Revelation 20:1-15

My ignorance of end-times theologies is huge! Both of my Study Bibles have long notes talking about the millennium, Jesus’ 1000-year reign that we read about today. They discuss three theories – amillennialism, premillennialism, and postmillennialism. And even as I read each of these explanations in both Study Bibles I find that I don’t know which of those three theories I am more prone to believe. A friend from many years back had his own theory, panmillennialism. He maintained that Jesus fulfilled all prophesy during His time on Earth, but that none of the scholars of His time had it correct as to what type of Messiah He would be. Likewise, when it comes to the end times all prophesy will be fulfilled, but no one will get it right – it will all “pan” out in the end! That’s where I tend to be – blessed ignorance!

But I am intrigued by Satan being imprisoned for those 1000 years. It’s like he will serve a jail sentence for crimes that he committed. But then when he is released we see that he will not have reformed at all, but that in fact he will be more venomous than ever! Surely he knows of his certain defeat! Why does he persist?

What I do know is Jesus’ certain return, that He is coming again. We saw in Paul’s writings that many people in Paul’s time were expecting Jesus’ soon return. And that perspective has held over the centuries, that many people then and now expect Jesus’ return very soon. But we do not know when. Period. Maybe today…?

Revelation 19:1-21

Another late-in-the-day post – the holidays are killers for keeping on a timetable!

My Study Bible noted that the word “Hallelujah” occurred four times in today’s first six verses – and not at all in the rest of the New Testament! I was surprised that Paul and other writers had never used that “Praise the Lord” phrase.

If you’ve already read today, great! If you have, go back, and if you haven’t go…to verses 1 to 10 and read/reread those verses, putting yourself in that setting as part of the multitude, because you are, in fact, invited: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (v. 9b) Embrace that as your thought for the day.

Revelation 18:1-24

Babylon. A great many Biblical scholars agree that Babylon in John’s time was Rome, a city of wealth and power that ruled the entire Mediterranean world and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Christians. So I wonder about Babylon in today’s world. That is, if Babylon is a city and not just a concept for evil, what city in today’s world is Babylon? The first city that comes to mind for me is LA/Hollywood. I believe that much of what is wrong in the world today is the result of Hollywood’s influence, especially the sex and violence that sells movies, evils that build the next generation. Other cities on my list include Washington, New York, and Moscow. But I’m certain that’s just my ethnocentric thinking.

One hour. For in a single hour your judgment has come. (v. 10b) For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste. (v. 17a) For in a single hour she has been laid waste. (v. 19b) I had to look back two chapters to see how this great destruction happened in one hour. Here’s the text from the angel pouring out the seventh bowl: The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” And there were flashes of lightning, rumbling peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found. And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe. (Rev. 16:17-21) That would be a terrifying one hour.

Revelation 17:1-18

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. (v. 8) This triad, …was, and is not, andis about to rise…, didn’t make much sense to me until my Study Bible suggested evil that was, but is not now apparent, but will become so in the future. An interesting point about this triad is how it compared to Jesus, “who was, who is, and who is to come”. The beast triad is repeated at the end of verse 8.

A bit of today’s reading is the most confusing of anything yet that we’ve read in Revelation: And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire… (v. 16) This prostitute/harlot is evil herself, having been described as …holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality… (v. 4b), with a label on her forehead, “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” (v.5b), and described further as …drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (v. 6b) Yet she is made desolate and naked, eaten and burned by others seemingly as evil as herself. Evil battling evil…?? Stalin/Russia doing battle with Hitler in WWII? There is no “winner” in a battle of this sort – Earth is the loser!

Revelation 16:1-21

In the midst of these plagues being poured out on the earth, “…they blasphemed the name of God… [and] …they did not repent…” (vv. 9, 11, 21) So sad…!

More connections to the crucifixion: It is done. (v. 17) Those were also Jesus’ last words: When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed his head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:30) Also, as I mentioned a few days ago in connection with the Lamb opening the sixth seal, an earthquake: …and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. (v. 17) The earthquake at Jesus’ death was not as great, but the similarity remains. I can imagine God’s wrath, His anger against evil as He remembers His Son dying on the cross as payment for all the sins ever committed by humankind, all arising out of that evil that God is now battling in these closing chapters of Revelation.

Revelation 14:1-15:8

I was struck today by the beauty of the angels, the Lamb, the Son of Man, the heavenly worshipping bodies – in contrast to the past few days where we’ve seen evil in the person of Satan, the dragon, and the two beasts. Today was a much more fun read!!

