the Internet we can now see that it is possible. This verse, however, must primarily be speaking of the resurrection at Christ s first coming because it mentions those that pierced Him. Page 1

6 Rev 1:8 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Here we see that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end. There is no-one before Him and there ll be no-one after Him. Everything has it s origin in Him and everything is held together by Him. His is the Almighty. Rev 1: I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the 10 testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord s day, and heard behind me a great 11 voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and 12 unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven 13 golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, 14 clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head 15 and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. In verse 12 as John turns to see the One speaking to him he sees Jesus in all His Glory. Rev 1:16 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. Note that Jesus has a two edged sword that with it He may bless or condemn. Rev 1: And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto 18 me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am 19 alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; Here we see in verse 19 that the Book of the Revelation is divided into three parts. The things that were, the things which are, and things which shall be. In other words things past, present, and future. Page 2

7 Rev 1:20 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. When this verse mentions the seven churches it is really speaking of one church in seven different localities. That is why it mentions seven churches (plural). It may be better interpreted as the church group at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, etc. There is really only one church, the true church. This is made up of all born again believers in different geographic locations throughout the world. When the scripture speaks of the church at or churches it is referring to these smaller groups which make up the whole church. A church is not a church building as many think of it today. As we see in verse 20 the seven stars represent the seven angels of the seven churches. It is interesting to note that every church has at least one angel to watch over it. When we attend a church meeting, although we can t see them, there may well be many angels also in attendance, and taking part in the worship of God. Revelation 2:1-7, The Letter to the Church at Ephesus The seven letters to the seven churches are a picture of the state of the Christian church down through the ages from the first century to the present day. Rev 2:1-3 1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars 2 in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast 3 tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. The first of the letters to the seven churches is to the Church at Ephesus. The Lord begins with His commendation for the good work that they are doing. This church was hard working, and would not tolerate any false teaching or false teachers. Rev 2: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto 6 thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou 7 hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Page 3

8 After commending them the Lord then tells them what they are doing wrong. He says they have left there first love. He didn t say they had lost their first love, but rather they had left their first love. You know, it is so easy for us today to do the same thing (and I m including myself in this). We get so wrapped up in church work, and working for the Lord that we find that we have no time to spend with Him. We always need to remember that He wants us first before He wants our service. Notice that in verse six it says that unless they repent the Lord will come and take away their candlestick. This does not mean that they will or any individual will lose their salvation, but rather that they will lose their effectiveness as a witness for Christ. They will no longer be a light bearer for Him. Revelation 2:8-11, The Letter to the Church at Smyrna 8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, 9 which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue 10 of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful 11 unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. The church at Smyna was one that was suffering a lot of persecution. Rev 2:12-14 Revelation 2:12-17, The Letter to the Church at Pergamos 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp 13 sword with two edges; I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein 14 Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. Because it says in verse 13 that Pergamos was in the place where Satan s seat is it means that this church was in the place where there was a lot of occult practices going on in that area at the time. There was also a lot of idolatry, as we see in verse 14. Rev 2: So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, To him that Page 4

9 overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Rev 2:18,19 Revelation 2:18-20, The Letter to the Church at Thyatira 18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son if God, who hath 19 his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Once again the Lord commends this church before He tells them what they are doing wrong. They are a church that is growing in charity (love), service, and patience. Rev 2:20 20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. Here we see the church at Thyatira is allowing a woman named Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to bring in false teaching and idolatry. Rev 2:21, And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. The Lord warns that those who continue to follow Jezebel s false teaching will go through the Great Tribulation. They needed to repent and be born again. To be sure, there were a number of born again believers in the church at Thyatira, but it is also apparent that there were number who were not. This is a warning for today. There are many who follow compromising and false teaching who will go through the tribulation. I want to stop right here to say that no truly born again believe need ever fear this. All truly born again believers will be taken at the Rapture. But then, on the other hand, it is very unlikely that a true believer in the Lord would ever follow false teaching. We have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to guide us aright. That is why it is so important to read and get to know the scriptures, then when error comes along we will be able to detect it. Rev 2: And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which Page 5

