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A Study in Revelation

After the seven trumpets are revealed to John, He sees further signs that lead up to the seven bowls of wrath i.e., the seven last plagues. John sees a vision of a woman

who appeared clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet with a crown of twelve stars upon her head. She carried a child and she was in pain during birth. 

John saw another wonder in heaven. He saw a great dragon with seven heads and ten crowns upon his heads. And the dragon which is Satan drew a third of the stars of heaven and cast the stars upon the earth. A third of the stars are one-third of the angels who followed Lucifer the Devil who rebelled against the God of Heaven. And the dragon stood before the woman with child which ready to be delivered. And the dragon waited to devour the child as soon as He was born. This child is Jesus who will be revealed in the following verses.

And the woman brought forth a male child who was to rule all the nations with a rod of Iron. As we look toward the end of Revelation, Jesus will rule with a rod of iron when He returns.¹ (And This child is caught up to God and to His throne. This is referring to Jesus’ ascension into heaven at His resurrection.) Notice however, the church isn't mentioned. The church isn’t caught up with Him as pre-tribbers claim. This is another instance where they carry their literal interpretation of scriptures too far and off the mark of literal accuracy.

The woman fled into the wilderness, where God prepared a place for her, where she will be fed by the wilderness for 1,260 days.

The vision shifts to a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon did not prevail against Michael. The dragon, who is also called the devil and satan, and his angels were cast out of heaven and was cast upon the whole world.

John heard from heaven a loud voice saying salvation has come with strength and power and the kingdom of God because the accuser of the brethren before the throne of God day and night is cast down. And the ones who were accused overcame the dragon

• by the word of their testimony and

• they did not love lives unto death.

The heavens and those whose who dwell in them are told to rejoice . But those who inhabit the earth and the sea are given a woe because the devil has come down on the earth with great wrath because he knows he has a short time.

When the dragon saw he was cast on the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. Then the woman was given two wings of a great eagle so she might fly into her place in the wilderness, where she will be nourished for three and one-half years from the face of the serpent. The serpent continues to persecute the woman as he casts out water as a flood from his mouth in order to carry the woman away by a flood. And the earth helped the woman by opening his mouth and swallowing the flood which came out of the mouth of the dragon. And the dragon was filled with rage at the woman and made wade war with the remnant of her seed who

• keep the commandments of God and
• have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

This is another area of disagreement between pre-trib rapturists and post tribs concerning the woman and the Child. Many pre-tribbers believe the child of the woman was caught up into heaven represents the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The verse only refers to the child who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron, which is Jesus Christ. And Jesus was caught up into heaven after His resurrection from the dead. And nowhere does it say the church will be raptured into heaven with Him in verse 5 or in the previous or following verses.

Many Pre-tribbers believe the woman represents Israel, or a Jewish woman. However, Jesus was born of a seed of a woman, and not from a seed of man. God said to the serpent in Genesis that there will be emnity between his seed and the the woman’s (Eve’s) seed.² And many pre-tribbers believe that the woman’s offspring are only the Jews. However, these offspring are the ones who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus, i.e. the saints. If these are Jews, then the serpent only makes war between those who keep the commandments of God and have the Lord’s testimony. There is no mention that he attacks the Jews who don’t.

Many pre-tribbers also argue that when the woman fled into the wilderness is the rapture of the church. However, as we have seen, the dragon continues to pursue her for 3 and one-half years. Remember, the Devil was cast out of heaven by Michael and His army onto the world. If the church is raptured into heaven, then why would  the serpent continue to pursue the woman in heaven where the devil is out of bounds?

In Galatians Paul said the ones who are in Christ Jesus are the true sons of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.³ And Paul further said at the cross Jesus broke down the partition between Jew and Gentile. And a gentile believer is no longer an alien to the commonwealth of Israel but fellow citizens.⁴ However, there are pre-tribbers who insist that this is only temporary until the church is raptured. But, they cannot find anything in scripture that supports their claim. Therefore, the remnant of the women’s seed is applied to all true believers in Christ,⁵ Including the church!

In his vision, as John stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rising up from the sea with seven heads and ten horns. And the name of blasphemy was written upon his heads. The vision of the beast was like a leopard and he had feet of a bear and a mouth of a lion. And the dragon which is satan gave the beast power and great authority. And on one of the heads of the beast had a fatal wound which was healed.

