Book: Revelation

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Summary

This passage from Revelation 16:12-21 reveals the final bowl judgments poured out upon the earth, the staging of Armageddon, and the total devastation that brings the age of Gentile world power to an end. The connection to Daniel’s vision of four world kingdoms reminds us that God has always been sovereign over human history, and that a fifth, eternal kingdom — the kingdom of Jesus Christ — will crush all others and endure forever.

Key Lessons:

1. God maintains sovereign control over all earthly kingdoms, no matter how powerful or evil they appear, and history is moving toward His ordained conclusion.
2. Human enterprises and civilizations decline over time rather than improve — our hope must never rest in governments, leaders, or human institutions but in Christ alone.
3. The human heart apart from God’s grace is utterly depraved, and even under the most severe divine judgments, people will blaspheme God rather than repent.
4. Believers are called to remain watchful, spiritually alert, and ready for Christ’s return, not deceived by the world’s propaganda or false signs.

Application: We are called to examine ourselves to make sure we truly know Christ as Savior, to stay grounded in God’s Word so we can discern deception, and to prepare the next generation by passing on biblical truth and the gospel message.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does understanding Daniel’s vision of the four kingdoms and the coming fifth kingdom change how you view current world events and governments?
2. In what practical ways can we remain spiritually watchful and “fully clothed” in an age of increasing deception and cultural insanity?
3. If our hope is not to be placed in kings, presidents, or political systems, how should that reshape the way we engage with the world around us?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 16:12-21 details the sixth and seventh bowl judgments including the drying of the Euphrates, the gathering at Armageddon, and the catastrophic global earthquake and hailstones. Daniel 2 provides the foundation with its vision of four world kingdoms succeeded by God’s eternal fifth kingdom. Zechariah and Joel are referenced regarding the splitting of the Mount of Olives and cosmic trembling at God’s judgment.

Outline

• Introduction
• The Danger of ‘Christianity Light’
• Standing on Sound Doctrine
• Review of the Bowl Judgments
• The Daniel Connection: Four World Kingdoms
• The Times of the Gentiles
• The Fifth Kingdom: Christ’s Eternal Kingdom
• Observations on God’s Sovereignty Over History
• The Sixth Bowl: The Euphrates Dried Up
• The Unholy Triumvirate and Demonic Deception
• Unclean Spirits Like Frogs
• Satan’s Mission: Gathering the World for War
• A Word of Hope: ‘Behold, I Am Coming’
• The Call to Watchfulness
• The Gathering at Armageddon
• The Seventh Bowl: ‘It Is Done’
• The Divine Proclamation and the New Age
• The Ultimate Earthquake
• Babylon Remembered and Cities Destroyed
• Mountains and Islands Vanish
• Hundred-Pound Hailstones
• The Depravity of the Human Heart
• Be Ready: Application for Today
• Closing Prayer

Introduction

Okay, let’s take our Bibles and let’s turn to Revelation chapter 16 and we’ll be looking verse at verse 12 through 21 this morning. Revelation chapter 16.

The Danger of ‘Christianity Light’

And as you turn there, I want to say that some time ago I was there was a article in in the US USA Today and it described how parents today seek to initiate their children into a world of all faiths.

One woman who ran a ceremony service was asked by a couple to conduct a service for their baby.

Their baby was called Greer. The mother said, “We just want a large spirit to guide our daughter, but we didn’t want to get specific.

I want all her bases covered.” The couple said, “We we just do Christianity light.” And Greer, she believes angels and fairies and leprechauns and Santa.

So this kind of illustrates the low value placed on scriptural truth that is prevalent in our culture.

The Apostle Paul did warn Timothy that a time would come when people would prefer light light spiritual meeting meals and would not tolerate substantive substantive teaching where he did say the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.

“The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine.”

See, Paul predicted that false teaching would increase and be embraced by many because it caters to the needs of the flesh.

He said they have a craving to be entertained and a desired for teaching that leaves them feeling good about themselves.

Standing on Sound Doctrine

Paul instructed Timothy to combat this by teaching doctrines from the word of God that were substantive.

And the purpose of the instruction would be to correct, to rebuke, to encourage others.

And as believers, we are all called to obey the word of God, to learn the word of God, and then to teach the word of God.

And we are not called to scratch the itches of our culture.

If we stand on the word of God, you won’t fall to error. At least you’ll be able to detect error when you hear it.

“If we stand on the word of God, you won’t fall to error.”

So Christians who hold to sound doctrine and live by it will increasingly become a target of those who do not believe in or have regard for God and his Bible.

They will regard the book of Revelation as some fanciful fiction.

They they will not be ready for what’s coming.

And they will hate the God of the Bible and his followers.

We’ve already seen that in Revelation.

Well, the terrors of the Lord will come to the earth and we must be ready because the time is near. We must make and help the next generation to be ready because the time is near.

Review of the Bowl Judgments

So, let me bring you up to speed of where we were and where we’re going. We have here in Revelation chapter 16, the seventh trumpet sounds.

The third woe judgment comes containing the bold judgments and declaring Messiah’s kingship over that which was claimed by the antichrist.

The first four bowls affect the whole earth.

There is a completeness that’s connected to these judgments.

They also magnify God’s sovereign and holiness.

Sovereignty and holiness and and really expose the darkness and the deprave privity of men’s hearts.

We’ve been looking at the pouring out of God’s wrath and now we look at the second part here.

We’ve already seen the first bowl. All the bowls are being poured out. The bowls of God’s wrath. We saw the gangranous torturous sores poured out on the world. We saw secondly the second bowl global red tie where the seas turned to blood. The third bowl was the gory red rivers. The fresh inland waters are also turned to blood. Then we see a kind of a doxology that is given in the text where it shows us the reason why God pours out his divine justice on the world. And the first one was that the Lord pours it out to satisfy his own holiness.

“We’ve been looking at the pouring out of God’s wrath and now we look at the second part.”

Secondly, the Lord pours it out to grant the plea of justice to those who’ve been killed by in in the tribulation and been abused by governments from the beginning of time. And then the Lord pours out his wrath to affirm that his judgments have always been righteous and true.

Revelation 16:E7 says, “Yes, O Lord God the Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments.” And then the fourth bowl was global warming that the sun scorches people. And how do the people respond to all these things that are coming upon the world? Well, in verse number nine of chapter 16, they blasphe the name of God and they do not repent or give him glory.

The Daniel Connection: Four World Kingdoms

And before I go on to the sixfold today, I would like to mention a connection that’s really important to understand what’s going on in this text and the scripture that we read from Daniel this morning is important to get what’s happening here.

So before I go to the sixth bowl, I would like to mention a Daniel connection from the bowl number five. And if you look at Revelation 16 verse number 10 and 11, it says this.

Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became darkened and they gnawed their tongues because of pain. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains, their pains and their sores. And they did not repent of their deeds.

But in verse number 10, it does tell us that the beast does have a kingdom during this time. And that becomes important because you say, “Well, what kingdom is this?” Well, this is the fourth kingdom or the second part of the fourth kingdom that will be on the earth that God pours darkness right over the headquarters of Antichrist revealing the true nature of his evil diabolical kingdom.

And that is the only place really where the throne of Antichrist is mentioned in scripture at all. What does God do? He shuts off the lights. The scorching heat and the thick darkness darkness comes upon his kingdom and Antichrist evil religious system and economic system and government are brought to a halt.

So what does Daniel have to do with this? Because Daniel in his vision saw four world kingdoms.

The first kingdom was the head of gold where he’s and these kingdoms were described in a colossal statue. The head of gold was the Babylonian kingdom.

And then there was the arms and the chest of silver which was the Medo Persian kingdom. And then we saw the belly and thighs of bronze. That was the Greco or Greek kingdom. And then then we saw the legs of iron and feet and the iron and clay. That was the Roman kingdom.

And what it said in Daniel is that this Roman kingdom would be strong, but part of it would be brittle.

“Daniel in his vision saw four world kingdoms — and this Roman kingdom would be strong, but part of it would be brittle.”

That they’re that they will not adhere to one another or even even as iron does not combine with pottery. In other words, iron represents strength and clay represent weakness that the Roman Empire. Now, these are world governments that the Bible says have already taken place. These are world governments and Rome was strong in law. It was strong in organization. It was strong in military might, but the empire included so many different people groups that it created weakness.

And as it says in one translation, the people will be a mixture and will not remain united.

So Rome was in power during the time that John wrote Revelation.

But if anything about history, Rome was never taken over by an army. It fell apart by itself.

And so many theologians believe that there is going to be a revived Roman Empire that’s going to be headed and it’s the fourth empire mentioned in Daniel and it’s going to be headed by the antichrist.

The Times of the Gentiles

So this image depicts a period of time referred to by Jesus as the time of the Gentiles. If you ever read that in scripture, you may say, “I would wonder when that is.” And I wonder where it started and when it ended. Well, the period that that period of the timing of the Gentiles began in 605 BC when Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the first kingdom, and continued through the 70th week of Daniel until Christ’s literal return to earth. So, we are now in revelation in the middle of the tribulation period, the 70th week of Daniel. So, now this becomes very important to understand that.

So this period will end when Christ returns to establish his kingdom which Daniel mentions as the fifth kingdom, the final kingdom, the last kingdom, the eternal kingdom. So during the time of the Gentiles, no son of David will prosper ruling over Israel at all.

In fact, this is what Jesus said in his in the Gospel of Luke. Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Luke 21:24: “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

So, the time of the G Gentiles we’re going to see end in at least chapter 16 here, which gives us a picture of the rest of the book of Revelation. And there’s no doubt that the mystery from Daniel was about how God changes times and seasons and he removes kings and he sets up kings and he makes history serve his will and his glory and his love. So the time of the Gentiles was a total change in human history. And during the time of the Gentiles, there will be four successive kingdoms climaxed by a fifth kingdom that will destroy the other four and fill the earth.

In fact, that’s what it says in Daniel.

The Fifth Kingdom: Christ’s Eternal Kingdom

It tells us that God, the God of heaven, will set up a kingdom and which will never be destroyed. That kingdom will not be left to another people. It will crush and put an end to all the kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

And then Daniel went on specifically to say, it will be like a stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and this stone will crush the iron and the bronze and the clay and the silver and the gold. And the great God has made known to the king that was Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the future. Well, we open up Revelation and we have it taking place.

It shows us where it happens. So the rock that was cut out by not by human hands was of course not a kingdom that would be done or created by human intention or power. The rock is identified as God’s kingdom which smashes the other human kingdoms and God’s kingdom will expand and take over the world just as the rock became a huge mountain that the final kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and that kingdom will be the kingdom of God.

Daniel 2:44: “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed… it will itself endure forever.”

So the stone is Christ’s kingdom and it was cut out of the mountain without hands and it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, the gold. The final representative kingdoms of gentile world powers will end and that will be the end of the times of the of the times of the gentiles.

Observations on God’s Sovereignty Over History

So this fifth kingdom is the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the king of kings and the lord of lords. Now from that from gleaning from that we get several observations that God maintains control of all earthly kingdoms no matter how evil they might seem to us. History is linear and not cyclical.

That means history is moving toward a final goal.

A goal that God ordained before the creation of the world. Secondly, human enterprises decline as time goes on. Things aren’t getting better. No matter how much we know, they’re getting worse. So the great image not only changed in value from head to foot, from gold to clay, but it also changed in strength from iron mixed with clay and it was weak. So while human beings operate on the idea that we get better and stronger with time, God’s vision undercuts that our understanding completely informing us that the opposite is true.

Therefore, it will be difficult for things to hold together at the end of the age. And that’s what we see in the world today. Things are falling apart.

Governments are falling apart. People groups are falling apart because we will never be able to hold together because human beings can’t hold it together. We will destroy what God has given us. But there’s a a third observation and that the kingdoms of the world are transient.

Only God’s kingdom will be eternal. That Jesus will return, destroy his enemies, establish his kingdom. And that also means our hope is not in kings or presidents or governments or laws or political alliances or global peacekeeping organiz organizations or moral and ethical crusaders. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. See, that where is where our hope must lie.

“Our hope is not in kings or presidents or governments. Our hope is in Jesus Christ.”

So with all that said, Antichrist’s kingdom will come swiftly to an end.

And with that in mind, we get the sense that these bold judgments in Revelation are quickly quickly bring once they start, they quickly bring the world and its empires to a swift termination.

The Sixth Bowl: The Euphrates Dried Up

Now that all said, let’s look at Revelation chapter 16 verse 12- 21. And let’s consider the sixth bold judgment.

This also starts the stage of the campaign of Armageddon. That’s the last battle that there will be. And we often hear of the battle of Armageddon as if it’s one battle. Actually, there’s more than one battle that will take place. In fact, if we really understand Armageddon, there’s really no actual fighting.

Armageddon will in truth be a staging area of all the armies of the world who are called together by the antichrist.

And that’s what we find in this section of scripture. Now, let’s see it. The sixth seal is global war.

The great river Euphrates is dried up.

Notice in verse number 12 of chapter 16, it says this, “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river the Euphrates and its water was dried up so that the way the way to be pray so that the the way would be prepared for the kings of the east.” Now, the Euphrates River is a natural boundary between the east and the west.

Revelation 16:12: “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river the Euphrates and its water was dried up.”

It’s a good barrier against armies that would attack and it’s about 180 miles in length. Now, I’ve read commentaries on this and people try to make this spiritual. I don’t know how you make it spiritual.

Doesn’t mean anything if you do. It’s got to be literal because of what it says here. It says that this river is dried up. Who’s it dried up by? By God himself and by the angel who pours out this bowl upon it. So the kings of the east may mean that the kings of the rising sun. Remember the sun rises in the east.

Now some people believe that this is the oral O oriental nations but it’s more likely it more likely refers to Mesopotamia not China.

Also the fact that Antichrist’s capital will be the city of Babylon and it will sit right on the banks of the Euphrates River and give credence to the kings of the east. That will be Mesopotamian kings.

And Mesopotamia actually means high place of two rivers. A land the land around and between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers. And of course that would be the the the the modern lands of eastern Turkey to the Persian Gulf.

And today most of Mesopotamia is Iraq and small parts of Syria and Turkey. But these nations there will do something a bidding for the antichrist.

But so God lays the path. He arranges the path on what’s going to happen. And then notice in verse 13 and 14, the people are actually assembled.

The Unholy Triumvirate and Demonic Deception

It says, “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 spirits like frogs.” Now, what what was the antichrist doing?

He was allying all the nations of the world with these frog demons.

And we see very clearly here the unholy triumphvirate.

We see the dragon himself is the counterfeit father.

The antichrist, the lawless one is the political figure.

He would be the counterfeit son. And then the false prophet would be the counterfeit Holy Spirit. And he would be the minister of propaganda.

So this unholy triumvirate is clearly identified by the unclean spirits that proceed out of their mouth. Again trying to mimic Christ because Christ kept saying out of whose mouth comes a two-edged sword. So again they’re trying to counterfeit the real Christ.

“This unholy triumvirate is clearly identified by the unclean spirits that proceed out of their mouth.”

And so what do they do? They assemble all the armies of the world to this one place in the Middle East.

And how do they do that? Well, by their character, they end up deceiving people by working miracles for the purpose of persuading kings and nations and dis by deceptive propaganda. And keep in mind that the dragon, which is Satan himself, gives the antichrist the power, a throne, and great authority because he will be the ruler of the final world empire spoken of in Daniel.

Unclean Spirits Like Frogs

He has a method. How is he he’s going to gain a following? Antichrist, the the man of lawlessness, will truly be an amazing figure and will display a subtle magnetic draw upon the people of the world and the rulers of the world.

And it will be done by these unclean spirits like frogs. Now you say, well, why why do you think you mentioned that? Because I think this is an indication to the people on earth who are believers that these individuals that that are doing these great signs and wonders before the people of the earth are actually demons because frogs in the Old Testament are classified as unclean animals.

And and all of Israel was warned in Leviticus chapter 11, “Do not render yourselves detestable through the swarming things that swarm, and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them, so that you become unclean.” So this is a warning to believers not to be pulled in by all these incredible magnetic type of signs that is going to pull the world into one place to battle against Israel and the Messiah.

“This is a warning to believers not to be pulled in by all these incredible magnetic signs.”

Satan’s Mission: Gathering the World for War

And what is their mission?

Satan had a particular goal in mind.

To to reach his goal, he must deceive the whole world and get them to worship him. Now that he has successfully accomplished that, the next goal is to get the kings and dignitaries of the earth to come together to battle. Look at verse number 14 of Revelation 16. It says, “For they are spirits of demons performing signs which go out to the kings of the whole world. For what reason? To gather them together for war of the great day of God the Almighty.” So, Satan is getting all the armies of the world to come to the Middle East to fight against Israel and God’s people.

Revelation 16:14: “They are spirits of demons performing signs… to gather them together for war of the great day of God the Almighty.”

And the persuasive power of this demonic trilogy convinces these world leaders to actually come.

It will be the greatest military campaign of all time.

And this is the influence that carries these earth dwellers to this place. It will be earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom that gets them there.

It will lead away from the true God and it will inspire hope, but not in the God Almighty.

Actually the opposite of it. So these eastern kingdoms help to gather the rest of the armies to the world of the world to this particular place.

Now this is a an absolutely devastating time for the world and a very very difficult time to stand strong as a Christian as a believer in Christ Jesus.

A Word of Hope: ‘Behold, I Am Coming’

So what does what does the Lord do? He always gives an element of hope to those who are going through this or going through anything that is hard. So there’s a kind of pause in Revelation chapter 16.

And notice what he says to those believers in verse 15. He says, “Behold, I am coming like a thief.

Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. So in other words, sandwiched in between these verses is this very important warning and admonition to the tribulation saints.

He wants them to be ready.

He wants them to press on to the end.

He says, “Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes.” That’s a picture of a person who remains awake and fully clothed while in the heat of battle in readiness for the return of Christ.

Revelation 16:15: “Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes — a picture of readiness for the return of Christ.”

The Call to Watchfulness

Now, there’s some background that goes to that.

As the priests kept watch in the temple, an officer of the temple would would go around and every watch with a lighted torch before him. And if any of the watchers did not stand up and say to him, “Oh, officer of the temple, peace be to you.” and it was manifest that they didn’t answer, they would be asleep.

So he had the authority to beat them with a staff and to the right to burn their clothes on the spot.

So if a person’s clothes was burned, he would be naked and everyone would know he failed to stay at his post and watch.

So it was very crucial that watchfulness would be taken seriously in light of the impending doom and the second coming of Christ.

In short, in short, the message to the faithful is this.

When you see the gathering armies of the world at Armageddon, then you can know that the second coming is just right around the corner. So, don’t give up.

“When you see the gathering armies at Armageddon, the second coming is right around the corner. Don’t give up.”

Don’t quit when you’re so close.

And people are going to need that then.

The Gathering at Armageddon

And then notice in verse number 16 it says, “And they gathered them together to a place which in Hebrew is called Haramageddon.

Megiddo Megiddo is the ancient city of northern Palestine on a strategic part of the plane of the valley of Jezrael in Israel.

And why that place? Not only that, it is a huge plane, but it is also called the place of battle because Pharaoh Tutmos the third fought a battle against the Canaanites there. Deborah and Barack fought a battle against also the Canaanites there. Gideon fought a battle against the Midianites there.

Ahaz by the arrows of Jahu died there. Saul against the Philippines fought there in that valley.

And the good king Josiah died in battle with Pharaoh Niko at that place. So that place was called the place of battle.

And the writer wanted us to see the Hebrew symbolism behind Armageddon.

And consequently, the valley of Armageddon is actually the biblical valley of Jezrael. It is here the nations led by the antichrist and their god-hating forces will gather against Jerusalem and the Jewish people and the believers with the purpose to destroy them. That’s the reason why all the armies of the world came there to destroy this one place. And Israel has always been the focus of battles.

“The valley of Armageddon is where the nations led by the antichrist will gather against Jerusalem and God’s people.”

Everybody’s trying to destroy them and they’re still there.

In fact, the Bible tells us that in Zechariah, I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. God says that. See, God is in control of history and he’s sovereign over all of it.

The Seventh Bowl: ‘It Is Done’

But I want to mention that this brings me to the place in Revelation 16 verse1 17 and now this is the seventh bowl and this is global devastation.

This is where this is the destruction of the gentile world power and where the fifth kingdom crushes the final gentile kingdom.

This is where it happens.

And notice what it says. Then the seventh angel, verse number 17, poured out his bowl upon the air. Let me just stop there.

This is the last of the bold judgments.

The angel steps up, pours pours out his bowl upon the air.

That is the Ereal region above the earth. It’s space.

And not only does it point to the whole planet, but the whole realm of humanity.

And you get the sense of a final judgment, a a totality, not just in one in the parts, but in the whole.

And if you didn’t notice this completeness of judgment on the four elements of in the natural realm have already been brought up in chapter 16. It’s been upon the earth. It’s been upon the water.

It’s been the fire. And now it’s the air. That means the completeness of what God is doing. He’s bringing everything to an end. So at the end of the second vision of Revelation with the pouring out of the seventh bowl, the last bowl, we get the sense of an ultimate conclusion.

And it is ultimate.

The first thing that is ultimate in verse number 17 is the proclamation from heaven. Notice what it says in the middle of the verse. And a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, “It is done.” It’s like a megaphone, a megaphone sounding voice that everyone hears and the voice comes right out of the temple of God. Remember the only one in the temple of God is God himself.

Revelation 16:17: “A loud voice came out of the temple from the throne saying, ‘It is done.’”

The c the temple is closed until God finishes the wrath of God.

So this means this is a supreme endtime pronouncement by God himself. For it is his voice who sounds out from the supreme place of control and authority.

And it points to God being in control and bring all things to a proper end.

And what’s the divine ultimate pronouncement?

It’s done.

It’s over.

The Divine Proclamation and the New Age

The finality of God’s proclamation.

He even uses the the the perfect tense here in scripture. The final judgment of God has already occurred and we are at the conclusion of the present age.

And to say it another way, history as we are familiar with it has ended.

Instead, God has has brought us a the dawn of a new age. And that new age will be the age of the kingdom of God where Jesus Christ himself will rule and reign in the millennium on the throne of David and he will sit there ruling the world. That will be the fifth world empire that the Bible describes.

If we know anywhere else in the Bible where we hear the similar pronouncement is when Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit and what did he say? It is finished. The same thing. That means you never have to go back and do that again.

This is over.

The finality of this vent event was put in motion by Christ’s cry on the cross. It is finished. And now we see in scripture it is done. The end of world history.

“The finality of this event was put in motion by Christ’s cry on the cross: ‘It is finished.’”

Now even though we have more seven more chapters in Revelation, we have here what they call in grammar and inclusio.

And what is that? Well, in this verse, verse 17, it says it is done. If you go over to chapter 21 of verse six of Revelation, you’ll find the saying again.

Revelation chapter 21 verse number six it says then he said to me it is done. I am the alpha and ome omega the beginning and the end and I will give to the one who thirst from the spring of the water of life without cost. That will be the end end before the eternal state before the great white throne judgment and all the things that takes place at the end.

So in other words, this the sandwich of an inclusio one verse and then another verse and everything in between.

We’re looking at everything in between in the next seven chapters.

So the samblas just plays out further in more detail the same judgments as those in the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments and the bold judgments. And the next point as the great tribulation comes to an end, a number of cataclysmic events will occur. And these cataclysmic events will be a result of the seventh bold judgment being poured out on the world. We’re talking about a global thing here. This is not just a localized thing.

The Ultimate Earthquake

And what is that?

Look at verse number let’s let’s see the the ultimate climactic event that the Bible describes in verse number 18.

It says, “And there there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peels of thunder, and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came upon the earth so great an earthquake was it and so mighty.” So what we have here that these events take place in the last stage of the tribulations just before the campaign of Armageddon and we see that the creation is trembling at the pronouncement of the end.

And the Bible says there’s going to be an earthquake like no other earthquake that ever was and ever will be.

It will be a worldwide earthquake.

“There’s going to be an earthquake like no other that ever was and ever will be — a worldwide earthquake.”

Even Mark, the gospel of Mark tells us in for those days will be a time of tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of creation which God created until now and never will.

And what’s the severity of this event of this event? If you look what happens in verse number 18, in verse number 19 it says this that the earthquake was so severe the great city was split in three parts. Now I believe the great city is was already mentioned in revelation of being Jerusalem and the great city split into three divisions because the city and just because the city is split into three parts doesn’t mean it’s completely destroyed. It could be that God is making it ready for what will come next, his rule and reign on earth in Jerusalem. That’s just my observation.

Babylon Remembered and Cities Destroyed

And then also in verse number 19, and the cities of the nations fell.

Babylon the great was remembered before God to give her the cup of the wine of his fierce wrath.

See, the the sins of Babylon come to God’s attention.

And remember, God remembers how Babylon caused the world to commit spiritual adultery. That’ll be more in the later chapters about Babylon.

And the reason for her judgment, that the world is led astray by the immorality, the idolatry of the final unholy empire of Antichrist.

So the nations are drinking the wine of their own sin, the wrath of God.

“The world is led astray by the immorality and idolatry of the final unholy empire of Antichrist.”

And the people of the world are participating in a lifestyle and an ideology that is anti- good and God is judging that also.

And Babylon has been the worldwide corrupting force which had lured nations into a kind of insane spiritual immorality.

All the cities of the world will be destroyed. All the cities of the world.

This is global disaster.

People will be living in an a real insanity.

I think we’re living in that already.

I mean, the perversion of male and female roles, the travesty of abortion, offering up children on the altar of demons, sexual perversions are on the rise of all different kinds and types.

No common sense. What is what was right is wrong. What what was up is down. What was good is evil. What is evil is good.

That’s insanity.

Nobody could survive with that kind of ideology.

And the world won’t survive.

And according to Zechariah the prophet, not only will Jerusalem be split in three divisions, but the but the Mount of Olives will be split into two parts, creating a valley running from east to west. And the new valley will pro provide a way of escape for the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the earthquake that will destroy the city.

So the earthquake is also described in in the Joel, the prophet Joel where it says, “The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem and the heaven and the earth tremble.

Mountains and Islands Vanish

So there will be total devastation.” If we look back to Revelation chapter 16, look at verse 20.

How total is it? It says and every island fled away and the mountains were not found. So many geographical and seismological con convulsions will occur on the planet and many changes would take place.

All the mountains and islands flood away. It’s actually the word vanish.

Literally vanish.

All the mountains leveled.

Mountains that were created after the flood are all leveled.

Islands that were created by volcanoes all over the globe gone.

Isaiah 40:4 says, “Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low and let the rough ground become a plain and the rugged terrain a broad valley.” These prophets already had it there of what’s going to take place.

Isaiah 40:4: “Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low.”

Hundred-Pound Hailstones

But one of the final blows in the seventh trumpet is found in verse 21.

Notice what it says.

And huge hailstones about 100 pounds each came down from heaven upon them.

It’s hard to imagine the destruction and death caused by these huge blocks of ice which fall from the sky.

Buildings and human beings will be crushed by these gigantic hailstones.

Now, Grant Osborne searched, he was one of the commentators and he searched the book of the Guinness Book of World Records and he found that the largest hailstone in recorded history was 2.25 pounds.

It fell on Bangladesh in April 14th, 1986, killing 92 people.

Could you imagine what 100 pound hailstones will do to a world, to a population, to what it’s ever left, it will just destroy it.

“The largest hailstone in recorded history was 2.25 pounds. Imagine what 100-pound hailstones will do.”

So with these earthshadowing events in the campaign of Armageddon, the great tribulation will come to an end.

The Depravity of the Human Heart

The bowls of God’s wrath will not produce softened hearts, but hard and corgible hearts.

And how ugly is rebellion when you look at it from this vantage point. How righteous our God and worthy to be praised by his grace, his mercy, his goodness. Yet that is not what happens.

So what we see here is the ultimate display of the human heart of human depravity. And notice what it says in verse 21. It says, “And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail because its plague was extremely severe.” They blasphemed God. The third commandment is in view here. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

That these wicked people have moved far past the boundaries of that command.

So these wicked people will not only profame but also blaspheme the very name of God because of the extreme severity of the plague of hell hail and God in whom they know they curse to his face.

And brethren, as I mentioned last time, how twisted and dark the human heart is.

And if it wasn’t for God’s grace toward us to give us his spirit and his word to transform our minds so we would know the good, the acceptable, and the will of God, we would be just like these people.

“If it wasn’t for God’s grace to give us his Spirit and his Word, we would be just like these people.”

Yes, the human heart is twisted and dark.

And it ends up cursing the God who created them and ultimately the God who will judge them.

They refuse to change their evil ways and give glory and honor to the God of heaven. And so the only thing that is left is the judgment of God.

And people still curse God.

And one thing that’s interesting about this passage is there’s no repentance mentioned at all now. It’s like repentance is off the table.

So their hearts were like stone to God and their consciences completely calloused with no regard or feeling toward a holy God of mercy, of grace, and of righteous judgment.

Be Ready: Application for Today

So just can imagine I know this message is a little message is a little different today but I thought I’d just lay it out for you as the scripture lays it out because this chapter alone should make you want to be ready and not be found naked. That means you’re watchful. You’re attentive. What’s going on.

You’re staying, you’re keeping one step ahead of everything else. You’re not deceived by the news or by all the new AI stuff that’s being put on the internet that looks real but is not.

You can’t be duped by those things. And we’re just in the beginning of that deception. How massive is that deception going to be as time goes on when they get way better at it and they take your words and use your words against you?

And convict you of crimes that you never committed, put you in places you never were, say things that you never spoke, and use it against you.

It’s already being done, but they’re getting good at it. See, so the deception is going to be it’s going to be incredible.

So, you have to be ready. You have to know the word of God. You have to know God’s plan. You have to know what’s going on. And not only that, we should know so we can m get the next generation when we’re gone ready if God carries because the end is at our doorsteps.

I mean, if you look through the Gospels, Jesus said in Luke 12:40, “You also must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” See, God didn’t give us the timing. He didn’t give us the month and the day and the hour he’s coming. He just said, “Be ready.

Luke 12:40: “You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Be ready.” And I think if that’s one admonition we get from this chapter is that because these things are not fantasy.

These things will be reality.

And I don’t know, it may be people sitting in this room.

It may be people that we know that are going to end up in that generation.

So we have to be ready.

So the question is, are you ready?

Do the Lord as your savior? Are you sure of that?

If you died today where you’re going.

If you had to stand before the Lord today and give an account of your life, what would you tell him?

Because remember, if one does not have Christ as their Lord and Savior, the one who’s taken the wrath for sinners, they will receive the wrath of God for their sin.

That’s why hell is eternal. And that’s a real place, too.

So, brethren, where do you stand today with the Lord? I pray that you are ready to meet the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, not as your judge. Amen. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer

Lord, this morning as we consider these heavy passages of scripture, Lord, use them for our benefit, to increase our sobriety, to increase our spiritual maturity, to increase our holiness and godliness, to make us know that life is very very short but eternity is very very long.

And I pray Lord that we really would examine ourselves to know and make sure that we know that we are one of God’s children and that not that we know you but us.

And so Lord, make us soldiers in these days to stand strong and to pass on the truth to those who haven’t heard it yet, to get the gospel to those who haven’t heard the message yet. And I pray Lord that in these days you would save many and make them ready for what’s coming because we know Lord the kingdoms of the world will end and your kingdom will begin and it will be an eternal kingdom and an everlasting kingdom and we’ll be in that kingdom with you and that will be a time of great rejoicing great singing and great joy and I pray this in Christ name.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 16:1-11 reveals the pouring out of God’s final bowl judgments upon the earth. We are reminded that “right now counts forever” — our response to the gospel determines our eternal destiny. The passage walks through the first five bowls of God’s wrath: painful sores, seas turned to blood, rivers turned to blood, scorching heat, and darkness over the Antichrist’s kingdom.

Through it all, the earth dwellers refuse to repent, revealing the depth of human depravity. We are called to recognize that God’s judgments are holy, righteous, and true, and that understanding God’s law is essential to understanding the cross.

Key Lessons:

1. God’s final judgments are complete and holy — they satisfy his righteousness and vindicate his people who suffered at the hands of persecutors.
2. The earth dwellers’ refusal to repent even under devastating judgment reveals the total depravity and hardness of the human heart apart from God’s grace.
3. The cross of Christ means nothing apart from understanding God’s holy law — sinners must first understand their condemnation before they can grasp the significance of Christ’s sacrifice.
4. God sovereignly controls all of history and creation, and even the forces of nature testify that Yahweh — not any human system or antichrist — is the true ruler of the world.

Application: We are called to examine ourselves honestly to see whether we are truly in the faith, to teach God’s law faithfully (including to our children), and to live with sober urgency knowing that right now counts forever. Rather than settling in defiant unbelief, we should run to Christ in humble trust for mercy and grace.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the phrase “right now counts forever” change the way you approach daily decisions and your relationship with God?
2. Why is it important to understand God’s law before presenting the gospel of grace, and how does this affect the way we share our faith?
3. What does the earth dwellers’ refusal to repent even under God’s most severe judgments teach us about the human heart and our desperate need for God’s grace?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 16:1-11 (the first five bowl judgments); Leviticus 26:18-28 (the sevenfold pattern of God’s judgment for disobedience); Romans 2:5-8 (storing up wrath through stubbornness); Romans 3:20 (through the law comes knowledge of sin); 1 John 3:4 (sin is lawlessness).

Outline

• Introduction
• Right Now Counts Forever
• The Tension Between Old and New
• Review: The Preparation of God’s Final Wrath
• The Commanding Voice of God
• The Meaning of Seven: Completeness of Judgment
• The Condemning Vengeance: First Bowl — Gangrenous Sores
• The Exodus Motif: God’s People Spared
• Second Bowl — The Sea Turns to Blood
• Third Bowl — Fresh Waters Turned to Blood
• The Angel’s Hymn: First Reason for God’s Wrath — His Holiness
• The Missing Phrase: ‘Who Is to Come’
• The Holiness of God
• Second Reason for God’s Wrath — Justice for the Saints
• Third Reason — God’s Judgments Are True and Righteous
• Fourth Bowl — Global Scorching Heat
• The Earth Dwellers’ Defiant Response
• Fifth Bowl — Grave Darkness
• Understanding Sin Through God’s Law
• The Law and the Cross
• Conclusion: Running to Christ
• Closing Prayer

Introduction

Okay, let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to Revelation chapter 16 as we continue in this great last book of the Bible.

Right Now Counts Forever

Revelation 16 RC Sproul would put out a little magazine called Table Talk and if you ever read that it’s quite encouraging actually and Dennis Johnson wrote in article once on the new heaven and new new earth and he said that Dr.

Sproul frequently reminded us that right now counts forever.

“Right now counts forever.”

Amen.

And this phrase concisely captured the relationship between the gospel and the new heaven and the new earth. Excuse me one second. This was Yeah.

Okay. Good. All right. So the so the good news of Jesus Christ sacrificial death and his glorious resurrection has eternal ramifications for the destiny of every human being.

Your response to the message and to the message of the gospel, whether in humble trust or in defiant unbelief, will be the tipping point between boundless bliss beyond your wildest dreams and unrelenting torment beyond your worst nightmares.

So the living God sovereign over over every atom of the universe and every nano second of history is directing the cosmos toward a consummation that will display the majesty of his wisdom, his power, his justice, his mercy forever.

“The living God sovereign over every atom of the universe is directing the cosmos toward a consummation displaying his majesty.”

That everywhere to behold we will see the manifestation of the glory of God. So the present heavens and earth stained by human sin and cursed it will wear out.

It will be changed.

It will be shaken and removed.

For the first heaven and earth, no place will be found.

But in thestead, the Bible says there will be a new heaven and new earth will appear.

The promise is as old as Isaiah Isaiah’s prophecy. I create a new heaven and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered nor come to your mind.

The Apostle Peter Peter reiterated those words where he said in his epistle, “There’ll be a new heaven and new earth where righteousness dwells.” We’re looking forward to that day because the more we live in this world, the less we see righteousness and the more we see unrighteousness and wickedness.

