Running Commentary on Revelation | Bible Study Notes

The Revelation Story
A brief commentary on the book of Revelation
from Old and New Testament references
that shed light on the meaning
of the symbols contained therein
Copyright 2004
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the land and sea beasts from Revelation 13.
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I. Introduction

This commentary arose out of my need to examine the symbols in chapters 4-22 of
the book of Revelation without considering their meaning from a historical
Generally speaking, early date advocates see Revelation as addressing
the persecution of the church by the Jews and Rome, late date advocates believe it
addresses Rome’s persecution only, and dispensationalists believe it addresses
events of our present or future.
I have a publication available for those who are interested in Biblical opposition to
the dispensational view (My notes on Revelation 22 also reflect flaws in this view).
For early date interpretation I would recommend Art Ogden’s book listed in the
Homer Hailey’s commentary on Revelation approaches the symbols
from a late date perspective.
This commentary simply lists scriptural verses and comments to identify the
significance of the symbols in light of their use elsewhere in scripture. You will note
that the symbols are drawn heavily from the Old Testament prophets. I urge you to
check these references for often you will find stunning parallels between the
symbols of Old Testament prophecy and the symbols of Revelation. For an excellent
in depth study of Old Testament symbolism in Revelation I would highly
recommend Ferrell Jenkins’ book listed in the bibliography.
Text is the American Standard Version. Other versions referenced in the texts, with
their abbreviation in parenthesis:
King James Version (KJV)
New King James Version (NKJV)
International Standard Version (ISV)
Verse conventions: Full citation of most verses are given. Any citations with the
chapter and verse only (e.g., 18:9) refer to passages in Revelation.
Symbolic Numbers
In the book of Revelation numbers have meaning. Their meanings are debatable
but the generally accepted meanings I follow are listed below:
3—perfection; primarily with God because of the Trinity
3 1/2 (times, time, and half a time) an indefinite period time; half of a perfect 7
4—relating to earth (North, South, East, West) and the four winds in Revelation
7—perfection (perhaps the unity of God and man? 3+4=7)
10—complete perfection; multiples signify long periods of time but definite in God’s
plan (e.g., 100, 1,000)
12—God’s people; the apostles and tribes of Israel; this number is also used in
some calculations (12x12=144)
Chapter 4
After these things I saw, and
behold, a door opened in heaven,
and the first voice that I heard, a
voice as of a trumpet speaking
with me, one saying, Come up
hither, and I will show thee the
things which must come to pass
2 Straightway I was in
the Spirit: and behold, there was a
throne set in heaven, and one
sitting upon the throne;
3and he
that sat was to look upon like a
jasper stone and a sardius: and
there was a rainbow round about
the throne, like an emerald to look
4 And round about the throne were
four and twenty thrones: and upon
the thrones I saw four and twenty
elders sitting, arrayed in white
garments; and on their heads
crowns of gold.
5 And out of the
throne proceed lightnings and
voices and thunders. And there
were seven lamps of fire burning
before the throne, which are the
seven Spirits of God;
6and before the throne, as it were
a sea of glass like a crystal;
and in the midst of the throne, and
round about the throne, four living
creatures full of eyes before and
7 And the first creature was
like a lion, and the second
creature like a calf, and the third
creature had a face as of a man,
and the fourth creature was like a
flying eagle.
8and the four living creatures,
having each one of them six
wings, are full of eyes round about
and within:
John is given access to heaven
Ezekiel 1:26-28: Vision of God on the moving throne on the plain
• Throne like sapphire
• Glory of God was like glowing metal surrounded by f ire with
brightness, like a rainbow, around Him
Jasper Stone—quartz stone often green
Sardius—Red-orange stone; used on the High Priest’s breastplate
Emerald—Bright green stone
Likely represents the 12 tribes (Israel) and the 12 apostles
(church)
White—purity; victory over evil (Rev 3:4-5, 18; 6:1 1)
Exodus 39:30—priests wore a crown of gold
Ezekiel 1:13-14: Fire and lightning surrounded the four living
creatures in the vision of God on the plain
Psalm 77:18; Exodus 19:16-20: Thunder, lightnings, fire, and
smoke accompany God’s appearance
Rev 6:1; 10:3-4; 14:2; 19:6
In Revelation 15:2, those martyred by the beast stand on the sea
of glass and praise the Lamb.
Note: Between the altar and the tabernacle was a bronze laver,
sometimes called a sea, in which the priests purified themselves.
Could be a large body of water as well.
Ezekiel 1:5-14: Four living creatures accompany God’s throne
• Appearance of a man
• Each had four different faces: man, lion, ox, and eagle
• Each had four wings, one on each side, with hands under
each of the wings; wings touched one another
• Straight feet with the soul of the foot like a calf’s foot
• Sparkled like burnished brass
• They did not move but went straight forward as they traveled
Isaiah 6:1-3: Seraphim, with six wings, praise God on His throne
and they have no rest day and night,
saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord
God, the Almighty, who was and who
is and who is to come.
9 And when the
living creatures shall give glory and
honor and thanks to him that sitteth on
the throne, to him that liveth for ever
and ever,
10 the four and twenty elders
shall fall down before him that sitteth
on the throne, and shall worship him
that liveth for ever and ever, and shall
cast their crowns before the throne,
saying,
11 Worthy art thou, our Lord and
our God, to receive the glory and the
honor and the power: for thou didst
create all things, and because of thy
will they were, and were created.
Chapter 5
And I saw in the right hand of him that
sat on the throne a book written within
and on the back, close sealed with
seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel
proclaiming with a great voice, Who is
worthy to open the book, and to loose
the seals thereof?
3 And no one in the
heaven, or on the earth, or under the
earth, was able to open the book, or to
look thereon.
4 And I wept much,
because no one was found worthy to
open the book, or to look thereon:
5and
one of the elders saith unto me, Weep
not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, hath
overcome to open the book and the
seven seals thereof.
6 And I saw in the midst of the throne
and of the four living creatures, and in
the midst of the elders, a Lamb
standing, as though it had been slain,
having seven horns, and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God,
sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he
came, and he taketh it out of the right
hand of him that sat on the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book, the
four living creatures and the four and
twenty elders fell down before the
Lamb, having each one a harp, and
golden bowls full of incense, which are
the prayers of the saints.
9 And they
sing a new song, saying, Worthy art
thou to take the book, and to open the
Isaiah 6:1
Exodus 3:14; Revelation 1:8
Casting the crowns received for faithfulness?
Recognized God as the supreme authority
Genesis 1:1; 2:4; Psalm 148:5-14; Colossians 1:15-1 7
Complete and full revelation sealed by the authorit y of God.
Seals were usually wax impressed with the signet ring or
other symbol to close and authorize the message.
Only an authorized person could open the message.
Romans 3:23
Lion of Judah: Genesis 49:9; Matthew 1:1; 22:42; Luke
1:32; Revelation 22:16
Overcome: Hebrews 12:2; 9:11-15;
John 1:29, 36; Acts 2:22-36
Seven represents completeness and horn represents p ower
Jesus knows what is going on in all the earth
Censers: Leviticus 16:12; Numbers 16:46
New song: Song of praise for salvation through the Lamb
seals thereof: for thou was slain, and
didst purchase unto God with thy blood
men of every tribe, and tongue, and
people, and nation,
10 and madest them
to be unto our God a kingdom and
priests; and they reign upon earth.
11 And I saw, and I heard a voice of
many angels round about the throne
and the living creatures and the elders;
and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands;
12 saying with
a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that
hath been slain to receive the power,
and riches, and wisdom, and might and
honor, and glory, and blessing.
13 And
every created thing which is in the
heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and on the sea, and all
things are in them, heard I saying,
Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and
unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and
the honor, and the glory, and the
dominion, for ever and ever.
14 And the
four living creatures said, Amen. And
the elders fell down and worshipped.
Chapter 6
And I saw when the Lamb opened one
of the seven seals , and I heard one of
the four living creatures saying as with
a voice of thunder, Come.
And I saw, and behold, a white horse,
Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Luke 24:47; Hebrews 10:29
Kingdom of priests: Revelation 1:6, 1 Peter 2:4-5
Immense number: 100,000,000+
Lamb is God and is worshipped as God
Revelation 5:9
Opening of the seals reveals the message of God on the
Seals describe God’s wrath, trumpets warn of God’s
wrath, and the bowls unleash God’s wrath
With each revelation, the creatures who minister at God’s
throne commission the agents of wrath
Note similarity to message of the destruction of Jerusalem
in Matthew 24:
6—wars and rumors of war (6:2)
7—nations warring (6:4)
7—famine and pestilence (6:6)
9—hated, troubled, and killed for the name of Jesus (6:10)
13—endure to the end and be saved (7:14-17)
14—gospel proclaimed throughout the world (10:7;11: 15)
Four horses in Zechariah 1:8-11 were agents of God riding
through the earth and report back to Him. Horse co lors:
Two red, one sorrel (light brown or brown with orange tint),
and one white
Horses of four colors drove chariots that represented the
spirits of God in Zechariah 6:1-8. The spirits moved
throughout the world at His command. Four horse colors
were: red, black, white, and dappled (spotted)
White: purity, victory (later Jesus and His armies ride white
horses, Revelation 19:11-14
and he that sat thereon had a bow; and
there was given unto him a crown: and
he came forth conquering, and to
3 And when he opened the second
seal , I heard the second living creature
saying, Come. 4 And another horse
came forth, a red horse: and to him
that sat thereon it was given to take
peace from the earth, and that they
should slay one another: and there
was given unto him a great sword.
5 And when he opened the third seal , I
heard the third living creature saying,
And I saw, and behold, a black
horse; and he that sat thereon had a
balance in his hand.
6 And I heard as it
were a voice in the midst of the four
living creatures saying, A measure of
wheat for a shilling, and three
measures of barley for a shilling; and
the oil and the wine hurt thou not.
7 And when he opened the fourth
seal , I heard the voice of the fourth
living creature saying, Come. 8 And I
saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he
that sat upon him, his name was
Death; and Hades followed with him.
And there was given unto them
authority over the fourth part of the
earth, to kill with sword, and with
famine, and with death, and by the wild
beasts of the earth.
