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DAY FIVE (Revelation 19-22)
1The Response in Heaven – 19:1-10
Chapters 17 and 18 are actually a parenthesis. It is an elaboration of Rev 16:19b which says, “great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. ” The continuation of RE 16 is 19.
Revelation 19:1-10 , “ And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy . ”
19:1-4 --“ a great voice of much people in heaven ” – These would be the resurrected saints who have the glorified bodies and gone through the Great Tribulaiton. They saw what happened to Babylon and they praised the LORD. They sang, “ Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. ” They praise the Lord. They thank God for His salvation. They realized that it is by God’s grace that they are found in heaven. For what was before their very eyes could very well have happened to them, but for the grace and mercy of God. They realized it. That is why the first reason for their praise is God’s salvation.
The next is glory and honour and power be given to God. This was what Satan and His hosts deceived his followers to give to him. As a creature he has just robbed God of the devotion that is meant only for the Creator. That was why it was wrong for him to demand devotion and worship. It is not wrong for God to do so. His children who are saved by God’s grace acknowledge this willingly and cheerfully with the deepest gratitude form their hearts. Not the followers of Satan who were deceived into worshipping him.
God’s judgement is true and righteous. The great whore deserved precisely what was due to her. The reason for the righteous judgement was that she had “ corrupt the earth with her fornication . ” Her idolatry caught up with her. She used wealth to entice foolish men and women to follow her and she succeeded. Now is her judgement. This judgement was also to avenge the blood of God’s servants who were killed at her hand.
Isaiah 9:6-7 , “ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this . ”
The second refrain is similar to the first. It has only one word, “Alleluia” which means “praise the Lord. ” The rising of the smoke is indicative of the finality of the judgement. The rebellion that began thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden is now over. All that we love, study and know in this world will be vanquished forever. It will not return again. It will be gone forever.
All the raptured and resurrected saints who came to know the Lord BEFORE the Great Tribulation began and together with the angels bowed down and worshipped God. They said “Amen and Alleluia. ” “Amen” means “so let it be” and together with “Alleluia” which means “praise the Lord. ” It is the end and let God be praise.
19:5-6 – Another voice came out of the throne would most likely refer to an angelic being as the personal pronoun “our” is used in the song that follows. The song says, “ Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. ” The focus is again on God not man. The word for servant is again “slave. ” Slaves of righteousness to the King of kings are what believers will be in heaven. We may be sons and rulers with Christ but we will also be servants serving God.
Then the voice of a great multitude that resonates and with the loudness of mighty thunders say, “ Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth . ” Praising the Lord is the central theme throughout all the songs of the redeemed and angelic beings in heaven. God is all powerful and he will reign as he pleases.
19:7-8 ( Marriage Supper of the Lamb ) – The heavenly praise continues in heaven. The marriage supper of the Lamb has arrived. Marriage in the Bible times has three parts. The first part is known as bethrothal. The marriage between the bride and the groom has been agreed upon by the parents when the children are as young as a few days old. This is more than our modern concept of an engagement. In an engagement today, it is merely a private covenant made between two persons that they are committed to one another and hope that the relationship will culminate in a holy matrimony. In the mean time they will not date anyone else. They will seal this arrangement with the exchange of a ring, a diamond ring in most cases. If they so choose to separate or break off the engagement there is no legal implications involve. They just go their separate ways. Not so in the bethrothal. It must be broken by a divorce. Matthew 1:18-19 , “ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily . ”
The second part involves the preparation. As the children are growing up to a marriageable age, there will be the preparation which will lead to the presentation. This would be a times of festivities juts before the actual ceremony. These festivities can last up to a week or more depending on the economic and social status of the families.
The third and final part would be the exchange of vows. Towards the end of part two, i. e. the festivities, the groom together with his entourage would adjourn to the home of the bride and take her and her bridesmaids to the wedding ceremony. After the ceremony there will be a final meal followed by the consummation of the marriage.
The Bible has revealed to us that the relationship Christ has with His church is likened to a marriage.
2 Corinthians 11:2 , “ For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ . ”
Ephesians 5:25-32 , “ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church . ”
Rapture would be seen as the close of the second part, the presentation. The entire period on earth before the rapture would be seen as the preparation. Remember the promise of Christ in John 14:2-3 , “ In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also . ” The period of the Great Tribulation is likened to the one week of festivities in heaven where the Groom presents the “bride” to the Father. The end of the Great Tribulation is where the acceptance of the Father will commence the Great Supper of the Lamb.
The dressing of the bride is the righteousness of saints (fine linen, clean and white – symbolic of purity). Fine linen was used in the construction of many parts of the Tabernacle.
