Reviewing Revelation, Part 2

Revelation chapter 1. Our text tonight is the 22 chapters in the book of Revelation. But we've taken a break here just to do a review, a preview, and an overview of the book of Revelation. We've taken a break. So last week's date. This week's tape will give you the entire picture of the end of the world. So, when someone says, Do you know anything about the end of the world? You can, Yes, I do. I got two tapes on it. So let me briefly go through Revelations 1 through 5.

Chapter 1 is the revelation of Christ. We saw there the vision of the glorified Son of Man. We went from Revelation chapter 1 to Revelation chapter 5. 2 in Revelation chapter 3. We move from the revelation of Christ to the examin of the churches. And we saw seven specific churches that are representative of all churches throughout the history of the church age. So we move from the revelation of Christ to the examination of the churches to number three, the adoration of our God.

John moves from the earth to heaven. He is transported up into glory. And we move from Revelation 4 to Revelation 5 from the adoration of God to the exaltation of the Lamb. We are still in heaven in Revelation chapter 5, and the Father on the throne has a scroll in his hand. John sees that scroll, and it has seven seals on it, according to ancient times. In Roman days, what they did is when there was a will and testament, they would seal it seven times. They would roll it up, seal it, roll it some more, seal it again, roll it some more, seal it again, until it was sealed And in the Father's hand, there is this scroll, which is the title deed of the earth.

And the only one worthy to open the title deed to the earth. The lion from the tribe of Judah who is seen as the lamb standing who was slain as John views him. Now John goes from heaven back to earth. And in Revelation chapter 6, you have the tribulation on the earth. In fact, it covers Revelation 6, Revelation 8. Revelation 9, and that is the beginning of the tribulation on the earth. And that's the fifth point in your outline. So if you have your Bible, turn with me to Revelation chapter 6, because this is where we left off last.

Time. Judgment springs into action. The scene shifts from heaven to earth. The scroll, which contains a title deed of the earth, is now broken by the Lamb. What is in the scroll? Describes the wrath of God that is going to be poured out upon the world as the Lamb takes the universe back. This is the beginning of the end. And with the first seal, this is what happens.

Revelation 6. Verse number one. And I saw when the lamb broke one of the seven seals. And I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a loud voice of thunder, Come. And I look. And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering to conquer. Now listen very carefully. The first four seals deal primarily with the first three and a half years of the tribulation.

C happens somewhere in the middle of the tribulation and takes you into the latter half of the seven-year tribulational period. The seventh seal contains the seven trumpets, which contain the seven bowls. So when you get to the seventh seal, you are at the end. And we'll explain that more in detail in a second.

See a one? There is a white horse. And on that white horse is a rider. Who is this? This is the Antichrist. And so when the Antichrist shows up on the scene. He woos the world. He wins the world by promising them peace, a false peace. You go from seal 1 to seal number 2. And when he broke the second seal, this is verse number 3, I heard the second living creature saying, come.

And another, a red horse, went out, and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth. And the men should slay one another, and a great sword was given to him. There will be terrible violence, whether by assassination, whether by battles. Whether by murders, we don't know, but there will be wars, there will be rumors of wars, and those wars that happen at the breaking of the second seal.

Will continue through the tribulation until the final war, which is the battle of Armag. Seal number three is famine.

It says that I looked, and behold, a black horse. And he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard, as it were, a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a den. And three quarts of barley for den. And do not harm the oil and the wine. Black is always associated with famine and starvation in Scripture. Then you come to seal number four. Seal number four is death. It says, And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse, a pale-colored horse, a sickly green-colored horse.

And he who sat on it had the name death, and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to him over a fourth of the earth. Next, you'll see Seal 5. Seal 5 plays a very important role in the book of Revelation. Why? Because you keep referring back to this particular event. Because this particular event is that which enacts the vengeance of God upon the world. Let's read it together. And when he broke the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained.

And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord! Holy and true! Wilt thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And the response comes back, and there was given to each of them a white robe. and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been should be completed also So we find out that there are more people, more believers who are to be killed.

So, seal five is the prayers of the saints. You come to the sixth seal. It's terror. It's catastrophe upon the earth. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the commanders, and the rich, and the strong, and every slave, and every free man. Hid themselves in the caves among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the presence of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath. of the Lamb for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

God is going to get their attention. For now, they finally realize that it's the Lamb of God who is doing this to them.

And yet, They do not repent. When you finish Revelation chapter 6, verse number 17, you have spanned the entire se years of the tribulational period. And like I told you last week, that's great Hebrew journalism. Why? Because they give you everything up front. And then what they do is go back and fill in all the details. And the rest of the book of Revelation is the filling in of all the details of the seven-year tribulational period. So let's skip over to seal number seven in chapter eight. And when he broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven.

for about a half an hour. And so it says in verse number two, And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and seven trumpets.

Were given to them. The angels now are involved in the judgment upon man. Each of them will blow seven trumpets. And now you're going to have an answer to the prayer of the saints. Now, God is going to enact his judgment. And it says in verse number 6: And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first sounded, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth.

And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees are burned up, and all the green grass is burned up.

