The First Angel Poured His Bowl
and Ugly and Painful Sores Broke Out
16: 1-2

The first angel poured his bowl and ugly and painful sores broke out  DIG: Who commands the angel to pour out the seven bowls of wrath? Why are these plagues worse than those ushered in by the trumpets? How do the ugly and painful sores affect those who have taken the mark of the beast?

REFLECT: What great life lesson have you learned out of adversity? When have you been blessed out of some horrible event? How can you help others who might be going through the same thing right now? Don’t waste your sorrows!

After hearing a loud voice commanding the seven angels to pour their seven bowls of God’s wrath upon the earth, John saw the angels instantly obey. However, they didn’t simply crowd at the edge of heaven and dump their bowls like a mob of kindergartners in a food fight. We see them act, one at a time, in an orderly and somber manner. Clearly, these final bowls of wrath will be poured out in the very last days of the Great Tribulation.

Then I heard a loud voice from the Temple in heaven saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth” (16:1). This voice must be that of Yeshua, for all others will be excluded from the Sanctuary until the seven plagues have accomplished their purpose (15:8 CJB). Like the ten plagues in Egypt, all seven plagues will be supernatural acts of ADONAI. There will be no natural or scientific explanations for these plagues. They will hit far to fast for any explanation other than Jesus Himself. In fact, there is only one brief pause, just long enough for one of the holy angels to affirm that the bowl judgments are just and righteous (16:5-7).³⁵⁴ As the first angel leaves the Temple in heaven, his great bowl over-flowing with God’s wrath (Psalm 79:6), he flies swiftly, dumping its contents here and there, this continent and that continent, until every portion of the earth receives some of its bitter concoction. Finally the bowl will be empty and its dreadful mixture will start to take affect.

Ugly and painful sores will break out on those who live on the earth (16:2a). This reminds us of the plagues in Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bp – Moses Tossed Soot in the Air and Festering Boils Broke Out All Over Egypt). The two Greek words kakos and poneros mean ugly and painful. When used together they emphasize the sores will be oozing and incurable. All the great scientists of the world will be frantically trying to find a cure, but to no avail. The god of science will fail. But being a counterfeit son in every way, the antichrist will boast in his ability to heal and being “the great physician.” And for a while, with the help of the false prophet, it will seem to be true, as people flock to him for healing. But his inability to heal his people of the ugly and painful sores sent by the Lord will demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a liar. Despite the pain of the sores, hearts of the people, like Pharaoh’s, will remain hard. They will not turn away from their sins to glorify God (16:9), but will curse Him to the end (16:21).³⁵⁵

Armageddon is coming. Who in their right mind would choose to side with the antichrist in his fight against ADONAI? Yet millions are making such a decision each day when they reject such a great salvation (Hebrews 2:3) as that offered by the Father through His Son, Jesus our King. For this is the heart of what Armageddon is all about. It is the world saying,” We will not bow our knee (Philippians 2:10a) to anyone. We are too proud. We are too mighty. We are too important.”³⁵⁶

This plague did not merely affect a third of mankind (9:15) as the sixth trumpet judgment had done, but affected all the people who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image (16:2b). Because they had refused to worship the true God and Creator, Jesus Christ, but rather choosing to worship the image of the beast, the hour of His judgment will come upon them (14:6-7). Will they put the mark of the beast on their bodies? Then the LORD will add His own mark to their bodies. But His mark would truly reflect the ugly character of the god they worshiped. Were they afraid of what would happen to them if they refused the mark of the beast? Then ADONAI would send them some painful sores that will merely be a down payment on what will be awaiting them in the lake of fire (20:15). From that point on, no one who will receive the beast’s mark will be able to forget the consequences of the dreadful choice he or she will have made.³⁵⁷

Only the people who accepted the mark of the beast and worshiped his image will be affected. Those who rejected the mark out of their devotion to Messiah will be immune. And this will only infuriate them all the more against Jesus Christ who will inflict His judgment upon them. There will be no more hiding. It will be obvious who has chosen the true Son and who has chosen the counterfeit son. Everyone will be exposed because those sores will be so hideous. Moses spoke of these when he said: ADONAI will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. He will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head (Deuteronomy 28:27, 35).

And since those who live on the earth (6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 13:12-14, 17: 2 and 8) will not be able to attack Yeshua directly, they will take out their anger and great bitterness against the Jews. At this point the Jews will refuse to pledge allegiance to the beast, not because they are saved, but because he is trying to kill them. They will be hunted down, arrested, tried for not taking on the mark of the beast and executed. By the end of the Great Tribulation two thirds of the Jews will be killed, and one third will be saved when they recognize Messiah for who He is and ask Him to come back (to see link click Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

Dear Awesome Creator and Father, You are worthy of all our love! We bow in worship of You. Life in this world seems to be so real, but it is really only a foretaste of all eternity- either heaven or hell according to our heart. The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:35-36). A heart that loves God, is most important. And He said to him, “You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest mitzvah (Matthew 22:37-38). The wisest decision anyone can make is to give You all their heart. When pains and trials come, we choose to focus on eternity and life with You in heaven.  We are hard pressed in every way, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not in despair; persecuted, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed (Second Corinthians 4:8-9).  For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18). We choose to focus on eternity and life with You in heaven. You are wonderful and have such an awesomely fantastic eternal heaven for those who love You.  We love You! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen 

The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath
16: 1-21

The Bible provides the only true beacon of light and hope in the darkness and despair of the world. The Good News is comforting, encouraging and affirms words of peace, goodness, joy and love of salvation. The righteous followers of ADONAI are reassured as they read of God’s love, His promises, and of their eternal inheritance in His Kingdom. However, while the Bible is a book of hope, it is also a book of judgment. Because the Lord loves righteousness and faith, He must also hate sin and unbelief. He cannot reward faithfulness unless He punishes wickedness. Both the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah speak repeatedly of coming judgment, especially those passages that describe the final Day of the LORD (Joel 2:28-32; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:1; Matthew 3:11-12; 2 Thess 1:7-9). The wrath of the LORD, displayed earlier in the seal and trumpet judgments, reaches its devastating climax with the seven bowl judgments. Then we will see the return of the Messiah at the end of the Campaign of Armageddon.³⁵³

The seven angels have been selected, appointed and equipped as God’s final messengers of judgment. The last half of the Great Tribulation is getting underway and the world is worshiping the antichrist after he reveals his true identity after having his image set up in the Most Holy Place of the Tribulation Temple. Two-thirds of the Jews will be struck down and killed, yet one-third will be left alive (Zechariah 13:8). There will be Jewish believers in both Jerusalem and Bozrah (in modern day Jordan). The long drought and famine are still plaguing the earth. Food supplies are in critically short supply. This will be the world scene as the plagues recorded in Revelation 16 begin.

Escaping the reality of God’s judgment is impossible. Two bowls of judgment will be poured out upon those who live upon the earth, then during the third bowl judgment there will be a brief interlude as an angel speaks in the Lord’s defense. The sixth and seventh bowl judgments will take place as part of the eight stage Campaign of Armageddon.

Eons ago the ten plagues pointed out to the Egyptians that Pharaoh was incapable of turning the tide of the disastrous situation that they found themselves in, therefore, demonstrating his failure as both a ruler and a god. ADONAI’s seven bowls of wrath will do the same, as they point out to those who dwell on the earth, that the antichrist is incapable of reversing the disastrous situation that they find themselves in, therefore, they will demonstrate his failure as both a ruler and a god.

Dear God of the Universe, You are awesome! Your love is fantastic and Your holiness is perfect! Rulers are often so proud of all they have accomplished, but You are greater than all rulers. They rule only as long as You allow, including the antichrist. As I was watching, that horn was waging war against the kedoshim and overpowering them, until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was rendered in favor of the kedoshim of the Most High – when the time came and the kedoshim possessed the kingdom. . . The kedoshim will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.  But the court will sit and he will be stripped of his power to be destroyed and abolished for all time. Then the kingdom, power, and greatness of the kingdoms under all heaven will be given to the people of the kedoshim of the Most High. Their kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey him.’ (Daniel 7:21-22, 25c-27). In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

The Seven Angels
with the Seven Last Plagues
15: 1-8

The seven angels with seven last plagues DIG: How does John describe this new sign? Why does he say these are the last plagues? Is ADONAI unjust or unrighteous for sending the seven plagues? What picture does he paint in 15:2? Compare Moses’ song of deliverance from Egypt (Exodus 15:1-18) with the song sung by those delivered from the beast. What does the Bible mean when it says: You alone are holy? What praise is given to God? By whom? Why will smoke fill the Temple?

REFLECT: The song of Moses draws on the LORD’s past deliverance; the song of the Lamb looks forward to His future vengeance. Yet John’s vision of joy in heaven and sorrow on the earth should turn our attention to our own situation today. How does this passage make you feel? Why? What does it make you want to do? Why? What great and mighty deeds has God done in your life for which you will praise Him today? How appropriate is the song in this passage to your experience with the Lord? Why?

The fifteenth chapter of Revelation is, by far, the shortest in the book, just eight verses, primarily serving as a prologue to the sixteenth chapter and a somber listing of the seven bowl judgments to be poured out upon the earth. Yet, it is critically important in its own right, providing a glimpse of heaven just before the final judgments fall.

Earlier, John had seen a mighty angel holding a little scroll in his left hand (10:1-11). The content of the little scroll deals with the seventh trumpet, where the mystery of God will be fulfilled and evil will be punished.³⁴⁵ The seventh trumpet is the third woe. For this reason, it is the worst of all because it contains all the bowl judgments (Revelation 15 and 16). The mighty angel took a solemn oath to show the importance of this mystery and said: There will be no more delay (10:6)! Finally nothing will stand in the way of the final dramatic period of human history. From the middle of the Great Tribulation forward ADONAI will not intervene to give man further opportunity to repent. It will be the darkness before the dawn of the Second Coming. The period of delay will be over and the Lord’s wrath will be irreversibly set in motion.³⁴⁶

This will be the third of three great and marvelous signs in heaven. The first divinely given sign was a woman clothed with the sun (12:1). The second sign was an enormous red dragon (12:3), and the third sign, here, John saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven (15:1a). The sign itself consists of seven angels with the seven last plagues. The word plagues literally means a blow or a wound (Luke 12:48; Acts 16:23 and 33; Second Corinthians 6:5 and 11:23). The Greek word for plague, plege, describes the beast’s fatal wound that seemed to be healed (13:3 and 12). Thus, the seven last plagues are not really diseases or epidemics like AIDS or influenza, but powerful, deadly blows that are the seven bowl judgments.³⁴⁷ God had said to the Israelites: If you remain hostile toward Me and refuse to listen to Me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve (Leviticus 26:21). That time will be upon them, and the world.

Dear God of the Universe, You are awesome in love and in holiness! You have promised blessings for those who choose to love and follow You, and You have also promised curses for those who choose to go their own way. The choice is up to each person. The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:35-36). How wonderful Your offer of righteousness for all who choose to love and to follow You (Second Corinthians 5:21). May all who read this prayer make the wise choice to love and follow You. In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

These seven last plagues are the greatest because the wrath of ADONAI is completed (15:1b). These seven angels are introduced as the final step in the outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth (Zephaniah 3:8). A significant portion of John’s revelation describes the coming judgments of the LORD against an increasingly wicked and rebellious inhabitants of the earth. But I need to remind you that if you love the Lord Jesus Christ, you need not fear these cataclysmic judgments. Those who accept Messiah will be rescued from those dreadful days of doom. Those who reject Jesus, however, will be left behind to suffer the coming wrath (First Thessalonians 1:10).

Along with wrath, God reveals His grace. This is an underlying principle of His character. With vengeance, He offers victory; with judgment, He sends joy. So in 15:2-4 He presents the mirror opposite of the somber doom of the seven angels with the seven last plagues of wrath in 15:1. While those seven angels were filling up their bowls of wrath, John saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire (15:2a). Earlier, we had seen this same sea of glass, and it was clear as crystal (4:6a). When Moses, Aaron and the seventy elders of Isra’el saw ADONAI, under His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself (Exodus 24:10). Ezeki’el saw the same thing (Ezeki’el 1:22). But here, the crystal platform before the LORD’s throne will be mixed with the fire of God’s judgment. Fire is frequently associated with God’s judgment in the Scriptures (Numbers 11:1, 16:35; Deut 9:3; Psalm 50:3; Isaiah 66:15; 2 Thess 1:7-9; Second Peter 3:7).

And, standing on the sea of glass, will be those who will be victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name (7:9-17). Some of these will be believing Gentiles and messianic Jews from the Great Tribulation. The first resurrection has three parts: the Rapture of the Church, Tribulation martyrs, and the righteous of the TaNaKh at Christ’s Second Coming (Dani’el 12:13). Some will be killed as a result of the seven bowl judgments that will be poured out upon the earth in the second half of the Great Tribulation, and some will die because they refused to take the mark of the beast and his image, and, therefore, will be martyred. To quote the famous line of missionary Jim Elliott, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.” Therefore, they will be victorious over the beast because of their unyielding faith in Christ. But whether Jew or Gentile, when they reach heaven ADONAI will give them harps and they will be seen worshiping Him as one (15:2b). Their worshiping will never cease, because the more we see God, the more reason we’ll have to praise Him.

The appearance of the righteous of the TaNaKh and Gentile believers reminds us that Jesus sends His wrath as an act of revenge upon those who harm His children. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6). Unbelievers will be condemned to the lake of burning sulfur (20:10) for abusing God’s own people, because their abuse reveals their evil, unrepentant hearts (Matthew 25:41-46). Rabbi Sha’ul wrote: Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for the wrath of ADONAI, for it is written, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19). Speaking of the Jews, Jesus said: Whoever touches you touches the apple of My eye (Zechariah 2:8; also see Psalm 94:1-10 and 21-23). So the Jewish and Gentile believers pictured here will have gone through the terrors of the Great Tribulation and suffered horrible deaths. Yet despite having endured the most intense persecution the world has ever known, their faith, which is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9), will endure. Eventually, they will stand victorious on the sea of glass and watch as Yeshua takes revenge on their persecutors.

Those standing on the sea of glass will sing two songs, the song of Moses (the servant of ADONAI) and the song of the Lamb (15:3a). The song of Moses is found in the TaNaKh (Exodus 15:1-18; Psalm 92:5, 111:2, and 139:14), which is included in its entirety in the daily morning synagogue service and liberally quoted twice-daily in the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4). It celebrates the victory God gave the children of Isra’el when He brought them out of Egypt. Pharaoh’s army sped off to recapture them, but his chariots and the men they carried were drowned in the Sea of Reeds.³⁴⁸ The song of Moses was a song of victory and deliverance for the righteous, and at the same time of judgment and wrath on the enemies of God. Thus, in the last days, raptured believers, Tribulation martyrs, and the righteous of the TaNaKh standing together before the throne of the LORD on the sea of glass will sing the same song of deliverance sung long ago by the people of Isra’el.