Six different angels are mentioned in chapter 14, each with something different to say or do, then another seven angels come forth in chapter 15 with seven different tasks in chapter 16. One wonders how many angels there are in Heaven!

And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. (vv. 14:15-16) Bible scholars disagree, some saying that evil is reaped while others say that Jesus’ followers are reaped. I agree with the latter, going back to Jesus’ references in the Synoptic gospels, And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few… (Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2a) and I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. (John 4:35b) Then, by contrast, in the following verses 17-20 it is clearly the evil that is being reaped, this time by an angel instead of the Son of Man. So it is Jesus who is bringing in His followers and angels who are reaping evil. Interesting.

Revelation 12:1-13:18

I was struck by verse 12:11b: …for they loved not their lives even unto death. I sense that “loving not their lives” means that their earthly lives were nothing compared to their hope of eternal life with Jesus – that martyrdom was preferred to whatever else the world or their accuser offered. Again, this short partial verse, together with 12:11a (…they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb…) seems to be a summary (of sorts) of all that is in Rev. 12:10-12.

My Study Bible mentions the trinity of evil – the dragon, the beast that came out of sea, and the beast (lamb) that came out of the earth. They suggest that these three reflect Satan, secular power, and religious compromise; or Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet — all doing battle with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Interesting. Note in particular the lamb-beast (“religious compromise, the false prophet”); Rev. 13:12-16 describe the deceptive powers of this lamb-beast and one summary statement: …it deceives those who dwell on earth… (v. 13:14b).

Revelation 11:1-19

Two witnesses are mentioned in verse 3 – unusual. We often see 1, 3 and 7, 12 and 40 as common Biblical numbers. So two is unusual. So who are the two witnesses? My Study Bible said that many scholars suggest Moses and Elijah, the two Old Testament prophets who stood with Jesus at His transfiguration. Further reading today supports this thought: They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. (v. 6) Elijah prophesied to Israel during a time of great drought (I Kings 17:1) and the first of the plagues of Egypt was Moses striking the Nile river and turning the water into blood (Exodus 17:14, ff.) and later bringing on every kind of plague. Then we see these two witnesses killed and resurrected and ascended into Heaven, not unlike Jesus.

During the three and a half days that these two prophets lay dead on the street, …those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. (v. 10) My mind here goes to pro-abortion protestors. They have cheered pro-abortion legislation and decisions in the past, but are now protesting against the possibility of the Supreme Court reversing or diminishing Roe v. Wade. They cheer the evil that is abortion and wail over the possible loss of their “freedom”. The way of the world…

Revelation 9:1-10:11

Yeah, I’m a numbers person – and Revelation is full of numbers. Initially we see seven seals, then seven trumpets and three woes within those seven trumpets, then later we’ll get seven bowls. But there are other unnamed numbers, four sets of which we find in today’s reading: three plagues on mankind – fire, smoke, and sulfur; five kinds of materials for making idols – gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood; four unrepentant activities – murders, sorceries, sexual immorality, and thefts; and three creations – heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it.

And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. (v. 10:10) This sounds so much like sin. The temptation is so attractive, so sweet, but the regret, the hurt is bitterness to the soul. Too true.

Revelation 7:1-8:13

It’s a strange listing of the Israeli tribes in 7:5-8. Dan is missing while Levi is included. Joseph is included, as is his son, Manasseh, but his son Ephraim is not included. You may recall in the division of the Promised Land back in Joshua that twelve tribes were given land. Levi was excluded, having been given the priesthood, and the twelve tribes included the two sons of Joseph.

The angels and the elders and the four living creatures worshiping in verse 7:11 say, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Back in Rev. 5:12 the myriads worshiping said, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” In today’s reading “thanksgiving” replaces “wealth” in that earlier listing. Interestingly, Rev. 5:13 has a shorter listing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Compared to Rev. 5:12, “power and wealth and wisdom” are excluded. What makes this interesting is that Solomon asked for wisdom to guide the people and the Lord granted him his wish, giving him power and wealth also. (See I Kings 3:5-15.)

As I read 7:16-17 today I thought of stories I have read of prisoners of war in Japan in WWII and in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s: They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat … and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. As these POWs were released and brought back into American society their medical and physical needs were met, but I doubt that every tear was wiped away. Although comparisons can be made, the “rest” that comes with those who come out of the “great tribulation” is beyond anything we can imagine.

So today we’ve seen the seventh seal broken and four trumpets sounded. Three trumpets remain. We’ll do five and six tomorrow and number seven the day after.