Book: Revelation

The Harvest of the Earth
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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

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.
October 12, 2025
The Victory of the Lamb and His Followers
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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

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.
September 14, 2025
Last Days’ World Prophet—The Beast from the Earth
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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

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.
September 7, 2025
The Antichrist —The Beast from the Sea
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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 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

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.
August 17, 2025
The Battles Rage – The Outcome is Determined, Part 2
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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

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.
June 22, 2025
The Battles Rage – The Outcome is Determined, Part 1
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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 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

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.
June 8, 2025
A Forecast of the Majesty of God and Things to Come
Auto Transcript

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

Summary

This passage from Revelation 11:15-19 reveals the majesty of God as He takes His throne and establishes His eternal kingdom. The nations rage against Christ’s reign, but God responds with righteous judgment, raising the dead, rewarding His saints, and destroying the destroyers. The opening of the heavenly temple and the visibility of the ark of the covenant signal the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises — the restoration of His glory among His people with no veil of separation.

Key Lessons:
1. God has restrained His power throughout history, but a day is coming when He will permanently take His reign and never again allow rebellion against His throne.
2. The glory of God, which departed from Israel due to disobedience, will one day return fully — and all believers will have unhindered access to God’s presence.
3. God’s judgment includes both the resurrection and reward of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked — no one escapes accountability before Him.
4. The entire arc of redemptive history — from Abraham to the New Jerusalem — points toward God dwelling with His people without separation.
Application: We are called to live in confident expectation of Christ’s return, growing stronger in faith through the study of prophecy, and ensuring we have received Jesus Christ as Savior to be delivered from God’s coming wrath.

Discussion Questions:
1. How does understanding God’s ultimate victory over the nations change the way we respond to injustice and evil in the world today?
2. What does the removal of the veil and the open access to God’s presence mean for how we approach God in prayer and worship right now?
3. How should the certainty of God’s future judgment and reward motivate the way we serve Him in our daily lives?
Scripture Focus: Revelation 11:15-19 — the seventh trumpet, God’s kingdom established; Psalm 2 — the nations rage but God laughs; Genesis 12 — God’s covenant with Abraham; Exodus and 2 Chronicles — the glory filling the tabernacle and temple; Ezekiel 34-43 — the departure and return of God’s glory; Revelation 22:12 — Christ’s reward at His coming.

Outline
The Kingdom Established Forever

Introduction

Them like earth and wear. He’s talking about the nations that are constantly coming up in rebellion against us and who is to come. But here in Revelation, we don’t find that designation here in Revelation 11:15. It says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” Verse 16, “And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones before God will fall on their faces and worship God, saying, ‘We give thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were.’” But it doesn’t say there who is to come.

Actually, what the elders give to the Lord is what we all should give to the Lord. That’s the sacrifice God wants all of us to give him, and that’s the fruit of our lips as Hebrews tells us through him.

Then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of the lips that give thanks to his name. And that’s what the elders do here in Revelation 11:17. The elders give to the Lord thanks, saying, “We give thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, but is to come is eliminated.” And why is that? Because it says in the rest of the passage, you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.

This is what they’re excited about—the elders in heaven—that it is the time in the plan of God for Jesus Christ to actually take the reign and begin to rule. And he will rule. It’s the fulfillment of Psalm 29 where Christ, the anointed of God, reigns supreme over all the earth.

Revelation 11:17: “You have taken your great power and have begun to reign.”

God’s Almighty Power Unleashed

The heavenly throne becomes the earthly throne. God comes from heaven to this earth. Our truly majestic God does this by his almighty power.

Up to this point, God has restrained his power. But now he puts it into use and he demonstrates it in his eternality, in his authority, and in his ability to accomplish what he started. God has allowed his enemies to raise their heads against him, but these affairs will forever be ended.

God has taken the power permanently and will forever reign supreme. Never again will he give the power or the opportunity to come against him and his people again.

It is a time for these elders and for us to be very excited about what the Lord is going to do for you and me when it comes to the future. The temporal reign of sin and the temporal nature of life in this sinful world will be replaced by the eternal godhead, by an eternal kingdom, by eternal life in glory for the faithful children of God.

“God has taken the power permanently and will forever reign supreme.”

In Revelation 13, it speaks of the coming antichrist. Revelation 13:7 says, “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them and authority and every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.” God allows that to happen.

But what happens is that in Revelation 19:20, the beast will be captured along with the false prophet and be thrown into the lake of fire. Then in Revelation 20:6, it reminds us that believers shall reign with Jesus Christ for a thousand years.

The Nations Rage Against Christ’s Reign

However, the nations are not happy when Jesus begins to reign in this world.

Remember, when he comes to reign in this world, there will still be rebellion. There will still be sinful people. There will still be people that are against him and against the people of God.

So, how do the nations of the world react to Jesus Christ taking his reign and ruling and coming to this earth? Well, they are not happy. They’re not happy about God’s majestic plan of salvation. In fact, the nations are downright angry with him.

That’s what we see in scripture in Revelation 11:18. What does it say here about the nations? It says, “And the nations were enraged that the heathens. The kings, the rulers rage against Jehovah and the anointed of God. They rage against them.”

“The nations are downright angry with God’s majestic plan of salvation.”

We read in Psalm 2, “And the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed.” So the nations, what do they do? How do they respond? Remember, this is a global event.

The whole world is involved with what’s going on here. This is not just a localized thing. The nations of the world are begrudging his coming.

See, that’s why the Lord has to rule with a rod of iron when he comes. He has to keep justice in check because the whole world will be raging against what has taken place.

The Defeat of the Nations

They never want a righteous ruler to reign on the throne. They never wanted anyone who was like Jesus to rule over them. So the anger of the nations is an act of great folly. Their wrath was inspired by the beast out of the abyss. So their wrath comes right from the pit of hell.

The nations have been raging all along. But now it’s the Lord’s day. It’s time. We see in this passage the defeat of the nations. But how does God defeat the nations? Notice what it says in verse 18.

“They never want a righteous ruler to reign on the throne.”

It says that, “And the nations were enraged and your wrath came.” In other words, God’s wrath is going to be poured out on the nations. He’s going to keep them in check. And how does he do that?

The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead

Well, if you notice also in verse 18, there’s going to be a time when God will judge the dead, those who died. In verse 18, it says, “And the nations were enraged and your wrath came and the time came for the dead to be judged.”

Now, this is a very difficult passage of scripture. Many interpretations exist, but I believe what is in view is the resurrection of the righteous dead rather than the resurrection of the wicked dead. The resurrection of the wicked dead will be after the millennium at the great white throne.

“What is in view is the resurrection of the righteous dead rather than the wicked dead.”

This refers to Old Testament saints and tribulation saints who have been slain. They will be called from their graves so that Christ might pronounce final judgment. This is the declaration of God’s righteous judgment and wrath against a defiant world.

And what does he do? The people that you persecuted, the people that you killed for the faith and for the word of God—I’m going to raise them up from the dead. And what does it say in Psalm 2? After the nations rage, this is what it says: he sits in the heavens and laughs.

Who sits in heaven and laughs? The Lord does.

God Raises Up Those Who Were Persecuted

The Lord scoffs at them because they think, “Well, you killed my servants. You’ve persecuted those prophets I sent to you. And what am I going to do? I’m going to raise them up. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to have them stand on their feet again. I’m going to have them serve me again.

“I’m going to raise them up. I’m going to have them stand on their feet again.”

This is quite an effective way to dismantle the rebellion of the nations. What God has the power to do that? There’s only one. And he’s reigning on the throne in Jerusalem.

The people that were killed for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God are now alive. That’s God’s judgments against the nations.

The Time to Reward His Saints

The judgment of God should remind us of the ultimate accountability that we all have before God. We know that the final judgment in Revelation 20 will include a final resurrection and judgment of the wicked dead at the great white throne. The time had come for God to judge the dead.

The second thing to notice in verse 18 is that the time came also to reward his saints. That’s why I’m looking at that first part of the passage as God raising the righteous dead. In verse 18, it says, let me read the whole thing.

“And the nations were enraged, and your wrath came. And the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward your bondservants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, small and great.” In verse 18, God rewards his saints, and he does this before the world.

“God rewards his saints — and he does this before the world.”

There are five designations but only really two groups: prophets and saints, both called slaves of God, and those who fear God’s name. The Lord will make no distinctions between kings and slaves. The Lord will show no favoritism in judgment and reward, even with his own.

What does it say in Revelation 22:12? “Behold, I am coming quickly and my reward is with me to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Judgment at the Bema Seat

Remember the bema seat judgment for believers is not going to be on them being judged for their sin but being judged for their works. What have they done for the Lord? How have they served the Lord?

And we know in Revelation that reward will be given to the overcomers.

“The judgment for believers is not for their sin but for their works — what have they done for the Lord?”

Vindication will be given to the martyrs that was promised them. Reward will be given to the persecuted. Reward will be for those faithful in their conduct before the Lord.

So the Lord, it is time to judge.

Destroying the Destroyers

It will be his time to reward his saints. But notice also in verse 18 of chapter 11, it is time to destroy the destroyers, to destroy those who destroy the earth. And that has nothing to do with environmental things.

See, the wicked do not escape God’s judgment. The bottom line is no one gets away with anything.

If you look at Revelation 20, God opens the books. He has accurate records. He knows exactly what you’ve done and what you haven’t done. God will judge the wicked.

“No one gets away with anything. God opens the books. He has accurate records.”

First Thessalonians 1:8-9 says, “Dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.”

See, it’s the workers of wickedness who are the ones who destroy the earth. They’re the ones who destroy truth and manipulate it. The Bible is saying here, they’re done. Their day is done.

Remember, the Apostle Peter says that the new heaven and earth, only righteousness will dwell there. And that’s what we’re looking forward to—a place where there’s actually true righteousness.

We see that the majesty of God is seen in his extent. It’s seen in his exaltation that he will be exalted above all kingdoms and all people and he will reign forever and ever.

The Heavenly Temple Opened

But I want you to notice next in verse 19 is the expression of his majesty. This is a very interesting one because if you notice in verse 19, the first part of that verse is that the whole sanctuary will be opened. It says, “And the temple of God which is in heaven was open.”

Now if you have any sense of biblical history, the ark of the covenant God made with Abraham and renewed with Israel was symbolized in the tabernacle with this sanctuary and its holy ark with the Old Testament covenant that God gave to his people. An agreement between each of them that God would bless you and those who bless you will be blessed and God will curse and those who curse you will be cursed and if you don’t obey me the curses that were brought on the nations will be brought on you.

But according to Hebrews 7, the Bible says that Jesus had a better covenant. So much the more as Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. And in this better covenant, God solemnly assured Israel that he would send his Son, the true Messiah.

He would come to expiate sin and he also would come to rule as the Savior King forever and ever. Now the new covenant which promises to Israel the restoration to the land of Palestine promises them the reunion of the tribes, the remission of sins, and the regeneration of the heart that God will give a new heart to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

And remember the Jews are now in the land in this part of the theology of scripture and they are unsaved in the land. But in the middle of the tribulation, they will begin to get persecuted and the beast will come against them and the false prophet and they will be put to death because they start turning and believing in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

“Jesus had a better covenant — and in this covenant God promised to send his Son, the true Messiah.”

Access to God’s Presence Without a Veil

Now, if you notice in Revelation 11:19, there is no veil between the holy place and the holy of holies in the temple, in the tabernacle. There’s no veil separating the people from the holy of holies or from the presence of God.

In other words, it’s open so people have access to God’s glory, to his presence. And remember this: the veil in the temple was rent when Christ died on the cross, giving people access to God through Jesus Christ.

“The veil in the temple was rent when Christ died, giving people access to God through Jesus Christ.”

The Ark of the Covenant Revealed

You can’t go to the Father in heaven unless you come to Jesus Christ the Son because of the redemptive work of the Lamb. Access to the ark of the covenant is no longer restricted to only the priest as the kingdom of priests. As Peter describes the church and the people of God as the kingdom of priests, they are redeemed by the Lamb. All believers may enjoy the fullness of God’s presence and his covenant promises. It’s open to everyone.

That is very unusual in the sense that it’s always been closed and now it is opened. And it’s open for a very specific reason.

Now notice in verse 19, it says, “And the ark of his covenant appeared in his people that the ark can be seen.” Before, the ark was only for the eyes of the priests one time a year. The ark also gave significance that the glory of God was amongst the people.