And they will also sing the song of the Lamb, who is their eternal redeemer. That song was first heard in 5:8-14. Like the song of Moses, the song of the Lamb represents God’s faithfulness to His children and judgment of His enemies. The song of Moses was sung at the Sea of Reeds, the song of the Lamb will be sung at the crystal sea; the song of Moses was a song of triumph over Egypt, the song of the Lamb will be a song of triumph over Babylon; the song of Moses told how ADONAI brought His children out, the song of the Lamb tells how Jesus will bring His people in; the song of Moses was the first song in Scripture, the song of the Lamb is the last; the song of Moses commemorated the execution of an enemy, the expectation of the redeemed and the exaltation of the Lord, the song of the Lamb deals with the same three themes.³⁴⁹

The words of the song recorded here in verses 3 and 4 do not exactly match either the song of Moses in Exodus 15, or the song of the Lamb in Revelation 5. But the seven themes and many of the key terms are similar to those found in the TaNaKh:

First, Great and marvelous are Your deeds (15:3b), reminds us of Psalm 139:14, where David says: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know them well.

Secondly, when the righteous who stand on the crystal sea sing: ADONAI, God of heaven’s armies (15:3c CJB), it reminds us of the name by which God revealed Himself to Abraham (Genesis 17:1), Isaac (Exodus 6:3), and Jacob (Genesis 35:11). Those armies are composed of His angels (Psalm 68:17; Matthew 26:53). Jesus is the commander of heaven’s armies (Joshua 5:14). He can provide for our every need.

Thirdly, when in unison they sing: Just and true are Your ways, King of the nations (15:3d), this reflects the truth in the TaNaKh that affirms all [God’s] works are true and His ways just (Dani’el 4:37; Deuteronomy 32:4; Hosea 14:9). There is one Ruler over all the nations, and He reigns supreme. His government is incorruptible and without equal. His kingdom includes people from every nation. What a wonderful Kingdom to be a part of.

Fourth, the exclamation: Who will not fear You, ADONAI, and bring glory to Your name (15:4a)? is taken from the prophets, where Jeremiah says: Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You (Jeremiah 10:7)?

Fifthly, the truth that God alone is holy (15:4b), is often repeated in the TaNaKh (First Samuel 2:2; Psalm 22:3, 99:5, 111:9; Isaiah 6:3 and 57:15; Habakkuk 1:12).

Sixthly, the phrase: All nations will come and worship before You (15:4c), quotes Psalm 86:9, when King David says: All the nations you have made will come and worship before You, O Lord.

Seventh, when all the redeemed sing: For Your righteous acts have been revealed (15:4d), the TaNaKh echoes with such passages as Judges 5:11; First Samuel 12:7; Psalm 103:6; Dani’el 9:16 and Micah 6:5.

After hearing the song of the righteous standing on the sea of glass in front of the throne of God, John looked and saw the Most Holy Place in heaven opened (15:5). The Greek word naos refers to the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle where ADONAI’s presence dwells. The Tabernacle on the earth during Moses’ day was a mere replica of the true Tabernacle in heaven (Hebrews 8:2). Sometimes the earthly Tabernacle was referred to as the Tabernacle of Testimony (Exodus 38:21; Numbers 1:50; Acts 7:44), because the Testimony, or Ten Commandments, was placed there (Exodus 25:16). The reason the seven angels will emerge from the Most Holy Place in the heavenly Tabernacle, is to highlight the fact that God Himself is the source of the seven bowl judgments.

Out of the Tabernacle (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click – Fi The Sanctuary of the Tabernacle) came the seven angels with the seven bowls of plagues (15:6a). Bowls refer to shallow saucers that were part of the furniture of the Temple (First Kings 7:50; Second Kings 12:13; First Chron 28:17; Zechariah 14:20); and the sacrifices of the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:3; 38:3). The result will be that the wicked of the earth who refuse to drink the cup of salvation (Psalm 116:13), will be drowned in the seven bowls of plagues.

They were dressed in clean, shinning linen signifying their righteousness, and wore golden sashes around their chests signifying their royal priesthood (15:6b). They move out of the Sanctuary and away from the mercy seat (see my commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place). They are about to pour out the wrath of God. Those on the earth will receive judgment without mercy. They had defied the Lord, believed in Satan, worshiped the antichrist, taken his mark and worshiped his image, followed the false prophet, and rejected Christ.

The TaNaKh teaches that once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take a bowl of blood from a goat into the Most Holy Place. He would dip his fingers in the bowl and sprinkle the goat’s blood on the mercy seat. This was done to offer atonement for the sins of the people of Isra’el for the previous year. Since the antichrist and his followers will not accept the blood of Yeshua as an atonement for their sins, one of the four living creatures will give the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God (Jeremiah 25:15), and instead of sprinkling the blood on the mercy seat, they will pour them out upon a sinful and unrepentant world (15:7).³⁵⁰

Once the wrath of God was poured out on Messiah because of what He did for sinners; however, in the future His wrath will be poured out on sinners because of what they did to Christ. The lesson here for us today, is that if you do not accept the sacrifice of the Lord, then you become the sacrifice of the Lord.

Then the sanctuary was filled with smoke from God’s Sh’khinah (Exodus 34-35; First Kings 8:10-11; Isaiah 6:1-4), that is, from His power; and no one could enter the Sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels had accomplished their purpose (15:8 CJB). Earlier the antichrist insulted the name of ADONAI, His Sh’khinah, and those living in heaven. He was given power to make war against God’s holy people and to conquer them (13:6-7). Now the tables are turned, with the Lord’s people victorious, and His wrath about to be poured out on those who follow the beast.³⁵¹ There will be no more mercy, no more delays, and no more opportunities to repent until the seven bowls of judgment have passed.

We’ve all heard the expression, “I don’t get mad; I just get even.” Reading about the wrath of God described in Revelation, one might assume that the LORD will get “even” with sinners for their phenomenal offenses throughout the ages. But the truth is that God’s final wrath will be a necessary expression of His holy justice. He can’t turn a blind eye to sin. In fact, if He doesn’t finally carry out justice as described in the Great Tribulation, it would be a denial of His holy character. That’s why in the midst of His wrath, the victorious believers will sing His praise: Who will not fear You, O Lord and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. . . Your righteous acts have been revealed. Those who know ADONAI best do not judge Him for His wrath. Rather, they worship and affirm His actions.

What should surprise us it not the massive scale of God’s wrath, but that He waited so long to display it. Not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9b), the Lord is mercifully restraining His wrath and giving maximum space to His marvelous mercy and grace. Now is the time to repent and take advantage of His patient love. And when we do, we’ll join the believers in praising Him for all eternity.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It will forevermore endure – believers and angels’ song.³⁵²

The Events in the Second Half of the Great Tribulation
15:1 to 19:10

Obviously, the events beginning in the middle of the Great Tribulation continue into the second half, for it will take the full seven years for God’s purposes to be revealed. But once the second half of the Great Tribulation begins, world events will rapidly come to their climax at the return of Jesus Christ, the defeat of the unholy trinity and the institution of His thousand-year reign. The second half of the Great Tribulation will last for three and a half years, 42 months (13:5), or 1,260 days (a prophetic year in the Bible is 360 days, not 365).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your power and wisdom. You are Sovereign over all that happens. Nothing if outside of Your Majestic power. Praise You for You have already won the final battle of the ages (Revelation 21:7-9)! You will reign eternally! We love and worship You! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of His resurrection. Amen

The Seventh Trumpet:
God’s Temple in Heaven Was Opened
11: 14-19

The seventh trumpet: God’s Temple in heaven was opened DIG: What does this trumpet proclaim? How is the Second Coming of the Messiah “good news – bad news” event? For what is God worshiped? What does this tell you about His power? Who does He punish? Who does He reward?

REFLECT: How do you react to the Lord’s power over an unbelieving world to hurt them (the fifth shofar and first woe), to kill them (the sixth trumpet and the second woe) and to damn them (the seventh trumpet and the third woe)? Why? As ADONAI displays this power in response to prayer (8:4), what is your greatest need today? Have you boldly approached Him with that need through prayer? If the doors of heaven are always open to the children of God (John 1:12), why not take hold of your birthright and enjoy unlimited access to your heavenly Father?

After a brief interlude, the unbelieving world will have a sobering warning. The last three of the trumpet judgments will be so terrible that they are referred to as woes. The second woe will have passed, but the third woe will be coming soon (11:14). Chapters 11 through 14 are parenthetical. They add some detail about the middle of the Great Tribulation and show us why the bowl judgments will be so necessary. The word soon expresses the urgency of the last woe.

Dear Heavenly Father, The world enjoys concentrating on your love – which is Awesome, but You are also perfectly holy. As Isaiah saw in a vision: In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw Adonai sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. Seraphim were standing above Him. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  One called out to another, and said:Holy, holy, holy, is ADONAI-Tzva’ot! The whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:1-3). May people open their hearts to You and make this most important decision to choose to follow You – the Holy and righteous God of the universe, so then You will give us Your righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21) and allow us to enter Your holy heaven. In the holy name of Your Son, and power of His resurrection. Amen

That third woe would bring with it the final violent Bowl Judgments, the second half of the Great Tribulation and the return of the Messiah to set up His Kingdom. It sets in motion the completion of God’s plan of redemption (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bz – Redemption). The last forty-two months will see the final fury of the Day of the Lord (16:1-21), the final harvest of the earth (11:18, 16:19), and Jesus’ defeat of the kings of the earth (17:12-18), ending in the final eight-stage Campaign of Armageddon (19:19). When the seventh trumpet sounds, ADONAI will answer the prayer: Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). That answer echoes through Chapters 16 through 22 as God finishes His mighty work of reclaiming the earth from the thief Satan. The earth that He created, and which He redeemed with His blood will be His once more, never to be lost again.³³⁹

It is important to understand this seventh shofar is not the Rapture to which Rabbi Sha’ul refers to in First Corinthians 15:52. There he says: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed (this should be the motto for our nursery) – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (also see First Thessalonians 4:16). Consequently, we can see that while the last shofar is instantaneous, the seventh shofar covers forty-two months.

The seventh shofar will not only announce coming judgment for unbelievers, but it will also announce the coronation of Yeshua Messiah. In the TaNaKh, trumpets were normally sounded at the coronation of a king. During the attempted overthrow of his father David, Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel, saying: As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then think to yourself, “Absalom is king in Hebron” (Second Samuel 15:10). At the coronation of David’s rightful successor, Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon” (First Kings 1:39). Trumpets also sounded at the coronations of King Jehu (Second Kings 9:13) and King Joash (Second Kings11:14).³⁴⁰

When the seventh angel sounded his shofar there were loud voices in heaven, which said: The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of God and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15 also see Exodus 15:18; Dani’el 2:44-45, 7:13-14, 27). The tense of the Greek verb translated has become describes an event so certain, that it is spoken of as if it has already happened. There will be unrestrained joy that the power of Satan will be broken forever, and that Yeshua will rightfully rule as King of kings and Lord of lords (17:14 and 19:16). The active reign of God on earth, the Millennial Kingdom, promised in 1:5-8 and 6:10, now begins to become real. Between these verses and Chapter 19 are the various judgments and other events associated with the overthrow of the system of this world and the coronation of Messiah’s reign. That is why essentially the same cry seen here in 11:17 is repeated later in 19:6: Hallelujah! Adonai, God of heaven’s angelic armies has begun His reign! The thousand-year Messianic Kingdom will be the climax of human history (Exodus 15:1-18; Isaiah 2:2-3; Dani’el 2:44-45; Micah 4:1-3).

As representatives of the Church in heaven, the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before the Lord, fell on their faces and worshiped Him, saying: We give thanks to you ADONAI, God of heaven’s angelic armies, the One who is and who was, because you have taken Your great power and have begun to rule (11:16-17 CJB). And this God, of course, is none other than Jesus Christ. This is the same Person, using the same words as the glorified Messiah, which John encountered at the beginning of the book (1:4 and 8). He will protect us and we will have nothing to worry about.

Once the seventh trumpet sounds, instead of being repentant, the Gentile nations will be angry at the thought of the Kingdom of God being established. The stubborn rebellion of mankind will continue right down to the very end.³⁴¹ Satan will know his day will soon end, so he will stir the anger of the nations. The Lord’s wrath, however, will burn brighter, which will put Satan and Messiah on a collision course.³⁴² The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding Your servants the prophets and Your holy people and those who reverence Your name, both small and great – and for destroying those who destroy the earth with their sin (Revelation 11:18 also see Psalm 2:1-3, 46:6, 115:13). Like the coming of Messiah’s Kingdom (11:15), God’s timetable for judging the lost (Isaiah 24:17-23, 26:20-21, 30:27-33; Revelation 20:11-15) and rewarding His holy people (Matthew 5:12, 10:41-42; Mark 9:41; First Corinthians 3:8; Colossians 3:24; Second John 8) is certain. The verb translated has come is another example of the Greek proleptic aorist tense that describes a future event with such certainty it is as if it had already happened.

It is significant that special attention is given to those who destroy the earth. On the sixth day of creation, ADONAI commanded mankind to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28a). Mankind was to subdue the earth, but it was to be a rule of good stewardship and service – not one of exploitation and destruction. Adam and his descendants were to rule creation for the benefit of man and the glory of God. This principle was reemphasized after the Great Flood. However, mankind has all but destroyed the earth. Instead of caring for the plants and animals placed under his care, many have become extinct. Wars have devastated many forests and scorched countless lands. Human greed has polluted both the water and the air. Worst of all has been mankind’s wickedness, both toward his fellow man and against the Lord. The word destroy can be translated corrupt. Mankind has destroyed the earth by corrupting the earth, using it not for God’s glory, but instead to satisfy his own sinful greed. Therefore, He must finally destroy the destroyers and corrupt the corrupters. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile (22:11a). For He is the One who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell (Matthew 10:28).³⁴³

In the beginning of Chapter 11, John was told to measure the tribulation temple on earth (11:1). At the end of the chapter, he sees a vision of God’s Temple in heaven. This heavenly Temple points to unbroken fellowship with ADONAI – its doors remain open to all. Within this Temple, John saw the ark of the Covenant, a symbol of His holiness as the just basis for His wrath.

Then God’s Temple in heaven was opened, and within it was seen the ark of His Covenant (11:19a). This is not the original ark of the Covenant made by Bezalel and Oholiab for the Tabernacle in the wilderness (see my commentary on Exodus Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). It is not likely that the original ark ever survived the Babylonian destruction of Solomon’s Temple because it is not mentioned as having gone into captivity. If we keep in mind that the original ark was basically a piece of wood overlaid with gold, Nebuchadnezzar would have only been interested in the gold when the Temple was looted in 586BC. When the Jews returned 70 years later, there was no ark to put in the Temple they rebuilt. Extra-biblical accounts say that the ark was hidden “in it’s place” (Talmud, Yoma 53b), or elsewhere. Yoma 52b says it was King Josiah who hid it; but in the Apocrypha, Second Maccabees 2:4-8 tells us that Jeremiah rescued the ark and brought it to a cave on Mount Sinai to be preserved until God gathers His people together in the Messianic Kingdom. So the mention of the ark in this present verse is in agreement with this tradition because Isra’el’s national salvation is in the context here.

If, after the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish people could not find the ark after 70 years, they are not likely to find it after 2,500 years. The heavenly ark seen here in Revelation was the original from which Moses made a copy for the earthly Tabernacle. But we should keep in mind that this is a real physical Temple, in a real physical city, where Messiah now appears in His real physical, glorified resurrection body. If the earthly ark symbolized the LORD’s presence when guiding His people, the appearance of the heavenly ark symbolizes ADONAI’s ability to fulfill the rest of His covenantal promises to His people.