9 And when he opened the fifth seal , I
saw underneath the altar the souls of
them that had been slain for the word
of God, and for the testimony which
they held:
10 and they cried with a great
voice, saying, How long, O Master, the
holy and true, dost thou not judge and
Warning to earth: God has given authority to conquer men
in defense of His people
Red: blood
Warning to earth: God is going to take peace from the
earth so that men destroy one another
Well equipped for destruction
Black represents death and destruction.
Balance represents justice and equity.
ISV: denarius—A laborer’s daily wages
A small portion of wheat or a little larger portion of barley for
a day’s wage would be an exorbitant price. Indicates
famine, injustice, or business instability that would cause
such inflation. Joel 1:11 mourns the loss of wheat and
barley due to God’s punishment by the hands of Israel’s
That the oil and wine—luxury items—are not
harmed seems to preclude drought or famine as the c ause
of the inflation of wheat and barley prices.
Barley was grown primarily to feed horses and asses but
occasionally consumed by the poor. (ISBE: “Barley” )
Wheat was generally a plentiful crop; its loss would be
critical to the population.
Death personified
Hades, a place of the unseen where the dead reside
(Matthew 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27-31) is personified as
a companion to Death.
Though Death and Hades would be destroyed at the en d of
the epistle (Revelation 20:13-14), God uses them to bring
His judgment to the earth.
Could death by wild animals, sword, and famine indicate the
death of the martyrs? (Heb. 11:35-38)
Revelation 1:9; 2:9-11, 13; 3:10
Similar to the cries for justice in the Psalms (Psa lm 43:1-2;
44:23-26; 70)
avenge our blood on them that dwell
on the earth?
11 And there was given them to each
one a white robe; and it was said unto
them, that they should rest yet for a
little time, until their fellow-servants
also and their brethren, who should be
killed even as they were, should have
fulfilled their course .
12 And I saw when he opened the sixth
seal , and there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black
as sackcloth of hair, and the whole
moon became as blood;
13 and the
stars of the heaven fell unto the earth,
as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs
when she is shaken of a great wind.
14 And the heaven was removed as a
scroll when it is rolled up; and every
mountain and island were moved out
of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the
princes, and the chief captains, and the
rich, and the strong, and every
bondman and freeman, hid themselves
in the caves and in the rocks of the
mountains;
16 and they say to the
mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us,
and hide us from the face of him that
sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb:
17 for the great day
of their wrath is come; and who is able
to stand?
Chapter 7
After his I saw four angels standing at
the four corners of the earth, holding
the four winds of the earth, that no
Romans 12:19—Vengeance belongs to God
Vengeance for blood shed: Matthew 23:29-36 (Jerusal em
would answer for the blood of righteous men shed by
; Matthew 27:24-25
White robe was a sign of victory
Revelation 7:9-14—Appear before God’s throne
God would soon avenge them but more had to suffer a nd
die before the time of retribution.
Profound cosmic events symbolized a time of judgmen t that
accompanied the fall of a great king or nation by the power
of God. Old Testament prophets used these exact sym bols
to describe the fall of nations, not the end of the world. We
use less poetic language to describe profound events:
Black Monday, Bloody Sunday, the day the music died .
Isaiah 13:10-13 – Babylon Isaiah 34:4-6 – Edom
Isaiah 51:5-6 – The nations Ezekiel 32:7-8 – Egypt
Joel 3:15-16 – The nations Nahum 1:1-5 – Nineveh
Jeremiah 4:1-6, 23-28 – Judah Amos 8:1-2, 9 – Israe l
Stars falling like a fig tree casting fruit: Isaiah 34:4
Mountains/Islands: Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 16:20; 20:11
Numbers 10:35; Jeremiah 51:6; Amos 2:13-16
Hosea 10:7-8; Luke 23:27-31
Psalm 2:12; Isaiah 13:9-16; Ezekiel 7:12-19;
Zephaniah 1:14-18
Four winds: Jeremiah 49:36; Ezekiel 37:9; Daniel 8:8;
Zechariah 2:6; Matthew 24:31
Holding the winds symbolized a temporary restraint of
wind should blow on the earth, or on
the sea, or upon any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascend from
the sunrising, having the seal of the
living God: and he cried with a great
voice to the four angels to whom it was
given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the
sea, nor the trees, till we shall have
sealed the servants of our God on their
4 And I heard the number of
them that were sealed, a hundred and
forty and four thousand, sealed out of
every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed
twelve thousand: Of the tribe of
Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe
of Gad twelve thousand;
6 Of the tribe
of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe
of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the
tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve
thousand; Of the tribe of Levi twelve
thousand; Of the tribe of Issachar
twelve thousand;
8 Of the tribe of
Zebulun twelve thousand; Of the tribe
of Joseph twelve thousand; Of the tribe
of Benjamin were sealed twelve
9 After these things I saw, and behold, a
great multitude, which no man could
number, out of every nation and of all
tribes and peoples and tongues,
standing before the throne and before
the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and
palms in their hands;
10 and they cry with a great voice,
saying, Salvation unto our God who
sitteth on the throne, and unto the
11 And all the angels were
standing round about the throne, and
about the elders and the four living
creatures; and they fell before the
throne on their faces, and worshipped
God,
12 saying, Amen: Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving,
and honor, and power, and might, be
God’s vengeance: Isaiah 11:15; Jeremiah 22:22; Ezekiel
5:2-12,
Wind probably symbolized God taking His enemies awa y
through destruction as the wind takes away the chaf f:
Jeremiah 51:1-2.
Came from the east.
Possessed the seal: had authority from God
Sealed those on the earth (9:4)
Ezekiel 9:1-7; 2 Timothy 2:19
12 x 12 x 1000 (12 symbolic of God’s people (12 tribes and
12 apostles); 1,000 symbolic of a great indeterminate
quantity; Psalm 50:10; 90:4, 7; 105:8; Isaiah 30:17); This
number represented Israel, likely spiritual Israel.
Judah is listed first though, in most cases, Reuben is first.
Jesus was from Judah. Reuben was the firstborn.
Joseph is listed as a tribe instead of Ephraim (his other son,
Manasseh, is listed). Dan is omitted. These may have been
excluded because of Jereboam’s golden calves put in Dan
and Bethel (Ephraim), 1 Kings 12:25-33.
Innumerable multitude: Christians who came through the
great tribulation (7:14)
Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Acts 2:5-11; Colossians 1:5-6
This group appeared before God’s throne, not on earth.
Palms leaves often associated with rejoicing, trium ph,
victory, and adoration; Leviticus 23:40; John 12:13. (ISBE:
“Palm Tree”)
Revelation 12:10; 19:1
unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered,
saying unto me, These that are
arrayed in white robes, who are they,
and whence came they?
14 And I say
unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And
he said to me, These are they that
come of the great tribulation, and they
washed their robes, and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne
of God; and they serve him day and
night in his temple: and he that sitteth
on the throne shall spread his
tabernacle over them.
16 They shall
hunger no more, neither thirst any
more; neither shall the sun strike upon
them, nor any heat:
17 for the Lamb that is in the midst of
the throne shall be their shepherd, and
shall guide them unto fountains of
waters of life: and God shall wipe away
every tear from their eyes.
Chapter 8
And when he opened the seventh
seal , there followed a silence in
heaven about the space of half an
2 And I saw the seven angels that
stand before God; and there were
given unto them seven trumpets.
3 And
another angel came and stood over the
altar, having a golden censer; and
there was given unto him much
incense, that he should add it unto the
prayers of all the saints upon the
golden altar which was before the
4 And the smoke of the incense,
with the prayers of the saints, went up
before God out of the angel’s hand.
5 And the angel taketh the censer; and
he filled it with the fire of the altar, and
cast it upon the earth: and there
followed thunders, and voices, and
lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And
the seven angels that had the seven
trumpets prepared themselves to
The Trumpets
Revelation 6:9-11—The souls from under the altar
Tribulation: Matthew 24:9, 21-22; Revelation 2:9-10
They were going through the tribulation during the writing of
Revelation, Revelation 1:9.
Washed in blood but become white!
They have received their rest: Hebrews 4:1-10
Physical nourishment no longer needed.
They will not have to work in the burden of the day: Genesis
3:17-19; Ecclesiastes 2:17-20; Matthew 20:12
The lamb becomes the shepherd! He lived as a man an d
now leads us to the safety of heaven.
Matthew 2:6; John 10:1-16
No more pain or sorrow; Revelation 21:4
The seventh seal reveals the trumpets of God sounding the
warning of His wrath.
Habakkuk 2:20—” Let all the earth keep silence”
Numbers 10:1-10; Ezekiel 33:1-6
Could it be the prayers for vengeance for those who have
been martyred and those who have died before God’s
judgment was revealed?
Revelation 5:8
Associated with the throne of God in 4:5. The trump ets
sound the warning of God.
The opened seals unleashed the power of God’s wrath into
their various spheres of operation. Now their power would
be unleashed as a warning to those on the earth.
1/3 destruction means a partial judgment
The first four trumpets introduce upheaval in the physical
world as a warning of judgment (Matthew 24:7-8)
7 And the first sounded , and there
followed hail and fire, mingled with
blood, and they were cast upon the
earth: and the third part of the earth
was burnt up, and the third part of the
trees was burnt up, and all green grass
was burnt up.
8 And the second angel sounded , and
as it were a great mountain burning
with fire was cast into the sea: and the
third part of the sea became blood;
9and there died the third part of the
creatures which were in the sea, even
they that had life; and the third part of
the ships was destroyed.
10 And the
third angel sounded , and there fell
from heaven a great star, burning as a
torch, and it fell upon the third part of
the rivers, and upon the fountains of
the waters;
11 and the name of the star
is called Wormwood: and the third part
of the waters became wormwood; and
many men died of the waters, because
they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded , and
the third part of the sun was smitten,
and the third part of the moon, and the
third part of the stars; that the third part
of them should be darkened, and the
day should not shine for the third part
of it, and the night in like manner.
13 And I saw, and I heard an eagle,
flying in mid heaven, saying with a
great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them
that dwell on the earth, by reason of
the other voices of the trumpet of the
three angels, who are yet to sound.