The Tension Between Old and New

See, Revelation is the last book of the Bible that keeps us in the tension between the old and the new heaven and earth.

That the living God is directing human history toward a consummation.

And now in chapter 16, the terrors of God come to earth and moves the eager reader and the attentive listener to stay awake and spiritually remain ready for the Lord’s return.

If you look at verse number 15 of chapter 16, notice what it says there.

It says, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” The Bible is saying when we’re reading Revelation, it should cause that tension between the here and the future and cause us to really look at where do we stand with the Lord and how are we living our life until the Lord comes to end his program here on earth.

Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake.”

Review: The Preparation of God’s Final Wrath

So last time we saw the preparation of God’s final wrath from chapter 15 verse 1-8.

And we saw, look at chapter 15 verse one.

There was a sign in heaven. Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous.

Seven angels who had seven plagues which are the last because in them the wrath of God is finished.

So the sign in heaven given by this from this this angel produces great and marvelous things in John’s heart.

And these seven angels are to carry out the mission to pour out the seven plagues upon the earth.

And the plague is is like a word that means the blow of God, a whip, a whip type of treatment that God gives the world at that time. That God will smite the anti-Christian empire with seven fearful blows before he utterly crushes his empire with the last judgment. And then of course the seven bowls of God’s wrath are poured out and God is the agent who brings to a conclusion final judgment.

Heading on from chapter 15 to 16 and looking again at verse number one of chapter 15. It says, “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues which are the last because the wrath of God is finished.” So this is not just the wrath of God, but it is the last of the wrath of God.

“This is not just the wrath of God, but it is the last of the wrath of God. It is the finish of it.”

It is the finish of it. The wrath of God will begin in a limited way and it will gradually get worse until it is finished.

So before the angels can pour out their bowls of the wrath of God on the earth, John hears the command out of heaven from God Almighty himself.

The loud voice comes from the temple in heaven which is filled now with the shikina glory of God. And remember from last time, no one could enter the temple.

And only God is now in the temple until the completion of God’s wrath.

Verse number eight of chapter 15, notice it says, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. And no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

So now today we’re going to be looking at the pouring out of God’s final judgment in the first 11 verses will be the part one of of this message.

Let me pray before I go on. Lord, this morning as we look at your word today, I thank you so much that we’re able to hold it in our hands. We’re able to read it. And we know Lord there’s a blessing that comes with the reading of Revelation that those who take it seriously, who have ears to hear, who want to put it into practice, who know it is is it is the truth, who knows behind the one who is behind the truth and who holds Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be blessed by this message and this word.

And Lord, we want your blessings. We need it. Your blessing so much. And Lord, we thank you when you give it. Help us to realize when it comes that we can give you the praise and the glory and the honor for all that you bestow upon us and the truths that you unveil to us from the word of God.

So help us now, Lord, to understand your truth in revelation for our benefit so we can know where we stand with you. And I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

The Commanding Voice of God

So verse number one, we see the commanding voice of God. In verse one, it says, “Then I heard a loud voice,” meaning that this is the only voice that one hears. It is the loudest and it comes from the temple to the seven angels. And this voice, this heavenly voice comes with two commands. In verse number one, notice as this loud voice goes up out saying to the seven angels, the first command to the angel is go.

The second command God tells the angel is pour out, go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God. So God pours out escatological wrath. The wrath of God is filled up. So therefore, he must pour it out on an idolatrous and sin-cursed world which has fallen far away from God, the God of heaven.

“God pours out eschatological wrath on an idolatrous and sin-cursed world which has fallen far away from God.”

And the emphasis here is on the sovereignty of God even as he controls and overpowers this the forces the satanic forces that have taken place and is taking place on the earth at that time.

The Meaning of Seven: Completeness of Judgment

Now this whole reason of the seven bowls is because seven does have a specific meaning in scripture. It’s the meaning of completeness. It’s the meaning of finishing something. Now, quickly take your Bibles and turn to Leviticus because I want you to see that this is kind of reminiscent of what’s already in the word of God. Leviticus chapter 26 quickly. Genesis X is Leviticus. So, it’s right in the front of your Bibles.

And notice some of the verses. I’m not going to read the whole section, but a couple verses to get you give you a sense that this whole thing about completion, when something is complete, God acts.

And notice in Leviticus 26 in verse number 18, it says in verse 18, “If also after these things you do not obey me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” Then in verse 21, if then you act in hostility against me and are unwilling to obey, obey me. I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins.

And then in verse 24, same chapter, it says, ‘ Then I will act with hostility against you and I, even I will strike you seven times for your sins.

Verse 28, same chapter.

Then I will act in wrathful hostility against you. I even I will punish you seven times for your sins. You can see that there’s a time when the grace of God ends. The mercy of God is finished and God must judge.

“There’s a time when the grace of God ends, the mercy of God is finished, and God must judge.”

But you notice all along the way, he’s been given an abundant of time to repent and to come to the Lord and to change.

But in this case, we see that God wanted to make it clear who was the person pouring out the wrath. It was he himself and why he was pouring it out because of the multitude of their sins.

So back back to Revelation.

So what we have here in Revelation is the seventh trumpet sounded and the third woe judgment containing the bold judgments are declaring Messiah’s kingship over that which was claimed by the antichrist.

The seven bowls will affect the whole earth and the first four BS parallel the first four trumpets but this time it affects the whole world the whole earth.

It’s God’s world and he must do what he he must do for his righteousness sake.

Revelation chapter 14 verse 7. No need to turn there. It says, “And he said with a loud voice, fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of water.” See, so there is a completeness connected to these judgments. There is a finality connected to these judgments and we see that they also magnify God as sovereign and holy and expose the darkness and depravity of men’s hearts.

The Condemning Vengeance: First Bowl — Gangrenous Sores

So that’s the commanding voice that comes from the temple. And then notice in verse number two, the condemning vengeance actually goes down all the way to verse 17.

And now we see the first bowl. And we’ll see these bowls being poured out rapidly. Unlike the trumpets and unlike the seals, now it’s rapid judgment.

Everything’s going to be finished. And remember, 16 is a preview, chapter 16, of what’s going to go on in the rest of the book of Revelation, but this is giving us the picture of what will come and what will finally happen. So there is the condemning vengeance of God in verse number two.

The first bull is the gangarous, torturous sores that come upon men. Verse number two. So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth and it became loathome and malignant sores on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

So the pain that will follow disobedience to God will be sores of torture poured out on those who receive the mark of the beast and worship the antichrist.

They are singled out alone to receive awful skin abscesses, ulcerous soores all over their body, often caused by infection.

And these sores, these ul ulcerous sores will de debilitate a population making it impossible to walk, to sit, to lie down without excruciating pain. So when this happens, people will be running to the store for medicine, but the medicine supply will run out very quickly. It will diminish in just a few days causing great strain on future supplies which would cause a universal disaster because remember this is a worldwide thing. This is not localized. This is not just on one nation. This is on all the nations of the world. This takes place.

“The pain that will follow disobedience to God will be sores of torture poured out on those who receive the mark of the beast.”

The Exodus Motif: God’s People Spared

There’s an Exodus motif in this passage of scripture that’s in play here, showing us that the same God who poured out his wrath and judgment on the Egyptians is the same God who’s pouring out deserved judgment in the end time on those unwilling to obey on those who are hostile towards God. These are not just anybody.

Remember, it doesn’t come upon his people. These bold judgments remind people who it is who is behind all these devastating plagues. The God of Israel, the God of creation, he is the jealous God who will have no other gods before him. He is the almighty God who has authority over all things. And it also shows that the people of God were spared from the outpouring of God’s wrath because there will be people still within the tribulation that know the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

“The same God who poured out his wrath on the Egyptians is the same God pouring out deserved judgment in the end time.”

Second Bowl — The Sea Turns to Blood

Some of them remain alive but free from these plagues. And remember back in Exodus the plague, the sixth plague boils came upon man, beast, magicians, and the Egyptians themselves. But not on the people of God.

So that is the first bowl. The second bowl back in Revelation 16 verse number three is the global red tide. In other words, the sea turns to blood. Notice what it says. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea and it became blood like that of a dead man and every living thing in the sea died.

Now if you remember that onethird of the sea the salt water was turned to blood during the second trumpet judgment. In the second bold judgment the rest of the salt and brackish waters of the world of the world’s oceans will be turned into blood destroying the remainder of the sea life. And if you notice, it says that it became blood like that of a dead man.

When someone dies, their blood becomes very thick and syrupy. It doesn’t flow easily anymore. And so we say it, see if this happens, it’s not just the fish that die like in the first Egyptian plague. Here the emphasis is on everything in the sea dies.

If everything dies in the sea and floats to the top, it will affect everything. The shipping lanes, the stench from the dead things will permeate the air, turning it foul, which will eventually breed more disease. The food supply and other products taken from the sea will be finished and many people will lose their their their jobs and their livelihood because they got it from working on the sea.

Such disease had the potential of causing economic comp collapse and any one of these bowls if you look at them have the potential to destroy all of life. They are the end.

“Any one of these bowls has the potential to destroy all of life. They are the end.”

Third Bowl — Fresh Waters Turned to Blood

And just like the Exodus plague, the Nile was turned to blood and all the fish died. The Nile became foul. Egyptians had difficulty finding water to drink and the people of course of God while this is going on were spared those things. So that is the second bowl. The third bowl, notice what it says in verse number 4-7.

The gory red rivers.

That means the fresh inland waters turned also to blood. Verse number four, then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water and they became blood. So the thing that most people take for granted of and that is the access to clean drinkable water is gone. And if the fresh water that supplies most of the drinking water becomes blood and unable to drink, then many many will die because of that.

And just for your information, a human being could typically survive about three or four days without drinking water. In ideal situations, one may survive about a week, but that’s about it.

So our passage is clearly communicating to us that there is no ideal situation here but the opposite unsuitable conditions for survival.

“The thing most people take for granted — access to clean drinkable water — is gone.”

So many things in creation use water.

Even man and man-made energy sources use water like nuclear plants. Seems like we’re going to start building them again.

They need water to cool down the reactors. If fresh water is not available, then disaster follows.

And that’s just some of the things that are going to take place. So, even in these first bowls that are poured out, you can see the devastating effect it’s going to have on the whole planet. And it’s going to be very clear who’s doing it.

The planet will know who’s doing it.

The Angel’s Hymn: First Reason for God’s Wrath — His Holiness

And I believe that Revelation wants us to know that’s clear because especially of the pause that we we see in the next passages of scripture. And the pause is this. The angel who’s in charge of the water of the world now launches out in a doxological hymn of divine justice.

Notice he gives there’s several reasons why judgment comes.

And the first reason for God’s fierce wrath is found in verse number five.

Notice what it says there. It says, “And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous are you who are and who were the holy one because you judge these things.” So the first reason for this wrath of God is that the Lord pours out his wrath to satisfy his own holiness. And the angel of the angels of heaven recognize this.

In fact, the normal word for holy used in the in the Greek is haggias. But here that’s not the word here. The word for holy here is the word hus which is connected to the law of retribution.

That means the god supremely sanctions his law against his righteous law against the people on earth. It re refers to the fact that God is set apart and stands above the events of the world. That God’s sovereign over history and his great judgment is part of that history.

He is just, in other words, in bringing these judgments because he is the holy one.

“God is sovereign over history and his great judgment is part of that history. He is just in bringing these judgments.”

That’s something that the scriptures been teaching all along. Like Psalm says, God is a righteous judge. And then in Psalm 9 that we read this morning, he will judge the world in righteousness and execute judgment for the people with equity.

If one rejects God, if one rejects God of the living waters and the creator of the springs of water, well, it ends in inevitable judgment.

And that must happen because God’s now his justice is filled up. Now it’s flowing over and coming out. But I want you to notice something else in verse number five.

The Missing Phrase: ‘Who Is to Come’

The statement notice who are and who were is missing something.

It’s absent of the last phrase.

There’s no who is to come. If you look back over to chapter 4 in verse number eight of Revelation, you’ll find there where it says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God the Almighty who was and who is and who is to come.” Well, what happened to who is to come? Well, the reason for this omission is because the end has arrived.

God has come in his righteous judgment.

“The reason ‘who is to come’ is missing is because the end has arrived. God has come in his righteous judgment.”

And if you remember back in chapter 4 verse 8, this is where we were introduced to the four living creatures.

And those creatures are the wise cre.

They’re the wise creatures who joyfully fulfill the tasks assigned to them by the Lord. And remember their main message in heaven was they were to proclaim the holiness of God.

And they were centered all around the throne of God.

And these four living creatures, the Bible says, has had eyes full of eyes in front and behind. Meaning that their eyes all around were that they had vigilance over all of God’s creation.

And these four living creatures functioned for which they were created.

Constantly engaging in praising God. And remember that God gave them the task.

Not the angels. Look at chapter 15:7. He gave them remember this task. But the one one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. Those are the ones who proclaim the holiness of God. And so because holy calls attention to all God is, which means his final judgment upon humanity and creation will be a holy judgment.

And who best to initiate the task to give the final bowls of God’s holy wrath than a representative from the ones who proclaim his holiness in the heaven around the throne of God.

The Holiness of God

And just for reminder, what is it? What is the meaning of holiness? The title the holy one of God means that Jesus is infinitely and absolutely holy, fully and perfectly divine. That he came down from heaven to save sinners. And he is set apart from sinners. And he is completely sinless without moral blemish, perfect in all his ways. His being is holy. His character is holy. His mind is holy. His words are holy. His actions are holy.

His ways are holy. And yes, his judgments are holy. So the totality of the sum and the substance of the second person of the godhead is equally holy with the father. And that the holiness of God means there is a profound difference between him and us.

“The holiness of God means there is a profound difference between him and us.”

And there is definitely a profound difference between God and the dwellers on earth during this time in human history.

It means that God is morally flawless and blameless in all his ways. He is the one who sets the standard. He is the one who says what is right and what is wrong. Not us.

It was never us.

Second Reason for God’s Wrath — Justice for the Saints

See, that’s the first re reason to vindicate his holiness. But there’s a second reason back to Revelation 16:6 of God’s fierce wrath.

And remember, we’re in a we’re in a pause between the third bowl and then the fourth and fifth and the off to the seventh, which will not get that far today. But the second reason of God’s fierce wrath in verse number six of Revelation 16 is for they pour out the blood of the saints and prophets and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it. See, the Lord pours out his wrath to grant the plea for justice.

The nations have murdered my people.

And and because I am fair and true and just, a just God, I will give them what they deserve.

The persecutor, the persecutors will have to drink the blood of the seas and rivers as repu, as rep retribution for the blood they shed.

If one rejects the offer of God’s mercy and grace over and over and over and over again, then look at the end of verse six. They deserve what they get.

“If one rejects the offer of God’s mercy and grace over and over again, they deserve what they get.”

They deserve what they get.

You see that it’s it’s quite final.

And that’s the sense we get here in the passage. It’s final. But there is there’s a principle here and it’s this.

One is punished by the very things by which one sins that no one will get away with not even one thing with the Lord.

And remember what Paul said when he was writing the epistle to the Romans. This is what he said. Listen. He says in in chapter 2 verse 5, “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds.

To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality and eternal life. But for those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and indignation, that’s the only thing left. If you disobey God, and you want it your own way, there’s no other thing God can do except hold you under judgment because he’s a holy God and he must.

He’s not a a judge that can be corrupted or paid off.

He can’t be. That’s his nature.

Third Reason — God’s Judgments Are True and Righteous

So these things should frighten us to death, but at the same time, they’re quite encouraging and should cause us to run to him for his mercy and grace. But there’s another reason for God’s wrath.

In verse number seven of chapter 16, it says this. And I heard the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God the Almighty.

True and righteous are your judgments.” Now, who are these that are speaking from the altar? These are the martyed saints. These are the saint the martyr saints who are being who are resting by the altar until all this stuff is done that God’s doing. So, in other words, God pours out his wrath to affirm that his righteous judgments have always been true and righteous. He’s not changed at all whatsoever. From the moment that he gave us Revelation in Genesis chapter 1 to the last verse of Revelation chapter 22, he is the same God.

“God pours out his wrath to affirm that his righteous judgments have always been true and righteous.”

So anybody who knows him already knows what he’s going to do.

And that’s what should cause us in a way not only to reverence God but to fear him because he will carry out these this judgment on the world. That as Isaiah told us that all flesh will know that I the Lord am your savior and your redeemer and the mighty one of Jacob. So all the earth at this time will know the true God and who’s doing these things.

Fourth Bowl — Global Scorching Heat

So I see that this next one and we’re going back and looking at the fourth bowl.

I see this next one is true after all.

But the source of why it happens is not the carelessness of God’s people or or people on the earth. It is the source.

The source is God’s righteous judgment.

And what is the fourth bowl? Global warming.

I guess it is going to happen.

Notice in verse number eight it says, “And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat.” Verse number nine, the beginning of it. So these are the same men of verse two, of verse five, of verse six.

And yet the true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will not suffer from this plague, but escape from it. Now just think for a moment. The sun is a great source of warmth and health benefits to all mankind and all life on the earth.

The normal lifegiving effect of the sun will be no more.

Even though onethird part of the sun was darkened in the trumpet judgments, that which is left will be powerful enough to scorch men with fierce heat.

The fierce intensity of the sun is to to really be turned up beyond what is normal and healthy. Burning people where their skin melts off.

“The normal life-giving effect of the sun will be no more — its fierce intensity will be turned up beyond what is normal.”

It is a horrifying picture.

All the waterways turn to blood.

Unbearable heat makes life absolutely hellish.

There is no time in all of human history that this has happened yet.

This will be the worst of the worst.

And this is the severe warning to those on the earth who defy God.

The Earth Dwellers’ Defiant Response

The holy and almighty God of heaven and slander his name. Actually persisting in their rejection only brings on the just judgment for their sin. So the question would be at this point how do the earth dwellers respond to God’s judgment at this time? Now you would think you would think that God’s design for judgment is to bring men to repentance.

Many times when God allows suffering to come into our life or that God is chastising us or disciplining us, he’s doing it to bring us to recognize certain behaviors and sins that are going on in our life that we’re not dealing with. And he does it to bring us to repentance.

So all these things that are happening in revelation is in God’s motive from from the beginning until this time is to bring men to jud to not only to judgment but to repentance.

And you would think by this time in these conditions these people would cry out for the mercy of God from the God of creation.

But that’s not the case. Look what happens in verse number nine. The middle of verse number nine. Instead, they know who God was and yet curse him. And look what it says. And they blaspheme the name of God who has the power over these plagues.

And then notice in verse number nine, instead of what they do, they they do not repent. They would not repent or give God glory. And they did not repent so as to give him glory.

They’re defiant against him when all these things are come upon them and all they have to do is turn to him.

“They are defiant against him when all they have to do is turn to him. But they don’t.”

But they don’t do that.

And we noticed back in chapter 14 verse number 7 to give God glory was signified or was equal to conversion.

So what is clear is that they know whom they are cursing.

The earth dwellers are acting like their father, the devil.

The antichrist was allowed to blaspheme God in the early parts of revelation and now his followers are doing the same.

And just like the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 1, for even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was what? Darkened.

It’s almost it almost seems ironic at this point that the next plague is darkness.

At the point at that point the people reject the God of light and they are left with the result of their own folly which is darkness. And if that is what men love, then let them have it because darkness will follow them into hell. Part of hell is darkness. Being separated from the God of mercy and grace and the God of goodness and left alone to yourself is a horrible thought.

It’s a horrible thought.

Fifth Bowl — Grave Darkness

So look at the fifth bowl.

The fifth bowl is grave darkness.

But notice where the darkness is going to be loc it’s going to be focused on. It says the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became darkened and they gnawed their tongues because of pain.

See, God pours darkness right over the headquarters of Antichrist, revealing the true nature of his evil, diabolical kingdom.

“God pours darkness right over the headquarters of Antichrist, revealing the true nature of his evil kingdom.”

And this is the only place where the throne of Antichrist is even mentioned in scripture.

So what does God do? He shuts the lights off.

He pulls the power cord.

Darkness means many things in scripture and I think they mean all these things here. It means sin. It means ignorance.

It means danger. It means judgment. It means death. That darkness is spiritual as well as literal.

Ultimately the darkness is the suffering of the eternal punishment to come. And that is the eternal darkness of hell awaiting all those who reject God.

So from scorching heat to thick darkness, Antichrist evil religious system and economic system and government are brought to a screeching halt.

And again, how does the dwellers respond to God’s judgment?

Understanding Sin Through God’s Law

Notice in verse number 11, it’s recorded, “And they blasphemed the God of heaven because their pains and their swords, and they did not repent of their deeds.” Actually the word for deeds here generally is is a Greek word that means any anything done or to be done work some work some action some some deed but in our context their deeds could be translated evil deeds.

I don’t know if some translations translate it that way. Why? Because what does it say in Revelation? They worship demons and idols. They murder God’s messengers. They’re involved with sorcer sorcery, immorality, stealing, disobedience, rebellion, and the list goes on and on and on.

So, their deeds were evil.

And evil deeds is another way of describing the sinful heart.

But sometimes you ask somebody, “What is sin?” The Bible answers answers that question actually in 1 John chapter 3:4.

It says, “Everyone who practices sin also pract practices lawlessness.” And sin is what? Lawlessness.

And the word sin makes no sense apart from God’s righteous law.

“Sin is lawlessness. And the word sin makes no sense apart from God’s righteous law.”

How can today’s sinners who are totally ignorant of God’s holy law and its demands upon them look at themselves as condemned sinners?

The Law and the Cross

The idea of sin is strange because God’s law is foreign to their minds and normal evangelical practice is swiftly to run to the cross of Christ.

But the cross means nothing apart from the law.

On the cross, Jesus was satisfying the just demands of the law against sinners.

That’s what he was doing there. So until a sinner understands the law of God that they are guilty, the cross of Christ doesn’t mean much.

So that’s why giving them the cross of Christ first is the wrong thing to do.

That’s why I believe parents should always be teaching the Ten Commandments.

That’s the first thing you should teach your kids until they realize they sinned against God.

And they realize that their sin comes from their heart, not from anybody else.

So if sinners are unaware of the ten commandment and the requirements for themselves, then they will see no personal significance in Christ’s broken body and shed blood.

Without knowledge, without knowledge, the condemnation of God’s holy law, the cross will draw sympathy from people, but not saving faith.

“Without knowledge of God’s holy law, the cross will draw sympathy from people, but not saving faith.”

Because Paul again says in Romans, “Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight.

For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” See, that’s when we’re in the right place to be saved. I know I’m a sinner, and I know I’m under God’s just condemnation for my sin.

And I can do either one or two things. I can stay in my sin and love it because we do love our sin.

Or I can say, Lord, you’re the only answer to taking away God’s wrath for my sin. So you run to Christ. You run to him for his mercy and for his grace. And what he says? Come unto me all you who are burdened and heavy laden and I will give you rest. I will save you.

And many of you here today have done that. And you have reached reap the benefits of God’s faithfulness and what he did on the cross that day. See, either wrath is going to come in this way and in hell or the wrath was poured out on Christ and was taken for you. So when people have been wounded by the law, then it is time for the bomb of the of gospel oil.

Well, William Tran Chantry said that he also said it is the sharp needle of the law that makes way for the scarlet thread of the gospel.

And that is true and that is the gospel.

So don’t tell people Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life until you give them the law first because it will make no sense. They will say, “Well, what’s the problem?” I don’t have no problem if you love me that way.

Conclusion: Running to Christ

All right, back to Revelation and let me conclude here that these plagues, they do indeed show the earth dwellers that they are not in control of the forces of nature.

Rather, it is Yahweh.

Also, the antichrist is not in control of the world, its nations, its systems.

No, it’s Jesus Christ who is the creator of the heaven and earth, who sustains his creation, who redeems his children, who vindicates his saints and his prophets, and he will judge the world in righteousness.

One commentator said this. He said, ‘Let it be understood that when men reject the Lord, it is not because of philosophical doubts or unexplained answers to unanswered questions, but the hardness of heart and love for sin.

And that is very true.

So, brethren, how twisted and dark the human heart is.

That after all that has gone on, the people curse God and refuse to change from their evil ways and give glory and honor to the God to whom it’s due.

Just showing the total depravity and stone cold hardness of the human heart.

“How twisted and dark the human heart is — showing the total depravity and stone cold hardness of the human heart.”

They willfully reject the good God of mercy and grace for their own pleasurable sin.

But that’s who you and I are. Can’t just blame these people, right? That’s who we are.

So, will your response be when confronted with the holy justice of God?

Will it be humble trust in God’s solution to your sin?

Receiving Jesus Christ who satisfied the law and the justice of God by absorbing the wrath for you, washing away your sin, putting his righteousness on your account, defeating Satan and death to give you eternal life. Are you going to humbly trust him or will you be settled in defiant unbelief?

Because some people are satisfied with that because they don’t think that there’s going to be a reckoning and that God will hold everybody responsible for every word, every thought, every deed that they committed.

See, how much we need Christ? We can’t get out of that one. Nobody can.

So that’s why we should love the Lord more than ever. We should give him glory and praise for all that he’s done because we could have never accomplished this salvation on our own. We wouldn’t even come up with it.

Closing Prayer

He’s done it all and I thank the Lord for it. Next time we’ll pick it up on the second part. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you again so much for such a book as this.

Lord, right here on the pages of scripture is what you’re going to do.

That’s amazing, Lord.

It’s amazing. It’s fearful, but Lord, it sure enlightens our mind.

And Lord, it puts us in a place where we realize the seriousness of life.

And I’d like to just reiterate what RC Sproul did say, right now counts forever. And I pray Lord we would take that to heart and we would be honest enough with oursel to examine oursel to say whether we are in the faith or are we just fooling oursel? And I pray Lord that our life from this day forward we would be more sober and serious than ever before because Lord life is so short and Lord we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

So we want to live for you today.

So allow these scriptures to transform our mind and make us ready for your return and be faithful to the end. And I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Auto Transcript

Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 15 reveals heaven preparing for the final outpouring of God’s wrath through the seven bowl judgments. This passage teaches us that God’s holiness demands that sin be judged, and that the faithful who endured tribulation now stand victorious, singing praise not for their own achievements but for God’s works, ways, holiness, and plan.

Key Lessons:

1. The victorious saints in heaven sing not about their own suffering or achievement, but solely about the greatness of God — reminding us that true worship is God-centered, not self-centered.
2. God’s holiness requires that all sin be judged; no one escapes accountability before a holy God, whether caught on earth or not.
3. Our redemption is entirely God’s work through the Lamb — we were dead in sin and could not save ourselves, and this truth should produce deep gratitude and praise.
4. A high view of God produces a high level of holy living, changing what we do, where we go, and how we think.

Application: We are called to examine our lives in light of these coming judgments, to cultivate a high view of God that transforms how we live daily, and to boldly share the gospel with those who do not yet know Christ.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why do you think the victorious saints in heaven mention nothing about their own suffering or martyrdom in their song? What does this teach us about the nature of worship?
2. How does having a “high view of God” practically change the way you make daily decisions about what you do, where you go, and who you spend time with?
3. What prevents you from boldly sharing the gospel, and how can the truths of Revelation 15 motivate you to overcome that hesitation?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 15:1-8 describes heaven’s preparation for the seven bowl judgments; Exodus 15:1-19 provides the Song of Moses celebrating God’s deliverance at the Red Sea; Revelation 5 highlights the worthiness of the Lamb; Philippians 2:10-11 declares that every knee will bow and every tongue confess Christ as Lord.

Outline

• Introduction
• God Must Judge Sin
• Preparation for God’s Final Wrath: The Sign in Heaven
• Seven Angels and Seven Plagues
• God’s Wrath Poured Out to Secure Victory
• The Beast’s Deception and Control
• Signs of the Times: Digital Control
• The Victorious Saints on the Sea of Glass
• Harps of God and the Posture of Victory
• The Song of Moses
• The Song of the Lamb
• Nothing About Their Own Achievement
• Praising God for His Works
• Praising God for His Ways
• Praising God for His Holiness
• Praising God for His Plan
• A High View of God Changes Everything
• The Scene in Heaven: The Holy Tabernacle
• The Holy Angels
• The Four Living Creatures
• God’s Wrath to Satisfy His Holiness
• The Temple Filled with Glory
• Call to Respond

Introduction

Hey, good morning everyone. Let’s take our Bibles and turn to Revelation chapter 15.

Revelation chapter 15.

And as we go through Revelation, keep in mind that the book of Revelation is talking about God’s final unveiling of the last days.

And we have been considering the victorious Messiah in an interlude before the bold judgments are released. If anything about Revelation and you’ve been following, you’ll find out that we already had the seal judgments and the trumpet judgments. And the last judgments that are going to take place are the bold judgments. And the bowl is a good representation of just taking a bowl and pouring it out. And that’s how the judgment is pictured. So, judgment day is on our doorsteps here in this text.

And Revelation chapter 15 is a is really preliminary to the outpouring of the seven bowls of God’s wrath. Chapter 15 is a bridge between the trumpet judgments and the vile or the bold judgments. In chapter 14, we saw the warning of the word that if the anti-Christian empire during this time continues in the direction it is heading, hell is their faith. Now in chapter 15 we have the warning indeeds the seven bold judgments which are the advanced warnings of the final explosion of the very last judgment that will come.

And the world is getting worse and worse.

And because the world has been moving further away from God and his truth, it has become more lawless and insane and sexually perverted and deviant and idolatrous. And it will continue that way.

God Must Judge Sin

But remember, God will judge all sin.

God must judge sin because of who he is, because of his holiness.

“God must judge sin because of who he is, because of his holiness.”

It has always been like that. It will always be like that.

He cannot allow sin to take up permanent residence in his holy presence. It must be dealt with. Scripture has been given us this example from the beginning in the garden. God’s word was disobeyed by Adam and Eve and God held judgment on them and death came as he separated them from himself which had farreaching implications for all humanity. We suffer that consequence also. During Noah’s time, people were eating and drinking and being given in marriage with total disregard of God, their creator, without heeding the righteous preaching of Noah, who preached for 120 years.

Evil continued in their hearts. So God held judgment on them and sent the worldwide flood and destroyed all those who dwell on the earth except those he rescued within no Noah’s family.

Moses taught Israel God’s statutes and laws. And as long as they obeyed the Lord their God, he would bless them, protect them. But if they disregarded God and his word and broke his laws, God says then there will be cursing. And there definitely was cursing and that cursing is still taking place today.

But as we approach this t text, I I want to remind you that if I fail to to say that to mention it, it’s not the people in the title of my message getting ready for judgment day on earth. It’s not the people who are getting ready for the judgment day.

It is heaven that is getting ready for the judgment day. And so this morning, we are actually transported to heaven.

And we’re going to see what John saw in heaven. And some very striking things are taking place here. Some people have read this passage and said, “Well, there’s not really much there.” And and move on to chapter 16. But then once you start turning over all the stones and looking underneath them, you begin to say, “There’s a lot of things going on here.” and you want to look at the details of the text.

Preparation for God’s Final Wrath: The Sign in Heaven

So this morning we’re going to look at really point one which has three parts to it. Point one would be preparation for God’s final wrath all for all these verses verse 1 through8 and we’re going to see that there are three things going on. There’s going to be a sign in heaven.

There’s also going to be singing in heaven and then the final scene in heaven. So, heaven is preparing for judgment and we’ll see that in chapter 16. Not today, though. So, let’s look at the first thing in the preparation of God’s final wrath, the sign in heaven. And notice in verse number one of chapter 15, then I saw another sign in heaven. And John says it was great and marvelous.

“Heaven is preparing for judgment.”

See the warning given here isn’t of a an event so so ofmous significance that John says it’s great and marvelous.

See, John sees in this third third sign something that causes wonder which as we will see is of supreme significance for not only heaven but for all of mankind and all of us who read this text and study it and heed it and obey it.

Seven Angels and Seven Plagues

And now what does he see? Look at verse number one. Seven angels with sea seven plagues.

That’s what he sees in verse number one.

John sees these seven angels ready to carry out their mission to pour out the seven last plagues upon earth. And this term plague also had bears the meaning of blow. A blow or as laid on by a whip or an instrument that God will smite the anti-Christian empire and with seven fearful blows before he utterly crushes this empire in the last judgment.

“Seven angels ready to carry out their mission to pour out the seven last plagues upon earth.”

God’s Wrath Poured Out to Secure Victory

So that’s what he sees. Then John sees something else. He sees in verse number this seven bowls with wrath. So these seven bowls that are poured out will bring the anger of God to a finish. And notice what it says in verse 15.

It says seven angels who had seven plagues which are the last because in them the wrath of God is finished. So we see here something is happening. Something’s coming to a close. Revelation is coming to a close.

Human history is coming to a close. Life on this planet is coming to a close. And that’s what’s going on in heaven. They are getting ready to pour out those seven bowls. And you you’ll find out that those bowls are poured out very rapidly.

It’s not like the the trumpet judgments or the seal judgments which were more progressive. These are one after another after another after another and the devastation is going to be it’s going to be the worst time that anybody could ever lived on on this planet earth. So there are also three things that come out of this this text in these eight verses.

And there’s three reasons for God’s fierce and final wrath. And we really find the first one here that the first reason for God’s fierce wrath is that the Lord pours out his wrath to secure victory.

He’s going to secure the victory of the faithful, those who were martyed during the tribulation. And really, I think he go it goes back to anyone who ever lived and suffered for Christ. He’s taken care of right here. So the Lord pours out his wrath to secure victory of the faithful and then especially during this tribulation period. And what do they do at that point? What they do?

“The Lord pours out his wrath to secure victory of the faithful.”

They sing.

They sing in heaven. So they’re getting ready for this worst time of judgment and they’re singing. All right? It seems like it doesn’t make sense, but that’s exactly what makes sense because you’ll find out why they’re singing. And so, not only do they John sees the seven bowls with wrath, not only does he seen the sign in heaven, but he also now sees them singing in heaven. Verse 2-4. And we see the victorious saints are supported by God in heaven. And we see in verse number two, and I saw something like the sea of glass mixed with fire and those who had been victorious.

So in other words, let me just stop right there. The sea of glass is mingled with fire. Which means those standing on the sea of glass have gone through the fire and have now come forth as victorious and sup supremely triumphant because of what God has done. And so the question would be asked at this point, how could the saints obtain a victory over such a powerful demonic enemy during that time?

The Beast’s Deception and Control

Remember, we’re we’re dealing with a triunity of the beast and antichrist and the false prophet and of course Satan himself energizing them to do terrible, horrible things in the world. And not only that, but to take control of everything that’s going on. See, the false prophet’s function, if you remember back in chapter 13, the there function was to promote the beast.

And he did that by demanding the worship of the beast. Also, the pro the false prophet did did this also by deceiving people through demonic signs.

As it says in chapter 13:13, he performed great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. So these are miraculous signs and of course these signs are designed to attribute what’s going on to the antichrist as being the Messiah.

See, that’s the big lie that’s going on here.

“These signs are designed to attribute what’s going on to the antichrist as being the Messiah.”

So these signs he tries to do like Jesus but his goal is very different. His goal is to make an impression on the earth dwellers to get them to worship the antichrist as their savior.

That is what they’re to do. To get the earth dwellers to believe the lie. See, the lie was the claim of the Antichrist to be a god greater than all other gods and then to subtly convince the earth dwellers to take the mark in order to identify as a worshipper of antichrist as a worshipper of the true Messiah.

Now you you have to ask the question too how how did they survive that?

Everything of worldly character is beating the track for the for partnership of the superhuman man and his unholy trinity.

The cry of the business world is for centralization.

The cry of the religious world is for unification regardless of faith and doctrine. The cry of the political world is for a league of nations to settle disputes.

How is that happening?

Not very well. The cry of the commercial world is for control and like-minded cooperation.

The cry of the financial world is for one central banking house like cryptocurrency today Bitcoin right digital money.

Signs of the Times: Digital Control

See the man who can affect this monetary control is the antichrist himself. Now we just learned just recently that gold is $4,000 an ounce. One Bitcoin is $127,99720 as of October 7th.