Remember, a fourth of the world was affected in a seal. Now, a third of the world is going to be affected.

A third of what is left is going to be affected. Verse number 8. And the second angel sounded, and it was something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the creatures which were in the sea.

And had life, died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch.

And it fell on a third of the rivers, and on the springs of waters. And the name of the star is called Worm. And the third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters because they were made bitter.

And the fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were smitten.

So that a third of them might be darkened, and the day might not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

Everything is out of whack. No one knows what's going to happen next. And then, what do you have? You have this. And I looked. And I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven saying with a loud voice, Whoa, whoa, whoa! You've only had four angels sound their trumpets. You have three more yet to sound. When those three sound, whoa, whoa, whoa! It's unbelievable. And so now he goes into great detail with the fifth trumpet because when the fifth Trumpet blows, a key to the abyss is given to Satan. And he goes down and he unlocks the abyss and lets the demons out of the abyss.

And those demons have tails like scorpions. And they go around and they sting man for five months and will want to die, but will be unable to kill himself. Nobody dies. Unless God says so.

And that's the fifth seal. The first woe is past. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things. And when you come to Revelation 9, verse number 13, you had the sixth. Trumpet. And when the sixth angel sounds, it says, And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before God, one saying to the six angels who had the trumpet, release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. Those are four demons that are bound at the great river Euphrates. Have been bound since the fall of man in Genesis chapter 3.

If you want to know more about that, get the tape. And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released. You see how specific God is? Half of the population of the world will be dead as a result of the fifth trumpet. What was the result of mankind being stung by these demons who would cause them to writhe in pain for five months? Answer: No rep. Now, having read all that, you're thinking, man, what a horrible time. And that's all just point number five: the tribulation that begins on the earth.

And God knows that. And so, what God does for John is give him an inspiration. John needs it. And so, go back with me to Revelation chapter 7. Because in Revelation 7, you have great encouragement given to John. This is what we call point number 6: the cons for the apostle. Revelation chapter 7. Revelation chapter 10 and Revelation chapter 11. You have three aspects of a constellation for John. Here's the first one: it's a ceiling of 1,000 men.

144,000 Jewish men. God will seal them. God will protect them from the Antichrist, protect them from the armies and their assault. They will survive famine, they will survive war, they will survive natural disasters, they will survive persecution, and they will live to enter the millennial kingdom. The salvation of the multitudes. This is good for John. Why? Because he was there when the church started. Revelation, I, Acts chapter 2, right? He saw the word of the Lord spread in Jerusalem and in the surrounding cities.

He saw thousands of people come to Christ. But then at the end of his life, as he was exiled to the island of Patmos, the church of Jesus Christ had begun to disintegrate. And now God gives him great encouragement. Right now in the church age, the road is narrow, the gate is narrow, and very few find it. But during the seven-year tribulational span, a multitude of people. And John is greatly encouraged. Go over to Revelation chapter 10. We finish chapter 9. Revelation 10 and Revelation 11 is one more consolation, and that is the solving of the mystery.

Revelation 10. And I saw another strong angel, verse number 1, coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud. The rainbow was not upon his head. And his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire, and he had in his hand a little book. Which was open. Notice now the book, the scroll, is no longer big, it's little.

Why is it little? Because the seals have been broken. The trumpets have blown, all except the seventh trumpet. There's just a little bit left, and that is the bold judgments. He comes down. He places a right foot on the sea and his left on the land. Why? God's in control of the seas. God's in control of the land. God's in complete control, John. Let me solve for you the mystery that it says.

In verse number 6, this angel swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, and there shall be delay no long. There is no longer a delay. Verse number 7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, we haven't heard him say sound anything yet, then the mystery of God is finished as he preached to his servants of the prophet. It's over. The mystery. What's the mystery?

Ephesians 1:10, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in heaven and on earth. It's the consummation of God's plan to bring about his kingdom to the earth, which involves the salvation of the elect, their place in his kingdom, the salvation of Israel. The judgment of Satan and his demons. The point being is that God's glorious plan is right on schedule. And in Revelation chapter 11, he gets one more consolation that helps him understand the mystery of his people. And that is, God tells him, take a measuring rod and to measure out the temple.

To show that God's going to preserve and protect his people through the latter half of this tribulational period, God has this rem He's going to save. Israel will be saved, and that would be great encouragement to John. And how will they be saved? Two key witnesses that, when they speak, will speak forth the words of God, who cannot be killed because when people come to kill them, fire comes out of their mouth. They are raised from the dead. And it says in verse number 13: In that hour, there was a great earthquake, and a tenth Of the city fell, and 7,000 people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Who's the rest? I believe that that is the salvation of Israel. Romans 11:2. That they will be saved because God promises that. And the Antichrist is against them, and they flee to the wilderness. And it says in verse number 14: the second woe is passed.

Behold, the third woe is coming quickly. The third woe is yet to happen. And what's the third woe? The third woe is the seventh trumpet, and the seventh trumpet anticipates the reign of Christ.

And then in that seventh trumpet come seven bowls of judgment that are poured out upon the world. Revelation 7:15, and the seventh angel sounded, and there arose 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. And the 2 elders who sat on the thrones before God fell on their faces and worship God. All that is review. Of the first 11 chapters of the book of Revelation.