Chapter 9
And the fifth angel sounded , and I
saw a star from heaven fallen unto the
earth: and there was given to him the
key of the pit of the abyss.
2 And he opened the pit of the abyss;
and there went up a smoke out of the
pit, as the smoke of a great furnace;
and the sun and the air were darkened
by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And
out of the smoke came forth locusts
upon the earth; and power was given
them, as the scorpions of the earth
have power.
4 And it was said unto
them that they should not hurt the
Fire and hail are weapons unique to God, Genesis 19:24;
Exodus 9:22-26; Leviticus 10:2; Deuteronomy 29:23-2 8;
Psalm 11:6). The mingling of blood indicates vengeance on
behalf of those who were slain (6:10; Matthew 23:29-36)
Jeremiah 51:25, 42: Babylon is a flaming mountain
consumed by the sea.
Destruction would have shed much blood; men and sea
animals suffered.
Isaiah 14:12-21: The Babylonian king, symbolically called
Lucifer, is seen falling from heaven like a meteor.
Wormwood: A wood that produces a bitter dark green oil;
drinking wormwood is associated with the punishment for
idolatry and forsaking God (Deuteronomy 29:18; Jere miah
9:15; 23:13-15; Lamentations 3:13-15) The punishmen t
produces a bitter effect.
See comments on 6:12 for heavenly symbolism.
NKJ: “an angel flying”
The earth, sea, fresh water, and heavens were affec ted by
the first four trumpets. The world was heralding the
destruction coming upon men.
The earth suffered; now man would suffer.
Revelation 12:9—Satan was cast from heaven
God gave Satan the ability to unleash destruction; God
would use the destruction for His own purposes.
NKJ: “bottomless pit”
Enemies of God darken the world; Satan releases his
enemies to fight against man.
Locusts often used by God for punishment (Exodus 10 :12-
15; Joel 1:1-7). These are not natural locusts but bring
destruction as locust do.
They were given power but restrained from complete
destruction (Job 1:12; 2:6)
grass of the earth, neither any green
thing, neither any tree, but only such
men as have not the seal of God on
their foreheads.
5 And it was given them
that they should not kill them, but that
they should be tormented five months:
and their torment was as the torment of
a scorpion, when it striketh a man.
6 And in those days men shall seek
death, and shall in no wise find it; and
they shall desire to die, and death
fleeth from them.
7 And the shapes of
the locusts were like unto horses
prepared for war; and upon their heads
as it were crowns like unto gold, and
their faces were as men’s faces.
8 And
they had hair as the hair of women,
and their teeth were as teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were
breastplates of iron; and the sound of
their wings was as the sound of
chariots, of many horses rushing to
10 And they have tails like unto
scorpions, and stings; and in their tails
is their power to hurt men five months.
11 They have over them as king the
angel of the abyss: his name in
Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek
tongue he hath the name Apollyon.
12 The first Woe is past: behold, there
come yet two Woes hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded , and I
heard a voice from the horns of the
golden altar which is before God,
14 one saying to the sixth angel that had
one trumpet, Loose the four angels
that are bound at the great river
And the four angels were loosed, that
had been prepared for the hour and
day and month and year, that they
should kill the third part of men.
16 And
the number of the armies of the
horsemen was twice ten thousand
They would not consume plants as locusts do; they w ould
afflict unrighteous men.
7:3-8; the people of God would escape this suffering
Five months is the average life span of a locust.
No easy escape; men would become hopeless
Joel 2:4—locusts appeared like horses
Jeremiah 51:14, 27—Army and horses like locusts
The crowns were not really gold; not genuine; deception
Barbaric and unnatural appearance
Joel 1:6
Extremely resilient armor; almost invincible
Name means destruction or destroyer
Abaddon: Job 26:6; 28:22; Proverbs 15:11; Psalm 88: 11
Apollyon: Used only here.
ISBE: Personification of the realm of destruction in death
Satan?
Terrible things still await the wicked and unrepentant (9:21)
Altar of Incense: Exodus 30:1-3; Revelation 8:3 Note: Altar
of burnt offering had four horns but it was overlaid with
bronze, not gold.
God is answering the prayers of the saints.
The Euphrates was the extreme northern border of the
Promised Land though it was not always occupied by Israel
(Genesis 15:18; Joshua 1:14). Major enemies of God’s
people—Assyria and Babylon—resided across the
Euphrates River.
Revelation 16:12—when the Euphrates was dried up, th e
kings could march to Armageddon
Planned by God
Locusts could not kill but this enemy could.
200 million (if literal, a 1 mile x 85 mile column of soldiers)
times ten thousand: I heard the
number of them.
17 And thus I saw the
horses in the vision, and them that sat
on them, having breastplates as of fire
and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and
the heads of lions; and out of their
mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and
18 By these three plagues
was the third part of men killed, by the
fire and the smoke and the brimstone,
which proceeded out of their mouths.
19 For the power of the horses is in their
mouth, and in their tails: for their tails
are like unto serpents, and have
heads; and with them they hurt.
20 And
the rest of mankind, who were not
killed with these plagues, repented not
of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship demons, and the
idols of gold, and of silver, and of
brass, and of stone, and of wood;
which can neither see, nor hear, nor
walk:
21 and they repented not of their
murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of
their fornication, nor of their thefts.
Chapter 10
And I saw another strong angel coming
down out of heaven, arrayed with a
cloud; and the rainbow was upon his
head, and his face was as the sun, and
his feet as pillars of fire;
2and he had in
his hand a little book open: and he set
his right foot upon the sea, and his left
upon the earth;
3and he cried with a
great voice, as a lion roareth: and
when he cried, the seven thunders
uttered their voices.
4 And when the
seven thunders uttered their voices , I
was about to write: and I heard a voice
from heaven saying, Seal up the things
which the seven thunders uttered, and
write them not.
5 And the angel that I
saw standing upon the sea and upon
the earth lifted up his right hand to
heaven,
6and sware by him that liveth
for ever and ever, who created the
heaven and the things that are therein,
and the earth and the things that are
therein, and the sea and the things that
are therein, that there shall be delay no
longer:
7but in the days of the voice of
the seventh angel, when he is about to
sound
Horse colors correspond to colors of fire and brims tone
Lion=power, fierceness
God’s weapons of judgment
Dangerous from the front and the back
Those who lived still would not repent of their idolatry and
wickedness; stubborn and hardhearted like Pharaoh w ho
would not relent at the plagues or the Jews who would
repent at the signs that Jesus worked. See Acts 7:51-53
No life: Isaiah 44:12-20; Jeremiah 10:3-5; Psalm 115:4-7;
Deuteronomy 4:28
Romans 1:18-28;
There is a break from 10:1-11:14 before the final trumpet
Appearance is similar to the description of God which would
indicate God’s authority for the angel’s message.
Not the scroll of chapter 5. Apparently contained prophecies
about nations and kings (10:11)
Amos 7:7-8—A roaring lion is a warning that danger is near;
the predator is seeking his prey.
We are not allowed to know all of God’s plans.
Message is for all the earth
Raising hand for vow: Genesis 14:22; Deuteronomy 32 :40
No more delay in fulfilling God’s plan.
God’s destruction would not begin until the mystery is
completed (see Matthew 24:14)
then is finished the mystery of God,
according to the good tidings which he
declared
to his servants the prophets.
And the voice which I heard from
heaven, I heard it again speaking with
me, and saying, Go, take the book
which is open in the hand of the angel
that standeth upon the sea and upon
the earth.
9 And I went unto the angel,
saying unto him that he should give me
the little book. And he saith unto me,
Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make
thy belly bitter, but in thy mouth it shall
be sweet as honey.
10 And I took the
little book out of the angel’s hand, and
ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet
as honey: and when I had eaten it, my
belly was made bitter.
11 And they say
unto me, Thou must prophesy again
over many peoples and nations and
tongues and kings.
Chapter 11
And there was given me a reed like
unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and
measure the temple of God, and the
altar, and them that worship therein.
2 And the court which is without the
temple leave without, and measure it
not; for it hath been given unto the
nations: and the holy city shall they
tread under foot forty and two months.
Mystery according to the gospel (good tidings) is the
manifestation of Jesus, the plan of salvation, and the
establishment of the church—all in God’s plan for m an’s
salvation: Ephesians 1:9-11; 3:1-11; Colossians 1:26-28;
2:2; Romans 16:25-26.
See Daniel 7:23-27; 9:24;
“servants the prophets” - Jeremiah 7:25; 25:4; Ezek iel
38:17; Amos 3:7; 1 Peter 1:10-12
Ezekiel 3:3-9, 14; Jeremiah 15:16; Psalm 119:103;
Jeremiah 4:18-21
The message of God is sweet but the message of
punishment and wrath makes the soul bitter. Since the
gospel is in 5:9 and 10:7; this message is not the gospel.
Ezekiel 40-42 describes a similar event
Not measuring the whole temple complex, only the
sanctuary itself—Holy Place and Holiest of Holies.
The enemies of God’s people would have victory but those
holy to God would be preserved. It would be a trial for God’s
This could be spiritual Israel, the church (Hebrews
12:22; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
42 months=3 1/2 years; partial judgment (see “Commo n
Numbers” on page 2)
Context of the temple measurement in Ezekiel: In Ezekiel
39, Gog, the great enemy of God’s people that formed a
coalition to fight against them was defeated. Gog is not a
historical nation but represents all of God’s enemies that
have tried to destroy Israel. After Gog’s defeat, Israel is
restored to their land and their transgressions are forgiven.
In Ezekiel 40, a man measured the temple in great detail. In
Ezekiel 43:7-12, God tells Ezekiel that He will again dwell
among His people and that they should put away idols and
foreign kings and keep the whole law, design and or dinance
(we might say “the spirit and the letter”) accordin g to the
pattern given by God.
3 And I will give unto my two
witnesses, and they shall prophesy a
thousand two hundred and threescore
days,
clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees and
the two candlesticks, standing before
the Lord of the earth.
5 And if any man desireth to hurt
them, fire proceedeth out of their
mouth and devoureth their enemies;
and if any man shall desire to hurt
them, in this manner must he be killed.