All right, that’s a lot of that means that the US dollar is being weakened every single day. Totally cashless world is right around the corner.

“A totally cashless world is right around the corner.”

So this man of sin, he will be a wizard of finance who through his 10 leagued kingdom will settle the debts of the overburdened world by repudiation and control of the wealth of the world. He will be a miracle working worker in industry who will control the world under one world government. And he will keep politics, economics, and religion under his sway.

With the assistance of the false prophet and the scarlet woman, which is the apostate church, he will pose as a god demanding the worship of his image. And if one does not bow down in worship, he will be ruined economically or be killed.

So the mystery of iniquity is very much alive in our present day and it has come to the forefront of almost every part of society. We see it today more clearly than any generation.

Did just for your information that when we talked about receiving the mark of the beast, right? Whatever that mark is, did that digital ID is already used in five countries? China, India, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, and just recently, Prime Minister Stammer of England put forth before their parliament a bill to institute digital ID in their kingdom, the United Kingdom.

See, that’s that’s significant as what’s going on and where this is all heading because it doesn’t when it comes to the tribulation time, the these things are going to be in place already and we have these digital things we call iPhones. And right there, that’s how they track people. They track people.

They’re going to track people by surveillance. They’re going to track people by biometric things like fingerprinting, face recognition, all those kind of things. And so the government has an overreach already in our lives. And of course that means a loss of freedom. It also means a loss of animity.

That means digital ideas can make it harder to remain anonymous.

We want to try to make a remain anonymous, but it’s going to be impossible to do that. No matter what you do, no matter how much you try to live off the grid, you’re not going to be able to because they’re going to be able to track you in every single way.

States today, not only if you don’t have a driver’s license, they they are requiring that you have an ID now that you get through the government. That’s all in the process of them taking control of everything. So, I’m I’m asking the question, how in the world are the saints going to obtain victory over such a powerful demonic enemy with all this manipulation and control?

The Victorious Saints on the Sea of Glass

Well, if you go back and look at verse number two of chapter 15, how impossible it was to be victorious in such a tumultuous situation, yet they were. And if you look at verse number two, it says, “And those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name.” Isn’t that great?

You can’t miss this. The victorious ones are standing on the sea of glass and they’re holding harps of God.

“The victorious ones are standing on the sea of glass and they’re holding harps of God.”

They’re holding harps of God. Standing on the sea of glass is really a picture of God’s providence like standing on solid ground. It is for the faithful to show God’s support of them that they are on safe ground now.

Harps of God and the Posture of Victory

But God’s provision for the followers of the beast will be fire. It will be in order for God to scorch them with a severe blow. Now, there’s two things about the posture of the victorious ones is number one, they’re standing. That means it implies victory. It implies conquest over the enemy. They were killed for their faith, but now they stand victorious in heaven. And secondly, the victors are holding harps of God. In other words, these victorious saints are supported by God.

“Standing on the sea of glass is a picture of God’s providence like standing on solid ground.”

And because they are supported by God, there’s something happening that wasn’t happening before. Their harps are no longer hung on the willows because they’re in captivity. But now it meaning that the music was no longer being played. But now here the victorious followers of Christ are holding the harps ready to pluck the strings again to sing. The harps, remember, are usually connected with the joy, with the gentle, sweet melody of God because of how God worked in a particular person’s or nation’s life.

That the sign of victory is the sign of real heartfelt music. And these are the conquering ones who have come as victors out of the battle against the antichrist, his evil government, and the tyranny, the tyranny of being forced to worship the image. And even for some to take the mark on their hand and forehead, they did not do that.

They stood up against them. And so now it is a musical instrument of choice here chosen to employ in scripture the direct praise and worship of God. These victors play on their harps music to praise the God of all glory and not only that to praise also the God who is now going to hold judgment on the whole world.

So that’s what we see in verse three and four. We see the victorious saints singing. If you notice what it says there, what are they singing?

Why are they singing? First of all, it is not because of their strength. It is not because of their strong will. It is because of their obedience to the word of God.

It’s because of their faith in Jesus and them clinging to Jesus during that time.

The Song of Moses

And then what are they singing? Notice in verse number three, they are singing the song of Moses, the bondervant of God, and the song of the lamb.

That’s what we read this morning in Exodus 15 verse 1-19. But it’s also recorded in chapter 14 and Numbers 27 and Deuteronomy. So this is a very important historical event for Israel.

They sing the song of Moses, the bondervant of God. Remember, Moses praises God Almighty for deliverance from from the drowned Egyptians.

Moses, the slave of God, does the will of his God and leads his people to the edge of the Red Sea.

That’s an insane move with an with millions of people. How you going to cross? There’s no no way out. And there’s only way out is by God’s power to deliver his people. And that is the point. And that’s why they sing. They celebrate the deliverance that comes by God’s power as seen in the song of Moses. The song of Mo Moses com commemorated Israel’s physical deliverance from the forces of the Gentiles, from the force of the most powerful nation on earth at that time with the most advanced and skilled military.

“There’s only way out — by God’s power to deliver his people. And that is the point.”

And they were pinned between the desert and the Red Sea.

And God preserved his people through the Red Sea. Just to remind you from the reading this morning, these are some of the things that they were singing about in the song of Moses. They said, “And Moses, the the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord and says, I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.

The horses and his riders have been hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song. I will extol him.” And then he says in verse number three of chapter 15, the Lord is a warrior.

The Lord fights the battles and wins the battles against the most formidable opposition and enemies that are against us. And then again in in chapter 15, it says this, “Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, scatters the enemy. And in the greatness of your excellence, you overthrow those who rise up against you.

And you send forth your burning anger, and it consumes them like chaff. That’s what they’re praising God for. And that’s is the same kind of song that the tribulations saints will sing. Moses goes on to say that the Lord shall reign forever and ever. That the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them. But the sons of Israel walked on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

That’s impossible. We’re talking about impossible things that are taking place by the power of our God. And so that is something that we really ought to sing about. But they also sang another song.

The Song of the Lamb

And it says here they sang the song of the lamb. Now what is so interesting about this?

The saints sing by what God has wrought through the lamb that the apostle John takes all kinds of passages and puts them into one thing. From the Psalms. He takes it from all over the Psalms. He takes bits and pieces and he puts it all together from Isaiah, from Jeremiah, from Exodus. He brings them all together into this one song that he calls the song of the lamb.

See, both the Old Testament and these New Testament saints sing because of God’s work of deliverance. That deliverance from the Egyptians foreshadows the deliverance from the beast and his image and his name, which leads to the praise of the greater deliverance, that deliverance by redemption.

The deliverance from sin and the slavery of sin and deliverance from God’s enemies, the enemies that are against us. Through who? Through the Passover lamb. Through Jesus Christ as seen in the song of the lamb. Now where where did we get that from? Where where does John also remember back in chapter five? He also gives us a sense of the the new song that they’re to sing because now they’re in Christ because they are saints and they’re filled with gratitude and praise because of Christ Jesus’ accomplishment on their behalf. And what do they sing in chapter 5? They sing this.

Because he’s the lamb who is worthy.

Because he is the lamb that is slain.

Because he is the one who paid the price by his blood to purchase the saints to redeem them to buy them back from the slave market of sin. See, that is the great redemption that we all receive as God’s people. We are redeemed not by any human wealth or human power, but we are saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

That the New Testament consistently declares that it caused the death of Jesus Christ to rescue man from the de dilemma and the slavery into which sin has brought him and which he cannot escape from apart from God’s power and deliverance. That is the great deliverance that we have today in that we are purchased for God. It says in chapter five, with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nations.

“We are redeemed not by any human wealth or human power, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

See, Christ died so that there might be people from every people group on this earth. From the inner city people, neighborhoods to the suburbs to the country folk to mountain people to desert people to remote tribes of people everywhere. Christ has purchased specific people from every place on the planet so they would belong to him. And anyone who really is a believer, who really knows that they’ve been saved from their sin, cannot take credit that they have done anything to save themselves or even help God save them.

They were blind. They were dead. We were dead in our sin. Unless God granted us faith and repentance as a gift and opened our eyes to see, we would never ever be saved.

See, that is the song of the lamb.

That is the song of the martyrs.

And there’s something very striking of the triumphant martyrs. Two things that stand out about it.

And look at the first one. Let let me read it first. Look at what it says in verse three and four. Here’s the song of the lamb. It says, “Sing, great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name?

For you alone are holy.

For all the nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed. That’s the song of the lamb that they are singing there.

Nothing About Their Own Achievement

But the something very interesting here is that this song is a mosaic of material from all over the Old Testament and the New Testament, Exodus, Psalms, many places, Isaiah, all of them are brought together in this one song of the land. John’s just taking passages and putting them in there and it’s it becomes something very significant. But a second thing that’s very interesting not only about the song of Moses but the song of the lamb. There’s not one single word about their own achievement. Not one. From the beginning to the end, the song is a lyric outburst of the greatness of God.

See, sometimes we, you and I may think when we get to heaven that we will be mauling over the trials and struggles that we went through while on earth.

However, these martyed saints mention nothing about their martyrdom, nothing about the pain or suffering they went through, which gives us the strong impression that heaven is a place people forget themselves and remember only God.

“Heaven is a place people forget themselves and remember only God.”

In the presence of God, the martyrs ignore themselves.

Their thoughts and attentions are absorbed by the new wonders that surround them as they see with unclouded vision the glory of God and his works and his ways.

Everything else is tiny.

Nothing else is significant.

This also brings us to a second reason for God’s fierce wrath that the Lord pours out on his his wrath to show the power and the works are what the faithful sing about.

In other words, the faithful sing that this victory is God’s victory alone and we participate in it because God brought us into to participate in it. So that’s the wrath comes for the saints and the saints see now what God has done in their behalf. It’s it’s clear now in heaven. There’s no doubt in heaven.

There’s no even there’s not even any more questions to ask in heaven. It’s crystal clear that God has done all this thing. God is the one who brought about this victory and it was through the lamb Jesus Christ who died in our place who took the wrath of God. So there’s no wrath to be taken by us and he paid the full penalty and satisfied the father’s justice forever.

Praising God for His Works

See, that’s what the Lord’s done. And so I can see why they sing. And they’re singing to get ready to what’s going to take place on earth. So, the song of the lamb really does give us some instruction on what we should praise God about.

Look at there’s about four things in verse number three and four that give us the sense on what should we be praising God about. Notice the first thing. Great and marvelous are your works. All right? So the first thing to praise and worship him is for God’s works.

The works of Almighty God praised here are the final judgments on the beast and the ungodly world. God’s judgments of the seven bowls are so great they will fill us and those who understand them with wonder. But it’s also the works of salvation. It’s the work of creation. Everything that comes in there, the work of creation.

“Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty.”

Praising God for His Ways

A second thing we could praise God for is notice in verse three, righteous and true are your ways, king of the nations.

Praising God for His Holiness

See his ways praised here are his total reliability to keep his promises. That the king of all the ages has ruled his people so righteously that his people know without a doubt his truth points to his genuiness. That is his ways are never a sham or empty or deceptive.

They are always clearly true with no twist at all in them. They know that. See that’s God’s ways. That’s who they can praise the Lord for. And also in verse four, they praise we can praise and worship the Lord for his holiness.

And this becomes an important part of this portion of Revelation. It says, “Who will not fear, oh Lord, and glorify your name?” The question it says, “For you alone are holy.

“Righteous and true are your ways, King of the nations.”

No one else is holy but you. That his holiness is praised because he is separate and above all his creation. And that God should be re revered and glorified because of it. There’s no one like God.

There never was. There never will be anyone like God. Our God is an infinite cut above all the rest.

Revelation 15:4: “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy.”

Even Jeremiah tells us in Jeremiah 10:7 that God is not like anyone else.

And remember Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet because he preached and nobody listened.

And he says this, “Who would not fear you, oh king of the nations? Indeed, it is your due among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdom.

There is none, none like you. Jeremiah knew that. He wouldn’t have been able to preach if he didn’t really believe that.

It’s important for you and I to believe things so strongly that nobody can move us from our position. See, God is holy.

He is not like us. And sometimes when we think of things in scripture that oh I wouldn’t have thought about it like that. Well, that’s a good thought because that we don’t we’re not we’re not concerned about your thoughts. We’re concerned about God’s thoughts. Right?

So like what does the scripture say if you were never born? What does it mean if you you and I never existed?

So our opinions really don’t really matter much.

Praising God for His Plan

But I want you to know a last thing. He he we can praise and worship God. It it’s his plan. Notice what it says. The last part of verse number four in Revelation 15. For all the nations will come and worship before you for your righteous acts have been revealed.

This is almost like a Romans chapter 1, right? It’s clear what God has done.

That means his plan is to be praised because his goal was always to have all of creation and all the nations see clearly who he is and what he has done.

“His goal was always to have all of creation see clearly who he is and what he has done.”

So the saints and the heavenly hosts will sing about the sovereignty, the glory, the justice, the righteousness of God almighty because the saints and the heavenly host have a high view of God. They have a clear view of God.

A High View of God Changes Everything

And even as we teach in our membership class, if you have a high view of God, it will cause you to have a high level of living. All right? That means you will want to live a holy life. Why?

Because of how you see God and how the scriptures, you understand the scriptures bring God to the highest point that if he’s done these things for you and I, how can I live the old way?

How can I go back to my sin? How can I go back to the crutches that I had in the past? I can’t do it because my view of God has changed. I have a high view of God and I have a high view of his word. His word becomes paramount to me what he says there.

“If you have a high view of God, it will cause you to have a high level of living.”

And then if you look in verse number four, it says, “Your righteous acts have been revealed.” That means that God’s judgments again are clear. They are made visible to all the na. They will be made visible to all the nations of the world.

The nations of the world will have their view of God changed someday because they will see God’s righteous verdicts clearly and they shall acknowledge that his righteous acts are true and they are just and because of that he is worthy to be praised and worshiped. He’s worthy to be praised and worthy. And what what does Paul say in Philippians?

So that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. Those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Some are attribute that to hell.

And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Everybody will proclaim Jesus as Lord someday, believers and unbelievers.

So if the Lord Jesus Christ today, you should be singing the song of the lamb and the song of Moses because of his deliverance in your life. And then having a high view of God, it change it should change everything you do in your life. It should change the way you think, what you do, where you go, who you hang out with, what you listen to, everything.

Because you want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. And you want to be a usable vessel, right, in this world. You want to be able to go place and and show the light of the gospel to show that you you are coming to a situation and you’re salt.

You’re preventing corruption, but you’re also giving flavor to things because you see things the way God sees them. And people want to hear that. They want to see that even though they may reject it time and time again, just like you and I, we came to a place we say what, that’s really interesting. I never heard that before.

And you start thinking about it. And that’s how God draws you in. And he he he opens your eyes to see and you becomes you become saved, born again, right? And so that’s what’s happened.

The Scene in Heaven: The Holy Tabernacle

But now I want you to see that we’ve seen the the sign in heaven. We’ve seen the singing in heaven. But now now let’s look at verse eight 5-8. The the scene in heaven and you you’re going to find that everything in this scene is holy.

The first thing is the holy tabernacle.

Verse number five. After these things I looked and the temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was open.

Now just reading that something dramatic, something dramatically new is seen by the Apostle John in the holy place of the tabernacle in heaven that was opened in this instance. The references specifically to the tabernacle and the holy of holies which is the ark of the testimony.

“The temple of the tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened.”

That’s where it was kept. The ark where the tables of stone are kept.

Now the only one who can possibly fulfill the law is Jesus himself.

And so we see here and the point being that God always keeps his covenant with Israel and with all believers. He is completely trustworthy in doing that.

And that also brings me to a third reason for God’s fierce wrath. And that the Lord pours out his wrath to substantiate his promise through the word of God.

That what God promises will come to pass.

The Holy Angels

And then notice in verse 6 and seven, there’s holy angels.

It says, “And the seven angels who had the seven plagues come out of the temple.

And these angels, they can dwell with God in his presence because they have no sin. They were created for this very purpose. That the angels come out of a place where the law of God rests and come to show that no person or tribe or nation or people, group or demonic trinity can with impunity defy the law of God.

Nobody gets away with anything before God because God is holy and he’s just.

“No person or nation or demonic trinity can with impunity defy the law of God.”

The only thing between us and God is that he is pure. He is perfectly holy and just. He sees clearly everything.

And that that means he’ll administer judgment fairly.

We cannot do that.

We are we’re unable to do that. We try our best to do it, but we are unable to do it like he can do it. So the angels come out of the place where the law of God is. And these angels are dressed to represent the one for whom they do their bidding, the king of kings. And their uniform denotes the noble and sacred nature of their office, their mission, and are really symbolic of three things.

Their dress, notice what it says in verse six. It says, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their chest with golden sashes.

That means their dress is a priestly dress. First of all, the robe of white fine linen and the embroidered girdle about their breasts is really the dress of a high priest. They’re going to minister in behalf of God and behalf of his people.

But then notice also their dress is also a royal dress. It says clean clo and linen clear and bright girded around with their chest with golden sashes. That signifies a definitely a royal nature to it.

That the white linen and the high the high girdle are the garments worn by princes and by kings that these angels come forth with the royalty of the king of kings upon them.

And then of course their dress is also heavenly dress in verse number six. Clothed in linen clean and bright. So so the cloth in the the long white garments is clothing of the inhabitants of heaven. We’ve seen that over and over again that they come with an imposing imposing vestments to execute God’s decrees upon the earth. So no one at all will make a mistake as to who they represent.

So those are the angels.

And then at this point in heaven, another steps forward, but it’s not an angel.

Notice what it says in verse number seven.

The Four Living Creatures

It says, ‘ Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. And I asked the question, why the four living creatures or one of the representatives of the four? Why them? Why just not another angel?

So I had to kind of hunt that down a bit.

Well, these this one representative of the four living creatures are going to give the four the the bowls to the angels.

And why the four living creatures are given this task? Well, their place in heaven back in chapter 4 when they were first mentioned is this.

They are centered around the throne of God. The four living creatures, these are creatures that have full of eyes in front and behind.

So having eyes all around means that they have vigilance over God’s whole creation.

Man, beast, bird is pictured as glorified with him as part of God’s sovereignty.

That these four living creatures, their function for which they were created is this.

They constantly are engaged in praising and worshiping God. This is what it says in chapter 4 verse number eight. Listen, it says, “For the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they do not cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” That is their task. That is their message.

Revelation 4:8: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

So, because holy calls attention to all that God is.

It reminds us that his love is holy.

His mercy is holy.

His knowledge is holy knowledge. His spirit is holy spirit. His justice is holy justice. Which means that his final judgment upon all humanity and creation will be holy judgment. So what who best to initiate that representative of the four living creatures to come and proclaim and give to these bowls to the angels that will finish the task. Than the ones who have been singing in heaven over and over and over again, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God. That’s why he gives them the task.

That’s why he gives them the task.

God’s Wrath to Satisfy His Holiness

So, that brings me to a fourth reason for God’s wrath. And it’s this. The Lord pours out his wrath to satisfy his holiness.

His holiness must be satisfied. I said that nobody will get away with from any with anything no matter whether they were caught here and convicted here or not or they got away with it while on earth. They won’t get away with it before God because God is holy and that his holiness must be satisfied.

“The Lord pours out his wrath to satisfy his holiness. His holiness must be satisfied.”

And no one could stand against God’s holiness and get away with anything.

The Temple Filled with Glory

So we saw the holy tabernacle of the holy angels and now we see the holy temple again. It says in verse number eight.

Now it says that the temple was filled with with smoke from the glory of God and from his power. Now all this is going on. Remember the tabernacle is open.

And now just as in Old Testament passages when the glory of the Lord fill the temple, what could people do?

Nothing. You can’t do anything. Nobody moves because God’s glory so fills everything. And his holiness so permeates everything that all that we the people can do is stop and watch.

That’s it. They can stop and watch because it says we look here that that no one can enter the temple in heaven until the task is complete. That the smoke of God’s glory make it impossible for anybody to enter in because of the glory of God and his power. If you notice again in verse number eight, it says the last part, and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

“God’s glory so fills everything that all the people can do is stop and watch.”

So God’s hot anger will be completely emptied upon the worshippers of the beast and his anti-Christian empire and all who belong to it from that then and before that that the sealed judgments struck a quarter part of the earth that the trumpet judgments took onethird part of the earth and the bold judgments will bring the very end that the all the seven bowls will be emptied and it will be finished and the wrath of God will be satisfied.

Call to Respond

So that’s what we have in this section of scripture and it is one that it has to humble us u and cause us to really want to worship God the way we ought to and it should adjust our lives to really want to live for the Lord. Knowing these days are coming and I don’t know about you, as I said, I’ve been saying that the more I try not to listen to the news too much, it gets me aggravated as it does you. But as I listen to the crazy stuff going on in the world, this is this is this cannot be this organized without demonic backing. It cannot. It’s happening in every country of the world.

So demons are working behind the scenes to bring together God’s allowing it to bring together where God’s plan is heading because judgment is coming.

So if Christ today, you don’t have to worry about these things, but you sure should examine your life to see how you’re living.

“If you know Christ today, you don’t have to worry, but you should examine your life.”

And if you don’t know Christ, today is the day. As I say and others who have preached here, Pastor Dave and myself, today is a day of salvation. You cannot wait any longer. You are not guaranteed tomorrow morning. No one is. No matter how old or young you are, you must know Christ. You must not doubt that. You must know that. And if you don’t know that, today is a good day to come talk to me or talk to talk to Pastor Dave or one of our elders, our deacons or people know the gospel in our church and ask them about how to be saved, how to be right with God.

See, that’s what we ought to do. Amen.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you again for the great truth of this book called Revelation.

Lord, in it is contained your mind and your will.

And Lord, I I must admit that when we read these things and hear these things, they are fear producing.

But Lord, we know that you are our deliverer. You’re the one who has taken the wrath of the father so we can be saved and be made right with you. And Lord, that gives us peace in our heart.

That gives us joy to sing. But Lord, it also brings us to mourn for those who don’t know you yet in our family, on our jobs, people we interact with all the time. We want to be able to share the gospel with them, Lord. So Lord, put on our hearts to pray for them and then give us an opportunity to speak in your behalf. And Lord, I know Lord, including myself, sometimes when that happens, I choke. I don’t say anything.

And Lord, usually the day goes pretty miserable when that happens. I pray, Lord, make us people who are bold. And I pray just like the the apostles, the disciples who were not really educated men when they spoke, people concluded that their boldness came from them hanging out with Jesus. And I pray our boldness would come from the same place.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 14:14-20 reveals two heaven-directed harvests that anticipate the final judgment during the tribulation period. The Son of Man, wearing a golden crown and carrying a sharp sickle, first reaps the faithful — a harvest of mercy — and then holy angels carry out the grape harvest of the wicked — a harvest of justice. The passage parallels Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13 and fulfills Joel’s prophecy of treading the wine press.

Key Lessons:

1. God’s judgment cannot be escaped — the only escape from divine wrath is through faith in Christ, who took God’s wrath upon himself at the cross.
2. God is longsuffering and merciful, giving humanity ample time to repent, but His divine timetable will eventually run out and judgment will come.
3. The two harvests reveal that God’s holiness demands both mercy for the faithful and justice upon the wicked — neither can be neglected.
4. Faithfulness has its rewards — those who persevere in keeping God’s commandments and trusting in Jesus, even under extreme persecution, will be compensated by God himself.

Application: We are called to press on in faithfulness, continue growing in knowledge of Christ, and boldly proclaim the gospel as the way of escape from judgment. We must not be silent about the message of salvation, recognizing that we are the light and salt God has placed in the world during this age of mercy and grace.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the image of the two harvests — grain and grapes — shape our understanding of God’s character as both merciful and just?
2. What does it mean practically to live with urgency about sharing the gospel when we recognize that the “age of mercy” will not last forever?
3. How can we maintain steadfast faith and perseverance like the tribulation saints described in Revelation 14:12, especially when cultural pressures increase against believers?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 14:14-20 (the two harvests of judgment), Matthew 13:24-30, 39-42 (parable of wheat and weeds), Joel 3:13 (sickle and wine press prophecy), Isaiah 63:2-6 (the treading of the wine press), Hebrews 2:3 (no escape apart from salvation), and Revelation 19:17-21 (the battle of Armageddon).

Outline

• Introduction
• The Great Escape and the Inescapable Judgment
• The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
• The Perseverance of the Saints
• Two Heaven-Directed Harvests
• The Coming Reaper: The Son of Man
• Seated on a White Cloud
• Wearing a Golden Crown
• Holding a Sharp Sickle
• The Command to Reap
• The Harvest Is Ripe and Overdue
• God’s Patience in the Age of Mercy
• Christ Reaps His Own First
• The Grain Harvest Confirmed from Matthew 13
• The Grape Harvest: Judgment of Unbelievers
• The Angel from the Altar
• The Wine Press of God’s Wrath
• Isaiah’s Prophecy of the Treading
• The Battle of Armageddon and Its Carnage
• God’s Ultimate Justice Will Triumph
• The Age of Mercy and the Call to Faithfulness
• Jesus Is the Only Escape
• Closing Prayer

Introduction

Okay, let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to Revelation chapter 14.

And we’re looking at verse 14 to 20 this morning. Revelation chapter 14.

And as you’re turning there, I came across a a story actually when I was in Hebrews.

Hebrews chapter 2 is really about escape.

And the writer of Hebrews, which I think is Apollos, asks the question, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

How shall we escape?

The Great Escape and the Inescapable Judgment

When we think of escape, we think of deliverance. From the dire and threatening maybe a dire and threatening life situation.

But the most common idea with which we associate the idea of escape is imprisonment.

Not just from jail, but from those prisons that are most notorious that are inescapable like Alcatraz and like the dreadful all French prison the sha chateau defer.

There’s a story a novel that was written. It was about the story of Edmund Dantes who was falsely accused of a crime and unjustly convicted and sentenced to that prison. And he suffered many years in confinement, solitary confinement, until one day he met a co-prisoner, an aged man.

And how he met that man is that man’s been in prison for a long, long time. He started digging a hole. And he calculated to dig a hole outside the prison to escape. But instead he dug his hole and it ended up in Dante’s cell and they both became very close friends.

And this aged man became his mentor and his counselor. He taught him all kinds of things like science and philosophy and even theology.

He also told them of a map that had a vast treasure that was under the sea and exactly where it was. And the old man eventually died.

And by some extraordinary circumstance, his death brought the ability for Edmund Dantes to escape from the chateau defer.

He then found the vast treasure and of course lived off that for the rest of his life.

That was a dramatic story of escape.

As dire and as dreadful the circumstances could be in the chatau defer, there’s even a greater and a more dreadful captivity that any human being can imagine.

And the author of Hebrews speaks of that particular dreadful captivity by asking the question, how can we escape if we neglect such great salvation?

Now beloved, that’s a rhetorical question.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? And the answer is the answer is we can’t escape.

“How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? The answer is we can’t escape.”

The judgment of God also can’t be escaped.

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

And as we look at this particular passage this morning, the remaining verses from chapter 14 verse 14 to 20 anticipate events to come later in the tribulation period.

Remember we’re looking at the tribulation, the seven-year tribulation period and the final judgment. The apostle John sees Christ in his his judicial role as the son of man and here carrying out his role as the sovereign judge. Jesus the lamb of God has been given the position by the father to judge people.

In John chapter 5 it says for not even the father judges anyone but he has given all judgment to the son. He gave him authority to execute judgment because he is the son of man.

This is another major advance in revelation. The judgment of the son of man upon the world of people. And according to scripture, God’s harvest is ripe and time for God’s judgment to come upon the earth. This section closely parallels the parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew chapter 13, if you care to turn there. Matthew 13, look at verse number 24-30.

John 5:22-27: “Not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.”

In Matthew 13:4 says, “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.” But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and swed tears among the wheats wheat and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tears became evident. Verse 27.

The slaves of the land over land over came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tears?” And he said to them, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves the slaves said to him, “Do you want us then to go and gather them up?” In verse number 29, but he said, “No, for while you are gathering up the tears, you may uproot the wheat with them.” Verse 30. Allow both to grow together until the harvest. And in the time of harvest, I will send to you the reapers.

First gather the tears and bind them in bundles and burn them up, but gather the wheat into my barn.

The Perseverance of the Saints

Now for sure the saints in the tribulation period will live in constant jeopardy of their lives but they will not bow to the dictates of the beast or the antichrist who will be pretty much at this time in charge of everything.

They would rather suffer the most excruciating torture than comply to the beast and be torment with him forever. We saw this up in chapter 14 back in Revelation verse number 11 where it says there and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.

They have no rest day and night. Those who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.

Not having rest is part of the things that are going to be going on in hell. People will never have rest.

They would rather take a firm stance on what the Lord taught them. In fact, it will take a firm stance by everyone who follows the Lord because you must know what you believe theologically and you must know who you belong to.

See, these opposers of the beast demonstrate that they belong to Christ by steadfastly clinging to him in faith and by obeying God’s commandments. Look at Revelation 14 verse 12.

Here is the perseverance of the saints to keep his commandments, the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. That’s what was required. And because the circumstances of those who die under the terrors of the Antichrist are so difficult, a voice from heaven assures them of their special blessedness. Revelation 14:13.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Yes, says the spirit, so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them. That the blessing of the saints is not only that they do get rest, but what they have done for the Lord, they are compensated with. They compensated for by the Lord himself. So the suffering and endurance of these saints will be compensated by God for their losses by an appropriate reward at the right time.

“Being faithful has its rewards.”

So being faithful has its rewards.

Two Heaven-Directed Harvests

So the remaining verses of chapter of this chapter anticipates events to come later on in the tribulation.

Christ does not actually come at this moment in the tribulation and the final judgment.

It’s the Apostle John in his vision which kind of pulls back the curtain and allows us to glimpse in and see Christ in his judicial role as the son of man.

And his judgments are always true and righteous altogether.

That God what he says in his word of God will come to pass. Every single jot and tit will happen.

So here in our passage we have two heaven directed harvests.

“Here in our passage we have two heaven-directed harvests.”

That’s what we see here. In the first harvest, the first judgment harvest is the grain harvest.

And that is the harvest of the faithful.

The Coming Reaper: The Son of Man

Now let’s look at it. In verse number 14, we see the coming reaper. It says, ‘ Then I looked and behold a white cloud and sitting on the cloud was one like the son of man having a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

Now the judgment and harvest of the son of man we see here that means the risen victorious lamb reaping the harvest of his own people the harvest of the faithful the engathering of the saints by the son of man. And remember, son of man is the title that Jesus most used of himself throughout the gospels that Christ because of his humanity, because he was the God man, he knows what we are like. That means he alone has the only capability for judging mankind because he is the son of man.

“He alone has the only capability for judging mankind because He is the Son of Man.”

So the coming reaper comes and then we notice that there’s the character of the one harvesting act. Actually there’s three characteristics about the son of man that is highlighted in this passage.

Seated on a White Cloud

And here’s the first one. It’s in verse number 14. He’s sitting on a white cloud.

And remember white clouds are symbolic of the presence of God of divine holiness. We saw it back in chapter 1 verse 7 where it says, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him and even those who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over him.” Also, a white cloud signifies the glorious victory victory of Christ as he prepares to harvest the earth.

“White clouds are symbolic of the presence of God, of divine holiness.”

Wearing a Golden Crown

White also symbolizes the righteousness and purity of Christ. That’s the first thing it wants us to know. Secondly, in verse 14, he’s wearing a golden crown.

Now, the crown here is this stfanis crown. It’s it’s the crown of actually suffering or someone who gives endurance to something.

And usually it’s just a wreath on one’s head. It’s not a golden crown.

So Jesus has a golden crown of suffering on his head.

It’s it’s the symbol of heavenly honor and authority literally as the symbol of authority worn by a ruler. And the crown is given to a victor.

And this designates the Messiah as the one who has conquered and has won the right now for judgment.

This is not the suffering Christ anymore. This is as it says in Revelation 19. This is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We see here the golden crown points to Jesus as the sovereign king, the victorious royal ruler who’s about to judge the world.

“This is not the suffering Christ anymore. This is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.”

And no one can get out of it. There is no escape from the judgment of God.

Holding a Sharp Sickle

Everybody will come under the judgment of God. But there’s a third thing it says about this son of man in verse number 14. He has a sharp sickle in his hand.

The sickle is brought out only in times of harvest.

Also in the parable of the growing seed, Jesus said, “But when the crop permits, he immediately pulls out the sickle because the harvest has come.” And any farmer, most of us are not farmers in here, but any farmer would know that you better harvest your crop at the right time or you lose it. All the work you put into it can be lost like that.

The Command to Reap

But then comes the command in verse number 15. The command to reap. Notice what it says. And another angel came out of the temple crying out with a loud voice.

And he said to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap.” See the the sharp sickle in his hand stands for the awesome authority that Jesus has in the final harvest. The sickle is sharp which points to the power and the swiftness and the finality behind the judgment.

“The sharp sickle stands for the awesome authority that Jesus has in the final harvest.”

The passage we read this morning in the Old Testament prophet, the Old Testament prophet Joel, he said this exact same thing. Matter of fact, this is the prophecy of what’s going to happen in Revelation. He says, “I for there I sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe. Come re come tread for the wine press is full. The vats overflow and their wickedness is great.” So the wicked wickedness of the world has reached heaven.

And not only is the wickedness of mankind fully ripe, but the king’s indignation is fully ripe. See, the Lord of Lords is now in a position in human history to carry out the judgment that has been ripening for a very, very long time.

His sickle judgment is ready to be swung.

The Harvest Is Ripe and Overdue

But there’s two things about this harvest that are very important in our text. And if you notice in verse number 15, it says, “Put in the sickle and reap.” It says, “For the hour, for the hour to reap has come because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” that the harvest of the earth is ripe is its condition. In fact, the very use of the word in the original language means to become dry. It is the picture of fruit that is or grain or vegetables that become so ripe that they begin to dry up and wither.

Another in other words, the harvest is is fully ripe and therefore even almost overdue.

And then there is also the timing of the harvest. Notice what it says in verse 15. For the hour to reap has come. In other for the time scale, the the clock has run out.

It is no mistake that the Lord’s divine time scale has come to an end.

“It is no mistake that the Lord’s divine time scale has come to an end. No one can accuse God of judging too soon.”

No one can accuse God of judging too soon.

God’s Patience in the Age of Mercy

God has been very very long-suffering with mankind in his great mercy that he’s displayed to humanity.

Even as he is right now, still in this age we live right now is the mer the age of mercy and grace. And the Lord is still displaying his patience toward us.

Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Not willing to stop the preaching of the gospel, but the gospel continues to go out and show God’s mercy and his grace to people. So, they come and believe, and they’re rescued from the judgment of God because of what Christ did in their place.

2 Peter 3:9: “Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

It is a crucial time in which we live.

Because time is short.

You get a sense of that time is short.

That we’re closer to the end than that than than we’ve ever been.

So, see, it’s it’s time to put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ if you have not done so so far before time runs out. And don’t ever believe the lie of Satan. If you are young, you have plenty of time. And if you are old, it’s too late. Don’t ever believe that. That’s his great lie. You have plenty of time to work on it. No, you don’t. What? How much time you have? Right now.

Because tomorrow, you don’t know if you’re going to wake up. You don’t know if you’re going to get hit by a car. You don’t know if you’re going to die of some disease. You don’t know. There’s a million ways to die more than that. We don’t know that. But right now, you’re hearing, you’re receiving, you’re listening, you’re taking heed. Hopefully and you want to be blessed by what the message is and that’s to come to Christ.

Christ Reaps His Own First

So there there are two that swing the sharp sickle in our passage.

The first one is the risen Christ and the second are the holy angels.

So there are two harvests but and these harvests are directed from the heavenly temple. These commands are coming from heaven itself.

But look at what the angel, this angel that comes out of the temple in heaven does in verse number 15. He cries out with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud.

Now, some may say, “Well, I thought this judgment here was just the judgment of all the wicked.” Why are you interpreting this as the grain harvest of the faithful? At least the first part because I’m doing I’m interpreting it that way because it’s Jesus who’s doing the reaping here.

