Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
 
THIS is Judgment Day. Suddenly in victory and truth, the Holy God – Father and Son – come in glory to end sin and establish the Lord’s salvation. All who had died before this day and all alive on this day will stand before God as he opens the Book of Life. This is too large for us to imagine. Even so, we must trust in the Savior’s holy promise. Matthew 24:30-31 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
    The prophets have foretold this: Isaiah 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
    The apostles have spoken: 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
    Then the apostle urges the church to be prepared. 2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12a as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. Then again he confirms the universe will change: 2 Peter 3:12b That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. The Lord God will come. His Word tells us so. Be prepared. God will change all you know. God will determine your eternal home.
    This is the Word of God. He has spoken to you, taught you and promised you of sin’s judgment and salvation’s reward. Where is your name written? What are you doing to prepare unbelievers for this day?
 
Prayer: Stir us Lord to believe in this day. Ignite our love for others, so we will be purposeful to declare the Good News. Amen.  
     

Revelation 20:1-10 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth — Gog and Magog — to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
 
PERHAPS this is one of Revelation’s most debated passages. I believe God’s Word will clarify God’s Word:
    1 Thessalonians 4:13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
    Remember three things from Revelation to this point. 1) Jesus is the risen Lamb of God.  2) Those who have died in Christ are with Christ. 3) Satan continues his work under God’s permission. 4) Jesus has promised he would come again at an unknown time to establish his holy perfection.
    It, indeed, is sweet to know this is The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. (Revelation 1:1a)
 
Prayer: May we trust you, Lord God, more than the debates, more than the limited knowledge of our human minds. Amen.  

Revelation 19:17-21 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
 
A new angel calls the church to war and announces to the birds of the air they will have a supper  to eat the flesh of all opposition. The beast, the false prophet and the ten kings come to Armageddon as described in chapter 16. The battle has been foretold, and now it will happen.
    Jesus’ army captures the beast - the devil’s counterfeit son - and the false prophet,  who were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their punishment is eternal torture.
    In turn, all of their followers are destroyed. With the flash of the Lord’s sword, the battle is done. The Lord declares his victory. The carrion birds reap the grim harvest.
    Do you wonder if the Lord will truly destroy multitudes? We can be sure he will. The Lord God has done similar work against opposition, even his own people. See the Lord’s judgment of Israel: 2 Samuel 24:15-16 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.”  And see God’s judgment against Assyria, who threatened Judah: Isaiah 37:36 Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning –  there were all the dead bodies!
    Listen to the Lord. Revelation is a message to the church to repent, to be prepared for this great day of the Lord. Have an appropriate fear of God. He is the one who holds eternity in his hands. Has he called you? Rejoice and be confident you are in his army. Be alert. The Lord’s army is one of great responsibility and action. You have a duty to obey God. He is your sovereign Ruler. Hear and be faithful.
 
Prayer: These are fearsome words, Lord. They are words to spur us on to live and teach the good news, so others will be prepared for this Day of the Lord. May it be so in my life. Amen.
 

Revelation 19:11-16 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
 
HE comes! Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24:30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”  This is Jesus’ glorious return to earth.
    He is on a hose of power and rule. His name is Faithful and True and a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. His magnificent glory is beyond our full comprehension.
    Jesus is just. His eyes demonstrate God’s power and piercing knowledge. His many crowns reflect his sovereign power over all. The Lamb of God wears a robe dipped in blood, likely reflecting his own sacrifice for his church. He is, as declared in John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.    
    In perfection he leads heaven’s armies; the church faithfully follows him. Fulfilled is the ancient prophecy of Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is his. Indeed, the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty finally destroys sin.
    Yes, he is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Are you prepared for his coming?
 
Prayer: We rejoice in the expectation of your coming, Lord Jesus. Come quickly, that your will is done on earth as in heaven. Amen.
 

 

Revelation 19:6-8 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, the righteous acts of the saints, are bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
 
WEDDINGS are beautiful occasions. The bride long plans. The groom steps into his place, and they are prayerfully joined into the one-flesh union God declared in Genesis. A flesh-to-flesh, spirit-to-spirit relationship between man and woman perfects God’s creation. God was in that first union. He had created it. He made it perfect. But then, sin made it imperfect.
    Sin broke the perfect relationship between God and mankind and mankind with one other. Sin, too, keeps the church today from perfection and a perfect relationship with Jesus - its husband. Sin separates!
    Thankfully, as we know, the Bible records how history has been “His Story” - God’s promised, purposeful plan to remove sin and to restore God’s perfection into each aspect of his creation. The Lord gives to John now his vision of the perfected church as Jesus’ bride!
    Thus, as we come to the restored, perfect and eternal union between God and his people, the wedding image is fitting, isn’t it? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Man,, is joined with his bride, the Church. Each person who has said, “I do.” to Jesus as Lord and Savior will live perfectly joined to Jesus forever. The church is dressed in holiness because her husband’s blood has washed sin’s filth away.
    Oh, my! The wedding ceremony is complete: Revelation 19:9-10 “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God. 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him.” Yes! Worship such a Savior who intimately joins with you with his unbreakable love: John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”
    Celebrate your holy Husband. You can trust such a marvelous perfect God who weds you into a holy, eternal union with him.
 