10 25 have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But 26 that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my 27 works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelation 3:1-6, The Letter to the Church at Sardis 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and 2 art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have 3 not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, 4 and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are 5 worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his 6 angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. In the letter to the church at Sardis the Lord doesn t have anything good to say about it. This church had the outward appearance that it was alive, but is in fact spiritually dead. It is a church that has lost its power. It is very sad to say, but there are many churches today that are spiritually dead. How many of our churches today have many full programmes of activities, but this is only an outward appearance. They do a lot of work in the community (and there is nothing wrong with that, in fact it is a very good thing to do), but there is no spiritual life in the church. In today s world we get men in the pulpit that haven t been born again of the Spirit of God. They preach a social gospel about how we should help others and other things about this world, but there is no spiritual message. Some even deny the virgin birth, and the bodily resurrection of Christ. It is sad to say, but many of these are mainstream churches, and many of them were once a vibrant church that was very much alive. But now is nothing more than an empty shell. Having said this, I would also like to say that there are also many good Bible believing churches that are very much alive. They faithfully proclaim the Word of God every Sunday. They have regular weekly prayer meetings and Bible studies. Revelation 3:7-13, The Letter to the Church at Philadelphia Rev 3:7,8 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, Page 6

11 8 and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. When God opens a door no-one can shut it and when He closes a door no-one can open it. Rev 3: Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have 10 loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Here we see in verse 11 that we receive crowns (or rewards). We also see that these crowns can be lost and it warns that we don t let anyone take them from us. This does not actually mean that anyone can just steal or take our rewards from us. We lose them by our own actions due to the way we act or react to situations in life. For example, there is a soul winners crown for those who seek to win the lost. If some were to get us to stop trying to win the lost then they would also be robbing us of our crown. 12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new 13 name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Rev 3:14-16 Revelation 3:14-22, The Letter to the Church at Laodicea 14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the 15 faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art 16 neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Once again here in the letter to the church at Laodicia we see that the Lord doesn t have anything good to say. We have here a picture of the church as we see it today. There are, many who attend church that are not born again of the Spirit of God. These people would be described here as spiritually cold, then there are those that a spiritually hot and on fire for the Lord. It is sad to say there are many that are lukewarm who attend church every Sunday, and compromise with the world. They have no compassion for a lost and dying world. They seem Page 7

12 to have no concern that men and women without Christ are going to a lost eternity. What s more they will happily criticise those who are concerned and are doing their best in serving the Lord and trying to win the lost. There are also those who compromise with the world in treating sin lightly and they take to world s standard of morality. There are men and women who are happy to be a follower of the Lord yet they are happy to live together without getting married. If asked they would tell you well we are committed to each other, and what s wrong with it after all every one it doing it, so what s wrong if we do? Then there are those who are quite happy to let their children watch anything on the television. For example many cartoons contain stories of witches, wizards and ghosts, and yet they let their children watch these cartoons, and say what harm can it do it is only a cartoon? Witches, wizards, and ghosts are to do with the occult and we who know the Lord are commanded to have nothing to do with it. We read in Ephesians 5:11...have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Allowing our children to watch such things can result in no end of harm both now, and in the future. You see, in allowing them to watch such things you are allowing them to open themselves up to the occult, and that can cause a lot of harm, emotionally, physically and spiritually. There are also those who comprise the Word of God. They think that somehow it doesn t apply to them. The Bible clearly states in 1 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (This verse also so applies to business partners.) Yet I wonder how many believers have married someone who is an unbeliever? They usually make the excuse I can always win them to Christ. It is sad to say but that does not usually happen. If you are such a person I would first like to say that I don t condemn you, that is not my place to do so, I am only a messenger stating what the Word of God says. But I would like to say that you have gone against the teaching of the Word of God. You cannot expect the Lord to bless your marriage if you have done this. There have been many believers who have married unbelievers and as a result have gone away from the Lord because they disobeyed Him. Now you may be thinking I have done this, what can I do about it now? In reply I would like to say that you first come to the Lord and repent, and tell Him that you are sorry. I would further advise that you stay married and don t leave your spouse. The scripture is clear that God does not like any couples to divorce. What you have done, can t be undone, but if you seek the Lord for forgiveness He will forgive you. 1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And who knows, He may bless your marriage and your spouse may come to know Him, but unless you do this, it is unlikely to happen. Because you have disobeyed the Word of God you have sinned, and you are asking the Lord to bless your sin, and this He will never do. Of course you may be married to an unbeliever but neither of you knew the Lord when you married and you can be certain the you have done 12 nothing wrong. The principle for people in your situation is found in 1 Cor 7: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her 13 away (or divorce). And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be 14 pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; 15 but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not 16 under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? Or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? Page 8