Ex 26:1 , “ Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen , and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them . ”
Ex 26:31 , “ And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made : ”
Ex 26:36 , “ And thou shalt make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen , wrought with needlework . ”
Ex 27:9 , “ And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side : ”
Exodus 39:3 , “ And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work . ”
Fine linen was what the high priest wore in the OT. This is perhaps symbolic of holiness. He has to be holy before he could enter the Holy Place and the most holy place. That it was clean and white confirms this interpretation.
Rev 19:7-8 says, “ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ” This righteousness is based upon the law of God which the Lord Jesus Christ has fulfilled on our behalf when He was on earth. Therefore every Christian is seen as having fulfilled all of God’s Holy laws.
Romans 8:3-4 , “ For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit . ”
19:9-10 – John was told to write, “ Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb ”. This is the fourth beatitude. How good and how wonderful to be found in this Supper of the Lamb! Of all the suppers that you could be invited to this is one you must be found in. MacArthur says, “These guests represent OT believers. ” [ 1 ] I do not believe that MacArthur is right to call them guests and then say that they refer to the OT saints. This is an invitation to all believers. It is because of MacArthur’s dispensational background that he interprets this verse the way he did. All who are found there are considered blessed by God.
The angel then added, “ These are the true sayings of God . ” Why “true” saying and not just simply sayings? The reason is probably due to the great contrast of the lies of the unholy Trinity. Their entire scheme of things was built on a gigantic lie. Whereas God’s kingdom is built only on TRUTH.
John was so elated that he bowed down in worship at the feet of the angel. The reaction of the angel was immediate. He said to John, “ See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy . ” Only fallen angels would desire the receive the worship of man. Good angels would never do that. That is why in the OT we know that the “angel of the LORD” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ for he received the worship of the OT saints. These appearances would be called a theophany, the appearances of Christ before His incarnation i. e. pre-incarnate appearances. Moreover, He is also called the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Exodus 3:2-6 , “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob . And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. ”
God is the only ONE whom we are allowed to worship. This is a great privilege given to us. Why is it then that we often drag our feet to church every Lord’s Day? Why is there so little joy in our worship? Our singing must not be mundane as if we are going through the motion. There is little life and fervour in our worship.
What we are studying is true because it comes from the Lord Jesus Christ who is here addressed as “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. ” This is no accident. To whom did God give His prophecies to? Are they given to the believers or the unbelievers? Unbelievers would not even believe the gospel message which belongs to “earthly tings. ” How then can they believe in heavenly things?
John 3:12-13 , “ If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven . ”
Prophecies are given by the Heavenly Father to His children like what every father would do. This is so that His own children who are suppose to believe in what Father would say and live and plan their lives in light of what Father would definitely do, unless the children are disobedient and would not believe the Father. What a shame when that happens? Is this happening in your life?
2. The Victory over the Beast – 19:11-21
Revelation 19:11-21 , “ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh . ”
19:11-13 (a description of the reigning Christ) – In Revelation 4:1 , heaven was opened to let John in. here there is a difference. Revelation 19:11 said that John saw heaven opened for Christ to come out. He comes to judge. He rides on a white horse. This time the Lord will not ride on a donkey which was a sign of humiliation. On that occasion he came to die on the cross of Calvary. This time he comes to judge sinful man as King and Lord.
The colour “white” symbolizes spotless and unblemished purity. There is absolutely no spot in Him at all. He is absolutely perfect in all His Words and deeds and character. The horse is a symbol of conquest. Hence the Name of Christ here is “Faithful and True. ” Christ is faithful to His promises. He is keeping every single one of them. This would include all His prophecies. What He speaks is always true. All that he has said are perfect and true. There is no guile or lies in all that He has said or done. This is a very apt description of Christ at a time such as this. This is definitely in mark contrast to the antichrist who is always unfaithful where he will break the covenant that he makes Israel, he will destroy even the harlot called Babylon the Great once her usefulness is done. He is a disciple of the father of lies which is Satan. He cannot help himself but tell lies like his father. He cannot be trusted at al. Even when he tells you that he is a liar he is lying.
Christ’s judgements will be in righteousness. Righteousness is the enemy of situational ethics. We live in a situational ethical society. We make decisions not based upon absolute truth but what we think might happen. We do not tell the truth because he might not like it. We do not discipline because it will hurt others who love him. It goes on and on an on. But with God it is very different. He will do what is right because it is right. This will be the case on judgement day. Based upon His perfect sense of righteousness he will judge and make war.
“ His eyes were as flame of fire ” means that He will see all people and things even into the very recesses of our hearts. Every motive behind every action will be known by Him. These eyes were once tender toward every child and every repentant sinner will now have only flames for all unrepentant sinner and every demons. No one will escape Him.