And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and an earthquake and a great hailstorm (11:19b). These heavenly phenomena occur at the beginning (4:5), here in the middle, and finally at the end of the Great Tribulation (16:18). These presumably will affect the whole earth, supplementing the earthquake in Jerusalem at the resurrection of the two witnesses, who had pronounced a three-and-a-half year drought on the earth. The rebels on the earth had cried out for rain. But instead of rain they would get hail. The angels who had restrained the winds and rains suddenly released them, resulting in a terrible hailstorm that testified of the LORD’s wrath against the rebellion of mankind.³⁴⁴

When God reveals His righteousness, He unleashes His wrath against those who have broken His Covenant. But to those of us who know Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, and have taken refuge in mercy and grace through Messiah’s blood, we enjoy unhindered access to the throne of God when we cry out Abba, Father (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; Mark 14:36). The message of the seventh shofar is that Messiah is the King of kings and Lord of lords. One day He will rule the earth from His Temple in Jerusalem (see my commentary on Isaiah Db – The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple). Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be (Second Peter 3:11)?

They Were Trampled in the Winepress
and Blood Flowed as High as the Horses Bridles
14: 14-20

They were trampled in the winepress and blood flowed as high as the horses bridles DIG: Who might the first figure be (Dani’el 7:13)? Identify the three angels in this vision? What is the role of each? What are the differences between the two parts of the vision (verses 14-16 and 17-20)? What is the nature of the judgment that will occur (Matthew 13:30 and 39)?

REFLECT: How ripe do you think the earth is now for harvest? Do you feel that the end is close at hand? Why or why not? How does this affect your lifestyle? God’s grace gives us the choice to choose righteousness or rebel against Him. What have you chosen? His justice holds every person accountable. How does that make you feel?

Blessing the dead formed a brief reprieve to the wrath of the Lord by presenting the comforting truth of the perseverance of the holy ones. But the theme of divine judgment resumes here. It will take place at the worst possible time in human history. After years of enduring the antichrist’s oppressive rule and the Lord’s judgments, the world is barely hanging on. It will seem like things couldn’t possibly get any worse. But they will. The Day of ADONAI is about to fall on Satan, his antichrist, the false prophet and all who follow the unholy trinity. It will be the final treading of the great winepress of God’s wrath.

John looked, and there before him was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a Son of Man” (14:14a). This is Messiah coming back to establish His Kingdom in fulfillment of Dani’el’s prophecy (Dani’el 7:13). The title Son of Man was Jesus’ favorite to describe Himself during His incarnation (Matthew 8:20, 9:6, 24:27 and 30; Mark 2:10 and 28, 8:31, 9:9; Luke 6:22, 7:34, 9:22, 12:8; John 5:27, 6:27 and 62, 8:28). This is the last instance where the Bible refers to Him by this title, and it presents a stark contrast with the first time it is mentioned in the B’rit Chadashah. There, the Son of Man had no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20); here, He is about to take control of the entire earth.

The reaper is further described as having a crown of gold on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand (14:14b). The crown is not the diadem worn by a king (19:12), but the stephanos worn by victors in war or athletic contest. It is the crown of glory (First Peter 5: 1-4), and pictures the Son of Man as the triumphant conqueror over all His enemies (Matthew 13:39). The sharp sickle is a long, curved, razor-sharp iron blade attached to a long broomstick like wooden handle used to harvest grain.³³⁵

Then the fourth angel in this chapter came out of the Tribulation Temple. Perhaps seeing the image of the beast (14:9 and 11) in the Most Holy Place of the Tribulation Temple made him cry out in anguish to Messiah who was sitting on the cloud, pleading: Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come for the harvest of the earth is ripe (14:15). A created angel cannot command the son of man to judge anyone and this should be viewed as an appeal rather than an order. Even so, the angels will be appalled at the wickedness they will be witnessing and will yearn for a time when the head of the serpent will be crushed (Genesis 3:15b).³³⁶

So Christ, who was seated on the cloud, swung His sickle over the earth and harvested souls for heaven (14:16). It will be God’s last altar call. The grain harvest is a common symbol for salvation. So although the vast majority of people on the earth will accept the mark of the beast, there will be a harvest of people who will believe in Christ.

While harvesting is a common symbol for salvation, treading is a common symbol of judgment. But another angel, the fifth one, came out of the Temple in heaven. And like Messiah, he too had a sharp sickle in his hand (14:17). A sixth angel, who had charge of the fire in the golden altar of the heavenly Tabernacle (8:3-5), came out and called to his fellow angel in a loud voice saying: Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe (14:18). The earth’s vine contrasts dramatically with the true vine of Jesus Christ (John 15:1). The word ripe here means fully ripe or in its prime. The bloodshed will be so massive and so quick that the only comparison is the spurting of the juice from the tremendous clusters of ripe grapes beneath the feet of those who tread the winepress. The grapes that are gathered will suffer the treading of God’s coming bowl judgments. The prophet Joel proclaimed the Lord would judge the nations like those reaping grapes with a sharp sickle. He prophesied: Swing the sickle, for the grapes are ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow with their wickedness (Joel 3:13).

Angels have played a prominent role in the book of Revelation up to this point, sending the four horsemen forward, sounding the seven trumpets, and defeating of Satan and his demons. Angels will also pour out seven bowls of judgment in Chapter 16, announce the Campaign of Armageddon (19:17), and seize Satan to throw him into the Abyss (20:1-3). Not only that, but the Son of Man will be assisted by holy angels in His final judgment (Matthew 13:39 and 49; Second Thessalonians 1:7-8).³³⁷

Therefore, the Lord and His angels swung their sickles on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of His bowl judgments (14:19). As the blood of the Lamb was once shed by His enemies, so will He tread the winepress with their blood. When His blood was shed it gave eternal life, but when their blood will be shed it will merely provide food for the great feast of God (19:17-18). This is one of the most tragic and sobering statements in the entire Bible. Simply, and without much fanfare, it records the execution of divine judgment.

Dear Holy Heavenly Father, You are pure and righteous! Praise You that Your love is balanced by Your perfect holiness. Your love keeps You from being mean, and Your holiness keeps You from being soft on sin. You do not desire to send anyone to hell; but Your holiness cannot permit any sin into heaven. You are so patient, giving so many opportunities to repent and turn to You.  The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you – not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9).Yet many choose to go their own selfish way and end up in hell. Even many outwardly look good in doing good deeds, but in their heart they love themselves more than they love You, will end up in eternal hell.  Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-25).  A heart that loves God, is most important. And He said to him: You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest mitzvah (Matthew 22:37-38). We love You and desire to live a life pleasing to You in all we do, say and think. In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen 

The terrifying details of that judgment are brought to light in Chapter 16: Ugly and painful sores on the worshipers of the antichrist (16:1-2), all of the sea turning to blood and every living thing in it will die (16:3), all of the world’s rivers and springs turning to blood (16:4-7), the sun scorching people with fire (16:8-9), a painful blackout over the antichrist’s kingdom (16:10-11), the drying up of the Euphrates River in preparation for the massive invasion of the kings of the east (16:12-16), and the most devastating earthquake in history as Yeshua finishes the Campaign of Armageddon when His feet stand on the Mount of Olives (16:17-21).

They were trampled in the winepress and blood flowed out, rising as high as the horses’ bridles (about four-and-a-half feet) for a distance of 1,600 stadia or about 180 miles long (14:20). This treading takes place outside the city of Jerusalem, where the Valley of Kidron, also known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, is located (Joel 3:2, 12). The prophet Isaiah also spoke of Christ with His garments stained crimson from treading the winepress of His wrath and anger (Is 63:1-6). The Campaign of Armageddon will conclude with the seventh Bowl Judgment (to see link click Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon).

The harvest represents the culmination of a long, well-ordered progression. First, the soil has to be tilled, then seeds need to be planted, and then the fields watered and carefully tended. Only when the crop was fully mature was everything ready for the reaper. In this sequence, the inspired authors detected a ready-made symbol for ADONAI’s hand guiding history. Just as a farmer prepares for the faraway – but eventual – harvest, so the Lord was constantly preparing people for the end of history.

Only by faith can we believe that the world will end, not through some meaningless catastrophe, but through the full establishment of the Kingdom of God. The process has already begun. Though we struggle with evil, every day we draw closer to Messiah’s triumphant return. Revelation reminds us that we are to be every bit as sure of God’s eventual victory as the farmer is sure of his coming harvest. Jesus invited us to participate actively in the harvest when He said: Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field (Matthew 9:38). Let us ask Christ to give us the grace to work with Him as He harvests the crop of life eternal (John 4:36).

Father, we pray for all of those you would gather into your Church. By Your Spirit, help us to be faithful servants who prepare the way for the return of Your Son, Jesus Christ.³³⁸

Blessed Are the Dead Who Die in the Lord
14: 12-13

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord DIG: Previously we are told that there will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name (14:10b-11). Here we see those who remain faithful to Jesus will rest from their labor. It seems like an easy choice. Why do you think some choose to worship the beast and not rest from their labor? Do you think this choice is conscious or unconscious?

REFLECT: How do you look upon death? As a rest? A reward? A new phase in the journey? What should you be doing when the Lord calls you home? What does patient endurance look like to you ? How are you doing with it?

There is an important interval between the first three angels (14:6-11), and the last three angels in 14:14-20. We are able to take a breath between all the wrath of God, for some much needed comfort about our own salvation. The Bible has much to say about blessing, which refers to spiritual joy or satisfaction. It describes an inner peace and contentment that is untouchable. Both the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah reveal much about blessedness (Psalm 1:1-2, 2:12, 32:1-2 and Romans 4:7-8; Psalm 40:4, 41:1, 65:4, 84:4-5, 106:3, 112:1, 119:2; Proverbs 8:32 and 34; Matthew 5:3-12; John 20:29; James 1:12; First Peter 3:14, 4:14; and here). Remarkably, this second of seven beatitudes in the book of Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7 and 22:14) declares a blessing on the dead. They will be blessed because of the way they lived and because of the way they died.

First, the dead will be blessed because of how they lived. By refusing to take the mark of the beast, the people of God will undergo heavy persecution and martyrdom. The pressure for them to take the mark and declare their allegiance to the antichrist, will be merciless. Yet they will not budge in their devotion to the Lord. This is when perseverance is needed on the part of God’s people, those who observe His command and exercise Yeshua’s faithfulness (14:12 CJB).

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise you for being such a wonderful father! You love Your children and always are there to help them (Hebrews 13:5). You look at the heart attitude of reward of Your children and reward them for serving with a heart of love. For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid – which is Yeshua the Messiah.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear. For the Day will show it, because it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work- what sort it is.  If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward(Second Corinthians 3:11-14). We give our rewards back to You. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:10c-11a)! We love to worship and serve You! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

The phrase the perseverance of the people of God introduces one of the most important and most comforting doctrines in the Scriptures. It expresses the truth that all of those whom ADONAI has elected, called and justified will never lose their faith, but will persevere until death. What some point to as biblical proof that believers can loose their salvation (see my commentary on Hebrews), merely highlights unbelievers who were never saved to begin with (First John 2:19). No, the Bible is clear on this most important doctrine. As Jesus Himself says even today: I tell you the truth, those who believe [in Me] have eternal life (John 6:47). That reality provides us with assurance, hope and joy to every true believer in Messiah, and brings an end to fear and doubt. It also reveals that believers’ deaths are blessed because to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord (Second Cor 5:8). God keeps His own holy ones by sustaining their faith to the very end, no matter what happens. True saving faith, by its very nature, is eternal and cannot be lost (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

The persevering nature of saving faith will never be more clearly seen than in this passage. No group of believers has ever or will ever face stronger assaults on their faith than the Tribulation believers. This large group of holy ones (7:9 and 13-14) will include both Gentiles (7:9) and Jews (12:17). They will be saved through the ministries of the two witnesses (11:3-13) and the 144,000 (7:1-8, 14:1-5). The Tribulation believers will endure the most intense persecution in human history. Yeshua Himself described this period as a time of great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world. The conditions will be so terrible that if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Matthew 24 21-22). YHVH will set a limit on the Great Tribulation so that the elect will not suffer more than they can bear (First Corinthians 10:13). There is no stronger evidence that saving faith perseveres than the reality that the most tested believers in history will maintain their saving faith until the end.³³²

Secondly, the holy ones will be blessed because of how they died. Then I heard a voice from heaven say write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. And the Holy Spirit agreed with this, by saying: Yes, they will rest from their labor, and receive a reward, for their righteous deeds will follow them (14:13). There will come a point in the Great Tribulation when it will be better for the saved to die than to live. They will leave their grief and torment behind, enter heaven, and rest in the presence of God where their righteous deeds will follow them. This was a special word of encouragement and comfort to all believers who lived during the first century persecution and for those who will die during the Great Tribulation from the persecution of the antichrist.

The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, has developed a doctrine in which it is held that all who die at peace with the Church, but who are not perfect, must undergo severe and purifying suffering in an intermediate realm known as purgatory. Rome has based her doctrine of purgatory primarily on a passage from Second Maccabees 12:39-45, and was not proclaimed as an article of faith until 1439 by the Council of Florence. This doctrine teaches that even if a priest forgives all mortal sins of a Roman Catholic in confession, but he does not perform enough “good works,” he will go to purgatory and remain there in torture until his soul is completely purified. Only after suffering the full punishment due to him for his sin will he be allowed to enter heaven. According to Catholic doctrine, the sufferings of purgatory are very severe, surpassing anything endured in this life. It teaches that the fire of purgatory does not differ from the fire of hell, except for duration, and in some cases lasts entire centuries. The Roman Church says people can pray for the dead and get them out of purgatory sooner, or pay money to the Church and get them out sooner.³³³ Either way it doesn’t sound like much rest. Redeemed souls are cleansed, not by the fires of purgatory, but by the blood of Christ. The Bible declares that blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin (First John 1:7).

The lost of this world are the ones who make the disastrous choice to build their lives around something less than the God of the universe, the only proper object of worship. They suffer from a reduced sense of guilt because they refuse to believe the good news of forgiveness and redemption to all who live on the earth (14:6). By contrast, the Holy Spirit calls us not only to keep the faith through perseverance, but to rest from our labors as well. And why rest in that? Because Christ’s decisive victory is assured (14:12-13).

We who labor for the Lord in this world often find it difficult to enter into the rest that God wants all of His children to enjoy. Second-guessing our choices troubles us, wondering if we could have done a more thorough job, spoken more boldly, held our temper longer. You name it. We are discouraged by our ineffectiveness not only in turning the tide of evil in the world but remaining faithful to the seemingly simple tasks of seeking ADONAI in prayer; speaking the truth; and loving our spouse, parent, child or co-worker.

Sometimes we feel like the whole weight of His mission here on earth is entirely dependent on our efforts. No wonder we get tired! Instead, Yeshua invites us to come to Him and find rest, not by making a break from our work but by uniting our efforts with His. In those times of discouragement, we need to be reminded of His words: Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-29). He reminds us that His Holy Spirit is at work within us to accomplish His will (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:13). The final outcome depends entirely on Him and may not match what we currently observe with our limited human vision because we now see but a poor reflection as in a corroded bronze mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (First Corinthians 13:12).