13 You may be thinking I thought I was marrying a believer but I found out afterwards that the person I married was not a believer after all, have I done anything wrong? My answer to this is very simple. Unless you knew for certain that the other person wasn t a believer, then you didn t go against God s Word, and no you haven t done anything wrong. You may be asking what about me, I m a Christian, but I m engaged to marry someone who is not a believer? This is something that you will need to seek the Lord s will on. Although the scripture is clear that you should not marry an unbeliever, please don t immediately tell the other person that you cannot marry them. It may be the Lord s will to save the other person before you are married, or it may be His will for you not to marry them. It is wise to understand that the other person may make out that they have become a Christian just so that you will marry them. You will need to really seek the Lord on this matter, but always remember that the Lord will never tell you to do something that is opposed to His Word, the Bible. Today there are not many Christians obeying the scripture which says in 1 Thess 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. This isn t that we are doing anything that is wrong, but we are abstain from the appearance of evil. For example I always like to make sure that we don t leave the washing on the line over Sunday. Now there is nothing wrong in leaving the washing out on Sunday, but for anyone walking by that knows I m a Christian, they could well think to themselves he s a Christian and he does his washing on a Sunday. You see, although I ve not done anything wrong, it appears that I have to an unbeliever. I m sorry to say that occasionally it does get forgotten and is left out, but this is not deliberate. Whatever style of music it is, music in itself is neutral. It can either glorify God, or Satan. There are many, many good Christian singers and bands who sing and bring glory to God, and when you listen to them you know you re in the presence of God. There are, however, singers and bands who would call themselves Christian, but when you watch and listen to them they seem far from it. I recently saw a young lady singing on one of the Christian tv channels and she was flirting to the camera. I won t say which channel it was, and I m not going to pull down any Christian tv channel. I want to stop right here and say that all Christian television that is true to the gospel is doing a wonderful work. It is reaching into peoples homes with the gospel where they may never have heard any other way. There are many people being converted to Christ through Christian television. I myself was saved through Christian radio, so I know personally what radio and television can do. But for someone to be flirting at the camera is not glorifying God. Then there are so called Christian bands that seem to glorify Satan. How can you hope to win anyone to Christ when what is being sung and the way it is being sung glorifies Satan. It is sad to say that the Christian church today as a whole is lethargic and apathetic. Where are the church leaders who should be standing up for righteousness in our day? The sad thing is that when someone does stand up for what is right, we get other church leaders criticising them instead of standing behind them. We should have the church in the world trying to win them and calling them from the wrath to come, but sadly we have it the other way around. We have the world in the church and not the reverse of this, as it should be. We in the church need to wake up and repent. Page 9

14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Rev 3: Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and 18 knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with 19 eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, 20 and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door. I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Here we see in verse 20 that the Lord calls all who are lukewarm to repent. That means to change your mind and go in the other direction, and become hot for the Lord and no longer lukewarm. Rev 3:21,22 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and 22 am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Page 10

15 Chapter 2 Revelation Chapters Four and Five Rev 4:1-2 Revelation 4: After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, come up hither, and I will show thee 2 things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. 21 We read in John 21:21-23 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? It is interesting that Jesus said in these verses as He referred to John If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Here we see in the Book Of Revelation that John did not die until he saw the coming of the Lord. We have here in Revelation 4 verses 1 & 2 a picture of the Rapture of the church that is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4: When scripture speaks of the church it is not referring to those who attend a church or those who have their names on a church membership roll. When the scripture speaks of the church it is referring those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, regardless of race or colour. It is speaking of all who have acknowledged their sin, been willing the turn away from all they know to be sinful, have asked Jesus to forgive and save them, and have asked Him to be their Saviour. The same applies when the scripture refers to saints. It does not refer to some person who has been canonised by some so-called church organisation. New testament saints and the true Christian church are in scripture one of the same. 16 We read about the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the 17 dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. When the Rapture takes place all who have died knowing Jesus as their Lord and Saviour will be raised from the dead and given new resurrection bodies and those who are still alive and know the Lord will also receive resurrection bodies and both the dead in Christ and those still alive will be taken to Heaven before the terrible judgements of the Tribulation. The church is not mentioned from Revelation 4:1 until Revelation 19:11. This tells us that the church is no longer on the Earth but has been taken to Heaven. Page 11

16 Rev 4: And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow 4 round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; 5 and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are 6 the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and 7 behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast 8 had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, 9 saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever 10 and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship 11 him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. When John is taken to Heaven he is taken directly to the throne room of God where he describes the beauty and majesty of the One sat on the throne. Rev 5:1 Revelation 5: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the 2 backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? The scroll here is the title deeds to the planet Earth. When man fell into sin he lost these deeds but Jesus bought them back when He died on the cross. Rev 5:3-5 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither 4 to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the 5 book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. Here we see that the apostle John weeps because there is no-one worthy to open these title deeds, but he is told in verse 5 that Jesus is worthy to open the scroll. Page 12