“On His head were many crowns (diadems). ” These are royal crowns which points to ruler crowns. They are worn by Christ to symbolize His regal authority and royal rank. “Many” demonstrates that he alone is king and there is none other like him. Other kings of the earth have only one crown for if you are a king of one country you cannot be the king of another. But the Lord is King of all nations and kingdoms. All the kingdoms of man will bow down to Him as King. Philippians 2:11 , “ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father . ”
Christ has a name written that no man knew except He Himself. Therefore it is pointless and futile to try to guess what this name is. Not even the apostle John could figure it out. He saw it but could not know it.
Christ was also clothed with a vesture dipped in blood . What kind of blood is referred to here? Could this be His redemptive blood that was shed on Calvary? To signify His redemptive blood here would be out of place. Since this was not a journey to redeem but he is coming to judge, it does not make sense to interpret that this blood refers to Christ’s own blood. Could this refer to the blood of the martyrs? The fact that it was dipped in blood may point to something other than the blood of the martyrs. Why would Christ dip His vesture in the blood of His own children? It does not make sense. Then it has to refer to the blood of the sinners that will be slain by Christ at the battle of Armageddon. This fits in with what Isaiah wrote in...
Isaiah 63:1-6 , “ Who is this that cometh from Edom , with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth . ”
Christ’s Name is called The Word of God . This is very significant in light of the many attacks on God’s Holy Word. The well sung tune that “the Bible has mistakes but very insignificant ones” is so well accepted today by many so-called fundamentalist Christians are frightening. Here Jesus who is perfect and holy and true and faithful and His name is called the Word of God and we say that His word has mistakes albeit insignificant ones. What right has a sinner to distinguish in the Word of God whom God has seen fit in His infinite wisdom to inspire that some parts are more inspired than others or that they are less significant than others? The arrogance of a sinner truly knows no bounds. It is so apt that Jesus Chris is called the Word of God here. He is perfect and true and so are His words all of them without exception.
19:14 (Christ’s armies) – Do you know how to ride a horse? Here you will be riding on one. Christ’s armies will come from heaven with Him. They will be clothed in fine linen, white and clean. They would be absolutely perfect, holy and without blemish. Fine linen was the material used by the high priest in the OT. Who will make up Christ’s armies?
The angels -- Matthew 25:31 , “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ” And 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 , “ And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power ; ”
All the saints -- Jude 1:14 , “ And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints , ”
This will be a non-fighting army. The reason is that they do not need to fight for Christ will fight for them.
19:15-21 (The final killing) – Out of the mouth of Christ will come forth a sharp sword. This would refer to the Word of God.
Eph 6:17 , “A nd take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God : ”
Heb 4:12 , “ For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart . ”
19:15a --By Christ’s spoken Word all the enemies would be destroyed. With it he would thoroughly smite the nations gathered at Armageddon. The yardstick will be the “iron of iron. ” This means that there will be no mercy. The time for mercy has come to an end. The unrepentant hearts of the followers of Satan condemned themselves after all that God had done to convict them. They stubbornly resisted and persisted in their blasphemies. Now they will pay the ultimate price.
Christ “ treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God . ” The picture o the winepress is used in Joel 3:12-14 , “ Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat : for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision . ” When someone stomp on the grapes in the wine press it symbolizes the through nature of the judgement. Christ will stomp on the rebellious sinners like a worker would stomp on the grapes until all is squeezed out. The fact that the word “treadeth” is in the present tense tells us that I will be a continuous stamping until it is complete. The judgement of God will not stop until it reaches its final climax and conclusion.
19:15b --The power of Almighty God will be behind this stomping. No one will be able to escape or stand against Christ.
19:16 --The vesture of Christ will be dipped in blood since he will have it on when He judges. On Christ’s vesture that flows down to His thigh there was a name written King of kings and Lord of lords . It must have been a large banner that Christ has on. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all the lords. He will be the final King and Lord of all mankind. There will be no one to follow after Him. After His rule and reign during the millennium, eternity will begin. This is seen in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in...
Daniel 2:45 , “ Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure . ”
19:17-18 --The angel will call all the fowls of the air to come and have supper . This is a supper prepared for them by the great God. These must be birds of prey. This will be the last time flesh eating will occur on earth. This would also be a mega voice. The sun shines again after the darkness is over. They will eat the flesh of kings and captains, mighty men, horses, and all the soldiers that sit on these horses, including all men bond and free, small and great. All who gathered will be food for these birds.