So, why does the angel call out to Jesus first? I believe it is because now remember the angels are given the authority to do the reaping.

That’s what God gave them to do. But this angel doesn’t do this reaping. He calls out to the one who sits on the white cloud, the son of man.

And why does he do that? But I believe because Jesus is the only one who’s able to judge who are his children and who are not his children that the harvest here is of believers and centers on mercy. So the two harvests are very distinct.

“God’s holiness demands mercy, but God’s holiness also demands justice.”

God’s holiness demands mercy but God’s holiness also demands justice.

In fact, the harvest here is positive at least the fir these first verses because the harvest imagery goes back to the harvest of the 144,000 refer to as the first fruits. Look back at verse number one of chapter 14 and it says this.

Then I looked and behold the lamb standing on Mount Zion and with him 144,000 having his name and the name of his father written on their foreheads.

Then down to verse four of chapter 14.

These are the ones who have not been defiled with women who for they have kept themselves chasteed. They 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. So in other words, that this judgment also is the judgment that rescues those of the 144,000 because they are the first fruits of the harvest to come. But then notice the the certainty of the reaping. In verse number 16, it says this. Then he who sat on the cloud, remember that is the son of man, that’s Jesus Christ, swung his sickle over the earth.

So the final ripe harvest of the saints occurs here.

This harvest is not followed by a description where the branches are picked up and thrown into the fire to be burned. Nor is there a threshing of the grain here or the trampling of the grain or winnowing of the grain where they throw the wheat up in the air where it separates from the chaft. You don’t see any of that happening here.

Here is here there is no hint of final destruction as the grape harvest which we’ll look at next. Jesus the son of man swings his sickle in a decisive act to harvest the redeemed from the earth.

In verse 16 it says then he who sat on the cloud swung the sickle over the earth and the earth is reaped. And the reason why the angel calls out to Jesus because the angels were given the responsibility to reap is because Jesus is the only one who could reap.

“Jesus is the only one who could reap — swiftly and precisely — because He knows who are His own.”

Do it swiftly and precisely because he knows who are his own. The swinging of the sickle means the judgment. The harvest day has come and cannot be delayed any longer. Jesus cast the sickle to the harvest to harvest the righteous. And this is the only way to escape God’s judgment to be rescued by Jesus. Now, saying all that, I do want you to notice a passage of scripture before I go any further because I’ve been saying that the angels are the reapers, yet Christ does the reaping here.

The Grain Harvest Confirmed from Matthew 13

Look at Matthew chapter 13. Take turn your Bibles and turn to Matthew chapter 13. Just look at in verse number 30 and then verse 39 to 42 because this is kind of sets up what the Lord said when he preached and taught these messages when he was alive on earth in Matthew 13. Look at verse 30.

Verse 30 says, “Allow both to grow together until harvest. And in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, first gather up the tears and bind them in in bundles and burn them up and but gather the wheat into my barns. Then look down to verse 39 of Matthew 13.

And the and the enemy who swed them is the devil and the harvest is the end of the age. And the reapers are are angels.

So we have a progression here. We see that the devil is the one behind it all.

Planting tears among the real people who are God’s children. That the harvest is the end of the age, the end of time. The Jews always looked at history in two ways. This age and the age to come.

That’s it. So this is the age to come.

This is the end of the age. And then the reapers are angels. And then notice in verse 40, so just as the tears are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. And the Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and nashing of teeth. So yes, the angels are the reapers and the reaper who are in charge call out to Christ and Christ reaps his own first.

“The angels are the reapers, but Christ reaps His own first.”

The Grape Harvest: Judgment of Unbelievers

That’s the first judgment. That’s the judgment of the faithful. Now we see the second judgment from 17-20 back in Revelation 14. The second judgment is the grape harvest, the harvest of unbelievers, right? This is the crushing harvest.

The harvest of the heavenly angels here.

They reap the harvest of those destined for judgment.

Holy angels have been given charge of the end time harvest and it is their responsibility to carry out this harvest in an orderly fashion.

So the angels are used in the endtime harvest of the earth. That’s how God arranged it and that’s their job. But then I want you to notice something in verse number 17, the coming of the grape gathering.

It says, “And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven.

He also had a sharp sickle.” So this second angel, it’s actually the I think the fifth one in this whole section here, but I’m going to call the second angel comes out of the temple of heaven, but does not come with the with inherent righteousness like Christ. He comes with derived authority from God.

He has been given a sharp sickle also.

And so the holy angel also with this sharp sickle comes in judgment and it will be a severe judgment. It will be the final judgment of those on the earth. So this second harvest is because of God’s holiness that demands justice. The harvest of the earth is ripe because of ungodliness and wickedness that is on the earth. The rotten moral and spiritual condition of the world must be dealt with by God. See, God is even longsuffering in his judgment of the wicked. He gives them plenty of time.

“God is even longsuffering in His judgment of the wicked. He gives them plenty of time.”

And we’re going to find out in the rest of Revelation that with all the bold judgments that are poured out, they still don’t repent. They still don’t turn to God. It just shows the deep dark depravity of man’s heart. Men cannot choose God unless God does a work in their heart.

So the harvest of the earth is ripe because of ungodliness and wickedness.

And the wicked of the earth are pictured as clusters of grapes on a vine. Grapes that are fully ripe, bursting with juice, fruit bursting with wickedness and corruption.

Not a second can be delayed any longer.

The time has come for the final harvest.

The Angel from the Altar

So look at the angel and the position and power of this angel. Another angel in verse number 18. Here’s a a third angel.

But he is not coming. This angel is not coming out of the temple in heaven. He is coming from a different section of heaven. It says the next angel is coming out of from the altar. Now put your eyes on verse number 18 of chapter 14. It says, “Then another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar.” Now, that that’s different. And that’s important. And why is it important? Because the altar is connected with the prayers of the saints for the vengeance on their enemies. This was the cry in Revelation chapter 8.

Another angel in that passage came and stood at the altar holding a golden sensor and much incense was given to him so that he might add to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which is before the throne. In other words, this angel at the altar comes now out and he comes for for what reason? To vindicate the saints.

It’s symbolic of the the rising prayers of the saints. And of course, this angel also has power of fire.

And the reason for that is because what it actually says in our text in Revelation 8. It’s the response to prayer. In Revelation 8 verse number 5, it says, “The angel took the sensor and filled it with the fire of the altar and threw it to the earth. And there followed peels of thunder and sounds of flashing lightning on the earth. And then it goes on to say then he threw it to the earth in judgment.

So the incense is a picture of prayers rising from the saints to the throne of God.

The altar of mercy is now the source of divine judgment.

“The altar of mercy is now the source of divine judgment — God’s vindication of His followers.”

God’s vindication of his followers for all they have suffered.

The sovereign majestic God who is in charge of judgment now falls upon the earth.

In verse number 18 of chapter 14, we see the angel’s petition, it says this, “And he called with a loud voice in the middle of the passage and said to him who had the sharp sickle.” So this angel now in other words the saints prayers have been reached have reached God and in answer to their prayers God sends his angel to carry out this judgment. So the third angel calls loudly to the second angel and says it’s time to put in your sickle.

It’s time to judge the ungodly.

The Wine Press of God’s Wrath

It’s time to judge the unrighteous. So in verse number 18, it says, “Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth.” So the sickle is ready and the grapes in verse 18, because her grapes are ripe.

So we see the certainty of gathering the grapes.

So the angel in verse number 19 swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

Now of course judgment is depicted here as a wine press.

Now, if anybody knows anything about a wine press, it really consisted of an upper and a lower trough connected with a channel. And the trough might be hollowed out by a rock or could be made of brick. The grapes were put into the upper trough and it was because it was slightly higher in level and the grapes then were thrown in there and trampled.

Yes. With the feet and the flow of the juice would run down connecting to the connecting channel to the lower trough.

That was the picture because God’s judgment is often likened to the trampling of grapes. In fact, that’s what it said in Joel that we read this morning. Put in the sickle for the harvest is ripe. Come and tread for the wine press is full. The vats overflow.

Wickedness is great. That’s what’s overflowing. The wickedness of humanity, the corruption of humanity, the immorality of humanity, the ungodliness of humanity is coming all out of that wine press.

And so what does the Lord do? We see the wine press comes up in chapter 14 also verse number nine.

He it says in verse 10, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God.

So we see this is the anger of God coming upon the world and it’s like someone stomping on grapes until everything is crushed. And the grapes of course and the juice of the grapes is going to be synonymous to the blood of people being slaughtered in this last battle that’s going to happen on the earth. The battle of Armageddon.

Joel 3:13: “Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come and tread, for the wine press is full.”

So there is a certain crushing of the grapes.

And notice in verse number 20, here’s the picture of ultimate judgment.

There’s a geographical setting. And in verse number 20, the first part, for the wine press was trotten outside the city.

And most of the thing the Lord is protecting Jerusalem and he is getting things ready. So the wine press can be the the battle could take place but not right there within Jerusalem but outside of Jerusalem because of the carnage that’s going to take place.

And the scene will be the most gruesome scene ever in any battle that has ever been fought at any time in uni in human history until this time. This will be the worst of all battles. It will be the last one though. It will be very very very bloody.

Isaiah’s Prophecy of the Treading

Now Isaiah the prophet spoke about this He tells us in the in Isaiah chapter 63 of what’s going to take place. And because this passage of scripture is so important, I’d like you to turn there.

Isaiah 63, just a few passages, verse two to verse number six. I want you to notice what Isaiah says here about what’s going to take place.

At the end time harvest, especially those of the unfaithful, the unbelievers, the ungodly.

In Isaiah 63, look at verse number two.

It says, “Why is your apparel red and your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?” Question.

Verse three, I have trotten the wine thro alone, and from the peoples there was no man with me. I also trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath, and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I stained all my reignment. Verse four, for the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption has come.

I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished that there was no one to uphold. So my own arm brought salvation to me, and my wrath upheld me. Verse six, I trod down the people in my anger and made them drunk in my wrath and I poured out their life blood on the earth. That’s an awful scene.

Isaiah 63:3: “I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath, and their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments.”

That’s a scene of an ocean of blood from the victims of judgment. Now, some people have said, “Well, that’s just a spiritual thing. That’s just an illustration.” But the problem is there’s a real battle and real people are going to die in that battle.

The Battle of Armageddon and Its Carnage

Now, if you go back to Revelation 20, notice what he says there. This awful scene, this ocean of blood from the victims of God’s judgment, he says in the middle of verse 20, it says, “And the blood came out from the wine press up to the horse’s bridal for a distance of 200 miles.” Of course, this is in reference to the battle of Armageddon.

That will be the final battle where all the nations of the world will gather against Israel. And of course, we know who wins that battle. Christ steps out in a word and consumes them. It’s done.

It’s over. He does it by the power of his word.

And it specifies an area in this passage within a 200 mile radius from Jerusalem.

It will be the center part of the final carnage where the armies of the world will will gather at the time of the second coming of Christ.

It could also mean though because Israel covers about 200 miles, it’s about the same size as New Jersey from north to south that it could mean the whole area is in view. I don’t know. We’re going to have to find out when we get to heaven about some of the facts.

But in any case, the the spurting of the grape juice under the the bare feet of those treading the grapes in the wine press is compared to the spurting of the blood that speaks of the awful human carnage that will take place in this final battle.

“Blood came out from the wine press up to the horse’s bridle for a distance of 200 miles.”

See, the wicked were trotten down in the wine press of God’s wrath where blood came out in a stream of 200 miles long and 4 feet deep enough to reach the bridles of horses. Now whether it’s that deep or not, the point is the completeness of the judgment and the carnage that will take place. In fact, the carnage is so great that God calls the vultures of heaven, the vultures of earth to come to a great feast and to clean up the mess. Look what it says. Turn there. Revelation 19. Look at verse 17.

Come and clean the mess up.

But this is where this is where humanity goes to without God.

Revelations 19:1 17 says, “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders. Ers and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and those who sit on them and the flesh of all men both free men and slaves small and great. Verse 19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.

Then in verse 21, and the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. See, that’s a the carnage that were now cleaned up by the vultures of the earth or all the birds that clean up the mess that people make. See, that doesn’t that’s not a good ending.

But that is the ending of someone who wants to do it their own way. That is the ending of those who reject God. What? That’s nothing compared to what hell is going to be.

This is maybe a picture of hell.

Man without God.

God’s Ultimate Justice Will Triumph

So God’s ultimate justice will triumph.

The wicked will be judged and the saints will be rewarded.

That’s going to be the bottom line and God will take care of that and he will make sure it’s done correctly.

“God’s ultimate justice will triumph. The wicked will be judged and the saints will be rewarded.”

But if I make just a few observations about this present age, the utter futility of hope for a converted world before Christ comes is not in the Bible. The emphatic and unmistakable testimony of scripture is that during the Lord’s absence in this present age, there will be no universal re reception of the gospel of grace.

But on the contrary, there would be a willful rejection and opposition by the world, by our own flesh, and by the devil himself till the end comes. That the professing church, and I don’t mean the good professing church, the professing church as a whole in its worldliness, having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof that church that Satan would take advantage of the situation and sew seeds of tears by substituting ritualism for righteousness, formality for faith, civilization for Christianity.

And institutionalism for spirituality.

That the organized religion of the world will grow in number and strength, deriving the their sustenance from the wisdom of the world and providing a shelter of respectability for the children of the wicked one. It will be respectable to be part of a religious system that he’s in charge of.

See, Christ would have his own elect, the wheat, gathered out of the world unto his name and ready for him in the day of his coming. And that’s what he will do. So the eye idea of a golden age, a utopian republic without the literal and personal return of Christ is nothing more than a wishful shadow of a baseless dream.

The Age of Mercy and the Call to Faithfulness

The implication of the implication of what is true of the tribulation rings true in our present day that God will ultimately judge all people and today. However, in our situation, we still live in an age of mercy. We still live in an age of grace and the invitation is still open to those who will trust in Christ to save them from the condemnation of their sin and place them before God clean, washed in the precious blood of the lamb. That’s still open. And that’s the message that we cannot be silent about.

That’s the message we must be bold about because that is the only message that saves someone from the judgment of sin.

See, in other words, we provide the way of escape through the message we preach.

And not only the message we preach, but the message we live. We provide the way of escape.

We are the light that God has put in the world. We are the salt of the earth that provides flavor and prevents corruption.

“We provide the way of escape through the message we preach. We are the light God has put in the world.”

See, we are that people. So what? For you and I. If you are a believer, press on.

Be faithful to the Lord. Keep his word.

Keep growing in your knowledge and wisdom of Christ. Do not stop. No matter what the world does, no matter how your flesh lies to you, and no matter how Satan tries to deceive you, do not stop because you have the truth.

Jesus Is the Only Escape

If you neglect so great a salvation, there is no escape.

But if you take that salvation, that is the escape.

Jesus is the only escape from God’s wrath because Jesus took the wrath for your sin on the cross of Calvary. He paid the full price to satisfy the father’s justice. He put your sin on the cross and he put his righteousness on your account. So when the father looks down at you, he sees the righteousness of Christ.

“Jesus is the only escape from God’s wrath because He took the wrath for your sin on the cross.”

See, we could have never provided our own righteousness because our righteousness are like filthy rags.

Amen.

This day is coming. The church, the true church must be ready with the message and continue to preach it no matter what. And I don’t see, this is my only personal opinion, I don’t see it getting easier for believers, for what’s happening to believers all over the world. Just finding out our ally South Korea is jailing pastors right now because they are not going along with the narrative of the government. That’s not very far away from us. Once this government that we have right now is gone, we’re in big trouble.

So, thank the Lord for the mercy and time and grace he’s given us. Now, let’s be faithful. Amen.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray. Lord, thank you so much.

Lord, your word’s so clear.

It’s so convicting. It It pierces right through the darkness, right through the the deception.

And Lord, sometimes it hits us right between the eyes. And sometimes that’s what we need. Lord, keep us awake.

Keep us aware of what’s going on.

Don’t allow us to be deluded or to be deceived by the wicked one.

Especially in this these days which we live that we don’t even know what truth is with AI coming and this deception that AI can produce has already and is already producing. You don’t even know what you’re looking at is even true. So Lord, give us discernment these days to stand close to you, to be faithful to you, to have the truth so wash our minds and transform our minds that we definitely would know the good, the acceptable, and the perfect will of God every day of our lives. And Lord, when we feel weak and our legs feel feeble, I pray you would strengthen us again by your spirit.

Make us people that are strong in faith.

And because we’re strong in faith, we p persevere every day right to the end. No matter how dark and glooming it gets around us, that we would be faithful to the end. Thank you, Lord, that you help us persevere to that last day.

Lord, make us faithful.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 14 reveals the triumph of the Lamb and His saints alongside the certain judgment of sinners. We are reminded that confidence in truth is not optional—it is essential for standing firm in every age, and especially in the final days. The 144,000 sealed servants of God stand victorious with the Lamb on Mount Zion, singing a new song of redemption, while three angels proclaim final warnings of judgment to a world that has rejected the Creator.

Key Lessons:

1. True spiritual victory always produces heartfelt, substance-filled worship and singing—not because of a beat, but because of what the heart understands about truth.
2. God seals, protects, and redeems His people even through the worst trials, and nothing can take our souls from His hand.
3. The eternal gospel calls all people to fear God, give Him glory, and worship the Creator—and compliance with the beast’s system brings undiluted, eternal wrath.
4. The perseverance of the saints is marked by obedience to Christ’s commandments and unwavering faith, resulting in eternal rest and eternal rewards.

Application: We are called to live holy, blameless lives before God every day, to sing with heartfelt conviction, and to place our full confidence in God’s word and His redemptive plan. We must not ride the fence but decisively trust Christ as Lord and Savior, investing our lives in faithfulness that earns eternal dividends.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean to live your life “before God” as Ephesians 1 describes, and how should that awareness change daily decisions?
2. How does the contrast between the mark of the beast and the seal of God challenge us to consider where our ultimate loyalty lies today?
3. In what practical ways can we grow in heartfelt, substance-filled worship rather than going through the motions?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 14:1-13 provides the central text, depicting the Lamb’s victory on Mount Zion with the 144,000 and the three angels’ messages of judgment. Supporting passages include Revelation 17:14 (the Lamb overcomes), Psalm 33:1-5 (joyful praise), Ephesians 1:4 (holy and blameless before Him), Colossians 1:21-22 (reconciled and beyond reproach), Isaiah 34:9-10 (eternal judgment imagery), and 2 Peter 3:11-12 (holy conduct in light of the end).

Outline

• Introduction
• Confidence in the Truth
• The Glory of the Saints
• The Lamb’s Victory on Mount Zion
• The 144,000 Sealed Servants
• The Mark of God vs. the Mark of the Beast
• The New Song of Redemption
• Heartfelt Singing as a Sign of Victory
• Harps, Joy, and the Death of Music
• Purchased from the Earth
• The Spiritual Identity of the Redeemed
• Living Holy and Blameless Before God
• The Judgment of Sinners
• The First Angel: The Eternal Gospel
• What Is the Eternal Gospel?
• Repent or Face Final Judgment
• The Second Angel: The Fall of Babylon
• The Three Systems of Babylon
• The Third Angel: Eternal Torment
• The Disastrous Consequences of Compliance
• The Reality of Eternal Punishment
• The Perseverance and Blessing of the Saints
• Eternal Rest and Eternal Rewards
• Stand with Confidence

Introduction

Okay, let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to Revelation 14.

Some sad events happened this past week, but in a very real way, it’s really about confidence.

Confidence in the Truth

Confidence in what? Confidence in the truth. What is the truth?

The definition of being confident is to be firm in what you believe.

It was once asked what Charlie Kirk wanted to be known for. He wanted to be known for his faith in Christ. And he’s with the Lord now. I just pray that his death would be a revival among young people to follow Christ.

In the book of Revelation, in the tribulation, people are going to have to know truth. We live in a day of complete confusion. People don’t know what truth is. But you have to know what truth is or you’ll never know what the right way is or how to have a relationship with the true and living God.

“You have to know what truth is or you’ll never know the right way or how to have a relationship with the true and living God.”

Confidence in the truth means to have a firm trust in it, to rely upon it, to have a feeling of assurance in it.

I ran across a funny story about a missionary who went to the islands to be a missionary. As he was there, he was confident in the gospel. He was confident in the word of God. He was confident in everything he did. He knew God wanted him there. And as he was ministering, he fell into a tribe of cannibals.

He asked the tribal leader—I guess he had learned some of the language then or through a translator—”Are you going to eat me?” And the tribal leader says, “Yes.” And he says, “Well, let me give you a piece of my flesh. You won’t like it.” So he reached down with a knife, cut off a piece of his calf, and gave it to him. And the tribal leader ate it, gagged on it, and spit it out. And the missionary ended up being a missionary there for 50 years.

See what happened was years ago they used to make peg legs out of cork. So he actually cut a piece of cork out of his leg and gave it to his tribal leader and he gagged on it and choked. So he was confident that he knew he would get out of that situation. He knew God had him there and he ended up being there for 50 years.

Now that’s kind of comical. I’m sure it wasn’t comical then, but it’s kind of funny. But it’s confidence in the truth.

And so we have to keep in mind in Revelation it’s talking about the final unveiling of the last days. And the war of the false trinity against the people of God sets the scene for this picture in Revelation 14. The victory of the lamb and of his saints and the eternal punishment of those who willingly follow the dragon against the saints.

So in Revelation 14 we find ourselves still in a parenthetical section. Remember, a parenthesis means that there is not a continuation of the sequence. The author, in other words, slips in for a very good reason. We just got done describing the plan of Satan to take over. And now he slips in this section of scripture for an encouragement to those who are believers or to those who are riding the fence when they don’t know what the truth is in the tribulation. Somebody has to give them some hope.

So this is the third parenthesis and is a pause before the seventh trumpet is finished and then all the rapid fire bold judgments begin. This chapter is saturated with victory and triumph and that’s what the people actually needed to hear and need to hear when they are going to be in this time.

As we look at this chapter, I want you to see two things really: the glory of the saints and the judgment of the sinners. Because those two things together show us the victory that we have in Christ.

Let me have a word of prayer as we continue. Lord, this morning as we look at the word of God, as we think about the things that have gone on, our own day in which we live and how truth is so convoluted, I pray Lord that you would give us the same thing: confidence in the truth of your plan and your word, knowing that you will bring everything to pass that you said in the word of God and that those who are yours will celebrate all that you have done.

The Glory of the Saints

And I pray, Lord, you would encourage our hearts through this portion of scripture. In Christ I pray. Amen.

We see chapter 14, verses 1-5, the glory—the first point, the glory of the saints. Notice what it says in verse one. It says, “Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion and with him 144,000.”

Here’s their triumph.

The Lamb’s Victory on Mount Zion

Here we see the real lamb of God, Jesus Christ himself. He comes standing on Mount Zion. He comes showing a glimpse of his victory.

Zion is the location where Messiah would deliver his people and gather them to himself.

The saints’ triumph is because of the victory of the lamb.

“The saints’ triumph is because of the victory of the Lamb.”

The victory of the lamb is shown in the lamb’s position in verse 1.

Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion. Standing signified a military victory after the battle is over and the smoke clears.

The lamb who is the divine warrior wins the victory over the false trinity.

The saints are seen participating in the joy of that victory.

If you look quickly over to chapter 17 in verse 14, we get a clearer glimpse of this where it says these will wage war against the lamb and the lamb will overcome them because he is the Lord of lords and King of kings and those who are with him are the called and chosen and faithful.

Revelation 17:14: “The Lamb will overcome them because He is the Lord of lords and King of kings.”

Back to chapter 14, we have to note that Mount Zion and the city of David are the same thing. They refer to Jerusalem.

They are the place where God chose many years ago and it’s the place where he will again reign over all the earth.

Some have called this section of scripture a prolleptic vision of the millennial reign of the lamb and of the redeemed.

The 144,000 Sealed Servants

It’s really a picture of the end time view of Zion or the end time view of Jerusalem that is in mind here. The blending of the past and the present and the future aspects all come together, and in layman’s terms, here is the earthly scene, an earthly scene but anticipates a future reality. And then notice the participants back in Revelation 14:1: “Then I look, the lamb standing on Mount Zion with him 144,000.”

Now this is the same group from Revelation 7. Remember that group was brought together from the twelve tribes of Israel and they were brought together because God was going to pour out judgment on the earth and he had to take these Jewish believers or these Jews and seal them so they would not be harmed.

So something is coming that is going to harm the earth, and so this group must be sealed. They must be protected. These Jews are going to be sealed and safeguarded from that which will hurt the earth. So in other words, they can’t be killed. They can’t die. They can’t be harmed.

And for what reason were they not harmed and kept safe? So that they can take the gospel to the world. In the worst time of world history, God has to protect his people so they can’t be assassinated. So they can preach the gospel without harm.

“God has to protect His people so they can preach the gospel without harm.”

The Mark of God vs. the Mark of the Beast

But notice in verse one also the marks that they have, having his name and the name of his father written on their foreheads.

Now please don’t miss the contrast developing in this passage, the contrast between the mark of the beast in chapter 13 and the mark of God.

See, the name of God is inscribed on the brow of one’s face, declaring that the person inscribed is God’s own possession. I own you. It’s the same for believers.

We’re sealed into the day of redemption, right? So nobody can touch us. Oh, we can lose our life maybe for preaching the gospel, but they can’t take our soul. We are safe in God.

“They can’t take our soul. We are safe in God.”

So that alone gives us the confidence. And they were sealed with the seal of the Father and the Son. And it depicts ownership and security.

In other words, God will protect and keep those who bear his name. That’s his promise to us. As the Father and the Son are one, and we saints bear a oneness with the Father and the Son, which authenticates us as belonging to the Lamb of God. As it says later in Revelation, God will dwell amongst us and we will be his people and he will be our God.

The New Song of Redemption

And if there’s one specific sign among God’s people when there is victory and they understand it, it’s a sign of real heartfelt song.

Look at verse two. “And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. And the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.”

Here we have saints with the lamb on Mount Zion and a very loud sound is coming from heaven. It uses three symbols: listen, it’s like many waters—that means the picture of the sound of a waterfall. Also loud thunder—the strong voice of God that no one can fail to hear.

When thunder sounds, you can’t fail to hear it. No matter where you are, if it’s in your vicinity, it’s like the voice of God speaking and everyone hears it. But notice it’s not just the voice of a strong authoritative message from God.

It’s also the instruments—it’s like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. Harps are usually connected in scripture almost all the time with joy.

So the voice of gentleness and sweet music comes from heaven. What’s the stage in verse three? “And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one learned the song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth.”

There are four hymns in Revelation that bear similar markings which have as their theme celebration. We already covered one in Revelation 5:9—the purchase of God’s people by the blood of the lamb and they sang. And now here in chapter 14 celebrates the victory of the saints over the beast.

“They sang a new song before the throne—celebrating the victory of the saints over the beast.”

And then there are two more that come later on.

Heartfelt Singing as a Sign of Victory

And brethren, if there is one particular sign of real, true, and lasting victory when one understands it and holds to it, it is the sign of real heartfelt singing.

How loud and heartfelt we believers should sing to and before the Lord Jesus Christ.

Oftentimes we do not sing heartily. We don’t sometimes sing as if we really believe that we are God’s children, that we are purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ, that we have obtained an eternal victory.

We should sing heartily. I think we’re getting good at it, but we have to get better. You always have to get better because I know that when people really sing, they’re singing because they believe something and they believe the truth and that they know they’re right with God because of what Jesus Christ has done. And as you grow in your faith and mature in your faith, you want to sing. And then to hear the people sing is a good sign that something, the Lord is present amongst them and that God is doing something amongst a people that sing like that.

“When people really sing, they’re singing because they believe the truth and know they’re right with God.”

So there’s an emphasis here in our texts on loud, convincing type of singing. John the Apostle heard the harps playing along and literally it’s really literally harps harping their harps.

Harps, Joy, and the Death of Music

See, these harps are really 10 to 12 string instruments. It’s also known as a lyre in scripture. Used often in temple worship.

In fact, in Psalms you’ll find it brought up all the time, like in Psalm 33. “Sing for joy in the Lord, oh you righteous ones. Praise is becoming of the upright. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre or with the harp. Sing praise to him with a harp of 10 strings. Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully with the shout of joy.” And why did they do that? For the word of the Lord is upright and all his work is done in faithfulness. And he loves righteousness and justice and the earth is full of the loving kindness of the Lord. That’s why—see, there’s always substance to real singing.

It’s not just the beat. The beat doesn’t really have to be there at all. It’s the heart and what the heart understands about truth. That’s where real singing comes from. And what? In scripture, when harps don’t play and there is no singing, that’s a very sad day. That’s right. If you recall, when the people of Israel were taken into captivity and went into Babylon, what did the people of Babylon say? “Play us a song of Zion.” And they said, “How could we play a song when we’re in a foreign land?”

“It’s not just the beat. It’s the heart and what the heart understands about truth. That’s where real singing comes from.”

And the Bible says, “And they hung their harps on the willows because they couldn’t sing anymore.” Well, look at Revelation 18:2 for a minute, because there’s coming a day that will take place.

Revelation 18:2 says, “And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” Then go down to verse 22 of chapter 18.

Look what it says: “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will not be heard in her any longer.” What is that? That’s the death of music.

Music is a great gift that God’s given us. It can do many things in our life. But the world’s music is going to die.

Purchased from the Earth

But the music for the saints will continue on forever because we actually have something of substance to sing about. And notice in chapter 14 verse 3 in our text, they sang a new song. A new song is a hymn of praise for the fact that the God of creation has delivered his people as well as called his saints to put their trust completely in him. In any case, the redeemed must learn the hymn.

And possibly heaven’s choir in this scene is teaching the hymn to the newly redeemed saints as it says back in verse 3. And no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who have been purchased from the earth.

So the lamb’s company were able to learn this new song because of their trials in the tribulation.

And they are the first ones on earth worthy to sing the song of redemption because they have been purchased by the blood of Christ and delivered from the fierce opposition of Satan’s diabolical trio and their plan to destroy the people of God. They knew it well. They saw it before their eyes.

So the content of the song is praise to the lamb who with his blood purchased to redeem.

“The content of the song is praise to the Lamb who with His blood emancipated all believers from the slave market of sin.”

In other words, he emancipated all believers from the slave market of sin.

The very Greek word used here is the word agarato. It means to redeem, to buy, to purchase for oneself. And that’s what the Lord does with his blood.

So the 144,000 of the nation of Israel having passed through the tribulation are sealed against the wrath of God. But now they are more than sealed for protection. They are now redeemed and learning a new song being taught by those who have already been redeemed and now are in heaven. And heaven is teaching them the song. So the song then is a song sung before the elders that represent the church and the martyred saints who are already in heaven.

The Spiritual Identity of the Redeemed

What about these people? What’s their spiritual identity? Look back to Revelation 14:4-5.

There are four things that are really important that the Bible brings out about who they are.

The first thing is in verse four. It says these are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. In other words, these redeemed and their purity is being mentioned here.

The best way to take this passage is figuratively, indicating that they kept themselves pure from all defiling relationships with the beast, his pagan and evil world government system, and the great religious harlot, which will be the religious system, the apostate religious system during the tribulation. So they resist all seduction to defilement and immorality and kept themselves free from all idolatrous forms of spiritual adultery.

“They resisted all seduction to defilement and kept themselves free from all idolatrous spiritual adultery.”

They’re clean. That’s the first thing it says. But look at the second thing in verse four: the redeemed and their relationship to the lamb. It says these are the ones who follow the lamb wherever he goes.

Simply saying to us that they are true followers who will follow the lamb through very difficult times which they have, and we know that they will. So that’s their relationship to the lamb. They hear his voice and they follow him. They follow no one else. And could you imagine how many other voices are going to be vying for people’s attention during this time in history? It’s going to be a multitude. And yet they hear one voice, the voice of their Lord and Savior who purchased them.

And then notice there the redeemed, the redeemed in their position in verse four. They have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the lamb. In the Old Testament, the first fruits were the best part of the harvest that were offered to God to signify that the crop was his and the rest of the crop was the gracious gift of God, which caused the worshippers to be grateful for what God has done.

In our text, the first fruits refer to the beginning of the great harvest, the beginning of the harvest right into the millennial kingdom. The 144,000 are the godly core of Israel, the first fruits of the kingdom. Remember, Christ will bring in the full harvest. Why? Because he is the first fruits of the resurrection.

In other words, first fruits means that the rest of the harvest will follow. So if you are a believer, you will follow these into the kingdom of God.

And then the fourth thing it says about these redeemed is their blamelessness in verse five of Revelation 14. “And no lie was found in their mouth.” They are blameless. In other words, they are without fault. There’s no stain or no blame that could be brought against them.

Living Holy and Blameless Before God

See, that’s the quality all of us should have. Matter of fact, these same qualities are what our Christians are exhorted to live by all throughout scripture.

Take for example Ephesians 1:4.

Just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before him. Sometimes people leave out that little ending “before him” because that’s where you live your life. You live your life before God. Wherever you’re at, no matter what you’re doing, your God’s eyes are upon you. And you ought to be mindful of that every day so when you’re tempted, you won’t do the things that you’re tempted to do.

Ephesians 1:4: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”

Why? Because you’re living your life before God. That’s why Ephesians, even Colossians 1:21, says, “Yet he has now reconciled you in his fleshly body through death in order to present you before him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” See, that’s what God desires for us—to do those things, to be that kind of person. And as you have the spirit of God and the word of God, you can be that.

The bottom line is this: those who will stand on Mount Zion with the lamb and sing this new song will be those who have maintained their spiritual purity and refuse to participate in any kind of pagan worship or Satan worship, but just the worship of God.

So we are exhorted too to sing heartfelt praises and thanksgiving to God and to live holy and blameless lives in the presence of the Lord.

The Judgment of Sinners

The victory of the lamb and his followers also includes the next section and next point, and that’s the judgment of sinners. Remember, God is going to take, he’s going to do, he’s going to write all wrongs.

He is going to give everybody justice that is due them from God because God has fair and equal justice.

“Everybody will receive the justice that is due them from God because God has fair and equal justice.”

And so we see in Revelation 14:6 onward the judgment of sinners.

Here in chapter 14, three angels in this section blow their trumpets, each with their distinct judgment message. The first one announces the last opportunity to repent. The second proclaiming the imminent fall of Babylon the great and the third, the eternal torment awaiting those who follow the beast.

As we continue in these passages, it’s a call for unbelievers to fear God and to give him glory. It is also a warning to both unbelievers and fence-riding people that God’s judgment and the time for vindication will come quite rapidly.

There’s no time. In other words, the time is out.

This morning, my wristwatch stopped ticking. Literally, I’m looking at my watch. It says, “It’s not 4:00.” The time stopped.

That’s what we have going on here. And so what we also see in this section is God’s tremendous mercy and grace going out for the last call. This is the last call.

And look what it says in verses 6 and 7.

The First Angel: The Eternal Gospel

The first angel, what does he do? He preaches the eternal gospel. Notice it says in verse 6, “And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and every nation and tribe and tongue and people.” And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God. Give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of water.” So this first angel is a messenger of God who carries out the judgments of God. And that is the only time an angel is said to preach the gospel.

It’s almost like there’s something wrong with that. We’re supposed to preach the gospel. Humans are supposed to preach the gospel. And he is flying in midheaven. That signifies that the message is for the whole world.

“That is the only time an angel is said to preach the gospel.”

What Is the Eternal Gospel?

Now if I ask you the question this morning, what is the eternal gospel?

You might say, well, it must be the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, his death, his burial, his resurrection, the gospel of salvation in Christ.

But there seems to be something different with this message as compared to the one found in what I just said.

And to name a few things, notice it is preached by angels, not human men. Secondly, it does not mention Jesus and his sacrifice for sin. There is no call for repentance. There’s just a call to fear God to give him glory in light of coming judgment. No offer of salvation but only proclamation of judgment.

See, worship him who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and the springs of water is a point to the creator. So there’s no invitation to believe only three commands of warning because of approaching judgment. But on the other hand, this is another way of actually communicating the gospel especially to Israel because there is a call to fear God.