Lord, I so often grow tired of doing Your work. Reveal the pride that lies at the root of my discouragement. Revive my faith in Your power to conquer evil, not only the evil that seems to rule the world, but also the evil that lurks in my own heart. Because You love me so much, renew the strength with which I cling to Your love.³³⁴

The Hour of His Judgment Has Come:
The Message of the Three Angels
14: 6-11

The hour of His judgment has come: the message of the three angels DIG: What is the essence of the eternal gospel proclaimed by the angel of grace? Who will hear it? What response is called for? By contrast, what message does the angel of doom spread? Who will have fallen? What does it mean? How does Satan’s system (13:1-10) differ from the Lord’s body of believers (14:1-5)? How does Satan’s ideology (13:11-18) differ from God’s truth (14:6-13)?

REFLECT: What have you done to proclaim the eternal gospel? Humanly, what can anyone do when confronting people who love darkness instead of light because their deeds are evil? How do you feel when you read this section? Does this affect how you live your life? Why? How? When?

As previously stated, Revelation 14 serves as a connecting link between the description of the middle of the Great Tribulation in Chapters 10-13 and the events of the second half of the Great Tribulation in Chapters 15-16. After a vision of the final salvation of the redeemed holy ones in heaven and the redeemed 144,000 on the earth, John hears an angel summoning all mankind to repent of their sins while there is still time, because once the terrible bowl judgments fall, they will be lost forever.

Today, the body of Christ is responsible for the proclamation of the gospel. But that will change after the Rapture. Yeshua said: And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). Because the body of Christ will be in heaven during the Great Tribulation, God will use the 144,000 Jews, the two witnesses, and even angels to spread His message. He will go to great lengths to give the world one last chance to be saved (Second Peter 3:9).³²⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, How Awesome is Your love and patience! The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness. Rather, He is being patient toward you—not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance. (Second Peter 3:9). You are holy and by Yeshua’s sacrificial death, You paid the punishment for sin for those who love and follow You (Romans 10:9-10). It is sad that though You are willing to give Your gift of righteousness to so many, but they forfeit the gift by their love for themselves more than love for You.  And He said to him, “‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38). You are so wonderful and worthy of all our love! We praise, worship and adore You! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Three additional angels now come on the scene. Each has an urgent message for anyone at that time who still has the slightest fear of God or concern about their salvation. First, John saw another angel, the angel of grace, flying in midair. The Greek word mesouranema means midheaven or midair, which refers to a point in the sky when the sun reaches its highest point at noon. At that time, the angel would be the most visible to those who live on the earth. He will also be beyond the reach of the antichrist, Satan and all his demons that have been banished to the earth (12:7-9). There will be no excuses. Everyone one will see this angel, and everyone will hear him. At this point, there would still be time to repent before God’s judgment resumes.

And as he flies through the air, he will have the eternal gospel to proclaim (14:6b). Like a diamond, the Bible describes the gospel in different ways, each from a different viewpoint. It has been called the good news of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:23); the gospel of Yeshua Messiah (Mark 1:1); the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24); the gospel of the glory of Christ (Second Corinthians 4:4b); the gospel of your salvation (Ephesians 1:13); the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15), and the gospel of the blessed God (First Timothy 1:11). So no matter how you look at it, it is the eternal gospel. There will be nothing new or different about it. Rabbi Sha’ul, in fact, had warned: But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned (Galatians 1:8).

The angel’s message will be addressed to those who live on the earth, to every nation, tribe, language and people, the phrase always used by John to refer to unbelievers (3:10, 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 12 and 14, 17:2 and 8). This stresses the worldwide nature of his message (14:6c). It is the final appeal to all mankind to recognize the one true God.³²⁵ Remember that during the Great Tribulation the antichrist will require all people on earth to fear, glorify, and worship him as a god. The gospel, by contrast, calls for all people to turn to God from idols to serve a living and true God (First Thessalonians 1:9).

In light of the coming bowl judgments, they are urged to fear God and give Him glory (14:6b). This demand gets to the heart of the problem of the lost, for although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him (Romans 1:21). What does it mean to fear God? Satan would have us believe it means to be afraid of God, but that’s incorrect. To fear ADONAI means to have respect for Him, believe He exists, believe He reigns and will judge all mankind.³²⁶ This kind of fear is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27), and it pleases God.

The angel called out in a loud voice to ensure that he will be heard: Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come (14:7a). The last opportunity for unbelievers to gain salvation is slipping through their fingers. The bowl judgments are about to be poured out on the earth, followed by the return of Messiah (Matthew 25:31-46). This is the first use of the word judgment in the book of Revelation. This word will continue to appear (16:7, 18:10 and 19:2). Up to this point the word wrath has been used to describe God’s judgment (6:16-17, 11:18), from this point forward both terms will be used interchangeably. The Lord’s righteous judgments are the outpouring of His wrath against an unrepentant world.³²⁷

The angel gives one final reason for sinners to repent. They will need to worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water (14:7b). The universe that the LORD created will offer proof that He is more powerful than Satan (Psalm 19:1-4; Isaiah 40:21-26). Because of His revelation through creation, mankind has no excuse not to worship God. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:18-20). The angel’s uncompromising warning will be that the Creator is also the Judge. As the world speeds toward the cliff of final disaster, ADONAI graciously offers yet another opportunity to turn and go repent. He promises to snatch those who listen to His warning from the fire of judgment (Jude 23), and in the process, change their citizenship from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God.

This will be the final call to the world to accept the eternal gospel. The fact that it is called the eternal gospel is an indication that it is identical to the gospel that was preached by the Church. The counterfeit Trinity will be hard at work battling the Holy Trinity for the souls of men and women. The beast will be declaring himself to be god, the false prophet will be calling on those who live on the earth to take on the mark of the beast and thus show their submission to Satan. This will be the line in the sand. They must choose between Christ and the antichrist. This announcement anticipates the final series of judgments about to be poured out through the bowl judgments.

Then almost immediately John saw a second angel, the angel of judgment. Opposed to the first angel, this one does not announce the good news of the Kingdom, but instead, declares the bad news of judgment. The implication is that no one responded to the first angel. He announced: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries (14:8). This cry, combining Isaiah 21:9 with Dani’el 4:21, is repeated in 18:1-24 and announces the fall of the political capital. The repetition of her name underscores the certainty of her destruction. This was so definite that it could be spoken of as if it had already taken place. The political capital of the antichrist will be due for complete obliteration, which will be unimaginable to her followers.

This second angel proclaims in advance the ultimate destruction of the antichrist’s vast evil empire. Modern Babylon will merely be a reincarnation of ancient Babylon. She will continue what was started long ago by Nimrod (see my commentary on Genesis Di – The Line of Ham), continuing the satanic world system set up first at the Tower of Babel by uniting mankind in rebellion against God. This revolting spiritual adultery has been the deadly inheritance received from Mystery Babylon by all her religious children.

The reference to maddening wine used in this verse is a graphic reminder of Jeremiah 51:7, where we read: Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand. She made the whole earth drink her wine; therefore, they have now gone mad. This theme is continued in Revelation 17:2, where the Holy Spirit tells us: With her, the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries. Therefore, influence of Mystery Babylon, both ancient and future, is timeless and worldwide; its system of pantheistic humanism has doomed souls without number throughout the centuries. But Nimrod is dead and the antichrist will soon find himself burning in the lake of fire (19:20). Isaiah once said: Take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The grave below is all a stir to meet you at your coming (Isaiah 14:4-9).³²⁸

A third angel, the angel of doom, followed them and said in a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, they, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury (Rev 14:9-10a; also see Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17). It will seem to the deceived followers of the beast who receive his mark that they are backing the winning team. But this angel of doom warns that a horrible fate awaits those who, despite all of the LORD’s judgments and warnings, continue to worship the beast.

God’s fury will be poured full strength into the cup of His wrath (14:10b). The ancient practice of diluting the wine will not be practiced when the bowl judgments are poured out. The wine filling the cup of His wrath will be undiluted, without any trace of compassion. This will be the point of no return for everyone still living on the earth. There will be many who will not accept the antichrist and his mark. Many sheep Gentiles (see Fc – The Sheep and the Goats) will have stores of food and water stock piled to share with the Jews during the last half of the Great Tribulation. Otherwise, they would not survive.

The cup of God’s fury will be the bowl judgments of Revelation 15 and 16. Anyone who drinks of that cup will be tormented for all eternity with burning sulfur (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fa – The LORD Rained Down Burning Sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah). To add shame and embarrassment to their suffering, the unregenerate will be tormented in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb (14:10c). To suffer in the presence of the holy angels is not to lessen the severity of their judgment but to make it worse. Believers had to bear the shame of public contempt and opposition; soon their rivals will suffer before a more majestic gathering of holy angels.³²⁹ The lost will be forever barred from the loving relationship the believers have with Him. They will not, however, be away from His presence in the sense of His sovereignty and omnipresence – even in hell (Psalm 139:7-8).³³⁰

And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever (see my commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch). There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name (14:11). The torment also involves eternal fatigue, with no prospect of rest or sleep. One of the promises in heaven is that of rest. Yeshua says to us: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

There is something that we all need to remember. Modern science has demonstrated the principle of conservation of matter and energy to be the most certain and universal principle of science. Matter and energy can change forms but cannot be destroyed. Likewise, the far more important entity of the human soul, or spirit, created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), cannot be wiped out. Every human being ever conceived, possessing a divinely-created human soul and spirit, will exist for all eternity – somewhere.³³¹

These three angels deliver the Lord’s last call for repentance before the final bowl judgments are poured out and the Messiah returns. But God’s gracious warnings will mostly go unheeded by a sinful world. There is perhaps no clearer picture in the Bible of the heartbreaking truth that men loved the darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19).

And They Sang a New Song Before the Throne
14: 1-5

And they sang a new song before the throne DIG: Given the chaos described in Chapters 12-13, what comfort do you find in this passage? What sights? Sounds? Feelings? Who sings the new song? Why? Who is the Lamb? What has He done? Why are the people following Him?

REFLECT: How are you like, or unlike, the 144,000? How do you follow the Lamb? Will you follow the slain Lamb wherever He will lead you?

Revelation 14 serves as a connecting link between the description of the middle of the Great Tribulation in Chapters 10-13 and the events of the second half of the Great Tribulation in Chapters 15-16. Most of what was found in Revelation 11-13 dealt with the activities of the counterfeit trinity in their attempt to steal the authority of ADONAI and to destroy those who worship Him. This section is a vision of the final salvation of the redeemed saints in heaven and the redeemed 144,000 on the earth. The purpose of this parenthetical section is to provide comfort to the Tribulation believers who are being slaughtered for not taking the mark of the beast.³¹⁶

Dear Heavenly Father, How Awesome Your love is for Your children. Your love will bring good out of the evil that the Beast means for Your children. The Beast will persecute the righteous of the TaNaKh and kill many. The beast was given a mouth uttering great boasts and blasphemies. It was given authority to act for forty-two months.  Then he opened his mouth with blasphemies against God, to slander His name and His tabernacle – that is, those dwelling in heaven. He was also permitted to make war against the kedoshim and overcome them, and he was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation (Revelation 13:5-7).

You will bring your children from their painful life on earth to their heavenly home of eternal peace and joy that Yeshua is preparing. “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3). We look forward to worshiping and loving you in heaven forever! In the holy name of your son and the power of his resurrection. Amen

Then John looked, and it almost took his breath away, because he saw the Lamb standing there before him on Mount Tziyon, the highest point in Jerusalem (14:1a). In Ezra 4 the seer is told that He, whom the Most High is keeping many ages and through whom He will deliver His Creation [in other words, the Messiah] will stand on the summit of Mount Tziyon. Yes, Tziyon shall come and be seen by everyone, prepared and built, just as you saw the mountain cut out without hands. But He, My Son, will reprove the nations who have come for their ungodliness (2 Esdras, 4 Ezra 13:26, 36-37).

This was very significant, since the Lamb is seen as having redeemed, or bought back His people with His precious blood. The psalter wrote about this moment when God the Father said: I have installed My [Son] King on Tziyon, My holy hill. I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: God the Father said to Messiah, “You are My Son and You have a legitimate right to rule.” Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession. You will rule Your enemies with an iron scepter, You will shatter Your adversaries to pieces like pottery (Psalm 2:6-9). This royal psalm and describes smashing the rebellion of the Great Tribulation, and the beginning of the rule of the Messianic Kingdom.

And with the Lamb, John saw the 144,000 Jewish messianic evangelists (7:1-8), who had His name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads (14:1b). Unbelievers will have the mark of the beast on their foreheads (13:16), and the 144,000 will have the mark of God placed on their foreheads. John saw the 144,000 and the Lamb in Jerusalem, but he heard a new song from heaven.

And John heard a voice from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The voice he heard was not mere noise, it had a musical quality to it. It was joyful, like that of harpists playing their harps (14:2). Heaven will rejoice when Messiah returns to establish His earthly Kingdom.

The new song sung in heaven before the throne (4:1-11), and before the four living creatures and the elders will be the song of redemption (14:3a). The angels will join the righteous of the TaNaKh, the raptured body of Christ, and the redeemed Tribulation martyrs in praising Jesus for their salvation. While angels do not experience redemption, they do rejoice because of it (Luke 15:10). All heaven will overflow with praise because God’s redemptive work, culminating in the return of Messiah, will have been accomplished.³¹⁷

Heaven’s praise overflows, where the new song is taken up on the earth. It was a new song, never heard before on the earth or in heaven. John noticed that no one could really learn the song except the 144,000. The heavenly assembly could sing the words and the know the tune, but only 12,000 from each tribe could truly understand its meaning, for it was their new song. They had been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, protected by the name of the Father sealed on their foreheads, and completely dedicated to His service. Although the exact words of the new song are not recorded, it surely describes the great truth that they had been redeemed from the earth (14:3b).³¹⁸

The worship of the antichrist during the Great Tribulation will lead to unspeakable sexual perversion. As it did in the fertility cults of ancient times, sexual sin will run rampant. Homosexuality and bestiality will probably be commonplace. In all likelihood pedophiles will brutalize helpless children with impunity. With the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit removed (Second Thessalonians 2:6-7), and the unbelieving world in total rebellion against God, sin will be released like a tidal wave flooding the earth. In the midst of this darkness, the 144,000 will shine like beacons of purity. They will not defile themselves with women, because they will keep themselves pure (14:4a). This does not mean they will not be married, since sex within the confines of marriage does not defile anyone (Hebrews 13:4). What it does mean is that they will stand apart from the sin of their culture and will remain morally pure preachers amid the filth that surrounds them.³¹⁹

They will follow the Lamb wherever He will lead them because they will be totally dedicated to Him no matter the cost (14:4b). They will allow no rivals, no refusals, and no restraint to tarnish their dedication to the Lamb. Does He need someone to stand upon the steps of the Vatican and cry out against the marriage of the Church to the beast? There will be 144,000 ready to go! Does the Lord need someone to berate the beast at some state dinner, and thoroughly denounce him, his policy, his religion, his economic boycott, his mark, his ministers, and his alliance with Satan! There will be 144,000 eager to go! Does Christ need evangelists to proclaim His gospel to untold millions? to climb the highest mountain, to cross the hottest desert, to blaze evangelistic trails through steaming jungles or to mush huskies across wide arctic circles? There will be 144,000 excited to go! And though the beast’s Gestapo will shadow their footsteps, and put their converts to death, yet on they will go, not discouraged in the least. It was in that spirit that they followed the Lamb wherever He would lead them.³²⁰