6 These have the power to shut the
heaven, that it rain not during the days
of their prophecy: and they have power
over the waters to turn them into blood,
and to smite the earth with every
plague, as often as they shall desire.
7 And when they shall have finished
their testimony,
the beast that cometh up out of the
abyss shall make war with them, and
overcome them, and kill them.
8 And
their dead bodies lie in the street of the
great city, which spiritually is called
Sodom and Egypt, where also their
Lord was crucified.
9 And from among
the peoples and tribes and tongues
and nations do men look upon their
dead bodies three days and a half, and
suffer not their dead bodies to be laid
in a tomb.
10 And they that dwell on the
earth rejoice over them, and make
merry; and they shall send gifts one to
another; because these two prophets
tormented them that dwell on the earth.
11 And after the three days and a
half the breath of life from God entered
into them, and they stood upon their
feet; and great fear fell upon them that
beheld them.
12 And they heard a great
voice from heaven saying unto them,
Come up hither. And they went up into
heaven in the cloud; and their enemies
beheld them.
Two witnesses were important for, under the Law of Moses
one could not be condemned on the testimony of one
witness; Deuteronomy 17:6. Genesis 19—two angels we nt
to Sodom and witnessed its depravity before God destroyed
the city.
Clothes of mourning: Isaiah 37:1; Jeremiah 4:8; Jonah 3:8
Similar to Zechariah 4. In Zechariah’s prophecy, two olive
trees provide oil for a bowl that feeds oil to seven lamps on
one lampstand. God identifies the two olive trees as two
anointed ones who stand beside the Lord.
The two witnesses likely represent the Law and the
The Law would not be destroyed before
fulfillment (Matthew 5:18). These have the power to stop
rain, destroy enemies with fire (Prophets represented by
Elijah see James 5:17-18 and 2 Kings 1:10-12) and to turn
water into blood (Law represented by Moses-see Exod us
7:14-21).
They have God’s power to protect and conquer.
Only after their work of testimony is finished will God allow
enemies to overcome them (see Matthew 5:18; Galatia ns
3:19-24; Ephesians 2:14-18; Finished-Colossians 1:2 3)
The violent overthrow of the Law and the Prophets b y the
enemy of God’s people.
The great city acted spiritually like Sodom or Egypt—
wickedness and oppression; “where our Lord was cruc ified”
identifies it as Jerusalem.
For a short period of time, the people of the world will look
upon the death of the witnesses but will do nothing. Not
burying the bodies is a disgrace and insult.
The people of the earth rejoice that the witnesses are gone
and make great celebration. The message and power o f the
two witnesses tormented the people of the earth because
they would not heed God; so they celebrated the dea th of
the witnesses.
3 1/2 completes the 7. After a short period of time God
resurrected the witnesses.
Laughter turned to mourning.
The Law and the Prophets were victorious and the enemies
of God knew it.
13 And in that hour there was a
great earthquake, and the tenth part of
the city fell; and there were killed in the
earthquake seven thousand persons:
and the rest were affrighted, and gave
glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second Woe is past: behold,
the third Woe cometh quickly. 15 And
the seventh angel sounded; and there
followed great voices in heaven, and
they said, The kingdom of the world is
become the kingdom of out Lord, and
of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever
and ever.
16 And the four and twenty
elders, who sit before God on their
thrones, fell upon their faces and
worshipped God,
17 saying, We give
thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty,
who art and who wast; because thou
hast taken thy great power, and didst
18 And the nations were wroth,
and thy wrath came, and the time of
the dead to be judged, and the time to
give their reward to thy servants the
prophets, and to the saints, and to
them that fear thy name, the small and
the great; and to destroy them that
destroy the earth.
19 And there was
opened the temple of God that is in
heaven; and there was seen in his
temple the ark of his covenant; and
there followed lightnings, and voices,
and thunders, and an earthquake, and
great hail.
12 And a great sign was seen in
heaven: a woman arrayed with the
sun, and the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown of twelve stars;
2and she was with child; and she crieth
out, travailing in birth, and in pain to be
3 And there was seen
another sign in heaven: and behold, a
great red dragon, having seven heads
and ten horns, and upon his heads
seven diadems.
4 And his tail draweth
the third part of the stars of heaven,
and did cast them to the earth: and the
dragon standeth before the woman
that is about to be delivered, that when
she is delivered he may devour her
Great earthquakes, real and symbolic, often accompa nied
judgment: Job 9:4-6; Isaiah 24:18; Matthew 27:51
Tenth (part of 1,000) and 7 x 1000 (completeness)
The enemies did not necessarily repent but they finally
acknowledged God’s power.
3 Woes: Revelation 8:13; 11:14; 12:12
The interlude is finished.
Message of heaven is the fulfillment of God’s plan in the
The witnesses—Law and the Prophets—did thei r
work and now the kingdom of God is established (Dan iel
2:44-45; Psalm 2; Acts 2:29-36; Revelation 1:9)
Hebrews 12:27-29
God defeated the enemies of His people.
The O.T. faithful are proved worthy and receive their
reward, Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 1:10-12
Comes to reward and punish: 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10
Only the High Priest could see the Ark of the Coven ant and
that once a year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7).
Now the Most Holy place was open to all of God’s children:
Hebrews 9:12-14; 10:19-22)
Manifestations of God’s power
Sign=Symbol representing something spiritual
The woman is most likely Israel, either the physical nation
or the spiritual nation, or God’s people generally because
she brings forth Jesus
-the twelve stars representing the twelve tribes
-sun and moon are God given lights
Micah 5:3
The dragon is Satan, v.9.
Crowns of royalty, has some power on earth: Ephesians
2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4
Third of the stars may represent the angels who fell: Jude 6;
2 Peter 2:4
As she is ready to give birth, Satan is ready to destroy the
Christ child: Matthew 2:13-23; 4:1-11.
5 And she was delivered of a son,
a man child, who is to rule all the
nations with a rod of iron: and her child
was caught up unto God, and unto his
6 And the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she hath a place
prepared of God, that there they may
nourish her a thousand two hundred
and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael
and his angels going forth to war with
the dragon; and the dragon warred and
his angels;
8 And they prevailed not,
neither was their place found any more
in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was
cast down, the old serpent, he that is
called the Devil and Satan, the
deceiver of the whole world;
he was cast down to the earth, and his
angels were cast down with him.
10 And
I heard a great voice in heaven,
saying, Now is come the salvation, and
the power, and the kingdom of our
God, and the authority of his Christ: for
the accuser of our brethren is cast
down, who accuseth them before our
God day and night.
11 And they
overcame him because of the blood of
the Lamb, and because of the word of
their testimony; and they loved not
their life even unto death.
Therefore rejoice, O heavens,
and ye that dwell in them. Woe for the
earth and for the sea: because the
devil is gone down unto you, having
great wrath, knowing that he hath but a
short time.
13 And when the dragon saw
that he was cast down to the earth, he
persecuted the woman that brought
forth the man child .
14 And there were
given to the woman the two wings of
the great eagle, that she might fly into
the wilderness unto her place, where
she is nourished for a time, and times,
and half a time, from the face of the
15 And the serpent cast out of
his mouth after the woman water as a
river, that he might cause her to be
Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27; 19:15
Acts 2:32-33; 1:9; 7:55; Hebrews 1:1-3
Micah 4:9-10; 5:3
Israel is protected by God for a small period of time after the
ascension of Jesus.
Battle in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12)
does not demand that it is in heaven for Paul said that we
are in the heavenly places with the powers of God and evil;
it is a spiritual battle: 2 Corinthians 3:10-6; John 18:36
Michael is the defender of God’s people: Daniel 12:1;
10:12-14; Jude 9
Obviously not talking about a great battle at the beginning
of time since this chronologically follows the ascension of
Battle between the power of God and the powe r of
Satan defeated: John 16:11, 33; 12:31; Luke 11:20-22; 1
John 4:4; Revelation 1:18; Romans 6:5-11
Kingdom: see Revelation 11:15
Accuser: Job 1-2
Weapons of victory:

II. Blood of the Lamb: Matthew 26:28; 1 John 1:7;

Revelation 1:5

III. Word of their testimony: Acts 8:37; Romans 10:10

IV. Did not love their lives more than they loved Je sus:

Luke 14:26; John 12:25; Revelation 1:10-11
The Devil will make use of limited time to wreak ha voc.
Failing to defeat Jesus, Satan turns on God’s people but
God protects them.
God protects His people from any attack for a short period
of time.
carried away by the stream. 16 And the
earth helped the woman, and the earth
opened her mouth and swallowed up
the river which the dragon cast out of
his mouth.
17 And the dragon waxed
wroth with the woman, and went away
to make war with the rest of her seed,
that keep the commandments of God,
and hold the testimony of Jesus:
13 and he stood upon the sand of the
And I saw a beast coming up out of the
sea, having ten horns, and seven
heads, and on his horns ten diadems,
and upon his heads names of
2 And the beast which I saw
was like unto a leopard, and his feet
were as the feet of a bear, and his
mouth as the mouth of a lion:
and the dragon gave him his power,
and his throne, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as though
it had been smitten unto death; and his
death-stroke was healed: and the
whole earth wondered after the beast;
4and they worshipped the dragon,
because he gave his authority unto the
beast; and they worshipped the beast,
saying, Who is like unto the beast?
And who is able to war with him?
5and
there was given to him a mouth
speaking great things and
blasphemies; and there was given to
him authority to continue forty and two
6 And he opened his mouth for
blasphemies against God, to
blaspheme his name, and his
tabernacle, even them that dwell in the
The people of earth were absorbed Satan’s attack intended
for the destruction of God’s people. The earth probably
helped inadvertently.
Satan, furious at being foiled again, fought against the
church, the seed of the woman: Galatians 3:26-29
Though some texts say “I,” most read “he.” It appe ars that
Satan, not John, stood on the sand. Standing on the sand,
Satan brought up enemies to make war on the seed of the
Sea beast represented a great power, probably polit ical,
brought forth to make war on God’s people.
It has power (horns) and rule (diadems). The seven heads
represent seven mountains and kings: Revelation 17:9-11.