Why can the ark be seen here? It is because the whole covenant of God is now being fulfilled. The final consummation of the everlasting kingdom has arrived. There’s no more time; history is brought to a climax. The mystery of God’s people, the whole plan of salvation, has been executed and now completed. The kingdom of the world has become the Lord’s and his Christ. The last judgment is held.

But I believe one of the significant things where someone could see the ark is that the glory of God is going to be on full display. That is very significant. It was Moses when he began to get to know God. What was his question? “Lord, let me see your glory.” The Lord couldn’t show him his full glory or he would be consumed. But he hid him in the cleft of the rock, and he came and saw his back parts and some of the glory of God.

But I believe that this brings us into another understanding of theology.

“The final consummation of the everlasting kingdom has arrived — the glory of God is on full display.”

Where does redemptive history actually go?

Redemptive History Begins with Abraham

And I think we must go and think about Genesis 12 to start to understand where redemptive history is heading and why most of the prophets spoke the way they did. By the time we get to chapter 12 of Genesis, man with all his plans has been blown up. The Lord steps up to the plate with scripture and begins to tell us what God will do.

What does he say in Genesis to the people back then? The Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your father’s house to the land which I will show you, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.”

Here’s a record of what God will do. God will start this operation with one man named Abram. We know his name was changed to Abraham because God would make him a great nation. But for God to make him a great nation, he had to give him a son.

His son was born to him and Sarah at a very old age, way beyond the ability of a woman to give birth. But God gave him the promised child, Isaac.

Genesis 12:2: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great.”

God’s Nation and God’s Land

But what is the definition of a nation?

It’s a body of people occupying a particular land under a common form of government. God brought the people of Israel into the land of promise under the government of kings. God would bless the world through this nation, the children of Abraham.

But where did Israel get her land from? My friend, it is the only piece of real estate that was deeded by God himself to a people. And where did Israel get her laws from? The laws were given by the living God to his people.

What form of government did they have? They had a theocracy—the rule of God ruling through a man of his own choice. God is doing this through the king. The spotlight is on the king, and God limits himself through the king. If anything happens to the king, he limits himself.

What kind of religion did Israel have? They had a monotheistic religion revealed by God to the people. God said, “Build me a house. Build me a tabernacle in the wilderness. For what reason? That the glory of the Lord may fill that place.

“It is the only piece of real estate that was deeded by God himself to a people.”

And that I may give you a sense that I am with you by the pillar of cloud in the day and the pillar of fire by the night.

The Glory Fills the Tabernacle

That became the significant part that Moses set up and prepared a tabernacle for the Lord, leading directly to his habitation there in the form of the cloud of glory, which had the fire by night. God is present and ruling amongst his people where it tells us in Exodus that Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

See, that was the beginning there. That was the beginning where God is saying to his people, “I’m going to be with you. I’m going to be present with you. And how are you going to know that? You’re going to see my glory. That’s how you’re going to know it.”

And then time went by and the tabernacle was made into a beautiful temple made by Solomon.

“God said to his people: I’m going to be with you, I’m going to be present with you — and you’re going to see my glory.”

The Glory Fills Solomon’s Temple

And when Solomon built the temple and it was finished, the Bible says this. When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifice, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests couldn’t even enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house.

“Fire came down from heaven and the glory of the Lord filled the house.”

All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down to the pavement with their faces and worshiped God. They knew this was the God who created the heaven and the earth. They knew this was the God who spoke through Abraham.

They knew this was the God who was defending them and did defend them throughout the wilderness. He kept their sandals from wearing out and fed them every single day with manna from heaven and protected them from their enemies.

They knew that when this temple was built, and then time went on, another temple was built.

The Glory Departs

But what happened between Solomon’s temple and this other temple that was built, the third temple? What happened there? Well, the Babylonians came. They came to the temple of God in which God dwelt and destroyed it.

And you remember what happened? If anyone went into the house of God, they would be killed. They had to go through the priests to get to the ark of the covenant. But the Babylonians, because of the disobedience of God’s people, were able to go into Jerusalem and to destroy the temple of God. And it’s because of this.

They captured the ark of the covenant, but they didn’t die. Why didn’t they die? Because of this, God who lived among the people was no longer there. He left. The glory of the Lord departed. The glory was gone.

This is a very significant time in Israel. When the Babylonians came, God departed from his people. The house of God was destroyed in Jerusalem. And after this, there is no place where men can be saved. Salvation’s over. God left his people. The temple is destroyed.

Some of the holy vessels of the temple were given over to the hands of the Babylonians. And this nation is over. The blessings that were supposed to go to his people, now they’re receiving the curses because they disobeyed God. And that’s what God said all along.

After 70 years, they rebuilt the altar because the people knew that it is there where men met with God to be saved, to be forgiven, and to offer sacrifices.

“God who lived among the people was no longer there. He left. The glory of the Lord departed.”

But if you read Ezra 1-6, you will not read that the glory of the Lord filled that temple. What was restored after the Assyrian crisis was not restored after the Babylonian crisis. Did all the people come back from captivity? No. Was the theocracy restored? Was God’s glory present? No. There was no glory present in that temple.

In other words, the hope of Israel that the Messiah would return, that the glory would come again was not there. It was not there.

The Hope of the Glory Returning

And that’s what Ezekiel brings up in his prophecy. What does he say in the first part? Ezekiel is in two parts.

The first part is that the glory of the Lord has departed. It’s kabad. God’s no longer there anymore.

But then the second part of Ezekiel, chapter 34 to chapter 43, deals with the message of hope that the glory of the Lord returns. Even the temple that was operative when Jesus came, the glory of the Lord was not there in that temple.

“Ezekiel’s message of hope: the glory of the Lord returns.”

The Glory Returns Through Christ

The ark of the covenant was there, but the glory of the Lord was not there. Who was the glory of the Lord? Jesus was the disciple says we beheld your glory, the glory as the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. Jesus was the glory, but he came as the suffering servant first.

See why is that all significant?

Because there is coming a day when God will be your God and David will be your servant. That means there will be a theocracy again where Jesus in the line of David will sit on the throne in Jerusalem and the glory will return.

That’s what’s happening in verse number 19: that everything is open. People have access to God. The ark can now be seen. There’s no veil separating man from God. And that is the goal of everything.

That’s why when you get to the end of Revelation, what do you see? You see the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. There’s no separation between God and man. And it says there, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” See, that’s God’s goal. Amen.

“There’s no veil separating man from God — and that is the goal of everything.”

The glory returns.

God’s Omnipotent Power on Display

That is the hope that we have: God is in control and the kingdoms of the world are under his control and his direction. They always have been and they always will be.

Now, if you look at the last part of verse 19 of Revelation, we see the omnipotent power of God in action. In Revelation 19:19, it says this: “And the temple of God which is in heaven was open and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hail storm.”

Now what is that saying? That’s describing, I believe, from even the beginning of Revelation. What’s happening is that God is a God of power. He is a God of action.

This action is displayed in both his mercy and his grace, his judgment in which he is faithful to send both out in their proper order and in their proper time.

“God is faithful to send both mercy and judgment in their proper order and proper time.”

Salvation from God’s Wrath

And that’s what God will do. Maybe that’s one way to end this summation of the rest of the book because in chapter 12, verse 1, he gets into it—the judgment of God falls. So brethren, when we think of those things, and a lot of that has to do with history, how would anybody avoid this period in the world’s future?

Well, through receiving Jesus Christ as savior and lord and by asking him to save them from his wrath and condemnation and forgive their sin.

That’s how we all avoid the wrath of God. In fact, if somebody asked you, “What are you saved from?” the correct answer would be this.

I’m saved from God’s wrath because Jesus took the wrath of God for me. He was my substitute. He died in my place. He satisfied the righteousness of God. He shed his blood unto death to give me eternal life and forgive my sin. He rose from the dead, showing that the offering was accepted. He ascended into heaven. And even now, he is praying for the church.

“I’m saved from God’s wrath because Jesus took the wrath of God for me. He was my substitute.”

He’s praying for his people and he’s preparing a place for us that where he is we may be also. See, that’s the promise that he gives us. So prophecy is always beneficial to benefit us as his people and as we grow in our faith, knowing that these things that are written here will come true.

They are not a fairy tale. They’re not just a story. They are true. And if you are a believer here today, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that you are living for him and serving him, then these things will boost your faith and make you stronger in the Lord.

But if you’re not, these things should cause great fear in your soul because the judgments of God will come and no one will get away with anything.

So I pray today that the sense of the majesty of God would be upon our hearts as we celebrate this Mother’s Day and the mothers that the Lord has given us and praise him for his goodness to us. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer

Thank you, Lord, that your eternal purpose to overthrow evil and restore men and women to live in the blessing of your presence will be accomplished through Jesus Christ. Help us to live in the confident expectation of the day when you will return, Lord. And if the rapture comes forth, we’ll come with you.

But I pray, Lord, that we would know and give hope for the awesome glory of your presence to be a reality to us someday. Lord, now we in some way look and see through a veil, but we’ll see clearly who you are as we see you face to face.

So, thank you, Lord, for the word of God. Continue to use it, Lord, to strengthen our souls. Use it to rebuke us of sin. Use it to make us more aware of truth and the deceptions that are coming.

And Lord, make us strong as soldiers of Jesus Christ. That, Lord, whatever is thrown at us, we’ll be able to handle it. We’ll be able to stand not in the power of our strength, but in your power. So thank you, Lord.
May 11, 2025
A Vision of Things to Come
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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 11 presents a condensed vision of God’s plan for the end times, covering the measuring of the temple, the ministry of the two witnesses, the emergence of the antichrist, and the ultimate triumph of Christ. We are reminded that God remains sovereign over all human history and that His favor rests on those who are faithful to Him, even in the darkest periods of tribulation. The chapter serves as a roadmap for the rest of Revelation, showing how God deals with both His people and the unbelieving nations.

Key Lessons:
1. God’s measuring of the temple signifies His favor, ownership, and spiritual preservation of His faithful ones—even when physical persecution comes, our souls are secure in Him.
2. God is merciful to send witnesses and messengers to call people to repentance, even to the very end of human history, demonstrating His relentless grace.
3. The world’s celebration over silencing God’s prophets reveals the depths of human depravity when people reject God, yet God always has the final word through resurrection and judgment.
4. Genuine repentance and conversion remain possible even in the darkest times, as God will bring a remnant of Israel back to Himself and fulfill His covenant promises.
Application: We are called to live faithfully for Christ right now—knowing the truth, standing firm in it, completing the good works God has ordained for us, sharing the gospel, and giving glory to the God of heaven every day. We must not drift spiritually but remain watchful and ready.

Discussion Questions:
1. How does knowing that God spiritually preserves His people even through physical death change the way we face opposition or suffering for our faith?
2. In a world of increasing deception through AI and technology, what practical steps can we take to ensure we are grounded in God’s truth rather than being swept along by the culture?
3. The two witnesses were empowered by the Holy Spirit to complete their mission. How should we depend on the Holy Spirit to accomplish the good works God has ordained for us?
Scripture Focus: Revelation 11:1-15 provides the central framework, showing the measuring of the temple (vv. 1-2), the two witnesses’ ministry and martyrdom (vv. 3-10), their resurrection (vv. 11-12), and the seventh trumpet announcing Christ’s kingdom (v. 15). Supporting passages include Daniel 9:27 on the tribulation timeline, Zechariah 4:6 on the Spirit’s power, Matthew 17:1-5 on the transfiguration, and Luke 16:29-31 on Moses and the prophets.

Outline
Introduction

Okay, let’s take our Bibles this morning and turn to Revelation. It’s not hard to find. It’s the last book of the Bible. We’ll be looking at chapter 11, at least part of that chapter today.

As you’re turning there, let me have a word of prayer. Let’s pray.

Father, we thank you today. We thank you, Father, for your tremendous mercy and grace. As we think of the cost that it took to save us, you had to move heaven and earth for us to receive the truth of the gospel and be saved. We thank you, Lord, that you did that for sinners like us.

Lord, we want to be grateful every day for that. We want to be merciful to others because of that. We want to be faithful to live for you with our whole heart, our whole mind, and all our strength. I pray this in Christ’s name.

Amen. Revelation 11:1.

The title of my message today is “The Vision of Things to Come.”

The World’s Vision of the Future

But there’s a lot of talk today about a vision for the future. If you go on certain sites to read certain articles, you’re going to find a lot of information about artificial intelligence.

People are claiming that artificial intelligence will be integrated into most aspects of life, producing new efficiencies and enhancing human capabilities. It’s in a very real sense what’s already happening. You have Siri, you have Alexa, you have an iPhone. You already are being well trained for what’s coming.

“There’s a lot of talk today about a vision for the future.”