“No offer of salvation but only proclamation of judgment—three commands of warning because of approaching judgment.”

Notice what it says in our passage in verse seven. It says, “Fear God.” That is a command. It could be reference to conversion. Often times, fear God and conversion go together in the word of God. Also, there’s a call secondly to give him glory. That could again be a point of an idiom of repentance.

Why do they repent? Because the hour of judgment has come. This is it, guys.

Also, we know that in Revelation 16 defining repentance unto salvation as giving him glory. It’s written like this: Men were scorched with fierce heat and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues and they did not repent so as to give him glory. So repentance and giving glory are connected and then also it’s a call, another command to worship.

Worship him in all humanity is responsible to God the creator. Everyone is responsible to God the creator and that’s why it includes every nation and tribe and tongue and people.

Well, with saying all that I believe that the stress is on really the everlasting nature of the message. The good news God always judges sin and rewards worship. So this is the last opportunity to repent of sin and worship God.

Also, the gospel preached is the gospel of the kingdom where it’s recorded in Matthew 24:14, the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.

So in other words, that message was specifically designed for the nation of Israel who would have understood it as a message of repentance and turning and having faith in God. Also in the Old Testament, the Jews called to salvation. It would be understandable if Israel is the focus of the tribulation, which I believe it is.

Isaiah says it this way: And they feared God and they heard and learned and feared God.

Repent or Face Final Judgment

So consequently, here is a message of the first angel in a nutshell.

Repent or face final judgment.

Repent or face final judgment.

“Repent or face final judgment.”

So this is the last chance for anyone.

Make your choice.

Worship the true and living God, the creator of the heaven and the earth, and receive salvation or worship the beast and receive judgment.

That’s it. And that’s what we read in our passage this morning where the Bible calls people to he calls us to fear God above all gods.

For all the gods of the people are idols and the Lord but the Lord made the heavens and the earth and ascribe to the Lord, oh families of the peoples, ascribe the Lord glory and strength. That’s the worship that comes from people who actually believe and trust the Lord and follow him. So there’s a connection between these messages and in this case because there is a rejection of the eternal gospel.

In other words, that they have rejected their last chance for repentance to avoid the hour of judgment.

And and how sad it is again in our day.

And because of people’s foolishness and evil, they hate the truth that’s proclaimed and they try to take it down and destroy it and move it out of the way. They hate it. It’s going to get worse. It is going to get worse.

The Second Angel: The Fall of Babylon

But I want you to know what what the second angel says in verse number eight of chapter 14.

He gives a prediction of the destruction of Babylon. It says, “And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, fallen and fallen as Babylon the great, she who has made all nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” So this second message follows on the heels of the first angel because it is God’s day. It is the the day of the Lord and the sequence of the day of the Lord cannot be stopped anymore.

Revelation 14:8: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all nations drink of the wine of her immorality.”

It must be completed.

And the use of the term Babylon may re referring to that last corrupt city that pollutes the whole world. I don’t know. Some people say it could be the revive Rome. It could be anything. Some people even believe it’s the United States.

That’s a subject for another day, though.

So like Babylon or Rome or whatever whatever country causes people to just be spiritually dead and follow idols and immorality and just live for themselves and not even consider God. It’s going to be that particular city or country that is in view here.

The Three Systems of Babylon

In fact, Babylon the great which is mentioned here.

We have the mystery of iniquity in its final form.

There there’s going to be three systems in Babylon that are going to be used by the antichrist and the false prophet to deceive the world. The first would be the counterfeit church. It’s it’s going to be the vast religious system of worldly error.

Secondly, there’s going to be the political empire, the manifestation of the satanic device and design that gets people, remember, to worship the antichrist as Messiah. And then there’s also, we’re going to learn more about this in Revelation. There’s the commercial kingdom, the embodiment of Babel from the Old Testament, which includes self-centeredness and greed, and then the unveiling of the mark of the beast, which you cannot buy or sell something unless you have this mark. So, there is a commercial element to this old Babylon that rears its head in the end time.

And these three combined, the counterfeit church, the political empire, the commercial kingdom, these three powers will advance the system of antichrist very rapidly in the days of Jacob’s trouble until they meet their doom by the smiting stone of Daniel’s vision. And that will be the kingdom of God that comes and crushes it all at the end.

“These three powers will advance the system of antichrist until they meet their doom by the smiting stone of Daniel’s vision.”

The Third Angel: Eternal Torment

So this second angel proclaimed the imminent fall of Babylon the great. But notice the third angel in verse number nine.

The third angel pronouncement of eternal torment.

And here’s the warning to the people. Do not comply.

Verse number nine. Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, well, let me just stop there that those who accept the mark, his mark on their foreheads or the hand will be worshiping the beast.

See, the beast will require undistracted loyalty.

And if not, you’re put to death.

So the third angel comes giving a loud important warning, two-fold warning to frighten those who are wavering, thinking about getting the mark and worshiping the beast because they want to live their lives without reprisal.

They don’t want to suffer economic sanction and then death.

See, the warning is don’t do it. So, there are some people during that time, just like we have a choice today to do things and not right. They’re going to have to they’re going to be riding the fence. Should I take it the mark or should I not take it? Back and forth.

Back and forth. Here’s a warning in Revelation. Don’t take it.

And then it’s also an encouragement to the faithful to remain faithful because even the faithful who don’t get the mark, who know what they believe, the temptation is going to be so incredibly fierce, they have to maintain the choice that they did make.

“Don’t take the mark. Even the faithful will face incredibly fierce temptation to maintain their choice.”

So the warning is don’t comply with the dictates of this counterfeit church, this political empire, this commercial kingdom.

The Disastrous Consequences of Compliance

And then in verse 10 of chapter 14, there’s a warning that compliance is disastrous. Verse 10, notice, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of his anger. That means that the consequences of worshiping the beasts, the false Christ, is almost beyond description.

The white heat of God’s anger held back through the ages will be turned loose.

Both these are put together bringing home the undiluted character of God’s wrath and fury.

It was common to mix wine with water to dilute it. But the point here is that eschatological end time judgment will be undiluted.

That is without God’s mercy and grace, and compliance means that you will suffer the full concentration of God’s anger.

“End time judgment will be undiluted—without God’s mercy and grace—the full concentration of God’s anger.”

So in other words, you see that a warning that compliance is disastrous. It will be disastrous.

Jewish writings often pictured God’s wrath as a cup of wine that literally gets the guilty party dead drunk. The picture is that God’s forcing his enemies to drink the full draft of his wrath, resulting in their getting drunk and falling down to rise no more.

The only thing is the effects of God’s wrath will not wear off like a drunken person the next day.

The Reality of Eternal Punishment

And if for some reason you don’t believe in hell or have a hard time with it, and you should have a hard time with it somehow.

These verses should convince you otherwise.

Notice in verse number 10, here’s the warning that compliance brings eternal torment. In verse number 10, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb.

Now remember the lamb is standing. He is victorious. He is the divine general that wins the battle.

And what he does is he stands there and watches those who are his enemy come under his judgment. Brimstone and sulfur was a type of asphalt found in volcanic deposits and produced that produced both intense and terrible smell and heat.

See the holy environment before the wicked only increases their humiliation and makes the torment all the worse. That the holy angels and the lamb will be looking on.

Most likely, this is only a temporary vision of judgment seen to be leading out the great white throne and the casting of the false prophet and the antichrist in hell forever, which will be eternal torment. And then notice in verse number 11, the torment is unending. It says, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.”

See the picture from the the Old Testament now being applied to all the nations. It alludes to really the prophecy of Edom’s destruction where it says in Isaiah 34, its streams will be turned into pitch and its loose earth into brimstone and its land will become burning pitch. It will not be quenched.

It will not be quenched day or night. Its smoke will go up forever from generation to generation. It will be desolate. None will pass through it forever and ever.

Revelation 14:11: “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.”

The picture here is that of permanence in their misery.

It’s like an endless trial of smoke going up that keeps ascending and it keeps ascending and it keeps ascending.

Abram Abraham saw smoke ascending on Sodom and Gomorrah as a sign of divine punishment on that wicked city.

So hell is not a place where men will suffer for a little while and then be burned up and never be remembered again. Hell will be a place well there there will be eternal wrath and judgment. So, one characteristic that will be in hell will be God’s wrath because notice in verse number 11, the torment is restless.

Notice what it says. And they have no rest day and night. Those who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark in his name of his name, there’s no rest.

I think one thing that we may look forward to at the end of a day is to rest, right? Kick your feet up, have your cup of tea and coffee or whatever you drink, right? And just relax. Rest. There’s no rest in eternity if someone does not have Christ as their Lord and Savior.

So eternal punishment is to be feared above all present suffering and even physical death.

There’s a third the third proclamation of this third angel is that eternal torment awaiting those who follow the beast is sure. So what we have here is a warning to the weak, to th those who are thinking about defecting to the beast and worship him. But it’s also an encouragement to the faithful to continue to press on serving Jesus Christ even to the end.

The Perseverance and Blessing of the Saints

So now we go back to the vindication and the glory of the saints and a closing word of warning and encouragement is given to them in contrast to the eternally punished and the eternally blessed. So these are the saved of the tribulation who do not from the truth. They do not from the faith and they do two things to endure to have the perseverance to go on to the end no matter what and just have confidence and trust the Lord. And what are they?

Notice in verse 12 here is the perseverance of the saints to keep his commandments and and their faith in Jesus. In other words, to keep his commandments mean they obey Jesus out of love for him and their faith in Jesus. They want to serve him Jesus to the end because he purchased them from the slave market of sin. They are confident of that and they are willing to lose their life if must be to not let go of Jesus Christ.

“They obey Jesus out of love and are willing to lose their life rather than let go of Jesus Christ.”

And because of their perseverance, they will be eternally blessed. Blessed means to be content of heart, to be peaceful inside, to feel safe. And another word for this word is to be happy.

It’s to be happy.

Eternal Rest and Eternal Rewards

Verse number 13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” But look at the benefits of the faithful saint. Eternal rest. Yes, says the spirit, so that they may rest from their labors. There’s going to be a time God’s going to give us an eternal rest.

I was talking to somebody this morning that says they’re always tired. I don’t know when I ever feel that I’m not tired, but it is nice to know that we’re going to have a rest in the Lord someday.

A rest from their labors. So everything you do for the Lord is worth it. Every sacrifice that you make is worth it. Every trial you go through, it is worth it.

So you’ll have eternal rest, but you’ll also have eternal rewards. Notice their deeds follow them. Oh, you can take it with you.

What can you take with you? Not your stuff. What you do for the Lord, that’s what you take with you. See, that’s the promise that he gives us.

The investment of faithfulness to Jesus Christ will earn eternal dividends.

“The investment of faithfulness to Jesus Christ will earn eternal dividends.”

Stand with Confidence

Live for him before him every day of your life. The victory of the lamb and his followers includes the glory of the saints who sing heartily, who live blamelessly and holy lives, and also the judgment of the sinners that God is just. He will hold people responsible for their sin.

While we cannot put everything in place, we can read the prophecies of the word of God with confidence that God and his people will triumph in every way. Everything earthly is going to perish.

But we who believe are citizens of another world, a world that will last forever.

“Everything earthly is going to perish, but we who believe are citizens of another world that will last forever.”

Let’s be sure that what Peter says in 1 Peter 3:10-12, we could actually answer the statement, the question.

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for the hastening of the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will dissolve, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.

Where will we stand when that day comes?

I pray that we would be able to stand in the confidence of all that God has done, taught us, and will not waver one bit. Amen. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you again for your word and what’s contained therein.

Lord, what a privilege it is to have the word of God in our hands, to be able to read it, to be able to study it, to be able to hear it preached, to be able to meditate upon it, to know that these are true things, and they will trump everything that’s false.

I pray, Lord, today that your hand of grace and mercy would be upon all of us.

If there’s someone today that is sitting on the fence concerning believing you as Lord and Savior, I pray today they get off that fence and trust you as Lord and Savior.

And for those who are having difficult times in their life and struggling with even some of the news of the world, some of the news in our own families, some just the struggles of life, I pray that our mind and our heart would be confident of these things found in the word of God. We would persevere knowing, Lord, that we are going to be blessed and that we are protected and sealed today until the day of our full redemption.

And Lord, I pray also that you would develop a group of young people in our time that will be bold to take the gospel into every situation they find themselves and be able to clearly and confidently proclaim Christ. And I pray, Lord, we would see revival and start it with us.

Start it today. I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Let’s stand together.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 13:11-18 reveals the false prophet—Satan’s counterfeit of the Holy Spirit—who will rise during the great tribulation to deceive the world and drive worship toward the Antichrist. We are reminded that Satan’s strategy has always been to imitate God, creating an unholy trinity of the dragon, the Antichrist, and the false prophet to seize control of government, religion, and economy. The false prophet will appear lamb-like but speak like a dragon, performing demonic signs, erecting a living image of the beast, and enforcing a mark without which no one can buy or sell.

Key Lessons:

1. Satan’s method is always imitation and counterfeiting—he mimics the Godhead with an unholy trinity of dragon, Antichrist, and false prophet to deceive the world.
2. The false prophet’s power rests in deceptive words and counterfeit signs, reminding us that true salvation never depends on signs and wonders but on faith in Christ alone.
3. The number 666 represents the trinity of imperfection—the best man can produce always falls short of God’s perfection and is destined to collapse.
4. Believers are preserved because their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, providing security even in the darkest hour of human history.

Application: We are called to live with urgency as lightbearers of the gospel, to be discerning about false prophets and anti-God movements in our own day, and to identify and avoid anyone who denies Christ’s deity, humanity, substitutionary atonement, or bodily resurrection.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does understanding Satan’s strategy of counterfeiting God’s work help us recognize deception in our own culture and religious landscape?
2. Why is it dangerous to seek signs and wonders as the basis of faith, and how can we ground ourselves more firmly in Scripture instead?
3. What practical steps can we take this week to be lightbearers and to grow in biblical discernment about the false teachings we encounter?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 13:11-18 describes the false prophet’s description and fourfold function; 1 Kings 18 (Elijah and fire from heaven) shows what the false prophet mimics; Matthew 24:24 warns of false signs; 2 Thessalonians 2:4 describes the abomination of desolation; Ephesians 5:8 calls believers to walk as children of light.

Outline

• Introduction
• The Urgency of Prophetic Scripture
• Christ vs. Antichrist: The Contrast
• The Unholy Trinity
• Satan’s Strategy for World Control
• The Saints’ Security in the Lamb’s Book of Life
• The False Prophet’s Description
• A Sheep with Horns
• He Speaks with a Forked Tongue
• Function 1: Promoting the Beast
• Deception Through Demonic Signs
• Function 2: Performing Deluding Signs
• True Salvation Rests on Faith Alone
• Function 3: Producing the Beast’s Image
• Modern Technology and the Image of the Beast
• Worship or Death
• Function 4: Propagating the Beast’s Badge
• The Number 666: The Trinity of Imperfection
• God’s Perfect Trinity vs. Satan’s Flawed Kingdom
• The Prophetic Clock Keeps Ticking
• Be Light and Be Discerning
• Closing Prayer

Introduction

Okay, let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to Revelation 13.

Every time you hear the prophetic scriptures, it should stir in you a certain life and death urgency because revelation is a book that will push you out of your despondency and will bring you to a place where you have to make clear decisions on what you’re going to do with Christ. We live in a day where that urgency is very much needed in the church to go out these doors and not forget what you heard or what you were taught, but to go and live for Christ.

The Urgency of Prophetic Scripture

It’s like a story I came across from a soldier who was going to jump school. He said that he was sitting on hard wooden bleachers at Fort Benning, Georgia and attending the United States Army Airborne School.

We prepared for our first parachute jump. Soon we would soar hundreds of feet above the red Georgia clay and hear the jump master bark out orders like, “Stand up, hook up, check your equipment, stand in the door, go, go, go.” The instructor had our undivided attention, and the airborne sergeant’s voice rang out confidently as he explained what to do in case of a parachute malfunction.

If your main chute should fail to deploy, don’t panic. Pull the handle of your auxiliary chute. Should your auxiliary chute fail to fill with air, do not panic. Pull it towards your body and then vigorously throw it away from you. Should your auxiliary chute again fail to deploy, don’t panic.

He vigorously repeated the process and then paused dramatically. With intention and with the slightest mischievous gaze in his eye, he said, “Should all that fail, don’t panic. You’ll have the rest of your life to get your parachute deployed.”

Now, really, the point is urgency. Making sure things are in place and that you understand what you ought to do, because in a very real sense life is dangerous, especially when the truth reveals what is coming. That’s why the Bible tells us don’t be ignorant about these things. Know what’s going to take place and then live your life in light of those things.

“Life is dangerous, especially when the truth reveals what is coming.”

That becomes very important. As we move into Revelation 13:11-18, we will see today the last days world prophet come on the scene.

Remember the essential reason for the tribulation: Satan is angry and breaks his covenant with Israel and goes after Israel and the people of God. Satan already lost three battles, so he is angry because of that. In Revelation 13, we see his plan going forward. That is, how is he going to fight to get the world to worship him?

Well, Satan, as I mentioned last time, is going to fight the same way God does. What that meant was that he is going to imitate the Godhead. He’s going to imitate the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with a strong emphasis on mimicking Jesus Christ.

Christ vs. Antichrist: The Contrast

Now, if we were to contrast Christ with the beast, we would find in scripture that Christ came in the Father’s name, Antichrist will come in his own name.

That Christ came from above, Antichrist will come from beneath. That Christ came to seek, to serve, and to save, Antichrist comes to dominate and destroy.

Christ performed his miracles in the aid of the Holy Spirit. Antichrist will work his miracles in the power of Satan through the false prophet.

Christ came and imparted light and wisdom and truth. Antichrist will come and drive the world to delusion.

“Christ came and imparted light and wisdom and truth. Antichrist will drive the world to delusion.”

Christ was despised and rejected of men. The antichrist will be admired and adored by men.

Christ came and exalted God and magnified his name. Antichrist will exalt himself and magnify his own name. Christ came as the good shepherd of the sheep. Antichrist will come as the evil shepherd to persecute and dog the sheep.

Christ is the bridegroom of the holy and spotless and unblemished church. Antichrist will be the counterfeit of the harlot bride, the apostate church.

Christ is the lamb of God, the lion of the tribe of Judah. Antichrist will be like a lamb but will speak like a dragon. In other words, the church is to know who these people are and what is going to take place, so they will always be ready and they will always be cautious.

The Unholy Trinity

This is a diabolical trinity or trio which refers to three individual characters who become central figures in the three and a half years of the great tribulation. Two of them will rise to world leadership, one political and the other religious.

Because these individuals are energized by Satan himself, they form together an unholy trinity. Satan has a particular goal in mind. To reach that goal, he must deceive the whole world and get them to worship him.

“Satan has a particular goal: he must deceive the whole world and get them to worship him.”

His goal is twofold: to wear out the saints and to get people to worship himself. The dragon, as I mentioned already, is Satan himself. He is the counterfeit father.

Antichrist, which we mentioned last time, is the lawless one. He will be the political leader and he will counterfeit the son. He will be the beast out of the sea. Today we will look at the false prophet. He will be the religious leader and he will counterfeit the Holy Spirit, the beast out of the earth.

The dragon, which is Satan, gives the antichrist power, a throne and great authority, as it says in verse 2 of chapter 13. He says, “And the dragon gave him power and his throne and great authority.” He is given this authority to rule politically because he will be the ruler of the final world empire spoken of in Daniel the prophet. He has a method on how he’s going to gain the following.

Satan will not present himself as a monster that he is. The Bible exposes him in Revelation using words like beast. He doesn’t use those words. He’s going to present himself as very attractive, intelligent, and likable in all ways. The Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, will truly be an amazing figure and will display a subtle magnetic draw upon the people of the world.

Satan has his two world leaders fight against God and his people, but they come on the world at a time when the whole world is really desperate for some kind of world or global leadership. Antichrist will come promising to solve the pressing problems of the nations of the world.

The first beast rises out of the sea, representative of unregenerate humanity and most likely symbolizes coming from a gentile nation. Out of one nation Satan will bring forth a super political leader. The beast will be Satan in a human body.

But notice as we read through scripture in verse 11 it says, “Then I saw another beast.” The Bible describes them not as someone pleasurable, but as someone like a wild beast, out of control, someone to be feared.

The next beast is out of the earth. It says in verse 11, the beast coming out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.

Satan’s Strategy for World Control

This first beast will be this last days world prophet identified as the false prophet. He will be Satan’s super religious leader. The dragon, that is Satan, uses the beast from the sea, that is antichrist, and the beast from the earth, that is the false prophet. Why does he use them? He uses them to gain control of both the governments of the world and the religious apparatus, creating one world government led by antichrist and one world religion led by the false prophet.

Satan is very aware that he must be in complete control of the religious system of the world. He knows that man is by nature religious. To capture people, religion is a good way to do it.

It looks like at this point in history, as one commentator said, it will be the point of history where ecumenism takes on global significance and religious people will no longer insist on one truth. It will be very dangerous to proclaim Jesus as the only way to be saved, to be forgiven of sins, and to be made right with God. To say Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life—that’s a death sentence during this time.

“To say Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life will be a death sentence during this time.”

The heads of the ecumenical harlot religion will work closely and exchange favors with the antichrist as he rises to power. But they will not fare very well. That’s the religious system. After antichrist achieves world power, the heads of the ecumenical religion will be destroyed by the very ones they helped.

It tells us that in Revelation 17:16 where it says, “The 10 horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot.” The harlot is the apostate religious system. In other words, Satan uses that system until he gains full control religiously and then he proclaims himself to be God.

The Saints’ Security in the Lamb’s Book of Life

Once the unholy trinity—the dragon, the antichrist, and the false prophet—achieve absolute power, the false church will be destroyed and they will have complete freedom to establish their own anti-God regime. Keep in mind that from what we learn in Revelation 13:8-10, the saints are exhorted to endure persecution during this time and reminded of their preservation because their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 13:8 states: “All who dwell on the earth will worship him. Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” The saints have this encouragement during this bad time, this horrible and dark time of human history. The worst time that the world has ever seen will be happening now. No time before that could compare to this time.

The saints will have the security of salvation because their names have been written in a registry owned specifically by their Savior, and they will be protected.

“The saints will have the security of salvation because their names are written in a registry owned by their Savior.”

Some will lose their life.

The False Prophet’s Description

Learn with me this morning the urgency of the description of the false prophet and the function so that you will be discerning and be able to oppose the anti-God, antichrist movement that is still in our world even right now and then ultimately be light-bearers of the gospel and people that know what’s happening.

Let’s look at the first thing, and that’s the false prophet’s description, which is found in verse 11. The first thing about his description is that he surfaces from the earth. Verse 11 says, “And I saw another beast coming out of the earth.”

He is called “another” there, which means he is the same kind as the antichrist, and he comes out of the earth as opposed to coming out of the sea. The sea being the mass of humanity, so possibly him coming out of the earth may mean that he will not come out of the mass of humanity but will come out of Palestine. It could possibly be indicating that he is a Jew, but we really don’t know.

The false prophet is just the same as the first beast. The false prophet is the dragon’s masterpiece of deception.

“The false prophet is the dragon’s masterpiece of deception.”

He’s the masterpiece of delusion. His plan is to usurp the kingdom of God and to replace it with his own dark kingdom and dominion.

A Sheep with Horns

That’s the character we see being described of this person during this time. And then notice also secondly in verse 11, he is a sheep with horns and he had two horns like a lamb.

So the false prophet gives the appearance of a peacemaker and presents himself as a helpful friend. The lamb is used of Christ 29 times in Revelation, but only one time it is used of the false prophet.

So the lamb—lambs don’t have horns.

So these horns represent something else. They represent strength. They represent authority. Again, lambs don’t have strength. Lambs don’t have authority. They’re probably the weakest creature on this earth. So they have to be always protected. They always need a shepherd to protect them.

So this lamb doesn’t have horns. So these horns do represent strength and authority. And the false prophet has less strength with only two horns than the antichrist who has 10 horns.

So he is counterfeiting the ministry of Jesus as the Lamb of God. Of course this will be all deception to the world. Only those who know the word of God and the truth will know who this person is.

“Only those who know the word of God and the truth will know who this person is.”

So the false prophet’s strength really will be in the use of words. He will be a wordsmith.

He Speaks with a Forked Tongue

That’s who he’ll be. And notice in verse 11, a third thing it says about him. He speaks with a forked tongue. And it says, “And he spoke as a dragon.” We know symbolically a lamb doesn’t speak.

But here it’s talking about the character of the person. A lamb is not supposed to speak as a dragon. A dragon would be something cruel and monstrous, but this one does, showing that he’s quite different.

He gets his enablement to speak from Satan himself. The false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist like a beguiling dragon. And just as the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ, the false prophet will honor the Antichrist.

Prophets wear sheep’s clothing. And the false prophet will come to Israel in sheep’s clothing. This is what Jesus warned about in the gospel: “Beware of the false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing. But inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” They don’t show you the inward part. They don’t show you the character. They just show you the facade, the outside. So the false prophet will be the minister of propaganda and he will be good at it.

“They don’t show you the inward part. They just show you the facade, the outside.”

Function 1: Promoting the Beast

That’s who he’s identified as in verse 11. Now let’s look at the second thing it says: the false prophet’s function. I’ll spend the rest of the time with this. There are four functions that the false prophet has during this time. The first one, and one of the main ones, is to promote the beast, to promote the antichrist. Notice what it says in verse 12. It says he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound was healed.

So the false prophet will be united with the antichrist for the purpose of achieving world dominance, and his main mission is to point people to the antichrist.

A good prophet is a person who points people to the one they serve. If the false prophet acts like the ministry of the Holy Spirit, he will convince people that the first beast, the antichrist, is the Messiah. He is the Messiah. He is the one Israel has been looking for.

So the false prophet by his tactics forces the world to worship the beast and choose between the true Christ and the antichrist.

“The false prophet forces the world to choose between the true Christ and the Antichrist.”

Yet it will not be seen by the world like forced worship. To those who dwell on the earth—that’s the term used in Revelation—for those who refuse to worship such a no, in other words, no one will refuse to worship such a peacemaker, such a uniter of the world who will achieve unity in global government, who will achieve unity in global religion, who will choose unity in a global economy under a magnificent, benevolent world leader. The antichrist.

The world, in other words, will willingly submit to this order to worship the first beast. But notice in verse 12, the little thing that’s tagged on the end there. This is like the second time this says it: whose fatal wound was healed. The false prophet reminds everybody that this first beast took a bullet for you, that he was killed with the sword.

And so the first beast gains control by pairing the seeming death and return to life, mimicking Jesus Christ. So people, he’s looking more and more like the Messiah. And that’s exactly what the false prophet is doing.

Deception Through Demonic Signs

Now, how does he get people to worship the Antichrist?

Well, deception through demonic signs. Notice in verse 13, it says he performs great signs so that even he makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.

So he wants to do signs like Jesus did, but his goal is very different. His goal is to make an impression on the earth dwellers and get them to worship Antichrist as their savior, as their Messiah.

But notice what he does here. He even makes fire come down out of heaven.

What is he trying to do here? He’s trying to imitate.

Some said, “Well, this could be the imitation of the miracle of Pentecost or the imitation of fire coming out of the two witnesses in Revelation 11.” But I believe he’s referring to what we read this morning—the miracle that mimics the passage that is closest to the prophet Elijah. What happened there? Remember, in that passage the end result was all the people knew there was only one God who is worthy to be worshiped, and that was the God of Israel. Let me remind you what it says.

Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench.

When all the people saw it, here’s the result. They fell on their faces and they said, “The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God.” That’s what he wants to do. He wants to get the people of the world the same result that happened in that text.

1 Kings 18:38-39: “The fire of the Lord fell… and they said, ‘The Lord, he is God!’”

So again, he’s mimicking the scripture and the prophets.

He’s staying that what that means? The Bible—I mean, that Satan’s read the Bible. He knows the Bible.

I hope you read the Bible better than him.

So that’s what happens by demonic signs.

Function 2: Performing Deluding Signs

But notice a second function. The first one was to demand worship of the beast.

The second one is to perform his own deluding signs. In verse 14, it says, “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast.” Now, you’ve noticed the beast is very much watching what’s going on.

He’s present when the false prophet is functioning because he wants to make sure that the false prophet is doing exactly what he wants the false prophet to do. See, the false prophet will have supernatural power that will be very, very convincing and he will do all his signs on behalf of the antichrist. All his signs will be designated to deceive and to mislead those who dwell on the earth.

And these powerful signs are designed to mesmerize and to seduce people, to bring them in, to schmooze them in order to show people that he has the power of God and move them to unquestionably worship the antichrist so that they will be intellectually attracted to him. They will be emotionally drawn to him.

They will be amazingly convinced by him and they at that point will be willing and voluntarily submit and obey him.

So scripture warned and predicted in the last days there would be great signs of deception.

And if it wasn’t for the keeping power and discernment that God provides to his elect, they too would not be able to stand. For Jesus says in Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, the elect.” So at that time the people who are God’s people will be given this understanding of everything that’s going on. They will look past the facade and they will see the reality of what’s going on globally and they will not give in to that.

Matthew 24:24: “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs so as to mislead, if possible, the elect.”

So they believe him, but not according to revealed truth.

That’s the dwellers on earth, but according to signs that point to the reality of his claim, keeping the rejector of truth spellbound in admiration of the lawless one as being God himself.

True Salvation Rests on Faith Alone

I just want to make a note.

True salvation will always rest on faith in Jesus Christ alone without signs and wonders. You do not need signs and wonders. You’d want to seek for them.

“True salvation will always rest on faith in Jesus Christ alone without signs and wonders.”

They are not needed.

Jesus also said a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after what? Signs. Right? And it goes to show the farther a nation moves away from God and his truth, the more sexually perverted and deviant and insane and lawless it and the world will become. And a people like that are easily deceived.

There’s no discernment at all there because they’re all living for themselves. You’re going to find that out more when we get further into Revelation. Satan has always tried to lead God’s people into immorality and idolatry by his own evil forces.

Function 3: Producing the Beast’s Image

There’s a third function during this time of the great tribulation, and it’s this verse number 14. The second part of the verse says that he’s going to produce the beast’s image.

Notice it said there. It says, “Telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.” So in other words, the false prophet will tell the people. He’s not going to do this himself. He tells the people to erect a statue and build a great idol.

So the statue will be erected to honor and to worship the first beast, the antichrist.

This is full-blown gross immorality. But no one will see it like that.

His worship will always include image worship, which like all idolatry is devil worship.

So the false prophet will perform many miracles and signs, but his climactic miracle will be the giving of the appearance of life. I want to say it like that to the image of the antichrist.

“His worship will always include image worship, which like all idolatry is devil worship.”

This statue will receive life or the qualities of breath and speech.

Notice what it says in verse 15.

It says, “And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak.” Now, he’s doing something quite amazing here. He’s making an idol. Remember, idols usually don’t move or speak or do anything. He’s making an idol that’s been created by the people to actually give an appearance of life.

I don’t believe that he actually gives life because only God can give life.

I think that he gives the appearance of life. And then notice what else he gives them. He gives the beast the ability to speak.

We’re not really told how this takes place, but it will.

And the image will actually speak. The antichrist will sit on the throne in Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be God. This leads up to the abomination of desolation where even Thessalonians tells us who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he takes his seat in the temple of God displaying himself as being God. This is leading up to that.

Modern Technology and the Image of the Beast

Now maybe in times past when somebody read Revelation and they would read that passage of scripture, they would say, “This is unbelievable. How could this happen?” But today, it’s already in the works.

A man-made idol that gives the appearance of life. I ran across this interesting tidbit of information that I thought maybe you should hear.

An Ireland-based company called the Great Giant Company, which was started by Padding Dunning as a company to raise money in order to do cultural and commercial products projects that combine art, amusement, virtual reality, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

The Giant Company calls its creation the world’s tallest moving statue. Each giant will stand more than 10 stories high.

These giants are programmable and capable of speaking, of singing, of moving their heads and their arms. They also what they call shapeshift, assuming the forms of people. For example, in an instant, a giant can look like Abraham Lincoln, Michael Jordan, Superman, whoever you want. It even can produce the greatest version of you, the ultimate selfie.

The Giant Company plans to install 21 of these statues in 21 cities around the globe. The company plans to generate millions of dollars and estimates 500,000 visitors a year. But here’s the kicker.

“The Giant Company plans to install 21 of these moving statues in 21 cities around the globe.”

Not only will they be huge and able to speak and move, but these giants will also be able to communicate with one another. Whatever city they would be planted, each is also a member of a family that can digitally communicate with other giants around the world.

It seems like the founders would have their save the planet endeavors end up really being a technology of man’s own salvation. Not that they planned it that way. Yet even with good intentions, in the end a philosophy like that elevates people and degenerates God.

There will be a future giant, one called a demonstration of the false prophet where he gets the people. The false prophet, in other words, will initiate this project and the antichrist will authorize it when he rules the world during the great tribulation.

We’re not far from a time that this can be a reality.

Worship or Death

What would the motivation be? If you look at verse 15, it says, “And cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” See, this will induce many to worship the antichrist.

But for those who do not join in this adoration, it will be a capital crime to refuse to participate in the universal worship of the beast. So then the false prophet will bring death by execution or by slowly starving people.

There will be a great need to endure in the truth of the gospel during this time so that people will not be subdued by the power of temptation to compromise, because it would be much easier to give allegiance to the image and live and let me alone, let me live my life type of mindset.

“It would be much easier to give allegiance to the image and live than stay faithful to Christ and lose your life.”

Then stay faithful to Christ and lose your life by either being murdered by them or by a guillotine or starvation.

Function 4: Propagating the Beast’s Badge

But there’s a fourth function that is given to the false prophet and it’s found in verse 16 through 18 and that’s this: to propagate the beast’s badge.

And what’s the mandate? The false prophet will mark the followers with a counterfeit seal.

So he has individual control of people.

The false prophet will take control so that no one will be able to buy or sell without a mark indicating loyalty to Antichrist. Verse number 16, look what it says. And he causes all the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free men and the slaves to be given a mark on their right hand and on their forehead. See, he will have no regard for anyone. So the rich can’t bribe him because they’re a special class and they have the money to do so. They will not care about that.

They will just care about control.

So all must decide if they will take the identification mark or not. And the identification mark we don’t know what it is. It’s not 666. It’s something.

And those who receive the mark commit the ultimate, tragic, irrevocable choice to reject Christ and embrace the Antichrist as God.

“Those who receive the mark commit the ultimate, tragic, irrevocable choice to reject Christ.”

There’s no returning from that. They will reap the last judgments because of that.

So everyone will receive some type of mark indicating and identifying as belonging to the antichrist and his government.

Now you wonder today why there is such a big data revolution and today there’s also a big connectivity revolution.

So the antichrist will have full control of massive information retrieval and storage capacity to track and manipulate billions of people on planet earth during that time.

Some have called this digital devilry, a global system of imaginary projection and instant worldwide human control.

But we’re already being programmed for that. We have iPhones that know everything you do, where you go, what you buy, what you like and don’t like. They’re already gathering information on all of us.

We have human recognition technology, facial voice, fingerprint recognition. We have AI, artificial intelligence. We already have artificial general intelligence. And they believe by 2030 we will have artificial super intelligence and that will mean that you can control anybody anywhere in the world at any time. Everything that’s going on.

So he’s able to do that. So if you go and not only individual control, he’ll have economic control. If you don’t have the mark, the most basic necessities of life will be denied you. We go down to the block.

Hey, what? We have no milk. We have no bread. We have no eggs. Let’s go get some. How? We’re usually running to the store for those items most of the time, right? But you go to the store, you have—you can’t buy.

You have no access to it. Your credit card doesn’t go through. No more cash. So the cash is not going to help. Or even having gas and electric or propane or water, it’s cut off. Why? Because you don’t have the mark. Your debit cards and credit cards are all denied. You have no access to the banks. You’re denied.

So he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

It could be that that would be incorporated.