Zephaniah 1:14-18 , “ The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land . ”
19:19-21 – The beast will attempt to fight against God but it will be futile. The kings and their armies will, flow suit but it will also be useless. The beast will be taken (i. e. apprehended or seized) and with him was the false prophet who “ wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image . ” These two will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire which continuously burns with brimstone. This is the first time the lake of Fire is mentioned. But this place was intimated by Matthew in Matthew 25:41 , “ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels : ” At the end of a thousand years Satan will join them. This means that even after one thousand years the two evil men will still be there. There is no place for the diabolical doctrine of annihilation.
The rest of mankind who were gathered at Armageddon will be killed and they will go to Hell and not the Lake of Fire.
John Phillips described this scene well when he said, “Then suddenly it will all be over. In fact, there will be no war at all, in the sense that we think of war. There will be just a word spoken from Him who sits astride the great white horse. Once he spoke a word to a fig tree, and it withered away. Once He spoke a word to howling winds and heaving waves, and the storm clouds vanished and the waves fell still. Once he spoke to a legion of demons bursting at the seams of a poor man’s soul, and instantly they fled. Now He speaks a word, and the war is over. The blasphemous, loud-mouthed Beast is stricken where he stands. The false prophet, the miracle-working windbag from the pit is punctured and still. The pair of them are bundled up and hurled headlong into the everlasting flames. Another word, and the panic-stricken armies reel and stagger and fall down dead. Field marshals and generals, admirals and air commanders, soldiers and sailors, rank and file, one and all—they fall. And the vultures descend and cover the scene. ” [ 2 ]
The prophet Zechariah describes the same scene well. Zechariah 14:1-14 , “ Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem ; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem ; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance . ”
3. The Millennial Kingdom – 20:1-6
20:1-3 (Satan is cast out) –
Revelation 20:1-3 , “ And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season . ”
20:1 --Having dealt with the beast and the false prophet, it was now the turn of the main culprit, Satan. John “saw an angel come down from heaven” indicates the chronological progression between chapters 19 and 20. This sequential event reveals the judgement of Satan. This angel held in his hand the key of the Bottomless Pit (lit. abyss – a deep pit with no bottom cf 9:1,2 , 11 ; 11:7 ; 17:8 ). This is always used to refer to a place of temporary incarceration. This will not be the final and eternal inescapable place of punishment but the Lake of Fire is.
The teaching of a place of temporary incarceration is not found only in the book of Revelation also in the book of Jude.
Jude 1:6 , “ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day . ” This would mostly likely refer to Genesis 6 where the Song of God (angelic being) did not keep their original state and married the daughters of men. This precipitated the first global destruction which was by water. What happened to these wicked demons? Jude tells us that they were incarcerated by everlasting chains until the Day of Judgement.
Likewise in the last Judgement by fire, the main perpetrator, Satan, will also be incarcerated temporary for 1, 000 years.
The key given to the angel signifies his assigned duty. He has the power to open it and to shut it according to the authority given to him.
20:2-3 --In his hand was also a great (mega) chain. The angel laid hold (lit. held on tightly with considerable force) of the dragon, the old serpent, the Devil, and Satan. These are his four titles or names. The usage of the 2Aorist to describe the incarceration of Satan emphasizes the finality of the action. Satan was forcibly bound (emphasis is on the act of binding – same tense as laid hold). The period of time was 1, 000 years.
MacArthur observed that “Satan’s binding poses a serious difficulty for both post-millennialists and a-millennialists. A-millennialists argue that Satan is already bound , since,... they believe we are in the Millennium now (though they do not view it as one thousand literal years in length). Many post-millennialists also believe that Satan is presently bound , because otherwise it is difficult to see how the church could usher in the Millennium. Yet the biblical description of Satan’s activity in this present age makes it impossible to believe he has already been bound. Satan plants lying hypocrites in the church (Acts 5:3 ), schemes against believers ( 2 Cor 2:11 ; Eph 6:11 ), disguises himself as an angel of light to deceive people ( 2 Cor 11:14 ), attacks believers ( 2 Cor 12:7 ; Eph 4:27 ) and must be resisted (James 4:7 ), hinders those in the ministry ( 1 Thess 2:18 ), and leads believers astray ( 1 Tim 5:15 ). A-millennialists and post-millennialists generally argue that Satan was bound at the Cross, and that his binding simply means that he can no longer deceive the nations and keep them from learning God’s truth [ e. g. Anthony A. Hoekema, The Bible and the Future (Grand rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 228. ] ” [ 3 ]
Revelation 20:3 explains the reason for Satan’s binding. This will prevent him from deceiving the nations. He will not be found in the millennial kingdom.
But at the end of the 1, 000 year incarceration, he will be loosed for a little season. What will he do after his release? The next few verses will answer this question.