One person said that humans do poorly when it comes to making decisions based on facts rather than emotional issues. Humans get distracted easily.

There are certain things that AI can do better than humans like driving cars, handling finances, and diagnosing illnesses.

Promises and Dangers of AI

Another person wrote that human and AI connections over the next 12 years will improve the overall quality of life by finding new approaches to persistent problems. We will use these adaptive algorithms to explore whole new domains in every industry and field of study.

Material science, biotechnical fields, medicine, agriculture, engineering, energy, transportation and more. And then they said this: it goes beyond computability in human relationships.

AIs are beginning to understand and speak the human language of emotion.

One way they’re using that even right now is pre-crime security monitoring at airports and gatherings in different places, able to detect dangerous body language before the person can actually take out whatever they’re going to do that day. Also, companion pets monitor aging owners and then interact with them in ways that will improve their health and disposition.

People believe that by 2030—only five years from now—AI will transform our daily lives. One person from the Institute of the Future said that our visual and audio surroundings may be altered or filtered to improve our moods, better our focus, or otherwise alter our subconscious perceptions of the world. Most of this AI will function invisibly behind the scenes as long as it’s working properly.

We see that we’re in a time where people are predicting a future in which we will be more and more dependent upon these digital assistants. But there are many dangers to those things, and people are writing articles about them even right now.

People believe that artificial intelligence will provide an overkill of surveillance. We will actually become slaves and not even know it, controlled by others and not even know it. AI will be used to replace human workers to a disproportionate extent, where jobs will change so quickly that many people will be left without the necessary skills to do the next thing.

“We will actually become slaves and not even know it and controlled by others.”

Algorithms, not doctors, will be diagnosing many diseases. Even if doctors are still in the loop, AI plays a negative role in education where students may not often actually do the hard work of learning. It might actually make the overall population much dumber.

God Has a Vision Too

This is the future. And I’m going to mention it again when I get to a certain chapter in Revelation because techno gods will be on the rise and people will believe more in that than they will believe in truth and who God is.

But God has a vision too. He has a vision of things to come.

“God has a vision too. He has a vision of things to come.”

Overview of Revelation 11

And as I came to Revelation 11, I found it to be a very difficult chapter to even interpret. The more I read it, I said, “What is happening here? I see the details, but what’s the point?” Because this is the last interlude before the rest of Revelation is going to be laid out before us.

Now we have read of many judgments that will come to earth on sinful, ungodly, idolatrous mankind. The seven seals were broken and the wrath was poured out there, and then the seven trumpets. When the fifth and the sixth trumpets blew, we saw that all hell broke loose on earth, literally.

The released demons from the pit unleashed torment upon the earth with Satan the king over the demonic army, an army which is not permitted to kill at that time, but only torment for five months. Then the sixth trumpet sounded and the four bound angels are loosed to lead a very large army from the east which is permitted to kill one-third of mankind by three plagues.

And now we come to another interlude started in chapter 10, continues in chapter 11 down to verse 14. That is before the seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet which will unleash the vials of God’s judgment. Each judgment becomes more rapid as we are now in the middle of the tribulation period, right in the three and a half year period in the seven-year period of the great tribulation.

“This is the last interlude before the rest of Revelation is going to be laid out before us.”

It’s a time when the Lord spoke in Matthew that there will be great tribulation as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever will. The prophet in chapter 10 has eaten the scroll, the little scroll, and he has taken into his mind the message of God.

Now what he is to do is communicate that message. And that’s what the rest of Revelation is going to be. But chapter 11 is actually a condensed version of what’s going to come all the way to the end of Revelation.

So the prophet has eaten the little scroll. He has taken into his mind the message of God, the message that God wants the world to know. And now he sets before us broad lines of the development of God’s plan and lays out the scheme of this chapter and also the arrangement of the rest of the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 11:1-2, the measuring of the temple. We’re going to see that in a minute. Then verses 3-6, the preaching of the two witnesses that are the heralds of the end. In verses 7-10, the first emergence of antichrist in the form of the beast from the abyss.

And then Revelation 11:11-13, the restoration of life of the two witnesses and the consequent repentance and conversion of the Jews. And then in chapter 11, which I’ll not look at today, but next week is the final sketch of the final triumph of Christ.

We have the thousand-year reign, his initial reign. We have the rising of the nations. We have the defeat of the nations. We have the judgment of the dead and the establishment of the kingdom of God and his anointed one.

The Measuring of the Temple

That’s the whole book of Revelation. And that’s what chapter 11 does. It takes the whole book from chapters 12 all the way to chapter 19 and then chapter 20 to chapter 22. It takes the whole thing in this one chapter.

So let’s look at the first thing: the measuring of the temple. This is where we see the vision of things to come. The measuring of the temple is described in verses 1 and 2.

Now the apostle John was given a measuring stick and told to rise and measure the temple. In Revelation 11:1, it says, “Then there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff.” This was a small, lightweight, straight, hollow stick often used to measure the length of things. It was about 9 to 10 feet in length, so it was quite large and it measured large things.

What was John to measure? Well, it says that he was going to measure three things. In the next part of the verse, someone said, “Come up and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship in it.”

According to biblical history, Israel will have four temples built. The first question we have to ask is: Is this Ezekiel’s temple, the end time temple, that’s the fourth millennial temple? Or is this Zerubbabel’s Herod’s temple, the second temple, destroyed in 70 AD? I believe John is looking forward to the rebuilt temple in the tribulation period. That would be the tribulation temple, which is the third temple.

So the tribulation temple is measured and the measuring goes out to show God’s favor and ownership of his people.

“The measuring goes out to show God’s favor and ownership of his people.”

God’s Favor and Ownership

The measuring is like a ceiling which is described in Revelation 7. The ceiling and the measuring are both the protection of God’s faithful ones in the demonic terrors to descend upon the earth during this time in human history.

“The measuring is the protection of God’s faithful ones in the demonic terrors to descend upon the earth.”

Remember the church will not be there.

Now God is going to be dealing with Israel, not only apostate Israel, but also Israel there in the land that has not converted to Christ yet and are still alive. So this is not necessarily a physical measuring as when Ezekiel was commanded to measure the temple because there are no dimensions forthcoming here.

One of my professors in seminary, Dr. Thomas, wrote two large volumes on the book of Revelation. He says this about this section: John’s future prophecies will distinguish between God’s favor toward the sanctuary, the altar, and their worshippers, and his disapproval of all that is of Gentile orientation because of their profaning the holy city for half of the future 70th week of Daniel.

The distinction shows in the case of the two witnesses that we’re going to see who are in association with the sanctuary and the altar. What they do is they enjoy God’s blessing. They enjoy God and his message and what he has done historically and what he is going to do.

Even though it’s a difficult time, they enjoy that. And then there are the Gentiles, the foes who oppose him. They will experience, as we’ll find at the end of the chapter, a devastating earthquake because of God’s disfavor towards them.

So the two witnesses enjoy God’s favor and his protection and preservation from all the enemies because we’re going to find that they’re going to be killed.

Spiritual Preservation of the Saints

The measuring is an object lesson of how entities favored by God will fare during the period of gentile oppression that lies ahead. In other words, God is going to be favorable to one group and he’s going to be disfavorable to another group. One group is going to follow the Lord. The other group is not going to follow him.

God provides for the preservation of his saints spiritually in the coming great persecution of this time. The saints may be killed physically but their souls will be saved. No matter what anyone does to them, even to us today as believers, they can take our life, but they can’t take our soul because our soul has already been purchased by God.

“They can take our life, but they can’t take our soul because our soul has already been purchased by God.”

The Outer Court Given to the Nations

So we already noticed that he measures the temple and it’s marked by God’s favor. Also, he’s not to measure the outward courts of the temple. Now notice in verse two it says, “Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it for it has been given to the nations that they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months.”

Now, if you don’t know anything about the temples of God that were built in history up until this time, the temple in Jerusalem was divided into four courts. Each court was further away from the holy of holies, or the presence of God. You had the gentile court, then the court of the women, then the court of the Israelites, and then the court of the priests.

The priests were the closest to the holy of holies. The priests were the ones who took care of the altar of burnt offering, the altar of incense, and the holy place. Only the priests might come that close.

The holy of holies—remember, only the high priest may come into that part of the temple once a year with a blood offering from the people. When the priest went in there, he had his garments on, but on the bottom of his garments, he had bells.

When the high priest was moving around in there, the other priests outside heard the bells so they knew that he was still alive. When he went in to offer up the offering on the mercy seat and the people heard the bells, and then he came out and they heard the bells, they knew that God accepted the sacrifice.

The reason for the command given to John is to exclude the measuring of the outer court because God is allowing the gentile nations to trample down the holy city. This was spoken of by the prophet Daniel when he told us that the little horn, which is antichrist, will trample down the host of heaven. Zechariah the prophet also says the same thing where it says, “And it will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will be severely injured and all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.”

So we see that this is happening.

“God is allowing the gentile nations to trample down the holy city.”

The 42 Months of Trampling

This is going to be a horrible time. Now, what was the length of this trampling down of the holy city, which is Jerusalem? Notice what it says in verse 2. It says, “For it has been given to the nations that they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months.”

Now the gentile nations are allowed to trample down the city of Jerusalem for 42 months, which is three and a half years. There are many numbers being given here in Revelation. We have the 42 months. We have three and a half years. We have the prophet Daniel said the designation of his time would be a time, times, and a half a time.

A time would be one year. Times, plural, would be two years. And a half a time would be a half a year, or six months.

That’s three and a half years. So everywhere you go in scripture, you find this designation of this last part of the tribulation, the great tribulation, where it will be three and a half years. It’s very hard to get away from that in scripture.

If you just read it literally, you’ll find that’s what’s going on. This is the last half of the 70th week of Daniel, where Daniel tells us exactly what’s going to happen. Why don’t you turn there? Daniel 9:27.

“If you just read it literally, you’ll find that that’s what’s going on.”

In Daniel 9:27, it says, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.” What’s that firm covenant going to be? It’s going to be that he’s going to make an agreement with Israel for one week. And one week would be a seven-year period.

The Preaching of the Two Witnesses

And then it says, “But in the middle of the week, there’s the three and a half years, he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate until even until the complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Now, this is going to be the abomination of desolation where the antichrist sits on the throne in Jerusalem and proclaims himself God. But you see that Daniel lays out what’s actually going to happen: he’s going to make an agreement with Israel. He’s going to break that agreement in the middle of the week and he’s going to stop their sacrifice and grain offering.

So there is a literal temple. It is functional in the tribulation period and it’s there for God’s purpose in not only ministering to his own but also for the gentile nations to come in there and trample over it and over the whole city.

A second thing that we see in our text is the preaching of the two witnesses. Now, anytime things happen like that, God will always send spokesmen. In this case, he’s going to send two prophets. And that just shows that God is going to be merciful to the people of earth right to the very end.

“God is going to be merciful to the people of earth right to the very end.”

Now, these are the last two prophets that will ever come and speak to Israel. Remember, God sends prophets to Israel. Prophets do not study to preach. Prophets get direct revelation from God and speak exactly what God wants them to say.

So notice what it says in verse 3 of Revelation 11: “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

So we’re going to see who they are, what they’re doing, and what will happen to them. Well, who are they? Well, they are prophets. They have the gift of prophecy and God is going to speak through them for 1260 days, 42 months, three and a half years.

The Prophetic Ministry and Its Purpose

We really can’t make a mistake that this is a three and a half year period. Now what is a prophet? A prophet of God really speaks when there is a problem among the people, some crisis, some issue, some need that the people have.

The whole prophetic ministry is a loving God meeting the needs of his people. God speaks direct revelation, but it is occasioned by and related to some need amongst God’s people. If they need encouragement, he will speak through the prophet and give them encouragement. If they need warning and rebuke, that is the message that he will provide through the prophets.

That’s the message that these two witnesses have. And they have a three-fold ministry. The first thing is that they are legal witnesses. Remember, two witnesses were needed to establish all the facts.

“The whole prophetic ministry is a loving God meeting the needs of his people.”

These are two witnesses because of the deuteronomic demand to legally bear the facts proving the guilt of the world before God. That’s what they were doing here. Like it says in Deuteronomy, “On the evidence of two witnesses or three, he who is to die shall be put to death. He shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.”

And then again in Deuteronomy it tells us that on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed. So they are legal witnesses in Revelation, and that is a ministry they must fulfill.

And then also it tells us in verse number three they will prophesy. So they are going to prophesy before the world. This is going to be a global event.