17 Rev 5: And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven 7 Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand 8 of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full 9 of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God 10 by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto 11 our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was 12 ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power; and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 13 honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for 14 ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. After the Rapture, the Tribulation beings with opening of the seven seals. Out the seventh seal comes the seven trumpet judgements. Out of the seventh trumpet comes the seven vials (or bowls) judgements. Page 13

18 Chapter 3 The Seven Seal Judgements, The Beginning of the Tribulation Rev 6:1,2 Revelation 6: And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, 2 one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. The rider on the first horse comes with a bow but no arrows which indicates that he will conquer by diplomatic means. He will be a man of peace. The fact that he comes riding a white horse shows that this person is the Anti-Christ. Rev 6:3,4 3 4 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. When the second seal is opened we are told that it is a different horse, but we are not told that it is a different rider. Power was given to him to take peace from the earth. He will make war possibly with nuclear weapons, or weapons of mass destruction, because he is given a great sword. Rev 6:5,6 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I 6 beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine Again we are not told that it is a different rider, but we are told that it is a different horse. This time the rider causes hyper- inflation, as a penny in Bible times was equivalent to a days wages. It would be a bit like paying a days pay for a bag of flour. Rev 6:7,8 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and 8 see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell Page 14

19 followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Once again it is the horse that changes and not the rider. This time he kills one forth of the world s population with wars and famine. Even the animals may attack the human race because they are starving from famine. The rider on these four horses is the Anti-Christ. Rev 6: And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain 10 for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that 11 dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. This time the Anti-Christ attacks those who came to know the Lord after the Rapture. Rev 6: And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, and the 13 sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty 14 wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and 15 island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, 16 hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath 17 of the Lamb; For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? When the sixth seal is opened there is a great earthquake, the Sun turns black and the moon glows red, and there is a meteor shower. Every island and mountain are moved out of their places. The Lord rolls back the sky and the inhabitants of the Earth get a glimpse of the Lord on His Throne. Yet they do not repent of their wicked ways but try to hide from God in fear. I believe that this is the point where the first part of the Tribulation ends (that is: the first three and one half years). Revelation 7:1-17 Chapter seven does not continue the chronological order of events but is additional information. Rev 7:1-8 1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any Page 15

20 2 tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our 4 God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were 5 sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. 6 Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were 7 sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of 8 Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. Here we see one hundred and forty four thousand Jews who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. These men are sealed by the Holy Spirit and they go out into the world preaching the Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ. It is likely that these Jews heard the message of God s two witnesses mentioned in chapter 11, and having heard accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Rev 7: After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with 10 white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our 11 God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and 12 worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and 13 honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came 14 they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the 15 Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: 16 and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither 17 thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Here we see millions of the redeemed from every nation on Earth. Now who are these millions of believers that are mentioned here? These are not members of the church which at this point in time has already been take to Heaven at the Rapture. The latter part of verse 14 gives us the answer These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. After the Rapture took place millions of people will realise the error of their ways and will turn to Christ for salvation. They are the millions of people that accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour during the Tribulation. I need to give a word of warning here and that is this. Please, please, please don t count on being able to accept Christ after the Rapture as you have no promise that you will be given a second chance. You see 10 we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them Page 16

21 11 that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for 12 this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. If you have already heard the message of salvation before the Rapture and you ve done nothing about it, then according to verse 11 God may well send you strong delusions that you will believe a lie and at that point you will not be able to be saved. However if you have been left behind after the Rapture and you have any concerns about it then you can still be saved. Page 17

22 Chapter 4 The Beginning of the Great Tribulation Revelation 8:1-13, The Seven Trumpet Judgements This is where the second part of the Tribulation begins. This is known as The Great Tribulation. Chapter 8 picks up again the chronological order of events. Rev 8:1 1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Because of the terrible things that are about to happen on the Earth there is silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour. Satan is to be cast down to the Earth where he will create havoc. See Revelation 12:7-12 For some reason even after Satan s fall into sin he was still granted limited access to the throne of God, but here he will once and for all be cast out of Heaven. Rev 8:2-7 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar 4 which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the 5 saints, ascended up before God out of the angel s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and 6 lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared 7 themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. The first angel sounds and there is hail that burns with fire mingled with blood. One third of the world s trees and grass are destroyed. This judgement is on the grass and trees only. Rev 8:8-9 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into 9 the sea: and the third part on the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. When the second angel sounds a great mountain explodes. This is very likely a volcano like Krakatoa, only this one will be far worse. This mountain causes one third of the sea to become blood, and one third of the Earths s marine life is destroyed. A third of ships are also destroyed, this could be because of a great tidal wave caused by the top of the mountain landing in the sea, like Krakatoa did. Page 18