20:4-6 (Only Believers are let in) –
Revelation 20:4-6 , “ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years . ”
20:4-5 – The glorified saints, compromising of all those who were raptured and all who participated in the First Resurrection, will be seated down on thrones making judgements. This kingly authority was given to believers. They will judge angels i. e. fallen angels. 1 Corinthians 6:3 , “ Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? ”
John saw also the ones who died for their faith during the Great Tribulation in heaven reigning with Christ for 1, 000 years. They were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God. Note the two reasons for their beheading, it was for the testimony on the behalf of Christ and for the defense of the Faith the very Word of God). Today’s battle lines are also on these two issues. Will you die for Jesus Christ? Will you die for the Word of God? These glorified saints did. They will be rewarded in heaven.
Who else will enter the millennium? Will there be unbelievers who will enter the millennium? If they did not then why are there unbelievers at the end of the millennium?
Parable of the Wheat and Tares--Matthew 13:30 , “ Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn . ” The explanation of the end of this parable is given by our Lord Himself in Matthew 13:40-42 , “ As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth . ”
Parable of the Good and Bad Catch--Matthew 13:47-50 , “ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth . ”
Separation of the Sheep and the Goats--Matthew 25:31-33 , “ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left . ” The right hand and left hand seating of God is explained in the following verses in Matthew 25 .
Matthew 25:34 , “ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : ” The sheep are the believers who will enter the millennium.
Matthew 25:41 , “ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels : ” The goats are the unbelievers who will join Satan and his demons.
No unbelievers will enter the millennium. They will be cast into Hell until the Great White Throne Judgement where they will be judged for the final time before being cast into the Lake of Fire. They will remain there forever.
There are two kinds of saints entering the millennium. The saints with the glorified body where they can never sin again or die will be the first group. The second group of saints would include the 144, 000 Israelites mentioned in Revelation 7 together with other Gentiles and the Danites. The second group include those who have come through the Great Tribulation with their mortal bodies. The sinful nature would still reside in their mortal body. They will still be able to procreate and have children. They would live long years like the time before the Great Flood of Noah’s time. There will still be death.
Isaiah 65:17-25 , “ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem , and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed . And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD . ” [ emphasis added ]
Some of these children born in the millennium from the second group of believers will become unbelievers. These are the ones whom Satan will gather for one final confrontation before the Great White Throne judgement.
The new heavens and a new earth of Isaiah refers to the recreation of the present earth and heaven. What will the millennium be like on earth? Isaiah give us the answer in chapters 11 and 65.
Isaiah 11:1-9 , “ And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea . ”
20:6 – This is the fifth beatitude. The ones who experience the Fist Resurrection are called holy and blessed by Christ. They will no suffer the Second Death. Instead they shall be priests of God and of Christ. They will be kings for they will reign with Christ for 1, 000 years. This dual role of the believers was clearly stated by the apostle Peter.
1 Peter 2:5 , “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. ”
1 Peter 2:9 , “ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light : ”
Please note that the Bible is not referring to a future event but a present state of the believers in relation to God. In millennium it will much clearer as seen by the believer’s glorified body. But the believer is already a holy and royal priest NOW in the eyes of God. Hence he must live as such. The first ting he must do is to abstain form all that might cause him to sin such as drinking alcohol, gambling (Thou shall not covet – Exodus 20:17 ) and smoking (your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit – 1 Cor 3:17 ; 6:19 ).
Kings are not supposed to drink in the OT as they need to perform their kingly duties. Proverbs 31:4-6 , “ It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts . ”
Priests are also not allowed to drink in the OT. Leviticus 10:8-9 , “ And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations : ”
4. The Final Conflict and Great White Throne Judgement – 20:7-15
20:7 ( the blessed millennial reign ends) –
Revelation 20:7-10 , “ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison , And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever . ”
20:7-8 – Satan will be released from the Bottomless Pit at the end of the thousand years. He will gather from the four quarters of the earth all the unbelievers to battle against the Lord Jesus Christ one final time.
God and Magog – Ezekiel 38 and 39 describe the period of the Great Tribulation. From Ezekiel 38:2 , “ Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog , the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him , ” we see that Gog refers to the name of a king and Magog either refers to a people or a country. From Ezekiel 38:8 it appears that Gog would be the name of one of the kings who will help the antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. What their identities are is difficult to determine wth any degree of certainty.
These same names are used here at the end of the millennium. They probably refer to the enemies of Christ and therefore are used in Revelation 20:8 as figures of the old enemies during the Great Tribulation. This was how the name Babylon was used. Perhaps the use of Gog and Magog also points to the fact that even though it may have been a 1, 000 years later, Satan has not changed one bit and his consuming desire will still be to go against God and Christ and God’s people. He truly lives up to his name sake, Satan which means an adversary!
