In the previous chapter, John described for us the beauty of the outer appearance of heaven, and in this chapter he gives us a look at the glory and grandeur from inside those beautiful walls. First, the angel shows him the river of the water of life which is clear as crystal and flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Just as all we need for our spiritual health and enjoyment flows from our triune God, so all we need for physical…Continue Reading “Revelation 22: Jesus is coming!”
The judgments are over, the guilty have been punished and now it is time for the redeemed of the Lord to enjoy the glories of heaven. As the chapter begins, John sees a new heaven and a new earth, for the first – sin-stained and decayed, have passed away. A whole new universe has been created to be the eternal dwelling place for the redeemed. Just as the old world was groaning under the weight of sin along with our old bodies, we now will…Continue Reading “Revelation 21”
In Chapter 19 we saw the false prophet and the Antichrist get their due, and in this chapter, at long last, we will see the devil get his final justice! First we see an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hands the key to the abyss, the place where demons are held while awaiting their final judgment. He grabs the devil, throws him into the abyss and seals him in for a period of 1,000 years. Therefore, he is unable to cause havoc…Continue Reading “Revelation 20: He holds the keys”
This chapter begins with a great multitude of the heavenly host praising God. for His great power in conquering Babylon – that wicked blasphemous world system. “Alleluia,” they cried as the smoke rose up from that smoldering city. Then we see the 24 elders and those four living creatures, who we have witnessed throughout this book, falling down and worshipping God. And a voice from the throne encouraged all His servants, small and great, to join in the great chorus of worship, for in this…Continue Reading “Revelation 19”
1-3 Chapter 18 is a continuation of God’s final judgment upon the idolatrous world system of Babylon. It begins with another angel illuminating the now darkened (due to the fifth bowl judgment) sky. The angel speaks of Babylon as if it has already fallen and foretells how it will be utterly destroyed with nothing able to inhabit it but demons and birds of prey. He talks of how all the political and corporate leaders of the earth have been seduced by this worldwide system of…Continue Reading “Revelation 18”
(Photo above is by Br-jsosa Posted in Babylon the Great In verse one, John again speaks of the seven angels with the seven bowls, as he mentions that one of these angels talked to him. This links Chapter 17 (and 18), to the bowl judgments of Chapter 16. These two chapter focus on one aspect of those judgments and the angel tells us what that is. It is “the judgment of the great harlot” – Babylon. In John MacArthur’s study guide, which I am using to help our…Continue Reading “Revelation 17: The woman and the beast”
We will cover chapters 15 and 16 together as one leads directly into the other. As 15 begins, John sees the final group of seven angels, carrying the final last plagues, which will complete God’s wrath. We are back in the throne room of God as referenced by the sea of glass (Rev. 4:6) mentioned in verse 2. Standing there are all those precious souls, who despite all the evil of satan and the anti-christ, have gained victory in Christ and stand triumphant “over the…Continue Reading “Revelation 15 & 16: The 7 Bowls”
We are moving closer and closer to Christ’s second coming to earth to set up His millennial kingdom. In chapter 14, we are given a sort of preview to the end of the Tribulation. Here, John, sees Christ on Mount Zion(Jerusalem) along with the 144,000 previously mentioned in chapter 7. These faithful servants, having God the Father’s name written on their foreheads (as opposed to the sinful whose heads carry the mark of the beast), now stand triumphant. They have stayed pure and without fault…Continue Reading “Revelation 14: Warnings and Reapings”
For those of you who do not have John MacArthur’s Revelation study guide, I am going to include a bit of his introduction to the next few chapters as I think it will be incredibly helpful to our understanding of the text. ” This study focuses on the terrible three enemies to come: Satan (the dragon), Antichrist (the first beast), and the false prophet (the second beast). Chapters 12-14 are actually a digression in John’s vision, taking readers back through the Tribulation from Satan’s perspective….Continue Reading “Revelation 12: The Great Dragon”
After John digests the little book or scroll from chapter 10, the angel then hands him a reed for measuring. He is told to measure the temple of God, the altar and those who worship there. This measuring of the temple was to signify God’s ownership of it. John was also told what not to measure – the court which is outside the temple. This referred to an area separated from the inner court in the Herodian temple by a low wall. It was known…Continue Reading “Revelation 11”