They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits of many who will believe in God and the Lamb (14:4c). They were the firstfruits of the Great Tribulation. Long before the complete harvest of Israelite believers at the end of Daniel’s 70^th seven when all Isra’el will be saved (Romans 11:26), these 144,000 Israelites will be redeemed and prepared as firstfruits to both Jewish and Gentile believers alike during the climactic years of Jacob’s Trouble. But, it is more than likely that the 144,000 will continue their evangelistic ministry throughout the Millennial Kingdom to unbelievers. Not all the unsaved will die physically when Jesus returns. Those lost souls and the children born to them will have one hundred years to accept Messiah as their Savior or die (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Kq – The Wolf and the Lamb Will Feed Together, and the Lion Will Eat Straw Like the Ox). In fact, there will be enough unregenerate sinners alive at the end of the Millennium for Satan to lead a worldwide rebellion against the Lord (20:7-10). Thus, the Bible talks about salvation during the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah 60:3; Zechariah 8:23), and the 144,000 Jewish messianic evangelists will no doubt proclaim it.³²¹

No lie was found in their mouths because they are blameless (14:5). Like Jesus, the One they followed, no deceit was found in their mouths (First Peter 2:22). No wonder no one else could really learn the new song except for them! How could 144,000 men, even redeemed men, be so blameless as to stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion? The answer can only be seen in terms of the grace of God. Noah, for example, was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time (Genesis 6:9). But before such a testimony could be given, the Bible tells us that Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:8). Like John the Baptist, who was filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth (Luke 1:15), and like the Rabbi Sha’ul, who could testify that ADONAI had set him apart from birth and called me by His grace (Galatians 1:15), these 144,000 will be called and set apart from birth. They were not sinless, for all have sinned – even Noah, John the Baptist and Rabbi Sha’ul. But YHVH had so prepared and protected them that they kept themselves sexually pure, being zealous toward God from their infancy.³²²

The 144,000 will be the firstfruits of a worldwide revival. The fruit of their ministry will also be standing before the Lamb. They will be a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language (7:9-17). There have been great responses to the gospel in the past. We can think of times like Shavu’ot and the birth of the messianic community (Acts 2:1-41), the Reformation in Europe during the sixteenth century, and the Great Awakening in America during the eighteenth century. However, the greatest revival the world has ever seen is yet to come. It will not happen during the B’rit Chadashah Age, but during the Great Tribulation. They will be Jews and Gentiles, and they will be from every nation, tribe, people and language. Most will be martyred.

What song is in your heart today? Is it the blues of doubt and despair, or is it a song of praise and worship like the one the 144,000 sing before the Lamb on Mount Zion? Theirs is the song of complete, utter joy at being in the presence of the triumphant Lamb.

Unlike the heavenly assembly, we carry in our hearts the burdens and limitations of this life. Yet we also carry the death and resurrection of Messiah – the very reason why the 144,000 and the great multitude are singing! The message of our redemption is so good that even in the middle of trials, we can know an inexplicable sense of joy deep within our hearts. When things around us are chaotic, we can still believe in the fact that YHVH is unchanging in His love for us and that He delights in us.

Every day, Jesus wants to sing to you about His love and mercy. Do you listen for His song and receive its consolation and strength? How do you answer? While none of us can learn the new song of the 144,000, we can listen to the Holy Spirit, unite ourselves with His pleadings (which go beyond human words), and express our hearts’ yearning to be totally with Yeshua. What could be a more glorious song of prayer?

If you struggle with a lack of joy, ask the Holy Spirit to examine your heart. Repent of any sin He brings to mind. Then draw close to the Lord. If you’re facing a difficult situation, ask Him to be there with you, and tell Him you want the joy of being held safely in His arms. Yeshua longs to sing to you! When voices of doubt or fear rise up and threaten to drown out His still, small voice, quiet your heart and listen for His song of love.

Jesus, we rejoice with the 144,000 because You are the Lamb who was slain for us. Pour out on us Your gift of joy, and let our hearts resonate with the songs of heaven in adoration of Your wonderful love. You are our strength and our song! ³²³

The Woman and the Dragon
Revelation 12:1-6, 13-17 and Matthew 24:15-28

The woman and the dragon DIG: Describe the woman, the dragon and the child. Who do they represent? Where in the TaNaKh do we find this? What triggers the persecution? What should the Isrealites do? What should they guard against? Where do they go?

REFLECT: What do you learn here about spiritual warfare? What do you need to guard against? How do you feel about the persecution of the Jews? Who else will the antichrist persecute? Is any of this happening today? How does it affect you?

Chapters 11 through 14 are parenthetical. They add some detail about the middle of the Great Tribulation and show us why the bowl judgments will be so necessary.

The first event tied to the breaking of the seven year covenant (to see link click Dq – The Breaking of the Seven Year Covenant) will be the beginning of a worldwide persecution of the Israelites that start with the abomination that causes desolation (see Dr – The Abomination That Causes Desolation). Satan has always had a special antagonism against the Jews. Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of ADONAI and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him (Zechariah 3:1). At this point in the Great Tribulation, Satan knows that his time is running out and there will be an all-out satanically organized campaign to wipe out the Jews once and for all.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so wise! You created the mankind to love you so you could take them to live in heaven with you forever- but first they must accept the sacrifice of Your Son Yeshua as the sin offering for their sin. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (Second Corinthians 5:21). Satan will be working extra hard persecuting the Jews, but You are in control and will turn his evil into good. All the persecution will cause the Jews to finally recognize Yeshua as the Messiah that they have been looking for, the holy Jewish Messiah of the world. They will mourn. “Then I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication, when they will look toward Me whom they pierced. They will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and grieve bitterly for him, as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there will be a great mourning in Jerusalem, mourning like Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo. (Zechariah 12:10-12). Then it will happen – it is a declaration of Adonai – that in the entire land two-thirds will be cut off and die, but a third will be left in it. This third I will bring through the fire. I will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them as gold is tested. They will call on My Name and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will answer, ‘Adonai is my God.’(Zechariah 13:8-9). When they recognize Yeshua for who He really is – God, The Jewish Messiah for the world – then Yeshua will come back: defeat all evil and reign for 1,000 years at Jerusalem with those who love Him. Then I saw thrones, and people sat upon them – those to whom authority to judge was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Yeshua and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, nor had they received his mark on their forehead or on their hand. Revelation 20:4). We love You and worship You. In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Here, Jesus warns the Jews living at the time that the seven year covenant is broken. So when you see standing in the Most Holy Place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Dani’el – let the reader understand – then those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers (Matthew 24:15-19). They are warned that when the beast is standing in the Most Holy Place, they are to leave Isra’el with all haste and hit the ground running.

Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath (Matthew 24:20). Why not in the winter? After all, it seldom snows in Isra’el anyway. The reason for this prayer is that the Jews will be escaping toward the mountains in the east. Most of the escape routes will force them to use wadis, which are dry riverbeds that only fill up with flash floods when it rains during the winter months. Isra’el receives no rain between April and October. From October through the winter months up until April, Isra’el receives all its rain for the year. But when it does rain, many of these wadis instantly become filled and are very dangerous to cross. Many have drowned because they are caught in these riverbeds during a flash flood. If the abomination that causes desolation happened during the winter months, it would make their escape to the east much more difficult. So prayer is encouraged that it would not happen during the winter.

Why not on the Sabbath? There is no public transportation in Isra’el on the Sabbath. The buses are all locked up and the trains do not run. Unless an Israeli has his or her own transportation, he or she will find it very difficult to escape. An example of this problem was seen during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. The Arabs attacked on a holy day when there was no public transportation. This made it extremely difficult for the Israelis to mobilize their forces and get them to the front lines. So prayer was urged that it would not happen on the Sabbath.³¹³

At this point, worldwide anti-Semitism breaks out. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:21-22). The Lord will allow this to happen for 42 months or three-and-a-half years.

Then Jesus gives a special message to the believing remnant within Isra’el. He warns them not to listen to any rumor that Christ has returned or has come out of hiding. At that time if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Christ!” Or, “There He is!” do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, “There He is, out in the desert,” do not go out; or, “Here He is, in the inner rooms,” do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. When the Messiah returns, everyone will see Him. You won’t have to guess if He has come back or not (Matthew 24:23-27).

The first section of chapter 12 summarizes the entire life of Messiah from just before His birth to His ascension up to heaven. In the first sign, Isra’el is portrayed as a woman, a motif taken from the concept of Isra’el in the TaNaKh as the Wife of ADONAI (Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:6-14). A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven. The Greek word for sign, or semeion, indicates a mark or symbol that carries symbolic meaning or points to something beyond it. Here, the sign will be a woman (Isra’el) clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars (for the twelve tribes of Isra’el) on her head (Genesis 37:9-11). She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth (12-1-2). This pictures the nation of Isra’el just before the birth of Christ.

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon, or Satan. The seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads represent Satan’s control over world empires during the Great Tribulation (12:3).

Satan’s tail swept a third of the fallen angels out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman (Isra’el) who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child, the Messiah, the moment it was born (12:4). This attempt to devour Christ was seen in the slaughter of babes of Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16-18. The adversary’s attempt to destroy Christ both before His proper time (the Passover), and by the wrong means (stoning in place of crucifixion) continued throughout the course of His life.³¹⁴ Satan failed, however, because she gave birth to a son (Isaiah 66:7), a male child who was destined to rule all the nations of the world with an iron scepter as ADONAI (Psalm 2:8-9). And her child was snatched up, or ascended up to the LORD and to His throne (Revelation 12:5), where He presently sits at the right hand of God the Father interceding for His holy ones (Romans 8:34).

After this historical survey, John’s vision takes us to events that will occur in the middle of the Great Tribulation. The woman (Isra’el) fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by ADONAI, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days, or the last 42 months of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:6). At this point Satan is thrown out of heaven full of wrath and anger because he knows his time is short (Revelation 12:7-12).

Then, in 12:13, John tells us that when the dragon (Satan) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he persecuted the woman (Isra’el) who had given birth to the male child (Christ). Do you know why Satan persecutes Isra’el? Because Jesus was born a Jew, he hates Yeshua. Satan probably wanted the place of Jesus in the Trinity. But whether that is true or not, he hates Jesus Christ with a passion. Satan’s great motive is to tear down the deity of Jesus. His goal is to make people think the Messiah is a mere man who doesn’t deserve the honor that God the Father says belongs to Him. And if all the Israelites are dead, then YHVH cannot fulfill His promise to give the Land to the Jews and set up David as King in the Messianic Kingdom. This would be God a liar and our salvation would be in vain.

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert (12:14a). The expression, eagles’ wings, is a Hebrew idiom that means a successful escape after being pursued. You can also find it in Exodus 19:4, Deuteronomy 32:11 with the same meaning. There she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time (three-and-a-half years), out of the serpent’s reach (12:14b).

Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman (Isra’el), like in the days of Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16:31-35) by opening its mouth and swallowing the river (military invasion) that the dragon (Satan) had spewed out of his mouth (12:15-16). Whenever the figure of a flood is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of a military invasion. But the invasion will fail because Isra’el will succeed in fleeing to the desert. Then the dragon (Satan) was even more enraged at the woman (Isra’el) and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring (the faithful remnant) who obey God’s commandments (Genesis 3:15) and hold to the testimony of Yeshua (Rev 12:17).

When Isra’el flees to the mountains (Matthew 24:16), ADONAI says: I will assemble all of you, Jacob; I will gather the remnant of Isra’el, I will put them together like sheep in a pen, like a herd in its pasture – it will hum with the sounds of people (Micah 2:12 CJB). The city of refuge will be the ancient city of Bozrah, known today as Petra, in the region of Mount Seir in southern Jordan that was formerly known as Edom or red (also see my commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of the Messiah). It is one of the seven wonders of the world and is totally surrounded by mountains and cliffs. The only way in or out is through a narrow passageway that extends for about a mile and can only be traveled by foot or by horseback. This makes it easy to defend, and its surrounding high cliffs. Only a few shoulder to shoulder can enter through this passage at any one time, making this city even easier to defend. The name Bozrah means sheep pen, and Petra is shaped like a giant sheep pen. Petra will escape the domination of the antichrist (Dani’el 11:41), so it is logical for the Jews to flee to there where food and water will supernaturally be provided (Isaiah 41:17-20).³¹⁵ It will be the place where Jesus Christ physically returns to save the dwellings of Judah first (Zechariah 12:7). Messiah will have the red blood of His enemies splattered all over His robe (19:13). The red blood will come from the red place, Edom.

The Abomination That Causes Desolation
Dani’el 9:27b, 12:11 and Matthew 24:15

The abomination that causes desolation DIG: When and where will this abomination be set up? What is the purpose of the image? How will this image affect the Jews who are still alive at that time? Who will be decimated? Where will most of them flee to? What will happen there?

The first event tied to the breaking of the seven-year covenant (see Bz) will be the abomination that causes desolation. There are three key passages.

The first is found in the book of Dani’el. The prophet tells us that the antichrist will confirm a covenant with the Jews for one seven year period. In the middle of the seven years of tribulation he will put an end to the daily burnt offering sacrifice and offering. And on the wings of the Tribulation temple he will set up an abomination that causes it to be spiritually deserted as far a God is concerned. The phrase on the wings is taken from the Hebrew root word kanap, means to cover over, in a negative sense.

Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has always wanted to be worshiped in place of God (Genesis 3:1-4; Isaiah 14:13-14 and Ezeki’el 28:2). Just as the Holy Trinity works together in unison, so will the unholy trinity. As a result, in the middle of the Great Tribulation, the antichrist, who will be the epitome of Satan, will have his image set up in the most holy place in the tribulation temple by the false prophet. There the counterfeit son will claim to be God. He sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (Second Thessalonians 2:4). Because Tziyon is the religious capital of the world for ADONAI, the counterfeit Messiah will set up his counterfeit religious capital in Jerusalem.

The counterfeit father and the counterfeit son will be inseparable, just like the true Father and the true Son. So when the image of the antichrist is worshiped, Satan will also be worshiped. Where the true and living God dwelt between the overspreading wings of the cherubim on the mercy seat, Satan will foolishly try to take His place. So the antichrist, in turn, will demand to be worshiped until the end of the three-and-one-half-year period that God has decreed to be poured out on him and the world (Dani’el 9:27b).

A second passage gives the length of time that the abomination that causes desolation will last. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days (Dani’el 12:11). That is a full thirty days beyond the 1,260 days of the Great Tribulation (Rev 11:3). His image will continue to be worshiped for an additional 30 days after he is killed, then it will be disposed of during the Seventy-Five-Day Interval (to see link click Ey – The Seventy-Five Day Interval).