It is against God but claims to be like God (blasphemy).
Daniel 7:1-8 Vision of the four beasts in the first year of
Belshazzar, king of Babylon.
• The first was like a lion with had eagle’s wings that were
plucked and the beast made to stand on two feet and
given the heart of a man (Babylon)
• The second was like a bear raised up with three ribs in
its mouth and commanded to consume much (Persia)
• The third was a four headed beast like a leopard with
four birdlike wings (Greece)
The fourth was a terrible beast with four heads, iron teeth,
and ten horns (Rome)
More about the beast will be explained in 17:9f
Serves Satan’s purposes.
The head appeared to be mortally wounded but revived to
the astonishment of the people. The second beast will make
this a cause for worshipping the sea beast.
Considered an unstoppable power.
Continues for 3 1/2 years.
Speaks against God and against everything that is holy.
7 And it was given unto him to make
war with the saints, and to overcome
them: and there was given to him
authority over every tribe and people
and tongue and nation.
8 And all that dwell on the earth shall
worship him, every one whose name
hath not been written from the
foundation of the world in the book of
life of the Lamb that hath been slain.
9 If
any man hath an ear, let him hear. 10 If
any man is for captivity, into captivity
he goeth: if any man shall kill with the
sword, with the sword must he be
Here is the patience and the
faith of the saints.
11 And I saw another beast coming
up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like unto a lamb, and he spake
as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all
the authority of the first beast in his
And he maketh the earth and
them dwell therein to worship the first
beast, whose death-stroke was healed.
13 And he doeth great signs, that he
should even make fire to come down
out of heaven upon the earth in the
sight of men.
14 And he deceiveth them
that dwell on the earth by reason of the
signs which it was given him to do in
the sight of the beast; saying to them
that dwell on the earth, that they
should make an image to the beast
who hath the stroke of the sword and
15 And it was given unto him to
give breath to it, even to the image to
the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak, and cause that as
many as should not worship the image
of the beast should be killed.
16 And he
causeth all, the small and the great,
and the rich and the poor, and the free
and the bond, that there be given them
a mark on their right hand, or upon
their forehead;
17 and that no man
should be able to buy or to sell, save
he that hath the mark, even the name
of the beast or the number of his
His purpose is to overcome God’s people and he can
summon all powers of the world to help him. Similar to Gog
of Magog in Ezekiel 38:1-6, 17 which symbolized a great
power that opposed God’s people but were defeated by
Him when it seemed they would be victorious. There was
no nation of Magog—Ezekiel 38:17 seems to describe it as
a collection of all that have opposed God.
Not only a great power but is also worshipped; a political
and spiritual enemy of God’s people.
Earth beast—also known as the false prophet
His message is Satan’s.
He has the power of the sea beast to back up his authority
and he leads people to worship the sea beast.
The head that was healed (v.3) was a “sign” of divi nity.
False signs and wonders: Acts 8:9-11; Matthew 24:24 -26;
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12;
Tells the people to make an idol in order to worship the
The people of God would not be able to worship the idol:
Daniel 3:15-18; Romans 1:20-25; Acts 15:29
See Revelation 7:1-8. Those who are God’s are marked by
Him and Satan marked those who did not worship Him.
Historical Note: In the Roman Empire, cult priests gave
those who worshipped the emperor a certificate. One has
been found that said, “We, representatives of the E mperor,
Serenos and Hermas, have seen you sacrificing.” Th is
practice is also mentioned In the story of Cicero found in
Plutarch’s Lives
.
18 Here is wisdom. He that hath
understanding, let him count the
number of the beast; for it is the
number of a man: and his number is
Six hundred and sixty and six.
14 And I saw, and behold, the Lamb
standing on the mount Zion, and with
him a hundred and forty and four
thousand, having his name, and the
name of his Father, written on their
2 And I heard a voice from
heaven, as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of a great thunder:
and the voice which I heard was as the
voice of harpers harping with their
harps:
3and they sing as it were a new
song before the throne, and before the
four living creatures and the elders:
and no man could learn the song save
the hundred and forty and four
thousand, even they that had been
purchased out of the earth.
4 These are
they that were not defiled with women;
for they are virgins. These are they that
follow the Lamb whithersoever he
These were purchased from
among men, to be the firstfruits unto
God and unto the Lamb.
5 And in their
mouth was found no lie: they are
without blemish.
6 And I saw another angel flying in
mid heaven, having eternal good
tidings to proclaim unto them that dwell
on the earth, and unto every nation
and tribe and tongue and people;
7and
he saith with a great voice, Fear God,
and give him glory; for the hour of his
judgment is come: and worship him
that made the heaven and the earth
and sea and fountains of waters.
8 And
another, a second angel, followed,
saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the
great, that hath made all the nations to
drink of the wine of the wrath of her
A source of great speculation. The number is significant and
represents a man. Some have used gematria, assignin g
number values to letters, to identify this as Nero. The
practice was in existence during the time of the Roman
The number may represent failure of this false god
and false religion to reach God’s perfection since six falls
short of the perfect number seven.
The scene switches from earth to heaven where God
prepares to pour His wrath on His enemies.
Those who were marked by God persevered and were
rewarded for their faithfulness.
Only the 144,000 (7:4) could learn the new song; the song
of the Lamb and His victory. Songs were often written to
accompany a victory (Exodus 15:1, 20; Deuteronomy 31:30;
2 Samuel 22:1).
Likely faithful from the Old Law who were in heaven. Since
the Old Law was abolished, their number was fixed. They
were faithful to God, not idols (virgins). They were the
firstfruits of Jesus’ salvation since His blood cleansed their
They were pure. They have a unique song of victory in
the Lamb that the church does not enjoy; our song is
different because of our relationship to Christ.
Gospel proclaimed to all nations: Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8
God will now judge His enemies.
Worship the true God who created all things.
Here the enemy of God is called Babylon. Babylon was the
enemy that destroyed Jerusalem and took Judah into
captivity: 2 Kings 24; Jeremiah 39
Second angel declares the defeat of Babylon as sure.
Similar to Joshua 1:3; 6:1 where God pronounces def eat
before the battle. Babylon led other nations to wickedness
and reveled in it with her
9 And another angel, a third,
followed them, saying with a great
voice, If any man worshippeth the
beast and his image, and receiveth a
mark on his forehead, or upon his
hand,
10 he also shall drink of the wine
of the wrath of God, which is prepared
unmixed in the cup of his anger; and
he shall be tormented with fire and
brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb:
11 and the smoke of their torment
goeth up for ever and ever; and they
have no rest day and night, they that
worship the beast and his image, and
whoso receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints,
they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard the voice from
heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord from
henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors; for
their works follow with them.
14 And I
saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on
the cloud I saw one sitting like unto a
son of man,
having on his head a golden
crown, and in his hand sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out from the
temple, crying with a great voice to him
that sat on the cloud, Send forth thy
sickle, and reap: for the hour to reap is
come; for the harvest of the earth is
16 And he that sat on the cloud
cast his sickle upon the earth; and the
earth was reaped.
17 Another angel
came out from the temple which is in
heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the
altar, he that hath power over fire; and
he called with a great voice to him that
had the sharp sickle, saying, Send
forth thy sharp sickle, and gather the
clusters of the vine of the earth; for her
grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel
cast his sickle into the earth, and
gathered the vintage of the earth, and
cast it into the winepress, the great
winepress , of the wrath of God.
20 And
the winepress was trodden without the
city, and there came out blood from the
Those who opposed God and worshipped the beast woul d
drink of God’s wrath.
Unmixed=not diluted; full strength
Fire and brimstone: 19:20; 20:10
Eternal punishment: Mark 9:42-48; Jude 7
The living creatures before the throne of God do not rest in
their worship(4:8). The wicked do not rest in their suffering.
22:14; 1 John 2:3-14; 3:18-24; Hebrews 10:32-39
Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 2:6-7
Jesus coming on a cloud is a symbol of divine judgm ent:
Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Isaiah 19:1; Jeremiah 4:13; Daniel
7:13; Revelation 1:7
Sickle—curved cutting blade used for harvest; makes wide
sweeping cuts; used of judgment; Joel 3:12-14
The time is ready for God’s enemies to be punished; 6:10
Judgment ordered by God.
Treading the wicked in the winepress: Isaiah 63:1-6;
Lamentations 1:15; Joel 3:12-14
winepress, even unto the bridles of the
horses, as far as a thousand and six
hundred furlongs.
15 And I saw another sign in heaven,
great and marvellous, seven angels
having seven plagues, which are the
last, for in them is finished the wrath of
2 And I saw as it were a sea of
glass mingled with fire; and them that
come off victorious from the beast, and
from his image, and from the number
of his name, standing by the sea of
glass, having harps of God.
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, O Lord God, the Almighty;
righteous and true are thy ways, thou
King of the ages.
4 Who shall not fear,
O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou
only art holy; for all the nations shall
come and worship before thee; for thy
righteous acts have been made
5 And after these things I saw, and
the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven was opened:
6and
there came out from the temple the
seven angels that had the seven
plagues, arrayed with precious stone,
pure and bright, and girt about their
breasts with golden girdles.
7 And one
of the four living creatures gave unto
the seven angels seven golden bowls
full of the wrath of God, who liveth for
ever and ever.
8 And the temple was
filled with smoke from the glory of God,
and from his power; and none was
able to enter into the temple, till the
seven plagues of the seven angels
should be finished.
16 And I heard a great voice out of the
temple, saying to the seven angels, Go
ye, and pour out the seven bowls of
the wrath of God into the earth.
2 And
the first went, and poured out his bowl
into the earth; and it became a
noisome and grievous sore upon the
men that had the mark of the beast,
Blood covered 1,600 furlongs (4 x 4 x 1000 to symbolize the
total judgment of earth?). A furlong would equal about 220
Palestine could not hold such a river of blood (Hailey,
John sees seven angels coming with the bowls to finish
God’s wrath upon His enemies.
Those who are victorious sing praises of salvation through
the Law of Moses and the work of Jesus.
The seven angels came from the Most Holy Place;
therefore, are coming at the command of God.