Clothed in Sackcloth: A Message of Warning

Everybody in the world is going to know their message. This is not a local event. This is not even a state event, a national event. It’s a global event. Everybody will know their message.

And then it’s also notice in our passage that they are going to be dressed in sackcloth, clothed in sackcloth. Now we know that sackcloth symbolizes the prophet’s sober task as messengers of God Almighty to bring a message of warning and rebuke calling the earth dwellers and the nations to repent. This is a last chance for the world to repent.

“Sackcloth symbolizes the prophet’s sober task calling the earth dwellers and the nations to repent.”

And then you notice the passage we read this morning in Zechariah. Because at the end of the verse, it tells us there that these are the two olive trees in verse four and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Now, where does he get that from? He gets that from Zechariah because that’s exactly what Zechariah said. But what does it all mean?

The Power of the Holy Spirit

It means that these are the two anointed ones. The oil that provides the fuel to light the lamps in the temple has reference to the Holy Spirit who empowers these two witnesses to carry out their mission for three and a half years during the great tribulation.

In the second temple built by Zerubbabel and Joshua, we see what power they had to build the temple back then. What does it say in Zechariah? It says, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

These men are going to have the fullness of the Holy Spirit of God to do what they need to do. God gives them special abilities. What does he give them? Notice in verse five, because he’s given them power in at least four areas.

The first one in verse five is power to send fire out of their mouths. Notice it says, “And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies. So if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.”

This is just the desire to want to harm them. So they know who their enemies are and they can even take their enemies out before they even do anything. Secondly, they have power.

Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”

Supernatural Powers of the Witnesses

They have the power to shut up heaven.

Verse six, these have the power to shut up the sky so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying. Also, they have the power over the waters to turn them into blood. And then they have power to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire.

Now these men are given an incredible amount of power, and the purpose for their great power is to show the world the power of God in contrast to the power of the antichrist. What are they going to do? Back to verse three, they’re going to proclaim God’s faithfulness.

They’re also going to preach concerning things to come. They’re going to prophesy. They’re also going to help those who receive the Lord to return to normal thinking. And why is that? Because the Antichrist will be deceiving people quite convincingly.

“The purpose for their great power is to show the world the power of God in contrast to the power of the antichrist.”

It even says in Thessalonians, God himself is going to send strong delusion so that people would believe a lie. Satan knows how to use truth to sell every lie. He always uses truth to sell lies. And they’re going to preach the gospel to the Holy Land.

God’s Faithfulness to Send Messengers

That’s what they’re going to do. I believe we learn from this that God is faithful to send people across our path to turn us to God or even in some cases to bring us back to God if we strayed away. God is always faithful to do that. And he will do that if you are one of his. He’ll not leave you alone. He will bring you back.

“God is faithful to send people across our path to turn us to God or bring us back to God.”

This past week, I had a phone call with a man who said he professed Christ over 20 years ago, but for the last 20 years, he hasn’t been living for the Lord. We had to try to figure out where he was at.

I think right now, anybody who has a case like that—who made a profession of faith when they were younger and then years go by without going to church, reading the Bible, or doing any of those things—where do they stand spiritually? I would say that they were not converted back then.

I think right now is the gospel. If God’s bringing you to a place, you should believe the gospel, repent of your sin, trust in Jesus Christ, and from this day forward live for him. That’s what you ought to do. And I think that’s what he’s done. That was good. He lives in Florida.

We had several conversations with him this past week. So, who are these two witnesses?

Who Are the Two Witnesses?

That’s the big question. Some suggestions are Elijah and Enoch because both Elijah and Enoch didn’t die. They were caught up to heaven. Some believe it’s Elijah and John the Baptist. Or some believe that it’s Elijah and Moses.

Now recall that these two men were the ones who appeared with Christ in his transfiguration, indicating their connection with Christ’s future return in power and glory. I believe there are several reasons why this is Moses and Elijah. They have gifts and powers like Moses and Elijah.

“Moses and Elijah were the ones who appeared with Christ in his transfiguration.”

But significant to what I’m saying is that at the mount of transfiguration, two representatives came forward to represent the Old Testament when Peter, James, and John were there with the Lord as he was transfigured. If you care to turn there, you probably should.

Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration

In Matthew 17:1-5, we see what happens there.

But I want you to notice who shows up during this time. Matthew 17:1 says, “Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them. And his face shone like the sun, and his garments became as white as light.

And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them. Talking with him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ And while they were still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.’”

So Moses, remember, manifested power to bring plagues on the earth and turn water into blood. Elijah had power to call down fire from heaven and stop the rain.

Matthew 17:5: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

Moses and Elijah combined together represent the whole Old Testament. Moses represents the first five books of the Bible, and Elijah represents the prophetic books. That equals Moses and the prophets.

And so when we consider a passage of scripture where there’s a discussion between heaven and hell, when father Abraham had a conversation with someone, let me read the passage. It says, “And he said, then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers in order that they may warn them so they will not also come to this place of torment.” And then in verse 29 of chapter 16 of Luke, Abraham says, “They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them listen to them. And if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if anyone rises from the dead.”

So you see that the connection of these two people represents the whole of the Old Testament. And right after the transfiguration, Christ predicted in Matthew 17:11, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things.”

The First Emergence of the Antichrist

We see here that the preaching of these two heralds will be the last of the prophets that God will bring to the earth to bring people back to God and also to judge them. Then we go back to Revelation 11:7.

Here is thirdly the first emergence of antichrist in the form of the beast from the abyss. Notice in verse 7 it says, “When they had finished their testimony the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them and overcome them.”

The beast, the antichrist, the man of sin—all the same person, personified—we’re going to see in the further revelation of the unholy trinity. They will hate the two witnesses and they will make war with them. But there’s something else they’ll do to them.

Not only will they make war with them. For your information, the beast is not Satan, but the Roman prince with a satanic source of power. Satan is more acting like the Holy Spirit. So the beast and the antichrist, the man of sin, will hate these two witnesses and make war against them.

Notice in our text in verse 7: “and kill them.” They will be killed. The beast will have no power over them until they finish their work.

What will happen once they kill them? It tells a lot about the mindset of the world at that time because remember this is a global issue. This is not just an issue for Jerusalem. This is a global issue.

In verse 8, it says, “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city.” So their bodies will be left open in the street. What does that show? It shows the degrading nature of humanity, not even caring to want to bury the dead.

Also in verse 8 it says the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also the Lord was crucified. We see that these two prophets—if they are, which I believe they are, at least in the spirit of Moses and Elijah—they are connected to Christ. They are Christ’s prophets and they are prophesying there to the great city Jerusalem.

But notice how it’s identified here as Sodom and Egypt. Jerusalem, Sodom and Egypt really symbolizes materialism, rebellion, and immorality. Jerusalem will become the most wicked city on the face of the earth at this time. Jerusalem will be under the power of the antichrist, the beast.

The whole world observes this. They will gaze on their dead bodies for three and a half days and they will not be permitted to be buried. That’s not hard to imagine these days with our super speed communication satellite systems.

“The beast will have no power over them until they finish their work.”

The whole world can view what’s happening in real time. Notice what it says in verse 9.

Those from the peoples, the tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. Jewish tradition and practice would have the bodies buried before sunset, but here their bodies are degraded by exposing them as a trophy of victory unburied in the former holy city.

The World Celebrates Their Death

And what does the world do? Verse 10 says they celebrate over the deaths of these preachers of righteousness. “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate. They will send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.”

But the world is saying to them, “Yeah, we got these prophets. They tormented us, but we put him to death. We got you. We won.” See, they will be overjoyed to get rid of two witnesses from God as they were overjoyed to get rid of Christ. Same mindset.

Unbelieving Jews had a long history of abusing and murdering the prophets.

“They will be overjoyed to get rid of the two witnesses as they were overjoyed to get rid of Christ.”

The Depth of Human Depravity

And God will always send the prophets because of his mercy. And these will be the last two prophets. But just think of this. Men and women will hate God so much that the only thing that makes them happy is to persecute and kill God’s precious servants. That is about as warped as you get. You say that sounds sick. Yes, it is sick.

“The only thing that makes them happy is to persecute and kill God’s precious servants.”

Behind that sickness is Satan himself and his minions that are coming against God, and now it’s being evident. I think in our own day demonic activity is definitely on the increase. What is the reason for that?

Deception in Our Own Day

Well, primarily it is due to the lowered spirituality and godlessness of the whole country. And as godlessness increases, the whole concept of God in the public mind diminishes. When that happens, you would expect a corresponding increase in the manifestation of evil forces. They don’t even want to hide anymore. They are just in your face everywhere you go.

Truth is maligned. Lies are prevalent. You have to sift through a lot of stuff just to find out what exactly is true.

And the people that are supposed to be giving us the truth, we can’t even trust them anymore. So we trust nobody. You want to trust but verify.

That was President Reagan who said that.

Verify everything. Don’t go on the internet and search something out and think this is gospel. This has got to be true because this person said it.

No. I mean, you can actually go to the internet and say, “Hey, I want to write this.” And say, “Tell AI what you want to write.” They’ll ask you about three or four questions and boom, comes out with a great paragraph, statement, whatever.

So we’re living in very, very deceptive times and it’s going to be more deceptive as we go forward. That means we need to know the truth. We need to know what we believe. We need to know where we stand.

“We need to know the truth. We need to know what we believe. We need to know where we stand.”

The Resurrection of the Two Witnesses

We need to be living for Christ. But what happens? Let’s look at Revelation. The last thing is the restoration to life of the two witnesses and the consequent repentance and conversion of the Jews.

Notice in Revelation 11:12. “But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them and they stood on their feet and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.”

We see here that the world thought physical death was the end. They were wrong. And the reason why they’re wrong is they left something out of the equation: God himself.

So after three and a half days are over, God raises these two witnesses from the dead and catches them up to heaven, creating fear in all those who have rejoiced over their death. This exposes the sickness of the mindset of that time and even our day.

But notice what it says in verse 12: “And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ Then they went up into heaven in the cloud and their enemies watched them.”

You noticed who was watching this because it is a global event. Everybody in the world who is an enemy, who wanted them dead, who did not want to honor them and buried them—God wouldn’t allow that anyway because this had to take place.

God gave them life. They got up. They stood on their feet. And you can imagine what kind of fear it put into the world. If these prophets did this in this time period and tormented the world by what they were allowed, the power they were given by God, could you imagine now that they’re resurrected and standing there alive, what are they going to do to us now?

But that’s not what happens.

“The world thought physical death was the end. They were wrong. They left God out of the equation.”

God’s Promise to Complete His Work

And I think that we can also just think of it in this way. We have a promise of God’s favor to complete the good works that he has ordained for us until we’re done. Until God’s done with us. He honors faithfulness.

As the psalmist tells us, “For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake his godly ones. They are preserved forever.”

Psalm 37:28: “The Lord loves justice and does not forsake his godly ones. They are preserved forever.”

But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. So the climax of this episode, what does God do? In verse 13, it says, “And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake.”

So in other words, God says, “I want the world to know who’s in charge. I want the world to know who’s on the winning side, who I count with favor because those are the ones who will be blessed.”

And those who do not know the Lord and those who hate him and come against him, God will judge them. He will let no judgment go unjudged. He will take care of everything. Whether a person got away with it or not in this world, he will not get away with it before God.

The Repentance and Conversion of the Jews

But I want you to notice something else that happens with the repentance and conversion of the Jews at the end of verse 13. It says, “And the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.” Now this looks like genuine repentance to those who remain.

The reason why is because the same terms are used for genuine worship in Revelation 4:9, Revelation 16:9, and Revelation 19:7.

So again, what’s going to happen in the tribulation is God is going to bring Israel back to himself and they’re going to get converted in the land. See, that’s God’s plan. That is God’s plan and that will take place.

So God grants genuine repentance to those people. Yes, it took all that to bring them to that place.

“God is going to bring Israel back to himself and they’re going to get converted in the land.”

The Seventh Trumpet and Christ’s Kingdom

But finally in the end they give glory to God. This is right before the seventh trumpet, which we’ll look at more next week. But I want you to notice in verse 15 what it says.

Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”

In other words, this is the whole view from chapter 12 all the way to chapter 19, then in chapter 20. This is everything of what the rest of Revelation is going to be like without the details. But we’ll look at the details.

But notice in verse 14 of chapter 11, it says, “The second woe is passed. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.” Our future is rushing upon us so quickly and it will become increasingly difficult to navigate all the new changes. I find it hard to keep up even now. As you get older, you don’t want to know the new technology anymore.

Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever.”