Let me preview for you the remaining chapters of the book and help you understand what t place. Let's look at it together.

Point number seven is the clarification of Satan's plans. That's Revelation chapter 12. Satan has always had a plan to destroy God's plan. Revelation 12 is the history of the world in one chapter. Satan's incessant persecution of Israel, that's the woman, Messiah, that's the child, and the people of God. In Revelation 7, there is war in heaven, and Satan is finally cast out of heaven.

For those of you who think that he was cast out way back before the fall of man, that's not true. He is still in heaven. He is still there with his angels, accusing the brethren day and night before the throne of God. That's where he is. But during the tribulational period, he will be cast out of heaven. So you have the clarification of Satan's plans in Revelation chapter 12. And in Revelation chapter 13, you have the description of the Antichrist and the false prophet. And we will detail for you.

Who the Antichrist is, not specifically, but how he comes to power. How does he rule the entire world? How does he get the world to believe in him? He is the beast from the sea. In verses 11 down through verse number 18, you have the beasts from the earth. That is the false prophet. The false prophet causes the world to worship the beast and to worship his image. And he is in cahoots with the Antichrist to enact. False resurrection. And we'll talk about that when we come to Revelation chapter 13.

When you come to Revelation 14, you have the visions of victory. You have the 144,000. Who are standing with the Lord on Mount Zion? You have the angelic announcements that announce to the proclamation of the gospel that flies around in mid-heaven the end of the world. Therefore, you must repent. You had the pronouncements of judgment. You had the promise of damnation. You had the visions of the final harvest that take you all the way to the end in the Battle of Armageddon. When you come to Revelation chapter 15, there's a scene in heaven that is a celebration in heaven.

It's the last of the seven judgments. And I saw another sign in heaven, verse number one, great and marvelous, seven angels, who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.

And when you come to Revelation chapter 16, you have the devastation of the bowl judgments. No longer is a quarter of the world affected. No longer is a third of the world affected.

But there is a global effect. And you go through all these different angels who pour out their bowls upon the earth. And it says in verse number 10: And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast. And his kingdom became darkened, and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds. And when you come to Revelation 16, verse number 12, the sixth angel pours out his bowl.

The great river, the Euphrates, is dried up. that allows the kings of the East to gather together in the valley of Megiddo. Why? Because that is the day of God's wrath in which He decides to destroy the army of the Antichrist and the armies of the world. He destroys them by coming back to the earth, and it's over. And then, of course, the seventh angel poured out his bowl in verse number 17, and it talks about the destruction of Babylon. And when you come to Revelation chapter 17 and 18, that is the extermination of Babylon.

In Revelation 17, you have the extermination. Of the religious side of Babylon. In Revelation chapter 18, you have the extermination of the political side, the military side of Babylon. When you come to Revelation chapter 19, the realization of the end is now here because the party on earth is finally over.

And yet, the fourfold hallelujah is in Revelation chapter 19. After these things, I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. Verse number 3, and a second time they said, Hallelujah!

Her smoke rises up forever and ever. And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worship God who sits on the throne, saying, Amen, hallelujah. And a voice came from the throne saying, Give praise to our God. At the end, hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. They prepare for the marriage supp of the Lamb. In Revelation 19:11, Christ comes down out of heaven in all of his glory, and on his thigh is written, King of kings and Lord of Lords. It is a robe dipped in blood.

The blood is from the unbelieving world that he slaughters at the command of his voice. Zach tells us that man's eyes will rot in their sockets. Man will actually melt before God as he comes down out of glory and destroys them in the Battle of Armageddon. In Revelation chapter 19, it is the end. And in verses 17 and following, you had the result of that battle where the doom of the beast and the false prophets were seized. And in his presence, by which he deceived those who had been deceived, the mark of the beast, and those who had worshipped his image, these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.

and the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. When you come to Revelation chapter 20, you have the damnation of the ungodly. The kingdom of God is set up, He rules for a thousand years upon the earth. Satan himself is bound, then loosed after those thousand years. He gathers the remnant of unbelievers from that thousand-year millennial reign of Christ. And fire comes down out of heaven in Revelation 20, verse number 9, and devours them all.

And in Revelation 20, verse number 11, you have the great white throne judgment where every unbeliever from all the ages is judged. And cast into the lake of fire, along with Satan and the beast. And in chapter 21, you had the rec of the heaven and the earth. There is a new heaven, there is a new earth. And verses 3 and following describe the eternal state and all that's going to take place. And when you come to Revelation 22, you have the invitation, the final invitation to all man. Because God is coming quickly.

It says in verse number 17, the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let the one who hears say, Come, and let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes take the water of life without Cost. And John says, Come, Lord Jesus. Come. And that's the end. The end of the book of Revelation. The end of mankind. The end of the world as we know it, and the beginning of the new heaven and the new earth, where there is no sin, there is no pain, there is no death. For all who live in that kingdom are ruled by the King of Kings.

I trust that you can say tonight, come, Lord Jesus, come. Let's pray together.