The third passage, found in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14, finds Jesus referring to Dani’el’s prophecy. Our Lord prophesied: So when you see the abomination that causes desolation standing in the most holy place spoken of through the prophet Dani’el, let the reader understand. Once again the Tribulation temple is mentioned here. Up to the mid-point in the Tribulation, Isra’el will consider the antichrist an ally. But when they see his image standing in the most holy place demanding to be worshiped as God, the spiritual scales will fall from their eyes and they will see his true identity. That abomination will cause 42 months of desolation as two thirds of the Jews will be killed. Most will flee to Bozrah where the Lord will return at the end of the Great Tribulation (see my commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). Their flight will start the second half of the Great Tribulation where Satan and the rest of the Gentile world will attempt to hunt down and destroy the Jews for the last time. It is Satan’s final solution.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are so loving! Please remind all who are being threatened or persecuted because of their love for Your Holy Yeshua, that Death is a defeated enemy. Yeshua rose in victory form the grave (Matthew 28) and has given His righteousness to those who love and follow Him. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). Heaven is a reality for all who love and follow Yeshua as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). In heaven there will be no crying, no dying, no sadness, nor pain (Revelation 21:4). Heaven will be a home of everlasting peace and joy! We love You and will not focus on pain and evil but we will bring to mind often that You have redeemed Your children and will bring them to live with You forever! We love and praise You. In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Breaking of the Seven Year Covenant
Dani’el 9:27a and Isaiah 28:18

Another event that occurs at the halfway point in the Great Tribulation is the breaking of the Seven Year Covenant that the antichrist made with the nation of Isra’el three and half years earlier (to see link click Bz – The Signing of the Seven Year Covenant with the Antichrist). While Dani’el 9:27a presents the covenant that begins the Great Tribulation from mankind’s perspective, Isaiah 28:18 presents the same covenant from God’s perspective.

He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven year period, the Great Tribulation. But in the middle of the seven, or three-and-a-half years, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering because of the abomination that causes desolation (Dani’el 9:27a).

Then in Isaiah 28:17-22, the same results are found as in Dani’el 9:27. First, in verses 17-18, the covenant will be broken and followed by the military invasions Isra’el had hoped to escape. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the like, and water will overflow your hiding place. Your covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.

The second result is seen in Isaiah 28:19-20, sheer terror will fall upon the Jewish people. Isaiah 28:15 teaches that they entered the covenant because of security, but in Isaiah 28:19, there will be invasion, and in Isaiah 28:20, there will be a lack of preparedness both militarily and spiritually. As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through. The understanding of this message will bring sheer terror. The bed is too short to stretch out on, the blanket too narrow to wrap around you. Instead of security, they will have insecurity.

Dear Heavenly Father, You are Almighty and the time will come for the seven years of Tribulation. May we use our short time wisely by sharing Your love and holiness with our family and friends. Please open their hearts for they are so full of pride and do not realize how much they miss out on by not putting You first in their lives. We love and trust You. You have power over every future event and you have already won the final battle (Revelation 20:7-9)! You will reign eternally! We love and worship You! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

The Mark is the Name of the Beast
or the Number of His Name
13: 16-18

The mark is the name of the beast or the number of his name DIG: What does the false prophet force everyone to take upon themselves? Where is the mark taken? What does it mean? Who will need wisdom?

REFLECT: Does this have anything to do with you? Why or why not? What about your loved ones? Friends? Co-workers? Sometimes you will be the only Jesus they will ever see!

Chapters 11 through 14 are parenthetical. They add some detail about the middle of the Great Tribulation and show us why the bowl judgments will be so necessary.

In order to better control the activities of the people of his world empire, each person will be required to register and receive a mark that will identify that person as a loyal follower of the beast. No one, no matter how wealthy or influential, will be allowed to avoid being marked. And as usual, Satan will counterfeit what God had already done.

To mark the idolaters in the city of Jerusalem during Ezeki’el’s ministry, the LORD told a man clothed in linen to go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the spiritual adultery that was being practiced in it. Then he and five other men were ordered by ADONAI to slaughter everyone who did not have the mark (Ezeki’el 9:1-11). In the end times this scene will be reversed. Instead of the children of God being marked and idolaters slaughtered, the idolaters will be marked, and the children of the Lord will be slaughtered (except for the 144,000). To counterfeit the seal of the Holy Spirit on the foreheads of the holy ones, the false prophet will introduce his own counterfeit mark. It is the famous mark of the beast out of the sea (13:1-10). By placing the mark on their forehead or right hand, the unbelievers of the earth will place themselves under the authority of the antichrist and worship him as God.

Dear Heavenly Father, I think of the painful nail mark on Your wrists and feet when You died taking our punishment for sin. How hard that must have been for You to be brutalized by those You created. Your love is so great! See how glorious a love the Father has given us (First John 3:1a). The pain of death that someone might have to go through if he does not get the mark of the beast, will be forgotten by the wonderful eternal glories of heaven:  For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18). We love You and choose to live our short lives on earth to please and glorify You forever in heaven! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead. No one will be exempt. To refuse the mark will mean death, and a countless multitude will undoubtedly be martyred (7:9-17). The mark will not only serve a religious purpose, it will also serve an economic purpose. During the 70^th Week of Dani’el the commandments of the Torah will be reinstituted. The Holy Spirit warns us: Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves (sometimes I feel like posting this scripture at the mall), I Am ADONAI (Leviticus 19:28). From ancient times idolaters marked themselves, especially on their foreheads, in honor of their deities.

The mark will serve as a passport to business. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark. Scanning people’s foreheads or hands will identify them to a central computer system. People will be unable to buy or sell anything unless they have the mark of the beast. Only those who have this number will be able to make a living. Life will be virtually unlivable, some people will bow to the antichrist, not prompted merely by religious deception, but also economic necessity. John gives us more details about the mark and notes that it will be made up of either the name of the beast or the number of his name. The beast will probably have a universal designation within the mark, along with the individual’s name. As a result, both the antichrist and the individual will probably be identified together within the mark.

This mark calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number. His number is 666. The number of the beast is the number of a man because the antichrist will be a man who will be the last ruler of the fourth Gentile kingdom (to see link click Aw – The Fourth Beast: The Antichrist Stage). In addition, this number will be the number of his very own name, and the numerical value of that name will be 666. This sobering passage is not intended to be the source of fruitless speculation about its details. Rather, it stands as a warning to the unbelieving world and challenges believers to lead careful, watchful, godly lives (First Peter 4:7; Second Peter 3:11), and to evangelize a hopelessly lost world headed for destruction.³¹²

The Bible is written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. All three languages have numerical systems that correspond to their letters. Thus everybody’s name in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek has a numerical value. So the number that will be stamped on the right hand or on the forehead of the worshipers of the antichrist will be some form of these numbers. In fact, the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet is vav, so the number 666 could be written vav, vav, vav. Likewise, the sixth letter in the Greek alphabet is zeta. So the number 666 could also be written zeta, zeta, zeta. Since an unlimited number of calculations can equal 666, it is impossible to figure out who it is in advance. But those who are wise at the time he appears will have insight into who the antichrist will be.

There is a striking difference between the mark of the beast and the seal of the Lamb. Those who reject Christ in the end times will have the mark of the antichrist stamped on their right hand or on their forehead as a seal of his ownership. Their end will be death in the lake of fire (20:14-15). But each one who is saved is anointed at conversion when Christ sets His seal of ownership on us, and puts His Holy Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing that we are God’s property, protected by Him (Second Corinthians 1:21-22). This allows us to stand firm in Messiah and guarantees us that our home will be in heaven with Jesus, who said: In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also (John 14:2-3 CJB).

The body of Christ will have nothing to do with the mark of the beast because every single believer will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air before the Great Tribulation begins (see By – The Rapture of the Church). Jesus says to all those who have the seal of the Holy Spirit: I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth (3:10).

The problem is that down through the centuries the mark of the beast has been linked with literally hundreds of different people. After discussing various false identifications of the antichrist prevalent even in his own day (around AD 180), the Church father Irenaeus of Lyons wrote, “It is, therefore, more certain and less hazardous, to await the fulfillment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises, and casting about for any names that may present themselves.” What excellent advice that the Church through the centuries should have listened to! If history has taught us nothing else about the coming of the antichrist and this mysterious number, it’s that we cannot identify him until he signs a seven year covenant with the Jewish leadership and the nation of Isra’el (see Bz – The Signing of the Seven Year Covenant with the Antichrist). Only then will the man of lawlessness be revealed (Second Thessalonians 2:3).

Jesus, You have called me by name and put Your seal of ownership in my heart. I am Yours. Help me to bear Your name with dignity. I want to represent You so well. Help me to live fully as your adopted child, with Your love flowing through everything I think and do.

The Beast Out of the Earth:
The False Prophet
13: 11-15

The Beast Out of the Earth: The False Prophet DIG: What is the false prophet like? If the first beast exercises political power, what does the second beast exercise? How will the false prophet deceive the inhabitants of the earth?

REFLECT: How do you discern false religion or a false prophet? What tools has God given us to discern truth from error, truth from lies?

The major weapon that Satan uses in his attack on us is deception. Jesus stated that Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44), who masquerades as an angel of light (Second Corinthians 11:14) to deceive people. From when he first appeared in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:2-6), until his final appearance at the end of the Messianic Kingdom (20:7-8), Satan is a liar and a deceiver. He constantly tries to confuse people, blinding the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel (Second Corinthians 4:4).

Dear God, Creator of the universe, We praise You! You provided the way of atonement when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself a lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”. . . Then He (Adonai) said, “Do not reach out your hand against the young man – do nothing to him at all. For now I know that you are one who fears God – you did not withhold your son, your only son, from Me” . . . Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and behold, there was a ram, just caught in the thick bushes by its horns. So, Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son  (Genesis 22:8, 12-13). We are so grateful that You provided You Son as our sacrifice so we might receive His righteousness. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21), by which we enter into Your holy heaven. We love You! In the holy name of Your Sonand the power of His resurrection. Amen

Rabbi Sha’ul warned us Satan’s followers will masquerade themselves as servants of righteousness (Second Corinthians 11:15). It is precisely because they spread wicked lies that Satan aligns himself with deceiving spirits and things taught by demons (First Timothy 4:1). Therefore, the Bible continually warns us of the danger of false prophets (Numbers 22-24; Deuteronomy 13:1-5; Isaiah 9:15; Jeremiah 28:1-17; 29:8-9; Ezeki’el 13:17; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14).

As He concluded the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua warned us: Watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves (Matthew 7:15, also see Second Peter 2:1 and First John 4:1). False prophets have afflicted God’s people from the beginning of history, but they will increase as the return of Messiah becomes imminent. Just as all the false christ’s who have plagued mankind will culminate in the final antichrist, so will all the false prophets culminate in a false prophet.³⁰⁷ Therefore, after discussing the counterfeit father and the counterfeit son, the counterfeit trinity is completed with the introduction of the counterfeit holy spirit in the person of the false prophet.

Following the rise of the first beast, or the antichrist, John saw another beast of the same kind come out of the earth (opposed to heaven), thus emphasizing his humanity. He will probably come into prominence as a miracle-working religious leader. This is the one who separates himself from the Torah (Second Thessalonians 2:3-10). Elsewhere in the book of Revelation he is called the false prophet (16:13, 19:20, 20:10). He will appear like a lamb, giving the appearance of a true religious leader, but in reality he will speak like a dragon, and so will reveal his true nature (13:11 KJV).³⁰⁸

What is the standard for a prophet of ADONAI? Since God’s people were to obey His prophet without question (Deuteronomy 18:19), to prophecy falsely was, in effect, to take the LORD’s place. For this, the false prophet was to be put to death. Moses describes this process: But a prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20). In the 70^th seven of Dani’el, this commandment will be reinstated. The false prophet will fail to meet this standard and as a result will face the second death and be thrown into the lake of fire for all eternity (20:14).

Just as the Holy Spirit exercised equal authority with the true Son, the false prophet will exercise equal authority with the counterfeit son. The two Satan-empowered men will become great allies. By the time the political power of the antichrist is reaching its peak, the syncretistic union of the world religions will be concentrated under the power of the second beast to coexist. Each one will support the other. The antichrist will enforce the religious authority of the false prophet, and the false prophet will persuade the world to worship the antichrist. Just as God the Holy Spirit will testify about God the Son (John 15:26), the false prophet will testify about the counterfeit son. The second beast will exercise all the authority of the first beast and will make the earth and its inhabitants worship the antichrist, whose counterfeit fatal wound seemed to be healed (13:12). They will become an unbeatable team for a season, working together to take control.

In order to fully carry out the deception, the false prophet will have the power of counterfeit miracles by the power of Satan (Job 1:16 and 19). Just as the Egyptian magicians counterfeited the miracles of Moses and Aaron with their secret arts (Exodus 7:8-13), the false prophet will perform great and miraculous signs. One of the most impressive signs the counterfeit Holy Spirit will perform will be causing fire to come from heaven to earth in full view of all the people (13:13). Just as Elijah caused fire to come down from heaven (First Kings 18:20-40, Second Kings 1:9-12), the false prophet will do the same. The two witnesses used the same phenomenon to intimidate the unbelieving world (11:5). Even though the antichrist had killed them, their resurrection had been seen around the world and people still feared their power. It will be important to Satan that the world will see and know that the beast and the false prophet will have similar powers.³⁰⁹

Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the antichrist, he will deceive unbelievers, or the inhabitants of the earth (13:14a). This is just as Yeshua predicted when He said: Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people (Matthew 24:11). The word deceive comes from the Greek word plano, which means to wander. It is the basis for the English word planet, since planets appear to wander through the heavens. During the Great Tribulation, the world will be utterly vulnerable to the deception of the false prophet. There will be unparalleled disasters and unimaginable horrors, leaving many people desperate for answers. Having rejected the true gospel and blasphemed the true God, the inhabitants of the earth will be eager to believe the deceiving lies spread by the false prophet.³¹⁰

The purpose of the counterfeit miracles will be to carry out the work of deception. The coming of the lawless one, or the antichrist, will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. The phrase miracles, signs and wonders is the exact phrase used to describe the miracles of Messiah (Acts 2:22) and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 2:4). Those unbelievers will perish because they will refuse to love the truth of the preaching of the 144,000 and the two witnesses and so be saved. For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe “the lie,” Satan’s particular lie, and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness (Second Thess 2:11-12). Having rejected God’s offer of repentance, the unbelievers will be lured by a deception so great that only true believers will be able to see through the illusion and, as a result, stand firm in the face of persecution.

After convincing the world of the supremacy of the antichrist, the false prophet will set up an image in honor of the beast (to see link click Dr – The Abomination That Causes Desolation) who was wounded by the sword, appeared to die, and yet lived (13:14b). The image will deceive many when it appears to come to life. He will give breath to the image of the beast by the power of Satan, so that the image of the beast would seem to be alive and even speak (13:15a NASB). The word breath comes from the Greek word pneuma, not zoe or bios, the Greek words normally translated life. The false prophet will animate the image of the antichrist so that it will give the appearance of being alive.³¹¹ However, only ADONAI can create life out of nothing (Genesis 1:1).

The end result will be that all who refuse to worship the image will be killed (Revelation 13:15b and see Exodus 15:18; Dani’el 2:44-45, 7:13-14 and 27). Once again, Jesus prophesied that this would happen when He said: Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me (Matthew 24:9).

All Inhabitants of the Earth will Worship the Beast
13: 4-10

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast DIG: Who worships the beast? What impact does this beast have on believers? How should they respond? Why? What is the book of life? Whose name’s are written in it? Whose names are missing from it? Why?

REFLECT: Is there a beast in your life (people, forces, institutions, etc) that is testing your allegiance to Jesus? How is God helping you deal with that? Is your name written in the book of life? How do you know? What kind of grade would you give yourself on patient endurance and faithfulness? Why?

Chapters 11 through 14 are parenthetical. They add some detail about the middle of the Great Tribulation and show us why the bowl judgments will be so necessary.