The number would be enormous as they numbered as the sand of the sea!
20:9-10 – They encircled the people of God and the city of Jerusalem. Again it was a very one sided battle. The Bible says, “ Fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them ”. They were thoroughly destroyed by God.
Satan will join his two sidekicks in the Lake of Fire. The unholy trinity will remain together forever. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. There is absolutely no doctrine of annihilation! To believe in such a diabolical doctrine is to make light of sin and the salvific work of Christ on Calvary!
20:11-13 (the Great White Throne Judgement) –
Revelation 20:11-13 , “ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works . ”
20:11 – The Great White Throne Judgement is the final place of judgement for all unbelievers. Great not only points to its size but also its majestic authority and significance, it being the final throne scene. White as usual symbolizes purity, holiness and perfect justice.
The person who sits on the throne is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. John 5:22-23 , “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. ”
The phrase “ the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them ” means that the earth and heaven will vanish away i. e. literally go out of existence. For at the end of the millennium, all believers will be given the glorified body. All unbelievers will be sent to Hell for they shall fight against God with Satan. The earth will be emptied of al inhabitants except perhaps for the creatures.
Donald Barnhouse rightly observed, “There is to be an end of the material heavens and earth which we know. IT is not that they are to be purified and rehabilitated, but that the reverse of creation is to take place. They are to be uncreated. As they came from nothing at the word of God, they are to be sucked back into nothingness by this same word of God. ” [ 4 ]
20:12-13 – All the unbelievers who had died and sent to Hell will be delivered from Hell and forced to stand before God for judgement. This scene is reminiscent of the one described in Daniel 7:9-10 , “ I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened . ”
What are these books? The identity of these books is not revealed to us. One of them would obviously be the Book of Life. In this book would be written and found all the names of believers.
Out of the books the unbelievers will be judged according to their works. But all unbelievers who are judged according to their works can have only one conclusion. They will be condemned. Their righteousnesses are like filthy rags in the sight of God. Isaiah 64:6 , “ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away . ” And Romans 3:23 , “ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God ; ”
“The sea gave up the dead. ” The “sea” is used probably because it was a very difficult place to find any dead bodies after they had died in the sea. It was impossible actually in the days of the apostle John as they did not have diving gear to help them search the bottom of oceans. The message then would be that no matter how impossible it might appear, these who have died and ended up in Hell will be released and will be judged according to their works.
20:14-15 (The End of Death and Hell) –
Revelation 20:14-15 , “ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire . ”
Since there will be no more mortals with the sinful nature, there will be no more death and hence no more need for Hell, the place for the dead. The act of casting these two into the lake of Fire is symbolic of their ultimate and final destruction.
Death came into the scene in Genesis 3 when Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. He died immediately, the spiritual death. He died 930 years later, the physical death. If he was born again, then he will escape the second death. This is true of all sinners. Now the good news is that death and the place of the dead will be forever destroyed.
Anyone whose name was not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
The words from the book of Hebrews expresses well the somber warning to all sinners...
Hebrews 10:26-31 , “ For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God . ”
5. The New Heavens and the New Earth – 21:1-8
21:1 (How new is the new heaven and new earth?) –
Revelation 21:1 , “ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea . ”
The word for new is “ kainos ” which means not knew in terms of chronology but in a qualitative sense. It will be something brand new and fresh. It is something never seen before. We know that the first heaven and earth will be destroyed i. e. uncreated from 20:11 .
Does the new heaven here include all the three heavens, the first, second and third heaven? It is true that the word used here for heaven is in the singular but it could be a generic usage of the singular which refers to all three heavens.
Why were they uncreated and not given an extreme makeover? The reason is that it has been stained by sin. Has the outer space been stained by sin as well? The answer would be yes. Outer space has been stained be the satellites debris left there by sinful men. These discarded objects have stained the second heaven. If the reason for the un-creation of the first heaven was the stain of sin then by corollary, it must also include the second heaven. Also Revelation reveals that there will be no sun and no moon in eternity cf 22:23 .
Will the third heaven be recreated also? The same question will also be asked: Has the third heaven been stained by sin?
Isaiah 14:12-15 , “ How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit . ”
Jesus said in Luke 10:18 , “ And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven . ”
It is apparent that since the third heaven has also been stained by sin, then it ought to be re-created also like the other two heavens.
What is the difference between Abraham’s bosom, Paradise and the Third Heaven? Where the apostle John was brought to in the Book of Revelation is called Heaven.
Abraham’s bosom is an equivalent term for Paradise. There is a chasm between the place called Hell and Abraham’s bosom that cannot be bridged.