But I want you to notice in verse number where he’s talking about the mark itself. If we have a question, is the number a description or is it an identification?

The Number 666: The Trinity of Imperfection

Verse number 18, here’s wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for the number is that of a man and his number is 666. In all my reading and study on this there are more interpretations of this than any other thing I’ve ever read. I mean after a while I just stack them up. I said for I don’t even know what it means. But what? We really don’t know what it means.

But one thing is sure, the mark will identify a person with the antichrist and in opposition to Jesus Christ. That will be clear.

But most of the people who wrote on this mentioned the numerical value of the 666.

Some people even in the century in which John wrote noted that Nero’s name, if letters were associated with numbers, figured out to 666. So not that the character of Nero, which was a very wicked leader, is going to be antichrist or is going to be a super character like Nero.

But if six always represents the number of man as being imperfect, who always falls short, the beast is the greatest man yet still a man. And again, he falls short of perfection. He wants to be like God, but he can’t.

So the 666 may be the trinity of imperfection. The best that man can produce. He has control of everything.

So Antichrist, kingdom of evil, though it looks apparently strong, is essentially weak. Some say this is the first truth symbolized in the number 666. He is eternally incapable of being the number seven, the number of perfection.

“He is eternally incapable of being the number seven—the number of perfection.”

Therefore, he is internally incapable of endangering the supremacy of God and overthrowing his kingdom.

Just when it looks like Antichrist almost reaches the summit of attainment and scaling the heavens to seize the throne of God, God Almighty with a word crushes his opponent and his kingdom and it collapses. That’s going to be the end.

So the larger Antichrist’s kingdom grows, the less power it has to hold it together because he and his kingdom are fatally flawed. It’s just like a bubble. The more air gets into it, the more it swells, the nearer it is to destruction. And that’s really how it is going to be for those who see what’s going on during that time.

God’s Perfect Trinity vs. Satan’s Flawed Kingdom

Another thing is very sure: Antichrist will never be like the true and living God. He will never be a perfect person. He will never be like Jesus Christ. Never be like the trinity of perfection.

God the Father who is the great I am. The God who always was with no beginning or end in his perfect person. The Holy Spirit described already in Revelation 1:4 from the seven spirits who is before the throne.

We know that’s the Holy Spirit because the number seven is used to describe perfection. And here it was used for his perfect presence before the throne of God. And then Jesus Christ comes into the world, lives a perfect life, a sinless life, goes to the cross and genuinely dies in our place as sinners. Right?

The just dying for the unjust so he can bring us to God. So we can be forgiven. So he could put his righteousness on our account so everything would be clean and wiped away. And that, as we sung, no condemnation can be brought against us ever again because of Jesus’ not only perfect life but perfect sacrifice.

“No condemnation can be brought against us ever again because of Jesus’ perfect life and perfect sacrifice.”

He completed a perfect salvation.

So that all efforts—this is my conclusion at least on this—to identify Antichrist through the numerical equivalents of the number 666 are futile. Only the people, the saints who live during that tribulation will know what it represents and who it represents. But there are certain consistent principles that we do know from the word of God: that Satan will always keep his real identity shrouded in mystery, that Satan will always act like a counterfeit liar, that Satan has the capability of making the God-rejecting earth dwellers unaware of what’s really going on.

Scripture is the only reliable source for exposing the character of the enemy and his plan.

Amen.

Your name cannot be in the lamb’s book of life and at the same time follow and live like the devil. It can’t be. So if your name is placed on the roles of the citizens of heaven, it points to a security only believers have claim to.

The Prophetic Clock Keeps Ticking

We cannot date when these things will take place, but the prophetic clock keeps ticking.

One of these days, suddenly, unexpectedly, the sound of a heavenly trumpet will be blasted and a cry of triumph will pierce the air.

“One of these days, suddenly, unexpectedly, a heavenly trumpet will be blasted and a cry of triumph will pierce the air.”

Then the rapture, the resurrection, and the judgment seat of Christ will be for those who believe. But for the unsaved, there will be a revealing of Antichrist and the terrors of the great tribulation and the devastation of the war of Armageddon.

So the question would be, do we have the urgency? Are you ready?

If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have really no reason to fear an eternal hell. But it is your responsibility to live a holy life to represent and adorn the gospel as you live. And if you are living a disobedient life, today is the time to correct that because if Christ came, you will be ashamed and apprehensive when he does return.

So if you’ve never acknowledged your sin and placed your faith in Jesus and trusted in Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will enter the darkest period of all human history if that time comes. And it is likely that you will become a follower of Antichrist.

Second Thessalonians does tell people who knew the truth before the rapture of the church are likely to be deluded by and destroyed. For the Bible does tell us in Thessalonians, for this reason God will send upon them a strong deluding influence so that they will believe what is false in order that they all may be judged who do not believe the truth but took pleasure in wickedness.

Well, as long as people live and if they have not taken the mark of the beast, they still are available to receive Christ.

There’s only really one response. There’s only one sane response: receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and do it before it’s too late.

Be Light and Be Discerning

What should we do for those who do know Christ as Lord and Savior? I think the first thing we need to do is be light.

We who are Christians can oppose the spirit of antichrist by being lightbearers.

Jesus is the one who says you are the light of the world.

Light in the Bible represents both truth and goodness. Jesus also says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they will see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.” All of us were formerly darkness.

But what does it say in Ephesians? “But now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” That’s our responsibility today. There’s no one else who is going to see light or hear the gospel usually except from you.

Ephesians 5:8: “Now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

You have to be light, but you also have to be discerning.

Knowing the character of Antichrist and the false prophet will help us be discerning about the religious phenomena and confusion of our own day.

You turn on the radio, you look at all these websites. All kinds of wacky, crazy people have their own thing going with all these followers. When you listen to them or hear them, they have no credentials and they have no ability to actually rightly handle the word of God.

By knowing the word of God, we will be able to identify present-day false prophets and teachers. Anyone who denies Christ’s deity—that’s the first place you look. And his humanity, his substitutionary atonement, or his bodily resurrection represents the spirit of antichrist.

Such people are to be exposed and avoided.

Are you ready? Because all these things will happen and God’s people must be ready.

Amen.

Closing Prayer

Or owe me. Let’s pray. Lord, thank you again for just giving us the ability to read the word of God, have it in our hand, and be able to really think through the things that will take place, Lord. And I can’t say that they’re pleasant to think about. They’re not, Lord.

But Lord, there are things in the scripture for our not only edification but for increasing our knowledge of the plan of the enemy against the people of God and against you.

I pray Lord that we would live our life in a way that we would take these things as urgent and so important that they would change the way we think and what we do and where we go, how we speak, how we act because we know everywhere we go, we’re to honor your great name.

And we want to give you all the glory and praise, Lord, for those who are saved to open our eyes to the truth, to show us the true way of salvation, and to bring us and grant us the gift of faith and repentance so we can trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord.

We give you all the praise and the glory and honor. Make us people that are worthy of living the truth. And I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

Auto Transcript

Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 13 unveils Satan’s strategy to counterfeit the Holy Trinity through an unholy trio: the dragon (counterfeit Father), the beast/Antichrist (counterfeit Son), and the false prophet (counterfeit Holy Spirit). This passage teaches us that the Antichrist will rise from the nations as a political leader empowered by Satan, deceiving the world through a mock resurrection and miraculous signs. We are reminded that despite Satan’s rage and the beast’s terrifying authority, God remains sovereignly in control—limiting the beast’s reign to 42 months and preserving His saints whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Key Lessons:

1. Satan’s strategy is imitation—he counterfeits the Trinity, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the second coming in order to deceive the world into worshiping him.
2. The beast’s power is entirely derivative; he has no authority of his own but receives everything from Satan, reminding us that evil’s power is always borrowed and limited.
3. God’s sovereign control sets the boundaries of Satan’s activity—42 months, no more—and the saints are eternally secure because their names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world.
4. True perseverance is not passive endurance but courageously accepting the worst life can bring while continuing to serve God faithfully.

Application: We are called to live with both caution and readiness—cautious about whom we listen to and follow in an age of deception, and ready for Christ’s return by pursuing holy living, regular prayer, and faithful study of Scripture. We must be discerning enough to recognize impostors and devoted enough to worship only the true and living God.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does understanding Satan’s strategy of counterfeiting the Trinity help us recognize deception in our own day?
2. In what ways are we tempted to follow leaders or movements based on emotional wonder rather than revealed truth, and how can we guard against this?
3. What practical steps can we take this week to live with greater readiness for Christ’s return and greater caution against spiritual deception?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 13:1-10 provides the primary text, revealing the beast’s identity, power, and limited authority. Daniel 7:24-25 and 11:44 supply Old Testament background on the final world ruler. Revelation 12:12-17 provides the immediate context of Satan’s rage. Ephesians 1:4 and Revelation 13:8 affirm the eternal security of God’s chosen ones. Isaiah 42:8 declares God’s refusal to share His glory.

Outline

• Introduction
• Revelation Unseals Daniel
• The Dragon’s Rage Against Israel
• Five Reasons for Satan’s Anger
• Israel Calls Back the Messiah
• Satan Loses Battle Three
• The Unholy Trinity
• The Three Persons of the Unholy Trinity
• Satan Empowers the Beast to Advance His Kingdom
• The Beast’s Identity: Rising from the Sea
• Seven Successive World Empires
• The Beast’s Blasphemous Character
• The Beast Embodies Past Empires
• Satan Desires to Be Worshiped
• The Mock Resurrection
• From Wonder to Worship
• Who Is Like the Lord?
• God’s Glory Cannot Be Shared
• The Beast Deceives Through Miracles
• Satan’s Time and Activities Are Short
• The Beast’s Blasphemous Words
• War Against the Saints
• The Lamb’s Book of Life
• Satan’s Deceptions Do Not Work on the Saints
• The Perseverance of the Saints
• Be Cautious and Ready
• Signs of the End Times
• The Call to Salvation and Readiness

Introduction

Okay, this morning, Revelation chapter 13. Thank you, Bruce, for reading.

Revelation Unseals Daniel

Daniel, Daniel, actually, remember, is a book that the the Lord says, “Let’s close that book and seal it.” Revelation is the book that unseals it. And chapter 13 actually is the unsealing of Daniel, the chapter we read in Daniel chapter 7.

“Revelation is the book that unseals Daniel.”

So, that’s what we’re going to see today in the scripture. But let me pray as I go on. Lord, we thank you today for bringing us together. We thank you, Lord, for bringing us through the summer almost coming to a close getting back into the regular routine of school and things like that. Lord, I pray Lord that every single day that we would be in our mind and our souls being transformed by the things that we are reading and studying, hearing from the word of God.

So that you make us into the person that we ought to be that reflects the character of Jesus Christ. And I pray Lord that you would give us a voice to speak to those who don’t know you yet that they may come to know you. And I pray Lord challenged our spirit today and and make us ready for what is going to take place. And we seem so it seems so real more today than ever because of what’s going on in the world.

Lord, everything is so tense and things are moving in the direction that you wanted to. And Lord, all these things that I speak of today will take place someday. And so Lord, encourage us with it. Challenge us with it. Cause us to be ready for your coming and cautious while we live until then. And I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

So chapter 13, just a reminder that I am taking a futuristic view of the book of Revelation.

The Dragon’s Rage Against Israel

That that means a normal reading of the book. The book of revelation is not about the present even though practical practical applications and ad and admonitions are for us today. It is not talking about a continuous history even though it does include biblical history.

It is really God’s final unveiling of the escaton or the last days. So that means that the book of revelation is about God’s final unfa unveiling of the last days. The apostle John is given a series of four apocalyptic visions.

Each vision is put together in a catalog and each vision we have a load of symbols but these symbols are communicating a message. So when we look further into the book of revelation and begin to interpret its symbols and visions each will have some connection to the last days. And we have already seen John in his second vision that he was he’s been communicating about Christ and the process of world judgment.

We’ve seen that the throne in heaven and the lamb was the first thing in chapter 4 and then the seven seals were opened and then the seven trumpets sounded and now we have been from chapter 12 all the way to chapter 14 and further the beast and their warfare. That’s what we’re looking at today. So, let me bring you up to speed as to where we were and where we’re going.

The dragon, if you notice in verse number one, it says, “And the dragon.” So, the dragon, remember, is Satan himself. Now, it’s very important to get these personages in the right perspective because you’re going to see in Revelation that something very significant is happening that Satan is stealing something.

He is portraying something and he’s portray he’s going to portray himself as God himself. And so these names are important. And so the dragon Satan has been demoted and degraded at this point which has inflamed his wrath.

“Satan is stealing something—he’s going to portray himself as God himself.”

Five Reasons for Satan’s Anger

So that Satan vents his rage upon the residents of the earth. If you look back to chapter 12 verse 12, it says therefor heaven and you who dwell in in them. Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you having great wrath knowing that he only has a short period of time.

All right, so that’s what’s going on there. And so he specifically rages against the nation that brought forth the one who bruised the head of the serpent. And we know that nation was Israel, right? He was against Israel.

And from last time there was five reasons why his anger has con continually been inflamed. The first one is he’s angry that he lost the first battle over the manchild because Jesus ascended into heaven and in a sense was rescued from him. And then secondly, Satan is angry be because he has been cast out of heaven and that he loses his second battle because the archangel Michael is stronger than him and overcomes him and his demon angels.

“The devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing he only has a short period of time.”

Israel Calls Back the Messiah

Thirdly, that Satan is angry and something really ticks him off about the nations of the east and north planning an attack on his interests. And that’s what it says in Daniel 11 where it says, “But rumors from the east and from the north will disturb him and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.” So, Satan is definitely angry here in at this point in history.

And it’s also he’s angry because he only has three and a half years to pull it off. Yeah, there’s a seven-year period of time, but three and a half years is where he begins to unleash his anger. And now people begin to see who he really is in his character.

There’s there was another reason that I gave why Satan is so angry. It’s because at the end of the tri great tribulation, Israel, the woman as portrayed in Revelation, holds the key to calling back the Messiah back to to earth. And that point is inferred in the passage of scripture where Jesus says, “Behold in Matthew chapter 23, your your house is being left to you desolate.

For I say to you, from now on, you will not see my face until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” That is when Israel actually calls the Messiah back because they begin to repent of their sin in the land and turn start turning to the true Messiah after they after they realize that the false Messiah was false and that Jesus has always been the truth. So, Satan continues to pursue his evil plan because the Messiah will not crush Satan and reestablish God’s rule over the world system until Israel repents.

“Israel holds the key to calling back the Messiah back to earth.”

And as he re repents, Satan of course has attacked that nation ruthlessly since Christ’s first coming, trying to destroy it before it can actually repent and then before it can call back the Messiah. So, he’s still after them. And we have learned so far that Satan’s con confinement to the earth brings about two results. First that Satan’s access to heaven is removed and he will no longer be able to stand before the throne of God and accuse the brethren.

That’s over.

Satan Loses Battle Three

Secondly, that Satan is now full of wrath as it says in chapter 12:12 because the devil has come down to you having great wrath. So now in chapter 13 we come to the third battle, right? The third battle that Satan is fighting against the one who will bring forth the Messiah and who has the capability of calling him back and that is Israel and also he is against the saints.

Remember many people are going to be getting saved in the tribulation from Israel and also from the gentile nations they’re going to be getting saved there. So there are going to be many believers that are going to be in this period of time on this earth.

Now consequently the essential reason for the tribulation, Satan is angry and he breaks his covenant with Israel and goes after the woman Israel. And the essence of the tribulation is against Israel.

And if you look up to chapter 12 verse number 13, it says, “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman.” Now remember the woman’s Israel who gave birth to the male child. And of course the male child is Jesus Christ.

Now in the great tribulation that is the midpoint at the end that’s the last three and a half years the wrath of Satan will be against Israel.

But what is the outcome? Well if you look back to chapter 12 verse 13 and 14 it says when in verse number 13 when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. Verse 14.

But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place. So what happens? Satan loses again. So he’s even more angry. So Israel is preserved.

“Satan loses again. Israel is preserved and nourished by God.”

She is nourished. It says in verse number 14, for a time, time and a half of times. Remember that is a Old Testament indication of 3 and 1/2 years 42 months. It’s been saying that over and over again just letting us know that this is a period of time that is the great tribulation. Even though the tribulation period is seven years from the midpoint to the end is this is the time this portion of scripture is talking about. So Satan loses battle number three.

He’s not a good loser.

Israel was nourished and protected by God. Now, right here in Revelation chapter 13, we see his plan going forward.

In other words, how is he going to fight now that he’s lost three times?

The Unholy Trinity

Well, Satan is going to fight the same way God does.

You say, “Well, what do you mean by that?” He’s going to imitate the Godhead.

He’s going to imitate the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I just like to say, if you if you don’t believe the Trinity Trinity, you should believe it now because Satan does.

“If you don’t believe the Trinity, you should believe it now because Satan does.”

And God’s not going to let him mess up that theology.

And he will strongly emphasize and mimic Jesus Christ. So this is a diabolical trio that we’re going to see in scripture which refers to three individual characters who become central figures in the three and a half years of the great tribulation. Two of them rise to world leadership, one political and the other religious.

And because these individuals are energized by Satan himself, they form together an unholy trinity.

So Satan has a particular goal in mind. To reach his goal, he must deceive the whole world and get them to worship him.

His goal is his goal is two twofold. To wear out the saints. We saw that in Daniel. And then also to get people to worship him.

The Three Persons of the Unholy Trinity

So this is what we have in the ho the unholy trinity. At the top we have the dragon. The dragon is Satan himself. He is the counterfeit father.

Also today we’ll see the second person of the unholy trinity is the antichrist.

The man of lawlessness is the political leader.

He is the counterfeit son.

“The dragon is the counterfeit father. The antichrist is the counterfeit son.”

He is going to be as it says in Revelation 13 verse number one the first part of it. And the dragon stood on the sea on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. So this is the beast out of the sea. And this is the one that we’re going to focus on today. The second person of the unholy trinity is going to be the lawless one mentioned in Thessalonians.

Here in scripture, he’s mentioned as the beast.

So the beast, the lawless one, the beast out of the sea is the counterfeit son, the antichrist. And of course, the third person in this unholy trinity is the false prophet. The false prophet is going to be next time. And the false prophet is the religious leader.

The false prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit, the beast out of the earth.

Satan Empowers the Beast to Advance His Kingdom

So today we’re going to see the beast out of the sea. The dragon gives to the antichrist power, a throne, and great authority.

And he is given this authority to rule politically because he will be the ruler of the final world empire spoken of in Daniel the prophet. And he has a method on how he’s going to gain a f following.

Satan will not present himself as the monster that he is. No way. He’s not going to do that.

He will present himself as a very attractive, intelligent, and likable leader.

Antichrist, the man of lawlessness, will truly be an amazing figure and will display a subtle magnetic draw upon the people of the whole world. Not just a segment of the world, the whole world.

“Antichrist will display a subtle magnetic draw upon the people of the whole world.”

It will be a global ministry that he has.

And Satan and his two world leaders fight against God and his people.

But remember, they come on the world scene in a time where the whole world is desperate for leadership.

The world’s looking for a man like this who can bring the whole global economy together.

Yes, that’s the antichrist will come promising to solve the pressing problems of the world’s nations.

And the beast will be Satan in a human body.

Of course, just like the incarnation, he’s mimicking Christ.

But notice that God does not describe him as a man made in the divine image.

He’s referred to in verse number one as a beast, as a wild beast under the control of Satan. So there are today four things from our text that will inform you so that you and I can be cautious while we live until Christ comes and then ready for his return. We need to live in that way.

So let’s look at what happens here. The first thing is this that Satan empowers the beast to advance his kingdom. Remember, Satan is the father. He’s empowering the beast, who is the second person of the trinity, which is the antichrist.

So, the antichrist doesn’t have his own power. He’s getting it from Satan. All right? And notice in verse number one or or back up to verse number 17 of chapter 12, it says, “So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her children who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

That’s where I kind of left off last time. So what does the beast do? The beast now emerges from humanity. It’s a It’s a man. It’s actually a man.

The Beast’s Identity: Rising from the Sea

And his identity. Look at verse number one. And the dragon stood on the sand of the sea. The dragon being Satan. Then I saw a beast coming out of the sea having 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems and on his head were blasphemous names.

So that means that the first beast rises out of the sea. And the sea is a is a representative of of unregenerate humanity.

It’s associated with evil and and chaos found in the nations of peoples. It includes social, political, ethnic, and national wickedness.

All that is referred to in the one who comes up out of the sea. So most likely symbolizes the gentile nations. And out of one nation, Satan will bring forth his superpolitical leader.

“Out of one nation, Satan will bring forth his superpolitical leader.”

The first beast is part of the seven head and tenhorn confederation controlled by the dragon. So Satan, he is a powerful being with a multitude of strengths.

And like Jesus, the beast is the son of the dragon. We have the imitation motif going through the book of revelation that he is the second person of the satanic trinity and he will be the political leader who deceives the whole world. Now I want you to notice in verse number one it mentions all the seven heads and and horns and diagrams and all those things. What what does he mean by that? Well, historically there has been seven successive world empires which are mentioned here. The first one is Egypt. The second one is Assyria. The third one is Babylon. The fourth one is Medopersia.

The fifth one is Greece.

Seven Successive World Empires

And according to turn over to Revelation 17. According to Revelation 17 verse number 10, five of the heads have already fallen by the time the Apostle John writes Revelation.

And notice what it says. And then one of the heads of these rulers of these kings was in power when he actually wrote the book of Revelation.

Notice what it says in Revelation 17:10.

And they are seven kings. Five have fallen. One is that’s Rome.

The other has not yet come.

That’s the Antichrist. And when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Right in that passage of scripture is giving us an indication of what is going to take place. That while the apostle John is writing revelation, the world empire of Rome is in power and it was a very powerful government, it ruled over every region of the of the known world at that time. And so there was one not yet come. So John is saying, listen, Rome, I’m in it now, but there’s going to be one who’s going to come who’s going to in a sense revive that old Roman Empire.

So the Rome is the sixth empire and the seventh empire is the final world empire led by Antichrist.

“The seventh empire is the final world empire led by Antichrist.”

And the antichrist counterfeits the Messiah and his kingdom. That’s what he does.

In fact, if we just remember what was read this morning where Daniel says, “And as for the 10 horns, out of the king, the king, out of this kingdom, 10 kings will arise and another will arise after him and he will be different from the previous ones and will sue subdue three kings.” So in other words, this person, this last person is going to be different from any other king who ever ruled in the world. And the whole world’s going to know that too.

The Beast’s Blasphemous Character

So notice the purpose and attitude of the of the last world ruler in revelation at the end of revelation chapter 13 verse number one it says and on his heads heads were blasphemous names.

Now blasphemy is not a good word. In fact it points to who re really is.

He will blaspheme God because he is directly opposed to everything that is vital in the revelation of God and all divine and human authority. He will begin be he will be against all authority from God all the way down. He will be the man and he will make sure people know that.

That means he is the anti-God. He is the antichrist. He is the anti-spirit, the trinity, the triune embodiment of the satanic world system.

“He is the anti-God, the antichrist, the triune embodiment of the satanic world system.”

And the prophet Daniel again said the same thing about the final world world ruler in Daniel 7:25 where it says he will speak out against the most high and wear down the saints of the highest one.

The Beast Embodies Past Empires

And then notice in Revelation chapter 13, look at verse number two. It says, “And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” Now, what what do these refer to?

The leopard refers to Greece, the n the powerful nation of Greece because Greece in history was a nation of of that would had great speed and agility with a cat-like vigilance in its battles. Also his feet were like those like those of a bear. Medoparia that’s talking about and that was a nation that was had power and had ferocious cruelty when in battle and when ruling.

And then the one who had a mouth like a lion that was Babylon. Babylon was the royal power able to crush any nation that came against it. So he refers to those for this reason because all the characteristics of these past world empires will be wrapped up into one great worldwide ruling empire with a future ruler and that ruler is the beast.

During the great tribulation, the world empire will have the majesty of a lion, the power of a bear, and the quickness of a leopard. This empire will be like the Roman Empire revived with greater influence and power than even that world power. Now where where will this person the antichrist actually get his power from?

He’s just a man. So where does he get his power? Notice in verse number two. See the antichrist is the emissary of Satan from whom he receives power. Verse two, the beast is given everything that he needs.

Notice and the dragon at the end of the ver and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. So he was given this by Satan who is acting like the father and mimicking the godhead.

“All characteristics of past world empires will be wrapped up into one great worldwide ruling empire.”

Satan the dragon will give the beast antichrist his power, his throne and great authority. So he is a monstrous person.

In whom the political power of the world will be will be put in his hands and it will be finally concentrated and represented by this man of sin. It’s going to be a time where no one will be able to come up against him. The great political leader receives his power directly from Satan and he will work his evil through individuals, through governments.

Satan Desires to Be Worshiped

And the beast, the man of sin, the antichrist, like Jesus with the father, does what the dragon the father wants him to. He obeys Satan, the antichrist, the second person of the trinity, obeys the father, who is Satan. So that is the the first thing he does is that he empowers the beast to advance his kingdom. So things are in place. Here’s the second thing I want you to notice is this. In Revelation 13:3 and 4, Satan desires to be worshiped. He desires to be worshiped, but he also desires to be treated like God.

“Satan desires to be worshiped and to be treated like God.”

How is he going to get the whole world to pay attention to him and finally revere him? How is he going to do that?

Well, look what it says in verse number three.

It says, “And I saw one of his heads.” Now remember that’s one of the kings as if he had been slain and his fatal wound was healed and the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. So what do we have here? We have a counterfeit Christ who gets the world to wonder and be amazed by what? Well, before I say that, I want you to notice what it says there in verse number three. It says, “I saw one of his heads and if it as if it had been slain.” That phrase right there is the same phrase. It it actually means to be fatally wounded, especially when killed as a sacrifice.

That word specifically used in that way.

The Mock Resurrection

And the same term is used of Jesus’ atoning death as the lamb of God in Revelation 5 verse number six and then verse number nine where it says, “And I saw between the throne four living creatures and the elders a lamb standing as if slain.” So again, what is he doing? He’s mimicking the death of Jesus Christ, but he’s also mimicking this word amazed here and used in the way where it causes wonder in people which moves them to follow him.

It was so powerful and the sense is that his signs and wonders moves the world to put the limelight upon the individ this individual and then admire him. And what better way to get the world to be amazed than what I am calling a mock resurrection.

That’s what this is, a mock resurrection.

“What better way to get the world to be amazed than a mock resurrection.”

This is all part of the dragon’s attempt to counterfeit the death and resurrection of Christ as it says there in verse number three. And I saw the one one of his heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound was healed. So the beast’s wound is healed and he returns to life.

It was Dr. Thomas, a professor at Master Seminary who’s now with the Lord. Very influential man at the seminary started with John MacArthur when they started Master Seminary. He was one of the women they took from Talbot Seminary to start that seminary and he said this.

It is best to identify this restoration to life with an endtime satanically controlled king who will come to the world as a false Christ.

End quote. That’s true. I that’s that’s what he says. But he doesn’t say in his term that it was a resurrection. He says it was a restoration. Right? Because we’re talking about somebody who’s mimicking someone who is is deluding people to make them think it is to the point where they notice the the result of that they follow him.

This we’re talking about the whole world following this leader.

So it looks like the dragon Satan resurrects or resuscitates or however you want to do it. He comes back to life the beast Antichrist from the dead that he died and now he’s alive and everybody knew that. And of course we know with the media today in the world we can know things happening in a second right live right now it’s going on and the world knows that and he’s going to have control of all that system all the media. So he’s going to be manipulating everything that he can and focusing everything upon himself.

So, do you think something like this may turn some heads and get people to pay attention?

Oh, yes. And it will.

If you look at verse number 13 or verse number three of chapter 13, and the whole world, the whole earth was amazed.

Don’t miss that. And followed after the beast.

So it look it does look like this is what’s taking place here. And get this, a counter for death and resurrection leads to a counterfeit second coming to rule the world and possess the nations and the king the kingdoms of the world.

So Satan is playing the part of the counter counterfeit father. For as the true father gave authority to the son, so the counterfeit father will give authority to the counterfeit son, Antichrist.

So this is a marvelous feat, but it’s a feat done through deception and it invol it evolves into accomplishing his intended goal. What is his goal for this?

His goal is found in verse number four.

From Wonder to Worship

The counterfeit Christ gets the world to worship him. So from wonder to worship.

Now that’s very interesting. Verse number four, it says they worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. Let me just stop there. So the antichrist gets the world to worship the dragon who is the counterfeit heavenly father.

I keep saying that so you get those in your mind correct. And the antichrist Christrist receives worship also just like Jesus received worship because he he was God.

But this worship is different.

It’s different than true biblical worship because Antichrist has the people following and worshiping blindly out of wonder.

“This worship is simply an emotional response and nothing based on revealed truth.”

That’s simply an emotional response and nothing based on revealed truth.

Nobody can go back and and say, “Well, wait, wait a minute. I don’t think that if they do, they’re going to be in trouble.” So, look out look out what they cry emotionally. Verse number four, the latter part of the verse, it says, “And they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like the beast and who is able to wage war with him?” Now, so the answer to that question is no one.

It’s like saying the world is saying we found the one and Israel is saying this is the Messiah.

This is the Messiah.

It seems like he fits all the criteria.

Well, he really doesn’t, but they’re deluded to know he does.

But what’s really going on is that Satan desires here in this passage to rob glory from God by getting worshippers to give the beasts acclamation.

Who Is Like the Lord?

An acclamation that only belongs to the true and living God. And in fact, the Bible has a long history of God’s people using this particular question in order to give an answer to the question because there is only one answer to the question.

Let me just mention one from the law, one from the Psalms and one from the prophets without you turning there. In Exodus, it says this, “Who is like you among the gods, oh Lord? Who is like you? Majestic in holiness, awesome in praise, working wonders.

That’s an Exodus. Of course, the answer to that is, Lord God, there’s no one like you.

You’re not like the gods of the other nations. You are different.

You give us a law. You take care of us.

You feed us. You’re present among us.

You’re different than anyone of these false gods. And then from the Psalms, it says this in Psalm 71, for you for your righteousness, oh God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things, oh God, who is like you? Again, the answer, Lord God, there’s no one like you.

Psalm 71:19: “You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?”

And then the prophets, and of course, remember the law of the psalm and the prophets contain the whole of the Old Testament.

That’s often designated like that. And the prophets, it says this in Micah 7:18. Who is a God like you who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of his of his possession? Who does not restrain his anger forever because he delights in unchanging love?

Who is a God like that?

God’s Glory Cannot Be Shared

It’s Yahweh. That’s who the God is. It’s the Lord God. And don’t forget what the Lord God said concerning his own glory.

He said this in Isaiah 42 verse number 8. I am the Lord that is my name. I will not give my glory to anyone nor my praise to graven images. See God’s glory cannot be given away, shared or robbed.

Isaiah 42:8: “I am the Lord, that is my name. I will not give my glory to anyone.”

If someone tries, there will be consequences.

Satan is a thief and a robber. And that’s what he tries to do. He tries to rob the glory that goes to God from the worshippers to give worship to himself. So the dragon receives worship from all those who do not belong to God.

That Satan who has always yearned for worship and the place that belonging only to God alone now seems to be achieved. He achieves that goal through the counterfeit Christ who rules in his name. So Satan will receive worship through the beast and in the end everyone everyone will be forced to worship the beast or die. That’s going to be the bottom line. The beast hides who he really is.

He shows himself to be a man of peace, but he is not. He’s a tyrant and he’s a man of war. Look at verse number four of Revelation 13. It says there and he and they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like the beast and who is able to wage war with him? Now, the answer to that would be no one. No one at that time will be able to challenge his vast powerful empire. Mostly no one will want to challenge him because the earth the earth is going to be mesmerized and attracted to him.

They’ll have no problem giving him worship.

The Beast Deceives Through Miracles

So the beast will have a global impact as he seduces the earth dwellers and the whole earth will marvel over the miraculous resurrection of the beast and his his ability to rule with authority and this empire will represent the devil’s last attempt to make the earth his own special the theater theater of uncontested dominion that this the beast will continue to deceive. And how will he do that? By miracles. And through miracles, people will flock to him. Even when Jesus did miracles, they flocked to him pro mostly for the wrong reasons.

Well, look down to verse number 13 and 14 where it says that. It says in Revelation 13 verse13, he performed great signs so that he even makes the fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which he which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

“Through miracles, people will flock to him—even when Jesus did miracles, they flocked for the wrong reasons.”

So the the man called Antichrist will first appear as a friend to Israel as a world savior.

Eventually however he will openly be revealed who he really is it will people will see that he has deep hatred for Christ and those who follow him.

Satan’s Time and Activities Are Short

But the the beast’s claim to fame will will not be found in moral greatness but in his brute force in his deceitful, hateful, cruel, immoral, idolatrous, blasphemous character as the next passage of scripture informs us. And that brings me to the third thing that Satan Satan’s time and activities are short.

They’re short, but they are controlled by God Almighty.

“Satan’s time and activities are short, but they are controlled by God Almighty.”

The Lord’s letting him have his day.

So the activity, his activity will include being allowed to discredit God.

The Beast’s Blasphemous Words

Look at verse number five. It says, “There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies and authority to act for 42 months was given to him.” So the as soon as the antichrist dares to show his true colors, he will become an open bold blasphemer. In other words, he will have the skill to use words to dishonor God and dishonor anybody who will come against him. And nobody will be able to challenge him.

He’s going to be a master of the language and of verbal communication.

Even Daniel the prophet says he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods.

In other words, he’s got a big mouth and will speak against God and everyone and everything that will oppose him.

And notice in verse number six of Revelation 13, he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. Nobody was off the list to his blasphemies and will he’ll go on for three and a half years using words to control people and manipulate the narrative.

“He’s got a big mouth and will speak against God and everyone that will oppose him.”

So everything is bent in favor of him and his rule.

But his words cannot stop the plan of God.

It cannot get true believers to worship him.

This emperor will not figure prominently during the first half of the tribulation. Rather he will exercise his authority for only 42 months in the second half of the tribulation. And that’s what it says in verse five. So his his time is short.

He’s on a a short leash by God and God is under under he is under God’s control and he’s angry about that too.

War Against the Saints

So with his powerful convincing words, he will cut down anyone in opposition to his rule. And what will that mean? Well, look what the next thing we see is that his activity will include being allowed to make war with the saints.

Because this is what’s going to happen.

That on the people who dwell on the earth and the saints, it will be very dangerous to live that it earthly danger for all who dwell on the earth, especially for believers. And this future world ruler will reveal his cruelty in a way that he makes war with believers. Notice verse seven of our text. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

And authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. So he had this authority to take over everything to control people’s lives to get them to do what he wanted done. And anyone who would come against him they were they were wared against.

“This future world ruler will reveal his cruelty by making war with the saints.”

Of course that really means that your life is going to be taken from you. So all his savagery will be rooted in his hatred for Christ. That becomes very clear in this part of the the tribulation. But for the saints who are in danger also are going to have divine safety because God knows who are his during that time who dwell on the earth. And so everyone will worship the beast except the saints except those who now have the truth.

The Lamb’s Book of Life

The saints will have the security of salvation because their names have been written in a registry owned specifically by the savior Jesus Christ. Notice what it says in verse number eight. This is exactly what it says. It says, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him.

Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the lamb who was slain.” Oh, now we’re getting very specific here in Revelation. We’re getting to look at the one who not only came to suffer and die on the cross for his children and secure their salvation. But now we see here that if if this is in line with what is said in Ephesians 1 verse number four that God has chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. The meaning would then be that God has chosen his own from before the beginning of time.

Revelation 13:8: “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb.”

Even for this period of time that no one or no thing could change that even even for those saints in the latter part of the tribulation that when they refuse to worship the dragon will feel the crushing blow of the antichrist edicts in which none will be able to buy or sell the necessities of life without the mark of their worship.

So if someone refuses to worship, they will simply be eliminated.

They’ll be eliminated by death and they will ultimately be destroyed by destroyed economically.

Now where is that found in scripture?