For many years before the Rapture there will be a revival of various occultist groups. The practice of occultism will be greatly accelerated after the true believers in the Lord are taken out of this world. During the first forty-two months of the Great Tribulation the preaching of the 144,000 (to see link click Cr – Then I Heard the Number of Those Who Were Sealed, 144,000 from all the Tribes of Isra’el), and the Two Witnesses (see Dc – I Will Give Power to My Two Witnesses to Prophesy for 1,260 Days), combined with the seal and trumpet judgments will finally remove every trace of scientific skepticism. By that time mankind will have seen and heard the holy angels flying in the heavens. The Rapture will have prompted many to read the Bible and books such as Left Behind. At long last, even the most cynical will be convinced that both God and Satan exist. But then they will choose Satan.³⁰³

People worshiped the dragon (the devil) because he had given authority to the beast (the antichrist). Just as God the Father will give all authority to His righteous Son Jesus Christ, Satan will give all authority to the antichrist (First John 2:18, 4:3, Second John 7). They also worshiped the beast and asked: Who is like the beast? They will choose to cast their lot with the beast because they come to believe that he is more powerful than ADONAI. The world will have a new superhero. All the adoration will lead people to ask: Who can make war against him (13:4)? They will recall his meteoric rise to power, his great victories in other wars, his overwhelming personality, and of course, his seemingly miraculous healing. They will come to believe that he is invincible. Dani’el prophesied about all of this when he said: He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men that try to usurp his authority he sets up an image of himself in the tribulation temple (see Bx – The Tribulation Temple) and declares himself to be God (Daniel 8:24).

For three-and-a-half years the beast will strive for world dominance with other kings, the two witnesses, and the 144,000 and their converts. He will have to fight against the devastating seal and trumpet judgments from heaven. But in the final analysis he will triumph, and the entire world will look to him, believing in his master, Satan, for every need. Finally! The forty-two months of drought will be over, the plagues will have stopped, the two witnesses are gone, the antichrist will be in charge and Satan and his demons will have come to the earth. What a time. It will be the devil’s holiday.

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months (13:5). The search for a charismatic world leader will be over. The antichrist will know it all, and his heart will overflow with pride. He will boast of his great achievements, power and world control. His speeches will be spellbinding. Dani’el prophesied that he would have a mouth that spoke boastfully. He will speak against the Most High God and oppress His saints who will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time (Dani’el 7:8, 20, 25). With their minds deceived and blinded by the dragon (Second Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9), confused additionally by drugs (9:21), and numbed by every conceivable sin, the people will easily come to believe in Satan and his lies (Second Thessalonians 2:9-12).

Whenever a corrupt leader usurps divine prerogative because the LORD has not called him to serve, the voice of authority becomes the voice of opinion, proclamation is replaced by discussion, the Word of God is replaced by the word of man, and sermons become philosophical dissertations at best, or blasphemy at worst.

The world will see the counterfeit resurrection of the antichrist from the dead and his power over the two witnesses (11:7-13). Although the two witnesses will be resurrected, they will fade into obscurity. The inhabitants of the earth will begin to worship the antichrist as king of the world and as Lord of all. No one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land of Isra’el and will have the power to destroy it (Dani’el 11:16). He will declare himself to be God and demand to be worshipped. For forty-two months, or the second half of the Great Tribulation, he will open his mouth in blasphemies against God to insult His name and His Sh’khinah glory, and those living in heaven (13:6). He will be the number one blasphemer in a world full of blasphemers. The beast will not only blaspheme ADONAI’S heavenly Tabernacle and those who live in heaven with Him, but also His name and His Sh’khinah glory.

But before the antichrist can establish his world empire, he will need to subdue it. He was given power to make war against God’s holy ones and to conquer them. No place on earth will be safe because he will be given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation (13:7). Great resistance, however, will come from both Jews and Gentiles who will come to believe in Messiah during the second half of the Great Tribulation. Dani’el also prophesied about this when he said: I watched this horn wage war against the holy ones and defeat them (Dani’el 7:21 CJB). There is no indication that believers will offer any armed resistance until the end (see Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon 2. The Destruction of Babylon), but their moral resistance, coupled with the seeming immunity against the plagues that infected the earth will make them especially hated by the beast.

At this point the antichrist will not only have political authority over the whole world, but he will have religious authority over the earth as well. All unbelievers will worship him during the Great Tribulation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast (13:8a). They will reject the Most High God because they will believe the unholy trinity is more powerful. They, like the ancient pagans and the modern evolutionists, have exchanged the truth of ADONAI for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25). It will be humanism on steroids. In worshiping the antichrist, they actually end up worshiping themselves!

It is hard to imagine a world full of Satan worshipers, but that is exactly where the world is headed. The Scriptures tell us that all will worship the beast, except those whom the Lord has reserved for Himself. The book of life mentioned here contains all the names of every person who is born again and only those who are born again (21:1). Their names are written into the book of life belonging to the Lamb before the creation of the world (13:8b). But those who will worship the unholy trinity will not have their names written in that book (also see 17:8b). In Psalm 69:28, it is also known as the book of the righteous. Based on God’s election and foreknowledge, this book contains the names of only those who are born again. And because our salvation is eternally secure (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), it is impossible to be blotted out of this particular book.³⁰⁴ Jesus said it this way: He who overcomes will be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before My Father and His angels (3:5).

Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will have the spiritually enlightened eyes to see through the polished politics and not be intimidated by the military might of the antichrist. They will see him for the monster he really is. Yet their resistance could have dreadful consequences. Those who refuse to worship the beast will suffer severely. So John warns the reader to snap to attention and listen to his solemn warning: He who has an ear, let him hear (13:9). This is the exact pleading message that John had earlier given to the angels of the seven churches in Asia Minor (see Ay – Write, Therefore, What Is Now). If mankind will worship the beast, they will forfeit their names being mentioned in the book of life; they will not have the righteousness of Yeshua, and consequently they will face eternity in hell. However, if they do not worship the beast, they will be martyred. It will be a grave choice, they will need to hear and understand its implications well.³⁰⁵ The famous observation of Tertullian, one of the father’s of the faith, was that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” has a depth of insight that is all too often lost on believers today.

Dear Heavenly Father, How Awesome You are! We praise You that Your great love and power extends beyond time on earth. Yeshua is making a home of eternal peace and joy in heaven for all who love and follow Him. “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be. (John 14:1-3). We keep our eyes on the future. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18). We are so grateful for all the pain that you had to suffer when You died in our place. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (Second Corinthians 5:21).We love You! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Here the LORD graciously interjects a word of encouragement to those believers who are being persecuted. The exact way that the lost treat the holy ones, the Lord will treat them. Long ago God had detailed this commandment: Show no pity; a life for a life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot (Deuteronomy 19:21). In the 70^th seven of Dani’el, this commandment will be reinstated. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If they enslave the holy ones, they will find themselves enslaved. The Dispensation of Grace will have been a thing of the past. ADONAI will do what our current society will not do – kill those who kill others (Genesis 9:6). If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed (13:10a). If they kill the holy ones, they will be killed in some manner. This promise will sustain the holy ones through such a time of bitter persecution.

This will call for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the holy ones at that time (13:10b). Like their Lord, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2), they will know that they themselves will have better and lasting possessions in heaven. They will need to persevere so that they will receive what He has promised them. For He who is coming will not delay (Hebrews 10:34-36). The terrible stress of the Great Tribulation will dwarf anything endured by believers before them and will provide the greatest test of patience and faith ever experienced.

The fact that the beast (the antichrist), will be given authority by the dragon (Satan), is indeed an awe-inspiring thought. The beast will combine features of the earth’s most vicious animals and his mouth will spew out wickedness. The whole world will worship him except those whose names are written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb. What a terrible time it will be. Yet, God will limit the beast’s dreadful persecution to a short time, forty-two months. Clearly, evil will not reign forever, and those who remain faithful to the light of Messiah will see the darkness dissolve.

If we are to survive direct persecution and remain loyal to the Lord in a hostile world, we must have faith in the slain Lamb, who has overcome death itself along with the lesser “deaths” that tempt us to despair. We need to be able to look beyond our current challenges and difficulties to see ADONAI working out our salvation in the midst of dark circumstances if we are to persevere.

Where is my gaze fixed today? Is it fixed on the present difficulties that can make me feel isolated, or on Yeshua? He boldly proclaimed: Surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20b). Am I fixed on my trials, or on my victory promised by Christ Himself? For He has said: I have told you these things (about His death and resurrection), so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33). On my weaknesses, or on the faithfulness of ADONAI who provides a way of escape in every temptation? God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (First Cor 10:13).

Also, where am I dwelling? Do I dwell on the earth (13:8), where I submit to false values like everyone else? Or do I understand that my true dwelling place is with those who live in heaven where God is already reigning (13:6)?

Who is like You, Lord, majestic in holiness, brilliant in glorious deeds, doing wonders? In Your steadfast love You have led the people that You have bought with Your precious blood. You have guided us by Your strength to Your holy dwelling place in heaven. Help me to enjoy the security of living in Your presence and praise You continually.³⁰⁶

The Resurrection of the Two Witnesses:
The Third Sign of Jonah
11: 7-13

The resurrection of the two witnesses: the third sign of Jonah DIG: What happens to these two witnesses? Why? What results from their death and resurrection? How does the world react to their resurrection?

REFLECT: What does it say, when non-believers gloat over your misfortune or misery? How do you think they want you to react? How should you react? What difference does it make? Who is watching?

In order to gain further religious allegiance of the people of the world, the antichrist will attack the two witnesses who, because of their supernatural abilities, will cause chaos for the inhabitants of the earth during the first half of the Great Tribulation.

Like all the prophets before them, these two end-time prophets will frustrate their enemies. In invulnerable and unstoppable for the duration of their God-empowered ministries, they will be immune to death. Yet when ADONAI says, “Mission accomplished,” He will lift His hand of protection from them and their enemies will be permitted to kill them. Now when they have finished their testimony, the antichrist, or the beast that comes up from the Abyss (9:1, 9:2, 9:11, here, 17:8, 20:1 and 20:3), will attack them and overpower and kill them. Although he is a man born of woman, the antichrist will be energized by the demonic power coming up from the Abyss or Satan himself. To the great joy and relief of the sinful world, the antichrist will finally overpower and kill the two witnesses (11:7). Along with his supposed resurrection, the killing of the two witnesses will provide another reason for the world to worship him.²⁹⁹

Perhaps to show his newfound power, the antichrist will not allow the bodies of the two witnesses to be buried. After their deaths, their bodies will be contemptuously left to lie as rotting corpses in the street (11:8). This will further pollute the great City of Jerusalem, which will spiritually be equivalent to Sodom and Egypt at that time (Jeremiah 23:14; Ezeki’el 16:49). Their spiritual condition will be like that of Sodom, where sexual sin and misuse of people were rife, and Edom, where false religion, hatred of the one true God and anti-Semitism will flourish.³⁰⁰ In the ancient world, exposing an enemy’s dead body was the ultimate way of dishonoring him. God would not allow the Israelites to do such a thing (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Like Christ, the two witnesses will return to the same great City to die where their Lord was crucified. This suggests that Jerusalem will be the focus of their ministry as it was their Lord’s.

Dear God-our Heavenly Father, How Awesome You are! Praise You for Your great love for Your first-born Isra’el (Exodus 4:22) and for Your destroying the boundary wall between Jews and Gentiles so they could be One. Therefore, keep in mind that once you – Gentiles in the flesh – were called “uncircumcision” by those called “circumcision” (which is performed on flesh by hand). At that time, you were separate from Messiah, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.  For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh He made powerless the hostility – (Ephesians 2:11-14). We love to honor and to worship You! In the holy name of Your Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

The gloating of the happy spectators will know no bounds. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial (11:9). The two witnesses preached for three and a half years, and then were put to death for three and a half days. They had been hated like no one else. The world would celebrate, “Free at last!” The news of their death would spread instantaneously throughout the world, carried by satellite to television screens, computers and public places everywhere. Believers who will attempt to give their bodies a decent burial will be driven off (Psalm 79:2-3).

The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth (11:10). The celebration will be like Christmas or Hannukah. The anti-Christmas will be led by the antichrist, who will solidify his position as an international hero. His triumph will be complete: “Joy to the world, the Lord is dead!” Men and women, who once celebrated the birth of Yeshua in a superficial way, will then celebrate His death with gusto. No more will they have to hide in caves from His wrath. No more angels will be flying through the air condemning them. The stinging scorpions and the frightening demon-locusts will be just a bad memory that will never torment them again. This is the only rejoicing that will be seen on the earth in the entire book of Revelation, which is a statement of their spiritual condition.

The visual media will continue their daily vigil at the scene of triumph, bringing the spectacle onto everyone in the world. The broadcast will feed twenty-four hours a day, but they will not be able to get enough of the coverage. It will be an orgy of celebration; a feeding frenzy of festivities. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them (Ezeki’el 37:9-10). The drunken onlookers will watch in horror as their bodies begin to stir. The world will gaze in disbelief as the two prophets slowly rise to their feet (11:11). The mob around them will shrink back in amazement. Cameras will zoom in on the faces of the two witnesses and four piercing eyes glare back out to millions of television screens, computer monitors and cell phones all over the world. And as with one voice, the inhabitants of the earth will scream: “Noooooooo!”

Not only will the viewers see the two witnesses rise to their feet, but they will also hear a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Having finally died, Messiah’s two witnesses will then be alive forever, resurrected just like their Savior. Their service on the earth will be done and they can return to His presence. And not unlike Yeshua (Acts 1:9-11), they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on in terror (11:12). The Rapture will be repeated for these two witnesses. But this time it will not be done in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52); instead, the whole world will watch them as they rise to their feet, and then rise to heaven. The Greek word for looked on is theoreo. It implies a hypnotic stare, and will strike terror into the most rebellious of their enemies. Jesus triumphed again. The three and a half days of celebration are about to be followed by another three and a half years of judgment, even more terrible than before.³⁰¹

We can learn a very valuable lesson from this account. ADONAI transforms tragic situations into triumphant events. Underdogs become overcomers. Weakness becomes strength. Overwhelming obstacles lead to glorious opportunities. Today, positive thinkers and motivational speakers try to inspire us to accomplish great things, embrace our potential, and achieve our personal goals – all in our own strength. Many leaders even within the body of Messiah advocate a life of success, health, wealth, and personal happiness. Yet when we contrast this me-centered philosophy with the heroes of the Bible, like David, Elijah, Gideon, Esther, or Ruth, who accomplished great things for God by His power, both the motivation and the outcome stand out in sharp contrast because all the glory is His and not ours.

So there will be no question as to cause-and-effect, at that very hour there was a severe earthquake, just as it happened at the resurrection of Messiah (Matthew 28:2). The One the world had been mocking for three and a half days will demonstrate His power once again. As a glimpse of what is to come, a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The unbelieving world will be forced to superficially give glory to the God of heaven (11:13), even though they had put His two servants to death. But their praise is not genuine and it will not last. In a short while they will curse the name of God once again as they experience His wrath (16:11). The survivors are terrified as they realize that they are about to see even greater judgments coming upon the earth.