Luke 16:22-26 , “ And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom : the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this , between us and you there is a great gulf fixed : so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence . ” [ emphasis added ] The word for Hell here is Hades which is the same as in Revelation 20:13-14 . Hades is a place of torment but it is not permanent. It must not be compared with Purgatory. Hades is not a place of purging where after purging the sinner can go to heaven. There is no getting out of Hades. Purgatory on the other hand is a place for the purging of sin as concocted by the Roman Catholic Church. There is no such place as taught in the Bible. When a person dies He goes to either Heaven or Hell.
Is Paradise the same as the Third Heaven? Jesus said to the malefactor that today you shall be with me in Paradise. The Lord Jesus Christ went to Paradise. The apostle Paul himself equated the third heaven with Paradise.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4 , “ I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven . And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise , and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter . ” [ emphasis added ]
Revelation 2:7 , “ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God . ” The apostle John also referred to Heaven as Paradise. With this overwhelming evidence from Scripture Paradise and The Third Heaven and Abraham’s bosom refer to the same place.
The new earth which is also totally brand new has no sea in it. Human being with the glorified bodies need not have water any more to survive. What is the composition of our glorified body like?
Jesus says in Luke 24:39 , “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones , as ye see me have. ” [ [ emphasis added ] Note that blood is not mentioned.
21:2-8 (The Inhabitants of New Jerusalem) –
Revelation 21:2-8 , “ And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death . ”
21:2 --The word for “new” here is also “ kainos ”. This means that this Jerusalem will be totally brand new. It is a repair work done on the old Jerusalem. This new city will come down from God out of heaven, the new heaven. It will be so beautiful like a bride prepared for her husband.
21:3 --It is also called the Tabernacle of God i. e. the dwelling place of God for that is exactly what a tabernacle means. The Home of God is in the midst of man. This is a good definition of Heaven if you ever need one. Heaven is a place where God “ will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God . ” This is home for every born again believer.
21:4 --Revelation 21:4 does not mean that the saints are now crying in the New Heaven and New Earth. What it means is that the days of sorrow and tears and death and separation and pain will become things of the past. These earthly activities were part and parcel of life but they will not be so in eternity.
The word for passed away in 21:4 is different from 21:1 1 21:1 refers to perishing i. e. destroyed 21:4 refers to leaving behind. All these hurts and pains will be left behind when the old heaven and earth were destroyed.
21:5 – Christ will make all things new i. e. brand new ( Kainos ). John was told to write them down for these revelations are true and faithful i. e. Christ can be trusted to tell the truth. Believe Christ.
21:6-7 – Christ is the one in charge of the beginning and the end. The plan of salvation for mankind is now completed. “It is done. ” He calls Himself the Alpha and the Omega (the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet) the beginning and the end of all things. Everything is now concluded.
1 Corinthians 13:10-12 , “ But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known . ” With the completion of the Bible what is known of all mankind by God is now also known by all believers.
After reading all these truths, are you spiritually thirsty? This is a thirst for the living water. Drinking it and you will never thirst again.
The ones who preserve and holdfast to the very end will inherit all things. Jesus will be His God and he shall be God’s son. This is the offer of salvation to all who have ears to hear, please hear.
21:8 – But the contrast is also very clear. It says, “ the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. ”
“Fearful” – These are the cowards. Matthew 10:33 , “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. ”
“Unbelieving” – These are the faithless. They belong to the stony ground and ground with rocks underneath as depicted in the Parable of the Sower cf. Matthew 13:1-9 ; 18-23 . And Hebrews 11:6 , “ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him . ” Romans 14:23 , “ And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin . ”
“Abominable” – That which is polluted and vile, wicked and evil.
“Murderers” – He breaks the 6 th Commandment. Jesus says that if anyone is angry with his brother without a cause he has committed murder.
“Whoremongers” – These are the immoral persons. Fornication, adultery and all forms of sexual sins will be committed by them.
“Sorcerers” – From the word for “pharmacy”. These are those who delve in witch craft. Necromancy and wizardry will be part of their way of life.
“Idolaters” – They worship idols.
“Liars” – They tell lies. Lying as part of their lives.
These sinners commit the above sins as part of their lives. These are habitual sins. Jesus says that they will have no part in the Kingdom of Heaven instead they will have their part in the Lake of Fire which burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.
This is the final appeal to all sinners to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
C. The Fourth Vision: Christ and the Heavenly Reality – 21:9-22:5
1. The New Jerusalem – 21:9-21
21:9-21 (The description of the New Jerusalem)--
The New Jerusalem is the next focus. Whether there will be any other city in the New earth and New Heaven, they are not mentioned. But one city is singled out for deliberate and careful mention. It is none other that the city of David, Jerusalem.