Divine appearance similar to the priests but not exactly the
Exodus 40:34-35; 1 Kings 8:10-11: No one would be a ble to
enter the temple and intercede on behalf of the people. God
would not relent from His wrath.
From God since His glory filled the temple.
NKJ: “foul and loathsome sores”
Attacked their physical comfort
and that worshipped his image. 3 And
the second poured out his bowl into
the sea; and it became blood as of a
dead man; and every living soul died,
even the things that were in the sea.
4 And the third poured out his bowl into
the rivers and the fountains of the
waters; and it became blood.
5 And I
heard the angel of the waters saying,
Righteous art thou, who art and who
wast, thou Holy One, because thou
didst thus judge:
6for they poured out
the blood of the saints and the
prophets, and blood hast thou given
them to drink: they are worthy.
7 And I
heard the altar saying, Yea, O Lord
God, the Almighty, true and righteous
are thy judgments.
8 And the fourth poured out his
bowl upon the sun; and it was given
unto it to scorch men with fire. 9 And
men were scorched with great heat:
and they blasphemed the name of God
who hath the power over these
plagues; and they repented not to give
him glory.
10 And the fifth poured out
his bowl upon the throne of the beast;
and his kingdom was darkened; and
they gnawed their tongues for pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of
heaven because of their pains and
their sores; and they repented not of
their works.
12 And the sixth poured out his
bowl upon the great river, the river
Euphrates; and the water thereof was
dried up, that the way might by made
ready for the kings that come from the
13 And I saw coming out of
the mouth of the dragon, and out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet, three
unclean spirits, as it were frogs:
14 for
they are spirits of demons, working
signs; which go forth unto the kings of
the whole world, to gather them
together unto the war of the great day
of God, the Almighty.
Not partial judgment as with the trumpets; complete. Source
of commerce and food.
NKJV: “every living creature of the sea died”
Exodus 7:14-21
They received blood for the blood of the righteous that was
shed: Matthew 23:30-36; 27:24-25; Genesis 9:4-6;
Revelation 6;10
Altar: see 6:9-10
The wrath did not extinguish the sun but caused pain.
Psalm 97:3
Would not repent at punishment.
Attacks the heart of the kingdom of the sea beast and his
followers suffered greatly.
Like Pharaoh, plagues came upon them but they would not
repent of their wickedness.
The Euphrates was the uppermost boundary of the lan d
that God gave His people. The enemies of God, particularly
Babylon, lived beyond the Euphrates. The way is cle ar for
an army to attack.
God dried the water which appeared to be a good sign for
Satan who gathered his enemies to fight God’s people.
However, God was luring Satan’s armies into destruction.
Unclean animals representing demonic signs.
False signs: 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:1
Gathering the armies for war is reminiscent of Gog
gathering armies from all over the world to destroy God’s
people in Ezekiel 38. However, in that case as well, God
was setting a trap for them.
15 (Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and
keepeth his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame.)
16 And
they gathered them together into the
place which is called in Hebrew Har-
17 And the seventh poured out his
bowl upon the air; and there came
forth a great voice out of the temple,
from the throne, saying, It is done:
18 and there were lightnings, and
voices, and thunders; and there was a
great earthquake, such as was not
since there were men upon the earth,
so great an earthquake, so mighty.
19 And the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell: and Babylon the great was
remembered in the sight of God, to
give unto her the cup of the wine of the
fierceness of his wrath.
20 And every
island fled away, and the mountains
were not found.
21 And great hail, every
stone about the weight of a talent,
cometh down out of heaven upon men:
and men blasphemed God because of
the plague of the hail; for the plague
thereof is exceeding great.
17 And there came one of the seven
angels that had the seven bowls, and
spake with me, saying, Come hither, I
will show thee the judgment of the
great harlot that sitteth upon many
waters;
2with whom the kings of the earth
committed fornication, and they that
dwell in the earth were made drunken
with the wine of her fornication.
3 And
he carried me away in the Spirit into a
wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting
upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of
names of blasphemy, having seven
heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman
was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and
Matthew 24:43
Watch: Matthew 24:42; 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Naked: 2 Corinthians 5:3
The mountain of Megiddo. This was the
location of many great battles because the wide pla ins
allowed room for armies to maneuver and it provided a last
strong defense for armies marching from the north towards
Joshua 12:21; 17:11; Judges 1:27; 7:1; 5:19; 2
Kings 9:27; 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:20-27; Zechariah
12:11
The final bowl completed the judgment of God and brought
three forms of destruction.

V. A tremendous earthquake followed which destroyed the

great cities of the nations and divided the great city of
God’s enemy (see Ezekiel 5:2).

VI. Islands and mountains were removed leaving no re fuge

for God’s enemies (6:14).

VII. Large hail, about 90-96 lbs, fell on men symboli zing

great wrath and judgment (Exodus 9:18-26; Psalm
78:74; Joshua 10:11).
The people still would not repent!
Judgment of the earthly source of opposition to God’s
people: The great harlot
Harlot: one who entices others to unfaithfulness and
receives money for immorality. Spiritually, she was
unfaithful to God and lured others into wickedness.
Great harlots: Nineveh (Nahum 3:1-4); Tyre (Isaiah 23:15-
; Babylon (Isaiah 47:5-15); and Jerusalem (Isaia h 1:21;
Hosea 1:2; Ezekiel 16)
They shared in her sin and immorality.
Completely against God; abominable
Riding the sea beast—it supports her
Dressed like royalty
decked with gold and precious stone
and pearls, having in her hand a
golden cup full of abominations, even
the unclean things of her fornication,
5and upon her forehead a name
written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE
HARLOTS AND OF THE
ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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 a
great wonder.
7 And the angel said unto me,
Wherefore didst thou wonder? I will tell
thee the mystery of the woman, and of
the beast that carrieth her, which hath
the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and
is not; and is about to come up out of
the abyss, and to go into perdition. And
they that dwell on the earth shall
wonder, they whose name hath not
been written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they
behold the beast, how that he was, and
is not, and shall come.
9 Here is the
mind that hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which
the woman sitteth:
10 and they are
seven kings; the five are fallen, the one
is, the other is not yet come; and when
he cometh, he must continue a little
11 And the beast that was, and is
not, is himself also an eighth, and is of
the seven; and he goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns that thou sawest
are ten kings, who have received no
kingdom as yet; but they receive
authority as kings, with the beast, for
one hour.
13 These have one mind, and
they give their power and authority
unto the beast.
These shall war against the
Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome
them, for he is Lord of lords, and King
of kings; and they also shall overcome
that are with him, called and chosen
and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me,
The waters which thou sawest, where
Drunk with every abomination.
Forehead: Jeremiah 3:3
This is a symbolic name, does represent the actual city of
Babylon (“mystery”). The source of other harlots wh o gives
birth to great wickedness.
Blood of the saints: 6:10; 16:6; 18:24; Matthew 23:30-36
John was confused about the woman so the angel had to
explain to him what she represented. Perhaps he did not
expect this.
The sea beast supports the woman
The cycle of God’s enemies. One leaves and another
All go to destruction.
The people of earth marvel at the rise and wane of enemies
but God’s people know that this is the way of the world.
Symbols Defined:
• The woman is Babylon, a the great city ruling over the
earth (17:18)
• The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the
city sits
• The seven heads are also seven kings: five who have
gone, one that is reigning, and one that will reign in the
future for a little while
• The beast itself represents an eighth king though he is
a part of the seven represented by the heads
• The waters are many nations (Daniel 2:42)
• The ten horns are ten kings
-who have not received kingdoms yet
-rule concurrently with the beast
-yield to the beast’s rule for a short time
-they make war against Jesus but will be defeated
-hate the harlot and will eventually desolate her
and destroy her
The lamb will overcome kings: Daniel 2:44, Psalm 2
King of Kings: 19:16
the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest,
and the beast, these shall hate the
harlot, and shall make her desolate
and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and
shall burn her utterly with fire.
17 For
God did put in their hearts to do his
mind, and to come to one mind, and to
give their kingdom unto the beast, until
the words of God should be
18 And the woman whom
thou sawest is the great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth.
18 After these things I saw another
angel coming down out of heaven,
having great authority; and the earth
was lightened with his glory.
2 And he
cried with a mighty voice, saying,
Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and
is become a habitation of demons, and
a hold of every unclean spirit, and a
hold of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For by the wine of the wrath of her
fornication all the nations are fallen;
and the kings of the earth committed
fornication with her, and the merchants
of the earth waxed rich by the power of
her wantonness.
4 And I heard another
voice from heaven, saying, Come forth,
my people, out of her, that ye have no
fellowship with her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues:
5for her sins
have reached even unto heaven, and
God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Render unto her even as she
rendered,
and double unto her the double
according to her works: in the cup
which she mingled, mingle unto her
7 How much soever she
glorified herself, and waxed wanton, so
much give her of torment and
mourning: for she saith in her heart, I
sit a queen, and am no widow, and
shall in no wise see mourning.
8 Therefore in one day shall her
plagues come, death, and mourning,
and famine; and she shall be utterly
The kingdoms arise from man; God’s kingdom has a
heavenly origin; John 18:36; Daniel 2:45
Ezekiel 16:35-41
Eat flesh: Micah 3:2-3
Isaiah 1:7; Jeremiah 21:10; 38
The ten kings would strip Babylon of her wealth then
destroy her.
An empire city
Message of God; reflects His glory.
Pronouncement of the fall preceded the event (see Joshua
6:2). God’s plan is sure. Isaiah 21:9
Ancient Babylon was populated by wild animals after her
defeat; so spiritual Babylon would become a waste; Isaiah
13:19-22; 14:22-23; 34:9-15.
Her sin poisoned others.
Kings shared in her sins, 18:9-10
Merchants used her for wealth and only mourn the loss of
their markets; 18:11-16. Shipmasters brought wealth to the
city, 18:17-19.
2 Corinthians 6:17
She will not escape punishment for sin (see 2 Peter 3:4)
2 Chronicles 28:9; Jeremiah 51:9
Render=pay back; God will give her punishment for her
sins; Psalm 137:8; Revelation 13:10; 14:10; Romans 2:6-9
Righteous indignation and retribution for her hatred of God
and the persecution of His people.