Although the appearance of faith lasts only a short time for the unsaved of the earth, the resurrection of the two witnesses has a profound affect on the Jews of Jerusalem. This is the third sign of Jonah (Luke 11:29-30) to the nation of Isra’el. The first two, the resurrection of Lazarus (see my commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Sign of Jonah), and the resurrection of Messiah (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Mc – The Resurrection of Jesus: The Second Sign of Jonah), had been rejected. However, this third sign of Jonah will be accepted by the Jewish generation of the Great Tribulation. It will lead to the national confession of their sin of the rejection of Christ (see Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ), which will, in turn, result in the Second Coming and the setting up of the Millennial Kingdom.

John’s vision of the two witnesses reveals that there will be times when the people of God will suffer setbacks, apparent defeats, and even tragedy. But God’s holy ones can really never be defeated (see Dc – I Will Give Power to My Two Witnesses and They Will Prophecy for 1,260 Days), and it seems that they will do so once again before the coming of the Messianic Kingdom. When we are weighed down by failure, or confused about the path we should take, when we feel discouraged or even defeated, we should recall this vision. The enemy’s victory was not the final word. Hold on to your faith and do not lose hope under stressful circumstances. The Lord of history will vindicate His righteous ones.

Lord, we count it a privilege to follow You in good times and bad. We surrender ourselves to You with the prayer of Your Son Jesus: Not My will, Father, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42).³⁰²

The Destruction of Religious Babylon
17: 16

The destruction of religious Babylon DIG: What is religious Babylon? In what way is she a prostitute? Who is the beast? How had he used her? Why does he hate the prostitute and turn on her?

REFLECT: Have you ever felt eaten alive by Satan? What did you learn from that experience? Are you guaranteed that it will never happen again? What can you do?

One of the antichrist’s first acts in gaining control of the world will be the destruction of the first religious system of the Great Tribulation, religious Babylon. The beast (the antichrist) and the ten horns (the ten kings who rule under the antichrist) you saw will hate the prostitute (religious Babylon). Having used her to help him gain firm control of the world, the beast will discard her. But he will undoubtedly desire the vast wealth of religious Babylon.

Therefore, he will turn on the prostitute and bring her to ruin and leave her naked. The graphic language shows that extreme violence will be used to make clear that the beast and his henchmen will utterly and completely obliterate every trace of the false religious system; figuratively, they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.²⁹⁸ This worldwide religion will have the support of the civil government for the first three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation. But with all civil authority handed over to the beast, he destroys any form of religious Babylon so that all the worship in the entire world can be fixed on him.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your great love, Almighty power and wisdom. You know every detail of the future and You will soon return, at the end of the seven years of Tribulation, to fight the battle of the ages that you have already won (Revelation 19:11-21)! You will reign eternally! We love and worship You! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

Three Kings Killed and Seven Submit
Dani’el 7:24 and Revelation 17:12-13 and 17

DIG: Who are the ten horns? Who is the other king who will rise among them? How is he different? What will be the end result? Were does this fit in the big picture?

The attempt of the antichrist to gain political control will only be delayed by his supposed death. But after his counterfeit resurrection, the second world war of the Great Tribulation will continue until three of the ten kings are killed. The ten horns are the ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will rise, different from the earlier ones. He will subdue three kings (Dani’el 7:24). This other king will be the antichrist.

Once the three kings are killed, the other seven submit to his authority. The ten horns you saw are the ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast, or the antichrist. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast (17:12-13). The same point is made in verse 17. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled (17:17). The seven other kings will all agree to relinquish their power to the antichrist. With that decision, he will succeed in taking over the political control of the whole world, with the exception of Bozrah in Jordan where the majority of the Jews will take refuge. The second political system of the Great Tribulation will be started at that point. The next goal of the beast will be to gain control of the world’s religious system. He will need to remove all opposition. This will include religious Babylon, the two witnesses, believers born again during the Great Tribulation and, of course, those bothersome Jews.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your great love for Isra’el, Your first born (Exodus 4:22) and for Gentiles who You made One with believing Jews into One new man. For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh He made powerless the hostility – the law code of mitzvot contained in regulations. He did this in order to create within Himself one new man from the two groups, making shalom, and to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross—by which He put the hostility to death. And He came and proclaimed shalom to you who were far away and shalom to those who were near –  for through Him we both have access to the Father by the same Ruach.  (Ephesians 2:14-18). We love You and bow in worship at Your feet. In the name of Your holy Son and the power of His resurrection. Amen

The Antichrist Seems to be Resurrected
13: 3

The antichrist seems to be resurrected DIG: By what means will Satan use to carry out his plan to annihilate the Jewish race? Who is the only One who can create life? In what ways does Satan counterfeit God? 

REFLECT: Where would we be today, if the Adversary could create life? What would the implications be? How would that affect you today?

Revelation 12 portrays two great battles, one in heaven (12:7-12) and the other on the earth (12:1-6, 13-17). In both conflicts, Satan sets out to totally annihilate the Jewish race. The means by which he will carry out his plan will be the two beasts of chapter 13. The details of this genocide will be dealt with shortly. But the devil will begin his plan by reverting to his true nature. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders (Second Thessalonians 2:9).

One of the heads of the beast, the antichrist, seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound will be healed (13:3a). Only ADONAI can breathe life into a dead body. Only God can create, only the LORD can call into existence that which did not exist (Genesis 1:1). The universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible (Hebrews 11:3).

So, the antichrist’s alleged death and resurrection will be a counterfeit of Christ’s death and resurrection. The people of the world will believe that the beast is their savior. Since the Great Tribulation will be a time where the world will experience death on a scale never seen before in human history, his seeming invincibility to death will win him even greater fame than before. As a result, the whole world will be astonished and follow the beast (13:3b). He will seem bulletproof.

The antichrist will be the counterfeit son in every respect. There has been a counterfeit virgin birth, a counterfeit god-man, and now a counterfeit death and resurrection. Not very original. A counterfeit Second Coming to rule will be seen as he moves to possess the nations and kingdoms of the world. Satan is playing the part of the counterfeit Father in this scenario. For just as the true Father gave His authority to the true Son; consequently the counterfeit father will give his authority to his counterfeit son.²⁹⁷ It is no wonder that the entire world will be swept off its feet by this articulate, persuasive figure. The world will cry out: Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war against him (13:4)?

Dear Heavenly Father, Who worship You! Who is like You? No one! You are holy, full of love, compassionate, merciful . . . ! Even when the sky is gray, there is still a bright shining sun in the sky. Even when the world is full of evil, You are still sovereign over-all and Your love is shining brightly. You know all that is going on, and at the perfect time You will defeat evil. You have every detail all figured out and You have already won the final battle of the ages (Revelation 21:7-9)! Youwill reign eternally! We love and worship you! In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

There Was War in Heaven,
and Satan Was Hurled Down to the Earth
12: 7-12

There was war in heaven, and Satan was hurled down to the earth DIG: Where is Satan now? Where does the battle begin? Who are the central characters? What is the outcome of this conflict? What is the significance of this outcome for the earth? For believers? What events in the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah parallel this passage?

REFLECT: When has the devil seemed most real to you? Why? How do you overcome the Adversary? How could you apply this strategy to your own life?

As part of Satan’s war against God, the devil and his demons also battle against the Lord’s holy angels. Satan is described as the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Ephesians 2:2), as well as the prince of this world (John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11). It is not surprising then, that his travels include both the heavens and the earth. As a result, there has been war in heaven since the original sin of Lucifer and his rebellion against God’s authority (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Dp – How You Have Fallen From Heaven, O Morning Star).

In the middle of the Great Tribulation, while war breaks out on the earth between the antichrist and the ten kings, there was also war in heaven. Michael, the defender of God’s people, and his holy angels fought against the archenemy Satan, and the dragon and his fallen angels fought back. But Michael will be victorious because Satan was not strong enough, thus he and his demons will lose their place in heaven forever (12:7-8). Of course, the LORD could have destroyed Satan, the Adversary, and his demons with merely a word, but He chose to allow His faithful holy angels to battle the wicked fallen angels.

Dear Heavenly Father, How kind and loving You are! You died for all mankind (John 3:16) but You allow each individual person to make the choice to follow You. It is a personal decision, not a whimsical “OK, this seems good; I will try it and see if it works for me.” The choice to love and follow You is a covenant relationship of love for eternity. And He said to him, “‘You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38). The end times- though full of pain and much death-holds no fear for those who love You. You will have raptured all who love You before the Great Tribulation begins, but the new believers who decide to love and follow You during the hard and cruel days of that time, can live without any fear. Even if they do die- they will go to live with You in heaven forever!  For to me, to live is Messiah and to die is gain – having a desire to leave and be with Messiah, which is far better (Philippians 1:21, 23b). We bow in love of You, and look forward to worshipping You forever in heaven. In the holy name of Your Son and His power of resurrection. Amen

Michael, who has been defending the people of ADONAI for millennia, will defeat the armies of Satan and hurl them down to the earth. In Dani’el 10:13, after Dani’el had fasted for three weeks, the angel Gabriel explains his delay in coming: The prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, come to my aide, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. In Dani’el 10:21, Gabriel tells Dani’el about Michael, your prince; and the word your is plural – Michael is the great prince or guardian of the Jewish people, who fights alongside Gabriel against the fallen angels of Persia and Greece. Dani’el 12:1, speaking of the Great Tribulation, adds: At that time, Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will rise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book of Life – will be delivered.

Long restrained from his vengeance, Michael will finally be permitted to enter into direct conflict with his ancient rival. They had met before, only not in heaven but on the earth. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him but said: May ADONAI rebuke you (Jude 9 CJB)! In our own day, Satan has limited access to both heaven and earth, waging spiritual battle against God and His holy angles. What weapons and by what tactics this heavenly war will be fought we cannot imagine. It will truly be Star Wars.

The concept of Satan in heaven is difficult to comprehend. It is clear that the devil is now the accuser of the faithful (12:10). Although that ancient serpent was defeated at the Cross, his sentence has not yet been fully carried out. When Lucifer first rebelled against ADONAI eons ago and lost his permanent home in heaven, Yeshua said: I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18). But he relentlessly continues to fight his losing battle against God and he still has access to the throne of the LORD (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-7). Here, at this stage, he is thrown out of heaven for good. But contrary to popular belief Satan is not in hell. In fact, he has never been there. He will not be sentenced to the lake of burning sulfur until after his final rebellion is crushed at the end of the Messianic Kingdom (20:7-10). And even then the devil will not be in charge. He will be the foremost prisoner, undergoing the most punishment of anyone there.

The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his fallen angels with Him (12:9). The phrase leads astray is translated from the present participle of the Greek verb plano, which means to deceive, or to mislead. The use of the present tense points to the fact that this is Satan’s normal activity. As he constantly accuses believers, he also continuously leads the whole world astray.²⁹² The educated and ignorant, the king and the pauper, male and female, Jew and Gentile, the strong and the weak, the young and the old, every race – all are deceived by him. All the world’s philosophies, conceived ever so brilliantly by profound thinkers – whether pragmatism, idealism, Gnosticism, determinism, hedonism, materialism, transcendentalism, existentialism, deism or any other ism, all are man-originated, man-centered, and man-honoring, rather than God-originated, God-centered and God-honoring. They are all merely varieties of humanism rather than theism, exalting man rather than God and, thus, helping Satan carry out his plan to usurp God and his throne.

Moreover, all these humanistic endeavors are based upon the denial of the LORD’s Word as supreme, true and final. As someone once said, “God said it, I believe it, and that does it.” Like the tradition of the elders (Matthew 15:1-3), these humanists elevate the reasoning of mankind above the Bible. They get this from their father of lies (John 8:44b). Did God really say: You must not eat from any tree in the garden (3:1b)? This was Satan’s first deception as he tempted Eve, and he has followed the same plan of attack ever since. If you haven’t noticed, however, it works. If he can persuade men and women to question, to doubt, to modify, to allegorize, to compromise God’s Word, and then to finally disobey, reject, and destroy it, then he will defeat ADONAI’s purposes in the lives of His children.²⁹³

The ancient serpent’s words always appear to be truthful. But he whitewashes it, he sugarcoats it. He deceives people because his lies always have an element of truth mixed in. However, at its very core, still a lie. Truth and error, an ancient parable said, went swimming together and error wanted to drown truth. Yet even though there was a great struggle, truth was overcome and when error came up out of the water, truth was being carried by error. That’s what the devil does; he puts a thin layer of truth over his big fat lie so it goes down easier. Don’t be fooled by him, he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him (John 8:44a).

The repetition of the names and titles of the wicked one in 12:9 are striking – the great dragon, that ancient serpent, the devil and Satan [the Adversary CJB]. The ancient serpent in Genesis is the great dragon of Revelation, as well as the Satan who tested Job and the devil who tested Messiah. He is the great enemy of God and God’s people through the ages. He often masquerades himself as an angel of light (Second Corinthians 11:14), but he is really a snake, a fiery dragon and a devouring lion (First Peter 5:8).²⁹⁴

The Adversary’s banishment to the earth will bring two results. First, the great dragon’s access to heaven will be revoked, and he will no longer be able to stand before the throne of ADONAI and continually accuse believers. Then John heard a loud voice in heaven proclaim: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of God the Father, and the authority of His Son, Yeshua Messiah. This announcement, like that of 11:15, is in the proleptic aorist tense and describes the Second Coming as if it had already happened. For the Accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down (12:10).

Radovan Karadzic, once the leader of the Bosnian Serbs and accused of genocide in 1995, and had been one of the most wanted men in the world. But by growing a long, white beard, carrying false papers, and practicing alternative medicine, he fooled many by disguising himself. Right from the beginning of human history, Satan pretended to be an enlightened advisor, telling Eve that the LORD was not honest with her (Genesis 3:4). He masquerades as an angel of light (Second Corinthians 11:14), but praise the Lord Jesus Christ, he doesn’t disown us because of our sins. He is faithful to His Word. Our salvation is not based upon our performance, but upon His sacrificial death on the cross. Our security is based on God holding on to me, not me holding on to God.

People often err at two extremes in their view of Satan. Some dismiss him while others attribute more power to him than he deserves. Let us not be deceived. Satan is powerful as the god of this age (Second Corinthians 4:4). But the Church need not cower in fear, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (First John 4:4). The day is coming when the devil will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (20:10). Until that day, let’s not be deceived but rather live godly lives that reflect the image of the Messiah, for He is a man of truth; there is nothing false about Him (John 7:18).²⁹⁵

Believers will have the power to overcome Satan during the Great Tribulation by trusting in the blood of the Lamb (Romans 3:25), and also by fearlessly living the word of their testimony. They will not love their lives so much as to shrink from the death of martyrdom (12:11). They loved their Lord more than life itself and willingly suffered death rather than deny their Messiah. Jesus said: He who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). Their martyrdom was their victory over Satan; it proved that his accusations against them were empty lies.²⁹⁶

But the second result of Satan’s confinement is that he is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short, namely, three-and-a-half-years. During that period of time Satan’s fury will be directed at anyone belonging to God, especially Isra’el. Satan is already a defeated foe – and he knows it. Because of the devil’s wrath, it will be a woe to the earth and the sea (12:12b)! Heaven’s cleansing will be earth’s pollution. He is desperate.

When Michael prevails, heaven will celebrate its great triumph after Satan and his demons have been thrown out. Therefore, rejoice you heavens and you who dwell in them (12:11-12a)! For us here on earth, no matter how hopeless your situation looks, no matter how furiously Satan rages against you, you can take comfort in knowing that his ultimate defeat is as certain as if it had already happened. Just read the back of the Book. Oh! That’s right, you already are!