The Judgements of the Book of Revelation Prove the Book is Israel-centric Pastor Greg Stone, D.Min. September 8, 2017 Increasingly, scholars are looking at Revelation as a Jewish text that reveals a heavenly Christ rather than a Christian text with Jewish attributes. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, (New York, Oxford University Press, 2011), p. 465. Three Kinds of Judgments Seals (Rev. 6 & 8:1-2) Trumpets (Rev. 8-9 & 11:15-19) Bowls / Vials (Rev. 16) Seals Trumpets Bowls 1. White Horse (6:1-2) 1. Third of Vegetation (8:7) 1. Painful sores (16:2) 2. Red Horse (6:3-4) 2. Third of Seas to blood (8:8-9) 2. Entire Sea to blood (16:3) 3. Black Horse (6:5-6) 3. Third of Fresh Waters to blood (8:10-11) 3. All Fresh water to blood (16:4-7) 4. Pale (chloros) Horse (6:7-8) 4. Third of Luminaries (8:12-13) 4. Sun turns hot (16:8-9) Angel says Woe, woe, woe because of remaining trumpets (8:13) 5. Martyrdom (6:9-11) 5. Locust Demons (9:1-12) 5. Darkness (16:10-11) 6. Cosmic (6: 12-17) 6. Euphrates dries up, army of 200 million 6. Euphrates dries up & whole world kills third of mankind (9:13-21) attacks Israel, Armageddon (16:12-16) 7. Release Trumpets (8:1-2) 7. Jesus returns (8:15-19) 7. Massive Earthquake (16:17-21) (points to end) (points to end) (This is the end with the final destruction of Babylon.) The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord. (8:15) Seals are in 2 groups: Trumpets are in two groups: The 2 groups of Bowls are not as clearly horses and not horses divided by the angel divided. But, the shift in the sun from hot to dark is a clear break. And, they are all similar to the Trumpets. Highlighted judgments are reminiscent of the Ten Plagues in the Passover story. (Blood, Frogs, Lice, Flies, Livestock diseased, Boils /Sores, Hail (vegetation ruined), Locusts, Darkness, Death) Six Seals Have Own Judgment. Six Trumpets Have Own Judgment? Six Bowls Have Own Judgment? 6 6 6 Six is the number of man (Rev. 13:18)
The 2 nd Judgment (2 nd seal judgment) is Israel-focused. Revelation 6:3-4 3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, Come! 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. Ezekiel 38 39 describe a Last Days war. Ezekiel 39:9-10 9 Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. 10 They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign LORD. Burning weapons for fuel (Ez. 39:9) seems distinct from Isaiah 2:2-4. 1 2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Beating weapons into farming implements seems distinct from burning them for fuel. So, Ezekiel 38-39 describe a war that will occur at the beginning of a 7-year period. BY DEFINITION, the 7-year Tribulation is a 7-year treaty. Daniel 9:24-27 (NIV) 24 Seventy sevens are decreed [W ח ת / chathak also: settled, marked out] for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. 25 Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven sevens, and sixty-two sevens. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two sevens, the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven. In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:24-27 (TLV) 24 Seventy weeks are decreed [W ח ת / chathak also: settled, marked out] concerning your people and your holy city, to put an end to 1 Also of interest: Ezekiel 39:11-16 say that Israel will be burying dead bodies for 7 months after the war of Ezekiel 38 39.