Prayer: We praise you, Lord God, for your patient persistence to join with your chosen church. We worship you in joy and wonder, grateful to be married to you. Amen.   

Revelation 19:1-5 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”
 
ONE way to help us understand Revelation is to see its structure. In the beginning, we know the author is the Father. The main messenger is the Son. The introduction in chapters 2-3 tell us Jesus has a message to correct his church into a more pure faith.
    The Father’s message then moves into heaven to see worship led by the 24 elders and the four angels or living creatures also known as seraphim. The purpose for this introduction and heavenly view is for the readers throughout time to know this is God’s message to his church. The church is his. His true church will be with him in heaven’s glory.
    With that assurance, God’s message becomes very difficult for us. The views of sin dominating and destroying the world repel us. We cannot comprehend evil’s destruction on God’s faithful and created perfection. And we wonder, “Why does God allow this?”
    God’s message then teaches us to understand we must deeply trust him and await his coming in the fullness of time. We understand there are many mysteries of God we do not know, yet. In faith we must believe his ways are not our ways.
    Thus, the structure of Revelation now takes us back to heaven. From this point to the conclusion of Revelation, we will see God’s victory for his church. Here, we are back in heaven. The church praises God for the “prostitute’s” destruction and for the church’s victory. The elders and the living creatures continue to lead worship, And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!”
    There is a praise song many of us sing in our churches. It is called the “Gloria Patri” – “Glory to the Father”. Its words are: “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: World without end. Amen. Amen.”
    This is often sung in response to speaking an affirmation of our beliefs such as the Apostles Creed. The author is unknown. But we can quickly see this could have been and could be eternally sung in heaven. It defines God’ glory. He is Trinity. He is eternal. As it was perfect in the beginning of time, it shall be perfect forever in God’s eternal power. Praise God! His blessings, indeed, flow into our lives forever!
 
Prayer: We do praise you with our hearts, minds and souls, Lord. You are our eternal God worthy of our true and complete worship. Amen.

Revelation 17:12-14 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
 
THE “ten horns” refers back to the previous lesson describing the beast in Revelation 17:7, referring to the beast, which has the seven heads and ten horns. We learned the seven heads referred both to Rome, the city of seven hills and also to all world nations to come. The ten horns is another reference to many world governments to rise in the future to oppose Jesus until his final victory.
    These governments’ reigns will come at a future time and will be brief. One hour is figurative to describe the many transitions of governments throughout world history. We can see in Rome’s history, for example, some emperors reigned only for months before assassination. Many of you reading this know in your own country of how government leaders last only a short time.
    This picture of constant opposition to Jesus can be disheartening. Why does so much of the world hate Jesus? The answer, of course, is sin. We see this desire to kill Jesus even in the Jews’ rulers in Mark 11:18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. Satan brought death into the world because he hates God. The world constantly opposes our Creator.
    But find hope! The opposition lasts only one hour. Jesus is eternal. He is the victor over all opposition, even the grave. Jesus is risen. He is alive. The Lamb will overcome because he is King of kings, Lord of lords!
    Then see these powerful words of victory: “with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Are you a Christian? Then rejoice because you are called. God has chosen you to be his faithful follower. This is God’s work in you to make you his own forevermore! God has you and will not let you go.
    The world’s ways may seem to be greater than God’s way. But do not focus on your limited view of the world and of God. Look, instead, into eternity. Revelation continually teaches God is the victor over his entire creation. When you are in Jesus’ church, he has equipped you for eternity. Be faithful to your call. Celebrate and activate your faith each day to confidently live for Christ.  
 
Prayer: I pray, Father, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:20) Amen.
   

