CHAPTER 17
If the Revelation is the only book in the Bible which promises a blessing for reading or hearing its prophecy, why do you suppose it is so neglected? Perhaps because it is so hard to understand. Considering all the symbolism and mysterious characters, trying to comprehend the Revelation's message is a challenge.
Adding to the problem is the Revelation's uncertain chronology. Most would agree that it is extremely difficult to keep track of what happens when. Much of the Book unfolds in chronological order, but there are sections which appear out of sequence. On top of that, there are times when the writer covers an entire period in a single passage. For instance, all 42 months of the two witnesses' ministry is condensed into a few verses.These are problems that bewilder John's readers. For that reason, God provided seven chronological visions to serve as an overview for the entire period. I call it Revelation's Hidden Program Guide. Tucked away near the middle of the Book, these visions reveal a precise chronology of all major End Time events. John recorded those visions for us beginning at the 12th Chapter:
According to Dr. Bill Stewart, the book of the Revelation should be thought of as a commentary on Psalms 2. In that Psalm, God tells us what He is going to do. Simply, He is going to enthrone His Son, the Messiah, on the earth.
I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, "Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee." Ask of Me and I will give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shall shatter them like earthenware (Psalm 2:7-9).
Now we look to the Book of the Revelation to learn just how God is going to put Messiah on the throne. The seven visions given to John form an outline of God's plan. They begin with Messiah's birth by the woman and end with the harvesting of the earth. Logically, the visions in between are in chronological order.
In the first vision, John saw a woman about to give birth to a child. Based on Genesis 37:9, we know she represents Israel (Jacob). The twelve stars in her crown are for the twelve tribes. John records that her child was a male child, who will rule the nations with a rod of iron (as was predicted in Psalms 2). Of course, the child is Messiah.
Then John noticed a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns. This was "the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world." With his tail he swept away a third of the stars of heaven and brought them with him to the earth. Those stars were symbols for the fallen angels, also known as demons.
Then Satan was seen standing before the woman as she was about to give birth; his intent was to murder her child. The Bible tells that Satan tried to kill the infant Messiah through King Herod. Although that attempt failed, we know the devil later succeeded. But his joy was short-lived, for three days later God raised Messiah from the dead. After that, He was taken up to God and His throne.
That brings us to the present day. Since Messiah was taken up to heaven, spiritual conflict has not changed much. But in the not too distant future, an event in heaven will forever alter the conflict. When it occurs, all End Time prophecy will be set in motion. From then on, life will never be the same for anyone—not for followers of Messiah, not for Jews, and not for the nations.
1. Satan is expelled from heaven.
That next event on the prophetic calendar is a war in heaven! Most do not realize Satan is now conducting his rebellion from heaven. Scripture says that at this moment, Satan is before the Throne, bringing accusations against the believers. But soon, at God's command, Michael and his angels will throw him out of heaven for good.
He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Revelation 12:9).
Messiah prophesied this when He said, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightening" (Luke 10:18). How will earth's new resident react to his new surroundings? Not well.
Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time (Revelation 12:12).
For mankind this will be a time like none other. There will be worldwide distress as God assaults the kingdom of Satan and his Antichrist. Plagues, famine and war will be commonplace. Luke said, "men will faint from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:26).
2. Satan persecutes Israel, which flees into a wilderness.
After he is cast down, the dragon turns his murderous rage on the descendants of Jews. Satan's long standing tactic has been to defeat God by eliminating these people. Once more, he will resort to ghastly anti-Semitic pogroms and genocide.But, as He has done so often before, God intercedes for His people. This time, He prepares a "wilderness" where the Jews are protected from Satan's attack. Only there will they be nourished and protected from Satan's attacks during the next three and a half years.
In my opinion, the wilderness is none other than the land of Israel. In Moses' day, Canaan was a land of milk and honey, but that changed. Because Israel broke its Covenant, God caused that land to become "a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows on it" (see Deuteronomy 29:23). In the last half century, Israel has made tremendous strides in reclaiming that wilderness. In other words, even now God is preparing the "wilderness" for the days ahead.
3. Satan turns on the offspring of Israel.
The devil is enraged because of the deliverance of the Jews. He then goes off to make war "with the rest of the woman's offspring." Does that refer to the Jews who foolishly did not return to the land of Israel? No. The "offspring" are identified as those who (1) keep the commandments of God and, (2) hold to the testimony about Jesus! Certainly, most Jews do not accept the testimony about Jesus. As one writer put it, "Jews for Jesus is like vegetarians for meat-eating!" The plain teaching of this vision is that the dragon goes after the descendants of Jacob who have accepted Jesus as Messiah—that is, the church!
If you belong to Messiah, then you are Abraham's OFFSPRING, heirs according to promise (Galatians 3:29).
In the first vision, we notice the woman (Israel) was delivered. What about her offspring? There is no mention of a place for them to hide. Unlike the Jews, New Covenant believers are not defenseless in spiritual warfare. They are equipped by the Spirit of God so they not only resist the devil, but even overcome him:
They overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death (Revelation 12:11).
On the heels of Satan's expulsion from heaven, John saw the next major event—the coming of the beast. As mentioned, the term most often used for this man is "Antichrist." Scripture clearly reveals that the church will witness his deceptive ascent to power.
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [the day of the Lord] will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness [the beast] is revealed... (II Thessalonians 2:2-3).
The saints will be shocked at how fast the unbelieving world accepts and even worships this man. Faced with the prospect of persecution, multitudes will cease to worship the Creator and bow down before this evil creature. This is known as the great apostasy.