Satan’s Deceptions Do Not Work on the Saints

Well, we’re going to look at that next time. But notice quickly verse number 15 through1 17. It tells us that Revelation 13:15, “And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

Verse 16, “And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free man and the slaves to be given a mark on their right hand and on their forehead. And he will provide and and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark. Now, we’ll look at that more in the second part of of the text when I get there, but you see that there there is no wiggle room for anyone, but the saints are protected.

Even though the last part of this and it’s this my fourth thing is that Satan’s deception, his deceptions do not work on the saints even while they’re be being persecuted.

Look at verse number nine of Revelation 13. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. Now, that’s exactly how re revelation started.

“Satan’s deceptions do not work on the saints even while they’re being persecuted.”

Who who are the ones who are listening?

It’s the believers, right?

Who are the ones who are taking in? Now what is true is the believers. So what happens here in verse number nine? It says if anyone is destined for cap captivity to captivity he goes. If anyone kills with the sword with the sword he must be killed.

The Perseverance of the Saints

So in other words, they have to the only ammunition that believers have here is to accept and trust God’s sovereignty that they are truly under God’s protection. And King Jesus is sovereignly in control even if it means imprisonment, the loss of property and wealth, and even the death of his saints.

Remember, saints are only aliens on the earth.

We’re just sojourers. We’re just passing through, right?

We may get abused on that trek from here to heaven.

But if you are a documented citizen of the kingdom of God, you have no problem because you’ll end up in the kingdom of God. And then notice in verse number 10, it says this. Here is the perseverance of the saints. Meaning that this does not mean passively enduring but courageously accepting the worst that life can throw at you and still serve God.

“Perseverance means courageously accepting the worst life can throw at you and still serving God.”

And then of course verse number 10, faith in God and faith, the faith of the saints, loyalty and devotion to the master Jesus Christ.

That’s what it’s about. That’s what keeps them just believing even under heavy and knowing they’re going to die for their faith and just stick to it because they know it’s the truth and everything they see around them is delusion, a lie.

So they survive because they know the truth.

They worship the true and living God, the true father, son, and spirit, the one God who’s revealed himself in the Holy Trinity.

Be Cautious and Ready

So, knowing these things this morning should make you cautious and ready. That you’re informed now.

So, what are you going to do?

Jesus said in Luke, “You too be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” Jesus is coming. We may be the generation in which he comes. We may be.

It seems that way.

And then the Apostle John says in first John, “Beloved, now we are the children of God.” And it has not appeared as yet what we will be. But we know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will be we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure. So a person who wants to be ready for the Lord’s return will endeavor to live a pure life. They will endeavor to live a holy life both public and in private. You’ll be the same.

You won’t want to do anything he would that you would be ashamed of if the Lord returned on that day that that will cause you to live a completely different life. That believers who are living a pure life and keeping in touch with God in prayer and regular study of the Bible possesses the anointing of the Holy Spirit that will keep that person from being deceived by Antichrist or captured by the spirit of Antichrist.

“Everyone who has this hope fixed on him purifies himself just as he is pure.”

So when we live in continual readiness for our Lord’s return, blessed are those who love the Lord’s return.

We will automatically recognize impostors and enemies of Jesus. We’ll know that right away.

Also, it should cause us to be cautious since Antichrist’s strategy will be deception.

We should be very very cautious about whom we listen to and follow on any media outlet or site.

Not everyone who claims to be a person of faith can be trusted.

Many talk about belief in God, but they promote principles that give liberty to all kinds of sin.

Now, did that AI, artificial intelligence, has captured the voice of John MacArthur and is now bringing all these messages together that he preached from all over the place, can do it in just seconds and put messages out there. Sounds like him.

They even have a picture of him, but when you listen to it that’s not what he preached. You have to be very careful. Some of it’s true, some of it’s not. All right? And so that’s what’s happening now. And what is that?

That’s an element of deception and it’s going on right now. You can go on there and when John MacArthur would say first Thessalonians, it says one Thessalonians. He never said that.

So right away there’s indicators, but you’ve got have to be very careful. Anybody you listen to who preaches who’s out there on the media can capture your voice and use it against you and it sounds like you. Even the inflections and the tone sound like you. We have to be very careful today.

Very careful. We have to be very cautious today.

Signs of the End Times

The world dictator may be living now because so many evidential signs accentuate the fact that we are living in the end time.

There is the departure from truth.

There is a leadyian condition in the organized church. There is the spirit of lawlessness everywhere.

There is a breakdown of the nuclear family and the roles of men and women in the world.

There is a significant move of our nation away from God and truth which manifests more in sexual perversion and deviant behavior and insane views and extreme unrighteousness.

“The world dictator may be living now because so many signs accentuate we are living in the end time.”

There is also a stirring among the Jews as they look forward to rebuilding the temple.

In 1967, you may not know this, they started making the temple’s furniture.

They have already made the manora, the table of showbread, the altar of incense and also the priestly garments. And it has been reported recently that there was an unpublicized meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and some rabbitical leaders, some archae archaeologists, some engineers and others that they have found the foundation of Solomon’s temple underneath the temple mount.

June June 2025. That was only a couple months ago.

The third temple construction underneath the Temple Mount they say has begun.

A confidential summit held in the Davidson Center in a sealed room in Jerusalem used LAR scans and geoysical mapping found they found the foundation of Solomon’s first temple and in other chambers believed chambers that hold the ark of the covenant.

Construction of the temple is connected with the return of Jesus Christ. The temple has to be built to have the tribulation because the people have to worship there, right? The Jews, that’s what the Antichrist does.

He lets them build their temple, right? So, we could be in a day that it’s all taking place right now. So, are we ready? Do we do we live as if Jesus can come at any moment at any second that our life can be taken?

Are we ready? And do we live a life that shows that we want to honor the Lord and give him glory and worship him only? And do we knew the know the truth well enough not to be deceived by all the deception that’s out there?

More than ever, we have to be very cautious as believers.

The Call to Salvation and Readiness

Very cautious. I just pray Lord that today if if you don’t know you’re born again, even if you don’t even know you’re saved, today’s the day to get saved. You may not have any time.

Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Are you on that registry of a citizen that can get into the kingdom of God?

If not, speak to me today or one of our elders or one of one of the people in our church because today is the day of salvation, right? You may not have tomorrow. So, I pray we would take the truths of the word of God that were communicated this morning and really take it to heart and live in light of that truth because we are living in very dangerous days.

“Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Today is the day of salvation.”

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you again for the word of God.

It is truly amazing what we read in scripture.

We are given your plan.

We are given actually the plan book of the enemy. That’s not good for him, but it’s good for us.

So Lord, we we know what’s going to take place.

And we also know, Lord, the only way to be right with you, Father, is through Jesus Christ the son because he’s the only one who died in the place of sinners.

He’s the only one who can grant faith and repentance to those who want to believe in Jesus so they can enter in through the only door, the door of Jesus Christ into the kingdom of God. So I pray Lord, however you want to work today, those who don’t know you may come to know you as Lord and Savior. Those who do know you would become way more cautious and ready for your return.

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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 12:12-17 reveals the spiritual warfare behind history’s conflicts, especially Satan’s rage against Israel and the saints. We are reminded that Satan, cast out of heaven and knowing his time is short, intensifies his attacks against God’s people — first targeting Israel and then all who follow Christ. Yet God supernaturally protects His people, providing refuge, sustenance, and ultimate victory.

Key Lessons:

1. The real reason behind anti-Semitism and persecution of believers throughout history is Satan’s rage against God’s plan and God’s people.
2. God supernaturally provides for and protects His people even in the worst tribulation — just as He provided for Elijah and Israel in the wilderness.
3. Satan’s primary weapon is deception — flooding the world with lies, false signs, and confusion so people cannot discern truth.
4. The outcome of the spiritual battle is already determined: Satan loses and Christ wins, and all who belong to Christ share in that victory.

Application: We are called to be spiritually alert and battle-ready — not complacent. We must treasure God’s commandments and hold fast to the testimony of Jesus, staying grounded in Scripture so we are not swept away by the deception that will only increase in our day.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does understanding the spiritual warfare behind world events change the way we view current conflicts involving Israel and the persecution of Christians?
2. What practical steps can we take to guard ourselves against the rising tide of deception in our culture, media, and even religious circles?
3. The saints in Revelation 12:17 are characterized by keeping God’s commandments and holding to Jesus’ testimony — how are we actively cultivating these two traits in our daily lives?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 12:12-17 reveals Satan’s wrath against Israel and the saints after being cast from heaven. Matthew 23:38-39 shows Israel’s future role in calling the Messiah back. Matthew 24:15-27 describes the abomination of desolation and instructions to flee. Romans 11:25-26 promises that all Israel will be saved. Zechariah 12:10 prophesies Israel’s recognition of the pierced Messiah.

Outline

• Introduction
• Be Alert: The Enemy Is Real
• God’s Battle Is Secure
• Rejoicing in Heaven
• Woe on Earth: Satan’s Great Wrath
• The Five Names of Satan
• Five Reasons for Satan’s Rage
• Israel Holds the Key to Messiah’s Return
• Satan’s Campaign Against Israel Throughout History
• Anti-Semitism in the Modern World
• Israel’s Future Tribulation and Repentance
• The Abomination of Desolation Triggers the Flee
• God’s Supernatural Rescue: The Divine Airlift
• Difficulties in Fleeing
• The Divinely Prepared Location
• God Nourishes and Protects His People
• Satan’s Flood of Lies and Deceit
• Worldwide Deception and False Signs
• The Second Coming Will Not Be Secret
• The Flood of Armies Against Israel
• From Anti-Semitism to Anti-Saints
• The Marks of True Saints: Keeping and Holding Fast
• Be Watchful, Be Battle Ready
• Closing Prayer

Introduction

Okay, this morning let’s take our Bibles and turn to Revelation 12.

Revelation 12. We’ll be looking at verses 12-17 today.

As you turn there, let me have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you again for your mercy and grace to us, for your kindness towards us and your goodness.

Lord, because of those things, we want to humble ourselves under your mighty hand. We want to be ready to hear, to meditate upon, and then to put into practice the things that we learn from scripture, that you may mature us and make us more and more like Christ.

And I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Be Alert: The Enemy Is Real

On the southern shores of England is Slapton Sands.

It’s a beautiful beach area, but it carries a tragic memory of the past. On April 28th, 1944, during World War II, Allied soldiers were engaged in Operation Tiger, a training exercise in amphibious beach landings in preparation for D-Day at Normandy Beach.

Suddenly, while they were training, enemy gunboats appeared and killed over 700 American servicemen in a surprise attack. Today, there’s a monument that stands there to commemorate the sacrifice of those young men who died while training for battle, but were never able to enter the conflict.

The tragedy, though, is a metaphor that warns the believer in Christ that we too are involved in combat with an enemy who is powerful and deceptive.

That is why the Apostle Peter warned, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.” Like the soldiers on that day, we face an enemy who desires our undoing. In the service of our king, we must be alert and called to be effective when battle does come.

1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.”

Those men should challenge us to be ready for the surprise attacks of our spiritual enemy so that we can endure to serve yet another day. Realize that Satan’s plans are no match for the Savior’s power.

“Satan’s plans are no match for the Savior’s power.”

The battles are going to rage, but the outcome from our text is determined and more up to date than even yesterday, more up to date than even tomorrow. In chapter 12, we already saw that God’s promises are settled in heaven in verses 1-6: his promise to keep his word, his promise to honor his son, his promise to care for his people.

Also, secondly, God’s salvation is sure because our enemy is vanquished.

God’s Battle Is Secure

Because our salvation is protected, because our atonement is complete, and that atonement is that sacrifice of Christ where Christ’s death was a substitution for our sin, for sinners. God imputed his guilt to our transgressions to Christ and then punished him for it. That was a full payment for the price of our sins.

And today we come to the third point, and the point that I’ll stick on with some subpoints this morning: God’s battle is secure.

“God’s battle is secure — our atonement is complete.”

If you notice in Revelation 12:12, it says this: “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them.” Now, if we look up to verse 11, it says this: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the lamb, because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

So now for all that has gone before, heaven is called to rejoice. But if you notice what it says in the rest of the passage, it says, “Woe in verse 12, woe to the earth and to the sea because the devil has come down to you.” Now, that’s important because Satan’s confinement to the earth brings two results.

The first one is that Satan’s access to heaven is removed and he will no longer be able to stand before the throne of God and be the one who accuses the brethren.

A second reason is because Satan is now full of wrath. If you notice what it says there, woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you having great wrath in verse 12.

So consequently, the essential reason for the tribulation is that Satan is angry and breaks his covenant with Israel and goes after the woman. The woman, remember, is Israel from last time. And the essence of the tribulation then is against Israel.

Chapter 12, verse 13, which I’ll come back to, says, “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.” Remember the woman is Israel, the nation, and the male child is Jesus Christ. But if you remember from last time, Jesus Christ has now ascended into heaven.

So he couldn’t get the male child. If Satan couldn’t get Christ, then he would have to continue to dog Israel. And that’s what we see in verse 6 of chapter 12.

It says, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that there she would be nourished for 1,260 days.” So the woman Israel flees into the wilderness because Antichrist is coming after her.

Midpoint in the tribulation—remember the seven-year period—at the midpoint, three and a half years in, the antichrist commits the abomination of desolation. Israel flees and God prepares a place of safety for her for three and a half years, or as already mentioned, 42 months or 1,260 days. All refer to the three and a half year time frame.

Rejoicing in Heaven

Back to verse 12, what happens in heaven?

It says in verse 12, “For this reason, rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them.” Heaven rejoices because it has been cleansed. The malicious accuser is cast out of heaven forever.

Heaven celebrates the grand effect of Christ’s enthronement and the final stage of God’s plan. The times of the Gentiles will end. The Jew and Gentile body will be complete. So then in heaven is great rejoicing.

“Heaven rejoices because it has been cleansed. The malicious accuser is cast out of heaven forever.”

Now in scripture, the Bible already lets us know, like in the Gospel of Luke, what happens in heaven if one is saved. It says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Then also in Luke, it mentions, “In the same way I tell you that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Here we’re going to see the full repentance and salvation of all the saved come together right here. So there’s rejoicing in heaven.

Woe on Earth: Satan’s Great Wrath

Secondly, in verse 12 we see there’s woe on earth. It says woe to the earth and the sea.

So there’s great wrath. Why is there woe on earth?

Because the devil has come down to you having great wrath. And for your information, the regular term for wrath or anger is the Greek word oray, but it’s not used here. Another Greek word is used for anger more appropriate to the context is thymos, and it means to be moved violently in strong passion of soul and mind.

It’s an emotional state of mind that stems from Satan’s internal vengeance against God’s plan and God’s people. So he has a change of heart, and his change of heart reveals his motive—who he actually is.

In any case, the antichrist is ticked off and plans to totally obliterate the forces against him. And this may include a time where he breaks his agreement of protection for Israel and turns on them. Hence that would be the great tribulation, the middle of the tribulation going to the second half of the seven years into the next three and a half years.

And Palestine, it’s recorded in Daniel, is his headquarters.

“Satan’s wrath is a violent, strong passion of soul and mind — internal vengeance against God’s plan and God’s people.”

And that says that he’ll pitch his tents.

He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain. So he will take his place right there in Jerusalem.

And he’s going to get, in other words, the one who brought forth the Messiah.

The Five Names of Satan

He couldn’t get the Messiah himself. So he’s going to go get the one who brought forth the Messiah. Here is the wrath of Satan against Israel.

Now, if you have not noticed in Revelation 12:9, there were five names given to Satan, all describing his person and his work. In verse nine, you have the great dragon that refers to his fierceness and his hidden ferociousness.

He’s like a lion. Also, he’s the old serpent and it points back to the garden of Eden where due to his temptations, man fell bringing sin and death into the human experience. So he is the tempter.

Also, he’s the devil. Satan is viewed as an accuser of God’s children. He is the accuser.

Also, Satan means adversary. In this he is seen as the opponent of God’s program. He is the one who’s against it.

And then he is the deceiver. He really is pointed out as the great master counterfeit who attempts to deceive the elect and the non-elect alike.

“Five names describe Satan: the great dragon, old serpent, the devil, the adversary, and the deceiver.”

Five Reasons for Satan’s Rage

Now, I found about five things that surely inflamed his angry, vengeful passion. Why is Satan angry? Why is he internally angry?

Well, Satan is angry because he lost the first battle over the manchild. Jesus ascended into heaven. He lost there.

Secondly, Satan is angry because he’s been cast out of heaven and lost the second battle. The archangel Michael won and Satan was not strong enough and his angels were not strong enough to take him down. So he lost the second battle.

Also, Satan thirdly is angry and something really, really ticks him off about the nations of the east and north planning to attack his interests.

That’s recorded in Daniel 11 where it says there rumors from the east and from the north will disturb him, talking about the antichrist. He will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.

Also, he is angry due to the fact that his time is short. Back to verse 12.

Notice what it says at the end of the verse. It says, “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.” So he knows he’s angry all around. And then there’s a fifth reason why he’s angry.

Revelation 12:12: “The devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

Israel Holds the Key to Messiah’s Return

Is because at the end of the tribulation, Israel, the woman, holds the key to calling Messiah back to the earth. He is angry about that. And if he can prevent that, he will try with everything he has.

Now, just to put that in context, take your Bible and turn to Matthew 23 because I want you to see that it is inferred in this passage what I just said: that Israel, the nation, can actually call back people. He can call back the Messiah from heaven.

In Matthew 23, notice verse 33. It says, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” He’s talking to the leadership of Israel here. He’s calling them serpents, vipers.

And then it says, and Jesus is speaking, therefore, verse 34: “Behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”

But notice in verses 38 and 39 what it says. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate.”

And then in verse 39: “But I say to you from now on, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

So what we have here, Jesus is saying, “Listen, I’m going to be gone and you won’t see me again until you call out to me and you tell me to come.” That is what happens here. And this is what Satan is really trying to prevent.

Matthew 23:39: “You will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

It’s the same designation that was given when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey where they said to him, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.” And the word hosanna really means save us, we pray thee.

So Israel calls on Jesus the Messiah to save them.

And because of Satan’s wrath, woe comes to the earth and to the sea. The dragon has been demoted and degraded, which has inflamed his wrath. Satan vents his rage on the residents of the earth.

He specifically rages against the nation that brought forth the one who bruised the head of the serpent. And so what happens now? Satan wants to prevent them from calling the Messiah back from heaven as their Messiah.

He’s trying to fight these battles and he’s losing every one of them.

Satan’s Campaign Against Israel Throughout History

There’s another thing that we see here: the dragon seeks the destruction of the son’s children. In Revelation 12:13, it says this: “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.” This is Satan’s campaign of slaughter.

The moment Satan understood that his defeat would be executed by the seed of the woman, the devil’s primary goal was to annihilate every single human linked from which the promised seed would come.

“Satan’s primary goal has been to annihilate every single human linked to the promised seed.”

Since the seed was to come through Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, Judah, and the family of David—who are the people of Israel—what’s Satan going to do with that?

Satan did and still does his utmost to destroy the promised line and the nation of Israel in its entirety. His pattern has been consistent throughout human history. Let me give you some examples.

Remember, in Egypt, Pharaoh commanded all the males born of Hebrews to be killed. Also, they tried to annihilate the Israelites and possess the promised land as spoken by the prophets. Haman offered the Persian king Ahasuerus an attractive sum of money to murder all the Jewish people in the Persian kingdom.

Not much has changed in Persia, Iran, since then. Their goal is to annihilate Israel, the little Satan, and the United States, the great Satan. I believe what happened yesterday was appropriate because it’s still in place that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed.

We are told that Iran was down the road to developing a nuclear weapon with the capability of delivering it on a ballistic missile. For what reason? To annihilate Israel and all her allies.

That’s the reason.

What you never hear in the news is the real reason for the hatred and conflict toward Israel: an angry devil behind it. You never hear this because this is a spiritual thing going on. This isn’t just nation against nation.

“What you never hear in the news is the real reason for the hatred toward Israel is an angry devil behind it.”

This is Satan against Israel. Satan against actually everyone else too.

It looks like the negotiations did break down and a decision had to be made, and it was made. Let’s just pray that it leads to something good.

But historically, in our text we’ll find out it will not ultimately.

Anti-Semitism in the Modern World

Maybe for a while it will. But even the slogans that have been chanted recently on our American campuses—”from the river to the sea”—most people do not know what that means.

It means the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. That’s all of the land of Israel. In other words, the complete annihilation of Israel. That is what it means.

Anti-Semitic incidents have increased more than 500% on college campuses in the US since October 7th, 2023.

“”From the river to the sea” means the complete annihilation of Israel — that is what it means.”

See, it’s still very much happening.

We have Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany who tried to destroy the Jews and killed approximately 6 million of them. Hamas forced Israel into war in Gaza after brutally murdering more than 1,200 innocent Israelis.

So today, many nations believe erasing Israel and the Jewish people from the world is their God-given command.

And Satan continues to pursue his evil plan.

Israel’s Future Tribulation and Repentance

Because the Messiah will not crush Satan and establish God’s rule over the world until Israel repents.

Satan has attacked that nation ruthlessly since Christ’s first coming, trying to destroy it before it repents. That’s what’s really going on. Despite how terrible these past and present assaults have been on Israel, Israel’s worst days are still ahead.

During the last three and a half years prior to Christ’s coming, Satan, realizing that his time is growing short, will try to annihilate Israel in a manner unparalleled in human history. We really haven’t seen anything yet to the extent it’s going to be. Israel’s future also will be characterized by unparalleled blessing.

God will permit Satan to cause Israel’s worst time of suffering as the means of bringing the nation to repentance.

The survivors, one-third of Israel, will repent when they see Christ in his glorious second coming and recognize him as their true Messiah.

“God will permit Satan to cause Israel’s worst suffering as the means of bringing the nation to repentance.”

That’s what it says in Zechariah. It says in Zechariah, they will look on me whom they have pierced and they will mourn in that day. There will be great mourning in Jerusalem when they realize their rejection all this time in history of their Messiah, that Jesus was truly the Messiah.

And then in Romans 11:25-26, this is what Paul wrote.

It says, “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, so that you will not be wise in your own estimation that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved. Just as it is written, ‘The deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.’”

Romans 11:25-26: “A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved.”

In response to Israel’s repentance, God will forgive the nation of their sins. Messiah will crush Satan and his rule and will establish God’s rule over the earth, the world system for a thousand years.

This passage pretty much informs us why there is anti-Semitism in the present day and throughout history.

Maybe what we see today is a dress rehearsal of people who do not understand what is really going on. Satan uses these fools as foot soldiers who are controlled by him to carry out his rage against the Jews and the followers of Christ.

Part of Israel, the Bible says in our text, will be in the land and part of Israel will flee from the persecution, from the serpent, from the dragon into the wilderness.

God does preserve a godly remnant.

Yet according to the prophet Zechariah, two-thirds of Israel in the land will perish. They would be able to take their life but not their soul.

Israel will survive but will be greatly reduced in number.

The Abomination of Desolation Triggers the Flee

What sparks the people to fly away from Jerusalem to the wilderness? What sparks that?

Well, what sparks it is found in Matthew 24. What sparks it is the abomination of desolation.

That’s what sparks it.

The first stage of the abomination of desolation is when the antichrist will take over the Jewish temple and sit down in the holy of holies and declare himself to be God.

That’s the first stage. The second stage is when the false prophet will make an image of the antichrist and stand it up in the holy of holies. This act of the abomination of desolation will signal that this is the second and worst half of the tribulation that will now begin.

“The abomination of desolation signals the worst half of the tribulation has begun.”

And what happens? This is what happens.

The Son now comes and rescues his children.

God’s Supernatural Rescue: The Divine Airlift

In verse 14 of our text, chapter 12, it tells us how God is going to rescue his children. He does it by supernatural intervention.

There are several things that take place here. The first is that God supernaturally cares for the woman that is Israel. Notice in verse 14 what it says.

“But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time from the presence of the serpent.”

What’s the first thing we see about how God supernaturally does that? The Bible says God brings a divine airlift.

Whatever that may be, it could actually be a literal airlift where they’re flown out of there on aircraft. We really don’t know what it is, but the emphasis is on speed and quickness.

“God brings a divine airlift — the emphasis is on speed and quickness. They need to get out as fast as possible.”

They need to get out of the area as fast as possible. Why? Because Satan instigates the northern armies, that’s Russia, Gog it’s called, to assault Israel.

Now, I’d like you to take your Bibles and turn to Matthew 24 very quickly because this is where we see the abomination of desolation, but we also see the instruction that Jesus gives to those who live at this time about what to do.

In Matthew 24 beginning in verse 15, it says, “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation,” now this is Jesus speaking, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place. Let the reader understand.

Verse 16: “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down and get the things that are in his house.”

Verse 18: “Whoever is in the field must not turn back and get his cloak.”

Verse 19: “But woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days. But pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on the Sabbath.”

He’s saying to that group in history, there are three difficulties that are going to come your way when you try to flee out of Jerusalem because of these things that are coming upon the nation because of the wrath of the enemy, the devil. They flee from the presence of the serpent, as mentioned in our text.

Difficulties in Fleeing

The first difficulty is for women who are pregnant or have infants. In both cases, it makes it difficult to flee quickly.

Secondly, the second difficulty is in relationship to winter when weather conditions can almost limit a speedy escape, especially through the deserts and the hard wilderness such as leading to Petra.

And then a third difficulty will be in relation to the Sabbath, the time when all public transportation closes down and things kind of stop in Israel.

“Three difficulties in fleeing: pregnant women and infants, winter weather, and the Sabbath shutdown.”

So then he tells them to pray that the abomination of desolation, which will indeed come to pass, will not happen on the Sabbath day or during the winter months when it will be hard to move. Pray for that.

The Lord divinely gives them the ability to move quickly out of Jerusalem into the desert, into the remote areas, into the mountainous parts of the desert. And then a second thing we see is a divinely prepared location back in Revelation 12:14. Notice what it says.

“But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place.”

The Divinely Prepared Location

Also in Matthew 24 it says, “And those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.” Some believe that the place the Bible actually is pointing to is Bazra in Hebrew, but Petra in Greek. Now, I don’t know if anybody’s ever been to Petra, but it is a very unique place on the earth where there’s a small, narrow entrance—smaller than this aisle here—going into the little city there. And then it just goes up and up. You can spend half a day climbing up to the top of the mountain.

So if God’s going to bring them to a place like that, it’s going to be a place of safety.

“Some believe the divinely prepared place is Petra — a unique place on earth with only a narrow entrance for safety.”

Even Micah records in scripture. He says there in chapter 2, “I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. I will surely gather the remnant of Israel and I will put them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in the midst of its pasture. They will be noisy with men.”

It’s amazing what it says there.

God Nourishes and Protects His People

And then it goes on to say, “So their king goes on before them and the Lord at their head.” There’s also going to be a divinely prepared time frame in verse 14 where it says she will be nourished for a time, times, and half a time from the presence of the serpent. In other words, that’s another way of saying three and a half years. That’s the Daniel way of saying three and a half years.

The Lord does not just hide them out of some kind of makeshift, unprotected location where once they get there they have to fend for themselves. No. If you notice in our text in verse 14, it says she will be nourished for a time, times and a half a time from the presence of the enemy. That means she will be taken care of by God.

God took care of Elijah by the brook Cherith where the ravens brought him food and he got some good restful sleep. Or like the Lord took care of Israel in the wilderness for 40 years, divinely providing them with protection, with manna food from heaven, and then clothing and footwear that didn’t wear out the whole time. God is actually taking care of his people where the serpent cannot get to them.

“God does not hide them in some makeshift unprotected location — He nourishes them, just as He provided for Elijah and Israel in the wilderness.”

And then we see in verses 15 and 16, God still supernaturally helps the woman.

Satan’s Flood of Lies and Deceit

But when he does that, it’s because Satan heightens and intensifies the persecution. Notice in verse 15, it says, “And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman so that he might cause her to be swept away by the flood.” Now, if you notice also, Satan here is called the serpent maybe for a very good reason because now he is about deceiving.

It looks like the serpent tries to drown the woman.

We must not think that this is a literal flood of water here, but the fact that a flood does much damage and leaves a path of destruction.

How does he try to sweep Israel away? How does he try to do that?

Well, Satan overwhelms them with a flood of lies and deceit. That’s the first way he does it. That’s what it says in Matthew 24:24: “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”

In other words, false news. People won’t know what to believe or what is true or what is false. The floodwaters really depict the power of evil with all manners of delusion and false teachings.

“Satan overwhelms with a flood of lies and deceit — people won’t know what to believe or what is true.”

Whether it’s in religion or philosophy or science or politics or economics or education, everything is polluted. The serpent has his fingerprints on all of it in order to confuse and to deceive the whole world, all the world’s population.

Like it did in the Garden of Eden when the serpent implied to Eve that God was holding out on her and caused doubt in her mind about the character of God when Satan said to Eve, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’” He caused a question of doubt.

Worldwide Deception and False Signs

And when you cause a question of doubt, there’s always confusion that follows, where people do not know what to do. That’s what he does. So the latter half of the tribulation will be characterized by many false signs, miracles, wonders for the purpose of worldwide deception. These false signs will be performed by both the antichrist and the false prophet.

That’s what it says in Thessalonians.

This is the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan with all power and signs and false wonders and with all deception of wickedness for those who perish and do not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

That’s what he does. That’s part of the flood coming out of his mouth to deceive the world.

If you look at Revelation 13, which I will pick up next time in verses 11 through 14, it says, “Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.

He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose fatal wound was healed. And he performed great signs so that he even makes the fire come down from heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast. Telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10: “The coming is in accord with the activity of Satan with all power and signs and false wonders and with all deception of wickedness.”

So worldwide deception. Are we getting used to that in our time now?

You don’t know who to believe. You don’t know where to get your news from, right? You have to search and search to try to find out what’s really going on.

It’s going to be worse then.

The Second Coming Will Not Be Secret

See, Jesus warns in the Gospel of Matthew 24 that there will be people saying the Messiah has returned here or the Messiah has returned there and that the second coming has secretly occurred.

Jesus warns the Jews not to believe such rumors or statements and come out of hiding. Because unlike the first coming, the second coming will not be in secret.

When Messiah returns the second time, all peoples will see it. For it will be like a flash of lightning surrounding the world. That’s what it says in Matthew 24.

Jesus said, “Behold, I have told you in advance.” So if they say to you, “Behold, he is in the wilderness,” do not go out. “Behold, he is in their inner rooms,” do not believe them.

For just as lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the son of man be. There will be nothing private about Jesus coming. Everyone will see him. Everyone will know what’s happening at that point.

But until that time, there will be a massive scale of deception going on in the world.

“When Messiah returns the second time, all peoples will see it — like a flash of lightning surrounding the world.”

Some have connected this to what the prophet Isaiah actually wrote concerning judgment on corrupt rulers and priests and prophets who believed and taught the people what was false and not the way of the Lord. This is what it said there: these unbelieving Israelites make lies their refuge.

Matter of fact, if you tell a lie long enough, people will actually believe it. And when they believe it, that will be their refuge. But it will bring no protection to them.

See this? That’s the first reason that Israel was swept away by falsehood.

The Flood of Armies Against Israel

They don’t know what to believe. They just have to hold to what God said in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. And then there’s a second reason why they’re swept away: because the serpent wants to swamp Israel with the flood of armies.

Many Jews will flee before the invaders strike.

It seems that Jordan will refuse Israel’s passage across its borders. And so the Jews will escape to Petra in the recesses of Edom and to Moab and Ammon and fly away.

The flood also describes the invasion that will come, which the king of the north—which is Gog, Russia—will launch against the Middle East. So they have to flee.

And it really corresponds with what Ezekiel the prophet predicts will happen to the northern aggressors that will come, and the earth will literally swallow up the armies by a catastrophic earthquake that shakes the land. Ezekiel actually talks about this.

But notice in verse 16 what it says. Not only is Satan’s persecution intensified, but now we see that because of God’s protection, his protection is nullified in verse 16. But the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.

So the community of Jesus’ children are under his protection all the way to the end.

“The earth opened its mouth and drank up the river — the community of Jesus’ children are under His protection to the end.”

From Anti-Semitism to Anti-Saints

But you think that would be it and that Satan would give up, put his tail between his legs and go his way. But no, that’s not what he does. What he does is he said, “Okay, if I can’t get Israel, what am I going to do next?” And you find that in verse 17. The serpent’s pursuit of God’s people is multiplied.

Notice what it says: “The dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her children.”

The serpent lost again and moves from anti-Semitism to anti-saints.

The old devil is so angry that he fought and lost three major battles. He goes to war with the rest of the family of the woman.

That means any saint, Jew or Gentile, who turns to Christ as their Lord and Savior is a target.

“The serpent moves from anti-Semitism to anti-saints — any who turn to Christ as Lord and Savior are a target.”

The Marks of True Saints: Keeping and Holding Fast

And those saints who are identified have two specific characteristics. Notice what it says in verse 17: those who keep the commandments of God and those who hold to the testimony of Jesus.

They keep the commandments of God and they hold to the testimony of Jesus. That simply means that one keeps what is valuable, what is a treasure, and they will let no one take it away or damage it or violate it.

That treasure is they’re waiting for somebody. Who are they waiting for? They’re waiting for the Messiah to come because now they’re getting converted in the land. They’re trusting Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Christ does mean Messiah in Greek. That’s what it means. They call him back: “Lord, save us.”

What do they do? They wait. While they’re being persecuted, they are waiting. They’re keeping the commandments of God. They’re holding fast to the testimony of Jesus. They’re never going to let go of that. They find that to be more treasure than anything they could be offered to them on this side of eternity.

“One keeps what is valuable, what is a treasure, and will let no one take it away or damage it or violate it.”

In Louisiana, a woman lies buried beneath a grove of 150-year-old oak trees in an old Christian cemetery. There’s only one word carved on her tombstone: waiting.

Aren’t we doing that right now? Aren’t we waiting?

Well, we just don’t wait and twiddle our thumbs. We have to wait and gird our loins not only with truth but to be battle ready because the two characteristics mentioned here in Revelation have always been the core beliefs of the saints.

It’s found recorded all throughout scriptures. In Joshua, he tells the people to keep the commandments and hold fast to him and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

In the Psalms, it tells us the same thing: put your confidence in God and do not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.

In the wisdom literature in Ecclesiastes 12:11, it says the conclusion when all has been heard: fear God, keep his commandments because this applies to every person.

In the prophets in Daniel, it says, “I pray to the Lord my God and confess and said, alas, oh Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant and loving kindness for those who love him and those who keep his commandments.”

Right in the gospels, he who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and I will disclose myself to him.

Everywhere you find these things in real saints, they know what to hold on to. They know what to treasure, especially when times are coming that we may not realize. After even the events of yesterday, what is going to be unleashed upon us, we do not know.

Do not get comfortable.

Be Watchful, Be Battle Ready

Be watchful. Be alert. Be diligent. Not only in your physical life but in your spiritual life. Because the deception level will go up and up and up. And unless your Bible, you will be deceived.

Unless what is written therein, you will be a target of the enemy and his many demons that are going to carry out his plans.

So this is how soldiers of Jesus Christ face an enemy who desires their undoing. In the service of our king, we must be on the alert.

The call to be effective in battle challenges us to be ready for the surprise attacks of our spiritual enemy. And knowing at the same time that Satan’s plans are no match for the Savior’s power.

“Be watchful. Be alert. Be diligent. Unless you know your Bible, you will be deceived.”

That has to be on our mind these days, and how appropriate this message is in light of what happened.

But Satan’s not finished. It will get worse.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you today for enlightening us from the scriptures about the enemy’s plan to usurp the authority of God, to put himself in charge of things and try to rule. But Lord, thank you that you are a God who has given us a salvation that is settled and sure. Your promises are yes and amen.

And Lord, the battle has been determined by you. Satan loses and the Lord wins. And all those who know you as Lord and Savior are also on the winning side.

So thank you Lord for informing us of the reality of life. Make us strong in the Lord to put on the armor of God to be able to stand up against all the wiles of Satan.