Isaiah 47:7-8; Zephaniah 2:15
Sudden and violent destruction
burned with fire; for strong is the Lord
God who judged her.
And the kings of the earth, who
committed fornication and lived
wantonly with her, shall weep and wail
over her, when they look upon the
smoke of her burning,
10 standing afar
off for the fear of her torment, saying,
Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the
strong city! for in one hour is thy
judgment come.
11 And the merchants
of the earth weep and mourn over her,
for no man buyeth their merchandise
any more;
12 merchandise of gold, and
silver, and precious stone, and pearls,
and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and
scarlet; and all thyine wood, and every
vessel of ivory, and every vessel made
of most precious wood, and of brass,
and iron, and marble;
13 and cinnamon,
and spice, and incense, and ointment,
and frankincense, and wine, and oil,
and fine flour, and wheat, and cattle,
and sheep; and merchandise of horses
and chariots and slaves; and souls of
14 And the fruits which thy soul
lusted after are gone from thee, and all
things that were dainty and sumptuous
are perished from thee, and men shall
find them no more at all.
15 The
merchants of these things, who were
made rich by her, shall stand afar off
for the fear of her torment, weeping
and mourning;
16 saying, Woe, woe, the
great city, she that was arrayed in fine
linen and purple and scarlet, and
decked with gold and precious stone
and pearl!
17 for in an hour so great
riches is made desolate. And every
shipmaster, and every one that saileth
any wither, and mariners, and as many
as gain their living by sea, stood afar
off,
18 and cried out as they looked upon
the smoke of her burning, saying, What
city is like the great city?
19 And they
cast dust on their heads, and cried,
weeping and mourning, saying, Woe,
woe, the great city, wherein all that had
their ships in the sea were made rich
by reason of her costliness! for in one
hour is she made desolate.
17:16
Punishment is administered by men but comes from God.
The kings, merchants, and seafarers mourning Babylo n is
very similar to the destruction of Tyre in Ezekiel 26:1-28:19
“and lived luxuriously with her” NKJV
The kings mourn her fall but will not intervene to save her.
They remain aloof.
Merchants do not mourn for Babylon but mourn the loss of
their markets and the wealth that she brought them through
Thyine=citron wood; a fruit bearing tree
Luxury items
Like the kings, they stand aloof; do not draw near to help.
Her riches have vanished quickly.
Like the kings and merchants, they observed from a
distance but would not draw near to help.
Like the merchants, they do not mourn for Babylon but for
their loss of wealth from trading.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven,
and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye
prophets; for God hath judged your
judgment on her.
21 And a strong angel
took up a stone as it were a great
millstone and cast it into the sea,
saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall
Babylon, the great city, be cast down,
and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers and
minstrels and flute-players and
trumpeters shall be heard no more at
all in thee; and no craftsman, of
whatsoever craft, shall be found any
more at all in thee; and the voice of a
mill shall be heard no more at all in
thee;
23 and the light of a lamp shall
shine no more at all in thee; and the
voice of the bridegroom and of the
bride shall be heard no more at all in
thee: for thy merchants were the
princes of the earth; for with thy
sorcery were all the nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of
prophets and of saints, and of all that
have been slain upon the earth.
19 After these things I heard as it
were a great voice of a great multitude
in heaven, saying, Hallelujah;
Salvation, and glory, and power,
belong to our God:
2for true and
righteous are his judgments; for he
hath judged the great harlot, her that
corrupted the earth with her fornication,
and he hath avenged the blood of his
servants at her hand.
3 And a second
time they say, Hallelujah. And her
smoke goeth up for ever and ever.
4 And the four and twenty elders and
the four living creatures fell down and
worshipped God that sitteth on the
throne, saying, Amen; Hallelujah.
5 And a voice came forth from the
throne, saying, Give praise to our God,
all ye his servants, ye that fear him, the
small and the great.
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 thunders,
saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord our
God, the Almighty, reigneth.
7 Let us
rejoice and be exceeding glad, and let
The kings, merchants, and sailors mourn Babylon’s
destruction but the saints rejoice over it.
It will not resurface; utter destruction.
Isaiah 13:19-22; 14:23; Jeremiah 51:26, 43. Like ancient
Babylon that vanished into a marsh, so this Babylon’s
destruction would be final. (Evidence that Demands A
Verdict , pp. 314-321 detail the archaeological and historical
records of Babylon becoming a marsh within a jungle,
inhabited by wild animals and missed by some
archaeologist who tried to find her.
Matthew 23:30; Luke 11:50; Revelation 16:6; 17:6
The harlot, Babylon, is destroyed though the details of her
defeat are not given.
Praise to God for destruction of the enemy of His people.
God was just but brought judgment in his time.
Finality of destruction.
They praised God when the message of His wrath was
revealed (5:8, 14) and now that it has been fulfilled.
Revelation 14:2
God demonstrated his power as king in defeating Bab ylon
us give the glory unto him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his
wife hath made herself ready.
8 And it
was given unto her that she should
array herself in fine linen, bright and
pure: for the fine linen is the righteous
acts of the saints.
9 And he saith unto
me, Write, Blessed are they that are
bidden to the marriage supper of the
And he saith unto me, These
are true words of God.
10 And I fell
down before his feet to worship him.
And he saith unto me, See thou do it
not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and
with thy brethren that hold the
testimony of Jesus: worship God; for
the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
11 And I saw the heaven opened;
and behold, a white horse, and he that
sat thereon called Faithful and True;
and in righteousness he doth judge
and make war.
12 And his eyes are a
flame of fire, and upon his head are
many diadems; and he hath a name
written which no one knoweth but he
13 And he is arrayed in a
garment sprinkled with blood: and his
name is called The Word of God.
14 And
the armies which are in heaven
followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
15 And out of his mouth proceedeth a
sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations: and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness of the wrath of God, the
16 And he hath on his garment
and on his thigh a name written,
KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
17 And I saw an angel standing
in the sun; and he cried with a loud
voice, saying to all the birds that fly in
mid heaven, Come and be gathered
together unto the great supper of God;
18 that ye may eat the flesh of kings,
and the flesh of captains, and the flesh
of mighty men, and the flesh of horses
and of them that sit thereon, and the
flesh of all men, both free and bond,
and small and great.
19 And I saw the
beast, and the kings of the earth, and
their armies, gathered together to
Matthew 5:12; Ephesians 5:22-32
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
Adorned in righteousness; Isaiah 61:10
Luke 14:15-24
Worship of angels forbidden; worship only God.
John 5:39
16:12-16—the armies were gathered; now they battle
White symbolized purity and victory
Revelation 3:14
He makes war for righteous ends.
Many diadems-king of kings; the crowns belong to Hi m
Isaiah 63:2-3—blood from enemies He has defeated
John 1
Judgment comes from His mouth.
Psalm 2:9; 110:2; Revelation 2:27; 12:5; Daniel 2:40
Joel 3:9-13
Clear identification of Christ
Stood where he could be seen by all.
Ezekiel 39:17-20
Gathered in 16:12-16; army gathered from all around to
defeat God’s people but it was a trap set for their
make war against him that sat upon
the horse, and against his army.
20 And
the beast was taken, and with him the
false prophet that wrought the signs in
his sight, wherewith he deceived them
that had received the mark of the beast
and them that worshipped his image:
they two were cast alive into the lake of
fire that burneth with brimstone:
21 and
the rest were killed with the sword of
him that sat upon the horse, even the
sword which came forth out of his
mouth: and all the birds were filled with
their flesh.
20 And I saw an angel coming down
out of heaven, having the key of the
abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, the
old serpent, which is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years,
3and cast him into the abyss,
and shut it , and sealed it over him, that
he should deceive the nations no
more, until the thousand years should
be finished:
after this he must be loosed for a little
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given unto
them: and I saw the souls of them that
had been beheaded for the testimony
of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
such as worshipped not the beast,
neither his image, and received not the
mark upon their forehead and upon
their hand; and they lived, and reigned
with Christ a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead lived not until the
thousand years should be finished.
This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: over these the second
death hath no power; but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall
reign with him a thousand years.
Total defeat; enemies could not regroup but were overcome
21:8—eternal destruction
Great destruction
Power to bind Satan who was behind the attack on Go d’s
Was bound for a long definite period of time; not eternally
His ability was limited, not completely taken away. He could
not rouse the nations against God’s people as he did in the
When he was released, he again tried to bring the
nations of man against God’s people. He could still tempt
Eventually he would be released for a short period of time.
After trying another all out assault on God’s people he
would be defeated and judgment would follow.
1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 1:6
Martyrs
Revelation 12:11
Revelation 13:15-17
Hailey: Does not say that Christ reigned on earth; that is
supplied by millennialists. He does rule in heaven, Acts
2:33; Hebrews 1:3
The “rest of the dead” probably refers to the enemi es of
God who would not be resurrected until judgment (19:21). It
could refer to the righteous who were not martyrs.
First resurrection: Baptism (Romans 1:1-6; Rev. 1:9)
Second resurrection: Bodily resurrection of all (Jn 5:26-29)
First death: Bodily death (Hebrews 9:27)
Second death: eternal destruction (20:14)
7 And when the thousand years are
finished, Satan shall be loosed out of
his prison,
8and shall come forth to
deceive the nations which are in the
four corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them together to the
war: the number of whom is as the
sand of the sea.
9 And they went up
over the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city: and fire
came down out of heaven, and
devoured them.
10 And the devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone, where are also
the beast and the false prophet; and
they shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat upon it, from whose
face the earth and the heaven fled
away; and there was found no place
for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the
great and the small, standing before
the throne; and books were opened:
and another book was opened, which
is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of the things which were
written in the books, according to their
13 And the sea gave up the dead
that were in it; and death and Hades
gave up the dead that were in them:
and they were judged every man
according to their works.
14 And death
and Hades were cast into the lake of
This is the second death, even the
lake of fire.
15 And if any was not found
written in the book of life, he was cast
into the lake of fire.
Probably future but could refer to a past event though the
transition from v.10 to v.11 seems to occur at the same
At some point Satan will be released for a short period
of time and will again rouse the nations against God’s
He will be defeated and judgment will follow.