Right. I still remember—I mean, I was here before cell phones, landlines. If you wanted to talk to somebody privately, you had this 20-foot cord that you went in the other room and shut the door.

There are so many changes that it’s just overwhelming, and it’s going to be more rapid.

Be Faithful and Give God Glory

It’s going to be hard to navigate those new changes, but according to our text, the most important thing in the end is that you give glory to the God of heaven. That’s the most important thing. We know what comes before that: real conversion to Christ.

But that’s the end result. We praise God as we sang this morning. We give God, the God of heaven, glory. We live for him. We are his witnesses now. We tell others the gospel. We live the gospel. We adorn the gospel of Jesus Christ every single day. That’s what we ought to be doing.

And all the good works that God has ordained for you to do, you will do it. Amen. Until God’s done with you.

As I did a study on good works, it’s anything you do for the Lord. It’s a cup of cold water to somebody. That’s a good work. Helping somebody, writing a letter to somebody, visiting somebody, going to the nursing home and feeding them, witnessing to someone, praying for someone. It’s all good works.

God ordains all of it for us to finish. Let’s be faithful to that because when you read Revelation like this in the world in which we live right now, it seems like these things are going to happen tomorrow. Let’s be ready. Make sure Christ is your Lord and Savior.

Make sure you are living for him and being faithful to him. And make sure that you are giving glory to the God of heaven every day of your life.

“The most important thing in the end is that you give glory to the God of heaven.”

Let’s pray. Lord, thank you so much for a book that you’ve given us in the Bible called Revelation, which you unveiled to us, Lord, what will take place. This is not a fairy tale. This is not even a fanciful story. But Lord, this is the truth.

And Lord, you have given it to us. I pray, Lord, that as we think of these things and we realize what you’re going to do and what you have done, Lord, that you would make us the most humble and faithful people there are on this earth. Lord, use us and the gifts that you’ve given us for your glory and for your honor, for the exaltation of Christ, for bringing those who are still lost and in sin to repentance.

And that, Lord, every day of our life we may honor your name. Though we, Lord, do it imperfectly, we want to do it from our heart and we want to do it consistently. We don’t want to drop off, Lord. We want to continue to put one foot in front of the other and honor you with the next thing.

So Lord, today work your work in our heart and make us the people you want us to be. And I pray this today in Christ’s name.
May 4, 2025
The Bitter-Sweet Little Book
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Note: This transcript and summary was autogenerated. It has not yet been proofread or edited by a human.

Summary

Revelation 10 reveals the mighty angel and the little book, teaching us about the nature and mission of God’s Word in the last days. The chapter shows that God’s Word is authoritative over the whole earth, absolute in its promises and judgments, and must be announced to all peoples until the very end. We are reminded that the same God who created the heavens and the earth is the one who will bring all things to their final consummation.

Key Lessons:
1. God’s Word carries divine authority over the entire world — no one is outside its reach or its message.
2. God’s plan of redemption is absolute and sure — time will run out, and every prophetic promise will be fulfilled.
3. The Word of God is bittersweet: sweet to those who receive the gospel of grace, but bitter because it also reveals divine judgment on the unrepentant.
4. Every believer is commissioned to announce the gospel faithfully, just as John and the prophets were commanded to do.
Application: We are called to devour God’s Word personally — letting it become sweet to our souls — and then to boldly proclaim the gospel to others, knowing that it is the only message that saves people from eternal destruction.

Discussion Questions:
1. How does knowing that God will finish what He started affect the way you live and share your faith today?
2. Have you experienced the bittersweet reality of evangelism — the sweetness of seeing someone come to Christ and the bitterness of seeing others reject the message?
3. In what practical ways can you more deeply appropriate (“eat”) the Word of God so that it becomes sweeter than anything else the world offers?
Scripture Focus: Revelation 10:1-11 — the mighty angel with the little book; Acts 1:6-7 — the disciples’ question about restoring the kingdom; Deuteronomy 29:29 — the secret things belong to the Lord; Psalm 19:9-10 — God’s Word sweeter than honey; Galatians 3:8 — the gospel preached beforehand to Abraham.

Outline
Introduction

The Distance from God’s Throne to Calvary

All right, chapter 10 of Revelations. Hopefully you’re there. When we think about the distance from God’s Throne of Splendor down to the abyss of Calvary’s cross, we have to think that Christ is the Eternal Creator, the Lord of all existence, exalted infinitely above Earth’s foulness and decay.

He is the source of life with myriads of angels to sing his praises and also to do his bidding. Yet motivated by love for his human race, he humbled himself. He became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross.

He came to our puny planet, was born in a cave-like barn with smells and filth, and was placed as a helpless babe in a feeding trough. When we look at his manhood, he endured homelessness. When he was thirsty, he asked for water.

When he was weary, he fell asleep in the boat on a storm-tossed sea. He did miracles there. He was sinless and was adored by the multitudes one day, and then the next day condemned as a criminal and died on a Roman cross in excruciating pain for sinners like us.

Now, that’s the distance from God’s Throne down to Calvary. That’s the measure of his mercy and grace to mankind. As one man named Newell put it in a poem, he said, “Oh the love that drew salvation’s plan, oh the grace that brought it down to man, oh the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.”

“Oh the love that drew salvation’s plan, oh the grace that brought it down to man, oh the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary.”

That will be the message right down, or right up, to the last day of human history. The Apostle John, who is the writer of Revelation, is told in the narrative of the bittersweet little book that the message of the good news of the grace of God revealed in the gospel of his son Jesus Christ must be announced to that last day.

Context: Judgments and the Interlude Before the Seventh Trumpet

The Book of Revelation, as I’ve been saying, is about God’s final unveiling of the last days. We have already read of many judgments that will come upon the earth upon the sinful, ungodly, idolatrous mankind. We saw the Seven Seals, and then the six trumpets.

The fifth and sixth trumpets blew, and all hell literally breaks loose on the earth. The released demons from the abyss come upon the earth to torment. One section of the demonic army is permitted to not kill but torment for five months.

Then on the sixth trumpet it sounds, and the fourth angel unlocks the large army from the pit. The Bible says this large army from the East is permitted to kill one-third of mankind by three plagues.

“The fifth and sixth trumpets blew, and all hell literally breaks loose on the earth.”

Now we come to another interlude from chapter 10 to chapter 11:14, that is before the seventh angel blows the seventh trumpet. That’s a very significant trumpet in the Book of Revelation.

Some theologians think these events fall during the middle of the tribulation, of which I agree. This is right smack in the middle.

The seventh trumpet contains the longest message, which covers the last three and a half years of the tribulation period. That’s called the Great Tribulation. It will be the most awful, terrible suffering and violence and catastrophe that the world will ever experience.

It is the time that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:21, when he says, “For then there will be Great Tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”

The Word Is Authoritative

In chapter 10, I want you to notice in verses 1 and 2 the Apostle John sees someone with a little book. It says there, “And I saw another strong angel coming down out of Heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. And he had in his hand a little book which was open.”

Do you find a symbol like this of a little book anywhere else? Well, we read it this morning in Ezekiel, and you’ll also find it in Jeremiah the prophet. But I want you to notice down in verse 7 of chapter 10.

It says, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his servants the prophets.”

Now, what he’s saying here—what he declared to his servants the prophets—with only two or three exceptions, every prophet of the Old Testament, including Daniel, said there is coming a day when there will be a finishing point. He is saying here that when the seven trumpets sound, everything that has ever been revealed by the prophets will be fulfilled.

Also, all the good tidings of the prophets will come to be. It will usher in the second coming of Christ to the earth to sit on the throne of David. But isn’t that what the prophets looked forward to?

The return of the theocratic kingdom in which Jesus will be the king. And isn’t that what Jesus’ disciples asked after he died and rose from the grave? Wasn’t that on their mind?

First, we find it. If you could turn there in the book of Acts 1, this is what the apostles asked. This was foremost on their mind. Look at verse 6.

It says, “So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’” And Jesus said to them, “It is not for you to know times and epochs which the Father has fixed in his own authority.”

See, that was on their mind right after the resurrection. They didn’t get the rest of the message of the prophets, that they were to take the gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the gospel of the Kingdom, to the whole rest of the world. And that would take a long time.

We’re still in that process right now. We’re still taking the gospel to the rest of the world. When you come to Revelation 10, you get the answer to that question.

Our focus this Lord’s day is on the mighty angel and the little book. Now, I’m going to say right in the beginning that the little book is the word of God. And this word, which we have been given by God to proclaim and to preach and to announce, is a book that is authoritative.

It is a book that is absolute, and it is a book that must be announced right until the last day. There is no choice in that. We must proclaim the word of God.

“The word of God is authoritative, absolute, and must be announced right until the last day.”

I want to see the first thing in chapter 10 in verses 1 and 2: that the word is authoritative. Notice what it says in verse 1.

It says, “And I saw another strong angel coming down out of Heaven, clothed with a cloud, and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.”

The Identity of the Mighty Angel

Now, this angel right here is very different than any other angel that we have been introduced to in the Book of Revelation. This angel is presented as one having great majesty and power. This is not the sixth angel mentioned in Revelation 9:13, nor is this angel the one who sounds the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15.

The angel here is very different and very majestic. And yet some people have concluded that this is Christ. Even though Christ appeared several times in the Old Testament as the angel of the Lord, this cannot be Christ because there is no evidence that Christ comes to earth midway in the tribulation.

Nor will we see later on that one proclaims makes a vow in the name of Christ. Therefore, it cannot be Christ. But this mighty angel—some said that it could be Michael the Archangel.

Michael’s name means “one who is like God.” What you see here is a mighty angel that represents Jesus and ministers on his behalf. The mighty angel represents God’s authority, God’s presence, and God’s power.

“This mighty angel represents God’s authority, God’s presence, and God’s power.”

Characteristics of the Mighty Angel

The angel is representing Jesus Christ in his actions and his character as his minister, as his messenger. If you look back in verse 1, look at the characteristics of this mighty angel.

He’s clothed with a cloud, meaning it’s a symbol of divine presence. He has a rainbow about his head, meaning that the rainbow always represents God’s covenant faithfulness and mercy in the midst of judgment. His face was like the sun.

The angel’s radiant face means that he had been in the presence of God, which was reflecting the glory of God, somewhat like Moses in the Old Testament, where the Bible says when Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone like the sun. For this reason, because he was speaking with him, he was in God’s presence.

His feet like a pillar of fire represent a picture of support, a picture of stability, a picture of strength. The angel from heaven comes with the word of God. He comes with a book in his hand to bring the word of encouragement for believers during this time in human history.

“The angel from heaven comes with the word of God — a word of encouragement for believers and a word of warning to the world.”

He also brings a word of warning to the rest of the world that the redemptive clock is about to run out. An interlude from chapter 10 to chapter 11:14 is given before the seventh angel sounds. The seven trumpet proclaims and brings in the rapid-fire bold judgments, or vile judgments, that will be poured out.

That will be the end of everything. You’re going to see then the other ones that we’ve mentioned already.

The Little Book: An Open Book

So he had a mighty personage about him. Secondly, this mighty angel—what did he possess? Verse number two: he had in his hand a little book which was opened.

A little book which was open. Let me just say that this little book seems to be a symbol of the word of God as it is delivered to people, that this is divine revelation that has already been given, the gospel of salvation.

So the angel has in his possession a little book, and an open book. Now, it could be open because all the seals have already been broken. But it seems an entirely different book than the scroll that had the seals.

Or it could be a book that has never been closed, like the Bible itself, from Genesis to Revelation. It is little because most of the message has already been revealed, and then there’s only a small portion that remains. Or maybe the final portion that remains.

“The word of God has been an open book — divine revelation already given, the gospel of salvation.”

Little may also mean a small portion of the whole scroll containing the plan of God for the ending of the present evil world and the introducing of the kingdom of God in the new heaven and the new earth.

Authority Over the Whole World

Notice also the angel’s position in verse 2. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. Having his foot on the sea and on the land means that he had authority over the whole world.

The whole world was involved in whatever this angel is going to say. It is a message to everyone who is on the planet. The mighty angel brings the word of God with authority for the whole world.

“The mighty angel brings the word of God with authority for the whole world.”

The Seven Peals of Thunder

And his authority is also bolstered by a loud cry in verse 3. It says, “He cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roars. And when he had cried out, the seven peals of thunder uttered their voice.”

A lion is known to roar when it’s about to make its last leap on the victim. The seven peals of thunder point to the perfection or the completeness of God’s intervention in judgment. God’s final judgments will comprehensively impact the whole world.