And I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

Let’s stand together.

Auto Transcript

Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 12 reveals the cosmic battle between Satan and God’s people, showing that the outcome is already determined. The chapter introduces key figures—the woman (Israel), the red dragon (Satan), the male child (Jesus), and the archangel Michael—demonstrating that God has kept every promise from Genesis to Revelation. Satan has relentlessly tried to prevent the Messiah’s birth, death, and victory, yet failed at every turn. Christ’s ascension and enthronement prove that God’s salvation is sure, our enemy is vanquished, and our atonement is complete through the blood of the Lamb.

Key Lessons:

1. God’s promises are settled—from the seed of the woman in Genesis to the ascension of Christ, God has kept every promise despite Satan’s opposition.
2. Our salvation is protected because no accusation can stand against God’s elect, since Christ’s blood has fully covered our sin.
3. Believers are called to actively resist the enemy, recognizing that the Christian life is a spiritual battle requiring the full armor of God.
4. True warriors of Christ overcome not by their own strength but by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and an unwavering loyalty to Jesus even unto death.

Application: We are called to wake up to the reality of spiritual warfare, put on the armor of God daily, resist temptation through the truth of Scripture, and live with an attitude of complete loyalty to Christ—willing to sacrifice everything for the gospel.

Discussion Questions:

1. In what areas of life have we fallen into a “peacetime mentality,” failing to recognize the spiritual battle around us?
2. How does knowing that Satan’s accusations against us have been silenced by Christ’s blood change the way we handle guilt and condemnation?
3. What practical steps can we take this week to move from merely experiencing temptation to actively resisting it through the power of God’s Spirit?

Scripture Focus: Revelation 12:1-11 reveals the war between Satan and God’s people; Genesis 3:15 establishes the promise of the Messiah through the seed of the woman; Romans 8:1, 33 assures that no condemnation or accusation can stand against those in Christ; Ephesians 6:10-12 calls believers to spiritual warfare; James 4:7 promises that resisting the devil causes him to flee.

Outline

• Introduction
• The Spiritual War Is Real
• God’s Promises Are Already Settled
• The Promise to Keep His Word
• The Woman: Israel
• The Red Dragon: Satan
• Satan’s Failed Attempts to Destroy the Messiah
• The Promise to Honor the Son
• The Ascension and Enthronement of Christ
• The Promise to Care for His People
• Satan’s Lawlessness at Work
• God’s Salvation Is Sure
• Our Enemy Is Vanquished
• Cast Out of the Third Heaven
• Our Salvation Is Protected
• Our Atonement Is Complete
• The Blood of the Lamb and the Word of Testimony
• No Other Way but Christ
• Resisting the Enemy’s Attacks
• Overcomers in Christ
• Loyal to Jesus Even Unto Death
• Closing Prayer

Introduction

Turn to Revelation 12. Revelation 12.

We’re looking at the battles that rage and the outcome is already determined. As I’ve been saying along the way, the book of Revelation is really talking about God’s final unveiling of the last days. And again, it’s talking about things that will come to pass hereafter. Not things here, not things during its long history, but in its culmination period, in the last days.

The book started out where the apostle John writes to us in chapter one: “I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day.” And that was talking about Christ in the church, the seven churches of Revelation. And then in chapter four, we see he moves and he says immediately he was in the spirit. And that began Christ in a sense in the cosmos, the process of world judgment.

So in both the Old and New Testament, a future is prophesied which will be unparalleled in horror and intensity. Nothing in the past can be compared to it and nothing will be like it ever again in the future. So this period is generally synonymous with the day of the Lord.

It’s the seven-year period of time yet future. And the last half of this time is referred to as the great tribulation.

But certainly the whole period of time, the whole seven years is a time of wrath. In chapter 12, it begins to drip with conflict and war. Satan is the center of these wars.

The Spiritual War Is Real

And he really propagates the mischief where he can during this time. Now you may not realize this, but there has been war all along since the beginning, since man fell. And not only war on earth, but there has been war also in heaven. The Bible lets us know about that.

And yet when we become a Christian, we realize that we are also pulled into this war because we realize spiritual battle like we never realized it before. And it’s come to my attention that many Christians don’t even realize that if they are Christians, they are in a spiritual battle, let alone putting on their armor and taking up the weapons to fight.

Some have really relegated the Christian experience to some kind of sugar and spice and everything nice type of approach to life. However, this approach does neuter the reality of the spiritual war and really gives a wrong impression of the Christian walk and the Christian life.

Here are some sound ministers that have quoted about spiritual warfare. One said this: “Our life in this world is a spiritual warfare. Whether we want it or not, it is inevitably so because of Satan.”

And then another said, “People who have no sense of conflict at all in their lives are patently just not Christians. They are asleep in the death of spirituality.”

And then another wrote, “As Christian people, as soon as we come into the Christian life, we become part of this mighty conflict between the forces of God and the forces of hell, and we are inevitably pulled into this battle whether we like it or not.”

And then another said, “Unfortunately, too many Christians live as if there is no war. They do not hear the bombs dropping all around us, nor the bullets zinging overhead, and consequently, too many Christian soldiers have gone AWOL and have been swallowed up in a peacetime mentality.”

See, it must be realized that positionally believers have victory in Christ in the heavenlies, but in reality, the victory will not be fully realized until the subjugation of all evil yet future. So that means this struggle is a present reality for every believer, which will culminate in the defeat of the devil and his angels at the second coming of Christ.

Let’s pray. Lord, this morning as we look at this chapter in Revelation, help us to understand more fully about this conflict. And Lord, not only that, but about how you are in charge of even this. And Lord, you have determined the outcome already, but the battle has to be fought.

And Lord, we’re brought into that battle. I pray that you would help us every day. Give us the strength. Help us to put on the armor of God so that we would know how to fight this battle because we have our eyes on you and we’re walking in the power and the strength of the Holy Spirit of God. I pray this in Christ’s name. Amen.

It’s important to see that from the beginning there has been conflict and war. And in the middle of the tribulation to the end, it will escalate and it will become worse and worse. And when Christ comes to the earth the second time, he will ultimately end it.

And so in this chapter, we’re going to see certain personages like the woman, the red dragon, the male child, and the angel, the archangel Michael. And just to recap from where we came from and where we’re going: Israel makes a league with Antichrist for seven years. The 144,000 are sealed Israelites. They will preach the gospel worldwide.

The Jews will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, indicating their return to the land, yet in unbelief. And then God sends two supernatural witnesses like Elijah and Moses to counteract, right in Palestine, the supernatural powers of Antichrist.

“The struggle is a present reality for every believer which will culminate in the defeat of the devil.”

So from the time Satan fell from heaven, he has continued an ongoing battle with good angels. He fights against God’s people, Israel, and the church. And when men fell into sin, they were brought into the battle.

And that’s why the Bible tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil because he’s still scheming.

Satan is attempting to get you and to get me to malfunction and then not function at all if he could. But for sure, we have to praise God because the saints, Christians, are on the winning side like we sang about this morning—we know the outcome.

“Jesus is the victor and we are victors with him.”

Jesus is the victor and we are victors with him.

So, as we saw last time, the seventh trumpet blows in Revelation 11:15, and the final wrap-up of the final judgment begins from chapter 12 to 14. Here’s another parenthesis, and it takes a look at the tribulation from not only a heavenly perspective, but also an earthly perspective.

The Apostle John sees God’s judgment pouring out from heaven onto the earth. So in reality, with all the characters in this passage of scripture and the next, we see that God is really the main character preparing and ensuring the saints about what has always been his purpose and plan. He has promised from the beginning that he will send a Messiah.

God’s Promises Are Already Settled

He will send a Christ. He will send someone to save his people from their sins. It really does start with the promises of God.

The first thing that I want to mention from chapter 12:1-6 is God’s promises are already settled.

The Promise to Keep His Word

And what promises are those? Well, there are several of them. The first one is the promise to keep his word.

Even when Adam and Eve were tempted to sin by Satan, the whole human race fell into sin and consequently separated from God. It was always the promise of God to guarantee deliverance through the seed of the woman. In Genesis, it tells us, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

So the first personage that we’re introduced to in this passage of scripture is the woman. Notice what it says in verses one and two: “A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head. And she was with child and cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth.”

So here is the woman, and the woman is really symbolic. She’s a symbolic representation of this great sign that appears in heaven, and she’s going to have a baby. Now if you look at your Bibles, you will have heard in the language of the Old Testament that the image of the woman is a classical symbol of Zion or Jerusalem and of Israel.

Genesis 3:15: “He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

The Woman: Israel

Back in Genesis 37, when Joseph had a dream, he dreamed about the sun and the moon and the stars, and all the stars bowed down before him. We know from the word of God that the 12 stars point to the 12 tribes of Israel, the patriarchs of the sons of Jacob. Jacob’s name would be changed to Israel.

Keep that in mind when we’re asking the question: who is this woman? Romans 9 reads, “Who are Israelites? To whom belongs the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, and the temple service, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is overall God blessed forever.” So the woman is Israel.

“Israel is the one who produces the male child—the nation that would bring forth the Messiah.”

In other words, Israel is the one who produces the male child. The nation of Israel would bring forth the Messiah. From Abraham to the days of Mary, the nation of Israel was preparing to bring forth a male child that would bless the entire world. That’s what it says in verse 5: “And she gave birth to a son, a male child.”

Satan is after the male child. By going after the woman Israel, the suffering of the nation is the real focus in this chapter rather than the historic birth of Christ by Mary. Somebody comes after her, wants to kill her—Israel and the Messiah whom Israel produces. Who is that person? We have the second personage in our passage, and that is the red dragon.

The Red Dragon: Satan

Verse 3 and 4. Notice what it says. Then another sign appeared in heaven. And behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns. And on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child.

So here the red dragon we know is Satan himself. And the red actually points to the dragon’s ferocious, murderous, beastly, cruel power that he has. And this other sign that is given in heaven, it says that he has seven heads representing seven empires and 10 horns.

Now, theologically or biblically, this could be the final form of the revived Roman Empire where 10 kings will dominate during the tribulation period. And the original 10 kingdoms which were subdued by the little horn in Daniel. And the little horn was the world ruler of the great tribulation who reigns over this revived empire during the tribulation period.

And then it says on his head he has seven diadems. That Satan in other words has power and has authority over the major empires of the world. Satan will have involvement in the nations and the governments and he will use the government of men to work his evil as he is doing today.

The things going on in the governments today. You think that is by chance? That is not by chance. He is pulling the strings behind the scenes. He is getting the world ready for his rule here in the tribulation.

So there will be 10 nations, a 10 nation confederacy that will be headed by the antichrist. Satan’s power is real. And his intent is evil. His intent is to destroy and to kill.

And Satan usurps for himself the dominion that belongs to God alone. And God allows this for a while. And the dragon, what he wants to do is he wants people to bow down to him and worship him. And we’re going to find that comes in the rest of the book of Revelation.

He gets that in the unholy trinity that comes about because he wants to mimic Christ as close as possible so he can deceive those who believe that he’s Christ himself. But what happens here in verse 4 is that the dragon falls. And it’s because of his diabolical plan.

But notice what it says. It says in verse 4, “And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.” That Satan was thrown out of heaven and thrown to the earth. And he dragged along with him one-third of the angels because they believed him other than God himself.

And so the angels with Satan on earth have tried everything possible to stop the Messiah from being born. Do you realize that where it says in verse 4, “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth, he might devour the child.” So Satan has always been about holding back the plan of God.

“Satan will use the government of men to work his evil as he is doing today.”

Satan’s Failed Attempts to Destroy the Messiah

He always knew that God would send a deliverer. Satan has always tried to prevent this event from happening. If you go back a little bit in your mind, Satan tempted Eve and the whole human race was plunged into sin. God guaranteed their deliverance through the seed of the woman.

This is what we see in scripture. Satan tries to stop the seed. What does he do? He murders Abel through Cain. Then Satan tries to destroy the Davidic line.

In fact, at one time in 2 Kings, the Bible says there was one boy left in the Davidic line, and that was Joash. Athaliah wanted to destroy all the royal offspring and she almost succeeded except for one woman who pulled Joash out from that line and hid him for six years. He tried to destroy the line that would produce the Messiah. That one person was rescued and kept in place so that the line would not die out.

Satan tried to cut off the Hebrew nation in Egypt, but God raised up Joseph to save the people. Satan tried very, very hard to make sure Messiah would not come into the world as the God-man and as the baby child who would be born of a virgin birth. He would be able to live a completely perfect life so he could show who God is and show us who the Father is, and then ultimately go to the cross. He did not succeed. Jesus is the victor.

Notice again in verse 5: “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with a rod of iron, and her child will be caught up to God to his throne.” This is Jesus Christ who will rule all nations with a rod of iron.

Has that happened yet? The answer is no. But it’s going to happen in the millennial kingdom when he is ruling on this world after the tribulation. He has to do it with a rod of iron because there are still wicked nations in the world that don’t submit to Christ. But they have to submit because of his authority and the way he is ruling.

Satan tried to get Herod to make a decree to kill all the male babies so Messiah wouldn’t come. Satan tried to destroy Jesus during his earthly ministry. Satan tried to tempt Jesus to accept his offer and avoid the cross: “I’ll give you all the kingdoms of the world.” Satan tried to throw Christ over a cliff. Satan incited the scribes and the Pharisees to stone Jesus to death.

Satan entered into Judas, his inner circle, to betray Jesus and hand him over to be put to death. Luke tells us that Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. He got into Jesus’ inner circle for what reason? To prevent Jesus from going to the cross.

So he tried not only to prevent the birth, but he tries to prevent the death of Christ. He tried to prevent the victory of Christ. He thought in the death of Christ that he won because the cross had a lot to do with Satan also. And yet what happens? The outcome of the battle between Satan and Israel, or the woman over the man-child Jesus, the God-man.

“Jesus is the victor. Satan did not succeed.”

The Promise to Honor the Son

Did Satan get him? No. Didn’t get him at all. See, that first promise is that God keeps his word. From the beginning of Genesis all the way to the end, God keeps his word.

And so the people—not only us today, but the people of the tribulation—have to depend on the promises of God. They have to know their history. They have to know what scripture teaches so they can endure through that terrible time that they’re going to go through.

Now, that brings me to a second promise, and that is in verse five. The second part of verse five is the promise for God the Father to honor his own son. Notice what it says in verse 5: “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” And notice the last part: “And her child was caught up to God and to his throne.”

So what is this? The dragon might have thought that he had the power to devour Christ, but his plan failed. Jesus not only defeated Satan and death on the cross, but he rose again to give eternal life to all who believe and then to what? To ascend into heaven. That’s what we have here. We have the ascension of Jesus Christ.

But not only the ascension—the Father honors his son by taking him out, bringing him back to heaven. This is the glorification of the son here who rules the nations with a rod of iron.

“From the beginning of Genesis all the way to the end, God keeps his word.”

This child which the woman bore was destined to rule and reign. This child was the Messiah and he would rule as king of kings and lord of lords for a thousand years on this earth. And he will rule with a rod of iron. This child is the Messiah.

Not only that, but this son, this child Jesus ascends to heaven. Notice what it says in verse 5: “And her child was caught up to God.” That’s the ascension.

The Ascension and Enthronement of Christ

In fact, if you remember from the book of Acts 1, remember when Jesus was standing there, the disciples were standing there and this is what it says in Acts 1:9. “And after he had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. And they said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven.’”

So his feet leave the Mount of Olives. What does Zechariah tell us?

Acts 1:11: “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way.”

He’s going to return the same place he left. That’s what Jesus does, right? The father honors the son by taking him out of this world. The battle in some way against preventing the Messiah from coming or preventing the cross has failed completely.

Jesus is not only glorified in this passage. He is sent to heaven, but also he is enthroned. It says in verse 5, and to his throne. He’s enthroned as the son, seated at the right hand of God the father with power and authority. Seated because his work on earth is done.

What is he doing there? He’s praying for us. He’s praying for his people. And he’s preparing a place for us that where he is, we may go.

“He’s praying for us. He’s praying for his people. And he’s preparing a place for us.”

The Promise to Care for His People

That’s what the Bible says about what Jesus has done. So that’s what Jesus does. That’s what the Father does. He promises to honor the Son. He promises to keep his promises. And then also the third promise in verse 6, the promise to care for his people.

Now if Jesus is not here and Jesus ascended into heaven and he’s seated at the right hand of the Father, what’s Satan going to do now? What does he do? Verse 6. And then it says, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that she would be nourished for 1,260 days.”

See, Satan thought he won, but Jesus was caught up to heaven. Jesus is ascended into heaven where he is seen as glorified and exalted. And Satan could not stop it. So if Satan could not get Christ, he would have to continue to dog someone. So what does he do? He dogs Israel. He dogs the nation of Israel.

That’s what he does. He dogs the church. He kicks against the church. But he dogs in this time this particular people who he knows are going to leave him and they’re going to start believing in Jesus as the true Messiah. So he’s enraged at what’s going on. And this is what he does. He goes after Israel. That’s what he does. And that’s what it says in verse 6.

And what does God do? How does God care for his people? This is the promise. He prepares a place for them in verse 6 where they’re going to be nourished and protected for 1,260 days.

So the mother of the child is Israel. Because of the great persecution in the second half of the tribulation, a portion of the nation of Israel flees into the wilderness. That is a safe place prepared by God and then nourished by God through this period of time.

Now it uses the number here 1,260 days. The Daniel passage we read had the other way of describing it: the time, times, and a half a time. And then it’s also recorded in Revelation as 42 months and then three and a half years. All of it is telling us this period of time is going to happen. It’s going to take place. These things are really going to be.

Therefore, Israel is brought forth that brought forth the Messiah. And the first battle is between the dragon, the devil, who is determined to stop this thing and destroy the baby before he’s born. And Satan is a slick operator and you won’t explicitly see him out there in the open. Satan is always hiding, giving the strong impression that he doesn’t even exist. But yet Second Thessalonians tells us that this is not the way he messes things up.

“God prepares a place for them where they’re going to be nourished and protected.”

Satan’s Lawlessness at Work

It. This disorder, this lawlessness that Thessalonians describes is not simply referring to disorder and a violation of law, but it is referring to what’s going on behind the lawlessness. That behind the lawlessness is the aim of the devil to overthrow the rule and law of God and to establish his own rule.

In other words, even though this evil, this man of sin is not yet revealed, the spirit that will permeate his career is already operational. It’s becoming more evident every single day that if you have eyes to see as a Christian and if you have ears to hear what’s going on, this world is definitely getting to a place where lawlessness is now in our face. No longer just behind the scenes, it’s in our face.

We don’t have a world where we’re going to see righteousness. We’re going to see more and more lawlessness.

Even though this lawlessness is working now, it is working under restraint. Thessalonians tells us that this lawlessness is not as bad as it will be. Something is in the way of it fully gushing out. However, in time, the restrainer, which I believe is the church, the temple of God on earth filled with the spirit of God—when we’re removed and the church is out, then this lawlessness just takes over the world.

Satan loves to cause confusion. Anytime there’s confusion, there’s disillusionment, there’s all kind of misunderstanding, he has his fingerprints all over it. That’s why Christians are supposed to know the truth so we could know when we detect he’s been fooling around with things.

“Behind the lawlessness is the aim of the devil to overthrow the rule and law of God.”

Satan has fooled around with every religious system that’s on this earth today. Every one of them. Only the true church in Jesus Christ is the one who holds to the scriptures, holds to the word of God, and then reads it, studies it, follows it, lives it—those are the ones who know what’s really happening.

Even Daniel’s passage of scripture says the ones who are unrighteous won’t know what’s going on, but the righteous ones will know what’s going on. We know what’s going on, and we ought to live our life every day because we do know what’s going on.

The promises of God are settled in heaven.

God’s Salvation Is Sure

We have to know that as believers, and I believe people in the tribulation have to know that, too. But there’s a second thing, and it’s this: back to Revelation 12:7.

Our Enemy Is Vanquished

That God’s salvation is sure. Not only are his promises definitely determined, but also his salvation is sure. And there are three reasons for that. The first reason is this: because our enemy is vanquished.

Verse 7 of Revelation 12 says, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war.” In verse 8, “And they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.”

Let me stop right there. We see that this enemy of ours—remember Satan got kicked out of heaven and drew a third of the angels with him. He was once Lucifer ministering close to the throne of God.

Revelation 12:7: “There was war in heaven. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon.”

Pride welled up in his heart and he rebelled against God and was able to take a third of the angels with him. Because of that, he incurred the judgment of God and was cast out of heaven, taking a numerous amount of fallen angels in his rebellion.

He introduced sin into the human race by his temptation of Adam and Eve recorded in Genesis 3. He has been waging war ever since and has not stopped. Satan’s minions are fighting against Michael and his angels. That’s amazing what’s going on here.

There was war in heaven. Michael’s angels were waging war with his angels, right? The dragon and his angels are waging war and Michael and his angels are waging war. The good against the bad waging war.

What are they fighting for? No longer the child, because Jesus is in heaven. The issue has been settled as far as he is concerned. He lost there.

So here’s a second battle he’s having. If we read on in our passage, notice what it says in verse 8: “The dragon and his angels waged war and they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.”

Verse 9 says, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who was called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him.”

Now, I believe Scripture is pointing to us. You can’t make a mistake about who we’re talking about here, right? We’re talking about this slanderous, deceptive, devilish adversary of God and God’s people. That’s who we’re talking about here.

The result of the battle in heaven is that Satan is cast out of heaven by the Archangel Michael. The reason for that is that he was not able to fight against the Archangel Michael. He could not win against him and his angels. He was too weak to do that.

Michael seems to be the commanding general and has been in the conflict with the devil over the ages. You go back into the Old Testament and you see fighting with Michael, evil behind the scenes, demons behind the scenes.

We don’t really know the like of this battle in heaven between the dragon and his minions and Michael and his angels. But we do know it was a decisive battle. One can make no mistake about who gets thrown out of the third heaven.

“Satan was cast out of heaven by the Archangel Michael. It was a decisive battle.”

Cast Out of the Third Heaven

It is this man, this serpent, this devil, this Satan, this deceiver of the whole world. He’s the one that gets thrown out. He is the ring leader of it all.

Just by way of note for you, we learn from scripture that there are three heavens. The third heaven is where God dwells. Well, how do we know that?

Remember when Paul was caught up to the third heaven, it says in 2 Corinthians, “I know a man in Christ for 14 years—14 years ago, whether in body, I don’t know, or out of body, I don’t know. I know God knows such a man who was caught up to the third heaven.”

So the third heaven is where God dwells. Satan is cast out of that place.

Obviously, he did have access to that. We see in Joshua, he does have access to that. But here it means that Satan and his demons still have temporary access to the first heaven, which is space, and the second heaven, which is the sky above.

Our Salvation Is Protected

I believe that’s what Paul was referring to in Ephesians when he says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places,” and that Satan is the prince and power of the air.

See, he still has ability to move in and out of parts of God’s creation, but he can no longer go to the third heaven. He’s cast out of that completely. God’s salvation is sure because our enemy is vanquished, but also because our salvation is protected.

Notice in verse 10, it says, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. He accuses them before our God day and night.”

When a person—let me just say this. Why are they fighting? This is why they’re fighting. Because Satan has been accusing God’s people day and night in the presence of God. And Michael the Archangel said you no longer belong in this place.

It’s time for house cleaning. It’s time to get rid of you. So they fight about it once for all, and that is what we have here in our text, and they’re cast out.

Ephesians 6:12: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Now what does that mean for us? When a person comes to Christ for salvation, no accusation can stick because there can never be an accusation against God’s elect.

What does Paul say in Romans? “Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ.” And then in verse 33 of chapter 8, he says, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies.”

In other words, if you’re justified because the blood of Christ has covered you and made you clean, no one can bring an accusation against you and me because Christ already took care of that. See, our salvation is protected by God.

Romans 8:1, 33: “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ… Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?”

Yes, because our salvation is protected, it is because Jesus has fought the greatest fight and has won the greatest battle. So what is the reaction of heaven in verse 10? “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven,” and notice what it says: “The salvation, the power, the kingdom of God, the authority of his Christ have come.”

That’s heaven’s reaction. All of heaven—the martyred saints, the 24 elders, the angels—they are singing a song of triumph in anticipation of the ultimate victory of Christ. One commentary said it like this: the great act of rescue resulting in the safety of all believers.

And despite all the efforts of Satan, God will save his people from all over the world. Doesn’t matter what’s going on, the gospel is still going out and it’s going out with power. It’s going out everywhere. God’s using social media, too. But he’s using it to bring the gospel to people, to bring truth to people. He’s using it also in a righteous way.

Our Atonement Is Complete

So Satan has been brought low. In this case, his mouth has been stopped. His character has been exposed. And there’s a third reason why our salvation is sure. And it’s this in verse 11: because our atonement is complete.

And it says this in verse 11: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the lamb, because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life even when faced with death.” See, our atonement is complete.

But just think, maybe you’re not familiar with the word atonement that’s taught in scripture. What it really means is that Christ’s death was a substitution for sinners. You and I should have been dying there. Christ died in our place, right?

And then when he was there, God imputed the guilt of our transgressions to Christ and then punished him for them. That’s what he did. And then included in that is it was a full payment for sin. It was a complete payment for sin. It was a final payment for sin.

And why? To satisfy the wrath of God. To satisfy the righteousness and justice of God so that he could forgive sin without compromising his holy standard. He can pour it all out on Jesus and Jesus would take care of it.

“It was a full payment for sin, a complete payment, a final payment—to satisfy the wrath of God.”

Satisfy his justice, the justice of the Father. So you and I could have a complete salvation in light of these truths that God’s promises are settled and God’s salvation is sure.

We cannot miss this fact. We are still in warfare. We are on the victory side, but we’re not home yet. And Christ hasn’t come yet.

So there are several things that are common to all true warriors of Christ. Here’s the first thing: the Satan saints battle is won by Christ. It says here because of the blood of the lamb. A second thing: the grounds for the believer’s victory.

Oh yes, have saints sinned? Yes. But there is no one to accuse them because he has been thrown down and defeated.

And since we have been redeemed by Christ from under the power of Satan, he cannot regain his hold on us again. His power over us is completely and forever broken. Oh, he will lie to you. He will deceive you. He will send temptation your way.

But see, you cannot believe him anymore. You cannot give in to him anymore. See, the saints conquer their accusers for two reasons. They overcame him because of the blood of the lamb. So the sins of all the brethren has disappeared. It has been washed clean and made white by the blood of Jesus.

The Blood of the Lamb and the Word of Testimony

And as I mentioned before, the altar was a place of sacrifice. On top of the altar was the judgment of God. But on the bottom of the altar was the cleansing forgiveness of the blood that washes away the sin.

When the sin is washed away, the believer now has fellowship with God. God looks upon them with favor and with pleasure, not in judgment or in wrath. Notice also in verse 11: they not only overcame them by the blood of the lamb, but by the word of their testimony.

What is the testimony of the saints? The testimony of the saints concerns the blood of the lamb. That’s our testimony. That’s the message we preach.

If ever we are to conquer Satan in the world, we must hold to and proclaim the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. It is an essential doctrine of the church. It cannot be altered or minimized or ignored.

Whenever there is a clear declaration of justification by faith in Jesus Christ, then the church comes forth in her glory and bruises the dragon’s head.

“When there is a clear declaration of justification by faith, the church bruises the dragon’s head.”

If you want to deliver souls from the power of Satan, you must preach the sacrifice of Jesus and his power to remove sin.

When Satan casts people, he casts them about in the chains of darkness and in drug addiction and in sexual uncleanness or self-righteousness or self-centered pride, whatever it may be. Satan always deals in the euphoric and the mystical and the religious and the unrealistic realm. That’s where he deals with things and he pulls people into that realm.

When you’re in that realm, you can’t understand anything. Everything is confusing. Nobody knows what’s up or down or left or right. But that’s his goal: to confuse people.

He is the author of confusion and chaos. He is very good at it.

No Other Way but Christ

See, that’s why we need to know the truth. Where do we stand? Do we stand on the blood of Christ? Do we stand on the word of the testimony of Christ, on what he’s done? We must stand there.

We need to let sinners know how sin was punished in Jesus and how ready the Lord is to forgive them. That’s what we need to do and press that and live that before people. We must preach the blood of Jesus as the only way of salvation. There is no other way.

In all the millions of religions in the world, there’s only one Christ. Amen. Satan wasn’t fighting with all the other religions. He was fighting with one—the one who’s going to produce the Messiah and who will send that Messiah to the cross to die for sinners and then rise from the grave. That’s who he’s fighting against.

These other religions are his. He’s the author of them because he’s getting people to say it’s by your good works that you go to heaven, it’s by your righteousness that you go to heaven. If you have some divine scales in heaven and hopefully your good works outweigh your bad works, God will say, “Okay, I think I’ll let that person in.” That’s how you get in.

That’s how you go to hell. You get in by taking all your sin to Christ and believing in him. That’s how you get saved. That’s how you get right with God. That’s how you get your sin forgiven. That’s how you conquer with the blood of Christ, and that becomes the word of your testimony.

See the old story of redeeming grace and dying love. There is no weapon like a testimony of the cleansing blood of Christ. Tell the sinner that there is no sin that man has done that the blood cannot put away and wash away.

“In all the millions of religions in the world, there’s only one Christ.”

It doesn’t matter how deep, how long you have sinned, or how much you’ve been captured by it. It is the blood of Christ that will free you from that because he washed it away and he forgave you. But if you don’t believe that, if you don’t know that, if you haven’t received that by faith, then you have to come and believe in Christ because he’s the only way. There’s no other way. No other religion in the world produces this.

Even the three major religions of the world don’t produce that. They give you false hope. You have to do this and you have to do that. You have the ten things to get to heaven and all these kinds of stuff. That’s all lies. It’s all authored by Satan.

Resisting the Enemy’s Attacks

So there’s another thing common to all warriors in Christ, and it’s just this: we learned from scripture that we are to resist the enemy’s attacks. But brethren, remember this—the pathway to victory has been trodden and fought by the most honored of the elect of God.

Just take the Apostle Paul, for instance, who won victories for Christ. Nevertheless, the Bible says he had the messenger of Satan to buffet him. His whole life, Satan was coming against him somehow, whatever that was, to stop him from doing what God called him to do. But he never stopped.

See, Paul had to stand against doubts and fears insinuated by the old serpent. Even you and I must stand. You and I will not conquer without conflict. If there’s no cross, there’s no crown. We will be attacked by the enemy.

You can mark that on your calendar.

And when you are attacked, what are saints to do? Well, we are led to resist the evil one. For no one overcomes an antagonist without fighting with him. But there are two sides of a real battle: there’s the antagonist who’s against you, and there is the one who resists the antagonist.

Now temptation is like an antagonist. Most professing Christians know much about temptations, but they don’t know much about resisting. A lot of times in counseling situations, you’re presenting them the word of God, and they have the power, if they’re real believers, to actually resist the thing they got caught into.

They’re enslaved to it, and they can resist it because they have the power to do that by God. But you hear people being tempted, but not too many people resisting. And now, brethren, however great our temptations, our resistance must be greater.

To be tempted is common even to the worst of sinners. But to resist temptation—mark this down—to resist temptation is the mark of a child of God. So if you are a believer and you have been attacked by Satan and you have been tempted to do certain things, what are you going to do? You’re going to resist him, and you’re going to resist him in the truth.

It says in Ephesians 6 to resist in the evil day when Satan has his crosshairs on you and he’s going to come against you. Some heightened day and unexpected spiritual battle comes into your path. You don’t even realize it was happening sometimes, and all of a sudden, bam—you’re caught into an old sin. You’re caught in an old pattern. Your mind is starting to think imaginary evil thoughts. Where do they come from?

So you have to resist those things. And how do you do that? James tells us: resist the devil and he will what? Flee from you. But what if you don’t resist? What happens?

It’s like the proverbial hook, the worm on the hook. He dangles it in front of you, and if you take it and don’t resist, he yanks it. It gets caught, and he drags you right along. That’s what he does.

But see, the thing is that you have to realize you are in a battle, but you have the armor of God to stand up against anything he throws at you. See, a sure evidence—a sure evidence that the voice of the Holy Spirit is becoming louder and louder every day in your life—is when you resist temptation.

“A sure evidence that the Holy Spirit is becoming louder in your life is when you resist temptation.”

The saint wrestles hard, keeps guard, and doesn’t give an inch until they drive the sword of the spirit through the heart of the enemy. That’s what we have the power to do by God’s spirit.

And rest assured, sin will never be conquered without resistance.

Overcomers in Christ

And yes, the victory is won in Christ, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We must watch and pray and strive and agonize and press forward as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. That’s what the Bible says.

See what is common to all warriors of Christ. They resist the enemy’s attacks. They resist temptation. A second thing is they are overcomers. Look what it says in verse 11: “And they overcame him.” So all Christ warriors overcome.

In other words, heaven is not for those who merely fight, but for those who actually overcome. It’s one thing to fight against sin. It’s another thing to overcome it.

For if sin overcomes you, if in fact sin becomes your master, then you have yet to know the true salvation that is yours in Christ. Paul wrote in Romans 6, “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.” And then down to verse 14, he says, “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”

So the believer feels the battle, but he also rejoices in the victory both at the same time. You wrestle as a Christian and you conquer at the same time.

Romans 6:12: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts.”

Loyal to Jesus Even Unto Death

Now that leaves me one part of the passage yet left. Not only do we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony, but back in Revelation 2:10, the Bible was exhorting those there against satanic opposition. And it says, “Resist him and be faithful even unto death.”

Well, what? We have the same thing here. See, Jesus says, “He who runs well to the end, he who holds in there, who keeps going, who walks with me all the way to the end.” And then notice there is another thing common to all warriors of Christ. Verse 11: “And they did not love their life even when faced with death.”

What is that? They were loyal to Jesus. What do we need today? We need people who are loyal. Loyalty goes a long way.

Loyalty in families, loyalty in churches, loyalty in living the Christian life, loyalty to Jesus.

Now just imagine that is the mindset we actually should have. This passage right here—they didn’t love their life even when faced with death—there was a disconnect from loving the world and the things of the world and the pursuits of the world and the things that I want, all gone away. So when it came down to it, they would be willing to die for Christ even if somebody offered them the kingdoms of the world. They could not be tempted.

“They didn’t love their life even when faced with death—they were loyal to Jesus.”

They could not be bribed. They could not be led aside. They couldn’t be offered a better deal.

But in their unswerving loyalty and affection for Jesus and the only gospel that saves, they did not hesitate. If need be, they would give their life for Jesus Christ. Why? Because they know it’s not the end. It’s actually the beginning—enter into glory to be with the Lord forever and ever.

Don’t forget in this scheme of things, in God’s plan, that he’s not only started, but he’s going to finish. You and I are included in all that. Not only are we going to go into the presence of God, but when Jesus comes back again, we’re coming back with him and we’re going to reign and rule in the world as he sees fit. We’re all part of the program.

So losing your life is nothing compared to serving Jesus till the day you die. That’s the most important thing.

How could the warriors of Christ live with that attitude of life? I believe because God’s promises are settled, they are yes and amen. And because God’s salvation is sure and the outcome is determined by God himself. Amen. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank you so much for such a passage of scripture like this. Lord, you can give us your mind on things. You can open up the curtains of heaven and show us what’s going on.

You can see how battle has been raging for a long time. But Lord, we as believers are the only ones who now see it because we have the word of God that shows us that these things actually have taken place. And thank you, Lord. Thank you so much that because you shed your blood on the cross, by your blood we’re forgiven of everything. We’re made clean.

We’re able to go into your heaven, not based on our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ on our account. Thank you, Lord, for saving us. Continue to work in our life. Let us be warriors that resist the enemy. Let us be warriors that overcome the enemy by the truth that we understand and know from scripture.

Knowing, Lord, if it comes down to it, that you would give us that grace—that if we have to lose our life for the sake of the gospel, we wouldn’t even think twice. I pray you, Lord, use us to have this mindset. Even if we don’t have to die for you, that we would have the mindset that we would live with that kind of attitude. I pray this today in the name of Jesus.