Read, Hear, and Keep; Part Three

This is a promise from God. When one reads aloud, listens to, and obeys what is written in Revelation they will be blessed.

Introduction: Why?

As we continue to read aloud the Book of Revelation, we move to chapters 11-15, let’s look at instructions given to John in

Revelation 11:1–6 “Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod, with these words: “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

John was told to take what we would call a yard stick and measure the temple of God (Holy Place and Holy of Holies; the altar was the altar of incense, not the brazen altar which was in the courtyard) excluding the courtyard (court of the Gentiles) because those Gentile nations who oppressed Israel would be there. (Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome in ancient times and the forces of Antichrist during the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation, called the Great Tribulation. We must take into account that to the LORD a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day, so we can’t be certain that the tribulation only lasted 3 1/2 years (1,260 days) as we count them.

I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague whenever they want.”

The two olive trees and two lampstands refer back to Zechariah chapter four identified as the “two anointed ones who stand before the LORD”. We are not told who the two witnesses are although there are two main ideas put forth by commentators.

One is that they are Elijah and Enoch because neither died. The other idea is that they were Elijah and Moses, representing the Law and the Prophets. Personally I think this is more likely because these are the two who appeared with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration. Also Moses and Elijah were both given power over water, and Moses is associated with the plagues of Egypt.

The fact that they are dressed in sackcloth indicated mourning and repentance. (Blessed are those who mourn).

Revelation 11:7–10 “When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. Their dead bodies will lie in the main street of the great city, which figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. Those who live on the earth will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.”

The beast is associated with antichrist. The fact that the two witnesses' bodies lay in the street for 3 1/2 days is a slap in the face of the Jews because they always bury their dead within 24 hours of death.

Revelation 11:11–14 “But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. (resurrection) Great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them.(Ascension) At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe has passed. Take note: The third woe is coming soon!”

Here we find resurrection, ascension, and destruction in Jerusalem which causes great terror. All of these took place at the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

Last week we read that any eagle flying overhead cried out “Woe, woe, woe!” Now we are told that the second woe is past, and there is one more to come.

Revelation 11:15–19 “The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth. Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.” “The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth. Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.”

When the seventh trumpet sounds, what is already true in heaven becomes reality on earth (Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven).

Revelation 12:1–6 “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child. She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod. (Psa. 2)Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there for 1,260 days.”

The woman is Israel who will give birth to Messiah. Satan (fiery red dragon) with his henchmen (Herod who had all the make babies under two years of age killed, and the Romans who crucified Jesus at the insistence of the unbelieving Jewish religious leaders) tried to do away with Messiah, but God intervened and Jesus rose from the dead and was ascended up to heaven. Since that time God has protected Israel even though the minions of Satan (fallen angels, demons) are still trying to annihilate Israel and Messiah. Even today the chant used by the Palestinians (and some of our own politicians) “from the river to the sea” alludes to the annihilation of Israel.

Revelation 12:7–12 “Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short.”

Satan, having tried to dethrone God in heaven, is defeated by Michael and the good angels and is cast down to the earth, taking with him 1/3 of the angels who followed his evil attempt to overthrow God. Seeing that he was not able to defeat Jesus, his target now is those who surrender to Jesus. Although many have been martyred for their faith, they will be avenged and they “conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Those tools are available to all who have surrendered to Jesus. We must learn to use the tools God has given us in order to overcome the wiles of the devil and his angels.

Revelation 12:13–17 “When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time. From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. But the earth helped the woman. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus.” (that is us)

Revelation 13:1–10 “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?” The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen. If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.”

Here we are introduced to two beasts, one from the sea (Gentile nations ; perhaps a political leader who brings a temporary peace) and one from the earth (a religious leader who seems to be Christ-like but demands that everyone be given the “mark of the beast” in order to buy and sell anything on the earth.

Revelation 13:11–18 “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. It also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. It deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. It was permitted to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And it makes everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a person. Its number is 666.”

Although many have tried to decipher the mark of the beast, all we really is that 666 represents humanity while 777 represents God in all His completeness.

Revelation 14:1–5 “Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. I heard a sound from heaven like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps. They sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.”

The Lamb is Jesus. Zion is Jerusalem. the 144k are the Jews who have received the mark of God on their foreheads and then taken up to heaven to escape the attacks of the beasts. They are “blameless and pure” and will function as evangelists during the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 14:6–13 “Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.” And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name. This calls for endurance from the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.” Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.”

Three angel evangelists warn of what is about to happen to the beast, his golden image, and all who receive the mark of the beast. The latter part tells us that some will go through the tribulation, and those who “endure” will be saved. Even though they might suffer physical death, they will live eternally with Christ.

Revelation 14:14–20 “Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and one like the Son of Man was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. Then another angel who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in heaven. Yet another angel, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the earth, because its grapes have ripened.” So the angel swung his sickle at the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about 180 miles.”

This is the final harvest of the earth. The separation of the wheat and the tares (weeds) and those who will be harvested as grapes and trampled in God’s wine-press. Their blood will fill all of Israel (180 miles) as deep as from a horses bridle to the ground (about 3 feet),

Revelation 15:1–8 “Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed. I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the beast, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb: Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed. After this I looked, and the heavenly temple—the tabernacle of testimony—was opened. Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.”

This passage gives us the preparation for the bowl judgments...the undiluted wrath of God. This is the final judgment upon the earth and all left on it.

Application: How will you respond to this message?

Are you prepared for the coming of the LORD?

What has God prompted you to do that you have delayed doing? Perhaps it is witnessing to someone in your family or circle of friends. Perhaps it is repentance from a sin that God has called to your attention.

Is there something that God said to you today that He wants you to begin, continue, or stop?