Nobody on the planet will know that something is happening. Everybody on the planet will know something’s happening. Every single one.

And they’ll know it’s coming from God himself. It’s like the psalmist who says about the voice of God: “The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic.”

God is using the mighty angel to speak on his behalf because he is ready to make the last move. He’s ready to bring complete judgment.

Psalm 29:4: “The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic.”

The Lord has this parenthesis in the beginning, in the middle of this. The Apostle John is ready to encourage and engage in writing what he hears. The seven peals of thunder say John’s ready to write.

Remember, he’s writing in the Book of Revelation. As he’s given these visions, he’s writing everything down. These seven peals of thunder speak forth.

John hears what they say and begins to write down what they say. Notice what happens: he’s not permitted to write or reveal what he heard.

It says in verse 4: “When the seven peals of thunder had spoken, I was about to write, and I heard a voice from Heaven saying, ‘Seal up the things which the seven peals of thunder have spoken, and do not write them.’”

This becomes a part of scripture where we have to honestly say, “I don’t know what they said,” because it’s not recorded anywhere. God has revealed much, but here God has not seen fit to reveal to me, man, at this time, but to keep it secret.

That’s reminiscent of Deuteronomy 29:29. It says, “The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things that are revealed belong to us.”

It could be that because God is in control, the saints don’t need to know all the details. Even saving the godly ones from despair over the morbid evil that is coming on the earth in the outpouring of the seven vials of the bowls of bold judgments.

It could be that the seven peals of thunder could be another horrible series of judgments unleashed on the planet earth. God says, “No, they will not go forth.” Maybe it’s just to show his longsuffering and his patience in order to extend more mercy and more grace before the final end.

I think the last one is more to the context. God’s word goes out with authority over the whole earth before the end. That’s the first thing about the word of God.

The Word Is Absolute

The second thing about the word of God is the word of God is absolute. In verses 5 through 7, the angel—now, again, being one of the main people in this narrative—has a solemn oath. Here’s another reason why this cannot be Jesus.

It says here, then the angel, verse 5: “The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven and swore by him.”

So the angel gives a solemn oath. He has a small book in his left hand, and in his right hand he lifts it up to heaven. And what does he swear by?

Notice what he swears by, verse 6: “And swore by him who lives forever and ever, secondly who created the heaven and the things in it and the earth and the things in it and the sea and the things in it.”

This is no mistake of who he’s talking about: the events that are coming are brought to pass by the same almighty God who created the heavens and the earth. What God started in creation, he’s the one who could write the last chapter and end it, because he is the sovereign ruler.

“What God started in creation, he’s the one who could write the last chapter and end it, because he is the sovereign ruler.”

A Sure Outcome: Delay No Longer

But I’m saying that the word of God is absolute. And notice what it says in verse 6: there’s a sure outcome. The angel swears that there shall be time no longer.

At the end of verse 6, notice this little phrase there. It says that there will be delay no longer. In other words, time runs out.

There will be no further delay. There will no longer be an interval of time as we know it. The end is now to be consummated.

The blast of the seven trumpets is soon to sound forth and unleash all the rapid-fire bold judgments, judgments that will bring Christ his near return and will manifest his glory to the entire earth. God’s purposes on earth will be fulfilled.

Time shall end, and eternity will begin. The kingdom will come, as it says in Matthew 6:9-10, as we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” God will take back the kingdom and the earth so long usurped by Satan and the ungodly.

“Time shall end, and eternity will begin. God will take back the kingdom so long usurped by Satan and the ungodly.”

He will take it all back. He’s letting things happen so everything could take place that he has designed and allowed. And finally, put away evil forever.

The Mystery of God Finished

But there is something else here: this mystery that was designed in the past will continue in the present. For this is what it says in verse 7. And this is the answer to the apostles’ question in Acts 1:1.

Where it says in verse 7: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angels—remember, the seventh angel has not blown his trumpet yet—when he has sounded, it says, ‘Then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his servants the prophets.’”

This brings about the completion of the mystery of God as declared to his servants the prophets. What is the mystery of God? The mystery of God is the gospel of glad tidings to all people.

That’s it. Not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles, to all peoples. See, that’s the mystery.

And the prophet spoke it. When the apostles came on this earth to preach, they didn’t preach the New Testament—didn’t have it yet. They preached the prophets.

They preached the Old Testament. That was their gospel, because the gospel was there already. It was already there.

“The mystery of God is the gospel of glad tidings to all people — not just to the Jews, but to the Gentiles, to all peoples.”

And they came and got more revelation from God to write the New Testament to make things more complete and more clear. The hidden plan of God will be complete. God’s scheme of redemption will be finished.

The Gospel Preached to All Nations

The world doesn’t see what God’s doing. They don’t. But the children of God know what God’s doing.

They know that the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They know that the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth with his son Jesus Christ as Lord, ruling and reigning over all the earth with his saints with him, us coming back with the Lord to rule and reign for a thousand years on the earth.

We know that says it in the word of God. And we know how all these things are going to take place because it’s already in the word of God.

“The kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

There’s definitely a sure outcome in these passages of scripture that are incomparable. The final consummation is the great theme of the gospel announced to and by the prophets.

Notice there it says that the Lord is the one who preached to the prophets. Remember, the prophets didn’t have to study to give their message. God gave it directly to them, and they gave it directly to the people.

The Apostle Paul kind of summed this up in Galatians 3:8, where it says, “The scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in him.’”

The Word Is Announced: Take and Eat the Book

All the nations will be blessed in Jesus Christ. And then it leads me to this last point: the word of God is announced. It’s announced, and it’s to be appropriated.

This is a strange part of this passage of scripture because there’s a commanding voice. I believe this voice is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, speaking to this angel or to John. Notice what it says in verse 8.

It says, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel.” In other words, the command is, “Take the little book.”

Verse 8 says, “Then the voice which I heard from Heaven, I heard again speaking with me, saying, ‘Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.’ So I went to the angel in verse 9, telling him, ‘Give me the little book.’”

The little book symbolizes the word of God as it’s delivered to people—divine revelation already given and continuing to be preached throughout time. And that is the gospel of salvation.

“The little book symbolizes the word of God as delivered to people — divine revelation already given and continuing to be preached.”

The word of God has been openly delivered to humanity for a very long time. Remember, John is still writing the New Testament.

The book, the word of God, has been an open book. It’s been a book that has been declared. Actually, it’s a book that I don’t know of anywhere where it’s ever been a closed book.

Even through the 400 years of silence between Malachi and Matthew, the word of God was still there. God wasn’t speaking through a prophet, but the word of God was still there. The Old Testament was still there until John the Baptist stepped on the scene and God began to speak through him as a prophet.

Helen Allan was born in 1931 in Brooklyn. She became famous for her paintings and had a keen eye for photography. She took a picture of an open book that no matter what you did to it, it could not close.

In 1999, a year before she died, she made a print of the book and called it “The Book That Will Not Close.” Right next to it, she put the book of Moses. I don’t know if she did that consciously or if she knew she was right on the money.

But this angel had a book that was open. Now the Apostle John is said to do something with it in verse 9.

It says, “Take and eat the book.” He says, “Take and eat it, and it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”

Then verse 10: “I looked and I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it was sweet as honey. When I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.”

The Sweetness of the Word

Now, that says a lot there. Because eating the little scroll or the little book has a two-fold effect. The first effect is it is sweet to the Apostle John and those who repent and believe in Jesus as their savior.

It is sweet. The word of God that is devoured and absorbed is indeed sweet. Eating it, taking it, is taking the gospel to your heart.

And John, even in the midst of bitter persecution himself, being confined on an island of Patmos because of preaching the gospel, even in the midst of that persecution, he experienced the assurance of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ and the sweetness of delight in his heart by not only believing that message but now proclaiming that message.

See, the prophets had the same exact experience. When the Lord said to Jeremiah and to Ezekiel that we read this morning, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me the joy and the delight of my heart, for I have been called by your name, oh Lord God of hosts.”

Now, if you know anything about the ministry of Ezekiel or Jeremiah, it wasn’t pleasant. They went and preached. If you notice this morning in the reading, every verse said, “You rebellious people, you rebellious people, you rebellious people, go preach to them.”

The word of God burned in his soul. It was the word of God that burned in his mind.

It’s the word of God that he knew was the truth. It was the word of God that is sweet in that it is the word of promise. It is the word of grace and mercy.

It is the revelation of God’s love toward humanity. And that is seen in Jesus Christ dying on the cross. Where it says in Romans, “He demonstrated his love in that while we were sinners and ungodly, he died for us.”

See, that’s how the word is sweet. When you understand the message of the word and where it heads, and that your relationship with God is now made right—not by anything you could have ever done, but by what Jesus Christ did in your behalf.

And the psalmist, when he writes about the word of God, what does he say in Psalm 19? That famous Psalm: “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true.

They are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the drippings of a honeycomb.”

Psalm 19:10: “More desirable than gold, sweeter also than honey and the drippings of a honeycomb.”

See, that’s how the word should be to all of us who know Christ. Most people delight in sweet things, don’t they? Some people believe that we’re born with a sweet tooth.

I think I have it. But not many desire this sweetness. When you come and believe in the Lord Jesus and take him as your savior, you come to know that the word of God produces a craving in your soul that you could have never conjured up yourself.

And it’s for the sweetness of the word of God. You want to know that the Lord is compassionate. You find out in the word he is.

You want to know that the Lord is full of mercy and that you can run to him with your sin and know you’re forgiven. That’s in the word of God. And you want to know that the Lord is compassionate and full of loving kindness.

That’s in the word of God. And when those things—that’s sweet to your soul. There’s nothing like it.

When you eat the book, or when we eat the book, we partake of its contents. We appropriate its statements, its promises, its affirmations, everything contained in the book. As we eat it, it becomes sweet to us.

We find partaking in God’s book and understanding the message is indeed something that is sweeter than even honey. But there’s a second effect of this book.

The Bitterness of the Word

It says here that it became bitter in his stomach after eating it. The second effect is that the word of God is bitter. The word of God is bitter because it reveals divine judgment.

God is compassionate, but he’ll not allow the guilty to go unpunished. God’s love and his mercy and his judgment must go together. We can’t separate them and take one without the other.

“God is compassionate, but he’ll not allow the guilty to go unpunished. His love, mercy, and judgment must go together.”

We have to have both. Because it reveals divine judgment, which will be poured out on earth upon sinful, unrepentant humanity as God deals out his wrath with the wicked world.

In Revelation, in the end, you’ll see the great white throne judgment where God opens the books and he examines everyone’s life and he judges them righteously based on what they’ve done. If their name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they’re cast into the Lake of Fire.

That’s God’s judgment. That’s bitter. Now look what he says to John in Revelation 11:11.

Commissioned to Prophesy

Not only eat it—not only appropriate it to yourself—but tell the book. Don’t just keep it to yourself. Verse 11 says, “And they said to me, ‘You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.’”

The Apostle John eats the little book, like the Old Testament prophets did, pointing to the reality that John is not only the last apostle, he’s not only writing the last book of the Bible, the revelation of God, but he is commissioned to be the last prophet.

The Apostle John is commanded to prophesy to many peoples. That is to faithfully deliver the word of God as it’s committed to him and give it to others. Divine revelation that has already been given must continue to be announced right up into the very end.

“Divine revelation that has already been given must continue to be announced right up into the very end.”

So that people will hear the invitation of God to participate in the blessing of the word of God, the sweetness of the word of God, and the good news of his grace revealed in the gospel of his son. So that they don’t have to experience the bitter part of it.

The Bittersweet Experience of Evangelism

Although the reality of announcing and proclaiming God’s word to many peoples and nations and tongues and kings is a bittersweet experience. If anybody ever does any evangelism, you’ll know that’s the case.

You have the message of the mystery of God on how someone gets right with the Lord and be forgiven and the promise of eternal life. And they look at you with a stare like it just went over their head. That’s bitter.

When you see your loved ones reject the gospel, when people you prayed for your whole life die without Christ, that’s bitter. But then you see people who do come to Christ, and that’s sweet.

That is sweet. Matter of fact, I think that when you evangelize and give the gospel and announce the gospel to people and they believe, there’s nothing greater than that. You’re on cloud nine.

If there’s such a number as cloud nine, you’re up there, man. Like God used you to give the gospel to somebody, and they get saved. There’s nothing like it.

“When you give the gospel and people believe, there’s nothing greater than that. You’re on cloud nine.”

Even when you walk away, you say, “Who am I to do that?” But God used you, and it’s good to be used by God. It’s good to announce this message.