Closely connected with Antichrist is another beast. Most refer to him as the false prophet. This man is a master of deception, and he has the same authority as the first beast. His only recorded feat is the "creation" of an image resembling the first beast. Somehow, he causes that image to appear to come to life and even speak. The importance of the "talking image" lies in the way it is used. The false prophet proclaims that anyone who does not worship it will be killed. Obviously, no follower of Messiah (and not many Jews) would bow down to such an image. It is through that bit of subterfuge that the beast plans to identify, and then eliminate, both Jews and believers. Most likely this takes place near the end of Antichrist's 42 month reign.
John recorded that the first beast came out of the sea. The sea is often symbolic for the nations outside Israel, so that may indicate he is a Gentile. The second "comes up out of the earth," so he will likely be a Jew. Based on a prophecy in Genesis, at least one of them has to be a descendant of the tribe of Dan. That prophecy revealed that the tribe of Dan would be an instrument of judgment against Israel:
Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse's heels, so that his rider falls backward (Genesis 49:16-17).
We don't know much else about the false prophet, other than his final destination. When Messiah returns in power, he and the first beast will become permanent residents of the lake of fire.
All of the sudden, we see that the saints are in heaven—with no explanation of how they got there. Remarkably, the meaning of this vision has been almost universally overlooked. It is nothing less than the Rapture of the church! This oversight is understandable, since so many have mistakenly believed the rapture takes place in Chapter 4.
And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand(s), having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1).
And they [144 Thousands] sang a new song before the throne ... and no one could learn the song except the one hundred forty-four thousands who had been purchased from the earth (Revelation 14:3).
There are instances in Scripture where Mount Zion refers to Jerusalem, the Temple, and even the land of Israel, but it can also be used to speak of heaven. According to Hebrews 12, Zion is "the city of the living God ... the heavenly Jerusalem." The clincher is that the 144 thousand(s) are singing before the throne. That puts them squarely in heaven!
We know the lamb is Messiah, but who are the 144,000? From Chapter 11 of this book, you will remember that number stood for the redeemed out of the 12 tribes of Israel. Now they are all in heaven. John said they were purchased from the earth. (The purchase price was the shed blood of the Messiah).
These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 14:4).
Apart from being symbolic, this verse makes no sense. No where does Scripture suggest normal sexual relations in marriage bring defilement. What is in view here is some well established symbolism. The church is to be the bride of Messiah. As such, she is expected to remain chaste. That means she is not to be defiled by "playing the harlot" and going after false gods.
As revealed by the Apostle Paul, the rapture takes place at the last trumpet. Shortly before God begins to pour out His wrath on an unrepentant world, Messiah's followers are evacuated from the earth. That rapture trip, however, is not one-way. The word that is used for "meeting" the Lord in the air is interesting (see I Thessalonians 4:17). It refers to the custom of going outside a city to welcome an approaching dignitary. After meeting him, the crowd comes back into the city as part of the dignitary's entourage. This means all the believers throughout history will "go out" to meet Messiah. Then (within a few days) they will accompany Him as He returns to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.
Immediately after the church is "caught up" into the clouds, angels are dispatched with messages for those who remain on the earth. Even with judgment about to begin, God sends messengers to warn mankind.
1. The First Angel. While the church is going out to meet the Lord in the air, the world will hear the gospel through an angel speaking in mid-heaven. For the first time since Pentecost, the church (now departed) is not the messenger, but it is still the same message. Despite centuries of labor by missionaries, evangelists and Bible translators, a great many have never heard the good news about Jesus the Messiah and the New Covenant. With the coming of this angel, everyone will hear, and another important prophecy will be fulfilled:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come (Matthew 24:14).
2. The Second Angel. Another angel now comes forth with a startling message. "Babylon the great is fallen!" Many living in Babylon (which we interpret to be America) will have responded to the message of the first angel. Clearly, those new believers will not know what is about to happen to their land. So God sends another messenger who tells them, "Come out of her [Babylon], that you may not participate in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). In the same way Messiah warned His followers to flee Jerusalem's judgment, this angel tells of the coming destruction of Babylon the Great.
3. The Third Angel. Then a third angel is heard speaking God's final warning. He cautions that anyone who worships the beast or his image will be eternally damned. It is remarkable that as the bowls of wrath are being readied, there is still opportunity for salvation. Many will respond to the angelic messages, and they will become saints. Then, even if they lose their lives to the beast, they will not lose their blessing:
"Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them" (Revelation 14:13).
In the final vision, Messiah is seen sitting on a cloud. At the Father's command, He puts His sickle into the earth. This is symbolic for harvesting all those new believers. At that time, Messiah sends forth His angels and they gather up His elect from across the globe. This multitude of believers makes up the final harvest—the one that was assured when God received the "first fruits" of the harvest at the rapture.
And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. And they sang the song of Moses the bond-servant of God and the song of the Lamb (Revelation 15:2-3).
When the first harvest is completed, an angel plunges another sickle into the earth. The fruits of this harvest, however, are destined for a different fate. They will be thrown into the great wine press of the wrath of God!
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God; in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men..." (Revelation 19:17-18).
If you are a follower of Messiah, it is critical that you begin to search the Scriptures for yourself to see if this teaching is correct. For decades, the church has embraced a system that is pleasing to the ears, but may well contradict the Scriptures.
Surely, Messiah will be keenly disappointed by followers who busy themselves with doctrines of an early discharge from their posts—when they should be preparing to "suffer hardship as good soldiers of Jesus the Messiah" (see II Timothy 2:3). Daniel prophesied that the beast would "make war with the saints and overcome them." Not only will the church be locked in mortal combat with the beast, toward the end it will appear that he has won! How will unprepared saints stand up under those circumstances?
That, however, should not be your lot. Don't forget, Daniel also prophesied that those who understand the End Times will lead many to righteousness! In spite of Satanic opposition, you have the resources to stand, and you can help others to stand as well.