The whole world wondered at the beast who had a a fatal wound on his head and was healed. The dragon gave power to the beast who was also worshipped  by the world. Their worshippers proclaimed who is like this beast and who is able to make war with him? And from the beast’s mouth spoke great things and blasphemies. And he was given power for forty-two months.

And the beast spoke blasphemy against God and the ones who dwell in heaven. And he was given the ability to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And he was given power over all nations, tribes, and tongues. And all who dwell upon the earth whose names are not written in the book of life will worship the beast.

John gives this message to "any man" who has ears to hear^,6 the same words that was addressed to the seven churches. In this case, John is warning everyone else including the church. Those who will leads into captivity will go into captivity and those who will by the sword will be killed by the sword. The saints will endure through patience and faith.

John saw another beast come up from the earth who had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And this beast (the False Prophet) has all the power of the seven-headed beast. And the two-horned beast causes those who dwell on the earth to worship the seven headed beast (the Anti-christ).

The two-horned beast (false prophet) does great wonders through miracles to cause fire to come down from heaven on earth in the sight of men. He also deceives men by these miracles in the sight of the beast (Anti-christ) and then says to men they should make an image to this beast who was wounded by the sword and lives. And the false prophet had power to give life to the image of the Anti-christ and gave the image to speak. And he gives cause that those who do not worship the image to be killed.

• The false-prophet causes all people who are small and great, rich and poor, slave and free to receive a mark in their right hand or their foreheads. And those who do not have the mark 
• or the name of the beast 
• or the number of his name 

will not be able to buy or sell.

John writes to those who has wisdom that they should have understanding should count the number of the beast which is the number of man: 666.

As John looked he saw Jesus, the Lamb who stood on mount Zion with a 144,000 with His Father’s Name written in their foreheads. And he heard a voice from heaven. The voice was as the voice of many waters and a voice of great thunder. And he heard the voice of harpists playing their harps. And they sung a new song before the throne and before the four beasts and the elders. No man could learn the song they were singing, only the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.

These 144,000 follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from among men, and the first fruits of God and His Son, the Lamb. They were not defiled with women, they were virgins. And there was no guile found from their mouths because they are without fault before the throne of God.

These 144,000 are different from the 144,000 in chapter 7 verses 4-8. In chapter seven, the 144,000 are the redeemed remnant of Israel who call upon the Lord after the tribulation. The 144,000 in chapter 14 are the firstfruits of God. And these 144,000 are seen on mount Zion which is in heaven.

John sees another angel flying in heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tongue and peoples. This correlates closely to Jesus’ instructions in Matthew Chapter 24:

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Matthew 24:14

Therefore the angel in John’s vision is preaching the gospel to the whole world telling them to fear God and worship Him for the Hour of Judgment has come. The hour of Judgment is after the tribulation, when the end comes.

Another angel followed the previous angel who preached the gospel to the world. As this ties in toward the end of the Great Tribulation, The angel proclaimed Babylon the great city is fallen because she made all the nations drink of the wine of her wrath and fornication. There will be further comment on the description and destruction of Babylon in another chapter.

And a third angel followed the previous two angels saying with a loud voice that if ANY MAN worship the beast AND his image, And receive his mark in his forehead, or in His Hand will

• drink of the wine of the wrath of God

• be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb

• the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever

• and they shall have no rest day or night.

The angel again reiterates that the above will happen to those who worship the beast and his image, and receives the mark of His name. In Chapter 13, the false prophet causes all to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads. And this mark has the number 666.

The patience of the saints during the Great Tribulation is to keep the commands of God and the faith of Jesus. During this time, they are to face persecution from the Anti-christ. They Face the choice of taking the mark and denying Christ or go without buying and selling and face death. Through this time, they must keep the patience.  They must overcome satan and his cohorts by the word of their testimony. And they must not love their lives unto death.

 But there is always this to remember: God will provide for His saints regardless of the situation!

After John sees a vision of three angels, he hears a voice telling him to write "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on so they may rest from their labors and their works will follow them."

This is also the patience and endurance of the saints. Through death they will rest and be called blessed by the Lord.

John looked and saw the Son of Man sitting on a white cloud with a golden crown and a sharp sickle in His Hand. And another angel coming out of the temple, crying to Jesus who sat on the cloud to thrust His sickle and reap because the time is come for Him to reap the ripe harvest of the earth. And Jesus thrusts sickle on the earth and reaps the earth. The harvest is the gathering of His saints after the Tribulation.

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The Mark of The Beast 

The Seven Bowls

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