That every saint should take and eat with the assurance that the word of God will be sweet. And at the same time, bitter to those who reject Christ because they remain unrepentant and under God’s condemnation and judgment.

So it’s clear in chapter 10 that the word of God is not only authoritative and absolute, but it is a word that must be announced. It is the only word that will save somebody from their sin.

It is the only word that comes from God to humanity to save them from eternal destruction and from a literal hell that they will be cast into someday.

Conclusion: Trust God and Announce His Word

Now, when you consider a chapter like this, you would have to say that you can trust God to finish things that he started. He’ll finish them on time from beginning to end.

God is in control. You can rest in the fact that God holds out mercy in and during the darkest times of life. It’s always there for you to come and take.

You can be confident to keep announcing the gospel because there are people yet to be saved. One of them may be you.

For all of us to appropriate the word of God so the word of God becomes sweet to our soul and more desired than any other thing anyone could offer you on this side of eternity, because it is the truth.

“Keep announcing the gospel because there are people yet to be saved. Appropriate the word of God so it becomes sweeter than anything else.”

Brethren, this morning, that is the message today for you and me to lean upon the things that are proclaimed in scripture and then to live them and make them part of our life.

Let’s pray. Lord, thank you again for bringing us together today. Thank you, Lord, for the gospel of Jesus Christ, the mystery that has been revealed to the prophets and by the prophets, then to the apostles and to the church.

Lord, that message is still being proclaimed today. Let us not forfeit it. Let us not lay it aside.

But Lord, let us be bold in proclaiming it, knowing this is the answer to men’s questions. This is the answer to have someone’s sins forgiven. This is the answer on how to be made right with the God who created them.

I pray, Lord, this is something that we would never be silent about, not only individually but as a church. In these days, I pray we would experience more of the sweetness than the bitterness of the message of the gospel.

I pray this in Jesus’ precious name today. Amen.
March 30, 2025
Hell Comes To Earth, Part 2