3 transgression to bring sin to an end, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. 25 So know and understand: From the issuing of the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem until the time Mashiach, the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be rebuilt, with plaza and moat, but it will be in times of distress. 26 Then after the 62 weeks Mashiach will be cut off and have nothing. Then the people of a prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. But his end will come like a flood. Until the end of the war that is decreed there will be destruction. 27 Then he will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of abominations will come one who destroys, until the decreed annihilation is poured out on the one who destroys. The Tribulation period is a 7-year period. During the 1 st half, the Antichrist gets along with Israel. As far as Israel is concerned, he is seen as a man of peace. During the 2 nd half, the Antichrist turns against Israel. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NASB) 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the b apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above a every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (Best Greek manuscripts have lawlessness / ἀνομίας) The 1 st Judgment (1 st seal judgment) is Israel-focused. The 2 nd seal red horse of war occurs at the same time as the 1 st seal white horse. Revelation 6:1-2 1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, Come! 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. Crown stephanos (στέφανος) not diadema (διάδημα) as in Rev. 19:12) A brief word about the 3 rd Judgment (3 rd seal judgment). Revelation 6:5-6 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine. A loaf of bread for a day s wages. Oil to cook it with. Wine to drink with it. The 4 th Judgment (4 th seal judgment) guarantees the survival of 1 country. Revelation 6:7-8 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. World population today: 7.5 billion. (1.875 billion die leaving 5.625 billion alive)
4 The 5 th & 6 th Judgments (5 th & 6 th seal judgments) are not horses. So, they have some distinction from the first 4 seals. The 7 th Judgment (seal) releases the 7 Trumpet Judgments. Revelation 8:1-2 1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. The Structure of the Trumpets is similar to the structure of the Seals. Seals: The first 4 are set apart from the last 3 because they are horses. Trumpets: The first 4 are set apart from the last 3 by the angel in 8:13. Revelation 8:13 13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound! The Structure of the Bowls / Vials is similar to that of the Seals / Trumpets. The last Trumpet looks like the return of the Lord. Revelation 11:15-17 15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! 16 And the twentyfour elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The last Bowl must be at the return of the Lord because it is the last judgment. How many judgments are there before the return of the Lord? 6 6 6 How many people die during the 3 sets of judgments? 4 th Seal kills 1/4 of planet. 1/4 of 7.5 billion die: 1.875 billion. 5.625 billion survive. 6 th Trumpet kills 1/3 of planet. 1/3 of 5.625 billion die: 1.875 billion. 3.75 billion survive. Just 2 of the judgments kill 50% of the planet! surprisingly Is any nation guaranteed to survive? Israel is the beautiful land (Dan. 8:9) Jesus is coming back to Jerusalem the city God loves (Rev. 20:9). Zechariah 12:2-6 (NKJV) 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. 3 And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. 4 In that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the LORD of hosts, their God. 6 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the
5 surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place Jerusalem. God is going to restore Israel; Zechariah 8:23 (NKJV) 23 Thus says the LORD,גּ וי ם] of hosts: In those days ten men from every language of the nations goyim = Gentiles] shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Ø Michael is the warrior angel who fights Satan in heaven (Rev. 12:7-8). Ø Michael is the angel who watches over Israel. Daniel 12:1 At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Ø Michael fights with Satan for Moses body (Jude 9). Ø Michael is probably the one who imprisons Satan for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1) Isaiah 43:1-6 (NKJV) 1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4 Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, אָד ם] / adam - singular] And people for your life. וּל א מּ ים] / l - u-mim (plural) = peoples or nations] 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; 6 I will say to the north, Give them up! And to the south, Do not keep them back! Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth Nebuchadnezzar s Dream Foreshadows a 7-Year Turn of God s Attention Away from the Gentiles Toward Israel In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a tree which represents the kingdoms of the world. The tree is cut down for 7 years. The Tribulation? When cut down, the tree has 2
6 metal bands on it: bronze and iron. Those metals represent the last 2 Gentile Kingdoms. In the Last Days, the Gentile Kingdoms will be cut down as God completes His promises to Abraham and the Jews. Daniel 4:13-18 13 I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. 14 He cried aloud and said thus: Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches. 15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth. 16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him. Willmington, H. L. (1997). Willmington s Bible handbook (p. 430). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
7 Dreams and Visions in Daniel 2 Daniel s God-given ability to interpret visions and dreams (1:17) served him well in his role as advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, a man noted for his mysterious and troubling dreams. The following brief comparison of a dream of Nebuchadnezzar and a dream and vision of Daniel reveals a common theme in the Book of Daniel the successive rise and fall of four kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar s Dream Daniel s Dream Daniel s Vision Interpretation An image with a head of A beast like a lion with fine gold (2:32) eagle s wings (7:4) Babylon would establish itself as the first world empire (2:38; 7:17). An image with a chest and arms of silver (2:32) A beast like a bear with three ribs in its mouth (7:5) A ram with two horns, one of which was higher than the other (8:3) Medo-Persia would defeat Babylon and establish itself as the second world empire (2:39; 7:17; 8:20). An image with a belly and thighs of bronze (2:32) An image with legs of iron and feet of iron and clay (2:32) A beast like a leopard with four wings (7:6) A beast with iron teeth and ten horns (7:7) A male goat with a large horn, later replaced by four horns and a little horn (8:5 9) Greece would defeat Medo-Persia and establish itself as the third world empire (2:39; 7:17; 8:21). Rome would defeat Greece and establish itself as the fourth world empire (2:40 43; 7:17). Babylon Gold Lion Persia Silver Bear or Ram Greece Bronze Leopard or Goat Rome Iron Beast Revived Roman Empire Iron mixed with Clay Terrifying Beast Daniel 2:33 (NKJV) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Legs: Rome Feet: Revived Roman Empire One city that is guaranteed to survive the Great Tribulation Jerusalem! Not Babylon (Rev. 18:21 It will be eternally destroyed) Not Damascus (Isaiah 17:1 will cease from being a city ) 2 Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1010). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.