Revelation 17:15-18 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
 
IN chapter 17, God has revealed a time of sin’s rule in the world. The prostitute symbolized nations in partnership with Satan, the beast, to violently oppose God’s church. Seven rulers and ten rulers, too, have pointed to God’s ordained time of evil governments throughout world history. Why is it, then, that these verses point to the beast and the ten horns destroying the prostitute?
    Evil destroys evil, doesn’t it? Read of the evil nations in the Old Testament. What happened to them? They are gone; they destroyed one another. Evil rulers conquered Rome. We see today many corrupt governments that are destroyed from within as greed, pride and power motivate people to rebellion.
    Destruction is the sum of all sin: Psalms 5:9-10 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. 10 Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.  
    Satan hates everyone and everything. His purpose is to infiltrate and destroy God’s church. He will influence the world and rule many hearts to destruction until God declares the end.
    Be of God. Your task as Jesus’ church is to show the better way of Christ. Philippians 2:3-8 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death —  even death on a cross!  
    Our Lord is true. He has shown us the true way involves love, obedience and sacrifice. This is your eternal way to life.
 
Prayer: Lord God, deliver us from evil. Empower us to be true leaders of your true kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
 
 

Revelation 17:12-14 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
 
THE “ten horns” refers back to the previous lesson describing the beast in Revelation 17:7, referring to the beast, which has the seven heads and ten horns. We learned the seven heads referred both to Rome, the city of seven hills and also to all world nations to come. The ten horns is another reference to many world governments to rise in the future to oppose Jesus until his final victory.
    These governments’ reigns will come at a future time and will be brief. One hour is figurative to describe the many transitions of governments throughout world history. We can see in Rome’s history, for example, some emperors reigned only for months before assassination. Many of you reading this know in your own country of how government leaders last only a short time.
    This picture of constant opposition to Jesus can be disheartening. Why does so much of the world hate Jesus? The answer, of course, is sin. We see this desire to kill Jesus even in the Jews’ rulers in Mark 11:18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. Satan brought death into the world because he hates God. The world constantly opposes our Creator.
    But find hope! The opposition lasts only one hour. Jesus is eternal. He is the victor over all opposition, even the grave. Jesus is risen. He is alive. The Lamb will overcome because he is King of kings, Lord of lords!
    Then see these powerful words of victory: “with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” Are you a Christian? Then rejoice because you are called. God has chosen you to be his faithful follower. This is God’s work in you to make you his own forevermore! God has you and will not let you go.
    The world’s ways may seem to be greater than God’s way. But do not focus on your limited view of the world and of God. Look, instead, into eternity. Revelation continually teaches God is the victor over his entire creation. When you are in Jesus’ church, he has equipped you for eternity. Be faithful to your call. Celebrate and activate your faith each day to confidently live for Christ.  
 
Prayer: I pray, Father, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:20) Amen.
   

Revelation 17:1-5 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
 
THE word “prostitute” here and in many other scriptures refers not to a particular sin. It instead points to a nation’s or several nations’ rejection of God’s rule. For example, see God’s word to Jerusalem rejecting him: Isaiah 1:21 See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her – but now murderers!  And Ezekiel 16:15 “'But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.” Jerusalem became a prostitute as the Jews rejected God’s rule. How does this happen?
    We see how. One of the seven angels who was delivering God’s wrath to earth stopped to show to John the “great prostitute’s” penalty. Notice she is sitting on a red beast. The prostitute is with the devil.  Those with Satan are not with God. What city or nation is this? Here are two answers.
    First, John’s contemporaries would easily identify Rome as the prostitute. Her dominion was essentially the known world of that day. Its citizens worshiped many gods. Vicious emperors targeted Christians for brutal persecutions. AS “Babylon” was to the Jews a name of evil, Rome clearly was the Babylon of John’s day. The city and the empire was a prostitute against God.
    Second, as Revelation is a prophecy, it is necessary to question, “Does the church sit with Satan to become a prostitute?” WE know that many false teachers have led God’s church – his kingdom city – away from God. History records portions of Jesus’ church living in Satan’s ways. Sometimes, too, our complacency about God’s truth opens the door to reject God’s rule. Self-interests and gratification can work quietly to separate the church from is Lord.
    We must, then, as the individual church and as the church universal, continually examine ourselves to determine if we are rejecting or worshiping God. We do not want to be as Jerusalem, the prostitute of old, nor as Rome and other cities throughout time.
    With proper examination, we will surely discover apostasy to some degree. To avoid God’s wrath our only response is to repent. Jerusalem did not repent. Babylon and then Rome were God’s tools to judge his prostitute city with various conquests. God then destroyed Babylon. No trace remains today. And he reduced Rome to a weak, confused city. God will judge and destroy those who prostitute his Word.
    This is the angel’s message to John and Jesus’ church. I pray we are listening.
 
Prayer: Open our hearts to seek, savor and speak your Word, O God. Reveal our sins that we may repent and be saved. Amen.