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okay let’s take our Bibles turn to the last book of the Bible Revelation and we’re looking at chapter n the last part of that verse 12- 21 and as you’re turning there let me have a word of prayer let’s pray father we thank you this morning for bringing us here thank you Lord for another day to live and thank you Lord for another day to come and worship you to hear your word to have it enter our minds to have it move our Wills to have us Changed by it I pray Lord Jesus that you may be glorified today as the word of God is brought forth to your people and I pray this in Christ’s name amen from time to not from time to time I would go to Princeton and um when they had Book Fairs a lot of times the libraries especially the theological libraries would empty their shelves and sell their old books so I bought a book for 10 cents and the book the name of the book was the a great time to be alive and it was sermons on Christians during wartime It Was Written in 1908 long time ago and in the book there was a little article there um actually it was preaching the person preaching was preaching on a book that was written uh and published in France called the insanity of Jesus kind of caught my attention in which the author said that in the 19th century Europe Jesus would have been put under restraint as a megalomaniac Afflicted with mystical hallucinations of a Kind well-known to clinical medicine at that time so modern the modern world has has been wise in their conclusion and Jesus is insane this this the spectacle that happened there the writer is saying the preacher is saying now spread before us as common sense the world having common sense sense and Jesus being mad and then they include this in it well during the Civil War they told Lincoln that Grant was a drunkard and Lincoln answered that he wish he knew what kind of liquor Grant drank that he might give it to his other generals so one who cares about Mankind might wish today that Jesus Madness would infect us all and if to be sane is to be like the modern world and if to be mad is to be Christlike then insanity is our profoundest need he went on to preach this when Sir Isaac Newton announced the law of gravitation men talked about him just as men talk about Jesus said one man Newton is a deranged poetical fancy said another critic this crazy mathematician will not have 20 followers in his lifetime well that is that was actually true Newton lived 40 years after the publication of his book and his converts numbered less than a dozen but at last one of them and then a mass of them f T an astonishing experience as it dawned on them that Newton’s Revelation was not to range poetical fancy but actual fact astounding fact and universal law such a profound change the preacher said will someday alter Mankind’s judgment concerning Jesus real wisdom lies in in knowing Jesus because he speaks the truth in fact he is the truth it will be a fact for mankind that Jesus is who he said he was the god man the Savior and the judge if Jesus is rejected and ignored by mankind then all that is left is Hell on Earth and that is true if somebody rejects Jesus Christ there is not much left except judgment so that brings me to the Book of Revelation because I’ve been preaching on from this section of scripture that Humanity at that time is actually experiencing hell on this Earth and so the The Book of Revelation as I’ve already mentioned is God’s final unveiling of the last days it’s talking about things that will come to pass Hereafter and in the second Vision that I’ve been examining and we’ve been examining together in Revelation it’s it’s about Christ and his Earth judgments and here we see in this second half of the seven-year tribulation period upon the Earth very unusual things are taking place on the earth with creation and also with those who dwell on the earth I left you off last time with the blast of the fifth trumpet and the first woe judgment which gave us a depiction of Terror that would come upon the Earth the fearful character of divine judgment is expressed in the description of the battle ready Locust likee demon Army a de demonic army with a specific mission to inflict harm for five months unsinful ungodly and the wicked people of the earth and the Army was described last time from verse 7 to verse number nine or verse number 10 that that it would be an army that would be irresistible it would be Army that would be intelligent it would be an army that would be seductive it would be an army that would be ferocious Invincible Swift moving Unstoppable and then notice in verse number 10 of chapter n it says they all they have taals like scorpions and stings and in their tails is their power to hurt men for 5 months so they have the ability to harm and to cause agon and suffering but only for a limited amount of time because here we’re speaking of the fearful character of God’s judgment which is Unstoppable once God says to do it it’s going to start and finish it’s going to be within boundaries and he’s going to use in this case demons that were Unleashed from the pit of Hades or the abyss to do his judgment it is a time that Hell Comes To Earth to Earth and hell is quite literally Unleashed on mankind the instrument of God’s judgment is an Unleashed segment of a fallen of of Fallen demons with Satan as their King if you notice in verse number 11 it says they have a king over them the angel of the Abyss his name is in Hebrew is a badon and in Greek it is Aon and then we come to verse 12 so the commander-in chief we we can make no mistake that it is Satan himself and those two names mean the same thing that he is a Destroyer the angel of the underworld and King of the wicked demon Army is always and has always been a destroyer he opposes the authority of the true and living God and causes havoc and destruction among his faithful followers it’s always been the case but here it’s at a heightened level that this tribulation period un asks human wickedness and also demonstrates the true character of Satan so the horror of this judgment which God allows is awful and yet this is the the first woe from last week yet there’s something worse to come and notice in verse number 12 it says the first woe is passed behold two woes are still coming after after these things so on this Lord’s day we will proceed to the second woe judgment because the first woe is passed and the second woe judgment is the sixth trumpet and if you notice in verse 13 it says then the sixth Angel sounded and I Heard a Voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God so all these judgments come that are coming we must not forget it is the day of the Lord it is the day of the Lamb’s wrath which means that all the judgments that take place are under God’s Direction and control so this is the end of human history where God has been holding back for many years and offering repentance throughout the whole time and yet we come to this point and it seems like repentance is no longer available in fact the people who live on earth don’t even want it so this second woe is more frightening than the first so consider six frightful things that that are revealed as the Judgment of God is Unleashed on the earth dwellers during this second half of the tribulation and the first thing the first frightful thing we see is in verse 13 to verse number 15 and that’s the appointment of the second demon Army and notice what it says in verse 13 then the the sixth Angel sounded and I Heard a Voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God now we see here that this voice who is this voice who is speaking well the only one who could be speaking in this area by the golden altar before God is is Jesus himself so the re the these demons are released by The Lamb so the the four horns spoken of here are similar to the altar of incense used in the Tabernacle and in the temple the horns on the altar were a symbol of God’s power of of God’s sovereignty and often we see in the Old Testament it is a symbol of God’s J judgment and also justice as we already noticed in the the first part of Revelation where it talked about the horns and just for our information the horns of the altar confer Sanctuary to a to the accus in the case of God’s justice like for example adonijah in the Old Testament in First Kings chap 1 adonijah was afraid that Solomon was was actually going to kill him and so he runs and holds on to the horns of the Altar and he takes hold of the horns because he was afraid of King Solomon and he spoke out and he says let King Solomon swear that today he will not put his servant to death with the sword and Solomon responded if he’s a worthy man he won’t die today but if there’s wickedness in him he will die and eventually we see that Solomon said just go home go home but he ran to that Altar for God’s justice and who’s this solitary voice well it is the lamb and for several reasons it is the Lamb first this is still the time of the Wrath of the Lamb and then second the golden altar of incense is where the Lord receives the prayers of the Saints to carry out Justice that the trumpet judgments are partially an answer to the prayers of the persecuted Saints in Revelation 8 and verse number three and here in chter 9:14 who has the authority to give a command to least bound Angels well the only one who has that kind of Authority or power is Jesus himself for it says in verse 14 it says one saying to the sixth Angel who had the trumpet release the Four Angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates so these bound Angels they must be evil angels because there’s no instance in the scripture that gives uh that actually have good Angels bound anywhere so these evil angels are under the authority of the Lamb so he’s the lone voice speaking saying to release these four angels and he releases them from the Euphrates the great river Euphrates now you you you would think well why is that an important point in this passage of scripture because it does say in verse number 14 the one saying to the sixth Angel who had the trumpet release the Four Angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates this Great River really points more than to a geographical place to the east more important importantly what actually happened at that place some of the world’s greatest events took place at the river Euphrates it is the place where the world powers start Assyria Babylon Persia began there and spread their evil and idolatrous domination around the world and these evil angels are Bound by God from bringing Havoc upon Humanity until God says you’re going to be released because even back then these four Angels were helping Satan carry out his mission in the early parts of human history and the goal of Satan back then with these angels was to destroy destroy those who are believers because they uh were created in God’s image they were there to overthrow the kingdom of God and the rule of God they were to retain control of what they still possess also they were to regain lost territory so there was a definitely a goal to these demons and there was a strategy that they had they wanted entice people to sin they wanted to hinder any kind of spiritual disciplines that anyone had at that time also they wanted to misrepresent God in truth and they wanted to oppose anyone who would proclaim the name of the Lord as their King and savior so Satan and his demons go and strategies are seen at the great river Euphrates what happened there well the Euphrates was one of the four rivers which came out of the Garden of Eden and there near this River Man’s first sin was committed Satan’s original deception of Adam and Eve happened there the first murder was committed there at Euphrates the first war was fought there at Euphrates the the Tower of Babel was erected in defiance against God signifying the origination of false religion Nimrod built the city of Babylon where idolatry received its origin it was Babylon the children of Israel were taken captive into so Babylon of old will be rebuilt we’re going to see that in Revelation and it will become the headquarters of antichrist if you look go quickly over to Revelation 18 and verse number two it says this there and it’s talking about Babylon in that passage Revelation 18:2 it says and he cried out with a mighty voice saying Fallen Fallen as Babylon the great but notice what it says she has become a Dwelling Place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit and a prison of every unclean hateful bird so these demons were eager to Bring Havoc upon mankind but God bound them right at the great river Euphrates prohibiting the Fulfillment of their their intended dastardly deeds and with the release of the four confined demons the character of Satan will be starkly manifested so we see so far that these demons are released by the lamb from the Euphrates that have been bound there for a very long time a third thing that we see in back in chapter 9 verse number 15 that the the Angels over the demon Army there’s four prepared for de from for a Divine time notice how specific the scriptures here but I just want to remind you that even in the first chapter of the book of Acts times and Seasons remain completely in the power of God when the disciples were told it is not for you to know times and epics which the father has fixed by his own authority look at verse 15 it says the Four Angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released this was well within the plan of God that he held them there and prepared them for this specific time God being Sovereign over all these things that these Angels were Bound by God and prevented from doing any harm until the exact hour of God’s appointment the time schedule is determined by God not by man Not By Angels but God Alone that that should encourage us to know that God is in control of all things and he’s in control of even the Demon World they can do nothing without his authority they are on a Long Leash and even when one comes to Christ and we are God’s possession he cannot touch God’s possession he cannot take your salvation away from you and then notice in verse number 15 these four are prepared for divine torment it says and the Four Angels so that they would kill a third of mankind now remember the other demons released from the abyss they could only harm for five months and cannot kill but now we see these four angels are almost the leaders these are leading Angels they have power they probably as I already mentioned helped Satan in the beginning to do a lot of mischievous Deeds Before the Flood and here we have them released and what are these four angels to do they are given the task and the authority by God to go kill a third of mankind now I don’t think they had to be convinced to do that I think that was well within their uh desires to want to do that matter of fact maybe that’s part of the reason why they’re bound because that’s what their their intentions were back then to just kill people and Satan still does it today he’ll he’ll he’ll tempt someone to a place to take their own life he’ll tempt someone to a place to do destruction to another life he’s still doing those dastardly Deeds today we have to be aware of his his devices and not give into him that the voice of the spirit of God must be louder than his voice there’s a third thing in our text and that’s the amount of this the demon Army in verse number 16 it is a terrifying number notice what it says it says and the number of the armies of the horsemen were 200 million I heard the number of them 200 million that’s an overwhelming number a massive force of military power because again the Euphrates was in the East so most likely these four angels are going to be getting nations in that area and bring them against uh God’s people and also against the Dwellers of the Earth at that time so it is a it is a vast and overwhelming Army almost Beyond human computation and a good way I think to put it in perspective is it would be it would be like measuring one mile wide and 85 miles long that is a large amount of a demon army or a demon Le Army I should say it that way that is going to come against the Dwellers on the earth look at the fourth thing is the appearance of this Army in verse 17 and verse number 19 Not only was this Army a ter had a terrifying number but also a threatening appearance I don’t know if you ever saw uh Even in our Mo modern military how when mon modern military Warriors are fully battle dressed they have their heads and these masks on and they have their weapons and everything around them uh you don’t want to go mess with them right because they are very impressive they have a a a wicked appearance to them and it instills fear on the onlookers or those who come in contact with them which is one of the purposes of overcoming your enemy look at verse 17 it gives us a descript of the appearance of this Army and this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them and the writers had breastplates the color of fire and Heen and brimstone and the heads of horses are like the heads of lions now just imagine this massive Army from the East energized by demonic strength looking like horses like bodies with head like lines writers with fiery breastplates with a color of red and Dusty blue and sulfur or yellow and then they have Lion’s heads and look at verse 17 out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and BR limstone this is like fire breathing coming out of their mouth horses lion serpents equal deadly Warfare there’s no one who can escape this Army there’s no one who could really fight against this Army and win no human at least and if you notice they have extensive power in verse number 19 it says for the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails for their tails are like serpents and have heads and with them they do harm so they have power in their mouths of course we saw the power that if fire and smoke and brain Stones coming out of their mouth that’s their power to destroy anyone who comes near them and then also they have tails like serpents and what is their job is to do harm now some have said well maybe this is a picture of a modern mechanical Army I don’t know all that I know is that the Bible describing something quite Fierce and an army that cannot necessarily be defeated Not By Any Human Army against this Army there’s a a fifth thing that I want you to notice in verse number 18 not only is there an extensive power in this Army not only only not only do they have a terrifying appearance and they have a terrifying number a threatening appearance but they also the fifth thing would be the atrocity of this demon army they terrorize a terrorizing death they have these demons are to kill onethird of mankind a third of mankind it says in verse 18 was killed by these three plagues now actually the word plagues could mean blows or lashings some have said this could be an indication to the plagues of of of course Egypt where God was trying was using the plagues to bring people to repentance give them giving them one last chance to repent by his judgments three these three plagues are the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceed out of their mouths in verse number 18 so this massive Army of Horsemen 200 Mill ion strong will do just that they’ll happy to do that they’re equipped with horses breastplates of fire red blue and sulfur yellow and by the power of their tail and the brimstone and fire and smoke which proceeds out of their mouth these evil spirits will kill onethird of the world population now earlier in the fourth seal we saw a fourth of the population is killed and now an additional third is killed you know our present po population today is 8 billion in the world the two judgments the two actually the two judgment accounts for for half the world’s population 4 billion people killed now now of course I don’t know the number of the population at that time people have been been being killed all along but imagine 4 billion people being killed there’d be bodies piled up everywhere know you can’t no time in this kind of atmosphere to bury them the stench must have been unbelievable also or the stinch will be when it actually happens so not since the the time of Noah and the worldwide flood has the Earth’s population come under God’s God’s judgment like this but why all this God’s judgment coming down on Humanity I’ll ask the question again how did the people of the earth respond to the judgments of God Almighty do they run toward the merciful god for Relief do they repent of their sin and turn toward God and place their faith in Jesus Christ well that brings me to my sixth terrifying fact the astounding picture of human depravity well the answer to that question is no they rejected the love of God in Christ’s sacrificial death in the place of Sinners and now not even the wrath of God could persuade these hard Hearts to repent the people of the Earth would not change their mind on God’s offer of Salvation in Christ and I want you to notice the evidence of that found in verse number 20 of Revelation 9 it says the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent they did not repent those who survive are declared to be unrepentant they didn’t repent of their evil works and the worship of Idols which their hands had formed so their non repentance is observed in their Works notice in verse number 20 it says and the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the of the works of their hands they didn’t repent The Works of their hands what is that you know the works of someone’s hands actually here in creating Idols works are are always the public and undeniable evidence of what is really going on someone’s heart what evidence is in your life that you’re a Christian or what evidence in your life proves that you’re not a Christian see evidence that will be exposed and revealed in the final Judgment at the last day when God opens the books and he reveals the works of men’s Hearts so the non-rep is seen by their works also the non-rep is observed in their worship are these people religious oh yeah they’re religious you heard the statement before religious but lost they’re religious lost blind dead but man they worship in verse number 20 it says this and the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of their The Works of their hands as so as not to worship demons and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and ofone Stone and of wood which can neither see nor hear nor walk rather worship dumb Idols that can do nothing for them than the true and living God the Fountain of Living Waters you see how dead people are that was this is not far from a description of our of us too is the same right if it wasn’t for God’s divine work God the Father drawing us to Salvation and God granting you and I faith and repentance to believe we would not believe we had no ability to believe we were completely depraved in the spiritual realm of things people would rather worship and they do worship something or someone objects that they don’t really have to change anything I will worship a God who lets me do what I want who lets me live according to my passions and desires I’ll worship a god like that that was their attitude they don’t have to change anything they can still live according to their old passions and desires and fulfill their lust with whatever gratifies them and gives them pleasure and the result of rejection and ignoring God’s mercy and Grace results in worshiping Idols there is never a neutral place in the beings life you are worshiping something you are living for something God’s made by the hands and imaginations of people Paul said to the Corinthian Church correcting them on their especially eating meat sacrifice to Idols he says to them no but I say that the things which a gentile sacrifice they sacrifice to Demons not to God and I do not want you to become sharers in demons that’s 1 Corinthians 10: 20 the worship of idols is devil worship the worship of any kind of imagination you have of God is devil worship that is the work of Satan to destroy the image of God and the truth of God it always issues in evil Lifestyles and immorality total satanic false religion that’s what we have at this time atheism Twisted philosophies subversion of morality paganism intellectual Insanity especially what is right and wrong what is good and evil especially with God’s way and what what is every other way so their non-rep is observed by their Works their non- repent repentance is observed by their worship and their non-rep is observed in their Defiance against God’s law notice what it says in the next section of our passage in verse number 21 but before I read that I just want to let you know that these people’s wickedness and the works of their hands is done against the first and the second table of God’s law always reminds me of James chapter 2:10 if you stumble and break one God’s law you’re you’re guilty of all of it well these people at this time they don’t want to repent they love their lifestyle they love their worship and not only that the demon Army that’s killing them are their servants so the demons don’t care they don’t care about anyone even people that worship them they care about no one they have only one goal and that’s to absur the authority of God and his Rule and his truth now these people here they already broke the first and second commandment by their worship of Idols they’re making Idols with their hands and what is the first and second commandment you shall have no other gods before me you shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on Earth beneath or in the water under the Earth and then notice in verse 21 and they did not repent of their murders that’s the sixth commandment and then their sorceries it’s this interesting word sorceries here it’s the word formia for drugs Satan uses many drugs to entrap people and slave them it also the word can also be translated ma magic potion charm casting of magic spells witchcraft all kinds of sorceries and anything connected to that it’s a broad word and brings in all these things because the people had all kinds of devices and implement the things they were implementing in their demonic worship it all goes on today too so they break the first and second commandment the sixth commandment murders they’re murdering and the demons are having authority to kill them they also break the seventh commandment and they did not repent of their murders nor their sorceries verse number 21 nor their immorality nor their immorality so so sexual Freedom part of probably part of their worship too no more boundaries do what you want satisfi your lust and desires and then they also break the eighth commandment it says the last part of verse 21 nor their thefts nor their thefts but even after the first woe judgment and now the second woe judgment mankind still did not repent of their sins and worship the true and living God see this only brings me to one conclusion how depraved and dark is the human heart back in the Book of Genesis because of Adam’s sin of Disobedience to the revealed word of God man lost his innocence incurred the just penalty of spiritual and physical death and became subject to the wrath of God they became inherently corrupt it’s called in theology today radically depraved that means that man doesn’t have a choice to say yes to God or no to God Martin Luther wrote a book called The Bondage of the will as far as your will is concerned concerning God it’s bound by your sin sin is the slave master to all people and that slave master is cast aside when those come who come to Christ as their lord and savior so radically depraved that is utterly incapable of choosing or doing that which is acceptable to God that’s us that’s not just these people here that’s us you see the work God had to do to save you he had to move Heaven and Earth to save you we had no choice in the matter we couldn’t save ourselves we we only could come with all our sin to Jesus to get saved because he did all the work he paid the full price so a person is incapable of choosing and doing that which is acceptable to God apart from divine grace man has no recuperative recoup recuperative that’s what I’m trying to say powers to enable him to recover in other words man is hopelessly lost so that should make our Salvation even much sweeter to know that we could have never done anything at all to please God or save ourselves it’s all about Jesus it’s all about what God has done man’s salvation is thereby holy of God’s grace through the Redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ even here at this time with an awesome display of God’s power to save and even to destroy right before their eyes they remain stubbornly rebellious all men of all time are thus Sinners by Nature by choice by Divine declaration and are thus guilty standing condemned before God and that is a sad history if someone stays there but the grace of God is still available today you can still get saved today you can still be transformed by the Holy Spirit today and made right with God by believing in Jesus Christ trusting him as Lord and Savior and if you are saved to be serious about living for the Lord and passing on the truth that he’s given you to others so still after six a six-fold judgments up to this point in Revelation Humanity continues in their evil ways nothing is left for them except the heavier J judgments of God to come when there’s no gospel and Christ is rejected and I also say Christ is ignored because ignoring Christ is rejecting him too so where there is no gospel in Christ is rejected there will also be an absence of the transforming purifying redeeming quality of life because it is found only in the power and the grace of God brought about by faith in Christ and divine mercy that’s the only way anyone would get saved so if Jesus is rejected and ignored by you or by mankind then all that is left is hell and I think that in in a very real sense these pictures of what’s Happening Here is a picture of hell when God is absent with his mercy and his grace and all that is there is Judgment it’s a horrible time to just to read it it is this is upsetting to read this and yet is true see real wisdom lies in knowing Jesus because he speaks the truth he is truth and it will be fact for mankind that Jesus is who he said he is the god man the Savior the Lord the judge and the one coming again that’s who he is so if you don’t know Christ repent before it’s too late and if you do know Christ live for him with all your heart mind soul and strength amen amen let’s pray Lord thank you again for this sobering passage of scripture Lord I just pray that those who he today would make sure that they don’t end up there but they have consciously called on you as Lord and Savior I pray Lord that you would continue to save people Lord that you wouldn’t allow them to be left in their depravity but Lord you would Grant to them faith and repentance that they may come they may seek Christ as their lord and savior they may come with their sin to you because you died for that sin and they would come by faith and receive you as their own I pray Lord that you would continue to bring the gospel to those who don’t know strengthen Believers today with the truth so they they have discernment to know what is good and what is wrong what is your way what is every other way what is evil so Lord we would have the ability by your spirit to turn from it to identify to expose it Lord make us holy people godly people so we lord would live for you every day of our life struggling against sin in the power of the spirit putting on the whole armor of God that we may stand up against the Ws of Satan who’s still active today not only the girdle of truth but Lord also the breastplate of righteousness and our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and taking up the shield of Faith that’s able to ward off and deflect all the Flaming missiles of the enemy and then that we would put on the helmet of salvation always growing in our knowledge and wisdom of Christ and then Lord the sword of the spirit able to do close combat with the Enemy when he comes against us in that evil day and he presses his Temptations hard upon us we would stand firm because we know the truth I pray that for us and so today bless us go with us as we move through this week and let us be a light to the world and salt to the Earth and I pray this in Christ’s name amen amen

March 25, 2025