Thousand years of his restraint, not the thousand years of
Christ’s rule.
20:3
Gog and Magog refer to ancient enemies of God’s people.
In Ezekiel 38-39, Gog of Magog is not a particular enemy
but symbolize all of the enemies of God’s people past and
present (Ezekiel 38:17). The alliance Gog of Magog brought
included people from all parts of the earth and the y
encircled God’s people whom they thought were
It was another trap and God destroyed Gog’s
The same thing happens here in Revelation.
God’s people are so small compared to Gog’s armies.
Hebrews 12:22-24
The devil was not restrained this time but was to be
punished eternally with those he roused for battle against
God’s people. There is no rest, Mark 9:42-47.
Matthew 25:31-46
2 Peter 3:7, 11
Old Testament and New Testament (Romans 2:12; 3:4-6 ;
John 12:48; 1 Timothy 4:16)
Book of life lists those who are saved, v.15
All of the dead, none shall escape
Judged by works: Romans 2:2-11
Second death (see previous page)
Lake of fire—constant and intense pain completely
engulfing the disobedient
21 And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth are passed away;
and the sea is no more.
2 And I saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, made ready
as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of the
throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and he shall dwell
with them, and they shall be his
peoples, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God:
4and he shall
wipe away every tear from their eyes;
and death shall be no more; neither
shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor
pain, any more: the first things are
passed away.
5 And he that sitteth on
the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he saith, Write: for
these words are faithful and true.
6 And
he said unto me, They are come to
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give
unto him that is athirst of the fountain
of the water of life freely.
7 He that
overcometh shall inherit these things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be
my son.
8 But for the fearful, and
unbelieving, and abominable, and
murderers, and fornicators, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
their part shall be in the lake that
burneth with fire and brimstone; which
is the second death.
9 And there came one of the seven
angels who had the seven bowls, who
were laden with the seven last
plagues; and he spake with me,
saying, Come hither, I will show thee
the bride, the wife of the Lamb.
10 And
he carried me away in the Spirit to a
mountain great and high, and showed
me the holy city Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God,
11 having
the glory of God: her light was like unto
a stone most precious, as it were a
jasper stone, clear as crystal:
12 having
a wall great and high; having twelve
gates, and at the gates twelve angels;
and names written thereon, which are
the names of the twelve tribes of the
2 Peter 3:10-13—not a renewal of this earth but a n ew
habitation for man. Heaven and earth were created for
man’s physical home; the new heaven and earth represent
his spiritual home.
The sea, the mass of humanity (17:15), is gone
Hebrews 12:22-24
Ephesians 5:22-32; Romans 8:23-25;
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
Hebrews 11:13-16
Isaiah 25:8
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
2 Corinthians 5:17
You can depend upon these words
Beginning and end of the Greek alphabet; encompasse s all
things (1:8)
John 4:7-13; Revelation 22:1, 17
1 John 3:1
Romans 1:20-32
He had bad news for the disobedient; good news for John
Church (Ephesians 5:22-32)
Hebrews 12:22-24
Philippians 2:15; Revelation 21:23
The twelve things symbolized spiritual Israel
children of Israel: 13 on the east were
three gates; and on the north three
gates; and on the south three gates;
and on the west three gates.
14 And the
wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and on them twelve names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And he
that spake with me had for a measure
a golden reed to measure the city, and
the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the
length thereof is as great as the
breadth: and he measured the city with
the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the
length and the breadth and the height
thereof are equal.
17 And he measured
the wall thereof, a hundred and forty
and four cubits, according to the
measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
18 And the building of the wall thereof
was jasper: and the city was pure gold,
like unto pure glass.
19 The foundations
of the wall of the city were adorned
with all manner of precious stones. The
first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the
fourth, emerald;
20 the fifth, sardonyx;
the sixth, sardius; the seventh,
chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth,
topaz; the tenth, chrysoprase; the
eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
And the twelve gates were twelve
pearls; each one of the several gates
was of one pearl: and the street of the
city was pure gold, as it were
transparent glass.
22 And I saw no
temple therein: for the Lord God the
Almighty, and the Lamb, are the
temple thereof.
23 And the city hath no
need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine upon it: for the glory of God
did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is
the Lamb.
24 And the nations shall walk
amidst the light thereof: and the kings
Isaiah 28:16; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 2:20
Revelation 11:1; Ezekiel 40-42
Perfect dimensions
12,000 furlongs=1,500 miles (1 furlong = 220 yards) The
significance is more likely the number itself (12 x 1000)
144 cubits=252 feet (1 cubit=21 inches) The significance is
more likely the number itself (12x12)
No difference in their measurements
No impurities in the gold at all
Precious and rare stones
Jasper = fine crystalline opaque stone of various colors
Sapphire = translucent stone often blue mixed with purple
Chalcedony = translucent quartz that is pale-blue or gray
(ISV: agate)
Emerald = A rich green hard stone
Sardonyx = onyx stone with reddish brown layers
Sardius = (ISV: carnelian) a hard red decorative stone
Chrysolite = greenish stone
Beryl = a hard stone; green, blue, yellow, pink or white
Topaz = a yellow transparent stone
Chrysoprase = apple green translucent quartz
Jacinth = orange gemstone
Amethyst = clear purple or violet crystallized quartz
Obviously not real pearls; symbolic of the priceless nature
of heaven; even the gates are priceless
Nothing separates God and man in heaven
Light was created for physical man; God is the light of
spiritual man
Filled with the saved of all nations
of the earth bring their glory into it.
25 And the gates thereof shall in no wise
be shut by day (for there shall be no
night there):
26 and they shall bring the
glory and the honor of the nations into
it:
27 and there shall in no wise enter
into it anything unclean, or he that
maketh an abomination and a lie: but
only they that are written in the Lamb’s
book of life.
22 And he showed me a river of water
of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out
of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2in the midst of the street thereof. And
on this side of the river and on that was
the tree of life, bearing twelve manner
of fruits, yielding its fruit every month:
and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations.
3 And there shall
be no curse any more: and the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be
therein: and his servants shall serve
him;
4and they shall see his face; and
his name shall be on their foreheads.
5 And there shall be night no more; and
they need no light of lamp, neither light
of sun; for the Lord God shall give
them light: and they shall reign for ever
and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These
words are faithful and true: and the
Lord, the God of the spirits of the
prophets, sent his angels to show unto
his servants the things which must
shortly come to pass.
7 And behold, I
come quickly. Blessed is he that
keepeth the words of the prophecy of
this book.
8 And I John am he that
heard and saw these things. And when
I heard and saw, I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel that
showed me these things.
9 And he saith
unto me, See thou do it not: I am a
fellow-servant with thee and with thy
brethren the prophets, and with them
that keep the words of this book:
worship God.
10 And he saith unto me,
Seal not up the words of the prophecy
of this book; for the time is at hand.
Eternal day in which all who are pure live with God
John 4:7-13; eternal life forever flows here
Symbolizes the restoration of Paradise in which man and
God dwelled together in harmony and peace; in Genes is 3
man was separated from the Tree of Life and death b ecame
the consequence of sin and the curse followed with it. The
Tree of Life is restored and the curse is removed.
John 1:18; Matthew 5:8
Revelation 7:3
2 Timothy 2:12; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3
End of the main vision/Beginning of the exhortation
Dependable message
Judgment on the enemies of God would be fulfilled soon;
He is coming in judgment; Revelation 1:7
Keep the words of the prophecy, remain faithful under
persecution, and you will have eternal life
19:10
The prophecy would be fulfilled soon. Daniel was told to
seal up his prophecy that would take about 400-600 years
to be fulfilled (Daniel 8:26; 12:4, 9) but John was told not to
seal his prophecy for the events were unfolding. This shows
that the main events of the prophecy, excluding judgment,
are not in our future.
11 He that is unrighteous, let him do
unrighteousness still: and he that is
filthy, let him be made filthy still: and he
that is righteous, let him do
righteousness still: and he that is holy,
let him be made holy still.
12 Behold, I
come quickly; and my reward is with
me, to render to each man according
as his work is.
13 I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, the
beginning and the end.
14 Blessed are
they that wash their robes, that they
may have the right to come to the tree
of life, and may enter in by the gates
into the city.
15 Without are the dogs,
and the sorcerers, and the fornicators,
and the murderers, and the idolaters,
and every one that loveth and maketh
a lie.
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to
testify unto you these things for the
I am the root and the
offspring of David, the bright, the
morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the
bride say, Come. And he that heareth,
let him say, Come. And he that is
athirst, let him come: he that will, let
him take the water of life freely.
18 I
testify unto every man that heareth the
words of the prophecy of this book, if
any man shall add unto them, God
shall add unto him the plagues which
are written in this book:
19 and if any
man shall take away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall
take away his part from the tree of life,
and out of the holy city, which are
written in this book.
20 He who testifieth these things saith,
Yea: I come quickly. Amen: come, Lord
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus
be with the saints. Amen.
Be unrighteous or righteous
2 Thessalonians 1:6-7
21:6
Revelation 7:13-14—they can go to heaven
21:27
These are punished eternally away from the righteous
Revelation 5:5
Morning star—really the planted Vensu—begins a new day.
21:6; 22:1
Though binding on the book of Revelation, the princ iple
applies to all scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; 2 John 9)
No eternal life with God
Jesus gives His word that He will deliver His people; John
affirms this and urges Him to do so.
Though the saints were about to suffer many terrible things,
the grace of God is with them and will bring them t hrough
suffering into eternal life.
Selected Bibliography
Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985).
Harper’s Bible dictionary (1st ed.). San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Hailey, Homer. Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary
. Baker Book House:
Grand Rapids, 1979.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (a.k.a. ISBE). Four Volumes Edited
by James Orr, et al. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co: Grand Rapids, 1956.
Jenkins, Ferrell. The Old Testament in the Book of Revelation
. Florida College
Bookstore: Temple Terrace, FL, 1972.
Merriam-Webster, I. (1996, c1993). Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. (10th
). Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.: Merriam-Webster.
Ogden, Arthur. The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets
. Ogden Publications:
Somerset, Kentucky, 1991.