21:9-11 (Called the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife) –
Revelation 21:9-11 , “ And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal ; ”
One of the angels who which had the seven vials came and spoke with John. He will now show him the bride, the lamb’s wife, the New Jerusalem.
John was brought to a great and high mountain. He saw the great city Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God. The city possesses the glory of God. It was glorious and crystal clear green in colour as jasper stone.
21:12-14 (The 12 Gates and 12 Foundations) –
Revelation 21:12-14 , “ And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel : On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb . ”
The city had a great and high wall. It also had twelve gates with twelve angels and the names written on them were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
On the East were 3 gates, on the south were 3 gates, on the west were 3 gates, and on the north were 3 gates. The wall of the city had 12 foundations. In these foundations were the names of the 12 apostles.
The reference to Israel and the apostles would points to all the redeemed. Both the Old and the New covenants will be included here.
21:15-17 (The Dimension of the City) –
Revelation 21:15-17 , “ And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel . ”
John was given a golden reed to measure the city. The city is square shape. It is 12, 000 furlongs in length and breadth 12, 000 furlongs is about 1, 380 miles or about 2, 300 km. The height is also the same length. It would be the shape of a cube. The thickness of the wall is 144 cubits i. e 72 yards or about 216 feet or 66 meters. The measurement is to be understood in human terms i. e. according to the measure of a man which are also the measurements of the angel.
21:18-21 (The Description of the 12 Gates and 12 Foundations) –
Revelation 21:18-21 , “ And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass . ”
The wall was made of clear jasper. The city was pure gold and clear as glass.
The foundations are made of 12 different stones. The first foundation was jasper ( like green diamond) ; the second, sapphire ( brilliant blue stone) ; the third, a chalcedony (an agate stone which is sky blue with coloured stripes) ; the fourth, an emerald (bright green) ; The fifth, sardonyx (red and white stripe stone) ; the sixth, sardius (different shades of red) ; the seventh, chrysolite (transparent yellow-hued stone) ; the eighth, beryl (shades of green, yellow and blue) ; the ninth, a topaz (yellow green stone) ; the tenth, a chrysoprasus (gold-tinted green stone) ; the eleventh, a jacinth (blue or violet coloured stone in John; s day although reddish brown in our time) ; the twelfth, an amethyst (a purple stone).
This was a spectrum of colour with an indescribable breathtaking beauty.
The material of the 12 Gates is: pearl. It was made up of 12 pearls. One pearl per gate.
2. New Life with God and the Lamb – 21:22-27 ; 22:1-5
21:22-23 (No Temple, No Sun, No Moon) –
Revelation 21:22-23 , “ And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof . ”
There was no temple in eternity. For the Temple is God the Father and the Lamb. They is no need to go to the temple for the believer will and can go to God and the Lord Jesus Christ directly.
There is no need for the sun or the moon. The brilliant light that emanates from the glory of God ad the Lamb will be light enough for eternity.
21:24-27 (Always Bright and Safe and Glorious) –
Revelation 21:24-27 , “ And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life . ”
All believers will delight in and enjoy walking in the light of God. All of us will be royalty and we will bring ourselves into the presence of God in our glorified state.
The gates will never be shut all day and all night. Only believers are allowed in. No evil will be allow near it.
22:1-2 (The River of the Water of Life and the Tree of Life) –
Revelation 22:1-2 , “ And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations . ”
There is a pure river of the water of life which is clear as crystal. It will proceed from the throne of God and of the Lamb. This symbolizes eternal life that will flow unceasingly form the presence of God almighty and the Lamb. Christ is still call the lamb for it is a reminder to all believers that it is by grace and mercy that we are found in heaven.
There will be the tree of life. This tree of life will bear twelve manner of fruits and it will yield a different kind of fruit every month. The leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the nations. The word “healing” means therapeutic value. Life in heaven will be exciting and energetic and full of life.
22:3-5 (No Curse, No Night, No Candle, No Sun)--
Revelation 22:3-5 , “ And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever . ”
There will be no more curse at all. God will be there and so will the Lamb. God’s servants will serve Him constantly. They will be able to see God’s face as they too will be holy and with the glorified body. God’s name will be on our foreheads. This is a sign of ownership.
There will be no night. No candle will be needed. The light of the sun will also not be needed. The Lord God Himself will give forth light. The believer will reign with God forever and ever. There will be no end in eternity.
THE EPILOGUE: CHRIST’S FINAL CALL (22:6-21)
Call to Obedience – 22:6-11
22:6-7 (To Show Christ’s Servants) –